THE ROOTS SHOW AT RAMS HEAD LIVE---OCT. 8TH

BY:  WISDOM

     RAMS HEAD LIVE IS BECOMING THE BALTIMORE HOME AWAY FROM HOME FOR PHILLY'S FINEST, THE LEGENDARY ROOTS CREW.  THE APPROXIMATELY 2000 SEAT VENUE WAS BUZZING WITH ANTICIPATION FOR A NIGHT TO REMEMBER.  THE ARTISTS ON THE BILL DEFINITELY FULFILLED THEIR PROMISE.  IN ADDITION TO THE ROOTS, KENTAVIUS JONES, A SOUL/ROCK-INFLUENCED ARTIST, AND SALEEM AND THE .MUSIC LOVERS, A HYBRID HIP HOP BAND WERE THE PERFORMERS FOR THE EVENING.  WHAT AN EVENING IT WAS.

     I ARRIVED AT THE VENUE AT APPROXIMATELY 9:30PM, SO I WAS ABLE TO MAKE MY WAY THROUGH THE DIVERSE CROWD TO ALMOST FRONT AND CENTER OF THE STAGE AREA.  I COULD SENSE THE IMMENSE ENERGY IN THE ATMOSPHERE, SOMETHING THAT CAN BE EXPECTED WHEN THE ROOTS ARE PERFORMING.  IT DIDN'T TAKE TOO LONG FOR ME TO NOTICE SOME RECOGNIZABLE FACES IN THE CROWD.  MY MAN HAYWOOD BUTLER AND HIS 21 YEAR OLD NEPHEW MIKE, WITH  WERE IN THE HOUSE, SO WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT ON A HIP HOP LEVEL.

     STARTING OFF THE EVENING WAS KENTAVIUS JONES AND HIS BAND.  CALLING THE EASTERN SHORE TOWN OF EASTON, MD HIS HOME, KENTAVIUS JONES SPARKED THE CROWD IMMEDIATELY WITH HIS BRAND OF SOUL/ROCK/FUNK MUSIC.  HE ENERGIZED THE RAMS HEAD MASSIVE WITH HIS SPIRITED PERFORMANCE, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS BACKING BAND.  KENTAVIUS HAS A MUSICAL FLAIR AKIN TO MUSICIANS LIKE MARTIN LUTHER, VAN HUNT, AND CODY CHESTNUTT.  THE MUSIC MAY NOT GET THAT MAINSTREAM RADIO PLAY, BUT THE RADIO DOESN'T DEFINE TRUE ARTISTRY, IN MY OPINION.  THE OPENING SET WAS A VERY SOLID THIRTY MINUTES OF MUSICIANSHIP.

     AFTER A BRIEF EQUIPMENT CHANGE, THE CONTINGENT AT RAMS HEAD WERE BLESSED WITH A PERFORMANCE FROM AN EMCEE BACKED BY A HIP HOP-INFLUENCED BAND.  NOT THE ROOTS, I MAY ADD, BUT SALEEM AND THE MUSIC LOVERS.  BALTIMORE-BASED EMCEE SALEEM BROUGHT HIS PERSONAL STAMP OF LIVE HIP HOP MUSIC TO THE HOMETOWN AUDIENCE, AND HE DIDN'T DISAPPOINT ONE BIT.  SALEEM IS DEFINITELY A STUDENT OF HIP HOP CULTURE, PEPPERING HIS PERFORMANCE WITH LYRICAL PROWESS.  SALEEM WAS JOINED BY AN ECLECTIC GROUP OF MUSICIANS ONSTAGE:  TWO FEMALE KEYBOARDISTS, A BROTHER ON THE DRUM MACHINE, A GUITARIST, AND A DJ.

     SALEEM MASTERFULLY CONTROLLED THE STAGE WITH HIS PRESENCE AND HIP HOP BRAVADO.  LYRICALLY, SALEEM LACED HIS VOCALS WITH WITTY PUNCHLINES AND DOPE METAPHORS, MAKING SURE THAT WHAT WAS BEING SAID COULD BE HEARD AND ABSORBED BY THE CAPTIVE AUDIENCE.  HANDS WERE IN THE AIR FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF THIS SET.  ONE STANDOUT JOINT FROM THEIR SET WAS "THE CYPHER", FEATURING EZE JACKSON FROM SOUL CANNON.  HOWEVER, THE EXCLAMATION POINT FOR SALEEM AND THE MUSIC LOVERS WAS "SHHH, CUZ MASSA'S COMIN'", A CALL AND RESPONSE SONG THAT SALEEM FELT WAS A PERFECT SONG FOR TODAY'S STILL-OPPRESSIVE ENVIRONMENT.  THE TITLE OF THAT SONG SAYS IT ALL.

