August 15, 2024 • 54 mins
Join us for an engaging and inspiring conversation with three talented artists, Gwendolyn Collins, Micah Chevalier, and Iisma El, who share their individual journeys and collaborative efforts in the indie music scene.
Gwendolyn Collins, the mastermind behind the Virgo Lounge, discusses the origins and mission behind the Saturday Night Live Indie Soul concert, which showcases six phenomenal artists on one stage.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
The Smiley J Artist Zone is a cool space dedicated to independent music creators,
conversation, music, information, laughter, and much, much more.
Now, here's your host, Smiley J.
Music.
(00:21):
Welcome to the Smiley J Artist Zone, a cool, virtual space dedicated to independent
music creators worldwide. why.
This is a space for, you know, all creatives in the arts disciplines,
you know, performing arts, media arts, visual arts, arts, arts,
you know, we love and appreciate all the arts because, you know,
you make life more better.
Yes. Can you imagine a world without any of the arts? Let that sink in.
(00:48):
Pretty boring, right? Yes. Now, if this is your first time listening to the
show, welcome, welcome. Welcome. I'm so glad that you are here.
You know, you know, you could have been doing a lot of other things,
but you chose to hang out with me and the Artisone. And for that, I am very appreciative.
Just so you know, the show is available on all the major music and podcast platforms.
(01:10):
But whatever you choose to listen to the show, just make sure that you hit that
follow button. Yes, please and thank you.
OK, I'm going to go ahead and dive right into the show because,
you know, I'm super excited because I have with me today. day.
Some talented independent artists who are truly doing the day one thing,
both collectively and individually.
(01:31):
Yes. And I have three of the six artists with me here today.
So I'm going to need you guys to help me give them a warm Smiley J welcome to the artist zone.
Welcome to the Smiley J Artist Zone. How you guys doing?
(01:54):
Hey. Hi. We good? We good? Yes. Okay. So, listen up to my audience.
So glad to have you guys here.
I have with me in the Artisone today, I have Gretel and Collins,
Micah Chevalier. I hope I said that right.
Yes. Yes. And Isma.
Isma. Isma. Isma.
(02:16):
You got to ease into your name. Isma. Yes. Yes.
Yes. I'm so glad to have you guys here tonight. night and
we're going to talk about some good stuff you guys going on
so you know what let me go ahead and start with miss gwendolyn collins
yes songwriter promoter curator the mastermind behind the virgo lounge which
(02:38):
which by the way is a cool space for independent artists yeah it is it is thank
you thank you yes welcome welcome welcome and let me just say before i jump
into it But happy anniversary.
Happy 10-year anniversary to you on your debut project, Storytelling Side 1.
Oh, my goodness. Thank you. I can't believe it's been 10 years. That's crazy, right?
(03:01):
Yes. My, my. But wait, we got to talk a little bit about 10 years anniversary.
This is a milestone, right? It is.
And, like, you reached the number one spot, you know, on the UK charts for,
like, it stayed on there for weeks. Yeah, it was like 22 weeks back in the day
when music wasn't, you know, ran through so quickly. So I definitely appreciated that.
(03:23):
That's love. Shout out to all my UK people and all my folks abroad that like
good music. Yeah, absolutely.
Yes. We appreciate those ears, you know.
Absolutely. Now, the Verbal Lounge is presenting Saturday Night Live Indie Soul. Oh.
Yes. Yes, we are. Six super talented artists, one stage, August the 24th.
(03:49):
Yay! That's so dope. It is so dope.
I always tell the team all the time that I'm always so honored that they trust me with their art.
Because I'm telling you, these are amazingly amazing artists,
singers, songwriters, producers, marketing, mobiles, everything.
So when they trust me to put a show together and will come on a show with me,
(04:12):
I'm like, thank you so much.
You know what? And shout out to Autumn. Let me just mention their names real
quick because I got you Micah Chabriette. Chabalia.
Chabalia, yes. Look, she sound real Hollywood.
And Yzma. Yes. Blaze. Blaze. Blaze. And Alicia Cover and David. David Hammett.
(04:37):
Yes, indeed. You got it. Yes. And although they're not here,
we're going to talk a little bit about it. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
So Gwendolyn, just briefly tell us, like, how did all of this come about?
Just the Virgo Lounge, the Saturday Night Indies. So just briefly tell us,
how did it all come about?
Yeah, I love to talk about it. It's kind of funny because it came from something
(04:59):
negative when I made a decision that I wanted to collaborate with other artists.
And we turned that negative into something so positive.
We started doing something called Indie Soul Live.
Smiley, you were absolutely a part of it when we had Anissa and Mark Evans as one of our guests.
And it felt so good. We literally had different people coming into our space,
(05:22):
leaving there crying, saying that they had never felt so much unison in the music community.
So I just wanted to continue that.
Doing it, whether it was live shows, whether it was through my radio show,
whether it was taking people with me overseas to do concerts.
We've been to London, we've been to Canada and just continuing it.
(05:46):
And you know what's funny? A lot of us are actually all Virgos.
I swear I didn't do that on purpose.
You know what? So that means you guys have some birthdays coming up.
Everybody's She's a Virgo on this show, except Alicia. But I've had Kenya Soul,
singer in the Virgo Lounge. She's a Virgo.
Oh, my goodness. Yeah, absolutely.
(06:06):
Wow. Wow. A lot of Virgo energy. That's a lot of Virgo energy. Yes.
Yes. Well, you know, I love your concept and your vision. And I do remember
that night. It was a lot of fun.
It was. It was a lot of fun. We had food, drinks. We had a Soul Train line.
We had a Soul Train line. Yes, we did. We got to do. Well, wait a minute.
You were streaming too, right?
(06:27):
You were doing Facebook Live at the time. Yes, yes.
And I'll tell you, it was pretty amazing because, again, I was like,
you know what? We got a date. Let's just do what we got to do.
And I think the first time we did it, we ended up with like 1,800 streams.
When we ended that session, we were all like, what?
What just happened? Right? Mike, do you remember you were there? I remember, yeah.
(06:53):
It was awesome. So are you going to do it again? Are we going to stream the show? Yeah.
I'm not sure yet. Okay. Okay. I'm not sure yet.
So that means you guys are going to have to do it over and over again,
you know, which is a good thing, right? Take it on the road.
Absolutely. Take it on the road. Like, I love it. It's so dope.
(07:13):
Like six artists, one stage. Yeah.
Well, you know, thank you for your vision and, you know, your creativity and
all that good stuff. And you see what happens when you have all these good,
brilliant minds working together.
Yeah. It's pretty amazing. And we, we actually really do love each other.
Like it's not just the music.
I won't get into everything, but
(07:34):
the way we help each other out in the background, people would be amazed.
Well, you know what? I think you should share that because you know why a lot
of people, you know, people struggle with, you know, blending ideas and being
creative because you, you know, got to be chiefs and Indians and, you know, so.
