Indie Review

Ethiopian-born,  singer/songwriter Wayna possesses a voice that is as sweet and pure as  it is honest and passionate. This young talent’s love for music started  as a child, when she starred in theater productions like “Annie,” and  “Damn Yankees” and toured with a children’s musical review company.  Wayna went on to hone her vocal talents as a young adult by absorbing  the works of her favorite artists, including Minnie Riperton, Billie  Holiday, Stevie Wonder, and Donny Hathaway. While  in college, Wayna was crowned Miss Black Unity of the University of  Maryland in 1995, earning a one year tuition scholarship and special  honors for “Best Talent” and “Best Response to Question” at the 17th  annual pageant. The following year, she founded a gospel quartet and  performed with the group at the World Famous Apollo Theater in Harlem,  NY, where they placed as finalists in the Amateur Night competition. She  traveled with the critically acclaimed University of Maryland Gospel  Choir and regularly performed at churches and gospel showcases  throughout the East coast. After earning a Bachelor’s degree with a  double major in English and Speech Communication from the University of  Maryland, Wayna began her professional career as a Writer in the White  House for the Clinton administration. But soon, the pull to realize her  dream as a recording artist would prove too great. She left to  concentrate on her music full-time. Since then, Wayna has collaborated  with legendary studio icon/producer Bill Laswell, with critically and  comercially hailed producer Eran Tabib, Jive Records producer, Veit  Renn, and former Touch of Jazz standout, Kev Brown. She is a featured  vocalist/co-writer on on the Sly and Robbie album, Version Born released  by Palm Pictures and also featuring contributions from Killah Priest,  Black Thought, and N’dea Davenport. She’s also served as a featured  vocalist and writer on a number of independent projects for artists,  including W. Ellington Felton, Kenn Starr, Kev Brown, Cy Young, and  Tamara Wellons. Wayna has recently opened for a number of  internationally recognized artists on the DC leg of their respective  tours, including Fantasia, Amerie, Common, Bobby Valentino, Jaguar  Wright, Kindred, and Chuck Brown. She’s performed and headlined at  renown venues such as the White House (DC), the Temple Bar (CA), the  Apollo Theater (NY), the Lincoln Theater (DC), Joe’s Pub (NY), Dream  Nightclub (DC), the Black Cat (DC), the 9:30 club (DC), Bohemian Caverns  (DC), Takoma Station (DC), the Ashford and Simpson Sugar Bar (NY), and  the Georgia Dome (GA). 

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Henry  himself is perhaps best recognized around the world as the sweet toned  trombonist featured in the Rebirth Brass Band, Galactic, and trumpeter  Kermit Ruffins’ band, The Barbecue Swingers.  He has also recorded and  played with the Dirty Dozen, Treme and New Birth Brass Bands. He has  imparted his fiery melodies on stages everywhere from New Orleans  neighborhood barrooms to far away festivals before hundreds of thousands  in Canada, Japan Australia, Brazil, Hungary, Spain and Thailand and  command performances for the ambassadors of Senegal, Morocco, Egypt and  Kuwait. Long  before teaming up with any these vanguard ensembles however, Henry, now  36, had been leading his own band for over twenty years.   Like so many  other eager young musicians in the Crescent City, he hung around older  musicians to build his skills and develop his style.  In 1985, the  legendary musician, Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen, encouraged the  10-year-old prodigy, suggesting he put a band together.  The Lil’  Rascals Brass Band has been together now for 26 years, still challenging  second liners and rival bands with its hot beats.  The ensemble has  released two fine, very diverse albums.  In 1998, they demonstrated  their respect for traditional brass band music on We Shall Walk Through  the Streets of the City  which includes such classic numbers as “Paul  Barbarin’s Second Line.” And in 2001 they released Buck It Like a Horse,  a disc filled with sizzling original material, redefining a new era of  brass band music. Since  2008, Henry has been touring with Galactic and has recorded 3 albums  with them.In 2011, Henry started a new venture, establishing the Treme  Funktet. It’s a funky sextet that’s comfortable moving from jazz to  R&B and hip-hop, with an occasional visit to the second-line brass  band style.  “I wanted to explore something different—do some of my own  material and share some of my own ideas,” Henry says of the freedoms  offered by Treme Funktet. In 2012, Henry is a Grammy Winner with the  Rebirth Brass Band for the album Rebirth of New Orleans in the Best  Regional Roots Category. Now  working on his solo album, Corey Henry plans to pay tribute to all the  veteran New Orleans musicians from whom he learned his craft, absorbing  all they had to offer.  As a kid, he’d spend hours listening to  trombonists like Trummy Young, J.J. Johnson, Al Grey and Jack Teagarden.   He hails Fred Wesley as being especially influential to his musical  approach.  But no matter their style, these masters remain with Henry  contributing to his wonderfully uncommon sophistication and tone. 

