Déjà Vu

And I feel like I've been here before
Feel like I've been here before
And you know it makes me wonder
What's going on under the ground, hmm- Crosby, Stills and Nash

A message comes through on social media from two musicians named John and Vincent. "Come to The Ghetto Palace tonight."  I have been wanting to revisit this unique venue since my first visit here as a spectator.  It is another place in my travels that is hard to explain the location of.  Even the GPS in my wife's Mustang had trouble finding it the first time.


Crook and Vicki are the owners of the building and they generously open this venue up on a semi-monthly basis.  They have a shared goal to build up the local music scene under the moniker "Music Matters".  They also run a shoe collection drive near the holidays called "Happy Feet".  I humbly ask the reader to support these two fine efforts.  These two people are what I refer to as a "bookend power couple".  You rarely hear one name mentioned without the other.  Being in a marriage like that, I can definitely relate.

As I drive to the location, a familiar scent greets me.  The paper mill nearby has to be smelled to be believed.  It has a sour, wet diaper aroma, that in the part of the county I live and work in, the faintest notice of it is considered an indicator of a South wind and rain within 36 hours. The residents of Millville call it "the smell of money".  In my neighborhood, the roof shingle tearing force  of the jets from the nearby Air Force Base is called "the sound of money."  Where I work, "the view of money" is on the beach water front where the sparkling emerald waters and white sugar sand form the landscape that is the main industry.

I am unsure what the taste and touch of money are around here, probably fried shrimp paired with Natural Lite while traversing barefoot through the sand spurs and fire ants, but I digress.

On the way over, I listen to two original songs that John wants to perform. I am more familiar with Vincent's songs, but I am eager to play.  I would describe the sound of John's demos as "R.E.M." mixed with "Bob Dylan". I am the first to arrive after John and we are parked across the street from the opening at a church.  I think better of this after reading the GP good neighbor signage, and as others arrive, we pull into the grass yard of the venue.


Crook arrives precisely at 7:30 pm as advertised, with a welcoming smile, and opens the roll up door with the flair of a James Bond villain as he types in a code on the obscured keypad.  This quite unassuming block building has classic turn of the century practical design with, what I guess is the required amount of technological security for the neighborhood. All the musicians file in and start filling out the signup sheet.  The usual two song set is recommended to keep everyone happy.


John, Vincent and I take the stage second.  I am happy that the back line and equipment is all setup.  I pull my 1973 Fender bass out and Crook says "Nice fretless!".  I respond that I had forgotten the frets at home.  I smile at my little joke and then realize I forgot my strap.  I sheepishly tell Crook I need to borrow one.  "I always forget something." I admonish myself.  Crook has myself and Vincent all set up in about 2 minutes.  John has a pedal board that has a dead battery somewhere in the chain and Vincent and I plug our ears anticipating the jarring crackle of protest from the amp that can occur when the electronics come to life. They struggle with that for a bit and then we play our set.   John and Vincent did a great job.  Later on we they switched places and we played Vincent's originals.


As we step off stage and look for a seat near the front, I notice someone hugging the walls and sticking to the shadows.  It was the Dude.  All dressed in black.  He comes over, and I say to John and Vincent, "Check out this vampire."  With a flip of his collar, he responds "I prefer Vlad."  We all laugh at this.  He snaps a group photo and gives us praise.  His music incubator known as the "No Jacket Required" jam session has produced an interesting collaboration this evening.


Several talented musicians played on stage but I feel the need to mention some notable performances.

 "The Czechers" played a great mix of Czech folk music and rock.  They have an electric guitarist, and accordion player and a third musician that plays acoustic guitar and mandolin.  They had a high energy level and really amused the crowd.

"Bound and Determined" played some scorching hard rock with a tight rhythmic foundation.  I would classify their sound as a cocktail  of "Isle of Q" and "The Fixx"


I think we will be hearing more from both of these bands in the near future.  I know I will be following them, and the reader should too.




When I arrived home, my wife asked "How did it go?"
"I played in two different lineups." I answered.
"You seem to wear many hats." She responded.
"Just call me Neil Young." I replied.


What else could I say?

Stir up that MONKEYDUST!

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