United Music Scene

Real Quick, Mistah Wilson asks why we allow our children to celebrate evil for Halloween...

On April 29, 1986, an arson fire devastated Central Library, damaging the building and destroying parts of its vast collection. Months later, a second fire did even more damage. While renovation and expansion plans were already in the works, the tragic events galvanized the public and cemented the devotion of an already dedicated staff. On October 3, 1993, Central Library re-opened its doors to a jubilant city, and 25 years later Central Library still fulfills its promise as a light of learning. Join us Saturday, October 13 for a day celebrating the 25th anniversary of the re-opening of the renovated and expanded Central Library. Read more...

DATE AND TIME Sat, October 6, 2018 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM PDT LOCATION Filipino Christian Church 301 North Union Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90026 Join us as we celebrate the historic contributions of Asian Americans in Los Angeles! Community leaders and preservationists will highlight historic and cultural contributions as documented in SurveyLA’s Asian Americans in Los Angeles historic contexts. These contexts were funded by an Underrepresented Communities Grant from the National Park Service. Historic and cultural preservation are important for Asians Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) seeking to safeguard important historic places, preserve unique cultural practices, and receive official recognition of their civic contributions. However, few sites associated with AAPI history and cultures have been officially recognized and designated under local, state, or federal programs. The Asian Americans in Los Angeles historic contexts were developed by the Los Angeles Department of City Plannin...

Get ready! In August, the Central Library’s 4th Avenue plaza will 5:00p - 6:00p @ Seattle Central Library's 4th Avenue Plaza have great music, dance performances, drop-in art making, and of course awesome books. For all ages. Watch out! Drummer D’Vonne Lewis’ new quartet Passageways kicks off our 5pm evening edition ART ON THE PLAZA. Mixing Seattle’s rich African-American jazz heritage with today’s social realities, Passageways features Lewis, Ari Joshua, Alex Dugdale, and Thione Diop, and the rhythms of South Africa, Central America, and Senegal. Co-presented Earshot Jazz. This program is made possible with support from the Seattle Public Library Foundation. Learn More...

12:00p - 2:00p @ Seattle Central Library's 4th Avenue Plaza Get ready! In August, the Central Library’s 4th Avenue plaza will have great music, dance performances, drop-in art making, and of course awesome books. For all ages. Nathan Breedlove and The nu Trio perform from noon to 2pm at ART ON THE PLAZA. The trumpeter, composer, and philosopher-in-training spreads life and love through music. The cultural storyteller and seasoned seeker is joined by Seattle jazz legends, Brian Kirk on drums and Phil Sparks on bass. Co-presented Earshot Jazz. This program is made possible with support from the Seattle Public Library Foundation. Learn More...

Members of the East Side Riders Bike Club said their one part of their mission is to provide opportunities to vulnerable kids in South Los Angeles by steering them in a new direction. The ten year old volunteer organization has been doing work in South L.A. and Watts that focuses on keeping kids off drugs and from gangs through recreational activities, specifically bike riding said president John Jones III via his website esrbc.org. But just as important as keeping youth away from destructive activities, is the other part of their mission, to steer kids toward activities that help them enrich the communities in which they live. “ESR aims to provide a comprehensive youth program that seeks to positively impact [things like] inadequate organized recreational outlets for local youth in the Watts area- a community that is rife with high rates of child obesity, asthma and other respiratory challenges amongst youth- lack of resources and lack of safe passage and travel” Jones said. “This pro...

Photo by Canh Solo

Our Friday Community Nights begin with our First Friday Open Mic Poetry Slam! Join us to listen to original poetry - uncensored, raw, and hearfelt - and share some of your own! Great experience for sharing the beauty and power of words. Seating is limited, doors open at 7:30. Our poetry slams are hosted by Luis Antonio Pichardo, the founder and executive director of DSTL Arts, a nonprofit arts mentorship organization that inspires, teaches, and hires creative at-risk youth, ages 16–21 years old. His work with youth, and adults, encourages them to pursue the arts as the sustainable career it can be. Holding an MFA in Creative Writing from CalArts, and having been featured in various poetry anthologies, Luis strives to create an inclusive community for all artists by sharing his knowledge in poetics and publishing. As an artist himself, Luis pushes for artistic excellence and a high standard of care through all of his teaching endeavors. To learn more about Luis and DSTL Arts, visit DSTL...

Join us for an Open Mic at The South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival. Please RSVP HERE .

Yirim Seck is a hip hop artist in Seattle (Photo by Hannah Myrick) As Yirim Seck walks along 23rd and Jackson in the Central District, he has little trouble pointing out where historical buildings once stood and where open spaces have been replaced by modern structures. He has spent most of his life in this neighborhood. The music he creates as a hip hop artist speaks to the changes in his neighborhood and the changes in larger society. Seck is one of many Seattle hip hop artists who embody resistance in the form of music and art that pushes for local activism. “As artists we have a responsibility to raise awareness or insert ourselves in conversations to incite change,” Seck said. “We call it a culture. It returns art to the people,” Julie C said, another local hip hop artist. “Community is a core. Hip hop acts as a mechanism of activism.” The music is specific to Seattle, but also speaks to larger issues. Draze, a local artist also from the Central District, released a song last yea...

