Show Review: Luna The Femme EP Release Party

By Ahriel Nari

Oh, yes, it was ladies’ night at Dangerously Delicious Pies as Luna celebrated the release of her EP The Femme. The room was buzzing with excitement to hear new music from the “femcee”.

Singer-songwriter Übrgrl opened up with her self-produced track entitled “Into the Sky”. After serenading everyone with a couple more of her original songs, Übrgrl brought out her bandmate Zoey. Together, Übrgrl and Zoey make up the group Totally Tainted. With Zoey shredding on electric guitar and Übrgrl providing hauntingly beautiful vocals, the duo performed breathtaking renditions of “Electric Blue” and “When You Pass Me By”.

Up next was Charlie Monroe. Rocking her hair in space buns, the rapper turned the audience up with songs from her catalog, including “I AM” and “DESIGNER”. “I’m sorry, y’all. I’m fighting a chest infection,” Charlie stated after performing “HIDE AND SEEK”. In spite of feeling under the weather, Charlie Monroe delivered a high energy set.

Then, Odd Mojo blessed the stage. Fans were treated to favorites from her 2018 album Channel Yo Mojo, including “Make a Way” and “Da Come Up” with Charlie Monroe. Odd Mojo also performed the self-love anthem “Sticky Notes”, which just recently had visuals released for it. Just when we thought the show couldn’t get any better, the crowd got an exclusive performance of a song from Odd Mojo’s forthcoming album entitled GUH.

After being properly hyped up by Odd Mojo, audience members anxiously awaited Luna. Accompanied by producer DMV Willie as her DJ, Luna began with the soulful track “Pam Grier”. Then, it was finally time for The Femme. One of the highlights of the show was “#Freelance”, a track produced by OG Mike. OG Mike just so happens to be Luna’s dad and he was in the audience that night. You wouldn’t think that OG Mike, a Baby Boomer with a laidback demeanor, would be capable of producing a banger such as “#Freelance”. However, looks can be deceiving. Once she enticed the crowd with more tracks from The Femme, to wrap up, Luna brought audience members on stage to help her perform “#GirlGang”.

“This is my first project ever. So, I’m holding back tears right now,” said Luna as she thanked everyone for coming out. Seeing so many carefree women having fun and doing their thing was truly a sight to behold. That night felt like more than The Femme release party – it felt like a celebration of womanhood. Check out pictures from the show below:

Photos courtesy of Jada Imani M (IG: @jadaimanim)

Keepin’ the Funk Alive: Funk Parade 2019

By Ahriel Nari
Photos courtesy of Shaughn Cooper (website: www. shaughncooper.com)
&
Mango Angeles (website: www. mangoangeles.com)

D.C. came together for a day filled with great music, good eats, and lots of laughs at the sixth annual Funk Parade. This year marked the first time Funk Parade was under the leadership of The MusicianShip, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering music lessons and opportunities for at-risk youth in order to create “a more vibrant, educated, empowered, and well-intentioned world.”

The gloomy weather was in stark contrast to the vibrant energy on U Street that Saturday afternoon. A few raindrops (translation: intermittent torrential downpours) did not keep the crowd from having an amazing time.

One of the best parts of Funk Parade is that it’s a melting pot of different sounds. Rapper/producer Matt McGhee had the audience boogie to “Sweat” and “No Talking”. OSHUN brought their unique blend of neo-soul and hip-hop to the stage. Funk Parade attendees were delighted to see Reesa Renee perform “Got Me Loose”, her original song that has a go-go feel. Later, at the night festival, synthpop duo Nuex enchanted the audience with stirring performances of “The Fall” and “I Ain’t Your Friend”. Singer-songwriter Tashera wowed everyone with her soulful, powerful voice and a funky cover of Chaka Khan’s “I Know You, I Live You”. Never one to disappoint, rapper Ciscero got the crowd hype with the energetic “Who I Am” and even had everyone come together for a soul train line.

