Musical Legacy and a tribute to those we've recently lost!

There is a lot of talk lately about music, new vs. old, good vs. bad, etc. With the recent loss of greats such as Etta James, Johnny Otis & Jimmy Castor (in the soul world), many are feeling sadness at the thought of an important musical era coming to an end. The 1960s and 1970s provided just the right environment: politically, socially and musically, to fuel what exploded onto the scene in a collective musical genre that we call SOUL. A few years back, in 2006 to be exact, we lost one of the most legendary contributors to R&B, Funk and Soul (and beyond!), Mr. James Brown. A quick check on other Soul greats who passed that year adds the following to the list: Lou Rawls, Wilson Pickett and Billy Preston. And while we are spending time to remember those we lost most recently, in 2011, we lost a great talent in Nick Ashford of Ashford & Simpson fame; Dobie Gray, best known for "Out on the Floor" and "The "In" Crowd"; and Gil Scott-Heron, a socially active spoken word artist known for tunes such as "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", amongst others.






I guess the point that I would like to make here is that music is lasting. The message, the feeling, the melodies...all of these things have been preserved in recordings for future generations to discover and enjoy. Death is a strange thing and when it's someone who has been influential to pop culture, to your life's musical journey, or someone who has touched you personally, it is expected to make an impact on the way you see their individual contribution, as well as the music or movement or genre, on the whole.

I have realized that being born in the 1970s, as I was, thankfully gave me the link to the first half of the 20th Century that has been so influential to me and on the second half of the Century, but seems to be a distant memory now into the 21st Century. Because of this link, I have been exposed to music, culture, cars, fashion, etc. that most kids born in the mid 80s and beyond do not and will most likely never understand. Some of us out here are what can be called "old souls" and will tend to gravitate towards stuff from eras that we never lived through ourselves. But this is the most important thing to recognize and hold onto! Modern technology, pop culture and most notably, music, has brought about an abrupt change to our culture. Instead of appreciating true talents, society accepts digitally altered "talent" and the sad thing about it, is that it's eaten up! We are all too busy with our iPads, iPhones, Blackberry's, etc. to lift our heads up and look and listen to what's going on around us! If our society as a whole, blindly and silently, continues to accept the low quality, mass produced crap that is being offered up on not so shiny silver platters, we can only expect for things to continue to get worse. Mainstream has never been the stream I have flowed with. Humans are individuals and we should be proud of that, instead of trying to find a way to become assimilated with the rest of the millions of people out there. Eccentricity is a good thing! Individuality is a good thing! Embrace these things and find the path that is right for you!

...And now back to our beloved singers, songwriters and entertainers that have been lost, we must keep their talent alive. Share the music with anyone who will listen. Share the passion for their talents and remind the young ones coming up now, to dig. Dig into the past to find the influence for the future!

Calling Fellow Soul DJs! Where It's At! is looking for guests!!!

Hello Friends and fellow DJ's! Up until this month, I have been holding it down twice monthly at the Mad Dog in the Fog for Where It's At! with my DJ partner in crime, Shawn. Sadly, he will be moving back home to the Big Apple very soon. This will be leaving open the opportunity to welcome guests to share the decks with me. If you are interested, whether I already know you or not, hit me up! Please keep in mind that this is a 100% vinyl party specializing in 1960s & 70s soul:: Funk, Disco, Rare Groove, Motown, Modern, Northern, etc. Some nights get pretty eclectic, while others seem to focus a little more on a couple styles. It all depends on the mood of the bar and where my musical intuition flows. Regardless to say, it's a nonjudgmental night and we just like to spin good tunes and have a good time over a few pints of beer! So, if this is up your alley, send me a message and I'll get you scheduled to join the party!

With all of that said, here are the details:
*10pm until close (usually we quit the tunes about 1:45am)
*Mad Dog in the Fog - Lower Haight, cross street is Fillmore
*530 Haight Street, SF
*Free drinks for the night. Mad Dog is a beer & wine bar, fyi
*A little cash at the end of the night.

