Black Rock Coalition


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About

In the Fall of 1985, a small group of New York musicians, writers and fans—fed up with the straitjackets being forced on them due to cultural disconnect informed by skin color—founded The Black Rock Coalition. Their goal was multifold: champion artists of color who were producing music beyond the industry’s ...

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Contact

Publicist
Samantha Brickler
812-339-1195

Current News

  • 03/22/201604/04/2016
  • New York, NY

ANNOUNCING “All The WOO In The World” A star-studded benefit concert to celebrate the life of legendary P-Funk pioneer Bernie Worrell in NYC on April 4, 2016

All The WOO In The World is being produced by The Black Rock Coalition and will feature confirmed appearances by Bootsy Collins and filmmaker Jonathan Demme with performances by George Clinton, Living Colour, Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, Nona Hendryx, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Meryl Streep, Rick Springfield, Bill Laswell with The Last Poets (Abiodun Oyewole, Umar Bin Hassan, Babatunde & special guests), Paul Shaffer and the World’s Most Dangerous Band, Fred...

Press

  • DooBeeDooBeeDoo, Concert preview, 08/24/2015, The Black Rock Coalition celebrates 30 years of rock advocacy and musical pioneering Text
  • Broadwayworld.com, Concert preview, 08/28/2015, Black Rock Coalition & More to Perform in Upcoming New York City Concerts Text
  • Rhapsody, Feature story, 09/11/2015, Black Rock Coalition Turns 30 Text
  • BAM blog, Feature story, 09/15/2015, 30 Years in 30 Days: A Celebration of the Black Rock Coalition Text
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News

04/04/2016, New York, NY, Webster Hall, 8:00 PM
03/22/201604/04/2016, ANNOUNCING “All The WOO In The World” A star-studded benefit concert to celebrate the life of legendary P-Funk pioneer Bernie Worrell in NYC on April 4, 2016
Event
04/04/2016
Event
04/04/2016
Doors Open
6:00 PM
Concert Start Time
8:00 PM
Venue
Webster Hall
Venue St. Address
125 East 11th Street
Venue City, State
New York, NY
Ticket Price(s)
$50.00 - $100.00
Ticket Phone
(212) 353-1600
‘All The WOO In The World: A Celebration of Bernie Worrell’ will be at New York’s Webster Hall, on Monday, April 4th, with appearances expected by Bootsy Collins and Jonathan Demme with performances by George Clinton, Rick Springfield, Meryl Streep, Bill Laswell, and more to be announced. MORE» More»

All The WOO In The World is being produced by The Black Rock Coalition and will feature confirmed appearances by Bootsy Collins and filmmaker Jonathan Demme with performances by George Clinton, Living Colour, Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, Nona Hendryx, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Meryl Streep, Rick Springfield, Bill Laswell with The Last Poets (Abiodun Oyewole, Umar Bin Hassan, Babatunde & special guests), Paul Shaffer and the World’s Most Dangerous Band, Fred Schneider of the B-52’s, and the Black Rock Coalition Orchestra. The festivities will take place on April 4, 2016 at Webster Hall in New York City.

The goal is to raise funds for Worrell’s health and living expenses as he fights Stage 4 lung cancer and prostate and liver cancer. The effort is led by Nona Hendryx (founding member of Labelle and R&B Hall of Fame inductee), the Black Rock Coalition (a 30-year nonprofit arts support organization for which Worrell serves on the Board of Directors), and Sweet Relief (a medical-expense organization dedicated to veteran artists in need).

All The WOO In The World will honor Worrell’s contributions as one of the most influential keyboardists in modern popular culture while simultaneously raising supplemental funds to cover costs created by his illness. “Just about everything that you hear from keyboardists today has Bernie’s DNA on it. Everything. This musical thank you is long overdue and should finally put Bernie Worrell’s musical legacy where it belongs—in the stratosphere with the other all-time greats. As far as I'm concerned, Bernie Worrell is on par with Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, Mozart and Beethoven,” says Earl Douglas, Executive Director of the New York Chapter of the Black Rock Coalition.

