G'day blogosphere :-) Color me enthused to greet you with a big wet digital kiss - two 'weekend' shows (both lovely and each different) to spread the good word about:

First, at the Red and Black, Shareef Rosemont's DC debut. The room was fantastic, we had a lovely opener named Vandaveer and Lissy draped the stage in Christmas lights (which in the end, looked quite fetching). The only moment of intense interest was Jason Rosemont's brief foray into modern dance about 2/3 of the way through the first set. Jason, having consumed about 2 liters of Jolt Cola, proceeded to, during the opening bars of Forever Ruth, lay down on the stage and attempt to personify a caterpillar, rolling around and making odd 'little-insect-like' sounds (his words! not mine!). He perked right up when a few select audience members (you know who you are) began pelting him with cabbage. Still one jittery mofo through the night, but hey, he made it, and that's what counts.

Second, at the U-Turn, in a benefit for Cafe Collage, we appeared on a bill with a reggae/go-go group and a very funny comedian. In a move similar to Jason's earlier caffeine-related hi-jinks, Shareef, soaked from head to toe, proceeded to play his percussion parts at double speed in an attempt to use the heat generated to dry his drenched clothes. The effect was a staggering onslaught of sound - Rosemont Redux we called it. We would periodically look back during the show to see Shareef as a blur - it was amazing.

Now Listening to - Love and Happiness (Al Green - I'm Still in Love With You) - one of these days I'm taking a field trip to watch this man preach. Hoo-boy. Whattatrack.