GREEN Warmly Welcomes The Comedic Stylngs Of NICK YOUSSEF!!!

Last Week: A huge round of thanks to the homie Paul Maybon for comin' through in a clutch and holdin' down the hosting duties in Slim and Joshua's absence! Props also go out to Tshaka Campbell, who realized a lifelong dream of his by finally delivering his first feature performance @ GREEN! Ah, it's the little victories....

This MONDAY, November 5th: When President Bush declared nations Iraq, Iran, and North Korea the "axis of evil" a few years back, little could he have realized that in 2007, that phrase would become the name of a comedy tour featuring Arab-Americans performing some of the sharpest political satire going.

But that's exactly what's happened, as the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour - featuring Ahmed Ahmed, Maz Jobrani, Aaron Kader, and our feature this week, NICK YOUSSEF, among others - is currently slaying fans with laughter nationwide. Obliterating the stereotypes of Middle Easterners that Bush and Fox News have worked so hard to promote - as humorless souls raging with anti-American sentiment - the comics are hitting stages all across America and they won't be silenced or marginalized.



Nick Youssef, one of the cornerstones of the AOE Tour, is a 25-year-old local rising star who brings quick-witted sarcasm, potent political edge, and a deceptively innocent look to his weekly sets at the Comedy Store. Performing since he was 18, Youssef has learned to hone his youthful angst into a powerful voice, with nods to Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison, Bill Hicks, and even the prog-rock band Tool.

With a list of influences like that, he should fit right in with our usual ragtag group of open mic regulars we've grown accustomed to over here at at GREEN Central (That's YOU!!)!!

As always, come with an open mind and a sense of humor. We'll take care of the rest.

See ya at the Palmer (9pm sharp!).

Jedi, Joshua, and Ratpack Rob.

TSHAKA GETS HIS GREEN ON!!!

LAST WEEK: We had the one-two punch of OVEOUS MAXIMUS repping NY and rocking poems about family, and the mighty mighty BESSKEPP, who brought the Dim Lights family in the place and showed us once again why he's got the deepest pockets in SoCal when it comes to heartfelt bodyrockin' verse...!

THIS WEEK:

We are thrilled to have a cat who's got global love, from New York to San Francisco, from Jamaica to our fair city...he's can spit all hard-hitting slam style AND wrap you in layers of metaphor. He's a powerhouse. He is TSHAKA! And here's a snippet from his bio:

Tshaka Menelik Imhotep Campbell is his Full Name, you could say his government name. However, he likes to be known as simply a “TarMan Celebrating his Natural Kink”. Originally from London England and of Jamaican decent, Tshaka has been writing poetry in excess of 10 years but only recently decided to step out of the world in his head and share with the masses.

“Imagery is what Poetry is about for me,” he says. “I feel the need to paint a picture for the listener, reader or audience and take them on a journey … Have them experience the place or situation that I am spitting about. I want them to go home and write afterwards, kiss their Momma, or hug their baby, kick their roommate, slap their landlord or whatever…As long as it invokes emotion action/reaction afterwards.”

See? The man can't even write a damn bio without getting deep and lyrical! This is gonna be a helluva feature...

Do.
Not.
Sleep.

See you at the Palmer,
Jedi, Joshua, and Robert Ross.

BESSKEPP HOLDS IT DOWN THIS WEEK AT GREEN!

LAST WEEK: We had the Denver Dynamo PAULIE LIPMAN in the building, dropping science both serious and silly, talking about nerdism, tattoos, his heritage, and tons more...(check out Paulie at Mic and Dim Lights Thursday, October 18th as well)...!

THIS WEEK: Speaking of A Mic and Dim Lights, AKA one of the biggest open mics in Southern California, we are extra hyped to have back the host of that venue and one of our favorite poets ever, BESSKEPP! This is a cat who's done it all, from the page to the stage and back again. Raised on a diet of Langston Hughes and Public Enemy, his poems mix the personal with the political with an urgency that only a true teacher can provide. His bio:

HBO Def Poet, author, and a member of two national slam teams, Besskepp merges originality and heritage with performance and at countless colleges, cafes, arenas, festivals, and coffeehouses. Twice named Teacher of the Year, he was featured by the Los Angeles Times for his academic innovation that incorporates Hip Hop and Poetry into the classroom. By mixing classical structure with an urban flavor, Besskepp creates poetry that deconstructs the complex issues facing youth today through non-elitist language. Other accomplishments include an appearance on BETs The Way You Do It, as well as being featured on Fox Television for his performance at the 2004 Hip Hop Theater Festival. In 2005, Besskepp's Hip Hop Theater Play, Homeless Beatboxer was twice featured at the REDCAT Theater at Disney Hall. His weekly poetry reading (A MIc & Dim Lights) www.myspace.com/amdl is arguably the largest in California, and rated among the top five in the nation. In 2003, his much anticipated CD release Bluze Langwij, was described by Rock and Rap Confidential as the most musical mixture of spoken word with the instrumental truth. His poetry addresses pertinent issues as equal rights, single-parent households, education, homelessness and the influences of Hip Hop on our society.

We're hoping he brings some of the Dim Lights Alumni to rock the mic as well, but even if he's solo with no mic and no lights, he will still rock your face off!

and NEXT WEEK: The cross-contintental vocab-drenched verses of TSHAKA CAMPBELL!

See you at the Palmer,
Slim, Jedi, and Joshua.