Michfest Part 5 (The Colored Girls and the OG's)

Day 5 (8/6) Thursday
I can’t remember what I did during the day this day. I think I got up and went running, but I really can’t totally recall. I remember the shows I went to go see and…oh wait! I think it’s coming back to me a bit. Yes it’s back! Thursday: Womyn of Color tent dedication, C.C. Carter at acoustic stage, CocoMama, Teresa Trull, Barbara Higbie, Vicki Randle & Julie Wolf, and Girl in a Coma on night stage. Luciana barely makes it to the fest. I’m gonna back up to the tent dedication. Oh yes, now I remember why we were late. Let’s roll back.

Black Patti had to sign CDs at Goldenrod (the on-land record store) that morning. So we all went over to the craft area and set up to greet folks. After that was over we headed to the Womyn of Color Tent Dedication. It was already under way when we got there. Olive, Hanifah, Ri, Maritri and I made the trip. A few people performed at the tent dedication, but the thing that stood out for me the most was Yaniyah Pathfinder doing the dance of the four directions. It was off the hook. I still have to reach out to her to make sure I learn how to do that. It was beautiful and amazing.

After the tent dedication I headed back to eat lunch real quick so that I could get ready to go see C.C. Carter at the acoustic stage. Bombshell was dancing with her. C.C. is a writer and spoken word artist who is very proud of her hips! They are beautiful hips if I do say so myself. So she makes it her business to gather all of the women of color that she can find on the land with big hips to share a stage with her while she praises them. It’s really fun and it gives women of all shapes and sizes to stand up and be proud of the fact that they have more to love. Also you have to be size 12 or up to be in her show. Now that's what's up! After C.C.’s set ended we headed back for dinner and to stake out a space at the night stage for the set to come. Gloria Bigelow was hosting.

Thursday night kicked off with CocoMama lead by percussionist Mayra Casales. Talk about a hot band. People were on their feet dancing for the whole set and we literally kicked up some dust. My feet were filthy and the bottom of my pant leg was nothing but dirt, but it was all in good dancing and good fun. Christelle and Sofia Tosello are the lead vocalists of the band and they are both incredible. Mayra came out from behind the congas once to sing and Christelle took her seat behind the drums. All these ladies have the most incredible stage presence and they are all just beautiful. CocoMama is not from Brooklyn, but they are representing New York. Holla!

After CocoMama, the OG’s (as Gina calls them) hit the stage. OG stands for Original Goddess and these ladies are nothing short of that. Thursday's OG’s were Vicki Randle (vocals, percussion, guitar), Teresa Trull (vocals, guitar), Barbara Higbie (vocals, fiddle, piano) and Julie Wolf (vocals, keys). These ladies are nothing short of the truth. It was so wonderful to watch them work. They are all stars in their own right, but when they come together it’s magic. Maritri was going to take a shower after CocoMama and I told her that she needed to wait and check out the OG’s. After the first song she understood why I suggested she hold off on the shower. I’ll have more to say about these ladies as the story unfolds, but I’ll just say it was an honor to be a part of a festival that included them and even more of an honor to later share the stage with them.


[Lisa, Aleah, Judith & Juanita. Just a small section of the OGs]


[Teresa & Barbara! Total OGs]

Finally Girl in a Coma hit the stage. I had been hearing about them for some time. I believe that Bitch and Von Iva had toured with them at one point or another. Lee kept telling me about their lead vocalist Nina Diaz and how great she is. Well they did not disappoint. The band is a trio and talk about power. I’m glad I got to check these ladies out. If they are in your town go see them. Don't sleep!

Thursday down, well almost. Luciana was supposed to be in that day, but she missed her plane in New York. I had no idea until late in the afternoon when Lisa Vogel (co-founder of the Michfest) saw me in Central Heating and very calmly squatted down next to me and told me that Luci missed the plane. I love how clam Lisa is. Clearly she’s been doing the festival so long that not too much can rattle her. She told me that they tried to get her on standby on the following flight but her name wasn’t called. So they were trying to get her on a third plane. Periodically I would ask the folks in Central Heating if they had any idea when or if Luci was getting in. Finally I got word that she should be in at Midnight. Then Midnight turned into 1am. I was tired, but I told the Central Heating ladies that I would wait for Luci and show her to her tent so they could go off duty. They work really hard for us all day and it was the least I could do.

As I said, I was tired and I started to realize that I really needed to shut up because I was hoarse and I had to do a rehearsal on Friday and the show on Saturday. I had tried to have vocal rehearsal earlier that day with Maritri and Tiffany and I had nothing to give vocally. So it was starting to worry me. I really needed to shut up and be in bed. These cold nights weren’t helping.

Finally at around 1am Luci shows up out of the shadows with a plate of food. I was expecting to see her come from one direction, but she came from another. I was in Central Heating and CocoMama were in there doing a little percussion jam. Vicki was jamming too. Luci started eating, but she soon put her plate down when she recognized Mayra Casalas. It was like a reunion and she just jumped in on the jam as if she had been there all week. That was great to see considering how long her day had been. Besides missing two planes she had a layover in Chicago. It was truly a trains, planes and automobiles type of day for her.

After the jam was over it was time for bed. No running for me on Friday morning. It’s time to sleep, but not through breakfast. ☺