To see D.C.’s rich musical culture come to life was truly a beautiful sight to see. View pictures from Funk Parade in the gallery below:

    BlaqueStone & FootsXColes Showcase Musicality at Local 16

    “I’m ready to get ‘Stoned!” someone shouted from the crowd. Fans eagerly awaited BlaqueStone’s to perform at Local 16 as a part of the fifth annual Funk Parade Music Fest.The first song the soulful music couple performed was their latest single “Sunny Days”. Donning gold-rimmed round glasses and an elegant green headwrap flawlessly coordinated with her Kente pants, Queen cooed, “There are sunny days ahead. Just keep going”. The gentleness in her voice enveloped you, reassuringly, almost as if she was singing a lullaby. The crowd was already sizable before the show began, but Queen drew dozens more into the intimate setting with her enchanting, jazzy voice. Nyne, the other half of BlaqueStone, blended his raps seamlessly with Queen’s singing. An unassuming guy, the flashiest thing about Nyne was his orange track pants.
    BlaqueStone’s set felt like a jam session that the audience just so happened to be invited to. I was impressed that they spotlighted each musician in their live band, which consisted of a bassist, a keyboardist, and a percussionist. Each instrumentalist was allowed the space and time to flex their musical skills. The set also included BlaqueStone’s renditions of “Bag Lady” by Erykah Badu, “Lady” by D’Angelo, “Unpretty” by TLC, and “Fortunate” by Maxwell. As Nyne and Queen performed, you could see a genuine connection between them when they looked at each other – Black love personified. To conclude the set, Nyne pulled out the talk box for an electrifying performance of “The Right”, a track from BlaqueStone’s 2016 album AfroNoon.
    After a brief intermission, FootsXColes took the stage. “Ok, I want everyone to take a few steps forward. I need to feel your energy,” Foots asserted. As the crowd stepped closer, I overheard someone say to their friend, “These guys are good! They just performed at the Kennedy Center,” in reference to FootsXColes’s performance with the ever so talented Alex Vaughn last week.
    As a strobe light cast red, green, and blue tints over the room, FootsXColes set the mood with “Sin”, a mellow record with punchy percussion from their debut album A Beautiful Mistake. Tonight’s performance was unique because it was the first time a trumpet player was added to the live band. FootsXColes got the people going with their versions of “Love Come Down” by Evelyn “Champagne” King and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. The crowd was still high on energy from those songs when Foots asked, “Are y’all ready to two-step?” Then, they went right into “Possibilities”, a fan-favorite from their latest album Sitting in Outer Space. The crowd was grooving as FootsXColes played a few other tunes on the album. After a stirring rendition of “Moonlight”, Foots and Coles invited everyone to come dance with them at another venue they were DJing at following the show. If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend that you check out a BlaqueStone or FootsXColes show. The good vibes they give out will leave you feeling euphoric.

    Show Review: Matt McGhee at Dangerously Delicious Pies

    By Ahriel Nari
    March 23, 2019

    Very few things will get folks to come out in the rain. Raindrops were steadily pouring down that Thursday evening, but inclement weather didn’t stop people from going to see Matt McGhee perform.

    Singer-songwriter Kora the Artist warmed the audience up by providing a soulful, sultry experience. Her gentle voice created a feeling of solace. 

    Donning a green hoodie, distressed jeans, and a satin scarf tied around his head into a headband, Matt McGhee made his way to the stage. To me, his aesthetic was indicative of his entire rap persona – down to earth, with a silky finish. He opened up his set with an electrifying rendition of “Heaven Feel Like” from his album Since You’re Watching. With Coles on keys, Foots on drums, Tim on Trumpet, and DJ Malcolm Xavier on the ones and twos, Matt McGhee really brought “Heaven Feel Like” to life.

    “So, this is my first show headlining,” Matt stated, to which the crowd roared in support. Had he not mentioned it, the casual show attendee probably wouldn’t have known. He looked right at home as he sipped warm tea in between songs. Not only was the audience treated to unreleased tracks from his upcoming EP entitled Letters, but we were also treated to performances with special guests. Matt brought R&B songstress Alex Vaughn to the stage to perform the track “Uncomfortable”. He also performed “Walk Down” and “Ecuador” along with fellow DMV rapper Cal Rips. The most striking aspect of Matt McGhee’s live performance is the chemistry between all of the musicians performing. Everyone blended so well together.

