Soul Night expands local night life options

11/3/2005

Expanding the social horizons of the urban set is a task Keith Cook, Paul Hubbard II, and Keith Roberts say they are prepared for. All it takes, they say, is a little bit of soul.

The three friends agree that due to the lack of a defined social scene or locations in the Toledo area for those who enjoy hip-hop, funk, soul, and old-school rhythm and blues music, it s up to them and others of like mind to create their own.

That s where their promotion company, Laxmode, comes in. Cook, 30, Hubbard, 29, and Roberts, 35, who is known as disc jockey Keith Success, will host Soul Night, an evening of old school eclectic music, from 7 p.m. to midnight Sunday at Jackson s Lounge & Grill, 233 North Huron St.

Laxmode also is the umbrella for a socially conscious apparel business selling shirts and accessories with poems and phrases and figures such as Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and blaxploitation actors such as Pam Grier and Richard Roundtree. The company also promotes the Phunk Bros. and Da Basix local music groups.

Cook and Hubbard, both graduates of Bowling Green State University, where they met as undergraduate students, formerly lived in Detroit.

We re used to a certain kind of partying and a certain kind of kicking it that we weren t seeing here. So instead of complaining about it, we re trying to create our own vibe right here in Toledo, said Cook, who plans to host Soul Night every first Sunday of the month at Jackson s.

DJ Success, who has been spinning records professionally since age 15, said he promises to entice party-goers with an earful of music spun with classic beats and timeless lyrics.

Soul Night, an evening of old school eclectic music hosted by Laxmode s Keith Cook, Paul Hubbard II, and DJ Keith Success is from 7 p.m. to midnight at Jackson s Lounge & Grill, 233 North Huron St. No cover from 7-9 p.m. $5 admission after 9 p.m. A portion of proceeds will go to New Beginnings Community Corp. Information: www.myspace.com/laxmode.

Contact Rhonda B. Sewell at: rsewell@theblade.com or 419-724-6101.