If you plan to join us in enjoying local reggae music, DJ’s, healthy vegetarian foods, fire circle, garden tours, positive vibrations & Father’s Day celebrations – Please make sure to bring a blanket or chairs to sit on (if you want to be off the grass). Also, we still need some event volunteers. Please contact us at healcresturbanfarm@gmail.com
Celebrate Father’s Day evening with the family @
Rootz at Sundown
A Reggae Festival to Support
Healthy Food & Healthy Lives
Sunday June 21st from 6pm-10pm
Corner of N.Pacific & Hillcrest Street in Garfield Heights
Rootz at Sundown is the 1st roots reggae festival in Pittsburgh. On June 21st, 2009 musicians creating original pieces of music in the tradition of roots reggae (or reggae that developed from the roots of African & Caribbean cultures that tells the voice of struggle, Rastafarian spirituality & positive & healthy living), will showcase their sounds to the 200 estimated community members in attendance. The main performers will be a Pittsburgh-based band named Man in the Street. In between performers, several Pittsburgh-based reggae Dj’s, will spin roots reggae to keep the crowd moving & enjoying the positive vibrations. The event will also feature healthy, vegetarian and vegan foods, which will be available at to all in attendance and offer their donation to the cause.
The event will raise money in support of ensuring access to healthy food & education about healthy living, through the direct support of Healcrest Urban Farm, whom will be the host site.
Healcrest Urban Farm’s mission is to advocate the people’s power to grow and have access to fresh, affordable, nutritious food. Their vision is to eliminate disparities in the Pittsburgh food system by serving direct needs identified by the Garfield/East Liberty community in the areas of food access and affordability, youth employment, neighborhood clean-up, community green space and environmental education.
CLASSIC MATERIAL: These are the Breaks
Saturday, April 18 / 10PM
@ Shadow Lounge
Spotlight on the original rare grooves mined to create the classics of hip-hop.
DJ’s Selecta + SMI / And Guest DJ Hank D / Host Infinite
some of our favorite artists have upcoming events that are too good to miss…
Ursula Rucker (some of you saw her here at our first KST Live), Gene Stovall and Nathan James, Navarra (downtown), April 17, 2009 | 9:00 PM
Sean Jones (think back to November’s Suite Life: Billy Strayhorn Birthday Party) has a CD release party, Tuesday April 21, 2009 at Cabaret Theater Square | 8:00 PM
The Kelly-Strayhorn Theater would like to express our gratitude to all the artists, volunteers, patrons, sponsors and community supporters of the first annual SUNSTAR Women in Music Festival. We are so proud to have successfully presented 3 days of workshops, panel discussions and concerts featuring over 30 talented musicians from diverse genres and to have the opportunity to work with such amazing artists.
Most importantly thank you for coming out to listen to all of the wonderful Pittsburgh artists, your show of support is greatly appreciated and will continue to make more opportunities available for local and national artists at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater and in the region.
Boca Chica is one of those rare assemblages that does not allow its sound to be classified into a particular genre.
Begun by childhood friends Hallie Pritts and Susanna Meyer, Boca Chica has gained popularity in Pittsburgh and beyond by blending sounds of folk, bluegrass, country and indie rock. Their debut self-titled EP is a collection of seven original songs and is a bold entrée to this young band’s beginnings as a distinctive voice in Pittsburgh music scene.
Boca Chica’s front-woman Pritts, 28, of Pittsburgh, shared with writer Michelle Massie & KST Connect some of her inspirations and influences as to how she creates her unique sound.
MM:When did you become interested in music, and who were some of your earlier influences?
HP: I spent a lot of time listening to my mom’s record collection when I was a kid. Some of my earliest favorites were Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young; Carol King; Donovan; and the Beatles.
MM:Which artists are you currently listening to?
HP: Currently, I’m pretty into Andrew Bird and Dr. Dog.
MM: What inspires you?
HP: Seeing live music is really important to me. If I didn’t see great bands on a regular basis, I don’t think I’d write songs.
MM: What is the importance of recognizing women in music?
There are tons of women doing really cool things out there, but it’s a bit harder for them to get their stuff recognized.
