Kelli Bigelow

Here's my story...
My parents were party folk so I grew up with music in the house...Not to mention I was artistically inclined with dancing. I have danced ALL my life: Tap Dance schools, Arena Players,Goucher,School for the Arts, talent shows.. you name it, I danced there. My very first taste of quote unquote "alternative music" was very early in my childhood. I remember it was 1980, I was in the sixth grade and my dad always loved music. He had purchase the first album by the Police.. and there was a cut on there called "Voices Inside My Head". I loved the whole album. Then that summer Planet Rock came out, and it was on like hot butter'd popcorn!!! The "New Wave" genre was hot, MTV was brand new, and I was breaking my neck to be a Valley Talk'n Preppy/Punkrocker LOL ( Oh god that seems like another lifetime on another planet) It's 1982-83 ... my dad and I are @ Music Liberated in Mondawmin. I see this Album that looked so cool.. it was called Pavement and Penthouse. Tommy Davis was working there and played it for my dad, he loved it and so did I. He bought the album by Heaven 17! Who knew that this album would produce one of Club/House/New Wave's and one of the songs our generation is best known for "Let Me Go" God, John that song is one of my ALL time favorites. That shi! brings me to tears. That song reminds me of what happened to us and our generation with house music... I am going to make this interview long ... because I want you to read these lyrics..:

LET ME GO

Once there was a day
We were together all the way
An endless path unbroken
But now there is a time
A torture less sublime
Our souls are locked and frozen

Once we were years ahead but now those thoughts are dead
Let me go
All hopeless fantasies are making fools of me
Let me go
I walk alone and yet I never say goodbye
Let me go
A change of heart a change of mind and heaven fell that night Let me go

I tried but could not bring
The best of everything
Too breathless then to wonder
I died a thousand times
Found guilty of no crime
Now everything is thunder

Daytime all I want is
Nighttime I don't need the
Daytime all I want is
Nighttime I don't need the

The best years of our lives
The hope of it survives
The facts of life unspoken
The only game in town
I'll turn the last card down
And now the bank is broken

Found guilty of no crime
They were the best years of our lives
I'll turn the last card down
Dayum I love that song...

John for some reason, I have always had friends as DJ's or dated them LOL. I remember when I was 14 ... I snuck into Odell's with my cousin Pony and Jackie was at the door. My mom and my aunt Gale grew up and went to school with Odell Brock. So Ms. Jackie let us in ... we gave Karate the standard greeting with a kiss on the cheek and went in. What a world back then !!! I danced til I was hyper-ventilating!!! That club was so hot they had their own dance, The Odell Strut. I was prep'd out and pump'd up. Wayne was spinning, I will never forget this... he played this funky lil campy song by the B-52's... Mesopotamia! I went off!!! That night I heard my song Let Me Go!!!! And the love affair with Odell's ... Club Music (cuz that what we called back then)and DJ's began. From then on: Rhythm Skate, Poly Disco's,Odell's, Cignel's, Fantasy's,and the P-Dox. I grew up with DJ Spen. I have know Sean since 8th grade when he did the parties @ St. Joe. Not only is he one of my favorite DJ but one of my close friends. Shoot John... me and Base (I have known Rhonda since Elementary and we danced together) practically lived with Ultra back during Fantasy's. Ultra and I were very close for years... she has evolved into a wonderful performer. And I dated Michael Joyner for a while. The Legendary Wayne Davis is actually my uncle-in-law ( I married his nephew down @ the P-Dox! Whew... anyway... enough of my musical associations !!!

All that to say this type of music speaks so strongly and clearly to me. Its ALL I know!!! Not too mention I get it honest Disco was my mom's second language LOL !!! So ... Here I am ... almost 35, a former ballet dancing, Pink Hair wearing former Punk Rocker who is now a respectable * cough cough* Network Engineer! Its so despondent and hopeless now... I mean the state of the world, the 20 something mindset and the condition of musicianship! Make's ya wanna holla!!! But all I do is think about any night I had at any of those clubs and somehow I am able to smile through all this nonsense. Dancing is my life...