This sentiment is shared by Nona Hendryx, whose years on the road as an outspoken, politically-aware artist during the Civil Rights Movement and whose work with Artists Against Apartheid, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, and the BRC have shown her the power of community. "I didn't want the words of praise and appreciation for my friend 'Ba-nard' to be shared by his peers during a memorial, when he couldn't hear or feel them. My desire and intention is to celebrate Bernie and help him financially,” says Hendryx.

Bernie Worrell was born April 19, 1944 in Long Branch, New Jersey. A musical prodigy, he began formal piano lessons by age three and wrote a concerto at age eight. Worrell then went on to study at Juilliard and the New England Conservatory of Music. As a keyboardist and composer, he is best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic—co-writing some of their biggest hits including “Flashlight,” “Up For The Downstroke,” and “Mothership Connection” among others. In addition to his prolific solo career, Worrell became an in-demand live and studio musician, working with such esteemed artists as Talking Heads, Jonathan Demme, Bill Laswell, Keith Richards, the Pretenders, Jack Bruce, The CBS Orchestra with Paul Shaffer, Deee-Lite and Bootsy's New Rubber Band.

Worrell has also been among the most-sampled musicians ever—with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Digital Underground, De La Soul, DMX and countless others having acknowledged his timeless grooves by building tunes around his signature riffs. In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.

His impact is evident in the fact that so many high-caliber artists have agreed to drop everything to be there with and for Bernie to help raise money for his fight against cancer. Perhaps it’s because Bernie himself has always had a selfless stance toward creating music, “I don’t like the whole spotlight. I like to play with people because it’s about sharing and listening and creating that way. We play off each other. It’s not just all about me. That’s what makes it so beautiful.”

In true WOO community spirit, the events will feature one-of-a-kind collaborations, special performances, rare appearances, and a whole lot of the amazing music that Worrell has created, touched, or inspired in his 50+ year career. The mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, will also give a proclamation to Worrell in recognition of his contributions as a shining son of New Jersey.

Artists will be donating their time so all proceeds will go directly towards Worrell’s care.

All The WOO In The World: A Celebration of Bernie Worrell’ will be at New York’s Webster Hall, on Monday, April 4th, 2016, with appearances expected by Bootsy Collins and Jonathan Demme with performances by George Clinton, Rick Springfield, Meryl Streep, Bill Laswell, Paul Shaffer and The World’s Most Dangerous Band, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, and more guests to be announced. Webster Hall is at 125 East 11th Street in New York City. Doors are at 6PM, VIP Meet & Greet is at 7PM, and show time is at 8PM; general admission tickets are $50 in advance and $60 day of show; VIP tickets are $100 and include a meet & greet, funktastic gift bag, and special seating. Info: (212) 353-1600;
www.websterhall.com.
Artists are subject to change.

For more information, please contact the following:
Black Rock Coalition President, LaRonda Davis: ldavis@blackrockcoalition.org
Black Rock Coalition Director Of Operations-NY, Darrell McNeill: dmcneill@blackrockcoalition.org
Details and updates available at www.blackrockcoalition.org.

Event
04/04/2016

09/26/2015, Baltimore, MD, The WindUp Space
08/11/201509/26/2015, Thirty (Year) Rock: How the Black Rock Coalition Keeps Process Alive, Nurtures a Vivid Scene
Event
09/26/2015
Event
09/26/2015
Venue
The WindUp Space
Venue St. Address
12 W. North Ave.
Venue City, State
Baltimore, MD
Venue Zip
21201
Ticket Price(s)
$10.00
Ticket Phone
(410) 244-8855
Event Notes
Also performing 9/27
For 30 years, the Black Rock Coalition has proved that Black musicians have a central, vital role to play in shaping edgy, righteous, driving rock. Remembering the untold numbers of Black musicians who made rock what it is, while nurturing a scene, the volunteer-powered organization insists on the slow build of process. MORE» More»

For 30 years, the Black Rock Coalition has proved that Black musicians have a central, vital role to play in shaping edgy, righteous, driving rock. Remembering the untold numbers of Black musicians who made rock what it is, while nurturing a scene, the volunteer-powered organization insists on the slow build of process, of people interacting in the flesh, in the face of major tectonic shifts in society and music.