Contact me here if interested or need any more details: mookeysmooddesign@hotmail.com

Lower Bottoms Funk + Soul vol. 12 [1 Year Anniversary w. *MissT*]

Keeping the Spirit alive in the New Year.
Lower Bottoms Funk + Soul vol. 12 [1 Year Anniversary w. *MissT*]

Can't believe we've been so fortunate to ride the wave this long. One great party after another formed out the ferment of all our collective efforts.
So many great guests and awesome supporters, late night vibes, & bumping jams!

Thanx Bay Area, but especially the West O. Hood for knowing what it is. And how we do.

Hope you all can make it to our anniversary!

===================
9PM-LATE NIGHT
Saturday Jan 14
@1610 7th st.
LOWER BOTTOMS
{{FUNK + SOUL}}
w. spesh guest
MissT (where its at)
------------------
& your residents!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Where It's At! First edition of 2012!

Hey Friends! So, it's that time again...2nd Friday means another edition of Where It's At! This will be the first one of 2012! Let's get the year off on the good foot! MissT & Shawn have been holding it down for the past 2 1/2 years. All OG vinyl all night long! Soul, Funk, Disco, Rare Groove and Motown tunes from the 60s & 70s. We love to bring ya the music and hope to see ya there!

Mad Dog in the Fog
530 Haight Street @ Fillmore
San Francisco, CA
10pm til close

p.s. I will be looking for guests starting in February. If you're interested, hit me up, but keep in mind we don't do laptops, iPods or Serato...vinyl only. Free drinks & a little spending cash at the end of the night. Cheers!

"Getting in the Mood" by Mandrill! 1980

Where It's At! Special Guest DJ High Yellow!

Time:
Friday, October 28 at 10:00pm - October 29 at 2:00am
Location:
Mad Dog In The Fog
530 Haight Street
San Francisco, California

Join us this Friday night as we welcome special guest DJ High Yellow! (aka Richie Collins) of East Bay's Got Soul. We hope to see ya! Start off your Halloween weekend the right way...shakin yer bootay to some James Brown, maybe?!?! We've got lots of great tunes for your entertainment, so be sure to make it by to say hi! See ya Friday night!

It's a Lover's Question...

I did a little private record shopping from a friend this afternoon. Picked up a handful of great soul 45s! Just now finding some time to sit and give a proper listen to the haul. One of the tunes that I was particularly excited about is called "It's A Lover's Question". This is a tune that I grew up hearing and one that I always loved! The version that I know and love is the original, by Clyde McPhatter. The version I picked up today is by Otis Redding. If you've ever given a listen to an "Oldies" channel on the radio, I'm pretty sure you would have heard "Dock of the Bay", also by Otis Redding. I remember the first time I heard proper Otis, (other than "Dock of the Bay"), I didn't believe it was the same guy! Need I say, funky, energetic, soulful and danceable! And yes, his version of "It's a Lover's Question" brings all of these attributes to the tune.

The original by Clyde McPhatter:


Version by Brook Benton:


Version by Ernestine Andrews:


...and unfortunately, the full Otis Redding version that spawned this post in the first place, is nowhere to be found on the interwebs. The best I can offer is a clip from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A814W4/ref=dm_dp_trk11?ie=UTF8&qid=1318826627&sr=1-1

~ Wherever I Lay My Hat ~

This tune has been spinning around in my head this afternoon, so thought I'd share it with you! Enjoy!

Delano Stewart's version from 1970, produced by Sonia Pottinger (RIP).


And Motown's own, Marvin Gaye, performing the original from 1963.

Where It's At! with special guest DJ Dana...this Friday!

This Friday night, July 22nd, we welcome special guest DJ Dana to the decks of Where It's At! We hope you'll be there! As always, soul, funk, motown, disco and rare groove all night long! 10pm til close @ Mad Dog in the Fog. 530 Haight Street @ Fillmore in San Francisco!!!

Where It's At! 2 Year Anniversary! Friday night!

This Friday night is the 2 year anniversary party for Where It's At! Yes, we've been delivering a bi-monthly dose of soul at Mad Dog in the Fog for 2 full years! Thanks for all of the fun times and we look forward to keeping it going for another 2 years, at least! Shawn and I will be welcoming our very special guest DJ High Yellow to the party! We look forward to entertaining you Friday and hope to see ya there!
Also, here's the Facebook invite for more details and info: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=249738338375866&ref=ts

Young, Gifted & Black by Aretha Franklin!

