POETIC ESCAPE open mic - we're back in full effect!

If you missed last month's Poetic Escape (and my debut as host) then you missed out on a packed house (the line was out the door), some incredible poets (including Giles Li, who tore it up) and a night full of music (the band and the DJs made it impossible to stand still), food (check out Blue Wave's menu) and fun (the party don't stop til one in the morning...). Whether or not you were there last month, you MUST start your holiday weekend early and come check out Poetic Escape this Wednesday!

POETIC ESCAPE
music + poetry + art

Wednesday, August 27th
9PM @ BLUE WAVE
343 Congress Street, Boston

Hosted by: Elie, Herby & Nuri

Poetry by:

SheyButta - Sirius Black - Intrigue - RoseBaby - Louna Eclipse - Giles Li - Wendy Sanchez - Ashley - Brother D - DeGrease - Anju - Shaie - Francis POPS - ALI - Umeleni - Azizi The Poet - Nuri - 3RD Knowledge - Star - Shawn - Alpha Status - Christopher Johnson

Music by: DJ SolBak & DJ NOMADIK
Jazz - Soul - Funk - House - Neo-Soul
70's-90's Classic Hip-Hop, R&B and Reggae

Live music by: The Jason Hunter Quartet
R&B - Jazz - Funk - Rock - Blues

$5.00 COVER :: 21+ :: CASUAL DRESS

Jump and Wind, it's 2008 Boston Caribbean Carnival Time!!!

Break out your baby powder and mud. Pull out your short shorts and your sunscreen. It's carnival weekend in Boston AND Cambridge and the forecast says we're going to be channeling caribbean days with lots of heat and humidity.

Saturday, August 23rd - Boston Carnival:
Jouvert starts at 5:30AM at Blue Hill Ave. & Morton St.
The Parade starts @ 12PM on MLK Blvd, follows Warren St. and winds up in Franklin Park.

As always, there will be food, vendors and TONS of fascinating people watching in the park all day long. Do be careful what you choose to eat though. A bad experience with some mango a few years back has put me off consuming anything other than a tall glass of sorrel...

Sunday, August 24th - Cambridge Carnival:
The Parade starts @ 12PM-4PM near the Charles River at River Street and Blackstone Street, passes through Central Square along Massachusetts Avenue, continues up Main Street and ends in Kendall Square near MIT, Cambridge.

The rest of the day will be filled with food, vendors, kids events and several live performances in Kendall Sq. Cambridge carnival always feels a bit more low key and relaxed - a great place to bring the family to enjoy a cultural celebration.

See you there!

Socialite Thursdays/3rd Thursdays Collaboration

If you were at yesterday's Greatest Minds meeting on nightlife for Black Bostonians then you already know that a) there are A LOT of promoters in this city trying to make things happen and b) sometimes a bunch of these folks will collaborate to bring you an extra special good time.

J. Francois & K. Pritty have been putting on a number of events in Boston including Socialite Thursdays. This week, the night will also be hosted by First Fridays United & Upper Echelon's Steve Anglin & Sekou Dilday, adding their many years in the nightlife game to the mix.

I've been to Socialite Thursdays a few times now and it's a nice spot to people watch, get a table to lounge with friends and do a little networking. If you really want to get your dance on, you might want practice your salsa moves over at Ryles in Cambridge. Socialiate Thursdays tends to draw a primarily early-mid 20s crowd, but perhaps the inclusion of 3rd Thursdays will bring out more late 20s-30 somethings.

So check it out:
SOCIALITE THURSDAYS/3RD THURSDAYS

@ District Lounge
180 Lincoln St.
Boston, MA
(one block from South Station)

Thursday, August 21st, 2008

5:00PM TO 10PM- chill vibe/networking

10PM to 2AM - lounge out/two-step

Proper dress - Business casual/tasteful jeans

No Cover - RSVP

they'rrrrrre baaaaack...the greatest minds that is.

Boston's Greatest Minds are still meeting. Tomorrow evening will be the lastest installment in the group's endeavors to make Boston a better place for Black and Brown folk. Come through, meet some cool folks, have your say and get in the loop!

Join Club Promoters, Club Owners, Club Goers, DJs, Security Bartendars, Dancers, Poets, MC's and the rest of Black Boston for a discussion on How to Make The Night Life A Whole Bunch Better here in this TOWN...

This is Discussion Round Two!

Our Discussions and Action Step Groups include :

We will talk about these issues in detail so jump in:

1) Finding and Buying Our Own Club Venues
2) Creative Events and Live Artists & Comedy
3) Building the Poet Scene and Live Music Scene
4) After-Work Sets & Networking and Jazz
5) Hip Hop Music and Artists
6) Promoters Working Collaboratively
7) Security & the Police : Who is in Charge?
8) The Let-OUT: Who is Responsible?
9) The Dress Code and the People: Who to Let In & Not In
10) Djs and Bartenders
11) The age old Question why close at 2:00am? Pros & Cons

Also, we are preparing to have a meeting with Mayor Thomas M. Menino and other city officials in September 2008. So be ready!