“Everything comes down to the process. There’s a process to everything under the sun. Nothing we see on the surface, for a lot of artists, is the whole,” explains Darrell McNeill, BRC-NY Director of Operations. “The body of work goes way deeper. That’s what sets us apart. After thirty years, we know there’s a process. You have to go work out your thing to make it presentable. You can’t automatically jump from A to Z. You have to be patient enough. That’s what the people we support do.”

The people will come together for 30 events in 30 days during the month of September to celebrate the BRC’s 30 years of rock advocacy and musical pioneering. Bringing together elder statesmen of rock (Vernon Reid) with up-and-coming new names (Tamar-kali, Unlocking The Truth, Pillow Theory), the organization will hold listening sessions, retrospectives of performance highlights, showcases, and a gala exploration of Jimi Hendrix’s work with Band of Gypsys, a seminal piece of rock history made new and thought-provoking by the BRC Orchestra (BAMcafé; Sept 18-19, 2015). Full event details at blackrockcoalition.org.

“We assign real, significant value to music, in an era when musicians can feel their work is increasingly devalued,” says BRC President LaRonda Davis. “It is not instant. The process isn’t easy. There is work, and that’s on the part of the audience as well as the musician.” This work happens in community, not just in digitally mediated isolation. Which is why BRC is celebrating by bringing musicians and music fans together to look back and see forward.

The wide range of venues, people, and approaches broadcasts the heart of why BRC has stuck to its original aim of making greater space and providing a boost to African American artists who are venturing into powerful rock territory. The scene is there, it’s evolving, and it’s a powerful platform for Black expression. “Our great strength was we never tried to dictate where the scene went,” reflects Earl Douglas, Jr., BRC-NY’s Executive Director. “We never said, this isn’t this or that, so we won’t support it.”

Several of the celebration’s live events will flow into the next edition of BRC’s Rock’n’Roll Reparations compilation dedicated to its Million Man Mosh. “Our goal is always to get people together musically, live or recorded,” says Davis. “We’re going to be looking for songs that bring to light some of the issues that affect people and musicians of color, be it police brutality and incarceration or educational inequality.”

“That’s why BRC is still necessary to educate,” muses McNeill. “We own our culture, just as equally as we own our art. The two are inseparable. To use James Baldwin’s term, they are more than inseparable, they are insoluble.”

Six Events Not to Miss:

BRC Orchestra Celebrate Jimi Hendrix and Band of Gypsys

Sept 18 & 19 at BAMcafé (30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn)

Featuring Juma Sutra (Hendrix’s percussionist at Woodstock), Andre Lassalle (Guitar), Gene Williams (Keyboards), Zach Alford (Drums), and special guests.

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


Hendrix’s final recorded project saw the legendary artist engaging more explicitly with his Black Southern roots when he formed Band of Gypsys. BRC Orchestra re-imagines and furthers this often overlooked moment in Hendrix’s career, one of the few guiding lights for generations of Black rock musicians.


30th Anniversary Kick-Off Party

September 6, 7p-1a at The Bell House (149 7th St, Brooklyn)

$15 Concert 7-10p, Free After-Party 10p-1a, new memberships and donations accepted


A performance of some of the best the BRC has to offer (including BRC member band Unlocking The Truth) followed by a free party for those who believe in the BRC’s mission. Food, drink, music and good times along the lines of those well-remembered, community-building BRC hangs.


BRC Open Ears Listening Party

September 13, 7-10p at The Black Rose (117 Ave A, between 7th St and St Marks, NYC)

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


BRC veterans and newcomers will gather to listen to new tracks and give each other feedback and encouragement, a prime example of the BRC’s community-building approach. Favorites will be tapped for upcoming BRC compilations and showcases.


