A big hand for our new artists this quarter!
Bell - Dan Asselin - Declan Bennett - Harry Thompson & Divine Favor - Marcus Goldhaber - Melissa Zapin - Norma Curley - Olivia Detante - Ruby Collins
Let's hear it for the artists that keep Hearts & Voices sounding glorious!
African Drum & Dance - Al Lee Wyer - Aly Panichi - Ben Godwin - Cassandra Kubinski - Chavito - Chloe - Chris Jones - Daniel Ferrari - David Pearl - Gio Stella - Grace Garland - Illumination Chorale - Imperial Court - Isabel Rivera - Jaami Ali - Jeffrey Leibowitz - Jill Melanie Wirth - Larry May - Lavender Light Gospel Choir - Lucinda - Markeisha Ensley - MetroPolitones - Michael Ashanti - Michael Butler - Nhojj - Paula Valstein - Rhonda Schuster - Seth Rudetsky - Tha Heights - The Body - Tom Hayes - Voices In Unity - Willie Davis
And let's keep that applause going for our amazing volunteers!
Amira Eldessoky - Ashley Glasgow - Bronna Leibowitz - Emma Benayoun - Holly Brown - James Page - Jamie Chan - Janete Scobie - Jannisse Vitanzo - Jen Grossman - Jennifer Ollman - Jennifer Rios - Jimmy Everett - Juana Perez - LeTania Kirkland - Megan Curtis - Nickoleta Lytras - Paula Bu - Rachel Kartsonas - Rebecca Love - Stephanie Cone - Stephanie Ko - Stephanie Summers - Tamara Johnson - Tenneille Valley
A reminder- if you're a Hearts & Voices artist, we want to feature you on our website, lifebeat.org. Send us your photos and press kits so we can show everyone how great you are!
Featured Artist- Michael Ashanti
Born in Poughkeepsie to parents of Jamaican descent, Michael Ashanti has been performing since he was 5 years old. His father’s military service meant that the family was always moving on- but performing was a constant, with Michael’s skills finding expression in church, school bands, and university choirs, then talent shows and Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater, and later as a background vocalist for major and independent artists- and as a Hearts & Voices performer! Now, Michael is ready to take on the world with his debut album, All Of Me.
Michael sees performing with Hearts & Voices as a central part of his creative life. "I just thought it was absolutely necessary to use my gifts in a very personal way to let people know they are not alone in this battle. I’m blessed. In spite of whatever challenges I face, I realize that I have been richly blessed. More than this, I am extremely concerned. I am concerned that there are thousands of new HIV/AIDS cases on a daily basis, especially amongst the young and people of color. Even with all the wealth and information in the United States, we are challenged by even greater obstacles- domestic and international poverty, politics, and self-love- that make the cessation of this pandemic even more difficult.”
Michael’s shows with us have been astonishing vocal workouts- “a little classic soul/funk, neo-soul, house, and acoustic soul, with contemporary R&B, gospel and jazz elements.” Not only a great original songwriter, Michael is a human jukebox, conjuring a string of classic soul gems in response to requests from a delighted audience.
Hearts & Voices audiences got to keep a taste of Michael’s work when he gave us his song Stranger (You Never Know) for our first annual Hearts & Voices CD, given to audience members for the holidays. Stranger is one of the key cuts from All Of Me, the new album that Michael describes as “a soul-fusion collection of music that speaks through different emotions, experiences, and moods. It’s a labor of love.” All Of Me is available on iTunes and CDbaby via Michael’s label, Ambassador Music Group, and New Yorkers can obtain a copy at Disc-O-Rama. And, of course, Michael’s music is on Myspace.
Michael says, “I just want to encourage every artist to get involved with LIFEBeat and use their music as a vehicle for healing, empowerment, and education.” Michael, thanks for sharing your music with us, and we hope All Of Me is wildly successful!
Michael Ashanti website
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Hanson donate to Bid2BeatAIDS
Hanson are the newest artists to step up in support of LIFEbeat. It's a long time since their pop moppett days and these days the boys are creating striking, stirring music with a social conscience- of which their new disc The Walk is a great example.
