What’s good WOHMsters? Besides it being Hump Day’s Eve, it is also me, Oprah and Tom Selleck’s birthday. How freakin’ cool is that? What’s not cool is having your birthday on a Tuesday. I have to use PT to enjoy my day and let’s face it, it would just honestly be way cooler if it were on a Friday so I could get buck.
That said, I’m expected to party hearty this weekend and I’m pretty sure I plan to start by hitting up the world-famous DJ Fatboy’s Foot Fetish Fantasy Ball. I’ll also want to swing by the Reva DeVito concert at Mississippi Studios though so we’ll see what happens. Either or both would be a great start to my birthday weekend, not to mention an excellent warm-up for the debauchery I have scheduled for Saturday night. Details on that are hush-hush, but holler if you know me…
In all honesty though, I go hard all the time.
Two Fridays ago, I went out to celebrate the birthday of SE Portland rap legend John Clark (aka Mr. Mr) of Grey Matters as he and DJ Flip Flop (of Cunninlynguists) threw their annual party at the Hawthorne Theatre. As always, it was a success. After a few shots of Henn with my APM affiliates in the main bar, the show started with a rock group called The Flu. I won’t lie, I’m not a fan of hard rock like that so I didn’t pay much attention.
Once Cassow and Trox took the stage though, it was a whole different story. North Portland comes out for Cassow; nobody can argue with that, and he gives them a show every time. Trox continues to get stronger as a performance DJ, and has a certain swagger that we like here at We Out Here. As a team, these two have a bright future ahead of them.
Luck One and Jayron took the stage next. I shouldn’t really have to tell you that they killed it – it’s Luck One! – but I do need to tell you that Jayron shocked the crowd by singing Dizz’s notes on a few hooks and doing them justice! By the end of the set, per usual, the duo had the bar crowd at the stage, waving their hands in time with the beat. Well… Mostly in time with the beat. This is Portland.
John Clark and Flip Flop closed the show with an impressive performance. John Clark (as we now must call him) opened with a few chill songs before unleashing Flip Flop on us and leaving the stage. I don’t know what Flip learned in LA but I need to see him do that again! Then suddenly John Clark was back with some more upbeat (i.e., less traditional Portland sounding) slaps that got the crowd going wild.
Last Friday was even wilder as E-40 came up from his comfy home in Oakland to bless Portland with his unique style and overwhelming ability to bring the ratchets out. This time though, he brought some help. Just hold on, we’ll get there.
When I entered the Roseland and made it up the stairs to the main floor, I couldn’t escape the odd feeling that I didn’t recognize anyone there. I mean, nobody even looked familiar. After about 60 seconds of feeling needlessly awkward I found a friend who took me backstage. At that point, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of knowing EVERYONE in the room and that’s when I went ahead and hit the off-switch on my feelings for the night.
I got there around 9, and the first set I saw was from my man Logics and his crew. While they wrecked shop I made my rounds socializing with cool people in the dark corners of the small backstage area. When the set was over, I finally managed to get past Logics’ entourage and catch up with an old friend. I was telling him how I was caught off-guard by the attendance of one NBA standout Terrell Brandon and he one-upped me, noting that another NBA ALL-Star was on the building, OSU alum Gary Payton.
For like 0.346 seconds I turned into a 12-year old boy when Logics nodded his head in The Glove’s direction. For a good thirty seconds I strongly considered breaking my rule of never taking pictures with celebrities I don’t know. I mean, I was a freshman when GP led the Sonics to the Finals where they lost to the Bulls in six, and man, I’ve never been as big a fan of any point guard. But I overcame.
Nonetheless, I did want to meet my second favorite guard of all time (after John Starks of the Knicks) and was certainly interested in why he was here in Portland. Apparently, Gary and Forty are neighbors. I also learned that he and Brandon had the same agent in the NBA. Brandon obviously knows town boss Cool Nutz who’s old friends with E-40 and… wait! Cool Nutz knows Gary Payton??
By the time I’d made this connection I’d missed my opportunity to meet the only point guard to ever win a Defensive Player of the Year Award while maintaining my self-respect. Damn. Fortunately, I did still get a chance to see E-40 rock (oddly enough, it never really gets old) and also check out a new bar called Harlem over on SW Ankeny.
Point is, despite the freezing cold and terribly depressing weather, Portland nightlife seems to be alive and well on Friday nights. But you’ll never know if you stay at home.
#RapLife