Hit Me Two Times

Friday night, I headed over to The Smiling Buddha Bar. This venue may mostly be known for punk and underground bands but they also book a variety of other genres. So it was great to see 2 black artists on stage tonight.

First up was Nnamdi Ogbonnaya from New York. He alternates between soulful, though slightly off-key, singing and melodic rap. Meanwhile, his band played a sort of noisy funk. It was a high-energy set that amped up the crowd.

Vagabon is a diminutive singer/guitarist who packs a powerful voice. Along with her all-female band, she delivered a set of impassioned, loud songs that the full house ate up. The only drawback is that with only 1 album, even with some new songs, her set wasn't long enough to satisfy the crowd. Here's hoping Vagabon can find sometime to get back to the studio for a sophomore effort.