Syracuse alum and ATL music/entertainment insider Shanti Das (aka Shoestrings) appeared last week at SXSW on a panel to discuss gender politics in Hip Hop culture. We also heard her on a recent Combat Jack Show where she talked about an upcoming campaign called “Silence the Shame” to create dialogue about mental health.
Das came to CBT last fall.
If you are a SU Basketball fan, you may be missing the team in this year’s NCAA Tournament, but here is some good news about one former player…
Former ‘Cuse bigman Rony Seikaly is now a house music DJ in Miami. He has program on Soundcloud and Sirius XM called “Sugar Free Radio,” and he will spin tomorrow as part of Miami Music Week.
Earlier in the week we were pleased hear, for the first time, Starlett Brown. She performed as one of the acts for the Women in Music event at the Community Folk Art Center.
Brown has sang background for many national-acts. In this clip she shows her range and takes a secular song and folds it into the sacred realm. Listen and let it take you to church…
Here is a Marvin Gaye cover from Thursday’s Women in Music event at the Community Folk Art Center. You’ll enjoy the great melodic synergy between Sherri Williams, Jeff Houston and Travis Reed, plus the slide show of local and national protest photographs that accompanied the song was genius. Almost makes you wanna holler!
Patricia Albright
Vocalist Patricia Albright was one of the first artists to sing for last night’s Women in Music event at the Community Folk Art Center.
Albright was accompanied by Brian Moore (right) on piano.
Vocalist Sherri Williams talked about the impact of music on her family.
We saw five dynamic ladies participate in the Women in Music series last night at the Community Folk Art Gallery (CFAC). The featured vocalist was Sherri Williams. Her set, complete with a visual slide show, reminded us how much our relationship to music has changed in terms of sharing and appreciating songs. Unlike today’s personal device/social media/digital download environment, back in the day we often listened to music as families, and did our own version of liking and sharing. One particular cut Williams remembered hearing through her uncle’s collection was “For the Love of You” by the Isley Bros. Her rendition of that classic, with Jeff Houston on guitar and Travis Reed on keys, ushered in a sweet wave of nostalgia that felt like a late summer cookout.
Syracuse University, College of Visual and Peforming Arts 2011 Fashion Show Gala
Syracuse is extremely fertile ground for poets, writers and story-tellers. Here is a sound clip from a reading done by Jackie Warren-Moore (who we call our poet laureate) during the Apartheid & Identity event in Downtown Syracuse last week. Her tale illustrates that activism by women and social justice also run deep in our roots.
To find out how this story from her childhood ends, check her out during a public reading, or purchase a copy of her work.
Warren-Moore gave the reading along with Georgia Popoff and Vanessa Johnson.
Window Moment