DJ Dancehalls

[Drunk Monk]

Then at the dancehall, 2 local DJs said ‘hi’ and chatted me up, including Robert Rankin, who I’ve listened to for decades. We’ve hung out a little but I didn’t think he’d remember me. 

With all the bullshit going on right now, I’m grateful that I’m living in the time of amplified bass at least. 

Outernational
EMCH + Selecta 7
subatomic soundsystem
woodhouse brewery

The dancehall scene inna Cruz is bubblin. I’ve attended dancehalls in my hood for years, since before the pandemic but now feel the urge to document them here. Last night was the 2nd Outernational. It was total bashment. Reggae, dub, dubstep, jungle, Afrobeats and outdoors on a deliciously warm night. 

My usual accomplice is still ill so I went stag. Ran into a gaggle of friends, 4 DJs, a JNK member, and an old fellow das from Tara’s elementary school. He was dancing epileptically by himself and it took us some time to recognize each other. He’s now divorced and living in his car (he was always on the spectrum) still touring his brain experiments with some new age machine that he tried to market here like a decade ago. It was good to reconnect and he’s crazier than ever. 

it was a great night. DM must confess that he loves that bass, a dedicated bass worshipper, and it’s the more fun - the most irie - when there’s a swirl of reggae fans skanking and shuffling along. Dm was surrounded by a bevy of joyful queens slow grinding all night. Twas ultrasonic bashment.

Logged 5 miles yesterday and maybe a half mile of that was daily walking about so I’m calling it 4.5 miles of skankn. 

Such fun. Im going to all of these when I can but the next one is in the middle of Cali Roots, so I’ll skip that.

[Drunk Monk]

@ Shanty Shack
Thot this was a DJ show but Dozey Dubs just closed a nice little set (lots of Pink Floyd covers) and now another is staging. 
Got the oatmeal stout. It’s chewy. Satisfying.

[Drunk Monk]

Dub Souljah was ok. More Cali reggae which I’ve had my fill off this week. I enjoy it for what it is but it isnt my sound really. 
I treated myself to a deliciouso coctel de camaron from the taco truck. 

Im so stuffed. I ate too much today. Between this and the feasting at the vegfest, I need to digest more before crashing.

[Drunk Monk]

@Shanty Shack

Mi ol fren DJ Speece, then Ancestree. 

Had a golden saison (nothing darker available and the tender recommended it). It was ok but only 8 oz.

Spleece spun for an hour, classics, a simple set but satisfying. 

Befriended Randall & Nicole giving away supplements & herbs. I got 4 products: some liver restorative tincture, maitaki pills, another supplement, and some hippie deodorant - I know I know - that’s an oxymoron - it’s some kinda salve. Everything was sealed & new, the pills are from a common otc brand I’ve seen before: 

Some dude named Nate talked to me about sound systems.

Hardest thing about local reggae at breweries is that Rasta Cruz drinks but not nearly as much as other music genres. We have alternatives on board. Sometimes we’ll eat a lot but the food truck here has nothing for me but $7 mediocre looking fries…

Ancestree - man, I can’t even remember the last time I saw them. Ok sax player. Typical local reggae. Clusters of skanking queens. I spent most of my time catching up with Spleece. We missed each other at Cali Roots. He followed Buju to Vegas which he said was one of the best shows he’s ever seen. He’s got a new gig that takes him to Hawaii to spin for a club. He looked good, healthy, adjusting to his new bachelor lifestyle. It was good to reconnect - that’s been long overdue. 

Started at 6 and ended at &:30. Some chanter with knee level dreads Took over and he was awful, so I left. Spleece said he was a major grower, one of the peeps behind Lemon Tree, which was a popular strain a few years ago - they had some amusing logos and merch, which is why I remember. 

A very pleasant evening.

[Drunk Monk]

Outernational
DJ Selecta 7 with guest DJ Drez plus an earlier yoga class from Marti Nikko (which I did not attend because I didn’t care to drop $10 on Rasta yoga at a brewery) but she sang at the close, leading us all in ‘No woman no cry’ which was irie

Everything is gonna be alright.

Had their stout. It reminded me a lot of Guinness but that was fine. Talked to DJ Aye Que Linda - she’s promoting a new reggae artist, part of the Leslie Kong bloodline somehow, who just put out an album in Cantonese. She says she’ll send me tracks. 

Drez plays old school reggae and R&B to reggae riddems. He has that hat trick where he works into some pop vintage track into heavy dub step shaking everyone’s bottom, then pulls back with a classic fav like Marley. Works for me. 

I was trippin on this gal who looked like a former jnk friend but I don’t think it was her. We made eye contact and she turned away.

My ankle was good. I wrapped it well. My left knee jabbed at me a few times. And walking from the car to  our bungalow made my left hop complain. Well se how I feel in the morning. I have yoga - I think our instructor is back from Paris.

On the way out, DJ Robert Rankin pulled me aside to say he was at Cali Roots for Buju, took a hit that made him literally weak in the knees. A JAH med caught him, got him a chair and water, and hung out nearby until he felt better. He was so grateful. That was so sweet - gratifying - I wonder who it was.

It was DJ Tiffany’s birthday. I saw her come in but lost track of her and didn’t connect. We aren’t that close really. 

