For the electric blues quartet Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, the gig at Toronto’s El Mocambo Club on July 11, 1983 was just another stop on the North American tour to promote their debut album, Texas Flood.  But for die-hard SRV fans, it was–and all these years later, it remains–a night to remember.

One of the best guitarists of all time hit the stage with unparalleled fury and passion, twisting and bending notes even Jimi Hendrix would have marveled at, the sweat pouring off him as if it were the physical embodiment of the music itself.  Stevie played like a man possessed, his grip on the audience just as tight as the grip on the neck of his Stratocaster.

Just seven years later, Vaughan would lose his life in a helicopter crash at the age of 35.  Thankfully, his music will keep his memory alive forever.  When I hear the performance of “Texas Flood” live from the El Mocambo, I’m shaken by the gravity of the loss of such an otherworldly talent.

photo courtesy of Dr. Funkenberry

via Billboard:

Prince held a press conference at Harlem’s Apollo Theater to announce “Welcome 2 America,” a forthcoming tour beginning in December 2010. The pop legend will perform and play master of ceremonies at each show, which will feature artists such as Janelle Monae, Mint Condition, Esperanza Spalding and Cassandra Wilson.

“Bring your friends, bring your children,” Prince told the audience, “and bring foot spray, because it’s going to be funky.”

Prince arrived on the Apollo stage at 6:25, following an introduction by BET Executive Vice President of Entertainment & Music Programming Stephen Hill. Wearing a black velour jacket, the singer remained vague about the impending live shows but told the crowd that they would not disappoint.

“Come early, come often. I have a lot of hits… no two shows will be the same,” he said.

It was also revealed that a gold-plated Fender guitar that sat on the Apollo stage during the announcement will be auctioned off after the live run, with the proceeds benefiting the economic recovery group Harlem Empowerment Zone.

(Reporting by Jillian Mapes and Rachel Been)

EXCITING NEWS!  Be sure to join the Facebook group I created for the tour by clicking the badge at the top of the sidebar.

Enter yours truly, with the suggestion that Dreamy instead become my right-hand woman here at TFS!  Let’s be honest: this place could certainly use another voice, a different point of view.  Having Dreamy here would breathe new life into this ghost town, and I think it might even help make me into a better blogger in the long run.

The invite has been sent.  Will she and I become a funky dynamic duo?  Keep your eyes on TFS to see if the Dream(y) Team becomes a reality!

It seems like a lifetime has passed since I started this blog.  TFS began as a requirement for a college course, ascended to an independent domain, then spun itself off into an online talk-show about Prince.

Now, TFS.org no longer exists, and Paisley Radio has ended after a 5-month run.

I never thought I’d be back to square one.

But, here I am.  The True Funk Soldier has returned, thanks in part to a friend‘s inspiration.  Whether by dumb luck or otherwise, I avoided wiping this place off the face of the internet, and stuck by my statement that it would be kept around as a back-up.  After everything that has happened since March, posting here again feels like reuniting with a long-lost friend.

The jury’s still out on how often I’ll post, what about, etc.  I can only say two things for sure — it’s going to be fun, and I’m glad to be back.

Feedback is key for me at this point, so if you’re reading and you’d like me to post on a certain topic, shoot me a message at info@truefunksoldier.org.

TrueFunkSoldier.org

I’ve managed to transfer all posts from here to the new domain, but there have been a few caveats.  Embedded videos have turned into unclickable code, and I seem to have lost my original Blogroll.  I’ll see if I can fix one or both of these problems in the near future, but for now, I am tickled purple!

The new site, which I’ve purchased for two years through GoDaddy.com, will start out just as a blog.  Over the coming weeks, though, I hope to add a forum there and maybe a few other cool features.  This blog (truefunksoldier.wordpress.com) will stick around as a backup that I can return to in case there are any major snafus with the site.  I hope to avoid getting shut down by Prince’s lawyers, so if they find me and ask me to adhere to a set of rules in order to stay active, I will comply.  I may even have to change the site name eventually, which I can do quite easily if need be.

Questions, comments, concerns, etc. can be directed to me at info@truefunksoldier.org. See you there!

