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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Music Everywhere
Tuesday 22 May @ 16:00:16 |
by DWIGHT HOBBES
Entertainment Plus: Your host is Sol Testimony
Soul Sounds Open Mic & Jam Session is not your run-of-the-mill hoot night. Not by a long shot.
Produced and hosted by Twin Cities spoken word veteran Sol Testimony, the event’s motif is a collage of mediums. Y’ got music, stand-up comedy, hip-hop, spoken wordsmiths of course and more-– including, if you’ve got a script laying around, a short play (give or take, oh, five minutes or so). And guest visual artists get showcased. One thing y’ don’t got, though: foul-mouth rappers grabbing their crotches and referring to women and girls in misogynistic ways.
It’s about entertainment-plus, reflecting Sol Testimony’s devotion to culture and community. It sprang from her love of open mics, yes. However, as she states, “It’s [about] freedom [open mics] give people to learn and share and grow. If we have more positive venues, then we’ll be better as people.” For the April launching of Soul Sounds Open Mic & Jam Session, accomplished artist Lo Che unveiled new paintings. The next week featured an exhibit by B Fresh Photography--with singer-songwriter-spoken word luminary Madame Mimi headlining (look for her album MomentOM (Trú Rúts/Speakeasy Records) to drop this summer.
For an undertaking that’s little more than month old, one has to be impressed as hell with the fact that, for this week’s throw-down, Sol Testimony has brought in as an ace ringer, none other than area jazz icon Debbie Duncan (reservations aren’t required, but, with Duncan gracing the stage, if you think you can straggle and there’ll still be room for you, think again).
Also on-hand: gifted songbird Alicia Wiley (2004 Minnesota Music Awards winner for Best Female Vocalist and for Best Self-Released Recording (Alicia Wiley); Queen Drea of Edu-Poetic Enterbrainment).
Sol Testimony is delighted with how things have gone thus far, reflecting, “The artistic success of Soul Sounds to date has been incredible. We've had jazz, comedy, vocalists and great spoken word. We've even had a yodeler come through! The vibe at Soul Sounds has been so rich and inspiring. The featured artists and the open mic performers have been a wonderful asset to Soul Sounds and the audience keeps coming back week after week which leads me to believe that they are being inspired as well! This night is all I expected and so much more than I could have hoped for.”
She couldn’t be more pleased with the response that has come from the community. “[It] has been great. I have had lots of people approach me and tell me how much they enjoy Soul Sounds and how the performances have resonated with them. I've also had folks who live in the Northeast community come into Palm Court to watch the show and thank us for offering a venue like Soul Sounds in their neighborhood. The arts community is [solidly] behind Soul Sounds and it shows by the fact there is hardly an open seat left in the house since Soul Sounds began.”
For the record, Sol Testimony has done performed at The Dakota Jazz Club with Duncan and with Bruce A. Henry at Paisley Park (during Prince's “Xenophobia” concert series), at First Avenue and has shared the stage with living legends The Last Poets. She was nominated the Minnesota Music Award for Spoken Word in 2006. You kind of figure the lady knows what she’s doing with this thing.
Every Thursday night, Soul Sounds Open Mic & Jam Session is at Palm Court Restaurant 2424 Central Ave. NE, Mpls. 612-789-3373. $3 – free, if you’re broke. 9 p.m. (doors at 8) 18+. Jam session jumps off at midnight. www.myspace.com/soulsoundsopenmic
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