The band are playing a special preview concert of the soon-to-be-released CD at New York's Supper Club on March 6- and they've donated the ultimate VIP package to LIFEbeat! You can check it out on Ebay. Naturally, all proceeds go to support LIFEbeat.
As the lucky aution winner, you and a friend will be watching from RESERVED banquette seats (the rest of the tickets for the concert are general admission)! You’ll have to arrive a little early for the show because this package includes a MEET & GREET with the band before the show where the winning bidder will get to take a photo with Isaac, Taylor and Zac! And to make this the ULTIMATE VIP package the guys are also throwing in an AUTOGRAPHED GUITAR!
You'll have to hurry, though- the auction ends on March 3rd! So, Hanson fans- don't waste any time!
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Hearts & Voices rocks the holidays
Every year, we try and make the holidays a special time for our audiences, and 2006 was no exception. There were unforgettable moments- Illumination Chorale and the Lavender Light Gospel Choir showing us the meaning of healing through music, caroling with a huge crew of wonderful singers, and top performances from Hearts & Voices regulars like Lucinda and Cassandra Kubinski.
We were also able to give out lots of holiday gifts! Thanks to all the sponsors who made that possible, and thanks especially to the artists who donated their tracks for the first annual Hearts & Voices compilation CD. We felt really good about handing those out. We're planning on it becoming an institution.
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New facilities!
We love it when we get to go new places, and in February, we did our first show at Housing Works in the East Village. For those of you unfamiliar with their work, Housing Works do amazing and essential work for people living with HIV who also face housing difficulties or who just need the support of a day care program. We've been performing at their Greenwich Village facility for a long time now, and it's a pleasure to expand the program to a new audience!
We're also continuing our shows at Gibb Mansion in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn, and we're now on a regular monthly schedule. There are great rewards for artists and volunteers willing to venture outside of Manhattan, including a great audience, a supportive venue, and they'll even cook for you! Look out for dates in our regular emails.
Soon we will be adding the Adolescent AIDS program, part of the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in The Bronx! This awesome organization provides case management, skill building and support of all kinds to HIV+ teenagers in the Bronx. Keep your eyes peeled for dates added there in the coming months! Not only would we like to provide the regular amazing performances H&V has to offer, but we would also like to explore experiential workshops in music making for the teens. If that is of particular interest to you please contact Aly directly- apanichi@lifebeat.org.
Finally, we know several of you have been asking about the upcoming Miami pilot- things are progressing nicely and the next step is a road trip for Aly to meet artists and caregivers. We'll keep you posted...
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AIDS Walk New York 2007
Spring brings many wonderful things, and one of the best is AIDS walk. LIFEbeat's team registration page is now up and running and we'd love to have you join us!
Head to the AIDS walk website. Click on "Register Here" and then choose "Join a Team". Scroll down and choose the LIFEbeat Team - #0071 and follow the directions. You can download your sponsor form, send out emails and learn more about walk. Donations can be made online or you can mail checks to the GMHC.
There are an estimated 40,000 new HIV infections in the USA every year. There are also around 40,000 walkers. It's a lot of people. So, if you want to put it in perspective and get a really instant sense of the impact and reach of this pandemic, I recommend you sign up and walk with us. And, of course, this being LIFEbeat we'll be partying afterwards. Karaoke, anyone?
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"Skin And Bone" to benefit LIFEbeat
Hearts & Voices staffer Ben Godwin is celebrating the release of his new record, Skin And Bone. It's a big stomping dirty monster of an album, and he's donating $1 from each disc sold to benefit LIFEbeat! Ben will be touring later in the Spring, and hopes that the success of the disc will go some way to making up for his absence from the office. There'll also a be a big LIFEbeat benefit party when the CD goes live on iTunes on April 17th. You can check out the record at Cdbaby. And check out Ben's website for upcoming shows.
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Afterword
2007 is an exciting year for us at LIFEbeat- we're marking our 15th anniversary! While it's great to be part of an organisation that's been doing great work for this long, it's sobering to realise that, 25 years into the epidemic, the need is still so strong for what we do.
We're not complaining, though. It's inspiring to come to work every day and be surrounded by incredible artists and volunteers who are giving their time to make this program the healing power that it is. Thanks for everything you do, and know that we never take it for granted. You rock!
Much love, Aly & Ben
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