UNITE THE VIBE: PASADENA, CA Old Towne Pub Pasadena, 66 N. Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, United States $10 / 21+ / Doors at 7pm 4/21 @ Olde Towne Pub - Pasadena, CA 12-Close EARTH ARROW 10:50-11:45 NATE HANCOCK 9:55-10:35 RIVERS 9-9:40 VEIL 8:10-8:45 THE HOPEFUL GIANTS 7:30-8 RUBY CLOUDS More TBA!!

As the industrial age comes to a close and year 2000 babies become adults, a new generation of thinkers arise from our communities. Since the late 1880's, Altadena, Pasadena, and South Pasadena have developed their own sense of character and esteemed heritage. We've recently asked the Pasadena community if they'd be open to such a change. And a lot of more than half of them said "No". After the initial response we received, we believe that Altadenans, Pasadenans, and South Pasadenans more or less agree on each city keeping their own identity. But, the young minds of today challenge that tradition with a simple question. Should Altadena & South Pasadena be Incorporated into one Pasadena? Cast your vote below and feel free to explain why you feel it would or would not be a good idea. At this time, there is no commissioned initiative to change these cities. This is strictly for discussion purposes and to encourage community engagement. Loading...

Dom Promo, commonly known as Dominic Poole or DOMINANCE, connected with Inland Empire Comedian Anthony Stone as they discuss the movement, love for the craft, and greats that have influenced him.

If you know anything about Pasadena, know this: the local music scene has been striving to unite and nourish a sense of stability for artists native to the region . Over the last 5 years, we've seen great local shows and events cease due in part to the decline of local, native culture. Many people from Pasadena live elsewhere today. It's an interesting statistic as we fight to build a scene that's constantly changing. Don't get it twisted, the pride & culture surrounding DENA, Pasadena, Altadena cannot be hacked. People who grew up here love this place. But, for those who still live here, it's been a challenge to revive what Pasadena is already known for. It's local music scene... Inspiration for the #BringingItTogether movement and Mistah Wilson's mission to help unite the local music scene comes from events like Nic @ Nite when 72 North (venue) was still in effect. Phat Cat's Live @ The Loft really brought out the local music community. It was h...

After the success of the #BringingItTogether October 2016 Free Artist Photo Shoot , Mistah Wilson & Percy Johnson were excited for next month’s event. This time, they put a little more love into it. With only a couple of weeks to make it happen, they went out to get a photo backdrop with the logos of ThaWilsonBlock Magazine, Percy’s Portrait Photography, and a hashtag of #DENA to represent where the movement is taking place. Before the October 2016 shoot , the news was forecasting rain on the day of the event. That would be tragic since everyone is meeting up outside in McDonald Park. As the day grew in, it was almost cancelled. Mistah Wilson decided to go along with it and it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. For the next event, the news forecasted rain. Mistah Wilson decided to call the weather’s bluff. But, this time, the weather was for real. After much preparation and money spent to put this event together, we were expecting a much bigger turnout than the first one. On t...

To understand the awesome shared history of hip-hop and activism you have to acknowledge that while music can shine a light on injustice, it can’t, on its own, heal the wounds of oppression. We’re not all waiting for that perfect anthem to save the day. The one that effortlessly samples from the heartache and the anger, the resiliency, and the mistrust, and maybe even the wilting hope found in the black community. It’s important to recognize that while hip-hop is its own entity, it’s still just a part of a greater movement when it comes to speaking out against those injustices. Nothing and no one can stand alone in this fight. People have long tried to reason with oppression. They’ve tried to shout at it, thrown bottles at it, cursed its name and lit the streets on fire beneath it. Hip-hop is on the right side of things because it’s about thought and emotion, not a violent action. It is inspirational and it can galvanize. It can open people’s eyes and reach them in a way ...

Hip-hop artist Archie Green listens to music all day long. He doesn’t even like to walk between his car and apartment without listening to music. “It’s therapeutic for me,” Green said. Finding a song for his mood is better than grabbing a cigarette or drink. It also helps him deal with what’s going on in life. “Basically, I score my life,” the 31-year-old Shaker Heights resident said. Green knows listening to music isn’t always enough to get him through tough times, though. He openly shares in his own music – and in conversation – how he turned to therapy to help with depression. “It’s not talked about in the black community,” Green said. “That’s the mentality a lot of us have.” Green hopes his transparency can help break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. After graduate school in New York University, he struggled to find a job. He left the city and returned to live in Northeast Ohio with his parents. In 2013, he was cited for driving under the influence after a night out w...