I’m going to start with an apology to my tall friend, Todd Johnson., I know the picnic was the beginning of August but I'm just now getting around to writing about it. My bad lil homie!
The weekend of Charivari.. well the week after I started a new job., one that I really love! I have been tired ever since. So to all of you I’m super sorry it has taken me so long to pen my latest Blog. I’ve either been too tired or too hung over to get my mind to function properly. ( thanks Melissa) I really appreciate you!
Pre Charivari was just as exciting as the actual event, Che's annual back yard shenanigans Como's before Charivari, the excitement was building. Watching all the post on Facebook. People building brands and forming working relationships. It was a great time indeed.
Now you know how I roll so along with sharing the events of the summer I will be adding my own comments on the way I THINK things are. They may or may not be the case but from the spot where I rest my hind parts Im pretty sure all comments will be accurate.
I’m going to jump back a ways.. like January. Al Ester's birthday party.. wait, I think I wrote about this already.. ( ok, quick recap) Al's party started the year off with a bang nothing too big happened after that until May. ok on to MOVEMENT not just for the parties but to acknowledge some Djs I heard for the very first time. So I’m at this pop up party thrown by Kevin Dysard. ( more about the Col. later) I truly enjoyed Nigel Gieger and Noel, and also Vincent Intrieri ( good lord, I wonder how long it took him to learn how to spell his last name) anywho...The two Cat's from Kalamazoo came in and straight RIPPED it! They have a soulfulness that I did not think Kalamazoo could bring. Since that time I have grown very fond of Nigel and will continue to support his every move. He is one you want to watch!(Oh, I’m going to keep this on the new people I had the pleasure of hearing)
Surprisingly Big Phool aka Bam aka Jimmy "out cook yo momma" Drew.. maaan that brother knows how to control a crowd. I'd like to hear him out more often! Now on to Vincent., he brought something to the table that I was not use to... but his tune selections and dj stylings are in a word... perfect! The Sandman came through and put it down on the 1's and 2's ( that Cat needs to play one Beautiful Sunday)-Todd is the Sandman who NEVER puts you to sleep!
...and even though we are no longer speaking, and I SWORE I would not give him one iota of a shout out. I must admit. Earl Mixxin McKinney banged the SHIT out of EVERY party he played. Lil man needs to play like that more often. I know... I know... I said I would only talk about the new Cat's I heard, but that lil Swiper looking DJ deserved to be mentioned! ok..back to not about EMixxin! - insert big cheesy grin!
Ok, so back to the whole Charivari thingy.. and my view point as I see it.
Didn't team Charivari tell yall in English, French, and Sanskrit that there would be a limited time to get early bird prices.. but you kneegrows opted to wait until the very last minute and then have the unmitigated Gaul to be mad cause the price of the tickets went up. Listen, ya weed man don't supply ya high, the corner stores and bars don't supply your drink..unless you PAY for it! How could you NOT want to support an event that you wanted! These people gave you what you ask for!!
Then had the nerve to comment that it was better when it was free... ok, you kinda sorta get a pass cause everything is better when its FREE.. but you good folks have jobs and will sell one of your kids on Ebay to pay for MOVEMENT tickets only to hear people who don't know what the fuck a turn table is. Or how to beat match without the use of modern technology. Hey, I’ve tried this beat matching thing, I’ve tried it and it ain’t easy nor is it cheap.. with THAT being said. Folks can no longer afford for you (us) to party for fucking free!!!! Yes they had sponsors, they also had overhead.. so when you throw your event BIG EVENT let me know how letting every househead in free helps your pockets...mmmk!
If you walk away from a big event like that or MOVEMENT with a dime over poverty during the 1st 5-10 years consider yourself lucky! and I’ll consider you a drug dealer cause they are the only ones I know that can get away with stuff like that! Don't come to me talking shit about that team cause for 2.5 years we partied for free..
Now here are some things I would have liked to see at the picnic. I would have like to have been able to bring a grill. I would have liked to see your Tink Thomas’ and Nervous Breakdowns play. I would have liked not to pay the high price for a bottle of water. (but I learned, in some instances there are insurance and legalities involved and there may be no way around this since it is a state park) This does not work well when people have children that are always thirsty and waste water like they tend to do! Other than that it was a really superb event! It was hotter than a slave ship in July but it was worth it. It was superbly executed. They even thought about passage on and off the island. That's what a good project manager does.. Shout out to Theresa Hill cause I know how good she is about things of that nature!
The setting was phenomenal and each and every DJ brought their A game!
