Black Velvet ( in tribute to James Brown!) at Tip Top Bar and Grill

"My first cape was sewn together from three sequined evening gowns from the Salvation Army"- Black Velvet

Black Velvet is a showstopper that goes beyond mere imitation. He tears it all out from a deep place, his performance fierce and impassioned, the crowd a frenzy of shaking hips and stamping feet. This is why they call it soul, you just got to feel it.

Tip Top Bar and Grill in Bed Stuy, a neighborhood joint where the vibe is friendly and the $15 all you can eat soul buffet plentiful- chicken and ribs, corn bread, macaroni and cheese, a mana of comfort food. The low ceilings are dotted with christmas lights and the bar is lined with beer bottles stoppered with white napkins.

Bad-ass bartender, Lala, her name like a pair of notes, tells us it is Tip Top tradition to top your bottle this way to keep out the metal taste of the cap. Junior the door man tells us that when he opened up the bar with a trio of his siblings in the 60's, the place was called "Brothers".