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.

Cigars and mojitos

While Latifah and I sipped our margaritas, Sass hungrily eyed the Cuban restaurant across the parking lot, La Guagua. She drooled at the thought of Cuban cigars. After we polished off our second margarita, we headed across the street.

At the bar, we met Dennis. He had a twinkle in his eye and a mojito in his hand. We ordered a round and joined him. He spoke about as much English as we spoke Spanish so we got along well.
If you've ever had mojitos made with mint from those Harris Teeter packages, you're wasting your time. Carlos, the bartender, pulled out a shoebox-size container of fresh mint leaves. I started grinning. When he mixed the mojitos, he ground the leaves in the glass. Oh my goodness. We sucked the first one down like it was water. He had our next round prepped and ready.

We peppered Dennis, who seemed to be a regular, Carlos and the other staffers with questions about where to hang. We cracked opened their humidor and bought cigars. It was a Tuesday night and we had the place to ourselves. A waiter asked me if I liked rap music. He said he liked .50 Cent and Tupac. I pulled out my iPod and let him listen to "It's Goin' Down" by Yung Joc and "Poppin' My Collar" by Three 6 Mafia. I didn't bring cables to run my iPod through their stereo, but the waiter turned off the Cuban music and put on some .50 and Bob Marley.

I sipped my mojito, smoked my cigar and knew it was going to be a good week.

Guess who we saw

After eating dinner at La Cocina de Lena in San Jose near our hotel, we headed to Plaza Itskatzu in Escazu. It has high-end shoppes and restaurants about 15 minutes away from the capital city of San Jose. Restaurants included Hooters and Outback Steakhouse. I know this sounds crazy, but by Saturday after a week of rice and beans, I was actually salivating over some Hooters chicken wings, but I'll save that story for later.

We stopped at Restuarante Mundo and ran into a dude from Charlotte. No lie. His name is Toby McGarry and you might remember him from his days at Phat Burrito when it first opened. Well, he's now a part-owner of Mundo. Think of Cosmos' vibe in a smaller space.

After leaving Charlotte, McGarry said he bounced around the world at different restaurants and then landed in Costa Rica. He still has a house with his sister in Charlotte. We arrived Tuesday, two days before the grand opening of Mundo. Since we were heading to Quepos the next day, we promised to return to Mundo later that week.

Next we headed to Mas Tikila. It was happy hour, which meant half-priced margaritas. That's what I'm talking about. We had a few drinks there and I met an American who used to play basketball in Costa Rica. He told us the place to party was Friends in El Pueblo, about 15 minutes away. It was ladies' night.

But first mojitos...

I'm addicted

My first real trip out of the country was Costa Rica last week. I went to Cozumel, Mexico, on a cruise, but one day in a tourist town doesn't count.

Costa Rica was the real deal - six days with an SUV, a full tank of gas and two friends who spoke little Spanish. Winding through the mountains, down neighborhood streets, past churches and strips of stores, we got lost more times than I can remember. We stopped every few miles to make sure we were going the right way. Sometimes we were. Often we weren't.

I can't wait to fumble my way through another city in a land far, far away. Interacting with the people gave me an even better appreciation for the challenges immigrants and tourists face here. Luckily, most Costa Ricans were patient with our horrible Spanish and taught us a few words as well. Borracha (drunk), goma (hung over) and pica flor (player pimp). (You'll learn why we needed to know those words in other blog entries.)

We visited San Jose, the capital, and Quepos and Manuel Antonio, about three hours south on the Pacific coast. We could barely drive through the mountains without pulling over and snapping pictures of the valleys below.

My friend Sass wanted to stop at every fruit stand. Latifah was in search of restaurants that served whole fish fried or grilled. I wanted to find the party. We did those things and more.

This trip will be my first of a lifetime of annual trips overseas. My goal is to do outdoor adventures and find the best parties.

Have you traveled internationally? If so, what's your favorite party city and what's the name of the bar?

Headed to the beach

I'm in Costa Rica until June 18 so I won't be blogging this week. I plan to return with lots of stories -- some appropriate for the newspaper and hopefully way more that aren't.