Black Rock and Reel: BRC Performance Highlights, 1985-2015

September 17, 7-10p at RAW Space (2031 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., between 121st and 122nd Sts, NYC)

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


From rough-and-ready early showcases to historic shows, this evening at fellow grassroot Imagenation’s RAW Space will give artists and those who love them a chance to revisit key moments in BRC’s performance history.


BRC Vocal Clinic

September 20, 1-4 PM at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls' Music Lab (87 Irving Pl, Brooklyn)

With Corey Glover (Living Colour) and Janice Pendarvis (eclectic master background vocalist)

$10; free to BRC members and members of the WMRC community


Reviving the BRC tradition of supporting musicians’ career development via skills-building clinics and master classes, aspiring singers will learn tricks of the trade and ways to approach their instruments from industry leaders.


Million Man Mosh 3

September 27, 3-7 PM at The WindUp Space (12 W. North Ave., Baltimore, MD)

Featuring Tamar-kali, Thaylo Bleu, and members of the Baltimore activist community

$10


Launched in 2012, ‘Million Man Mosh’ continues its tradition of being a platform for music, community networking and political organizing. The driving force in this third edition is solidarity with Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Yvette Smith, John Crawford and countless other victims of excessive violence by law enforcement agents and a historically unjust legal system. Some of the proceeds for MMM III will go to community groups for social justice.

Event
09/26/2015

09/20/2015, Brooklyn, NY, Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls' Music Lab , 1:00 PM
08/06/201509/20/2015, Thirty (Year) Rock: How the Black Rock Coalition Keeps Process Alive, Nurtures a Vivid Scene
Event
09/20/2015
Event
09/20/2015
Concert Start Time
1:00 PM
Venue
Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls' Music Lab
Venue St. Address
87 Irving Pl, Brooklyn
Venue City, State
Brooklyn, NY
Venue Zip
11238
Ticket Price(s)
$10.00
Ticket Phone
(347) 599-0716
For 30 years, the Black Rock Coalition has proved that Black musicians have a central, vital role to play in shaping edgy, righteous, driving rock. Remembering the untold numbers of Black musicians who made rock what it is, while nurturing a scene, the volunteer-powered organization insists on the slow build of process. MORE» More»

For 30 years, the Black Rock Coalition has proved that Black musicians have a central, vital role to play in shaping edgy, righteous, driving rock. Remembering the untold numbers of Black musicians who made rock what it is, while nurturing a scene, the volunteer-powered organization insists on the slow build of process, of people interacting in the flesh, in the face of major tectonic shifts in society and music.

“Everything comes down to the process. There’s a process to everything under the sun. Nothing we see on the surface, for a lot of artists, is the whole,” explains Darrell McNeill, BRC-NY Director of Operations. “The body of work goes way deeper. That’s what sets us apart. After thirty years, we know there’s a process. You have to go work out your thing to make it presentable. You can’t automatically jump from A to Z. You have to be patient enough. That’s what the people we support do.”

The people will come together for 30 events in 30 days during the month of September to celebrate the BRC’s 30 years of rock advocacy and musical pioneering. Bringing together elder statesmen of rock (Vernon Reid) with up-and-coming new names (Tamar-kali, Unlocking The Truth, Pillow Theory), the organization will hold listening sessions, retrospectives of performance highlights, showcases, and a gala exploration of Jimi Hendrix’s work with Band of Gypsys, a seminal piece of rock history made new and thought-provoking by the BRC Orchestra (BAMcafé; Sept 18-19, 2015). Full event details at blackrockcoalition.org.

“We assign real, significant value to music, in an era when musicians can feel their work is increasingly devalued,” says BRC President LaRonda Davis. “It is not instant. The process isn’t easy. There is work, and that’s on the part of the audience as well as the musician.” This work happens in community, not just in digitally mediated isolation. Which is why BRC is celebrating by bringing musicians and music fans together to look back and see forward.

