#akenya seymour

[nofatclips]

If All I Was Was Black by Mavis Staples from the album If All I Was Was Black - Directed and edited by Zac Manuel, featuring Keah Moffett

[sinceileftyoublog]

Live Picks: 4/25

Billy Bragg

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Young talents and old legends.

Boogie, Reggie’s

For the most part, Everythings for Sale, the debut album from Compton rapper Anthony Dixson, aka Boogie, is one of the better first major label efforts in recent memory. Short, concise, cohesive, and brimming with ideas, Boogie dexterously plays off downtempo instrumentation and beats to share his anxieties about leaving a legacy and being in a relationship. Ultimately, it paints a realistic picture because he never truly leaves his darkness.

From the start, Boogie is stuck in a rut and wants to die. Experiences like those on “Silent Ride” don’t help much, as he recalls the story of passing out drunk, his girlfriend giving him a ride home and looking at his phone for directions but ultimately going through his phone and uncovering dark secrets. She’s mad about what she saw, and he’s mad she violated his privacy, and he expertly details their silent tension over appropriately awkward flutes and beats. That the source of their conflict comes from a betrayal and lack of communication is the inherent problem behind “Lolsmh”, too. The title may be a cheap reference to overused text abbreviations, but Boogie has a point about how non face-to-face interactions cheapen emotions. “No, my skin ain’t thick, it’s thin, it prolly bleeds soon as you touch me/I love if you hate me, I hate that you fuckin’ love me,” he confesses, still wanting everything to be alright even through his crisis of confidence. And “Whose Fault” starts with a skit of fighting parents, Boogie in a spiral of self-awareness about his faults as a parent and stereotypes of black fathers: “I'm too pissed I say ‘no bitch, go tell your nigga do it’ uh / Another stereotype that I couldn't prove wrong.” Horns from none other than contemporary master Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah add emotional weight to the song.

The best songs are when Boogie takes the leap, moving forward even when he’s in a bad place. “Swap Meet” is a slow jam that doesn’t see him commodify a woman but comparing his lack of traditional currency--money--and plentiful emotional support to a bargain. He wants to “change your view on a bad day,” and you can’t ask for much more. So on “Skydive”, over gorgeous acoustic guitar, he laments our generation’s insecurity over commitment, comparing it to the title, a thrilling experience your average adult (born in a generation where marriage occurred much earlier in life and plane technology was worse) would consider scary. “Live 95″ provides a bed of calming smooth jazz over which Boogie is able to “find bliss in the abyss.”

What prevents Everythings For Sale from being a great album is a mixture of filler and misfires. The JID-featuring “Soho” is nothing more than a nervous sounding banger. “Self Destruction” is another radio ready track that’s both a thematic outlier and kind of pointless, Boogie wavering between appropriating mumble rap/ignorance and harping on it. The worst is “Rainy Days”. Boogie’s signed to Shady Records, Eminem’s label, which is easily ignorable save for Eminem’s awful guest appearance on the song. (I cannot unhear Em’s nadir,  “I left my legacy hurt? Fuckin' absurd / Like a shepherd havin' sex with his sheep, fuck what you heard.”) Thankfully, though, Boogie admits his faults on brief closer “Time”, featuring a gorgeous guest vocal spot from Snoh Aalegra, wherein he declares that he just can’t help himself, whether it comes to sexual escapades, the desire for self-harm, or even just making the occasional bad song. At least he’s honest.

7.5/10

Rappers KB. Devaughn, Bobby Sessions, & R I L E Y open.

Billy Bragg, Lincoln Hall

Folk punk singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg’s currently on the One Step Forward, Two Steps Back tour during which he delivers a set spanning his entire career. Expect to hear mostly his solo material, though perhaps a song or two from his beloved collaborations with Wilco as well as plenty of covers.

Eels, Thalia Hall

We previewed Eels’ set at Thalia Hall last year:

Mark Oliver Everett, E, MC Honky–those are all names currently or at once ironically adopted by the only consistent member behind depressed rock band Eels. Their new album The Deconstruction provides the exact sort of sad-sack music you’re used to from this band. While it doesn’t reach the same epic levels as an album like 2005′s Blinking Lights and Other Revelations or doesn’t have anything nearly as catchy as classics 'Novocaine For The Soul' and 'Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues', it’s another solid entry in an ever-expanding catalog.

Rock band The Inspector Cluzo opens.

Makaya McCraven, Empty Bottle

Jazz drummer Makaya McCraven takes Universal Beings back to Chicago tonight. When we saw him at Big Ears Festival last month, we wrote:

“Makaya McCraven, whose Universal Beings was a relatively global album (despite what he says) offered a blissful, nimble set of slow-burning grooves from that record and Highly Rare, with a band that included bassist Junius Paul and guitarist Jeff Parker of Tortoise.”

