GETTIN' FUNKY AT THE LONG BEACH FUNK FEST

Advertised as "All Funk and Nuttin' But The Funk", The First Annual Long Beach Funk Fest delivered! This was the real deal with some serious funk music on display. I decided to avoid the drive and the hassles of parking and took public transportation to get to the festival (a serious mistake on my part that you'll read about later). As I arrived Slapback was performing and throwing down some serious funk. I thought to myself "this is going to be good!". Bands that followed (like Delta Nove) were all superfunky and Charles Wright and The Watts 103rd Street Band worked the crowd into a frenzy. The only performance that was a disappointment was by an ex-Meters member whose set failed to do much to energize the crowd. There were two stages and the music was constantly flowing. Off to the side were DJ's spinning endless funk, plenty of places to eat, a place for kids to beat on drums and some cool Funk Fest t-shirts for sale (of course I got mine!). The DJ at the Amoeba booth was mixing an endless blend of some super serious non-stop funk where dancers were given the opportunity to freestyle and show their moves. I even heard a DJ spinning some Funk Inc. as I strolled thru the crowd. Yeah, very hip indeed!

Now the faithful readers of my blog know that I love the funk group Mandrill (see blog posts on 5-13 and 5-20). Mandrill was the headline act at this festival and were set to come on last. The problem? I failed to check when they were coming on against the train schedule and if I stayed to see them perform I wouldn't make it home! What? Yes, what a dilemma. I could either watch Mandrill perform and be stranded in Long Beach or leave early and catch the train. So.....with tears in my eyes I left early and boarded the train home, missing a chance to see one of the greatest funk groups of all time. Riding home through Compton, Watts, L.A. and Chinatown I finally arrived in Pasadena where you could see the hills burning. From there it was a short drive home to the comfort of the Vanilla Suburbs. Regardless of my mistake the Long Beach Funk Fest was a rousing success and I can only hope that it becomes an annual event.