mourning [a] blkstar
mourning [a] blkstar
Wednesday, June 4
Mourning [a] BLKstar
At De La Luz in Holyoke
co-presented with Laudable Productions
songs for an unfolding american apocalypse
MOURNING [a] BLKSTAR is a multi-generational, non-gender and non-genre confirming collective from Cleveland, Ohio. They meld live instrumentation with harmonizing vocals and hip-hop production to share stories and experiences of the African Diaspora. Their sets are rooted in communing with the audience — an experience that is solidarizing, heart-warming, and vital for this moment.
The group’s seven members include musicians, writers, and multimedia artists. Their intricate arrangements, rooted in jazz, blues, soul, r&b, and hip-hop, are an afrofuturist examination of our cultural paradoxes that at times challenge; at times uplift — and constantly moor themselves in both sincerity and defiance.
“Because we’re predominantly a Black band, we get pigeonholed into certain spaces,” says singer LaToya Kent. “People will think you just do one thing.”
In reality, the band goes pretty much everywhere. With three deeply soulful vocalists and a horn section, they “draw on everything from spacey Afrofuturistic jazz to uplifting gospel-like vocals to apocalyptic hip-hop beats, all underscored by a lyrical commitment to social and racial justice and healing.” (Noah Schaffer, Boston Globe)
Secret Planet last hosted MAB in January 2024 when they came through as the backing band for the visionary outsider artist Lonnie Holley. This crew grooves hard, and we’re grateful for any chance to present them when they visit the north-east.
shapeshifters of the black experience
This is for Secret Planet members only! — if you’d like to buy a regular ticket to see M[A]B, they will be on sale later in January.
