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TFSnewsRoom/Soul-Patrol.com
Posted Aug 20, 2009 10:51 AM
Concert Review: Mother Finest, Derek McKeith & Alyson Williams @ Fort Dupont Park, Washington DC August 15th
One thing I will say about DC is that it really is "Chocolate City." I don't know of another place that so fully embraces BLACK MUSIC/CULTURE in it's entirety. All 360 degrees of it!!! (sorry NYC & Philly......LOL)
And I am really glad that we apparently had so many folks from Soul-Patrol who felt compelled to submit a written review of the show. What does that say?
Just try & tell the thousands of people who were out this past Saturday night in Ft Dupont Park, that "Rock n' Roll isn't BLACK MUSIC?"
This review comes from our friend Skip Kelley....
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On a clear and comfortable evening last Saturday night in the nation's capital, a memorable concert took place for those, including your very own Bob Davis, who have been part of the Black rock movement.
The concert was headlined by Mother's Finest, carrying the Black rock torch for over 30 years, and also featuring Derek McKeith, the new Black rock talent. It was held at Fort Dupont Park, an outdoor summer concert area in a working class Black community in Southeast DC. The park draws huge festival style crowds for free concerts, where thousands of Black folks party like back in the day with whistles, tambourines and glowing lights everywhere. Earlier concerts this summer have featured such popular acts as the Original P, Blue Magic and Rose Royce. On a mid-August evening with unusually mild weather, the crowd seemed to be about ten thousand strong. If you wanted to find out whether Black folks can really get into some rock music, this was ground zero.
![[linked image]](http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/82/l_f3d5fcfb3ce8494bbcb2f8ef74824c63.jpg)
Alyson Williams opened at sundown with a short set and then introduced Derek, causing a stir in the crowd when she compared him to Prince. After that hype, Derek came out crankin' his guitar on "Loving Love" and then kept rockin' with "Only You." The crowd was intrigued by this young brother playing some serious rock 'n soul, and I heard people asking "What's his name again?" He then lauched into his BETJ hit "Can't Get Enough", which he mixed with covers of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" and Taste of Honey's "Boogie Oogie Oogie", just to emphasize his musical versatility. The crowd loved it and proceeded to get down and boogie just like the song says. He followed with "Teacher, Teacher", an ode to teenage lust for a hot teacher. He ended his set with a rockin' cover of the Jackson's "Heartbreak Hotel", using his vocal range and energetic dance moves to get the crowd moving and singing a full throated refrain of "Hearrrrrrtbreak Hotel!!!" Derek got much love as he exited the stage.
The crowd was now warmed up for Mother's Finest and erupted when they hit the stage. Joyce Kennedy got a big ovation when she came out wearing a tight black leather outfit and her hair died blond and pulled up. When she sang her first note, you knew her powerhouse voice was in fine form. The band was as good as ever, performing their repertoire of funk rock and straight up rock 'n roll. Excitement built during an extended, kick ass version of "Don't Wanna Come Back", with Joyce leading a strong vocal hook. It continued with a "Give You All The Love (Inside of Me)", which allowed the band to stretch out instrumentally. Joyce got a tremendous reception when she slowed things down with the much covered slow jam classic "Love Changes", a major radio hit on the "Quiet Storm" back in the day. Lead male vocalist Glen Murdock then took over with an inspired "Mickey's Monkey", combining Smokey Robinson vocals with a serious rock 'n roll workout.
![[linked image]](http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/37/l_c85daa1a87c9e8f739f1771758363232.jpg)
This was followed by a solo from the original funk rock anthem "Who Knows" by Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsys. Lead guitarist Gary Moore showed off his outstanding licks, much to the delight of the many Hendrix fans in the crowd. The show reached its peak with a strong performance of the funk rock classic "Baby Love." Joyce let it all hang out and the band cut loose with some powerful riffs, as thousands sang and danced as one to every note. The show closed with "Piece of the Rock", a straight up rock 'n roll jam that climaxed with band members jumping up and down to the beat. When it was over, everybody cheered heartily for Mother's Finest.
Backstage after the concert, I saw many friends that I only see at really special concerts. We were buzzing about the tremendous rock show that we had just witnessed. I got a chance to meet Joyce, who came out of the trailer to greet fans like the true rock star that she is, but also down to earth at the same time. I also met actress Sheila Frazier, Derek's mom, who is still looking good by the way. I talked to Derek about how great it would be if he could tour as the opening act for Mother's Finest, because their audiences would certainly appreciate him. We also talked about how both of their audiences have been mostly white, and that this night was such a revelation because a large crowd of Black folks was really into their music. Maybe DC is unique because we've always been big fans of funk rock, showing mad love for Funkadelic and Mandrill mixing rock guitar with their funk.
As I stated, this was a truly a memorable evening for Black rock. Let it be known that on this night, thousands of regular Black folks in the heart of Chocolate City were jammin' at a rock show, that they really got down to some rock music. And Mother's Finest and Derek McKeith were proud to wave their freak flags high, proclaiming that they were here to
rock!
--Bob Davis
609-351-0154
earthjuice@prodigy.net
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