As if I wasn’t already impressed with Musiq’s recorded albums, his live show simply blew me away.  His vocal range and stage presence were quite unexpected.  Not because he isn’t talented, but because his vibe is so mellow.  I didn’t expect him to be so high energy during his live show.  He even apologized to the crowd, in case he got carried away on stage.  Keep reading to see more pictures, in case you want to live vicariously through them. Haha.

The crowd eagerly waited for Musiq to take the stage. The opening performance by Antoine L. Dunn got the crowd primed and ready for the main event.  Emcee Karen Vaughn was a lucky woman to be able to introduce the soulful singer to the eager House of Blues audience.  Once Musiq Soulchild stepped onto the stage, the crowd went wild.

Musiq Soulchild entertained the crowd with a combination of his older hits and newer material.  The majority of the show featured songs from his most recent album MusiqInTheMagiq.

Musiq put on a great show.  He definitely did his thing for the Cleveland audience.  He even stayed after the show to sign autographs and take pictures with fans.  He is truly a class act and a fantastic artist.  I can’t wait to see him sing again.

Photographs taken at House of Blues Cleveland by permission of HOB Entertainment, Inc.

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Last night, I arrived at the House of Blues but instead of going into the front door as I normally do, I entered through the back entrance with Antoine L. Dunn and his band mates.  It was funny that I could actually use the line “I’m with the band.”  They loaded their equipment into the venue and began setting up on the intimate House of Blues stage.  Antoine, his guitarist, drummer, keyboardist, and backup vocalists took the stage for their sound-check.

After the monitors were set and the mic sound levels were marked, we grabbed some dinner and got ready for the show.

Antoine’s band consisted of his guitarist Jack, backup vocalists Elizabeth, Reuben and Marcel, his keyboardist Jerry and his drummer Travis.

Before the show, I even got to snap a photo of Antoine Dunn with the emcee for the night, 93.1 FM’s Karen Vaughn.

Antoine L. Dunn and his crew took the stage with a five song set.  He started off with his melodic track “She Pleases Me,” which was happily stuck in my head since I heard it at the sound-check earlier in the evening.  It was followed up by my favorite Antoine L. Dunn song “It’s Over.”  The lyrical content really resonates with me on a personal level.  It’s the type of song that anyone who has had their heart broken can relate to.

The set continued with Antoine’s tracks “Save Yourself” and a reggae version of “You’re Real.”  He also played the title track of his most recent EP called “Miss My Love” (which is available on iTunes).

Congratulations to Antoine L. Dunn and his band on a fantastic performance.  I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Antoine’s music and his career.

For more information on Antoine L. Dunn, visit his website.

Photographs taken at House of Blues Cleveland by permission of HOB Entertainment, Inc.

I have to hand it to the owners, they really impressed me with his new Parma Heights restaurant.  The layout of the place is spacious, open, and the design is conducive to both the daytime restaurant crowd and the nighttime bar scene.  In my opinion, the Parma Heights Harry Buffalo made me feel like I was in a lodge, 0pposed to the other Harry Buffalo restaurants whose designs are more rustic and Western in style.  The use of wood and the numerous stone fireplaces helped to make it feel this way.

The Parma Heights “Buff” is the perfect place to hang out this Summer.  You can catch any sporting event on the countless flat-screen televisions, enjoy sitting by the fireside underneath the stars on the patio, or enjoy a cold draft beer at one of the two bars in the restaurant.  I think my favorite feature of the place is the patio.  Equipped with a fireplace, outside bar and cabanas, you might decide to stay longer than you expected.  The outside bar is the perfect spot to enjoy the Summer heat.  The best feature about it is that the awnings over the bar have misters installed in them.  No matter how hot the temperatures get, a cold beer and refreshing mist will keep you cool all afternoon.  If you’re more of a night owl, the Parma Heights Harry Buffalo is one of the few places, if not the only place, in Parma Heights that will offer bottle service during the evenings.

The Harry Buffalo in Parma Heights is now open to the public.  It’s grand opening was June 15 and this weekend will be its first weekend open for business.  I suggest you gather your friends and check out the place.  If you need somewhere to take Dad out to dinner on Father’s Day, the Harry Buffalo in Parma Heights is the perfect setting.  It has great food, refreshing drinks, and a wonderful atmosphere. Spread the word and “Join the Herd.”

The Harry Buffalo Parma Heights is located at 6425 Pearl Road.  For more information on Harry Buffalo restaurants, visit their website.

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The Parade on the Circle is an annual display of ingenuity and creativity by local Cleveland organizations and volunteers.  University Circle’s Wade Oval was packed with people for it’s 22nd Parade.  The sun was shining, the crowd was lively, and the day’s festivities were inspired.  The Parade had representation from the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Botanical Garden and many other organizations.  There was live music from steel drum bands, African dancing, and countless costumes.

This float, which was in a group of about five, had empty glass bottles tied to the back and the bottles dragging against the ground made a really neat sound.

There were some thinkers in the Parade…

There was a Michael Jackson tribute with one of the boys imitating Michael’s dancing.

Even NEXT employee Tracy had a connection to the Parade.  Her son was one of the roadrunners on scooters seen above.

Keep reading to see more pictures from the Parade…

Stay tuned for more pictures in the future…

Tomorrow celebrates the 22nd Parade on the Circle on Wade Oval. This annual parade involves local community organizations and businesses who create large floats and routines for the event. The parade starts at noon but I suggest you get there early to get a good spot. It is definitely something worth watching.  I will be there, rain or shine, to capture the excitement.

Gather your people and get to University Circle tomorrow morning for all the festivities.  I have been so impressed by the creativity of the parade in the past that I can’t wait to see what this year brings.

For more information, click here.