Who he plays with and what he plays may be different tonight, but the qualities should remain the same.

Chicago collective Resavoir opens.

[burlveneer-music]

Resavoir - s/t LP - light and joyous jazz fusion from Chicago (and Bandcamp’s Album of the Day)

Riding the ripples of their debut single “Escalator” (which BBC’s Gilles Peterson called “a winner,” and Supreme Standards’ Tina Edwards likened to “Radiohead on a Jazz trip”), Chicago collective Resavoir return with their first full length effort. The self-titled album presents a juicy suite of elegantly-orchestrated lo-fi jazz instrumentals germinated from home recording experiments by the group’s producer/arranger Will Miller. Applying a compositional approach attributable to his experience producing hip-hop beats as much as his studies at Oberlin Conservatory, Miller built melodic sketches on foundations of samples & loops before bringing pieces to the group for collective development. After integrating recordings of the full band into his home-produced impressions (not unlike IARC predecessors Jeff Parker and Makaya McCraven), he over-dubbed another dozen friends into the mix (including Brandee Younger, Sen Morimoto, Carter Lang, Knox Fortune and Macie Stewart) before finalizing the arrangements. In Miller’s modest editing room, Resavoir grew from experiment into epic opus recalling the lush, psychedelic soul jazz orchestrations of David Axelrod & Charles Stepney… but in the sampled-laden style of Yesterday’s New Quintet, Broadcast, or Thundercat, with a lyrical affinity for minimalism & texturalism, like trumpeter/composers Jon Hassell & Justin Walter.

Written, Arranged, and Produced by Will Miller. featuring (in order of appearance): Akenya Seymour – voice, piano, wurlitzer, sampler, Will Miller – sampler, trumpets, synth, piano, wurlitzer, B3 organ Macie Stewart – violins Lane Beckstrom – bass Colin Croom – synth J.P. Floyd – trombone Mira Magrill – flute, bamboo flutes Peter Manheim – drums, percussion Zoe Miller – violin Irvin Pierce – tenor saxophone Brian Sanborn – guitar Brandee Younger – harp Jeremy Cunningham – drums, electronic drums Wills McKenna – flute Luke Sangerman – electronic drums Knox Fortune – drum programming Sen Morimoto – voice, saxophone Carter Lang – wurlitzer drum machine, additional production

[stonerparty]

Chance The Rapper ft Akenya Seymour & Alex Wiley: Windows

[hashtagliveza]

The strangest traits among Legacies 🇱🇸

Steely gates risen by descendants of those who sowed knowing they could not have...

The heathen remains among the forsaken, driven by will and light alone airingly churned towards imminent flight.

Seeking no temple nor false praise, within righteous labor gracefully resisting the graze.

Their path likened to night, gratuitously unsang so that their song may yet stay. For even fleeting birds must have their say.

Now isn't that grey?

[gigsoupmusic]

The Making of "Moonlight Palace" with Alex Blocker

Alex Blocker is becoming known for his boundary-breaking style with a contemporary fusion of R&B, hip-hop, and jazz. Influenced by his Chicago roots, Blocker began his music career producing and recording at YouMedia, an urban creative space in Chicago with previous alumni such as Chance The Rapper, Noname, and Akenya Seymour. Currently collaborating with Colorado artists Nobide and Angelique, he has also shared stages with performers such as Gramatik, Boombox, Masta Ace,  Def-i, Maggie Brown (Daughter of Oscar Brown Jr.), and recorded with John Walt of Chicago's Pivot Gang.  Blocker's latest release, Moonlight Palace, is innovative, fresh, and original and has the tendency to leave audiences grooving and coming back for more. Moonlight Palace features eight original songs from the artist, showcasing his fresh perspective in the hip-hop/R&B music scene by interspersing hip-hop beats and rap lyrics with jazzy violin licks. We chatted with Alex Blocker about his new album, the inspiration behind creating, and what's next for the young artist. What's your favorite song from Moonlight Palace? "Boujee" Tell us about the album.... what inspired you to write it? What do you hope listeners glean from it? I live with a bunch of other creatives, and we often find ourselves working deep into the night on our various individual projects, both audio and visual. The songs I write are directly inspired from my life experiences. This is the next chapter in the BlockerOnTop saga. I hope my music inspires my fans to live their lives to the fullest.  https://open.spotify.com/album/6xgZgi4B2IHzZNuJqTSvDt?si=k3_HImmiTz6Am-cJWf8gfg What's your favorite lyrical line from the album? Why? "Slicing through the water ain't no time to drop an anchor/ salad by the bay had to garnish it with capers. " (From "Boujee"). This line encapsulates many themes on the album at once. I have noticed a lot of progress in my career, and I don't plan on slowing down any time. Also I love food and eating.  Your sound is a unique fusion of different genres of music. Can you tell us more about what has influenced your music and how you incorporate violin into your hip-hop/rap vibe? My music is influenced by whatever is going on in that moment. I hang out with people from many different walks of life and so I hear many different artists from around the world. Not to mention going back and forth between Colorado and Chicago provides an interesting sonic dichotomy in my mind. I've been playing the violin since I was 5 or 6 so it's not something I usually overthink. When I hear a song needs strings, I add them.  Speaking of, you're native to Chicago but currently live in Colorado. How has spending time in two different musical scenes shaped you as an artist and shaped your career? What's different about the two music cultures? In Chicago I'm around a lot of people from the streets, and a lot of hipsters. Never a dull moment. Colorado has this really interesting scene where most people are either into bands, or electronic music, or some sort of fusion between the two. What does your creative process look like? I'm pretty much always creating. I enjoy producing as well as collaborating with other producers. I always write my own lyrics. There's a lot of free-styling involved. Live instruments are often used.  Who are some of your musical inspirations? Too many to name! I've always been a huge fan of Pharrell. In the Chicago scene Supa Bwe is definitely a favorite, and of course my team at DeltaWavesENT.    What can fans expect next? Fans can expect consistency. Make sure you check out #BlockerOnTuesdays for weekly releases and updates. 