I wasn't going to miss being a part of that event no matter the capacity, be it guest, VIP, DJ...ok not DJ but you get my drift!
I’ve always said the people I know now, grew up in my neighborhood but I did not know any of them. So it was so nice to hear stories told by friends that have known each other since they were wee ones. Another family event to be enjoyed.. Shout out to Gary Chandlier who gave em da business as only he can, our comradely in the park gets you the, "uncle that always start shit at the family barbeque" award lol
Now on to the DJ's.. D. Wynn opened up the doors of the church.. that man played with so much fire. I looked around to see if there was a baptismal pool. Cause I was surely jumping in! Side note.. I had little to NO battery life the entire weekend so I will be going off memory!
Seth Carter..my lil bro, you mos def put it down with your tunage and blending skills.. way to come up baby brah.. ( we've talked about this so please don't act surprised)
Thomas Barnett.. you, my handsome BFF, my personal creation (insider)- do NOT get the credit you deserve. You took us higher and higher.. plus (..and this is for the ladies) there is NOTHING like looking at a good looking man while he plays for and with you! So Thomas.. you get the, "DJ with the most panties soaked" award! again...insert big cheesy grin!!!
Kevin Dysard, you made us remember why we started this partying thing in the 1st place. Thank you for taking us back to where it all started. BTW, did you eat anything with mustard on it?
ooh!!! ooh!!! the chick from Chicago, the one who has the magazine.. THAT heffa got mad skills yo! I honestly would remember your name but I have a bottle of wine that's half empty!
Every stage brought complete heat.. special special mention to that FIERCE feline DJ Minx, as I was passing through the crown watching people watching her. I heard one dude say, "WHO is THAT" to which his friend replied. "dude, thats Minx" the friend said.. " That's a girl?" his friend..,"No, that's Minx, 100 % woman!) I made it a point to remember that verbatim! They were in awe! but hey, its Minx the chick gets down...period!
I'd heard Mike Huckaby play at MCW just before the event and I LOVED every minute of his set.. as did the crowd at Charivari cause dude had em in the palm of those massive hands! – now, I’m going to side bar here... just a tad., So as I was watching Huck walk away.. ( hey, im a woman and I like looking..aint nuthin wrong with that!!) I noticed he walks like he is carrying two heavy ass flight cases. and aint shit in dudes hands! He also walks like he will knock yo ass out! kinnnda sexy! ok ok.. where was I, I’m just going to put it out there, I am SO ready to see Craig and Mike do a gig together. I think it would be so cool.., and I am going to repeat this until it happens, since throwing a temper tantrum will cause one of them to look at me like im stupid and the other would verbalize it!- big cheesy grin inserted....here!
But as the night(s) would have it... the weekend was owned by Eddie Fowlkes, The Sonic Natives, Norm Talley and Delano Smith!! and one ninja check that gave them all a run for their money!!
Allan C. Ester.. baby age ain't nuthing but a number! You have played your entire ass off since January, like you are on a mission.. from God! Everybody,and I do mean EVERYONE praised both you and the Natives for a helluva set. ( I was not there, I was sitting under a tree.. it was hot, my bad) my former loves, had an encore set.. mad love to these Cats. Your trips abroad are long over due.. rest my friend your time is coming!
Wait I would be remised not to mention The House Gallery or Detroit Techno Militia, as per my usual I missed Adam Francesconi's set but was in the place to be for Jason Garcia he never ever lets me down... although I recently admitted why I love each of them as individuals.
I was there front and center for Tommy Gunnz aka Tom Linder's set! I think he is the only one that can make me dance to techno, I think it’s because he comes with it from a soulful place with a faster pitch.. IDK I can't really put my finger on it!
Now Eddie Fowlkes.. ladies run to CVS, pick up that EPT kit, cause Eddie got somebody pregnant that night! He came out the gate playing some old sexy, funky, house shit! His set was so friggin good and sexy the state boys came in and shut his ass all the way down. I mean they came in there like our parents use to do. Come in, shut the lights off right before you heard them exclaim.. "shut that gotdamn music off and go to bed!" State boys were in old skool parental mode! I did not see them do this to anyone else.. Yeah, Eddie you the SSSSHIT! now I do wish I would have written this sooner cause I had SO much to say about Eddie and his hype man Harry C. Todd ( Harry, I never knew you were such a good hype man), you get the, "surprised everyone" award!