I forget how great this record is! Just finished listening to it through. Thought I'd share it with you today.

I just pulled up the Wikipedia about it and now I can see why it's such a good record! Take a look at the players on this thing! Dr. John, Donny Hathaway, Billy Preston, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, The Sweet Inspirations and Hugh McCracken, just to name a few! Aretha is a powerhouse of a voice. I highly recommend this album for your collection!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young,_Gifted_and_Black

Where It's At! & Special Birthday Weekend Celebrations!

Next Sunday is my birthday...I'll be 21 (for the 16th time! haha!)...okay, I'll let you figure that one out on your own! To start my "birthday weekend" off right, Friday night is Where It's At! Come on out to help me celebrate! Shawn and I will be spinning funky soul, soulful disco, Motown gems, rare groove and more all night long! Be sure to slip your feet into your dancing shoes and slide onto the dancefloor at Mad Dog in the Fog! Tunes start at 10pm and go until closing. We look forward to seeing ya there!

Too Late by Mandrill...I love this tune!

Thanks to Bagatelle's I am able to have this single in my collection for a most affordable price! Thanks to my BF for introducing me to it in the first place! Perfect tempo for a Sunday afternoon. I highly encourage you to check out more Mandrill. Lots of great albums & tunes to discover!

Northern Soul Legend: MARY LOVE is coming to SF!

April 22nd all of you Soulies out there might like to partake in this special event!!! Mary Love, Northern Soul Legend, will be at Milk Bar in SF, singing all of her legendary classics! Unfortunately for me, I've got my regular Soul/Funk/Disco/Rare Groove DJ night that night, so I won't be able to make it...but that doesn't mean that you should miss it too! Tickets are only $5! Plus you get San Francisco's own: Franco Nero and The Satisfactions, as well as 3 great soul & vintage reggae DJ's: Dirty Dishes, Soul Fox & Bryan Martin (from SF Vintage Reggae Society). This event is being put on by my friend First Round Promotions...keep an eye on his upcoming listings...there's lots more legendary music to come!!!
p.s. If you like the flyer design...that's my handiwork...I'd be happy to work with you on any graphic design needs you might have! Thanks and enjoy the show!!!

It's a Soul Party!

Coming up in May, Shawn and I will be guest DJ's spinning soul, rocksteady and early reggae alongside DJ J-Bird of Boss Sounds and with The Satisfactions headlining! Another fantastic night planned and promoted by Boss Sounds Productions in Santa Rosa! I know it's a bit of a drive for most of you out there, but it's definitely worth the trip! Santa Rosa knows how to put on a party and sure can show SF a thing or two! See ya there!

Where It's At! Friday March 25th!!!

Come down to Mad Dog in the Fog for Where It's At! We spin a fine selection of soul, funk, disco and rare groove all night long! Check out the Facebook invite here:
http://www.facebook.com/tracy.parker2?cropsuccess#!/event.php?eid=208507369176057

We'd love to see ya there!

Little Richard - Green Power!

Myron & E - Cold Game

A great tune to get your toes a tappin'!

Where It's At! The very first one for 2011! Dance the Soul Slide all night long!

Yes, it's been a looooong time since the last Where It's At! in 2010! Unfortunate for us, the last 4th Friday was cancelled because of Christmas Eve, BUT, we are back with a vengeance in 2011 with our boxes full of new tunes, as well as some of your old favorites! Come on down to Mad Dog in the Fog tonight for a night of Funky Soul and Soulful Disco! We'll keep ya dancing all night long! Always free and we start at 10pm. Join us for some great tunes, a pint or two from Mad Dog's extensive beer list or a classy glass of wine. We look forward to seeing ya tonight!

Where It's At! Soul Party at Mad Dog in the Fog - FRIDAY NIGHT!

Come by Mad Dog in the Fog this Friday night for Where It's At! Hope to see ya! The party starts at 10pm and goes until close. Always free and always the 2nd & 4th Fridays of the month!