MM: What sets Boca Chica apart from other bands?
HP: We like to sort of dabble in a few different genres—folk, of course, but we’ve been a bit more rock and roll lately which is fun. We also have been known to play a little country, a little “freak folk.”
MM: What have you learned as a working artist that has helped you in your career?
HP: I guess it’s important to ask yourself if this is really what you want to do. If you knew that you were never going to get recognized for your art, if you were never going to make any money, would you still do it?
MM: How important is it that you write your own material?
HP: I don’t think I would have lasted very long if I wasn’t playing my own songs. It’s fun to play covers, but it’s more cathartic to play your own stuff.
MM: How would you describe your creative process?
HP: Creativity comes and goes. Sometimes you’ll write three songs in a week. Sometimes you won’t write anything for three months. It’s hard to chase it down. You just have to wait for it to come.
MM: Any new projects on the horizon? Can you tell KST Connect about it?
HP: Oh yes. We’ve got a new album in the works. It’s about 75 percent done. We’re hoping to put it out sometime this year. We worked with Machine Age Studios in Polish Hill. Christopher McDonald engineered it and is doing a lot of the production. I’m really excited about it. We have a great band and great songs and I can’t wait for it to be done.
MM: What can your fans look forward to from you in the future?
HP: A new album! And new songs.
MM: What would you like your legacy to be?
HP: Wow! That’s quite the question! I’m not sure how to answer that, but I would like it if someone picked up our record in 30 years and could listen to it and still think it was good, I would be happy.
Boca Chica appears at SUNSTAR March 5, 2009 along with Joy Ike, Heather Kropf & Bianca Atterberry.
What happens when you combine two dynamic individual artists into a group? The result is a musical pairing like none other Pittsburgh has seen. It’s SolSis—the name of the new performance duo formed by artists Ma’Ve and YahLioness.
Ma’Ve and YahLioness have made their rounds through Pittsburgh’s poetry circuit. As regular performers at the BridgeSpotters’ Midnight Espresso Series in the early 2000s—of which Ve was a co-founder of the BridgeSpotters Artists Collective—and the Shadow Lounge’s Hip-Hop Café Series, neither performer is a stranger to the spotlight. These two artists, who are best known for their spoken word, prove that they have more to offer.
But as often as their paths crossed and their friendship further developed, it wasn’t until recently that the two decided to unite their talents. As musicians and songwriters, Ma’Ve and YahLioness formed SolSis about two years ago and are poised to display their musical talents. SolSis will debut its live show at the SUNSTAR Women in Music Festival.
SolSis recently sat down with writer Michelle Massie to share the story of their creative journey for KST Connect.
MM: How did you come up with the name SolSis?
MV: It’s the solar system and the sun; it’s solace; it’s the solstice; it’s the sound system. It’s everything that surrounds us. It’s where we pull our energy.
MM: How would you describe your sound?
YL: SolSis is the ripening of a relationship that’s gone through a growth process. I would describe us as a tapestry of soul experience as it pertains to music and sound in general. There is maturity in our sound. It’s difficult to classify because it draws from so many different influences. Until you hear the music you can’t figure out what that taste is.
MV: I like to say that our sound is grand. It isn’t any particular genre because we represent so many different experiences and tastes. Really, our sound is an entire plate of adjectives, if you will.
YL: It’s definitely music. That’s what our sound is—music.
MM: What finally brought the two of you together as a group?
YL: It just felt like the right time. We had to learn some lessons as artists before we were ready to take the next step. We had to go through some stuff—business-wise and creatively—before we were ready to enter into something bigger than ourselves. Natural chemistry—when it came to creativity—brought us together, but now we’re armed with more information such as the legal aspects of business to move us forward. We’re still in our blossoming phase and this is our first harvest.
MM: Why did you choose to have your debut performance during the SUNSTAR Festival?
MV: First and foremost, it’s janera solomon and the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, so it’s a solid project. We’re currently creating our album and this is a springboard.
[SolSis expects to release their first yet-to-be-titled album this summer.]
MM: What is the importance of recognizing women in music?
MV: There’s simply too much to share for anyone to be ignored. Female artists are developing, cultivating, collaborating and willing to share our offerings like anyone else.
