2020 PERFORMERS
Check Back for Updates!
Meet our Host- RaVal Davis
|
Actress, journalist and Body positive advocate, RaVal Davis is the go to girl for smart and engaging discourse around body positivity, entertainment, and women's issues. A sought after speaker, host and all around valued talent, The CNN Op ed
contributor packages her honest yet feminine opinions with grace and style. She is the host of BET’s Don’t Touch My Hair talk show--a topical series that addresses the concerns of black women. Davis is also a published writer who has penned pieces for CNN, Essence, Nylon, The Huffington Post, EBONY, The Grio, VIBE, and many more. Moreover, as a speaker and host, Davis has graced the stages of Essence Fest, The National Urban League, The Great Girlfriend's Conference and Ambassador Con. Hosting Samsung's official 2018 Oscar viewing was a career highlight. She's also played host alongside Wendy Williams for the Lifetime Network as well as made appearances on Essence Live, CW 11 news and many other platforms. With a magnetic persona, trademark beauty, and fearless determination, RaVal Davis is making her mark as an actress and host. She champions women wherever she goes. Her recent charitable work with both The Precious Dreams Foundation and Covenant House bring her great joy. Keep up with RaVal on Instagram @RaValDavis or at www.RaValDavis.com |
St. Augustine Choir
|
The Saint Augustine Gospel Choir was established in 1977 by Rev. Raymond Kemp, then the pastor of St. Augustine. The Choir’s repertoire consists of African American spirituals, hymns, and contemporary Gospel music, and it sings at the 12:30 p.m. Sunday Mass. God blessed us with our highly gifted Director, Mr. Samuel Edison Cromwell, in 1998.
The Saint Augustine Gospel Choir has had more than 30 exciting years, spreading God’s praises singing in places such as Saint Peter’s Basilica and in The Vatican for Pope John Paul II, performing in Costa Rica for the African Diaspora Festival of the Flowers and in Toulouse, France. On September 23, 2015, 17 choir members had the distinguished honor to sing for Pope Francis at the White House welcoming ceremony with President Barack Obama and more than 10,000 invited guests. They have performed several times in the White House for former President and Mrs. William J. Clinton; in April 2008 for Pope Benedict XVI and President and Mrs. George W. Bush for the Pope’s second visit to the United States. More recently in 2010 and 2011, the Choir performed at the residence of Vice President and Dr. Joseph Biden for their Christmas Celebration. |
Rakhel Yisrael
Rakhel Yisrael, born and raised in Washington, DC, grew up in a household of music. With a father as a bass player and a mother was very supporting, she grew up with instruments in her hands and strong values. Rakhel always had a passion for drumming and there was always a call in her spirit whenever she heard the drums. At 20, she got into her talent by teaching herself drum set, and djembe. She has traveled throughout America and Northeastern Africa spreading her talents. Currently Rakhel is working conducting workshops for women of all ages on nutrition, self empowerment, and stress relief. She also conducts drum circles, and teaches with the Young Womens Drumming Empowerment Project in Washington, DC. She currently plays Dunun drum with Malcolm X dancers and drummers, Djembe drum with Bele Bele Rhythm Collective and Dunun Drum with Ni Dembaya Drum and Dance ensemble. She is currently working on a Solo project set to drop next year You can follow her Instagram at @rahsouldrummer and hear her music on Reverb Nation.
Joseph Ngwa
|
Joseph Ngwa is an ancestral healing Master drummer from the Village of Njinibi Royal Family of Cameroon.
He is trained in Djembe,talking drum and other traditional instruments of Africa. Mr Ngwa has been drumming since he was a small child and has drummed with many dance groups and bands and also toured all over the world. Currently Mr Ngwa is performing African cultural drumming & Afro Jazz & teaches African drumming & culture in different schools all over Washington DC & beyond. You can follow him on Facebook Joseph Ngwa |
CINEMA HEARTS (SOLO)
|
An ex-pageant queen fronts a rock ‘n’ roll band. Inspired by the music of doo-wop singers and surf guitarists from long ago, the sound of Cinema Hearts is wistful, yet feisty, with a pulsing passion for days gone by. Cinema Hearts has played concert halls and rock clubs, including Kennedy Center, AMP by Strathmore, Smithsonian Museums, Black Cat, Fort Reno, and more. Cinema Hearts has toured the east coast to New York City, Philadelphia, Richmond, and other cities.
http://cinemahearts.com |
The Experience Band & Show
|
With a resonating sound and a hip new vibe to music, we welcome you to an introduction to D.C.'s Trombone King and his band The Experience Band & Show. The Experience Band and Show is a grand experience in showmanship, musician, artist and over all good time music.
