A mental health music festival is coming back to Brooklyn this summer

A mental health music festival is coming back to Brooklyn this summer

Let’s face it: Between all the noise, how expensive everything is, and how fast we all gotta move, New York isn’t the most conducive for fostering great mental health, which is why any event that prioritizes our psychological wellbeing always feels refreshing.

Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health is the perfect example of an event that wants to get serious about mental health while still having fun, and it’s been going strong for several years. On Sunday, May 18, the festival is returning for its sixth year of celebrations that will include a free, open-air event in the streets of Brooklyn. 

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The festival will take place on Jefferson Street between Irving Avenue and Wyckoff Avenue in Bushwick starting at 12pm, and will feature sets from musician Kevin Morby, MisterWives, Bailen and SHAED. 

House of Yes, the popular Bushwick nightclub located on the block, will host DJ sets and a dance party throughout the day. The festival will also include Sound Sessions, which will have yoga, mindfulness, sound baths and breathwork meditation classes. There will be food and drinks provided by the legendary food festival Smorgasburg, and mental-health panels that will explore topics like mental health in POC and queer communities.

MisterWives band photo.
Photograph: By Matty Vogel | MisterWives

The festival is meant to address the mental health crisis, which has only continued to worsen since the pandemic, and young people are experiencing depression and anxiety in record numbers. In addition to bringing people together to create awareness around our mental health crisis, the event is also going to support funding for the Sound Mind Center, a music and wellness center that will focus on creating healing experiences through sound and is opening later this year. The space will host workshops and meditations during the day and transform into an event space with concerts, open mics and community showcases in the evening.  

If you’re still itching to party after The Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health is over, they will have an after party at Elsewhere, which will include a set by DJ White Snow, who produced Lady Gaga’s most iconic albums, including Born This Way and Artpop. You can get tickets to the afterparty, which will happen from 9pm till midnight, here

If you are super down for the cause and want to support the Sound Mind Center with your money, special VIP tickets will be available to anyone who donates $150 or more. The VIP passes will include a swag bag filled with gifts and entry to the afterparty at Elsewhere. You can get your tickets to the event here.

* This article was originally published here

The Amazing Story Of Harlem’s Alex Briley An Original Member Of The Village People

The #1 source in the world for all things Harlem.

Alexander Briley, born April 12, 1951, is a Harlem disco singer who was the original “G.I.” in the disco recording act Village People. Early life and education Briley was the son of a Christian minister. Raised in Harlem and later in Mount Vernon, New York, Briley sang in church from an early age and studied voice at the University of Hartford. Briley had…

The post The Amazing Story Of Harlem’s Alex Briley An Original Member Of The Village People appeared first on Harlem World Magazine.

* This article was originally published here

A swarm of 1,000 drones will light up the sky in NYC next month

A swarm of 1,000 drones will light up the sky in NYC next month

Just a few days before a total solar eclipse takes over the sky above New York on April 8, General Electric Company (GE) will celebrate its own history by launching 1,000 drones from the New Jersey waterfront, producing a light show that will be visible from the west side of Manhattan.

On April 1 at 9pm, 1,000 drones will depart Weehawken Waterfront Park in Hoboken, New Jersey and reach an altitude of more than 100 feet over the Statue of Liberty. The show will take place across 500 feet—the equivalent of a football field and a half. 

According to a press release, the best areas to catch the celestial event from Manhattan are: 

  • Near Pier 84: Between 42nd–47th Streets and 11th–12th Avenues
  • Near Pier 66: Between 25th–29th Streets and 11th–12th Avenues
  • Near The High Line: Between 19th–24th Streets on 10th Avenue

GE, one of the longest-standing on the New York Stock Exchange, says it is celebrating its “transformation into three independent public companies: GE Aerospace, GE Vernova and GE Healthcare.”

In case you happen to miss the drone show, worry not: the total solar eclipse that’s set to take place just a week later might actually become one of the most stupendous celestial occurrences in recent memory. May we suggest you book one of these local campsites to take in the eclipse in all of its glory when the time comes?

* This article was originally published here

MUSIC MONDAY: “Ring of Fire” – Black Voices in Rock And Country Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Ring of Fire” – Black Voices in Rock And Country Playlist (LISTEN)

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Music Monday! In the weeks since Beyoncé’s recent Country releases, there’s been much debate on her Country bona fides, though the sista has never been shy about voicing her Texas pride.

From Beyoncé’s history with the genre, from the song “Daddy Lessons”, from her 2016 album Lemonade, to the Stetsons worn by Destiny’s Child, many Country devotees ignore her roots and those of other Black artists.

While talking to a good friend and colleague last week, he pointed out that it’s not musicians that draw designations often based on race, it’s the so-called fans. It is also music writers and editors who act as gatekeepers.

Ray Charles, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Elvis Presley, Aerosmith, Love, Brittany Howard, Lola, Valerie June and so many others can’t be bothered. Music is music.

It has been a long-running theme of my playlist and missives here on GBN, that the roots and current impact of Black artists on Country Music and Rock ’n Roll is deep and continuing.

Rhiannon Giddens is present playing the banjo (an instrument whose roots go back to Africa), on “Texas Hold ‘Em”, and with The Carolina Chocolate Drops. As is Lil Nas X, who was also soundly rebuffed by Country music gatekeepers initially.

I’ve included The Black Pumas, TV On The Radio, Clarence Clemons, Tracy Chapman and of course Lenny Kravitz, who all reject rock music being the domain of white artists.

So, please enjoy this collection of artists that aren’t inclined to be labeled and defy labels.

And as always, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

* This article was originally published here