Anothe irie night at the Woodhouse. 7 will be their indoors for 4th of July (country line dancing outdoors) but I’ll be talking down my dog.

[Drunk Monk]

Ecstatic Dance Solaris: To the Longing Light @ London Nelson (where I used to do iaido)
DJ & Sitar by Royat (Alex - a high school friend of Tara’s that we turned on to backpacking)
It may sound weird coming from a deadhead Rasta DM, but ecstatic dance isn’t really a fav. It requiemres more writhing. Dm dont writhe. Lost of slinky cruzians - old dudes, hawt ballerina dropouts, and several yoga people. Tara’s school friends Devon, Akio & Izzy were there hanging in the back, not dancing much. Dm got up for the dubstep part, then swayed for the rest because it was too spacey (or better said, dm wasn’t high enough). It was a $20 donation - pricier than the reggae dancehalls I’ve been going to because they just cost a beer (a tasty microbrew at that). 

It was amusing. Alex needs bigger subwoofers. After Illenium, funny to scale back to something so intimate. About 50 dancers showed up. It was a shows off kinda space. I’ll support Alex but it’s not really my scene. Don’t wanna be one of those old Cruzian dudes, ya know.

[Drunk Monk]

Outernational @ Woodhouse
Rocky Bailey’s Earthstrong
Selecta 7 
Roommate
Dubamine
Tony Irie

Another irie dancehall. Had the brown ale. Meh. That was the darkest they were offering. Woodhouse is more about IPA which I’m not into. Had a big chat with Robert Rankin about IPA, overdone hops, stouts & porters. He shares my opinions.

Bumped into DJs Tiffany & Aye Que Linda. Exchanged nods. Also ran into my friend Maureen & her man (whose name I’m blocking on embarrassingly). They were both at the Riots so it was fun to hang again.

Twas a warm night of Reggae, dancehall & dubstep. Lotta mad skankin. Got funner when the SC roller derby girls showed up. They must’ve been post match. 

I looked for the Holy Trinity of Divine Cvhurch which is allegedly right next to the Woodhouse but they discreetly take their sign down when they are closed. I was just curious. DM brought his own mycochocomicro which was perfectly timed for the evenings festivities. 

Rasta Cruz foreva!

[Drunk Monk]

Another night at the Woodhouse 
A friend from Merced was in town so we hung for a while, but then he headed home and I wound up hanging with Robert Rankin (dj), then Ben came but at that point the choc kicked in and the dancehall was lit - spent the night skanking with divas. Great night. But indoors. 'Tis the season

[Drunk Monk]

Logged nearly 8 miles yesterday, less my walk to the protest and back but that was 2 miles at best. 

I'm a tad sore... but it's a good sore. An irie sore.

[Drunk Monk]

I looked for the Holy Trinity of Divine Cvhurch which is allegedly right next to the Woodhouse but they discreetly take their sign down when they are closed. I was just curious. DM brought his own mycochocomicro which was perfectly timed for the evenings festivities. 

I found it this time. They have a sign over their door now. But DM is still working through his mycochocomicro stash. There's a lot in a single bar as DM ain't micro-ing that often nowadays - lately it's just been for outernationals, and those only happen once a month.

[Drunk Monk]

One Heart
A Benefit for Jamaica
Moe’s Alley

There’s going to be some live acts but right now it’s mi fren DJ Robert Rankin on the 1&2s.
My dancehall accomplices are up at the JAH med party in Humboldt, but I’ve got some fist bumps from some other reggae scenesters so it’s all good. Right now it’s that awkward start before anyone starts skankin … soon come.

---

Rocky Bailey jist gave me a fist bump
Reggae strong

[Drunk Monk]

Irie fu good cause

[Drunk Monk]

DJs Robert Rankin & Selecta 7 laid it down all night, weaving it all together.

Tony Irie started with solo acoustic guitar and then DJ backed chanting. The rest were all backed by S7.

King Son got the crowd fired up with call/response and contagious energy.

Kava Jah, who I cross paths with a lot around town, delivered a solid set, a Cruz local fav.

Junior Toots did some of his dad’s songs (although he hardly comes close) with a lot of singalong ‘ call/response.

The floor was skankin right up to midnight. Met my KF classmate & his wife (first time for her) and an old JAH Med fangirl. Skanked long and hard, mostly 2nd row center. Made lots of new friends. Great night, great cause.

[Drunk Monk]

Another Friday nite jamboree at Outernational.

Accomplices otw

Getting a major head start.

[Drunk Monk]

Another irie night. Joined by 3 JNK, Big Ben, Marcus & Marc (we all adopted the name Mark to reduce confusion) & crossed paths with John & Elizabeth from the benefit last Saturday. 

Had 2 of Woodhouse’s brews, Dark & Ominous stout (an 8.5 & too syrupy) and a brown ale that was flat. Not impressed - like most of the Cruz, the micros are IPA heavy and that just not my thing.

Selecta 7 & Kava Jah threw down and the place was hopping once the sun went down. Through these troubled times, DM’s best medicine is skankin to heavy bass alongside beautiful freshly-washed & lightly perfumed dancehall divas. JAH Rastafari! 

Six miles of skankin.

Next time is right after Xmas - the one year anniversary of Outernational, with mi fren Robert Rankin. Hoping to be there.