Men can be groupies too

In yesterday’s blog, I ragged on women groupies. Last night, I saw the male version at the Little Brother show. No, the guys didn’t dance all over each other or start kissing.

Instead near the end of the set, one guy jumped on stage. He put his arm around Big Pooh and later Phonte and pounded their chests. At the same time, two other guys jumped on stage as well and started taking pictures of themselves.

I’m wondering. Whether you’re a male or female, when does a fan become a groupie? I say anytime, you go out of your way to be noticed by a celebrity, get a picture or get an autograph, you might as well tattoo a giant G on your chest. What do you think?

Little Brother killed it

Each time I see Little Brother, I like them more. The chemistry between the laid back Big Pooh and the charismatic Phonte makes for one of the hottest hip-hop acts ever. Phonte draws you in with his dancing -- he’s a big boy who can move -- and his expression. He’s always sticking out his tongue or doing fraternity style steps as he dances. He preens and poses on stage. Add tight beats and meaty rhymes about materialism, fatherhood and romantic relationships, and it’s easy to see why fans love them.

Little Brother headlined a benefit for Charlotte rapper Wolly Vinyl who was kicked out of his home when the Johnston Mills closed. More than a dozen artists from throughout the Carolinas came out to the Spot last night to support Wolly. Along with Little Brother, I caught the Others and the deadPOETS (DPS), but I missed the earlier acts. Several people were impressed by the level of talent among the unknown MCs.

When you stepped inside the Spot last night, it was so hot that even my sweat started sweating. Yet, there was no drama. Everyone was into the show. It felt like the vibe at the Room and I hope it’s something that will continue. We don’t have enough underground hip-hop venues in Charlotte where people can spit about more than money, cars and sexual conquests.

Tony Rock groupies

During his comedy set on Wednesday, Tony Rock mentioned that he gets plenty of women. I figured he was talking smack until I hung out with him and his crew after the show. It was Rock, two of his boys and about five women who tagged along after the show.

I knew it was going to be an interesting night when we were all sitting upstairs in Cosmos and Tony began ordering rounds of Red Headed Sluts, a Jagermeister-based shot. Jager makes you do crazy stuff. And it did on Wednesday.

At the bar, I asked Tony how many of the people in the entourage were his peeps. Only the two guys.
"I move fast," he said.

I had to give him his props. I've seen groupies before, but this little set took it to another level. First, I'm not convinced that I can call them Tony Rock groupies or just celebrity groupies. All I know is that by the time they finished knocking back at least three rounds of Red Headed Sluts the women were more than a little frisky. They danced all over each other, a couple of girls tongued each other down and two others made sure Tony's boys didn't feel left out.

My friends and I watched in amazement. Who knew a couple of pizzas and some shots of liquor could make women do all that.

Can somebody please explain the groupie mentality to me? What exactly do women or men get out of making a fool of themselves for pizza and free drinks?

Tony Rock is funny

After seeing Charlie Murphy at the Comedy Zone last year and being totally disappointed, I was skeptical about seeing another comedian's brother.

Still, I wanted to give Tony Rock a shot. I was stunned. He was hysterical.

Chris Rock wraps political and social commentary in comedy, Tony does that everyday “what’s up with” style humor. At a nearly sold out show at the Comedy Zone on Wednesday, he talked about going to a McDonalds in a white neighborhood versus a black one, legalizing marijuana and black people’s love of chicken.

“When the bird flu gets here we’re going to be immune.”

Tony Rock did have a few commentary moments. He told blacks to support Mexicans who come here to work and he skewered America’s obsession with fighting illegal immigration. He also ripped the stereotype that all black people act the same. Overall he stuck to comedy. He played off the audience, especially the chick in the sunglasses and the uptight guy in front.

He performs tonight, Friday and Saturday at the Comedy Zone, but tickets are going fast.

Oh, props to opener Scott Oseychik, a local comedian who was so funny I was worried he might overshadow the Rock.

Did you go to the show last night? What did you think?

