Vortex with author's traveling companion

Washington City Paper: What’s your name?
Luca Vortex: Luca Vortex.

That’s not your real name. That’s a punk name.
That is how everybody knows me.

How old are you?
33.

Are you familiar with go-go music?
Read More “Ask a European About Washington, D.C.: 2) Italy” »

Ask anyone in the industry about go-go music and they’ll tell you the same thing: it plays exclusively to the the greater DC area. This new series is an attempt to refute that claim by presenting hard evidence of Go-Go’s influence throughout the music world. It’d be hypocritical to complain about biting since most of the great bands are essentially cover bands, but it’s still worth noting that there is sometimes a two way street of influence. Read More “Go-Go Bites #1: Overbite Scenario” »

In eight years of DC flea market and junk store hopping I’ve encountered all sorts of strangeness from jars of urine to bongs made from the skulls of monkeys (I am not even making this up) but as far as local muscial ephemera goes nothing can really top this this confusing pen drawing of Rare Essence’s Go-Go Mickey. Clipped from the “thank you’s” page of a 1993 Bishop Mcnamara yearbook young Damon Lowry depicts the heralded conga drummer as some sort of freakishly muscular and slightly sweaty Polo clad Mickey Mouse. I have no idea why this was at all relevant to a high school yearbook but it’s pretty incredible none the less. After the jump is some footage of the actual Go-Go Mickey backing up Backyard. Read More “A Mouse Named Mickey From Out Of Town” »

Yesterday marked the twentieth anniversary of rapper Fat Rodney’s tragic murder. Frequently heralded as one of most memorable emcees to ever rock the Go-Gos, Rodney’s life was taken from him at just 21 years old in 1989. Over at my site, Cocaineblunts.com, I spoke with Rare Essence’s Andre “Whiteboy” Johnson about Rodney and his legacy:

“When he walked into the room he lit the room up. There are a couple of other guys who had done it before, but I don’t think anybody [did] it to the extent that Rodney had done it. So as he walked through the door, everybody was yelling his chant. “What you gonna do, Fat Rodney?!” We lost a huge talent. And we lost a good friend because Rodney sat around with us for hours, just joking and talking and everything. DC lost a huge talent. Rodney was a great guy, personally. And he was a real good rapper, very observant. The fact that he’s rapping and he spots some girl in the crowd with a red shirt on, he’ll incorporate her into the rap. Spot the guy with the blue jacket on, he brings him into it. All of that is what made Rodney the legend that he is.”

Click here for the full interview.

Flyer courtesy of TMOTTGOGO.com

It seems Rare Essence is returning to U Street.

In the ‘90s and early ’00s, RE’s weekly gig at Club U, inside the Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center, was one of the hottest events on the U Street corridor. The band’s run at the club ended in 2005, following the stabbing death of 31-year-old club patron Terrence Brown.

Read More “RE Returns to U” »