King of the Go-Go Beat

By Von Black
Wednesday, April 29, 2015

The Howard Theatre - Friday, June 5th 11:30 pm

Tickets $25-$40

There's an upcoming event dubbed the King of the Go-Go Beat that will showcase the talent of Donnell Floyd and his Band, Team Familiar.

I'm personally not a big fan of Donnell Floyd nor he of me, but I can't deny that this dude has a subtle fire about himself that is so impressive that it takes an absolute hater to offer anything negative about his entertaining prowess. Donnell Floyd is like the James Brown of Go-Go. He has to literally force himself to settle down when he's controlling the mic. In recent years, he's come to the realization that he's getting older and needs to preserve his vocal chords, so he's scaled back a substantial amount of his power over the crowd when he performs.

Does that take away from his performance, I'd say yes, but he still is the super entertainer. He doesn't need anything extraordinary to bring the heat. And please don't let him put that headband on because that spells war. When I reflect back to the Bash of the Titans that Garsone hosted in December of 2013, I recall that Wisdom Speeks opened the show with a fiery performance that was the epitome of showmanship, but Team Familiar (then called Familiar Faces) came with a partial line-up and very little energy, but who needs energy when you have D. Floyd on the stage. They still tore it up.

Big G is another personality that is recognized as a performer that breathes life into Go-Go, and many would argue that the culture rest on his shoulders, but Big G has a limited audience as far as his Go-Go following is concerned. Yes, he's a star who, without any efforts, rocks the crowd into a crazed frenzy. I get goosebump everytime I see it, but Big G is only labeled the Prince. Could that be because at the time Chuck Brown was alive? What about now? If he's the Prince, who's the King?

To many, Team Familiar is undeniably the heart of Go-Go, and Donnell Floyd has a broader fan-base because of his Grown & Sexy appeal, and that will not likely change anytime soon. The industry needs Donnell Floyd to keep on doing what he's doing. He is well respected, and whether you like him or not, you gotta love him if you're a fan of Go-Go. If you don't...Stop hatin'! June 5th will be a treat, so get your tickets now. This may be the last time you see Donnell Floyd in rare form. Who knows, we might even see him blow the dust off of that imfamous headband. Ijs. The theme of the show is The King of the Go-Go Beat. Gig-gigga-boo, Gig-gigga-boo.

Team Familiar Bio

Familiar Faces (formerly 911) was formed in 2001 from the vision and under the leadership of the legendary GoGo great, Donnell Floyd. The band developed quite a reputation in the city, earning them the title "Grown & Sexy Band" of the DMV. Performing with the likes of national recording artists' greats, such as Montell Jordan, Tony Terry, Fantasia, Marsha Ambrosius, and R. Kelly, Raheem DeVaughn and Melanie Fiona, Familiar Faces fast became one of the best bands to see.After a ten year, strong run in the city, there was great excitement when Floyd, DP and Bojack decided to return to Rare Essence in 2010.

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Although that reunion was short lived, it didn't take long for Floyd, and some of the original Familiar Faces crew to figure out, that you can't fit a round peg in a square hole; and so returns Familiar Faces.Continuing to gel its chemistry, Familiar's leader, Floyd never stops seeking perfection, in his artists or his band. Now with several GoGo legends in the band, this group is sure to achieve the success that GoGo has longed for.

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