The band began by performing what is called a “funky feel good music” on the streets of D.C. to anyone willing to listen and drop a tip in the music bucket. Now the Experience Band and Show has been blessed with opportunities to perform with a vast array of artists and events around the DMV area. The band performances are comprised of a variety of original songs, popular and old school covers with The Experience's unique technique and style...as will as original music such as the Rock Music influenced “Look what you’ve done to me”, and the jazz tune “ Farragut” . The Experience Band currently is the house band for Big Chief in Ivy City, D.C. While being gracious featured in the Washingtonian's June 2017 & 2018 issues for "The Best of Washington", opportunities kept knocking which landed the honor of performing with Wale, during the 2017 Secret Honor Roll Performance at Suitland High School; Carolyn Malachi and Raheem Devaughn for a Valentine's Day performance at Ivy City Smokehouse. |
Yahuali
|
Yahuali is an instrumental musician who weaves melodies & rhythms bridging his Latino heritage with his rock influences. Armed with a classical guitar, a cajón, a cowbell, and sometimes a ukelele, Yahuali builds his pieces live, layer by layer, building a foundation of structured melodies upon which to improvise. His latest video, “7 Giants,” captures his swirling, driving style with influences from Latin-folk, rock, flamenco, and jazz.
Yahuali (Yah-WAH-lee) means 'circle' in Nahuatl, the Aztec language of his hometown Mexico City. His songs evoke concentric waves of melodies and instruments building to a larger whole. A self-described “soundscape engineer,” Yahuali engineers upbeat, rhythmic, and sometimes thoughtful soundscapes to entice the audience to listen and to let their imaginations fly. |
Chris Price
|
Chris Price is an acoustic guitar playing singer-songwriter heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, Marvin Gaye, Dave Matthews and more.
|
SOLIA
|
Fitting in is vastly overrated, and being “normal” is an illusion. Don’t ever be afraid to be a little weird.
Singer/songwriter SOLIA represents this wholly and unapologetically with live performances and new music poised to set 2020 on fire. Using music as the catalyst to connect with people, alternative pop rocker SOLIA helps audiences all over the country make sense of this crazy world we live in through songs. And with musical inspiration from the likes of Michelle Branch, Gabrielle Aplin, P!nk, Vanessa Carlton, Kelly Clarkson, Sara Bareilles, Halsey, HAIM, Taylor Swift & Paramore; you will be intoxicated with her music over and over while simultaneously falling in love with her lyrics. “At the end of the day, [she] just wants to make music and write songs that people can live their lives to.” Having recently released her debut EP, Fast Cars & Midnight, in 2019 and having an extensive catalogue of indie projects dating back to 2014, 2020 is set for a whole new side of SOLIA to erupt. |
Bellwether Bayou
|
Bellwether Bayou is the solo folk project of Laura Schwartz, a classically-trained violinist based in Washington, DC. Bellwether Bayou brings together looping violin and soulful vocals to create a modern take on classic folk sensibilities. The sound of Bellwether Bayou mixes original tunes with unexpected covers and new spins on old traditionals.
|
JesusGang
|
Lumont Deshield is the Founder and CEO of JesusGang. JesusGang started as a unique t-shirt clothing line and now includes: hoodies, hats, and shoes. It quickly expanded into Christian rap music as a way to reach youth and young adults with positive music and as an alternative to negative rap music. Lumont writes, performs, records, and produces music and videos. He is defining a new genre of music that has been called gospel trap music.