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Demetress ‘Nuwamba’ Cook isn’t your average neo-soul artist. Hailing  from Fort Worth, Texas, the singer/songwriter is fully aware of what the  industry’s expectations are- he’s just totally unaffected by them.  Nuwamba has been following his own rules since the second grade when he  started singing in his grade school’s glee club. Growing up in one of  the largest cities in Texas, his personality is a mix of pragmatism,  sensibility, and down home comfort. The latter especially, is reflected  in his music. His vocal presence is weighty over instrumentals, weaving  itself throughout soft lyrics about love and relationships. For Nuwamba  to never have been classically trained, he succeeds in holding listeners  captive with a single note. In his younger days, Nuwamba took note of his parents’ love for music.  At home, music had always been a major part of life, but it wasn’t until  he decided to join the chorus at school, when he saw and felt a true  personal connection to it. It was his participation in glee clubs and  church choirs where Nuwamba gained the confidence to claim singing as  his destiny. By his senior year of high school, he was writing songs as  well, but it wouldn’t be until his meeting with Atlanta-based  entrepreneur William Griggs when Nuwamba began realizing the necessary  development in becoming the best artist he could be. Nuwamba had begun traveling back and forth between Atlanta, Dallas and  abroad, taking his career to the next level. It was at the top of the  millennium that he’d started working closely with Griggs, who had been  building his own connections within the industry as a special project  manager for Warner Brothers Records. Griggs had been promoting an event  series called Chocolate Soul that was immediately beloved by the  bohemian set in Atlanta. Nuwamba took advantage of the opportunity to  perform every chance he could. Once the buzz for Chocolate Soul grew,  Griggs started producing compilation albums by the same name, showcasing  the artists who were crowd favorites (Raheem Devaghn, Eric Roberson,  Cee Lo, Kindred the Family Soul) at the weekly festival. Nuwamba was  featured on the Chocolate Soul’s Deluxe CD compilation. His “Take Me  Away” is an ethereal ode to taking a moment away from the hustle and  bustle of this fast-paced world and finding peace. His song “Forever”  was a part of the This Is Soul 2006 compilation released by SoulBrother  Records in London. Nuwamba’s music was also on the Soul Lounge  compilation released by Lightyear/Warner. His work appeared alongside  talented major artists such as Common, Mint Condition, Omar, and Conya  Doss on the Luire Presents RELAxY Pocket compilation (Japanese  release). By then, Nuwamba had become Griggs’ primary artist on his  fledging Chocolate Soul imprint, and while he worked on the label  compilations, he was constructing his own debut album Above the Water  (2006). Above the Water was a joint venture release between Griggs’  Chocolate Soul as well as Nuwamba’s imprint, BornSoulful Entertainment.  Nuwamba’s talents were well-received by the public after the album’s  official release. He’s been onstage in LA and New York. He’s blessed the  microphone from Baltimore and D.C. to Atlanta and has even gone  overseas with his talents to Kaiserslautern, Germany.