    At a certain point of the show, Matt gave the audience the option of wrapping up the show. Everyone in the crowd mutually agreed that we wanted to be kept all night even though we all had work in the morning. So, he took requests from the audience, including the fan-favorite “Shea Butter Mami”. Then, in a true testimony to his artistry, he freestyled over FootsXColes’ latest single “Creep”.

    “Hold up, hold up,” Foots said over the microphone, “Y’all don’t understand. Matt REALLY raps”! After tonight’s show, that statement is an undisputable fact. Check out pictures from the show below:

    FootsXColes Talk A Happy Home

    I got the chance to link up with the versatile production duo FootsXColes again. We talked about their new music, smoothie recipes, and played 2 Truths and a Lie! Check out the interview below: 

    Show Review: Bas at Milkboy Arthouse

    It was a crisp, cold night in the DMV when Bas came to town. As the moon shone orange in the night sky, hundreds gathered at Milkboy Arthouse to witness him perform his latest album. Milky Way at Milkboy — it was destiny. 

    Correy C, celebrating his newfound freedom, warmed the crowd up. The DMV’s very own Innanet James was the homecoming king of the night as he performed favorites from his album Keep It Clean. With the help of Chaz French, he wowed fans with his eclectic sound. Rexx Life Raj kept the people grooving with smoothed out renditions of his hits, including “Long Way”. After much anticipation, Bas finally came out. The energy in the room was astronomical as he flawlessly delivered tracks from Milky Way in addition to songs from his sophomore album Too High to Riot. Bas looked out into the audience, triumphantly, as the audience rapped along with him, word for word.

    Check out pictures from the concert below:

    Show Review: April + VISTA at Union Stage

    By Ahriel Nari

    The stars aligned on the night of Friday, September 21st when April + VISTA took over Union Stage along with their friends Ciscero and Sugg Savage. Very rarely do fans get to witness three acts, each dubbed “DMV’s Next Up”, performing at one time. Music lovers must have recognized this once in a lifetime event because the show sold out.

    Up first was Sugg Savage. Her aesthetic is attention-grabbing. Sugg sports special effect contact lenses that make her look like she has super powers. While her eyes can be intimidating, yet intriguing, her bubbly personality automatically draws you in. In between electrifying performances of her tracks including “Let’z” and “Fill in the Blank”, she sprinkled in fun facts about herself. “[Do] y’all remember when I used to really love dogs? Well, my dog has been replaced,” Sugg said alluding to her son. This show was significant in that it was her first performance since she gave birth. As she danced around while rapping, you couldn’t help but to be in awe. Here Sugg Savage was, in peak womanhood, dominating her return to the stage.

    People were still high off the vibes that Sugg Savage gave out when Ciscero came out. Ciscero has undeniable stage presence. The energy he brings is contagious. Rocking his signature beanie, he immediately got the crowd hype with an epic rendition of his latest single “Function”. Attendees were treated to unreleased music from his upcoming project Devil’s Pie. Ciscero left the audience wanting for nothing, except the release of the new EP.

    Then, it was finally time for April + VISTA to perform. The crowd roared as April and Matt walked on stage. When they were setting up their equipment, the intensity in each of their eyes reflected the sharp focus they both had. Obviously, they take their art seriously. With Foots of FootsXColes supporting them on drums, April + VISTA began their set with “Little Things”, the first song on their latest album You Are Here. As the song crescendoed, it felt as if you were about to go on a whimsical adventure. April + VISTA were perfectly in tune with the vibe of the audience as they performed several tracks from the album, including “How To Get By”, “Resilience”, and “Hot Coffee Freestyle”. The intimacy of the venue added an extra layer of emotion to the musical experience and really gave life to You Are Here. The highlight of the show was April + VISTA’s performance of “Own2”, a fan-favorite. The audience emphatically sang along with April, word for word. They concluded their set with a jam session, allowing room to flex their musical chops. Foots led the crank on drums. Matt showcased his astounding ability to effortlessly funk bass guitar riffs while April created beautifully haunting melodies on her violin. It was in this moment, as I was standing in their intersection of genres, that I realized that April + VISTA are the real deal.