I'd love to share it. Yes. I'd love to share it. Yeah, absolutely.
(07:56):
So Alicia is a life coach. So there's times when I call Alicia and it doesn't
have anything to do with music. I just need some guidance.
I need some help. I need someone to help me maybe think a little differently
or think things through. She's really good with that.
Yzma and I have written for other people, including Micah and David Hammett.
Micah is our ear. When we're doing things and we're recording stuff,
(08:19):
we will send our stuff to Micah, like, can you please just put your ear on this
and let us know, you know, is the volumes right or the background's doing what they need to do?
Blaze and I have our own personal relationship. We go out, we hang out.
We really just do a lot together.
We really do. That's beautiful. That's beautiful. And I think it's important
(08:39):
that folks know that it's just, it's more than music. It's a friendship.
It's a partnership. You guys have a little village there. I love it.
We do. We do. We have a village. Yes. Thank you.
Okay. Okay. Well, thank you. We're going to move on to our next lady.
My girl. My girl. Let me tell the folks a little bit about you in case they don't know. A.K.A.
(09:01):
Creole Butterfly. Yeah. Okay. We're going to talk about that.
She's also an independent artist, an actor, dancer, performance coach,
and, you know, we know she got that ear. We just heard that.
Staff writer. And, you know, you were a recipient for Best Urban Contemporary Recording. What was it?
When I Give My Love to You, the Michael Franks, Brenda Russell bit from the 90s.
(09:27):
And a beautiful, timeless song.
And, you know, we have, we in the Virgo Lounge have another connection.
You know, my my wonderful, significant other who is no longer with us,
Daoud Saeed, he produced that song.
Yeah. And he has produced for and with almost everybody in the in the Virgo Lounge crew.
(09:53):
And yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
And so that's another another bond that we have. Yeah. Yeah.
So, but yeah. So, you know, small world.
I don't think I've ever seen you perform, but we have mutual friends and that
will, you know, bless us.
God bless us. So very talented guy. I knew him in another lifetime.
(10:15):
We worked together and I'll tell you offline because I don't share.
So and then Rick White. Yes. Yes. I think you collaborated with him on something.
Yes. So I am an original member of Guilty Pleasures. Okay. Yes. All right.
Actually, Rick and I, Guilty Pleasure started by Rick asking me to,
(10:39):
can you come hear some stuff that I got that I want to record? And I'm like, sure.
And it went from there. And Blaze also is a part of Guilty Pleasures.
We have that, the song that's been playing on WHUR. I heard it actually a few
weeks ago on The Quiet Storm.
The only rotation. That's beautiful. The only rotation.
(10:59):
Yeah. Me and Kal-El and Dawood actually co-produced the radio version of that song.
And Rick also wrote the music for a song that I have on my very first album.
That actually came out before the Guilty Pleasures project came out.
You know what? I'm going to have to go back and listen because I do have that.
(11:21):
I like to support my folks. So yes, I'm going to have to go back and listen
and hear your voice on there. Yes.
So your song, I Tried.
What was the inspiration behind that? Oh, my God.
I told Gwenny and Dawood, I said, I want something that has that incognito vibe.
(11:46):
I said, I need a track with the incognito vibe. And I asked Gwenny,
I said, can you please help me write it? Because I wanted her to be involved
because we just, I knew that once she heard the music, she was immediately going
to think of some greatness.
So we did. I tried it. And, you know.
(12:09):
It's so funny because when Micah sent me the music, now granted,
again, I was honored because Micah's been in this business way longer than I
have. So when she sent me the music and was like, can you write to it?
The one thing I knew was that Micah comes to me because sometimes she may want
something a little different.
But Micah, you remember I was sitting on the balcony.
(12:30):
I think I had a glass of wine. I think I sent something back to her in like
10 minutes because I love the music so much.
And it was perfect because it was along the same lines of what I was thinking. Okay.
So it was just meant to be. See, and that's that Virgo thing too, right?
That's right. That's a Virgo bond. Yes. Well, you know what?
(12:51):
I want you to tell the folks, because you all have individual accomplishments,
I want you to tell the folks how to keep up with you.
And because I want them to check out your other music and also your other accomplishments.
Like we have some theatrical accomplishments. So I want you to take their time
and dig deep into all of you guys individually.
So if you could give us your info.
So you can find me on Facebook is Micah Chevalier, the Roman numeral two.
(13:18):
Instagram is Micah C, it's M-Y-C-A-H and then C for Chevalier.
It's also that on Twitter as well. I am in the process of redoing some things with my website.
So the easiest way to get in contact with me is on those social media pages
at this time. And then I am on just about every streaming platform.
(13:42):
So SoundCloud, Apple Music, all you have to do is type in my name.
You know, all of the social media music platforms you can find me on.
And it's the first thing is M-Y-C-A-H.
And then if you type in C-H-E, it'll pick up the rest of my name.
(14:03):
Because you already know somebody who knows. And yeah, I've been doing a lot of things.
You know, my background was in musical theater and dance.
And so I am also a member of the Liv Gara Theater Company, which actually is
(14:26):
housed at the Silver Spring Black Box, where we're going to have the show.
Yeah, so I do a lot of...
Dr. Wanda Whiteside does her productions. A lot of them have music in them or some aspect of vocal.
And I do a lot of vocal coaching for the members of the cast and also have done
(14:51):
some musical productions with her.
I was there, I did Amos Behavin' at the Silver Spring Black Box and a couple of other of her shows.
And we're actually making a musical right now.
So we've done a couple of showings of that, and they've been in the beginning
stages because she's trying to get some backing to actually produce,
(15:14):
fully produce the musical.
Another really good friend of mine who I've known for more than 20-some odd
years, Eric Harrell, he's the musical director and I'm the vocal director.
So do we have a title yet? The name of the production is called The Window King.
The Window King. the New Village songbook. And we're turning it into a musical.
(15:37):
The author, his name of the play is called Bless Jai Jai.
And it's a wonderful piece of work. Best wishes to you in all that you do.
And I heard Gwendolyn said you like different, like I'm drawn to different.
So yeah, that's good. Keep being different. It's a good thing.
I'm a butterfly. I tend to be all over the place sometimes.
(15:57):
We like butterflies because they're free. You know, they just got to do their
own thing. I love I love it. I'm here for it.
Thank you. Well, thank you. I look forward to seeing you, you know,
do your thing on the stage. Are you going to bust a move a little bit?
I'm looking forward to this.
We're going to have a really good time at this show. Let me tell you, we cut up. We all cut up.
(16:19):
We want to see all of that. All right.
Well, thank you. Thank you. Absolutely.
Absolutely. So, you know, next up we have Mr. Yzma because I got to put that E there. Yzma.
Yzma. So let me give you your proper.
