So we hop on down to meet Angelique* on West 3rd Street and make our way over to the Village Underground.
I haven’t been there in years, but it’s still a great place to hear live music. The band really feeds off the crowd too, and interaction isn’t just encouraged; it’s practically mandatory. There’s also a two-drink minimum per person, but apparently food counts toward the requirement, so order a drink-and-food combo and you’re golden.
Anyway, we get there a little after 9:30 pm, which, of course, is when the show starts. The band is HUGE. I’m talking to at least 14 people on that stage. Somehow, they all manage to fit up there, and they’re a pretty cool bunch. So Zia*, Angelique*, a friend of theirs, and I order our drinks/food combo and settle in for the show. And these folks aren’t just good singers; they’re funny too. Well…most of them.
One of the band members has this thing where he’ll lock eyes with someone in the audience and just stare at them for what feels like five straight minutes. Is it funny? Maybe. Is it also slightly unsettling? Absolutely. But the rest of the band makes up for it with jokes, goofy antics, and plenty of personality.
Then the music starts, and we’re serenaded with everything from the ’80s and ’90s and beyond. The whole place is lively, the crowd is into it, and before long we’re just sitting there enjoying ourselves and having a good old time. Then we are surprised to be introduced to Cheryl “Pepsi” Riley, best known for her song, “Thanks for My Child”.
Anyway, she hasn’t lost her voice, and those pipes are nowhere near rusty. She’s still amazing. In other words, the girl was still blow. And blow she did! I never knew the theme song from The Wonder Years could sound like gospel on a Sunday morning, but she somehow made it happen.
As the night went on, they introduced various singers who performed with them throughout the week. We sang along, sometimes badly, danced along, and laughed at the people who apparently never received the memo about finding the beat. We toasted Zia’s* birthday, enjoyed a few more songs, and finally, at almost 1:00am, decided it was time to call it a night.
And it was somewhere around this point that I had to face an unfortunate reality: no matter what I did, I could not shake this throat issue. My sore throat had officially moved in, unpacked its bags, and apparently had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
GREAT!!
*Some names have been changed to protect the permanently shy and those possibly under witness protection