Suprise b-day bash for Andy K

In all my years of partying here, I saw something on Tuesday night that I never thought I'd see -- Andy Kastanas dancing. Yep, he was actually shaking his groove thing on the dance floor last night in Pravda lounge.

Friends, family and industry folks turned out to surprise Kastanas for his birthday. And Andy said he was genuinely surprised. In fact, it took some arm-twisting from wife Lesa to get him to come out, but when she did it was worth it.

She created a sentimental slideshow biography of Andy from his years as a little boy in Greece on up through his DJ years in Charlotte to his current status as a proud pop. Since it was iPod night, some of Andy's closest friends brought their iPods and playlists created for him. Considering that he's a big house music fan, most of the music a range from funky house to gay club house.

Andy danced to it all and profusely thanked his friends for coming out. In the mix were his wife along with Carol Adams, Scooter, DJ Ronnie D and James Funderburk.

No more seafood

I'm on a seafood hiatus. My girl and I were in Savannah last weekend and we ate seafood for breakfast lunch and dinner. Boy was it good. I had a seafood omelet at Huey’s and one at Clary’s. I ate so much seafood at the Crab Shack, I thought I was going to grow a shell.

By Sunday I was seriously flirting with going to Wild Wing Cafe. I settled on pizza at Vinnie Van Go-Go.
I listed a bunch of lounges and clubs to visit, but I didn’t club hop like I planned. I did the beach bum thing. However, I do hate I missed the Haunted Pub Crawl. It’s supposed to be good, according to Jen of Jens and Friends. (More on her later).

We watched the World Cup final at Molly MacPherson’s, a Scottish pub in City Market. I had never been to a Scottish pub, and I wondered if it would be different from an Irish one. Other than the bartenders wearing kilts, it wasn’t. This pub served Belhaven and I don’t remember seeing Guinness on draft. The food was similar, from shepherd’s pie to fish and chips. They did have some kind of pork filled pastry that was supposed to be a traditional Scottish dish.
I also had another small-world-moment while in Savannah. On our way out of town we stopped at Jen and Friends for lunch. It’s a little cafe downtown. We met the owner Jen, who says she’s tight with J.D., who owns Bonterra. She almost considering moving here to work for him.

Small world.

With its historic and cultural district downtown and Tybee Island nearby, Savannah is becoming one of my favorite romantic getaway cities within a day's drive. What’s yours? And why?

Violence and fireworks uptown

I don’t know Dante Beattie, but he’s my kind of guy. This year, knuckleheads once again chose to act-a-fool after the uptown fireworks display. Fights broke out, police in riot gear controlled the crowd and at least one person was shot on North Tryon, according to an Observer story.

Still, Beattie told an Observer reporter that he’d return next year to see fireworks uptown.
Beattie took his daughters to the show and said it was “probably the best I’ve seen so far n this region.”

People like Beattie are the reason the city, sponsors and uptown leaders must not let knuckleheads prevent them from scheduling outdoor events in the center city. We can’t allow a bunch of punks to make us afraid to book large outdoor events uptown, or make law-abiding citizens afraid to go uptown.

Where did you watch the fireworks display this year? How was it?

Celebrate Independence Day

If you don't have to work tonight and are looking for something to do, here are a few parties to help your start your Fourth of July Celebration.
*Open mic: Studio 74 on Independence Boulevard. 8:30 p.m. Free. Power 98's Tone X hosts.
*Pre-Independence Day Explosion: 10:30 p.m. Dilworth Neighborhood Grille on Morehead St. Free before 11 p.m. DJ Polo spinning.
*Monster Karaoke: Dixie's Tavern on Seventh Street. 9 p.m.
*Independence Day Celebration: 10 p.m. Crush on Stonewall St. Patron shots $5. Hosted by Power 98's No Limit Larry.
*NBA:NFL Celebrity Bash: Special guest Jeff McInnis, Antawn Jamison and Deon Grant. 10 p.m. Menage on Fifth St. Ladies free b4 11 p.m., men $5 'til 11 p.m. Then price varies.
*Independence Day pre-party: 10 a.m.-until, Creation Restaurant in Plaza-Midwood.
* Get it started: Inner Circle gets your July 4th festivities started. DJ Flemingo in the Forum, and Tomato Slice in Pravda lounge spinning old-school, house, R&B, soul, and more. The Forum. 10 p.m. $10 and up.