Holla'

R men with painted nails sexy?

I was at the Spot last week watching rapper Wolly Vinyl perform when I noticed he painted a couple of fingernails black. I'd never seen rapper with painted fingernails and I thought it was kinda cute. Vinyl is the second guy I know outside of the rock/goth world who paints one or two nails. The other is poet Maze Forever.

So, I'm wondering for the ladies, would you date a guy with painted nails and are there rules to men painting their nails? Can they only paint one or two nails and is it okay if the polish is chipped? Can they paint their nails any color or is black the only appropriate hue?

I always get wet

I don’t know what’s up, but every time I go to a Vanilla Ice show I get soaked. When he performed at Amos’ Southend a few years ago, a chick spilled beer down my shirt. Last night at ML, a new nightclub in Concord, Vanilla sprayed me.

I’m taking pictures near the stage when the rapper-turned-rocker empties water from his bottle onto the crowd. It wasn’t a one-time thing. He had a case of water.

Here’s my night: I approach the stage, snap some shots of Ice then try to duck before he throws water on the audience. I’m not sure what was worse, wiping off my camera and watch (neither were water-resistant) every few minutes or watching guys sprint to get the bottles Ice tossed on the floor. I mean come on, it’s Vanilla Ice. What are you going to do, show the water bottle to your friends and say Vanilla Ice touched it? Please.

If that wasn’t bad enough, I got elbowed in the jaw. I wasn’t paying attention and once again I ended up in the middle of a mosh pit. Although, this wasn’t the typical hardcore punk mosh like you’d see at the Milestone. I like those guys, they’re into the music and moshing is a way to express their love for the artist. The moshers at ML acted like they had something to prove. They were walking around poking their chests out as if to say, “Who wants some?” That was corny and besides, who moshes to Vanilla Ice?

Ice was animated, but if you went expecting a rap show you would have been disappointed. He did a hardcore rock set and threw in “Ice Ice Baby” and a couple of other rap songs to please his old school fans. He gave fans just enough rap to get a couple of people breakdancing so that was cool.

I interviewed him afterwards, and he was surprisingly nice. I asked him what was up with throwing water. He said he cools the crowd off. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that there were only a couple of hundred people there so overheating wasn’t a problem. To hear my full interview with him log on to the Paid to Party For Your Ear on Wednesday.

A new spot

A new spot
The Vanilla Ice show was my first time at ML, which is part of a Mexican restaurant about five miles past Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord. It’s a hike getting out there, but for the right act, it’s worth the drive.

The place is huge with a large dance floor, a raised stage and a booming sound system. It’s perfect for rock, metal and reggae acts. There’s seating around the main dance floor and a projector screen. The capacity is 1,500. They only had one bar open, which is all they needed for the crowd of about 200 people on Thursday. If they ever have a show that draws a capacity crowd, they’re going to need another bar and some beer tubs. They will also need more parking.

The manager Jose moved here from Las Vegas about three months ago. He has a lot of big ideas about who he wants to bring to the club and what he wants to do with the space. He’s energetic and is working with Red Tottle, formerly of the Beat radio station. With his energy and her connections, they should be able to make some things happen. Jose wants to bring Pink, Three Six Mafia and My Chemical Romance. If he can pull it off I’ll be there. We’ll see.