After a short walk through the trees, we made our way down to the sand and the shore.

Here’s a tip: Never feed seagulls. They will never leave you alone if you do.  Trust me on this one.

This picture looks like it has a fake background.  I promise this picture hasn’t been tampered with.

Then we spotted some jet skiers.

If only it was this easy to capture all that energy in our hands.

It’s almost gone…

And the day is over.

I love the way the sky fills up with color when the sun is setting. It’s like every color in the spectrum is represented.

Walking back to the car, I spotted this graffiti tag and this gnarly pipe opening. It looks so gritty and industrial.  Looks like something that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could come out of.

With as beautiful as the sunset was, it was interesting to come across something so foul looking. I guess you have to take the good with the ugly. Haha.

Keep reading to see the rest of the pictures…

Click on the pictures to take a better look.

Photos courtesy of Silk and Lookies.

Lamari Speaks is a program dedicated to educating students on how to interact with autistic classmates and the damaging effects of bullying behavior.  The program, named after Lamont’s teenage autistic son Lamari, is aimed at getting the community involved in opening the conversation about Autism and help these children with the disorder build relationships with their peers.

The event, held at Denison Park in Cleveland Heights, was filled with music, food, games, and support.  Families filled the pavilion while Latin Assassin spun records.  His son even tried to get in on the action.

There were water balloons and face painting.

There was even some line dancing going on. Lamari was spotted on the dancefloor.

The afternoon was amazing.  I was really happy to support the cause.  Lamont and Latin Assassin got on the mic to thank everyone who attended the event.  They expressed their concerns with the approach that the Black community has taken towards Autism.  As fathers of Autistic children, Lamont and Latin Assassin encouraged the Black community to stop the embarrassment, stop ignoring the issues, and to really pay attention to their children.  Autistic children have trouble communicating.  If parents don’t recognize their needs, they cannot serve as the voice for these children.  They cannot give these children the proper tools to be able to communicate with others and function normally in society.  It is also our responsibility as a community to educate children about the disorder so that they are tolerant, accepting, and understanding of those who may suffer from Autism.

For more information on Autism, visit the Autism Speaks official website.

For more information on Lamari Speaks, contact Lamont Robinson at LamontDR@yahoo.com

With all the lip synching, the annoying host, and excessive Country music, the 2011 Billboard Music Awards were more disappointing than the Bulls loss to the Heat.  Here’s why…

A.) The show was hosted by Ken Jeong who’s been in movies like The Hangover and Knocked UP.  Although his obnoxious behavior on the big screen suits the characters he plays, this same kind of humor did not translate well at a music awards show.

B.) Britney Spears was in TWO performances for barely a minute each, and lip-synched the entire vocal BOTH times.  I don’t know why anyone even asks her to perform, there’s no talent for what she does on stage. During the opening performance of “S&M,” Rihanna was singing live while Britney lip synched to the track. I was embarrassed for her.

C.) Bieber overkill.  Not only did he win awards, but the camera could not get enough of Justin Bieber. Okay, we get it. He’s the biggest teen idol out right now. I think the kid is lightweight talented, but enough’s enough.  I’m not a fourteen-year-old girl so I don’t believe the hype. Plus, I think the gold jacket he was wearing looked ridiculous. Does he think he’s Elvis?

The list of negatives goes on and on but there was a ten minute stretch of the show that was incredible.  Billboard gave Beyonce the Millennium Award and based on the performance she delivered last night, she’s deserving of it.  Beyonce is always innovative and progressive in her music AND her stage show but she took it to another level last night.  She performed her new single “Run The World” in front of a white background and she performed around projected images.  At one point in the performance, I didn’t know if I was watching the REAL Beyonce, or a projected image of her. Watch it for yourself.  You will be stunned.

I was also impressed at how humble Beyonce’s acceptance speech was. She even thanked the original members of Destiny’s Child. I thought that was cool of her.

Let’s hope Billboard takes note of the downfalls of this year’s show and corrects it for next year.  Before I go, I wanted to give a quick shoutout to Fergie’s light up dress during the Black Eyed Peas performance.  It made her crotch light up and radiate with electricity.  It was hilarious.  I wonder if she knew how that came across on camera. SMH

Images and video used in this post are courtesy of the Billboard Music Awards official website.

In true Usher fashion, he started the show with one heck of an entrance.  The audience was stunned as Usher rose from behind the crowd and floated to the stage on a suspended platform.

He then started the show with a set list of songs mostly from his most recent record Raymond vs. Raymond.

Usher then talked to the crowd about his love for Cleveland, even calling it his “home.” He said that it’s been a year full of ups and downs in Cleveland but he will always have a place in his heart for the city.  He explained how his first dance moves were taught to him by Gerald Levert, a Cleveland native.  He said for that, he loves this city.  As part owner, he represented for the Cavs by holding up Double C’s for Cleveland Cavaliers.

Usher continued to play for nearly three hours mixing old songs with new songs.  He sang some of my favorites like “Burn,” “Nice & Slow,” and “U Make Me Wanna.”  It was a non-stop show with no intermission.  The only down time during the show was costume changes.  He even pulled a girl out of the crowd who he escorted to a chair on stage and serenaded her.  Singing “Trading Places,” Usher started out dancing for the audience member, and then the tables turned as he sat down and she danced for him.

Usher took to the platform once again and floated over the crowd.

The show was fantastic. Definitely worthy of an icon like Usher.  The show was entertaining, lengthy, and engaging.  I had a blast dancing in the crowd and singing along.  After last night, Usher might be in the running to be the new king of Cleveland.  Maybe.

Click on the pictures to take a better look.

Pictures are courtesy of JonDrago.com

Pictures-Courtesy of silkandlookies.com