Music. Thoughts. Inspiration.
I had my 3 seconds of fame last weekend as the Apollo Live taping I attended this summer aired on BET following the Soul Train Awards.
Apollo Live is a revival of the classic talent showcase series hosted by Tony Rock. The celebrity judges include Gladys Knight, Doug E. Fresh, and New Edition’s Michael Bivins.
I was able to attend as a BET summer intern. It was great to get to see the production side of things even though I look a bit crazy unkept after a long day of work!
This weekend I traveled down to Philly for The Inspiration Fall 2012 Show in collaboration with African Rythms, Fela: Rhythms of Desire.
The Inspiration is a co-ed a cappella singing group founded in 1989 for students of the University of Pennsylvania. It serves as a musical outlet for individuals with a desire to celebrate thelegacy of the music of theAfrican Diaspora.
I believe the Inspiration is among the top groups on campus, but I may be bias as I am a proud Inspiration alum! Don’t just take my word for it, check out a few performances below and judge for yourself. ‘89 #iSing
“Take Care” by Drake Ft. Rihanna [Influenced by Gil Scott-Heron]
Forgive the commentary I was on double duty (proud alum & videographer)!
The set list also included “Stay” by Elle Varner, “No Letting Go” by Wayne Wonder, “Party” by Beyonce, and “Kiss” by Prince. More videos coming soon!
Find more about the group, music, and booking information here.
So this post is suppper delayed, but last week I took a little hiatus from some of my social media activities. I went to see the Pentatonix perform at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City on Tuesday, September 12. Pentatonix is a 5-member a cappella group that is most known for winnning season 3 of NBC’s The Sing-Off, and for having the ability to transcend the customary boundaries of a cappella with unique and futuristic arrangements.
The show was nothing short of phenomenal.
I know Pentatonix is impressive, but nothing prepares you to see them performing live!
If you are familiar with The Sing-Off then you can recall the judges always referred to Avi and Kevin as the “meat and potatoes.” I have always been so obsessed with Scott (he is always featured on my blog), but my breakout stars for the night were definitely Kevin and Avi. It’s not very often that the focus is on the lower parts, but the bass and the beatboxing made the show!
The opening act for the night was Julia Easterlin — who deserves, and will get her own blog post. Great start to the night, and the crowd was pumped up for Pentatonix to hit the stage.
They did not disappoint, performing all of their big songs from The Sing-Off and all of my favorite covers from YouTube.
The best part of the night was the end when I got to meet them and, of course, I absolutely shower them with praise! I have been around a number of celebs/musicians in my life, but I was so in awe of their performance that I was actually nervous (embarrassing). They were so sweet!
For the full Pentatonix biography see below.
Buy the Pentatonix EP PTX, Vol. 1 here.
From the opening notes she captured the audience. I fathom for many concert-goers it was their first exposure to “looping” live.
Julia Easterlin is a vocalist and loop artist wielding composition, production and performance in one fell swoop. One part siren and one part technologist, she uses looping hardware to build a one-woman chorus live onstage.This rare sound has driven Julia to recent performances at Lollapalooza, SXSW, MIDEM, CMJ, and the TEDxWomen Conference.
She performed about 4 or 5 songs (a bit long for an opening act to retain an audience’s attention), but everything she performed was well received. You could hear a pin drop as everyone marveled at her ability to create the beats, harmonies, and lead vocals live with great precision. To top if off Julia has a great voice, poise, and the ability to create a calming emotional connection with everyone in the room.
Watch Julia perform “Eyes on the Prize” below. She also goes into a short explanation of looping.
Just listening to her music does not do it justice — you have to see & hear her live!
To download “Eyes on the Prize” by Julia Easterlin click here.
For more information about Julia Easterlin click here.
This made me tear up!!!!! I wish all of my friends could be here on my birthday, but their presence is felt even if so many of them are miles away. It’s captured moments like this that remind me how much we have matured over the years from high school students, to college, to adulthood — but what is most amazing about it is we grow up together! So thankful for the thoughtful, loving people that I have in my life. I wish I could stay 21 forever, but I’m also so grateful to see another year. Bring on 22.