Derrick N. Ashong & Soulfege to Perform at Zanzibar's Afro Funke' Thursdays Series

Online, September 12, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Derrick N. Ashong & Soulfège are on the move again. After recently performing at Club de Madrid's gala dinner honoring former President Bill Clinton with the Democratic Leadership Award; the competitive selection of their animated short film Love Rain Down (a cut from their latest highly successful CD, AFropolitan) for an April screening at the prestigious Palm Beach International Film Festival; launching a national commercial & public radio broadcast campaign; and reaching over 50,000 downloads for their Million Download Campaign for 2012 (available at www.derrickashong.com), they're now scheduled to appear in the Afro Funke' Thursdays series at one of Los Angeles' premier nightspots, Zanzibar, in Santa Monica, CA on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 10:30 PM.

"Here are musicians, poised with a positive vibe and with lyrics so uplifting that you actually believe, if only for one night, that . . . a new world mood may emerge from the street and the Net, somehow defying the odds-a spirit of promise and hope and harmony, a spirit that denies dissonance. Soulfège lets us dream such sweet dreams, in vibrant colors."-VanityFair.com

At Zanzibar Derrick N. Ashong & Soulfège will be performing songs from their previous critically-acclaimed CD Take Back the Mic, and their recent 2011 CD release, AFropolitan. The band will be propelled by drumming phenomenon Stix 'Mr. Pocket' Bones, African percussionist Atta Addo, and rock-solid Berklee grad & Funk/Rock bassist Alex Staley. Derrick N. Ashong & Soulfège are a refreshingly original and exciting group of musicians who have synthesized an eclectic blend of Hip-Hop, Reggae, Funk, World Beat and West African Highlife music to create an integral musical melange of style and substance. They combine driving rhythms, authentic musicianship, the crisp vocals/harmonies of Derrick and co-founder Jonathan M. Gramling, and provocatively elevating lyrics. They are a powerful live act and a vivid new voice that has perpetually electrified audiences with their joyous 'Afropolitan' fusion.

". . . [Soulfège's] members realized they had the platform to reach ears not only with their music-a fusion of thumping African music and rhythms, sweet reggae breezes, funk, and hip-hop-but also with their message."
-The Boston Globe

Soulfège's previous CD, Take Back the Mic, debuted in the top 10 of the JamBands.com/Relix Magazine Radio Chart and the top 100 of the Jazz Week World Chart (JWWC), while AFropolitan has reached the Top 50 of the JWWC. Their music and social movement have been featured in such major media as VanityFair.com, MTV Africa, NPR, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, MNet Africa, ABC Chronicle and BBC Worldservice, reaching 146 million listeners world-wide. Download their latest CD AFropolitan for free and check out their new animated short film Love Rain Down at www.derrickashong.com.

Show Time: Doors open at 8:00 PM, Derrick N. Ashong & Soulfège at 10:30 PM

Admission: $7 before 10:30 PM, $10 after

Location: 1301 5th St. at Arizona, Santa Monica, CA, (310) 451-2221, http://www.zanzibarlive.com/

Contact info for Derrick N. Ashong & Soulfège: Janet Castiel, Redwood Entertainment Inc., (212) 543-9998
[email protected], www.redwoodentertainment.com

Management: M. Quentin B.L. Williams, The Butler Lappert Williams Firm PC, (212) 572-4822, [email protected]
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