The First Annual 2013 Independent Artist Festival Showcase. October 3, 2013 Review by: De Anna Phillips, Independent Musical Review Writer What an amazing musical experience; The Independent Artist Festival held on Saturday, September 21, 2013 in Oklahoma City, Ok. The event was held at the University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab hosting a totally sold out venue. Many were turned away at the door in disappointment due to the sold out status. The atmosphere offered one of crowd enthusiasm and high anticipation for the quality of music performed by the overwhelmingly talented artist. SHOW TIME! The stage set, lights dim, and the music begins. The Host for the night was none other than Gary Fuston, a phenomenal guitarist and one of the hosts for GHP radio. Gary started the crowd jumping with his masterful piece entitled “SMOOTH CRUISE.” The song is jazz at its best! Such a smooth, rhythmic, and addictive sound that will surely make you want more. Gary’s performance really excited and warmed the audience up for more of the brilliant performance planned for the night. Gary presently has two CDs in circulation entitled “OCTAVE MOTIVES” and “UNWIND” true masterful compositions The house band was on fire. Tobias Frederick on bass made the guitar speak a language many have never heard, Larry Banks soulful sounds on the sax demonstrates true master skills of the instrument. Steven Gunn equipped the house band with beautiful vocals and the commanding sounds of the trombone. Joshua Daniels on auxiliaries/keyboard added a smooth unique sound enhancing the superb quality of music to perfection. The eloquent and seductive sounds of the guitar played by Maurice Johnson were truly not a disappointment. Such a great contribution to any house band and the heart and soul of any band demands a beat. Yes, the rhythm, the tapping, and the soul stirring sound of the drums masterfully played by Walter Taylor, III. This is just the beginning music lovers! The Independent Artist Festival not only consists of extremely talented musicians but mesmerizing song birds as well. Yvonne Jenkins takes the stage with her original song entitled “RIDING HIGH” and the crowd goes wild. Yvonne’s voice is strong, soulful, and extremely sensual; a true crowd pleasers. She continues to give the crowd more as she performs two original songs entitled “SLOW DOWN” and “MOVE YOUR BODY.” The audience shows their appreciation by giving a standing ovation. Yvonne’s vocal skills command attention and truly demonstrate her ability to sing absolutely anything with perfection. Yvonne’s latest projects include the release of her new CD entitled “It’s all about Love” A true masterpiece. The guitar is an essential part of any musical composition and The Independent Artist Festival was graced with the opportunity to present Maurice Johnson on the lineup. Maurice’s style of playing captivates the audience and takes the music lovers mind into another place. His performance of his original songs entitled “HELLO MY BROTHER” and “A TASTE OF THE SUN” engrossed the audience into a hand clapping, foot stomping, and head swaying good time. I am sure the fans have pleasant musical memories that are embedded in their soul. Maurice has two CDs available for purchase: TONIGHT and PEACE, LOVE & JAZZ. Both are receiving excellent reviews. The violin is an instrument that many genres other than classical music find it hard to conceive the instruments or the masterful skills of the artist ability to play different compositions. Well what an eye opening for many at the festival. They say “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” There was no fire but the smoke was coming from the strings on the violin that JoAnna Johnson, THE SOUL STRINGER was playing! JoAnna set the stage on fire with her rendition of “I’ll be loving you always” by Stevie Wonder. What a performance! The entire audience stood to their feet! JoAnna continues to woo the crowd with her original song entitled “DEEP SOUL” and a rendition of Alicia Keyes song entitled “UN-THINKABLE.” If there were any doubters in the audience referencing the ability of a skilled violinist, there aren’t any now! JoAnna’s new CD is scheduled to release in 2014. Every music lover anticipates the soulful sounds of the piano or keyboard and the audience was not disappointed. Carl V. Moore displays his brilliance by performing an original composition entitled “BAM.” What a royal treat! The composition and performance skills were not short of stating it’s almost impossible. The chords were difficult but so masterfully controlled and totally flawless. Carl continued to give the audience a sample of what playing the keys and the piano simultaneously sounds and looks like. How amazing to hear and watch. Carl’s talent is in high demand with many venues and undoubtedly so. Carl’s gift must be one that is shared with the world. Carl’s the latest project “KEEP WORKIN’ ON ME” is due out 10/30/13 you can hear it on soundclick Walter Taylor III, extremely talented drummer, musical director for The Independent Artist Festival, as well as a member of the organization was the promoter for the festival. Taylor Made Jazz Productions successfully organized the power house band and ensured the musical composition of each artist was not compromised during their performance. Walter is a master drummer and has shared the stage with artist such as Chaka Khan, George Benson, and many other well know artist. His musical ability is beyond belief. The drums offers the vital beat needed to form a musical composition and Walter delivers every time. The contributions by Walter Taylor II and Taylor Made Jazz Productions ensured the success of The Independent Artist Festival. Each note, each set, and each cord played. The first Independent Artist Festival lineup included only a few of the artist associated with the organization. The concept involves hosting festivals in multiple cities across the states, ensuring the exposure of many. A few of the other brilliant artist involved with IAF include: Terry Tuck – Bass, Sam Hankins -Trumpet, Gino Goss – Trumpet, Rod Williams – Sax, Joyce Spencer – Sax, and David McLorren – Keyboardist. The artist listed above will appear on other scheduled line ups and I am highly anticipating the performers schedule and attending the shows. The entire concept of IAF was envisioned by Edward R. McDaniel, CEO, Promoter, and Broadcaster for IAF. Edward’s many years of experience in musical promotion and production afforded him the opportunity to work with extremely talented independent artist. His insightfulness in the operations of the industry lead to the observation of a key missing component; the exposure of raw talent. Many independent artist struggles to get their projects into production and lack the financial backing to implement a strong marketing base which is key to artist exposure. Edward saw the opportunity to help the independent artist and thus created The Independent Artist Festival. The concept is nothing short of brilliance and truly appreciated by the many talented independent artists in the musical industry. Edward’s plan involves promoting the musical festivals across the states exposing the great talent of independent artist that many may not have the opportunity to hear. Great job Edward R. McDaniel. In summary, the first Independent Artist Festival was a total success. The musical branding left with the audience in Oklahoma City will only echo throughout the rest of the states. It is totally clear that the exposure of these talent unsigned artist have the ability to sellout crowds and leave music lovers totally satisfied. When you can sell out shows like this one, there is truly a demand for more! Exposure is the key. We must support live music to prevent the elimination of a much loved genre. IAF has demonstrated a successful platform to accomplish the goal of exposing great independent musical talent!
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 23:13:32 +0000
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