#MusicMonday #3: Black Stax & Other Puget Sound Artists to Perform at Bike Works Benefit

I'm giddy! Tomorrow night, I get to see one of my favorite Seattle groups perform, and it's the first time I'll see them perform since I first heard about them 3 years ago.

A little background? I was writing for examiner.com as their Tacoma Hip Hop writer back in 2009 and decided to do a weekly "What's happening in the Puget Sound". Upon some research, I discovered a group called Black Stax was performing with a French duo called Les Nubians in 2010. I figured as they were performing at the Showbox - a pretty notable place in Seattle, they must be well-known in the area; so, I did a write-up about the show. Little did I know then that I would fall in love with their music.

I followed their shows but was never able to attend because of my health, finances, or transportation. I was determined that I would see a show this month, so I asked them last month where they would be performing next. As it turns out, they're performing at a benefit show in south Seattle tomorrow, November 12, and I will be there!

The show is called Soul Crank, benefiting Bike Works and hosted by Seattle's Royal Room on Rainier Avenue South, and will feature Black Stax, of course, along with Camila Recchio, Danelle Hayes, Darrius Willrich, J. Charles, Rocky Sandoval, DJ Fresh1, and a special guest host. I'd never heard of these other artists, so of course, I did some research. Now I'm even more excited to see this hip hop, jazz, and soul-infused show!

Bike Works, as one might suspect, is an organization that supports cycling. Specifically, though, the company promotes healthy living and a cleaner environment by helping both children and adults learn more about bicycles and collaborating on events that support the activity.

Singer, songwriter, and Seattle native, Camila Recchio has been involved in music her entire life. As a youth, she participated in Seattle's Total Experience Gospel Choir and easily found mentors who taught her everything she could possibly need to know about the music industry. Her influences include black gospel music and hip hop, and you can listen to and purchase her recent album, released in 2012, Acoustic Originals, at Bandcamp. Aside from her passion for music, she has a passion for child development and early childhood education.

In my opinion, I'm glad Danelle Hayes didn't force the issue to compete on American Idol. As another one of my favorite artist sings, "You can bring the house down and get a million calls, standing ovation round of applause, and all they can talk about is how you look". Since her audition on American Idol, this Puget Sounder has worked to get her voice heard throughout Washington, Nevada, California, Arizona Montana, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Her sweet soul and rock sounding voice has also been featured on KJR's Bob Rivers Show. She certainly exceeded the fifteen minutes of fame with which most American Idol contestants leave the show. Like Camila, Danelle is also passionate about education. Fifty percent of the proceeds from downloads of her song "I Need You to Hate Me" are donated to Camp Southern Ground, an organization that works with children who have neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and Asperger syndrome.

Darrius Willrich doesn't just perform jazz. He also teaches it at local Seattle Central Community College. AND, he received his degree in jazz piano. That should be enough to describe this jazz and soul musician, but there's more! UK group So Soulful's newest album features Darrius' song, Say All the Things. As of November 10, the So Soulful Collection is ranked at number 15 on the UK Soul Chart Top 30. So Soulful Collection is available through links on their website. Darrius' most recent album, "Can't Get Enough", is available at Amazon, iTunes, and CDBaby.

J. Charles, like Camila, is a singer and songwriter within the soul genre. He performs with his voice and keyboards as part of the group, Solstarr, and they have been featured frequently throughout the Puget Sound. You can listen to his music at Reverbnation.

Rocky Sandoval, like Danelle, was another one who narrowly avoided American Idol fame; though he also competed on Making the Band and The Score. His skills did not go unnoticed, and even though reality shows ignored his talent, major player, R&B artist Ginuwine, didn't, and Rocky has since opened for Ginuwine, Bel Biv Devoe, Dru Hill, and other artists. After he released his debut self-titled album in 2009, Sandoval has released several mixtapes. His sophomore album, or better labeled "first full-length album", comes out later this year. Fans can hear some of the music from the album at Tacoma's Tap Room Underground on Friday, November 29th. Tickets are $5.

Aside from his Seattle Hip Hop DJing career, DJ Fresh1, AKA Cameron Sparks, is a sports aficionado. He is founder, CEO, and columnist at Fantasy Football Life, a website that boasts over 250 members with questions and discussions about fantasy football. Though a Seattle native, his favorite team is the Arizona Cardinals. You can listen to two of his mixes at SoundCloud.