Fantasia parties with Youngbloodz

The scene at NV nightclub played out like a rap video on Saturday. A stage full of men wearing in baseball hats, shower caps and gripping microphones. They passed around bottles of Patron and other liquor and rapped about the good life: money, cars and women.

Fantasia shimmied and shook among them. Tasia celebrated her birthday with style. Wearing a short black dress and with her hair slicked down, Tasia partied so hard sweat glistened on her back.

The Youngbloodz performed their hits and sang along to other Dirty South rap hits, such as Yung Joc’s “It’s Goin’ Down.”

She turned the stage into a dance floor. Her family, friends, other rappers and fans she pulled onstage helped her celebrate. Tasia was her usual self, telling the security guards to ease up.
Tasia was the consummate host. She had fun and made sure fans did too. She danced from one side to the other pointing out fans who danced the hardest.
A couple of guys behind me were doing that hip-hop bounce. Across the bar, I saw two women standing on bar stools dancing. For every song, at least two women in front of the stage would start dancing real hard, like shaking their goods so hard Beyonce would be proud. People around the dancers would step away and watch the show, clearing an area like you would for breakdancers.
She pointed them out and gave them big smiles. The popular thing of the night was tossing out dollar bills into the audience. (Told you it was like a rap video. There were even people videotaping on stage)
Singer Calvin Richardson also stopped by and joined Fantasia on stage.
I was surprised by the turnout at NV. It was Tasia's second birthday party of the weekend. Her first was at the Big Chill on Friday. I figured that one would do well, but I wasn't sure how it would go at NV. Considering that the club is in Lake Norman and draws a predominately white crowd, I was curious whether Tasia could pull a hip-hop crowd out there.
She did.

Diggin' Devaughn

Raheem Devaughn continues to impress. On his CD the most of the songs blend together and the tempo isn't varied enough. His live performances, however, are a must see. The diminutive singer's energy fills the stage. (And Amos' has a big stage). He's the sensual thug lover with his tattooed arms and cornrows. He's stepped up his show since I last saw him at Tonic. He has a four-piece band, two background singers and a painter. Yes a painter. It sounds too gimmicky, but it worked. He painted a piece with the Bobcats and Panthers logos.

Devaughn stretched and wound songs off "Love Experience" into more than an hour-long set. He didn't just stretch his songs into jams, but tossed in soul staples such as Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind and Fire. He even threw in a go-go set and, of course, he got on the floor and danced with the ladies. After the show he signed autographs and posed for pictures for about an hour.

Thursday's show drew a who's who of the neo-soul scene: DJ Stacy Blackman, promoter Thomas Washington, Brian Springs of Groove Records, WBAV's Letha Taylor and Tempo's Juamane were a few of the folks in there.

Oh, I can’t forget J.C. He put it down as the MC and DJ D.R. gave fans a blazing' mixing of old school hip-hop, dancehall reggae and go-go.

The new Amos' Southend

Amos' Southend is the now the best live venue for big shows. I finally got a chance to see the remodeled space on Thursday night for the Raheem Devaughn show. Devaughn was as good as expected, but I was blown away by the changes at Amos'. It's hard to imagine it's the same space. The inside was completely gutted and to ceiling raised to show exposed wood beams. It's so high you could shoot basketball inside. The stage is twice as big and takes up one wall.

The dance floor or stage viewing area stretches from the front wall to the rear, and the upstairs is completely different. It consists of balconies on both sides that overlook the floor and stage. There's a bar upstairs on the far wall. The bar downstairs wraps down one wall and there's another bar on the far wall.

The capacity is like 1,500 so even if there's a line outside, there's plenty of room inside. For example, did you go to the matchbox twenty or the Roots concert at Tremont? Remember how stifling and packed it was? Those shows would fit comfortable in Amos' now.

