ARTISTIC EMPHASIS

Your Weekly Recap of ARTIVISM Events!

Kai Malette

July, Week Two

"Do you ever get tired of creating?"

"It's what I live for, so no."

Hello again, everyone! It's been another fun week at ARTIVISM, filled with new interactions alongside our classic moments. Hopefully while we've been away, you've taken some time to yourself- eating well, resting appropriately, and keeping your mental in check. Fresh air also does good things. Go outside! And while you're outside, maybe join us for this week's ARTIVISM events! We're growing steadily, and we'd love to have you there. In the meantime, let's get you all caught up with last week's adventures!

Monday, July 7th - Melodic Mondays @ Aurora Market

Coming out of the Fourth of July weekend, we reconvened in Aurora Market for our Melodic Monday series, with the intention of doing one of our Slam Jams. People would come in, share some poetry, and our musicians would play accompaniments.

We didn't do that.

Much like any thriving business, group, or other organization, we are not immune to slow days. What matters is what we do in the meantime. In true improvisational fashion, we turned the night into song covers with bass and guitar parts. A highlight of this night came from an interested community member who turned out to be a complete beast on the guitar. If you're familiar with the song 'Basket Case,' you can understand how crazy it was to hear it recreated.

Borrowed guitars and rock music. Fantastic.

Again, the debate on what is the best Monday experience is a tie between a really productive gathering and days where we're just trying things. Perhaps it's not even a debate at all, as both are equally fun, especially when someone new steps up to play. One of our regulars shocked us with amazing guitar playing alongside a beautiful voice, and although I have not touched a guitar in literal years, I still had a fun progression that paired with an equally fun song.

Whether we're just doing things for the sake of doing them, or have a brilliant lineup prepared for the night, we hope to see you for the next Melodic Monday!

Tuesday, July 8th - Sankofa Jam Session

"I wanna jam it wid you-"

~ Bob Marley

Another week, another session of people coming together to make music together. What a life! We will forever be grateful to Sankofa for allowing us to use their space, and it's safe to say that we show this gratitude by sounding really good on a regular.

If you've been a longtime regular of the jams, you may hear that new melodies show up every now and again. Yes, we've got the classic chord progressions (and yes, they are reliable), but we like to surprise you all sometimes; give you a remix or two. The idea is that as we grow more confident in our instruments and performing abilities, we'll have new lineups for grooves to bring to you. This week emphasized that idea.

We saw several new faces step up and bring fresh new instrumentals or lyrics to the stage, including a blues flow, a laid-back guitar melody, and another guitar melody that can only be described as ethereal. New things are fun, and if you find yourself wanting to try something out with us, you are more than welcome to experiment.

Next Up?

Again, I sincerely hope that you are well rested, and ready to join us for another week of creation, music, and kinship! As always we've got announcements;

here's what to look forward to as of Monday, July 14th:

July 14 - Melodic Monday @ Aurora Market: Salsa Night!

July 15 - Sankofa Jam Session

As always, I've been Kai, your recap extraordinaire. You may have a guest writer for the next week (I'm taking a short vacation), so don't miss me too much.

Be safe, take care of yourself, and remember that creation comes from within.

Peace and Love! We will see you soon!