YL: There’s not a broad enough scope of womanhood that is being recognized in popular culture. What is being promoted to us as consumers is not informative enough or expansive enough of who we are. Everything is cookie-cutter; a product that is being packed and put out for us to consume. It’s not an earnest offering. This right here—SolSis—is an earnest offering.
MV: We are what we’ve been waiting for. We are the by-products of what we want to see.
MM: What have you learned as a working artist that has helped you in your career?
MV: Ownership. We’ve learned about ownership and autonomy—how to truly have control over your art. Being able to produce it, protect it and profit from it. A lot of performers don’t learn about the business side of art. It was necessary to learn and understand all of this.
Also, I really cannot work with people professionally that I do not have a good relationship with personally.
YL: I’ve learned that I’ll never perform without a contract. You need those particulars, specifics to charter through.
I’ve also learned that you have to be yourself at all times. The truer I am to my music and myself, the more cohesive it is.
MM: Who were some of your influences?
MV: I sing the blues. Ray Charles, Nina Simone…I just want to hear something timeless fill the room.
YL: I was influenced by so many artists: The Roots, Tupac, Jill Scott, Erykah [Badu], TLC, MC Lyte, Tina [Turner], Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill.
MM: What inspires you?
YL: Since we started recording, I hear the possibilities of music. Sometimes I crave The Roots or Jill or Erykah but ultimately, the music that SolSis is creating is the music I want to hear. My heart and soul is in it.
MM: How would you describe your creative process?
YL: I have to be inspired. Inspiration; that’s what causes the creativity. Once I am inspired, it helps to control my language, my mood. It’s just a natural occurrence.
MM: What would you like your legacy to be?
MV: Comeback when it’s legacy season. Seriously, I’m still building it.
YL: There’s so much more that I want to communicate. I want to communicate my sound with clarity and authenticity that will last through the ages. Music is such a powerful thing. If someone says the right thing the right way, it could your life.
SolSis appears at SUNSTAR on March 6, 2009 with Bahamadia, Ethel Cee, AngelEYE, K Maize & DJ Ultraviolet.
At a time when digital music downloads and streaming video are staples among consumers, Joy Ike is turning on the radio and finding inspiration from independent films.
Ike, 25, of Pittsburgh is enjoying the overwhelming success of her current full-length album, “Good Morning” and will perform at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s inaugural SUNSTAR Women in Music Festival.
Ike shared with writer MichelleMassie & KST Connect some of her inspirations, influences and insights into how she creates her soulful sound.
Genre:Pop, Nu-jazz, Neo-soul
Current project: “Good Morning” (released June ’08)
MM: When did you become interested in music, and who were some of your earlier influences?
JI: I guess I was always interested in music. I was always singing as a child but I had no idea that singing and playing the piano would become such a huge part of my life. I grew up in a little bit of a bubble and didn’t really have a chance to listen to anything but Christian contemporary music when I was growing up. But I do remember one year in high school when I religiously listened to B94. All I remember is belting that one song by No Doubt: “Don’t speak. I know what you’re thinking. And I don’t need your reasons. Don’t tell me cause it hurts!”
MM: Which artists are you listening to?
JI: Sometimes I binge-buy music but lately I’ve just been overwhelmed by how much music is out there. So I’ve been sticking with the radio – WYEP specifically. Brooke Waggoner is always in my CD player though.
MM: What inspires you?
JI: People and stories. My best songs come from personal experiences or others’ experiences.
I just finished writing a song inspired by Slumdog Millionaire. That movie was so beautiful that I had to watch it twice. And it took two visits to the theater to start and complete the song.
MM: What is the importance of recognizing women in music?
JI: I think there are so many talented women in music who sometimes don’t get the same recognition as male artists.
MM: What have you learned as a working artist that has helped you in your career?
JI: Nothing is more important than connecting with your audience and maintaining relationships.
It’s been very rewarding to build a strong fanbase in Pittsburgh—to know faces at shows and keep in touch with people via Facebook and MySpace. It means a lot to me that people care to know more about me than just my music.
MM: How important is it that you write your own material?