(16:39):
It's two eyes, it's two eyes. It's two eyes, a black one and a little one, yes, I got you.
Hey, Smiley, how you doing? I'm well, thank you, thank you.
So, Isma, he's a singer-songwriter, he lives in Boston, but he's from Puerto Rico, yes.
I love my Puerto Rican brothers and sisters. I am currently here in PR, actually.
(17:04):
Oh, okay, all right. Right. And you've been writing now for like 10 years plus?
I've been writing, yeah. Yeah. Probably a little more.
I've always, like ever since I was little, I've always came up with songs,
but never put them on a piece of paper.
But after like, I don't know, I was like about 13 when I started writing on paper.
(17:26):
And it was poems and then it turned to songs. And, you know,
poems and songs are like the same thing anyway. So, yeah, for a long time.
So, you know, I went back and listened to all y'all music. You guys are super
talented, you know, in your own rights.
I love it. And I got to tell you that I'm feeling you. Feeling you.
(17:47):
Yeah. When I heard that song, I was like, Nizma.
I was like, okay, okay. I'm feeling this. Yeah.
Nizma, you remember when I was like in Boston with you and you played it And
you thought I didn't like it because I was being so quiet.
Yeah, she was so quiet and I'm serious. And I was like, oh, she ain't feeling it.
(18:13):
And that was a rough draft and she loved it. And I was like,
oh, okay, you love it, Gwynny.
But I love how you guys can just be honest and just kind of,
you know, bouncing this off each other, you know, with honesty and,
you know, giving that good feedback.
That is very important. Especially like, you know, I always ask Gwennie for
(18:34):
her opinion and she always tells me straight up if she likes it,
she don't like it, she thinks something else.
And that's important. I mean, I think you got to have those people in your life to tell you the truth.
Yeah. Yeah. So has it ever been a moment or a time when one of the team didn't
like it, but she was like, you know what, I'm feeling this.
I'm going to go here with it. Y'all don't like it, but I'm going to move on.
(18:55):
Has that happened to any of you? I think generally we've,
Mostly, we have liked each other's music. I think it's more when it comes down
to the editing and the mixing and the backgrounds.
That's when we may tend to get a little bit more opinionated.
If you have listened to Yzma's music, he has so many backgrounds.
(19:18):
And I'd be like, I can't learn all of that. I need you to tell me the background.
I love backgrounds. I love harmony. Yeah, me too. Me too.
So I don't think we've had a time where it's like, no, I don't like it.
But where we really want to make sure that whatever we put out is of high quality.
Yes. So that's when we lend on each other. Like, is this right? Is my lead too loud?
(19:41):
Do you think this might have a little bit too much effect on it?
You know, so things like that. Or do you think I should add something to this?
Because even Tried It is a great example.
Although I did a lot of writing for that song, Micah had, you know,
she's more of a jazz artist than I am. And she was able to add like some really
cool scatting. But it's like, I don't know. I feel like something's missing right here.
(20:05):
Right. So, yeah. I just love how you guys have each other back and just fill
in those little missing spots like you just mentioned.
And you all have a different little vibe.
Like, it's cool. It's one stage, six artists, but it's like having different
mini concerts within one concert.
Yeah. Yeah. I think the beauty of it all is that even though we are all very
(20:28):
different, we work well together.
It's almost like, you know, when we come together, you can definitely feel the vibe.
And I can't even, I don't know, I can't even describe it. It just feels good.
It feels really, really good. And you don't have to describe it.
You just did. It feels good.
(20:50):
There you go. There you go. And that's a beautiful thing. Mm hmm.
So, Isma, I want to say to you that I love your connections with the community.
I think that's so dope. Like you're in the community, you know,
at festivals, you know, you're at the ball games, you're you're there.
So I love that. That that really means a lot.
(21:10):
And I got to tell you that it's another song I've been listening to.
Wait, Losing, what is it? Losing Game.
Yes, baby. Yes.
So make sure, I hope that's on the list. But, you know, I ain't going to dig
into y'all's set list. But look, wink, wink. I hope it's on the list.
We'll see. We'll see. But yeah, that is my latest track, Losing Game.
(21:32):
I just released it like a couple of months ago.
So I'm glad you heard it. I'm glad you like it. Yes, of course.
I had to listen. And I want to know, you know, who I'm interviewing.
But listen, I hear that you are thinking about, you know, taking it back to your Latin roots.
Yes. Well, I have been slowly putting out Spanish music.
(21:54):
And I do have a project that I'm still working on. I'm still working through.
But it's pretty much completed as far as the recording part of it.
Now the other part that's starting to come through is the production part of
it. And yes, I'm very excited for this product because I feel like in Spanish,
I'm just having a lot more fun.
(22:16):
There's a lot of words in Spanish that I could play with versus in English.
It's like you don't have as many words as in Spanish. But I mean,
I love both languages and writing both languages equally.
But in Spanish, I'm just having more fun.
And I think when you hear it, you'll be able to understand what I'm saying.
(22:38):
I can't wait to hear it. Like, I love my Latin music. I know it's going to be caliente, right? Oh.
It's going to be spicy. It's going to be hot. Okay, okay. Caliente, caliente.
Caliente. Not smiley with the Spanish.
Paquito, paquito, paquito. I know all the bad stuff. Just a little bit, right? Right.
(22:59):
I know all the stuff that I shouldn't know. So, thank you so much, Isma.
You know, I can't wait to, again, I can't wait to see you guys. Great to see you.
I want to mention the other artists who couldn't be there, but first I want to shout out. Oh my gosh.
J-Live. J-I-Live. Yes. Radio. He's a sponsor.
(23:20):
He's a veteran DJ from the UK, London, who has embraced you guys.
And I even went over to his station. I love what he's doing over there.
Just changing the way you listen to the radio.
OK, you better say it. Yes. I love I love what he's doing. I had no idea. I'm like, wow. OK.
Yeah. I wish he was here, you know, tonight, but it's OK.
Can I just give one shout out for him real quick? Absolutely. Yeah.
(23:44):
So the second time that I self-produced my show going over to London,
not only did he send an artist because I was like, OK, we need a Canadian artist.
I love U.S., but let's bring somebody different.
But when I tell you he sent people to help support, remember Isla?
He sent people to help support. He hosted a party.
(24:05):
And honestly, I'm just going to put it out there. He gave me a whole lot of
money to help with some of the expenses because he just believed in what I believed in.
And I just felt that that was so important. So he will be the host at our show
on August 24th. He'll be coming from Canada and bringing about five people from iLiveRadio.com.
(24:28):
And he's going to DJ. And he's going to DJ. So it's a partnership.
It absolutely is a partnership. Well, I didn't hear this show,
so I get to get my party on because I know Smiley J likes to dance. Yeah. Yes.
All right. So I want to quickly mention, you know, Alicia and Blaze and David.
