"Can I get a witness?" - Joss Stone, Some Kind of Wonderful (The Soul Sessions)
It started here. Goldfinger's, a deceptive little hole in the wall of a club, was the home of JB and CT's first shows together as The Soul of John Black. John and Chris with Fish of Fishbone on drums would regularly play to the enthusiastic applause of 10 people. Friends, neighbors and the bartender for that night would be the only audience for the dawning of what has become the best soul-rock-funk band that you've never heard of.
When I arrived at 9pm at the tail end of their sound check, Goldfinger's felt exactly like those early days, I imagine. Managers and fathers, a sexy dark skinned bartender with an accent named Wendy, a couple drinking and snuggling in the corner. And me. Alone. And sad.
I'm in the closing days of marathon training and I'm not supposed to be drinking. So, of course, I knocked back three.
Fuck the Bullshit Wednesday didn't seem to be working out as planned. There were signs it would be different but at 9:30, by myself in a dark and empty club, the depression I've been fighting for a week was threatening to consume me whole.
Thankfully, the Soul of John Black is music that touches the spirit in a specific way. That kind of alive sound brings people together. My people. Old friends and acquaintances, new friends and characters started strolling into the club and I felt love.
And then JB, CT, Davey and Oliver took the stage and turned Goldfinger's into the Tomb of the Boom. Ballads and rockers dripping with emotion, humor and irony, The Soul of John Black songs remind me that no matter how lost I might feel in this urban malaise, I'm not really alone.
I can talk shop with B.O.B.; I can be amused by the zeal and candor and close-talking of Pierre; I can commisserate with Nisa and have my day brightened by her smile.
I can say Fuck the Bullshit and really mean it. Fuck it.
You say it's over
But I think you want more
Of my precious time.
Well, if you think I'm losing my grip on it,
Trip on it.
I'm losing my mind.
Cuz I
Dreamt I
Heard you say you missed the things
We used to do in the night.
Baby,
You think you ever wanna do things with me again,
Don't hesitate.
Time,
Nothing but time,
I'm losing my mind.
Ain't got nothing but time.
Time (Losing My Mind) - The Soul of John Black