Read the full article

[justinsinkovich]

Thank you to the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Columbia College Chicago for having me co-moderate a panel on digital marketing for musicians today with this awesome group of thoughtful creatives (L to R: Clayton Smith, Brenda Robinson, Renee Fleming (co-moderator), Kent Anderson, Akenya Seymour, me).

[djskewbeezy]

ERN&COMPANY - Still Alive @ernandcompany

ERN&COMPANY – Still Alive @ernandcompany

“Still Alive” is an interesting gaze into the musical mind of of ERN&COMPANY. Assisted with vocals by the lovely Akenya Seymour (known for her work Chance the rapper, Noname, etc. Laced with smooth flows and a unique style with production to match the vocals. It is quite catchy off the first listen. Really good work developing a unique side to this.

[mrjellybeanz]

ERN&COMPANY - Still Alive @ernandcompany

ERN&COMPANY – Still Alive @ernandcompany

“Still Alive” is an interesting gaze into the musical mind of of ERN&COMPANY. Assisted with vocals by the lovely Akenya Seymour (known for her work Chance the rapper, Noname, etc. Laced with smooth flows and a unique style with production to match the vocals. It is quite catchy off the first listen. Really good work developing a unique side to this.

[soundcloud…

[deskcoin64-blog]

At the Coven Classic, Akenya leads a band of talented Chicagoans in covers of Halloween-themed songs by women

Every Halloween season, concertgoers can take their pick of shows where local musicians perform as far more famous artists—the kind who no longer play in the small clubs that tend to host these shows. Kickstand Talent buyer John Ugolini, for instance, will appear as Lou Bega at Beat Kitchen's Halloween Extravaganza XIV on Saturday—an especially brave choice, given that Bega has only one song that anybody knows. On Friday at Sleeping Village, Chicago party producers Slo 'Mo will throw the Coven Classic, which cofounder Kristen Kaza describes on the Sleeping Village website as a covers show of seasonally appropriate songs by "witches & b#$!s from Grace Jones to Nina Simone."

Kaza enlisted singer, keyboardist, and composer Akenya Seymour to assemble an ensemble for the Coven Classic: drummer Red and vocalist Schenay Mosely, both from soul combo Highness; modern soul singer Rhea the Second; bassist Ayana Woods (Jamila's younger sister), who makes experimental pop as Yadda Yadda; and, at Kaza's suggestion, guitarist Becca Nesbit of punk band Swimsuit Addition. Seymour will play keys and sing, and she's also got a cast of guest vocalists—though she prefers to keep their identities secret for now.

Under the name Akenya, Seymour records a blend of jazz, soul, R&B, and hip-hop largely on her own, but she also has experience leading a group of musicians: in 2016 she became the musical director for Noname's live band. It was in that role that she connected with Kaza in November of that year—Noname performed at the MCA as part of after-hours series Prime Time, and Kaza had helped curate the event. Seymour was happy to come aboard when Kaza contacted her with the idea for the Coven Classic. "It just seemed like a cool idea to have something that was Halloween themed—I never played a Halloween party before," Seymour says. "She was like, 'It'd be really great to have a band that's primarily women or gender minorities,' and that seemed cool too."