One problem, though–Wordpress.com is very limiting with regard to how much a blogger can customize his/her site.  It’s a free service, though, so I should’ve anticipated this.  On the other hand, there are actually quite a few free hosting services that offer more flexibility than this one, so I think I’ll be packing up and moving somewhere else very soon.

courtesy cathiecooksfood.wordpress.com

I’ll still continue to post here while I’m searching for the perfect host, and with any luck my new home will have an ‘Import’ option so I won’t lose any of the content I’ve created up to this point.  It’s hard to say how much readership I have or haven’t garnered in my time at WordPress, but I’m certainly not going to take any risks by wiping this site out immediately.  Who knows how it will play out?  But, this place will stay put…for now.

I’m off to do some “house shopping.”

UPDATE

Apparently, it’s virtually impossible to export a WordPress blog!  I can’t believe this…what a crime.  I guess I’ll have to stay put.  Bummer!

My college newspaper ran a story on me in today’s issue–on the front page, in color.  My dad promptly stole enough copies to line every single birdcage in North America.  Seriously, everyone I know (and a lot of people I don’t) will be getting a copy in the mail.

It’s fun being an “it guy” for a change, but I must admit I am a tad miffed that the Prince mention I dropped in the interview didn’t make it to print.  I want so badly for someone in the Paisley camp to see or hear that I’m a die-hard fan and relay that information to Prince.  Then, maybe I’ll become the next Shelbey.  To paraphrase the Purple One, “You can call me a dreamer, too.”

But for now, I’ll just revel in my 15 seconds of pseudo-fame.

See you back on Earth tomorrow!

10.  The Little Vampire (2000). Yes, it’s cutesy.  But at least the young princes of darkness in this film starring Jonathan Lipnicki (Jerry Maguire) have a reason to behave like nine-year olds…they are nine year-olds.

9.  Once Bitten (1985). Jim Carrey (in his first starring role) plays Mark Kendall, a hapless goof who tags along on a boy’s night out and is seduced by Countess (Lauren Hutton), an ancient vampire who can only stay youthful by regularly drinking the blood of virgins.  While this comedy is pure cheese, it is remarkably entertaining.

8.  Interview with the Vampire (1994). I can’t believe I’m saying this but, even with its awkward homoerotic undertones, this Pitt/Cruise team-up looks like Rambo compared to Twilight.

7.  Nosferatu (1922). In F.W. Murnau’s classic silent chiller, Max Schreck portrays Count Orlok, who is perhaps the creepiest vampire ever.  That’s saying a lot for a character who doesn’t speak a single word on screen.

6.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992). Years before Sarah Michelle Gellar portrayed her on T.V., America’s favorite stake-wielding Valley girl was introduced to movie audiences in the form of blonde stunner Kristy Swanson.  While I never watched a single episode of the show, I love the movie version.

5.  From Dusk till Dawn (1996). Following the breakout success of his 1992 Western Desperado, young director Robert Rodriguez took filmgoers to the Titty Twister, a dive on the Mexican border teeming with bloodsucking biker baddies.  Their queen, the sultry Santanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek), has no trouble snaring fresh meat.

4.  The Dead Lover (1836). Young priest Romuald falls for the beautiful Clarimonde, who holds a strange power over him. Puzzled by the increasing loss of energy impeding his holy work, Romuald vows to discover the truth behind Clarimonde’s beguiling ways.  Théophile Gautier’s intensely moving tale is one of the best examples of short-form vampire fiction.

3.  Underworld (2003). Vampires and werewolves face off in a centuries-old feud in this pulse-pounding action thriller.  Huntress Selene (Kate Beckinsdale) loves a human, but after he is bitten by a werewolf, she must decide whether she will let him live or die.

2.  Salem’s Lot (1975). Successful writer Ben Mears returns to the small Maine town where he grew up,  hoping to conduct research for a book he’ll be writing about the Martsen House, an abandoned mansion plagued by urban legends of pale-faced night-stalkers.  At a hefty 656 pages, Stephen King’s epic is arguably the most impressive novel of its kind produced in the 20th century.

1.  Dracula (1897) In writing his famous gothic novel, Bram Stoker created the most influential horror villain of all time.  Before the Count, vampires were just zombies who craved blood rather than brains.

Twihards, listen up: You think you know vampires? You’re not even close.

courtesy The DyKnow Blog