A wide variety of local artists will come together Feb. 20 for Legends in the Making, a concert event hosted by The Spanish Moon which will showcase a number of up-and-coming underground talents.
Michael Walker and Becky Bond, the event’s coordinators, said they were inspired to create Legends in the Making by the large amount of local artists who weren’t getting the attention they deserved.
“You never know who you’re watching,” Bond said. “Sometimes, you’ll see an artist play at a hole in the wall venue and [they] end up on MTV a few months later.”
Legends in the Making will focus on alternative hip hop, R&B and jazz acts, including Symone and the Bobs, Soul Jettison, Armed Rhymery, Kyle Hubbard and Toi “The Poetic Beauty” Sibley.
Symone and the Bobs was assembled by Symone Giles, the group’s frontwoman, specifically for Legends in the Making. Giles, who Bond refers to as the “Lauryn Hill of Baton Rouge,” performed as a solo act for years before forming her band.
“My mom says I could hum a tune before I could talk,” Giles said.
Symone and the Bobs are attempting to revive a neo-soul sound that Giles said they feel has been missing from Baton Rouge in recent years.
“We’re a very eclectic bunch, actually,” keyboard player Gary Bernard said. “We have a heavy metal drummer, a blues guitarist and a rock guitarist. Our focus is on blues, jazz and soul, but we like to touch on all genres.”
MC Docsta, the lead vocalist of Soul Jettison, described the band as a super-group of Baton Rouge talent. The band features Saxy Dom B, Chris Smart, floodmusic, T-Rex, spoken word artist Beato P’tah, Kite and guitarist Jake Harris.
Soul Jettison originally only featured MC Docsta and Saxy Dom B playing drum and bass. Since its founding, the group has added a number of local underground artists that add to the group’s blend of soul, hip hop, funk and reggae.
“We’re really pouring our souls into it, you know? All of the things we usually don’t talk about, we’re able to get off our chests when we perform,” MC Docsta said.
Toi “The Poetic Beauty” Sibley, the evening’s opening act, is a local poet whose work focuses on the growing racial tensions in the United States.
“I saw young black boys getting killed on the news too often,” Sibley said. “I have a 13-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter. It felt like every time I looked at the news, my son was dying.”
Sibley, a teacher by trade, started writing poetry when she was 8 years old, but she was on hiatus until all of the recent tragedies inspired her to pick her pen back up.
Her poems, which she calls “Toi Stories,” also focus on other controversial issues in the media, such as Bill Cosby’s rape scandal and the recent floats in the Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade which gained news coverage for their offensive themes.
Armed Rhymery, an alternative hip hop duo from Lafayette, features a young lady named Mo Black and young man named Edward X. The group’s work typically fuses elements of hip hop and R&B vocals over funky jazz beats.
“Armed Rhymery does all of its work in-house,” Edward X said. “We do our own production, promotion and film. We even film our own music videos.”
Kyle Hubbard, a 28-year-old hip hop artist from Houston, started writing music when he was 14 years old. His most recent project, “Majestic Hotel,” was released in September. While his primary focus right now is performing live, he’s constantly working on new material.
“In hip hop, there are a lot of rappers trying to be cooler than everyone else,” Hubbard said. “I try to write from a more real life perspective. I focus on the lower points in my life.”
Legends in the Making will also feature DJ MikeLarry and a lineup of visual artists that will accompany the music. Bond said the event is intended to be a “full sensory experience.”
“All of the acts are phenomenal, but they haven’t had the platform to embrace how amazing they are,” Soul Jettison guitarist Jake Harris said. “All of their material is super inspiring, uplifting and empowering.”
Legends in the Making
When: Saturday, February 20 at 7 p.m.
Where: The Spanish Moon, 1109 Highland Rd.
Tickets: $10