Thursday On Tap : PAYOTE & BUSHWALLA

With a double bill on tap, I arrived at Harvelle's earlier than usual - around 9 - I didn't want to miss a note of singer Jessie Payo's band PAYOTE. Featuring Johnny Stachela on guitar, Vince Fossett on drums, Aaron Leibowitz on sax and Bjorn Fleuren on bass, there was an implied "no disappointments" guarantee.

Johnny Stachela opened the set with some laptop slide playing, accompanying Jessie's lone vocal. As the band gathered onstage, Jessie treated us to some new tunes and a couple of faves, all the while, Johnny digging into those frets coaxing every single blue note out of his Gibson SG.

As reported here before, Jessie has a voice literally like no other. A magical explosion of blues, soul, gospel, country and classic rock's greatest, it has drama and passion, make you rock or break your heart.

I can't write about Jessie Payo without also mentioning her playful personality and sexy appearance (or is it the other way around?). She exudes warmth and beauty and love.

She's got it all.

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An Adidas man, like myself - a man fraternally nick-named Bushwalla - packed the place with fans, and entertained them with his tight band and great songs, that the crowd knew every word of. His bright red Sambas boasted white triple stripes, and kept the singer/songwriter buoyant and respectable as he set the night on fire.

Jessie's Grill : Harvelle's Weekend Round-Up

Jessie Payo's natural whiskey soaked vocal quality is ridiculously soulful, exuding hapiness and hippiness, and alternately delivering beautiful controlled moving ballads to king rockers (including ones by influential artists such as Black Crowes, Betty Davis and Bill Withers). Johnny Stachela slings his axe with rock 'n' roll force that brings modern blues rock guitar to new heights. Sitting in towards the end of the night, Amanda Watkins of Miss Willie Brown did what she does best, and brought it like a rock star!!

Thursday brought out local super group Grillin' Bunnyz. The Venice based quintet features Brian Allen on bass, Kris Hawkins on guitar, Luke Miller on keys and the dynamic Emily on vocals. They traversed the funk songbook, including the best of Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan with a heap of Aretha and a sprinkle of Marvin Gaye and Funkadelic

Leroy Powell : Rip This Joint

Leroy Powell brought his southern-fried self to Harvelle's Friday night. Leroy is a hell of a singer and played lead guitar alone and in tandem with Johnny Stachela creating a most Jagger/Richards-esque combo.

Bjorn Fleuren (bass) and Iahji Hampden (drums) are too of the most in-demand players in town; I seem to run into them all the time at jazz and funk gigs. They evidently never played before with Leroy, but to watch these guys git it raw provided an awesome night of real rock 'n' roll.

The Bongo Fury Band

Tuesday night's Bongo Fury Burlesque and Afro Samba Jazz show is a club favorite and always provides unbelievably fun and funky entertainment. This is weekend caliber stuff on a week night!!! The furious artists who collaborate and make this night the party that it is, are (pictured above l—r) Victor Orlando-congas/bongos, Toledo-vocals, Carolina Ceresola-dance, Todd Washington-guitar/vocals, Asa Watkins-drums, Bjørn Fleuren-bass guitar, the incomparable Walter Davis-sax, DJ Daylight(in front)-spinning wax on the 1's and 2's.

Bongo Fury : Music To Watch Girls By

This Tuesday, rain or shine, Harvelle's will host it's weekly Bongo Fury party. Rich afro-cuban jazz-funk, beautiful burlesque dancers and DJ Daylight spinning funk and brazilian beats entertain like nobody's business. The incomparable Walter Davis leads the band, plays the sax and directs the action.


(thanks to Jeff Cranford for the pix)

Bongo Fury : Warning!!

On stage tonight, the Bongo Fury show, opens it's curtains and let's Miss Dakota out of the Red Room to destroy men's souls with her dance of beauty and feminine essence. 

Once you have seen Miss Dakota dance her dance, you will never be the same. The most intense and exotic of Bongo Fury's many gorgeous seductive dancers, Dakota will tattoo your soul and haunt your dreams. Can your heart stand it? Proceed at your own risk. 

For you music lovers, check out the band, as the incomparable Walter Davis runs things, and shake your own groove thang to the acid jazz, balearic beats, new wave and vintage funk spun on wax by DJ Daylight. Special guests seem to always drop by. Holding it down: Asa - drums, Bjorn - bass, Victor - congas/bongos and Walter on sax. 

X-Rated?!?! : The Night Known As Bongo Fury

Bongo Fury, the weekly live music and dance collaboration at Harvelle's, features the hottest burlesque dancers in the world every Tuesday night. The vodka was Rated X, and the performance was just as provocative, as Erin (dark hair) and Jade (red hair) wowed the crowd with heavenly curves, gymnastic gyrations, table-top dances and mad crazy sex appeal. The incomparable Walter Davis led his quartet, (Bjørn Fleuren (bass), Asa Watkins (drums) and the amazing Victor Orlando on congas and bongos), through 3 sets of electric latin/afro-samba jazz and funky soul. DJ Daylight provided the between sets entertainment, spinning his selection of funk and brazilian beats. 

Bongo Fury : The Pre-New Years Eve

Shhhhhhhhhhh.... it's Bongo Fury. 

The city's coolest secret burlesque night, featuring the live afro-cuban samba of the city's coolest 4 piece group, led by the incomparable Mr. Walter Davis (sax, flute) with Victor Orlando (bongos/congas), Asa Watkins (drums) and Bjørn Fleuren (bass).

The night's secret lies in the ultimate beauty of the 2 featured dancers. With a wealth of L.A.'s best of the best dancers in his Rolodex™ the night's dancers always rate "10"s all around. Breathtakingly beautiful, scantily clad, shaking, jiggling, writhing on the floor, these women are from all over the world, but now they're here.

In between sets DJ Daylight spins soulful wax and Brazilian beats.