(24:48):
So let me just tell them a little bit about Alicia. Of course,
she's a singer, songwriter.
And as Gwendolyn mentioned, she's a life coach. Yeah. So she can get you in
mental shape. Yes. Right.
And she's also, you know, she served as a vocal coach as well.
Yes, she does. Yes. She has...
Folks, she brings it like, you know, she's spicy.
I like Alicia. She's spicy. She does a little jazz. Uh-huh. She'll do it all, you know? Uh-huh.
(25:16):
So, you're going to get on her music. Her song is...
I don't love you no more. That is so appropriate. I don't love you no more.
That is so appropriate for her. Isn't it? I'm from Cleveland.
I'm from Cleveland, yes.
Yes. Yes. So, yes. Shout out to you, Alicia. You know, and I want you guys to
all come back individually so
we can, like, deep dive into your individual musicals. Yes. Right? Yeah.
(25:40):
And next, we have Blaze, who is a singer, songwriter, producer,
entrepreneur. Y'all, she cooks and she gardens.
You know, she's a real boss. She crochet.
Look, this one ended up turning into a dating site. Guys are going to be like,
what? She cook crochet? What? What's your name again, girl?
(26:00):
Blaze. She has a big, beautiful voice. She's classily trained.
She comes from, you know, a lot of folks in the DMV. You know,
Duke Ellington. Yeah. Yeah.
School of the Arts right here in Washington, D.C. And she also served as a session
vocalist with Sony when she started her music career. real. Shout out to Blaze.
(26:21):
Shout out to Blaze. Yes. And listen, her song, Certified Lover,
so y'all better come right. Correct, Stella? Yes.
Yes. One, one, one for me.
I love singing that song. Me too. I love it.
Yes. And then last but not least, we have David Hammond, who is right here from
(26:46):
my hometown, Washington, D.C.
You know david provides you know vocal support to all the stars you know with
his first ten of voice he has graced the stage with a lot of folks from stephanie
mills regina bell cc penison.
Melissa morgan even carolynette like he he like and he's very professional so
you guys make sure you can see david on any stage too like in your city of town
(27:09):
you might just see any any of these,
artist and family absolutely at any
time absolutely and and big ups to Yzma because
David is an incredible singer and we
knew that David needed to release his own song so Yzma actually started writing
the song for David then brought it to me and was like when he do a little something
(27:32):
with it and then we took it to Dave and it was like okay you are gonna get some
writing credits on this song we're gonna have you write something so actually
the song that David's gonna to be performing,
it'll be his first time performing his original material.
Beautiful. Yes, David. I was telling David, we appreciate your vocal support,
but you have a lovely voice. Yes, he does.
(27:54):
He's absolutely awesome. Thank
you, Yzma, for connecting the dots and encouraging him to jump out there.
Y'all's so cool. I love y'all love vibes. Y'all love love vibes. I love it.
So listen guys i want to thank you guys for hanging out in the artist zone and
i will again i would like for each of you to come on back so we can you know
(28:17):
think back to your individual,
artistry yes because that's what we do on the artist zone so thank you much
love you guys and i want to get on all this music so yes so smiley thank you
so much for for the opportunity to chat chat with you.
We really appreciate it. Listen, the Art of Zone is for creators like you guys.
(28:40):
That's what it's for. That was my vision, just like Verbal Lounge, your vision.
When I saw it floating around, I'm like, oh, I got to have them on the show. Yes.
So thank you guys for taking the time out of your oh-so-busy schedule to hang.
Out with me in the zone for a little bit.
So I'm going to get this music on, but before we go, Gwendolyn,
shout out again, the date, time, location, and and also give out your social media.
(29:05):
Oh, thank you very much. August 24th, Saturday, doors open at 6.30.
We're going to have a real sexy cocktail hour with good drinks and good food.
7.30, the show begins.
Silver Spring Black Box Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland.
You can find me, I'm real easy, Gwendolyn Collins. I guess I'm just lucky that
(29:28):
not a lot of people have that name.
You just put in Gwendolyn Collins and I'm going to pop up everywhere.
All righty, all righty. And we want to see your face in a place.
You guys get your tickets, Eventbrite, right? Is that where Eventbrite is?
Yes, Eventbrite. You just put in the Virgo Lounge.
There you go. Telephone and bring a friend. Thank you, ladies and gents,
for hanging out with me. Until next time, you guys, be well.
(29:50):
We need some love from you. Thank you for having us. Absolutely.
Okay, let me get this indie music party started.
I think I kick it off with a little spice, A little hard truth from Alicia Glover.
I can so hear her saying this to somebody. I don't love you.
Music.
(32:59):
After saying goodnight. Whew, that was hard. But you know, sometimes love will
take you there real tall.
Now, you know what? Let's go ahead and soften the blow a little bit with Blaze
Cole. Yes, with her song, Certified Lover. I totally love it.
Music.
(36:28):
All right, let's keep this love train going with David Hammett's song, Love Feels.
You know what? This is such a great song. I really feel, it's a really feel-good
song. David, you did that.
Music.
(40:57):
Okay, this next song is so relatable. It's by Micah. It's called I Tried.
You know, because sometimes we got to figure things out in these relationships
like real grown folks do.
You know, don't be so quick to throw in the towel.
Sometimes, you know, we can all be a little selfish and we want things to go our way.
But real talk, we need to compromise and make things right.
(41:19):
Music.
(45:01):
All right, this next song is by Yzma L, and it's called Feeling You.
What can I say? I mean, sometimes it's just what it is. You know what I mean?
That connection is there, and you just happen to feel this person. We've all been there.
Music.
(48:27):
Okay, this is the last song, and I thought I'd close off the show with a nice,
endearing song, and it's a fun song.
This is by Gwendolyn Collins, featuring The Brigadier.
Music.
(53:11):
Then you got some, hey, baby.
Hey, everybody. This is Queen of Philadelphia, Tangeray Hayward.
And you are in the artist zone with my girl, Smiley J.
All right, all right. That was super fun. I want to thank all of you guys for
hanging out with me today to the very end. Yes, you're my kind of people.
(53:33):
You know what? And your ears got a nice treat, a nice musical treat.
Now, remember the rules around these parts. You like what you heard.
You go ahead and download the music and add it to your favorite playlist.
Yes, that's how we get down.
And don't forget to spread the word. Yes, spread the word about good music because sharing is caring.
Now, I like, you know, when you work together as a team with diverse skills,
(53:56):
knowledge, and experiences.
Oh, what a beautiful thing. So I applaud you. Yes, you guys keep doing what
you're doing, sharing your gifts and talents with the world.
Now to all my folks in the Baltimore, D.C.
Area, y'all be sure to come on out. August 24th. Black Box, Silver Spring.
Six artists, one stage. Yes. Show your love and support. Yes.
