D.C. Native and comedian Earthquake graced the stage of the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Thursday, March 20th, 2021, for a night of laughs. It had been a few years since I had the chance to see Earthquake live, so when I found out he was in the DMV, I decided it would make for the perfect date night with my wife. Walking into the venue, one of the first things I noticed was a sign from the venue informing patrons that they no longer needed to wear masks. While I am vaccinated, I still chose to keep my mask on and the bulk of the audience did as well, unless they were eating, or drinking.
The show started about fifteen minutes late, which is the norm; however, once comedian Spencer Neal took the stage, all was forgiven. An Atlanta-based comic, Neal warmed the crowd up with a rapid succession of jokes. Most of Neal’s material revolved around 2020 and how the year was good for him. While I will not spoil the jokes that Neal told, I will say he is a comic on the rise, and he gained an Instagram follower in me.
After Neal’s opening set, Earthquake graced the stage, making his entrance to Drake’s “Show Me a Good Time.” The veteran comic ran through a solid ninety-five minutes without any dry spots. Some of the commentaries included the importance of life insurance, kids with autism, and dating. While I have seen Earthquake before, it was great to hear primarily fresh material and jokes that catered to the DMV audience. My favorite moment of the night occurred when the comic mentioned he is working on a special with Dave Chappelle that will air later this year.
With a night full of laughs and quality service from the wait staff, it was a great night out at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse.
Final Grade: A-
From his early days in the family group Wings of Faith, Mr. Gill was born to make music. However, as R&B fans know, Johnny Gill’s initial release with Atlantic Records failed to make a significant impact when it first came out. The 1983 self-titled debut showed a strong voice struggling to adapt to a studio that couldn’t properly utilize its power.
My introduction to Myron was with the song “Sistas” on the “Eddie” soundtrack in the summer of 1996. Before setting up his solo album, Myron would write classics for Mya and Dru Hill. “Destiny” was written by Myron and Tyrice Jones, and the latter was also producing. Set to a sample of Herbie Hancock’s “Come Running to Me”, the song explores how fate governs the formation of connections between people meant to exist from the beginning.
Music producers transitioning to a solo album is common in the music industry. For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit Sean Garrett’s solo debut, “Turbo 919,” released in 2008.
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