DRUGZ & da 4:20 FUNK MOB
At the Wetlands in NYC - 3/25/01
To say that
this night was a chaotic night would be an understatement! A super LONG line
was forming by the time I got to the Wetlands......compounded by the fact that I
didn't have a ticket for the show (my name wasn't on the guest list). Thanks to
the Wetlands policy of turning away minors (for this 18 & OVER show), I
bought a $20 ticket from one of the minors. The Wetlands was packed like a
large can of sardines and everyone was feelin' extra funky!!! All the important
people were there: Stozo, Gina Hall, Sa'd Ali (related to the P), Sheila Brody,
Gary Sullivan (drummer for the WOO Warriors), and L.A.W. (affiliated with Enemy
Squad).
Drugz (headed by the funky fool, Michael
"Clip" Payne) started their set at 10:45pm with the Andre Foxxe song
"Black Beach"!! Sweet, wet guitar licks by Andre Foxxe stunk up
the room! "America" featured a funky drum (by Robert
"Chicken" Burke) and stank, ass-shakin' guitar groove (by Andre)
intro......the bass riffs by Lige Curry were smokin' and Garry Shider's
falsetto vocals were sweet on the ears!! The
sound was pretty trippy......YEAH, THE DRUGZ WILL HAVE YOU WACKED OUT YA FUNKY
MIND!! Joe Eppart, another funky guitarist, was great on lead vocals for
"Billy". "Don't Mess With Me" featured some funkatizing
bass and guitar.....some great drumming was featured, but Clip's vocals were
too low. Burning guitar funk (possibly by Adam Widoff) prevailed on the
War-influenced song, "Never Ever"!! Toshi Reagon was the funky
guest lead vocalist on the mellow "It's a Cold-Hearted World".
"Camaro" featured three guests from a group called WOODEN (I hope
that's correct!)......one guitarist, one bassist & one lead vocalist. The
scratch guitarisms was hot enough to melt the woofers & tweeters!!
"Momma" was a funky little ditty which had moments of sparse but
funky instrumentation and moments of hardcore funk-rock!
Adam Widoff's guitar solo was phenomenal but I
was really digging on Lige Curry's funky and tasteful bass during the low-key
parts of the song and his full-assault lethal bass attacks during the funk-rock
portions!!
"Strung Out" was some burned-out slow
funk with Garry Shider at his vocally best! S'more funky guitarisms by Garry,
Andre, Adam & Joe was the order of business on "Miss America",
with irresistible vocalizing by Joe. "Freedom Came" closed the set at
12:15am.
At 1:00am, the 4:20 Funk Mob started their funky
set with a long intro to the Parliament psychedelic-laced funk-rock of
"There's Nothing Before Me But Thang" with Clip repeatedly
announcing"All Aboard the Night Train". The song tore some major ass with smolderin' bass grooves by
Lige Curry & electrifying guitar slayings by Flash, Andre Foxxe, Garry
Shider & Tim Moore!!! "Funky Woman" featured some hot lead vocals
by Clip
, smokin' guitarisms by Tim Moore, and some amusing keyboard
riffs by Gregg Fitz (a la Bernie Worrell)!!! The most electrifying part of the
song was the lethal action of lead axe-slayer Ron Smith (of Enemy Squad).......you
could just see his guitar catching afire!!!! As a matter of fact, both songs
had the club sizzling & roasting at a temperature of 500 degrees
Fahrenheit!!!!! One unfortunate fan passed out from the intensity of the
high-powered grooves!! The walls of the Wetlands were practically glowing
red!!!!! OUCH!!!!! "Underground
Angel" was the music to Flash's HOT & sadistic lead guitarisms that
set the speakers afire!!
George Clinton braved the blazing conditions
and walked onstage..........he did his answer to the chant "Whatcha gonna
do, George?" and performed his "Rhythm & Rhyme", "Radio
Friendly DJs Spin For The Funk" and "Ain't Nuttin' But a Jam
Y'All" songs!!!!!!! Sheila Brody joined George onstage for the
"Rhythm & Rhyme" portion". Garry Shider added some extra
lead guitar funk to the comparatively mellow mix.
"Red Hot Momma" featured excellent drumming by Gabe Gonzalez and an
interesting breakdown that repeatedly from a quiet funk mix to a loud, blazing
rock extravaganza. "Funky Dollar Bill" was another funky song that
featured some off-the-wall keyboardisms by Gregg (a la Bernie Worrell)!! "I Got a Thang, You Got a Thang, Everybody's Got a
Thang" featured a funky guitar meltdown a la "Free Your Mind and Your
Ass Will Follow"! Gabe ALMOST went to hyper-drive on drums (like the
wild drumming that Tiki Fulwood did on the Funkadelic debut
album).......ALMOST!! DAMN!!! "You
and Your Folks, Me and My Folks" featured some funky piano and tight bass
grooves!!! The 4:20 Funk Mob set was over at 2:20am.......DAMN, THE WETLANDS
WAS BARELY STILL STANDING AFTER THE PUNISHING FORCE OF THAT SHOW!!!!
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