We had such a good time at Vern's Birthday until....

Sep 20th 6:49pm

I'm at my favorite spot having a beer and wings. At first I started not to blog because Newark is my second home. It's like my backyard. I originally started blogging to share my experiences abroad and places away from home with other producers and artist to get a glimpse of what to expect when they go to these places. 

But I thought, "people need to know what's happening in Newark as well".

House music was born in Chicago. 

Newark has been a humongous supporter ever since. If you get a chance to take a stroll downtown Newark, you will surely hear somebody bumping soulful house music from their car or maybe even a vendor selling mixed cd's. I'm talking new stuff, vocals and everything. People in Newark even have certain dances that they do that I've not seen anywhere else. It's a culture for the people here. When I started recording music I lived in Newark. It's where I got my start professionally. So no matter what, I'll always have an appreciation for Newark. 

Here's the thing. John Murry is a really cool brother who has an eatery in Newark. Salads, Sandwiches, and various dishes is what they have. He happens to be a lover of House music and a DJ to boot. The eatery he owns is called the Coffee Cave. And with there being so few places to enjoy our music, I believe he decided to open his doors to our scene. With the help of some friends, and I'm sure, family, some sweat and labor, the club Coffee Cave was born. But when you go there, its still a small eatery on the first floor. So it actually feels intimate. John has since brought countless DJ's from all over in to play at his spot. And it's become a home to all of us that love this scene. So it'll be good to see my people tonight. 

Sep 21st 4:07am

I got there very early. I wanted to check the sound. And to my surprise DJ/Producer Jihad Muhammad drove up. And he came to ensure that the sound was good. I thought that was so kind and generous of him. After he tweaked the sounds I was ready to rock! I had like an hour to mess around before the doors opened. 

10:00pm there was NOBODY was there but Dena Brown. And Dena came dressed for the occasion. Complete with thigh high leopard print boots!!!!! 

Lavern, the birthday girl,walked in.

She graduated from the college she was going to today. She had a cap and gown on. 

It was good to see her looking so happy. I love when a club is empty like this. I can play anything I like. Earth Wind & Fire, Roy Ayers, even some jazz like Abdullah Ibrahim. And it sounded so good in the club. Gwen Guthrie was singing "It Shoulda Been You" in the speakers and I had my own party. 

After a while the people started coming in. And I was having a ball. I'm no dancer but I certainly had a great time dancing to the music. I played a couple of new records I have coming out, and they did well! I was kinda surprised because I don't take it for granted that my joints are hot. Stan "The Man" Thomas is a DJ/Collector. A true lover of the music. He came through and didn't leave the booth!!! I took that as a compliment. He and a friend of mine, Yul, another DJ, were standing there cheering me on all night. 

I don't care who you are, it's always helpful when somebody is there saying "You're doing great!" 

Denton Evans, my friend since I was in my teens, surprised me tonight. He came to support. I'm feeling awesome. The vibe is so mature and nice. Gloria's sister girl Waffiyah came to the booth. "THAT'S YOU?" She said as I played one of my old jams. LOL. Betty King, Wanda Almodovar, Soulsista MsOne, Koffee the Floetress,  and a few sisters there gave me the biggest hugs. 

Rich Leon was taking flicks with his cam. I'm always appreciative of photographers. It's a thankless job. Yet it's partly because of them that our scene will remain alive. 

Sage Youngblood was one of the first to show up. She started dancing immediately. A lot of these people I don't know, but I felt the love from everybody. DJ Phil Hooten(Philly Hoot) is here from London. And he was dancing!! Love when DJ's can dance. Gary Magic Ward gave me a flyer for his super party coming up. it was good to see him. I saw so many people tonight that if I started name dropping I'd never get the blog done. LOL. 

So around 2:40am some strange person that none of us knew was partying. It appeared he, I don't know, maybe had a few drinks or some other substance in his blood stream. His behavior was a little strange. I don't know if it were him or not, but somebody spayed pepper spray in the club. In less than one minute the entire club was empty!!!!!! Thank God I was about to play my last record. But what's unfortunate is that Laverne's cousin got it really bad. So much so that an ambulance was called for her. It's really unfortunate that this beautiful night had to end on such a bad note. 

But if it weren't for that unfortunate act, this night was A+. 

John asked me to do a Honeycomb night. I'm super excited about that. I have ideas already.