Jacksonville recording artist Shoni debuts her world premiere music video in Jacksonville at Jacksonville's Rain Dogs -- located in the heart of 5 Points in Jacksonville Florida.
Kijah Studios is pleased to announce the world premiere of the Space Bars music video on Wed, Dec 18 at Rain dogs.
Space Bars is directed by local, independent filmmaker Jazz Walker of Kijah Studios, featuring Jacksonville actors-musicians Ryan Stanley and Shoni. The story illustrates the struggling relationship between Mother Nature and human nature in a society that grows increasingly distressed.
The video is set to the retro-futuristic single Space Bars, showcasing music and production by Slomile Swift of Baton Rouge with lyrics and vocals by Shoni. We are so excited to present this collaborative project to you and can't wait to see you all at the screening!
The Jacksonville singer had a lot to say about her music video premiere in Jacksonville, in a recent interview about her music in Jacksonville with Folio Weekly, a Jacksonville alt.weekly.
Folio Weekly: Tell us about the event you have at Raindogs 12/18.
Shoni: The Space Bars music video premiere is being hosted at Rain Dogs on Wed, Dec 18. There will also be live performances by Shoni, Ritual Union, and Ascetic (all female-fronted music projects that employ digital instruments).
FW: Why did you pick Rain Dogs for this event?
Shoni: We chose Rain Dogs for the music video premiere because of its relationship to the music and arts scene here in Jacksonville. It’s quickly becoming a haven for members of the local arts community with its open mic nights and intimate appeal. I like the energy there.
FW: What does it mean to “employ digital instruments”? Do all of you have similar sounds?
Shoni: What I and the producers I work with create is music through the medium of technology. Sometime I’ll sit down with an electric guitar and work out chord progressions and sometimes I’ll start my work on a recording program using MIDI inputs. The result is usually a dreamy, downtempo sound. I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself an electronic artist, but I do rely on digital methods to produce much of the instrumentation.
FW: Is there significance to being female electronic music artists? Have you encountered resistance In The Industry?
Shoni: I like seeing female artists like Grimes use elaborate mixers and computers to produce sound on stage. She’s an incredibly talented producer and showcasing her skills live adds to her appeal as a multi-faceted artist.
What I do right now is play backing tracks that either myself or a producer friend has created and perform just the vocals live. I use a vocal processor to add texture and variation throughout each track.
Folio Weekly: Tell us about Space Bars.
Shoni: Space Bars is a collaborative track with music and production by James West, who makes music under his moniker Slomile Swift. I would describe Space Bars as a retro-futuristic sound collage; I was hooked the first time James sent me the track. There are some elements he used that I didn’t expect, like the wind chimes and “spinning plates” effect. I immediately started adding vocals over it after the first listen.
FW: How has your sound evolved over the years?
Shoni: My sound has definitely evolved. I started out tinkering with keyboards a child then picked up an acoustic guitar at 16. From there, I’ve gone from recording simple guitar arrangements on cassette tapes to producing multi-layered tracks on digital recording programs. The first time I heard MIDI keys on a composition I recorded in 2010, tears started welling. I thought it was magical. Since then, I’ve been shaping an ethereal sound anchored by heavy percussion. Working with producers has helped move my sound into a new direction.
FW: Tell us about your infamous Ludacris cover, and if you plan to go deeper into hip hop -- or covers....
Shoni: The “Move” cover started as a joke. While I was living in Gainesville a few years ago, some friends and I were jamming and one of us started rapping. I think there was a keyboard and bursts of laughter involved. Anyway, I thought about how entertaining it would be to hear a female with soft vocals cover a song with harsh language. What I like about performing “Move” is that it’s completely unexpected. Here I am in a bar strumming my seafoam electric guitar and then all of sudden, I’m moving across the stage and telling people to move. People look bewildered and then start laughing. It’s very gratifying.
Actually, that Ludacris cover is what prompted me to shift from playing guitar on stage to adopting more of an emcee delivery. After playing months of shows with that cover at the end of each set, I realized that I lit up when I was free to move around on stage and focus only on my vocals. I find it easier to connect with an audience when I can move freely and make hand gestures without worrying about hitting the right guitar chords.
I don’t have plans to work with any hip-hop artists but am totally open to the idea.
FW: But "Move", and Luda in general, is pretty grimy -- and misogynistic. Any conflict between being a female artist and doing this kind of material?
Shoni: There can be many interpretations of the lyrics in “Move,” all of which are valid. That’s the great thing about poetry; it’s up to the listener to interpret the meaning. One of the reasons I perform it is to bring the audience out of their comfort zone. With that said, there is definitely a feminist subtext in performing a song that uses 40 expletives in 4 minutes. There’s a dramatic shift from a rich and romantic ambiance to this harsh, aggressive anthem that challenges the stereotype of a solo female performer who makes dreamy music. That’s what music, as an art, should do – pull you out of your comfort zone. Plus, the song has a killer beat and gets my adrenaline pumping on stage.
shoni shoni shoni jacksonville shoni shoni
Company Name: Shoni
Contact Person: Shoni
Email:Send Email
Phone: 904-563-3534
City: Jacksonville
State: FL
Country: United States
Website: https://www.facebook.com/shonisings
Source: www.abnewswire.com
