From the pit
Last night at Island Saturdays was a blast. That's why it's the longest running dancehall night in New England.
We rolled up around 12am after an afternoon with the Bobby Shakes team, making vodka watermelons and eating brown sugah raviolis with a side of chicken parm. Man oh man, who don't like brown sugah?
I should've gotten to Island Saturdays at 11:40, but I always get lost. Rhode Island, every bloody street is a one-way and it doesn't connect to the next street. So I'm driving around in circles trying to find Alchemy. Every weekend. Next week I'll put it in my GPS. We shit on Boston, but Massachusetts is the best state in the union. Sorry, Ocean State! By the way, I have yet to see an ocean. Hmmmmm, I guess I'm lying. I did see the ocean at Ocean Mist. That has to be the best place in the world to hear reggae. I take it back, Rhode Island rocks. To hell with Boston lol!
How the hell did I get off topic? Back to Island Saturdays. I finally found it and pulled up. As I'm walking to the VIP section, the VIP bouncer sees me coming and tells people to step aside so I can get through. I declined and told him to let the patrons go first, I'll wait. Yes, I'm a big deal, but the customers at Alchemy are way more important than me. Fans of the culture is what keeps this thing spinning.
We get into VIP and Dr. TKO is already on his third White. He asks what we want to drink. In my mind I'm saying not no Whites! That Wray & Nephew is like getting hit in the head with a Maglite by some Paddy Boston cop from Southie. I turn to Julez and say I'll take a ginger ale with a splash of Jack Daniel's. While drinking my splash of JD, I turn around and Paul Michael got a soca train running thru the club. People screaming Trinidad! I throw my drink in the trash, grabbed my camera and went to work, chasing the soca train thru Alchemy taking crazy shots of people yelling Trinidad!
When RFB touch the stage it was a shelling. DANCE SPLIT. MI DUN TALK. You look at the photos and tell me if RFB DIDN'T FUCK UP IN YAH!
Words & photography — Bobby Shakes