Entries Tagged 'BeExposed! No. 4' ↓

By Sara Rae Lancaster

“I was like, ‘Wow. I really like doing this.’ It was what I really wanted to spend my time doing,”

What do you get when you mix the beat of hip-hop, the soulfulness of blues, the improvisation of jazz and the lyrical flow of poetry? You get the eclectic musical experience of duo Melissa Czarnik and Eric Mire.

The Milwaukee-based musicians will be bringing their unique sound to Kenosha on Friday Sept. 17 as part of the BeExposed! performance series.

Hip-hop. Jazz. Blues. Poetry. Just what can the audience expect?

Good honest music, according to Mire who, in addition to producing Czarnik’s music and providing backup at her live events, has his own band, The Eric Mire band.

Blended with Czarnik’s emceeing, the result is hip-hop undertones created by a beat box, layered with elements of Blues (sultry, soulful melodies), a dash of Jazz (off the cuff improv) and rich, thought-provoking lyrics written by Czarnik.

Mire was trained classically and says his music is the result of a lifelong journey of musical experiences and influence from just about every genre.

Czarnik doesn’t come from a musical background, but said performing always came naturally for her and was something she enjoyed.

Toward the end of Czarnik’s high school career and into her first year of college, she discovered her uncanny knack for free styling, or improvised rapping. It started as a way to entertain friends at parties. But soon, Czarnik started to sense that this hobby was really a passion.

“I was like, ‘Wow. I really like doing this.’ It was what I really wanted to spend my time doing,” she said.

Having always loved poetry, she eventually began to move away from spontaneous emceeing, and began to write down her thoughts in poetry form.

“I think the poetry aspect, the writing aspect of it, is an emotional release and mental release,” she said. “I feel like there’s nothing else that I want to do.”

Her rich, emotionally charged writing is unmistakable in her debut album Strawberry Cadillac. Lyrically charged, many of the songs draw on her experiences with AmeriCorps and social justice work. Her sophomore album, Raspberry Jesus, released in late July, is more potluck with a little bit of all the musical influences that make up Czarnik’s and Mire’s multifaceted sound.

“We don’t even know what to call it,” Czarnik joked, referring to the overall feel of the second album. “A lot of people have been telling me you can’t really put that album in a box. It’s hip-hop influence, but it’s also jazz influence. It doesn’t really belong in just one genre.”

It’s that diverse mix of influences that allow their collaborative sound to be enjoyed by many, even those who might not usually listen to one of the main musical genres on a regular basis.

“Just the other day got an email from someone who bought the CD who said, ‘I don’t really care for hip-hop, but I thought I’d check out your CD and I really like it,’” Czarnik said.

Czarnik feels the music she and Mire produce works because of the partnership and friendship they have outside the music studio, as well. The couple has been dating for eight years.

“We’re not only musical partners. We’re soul mates,” Czarnik said. “Our music is constantly growing because we’re always pushing each other. We can just be free and have fun.

Maintaining that sense of freedom during their live shows and in production is key to letting the sound of each song became its own piece.

“We try to not limit it and say it has to be this or that. We just kind of let the music and writing project take place,” Mire said.

“The rhythm and melodies Eric produces are complex, and my emceeing fits in with the music almost as if my voice were an instrument,” said Czarnik. “You get good music and thought provoking content all in one.”

Both said the show on the 17th would be a time where people who care about art and music will be able together and have a good time.

“You know when a show is all about ego,” Mire said. “This is about the music.”

Czarnik and Mire will perform at Carolyn’s Coffee Connection, 1351 52nd Street, Friday Sept. 17 at 6 p.m.

BeExposed! No. 4 Performance Series
May 21, 2010
6:00 pm
At Carolyn’s Coffee Connection

Julie Sepanski—Visual Art
Do You really put your paintings in the oven?

” I started putting things in the oven when I was frantically mak-ing my bizaar-o dolls. I soaked them in coffee and rather than waiting for them to dry I’d bake them. I loved the effect. ..”

Dasha Kelly — Poetry
An accomplished writer, performer and public speaker: She has written for magazines such as Upscale, Black Enterprise and Milwaukee; her 2003 novel, All Fall Down, earned her a place in Written Word Magazine as one of the Top Ten Up-and-Coming Writers of the Midwest


Matt Specht — Music and Poetry
He writes. He paints. He acts. He binds his own books. He writes his own songs.
Matt Specht rocks.


Jerome Garrett Hunter and Friends — Music

“In my dreams, I hear the music, I play the music. I write the music,
I am just the messenger of my dreams,I am about the music.”

“The Man Behind the Mask” in concert

The “BeExposed!” performance series is a monthly event at Carolyn’s Coffee Connection (1355-52nd Street, Kenosha, WI 53140), spotlighting artists of all disciplines and celebrating the power of creativity.

Do You really put your paintings in the oven?

” . . . I started putting things in the oven when I was frantically making my bizaar-o dolls. I soaked them in coffee and rather than waiting for them to dry I’d bake them. I loved the effect. I now apply it to some of my art work. I usually do it when I work on raw fabric canvas . . .”

Julie Sepanski

Julie Sepanski’s new art exhibit is part of BeExposed! No.4.
The opening reception is this Friday May 21st, at Carolyn’s Coffee Connection

The “BeExposed!” performance series is a monthly event at Carolyn’s Coffee Connection (1355-52nd Street, Kenosha, WI 53140), spotlighting artists of all disciplines and celebrating the power of creativity.

Dasha will BeExposed! Friday, May 21st, 2010

Dasha Kelly is an accomplished writer, performer and public speaker: She has written for magazines such as Upscale, Black Enterprise and Milwaukee; her narrative essays appear regularly online including OnMilwaukee.com; her 2003 novel, All Fall Down, earned her a place in Written Word Magazine as one of the Top Ten Up-and-Coming Writers of the Midwest; she performed on the season six premiere of HBO presents Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam; she has released four recordings of her poems; her commissioned one-woman show, Anthems for Grown Folks, is being developed into a traveling production; and she works extensively as a keynote and motivational speaker. Dasha is working on a second novel and recently released a collection of poems, essays and short stories with Penmanship Books called Hershey Eats Peanuts. Locally, she is founder and director of Still Waters Collective, an outreach initiative utilizing creative writing as tool to build new models of leadership and empowerment.

For more information visit her website at dashakelly.com.

The “BeExposed!” performance series is a monthly event at Carolyn’s Coffee Connection (1355-52nd Street, Kenosha, WI 53140), spotlighting artists of all disciplines and celebrating the power of creativity.

Friday May 21st, 2010

New month and new Be Exposed! show! Enjoy art from Julie Sepanski, poetry and music from Matt Specht, spoken word performances by Dasha Kelly, and the music of Jerome Hunter and friends to keep your ears happy.

It all happens on Friday, May 21st, and doors open at 6 p.m. See you there!

Carolyn’s Coffee Connection
1351 52nd Street
Kenosha, WI 53140