Posts Tagged ‘Piedmont Park’

A PARK PARTY & BLOCK PARTY Pt 1

June 5, 2022

A Wet Dream, A Prescription, A Block Party Part 1
15.05.22
Indigenous House

Years ago, forefather Tony Humphries told the press, Baltimore house music was underrated. The legend then went on to compare if the music coming out of Baltimore came out of NYC, the Baltimore sound would be more highly regarded. Years later, this sentiment rings true. Just look around.

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A PARK PARTY & BLOCK PARTY Pt II

May 28, 2022

A Wet Dream, A Prescription, A Block Party Part II
15.05.22


Indigenous House Interlude

Someone give Tori Cooper her flowers. Give em’ to her now. Who better to serenade the annual honorable individual of Indigenous House than Candy J? She is Sweet Pu$$y Pauline to you. The original Queen B is in the house. Talking. Her raspy “Oooohhh” and “Chyle” with that Detroit drawl, is instantly recognizable. Talk about the who’s who of house music. Legends are everywhere at the park. (more…)

THOMMY DAVIS 16.05.01 PART 1

June 1, 2021

Thommy “Turn It Out” Davis

1600

His shirtless majesty showcasing chiseled pectorals is in beast mode. Playing heavy four-count thumps that erupts from giant black cabinets. And dancing in front of those speakers will cause hearing loss for days to come. “You’ve waited all week to dance,” proclaims a diva loudly rapping over a beat that slaps. Standing on the pavilion’s ledge is one man who leans into the ear of another and speaks, “More like [we waited] a year.”

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KING LOUIE VEGA 16.05.01 PART II

May 30, 2021

All Hail, the King.

1650

Interlude

The music comes to a silence. There is an interlude of talking into a microphone from the founder of Indigenous House and the master of ceremonies. Yasss chyle! Most people are aware that Indigenous House is LGBTQIA affiliated, sadly most people are unaware the event is not called house music in the park.  More words are spoken about acceptance and monetary donations. But more entertaining is reading the statement tees over here and over there, the best reads: “The dance floor is my happy place.”

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DAWN TALLMAN @ GREENHOUSE 25.06.11

June 26, 2011

Photography by Carlos Bell

Ten Tips for a Successful House Music Party …. 01.05.11

May 1, 2011

Ten Tips for a Successful House Music Party Thrown at an Outdoor Public Space

Please do not have a wedding in one of the city’s largest PUBLIC parks on a Sunday afternoon across the pathway from a music event playing loud music.

Please do not tell park officials/park security to have the music event to turn off their music so that a wedding can proceed as scheduled.

Please do not make the promoters of a music event suffer when they have acquired all proper permits and paid all city fees to hold the music event at the PUBLIC park.

Public parks please do not create some obscure conservation rule which supposedly states that loud music cannot be played in a PUBLIC park until 5pm when the music event was scheduled to start at 12 pm.

Sound technicians please make sure all wires are secure so that the sound won’t go out in mid-song during a DJ’s music set.

People please make sure you do not step, dance or play with loose wires.

Please make sure other DeeJays do not toggle with or unplug their sound equipment while another DJ is in the midst of playing his/her music set which causes “buzzing and hissing” sounds.

Sound techs please make sure someone knows how and where to plug wires into the music equipment so that the special guest’s performance is not further delayed.

Police officers please go and fight “real crime” instead of harassing innocent people having a great time.

Last but not least…

To all parents/guardians/older siblings and so forth, please, please, please, keep watch over your little children at all times so that the event won’t have to be interrupted by “lost child” alerts.

Much hard work is needed to throw an event. Hopefully these helpful events will make any outdoor event better.

Cover photograph credit: Glenn Jerome Everette

GREENHOUSE 02.10.10

October 3, 2010

Photography by Carlos Bell

GREENHOUSE 06.06.10

June 7, 2010

Photography by Luis V for DEG

GREENHOUSE 19.07.09

July 20, 2009

GREENHOUSE 

Greenhouse was one of those rare events.  A rare event no one ever saw coming.  Its presence snuck up like a thief on a frigid foggy night.  Then once it attacked, like a slap in the face, its presence made one take note to what was going on in the house; in the world of house music.  This is my house.  Welcome to my house.

Piedmont Park the largest park within the city’s limits provided a grandeur view of midtown’s metropolis skyline to the west.  To the east sat residential neighborhoods clamored with upper-class Victorian style homes.  This wasn’t just any ordinary park but the city’s grand central park which sat in the middle of midtown.  To secure Piedmont Park for a house music event was no small task.  There had to be lots of red tape, politics and a hefty fee that came along with securing a city permit to hold the event in such a metropolitan area.

The weather, entirely too perfect was just right for an outdoor event.  Not one complaint was uttered or heard about the weather, temperature or park.  Instead, overhead, sitting in overgrown Dogwoods, birds chirped songs of joy in the mid-summer air.  Actually, a cool gentle breeze swept across the park’s central valley that landed at the park’s outer edge right before the ascent of giant skyscrapers.  The temperature, only a mere 83 degrees was miraculous for this time of year when average high’s hovered in the upper 90s.  Interestingly, the day before that scorched with deadly heat and plagued by humidity that hung in the air with intense suffrage was today replaced by mild, clear and crisp air.

The bright July sunlight beamed atop the park’s main pavilion roof marked with reddish shingles was supported by eight hinged grey cobblestone columns.  Inside the open face structure, giant ceiling fans hung from a green ceiling constructed of wood.  The pavilion could easily hold a hundred plus people.  Although not knowing the exact numbers of attendees, there appeared more than ample space to accommodate the crowd of the lone three, currently on the dance floor.   Besides me the others included; two toddlers playing and their observing caramel fresh faced mother.  The young lady crowned with plump long black/brown braids pinned up decorating the circumference of her brim, wore a bright yellow-orange long flowing summer dress that revealed two bronze nude feet with a smile of pleasure plastered to her face.  She cautiously surveyed the two offspring bouncing a small red plastic ball, the kind found in bubblegum machines, to one another with warm smiles and cute giggles.  Oops, the tiny red ball grazed my leg and bounced towards the pavilion’s left wall.  It landed softly on a patch of starved brown grass just beyond the front entrance near the pavilion’s main walking path.  The ball needed to be grabbed or it would disappear into the thick forest of once green blades.  Being the fastest of the three, I leaped and plucked the ball out of the heated grass and gracefully handed it to the astounded children.  Once again, there appeared those warm smiles followed by cute giggles as the two turned around and continued their business of play.  What relief to see the innocent at work with nothing else to do but have fun.  Only if life were a ball of fun then all would be well.

The park’s air sprung to life with deep soulful underground sounds that thumped with uncompromising heavy four-count beats and blazed with soft mellow keyboard chords worthy of turning any non-house believer into a crazed house fanatic.  The music caused my fingers to snap with my feet occasionally swaying from left to right.  What was happening?  I had no reservation to dance.  Fortunately, I was giving in to house music’s magnetic powers.

Photography by Carlos Bell