By Journalist Ms. Jones
MARLBORO – Remember the movie Love Jones? The talented Larenz Tate played Darius Lovehall, a young Black poet who would perform spoken word at “The Spot” on the regular.
Well, the Falcon Underground transformed into “The Spot” on Wednesday, September 27 as the crowd snapped their fingers in encouragement of performances.
The show, appropriately named “Poelodies,” was hosted by Author Bettina “Poet Gold” Wilkerson, Dutchess County’s 2017 Poet Laureate. She has been doing a poetry residency at the Falcon Underground for about two years.
“What I have been basically trying to do with poetry is to bring it to the forefront… Poetry is.. the last art. Everything is built off of it… The song was created by poetry played to an instrument called the lyra and.. thus, developed lyrics… So, I just try to support poets and try to help open a lane that I think is not there. Poets need to eat… So, I just want to share the craft… I’m trying to build a community that I think is needed in urban environments… platforms like this allow me to do that, to create that sort of campfire… where people have a voice and they can exercise their voice,” said Gold who is working on a new book titled “You Are My Blue” with Photographer Bibiana Huang Matheis that will be released in 2018.
Armando Batista, the “Professional Creative,” followed with a performance of the first act in his solo play called LUVR.
“I wear many hats. I’m an actor, a writer, I’m a mover, an educator, storyteller, I’m a drummer… I’ve been a poet since the fifth grade… This is my job… A lot of times people view an artist and say, ‘Your starving…’ Being an artist is being a professional. You work at what you do. That’s where the ‘Professional Creative,’ comes from,” said Batista whose play is based on personal experiences in his life, including love, loss, and solitude.
Hudson Valley Native Joseph Sappah, affectionately known as Joe Flow, headlined the event with spoken word and rap. He got his name in high school.
“I was backstage rehearsing for a… talent show. I think someone put on some rock & roll or some real different music and I was just rapping and flowing to it. So, the guy next to me said, ‘Boy, you have some flow going on there.’ So, I kind of just ran with that,” said Joe Flow.
Joe Flow is currently in the studio working on a full-length album. He will be shooting the video for the first single titled “The Sickness” at Upper Cutz Barbershop in Walden on October 8 at 11 AM and is inviting the public to be a part of it. Just show up.
Don’t worry if you missed “Poelodies.” Poet Gold brings a brand-new group of spoken word and musical artists every fourth Wednesday to the Falcon Underground. Visit www.liveatthefalcon.com for more information.