JI: This is so important to me. In fact, I’m pretty stingy with my lyrics and have a hard time collaborating with people for this reason! If I can’t write my own music and lyrics, I feel like I can’t put my heart and soul into performing a song. Every song I write is personal…even if it’s not specifically about me.
MM: How would you describe your creative process?
JI: I usually wait to be inspired. I know a lot of musicians who are consistently writing new music. But as for me, I probably only write 8 songs a year. Songs don’t come that easy and it probably takes 4-8 weeks for me to come up with a solid piece. And most times writing and arranging the music is 95 percent of the “problem.” I always do that first because it takes more time, and is a little bit harder for me. Lyrics come last and easiest.
MM: Any new projects on the horizon? Can you tell KST Connect about it? What can your fans look forward to from you in the future?
JI: “Good Morning” has only been out for 8 months and I think it’s still got a lot of shelf-life left. I probably won’t be putting out another full-length album until 2010.So for the time being, I think I just want to work harder at having better live shows and building a wider audience.
MM: What would you like your legacy to be?
JI: I want to be remembered as someone who spoke honestly and truthfully about the world.I hope my music paints pictures of broken people who are healed by the grace of God and the love we extend towards each other.
Heather Kropf has been singing since she was barely out of the womb, now she’s thinking about her legacy and hoping to bring tears to people’s eyes. Kropf, 37, of Pittsburgh recently released her third CD, “Hestia,” and is slated to perform at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater’s inaugural SUNSTAR Women in Music Festival.
The piano-playing folk chanteuse shared with writer Michelle Massie & KST Connect some of her inspirations, influences and insights into how she creates her indelible sound.
Genre: Singer/Songwriter; Acoustic, Pop, Folk
Current project: Just released third album “Hestia.” Previous albums are “What Else is Love” and “Sky.”
MM:When did you become interested in music, and who were some of your earlier influences?
HK: As the story goes, when I was 2 my mother came in to my room after my nap and found me singing to myself, so I guess I liked music from the beginning. But because my parents limited my exposure to pop culture — I was allowed access to public radio and public television — the world of popular song was a later discovery. Early pop influences include Simon & Garfunkel, Sting “Dream of the Blue Turtles,” Joni Mitchell “Court & Spark,” Kate Bush’s debut album, “The Harder They Come” movie soundtrack and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Favorite albums include Miles Davis “Kind of Blue,” Simon & Garfunkel “Bookends” and The Replacements “Happy Town.” And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
MM: Which artists are you listening to?
HK: I get in artist “ruts” where I listen for years to a certain artist or album. Right now I’m interested in Mindy Smith and Kathleen Edwards. But Me’Shell Ndegeocello “Peace Beyond Passion,” Lizz Wright “Dreaming Wide Awake,” The Replacements, and David Sylvian “Dead Bees on a Cake” isn’t ever far from my CD player. I recently re-discovered Susan Werner’s album “Time Between Trains.” She’s an amazing writer. Recent albums/favorites include Corinne Bailey Rae, Rebecca Martin and k.d. lang.
MM:What inspires you? Moments of transition, moments of reconciliation, all the stuff that happens in between the lines and spaces. Acts of altruistic kindness inspire me, as does the shadow of longing and melancholy. Our deeply human nature. MM: What is the importance of recognizing women in music? So many things are important in recognizing women in music, but I think the most important thing is that the female gaze and voice is so necessary to enjoying a balanced and thriving culture. I think when we celebrate the outstanding work of women we are bringing wholeness to the world.
MM:What have you learned as a working artist that has helped you in your career?
HK: Even as you seek the attention and approval of an audience, hold that desire lightly. Money is arbitrary and in the end doesn’t denote value. A large crowd or small crowd doesn’t mean you are better or worse. Follow your muse. No matter what. Give yourself a break. You are not what you do. How important is it that you write your own material? It used to be much more important than it is now. I have found that songs have come slower as I have gotten older. I don’t know why that is. Maybe that will change in a few years, I don’t know. In the meantime, there are so many great songs out there, and I’m finding I love learning them. Someday I hope to have a huge repertoire of songs under my skin. And rather than write banal songs just to keep writing, I’m perfectly content to let my own work simmer along until something surfaces.