When you're first introduced to the soulful and artistic sound of *B~Free*, it is but a mere taste of all that this young lady is capable of. From the pureness of her voice to the depth of her lyrics, there is no doubt that the 24 year old singer, songwriter, producer and musician is sure to leave her mark on music scenes throughout the Midwest and beyond. Born in Chicago and raised in Milwaukee the inheritance of a musical family lead her to discover her love for the art form by the age of 2. She began singing and playing piano in her early years and has been writing and composing music since the age of 13. She majored in music throughout high school and college and has been thoroughly trained in a multitude of genres including jazz and classical flute, voice and piano. Since then, she has been able to hone her craft and develop a multifaceted sound. Now armed with a B.A. in Music Performance and working towards a Masters in Music Education, her main purpose is to share her gift with the world. She's performed in a number of venues throughout the East Coast and Midwest, including the Kennedy Center, Pabst and Riverside Theaters, The Metro, etc. She recently opened at the Double Door in Chicago for Slum Village and Dwele alongside Lili K. and The Secret Garden (which she is a notable member of.) March 1st 2012 marks the release her first independent project "Open Mic, Open Heart." It is a seven track studio album compiled of all original material composed, produced and performed by *B~Free* herself (along with a bonus track featuring production by Peter Cottontale.) Infused with traces of past and present generations of Soul, Hip Hop and R&B, It is an honest and passionate representation of all that is soon to come from the up and coming songstress.

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Every  so often a light shines into the darkness of musical mediocrity and  from the shadows emerges a fresh new artist with a gift that brings  illumination and perspective to their listeners. Born and raised in the  Bronx, New York, Colette Williams (affectionately known to her friends  as Colie) took the stage after her junior high school teacher recognized  her vocal talent. She encouraged Colie to attend Music & Arts High  School in Harlem where she majored in vocal studies. After graduation,  Colie continued her studies at Syracuse University where she  participated in their musical theatre program. Although an education  major, performing piqued Williams’ inherent love for music and provided  her with a restorative experience that she would be unable to deny.  Colie’s devotion to music and theatre led her to Washington, D.C. There  she began touring and performing with various professional theatre  productions, most notably, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  After concluding her theatre work, Colie turned her focus to developing  her own distinctive sound. “I’ve always felt a strong connection to  legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, Donny  Hathaway, Roberta Flack and Sade.” Spirited by the influence of these  legendary greats, Colie began honing a melodious style all her own. With  an established vision for her sound and a new band, Colie Williams  featuring Soul For A New Day, naturally complement each other with  seamless precision during their performances of timeless covers and  enticing originals. Though often compared to songstresses like Jill  Scott and Teena Marie, Colie’s musical style uniquely blends sounds of  sultry jazz and classic R&B with therapeutic elements that speak to  the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of her listeners. This  singer/songwriter creates music to lift, inspire and share her truth.  Colie's performances intentionally set out to create intimate landscapes  where she connects and shares her vision with the audience. Since  arriving to the District, Colie continues to gain popularity by  frequently appearing in famous U Street corridor venues that include,  Bus Boys and Poets, The Islander, and Jo-Jo’s. Colie’s audiences  frequently request her original material during her performances.  Melodic originals such as "Angel" and "All You Need" embody a balance of  spirit, melody and rhythms. Co-written with producers The Crank Bros.,  her style fuses Go-Go, Latin, Classic R&B and Jazz to create a  breath of fresh air to the urban adult contemporary music scene. As  Williams reaches back to call upon the classic styles of Ella, Sarah and  Billy to inspire her music, her message reaches forward towards today’s  audiences. 

