Tuesday at Rehearsal
Private location

Familiar Faces
I walked in behind Godfather and his son. Donnell was there.

DP and his sons Derek Jr. and Darrell, Doc, Bobby Smoot, Stomp (who only stayed for a short time, wearing his Raw Image Under Construction shirt), Mike Smith, Dwayne Lee, Duane Face, Nephew, Mike Muse and his son Michael, Halima, Smoke and much later, Lorenzo all arrived.

At one point Bobby had Nephew hold his bass while he left the room. When he came back, he said, "You didn't touch the keys, did you?" Nephew said, "It would sound better if I had."

The younger Michael Muse had photos from the Miami trip. I gave up my seat for Halima - I realize I'm only a guest. She spent some time cutting up a pair of jeans. Mike Muse said his son could take that and make it into a Volkswagen.

The older Michael Muse wore a green lantern shirt. I asked him where the ring was. He said to Doc, "Did you know the original Green Lantern was black?" Doc said, "I only knew the white one I grew up with."

Bobby Smoot asked about the song from the video. Donnell said that was actually a remix of Lap Dance. They joked about how it is different, changes in every performance.

The rehearsal was spent going over songs already in their repertoire for Bobby Smoot and Mike Smith (who was going to be subbing for Stomp on Friday). Donnell asked Bobby what he knew how to play and they went over what he didn't. He said he knew the Stylistics' People Make the World (Go Round) really well even though he hadn't played it. They went over: Erkyah Badu's Didn't Cha Know and On & On, and Bobby Valentino's Slow Down. Next they went over Toto's Georgy Porgy. When Godfather brought his son the week before, his son didn't say a word the whole time. This time he talked a lot.

They next went over Faith Evans' Mesmerized and Again. They laughed that I knew all the song titles. Donnell said she could go straight to the verse, didn't need an intro. Halima said, "I'm waiting for you to stop talking (during performances)." Nephew said, "You'll be waiting all night." They next went over Gwen Stefani's (Donnell said Gloria Estafan) Hollaback Girl.

Bobby said they hadn't gone over Mariah Carey's It's Like That. I said, "Oh, yes you have". I especially remembered that since Nephew asked me the title of the song while they were working on it last week. Halima called me "the GoGo stenographer". Mike Muse laughed. I told him that Donnell had called me that before she did. He called me that when he asked me to take down as he told the people at Tradewinds that if they went to Miami and didn't use their package, that they would have to pay to attend the events. Mike said they should get me a stenography machine.

Doc re-iterated that they should make a website about me. He left early because he was going from rehearsal to the airport for his vacation. I am not sure when chronologically in the rehearsal he left.

Donnell told Smoke that he could leave since he wouldn't be at the performance that Mike Smith was sitting in at (because he and Stomp would be at the Northeast Groovers reunion). They next worked on Fantasia's Free Yourself. Donnell said that they kept getting slower and slower with the performances of it. Donnell said that Halima needs to indicate the temp to Godfather, who starts off the song. I don't know if she is supposed to indicate the tempo in performances as well - I haven't noticed it, but I haven't been watching for it either. She uses hand motions and snaps her fingers to indicate the tempo. They went over the method so that she can indicate the one. I then asked her the name of the Floetry song. She didn't know. Mike Muse said was Say Yes. They discussed the vocal methods in it. Mike said he used to be able to sing that high when he was ten years old, but it would kill him now. He said that Tamara (whose name he couldn't recall) could do that. Since they were done with Halima's songs, Donnell said she could leave. Halima asked me to walk her to her car so she wouldn't get jumped. I did so.

I went back in. I told Donnell that they had gone over My Funny Valentine with Halima last week. Duane Face wore a thin bandana - perhaps emulating Donnell? When Lorenzo arrived, Godfather left and allowed him to take his place. They went over: Marvin Gaye's I Want You, Anthony Hamilton's Since I Seen't You - They did one of the changes like Bobby Caldwell's What You Won't Do for Love - the actual change was similar, but still different, Bobby Caldwell's What You Won't Do for Love, and The Stylistics' People Make The World (Go Round). Bobby already knows John Legend's Ordinary People. Lorenzo suggested Ruff Endz' Someone to Love You and I Dreamed You. Duane Face went and played the congas.

Bobby said he knows Prince's Take Me With You. Lorenzo said he knows Prince's Purple Rain. Donnell said he didn't know Lorenzo knew that, that's why he hasn't called it lately. They decided to go over Ordinary People anyway. Finally, they went over Rare Essence songs - Marinda, One on One, Take Me Out to the Go-Go, and Lock It. I told Donnell I had emailed him the lyrics to Djayz's It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp. He said it was hard to reply in emails. I talked with him about the two emails I forwarded to him. He said he played in Petworth with Sayers. They said if necessary, they would have another rehearsal on Thursday.

When Duane Face went to leave, I talked with him about us both going to the Northeast Groovers reunion. He said he went to the HOBO shop to get one of the old iron-on shirts to wear to the occasion. He said they had to look in the back and dust off the shirt. I asked if he could help me with track titles. He said yes, but he'd be partying and that was his first priority.