What's happening in the clubs

Club owners have been moving and shaking for the last couple of weeks.
Thing have finally calmed down at the former home of the Steeple at Central and Pecan. It’s newest owners and management group re-opened it as The Spot, formerly the Goblin, this past weekend.
Former Room owner Mike Morelli is booking acts and he relaunched the Monday night, hip-hop open mic from the Room. They will also have Metal Matinee on Sundays. I have to give the new crew credit for adding the personality that’s been missing since Steeple closed. I hope they did a sage burn to kill the negative energy.
Notik 1 did graffiti on several walls. It’s is a mix of hip-hop style stuff as well as video games characters. Ms. Pacman chases Pacman along the walls of the video game room. They have Space Invaders. Yay!
Upstairs is still under renovation. It’s going to be a lounge with a board game room that will include an Xbox.
Not angry, but still has ales
The original owners of Angry Ale’s in Charlotte are out of here. They sold the one on Montford Drive to Charlotte bar scene newcomers Tom and Mike Henson. Picasso’s owner Don Burgoon bought Angry Ale’s uptown and will re-open it as Picasso’s in about a month.
After the disastrous canceling of the Roots show at the last minute, Amos’ Southend is back and bigger. The club re-opens with Sister Hazel tonight. Raheem DeVaughn is June 29 and PM Dawn on June 30.
I’m glad to have Amos’ back. Now, that Amos’ is bigger. What kind of acts would you like to see there? They were mostly a cover band bar before, but more space means infinite potential.

They got me good

I’m trying to convince my girl to order some chicken wings and a movie, but she insists on going out to dinner and meeting a couple of friends for drinks. It’s a Thursday night and I’m heading to Raleigh on Friday. I flew in from Maryland on Wednesday. I partied so hard while at home that I caught a cold. Staying in Thursday would have made my mama proud.
But, we head to Cans.
Walking downstairs to the lounge, I see not simply two friends, but at least a dozen of my closest peeps.
Surprise!
They got me good. A surprise birthday party was the last thing I expected. My girl and my friends hooked it up, from Constantine getting us the spot in Cans to Sass getting the food at her aunt’s restaurant Thai Marlai.
We hung out there eating, drinking and swapping stories for about four hours. Dee Dee told the story about the time I hitchhiked in Savannah for St. Patrick’s Day. We had several T.M.I moments.
My friends gave gifts that reminded them of me. I got underwear made of candy from Ramona, a jockstrap and water bottle from Lamont, a massage from Crystal, a protest elephant keychain from C-Money, a gift card for the ABC store from Jermaine (I didn’t know they had those) and I’m getting a bottle of Patron from Dee Dee. (My friends know me so well)
My girl gave me a custom-made ring by Day. It’s shaped like a raccoon. (That’s a story for another day.)
After living here for a dozen years, I still call Maryland home, but after Thursday, Charlotte is feeling a lot more like Maryland. It reminded me that I’ve surrounded myself with good people, and I’m thankful.
I have to give shout-outs, thanks to – my girl, the Brunch Crew, my Observer family, my UBU folks, my drinking buddies and the folks at Cans – for making my 35th birthday unforgettable.

Put on a red light...

We were heading to the elevator inside Steve’s Bar Room on Connecticut Avenue, when the Police’s “Roxanne” blasted over the stereo. The six of us jumped out of the elevator and ran to the dancefloor.

We danced together and sang at the top of our lungs. Angie pretended her hand was a mike and did duets with everyone singing, “…put on a red light, put on a red light.”

By the time we were done, club owner Steve liked our routine so much he bought us a round of champagne with a cherry in each glass. Steve’s is my kind of place, posh, but not stuffy. It has a flat screen TV in the main area and long bar. There’s also a back area where you can get away. The vibe there was more relaxed than Indebleu. On this Sunday, the DJ played good ’80s music such as “Roxanne.” www.stevesbarroom.com

Mojito mojo

If my friend Angie had told me the mojito was going to cost $15, I wouldn’t have ordered it. I would have also missed out on one of the yummiest drinks ever – a blackberry mojito at Washington’s Indebleu.

Indebleu was the first Washington stop of my night on the town with Renee, Angie and Kecia on Sunday. Kecia’s girl rented a limo to celebrate her birthday so we went barhopping in D.C.

Angie raved about Indebleu’s blackberry mojito. We still haven't figured out what was in it, but we're sure about real blackberries and mint. The drink was so good that Angie and Renee finished their drinks and then went around drinking everyone else's behind their backs. At one point, Renee threatened to suck her ice cubes.

