Flashback :: NYC's Urban Blight

It was a Saturday, many moons ago.  I remember sitting at home and, after counting all of the ceiling tiles in the family room, quickly determined that I was bored out of my skull.  It got the point where even hard labour was starting to sound appealing. Was anyone going to call?  Finally, there it was.  Ring…Ring. I was saved! With my feet barely touching the ground I sprinted into the kitchen and anxiously picked up the receiver.  To my chagrin, it was one of my college buddies from Baltimore, MD. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Nothing, I’m bored out of my mellon,” was my reply. “How’s that working out for you?” he chided.  “There better be an invitation coming jackass or I’m going to reach through the phone and rip out your larynx.” Thankfully (and luckily for him) there was indeed an invitation.   It was to join he and some other compadres at the 8×10 Club in Baltimore that evening to see a band from NYC called Urban Blight. Who?  Never heard of them…but heck anything was better than doing nothing.

What I remember most was that as soon as those cats hit the stage the air was suddenly electric.  It was like everyone knew what was coming.  The drummer set the tone immediately with a phat groove that became the foundation for  “Knock You Out” and I became insta-fan.  Loved it.  The mix of funk, ska and new jack swing was simply phenomenal and while “Love Bites” remains my absolute fav, the song featured in the video above, “Get Closer”, was a close 2nd.

Happy Friday my friends…now let’s get funky.

– Drago