Rescheduled from July 25. 

Bowerbird is pleased to present Liminal States, a new series of late night, live streamed concerts intended to be listened to as you fall asleep. Aiming to center and calm, the musicians will seek to lead listeners to that magic space between awake and asleep. Tune in and bliss out. Musician and composer Shahzad Ismaily will perform from his home in New York.

This event is part of the Liminal States Series

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Shahzad Ismaily was born in the States to Pakistani parents who emigrated here just before his birth. He grew in a bicultural household, always following a multitude of paths and perusals. He is mostly self-taught as a musician, composer, recording engineer, and producer. He primarily plays electric bass, drums, percussion, guitar, synthesizers, and all manner of sound-makers procured in life’s travels. He has recorded and performed with a diverse crew of artMakers, Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Beth Orton, Colin Stetson, Ben Frost, Bonnie Prince Billy, Damien Rice, Jolie Holland, JFDR, Secret Chiefs 3, Sam Amidon, further and further. He has been an integral member of festival/residency/collective experiences such as the People Festival (the brainchild of Bon Iver, The National, and the Michelberger), the Eau Claires festival, the Moers Festival. He has done work for dance and theater pieces, such as the film Frozen River (Oscar-nominated and Sundance award-winning), Inkboat (a butoh crew from California/Switzerland), and visual artist Laleh Khorramian. This year alone, he’ll teach in residence at BANFF, the Oklahoma Center for Contemporary Arts, the Monheim Triennale, and very happily, the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Currently based in Brooklyn and working out of the recording studio collective he founded and created, Figure 8 Recording, he has studied music extensively in Pakistan, India, Turkey, Mexico, Chile, Japan, Indonesia, Morocco, and Iceland.

Admission to this online event is Free / Pay What You Wish ($20 suggested). REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. A link will be sent to you the day of the event. The performance will start at 11:00pm Eastern Time and will run approximately 40 mins. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shahzad-ismaily-tickets-155994619105

Other events in the Liminal States Series:

Jupiter Blue

Thu, Aug 5 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/jupiter-blue-liminal-states/

claire rousay

Sun, Aug 22 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/claire-rousay-liminal-states/

Christopher Sean Powell

Mon, Sep 6 @ 11pm

[ link soon ]

Birdie Busch

Thu, Sep 16 @ 11pm

[ link soon ]

Bowerbird is pleased to present Liminal States, a new series of late night, live streamed concerts intended to be listened to as you fall asleep. Aiming to center and calm, the musicians will seek to lead listeners to that magic space between awake and asleep. Tune in and bliss out. Jupiter Blue (Tara Middleton and DM Hotep) will perform from their home in Philadelphia.

This event is part of the Liminal States Series

ABOUT THE ARTISTFrom the Sun Ra Arkestra’s engine room, Jupiter Blue’s tone scientists DM Hotep and Jupiter Girl (Tara Middleton) emerge to reveal elements and precepts of another kind of language, another tomorrow. The Middleton couple’s collaboration is interstellar and unique, granting passage through spacious, jazz textured sonorties informed by Ra’s ever necessary mission of saving the world. The Middletons are a positive and critical force in the Philadelphia jazz scene both respectively, and in collaboration.

Admission to this online event is Free / Pay What You Wish ($20 suggested). REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. A link will be sent to you the day of the event. The performance will start at 11:00pm Eastern Time and will run approximately 40 mins. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jupiter-blue-tickets-156000615039

Other events in the Liminal States Series:

Loren Connors

Sun, Jun 27 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/loren-connors-liminal-states/

King Britt 

Thu, Jul 8 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/king-britt-liminal-states/

Shahzad Ismaily

Sun, Jul 25 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/shahzad-ismaily-liminal-states/

Jupiter Blue

Thu, Aug 5 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/jupiter-blue-liminal-states/

claire rousay

Sun, Aug 22 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/claire-rousay-liminal-states/

Christopher Sean Powell

Mon, Sep 6 @ 11pm

[ link soon ]

Birdie Busch

Thu, Sep 16 @ 11pm[ link soon ]

From Philly to Worldwide - the NBAT Awards Ceremony to feature Controversial Media and Literary figures Shahrazad Ali, Dr. Neal Hall, Robert/Nazir Alston and other Prominent Writers and Spoken Word Recording Artists

By Maurice Henderson

Philadelphia is well known for its challenges of being the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. It has been a long since yesterday bedrock for Black Culture, Arts and Humanities dimension of determination with a legacy that has procured the firsts of Black Churches, Black Newspapers, Museums, Secret Societies, Temple University Phd programs in African-American Studies, the incubation of Soul Music, Hard Core Rap (Schooly D), Nation Conscious Rap (James Spady and Joseph Eure) Spoken Word and Ancient Hip (through Angela Moore and Poetic Ventures founder James Johnson/Osayinwese Nadir Karume). and Neo-Soul as an encompass of the Black Lilly (Jazmine Sullivan, Bilal, Music Soul Child, Stephenee Renee and Jil Scott). There are other best kept secret and hidden agenda that concurs besides the Charles Blockson Collection, W.E.B. Dubious House at Upenn, Marian Anderson House Museum, and the Paul Robeson House Museum, etc.