     “This album is for anyone who is on a journey – whether it’s spiritually, career-wise, or anything. This one’s for you,” Matt declared at the end of the show. The house lights came on and every single person present had a smile on their face.

    A Matter of Time: A Conversation with Not.Alone

    By Ahriel Nari

    Sometimes, you have to go out of your way to find good music. Other times, good music finds you. One day on Twitter, I asked my followers to put me on to some local artists. One of the names that kept coming up was Not.Alone, a group from the DMV that effortlessly blends hip-hop, jazz, and soul. The collective consists of multi-instrumentalist producer DÆTÄ, singer/songwriter Marc Amour, and rapper/producer Nomad the Native.

    I had the privilege of interviewing the trio inside of their creative space, which is located inside of a picturesque Prince George’s County home. Marc greeted me at the door. As soon as I stepped foot inside, I heard melodic sounds echoing from the basement. With Washington Redskins paraphernalia and Afrocentric art plastered on the wall, the basement creates a cozy atmosphere for them to create music. When I arrived, Nomad and DÆTÄ were in the middle of choosing a bassline for a track. The intensity with which they were listening to the song was one that can only be emitted from artists who are dedicated to their craft. After meticulously going over different ideas, they finally settled on a bassline, but they were seemingly unsatisfied. “Let’s come back to this later. We don’t want to keep Ahriel waiting,” Nomad said – and so we began.

    Ahriel Nari: Where did you guys get the name Not.Alone from?

    Nomad the Native: Not.Alone came from, ideologically, we believe that art and music can be a unifying experience. I remember Jay-Z said in an interview that when he’s at his concerts the Black kids and the white kids are all singing Jay-Z lyrics. At least for that concert, that moment, those couple of songs, there’s no division between people. It’s just everybody enjoying themselves and everybody is together. So that’s the idea behind Not.Alone: when we’re doing music, or any art for real, we want to be able to highlight the shared experience of living.

    AN: Wow, that’s beautiful. So, how did you guys first meet and start making music together?

    Marc Amour: Me and Nomad met because I went to University of Maryland Eastern Shore. His cousin Desmond and [I] became real tight – that’s like my best friend. One random weekend, I rode back to this area with [Desmond] and that’s how me and [Nomad] met.

    Nomad the Native: I met DÆTÄ in college. We went to Frostburg State University together. My fraternity, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., was hosting a talent showcase. [DÆTÄ] was the house keyboardist. There was a portion of the event where a bunch of people were gathered around the piano and he was playing different riffs and loops or whatever, and people were just freestyling. That’s how we met – I was freestyling around the piano while he was playing at an event for my fraternity. We just stayed cool around campus. We all eventually got into working on music together in 2015. There were songs here and there that I was working on that I tapped [Marc] Amour for in 2015. A couple months after my solo project dropped [in early 2016], I was unsatisfied with it, sonically. So, I tapped DÆTÄ like, “Yo…what if we worked together? I have a bunch of production ideas and structural ideas. [DÆTÄ] has a bunch of knowledge as far as music theory. So, let’s start a music collective and see what happens”. While we were bouncing around ideas, we just had random voice notes of chord progressions and [were] thinking about what our purpose was. We were still figuring out our direction. I was like, “Yo. What if we added another person”? So that’s when I reached out to [Marc] Amour.

    Marc Amour: The first time I actually met [DÆTÄ], [Nomad] had me pick [DÆTÄ] up. I was like, “Why am I picking up somebody? I don’t know this person.” It was funny because I pulled in the driveway and [DÆTÄ’s] Dad came out. He was like “Hey!” I was like, “Hey!”. He’s like, “You waiting for Marc (DÆTÄ’s government name)?” I was like, “Yeah, I’m waiting for Marc.” He’s like, “Who are you?” I was like, “I’m Marc!”

    [everyone laughs]

    AN: Were y’all music majors [in college]?

    [DÆTÄ raises his hand]

    Marc Amour: I didn’t get into singing until [Nomad] brought me [into the group] in 2015.