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Slakah  the Beatchild; a highly sought after performing producer who has  produced for Canadian artists Justin Nozuka, Drake, Glenn Lewis, Divine  Brown, Ayah, Ebrahim and Melanie Durrant. He was nominated for a JUNO  Award for his work as a producer with artists Shad, Ebrahim &  Arabesque. In 2009 he was awarded a JUNO Award for the Divine Brown  album Love Chronicles. Member of hiphop duo the mighty “Art of Fresh”,  solo artist and creator of “The Slakadeliqs”. Slakah the Beatchild’s  fresh and unique solo material caught the attention of the legendary BBE  label in Europe (J-Dilla, Wil.i.Am, Pete Rock & Dj Jazzy Jeff). He  released a solo album entitled “Soul Movement Vol.I”, the first  installment of many. This album was met with international critical  acclaim. Videos from this album get considerable play on BETJ, VH1 Soul,  MTV, MuchMusic and MuchVibe. In addition to this project, he formed the  house-hop group Art of Fresh with long time friend D.O., a Guinness  World Record holder for longest freestyle. In 2008 they released an  album entitled “Back to the Earth” which earned a 4 star review in Eye  Weekly and Charted at #1 on the National College Charts. The group made  URB’s Next 1000 list. They have videos in rotation on MuchMusic, have  appeared on MTV Live and have had MySpace and YouTube features. The Art  of Fresh continue to build on their solid fan base and entertain crowds  across the globe. The Beatchild recently formed “The Slakadeliqs”.  Inspired by classic rock, reggae and pop influences such as: Tingsek,  Neil Young, The Guess Who, The Zombies, The B-52’s, UB40, Jimmy Cliff,  Bob Marley, The Beatles and Lenny Kravitz. The unconventional sound of  The Slakadeliqs highlights musical diversity. From his Hip Hop/soul that  he is most famous for to an eclectic, thoughtful sound that touches the  hearts of his listeners individually, Beatchild keeps us listening.  

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With over 15 years  of production experience under her belt, Joyce Washington is the  company you most certainly keep when producing television projects,  commercials, music videos or your next Independent Feature. Her resume  reads like an award nominee roster. Joyce has produced music videos for  Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J Blige, Will I Am, Joss Stone, Marc  Anthony, Lil Wayne, Ciara, Westlife, Thalia, Toni Braxton, TI and Mary  Mary just to name a few. Washington is clearly the hardest working  producer in show business. Where you find platinum artists like the  aforementioned you will also find some of the top auteurs in the game.  Washington has produced for award winning directors Tim Story, Hype  Williams, Jake Nava, Benny Boom, Ray Kay, Antti Jokinen, Bryan Barber,  Paul Hunter, Billie Woodruff, Erik White, Marcus Raboy, Dave Meyers,  Darren Grant and Jesse Dylan. Joyce Washington began her career in the  mid ‘90’s as Director of Operations for Propaganda Films, a company that  spearheaded the modern music video movement. As opportunities in the  field grew Washington became an Independent Producer. Washington  produced short film “Breakdown” which won top honors at the Acapulco  Black Film Festival, feature film “Book of Love”, commercials, TV Shows  (Soul Train Music Awards, VH-1 Awards Show, Lady of Soul Awards), Talk  Shows (Keenan Ivory Wayans, Michael Baisden), Web Content for Gatorade  Network (Variety Show “Leave it on the Floor”, hosted by Fonzworth  Bentley and Quest for G Sports Series). One of her funniest and most  memorable moments came when she produced the comedy short “Skank  Robbers” starring Martin Lawrence and Jamie Foxx. She developed a  relationship with Foxx/King and went on to produce Jamie Foxx Live  Concert DVD for his 2009 “Blame It” tour. Washington has not only  produced through out the U.S but has worked around the world, such  places as Jamaica, Ireland, South Africa, Puerto Rico and Brazil.  Currently, Washington continues making magic working in all forms of  media. Starting her own Production Company, Eleven Seven Productions,  Washington is developing TV Shows and reviewing feature  length scripts. Joyce just recently wrapped the T-Boz reality series for  the TLC network.  She explains her success and consistency in a very competitive business  this way, “Faith and hard work make anything possible.” 

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Lili  K. (@LiliKjazz) is the charismatic 20 year old songstress whose name is quickly  popping up in different circles around the Midwest. Her infectious smile  is nothing compared to the reaction that people have upon hearing her  sing. Her smooth and sultry sound is countered well by her quirky and  energetic live performances with her band, The Secret Garden. She began  performing in her early years through church and elementary school  choirs and started writing original music at the age of ten. Since then,  she has built quite a repertoire of an original jazz/ neo-soul/  electronic-hip hop sound. Growing up in an artistic household in the  inner city of Milwaukee, Lili learned to channel her emotions and  combine her influences to create her individual sound. She graduated  from Milwaukee High School of the Arts where she was trained in  classical, opera, and jazz voice, as well as music theory, and is  currently a Junior at Columbia College Chicago, majoring in music  business. Miss K. has performed at numerous events, including Summerfest  and CMJ, and has performed alongside acts like Dwele, The Cool Kids,  and Peter Hadar, etc. at reputable venues in the Midwest including The  Metro and The Double Door. On July 1st, 2011, Lili released her first  project, a four song EP entitled 'A Prelude To Hello,' with composer  Peter Cottontale. The EP has gotten outstanding reviews from prominent  online media outlets such as Ruby Hornet, Art Nouveau Mag, Soul Bounce,  etc. She's a fresh face to the game with a modernly vintage sound; there  is much more to come from this young soul singer. 