Oh, there aren't any chairs yet, but owner John Ellison said he'll be getting some chairs and tables soon.

Bobby Brown getting down

After seeing Bobby Brown's various escapades on television, I wasn't sure what to expect live. On Saturday, he hosted Big O's Celebrity Birthday Bash at Studio 74. The crowd was lighter than I anticipated, and was lethargic until Bobby got on the mike.

He arrived about 12:45 a.m. and after chilling and eating in the VIP room, he joined the party. Bobby was a surprisingly fun host. He sang along to "My Prerogative" and "Every Little Step."

Since Bobby musical career was mostly in the '90s, the DJ spun a lot of '90s hip-hop. Bobby sang along with most of what the DJ spun, and he cajoled the crowd into dancing instead of standing around. He posed for pictures and the men were surprisingly as excited as the women. Okay, the guy didn’t scream, but I saw several guys doing old New Edition steps. By 1:30 a.m., Bobby joined the ladies on stage for some grind time.

I was impressed. Often celebrity hosts say a quick what's up and retreat to the VIP, but Bobby got down with everybody and turned what could have been a weak party into something memorable.

No, Whitney didn't show.

Time to eat

I originally went to Macleod's because I figured an Irish bar would have good fish and chips, but by the time I arrived the kitchen was closed. When I left World Grotto about 1 a.m., I was starving so I headed down to the Strip in search of Jimmy John's. The waitress at the Urban Bar and Corner Cafe said Jimmy John's had the best sandwiches and stayed open late.

I found the spot easily enough and was relieved that there wasn't a line. It's a sub shop with fancy names for typical sandwiches. For example, I ordered the Vito, an Italian sub. The food was decent and considering that I paid $3.75 for an eight-inch sub, I was ecstatic. Their giant sandwiches were only a $1 more. Heck, their Jimmy John's potato chips were only 75 cents and they were yummy too. If you're in Knoxville and doing the late night thing, I highly recommend Jimmy John's.

Oh, did I mention that clubs here stay open until 3 a.m. and the bars have a real happy hour, typically from 3-7 p.m. In North Carolina, drinks prices must remain fixed all day so happy hour is based on food specials. Oh, and gas is 20 cents cheaper per gallon here too.

Today, I'm headed to Soccer Taco to watch World Cup. Oh, and to the bike rally.

My kind of place

After Macleod's I headed up the block to World Grotto, and that was a whole other experience. See for yourself: www.worldgrotto.com

The concept is a little forced, but the energy was undeniable. World Grotto is a middle-Eastern themed nightclub, marketplace and gallery. On the first level it's a gallery with exhibits and downstairs is a spacious club with a dance floor, stage, bar, lounge and huge VIP lounge. I say the concept is forced because the downstairs is made of faux rocks to give you the feeling that you're in a cave. The furniture is cushioned benches covered in exotic fabrics and pillows. Still, it's something different and I like different.

While I wasn't feeling the whole incense-burning, fountain nightclub theme, I loved DJ Slink. Just when I was ready to leave he put on an electronica-backed mix of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" followed by Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Got Your Money" then Gorillaz's "Dare" followed by the Police's "Message In a Bottle."

No one in Charlotte spins like that. No one.

I would love to have Slink spin in Charlotte, but we'd need to transport the World Grotto partiers to Charlotte. They are what made World Grotto so eclectic. I saw spiked hair, peasant skirts, baggy cargo shorts and studded belts. A break from the khaki and button down or strapless and spandex uniform of Charlotte nightlife.

There were breakdancers, twirly-whirly jam-band girls and rising video vixen. Men and women danced together or by themselves, but they danced. The floor stayed busy, but if a particular song came on, someone would ultimately step into a clear area and groove. For example, a strutted onto the floor, spun around on his back a couple of times, two-stepped, spun some and then walked off the floor, like what!

Do you think a place like World Grotto would make it in Charlotte or is the city way too stiff? We have several colleges here but don't have that eclectic energy in our nightlife. College nights in Charlotte are meat-market, drunk fests. And most of the times, it's older men trying to pick up college-aged girls.

