Rep. Elijah Cummings at Public Option Health Care Rally

Here's a video of Congressional Rep. Elijah Cummings speaking at the public option health care rally at The Senator Theatre yesterday.

Karaoke winners and more!

Tonight is Karaoke night again at The Senator Theatre. Doors will open at 7:00 PM and the festivities start at 8:00 PM. The past two Karaoke nights have been loads of fun, so please join us! Admission is free. Bring your ID, because you will be carded if you look like you might be under 21 and try to buy a drink.

I've been truly impressed by the talent of the people who have been coming out for Karaoke. Each week a portion of the night is a Karaoke contest, leading up to the big costume Karaoke contest on October 30th. Last week, we had three contest winners, as follows:

Keith won for his rendition of Luther's "A House is Not A Home," but what I caught on video was his earlier appearance on stage, before the contest began, singing Steely Dan's "Deacon Blues."



Jenn won for her rendition of "Proud Mary," but again, I have a video of an earlier performance from before the contest began. (My camera hard disk got full toward the end.) Here's Jenn singing "Gloria."



Todd won for his rendition of "Love" by Musiq. Toward the end of this video, I ran out of hard disk, but you can see he's a really talented singer.



Last week we also had a visit from actor Johnny Alonso, who has appeared in "Dawson's Creek," "One Tree Hill," and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Johnny sang Frank Sinatra's "Luck Be A Lady."



Johnny Alonso also appears in two independent films that will be showing at The Senator. "Gospel Hill" makes its Baltimore premiere on Saturday at 8 P.M. Doors open at 7:15 PM. Also watch for "Safe House," coming soon.

On Sunday at 4 PM, D'Jembe Jazz Jams with Park Vibe continues as a free form jam session that is open to all. The acoustics of the outer lobby made it especially resonant last Sunday. This is a jam session, not a performance, so it gets rolling when people show up. If you show up early and it's not quite starting on time, please be patient.



On Sunday there will also be a screening of the Japanese monster movie RODAN, along with a TV taping of MONSTER MADHOUSE. The event starts at 1 PM.

If you're easily offended, avert your eyes! (Jokes & Jazz)

Thursday night's Jokes & Jazz event at The Senator was a ton of fun, with some sweet sounds by Phillip "Doc" Martin and his band and some very, very funny comedians who should never be let out in public in front of anyone who gets easily offended or anyone under 21. You've been warned.

Here's a video of Phillip "Doc" Martin doing "My Cherie Amour."



Now here's Larry Lancaster. Really. Avert your eyes.



And here's Dominique. Yes, I really mean it this time. Avert your eyes for real.



And this is Joe Clair. Now, you know you really don't want to watch this. I'm not kidding this time. Not at all. Really. Avert your damn eyes...because they might get something nasty in them this time.



Well, that was a lot of fun not watching those videos, right?

I'm trying to get videos of all these events I've been documenting at The Senator uploaded relatively quickly, but the editing and uploading takes some time. Stay tuned for fantastic karaoke performances from last night and I guess I'm documenting the Senator Cipher Session tonight as well. The Cipher session tonight starts at 10:00 PM, with doors opening at 9:30. See you there?

Sunday's D'Jembe Jazz Jams @ The Senator

On Sunday, musicians and dancers gathered at The Senator for a free form jam led by the Park Vibe group from Druid Hill Park. Similar events will happen every Sunday in October, starting at 4 PM, so come join us and join in this Sunday! The event is free.

Here are some videos from last Sunday:

Hip Hop Poets and B-Boys @ The Senator!

The first Senator Cipher Session was a great success on Saturday night, with hip hop poets and b-boys displaying their talents. The event was sponsored by The Senator and UCAM (United Community Access Media), and helped to demonstrate that The Senator is the perfect venue for a wide range of multimedia community-based events. The Senator Cipher Series continues this coming Saturday and every Saturday through October 24th.

I was lucky enough to serve as the camera person for the event, with the feed from my camera being displayed on The Senator's big screen in real time behind the performers. Here are a few of the videos I shot on Saturday (more are available on YouTube).

Hip hop poets give the spoken word:



B-Boys, including the Sushi Kings crew and the Regulators crew, break it down on stage:





Don't miss out on the fun this Saturday night! Doors open at 9:30 PM.

Winners of Karaoke @ The Senator, Week 1

Here are the two winners of Friday's Karaoke contest at The Senator.

Alicia aka "Suggs" singing Bon Jovi's "Dead or Alive"



Rachel singing Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats"




Here are the two runners-up.

The other Rachel singing Duffy's "Mercy"



Felix singing Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive"



The Karaoke contest will continue each Friday in October, culminating in a costume Karaoke contest on October 30th. Two winners will be selected each week, and in the final week, the grand prize will be awarded. You do not need to be there every week to win...but you should be!

Also, The Senator Cipher Session last night was HOT! I'll be posting some video highlights in the next day or two.

Octoberfest at The Senator!

Last night was the kickoff of The Senator's month long Octoberfest 70th anniversary celebration. It all started with the first ever Karaoke night and contest at The Senator. Some very talented singers graced the stage. I should have video in the next day or two. Karaoke will continue on Friday nights throughout October, building to a final costume karaoke contest on October 30th. Admission is free.

Tonight, the Senator Cipher Series brings B-Boys and B-Girls to the stage for a night of hip-hop and poetry. Music by DJ Booda Monk. UCAM (United Community Access Media) is sponsoring the event. Doors open at 9:30 PM and the event starts at 10:00. Admission is free.

Sunday, The Senator, Park Vibe, and UCAM bring D'Jembe Jazz Jams to The Senator. This free drum circle event is a continuation of the Druid Hill Park drum jams that happen every Sunday in the park during the summer with a group of folks, some of whom have been playing together for 30 years. Instead of the weekly jam session ending in the colder months, The Senator is bringing it inside for Sundays in October. Event starts at 4 PM. Bring your drums and your dancing feet and enjoy the vibe!

Thursday, October 8th, celebrate The Senator's 70th anniversary with an evening of Jokes & Jazz starring Joe Clair, Dominique, Smooth Jazz sensation Phillip "Doc" Martin, and hosted by Larry Lancaster. Doors open at 7:30 and tickets are $30.

Many more events will be announced in the month of October. I don't always find time to list the events on my blog. The best ways to keep track of upcoming events at The Senator are to sign up for The Senator's mailing list or follow the official Senator Theatre twitter or become a fan of Friends of The Senator Theatre or join the Friends of The Senator Theatre group on facebook, or follow Friends of The Senator Theatre on twitter.