MM: How would you describe your creative process?
HK: It works in a lot of different ways. I’m a pretty reactionary writer, in that I often find I get ideas when I go out and see live shows. Some lyric or musical idea will resonate with me and I’ll immediately get a spin-off concept and run home after the show — or leave early — in order to jot it down. I often write when I’m driving, especially on long road trips. Those are great for working out words and melodies without the limitations of my style of piano-playing. Sometimes I’ll get the music first, when I’m noodling at the piano. I also keep a box of paper scraps with words or little phrases that come to me throughout the day. When I’ve got a music idea but no words I often rummage through to see if something will catch my attention, and build from there. I’ve done some writing on GarageBand. It’s good for working out arrangements…especially for building from the bottom up. My writing takes on a totally different direction when I focus on rhythm and texture first. But that also has limitations, so I use it sparingly. Any new projects on the horizon?
MM: Can you tell KST Connect about them? Well, I’ve just released my third album “Hestia.” It’s a project I embarked on mostly because of significant fan requests for something more like my live performances…meaning something without the band. It has 11 songs, both old and new, and I’m really surprised at how well this album wears. I wasn’t tired of it when I was song mixing it, which is extraordinary. So my project this year is mostly booking lots of shows, trying to get album reviews and radio play, and such. My next project is already percolating. I’m hoping to keep a lid on it until I give my best effort to helping “Hestia” get into people’s hands and on their iPods. In terms of performance, I’m hoping to pare down my band and maybe introduce some new players and instrumentation. I am also working with my producer/bassist on a side project of Bossa nova influenced tunes, cover tunes as well as arrangements of my songs. We may or may not record some of that. Secretly (not so secretly now) I’ve always thought Bossa nova is the perfect style for my voice so I’m really excited about working on this, in a way that I’ve never been excited about anything else.
MM: What can your fans look forward to from you in the future?
HK: I suppose a little bit of everything. I usually follow my nose when it comes to making music. I hope to put out a really lush, soulful Neo soul project someday. I also want to continue exploring ambient acoustic approaches to arrangement. I also have a small, but growing, collection of straight-up pop rock songs. I do hope to travel and perform more and get out of western PA. I also hope to do more painting, and make good on my B.A. in Fine Art. 🙂 Some people have bugged me about sheet music, so I might release a score of a few of my songs and make that available.
MM:What would you like your legacy to be?
HK: This is a crazy question, and a good one. It may be lofty but my hope is that my songs create a sanctuary of beauty in sound and space, and that in the space of my songs one can find solace. The most meaningful feedback I receive is when someone tells me a song helped them cry about something they needed to cry about, or gave them courage and comfort, or helped them remember something about their own life that they had forgotten. Songs can be a doorway, and if my legacy can be that my songs are a doorway to the courtyard of the Self, then I’d be pretty grateful. Yikes.
Heather Kropf appears at SUNSTAR March 5, 2009 w/ Joy Ike, Bianca Atterberry & Boca Chica.
this is a great book for music lovers w/ some great interviews. i started reading it and thought it would be great place to start our conversation about women in music today. Barnett, interviews black women songwriters, whose insight on process is meaningful to any artist.
roberta flack, patsy cline, nina simone, sade, chaka khan, alison hinds, angie stone, aretha franklin, sarah vaughn, etta james, dinah washington…lauryn hill, erykah badu, ethel cee, astrud gilberto, musinah…mary j. blige, angie stone…so so many beautiful songs…these artists and many more are the inspiration for the SUNSTAR Festival.
The Kelly-Strayhorn Theater would like to express our gratitude to all the artists, volunteers, patrons, sponsors and community supporters of the first annual SUNSTAR Women in Music Festival. We are so proud to have successfully presented 3 days of workshops, panel discussions and concerts featuring over 30 talented musicians from diverse genres and to have the opportunity to work with such amazing artists.
this is a great book for music lovers w/ some great interviews. i started reading it and thought it would be great place to start our conversation about women in music today. Barnett, interviews black women songwriters, whose insight on process is meaningful to any artist.