JesusGang has performed at more than 150 churches, community events, radio stations, clubs and shows in the DMV, Atlanta, Miami, and Tampa. The message is always positive, motivational, and inspirational. In 2015, Lumont was runner-up in the WKYS 93.9's "Give Drugs a Bad Rap Contest" and was selected for the Actors and Models for Christ. |
Broolyn the Kid
|
Hip-hop artist Brooklyn the Kid has finished her third project Notes From The Underground; a jazzy, 90’s inspired track-list, with bold lyricism and magnetic vibes. Able to connect Latin roots to her own sound, this mix of hip-hop and Latin flare makes for a beautiful pair on songs like “Azucar” from her project The Rough Draft. With roots in the DMV (DC Maryland Virginia), Brooklyn the Kid has performed at various noteworthy venues including the famous Busboys and Poets, SongBryd, One Love Music Festival and the Hera Festival.
|
TEVAMEVA
|
TVAMEVA ('You Are' in Sanskrit) is a World Music band based in the DC metro region, featuring blends of Carnatic, Electronic, and Rock music. Founded in 2014 by band leader, vocalist, and producer Arvind M Venugopal, the group also features multi instrumentalist Reis DeBruyne on Guitar/Bass, multi award winning Rahul Mukerjee on Guitar/Chapman Bass Stick/Hang Drums, and Rohit Kangari on Cajón.
Over the years TVAMEVA has performed at various soulful community venues in the DC metro area and in the greater mid-Atlantic region overall, including a special performance at Washington's famous Cherry Blossoms Festival in 2017. TVAMEVA Released their first full feature YouTube music video 'Marugelara - Fire & Ice' in January 2019 that helped propel them into an Official Artist Channel as recognized by YouTube. TVAMEVA released their debut album titled 'Upakrama - The Beginning' in February 2019. Their new Single ‘Liberation’ is scheduled for release in February 2020. |
Laura Luv
|
Laura Luv is a Colombian singer-songwriter. She has been playing solo since 2013. She writes songs in Spanish influenced by her experiences in life and by what is happening in the world today. Some of her lyrics have been interpreted as a wake up call and people can easily relate to them. She’s influenced by pop, rock, indie, folk and latin music. She always brings passion, warm energy and love when she performs.
Laura Luv is based in Washington D.C. and she has played at important music venues like: The Howard Theater, Rock & Roll Hotel, Union Stage, Pearl Street Warehouse, and Tropicalia. In 2019, Laura released two singles, "Valiente" and "Más", that can be found online on platforms like Spotify, iTunes, and Deezer. She is currently finishing the recording of her first EP, which will be released later this year. |
The Andalusian
|
The Andalusian unearths musical preserves of aged Maghreb and Mashriq rhythms of North Africa and the Middle East, bringing them forward to a modern House and EDM fusion with live electronic violin and drums. After a decade as a belly dance entertainer and club hopping all the Techno clubs in deep corners of DC, Baltimore, and NYC, Sonia aka The Andalusian adapted a unique sound.
|
Fleetwood DeVille
|
Fleetwood DeVille, an emcee,vocalist, music producer,
instrumentalist, and community organizer, was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, late in the 1980s. Since learning to play songs by ear on his grandparents' piano, singing tenor in his church's youth choir, and playing drums during praise service, Fleetwood has held an unshakeable bond with music. |
BRASSIE
|
BRASSIE is a singer-songwriter based out of Washington D.C. She performs as a solo acoustic act with a sound that draws on folk and pop influences. She released her debut EP, “The Airstream EP,” at the end of 2019 and you can hear it on all streaming platforms.
|
Hannah Jaye
|
Hannah Jaye is the founder and visionary singer/songwriter behind three-time Wammie Award nominee Hannah Jaye and the Hideaways: a musically dynamic, culturally insightful and increasingly popular force in the Washington, DC music scene. The genre-bending band is steeped in the folk storytelling tradition, creating an artful fusion of authentic, rootsy Americana, bluegrass and country music while weaving compelling contemporary narratives that speak to the challenging day-to-day realities of the millennial experience. The band's self-titled album, set to drop February 28, 2020, is a watershed work exploring hard-hitting themes that reflect the challenges their generation faces in navigating the transition from youth to adulthood and independence.
|