The wide range of venues, people, and approaches broadcasts the heart of why BRC has stuck to its original aim of making greater space and providing a boost to African American artists who are venturing into powerful rock territory. The scene is there, it’s evolving, and it’s a powerful platform for Black expression. “Our great strength was we never tried to dictate where the scene went,” reflects Earl Douglas, Jr., BRC-NY’s Executive Director. “We never said, this isn’t this or that, so we won’t support it.”

Several of the celebration’s live events will flow into the next edition of BRC’s Rock’n’Roll Reparations compilation dedicated to its Million Man Mosh. “Our goal is always to get people together musically, live or recorded,” says Davis. “We’re going to be looking for songs that bring to light some of the issues that affect people and musicians of color, be it police brutality and incarceration or educational inequality.”

“That’s why BRC is still necessary to educate,” muses McNeill. “We own our culture, just as equally as we own our art. The two are inseparable. To use James Baldwin’s term, they are more than inseparable, they are insoluble.”

Six Events Not to Miss:

BRC Orchestra Celebrate Jimi Hendrix and Band of Gypsys

Sept 18 & 19 at BAMcafé (30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn)

Featuring Juma Sutra (Hendrix’s percussionist at Woodstock), Andre Lassalle (Guitar), Gene Williams (Keyboards), Zach Alford (Drums), and special guests.

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


Hendrix’s final recorded project saw the legendary artist engaging more explicitly with his Black Southern roots when he formed Band of Gypsys. BRC Orchestra re-imagines and furthers this often overlooked moment in Hendrix’s career, one of the few guiding lights for generations of Black rock musicians.


30th Anniversary Kick-Off Party

September 6, 7p-1a at The Bell House (149 7th St, Brooklyn)

$15 Concert 7-10p, Free After-Party 10p-1a, new memberships and donations accepted


A performance of some of the best the BRC has to offer (including BRC member band Unlocking The Truth) followed by a free party for those who believe in the BRC’s mission. Food, drink, music and good times along the lines of those well-remembered, community-building BRC hangs.


BRC Open Ears Listening Party

September 13, 7-10p at The Black Rose (117 Ave A, between 7th St and St Marks, NYC)

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


BRC veterans and newcomers will gather to listen to new tracks and give each other feedback and encouragement, a prime example of the BRC’s community-building approach. Favorites will be tapped for upcoming BRC compilations and showcases.


Black Rock and Reel: BRC Performance Highlights, 1985-2015

September 17, 7-10p at RAW Space (2031 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., between 121st and 122nd Sts, NYC)

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


From rough-and-ready early showcases to historic shows, this evening at fellow grassroot Imagenation’s RAW Space will give artists and those who love them a chance to revisit key moments in BRC’s performance history.


BRC Vocal Clinic

September 20, 1-4 PM at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls' Music Lab (87 Irving Pl, Brooklyn)

With Corey Glover (Living Colour) and Janice Pendarvis (eclectic master background vocalist)

$10; free to BRC members and members of the WMRC community


Reviving the BRC tradition of supporting musicians’ career development via skills-building clinics and master classes, aspiring singers will learn tricks of the trade and ways to approach their instruments from industry leaders.


Million Man Mosh 3

September 27, 3-7 PM at The WindUp Space (12 W. North Ave., Baltimore, MD)

Featuring Tamar-kali, Thaylo Bleu, and members of the Baltimore activist community

$10


Launched in 2012, ‘Million Man Mosh’ continues its tradition of being a platform for music, community networking and political organizing. The driving force in this third edition is solidarity with Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Yvette Smith, John Crawford and countless other victims of excessive violence by law enforcement agents and a historically unjust legal system. Some of the proceeds for MMM III will go to community groups for social justice.