Crunk karaoke

After the concert ended, I walked around Market Square trying to decide where I wanted to eat. Earlier, I stopped by a brewery, but I wasn't feeling the crowd. It felt too much like Charlotte and I was in the mood for something different. I walked past Macleod's Restaurant & Pub and saw a packed house and a gaggle of people on stage doing karaoke. I stopped there.

Before I could get to the bar, two guys asked to touch my hair. We talked for a minute and I turned around and another guy wanted to stroke the hawk. I ended up hanging out with a guy named Terry Massey and his friends, and couple of guys from the Knoxville NBC affiliate TV station.

Karaoke annoys me because I loathe bad singing, but Macleod's was nuts. The only time I've seen karaoke this hype was black night at Wet Willies in Memphis, but this was even better. Groups of college-aged partiers got on stage and sang. The crowd danced and sang as if a DJ was spinning their favorite tunes. Most of the songs were country and rock. A cute old man hanging out to. He looked like somebody's grandaddy, but he was chilling on stage singing and flirting with the young girls. Go ahead daddy!

The vibe was so rowdy that I didn't mind the bad singing, and trust me some of it was real bad.

I've been to Yellow Rose at Touchstone in south Charlotte on a week night and Dixie's Tavern on a Monday, but I've never seen karaoke as hype as Macleod's. Where's the best karaoke bar in Charlotte? And what night should I go?

Getting' down in the Square

We walked toward the music and saw a throng of people stretching for at least two blocks. We were looking for a restaurant and stumbled on the Sun Down Concert Series, a free outdoor concert series on Thursdays.

I had to stop.

It's kind of like our Alive After Five, but way bigger. They've got big-time sponsors such as Regal Entertainment, the City of Knoxville, Pilot and of course Budweiser. Music ranges from lesser known acts such as Thursdays Rhett Miller and the Believers to such as their April kick off band Little Feat. See their lineup at www.sundowninthecity.com

The series starts in April and runs through June. It picks up again in September and it's called Autumn on the Square. The lineup for that includes Donna and the Buffalo, the Guards and Blues Traveler. www.concertwire.com/autumnonthesquare

Both events are in the Square's shopping and restaurant district in downtown Knoxville. Several restaurants had their doors open and let people sit on their patios. A few shops were open as well. At least a dozen vendors sold funnel cakes, beer and hotdogs. People trying to organize a skatepark were out as well soliciting donations.

What impressed me more than the size and quality of the acts were the people hanging out. Our outdoor concerts, okay most events in Charlotte, tend to draw the same yuppie young professionals, but Knoxville was more eclectic. Walking toward the stage I saw a punk crew and a guy with a Mohawk, I passed the skatepark people, a group of young men and women playing hackysack and young parents with kids. The wine and cheese folks sat in the restaurant patios watching the performance. I met a lady name Karol Hamilton who was dancing her head off and says she has a brother who lives in Charlotte and she travels to Charlotte to shop.

I didn't know anything about Rhett Miller and wasn't overly impressed with his music, but I Ioved crowd's energy was contagious so I hung out there before I discovered a karaoke bar...

Hoot it up

I would pick the hottest day of the year to ride down to Knoxville for the annual Honda Hoot motorcycle rally. By the time my buddy Anne and I arrived at our hotel, we were drenched and exhausted. This rally used to be in Asheville, but because of its increasing size and Anne says politics in Asheville, organizers moved it to Knoxville a few years ago. It's scheduled to be here until 2009.

Since we were tired when we arrived Thursday afternoon, we skipped the motorcycle events. We waited for the heat to abate and hit the streets. This is my first time in Knoxville. Since I'm an Alabama grad, I was anxious to see the home of the Crimson Tide's rival, University of Tennessee.

I love Alabama, but I have to admit going to college in the town the size of Knoxville would have been fun. The Strip gives you the college town feel, but places such as Old City and Market Square make it feel more like a real city. Tuscaloosa is a college town period. When I was at Alabama there was nothing to do but hang out on the strip or go to college parties.