    DÆTÄ: HE’S JUST NATURALLY THE SHIT!

    AN: I see! Name all of your instruments, [DÆTÄ].

    DÆTÄ: Here’s the instruments I’ve gotten paid to play: trombone, bass, and piano. Instruments that I’ve fooled around on [are] drums – I’ve been picking apart guitar. I know how to play all of the brass instruments. I was a brass major [in college] so I can play tuba, French horn, euphonium, and baritone. My main three [instruments], though, are piano, trombone, and bass.

    AN: Damn, you’re talented….

    Marc Amour: We jih like can’t afford him.

    AN: [laughs] I saw on Instagram that you guys do these poetry slams and that’s dope! Tell me about that. How did you guys get started with that?

    Nomad the Native: Not A Poetry Slam is my lil’ baby! Not A Poetry Slam is a combination of an open mic and an open forum. We just kinda wanna foster a sense of community where people can talk about topics that are already on our minds, anyways. We had one last year, the very first one, where we talked about love. The last one we talked about feminism and women’s rights issues. The next one is gonna be another topic, you know what I mean? We want to [create a space] where people can share. A lot of the poetry is a catalyst for those types of conversations.

    AN: What are your top 5 albums of all time? Take your time.

    Marc Amour: For me, definitely Voodoo by D’Angelo. I really love DAMN. by Kendrick [Lamar] – between [DAMN.] and To Pimp a Butterfly [by Kendrick Lamar]. Somebody else jump in while I think…

    DÆTÄ: I would say Jazz Loves Paris by Buddy Collette and Harlem River Drive by Bobbi Humphrey. For all you jazzheads, listen to those albums.

    Nomad the Native: The first two albums I was ever given were Jill Scott’s first album, Who is Jill Scott? and Outkast’s Stankonia. The albums that made me want to rap were Kanye West’s Late Registration and Common’s Be. Then, to bring it back out of hip-hop, Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions. I listen to that joint often as hell. So, yeah, I think that’s my top 5. I got a bunch of other joints that I like but I wanted to keep it simple.

    Marc Amour: For me, I really enjoyed John Legend’s second album, Once Again. Then I’m going to say Late Registration [by Kanye West], also. Indicud, [by Kid Cudi] for me, was really, really, really fire. D’Angelo is my favorite singer. I really loved his first album. I love the contrast between his first two albums because the first album was so structured, and Voodoo was so loose and drunken. You wouldn’t really think the same artist made them.

    DÆTÄ: Not to be cliché, but I love all of Herbie Hancock’s music. Any one of his albums you could name and I’d be like, “Yeah, I listen to the whole thing”. There’s just a lot of good music around so I can’t really [name my top 5 albums of all time]. Frank Rosolino had good albums – he got me through college.

    AN: Alright, so shifting gears, how did you guys come up with the concept for your Black DeLorean EP?

    Nomad the Native: Every once in a while, [Marc Amour and I] challenge each other by [sending] each other a beat or a song and be like, “Write to this,” just to see if the other person can do it, [in order to] stay sharp. I challenged him to write his verse on “Time Spent” to a different beat. He [wrote] what ended up being his verse on “Time Spent”. I was listening to “Kutless” by NxWorries when I wrote the first verse of “Waay Back” and part of that stuck in my mind – driving around in a car feeling fucking timeless and thinking about what it was like to be back in time. [Marc Amour] had written his verse for “Time Spent” and I was like, “Yo, these two free-floating verses are about time.”

    Marc Amour: Which was not on purpose at all.

    Nomad the Native: So, I was like, “Yo, what if we made an EP about time travel or some shit and call it Black DeLorean?”. I was thinking about driving around in a car, so the car time machine was the DeLorean and I love Back to the Future I and II. So, when we decided we were gonna make a lil’ EP out of these joints, we took references and our own ideas and threw them together.

    AN: Did you all collaborate with anybody else on Black DeLoreanBlack or is it just y’all three?

    Marc Amour: It’s purely just us – the production, the lyrics, everything. We recorded it ourselves. The only thing we did outside [of us] was get it mixed and mastered.