     THE NIGHT WAS STILL YOUNG, AND THE FULL HOUSE AT RAMS HEAD LIVE THUS FAR WERE TREATED TO A VERY GOOD NIGHT OF MUSIC WITH NO BOUNDARIES.  THE CREW THAT HAVE SET THE BAR SO VERY HIGH WHEN IT COMES TO BOUNDLESS MUSIC WERE ABOUT TO MAKE THEIR PRESENCE FELT.  AROUND MIDNIGHT, THE LIGHTS DIMMED, AND A DEFINING ROAR WAS HEARD AND FELT THROUGHOUT THE VENUE.  AHMIR THOMPSON, AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS QUESTLOVE, WAS THE FIRST TO MAKE HIS WAY TO THE STAGE, TAKING HIS CUSTOMARY SEAT ABOVE THE STAGE ON HIS YAMAHA DRUM KIT.  JOINING HIM ON STAGE WOULD BE KAMAL GRAY ON THE KORG TRITON KEYBOARD, "CAPTAIN" KIRK DOUGLAS ON ELECTRIC GUITAR, OWEN BIDDLE ON BASS GUITAR, DAMON "TUBA GOODING JR." ON SOUSAPHONE, AND FRANKLIN "FRANKIE KNUCKLES"  WALKER ON PERCUSSION.  HOWEVER, THE LEGENDARY STAGE SHOW COULDN'T BEGIN UNTIL THE INCOMPARABLE TARIQ TROTTER, BETTER KNOWN TO THE HIP HOP WORLD AS BLACK THOUGHT, HIT THE STAGE.

     IMMEDIATELY, BLACK THOUGHT, QUEST AND CREW TORE THREW AN ASSORTMENT OF SONGS TO COMMEMORATE "HOW I GOT OVER", THE NINTH STUDIO ALBUM FROM THE RESIDENT HOUSE BAND FOR "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON".  BECAUSE THE ROOTS CATALOG IS SO DEEP, THEY ARE ABLE TO MINE THAT CATALOG TO COVER A WIDE SPECTRUM OF THEIR HIP HOP HISTORY.  BLACK THOUGHT HAS NO RIVAL WHEN IT COMES TO BREATH CONTROL AND ROCKING THE MICROPHONE, AS WITNESSED BY THE EXCITED AND AMPED CROWD.  HE EFFORTLESSLY WORKED WITHIN THE MUSICAL STRUCTURE PROVIDED BY QUEST, KAMAL, AND COMPANY.  WATCHING THE ROOTS IN ACTION IS A JOY TO BEHOLD.  I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SEE THE ROOTS IN CONCERT A MULTITUDE OF TIMES, AND THEY NEVER FAIL WHEN IT COMES TO ENERGY AND SPONTANEITY.  WITH THEIR PERFORMANCE OF "MELLOW MY MAN" FROM THE ALBUM DO YOU WANT MORE, THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE EVENING SHOWCASED THAT SPONTANEOUS NATURE, AS QUEST MOTIONED FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED MIKE TO JOIN HIM ONSTAGE FOR A DRUMMING DEMO FOR THE AGES.  QUESTLOVE AND FRANKIE KNUCKLES DELIVERED A SPIRITED DRUMMING SESSION, BUT ADDING "SOUL BROTHER NUMERO DOS", AS QUEST DUBBED MIKE, BROUGHT THE DRUMMING TO A HEIGHTENED LEVEL. 

THIS WAS ONE OF MANY DOPE MOMENTS WITHIN THE ROOTS CLOSE TO TWO HOUR SET.  ATTENDING A ROOTS SHOW IS A TRIP THROUGH HIP HOP AND POP CULTURE, AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES THE ROOTS EXPERIENCE SO UNIQUE.  TRUTHFULLY, I CAN'T PUT ALL OF WHAT WAS EXPERIENCED INTO WORDS, BUT TRUST WHEN I SAY THAT I WAS STILL ENERGIZED AT 2:00AM IN THE MORNING, ONCE THE ROOTS FINISHED PAINTING AN PORTRAIT FULL OF SOUND AND MUSICAL ARTISTRY.

     IN CLOSING, THE CONCERT WAS SPECTACULAR, FILLED WITH POSITIVE ENERGY AND VIBES.  IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO A SHOW BY THE ROOTS, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE GO AND SEE WHY THEY ARE CALLED "THE LEGENDARY".

ONE LOVE!!!

WISDOM (AVID FAN OF THE LEGENDARY ROOTS CREW)