We are pleased to welcome Blues Journey to Our Family of Independent Music Shows.
Tommie Brewster has been a musician all her life, since reaching up to the piano keys before age 4 and going on to study classical piano and gain a doctorate in music. She plays several other instruments and creates, sings and plays her own original music. She has released two blues albums, a double album of other genres and a spoken word album all on CDBaby. Find Tommie on Facebook.
Blues is the genre that speaks loudest to Tommie and she is proud to be an inducted member of the US Blues Hall of Fame and have her work added to the National Cultural Archive of New Zealandwhere she lives. She also is a professional member of the British Academy of Songwriters and has a catalogue of over 400 songs.
Tommie has been broadcasting blues shows and interviews for eight years and is particularly keen to present to her audiences the many different styles and eras of blues from way back when to right now, with an emphasis given to including her fellow independent musicians in the shows. There is a dedicated website at ttmradionetwork for her Blues Journey shows.
Res is a powerful soul rock singer whose single, They Say Vision, was a Top 40 hit with the remix going to number 1 on the dance charts. Other singles from her debut album, How I Do, include Golden Boys and Ice King both which received radio play and struck a chord with music lovers from all walks of life. This album has paved the way for her cult following today.
Res’ live show is incredibly engaging and entertaining. Her dynamic vocals pull all of the attention to the stage and the audience is in awe of her energy and stage presence. Many of her fans profess that her live performance is one not to miss and that she often sounds better than her records. A Res performance can consist of a few different band configurations. She can do everything from a DJ set to an acoustic guitar format and all the way to a full band.
Res completed work on her second album (Black Girls Rock!) and planned for a 2006 release. After some label shakeups the album would ultimately be shelved and Res would eventually break away from her label. While fans were looking for Res and her follow up album, instead she popped up singing supporting vocals for Cee Lo Green of Gnarls Barkley on his St. Elsewhere World Tour for the smash hit “Crazy”. Following the tour, Res decided to follow the path of an independent artist and released Black Girls Rock! all on her own. This decision was in direct response to the overwhelming demand from fans thru her social media touch points.
While steadily working on new music, Res found a ying to her yang, with Brooklyn rapper, Talib Kweli. This musical connection morphed into their side project, a group called Idle Warship. The group’s debut album, Habits of the Heart, was released in November of 2011.
Also during this time, Res teamed up with director, Steve Zegans, to tell her story in the form of a documentary titled, “The Res Documentary: An Industry Diary”. Res is the main subject of the film but within her story, you will relate to the challenges of most indie artists today as well as see her as a dedicated lover of music and entrepreneur. Res gives you the insiders view on the pros and cons of being both a major label artist and an indie artist. She lets you into her life thru her family, daily work activities, intimate acoustic performances, her achievements and harsh realities of being a DIY artist.
Res’ latest EP, ReFried Mac, is a dedication to Fleetwood Mac’s vocalist Stevie Nicks. Res respectfully transforms five of her favorite Fleetwood Mac songs into her own. The first single is Dreams and was released in the Fall of 2013.
Res is presently finishing up a new album of original songs entitled, RESET, to be released in 2016.
To finish RESET, she is asking her fans for help. There’s just about 2 weeks left to make your contribution for some great perks. Check them out here.
Signup for #Reset Mondays on her website, Follow her on Facebook and Twitter, and check out the interview below.
She is CynDiva, a Baltimore native, has been singing and performing nearly all of her life. She has performed at many talent showcases, fashion shows, plays, improvisational sketches, and special events locally and across the globe. She is a sought after mistress of ceremonies, poet, actress and motivational speaker. CynDiva can currently be heard on WDGPradio.net every Saturday from 4pm-7pm EST as co-host of The Mellow Mix, a show that spotlights independent R&B and Soul artists and their music.
She has just completed her first independently released EP, Dreadloc’d Soul Volume 1: Friend Request. The EP was written, produced, arranged and executive produced by CynDiva and Knatty 410.
She was a semi-finalist in the 2010 UK Songwriting Competition with “At The Water’s Edge”, A song written with songwriter, Nico Rizzutto of the UK. The two have never met in person. This highly awarded song was written, produced and arranged entirely over the internet. CynDiva was a finalist in the MS Big, Big Show on Broadway. She was also the “People’s Choice Award Winner” in the Mayor’s 18th annual Billie Holliday Vocal Competition, Baltimore, Maryland.
She was voted “Best Up and Coming Soul Sista”, by City Paper, and earned the title of “Dominican Idol” on 98Rock’s Morning Show; winning an all expense paid trip to the Dominican Republic. She has been a featured artist in Music Monthly Magazine, and on rockinmoms.com.
