Jake Blount’s music is rooted in care and confrontation. He is a scholar of Black American music, speaking ardently about the African roots of the banjo and the subtle, yet profound ways African Americans have shaped and defined the amorphous categories of roots music and Americana. His 2020 album Spider Tales (named one of the year’s best albums by NPR and The New Yorker, earned a perfect 5-star review from The Guardian) highlighted the Black and Indigenous histories of popular American folk tunes, as well as revived songs unjustly forgotten in the whitewashing of the canon.
TANGELA is the glittery finish to a masterfully crafted collage. She glows, sparkles, and shines wherever she is present. A fusion of love and artistic vision, TANGELA has dibble-dabbled in The Arts since she was a toddler — weaving in and out of painting classes, bands, theatrical outfits and dance troupes, intent on discovering her most magical talents.
Tonya Dyson is a beloved artist who has not only built a devoted following in a creative landscape of her own design but has helped develop and nurture that same environment for countless other Memphis artists. She’s the genuine article in Memphis’ new soul underground.
Pedal and lap steel guitar ace Roosevelt Collier, so proficient he’s affectionately known as “The Dr,” released his solo debut, Exit 16, on GroundUP Music. It’s a potent mix of blues, gospel, rock, and, in his words, “dirty funk swampy grime,” as overseen by producer and Bokanté bandmate Michael League (from the Grammy-winning Snarky Puppy).
The Iris Collective presents “Spacetime,” a curation of pieces that focus on the expansion of time and exploration of space. The program features works written by Fazil Say, Dmitri Kourliandski, Dosia McKay, Claudio Santoro, and Johan Halvorsen.