(54:17):
All right. Get your ticket. Eventbrite.
Until next time, I'm going to need you guys to be well, stay safe,
and remember to listen to good music.
Your ears will thank you for it. I'm Smiley.
Music.
The Smiley J Artist Zone is a cool space dedicated to independent music creators,
conversation, music, information, laughter, and much, much more.
Now, here's your host, Smiley J.
Music.
(00:21):
Welcome to the Smiley J Artist Zone, a cool, virtual space dedicated to independent
music creators worldwide. why.
This is a space for, you know, all creatives in the arts disciplines,
you know, performing arts, media arts, visual arts, arts, arts,
you know, we love and appreciate all the arts because, you know,
you make life more better.
Yes. Can you imagine a world without any of the arts? Let that sink in.
(00:48):
Pretty boring, right? Yes. Now, if this is your first time listening to the
show, welcome, welcome. Welcome. I'm so glad that you are here.
You know, you know, you could have been doing a lot of other things,
but you chose to hang out with me and the Artisone. And for that, I am very appreciative.
Just so you know, the show is available on all the major music and podcast platforms.
(01:10):
But whatever you choose to listen to the show, just make sure that you hit that
follow button. Yes, please and thank you.
OK, I'm going to go ahead and dive right into the show because,
you know, I'm super excited because I have with me today. day.
Some talented independent artists who are truly doing the day one thing,
both collectively and individually.
(01:31):
Yes. And I have three of the six artists with me here today.
So I'm going to need you guys to help me give them a warm Smiley J welcome to the artist zone.
Welcome to the Smiley J Artist Zone. How you guys doing?
(01:54):
Hey. Hi. We good? We good? Yes. Okay. So, listen up to my audience.
So glad to have you guys here.
I have with me in the Artisone today, I have Gretel and Collins,
Micah Chevalier. I hope I said that right.
Yes. Yes. And Isma.
Isma. Isma. Isma.
(02:16):
You got to ease into your name. Isma. Yes. Yes.
Yes. I'm so glad to have you guys here tonight. night and
we're going to talk about some good stuff you guys going on
so you know what let me go ahead and start with miss gwendolyn collins
yes songwriter promoter curator the mastermind behind the virgo lounge which
(02:38):
which by the way is a cool space for independent artists yeah it is it is thank
you thank you yes welcome welcome welcome and let me just say before i jump
into it But happy anniversary.
Happy 10-year anniversary to you on your debut project, Storytelling Side 1.
Oh, my goodness. Thank you. I can't believe it's been 10 years. That's crazy, right?
(03:01):
Yes. My, my. But wait, we got to talk a little bit about 10 years anniversary.
This is a milestone, right? It is.
And, like, you reached the number one spot, you know, on the UK charts for,
like, it stayed on there for weeks. Yeah, it was like 22 weeks back in the day
when music wasn't, you know, ran through so quickly. So I definitely appreciated that.
(03:23):
That's love. Shout out to all my UK people and all my folks abroad that like
good music. Yeah, absolutely.
Yes. We appreciate those ears, you know.
Absolutely. Now, the Verbal Lounge is presenting Saturday Night Live Indie Soul. Oh.
Yes. Yes, we are. Six super talented artists, one stage, August the 24th.
(03:49):
Yay! That's so dope. It is so dope.
I always tell the team all the time that I'm always so honored that they trust me with their art.
Because I'm telling you, these are amazingly amazing artists,
singers, songwriters, producers, marketing, mobiles, everything.
So when they trust me to put a show together and will come on a show with me,
(04:12):
I'm like, thank you so much.
You know what? And shout out to Autumn. Let me just mention their names real
quick because I got you Micah Chabriette. Chabalia.
Chabalia, yes. Look, she sound real Hollywood.
And Yzma. Yes. Blaze. Blaze. Blaze. And Alicia Cover and David. David Hammett.
(04:37):
Yes, indeed. You got it. Yes. And although they're not here,
we're going to talk a little bit about it. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
So Gwendolyn, just briefly tell us, like, how did all of this come about?
Just the Virgo Lounge, the Saturday Night Indies. So just briefly tell us,
how did it all come about?
Yeah, I love to talk about it. It's kind of funny because it came from something
(04:59):
negative when I made a decision that I wanted to collaborate with other artists.
And we turned that negative into something so positive.
We started doing something called Indie Soul Live.
Smiley, you were absolutely a part of it when we had Anissa and Mark Evans as one of our guests.
And it felt so good. We literally had different people coming into our space,
(05:22):
leaving there crying, saying that they had never felt so much unison in the music community.
So I just wanted to continue that.
Doing it, whether it was live shows, whether it was through my radio show,
whether it was taking people with me overseas to do concerts.
We've been to London, we've been to Canada and just continuing it.
(05:46):
And you know what's funny? A lot of us are actually all Virgos.
I swear I didn't do that on purpose.
You know what? So that means you guys have some birthdays coming up.
Everybody's She's a Virgo on this show, except Alicia. But I've had Kenya Soul,
singer in the Virgo Lounge. She's a Virgo.
Oh, my goodness. Yeah, absolutely.
(06:06):
Wow. Wow. A lot of Virgo energy. That's a lot of Virgo energy. Yes.
Yes. Well, you know, I love your concept and your vision. And I do remember
that night. It was a lot of fun.
It was. It was a lot of fun. We had food, drinks. We had a Soul Train line.
We had a Soul Train line. Yes, we did. We got to do. Well, wait a minute.
You were streaming too, right?
(06:27):
You were doing Facebook Live at the time. Yes, yes.
And I'll tell you, it was pretty amazing because, again, I was like,
you know what? We got a date. Let's just do what we got to do.
And I think the first time we did it, we ended up with like 1,800 streams.
When we ended that session, we were all like, what?
What just happened? Right? Mike, do you remember you were there? I remember, yeah.
(06:53):
It was awesome. So are you going to do it again? Are we going to stream the show? Yeah.
I'm not sure yet. Okay. Okay. I'm not sure yet.
So that means you guys are going to have to do it over and over again,
you know, which is a good thing, right? Take it on the road.
Absolutely. Take it on the road. Like, I love it. It's so dope.
(07:13):
Like six artists, one stage. Yeah.
Well, you know, thank you for your vision and, you know, your creativity and
all that good stuff. And you see what happens when you have all these good,
brilliant minds working together.
Yeah. It's pretty amazing. And we, we actually really do love each other.
Like it's not just the music.
I won't get into everything, but
(07:34):
the way we help each other out in the background, people would be amazed.
Well, you know what? I think you should share that because you know why a lot
of people, you know, people struggle with, you know, blending ideas and being
creative because you, you know, got to be chiefs and Indians and, you know, so.
I'd love to share it. Yes. I'd love to share it. Yeah, absolutely.
