by Vivian H. on "Music is the weapon - music is the weapon of the future." -Fela Kuti My heroes are Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Che Guevara, Bob Marley and now Fela Kuti is on that list. This is a musical that stands for something. For human rights, for equality, for the people of Nigeria, for a tribute to a phenomenal man, Fela Kuti. Fela made meaningful music. He made music with passion and each song carried a message, be it political or controversial. He made music he believed in and he was willing to fight for what he believed in. That makes him a hero to me. The setting is Lagos, Nigeria in Fela's club called the Shrine. The club is filled with disco balls, African masks, African art, colorful neon lights. The stage is colourful and lively with Antibalas playing in the background. Shortly after 8PM, "Fela" arrives on stage in a svelte sky blue 70s style outfit. Immediately, he starts entertaining the crowd, along with the beautiful "Shrine" dancers. The music is Afrobeat, and infectious. At one point during the musical, Fela gets everyone on their feet, and you can't help but shake your bonbon! The storyline of the musical is the biography of Fela's life told by "Fela" himself. Highlights include: 1. Studying music in the UK (allegedly told his parents he wanted to study medicine). 2. Meeting a Black Panther partisan (Sandra Smith) in LA and falling in love with her. 3. A dream-like sequence where Fela meets his deceased mother, with fantastic use of black lighting. Fela! will move your feet and your heart, even if you are not the "musical" type. And everybody say, "yeah yeah!"
by Sarah M. on Where else can you go with your friend while you're on vacation, have the bouncers let you skip the line, go in and hear good hip-hop, and meet a Miami Dolphin football player who will buy you shots and vodka drinks all night, and then take you and said friend out for breakfast at 3 am? Not many places, I tell you.
by Bradford Chiarini on In 5 years that I have been coming to 111 Minna, I have witnessed it change alongside its audience, from a semi-underground venue for house music addicts to a popular happy hour spot for downtown office rats to a major pickup venue. And it continues to evolve. Now, I can only speak for Wednesday nights at 111 Minna, it's busiest and most famous soiree. I've been there at other times, but it just doesn't cut it for me. It is largely because of 111 Minna that I refer to Wednesday night as the "new Friday night". Many new places have popped up, or became hip, around the axis of 111: John Colins, Harlot, Temple. Not to mention the "official" 111 afterparty at Anu, a few big blocks into the ghetto. I've been coming here for so long that I no longer have to pay the $5 cover. I never take anybody with me because it is guaranteed that I will bump into at least one, but usually more, familiar face. The DJ booth, championed by the incomparable Jondi and Spesh, is pretty much the forefront of progressive house scene of San Francisco. And that's what this place used to be all about: house music. I like to call it "Happy Hour Clubbing", as this place rocks its dance floor from 5 to 10 pm. I know of people who skip their gym and come here instead for a Wednesday workout - hell, I've done it myself. Sometimes music is so good I don't want to go even to a bathroom, no matter how badly I need to pee. And there is always a large crowd of regular progressive house revellers here: a big bald guy with a goatee dancing on stage; an old Pakistani dude who, despite being about 70, dances for hours straight; Frank Chu, the local village nut with a scrambled message to 12 Galaxies on his stick sign; a chap with glasses and a purple beard; a homeless guy with who never dances or drinks, but they let him anyway; a dude with drums, and a handful of nameless Asian girls who I think are regulars, too. Now, there is another room next to the dance floor, which gets all the sound from the main room but is not really used for dancing. Rather, it has become the new emphasis of 111 Minna, namely, its meat-market, pickup spot, singles lounge or whatever you call it. But while I like the dance floor and certainly the music part of 111 Minna, I am not a big fan of its pickup logistics. First, it's too loud. Second - too crowded. So much so, in fact, that I rarely get a drink here - it's simply not worth the wait and risk of spillage, especially since there is a water cooler provided at the side of the bar. Besides, as a regular, I have to be careful not to bring dates here or even do too much pickup, because as I said, if you come here regularly, you WILL bump into people, wanted or unwanted. 111 Minna is also supposed to be a gallery. Its artistic emphasis, however, is less on merit and more on originality. Occasionally, there are decent exhibitions of all sorts of super-modern, super-creative art, but more often than not, it's crap whose sole purpose is to serve as interior decoration that is not too obtrusive to the clubbers. My biggest complaint with 111 Minna? It's 10 pm closing time. I mean, come on - what gives? As Spesh plays his last culminating beats at 9:55, the crowd is dispersed by bouncers within 10 minutes, and the place is locked up. Doesn't make sense at all. But there it is, 111 Minna on Wednesdays.
