Music

Afrobeat Dance Party on tap at White Water

DJ Baldego (Seth Baldy, left) and Velvet Kente’s Joshua Asante
DJ Baldego (Seth Baldy, left) and Velvet Kente’s Joshua Asante

What's that you say? This year's summer solstice was on June 24?

Fine. But the much more musical Summer Soulstice 6: Afrobeat Dance Party happens Friday at White Water Tavern in Little Rock. That's when a small army of local singers take the stage with the Velvet Kente Arkestra to get people dancing to a night full of afrobeat jams. DJ Baldego (Soulstice founder Seth Baldy) will also spin tunes and vendors will sell their wares, donating a portion of proceeds to Lucie's Place.

Summer Soulstice 6: Afrobeat Dance Party with DJ Baldego, Velvet Kente Arkestra

10 p.m. Friday, White Water Tavern, 2500 W. Seventh St., Little Rock

Admission: $10

(501) 375-8400

whitewatertavern.com

Velvet Kente member and Soulstice curator Joshua Asante says he was looking to take this year's event in a different direction.

"We've always been a little insular in the past," he says. "This year I've invited a lot of guest vocalists from different bands and from different genres. I wanted to do something that was more inclusive."

Among the singers expected to perform are Adam Faucett, C.C. Mercer, Big Piph, Dazz & Brie (who will hustle over to White Water after wrapping their Arkansas Sounds performance downtown at Ron Robinson Theater), Osyrus Bolly, Jen Shaw, Samarra Samone, Hope Dixon and Jeremy Brasher.

The singers will each tackle West African afro­beat songs from the likes of Fela Kuti, Antibalas, Orlando Julius and others.

"We're doing two Velvet Kente songs," says Asante, who also fronts rock band Amasa Hines, "but I've tried to cherry pick afro­beat songs for the featured artists, [music] they would never do on their own."

Besides the music, the show is a fundraiser for Lucie's Place, which provides homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer young adults with a safe living environment, job training and counseling.

"We like helping them out," Asante says.

While the last Soulstice featured works auctioned by local artists to raise money for Lucie's Place, this year's revelers can do a little shopping at the show.

Vintage clothing from Little Rock-based Crying Weasel will be for sale as well as leather goods from Dower of North Little Rock. Performer Mercer will sell custom fabric wares for the home.

"We're asking everybody to donate 10 percent of their sales to Lucie's Place," Asante says.

While the vocalists will be performing one song each, the Arkestra, which is an expanded version of the Velvet Kente trio, will be onstage most of the night.

"I'm more concerned with the band being tight," Asante says of preparations for the show. "If the band is tight and the vocalists have been listening to the music, with a few rehearsals between now and then we should be fine."

Weekend on 08/17/2017

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