Resonator Festival 2017

#OSHUNIVERSE
Oshun is the Yoruba deity of fresh waters that governs over love, diplomacy, wealth, intimacy, and beauty. She’s one of a three sister trilogy including Oya, deity of the graveyard, and Yemaya, deity of the salt waters who is known to have protected the Africans brought to the shores of the diaspora as slaves. She is the ocean, the essence of motherhood, and a fierce protector of children.
Oshun is the “unseen mother present at every gathering”, because she is the Yoruba understanding of the cosmological forces of water, moisture, and attraction. Therefore, she is believed to be omnipresent and omnipotent. Her power is represented in a Yoruba proverb, which reminds us that “no one is enemy to water” and therefore everyone has need of and should respect and admire Oshun, as well as her followers.
Manhattan-based vocalists Niambi Sala and Thandiwe sing and perform for the purpose of spreading her essence and the essences of her sisters, specifically Yemaya, through music. Together they are OSHUN, a duo characterized by yellow and blue (the colors of Oshun and Yemaya, respectively), soul, hip-hop, community service, and love.
As the proverb says, “no one is enemy to water”, and their goal is to share Oshun’s peaceful omnipresence for the bigger purpose of empowering women, and all people, instilling confidence, cultural pride, and self-respect.
This bigger purpose is within a re-emerging movement of cultural realignment, awareness, and creativity. #NUBIANMAFIA

Trumpeter, composer, and arranger Theo Croker is an adventurous musician whose adept skills find him at home whether playing standards, swinging post-bop, or more groove-oriented electric jazz. A native of Leesburg, Florida, Croker is the grandson of the late great jazz trumpeter Doc Cheatham. He began playing trumpet around age 11 after hearing Cheatham play in New York City, and by his teens was studying music at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida. From 2003 to 2007, Croker attended the music conservatory at Oberlin College. During this time he earned the Presser Music Foundation Award, which funded his debut album, 2006’s Fundamentals. After graduating Oberlin, Croker relocated to China, where he took up residency at Shanghai’s House of Blues. In 2009 he released his sophomore album, In the Tradition, which paid tribute to Cheatham. Croker returned to the States in 2013 and in 2014 he released his third solo album, the Dee Dee Bridgewater-produced Afro Physicist, on OKeh Records.

AMY LEON IS A MUSICIAN, POET, AND EDUCATOR.

She performs frequently all over New York and has toured numerous times across the UK performing in collaboration with the likes of the BBC, Roundhouse, Amnesty International and more.

An alumna of the Nuyorican Slam Team, she fuses music and poetry through powerfully transparent performances focusing on social inequalities and celebrating love, blackness, and what it means to be woman.

She is the author of two collections of poetry: the water under the bridge and Mouth Full of Concrete and just released her debut album Something Melancholy available now on all listening platforms!

Combining nu jazz, lo-fi synths and hard hip hop beats, Likwuidity has molded hip hop into an alternative art-form that everyone can enjoy. Led by female emcee, LiKWUiD, who has been compared to a hybrid of Lauryn Hill and Santigold with a potent delivery as heartfelt as Tupac Shakur; Likwuidity has performed throughout NYC at venues such as SOBs, BB Kings, and the Apollo Music Cafe.

In an era where the alpha male, misogynist, rape-culture has poisoned the hip hop culture, LiKWUiD uses clever wordplay and metaphors to visit topics of the Golden Era such as love, socio-economic struggles, day to day life experiences, hanging with friends, growing up in a single parent household, and female empowerment.

Originally known as Baby Pun, rapper Chris Rivers was born Christopher Lee Rios, Jr. and is the son of legendary MC Big Pun. With rap royalty in his blood, Rivers debuted on a high-profile release, Cormega’s 2011 compilation Raw Forever, where he appeared under his moniker Baby Pun. He stuck with the name when he landed on Vinnie Paz’s 2012 album God of the Serengeti, then switched to Chris Rivers when he dropped his debut mixtape, Wonderland of Misery, in 2013. Vinnie Paz and Styles P landed on the mixtape, while Styles returned for 2014’s Wonderland of Misery 2: The Good King. Tracks from the mixtape were lifted for that year’s official EP, The Good King, then in 2016 he returned with another EP, Medicated Consumption.

QNA is a band based in New York City, merging the highly
improvisational, referential idioms of hip-hop and jazz. QNA’s cerebral lyrics work in tandem with formidable musicianship to create music both unique and wholly accessible, from reinterpretations of popular jazz standards and hip-hop hits to totally original material. Its members have been under the mentorship of luminaries such as John Pattitucci, John Abercrombie, and The Last Poets. Combined with a love of hip-hop’s greats (Dilla, Outkast, etc), their sound is nothing short of refreshing.

This multi-cultural band functions, too, as a backing band for emcees of any styles; they’ve backed Chelsea Reject, Frank Knight, Phenom, amongst many others. This multi-cultural band functions, too, as a backing band for emcees of any styles; they’ve backed Chelsea Reject, Frank Knight, Phenom, amongst many others. The group has opened for the likes of Bishop Nehru, Princess Nokia, Taylor McFerrin, and Kool Keith. And since, they’ve attached crowds to mainstay NYC venues such as Webster Hall, Mercury Lounge, Arlene’s Grocery, and Knitting Factory.

Enter the Juggernaut! Founded by frontman Qaasim Middleton (American Idol, Naked Brothers Band, HBO’s Music In Me, Netflix’s “The Get Down, FX “Atlanta”) Juggernaut War Party is quite a collective, consisting of Qaasim, his brother Khalil, lead guitarists Jonah Hudson, Emmet Sher and Joseph Deadwiley, drummer Andres Valbuena, keyboardists Jack Gruber, Tyjhai Stephens and Francisco Haye, with Ethan Cohn and Paul Johnson on bass.

You may remember Qaasim from his awesome run on American Idol Season 14, when he performed with Chris Brown and Pitbull and was lavished with praise from J-Lo, Harry Connick Jr. & Keith Urban. However, after returning from Idol, The Juggernaut War Party concept was birthed at AFROPUNK BATTLE OF THE BANDS BROOKLYN, on June 22nd, 2015, when Qaasim and his bandmates entered the contest to showcase their skills and original Funk/Rock/HipHop/Soul fusion material.

Zaven is a multi instrumentalist, singer, lyricist, and songwriting. He fuses his background in jazz, gospel, soul and hiphop to create his sound. Using looping technology, live sampling, and improvisation, he creates soundscapes live in the moment. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he combines a West Coast sensibility with an east coast sound.