| Current mood: | arrived |
| Current music: | souls of mischief - '93 til infinity |
the pilgrimage
the roots originated in philadelphia. "okay, player." is classic philly slang. and okayplayer.com was conceived in the 215. naturally, the city of brotherly love was to be a key stop on this journey.
we arrived in town with high expectations. our first 48 hours exceeded them wildly.
last weekend, the okayplayer staff arranged for us to shoot a roots/floetry show at the electric factory scheduled for last monday. before we left new york, they informed us the event was closed to all media. including us. but they did come through with tickets at the last minute for a show that had been sold out days prior.
we don't know all the history of the place, but the electric factory is right next door to the okayplayer office. which is right below "the studio". the place where the roots record. which means that attending the show was akin to stepping into the spectrum in 1983 (peace to dr. j, zink and the whole sixer family.)
the venue wasn't built for the roots, but it may as well have been. ?uestlove's drums shook the windows of the converted factory like a parent scolding a recalcitrant child. each member of the band was lit as if s/he were performing solo. and the venue offered plenty of space - whether on the stage or on the floor - for the band and the audience to move freely and uncontested.
we've seen plenty of roots shows over the years in plenty of places, but this one felt different. maybe it was 'cause we walked in while they were covering zeppelin. maybe it was 'cause philly's finest lesbians had come out to see floetry. maybe it was 'cause the roots are constantly trying to take steps forward musically.
whatever the case, the show was 3xdope. and it would have been a highlight of the trip. but it was easily surpassed by what happened on tuesday night.
in. the. studio. with. ?uestlove.
let me break it down for you just in case that doesn't resonate. that night was like...
...shooting around with michael jordan.
...writing code with bill gates.
...baking a pie with your grandmother. (or whomever is the best cook you know.)
yeah. it was like that.
and we got three hours of the most priceless footage we could ask for.
shame that time and circumstance didn't allow us to ask ?uest all the questions we had on our list.
ah well. maybe next time.
*hint. hint.*
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