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Candice likens her musical existence to feeling like a stranger on earth.  “Humans like for you to say what your identifying labels are,” she  points out. “Once you do that, you have to stay in that category. If you  do anything else, it confuses them.” Embodying the subtle rapture of  Joan Armatrading, the robust confidence of Meshell Ndegeocello, and the  thespian gender inquisition of Cheryl Dunye, the left-of-soul  singer-songwriter has learned that it’s much easier to buck convention  than to live a futile existence of the square peg in a round hole. “The  thing I’m embracing and having the most fun with is that it’s ok to be  the me that I’ve always been all along.” Hailing from a planet called  Philadelphia, the Brooklyn-based songstress was reared in a musical  family rooted in the glorious sounds of the local church choir. “Music  was a big part of our household,” she says. “My father’s love of music  and his writing music was something that was very special and important  early on.” However, many years passed before the impetus to find her  voice struck. “I always considered myself as an artist. By the time I  was interested in singing, I asked my father to teach me. And he told me  I wasn’t ready yet. For many years, I battled that comment.” Featuring  live actors backed by illustrated technicolor settings, Candice faces  derogatory and inhibiting comments, to which she responds by drawing  boxes around the perpetrators, effectively caging them in, as she  chastises their disrespect. The surreal illustrated backgrounds contrast  with the serious subject matter and position Candice as a confident  woman who will not let others confine nor define her, true to her vision  as a person and artist. Candice is currently working on her Big Treee  album. Soon after the earthquake that shook Haiti on January 12, 2010, a  photograph of a mountain of dead bodies gripped Candice Anitra. The  shared humanity screamed out, and raw emotion compelled Anitra to  compose a song as a reminder that we are all connected and vulnerable,  living on one shared earth, and responsible for supporting one another.  

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Malachi was born in Prince George's County, Maryland, a suburb of  Washington D.C., Malachi started from humble beginnings with a young mother and step-father who raised him to be a very spiritually aware,  confident, and disciplined individual. "Growing up I saw it all drugs,  abuse, you name it! However, when I heard music, it was my escape. I  started to feel like there was more to life than some of the things I  saw. That's why I took on the name Malachi which means "my messenger"  because I wanted to use music as away to get a message across. The last  name Rivers came about because I wanted the message to flow like a  river." Malachi, began to take his love for music seriously auditioning  and being accepted into a prestigious performing arts school in  Maryland. Honing his craft vocally, Malachi studied Classical voice.  After graduating Malachi, attended the University of Maryland where he  developed an interest in spoken word poetry. Malachi, studied the craft,  started a group with a female singer/poet and became one of the DMV's  most dominant spoken word performers. Winning Slams, and performing  alongside or for many outstanding performers including Saul Williams,  Sonia Sanchez, Dick Gregory, and performing at the same spot on a weekly  basis as R&B singer Raheem Devaughn. After the group broke up,  Malachi began to do some soul searching. Taking time away from the  craft, Malachi enrolled in Broadcasting school, graduated, worked hard  as an intern at Radio One and within a few months became the co-host of a  talk show on a very new at the time XM Satellite Radio - "The Power".  In less than a year Malachi was given his own show on XM Satellite Radio  - "The Flow" called The "Nu Soul Lounge." This got him back to music  and he soon left it all and moved to NYC to pursue dreams as a  emcee/poet" Malachi delved right into the New York scene, with only $103  dollars in his pocket and a dream.  

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