America chose CynDiva as a Grand Prize winner in the Snuggle.com “Be a Singing Scent-sation” Contest, a national competition for mothers of America who dream of being a rock-star. Winners were selected by an online vote to become a five member-singing group called the Snuggle Scentsations. The Prize consisted of a trip to California, several performances at Westwood One’s Backstage at The Grammys, radio and television interviews with local and national press, and tickets to the televised Grammy Awards show.
Her philosophy on her musical style is that she simply sings from her soul, because her heart is too fragile for such a weighty task.
” I don’t sing from my heart. My heart is fragile. It can and has been broken. My soul, on the other hand is big, strong and eternal. That is where the strength of my music comes from. I want to connect with my audience on a much deeper level, on the soul level. I want to connect on the level where time, space, size, shape, and ethnicity become irrelevant. I want longevity”, says the young diva with zest. “Basically, I want my music to mean as much to my listeners as it does to me.”
Now in 2016, she is about to release her sophomore project, Dredlocked Soul Volume 2. We will be at the CD Release party on March 20th at Sonoma’s, located at 7284 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, Maryland 21045 find out more from the event page. Follow her on Facebook , visit her website, and most of all, enjoy the music all the time by adding it to your personal library.
His style has been described as “old school bought up-to-date,”and compared to the likes of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Bursting with a multitude of talent, this singer/songwriter/producer can grace any stage, and really “brings it” with soothing textured vocals, wrapped in with the amazing ability to play several instruments. Snúhgie is no stranger to the music industry, as he has worked with a range of noteworthy artist from John Legend to Yolanda Adams and Wynton Marsalis, and served as Music Director for Dawn Robinson and Anthony David to name a few.
The name Snúhgie was affectionately given to Robert by his late Aunt, it literally just stuck to him over the years and has become the name that his fans have grown to recognize. As a native of Washington DC, Snúhgie attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Upon graduation Snúhgie founded his own publishing and production company (Rhythmic Sounds) where he was able to build, create, and display his love for music. This company has been a vessel to bring together a host of independent artists in the DC area. As a musician, Snúhgie takes pride in always promoting a strong message of love, relationships and inspiration in all of his music ventures.
Snúhgie is an artist who understands the complexities of coming from humble beginnings. When he is not belting out melodic sounds, he serves as a positive role model for his community regularly performing philanthropic work, including having raised more than twenty-thousand dollars in scholarship funds for students in Belize.
Take a listen to the Conversation from May 23, 2015, find out more about him at his website, then add him on Facebook, and Twitter; and most importantly, add him to your Music Library.
Florence Champagne is an accomplished author, artist, and advocate for the underserved. She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Howard University. As an advocate, she has served as the Director of Social Services at nursing homes in the Washington DC area, as well as working in Public Housing, with Senior Citizens, and individuals with mental disabilities. Currently she provides constituent services for the United States House of Representatives for Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, covering most of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties.
She has demonstrated contributions to an organization’s success through bridging the gap of government, community and public service as she makes a difference in the lives of the disadvantaged and underserved. She has legislative and Capital Hill experience, and maintains established relationships with various government agencies to effectively service the community. Her background includes collaborations with congressional staff, elected and appointed officials, agency administrators at the federal, state, and county levels such as USCIS, The Department of Veterans Affairs, just to name a few.
In addition to her advocacy for the U.S. House of Representatives, Florence also advocates for women with heart disease. She is a sought after speaker for health fairs, churches, employers, and health care administrators. She holds a top security clearance, and has a pushed book entitled “Inez’s Granddaughter”. As an artist, her works have shown throughout the Washington, DC area. Her current body of work is exhibited at Lybensons Gallery in Beaufort, SC.
When she visited Conversations, she discussed here book, based on her own Family. Inez’s Grand Daughter is available on Amazon as well as other book sites. Connect with Florence Champagne on Facebook.
It is always a pleasure to talk with Sir Charles Cary. He always has some knowledge and enlightenment to share with us. October 31st was no exception.
Mr. Cary has been an motivational speaker and coach for quite awhile. He speaks openly and honestly about his pass and all he has overcome. He is creative and artistic, having written and recorded several albums and even trying his hand at acting and with three best sellers under his belt, we say he is a very well rounded individual
For his latest project, he delves into the area of Reality TV, though certainly not your usual Reality TV. The Keynote definitely is coming from a positive place. We would expect nothing less if Sir Charles is involved. The show has 2 seasons completed and has been shopped to the networks. It has gotten great reviews but Networks want to change the show. Why you may ask, perhaps you have an educated guess based on what happens on most Reality shows. It is too positive, there is no drama! Well the team has decided to go another way and use crowdfunding to get the show aired.