Now by the time my #'s 1 and 2 came on I was tired as a son of a gun. My tent was at the back of the park, it was dark, no one was around to assist. The tent was a 10x10 but a nice gentleman from Germany helped me take it down, He was here for the festival..cool shit right!!! I think I should mention neither one of us knew what we were doing. here is where I admit I stereotyping people. Ok, so I was trying to get my tent down. So every white person that came along I just KNEW they would not know to get it down.. boy was I wrong. Guess I should not have lump them all in one category huh. Sorry my light skinned cousins... I carried that stupid tent on my FUCKING head, going up an incline. Calling on the support of my ancestral mothers from Afrika to my more recent ancestral mothers from the slave fields.. I needed all the help I could get! Because I was NOT going to miss Norm and Delano! Cussing the Charivari team out all the way for having them on two different stages with one playing the same time as Terrence Parker.. Who AUTHORIZED that! maaan I really do love those two cause if you haven't noticed.. I do not get to the gym often and I'm a smoker. So!... by the time I got the tent in my car, I thought surely this would be my last night living cause I had put a strain on this cholesterol infused, under used heart of mine. But, I was going to hear my 1 and 2 so I was going to die happy!
Now, earlier in the day, the bestie and I talked about what we thought Delano was going to play, cause... you know, we thank we know er'thang!!! We both felt like he would come more techno...WRONG!!! WRONG!! But, more about him later!
I talk about Norm all the time so this time I am going to give the floor to the young lady Terrence Parker brought out! At first I thought... "oh good lord in heaven sweet baby jeezuz please tell me TP is NOT using a gimmick now"... WRONG!!! WRONG!!! But, more about him later!
So after Norms set, which I ran to sorta reminiscing of the scene in, The Color Purple where Ms. Shug Avery was running through the fields trying to stop Ms. Celie just before slashed Mr. throat!.. again, I thought I was going to die.. all that running and shit! I stayed for a few minutes to hear the iconic Terrence Parker.. but I was so super tired and was to start a new job the next day.. with my chair in tow, I figured I would stop between the tents to hear both Delano and Terrence!
ooh baybee Tomika and I were waaay off! Delano smack us around like Ike did Tina (the uncut version) I just sat my chair down and said, "fuck it" Delano Smith is the best thing since sunshine! There I said it! he fucking RIPPPPPPPPPPPPED it!
but, since I was between tents, I hear this sound coming from my rear and thought, "oh damn, TP over there KILLIN em”, only to find out it was Ninja chick! ( sorry don't know her name) I'll be corrected I'm sure! But, from Tina Nelson's account she was more than incredible and would give the best of the best a run for their money!
I know I did not mention everyone..but know each dj "brought it" and the people loved it. Sure, some where there and jumped on the complain train, and some where there as a double knot spy, spitting venom but all and all it was a good look. I was glad to see people from abroad come over for this event.
SE Michigan is primed for more festivals like Charivari and MOVEMENT!!
Shout out to Cedric McDougle( I think I spelled it wrong) for the Oasis tent festival. We need to keep that one going, if for no other reason than the history of Idelwild! BRAVO Ced! It was said, that they had not had that much fun since 1965, this place is a part of our history..don't let it die!
Now people don't need to come just in May, they can come whenever there is a festival and good music is played. Where DJs come together in the spirit of love and djsmenship ( yeah, I just made that word up)
I'd like to add..and you know EXACTLY who I’m talking too.. before you go shitting on other peoples festival, make sure you have all your shit together, make sure you have a back up plan. Make sure that, even though the people had a good time, YOU walked out with a sizable profit! Until an event comes off without a hint of issues then sit down, shut the hell up, and enjoy the music AND your fellow DJ!!!
Those negative vibes that some put out came back to bite them right in the butt..yep, I fucking said it!
I guess now I understand that no matter how much I long to have us support each other, we just can't seem to get it together. If the music is about love, one/togetherness.. why all the shade., we are middle aged now., and we still have a good time. As long as the music is playing and the drinks are plentiful.. take that spirit and incorporate it into how we treat each other daily!!!!...support each other. If we all work together we CAN WIN!! We won't be some honorable mention on a TV show in the future! You all hear it! This underground sound is becoming more commercial.. and if you all ( we all) don't start to act like we got some sense ALL this and MOST of you will be a paragraph in the History of House if you’re mentioned at all…
You (we) were never meant to fit in, we were meant to stand out. Househeads in some way, well...we all of us come from the island of misfit toys. We are different..we are what the world could be, as long as you take that same feeling you feel on the dance floor or during events like, MOVEMENT, Chosen Few, Bang Tech, Charivari, Oasis Tent Fest, House in the Park.. We could be more than a quirky group of middle aged successful party goers.. we could be the blueprint for a better place to share the globe with.
Let the Music Play
~P
