Friday at Safari Steakhouse
Safari Steakhouse, 9430 Annapolis Road Lanham MD 20706


Doc (behind Adia), Adia, Godfather (in back), Mike, Marc Cary (face covered by Donnell's mic), BJ (wearing the black Malclom X t-shirt), Dwayne (behind Donnell), Donnell, Pooh (behind DP), DP


Doc (only arm visible), BJ (behind Doc), Pooh (head partially visible above Doc's arm), Adia, Dwayne, Charlie (behind Dwayne), Bojack, Mike, unidentified fan, Donnell, DP (behind Donnell), unidentified fan, Jay Gotti (behind unidentified fan, only his black and white cap is visible)
All pictures taken by and Copyright - Eric "Nephew" Floyd, Sr.

This is the last performance I will attend at Safari before I go back to school and it was a memorable one. It was also a celebration of Kato Hammond's 39th birthday. When I first arrived, Supa Dan took the covers. He discussed with me how GoGo's changed. He said that, "DC bands now want to be simply known as bands rather than GoGo Bands. They play covers. Only bands that have been playing GoGo for a while, like Familiar Faces, really play GoGo. The new bands have members so young that they've only heard "real GoGo" from tapes and don't play it the same. There's something missing. He said he though Familiar Faces should just do the throw down crankin' GoGo they do so well. I told him some of the reasons that FF members have told me for doing the Happy Hour sets: they think the ideal market is 18-30 year-olds, which is where Rare Essence was succeeding and that there are a limited number of venues for bands to perform the throw down GoGo. Interestingly, Rare Essence's latest release, Live in 2004 (Classics) is more reflective of FF's Happy Hour set than the throw down GoGo. Dan said that bands should do their own promotion. He said that the sound man usually costs $500 and that requires the promoter to get 50 people at $10 a head, and then to pay a band $1500 requires another 150 people. Then if there is bad weather, the promoter may cancel and the band gets nothing. I told him that I would definitely like to talk with him more on the subject. Doc then walked in and I walked in with him as Dan got a phone call.

Packy was the only other person onstage, but Adia sat in a booth. I talked with Doc, and then sat down at a table. I saw a few regulars, but quickly got bored and went into the lounge. Packy played pool. Doc said that he didn't play pool; he had played with someone once and a ball flew off the table and hit the other guy squarely in the chest. Now he doesn't play pool anymore because of that. While we sat there, Scuba Steve from Y2K sat down (waiting to play pool). An NFL preseason game was on TV, Supa Dan played pool and talked about the new pass defense rules (actually the rules are old, they are just being strictly enforced this year). Steve joked, "I know the NFL rules because I'm an NFL official, psych!" He talked with Doc about "Y2K wanting to go national, but that some of the band members feel that they still need to pay their dues as a band. Individually they have all paid their dues, but not collectively. Everyone in the band has been performing many years, most of them twenty years. I have the least experience, but I've been performing for 14 years and I'm 27." I told Doc EU was performing at Jasper's in Largo. Steve also talked about Publicity Band still performing at Safari on Mondays, but that it doesn't have the same personnel as it used to. He said, "that is one band that had all of the musical talent and did nothing with it. They never had a big money-making hit. They just had no real business sense. Even with different people playing percussion, they still have their incredible banging percussion." While we waited, Donnell walked into the lounge with Marc Cary (carrying a keyboard) and a friend of Marc's, Keith Ailer. Donnell asked Steve what happened with L!ssen not showing up with Y2K at Club U the night before (Donnell was there). Shortly afterwards, Donnell called for the band to get ready. I walked in with them and sat down at a table.

Familiar Faces
The line up for the first set was: Mike, Adia, Donnell, DP, Dwayne, Doc, Marc Cary, Godfather, BJ, Pooh and Packy. Donnell acknowledged Mama Chelle who sat at the bar. Marc had his own keyboard, a min-moog in addition to Godfather & BJ's keyboards. Most of the guest performers with FF have subbed on band members' instruments, the only other exception this Summer I can think of is Little Benny brought his own trumpet. The mini-moog definitely added a new dimension - the Jazz set was denser in a positive way. However, the impact was lessened for the other two sets, as it was drowned out. Donnell introduced Marc as being the winner of a Billboard Jazz award a few years ago (actually he was winner of the First Annual 2000 Billboard/BET "Best New Jazz Artist Award"). He also mentioned that while he lives in New York City, he's from DC and is another Ellington alumnus. They opened up with Grover Washington Jr.'s Mr. Magic. Dwayne had a reddish maroon guitar instead of his usual black one. At one point during the Jazz set, Godfather and Marc switched instruments. Donnell responded, "That was good, we need to get Godfather one of those..." Donnell had Marc's friend, Keith, sit in on lead vocals for a song. Dwayne's soloing during the first set was the best I've heard him play. In the middle of the set, Donnell said, "This guy on the end (Doc), who went to a public school, says that guys from Ellington can't count." Later, Doc got on the mic and repeated his belief "that guys from Ellington can't count." They performed Bobby Caldwell's What You Won't Do for Love.

After the first set, I went outside and hung out with Doc, BJ, Pooh and Thomas. Thomas walked with a cane because of his knee pain. Pooh and Doc talked about the long needle the doctors would use to drain Thomas' knee. Doc talked about how he arrived early because he knew it would be packed early for Kato's birthday. Charlie walked up while we were out there. I handed him a consent form, he asked what it was, and the woman standing next to me said, "Your probation papers." Damn that's harsh! The cop who stood outside for security made us go inside because we were a traffic menace.