Our first stop was Old City. It's a cool historic area that reminds me of the French Quarter, but not nearly as many interesting people. We had a couple of drinks at the Urban Bar and Corner Cafe. The place was huge with three rooms and a patio on the street. It had exposed brick and would've been a killer place to hang, but it was totally dead. So, we headed to Market Square a couple of miles away.

Have any of you all been to Knoxville? How does it compare to Charlotte? Although, it was dead I dig Old City area. Post your replies below.

We R Family

On Friday, we decided to find the gay nightlife. Quepos was surprisingly gay friendly. Hotel Casablanca had a big rainbow flag painted on the fence and the clerk gave us a guide to local gay establishments.

After dinner at El Avion, a restaurant with a giant plane in the middle of it, we stopped by the Bat Cave. It was a lounge carved out of rock in the La Mansion Inn. The place was cramped, but there was a narrow bar and a slightly more spacious lounge area in the back. Unfortunately, the Bat Cave was dead.

We heard the party was down the road in Manuel Antonio at the beach. We stopped by Coconuts on the beach, but that was a typical college crowd. We did run into our friend from Austin though.

We finished the night at Bar Tutu, the bar above our hotel restaurant. The place was cute. It was a rooftop club with a pool, spacious dance floor and the largest bar we’d seen all week. The music was techno, and as usual it was mostly guys.

Saturday morning we stumbled onto our favorite find. Latifah was fed up with the complimentary rice, beans and eggs for breakfast so we went out to eat. We ended up at Picasso Cafe.

The menu hooked us - eggs benedict, crepes, Belgian waffles and omelets. We also met the owner, a gay guy from Canada. He was another one of the folks who visited Costa Rica once, went home, packed his stuff and bounced.

We left his cafe with full bellies and bags of coffee, maple syrup from Quebec and wine.

Mas magaritas

After driving through winding narrow mountain roads in a foggy downpour, we arrived in Quepos Wednesday afternoon. I was ready to hit the nearest bar, and we wound up at Dos Locos.

I have to admit, I made a rookie partying mistake. I partied so hard on Wednesday night that it took my body three days to recuperate. I don’t want to see another margarita or bowl of guacamole anytime soon.

My night consisted of singing Johnny Cash with a duo in front the bar, jumping into the photo with two girls from Canada (I gave them some money and promised to e-mail them a cute shot I took of them), and buying college students from the University of Texas a pitcher of margaritas.

Me, Sass and Latifah met a Dallas Cowboys fan from Austin, Texas. He was vacationing with his wife and two sons. After the necessary trash-talking we hit it off well. We also met a guy from Rocky Mount, N.C. He visited Quepos once, loved it and moved there when he retired. We met a lot of people like that.

Before the night ended, Latifah ended up dancing with the most arrogant and annoying little guy. And Sass had a conversation in Thai with the little guy’s wingman. She didn’t really like him either.

I loved everybody.

Friends and hot boys

After mojitos at La Guagua, we caught a cab to Friends in El Pueblo, about 15 minutes away. The club was in a tourist district with souvenir shops and restaurants. The place was tiny, maybe half the size of Liquid Lounge. And they had the nerve run a fog machine.

When you walked in, there were bistro tables and a bar. Down a few steps were more tables, a DJ booth and a stage. Since it was ladies night we got $2 admission and a free rum and coke. We arrived about 9:30 p.m. and the place was kind of dead, but about an hour later it started to fill up. You know how people here buy bottles of champagne, well over there people bought bottles of liquor, which is more common in our VIP areas.

The partiers were a mix of tourists, we met a guy from New York and some college students, and locals. By 10:30 p.m. the hot boys came. It was two guys dressed in black who stood onstage and shook their bootys and hips. They were sexy though because they could actually dance and move their hips like salsa dancers compared to male exotic dancers here who just wind their pelvis.

By 11 p.m. we were pooped. We’d been going hard all day and Costa Rica is two hours behind Charlotte, so it felt like 1 a.m.

We headed back to the hotel and prepped for our next adventure -- road trip to Quepos.