The now-defunct Suite 250 in Union Station was packed to the brim as folks were forced to peek their head in from the hallway to get a listen for the inaugural Café Soul in 2006.
One by one the who’s who of the local soul music scene took the stage as well as a few stars of the Black Rep’s production of Dreamgirls – including one of the event founders, Rochelle “Coco Soul” Moore.
As Café Soul now approaches its two-year anniversary, anyone who has attempted to stop through Café Soul at the Lucas School House after about 8 p.m. (the show starts around 9 p.m.) and work their way through the crowd will tell you that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
As clubs – including a couple that once housed Café Soul – have come and gone, one of the hottest open mics in the area has proven that it is here to stay.
Tomorrow night (Friday, July 18) they will continue with a special celebration in honor of their two years of offering the best and brightest in live music at Club Lumen (in addition to Moore’s birthday). Performances will include Bradd Young, Wild Mann, Coco Soul, Lamar Harris, Starchild, Elements of Soul and more.
“Well, we made it,” Moore said with a hint of excitement and exhaustion. “We’ve passed the freshman mark, and we’ve sustained. It’s an accomplishment.”
While it is officially an open mic night that goes down every third Friday of the month at the Lucas School House (the venue may permanently change to accommodate the growing crowd), those who don’t know better would assume that it is an orchestrated and rehearsed musical presentation because of the caliber of artists coupled with an amazing house band.
“It’s a sharing of talent, gifts and energy, and I love it,” Moore said. “Each of us is passionate about Café Soul, so people can’t help but be passionate about it.”
Angela Brown, Moore and Nichol Stevenson round out the team that present Café Soul.
“We are growing the superstars of tomorrow at Café Soul with hopes that they will be recognized by somebody,” Brown said.
“We want to be that vehicle to help singers to be how they need to be and who they want to be.”
The spot is familiar stomping grounds for Coultrain, Black Spade, Teresa Jenee, Lamar Harris and Wild Mann. They are not household names at this point, but surely will be among those to carry the baton when the mainstream finally wakes up and embraces what the St. Louis music scene has to offer besides commercialized hip-hop.
Not only has Café Soul set itself aside as being one of the essential hotspots to hear local grinders on the R&B/soul scene, they have also become a viable partner in other local and national music initiatives.
They recently partnered with the McDonald’s R&B Soul Search competition – which included several Café Soul regulars as contestants – and their name was tied to concert presentations of hip-hop star Common, hip-hop legend Whodini and new-school R&B favorite Lyfe Jennings.
And due to popular demand, the trio is looking to take Café Soul on the road in 2009, where they will take the house band to venues in cities around the Midwest.
“I knew Café would be successful, but I didn’t know that it would become something that people talked about outside of St. Louis,” Brown said.
But as the brand recognition of Café Soul continues to grow, their roots of being a place for new and familiar artists to spread their wings remains firmly planted.
“St. Louis has many hidden talents,” Stevenson said. “And we’re about letting artists know who we are and that the doors are open to them at no cost to them.”
As they grow, the ladies are looking at the ambitious goal of providing soul service to 1,000 people each month by way of Café Soul. As lofty as it sounds, any regular will agree it’s attainable.
Stevenson said, “I say it is going to get bigger and better every year.”
Café Soul’s two-year Anniversary/Coco Soul Birthday Celebration will take place at 9 p.m. with 8 p.m. doors tomorrow (Friday, July 18) at Lumen, 2201 Locust. Visit www.myspace.com/cafesoulstl.