Indebleu is a one-drink stop. It’s too stuffy for my taste, but the music was downtempo soulful house. Indebleu is a fine dining restaurant with a lounge and bar downstairs, and dining upstairs. The place is phat. We couldn’t sit in the lounge because of a private party, but we peeked over the velvet rope. The custom sofas were vibrant oranges and red with throw pillows that complement the wooden tables and stools. If you go, stop by the bathroom. The sinks are concrete slabs with cool faucets. www.bleu.com/indebleu/

Back at Black Gay Pride

In my college and post college years, I looked forward to Black Gay Pride in D.C. It was Memorial Day weekend and my birthday weekend. It was my four days to hang with my folks during the day and kick it hard at night with my girl Lori.
I haven’t gone to Pride in the last couple of years though because the partiers seemed to get younger and younger and I have less patience for long lines and high cover charges. This year, I went since my girlfriend hadn’t gone in almost a decade.
Friday night felt like old times. We went to Fur nightclub and there was no line. The crowd was a good mix of young and old with a little eye candy. Go-go dancers grooved on the stage, which was the VIP area and two bars made the wait for cocktails short.
The music was a decent mix of hip-hop and old school go-go. I caught up with an old buddy I used to party with in Columbia, S.C., and one I hung with in D.C. back in the ’90s. My girl and I danced the night away. Other than a spilled drink on my girl’s shirt, the night was all good.
Saturday was a different story.
Something told me to stay home that night. I was tired after celebrating my brother’s college graduation with my family, but I have a hard time resisting a party. At first, everything at the Tunnel nightclub was gravy. We arrived about 11:30 p.m. and the club wasn’t too congested. Again, the crowd was ages. The only problem was the music. It sounded as if the subwoofer was going bad, but I’m not sure if that was worse or the half-hour impromptu comedy routine by the MCs. They killed time while technicians worked on the sound, but they also killed my mood.
By the time they decided to move us from the main dancefloor to a backroom, I was ready to go.
On Sunday, we went to the Black Gay Pride Festival at 9th and H Street. Initially, I was excited that the main event moved back outdoors after years inside the MCI Convention Center. Years ago, the festival was at Banneker Field near Howard University, but rainouts prompted organizers to move it inside.
I hoped the move outside would make the festival like old times with men walking around in bikinis and couples and friends sitting on blankets people-watching. It wasn’t. The new location was a parking lot and it was so hot even the devil would’ve asked for an ice cube.
Did you got to D.C. this weekend? If so, what did you think?

Gas prices are killing me

The other night, I was seriously debating whether I wanted to go to Yahzarah's performance at the Jazz Cafe because the jazz club was so far from my house. The way gas prices are my barhopping radius is seriously reduced. I live off Central Avenue, so I prefer to party in the uptown area rather than drive further out.

I ride my motorcycle to clubs and bars way more than I have in past years. I don't think I'm the only one sticking closer to home. I was talking to promoter John Lineberger at Taste of the Nation about how the party business. He said this spring was slower than usual and he too wondered if higher gas prices, along with this unseasonable weather, kept people from going out as much.

Here's my question, have higher gas prices changed your partying habits? If so, how?

Finally caught up on "24"

I was sitting in Scooter's restaurant, in Elkridge, MD, for happy hour with my friend Angie when the smell of steamed crabs called me. I was trying to hold off buying any crabs because my parents always buy crabs for my birthday. Sitting there talking with my girls, drinking a pitcher beer and watching platters and platters of crabs go into the restaurant.
I couldn't take it anymore; I ordered two dozen with six less salty because my dad can't eat a lot of salt. When I got home, my dad and I spread out the newspaper, cracked open of couple of beers and had a four-hour "24" marathon. I'd missed the last two weeks and the season finale so I brought the tapes home.
As I predicted, the women saved the day. Mad props for the First Lady and Chloe. Both of them turned on that sexual charm to get the men to do what they needed. Men can be so gullible.
I loved how Jack trapped the President in the end. Planting the bug on the pen and knowing the First Lady would flip was brilliant. Here's my question, do you think the First Lady and Jack were cahoots the whole time or do you think Jack was counting on the First Lady confronting her husband. Also, what do you think is going to happen next season?