I told Doc what Supa Dan had told me. He said that he self-promoted for Physical Wunders. He said he would look for higher paying venues in Virginia and would make $3000 a performance for the band. He went on to say that you get sick of all that travel after a while and want to just play in DC. I told Doc about New Dimension Band, a GoGo band based in Richmond, and Mumbo Sauce Band, a GoGo band of DC natives who attend Hampton University. Doc said that they probably have their own niche going. Doc also said that it gets expensive to pay that many musicians. I said that's one of the reasons Funk went into decline, that it takes a lot of musicians. He said that he was a big fan of Cameo and that they no longer had the whole band, but rather only four originals. Larry Blackmon had said in an interview that he couldn't afford to pay them all. I told Doc about a side job, when I was in grad school at the University of Miami, someone told me that Blackmon was in law school in Miami. I said that the Bar-Kays are now really a couple of originals (Larry Dodson and James Alexander) and whomever they hire at that point. Doc said that Rare Earth is the same way.

The second set cranked. During the set, I got up because I heard someone rapping, but didn't recognize the voice, it was Doc. After that song, they performed Simon & Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson (first time since May 19th). In the next song, Jay Gotti guest rapped. They did a number of shout outs for Kato's birthday. They also performed 50 Cent's In Da Club (tease). During the second set, Michelle walked in, wearing a dress with the words "Take a Number" printed across the chest.

At the break, she had a laugh session with Nita, Nephew, Packy and, for a bit, Donnell. Donnell joked with Michelle about her sisters at Takoma Station on Wednesday. Nephew criticized me for not wearing a belt. I told him I didn't need one. He said you're supposed to wear one anyway. I sat by Doc. When Donnell walked in, Doc scolded him about his mixed signals, shaking his head as if to say no when then turning around when Doc would stop playing because of that. Donnell replied, "Don't be telling how to move." Doc said, "He is just mad because I said the man (edited) from Ellington couldn't count." I told Dwayne what I thought about his soloing. He said that he was using a different guitar; his normal guitar has more effects. He said that he plays better when he can hear himself, that with the Jazz set that is easier to do. People were eating birthday cake and other food. Mike was a messy eater. I told him how I liked their performing Mrs. Robinson again (with the GoGo beat, only the vocal lyrics and melody remain the same). Dwayne asked Kato if he wanted to play in the third set. He declined, saying that he would have practiced first since he doesn't have the chops right now.

In the third set, I talked with Scuba Steve briefly. Mike joked with Kato, talking about his "62nd Birthday" (actually his 39th). Donnell kidded Michelle on the mic about her dress, saying, "There would be a long line of guys (taking a number) if only she would..." During the third set, both Jay Gotti and Scuba Steve guest rapped. Also, a guy named Mark, wearing a Redskins cap guested on the congas (but with Bojack's girlfriend Tasty over by). I had to get his name from Bojack after the performance, as I went to ask him his name directly towards the end of the set, but a girl he was interested in headed out the door, he chased after her and that was all she wrote... The third cranked as usual. It was nice to hear Marc Cary play after hearing so much about him from Donnell. They closed with Prince's Purple Rain, mentioning that he had played at MCI Center the night before. Mike joked that "Jesse Jackson was on guitar." Bojack joned. Supa Dan sang, "I didn't mean to cause you pain" on the mic. Kato introduced me to TMOTT member Marly Marl.

I talked with Supa Dan for a while after the performance. He suggested I come (to Safari) on Sunday to see After Hours Band, one of the type of bands that he had referred to earlier. He also said I should look into the Census as a possible employer, that they do analyses. With my background, I could design my own job there. He had looked to them for data before opening his club. After the performance, I asked BJ about Rahsaan Patterson's music, which I have never heard (although I am a fan of his namesake, Rahsaan Roland Kirk). He said that he had worked with Brandy and Tevin Campbell. BJ and Dwayne talked about upcoming gigs, including working with Marc Cary. Adia talked about about something she didn't want me to write on this blog because Donnell would read it. I told her that actually Donnell doesn't read the blog; his son tells him what is on it. She said, "No, his flunky Nephew reads it and reports back." I later walked over to where Nephew, Donnell, and Kato were talking. I told Nephew that Adia has said, "He's Donnell's flunky." He said, "I am. Do you want to know why she called me that? It's because she had her jacket off and I said with her top, she looked like Janet Jackson's video where she's on the beach." Adia sat down at the booth with Donnell and Nephew repeated, "Doesn't she look like that video?" Kato said, "She's in a video, I'll buy it!" Adia said, "No, a Janet Jackson video, who else but you (Nephew) would know about that video?" I told Kato, "You could buy that video and sell it to Lt. Clark for a lot of money." He said that he wanted the video for himself. I pointed out that Nephew, who wore a Yankees jersey and cap, had a jersey for practically every team, but that I had never seen him wear an Orioles or DC team outfit. Donnell defended him, saying "He really is a Wizards and Redskins fan." Kato later picked up the local real estate flyer and told Adia, "I'll buy this house (the one on the cover), and you and I can live together." She declined. When I went outside, it had started raining again.