I've seen poet Luke Smiraldo perform maybe 34 times over the years. I've seen him whip up a spoken word ditty about the Weekly Volcano at the old Panamonicas. He blew me away with the Tacoma Urban Orchestra at this year's Fall Free For All. He's the real deal. Smiraldo, better known as Vanilla Soul, will team up with world-renowned musician Foday Musa Suso for was pre-show hype calls a fusion of "kora, song and spoken word into a revolutionary cutting edge performance that straddles world music, spontaneous song inventions and spoken word."

When the music finally fades, and you find your head, don't be surprise to find yourself 30 feet to the left.

CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING, WITH KATE FONTANA, FRIDAY NOV. 9, 7 P.M., $10-$12, 206 N. J ST., TACOMA, 253.383.3151