Meet Tent City's Viking

Tent City is a group of friends who live in upstate New York and Concord. They've been coming to the races for years and swear they have the best view. You know I couldn't hang out without finding the wild folks.

Viking says his friends challenged him to tackle a trashcan. Of course, he accepted the challenge.

Meet Boyd at Tent City

He was dropped off by a space ship. That's why he's doing what he was doing at Tent City in Turn 3 and 4. I don't exactly know what he was doing.

Body surfing for the Peppers

The police busted through the crowd during the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California." I looked around, wondering who was fighting. Then I saw it. A set of legs bobbled through the air.

Body surfing and the Red Hot Chili Peppers during the Nextel All-Star Race, who would've thought it was possible. The four-song, 15-minute set was part of NASCAR's continuing effort to make the sport hipper. The show was the first time band performed at a sporting event and the first time NASCAR scheduled a performance during a race. The Peppers performed at about 11 p.m. between the first and second race segments. Fans lined up in front of the stage at Turn 1 by 9 p.m. Giant screens broadcast the show for the people sitting in the grandstands.

Fans jumping, shaking fists and surfing made the sprawling grassy area feel as intimate as Tremont Music Hall.

Bleep the race

I didn't say it. It was a Red Hot Chili Pepper fan. The band was into its last song and the cars starting filing out.
"They're still racing," One fan said. "Isn't that crazy?"
"F the race," his friend replied and started dancing.


The Chili Peppers' four-song set got mixed reaction from fans on Saturday. Many walked away praising it with curse words. A few were disappointed that it was four songs for about 15 minutes. I haven't seen the Chili Peppers' live before and I liked the live version of "Dani California" way better than the album.

Hanging in the inflield

Its cuties and crazy action. If you hang out in the infield, you've go to dodge golf carts and all kinds of people telling you "MOVE," "WATCH OUT."

It's sensory overload out here and it's great.

P2P Goes to the All Star race

I have spent the last 45 minutes walking around with my mouth wide open. I'm stopping random people and asking, what's going on.

I'm hanging out in the pit crew area at the Nextel All-Star race and loving it. It's constant motion. Guys in fancy jump suits are taking lug nuts off rims that aren't on cars. Other men are marking tires with markers. One guy is stretching, I mean really stretching and simulating changing a tire.

Whoa!

When I got the call from Alan Taylor communications to go see the Red Hot Chili Pepper at the All-Star race, I figured I'd dip in, shoot a few wild fans, write about the concert and bounce.

I've been to a couple of races and I hadn't been impressed long enough to want to hang out for long, but Jess Hunter with Alan Taylor worked some magic and got the NASCAR folks to hook me up with passes for the infield, the garage area and pit row.

I have a whole level of new respect for the sport, but I can never watch another race from the grandstand. I need to be on the field where the action is. I'm pumped. I once changed my tire when I had a flat on I-485. I felt so powerful I ate a steak and potato when I got home.

Imagine what'd I'd eat if I was on a pit crew. Somebody give me a thingy to take lug nuts off, I want to change a tire.

It's deeper than the SkyShow

I know I’m weighing in on this one a little bit late, but last week was crazy.
I don’t blame WBT for moving the SkyShow elsewhere for economic reasons, but I’m troubled by the slow erosion of uptown traditions.

In the last few years, we’ve lost CityFest, the uptown music festival, and the New Year’s Eve gathering was considerably smaller than previous years. And now the SkyShow is gone.

City leaders have mostly brushed off each cancelled or downsized event. They say uptown is a thriving business and entertainment district and doesn’t need planned events to draw people here. Or they say, these types of events hurt uptown businesses because of street closures.

I’m not buying it.

CityFest, New Year’s Eve and the SkyShow are the type of events that solidify uptown’s standing as the heart of the city. Charlotte is spreading. Every little pocket community surrounding the city has bars and restaurants. Unless you like dance clubs and/or performing arts, you have fewer reasons to come uptown because the suburbs have similar amenities.

Longstanding events, such as the SkyShow and next week’s Food Lion Speed Street 600 Festival, help bring this us all together in the heart of the city.