Stax-style, Southern Fried Soul Band Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics Comes to Kalamazoo Valley Community College
(PRWEB) March 04, 2017 -- Dave Posther
Artists’ Forum Chair at Kalamazoo Valley Community College
269.488.4476 or dposther(at)kvcc(dot)edu
Stax-style, Southern Fried Soul Band Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics comes to Kalamazoo Valley
The Artists’ Forum at Kalamazoo Valley Community College welcomes the Stax-style, southern soul of Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics on March 31, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dale B. Lake Auditorium on the college’s Texas Township Campus, 6767 West O Avenue, Kalamazoo. Tickets are $15.
Heirs to the thrones of the old-school masters, Atlanta’s Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics are much more than a group of revivalists trying to create a period piece. She is a powerhouse vocalist and her band settles for nothing less than bringing classic sounds glimmering into the now with a fresh new modern sheen. Making a name for themselves and captivating audiences with their stirring live performances, this world-class modern soul revue topped off with the cherry of Velle’s sultry voice have opened for megastars such as Aretha Franklin and The Temptations and have shared the stage with the likes of Erykah Badu and Kendrick Lamar.
After much time in the studio, their debut album “It’s About Time” was released in 2012 and was universally praised by rock, pop and hip hop outlets, with its single “My Dear” selling a quarter-million downloads on iTunes and landing them in the top 30 on Billboard’s Heatseeker charts. Scoring critical acclaim from outlets such as The New York Daily News, MTV, Paste and more at a time when record sales were at an all-time industry low, the independent, DIY-minded Velle and the Soulphonics single “My Dear” placed the group in the top 30 on Billboard’s Heatseeker charts and at a stunning #4 on the iTunes R&B charts. This success took Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics from being one of the most popular local acts in Atlanta to being a player on the national stage. The band’s first release after “It’s About Time,” 7-inch single “Heartlite” was featured by Starbucks as its “Pick of the Week” during Christmas 2012, and was playable on every Starbucks log-in screen around the world. Delta Airlines also picked up the song, making it available to listen to on all flights. Currently, Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics are in the studio laying down the songs that will make up their forthcoming sophomore release.
Since its inception in 1986, Kalamazoo Valley’s Artists' Forum has exposed the Kalamazoo community and its students to a diverse collection of musicians, artists, writers, actors, singers, dancers and social commentators - including Mavis Staples, Ladysmith Black Mambazo,
Patty Griffin, David Sedaris and Morris Dees. Through funding provided by The Irving S. Gilmore Foundation and Kalamazoo Valley Community College, the Artists' Forum has established a performance series that both reflects the Kalamazoo community and broadens the perspective of the performing arts.
Tickets are available at http://www.kvcc.edu/artistsforum, at the Texas Township Campus bookstore (269.488.4030) or by contacting Dave Posther at 269.488.4476. Concert doors open at 6:45.
Dawn Kemp, Michigan Community College Association, http://www.kvcc.edu, +1 (269) 488-4685, [email protected]
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