I'm going to honestly admit to myself and to all of you that I am not a patient man. In this new age of high speed internet, instant messaging, 30 minute meals, SMS text, and red eye jets, I figure time is valuable and I don't like to feel like my time is being wasted. Last night while sitting in the dimly lit Apache cafe, I went through a full spectrum of intense emotions. My anticipation for this performance had sustained me for most of the week. We found some seating, I observed the diverse crowd of hipster, trendy off brand-tall-white-mocha-latte-20 somethings intermingling with a cavalier attitude about the evening, just there to be there and to soak in the soul.

I suffered (harsh word huh) through a total (approx.) seven opening acts...I remember the first and the last, everything in between seemed to be a boggling blur of loud obnoxious sounds and cacophonous clamor that made me feel like an old fart, because I honestly wanted to ask them to turn the music down. The first opening act was a tapper.....he was cool. I like tap, he kilt I will say that....The Jaspects I'll admit were good...but since they were one of the last few before Janelle came out....I wasn't feeling like "throwing up my J's".....I wanted to throw my drink on stage (if I could afford one)....I was dead tired of jazz and it seemed like they played an entire anthology. I wanted Janelle, no substitutions. We got there @ 8, got inside the place @ 9:30 Janelle came out at 1:37 am....I was beyond pissed.

But then....in an instant all of that changed, the fog machines pulsed cool blasts of smoke, the room fell silent as her intro blared. No one knew where to look, some were looking in the back of the cafe, while others focused on the stage dead set on the idea that she would just appear out of thin air...A stage hand/ princess carried a box on stage and out pops Janelle, a petite powerhouse...the drum kicked and she burst into "Violet Stars Happy Hunting". The thumping beat, & her "signature dance moves" brought the crowd to their feet. She was jazzy, energetic, and provocative. My rage disappeared by the first utterance of the phrase "I'm a cyber girl without a face, a heart or a mind". She sang with the grace, eloquence, & precision of Lena Horne and Anita Baker, and her sound was beyond outstanding. "Smile" was the song that brought me into her light. She's incredibly humble, thankful, and energetic. Her androgynous look wasn't too flashy, it was authentic and fit her persona. I'm in aw! I Love HER!

I'm hooked, like a trout.