Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings in Indianapolis

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings in Indianapolis, originally uploaded by Securis777.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings took a funky funky trip to the Vogue in Indianapolis this past Sunday. Before the show, I'd wished it was Friday and my thoughts drifted towards work the next morning. But the appearance of the band onstage brought me back to enjoying the present moment. I'm a big fan of Ms. Jones & the Dap-Kings' analog recordings (throwbacks to labels and artists such as Stax, Motown, Otis Redding, Fela Kuti, etc. - the greatest funk, soul, R&B, and a hint of afro-beat), but I'm now an even bigger fan of their live show. At age 51 (she admitted this proudly to the crowd), Ms. Jones was strutting her stuff like the funkiest soul sister ever to walk a stage. She was non-stop movement with pitch-perfect voice. The band wasn't too shabby, either (my understatement of the week.) They performed for half an hour or so before Ms. Jones took the stage, and every note and beat was spot-on. Terrific stuff. James Brown is dead, but his soul lives on.

By the way, I've also posted two more photos from my Monterey trip, taken by cell phone from the plane. One is of the amazingly beautiful hills around Monterey (not sure what they're called), and the other is of the mass of humanity known as Los Angeles. It was my first time there, and I couldn't believe the size and density of the city.