Event
09/20/2015

09/18/2015, Brooklyn, NY, BAMcafé
08/06/201509/18/2015, Thirty (Year) Rock: How the Black Rock Coalition Keeps Process Alive, Nurtures a Vivid Scene
Event
09/18/2015
Event
09/18/2015
Venue
BAMcafé
Venue St. Address
30 Lafayette Ave
Venue City, State
Brooklyn, NY
Venue Zip
11217
Ticket Phone
(718) 636-4100
Event Notes
Also performing 9/19
For 30 years, the Black Rock Coalition has proved that Black musicians have a central, vital role to play in shaping edgy, righteous, driving rock. Remembering the untold numbers of Black musicians who made rock what it is, while nurturing a scene, the volunteer-powered organization insists on the slow build of process. MORE» More»

For 30 years, the Black Rock Coalition has proved that Black musicians have a central, vital role to play in shaping edgy, righteous, driving rock. Remembering the untold numbers of Black musicians who made rock what it is, while nurturing a scene, the volunteer-powered organization insists on the slow build of process, of people interacting in the flesh, in the face of major tectonic shifts in society and music.

“Everything comes down to the process. There’s a process to everything under the sun. Nothing we see on the surface, for a lot of artists, is the whole,” explains Darrell McNeill, BRC-NY Director of Operations. “The body of work goes way deeper. That’s what sets us apart. After thirty years, we know there’s a process. You have to go work out your thing to make it presentable. You can’t automatically jump from A to Z. You have to be patient enough. That’s what the people we support do.”

The people will come together for 30 events in 30 days during the month of September to celebrate the BRC’s 30 years of rock advocacy and musical pioneering. Bringing together elder statesmen of rock (Vernon Reid) with up-and-coming new names (Tamar-kali, Unlocking The Truth, Pillow Theory), the organization will hold listening sessions, retrospectives of performance highlights, showcases, and a gala exploration of Jimi Hendrix’s work with Band of Gypsys, a seminal piece of rock history made new and thought-provoking by the BRC Orchestra (BAMcafé; Sept 18-19, 2015). Full event details at blackrockcoalition.org.

“We assign real, significant value to music, in an era when musicians can feel their work is increasingly devalued,” says BRC President LaRonda Davis. “It is not instant. The process isn’t easy. There is work, and that’s on the part of the audience as well as the musician.” This work happens in community, not just in digitally mediated isolation. Which is why BRC is celebrating by bringing musicians and music fans together to look back and see forward.

The wide range of venues, people, and approaches broadcasts the heart of why BRC has stuck to its original aim of making greater space and providing a boost to African American artists who are venturing into powerful rock territory. The scene is there, it’s evolving, and it’s a powerful platform for Black expression. “Our great strength was we never tried to dictate where the scene went,” reflects Earl Douglas, Jr., BRC-NY’s Executive Director. “We never said, this isn’t this or that, so we won’t support it.”

Several of the celebration’s live events will flow into the next edition of BRC’s Rock’n’Roll Reparations compilation dedicated to its Million Man Mosh. “Our goal is always to get people together musically, live or recorded,” says Davis. “We’re going to be looking for songs that bring to light some of the issues that affect people and musicians of color, be it police brutality and incarceration or educational inequality.”

“That’s why BRC is still necessary to educate,” muses McNeill. “We own our culture, just as equally as we own our art. The two are inseparable. To use James Baldwin’s term, they are more than inseparable, they are insoluble.”

Six Events Not to Miss:

BRC Orchestra Celebrate Jimi Hendrix and Band of Gypsys

Sept 18 & 19 at BAMcafé (30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn)

Featuring Juma Sutra (Hendrix’s percussionist at Woodstock), Andre Lassalle (Guitar), Gene Williams (Keyboards), Zach Alford (Drums), and special guests.

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


Hendrix’s final recorded project saw the legendary artist engaging more explicitly with his Black Southern roots when he formed Band of Gypsys. BRC Orchestra re-imagines and furthers this often overlooked moment in Hendrix’s career, one of the few guiding lights for generations of Black rock musicians.


30th Anniversary Kick-Off Party

September 6, 7p-1a at The Bell House (149 7th St, Brooklyn)

$15 Concert 7-10p, Free After-Party 10p-1a, new memberships and donations accepted


A performance of some of the best the BRC has to offer (including BRC member band Unlocking The Truth) followed by a free party for those who believe in the BRC’s mission. Food, drink, music and good times along the lines of those well-remembered, community-building BRC hangs.