Kaza and Seymour collaborated on a list of genre-spanning songs to fit the holiday. "It was some thematic things about, like, magic, witchcraft, or creepy-crawly, ghoul-like things," Seymour says. "Or artists who make you think they're probably not from earth. I added some Björk to the set 'cause I was like, how can we do anything that's supposed to evoke magic and not do Björk? She might be a real-life witch."

Other attractions at the Coven Classic include a magic show by illusionist Jeanette Andrews, sets by Slo 'Mo DJ Audio Jack, and a costume contest. A portion of the evening's proceeds will benefit Chicago Volunteer Doulas, which provides childbirth support in vulnerable communities. Tickets are $20, and the party starts at 9 PM.

Source: https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2018/10/24/at-the-coven-classic-akenya-leads-a-band-of-talented-chicagoans-in-covers-of-halloween-themed-songs-by-women

[nofomoartworld]

A Taste of Chicago’s Renaissance: Noname at Metro Chicago

Post contributed by Sabrina Greig. 

Thursday, Feb 9th’s line-up at the Metro Chicago demonstrated the vibrancy of the Black millennial talent blossoming in Chicago’s artistic Renaissance. The main headliner of the soulful R&B concert featured breakout artist Noname, as well as the young, magnetic vocal talents of Akenya Seymour and Ravyn Lenae.

Akenya Seymour, Photos © Brigid Gallagher (flickr).

Poet, singer, and song-writer Akenya Seymour opened the show with jazzy renditions of R&B classics like No Diggity by Blackstreet and Lost Ones by Lauryn Hill. While adding a refreshing flare to some of Hip Hop’s crowd favorites, she also showcased some of her own captivating original music. Her animated gestures and facial expressions had the affect of filling the packed concert hall with the creative wonders of black girl magic. Akenya’s eclectic vocal range gracefully moved from high-pitched tones to deep sultry sounds, reminiscent of a nascent Amy Winehouse.

Ravyn Lenae, a 16 year-old artist from the South Side of Chicago, dominated the stage with her petite frame, as her soothing voice captivated the audience. Claiming to be inspired by vocal legends like Erykah Badu and Indie.Arie, Lenae elegantly sang refreshing covers of well-known R&B hits like Solange’s Cranes in the Sky and Badu’s On and On. She was not shy in inviting the audience to sing along with her as she crouched down to meet viewers at eye-level.

Ravyn Lenae, Photos © Brigid Gallagher (flickr).

While both artists had a plethora of their own music to perform, Seymour and Lenae were gracious in dutifully paying respect to the influential R&B legends that came before them. This pretense to the headlining performer for the night warmed audience members up for Noname’s enchanting performance. Once Noname hit the stage to perform songs off her latest album Telefone, the audience was ready to appreciate the rigor of her craft even further.

The completeness of Noname’s performance, from the visuals to the live band and back-up vocals, demonstrated the innovativeness of her artistic practice as a musician. Her laid back energy paired with the rapid speed of her lyricism kept the audience comfortable, yet engaged. The candidness of her delivery, almost as if she were excitedly telling a story to a close friend, made her lyrics come to life. This tone fit well with the theme of her album Telefone, meant to simulate sincerity of learning about a love interest through phone conversations.

The complexity of her emotional expression through music was communicated through the dynamism of her vocabulary. A verse like, “Contemporary overzealous think I really like you//Sing with me, sing with me paranoia light blue,” allowed her beginnings as a poet shine through. Her word choices were the most playful in the song “Diddy-Bop”

Run, run, run, mama say come home before the streetlights do Ice cream on my front porch in my new FUBU and my A1’s too Watching my happy block my whole neighborhood hit the diddy bop

Like the lyrics above, her songs discuss a wide range of topics, from fame, summer love, loss, to the sorrows Chicago violence.

Noname, Photos © Brigid Gallagher (flickr).

At the tail end of her performance she had to pause as she tearfully revealed to the audience that she was dealing with the death of friend and Chicago rapper John Walt, also known as dinnerwithjohn. At this moment, a powerful visual of Walt was projected behind her as she courageously stated, “I’m not going to act like I’m not human.” While this moment was sad, it gave her performance an even more gripping importance.

Noname’s honest execution of her songs, full of optimism and sorrow, made it clear that music and expressive lyricism serves as more than creative outlet that inspires her. Her debut album Telefone is meant as an expression of self-care and self-love for both her and her fans.

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from Bad at Sports http://ift.tt/2mXoScg via IFTTT

[diaryofazoekid]

https://soundcloud.com/chancetherapper/04-windows-ft-alex-wiley-and

[stonerparty]

Chance The Rapper ft Akenya Seymour & Alex Wiley: Windows

[oyhr]

And I just wanna roll with my windows down.