Listen to the interview to find out more and get some discount codes to use for purchases from Sir Charles Cary’s website, where you will find some great gifts and stocking stuffers of a positive nature. Thanks to Sir Charles for always being true to himself. As he says, “You can’t keep it if your not willing to give it away.” Check out The Keynote Campaign for more information about the project, donors perks and more.
February 8, 2014, that’s when the Duo of Janice B and QueenEarth came to visit Conversations. They call themselves Queen B, a combination of both their names, which just happens to suit them so well. Janice B has been a previous guest on Conversations and we are so happy to her back as well as our new friend QueenEarth. These two are a tribute and a testimony to Acoustic Soul. Their sound is smooth and soul stirring. Of curse you don’t have to take our word, Just listen and form your own opinion. When your done, make your way over to Bandcamp, or Itunes or their websites and add them to your personal music collections.
Yolanda R is a classically trained vocalist, who started off like many great singers, singing in the choir.
She perfected her instrument at LaGuardia H.S. of Music & the Arts and Harlem School for the Arts. Despite her love of, and passion for singing , she strayed from her calling on more than one occasion. After meeting with many failures and internal fears, she decided that she wasn’t “cut out” to be a singer. It took many years for her to understand the words of motivational speaker Les Brown “I will fail my way to success.”
We have to make A LOT of mistakes before we get it right. And Dion Jordan is a motivational speaker who has impacted her the most in her life. He said ” I may not be the best __ [singer] , but I have the potential to get better.” In 2011, she resolved that before her lifetime was over, she would give her dream all she had. Yolanda’s burning desire to leave a musical legacy reflective of who SHE REALLY is in this world moved her to record and release her own music. It was such a pleasure to speak with Yalonda. Listen as she shares herself and her music with me on Conversations, then check her out on ReverbNation, Facebook, Twitter and her site, Yolanda’s Voice. Most importantly, add her music to your personal collection.
Another year, another visit from one of our favorite Indie Artist, Kroshet.
He he is the hardest working Artist we know. He shares with us select tracks from his most recent project, Street Soul. Street Soul, is on K&J Records & Koffee’s Mellow Groove out of Los Angeles, California. Kroshet says he has worked with some great producers on this project. Folks like Tizone, Big Mike, Inzane Beats from Germany, Lil Tray Beatz and , Street Track Pros.
All we know is that anytime Kroshet visits there will lots of fun and laughter. So have a listen to the “Conversation”, enjoy the music and then, go and buy it. Connect with Kroshet on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.
We couldn’t think of a better person to spend time with on the show of Conversation 2015. We had the pleasure of speaking with and getting to know R&B Icon Chris Jasper.
If you are familiar with THE ISLEY BROTHERS, then you have heard the music of CHRIS JASPER, who was primarily responsible for writing and producing all of THE ISLEY BROTHERS music during this time, including such beautiful love songs as “For The Love of You” and “Between the Sheets” and uptempo funk such as “Fight the Power.” His arrangements and instrumentation as a classically-trained musician, and his expertise on the keyboards and synthesizers, are the foundation of the legendary “Isley Brothers Sound.” When the six members of THE ISLEY BROTHERS disbanded (1984), Marvin and Ernie Isley joined CHRIS JASPER and formed ISLEY-JASPER-ISLEY. Without this crucial musical component, THE ISLEY BROTHERS were no longer a self-produced, self-contained group.
CHRIS JASPER brought his “unique sound” and musical talents to ISLEY-JASPER-ISLEY, and topped the charts singing lead vocals on “Caravan of Love” (1985), a song that was covered by English recording group, the Housemartins, an international #1 pop hit. “Caravan” was also used in commercials as part of a Dodge Caravan advertising campaign. He was also awarded a CEBA Award For Excellence for a Miller Brewing Company commercial. The music for that commercial formed the basis for “Brother to Brother” from the “Different Drummer” album, which supported the anti-apartheid struggle going on in South Africa at that time. His music has also been used in radio and television commercials, most recently “Who’s That Lady” (Swiffer) and “Between The Sheets” (L’Oreal).
When ISLEY-JASPER-ISLEY disbanded (1987), CHRIS JASPER brought his “unique sound” to his own solo projects, topping the charts with “SuperBad,” a song promoting the value of education. CHRIS JASPER has continued to write songs and produce his own R&B/Gospel music, as well as other artists, for his independent record label, Gold City Records (www.goldcitymusic.com).
It was a treat t discuss his music and music in general. We can’t wait to hear music from is son, Mike Jasper. Enjoy the interview and then go buy the music. You can find out more by liking his Facebook page. or visiting the Gold City Music Website.
