... a couple of things contributed to me leaving. I don't think we were on the same page as far as goals, and I feel like communication could have been a lot better. I just felt like it was time to move on. And luckily I was blessed with some major offers as far as bands. Of course in the end I chose RE (Rare Essence).

Cal, who lately has been pushing his rap ghostwriting enterprise, Rhymesolvers Unit, says he sees himself as a "missing piece" for Rare Essence—which is probably more a comment on where RE wants to go, and not where it's been already. (There's video of Cal's first official gig with RE, and an iTunes single.)

In case you're unconvinced, one of Junkyard's show flyers lays out some bulletpoints:

• "1 of 5 Greatest Go-Go Bands of All Time"
• "1 of 4 Bands to sign National Recording Contract (Def Jam)"
• "Sardines — Voted Best Go-Go Recording of All Time"
• "Only local  Band to be in 2 National Movies"
• "7 Albums, Multiple Original Hits"

The Aug. 7 show goes from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.; advance tickets are $20.

Friday

• Marah. IOTA Club & Cafe. $15. +21
• Victor Wooten. 9:30 Club. $25. All ages.
• Color School, the Walkaways, Round About. The Red and The Black. $5. +21
• Eric Roberson w/ Jay Hayden. The Birchmere. $29.50
• The Ash Lovelies and Friends. The Velvet Lounge. $8. +21
• XIB, ABM. Le Pearl Ballroom. All ages.
• Alpha Dog Blues Band, Mike Lapadula and the Lost Souls. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• "The Chug Lyfe Tour." Molotov Solution, Dr. Acula, I Declare War, Monsters. Jaxx. $12. All ages.

Saturday

• Gregory Isaacs and Live Wyya Band w/ Jay Aar, Image Band. Zanzibar. $30
• Delta Spirit w/ Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, the Romany Rye. 9:30 Club. $15. All ages.
• The Sound of Machines, Railsplitter, Sharkopath. The Velvet Lounge. $8. +21
• The Shirks w/ Nobunny, Deathrats. Black Cat. $10. All ages.
• Bill Kirchen & the Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods w/ Maryann Price & the Trio Del Rio. The Birchmere. $25
• Juston Stens, Brass Bed, Atlantic/Pacific. The Red and The Black. $8. +21
• Kids. DC9. $6. +21
• Lionize, INCWELL and the FreeWorld Band. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10. All ages.
• The Unthanks w/ Colleen and Paul. IOTA Club & Cafe. $15. +21
• Let's Talk Money. Jaxx. $12. All ages.
• Mike Terpak Blues Explosion, Shotgun Ride. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.

Sunday

• A Capital Fourth. West Lawn of U.S. Capital. Free
• Rare Essence w/ Bela Dona. Zanzibar. $10.
• "The Big Boom" w/ Fort Knox Five, See-I, Nappy Riddem. U Street Music Hall. $10. +18
• Justin Jones w/ Sarah White, Josh Read. IOTA Club & Cafe. $10. +21

Marah photo via Myspace

The Ballou Marching Band will perform a tribute to Harley at the vigil tonight.

Early Sunday morning, Washington D.C. lost one of go-go’s pioneering musicians, Anthony “Little Benny” Harley, who at age 46, according to published sources, died in his sleep, after having performed with Chuck Brown the night before at the Capitol Heights Ballroom in Capitol Heights, MD on a bill with EU, Bela Dona, and Da Mixx Band. Little Benny joined Rare Essence as a teenager in the 1970s, playing trumpet, adding distinctive  husky-voiced vocals, and leading their choreographed dance steps.  In the mid-80s he formed his own group, Little Benny & the Masters, best known for the catchy “Cat in the Hat,” and this always busy musician later performed with Proper Utensils, the Legends of Go-go, a reunited old-school Rare Essence, and Chuck Brown.  Harley recently had back surgery and was walking with a cane.  An autopsy is going to be performed.  Mayor Fenty issued a statement, The Washington Post noted his death this morning, and WUSA channel 9 news did so last night.  Fans have been paying tribute to his one-of-a-kind skills  on WPGC’s website and the Facebook sites of the P.A. Palace  and EU’s Sugar Bear, to name a few.  Funeral information or an address for charitable donations has not yet been provided.  Chuck Brown, Kip Lornell, Tom Goldfogle,  and Soldierette offer their thoughts to the City Paper below. 

George Washington University professor, and co-author of “The Beat: Go-Go’s Fusion of Funk and Hip-hop,”  Kip Lornell  recalled, “The first time I met Benny was about 12 years ago when I went to his home to interview  him for "The Beat".   Benny was most gracious and opened up his home.  He patiently answered my questions and it was clear how important go-go was to him and, by extension his family and his peers.  Benny was always a solid trumpet player since his days at Ballou High School but it was his singing and warm presence on stage that placed him near the top of the "most asked to come up on stage" list around town.  In addition to his days with Rare Essence and, later with Little Benny and the Masters,  Mr. Harley often appeared with the Godfather.  There seemed to be a special warmth between Chuck and Benny.  Whenever Benny came on stage, Chuck seemed to feel utterly at ease knowing that everything would be kicking just fine when he turned the stage over to Benny who was always exuberant, exciting, and professional. Because he was so enthusiastic Benny could hype a crowd without even trying, it was just his way.”  

