Thanks to the funding provided by Commotion West Berkeley, “Songs While You Wait” proposes a re-envisioning of pandemic lines where shoppers become active listeners of local music from the East Bay. The project would consists of 45minute outdoor performances by an artist each week throughout the month of August near a pandemic line. Each week would uplift a local West Berkeley-based business such as Berkeley Patients Group, Acme Bread, Tokyo Fish Market and Mi Tierra Foods and an East Bay solo musician of color. This project will be made everlasting through the recording of video and a live compilation album featuring songs from each artist recorded at the lines.

Stories from the Garden: A Celebration of Community and the Arts, is an event series where East Boston community members gather to tell stories of their neighborhood and the people that make it thrive. Through a songwriting workshop, writing workshop, and the creation of a community mural, oral histories become everlasting. Works produced in these workshops are preserved by way of video, photography, and a live recording of the performances at the Open Mic event.

As a result, a community concept album will be released on all streaming platforms on Friday January 10th, 2020. Click Below to be the first to hear the album.

Listen Video Release Party

I hosted this event at Dudley Cafe to release my former band’s (Cathartic Conundrum) first music video, Listen. Since that song is about my experience as an immigrant, I asked Justice4Siham to table and sell merchandise to raise funds for Siham’s legal fund so that she can be reunited with her son. It was an event to uplift and celebrate immigrants through music. Support the campaign here.