Serendipitously heard this during Chicago’s North Coast Music Festival reminding me of my dad and his love for Cumbia.
This track fuses a genre staple to Jamaican culture while sprinkling Latin rhythms and sounds proving, yet again, that music knows no boundaries. Close your eyes and see where the Music takes you.
Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter VĂRITĂ (born Kelsey Byrne) helped cure the Monday blues and start the week off right with her Somewhere in Between Chicago tour stop. Playing to a sizable crowd at Lincoln Hall (also so happens to be my favorite music venue in the city), VĂRITĂ‘s soft yet soulful and intense vocals took over the night.
Alt pop? Alt rock? Not totally sure where I’d put her on the genre spectrum but to be frank some of the best artists are those who don’t necessarily identify with a particular genre. Singing from her debut album, a few of my personal favorites that she performed were ‘Need Nothing,’ ‘Bout You‘ and ‘Better.’ Pausing in between a few songs to chat with the crowd, something a fellow show goer mentioned was different this time around–mind you he had seen her a handful of times already, VĂRITĂ connected with the Monday night crowd. “I don’t know how it happened, but I managed to cut my lip with that last song so hopefully there’s no blood on my face,” she said as she laughed at one point during her set.
It’s no surprise she’s accumulated more than 95+ million streams on Spotify (to date) because it seems like her fans are pretty willing to catch her anytime she’s in their neck of the woods. Loyal listeners indeed. After chatting with a couple of them, I quickly realized you don’t just see VĂRITĂ once. All of them had one thing in common, this wasn’t their first time seeing her,“This is my fifth time seeing her” or “Yea this is like my third time seeing her.”
I have this little music rule of mine: Don’t repeat artists (I’ve made exceptions…) and I’m finding it harder and harder to stick to it…I definitely wouldn’t mind catching her next time she’s in town.
Check out VĂRITĂ‘s Soundcloud, and catch her at one of her upcoming shows:
September 1Â Â Seattle, WA @ Barboza
September 2Â Â Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
September 3Â Â Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
September 5Â Â San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
September 10Â Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Music and Arts Festival
September 12Â Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
September 15Â Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Jr.
September 16Â Dallas, TX @ Three Links
September 17Â Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs)
September 19Â Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
September 20Â Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
September 21Â Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
September 22Â Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
This dance chune has been on repeat for the past week or so, and comes just in time to make it to my Summer 2017 playlist. ‘Swagon’ (released January 27, 2017) combines groovy house with some hip-hop swag that will move your body from beat to beat. Check it out, and let me know what you think!
By now many of you know my love of music, and if you didn’t, well, now you know. I music everyday from dawn to dusk and genre to genre. My Spotify, Soundcloud, iTunes, Pandora and Mixcloud—yes, I’m pretty active on all of them and no, you can never have too much music–have everything from indie alternative and rock to EDM (and all its sub-genres) and Spanish pop. Even country has snuck its way into my musical libraries. Most people who know me probably associate me with only a certain style, but I can appreciate music in all its forms–especially live music.
Living in Chicago has many perks: the food, the people, entertainment and culture; the list goes on. You can probably find live music on any given night of the week–it’s not just for the weekends. One of my favorite local spots is Lincoln Hall (LH) : Schubas Tavern, and although the venues are very different from each other (LH is a modern balcony seat venue while Schubas is a older, smaller event space) both invite amazing artists you probably won’t find at your United Centers (bigger venues). It’s for that reason I enjoy these neighborhood spots, and typically you can get a pretty intimate show from the artists.
It was a Sunday night, and Chicago had experienced some torrential downpours that weekend, so the mood was a little dreary. My friend and I made our way to Schubas, both of us weren’t familiar with Co-Stanza nor Jackson Whalan (headliner for the night). Making our way through the monsoons we arrived to the converted Schlitz brewery joining the crowd of 15 or so.
(pictured above Co-Stanza at Schubas 4/30/17)
I walked in with no knowledge of who was playing, and actually there have been a handful of shows where I don’t know many songs (if any)—I have yet to be disappointed with these unknown musical encounters. Stumbling across “new” (and up and coming) music is like realizing it’s actually Saturday, not Sunday or finding $20 bucks in your jeans back pocket. Yup, that same giddy effect…well at least it’s like that for me.
Jack, the singer from the group, has a crisp, clean voice and can do anything from cleverly spit some rap lyrics to serenade you with his smooth vocals. His voice has a natural tone that draws your ears and keeps you listening. His sound is definitely fresh and light, and the charisma he has on stage is clear from the way he engages with the crowd. At a young age, he’s already making an impression, and I can’t wait to see his musical career develop.
Take a listen to one of my personal faves below. Check out his Soundcloud and follow him on Twitter! #SupportLocal
Loving E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. about this new song, stay awake y’all. Sharing my favorite line of the banger…
I’m happy when it rains and ruins our hair and forces us to change all of our plans…
UK producer and DJ wAFF kicks of the month with a hot new collaboration with self-taught German DJ SantĂ©. Check out these powerful, vibrations and frequencies…
An eargasm of smooth, playful beats with plenty of head bobs. Enjoy the ride!
