About the Show
Much of the charm of a place like Brooklyn comes from discovering what secret events hide inside seemingly mundane brick buildings with colorful street art plastered on their walls. Wandering the streets of Brooklyn’s culturally booming neighborhoods you may ask yourself, “What exclusive functions could I attend if I were lucky enough to be in-the-know?” -Soundigest
THE REVOLUTION is a performance series highlighting Brooklyn & Harlem based artists + musicians that not only represent the core of independent pop culture but who currently stand in the breeding ground of evolution within their genre.
This local musical movement empowers community, change, and activism through performance and unity amongst the arts. Once a month, three different artists showcasing three different genres have a chance to spread love, light, and awareness through their music and their stories. This series supports revolutionary artistry and how important music is to healing, in all aspects of life.
As a part of VOL. 28, The Revolution will feature three incredible live performances from local artists
Vick & The Velvicks, JSWISS, and FKAjazz
About the Artists
Vick & The Velvicks
Winter of 2017. After bouncing back from personal troubles, Vick Nader (vocals) broke a 2 years live performance hiatus teaming up with an old music companion/former band mate Ed Marson (drums) and Berkeley graduates Vinny Da Silva (guitar) and Apoena Frota Jones (bass) to have fun and jam out some rock tunes at private parties they threw at “The Monroe Mansion” in Brooklyn, NY. The parties started getting bigger and bigger so they were forced to relocate them to local music venues.
It wasn’t until a few months later though, in August 2017 at Irving Plaza that The Velvicks finally officially debuted live as a band. Since then, they have been refreshing the rock scene in NYC, delivering an all original “stadium rock” experience to intimate and well known venues like Rough Trade, Union Pool and Gramercy Theater without having any music released yet.
With influences from Pink Floyd, QOTSA, The Black Keys and Radiohead, yet a sound and vision completely singular, the general feedback so far has been nothing but inspirational and 100% positive, being considered by industry folks like the rebirth of NYC’s Rock n’Roll.
“Songs are making sense, the band is delivering badass live performances and people are responding to it.” said Vick.
The band is less than 1 year old and it’s currently mixing their first EP “Red Head” to be released soon. Check out their calendar for upcoming dates and experience them live. The Velvicks are still known for their “energetic” private parties.
JSWISS
A native of Dobbs Ferry, NY, JSWISS owes his musical upbringing to A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots and Nas as much as Soulive, Jamiroquai and Raphael Saadiq. Equally touted for his live performance and infectious records, JSWISS stands out amongst other hip-hop artists for his masterful wordplay and delivery matched with potent messages, and for being an emcee with the ability to comfortably collaborate with many of the top live musicians on the jazz and soul scenes.
Over the latest several months, JSWISS has released a steady stream of singles and music videos following the release of his acclaimed latest project, the “No Music” EP, which left critics such as The Source Magazine saying, “The listenability of his new music, especially how he successfully draws influence from a variety of genres, is also helping to connect him to a widespread audience, with fans of R&B, hip hop, soul, pop and rock all able to find something to like in JSWISS.”
FKAjazz
“Under the bold, fresh artistic identity FKAjazz (formerly known as…), NYC based saxophonist/dj Samir Zarif lays the dynamic groundwork for the possibilities of what jazz is for his generation and provides a vision for what the cherished American art form can be moving forward.” Jonathan Widran, Jazziz
Originally from Houston, Texas, FKAjazz moved to New York after living in New Orleans where he built the foundation of his artistry as a jazz saxophonist studying and performing with such notable figures as Terence Blanchard, Aaron Neville and Jason Marsalis. After moving to New York, FKAjazz has been a part of numerous projects, touring the globe and recently was nominated for a Grammy with Miguel Zenon for the album “Identities Are Changeable.” Alongside his achievements in the genre of jazz music, FKAjazz has also become a figure in Electronic Music, Hiphop & RNB as a music producer, saxophonist and keyboardist.