    AN: What is each of you all’s favorite song from the EP?

    Not.Alone: [in unison] “Time Spent”

    Marc Amour: My favorite [song] to perform is “Waay Back” just because of the way we end it. We don’t perform it the way that it’s recorded, for real. My favorite [song] to listen to is “Time Spent”.

    Nomad the Native: I think of all three songs, it’s the full package of us.

    Marc Amour: It’s literally the full package of us – the beat, the flow that I have, and the contrasting flow that Nomad comes in with.

    AN: What’s been the highest point of your musical career so far?

    Marc Amour: I really enjoyed performing at Adams Morgan Porch Fest because we really took a situation that was going to be shitty and flipped it. One of the things we learned very early on was to not depend on anything else and to always bring as much equipment that you think you might need. So, we had a homie of Nomad’s that was going to supply us with sound – just speakers. When we got there, homie’s speakers blew out. We were closing out that space. There was a whole crowd of at least 70 people by the end of the event. So, we’re out there and we’re just like, “Damn, these speakers don’t work”. So, we had this little PA joint that held us down.

    Nomad the Native: We cranked that joint ALL the way up!

    Marc Amour: It was one of those things that turned out to be great. I think one of the things that we didn’t consider was the first song that we performed and who the crowd was We were just like, “We’re great. We gon’ bang out these songs that we practiced”. The first song was “Black Don’t Crack”. When we got out there and realized who the crowd was, we just looked at each other and snickered. . It was a crowd filled with white folk, which is fine. It was funny seeing their reactions, but they were very receptive. It was great.

    Nomad the Native: My favorite moment is January of [2017] we performed at the MLK Day Parade in Southeast [Washington, D.C]. We played “Unapologetic” and it’s really gogo. It’s jih like old school-sounding gogo, not like bounce beat or slow bounce. The crowd was rockin’. I remember there was some old lady that was out in the street. She was with the shits! Then, you know that eccentric aunt that you can talk to about anything that’s super open-minded? That aunt, one of my closest aunts, came to see me. It was tight that she was there for that. That sticks in my mind. What about you, DÆTÄ?

    DÆTÄ: I liked playing at Black Cat with y’all. It was the first time I really saw people responding to something that I’ve done, personally. Another one of my favorite things that happens when I’m with y’all is the moment before people know you’re good.

    Nomad the Native: YOOOOOOO, yeah son. That shit is amazing!

    DÆTÄ: We were about to go on [at some bar] and [people] heard us do our soundcheck. There was this one dude in the crowd. He saw me practicing bass. So, I introduced myself like, “What’s up, bro? You here to see the music? Yadda, yadda”—just chewing the fat with him. He said, “Yeah, man. I can’t wait to hear what you guys really do”. He heard [the bands] the went before us perform and he pretty much did not vibe the whole night. Not being malicious, he was just being cool. We go on stage and he has the same [cool demeanor]. The beat dropped and yo, this man went [stank face]. I was like, “GOT ‘EM”. Then, he started vibing and milly rocking for like two seconds. I was like, “Yo, we just shook the ice off of this man!” Ever since that night, I’ve been really paying attention to when people really catch the vibe.

    AN: So, what’s next for Not.Alone?

    Nomad the Native: More music. We spent the last couple of years relatively quiet until March. So, this year we got more music. We’re trying to drop random joints – songs that are just on our minds. We want to be able to drop a project. We want more visuals because “Time Spent” was jih like a tester, it wasn’t even the whole song. We want to get into merch – shirts, some shit that we sell exclusively at shows or you have to fuck with us to catch. Is there anything else next for us, brothers?

    DÆTÄ: The world.

    AN: Anything else you want to say to the people?

    DÆTÄ: All love. God bless.

    Marc Amour: [plays guitar]

    Nomad the Native: Dawg, be open to new experiences and new people. I’m trying [to] and I encourage you to do the same. Act like you’re not the only one here, my nigga. Act like you’re sharing this shit with somebody. Boom.

    AN: Boom.

    Black DeLorean is available on all streaming platforms.
    Connect with Not.Alone!
    Instagram : @notalonellc
    Twitter : @notalonellc