20.03.
8pm
Interesting indeed..as it happens to a kind of a blind mix booking….with one of the artists i have been in contact for over a year to sort a date out and the other one contacted me yesterday…as it happens i see some funky similarities and smart differences just reading their Bio’s now….
Blind Booking is sometimes honey to the open soul…
A night with Royce Lovett and Isaac Thompson
This time we booked some West Coast East Coast – Hawaii born Isaac Thompson and Florida based Royce Lovett.
As it happened, it happens.
Isaac Thompson
I was born in Hawaii to a group of Hippie missionaries. Making music was an important part of our daily lives, but personal creativity wasn’t really encouraged. I always had my secret songs though. Being that I’m quite shy, I never had much interest in playing them for anyone. My main passion was computers. And after leaving the group, I ended up getting my dream job of game developer and left my music behind. Something was missing though. I felt what I made, had little value to anyone. After moving to Austria and a difficult brake up, I started writing songs again. Occasionally I’d play them to my friends. They always seemed to leave a lasting impression. I ended up playing keyboard in a band, wanted to make music without the pressure of being the front man. After some disappointments, I started to play open mic nights alone. Meeting other singer songwriters, we put together a few group shows. But getting on stage was always a painful experience for me. My sister suggested that I join Youtube and make a few home videos. That was more my style, I could sing from the safety of home. As a birthday gift, she made me an animated music video to one of my songs. By some miracle, our video ended up on the front page of Youtube. As cool as it was, even my internet success became hard for me. One day, I saw someone playing alone on a park bench. Later that day, I found him performing on a street corner. I worked up the courage to stop and talk with him. He invited me to play a few songs. It became clear, that street performing was perfect for me. It allowed me to play my songs in public, but remain anonymous. We did that happily for a few years. Some while later, with his help, we put together an album. I’d print the CD’s myself and sell them out of my guitar case. I knew in my heart, that I was still running from the stage. I decided to build a live loop recording machine, attempting to bring the two sides of myself together. Just as I was finishing the looper, by chance, I found a looping festival happening back home in the Northwest. I bit the bullet and applied to play, though I had never used the machine on stage before. Amazingly they let me in, I was on my way home after 9 years! It was still hard getting up there, even with my new toy. But a little more fun!
Royce Lovett
BIO: At the age of 13, Royce Lovett had grown up with music surrounding him. His mother, Rosa, was a worship leader at church, and she had introduced him to Christian worship bands like Hillsong, while also influencing his tastes with artists such as Michael Jackson. Later, at 15, Royce was starving for more music as his tastes turned to the style of hip-hop. He discovered his music “idol”, Musiq Soulchild, and from there he found more and more inspiration from artists like Soup The Chemist, Lauren Hill and The Fugees. Royce learned how to play the guitar, and the combination of these events made him realize his talent and passion for music.
Fast forward 11 years to 2012; Royce resides in Tallahassee, Florida, is married, a father, has toured France with overwhelming success, and is working on his fifth album (fourth solo album). His style isn’t straight forward; it’s a grand mash up of alternative hip-hop, soul, reggae vibes, and R&B he has coined “Cerebral Soul.” All of these elements are combined with his Christian roots, and Royce says that his music is all about “letting my beliefs shine through my message and talking about real issues.” In his own words, his goal of his music is to “tap into the intellect and inspire change, because music doesn’t change people. People change people.” Royce says his music conveys a positive, upbeat image that anyone who loves music can appreciate. He writes his own songs and they feature a wide variety of topics, but mostly on love “in all forms, from friendly love, love for your brother, or romantic love.” Royce has performed in many live venues over the years, and his tour in France has brought him international coverage as well.