The Road less traveled and a trip to bountiful has easily been chronicled by Penn Black Librarian Historian Ancil George with his patterning of research regarding the legion, legacy and landmark as a founding fortune of the National Black Authors Tour and its subsidiary of the National Black Arts Spoken Word Tour. So it is the much said inclusiveness of requiem and reclamation indeeded as utmost for the emergency of now that will be seen and heard as an inceptive programming inaugural by the Rotunda Theater located at 4014 Walnut Street and its current Director Gina Renzi hosting on Tuesday, August 10, 2021 from 6pm to 10pm or beyond. This witness and testimony shall become a reminder of the University City and West Philly areas as a harkem and lyceum for the illumination of Black Writing.  The jump start was once again recently initiated with WKDU 91.7 FM Radio host Al Knight continuing his broadcast of featured writers Cleous Young and Dr. Neal Hall live from his radio studio at Drexel University. A beacon standard for the ultimate content multi media streaming of literacy licensing has been a continuum to major black cities through the National Black Guide and is now being fostered as visual literary optioning through Temple University alumnus Udochi Onwuka. The National Black Authors Tour Award Ceremony will feature the good and plenty of authors, writers, spoken word recording artists who have appeared for the planning opening or operational ceremonial local hosting of the Black Writers Museum, American Book Awards, the Charles Blockson Literary Society, Upenn's Kelly Writers House, the Community Education Center's hosting of the Celebration of Black Writing

and the Black Writers Institute (auspiciously supported through PEW Fellowship recipients and by K. D. Morris, Dr. Kimmika Williams and Lois Moses) installations at the Paul Robeson House in West Philly, the Alternative Learning Institute in South Philly and Temple University's PASCEP in North Philly.

The outstanding media personalities, celebrity scholars and pop culture phenomenal artists slated to appear is a representation of figurines featured on HBO, CNN, BET, MTV. TV One, Black Family Channel, NBC, CBC, ABC, PBS, etc.  They have also been categorized considerations of  nominees or awardees for Tony Awards, Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, Emmy Awards. Peabody Awards, OBIE Awards, Audeloco Awards, amongst others.  Suggested as controversial, cutting edge and breakthrough, the highlight of appearances shall include the 100 year ceremonial/anniversary Black Wall Street historical filmmakers Robert and Nazir Alston, then from 8pm to 9pm will be Muslim Author Shahrazad Ali and the most current Internationally acclaimed author Dr. Neal Hall. Shahrazad will be fetted by locale Philly pre-eminent figures Khan Mikell of Black Men Unifying Black Men, James Johnson of Brothers in the Struggle, Keith Mungin, the creator of Baby Mama Drama and Kenisha Wilson, a human ecologist for the informed trauma of girls and females.  It is suggested that those amongst the grassroot and underground culture should utter as assurance there audience reach connectors, listserves and social media networks to encourage listeners, viewers, readers live event attendees, patrons, theatergoers, followers, subscribers and intake accord of memberships to promote, publicize and market this event, program and activity to a constituency behold of local, state, national and those worthy and accessible for world wide appeal.  More information can be ascertained by calling 267-349-5661, 267-230-0317 or email nationalblackuthorstour@yahoo.com or nationalblackartsspokentour@yahoo.com.

Bestselling, award winning, critically acclaimed of those illustrious slated to appear or to be acknowledged or honored include the following (pictured and assembled in order)

Shahrazad Ali, author of the Black Man's Guide to Understanding the Black Woman, Princess Ameenah, Author of Martin Luther King - Womanizer or Gentleman, Greg Corbin, author Breathing Ashes, Dr. Neal Hall, Author of the Trembling Tiger. Tamika Benson, author of Purpose Behind the Pain, Black Mamba, author of Chronicle (first row display)

Cleous Young, author of Airport, Hosea Givan, author of Reach Your Community, Robert and Nazir Alston, filmmakers of Black Wall Street film documentary, 

Robert Davis, author of S.O.W (Seeking Opportunities to Win), filmmakers of Ying Yang from Atlanta, the House of Umoja National News Magazine published by Queen Mother Falaka Fattah  (second row)

Duane Reid, author of Righteous Anger, Ronald Cook author From the Cloth Which I'm Cut, Sister Keilana, leading Muslim rap recording artist, Mawuli Davis, author of We Need You, H. K. Beverly, author of Carrying the Wait and Distinguished Professor at Oakland University in Michigan, Contributing Writers to the NBAT anthology Black Power - Laying Down of Burdens.