Rene Dickerson, better known as Soldierette, a longtime DC blogger who also managed Benny’s group “The Legends of Go-go,” said “Benny was my friend and confidant. I've seen Benny perform thousands of times; the first time being with the Masters. I was his personal manager and promoter during the heyday of "The Legends of Go-Go" so I've seen him perform in tiny basements to great halls to nightclubs to little shacks in the hills of Virginia to huge coliseums.  My last time seeing him perform was the night that I left DC for Illinois. We had the most fun we'd had in years and he wanted me to make sure I took pictures of not just him, but of everyone that wanted to be in a picture with him.”  She added, “One of my fondest memories of Benny is him calling me every morning, for years, at around 4am, just to talk until it was time to get his kids up and take them to school. I would be dead asleep, but would get up and put some coffee on and keep his company after a night of performing.  He had great plans for the rest of his life, and even greater plans for the kids in his life. His love of children is something most didn't even know about him. He dreamed of a children's music school that taught kids how to read music, play an instrument, and especially carry on the history of go-go music. He would perform anywhere for free when it involved little kids. He left behind a 5 month old baby who would never get to know how special he was.” 

Regarding Benny’s place in the DC go-go scene she concluded, “Benny was important to the industry because he always kept it competitive. He was always looking to be different from the rest. He'd start a new band when no one thought he could. He would show up on someone's cd out of the blue. He would come back when everybody was saying he had lost his voice, or was on drugs, or was doing whatever the popular rumor was; he always came back. He just loved music and would study it as part of his life; part of his being. He was fascinated by Miles Davis and John Coltrane. He wanted more for go-go and he wanted to be the one who took it to that level. Other talkers and musicians looked up to him as the one to strive to be like, or to pass on the circuit…He always made his band members stronger players, and that is what will live on past his life with us.”

Tom Goldfogle, Chuck Brown's manager, stated  "I can only tell you that Benny is sewn into the fabric of this community and its culture and he brought so much joy to so many.  The energy he brought to the stage everynight was unparalleled.  He lived life to the fullest and loved to perform. "   Chuck Brown said, "I am heartbroken at the loss of my dear friend Lil Benny.  I used to go to some of the Rare Essence rehearsals in the early days and watch them.  I was honored to produce their first record, Body Moves.  One day when I was not feeling well and my voice was giving out  I asked Benny if he would come to the show  and help me out. That was sixteen years ago, and he’s been with us on stage ever since. There is nobody like him.  No one can replace him.  He was such a crowd pleaser, a motivator, always had a positive outlook.  He was a true pioneer, a music legend.  He performed the songs we all grew up on and loved. He took it to another level – every night. Words cannot express how much he will be missed."

* Photo from Soldierette's website

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?

Go-go like a dancer?
[Your correspondent and his traveling companion, both Washingtonians, attempt to explain go-go music to LV. Chuck Brown, Rare Essence, and the Junkyard Band are mentioned. Your correspondent asks his companion to remind him what the Junkyard Band's biggest hit is. His companion reminds him: "Sardines." They sing "Sardines" for LV.]
Is the Junkyard Band something with Nick Cave?

No...it's like...it's hard to explain...it's native to Washington...and African-American...these guys cover popular R&B hits, but with a different beat...
They revisit the songs?

Yes, they revisit them...funkily...
That sounds good. I do not know it. I want to know it.

What do you think about when you think about Washington?
The flag.

What do you envision when you think about the city?
I think about something big...something mysterious.

Mysterious?
Like there are big buildings. And mysterious things hidden inside them.

I guess Washington is mysterious.
Does Lincoln have something to do with Washington?

Yes. [Your correspondent and his traveling companion explain the Lincoln Memorial.]
OK....Is the goal of this article to bring more Europeans to Washington?

No.

[Author's note: After the conclusion of this interview, your correspondent's traveling companion deemed Luca Vortex "cute."]

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.

First up is Jay-Z, a little known Brooklyn rapper who is probably best known for collaborating with the group Original Flavor and carrying Big Daddy Kane's weed. But for his 1999 single, the Rockwilder produced "Do It Again" (video above), Jay swiped the hour by hour after-the-hook up chorus and concept from Rare Essence's DC favorite "Overnight Scenario." It may seem no sweat off RE's back to have such a small fries rapper borrowing their ideas, but Jay-Z actually managed to turn "Do It Again" into a minor hit. I think it was one of his only ones.

There was some talk of a lawsuit a few years after the fact, but the outcome was never announced. It doesn't seem like there would be much in the way of legal recourse, though. I don't imagine this Jay-Z character has very deep pockets anyway. Though he did happen to drop a new album yesterday. It's a low profile affair and has almost completely overlooked by the media thus far.

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.