BRC Open Ears Listening Party

September 13, 7-10p at The Black Rose (117 Ave A, between 7th St and St Marks, NYC)

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


BRC veterans and newcomers will gather to listen to new tracks and give each other feedback and encouragement, a prime example of the BRC’s community-building approach. Favorites will be tapped for upcoming BRC compilations and showcases.


Black Rock and Reel: BRC Performance Highlights, 1985-2015

September 17, 7-10p at RAW Space (2031 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., between 121st and 122nd Sts, NYC)

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


From rough-and-ready early showcases to historic shows, this evening at fellow grassroot Imagenation’s RAW Space will give artists and those who love them a chance to revisit key moments in BRC’s performance history.


BRC Vocal Clinic

September 20, 1-4 PM at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls' Music Lab (87 Irving Pl, Brooklyn)

With Corey Glover (Living Colour) and Janice Pendarvis (eclectic master background vocalist)

$10; free to BRC members and members of the WMRC community


Reviving the BRC tradition of supporting musicians’ career development via skills-building clinics and master classes, aspiring singers will learn tricks of the trade and ways to approach their instruments from industry leaders.


Million Man Mosh 3

September 27, 3-7 PM at The WindUp Space (12 W. North Ave., Baltimore, MD)

Featuring Tamar-kali, Thaylo Bleu, and members of the Baltimore activist community

$10


Launched in 2012, ‘Million Man Mosh’ continues its tradition of being a platform for music, community networking and political organizing. The driving force in this third edition is solidarity with Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Yvette Smith, John Crawford and countless other victims of excessive violence by law enforcement agents and a historically unjust legal system. Some of the proceeds for MMM III will go to community groups for social justice.

Event
09/18/2015

09/17/2015, New York, NY, RAW Space , 7:00 PM
08/06/201509/17/2015, Thirty (Year) Rock: How the Black Rock Coalition Keeps Process Alive, Nurtures a Vivid Scene
Event
09/17/2015
Event
09/17/2015
Concert Start Time
7:00 PM
Venue
RAW Space
Venue St. Address
2031 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.
Venue City, State
New York, NY
Venue Zip
10027
Ticket Phone
(212) 694-2887
For 30 years, the Black Rock Coalition has proved that Black musicians have a central, vital role to play in shaping edgy, righteous, driving rock. Remembering the untold numbers of Black musicians who made rock what it is, while nurturing a scene, the volunteer-powered organization insists on the slow build of process. MORE» More»

For 30 years, the Black Rock Coalition has proved that Black musicians have a central, vital role to play in shaping edgy, righteous, driving rock. Remembering the untold numbers of Black musicians who made rock what it is, while nurturing a scene, the volunteer-powered organization insists on the slow build of process, of people interacting in the flesh, in the face of major tectonic shifts in society and music.

“Everything comes down to the process. There’s a process to everything under the sun. Nothing we see on the surface, for a lot of artists, is the whole,” explains Darrell McNeill, BRC-NY Director of Operations. “The body of work goes way deeper. That’s what sets us apart. After thirty years, we know there’s a process. You have to go work out your thing to make it presentable. You can’t automatically jump from A to Z. You have to be patient enough. That’s what the people we support do.”

The people will come together for 30 events in 30 days during the month of September to celebrate the BRC’s 30 years of rock advocacy and musical pioneering. Bringing together elder statesmen of rock (Vernon Reid) with up-and-coming new names (Tamar-kali, Unlocking The Truth, Pillow Theory), the organization will hold listening sessions, retrospectives of performance highlights, showcases, and a gala exploration of Jimi Hendrix’s work with Band of Gypsys, a seminal piece of rock history made new and thought-provoking by the BRC Orchestra (BAMcafé; Sept 18-19, 2015). Full event details at blackrockcoalition.org.

