Family first and foremost: Joyeux Anniversaire to my big sis. We celebrated at Pure Food & Wine last night (I'm a bit of a raw food aficionado but I don't recommend it. Save your money and check the tortilla wraps, lasagna and chocolate tart at their take out spot 'round the corner. It's overpriced and not much better and in some cases worse than much less expensive living foods spots.) On the plus side, Ilan was there. I stared and almost swooned. He's cool and he has raw vinyl collection. Then we headed to SOB's, endured the line and the hair frizzing weather for Helene and Celia Faussart, les princesses nubiennes and they did not disappoint. First, they are too cute and second, they were rocking the most tremendous jump suits known to womankind: mostly dress with a hint of pant, continental pattern fused with bright colors. Once I learn how to sew, I'm biting their style.

I took this shitty pic of Helene on my celly but checked Flickr and found this from Jon Cronin

Don't have One Step Forward or Echoes so a lot of the music was new but lovely. I recognized "Tabou", "Demain" and "Makeda" off the first joint and "Temperature Rising" from the second but they mostly spotlighted the poets featured on Echoes including Jamarhl Crawford and his rose petal shtick and Queen Godis. They were fine but I'm cool on spoken word. Crawford actually irked at first since he smushed and shushed us (I'm a grown ass woman. I can talk.) as he prepared to take the stage but he made up for it by apologizing and handing us roses on his way off. J. Period, of best of Lauryn Hill fame, was later subject of my ire for rolling up in front of my sister near the end of the concert at which point I rolled up on him. He was defensive and apologetic but didn't initially move talking 'bout he was fin to get on stage which I retorted was neither here nor there. What was imperative was that he stop blocking my sister's view of the stage. He apologized and said that wasn't his intent but he of all people should know, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Needless to say he moved (never got on stage either) and apologized repeatedly to my sis' and tried to give us copies of the best of Lauryn Hill cd. Although I didn't have Vol II: Water, I was cool on principle but he forced it into my sister's hand and told her to give it to me before he peaced out. Whatever. That was just a temporary annoyance. Les Nubians killed. They danced, threw a little afrobeat in the mix, they backed their keyboardist, Geno Young, with his song "Honeydew", they spoke on the importance of voting ici and là-bas. Magnificent energy. I had a great time. And remember if you see ma soeur, wish her a happy birthday. If you don't see her, drop her an e-mail or hit her up on Facebook.