Ten months ago, “differences of opinions” served as the catalyst for two well-known Go-Go artists deciding to leave their former group and to take a “leap of faith” and form their own band, The Dynamic Duo.
Now, as they anticipate both celebrating their one-year anniversary and their debut performance at the Summer Spirit Festival 2018, both taking place in August, more and more opportunities continue to come their way — from the Carolinas, Philadelphia and Miami to and the Dominican Republic — confirming what the band’s founders, Frank Sirius aka “Scooby” and Ms. Kim Michelle, the First Lady of Go-Go, say they’ve known for years — “the future for Go-Go on the worldwide stage remains ripe for the taking.”
“Our roots are here in the DMV and D.C. is the home of Go-Go, so whenever we’re playing in the area, we get great support — it always feels like home,” Scooby said. “But the outside world still hasn’t gotten the full grasp, the experience, that comes when you hear Go-Go live. That’s the only way it can really be appreciated. Ironically, that’s also our greatest challenge because it’s so expensive to travel with an entire band. Go-Go doesn’t have solo artists — it’s all about the band and the sound.”
The band’s members hail from Southeast to Annapolis with music being the constant among them and fixture in their lives since childhood. For Scooby, once a lead singer for the trend-setting Go-Go band L!SSEN, dubbed the “Godson of Go-Go” because of his heart-pounding melodies and smooth, vocal skills, pursuing a career in music has been his goal since he began playing in the streets of Southeast as a little boy before taking the first of many significant steps after joining the group L!SSEN shortly after his matriculation at Eastern High School in Northeast.
“The live band era is kind of extinct these days, but we thrive with it. We fuse sounds and techniques from the digital age with hip-hop, the highly-percussive beat and vibe of Go-Go, soul, R&B and everything in between. Being invited to the Summer Spirit Festival is a real honor — it’s the premier summer concert for the African-American community and its audiences are huge. All of the best artists are there. And with less than a year under our belt as a band, we’re excited about the opportunity.”
“Ms. Kim is large, a trendsetter among female Go-Go artists, a homegrown sister and a woman who’s extremely easy on the eyes. She’s been singing since forever and she’s proven herself. When we all go out on that stage, we bring a lot of energy, original music and a combination of sounds that we believe makes us special, different — even unique..”
“We’re from D.C. and D.C. has a sound that’s really hard to duplicate. That’s our trump card, our ace in the hole. We’ve learned to embrace that sound and to keep the audience involved as much as we can. That’s what playing and listening to Go-Go is all about.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Readers may recall that Ms. Kim previously performed with the Go-Go band Rare Essence during which she reached a new milestone for women in the musical genre after she recorded Ashlee Simpson’s hit song, “Pieces of Me,” cranking up the vocals and fusing the go-go sound, taking the DMV by storm and rising to the top of the area’s hip-hop, R&B and pop charts.