“We assign real, significant value to music, in an era when musicians can feel their work is increasingly devalued,” says BRC President LaRonda Davis. “It is not instant. The process isn’t easy. There is work, and that’s on the part of the audience as well as the musician.” This work happens in community, not just in digitally mediated isolation. Which is why BRC is celebrating by bringing musicians and music fans together to look back and see forward.

The wide range of venues, people, and approaches broadcasts the heart of why BRC has stuck to its original aim of making greater space and providing a boost to African American artists who are venturing into powerful rock territory. The scene is there, it’s evolving, and it’s a powerful platform for Black expression. “Our great strength was we never tried to dictate where the scene went,” reflects Earl Douglas, Jr., BRC-NY’s Executive Director. “We never said, this isn’t this or that, so we won’t support it.”

Several of the celebration’s live events will flow into the next edition of BRC’s Rock’n’Roll Reparations compilation dedicated to its Million Man Mosh. “Our goal is always to get people together musically, live or recorded,” says Davis. “We’re going to be looking for songs that bring to light some of the issues that affect people and musicians of color, be it police brutality and incarceration or educational inequality.”

“That’s why BRC is still necessary to educate,” muses McNeill. “We own our culture, just as equally as we own our art. The two are inseparable. To use James Baldwin’s term, they are more than inseparable, they are insoluble.”

Six Events Not to Miss:

BRC Orchestra Celebrate Jimi Hendrix and Band of Gypsys

Sept 18 & 19 at BAMcafé (30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn)

Featuring Juma Sutra (Hendrix’s percussionist at Woodstock), Andre Lassalle (Guitar), Gene Williams (Keyboards), Zach Alford (Drums), and special guests.

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


Hendrix’s final recorded project saw the legendary artist engaging more explicitly with his Black Southern roots when he formed Band of Gypsys. BRC Orchestra re-imagines and furthers this often overlooked moment in Hendrix’s career, one of the few guiding lights for generations of Black rock musicians.


30th Anniversary Kick-Off Party

September 6, 7p-1a at The Bell House (149 7th St, Brooklyn)

$15 Concert 7-10p, Free After-Party 10p-1a, new memberships and donations accepted


A performance of some of the best the BRC has to offer (including BRC member band Unlocking The Truth) followed by a free party for those who believe in the BRC’s mission. Food, drink, music and good times along the lines of those well-remembered, community-building BRC hangs.


BRC Open Ears Listening Party

September 13, 7-10p at The Black Rose (117 Ave A, between 7th St and St Marks, NYC)

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


BRC veterans and newcomers will gather to listen to new tracks and give each other feedback and encouragement, a prime example of the BRC’s community-building approach. Favorites will be tapped for upcoming BRC compilations and showcases.


Black Rock and Reel: BRC Performance Highlights, 1985-2015

September 17, 7-10p at RAW Space (2031 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., between 121st and 122nd Sts, NYC)

Free to the public, new memberships and donations accepted


From rough-and-ready early showcases to historic shows, this evening at fellow grassroot Imagenation’s RAW Space will give artists and those who love them a chance to revisit key moments in BRC’s performance history.


BRC Vocal Clinic

September 20, 1-4 PM at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls' Music Lab (87 Irving Pl, Brooklyn)

With Corey Glover (Living Colour) and Janice Pendarvis (eclectic master background vocalist)

$10; free to BRC members and members of the WMRC community


Reviving the BRC tradition of supporting musicians’ career development via skills-building clinics and master classes, aspiring singers will learn tricks of the trade and ways to approach their instruments from industry leaders.


Million Man Mosh 3

September 27, 3-7 PM at The WindUp Space (12 W. North Ave., Baltimore, MD)

Featuring Tamar-kali, Thaylo Bleu, and members of the Baltimore activist community

$10


Launched in 2012, ‘Million Man Mosh’ continues its tradition of being a platform for music, community networking and political organizing. The driving force in this third edition is solidarity with Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Yvette Smith, John Crawford and countless other victims of excessive violence by law enforcement agents and a historically unjust legal system. Some of the proceeds for MMM III will go to community groups for social justice.

Event
09/17/2015