The Meeting will be held at National Black College Alliance Loft from 6:00pm - 9:00pm.

National Black College Alliance
2304 Washington Street, 2nd Floor
Roxbury, MA 02119

617.442.8045 office phone

Come to the After Spot after the meeting. Join a group of us as we KARAOKE BLACK it at Cathay Pacific........

Also after the meeting join us for a night of karaoke at Cathay Pacific in Quincy, MA starting at 10:00pm - 1:00pm.

Cathay Pacific
111 Hancock Street
Quincy, MA 02171
617.328.1115

Tuesday, August 19h, 2008 10:00pm - 1:00am

We call it Karaoke Black! LOL! Do your Best 50 cent, Beyonce, MJ, Ray Charles, Neyo, Eric B, Method MAN, Mary J, TOTAL, and Stevie Wonder........

Party like it's 1995!

Last month, I went to my friend's birthday party at Middlesex in Cambridge. The theme of the party was early 90s and my homegirl and I had a ball getting ready for the party by reminiscing about the olden days of Grunge, Doc Martins, Janet Jackson braids, New Jack Swing and the era when it was cool for girls to wear baggy (comfortable) gear.

I searched high and low in my closet for a pair of baggy jeans, only to realize that I gave all of those to Goodwill or Rosie's Place years ago. Since my tribute to TLC (R.I.P. Left Eye) was a no go, I decided to go with a nod to the late Kurt Cobain with the grunge look. Thankfully, I'll have a chance to remix my 90s outfit this weekend and give a little something back at the same time. Anybody still have an 8ball jacket I can borrow?

Party With A Purpose Presents:

Back to Life, Back to Reality
A Guided Tour of the Music, Fashion and Dance of the 90's

Time: August 16th, 9:00 pm until 2:00 am
Place: DJ's at the Garden
Cost:15 Bucks

Music By: DJ SunOne spinning the hottest 90's hip-hop, R&B, Reggae, Rock and House

Dress Code: 90's Style
Ladies: Extensions in your hair, bamboo earrings at least 2 pair, are encouraged but not required
Fellas: Silk paisley shirts, jeans with suede on the front, 8 ball jackets, and pegged jeans are encouraged *lol

If you can remember any of the following you need to be at this party:
1. You remember when Kurt Cobain, 2Pac, River Phoenix, and Selena died.
2. if you memeber when every thing was "da BOMB"
or "da Bomb diggity"
3. You ever wore Cross Colors or wanted to wear them
4. You always wanted to be able to do that dance that you grab one leg and jump over it with the the other leg.
5. You remember when Bobby Brown did the theme for GhostBusters 2.
6. You remember how hard it was to make the switch from cassetes to CD's.
7. You can sing the whole theme song to "The Fresh Prince of Belair" and do the Carleton.
8. You remember when Southern Hip Hop was limited to Whomp There It is, Daisy Dukes, The Dip Song.
9. You remember Chris Rock in the New Jack City playing a crack head...and Ice T in first role as a cop.
10. You simply want to have a good time.

Proceeds from this event will go to benefit Love Our Children USA an organization that works to keep children safe by breaking the cycle of family violence.

Jonathan Butler live @ Sculler's

FIRST FRIDAYS UNITED BOSTON CHAPTER IN ASSOCIATION WITH SCULLERS JAZZ CLUB PRESENTS:

JONATHAN BUTLER

LIVE AT SCULLERS JAZZ CLUB
Doubletree Guest Suites Boston
400 Soldiers Field Road
Boston, MA 02134

THIS THURSDAY - FRIDAY, AUGUST 7 & 8, 2008

Shows start at 8PM & 10PM each night.

Our tickets are $33.50 each, Scullers is charging $38 per ticket & an additional $4.50 ticket/handling fee, $42.50 total.

(Reduced price tickets are available for both shows on Thursday & the 10pm show only on Friday. This discount is not available thru Scullers box office, this is a First Fridays United Boston Chapter exclusive!!!)

They can only be purchased by sending an email to:
stephenanglin_firstfridays@msn.com or calling (617)943-0656
(When requesting tickets let us know which date, what time & how many you will be purchasing).