(07:56):
So Alicia is a life coach. So there's times when I call Alicia and it doesn't
have anything to do with music. I just need some guidance.
I need some help. I need someone to help me maybe think a little differently
or think things through. She's really good with that.
Yzma and I have written for other people, including Micah and David Hammett.
Micah is our ear. When we're doing things and we're recording stuff,
(08:19):
we will send our stuff to Micah, like, can you please just put your ear on this
and let us know, you know, is the volumes right or the background's doing what they need to do?
Blaze and I have our own personal relationship. We go out, we hang out.
We really just do a lot together.
We really do. That's beautiful. That's beautiful. And I think it's important
(08:39):
that folks know that it's just, it's more than music. It's a friendship.
It's a partnership. You guys have a little village there. I love it.
We do. We do. We have a village. Yes. Thank you.
Okay. Okay. Well, thank you. We're going to move on to our next lady.
My girl. My girl. Let me tell the folks a little bit about you in case they don't know. A.K.A.
(09:01):
Creole Butterfly. Yeah. Okay. We're going to talk about that.
She's also an independent artist, an actor, dancer, performance coach,
and, you know, we know she got that ear. We just heard that.
Staff writer. And, you know, you were a recipient for Best Urban Contemporary Recording. What was it?
When I Give My Love to You, the Michael Franks, Brenda Russell bit from the 90s.
(09:27):
And a beautiful, timeless song.
And, you know, we have, we in the Virgo Lounge have another connection.
You know, my my wonderful, significant other who is no longer with us,
Daoud Saeed, he produced that song.
Yeah. And he has produced for and with almost everybody in the in the Virgo Lounge crew.
(09:53):
And yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
And so that's another another bond that we have. Yeah. Yeah.
So, but yeah. So, you know, small world.
I don't think I've ever seen you perform, but we have mutual friends and that
will, you know, bless us.
God bless us. So very talented guy. I knew him in another lifetime.
(10:15):
We worked together and I'll tell you offline because I don't share.
So and then Rick White. Yes. Yes. I think you collaborated with him on something.
Yes. So I am an original member of Guilty Pleasures. Okay. Yes. All right.
Actually, Rick and I, Guilty Pleasure started by Rick asking me to,
(10:39):
can you come hear some stuff that I got that I want to record? And I'm like, sure.
And it went from there. And Blaze also is a part of Guilty Pleasures.
We have that, the song that's been playing on WHUR. I heard it actually a few
weeks ago on The Quiet Storm.
The only rotation. That's beautiful. The only rotation.
(10:59):
Yeah. Me and Kal-El and Dawood actually co-produced the radio version of that song.
And Rick also wrote the music for a song that I have on my very first album.
That actually came out before the Guilty Pleasures project came out.
You know what? I'm going to have to go back and listen because I do have that.
(11:21):
I like to support my folks. So yes, I'm going to have to go back and listen
and hear your voice on there. Yes.
So your song, I Tried.
What was the inspiration behind that? Oh, my God.
I told Gwenny and Dawood, I said, I want something that has that incognito vibe.
(11:46):
I said, I need a track with the incognito vibe. And I asked Gwenny,
I said, can you please help me write it? Because I wanted her to be involved
because we just, I knew that once she heard the music, she was immediately going
to think of some greatness.
So we did. I tried it. And, you know.
(12:09):
It's so funny because when Micah sent me the music, now granted,
again, I was honored because Micah's been in this business way longer than I
have. So when she sent me the music and was like, can you write to it?
The one thing I knew was that Micah comes to me because sometimes she may want
something a little different.
But Micah, you remember I was sitting on the balcony.
(12:30):
I think I had a glass of wine. I think I sent something back to her in like
10 minutes because I love the music so much.
And it was perfect because it was along the same lines of what I was thinking. Okay.
So it was just meant to be. See, and that's that Virgo thing too, right?
That's right. That's a Virgo bond. Yes. Well, you know what?
(12:51):
I want you to tell the folks, because you all have individual accomplishments,
I want you to tell the folks how to keep up with you.
And because I want them to check out your other music and also your other accomplishments.
Like we have some theatrical accomplishments. So I want you to take their time
and dig deep into all of you guys individually.
So if you could give us your info.
So you can find me on Facebook is Micah Chevalier, the Roman numeral two.
(13:18):
Instagram is Micah C, it's M-Y-C-A-H and then C for Chevalier.
It's also that on Twitter as well. I am in the process of redoing some things with my website.
So the easiest way to get in contact with me is on those social media pages
at this time. And then I am on just about every streaming platform.
(13:42):
So SoundCloud, Apple Music, all you have to do is type in my name.
You know, all of the social media music platforms you can find me on.
And it's the first thing is M-Y-C-A-H.
And then if you type in C-H-E, it'll pick up the rest of my name.
(14:03):
Because you already know somebody who knows. And yeah, I've been doing a lot of things.
You know, my background was in musical theater and dance.
And so I am also a member of the Liv Gara Theater Company, which actually is
(14:26):
housed at the Silver Spring Black Box, where we're going to have the show.
Yeah, so I do a lot of...
Dr. Wanda Whiteside does her productions. A lot of them have music in them or some aspect of vocal.
And I do a lot of vocal coaching for the members of the cast and also have done
(14:51):
some musical productions with her.
I was there, I did Amos Behavin' at the Silver Spring Black Box and a couple of other of her shows.
And we're actually making a musical right now.
So we've done a couple of showings of that, and they've been in the beginning
stages because she's trying to get some backing to actually produce,
(15:14):
fully produce the musical.
Another really good friend of mine who I've known for more than 20-some odd
years, Eric Harrell, he's the musical director and I'm the vocal director.
So do we have a title yet? The name of the production is called The Window King.
The Window King. the New Village songbook. And we're turning it into a musical.
(15:37):
The author, his name of the play is called Bless Jai Jai.
And it's a wonderful piece of work. Best wishes to you in all that you do.
And I heard Gwendolyn said you like different, like I'm drawn to different.
So yeah, that's good. Keep being different. It's a good thing.
I'm a butterfly. I tend to be all over the place sometimes.
(15:57):
We like butterflies because they're free. You know, they just got to do their
own thing. I love I love it. I'm here for it.
Thank you. Well, thank you. I look forward to seeing you, you know,
do your thing on the stage. Are you going to bust a move a little bit?
I'm looking forward to this.
We're going to have a really good time at this show. Let me tell you, we cut up. We all cut up.
(16:19):
We want to see all of that. All right.
Well, thank you. Thank you. Absolutely.
Absolutely. So, you know, next up we have Mr. Yzma because I got to put that E there. Yzma.
Yzma. So let me give you your proper.
(16:39):
It's two eyes, it's two eyes. It's two eyes, a black one and a little one, yes, I got you.
Hey, Smiley, how you doing? I'm well, thank you, thank you.