Rebroadcast! The ElectricLatté BoogieBand goes Full Tilt online

This is a REBROADCAST of a performance that originally streamed on July 23.

Electric Latté Boogie band - house band at ElectricLattéLand - will be providing an evening of improvisational free jazz, featuring Elliott Levin on sax and flute, Jessica Joy Myers on violin, El Danix on guitar, Abdeel Capote on bass, and Styx Latté on drums. The band will play two sets with a brief intermission between, and it's anyone's guess where they'll go!

If you'd like to make a donation or tip the band you can PayPal styxlatte@gmail.com or Venmo @Styx-Latte.

Join us on The Rotunda's YouTube channel (direct link for this show is https://youtu.be/fYlBct525b0), 'cause like Elliott says: "Free Jazz is beautiful, man." 

Samantha “GhettoSongBird” Hollins is an independent Rock-n-Roll singer-songwriter-guitarist from North Philadelphia. Since 2001 her cult fanbase has watched her blaze stages non-stop at legendary Rock venues including CBGB’s (NYC), The Bitter End (NYC), The Whisky A Go-Go (L.A.), The Troubadour (London), and The Overthrust Winter Mania Metal Fest in (Botswana) with hundreds of shows under her belt. She was also the curator of her own festival Wingdomfest.

GhettoSongBird recorded her “Alley Of The Earth” EP in Los Angles (2002) with the help of her mentor Rosa Lee Brooks (a recording artist in the 60's, who wrote and recorded with Jimi Hendrix). The first single “landed" the Songbird on the classic B.E.T. show 106 & Park and in front of many music executives in a time that young Black women rocking with an aggressive electric guitar was taboo in the mainstream.

Mrs Songbird and her Roxsploitation band (featuring her husband Ronin Ali on drums & her best friend Chris Nelson on keys) has shared stages with some of their heroes including HR (Bad Brains), Angelo (Fishbone), RES, Vernon Reid’s (Living Colour) jam-band called the Free Form Funky Freaks (which includes Jamaaladeen Tacuma & G. Calvin Weston), Botswana's metal legends Overthrust, spoken word pioneers The Last Poets, Sonia Sanchez and many veteran musicians. GhettoSongBird’s message music (she calls Culture Rock) has made a lingering impact playing throughout the USA, Australia, the U.K., Brazil and Africa, breaking rules along her extraordinary journey.

Catch this fabulous live performance right on The Rotunda's YouTube channel. The direct link for the livestream is https://youtu.be/x5SlN7VQ_Cw

Bowerbird is pleased to present Liminal States, a new series of late night, live streamed concerts intended to be listened to as you fall asleep. Aiming to center and calm, the musicians will seek to lead listeners to that magic space between awake and asleep. Tune in and bliss out. Sound artist claire rousay will perform from her home in San Antonio.

This event is part of the Liminal States Series

ABOUT THE ARTISTclaire rousay is based in San Antonio, Texas. Her music zeroes in on personal emotions and the minutiae of everyday life — voicemails, haptics, environmental recordings, stopwatches, whispers and conversations — exploding their significance. rousay has released music on a range of labels, most notably Astral Spirits, Second Editions, Longform Editions and American Dreams, who in 2021 released a softer focus, a collaboration with visual artist Dani Toral. rousay’s music has received acclaim from NPR, which writes that rousay “enchants the ordinary,” and Pitchfork, which calls her music “quietly devastating.” rousay has presented music at Audiograft Festival, Casa Del Lago (CDMX), Issue Project Room, Rewire Festival, and Salon De Normandy (Paris), among many others, held residencies at Rhizome DC and Elastic Arts Exposure Series, and performed with musicians such as Ken Vandermark, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, Jacob Wick and Theodore Cale Schafer.

Admission to this online event is Free / Pay What You Wish ($20 suggested). REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. A link will be sent to you the day of the event. The performance will start at 11:00pm Eastern Time and will run approximately 40 mins. Please register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/claire-rousay-tickets-156001194773

Other events in the Liminal States Series:

Loren Connors

Sun, Jun 27 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/loren-connors-liminal-states/

King Britt 

Thu, Jul 8 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/king-britt-liminal-states/

Shahzad Ismaily

Sun, Jul 25 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/shahzad-ismaily-liminal-states/

Jupiter Blue

Thu, Aug 5 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/jupiter-blue-liminal-states/

claire rousay

Sun, Aug 22 @ 11pm

https://www.bowerbird.org/event/claire-rousay-liminal-states/

Christopher Sean Powell

Mon, Sep 6 @ 11pm

[ link soon ]

Birdie Busch

Thu, Sep 16 @ 11pm[ link soon ]