ABOUT JONATHAN BUTLER:

"Jonathan Butler leads a life few can imagine. Born in South Africa under the shadow of apartheid and raised in poverty, Butler is the first non-white artist to be played on South African radio and appear on national television. Though his musical abilities would take him away from the world he grew up in, Jonathan would neither forget the plight of his fellow South Africans, nor the man that led them to freedom. It is for this reason Nelson Mandela credits Butler’s music as having inspired him during his imprisonment. In more ways than one, Jonathan Butler is representative of South Africa. Butler’s career comes full circle as he returns to his native Cape Town for Jonathan Butler LIVE in South Africa captured in HD and 5.1 Surround Sound.

Jonathan’s story begins at a very young age when his father presented him with a homemade one-string guitar. Little did his father realize that he was giving way to a musical phenomenon. The magical moment happened while Jonathan was listening to his family sing around a campfire. At age seven, for the first time he joined in the celebration. His previously unheard voice, clear and melodic, immediately delighted the Butler family. From then on Jonathan’s musical gifts grew by leaps and bounds. In his early teens Butler won a local talent contest, affording him the opportunity to perform with a touring musical company throughout South Africa. On occasion he would perform at lavish concert halls for whites where he would not be allowed to use the bathroom, and the very next night he would perform in a dilapidated local township. Ultimately, his ticket to a new life was music.

At thirteen, Jonathan’s talents caught the eyes and ears of the British record producer Clive Caulder. He was signed to Caulder’s Jive Records and the rest is history. Jonathan’s first single broke down racial barriers becoming the first song by a non-white artist played by white radio stations in South Africa. His commitment to his craft came to fruition with his self-titled debut album, which received a GRAMMY® nomination for the pop hit “Lies.” An instrumental, “Going Home” earned him another GRAMMY® nomination and the mid-tempo ballad, “Sarah, Sarah” confirmed Butler’s place in popular music.

His self-titled 2005 release, Jonathan, is a lively musical mix indicative of his roots in World music. Jonathan’s ability to blend his roots in African music with western pop sensibilities is now his trademark. Through a stream of diverse albums and extensive concert tours, Butler solidified his presence with a body of music that crossed color and age lines.

Jonathan Butler also crosses the boundaries of faith. His latest gospel album titled Brand New Day is a collection of empowering gospel songs that has received widespread national airplay and debuted in the Top 10 on Billboards’ Gospel Chart. Quite a feat for the gospel category! Co-Produced with Luther “Mano” Hanes (CeCe Winans, Andrae Crouch, Isreal Houghton), the CD brings a new sound to Jonathan Butler, yet never veers too far away from the classic styling he’s best known for. His entrance into gospel music began in the late 1990’s. His mega-hit with Kirk Whalum, “Falling in Love with Jesus,” has become a Gospel standard. He also features in the Billboard charted CD Gospel Goes Classical, recorded live with Juanita Bynum, backed by a seventy-five piece orchestra and a hundred voice choir. To Jonathan Butler, success is measured on a higher plane. A religious and spiritual man, Butler dedicates his life to being a loving husband to his wife, a devoted father to his three children, and a caring citizen to his homeland, South Africa.

On his latest release LIVE in South Africa, Butler states, “I am one of yours and you are in me South Africa. So…peace and love from the son of the soil, Jonathan.” His DVD of the concert is filled with candid behind-the-scenes footage, which reveals his emotional reunion with family and country. In one scene, Butler chokes up when he revisits the club where he was discovered as a little boy. Music has given him the means to escape the clutches of apartheid, but time has given him perspective on his past, and brought him back to Johannesburg and Cape Town. An inspiration to all, Jonathan acknowledges the challenges of growing up in a nation still recovering from decades of subjugation, but believes in the potential of all people to overcome adversity.

In spite of all the hardships, Jonathan Butler has an air of playfulness and quiet resilience that is easily visible in his passionate performances. Jonathan is performing this summer as a featured artist on the “Jazz Attack” tour alongside Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, and Peter White. Jonathan is also featured on the best-selling tribute to the life and legacy of Luther Vandross, Forever, For Always, For Luther, Vol. II."

salsa mondays!

mondays are almost never fun days, but the city has found a way to help you start the week with a "¡wepa!":

salsa in the park
monday nights (until August 18 , 2008)
@ blackstone community center/park (south end)
6:30-9:30pm free! featuring live performances, dance instruction (beginner to advanced levels) and food and drinks for sale. if it rains, the party will be inside the community center. for more information check out metamovements.

Jazz at the Fort

The Fort Hill section of Roxbury has been one of my favorite stomping grounds for a long time now. In elementary school, I carpooled with a family who lived in Fort Hill and spent many afternoons adventuring around the Fort. It looks like the next Fort Hill adventure may be this Sunday when Kendrick Oliver and the New Life Jazz Orchestra and opener Lawrence Fields and his quartet bring live jazz to the Fort:

Annual Jazz at the Fort concert
Highland Park - Fort Ave.
Sunday, August 3, at 5PM
FREE!

For more information, call 617 747-2447.