So, Isma, he's a singer-songwriter, he lives in Boston, but he's from Puerto Rico, yes.
I love my Puerto Rican brothers and sisters. I am currently here in PR, actually.
(17:04):
Oh, okay, all right. Right. And you've been writing now for like 10 years plus?
I've been writing, yeah. Yeah. Probably a little more.
I've always, like ever since I was little, I've always came up with songs,
but never put them on a piece of paper.
But after like, I don't know, I was like about 13 when I started writing on paper.
(17:26):
And it was poems and then it turned to songs. And, you know,
poems and songs are like the same thing anyway. So, yeah, for a long time.
So, you know, I went back and listened to all y'all music. You guys are super
talented, you know, in your own rights.
I love it. And I got to tell you that I'm feeling you. Feeling you.
(17:47):
Yeah. When I heard that song, I was like, Nizma.
I was like, okay, okay. I'm feeling this. Yeah.
Nizma, you remember when I was like in Boston with you and you played it And
you thought I didn't like it because I was being so quiet.
Yeah, she was so quiet and I'm serious. And I was like, oh, she ain't feeling it.
(18:13):
And that was a rough draft and she loved it. And I was like,
oh, okay, you love it, Gwynny.
But I love how you guys can just be honest and just kind of,
you know, bouncing this off each other, you know, with honesty and,
you know, giving that good feedback.
That is very important. Especially like, you know, I always ask Gwennie for
(18:34):
her opinion and she always tells me straight up if she likes it,
she don't like it, she thinks something else.
And that's important. I mean, I think you got to have those people in your life to tell you the truth.
Yeah. Yeah. So has it ever been a moment or a time when one of the team didn't
like it, but she was like, you know what, I'm feeling this.
I'm going to go here with it. Y'all don't like it, but I'm going to move on.
(18:55):
Has that happened to any of you? I think generally we've,
Mostly, we have liked each other's music. I think it's more when it comes down
to the editing and the mixing and the backgrounds.
That's when we may tend to get a little bit more opinionated.
If you have listened to Yzma's music, he has so many backgrounds.
(19:18):
And I'd be like, I can't learn all of that. I need you to tell me the background.
I love backgrounds. I love harmony. Yeah, me too. Me too.
So I don't think we've had a time where it's like, no, I don't like it.
But where we really want to make sure that whatever we put out is of high quality.
Yes. So that's when we lend on each other. Like, is this right? Is my lead too loud?
(19:41):
Do you think this might have a little bit too much effect on it?
You know, so things like that. Or do you think I should add something to this?
Because even Tried It is a great example.
Although I did a lot of writing for that song, Micah had, you know,
she's more of a jazz artist than I am. And she was able to add like some really
cool scatting. But it's like, I don't know. I feel like something's missing right here.
(20:05):
Right. So, yeah. I just love how you guys have each other back and just fill
in those little missing spots like you just mentioned.
And you all have a different little vibe.
Like, it's cool. It's one stage, six artists, but it's like having different
mini concerts within one concert.
Yeah. Yeah. I think the beauty of it all is that even though we are all very
(20:28):
different, we work well together.
It's almost like, you know, when we come together, you can definitely feel the vibe.
And I can't even, I don't know, I can't even describe it. It just feels good.
It feels really, really good. And you don't have to describe it.
You just did. It feels good.
(20:50):
There you go. There you go. And that's a beautiful thing. Mm hmm.
So, Isma, I want to say to you that I love your connections with the community.
I think that's so dope. Like you're in the community, you know,
at festivals, you know, you're at the ball games, you're you're there.
So I love that. That that really means a lot.
(21:10):
And I got to tell you that it's another song I've been listening to.
Wait, Losing, what is it? Losing Game.
Yes, baby. Yes.
So make sure, I hope that's on the list. But, you know, I ain't going to dig
into y'all's set list. But look, wink, wink. I hope it's on the list.
We'll see. We'll see. But yeah, that is my latest track, Losing Game.
(21:32):
I just released it like a couple of months ago.
So I'm glad you heard it. I'm glad you like it. Yes, of course.
I had to listen. And I want to know, you know, who I'm interviewing.
But listen, I hear that you are thinking about, you know, taking it back to your Latin roots.
Yes. Well, I have been slowly putting out Spanish music.
(21:54):
And I do have a project that I'm still working on. I'm still working through.
But it's pretty much completed as far as the recording part of it.
Now the other part that's starting to come through is the production part of
it. And yes, I'm very excited for this product because I feel like in Spanish,
I'm just having a lot more fun.
(22:16):
There's a lot of words in Spanish that I could play with versus in English.
It's like you don't have as many words as in Spanish. But I mean,
I love both languages and writing both languages equally.
But in Spanish, I'm just having more fun.
And I think when you hear it, you'll be able to understand what I'm saying.
(22:38):
I can't wait to hear it. Like, I love my Latin music. I know it's going to be caliente, right? Oh.
It's going to be spicy. It's going to be hot. Okay, okay. Caliente, caliente.
Caliente. Not smiley with the Spanish.
Paquito, paquito, paquito. I know all the bad stuff. Just a little bit, right? Right.
(22:59):
I know all the stuff that I shouldn't know. So, thank you so much, Isma.
You know, I can't wait to, again, I can't wait to see you guys. Great to see you.
I want to mention the other artists who couldn't be there, but first I want to shout out. Oh my gosh.
J-Live. J-I-Live. Yes. Radio. He's a sponsor.
(23:20):
He's a veteran DJ from the UK, London, who has embraced you guys.
And I even went over to his station. I love what he's doing over there.
Just changing the way you listen to the radio.
OK, you better say it. Yes. I love I love what he's doing. I had no idea. I'm like, wow. OK.
Yeah. I wish he was here, you know, tonight, but it's OK.
Can I just give one shout out for him real quick? Absolutely. Yeah.
(23:44):
So the second time that I self-produced my show going over to London,
not only did he send an artist because I was like, OK, we need a Canadian artist.
I love U.S., but let's bring somebody different.
But when I tell you he sent people to help support, remember Isla?
He sent people to help support. He hosted a party.
(24:05):
And honestly, I'm just going to put it out there. He gave me a whole lot of
money to help with some of the expenses because he just believed in what I believed in.
And I just felt that that was so important. So he will be the host at our show
on August 24th. He'll be coming from Canada and bringing about five people from iLiveRadio.com.
(24:28):
And he's going to DJ. And he's going to DJ. So it's a partnership.
It absolutely is a partnership. Well, I didn't hear this show,
so I get to get my party on because I know Smiley J likes to dance. Yeah. Yes.
All right. So I want to quickly mention, you know, Alicia and Blaze and David.
(24:48):
So let me just tell them a little bit about Alicia. Of course,
she's a singer, songwriter.
And as Gwendolyn mentioned, she's a life coach. Yeah. So she can get you in
mental shape. Yes. Right.
