Old School House Music Picnic 2008 (576 hits)

Five injured...shot or shot at.

Shot three times in the head, neck, and torso (straight through).

How many of you looked at the pictures of the Old School Picnic (OSP) on my page and thought, uhmm, hmmm, too many BLACK people for me?

All too often I've heard that it is dangerous, almost suicidal to spend time around BLACK people in large crowds... Too many of our events that are publicized tend toward violence, misogyny, and/or constant conflict. Well, let me tell you about the OSP...

I've been attending for years. In the first years I was curious because I am a house "listener." Its something you never really get out of your system like my parents never got away from Motown. I grew up with Marvin Gaye and Aretha, then later Earth, Wind, and Fire, Stevie Wonder, etc. My parents music tastes just stopped in the late 60s-70s.

By the time I had finished high school I was definitely a "House Head." I learned to hear the message in the music from Sylvester, Chip-E, songs like Gaucho and Martin Circus. I wasn't into the history as much as the "feeling" you got from being in a "House" party. I didn't recognize it then, but now all these years later I find myself completely absorbed when I hear House. I revert back to my teen and college year mentality,

"Music! The musics got me!" and

"You ain't really down...playin' those games you do....I said, you ain’t really down (doownn), your love was never true (your love was never truuuue). Take all my love and you use and abuse it. Broke my heart like there was nothing to it..." (If you can't stop right here, if you know the parts of the lead and the group, you are a "house head!" lol)

Anyway, back to the point...the pictures you see (check them all out) didn't get any media play. It was underground...a kind of "If you gotta ask (about the OSP), you don't really belong there..." I say this because the picnic was the same weekend that Chicago media reported on the violence that took place at the Taste of Chicago (Black and Latino teens took violence to the streets and to the Taste...). That got play because Chicago is vying for the 2010 Olympics to adopt us as their venue. Bad press will kill the venture so they really should have been on the South Side at the Lakefront “feelin’ the House Music scene.”

We are family! is the theme every year, and every year we grow. Here it doesn’t matter that you went to Kenwood (go Broncos!!!), Whitney Young, Lane Tech, Hyde Park, St. Ignatius, Mendel, etc. We ALL hung out at Sauer’s, the Music Box, or at the tons of House parties EVERY WEEKEND! Only difference I can see is that we’re the parents now. We’re the working class. We’re the responsible ones. We come back from Japan, Finland, ATL, LA, NY, NJ…for THIS event though.

But still, We’re House! Come find us next year in the Chi, on the Lake around the 4th. You don’t need a tent, twelve-hundred to thirteen-hundred (1200-1300) people with NO VIOLENCE, NO FIGHTS, just FOOD, FUN, and FAMILY (and for you singles…lots of mackin’). Just come look me up. Or any random person and tell ‘em… “I heard about the OSP and came to see…” You’ll get, “Welcome! Sit down and have a drink!”

- Sincerely, House Head Posted By:
Thursday, July 10th 2008 at 2:40PM
You can also click here to view all posts by this author...