And she's also, you know, she served as a vocal coach as well.
Yes, she does. Yes. She has...
Folks, she brings it like, you know, she's spicy.
I like Alicia. She's spicy. She does a little jazz. Uh-huh. She'll do it all, you know? Uh-huh.
(25:16):
So, you're going to get on her music. Her song is...
I don't love you no more. That is so appropriate. I don't love you no more.
That is so appropriate for her. Isn't it? I'm from Cleveland.
I'm from Cleveland, yes.
Yes. Yes. So, yes. Shout out to you, Alicia. You know, and I want you guys to
all come back individually so
we can, like, deep dive into your individual musicals. Yes. Right? Yeah.
(25:40):
And next, we have Blaze, who is a singer, songwriter, producer,
entrepreneur. Y'all, she cooks and she gardens.
You know, she's a real boss. She crochet.
Look, this one ended up turning into a dating site. Guys are going to be like,
what? She cook crochet? What? What's your name again, girl?
(26:00):
Blaze. She has a big, beautiful voice. She's classily trained.
She comes from, you know, a lot of folks in the DMV. You know,
Duke Ellington. Yeah. Yeah.
School of the Arts right here in Washington, D.C. And she also served as a session
vocalist with Sony when she started her music career. real. Shout out to Blaze.
(26:21):
Shout out to Blaze. Yes. And listen, her song, Certified Lover,
so y'all better come right. Correct, Stella? Yes.
Yes. One, one, one for me.
I love singing that song. Me too. I love it.
Yes. And then last but not least, we have David Hammond, who is right here from
(26:46):
my hometown, Washington, D.C.
You know david provides you know vocal support to all the stars you know with
his first ten of voice he has graced the stage with a lot of folks from stephanie
mills regina bell cc penison.
Melissa morgan even carolynette like he he like and he's very professional so
you guys make sure you can see david on any stage too like in your city of town
(27:09):
you might just see any any of these,
artist and family absolutely at any
time absolutely and and big ups to Yzma because
David is an incredible singer and we
knew that David needed to release his own song so Yzma actually started writing
the song for David then brought it to me and was like when he do a little something
(27:32):
with it and then we took it to Dave and it was like okay you are gonna get some
writing credits on this song we're gonna have you write something so actually
the song that David's gonna to be performing,
it'll be his first time performing his original material.
Beautiful. Yes, David. I was telling David, we appreciate your vocal support,
but you have a lovely voice. Yes, he does.
(27:54):
He's absolutely awesome. Thank
you, Yzma, for connecting the dots and encouraging him to jump out there.
Y'all's so cool. I love y'all love vibes. Y'all love love vibes. I love it.
So listen guys i want to thank you guys for hanging out in the artist zone and
i will again i would like for each of you to come on back so we can you know
(28:17):
think back to your individual,
artistry yes because that's what we do on the artist zone so thank you much
love you guys and i want to get on all this music so yes so smiley thank you
so much for for the opportunity to chat chat with you.
We really appreciate it. Listen, the Art of Zone is for creators like you guys.
(28:40):
That's what it's for. That was my vision, just like Verbal Lounge, your vision.
When I saw it floating around, I'm like, oh, I got to have them on the show. Yes.
So thank you guys for taking the time out of your oh-so-busy schedule to hang.
Out with me in the zone for a little bit.
So I'm going to get this music on, but before we go, Gwendolyn,
shout out again, the date, time, location, and and also give out your social media.
(29:05):
Oh, thank you very much. August 24th, Saturday, doors open at 6.30.
We're going to have a real sexy cocktail hour with good drinks and good food.
7.30, the show begins.
Silver Spring Black Box Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland.
You can find me, I'm real easy, Gwendolyn Collins. I guess I'm just lucky that
(29:28):
not a lot of people have that name.
You just put in Gwendolyn Collins and I'm going to pop up everywhere.
All righty, all righty. And we want to see your face in a place.
You guys get your tickets, Eventbrite, right? Is that where Eventbrite is?
Yes, Eventbrite. You just put in the Virgo Lounge.
There you go. Telephone and bring a friend. Thank you, ladies and gents,
for hanging out with me. Until next time, you guys, be well.
(29:50):
We need some love from you. Thank you for having us. Absolutely.
Okay, let me get this indie music party started.
I think I kick it off with a little spice, A little hard truth from Alicia Glover.
I can so hear her saying this to somebody. I don't love you.
Music.
(32:59):
After saying goodnight. Whew, that was hard. But you know, sometimes love will
take you there real tall.
Now, you know what? Let's go ahead and soften the blow a little bit with Blaze
Cole. Yes, with her song, Certified Lover. I totally love it.
Music.
(36:28):
All right, let's keep this love train going with David Hammett's song, Love Feels.
You know what? This is such a great song. I really feel, it's a really feel-good
song. David, you did that.
Music.
(40:57):
Okay, this next song is so relatable. It's by Micah. It's called I Tried.
You know, because sometimes we got to figure things out in these relationships
like real grown folks do.
You know, don't be so quick to throw in the towel.
Sometimes, you know, we can all be a little selfish and we want things to go our way.
But real talk, we need to compromise and make things right.
(41:19):
Music.
(45:01):
All right, this next song is by Yzma L, and it's called Feeling You.
What can I say? I mean, sometimes it's just what it is. You know what I mean?
That connection is there, and you just happen to feel this person. We've all been there.
Music.
(48:27):
Okay, this is the last song, and I thought I'd close off the show with a nice,
endearing song, and it's a fun song.
This is by Gwendolyn Collins, featuring The Brigadier.
Music.
(53:11):
Then you got some, hey, baby.
Hey, everybody. This is Queen of Philadelphia, Tangeray Hayward.
And you are in the artist zone with my girl, Smiley J.
All right, all right. That was super fun. I want to thank all of you guys for
hanging out with me today to the very end. Yes, you're my kind of people.
(53:33):
You know what? And your ears got a nice treat, a nice musical treat.
Now, remember the rules around these parts. You like what you heard.
You go ahead and download the music and add it to your favorite playlist.
Yes, that's how we get down.
And don't forget to spread the word. Yes, spread the word about good music because sharing is caring.
Now, I like, you know, when you work together as a team with diverse skills,
(53:56):
knowledge, and experiences.
Oh, what a beautiful thing. So I applaud you. Yes, you guys keep doing what
you're doing, sharing your gifts and talents with the world.
Now to all my folks in the Baltimore, D.C.
Area, y'all be sure to come on out. August 24th. Black Box, Silver Spring.
Six artists, one stage. Yes. Show your love and support. Yes.
(54:17):
All right. Get your ticket. Eventbrite.
Until next time, I'm going to need you guys to be well, stay safe,
and remember to listen to good music.
Your ears will thank you for it. I'm Smiley.
Music.
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