Sonic Pie Productions Presents Free Concert November 23: Blues Guitarist Jontavious Willis

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(Durham, NC) Durham-based concert production and curation company Sonic Pie Productions presents Blues guitarist and songwriter Jontavious Willis Saturday, November 23, 8:30 p.m. This concert, at Missy Lane’s Assembly Room, is free and open to the public. 

28 year old Grammy-nominated Blues musician Jontavious Willis is resolved in his mission: to reinvigorate today’s Blues with the spirit of the past. Inspired by a time when the Blues were plentiful and rhythm reigned supreme, Jontavious leverages his unique sound—a synthesis of his rural Georgia heritage and reverence for traditional Blues—to get the world dancing again. Jontavious and his band perform original, toe-tapping tunes in the style of Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and Gospel Blues. Dynamic vocals, technical prowess, and an abundance of Southern charm keep Jontavious sending jolts of vitality through the Blues community. 

“That’s my Wonderboy, the Wunderkind. Jontavious is a great new voice of the 21st century in the acoustic blues” says American legend and mentor Taj Mahal. Joyous and resonant, Willis’ brand new album, West Georgia Blues, is an invitation to everyone out there—whether Blues aficionado or just passing through the genre—to connect with the very universal emotions captured through the Blues. Entirely self-produced, the album comprises fifteen original songs that tackle time-honored themes from heartbreak and loneliness to celebration and self-discovery. 

How does Jontavious connect as a young black man in the 21st century with the music first recorded in his great-great grandfather’s youth? “In some aspects the same problems of those days are still occurring. Out of all the current music I connect with the blues the best. The same blues songs of the Jim Crow era can still be sung today. The songs about getting mistreated and abused are still fights we battle daily” he says.

Missy Lane’s Assembly Room, at 310 E. Main Street, in the heart of downtown Durham, North Carolina is one of Durham’s newest intimate music venues and cocktail bars. Ample parking in the adjacent lot is free. This is a general admission event, with a combination of seated, standing and dancing room. Doors open at 8 p.m. Though admission is free, you must reserve a ticket at https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/59475083/jontavius-willis-presented-by-sonic-pie-productions-durham-missy-lanes-assembly-room-venue

This project is supported by the Durham Arts Council’s Durham Culture & Arts – Invest to Restart.

Durham, North Carolina-based Sonic Pie Productions, founded in 2013, creates community and commerce via curated concert bookings, consultation and sound production services. For more information visit www.sonicpieproductions.com.

2024 Outdoor Concert Series Update

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Hello music lovers! Against the background drone of the 13 and 17 year cycle cicadas, we want to let you know what concerts and events Sonic Pie Productions is working this month. Let’s start with Blues and Gospel. We’re the sound production company for Music Maker Foundation’s annual, FREE Freight Train Blues Series. This is at Carrboro Town Commons (Carrboro, NC).

If you prefer being at an intimate jazz club, surrounded by cocktails, we’re also the sound crew at Missy Lane’s Assembly Room, 310 E. Main Street, Durham, NC. The calibre of talent coming through here is amazing. This weekend is flautist Rebecca Kleinmann and vocalist BeMyFiasco. Next weekend: trumpet innovator Keyon Harrold AND Missy Lane’s opens as a coffee shop each day 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (9 a.m.-2 p.m. weekends.) BUY TICKETS

Over to Boxyard RTP, the open air venue of local restaurants, cafes and bars in Research Triangle Park, NC, a new batch of May residencies includes Mysti Mayhem. All music and DJs are free and open to the public and there is ample, free parking.

Next weekend the crew is off to Salisbury, NC for Hippie Fest and we’ll leave you with two recap photos. We were asked to curate a stop off event for a bus tour (Boom Unit Brass Band, selfie courtesy of the band) and Andmoreagain Presents brought LA LOM (Los Angeles League of Musicians) to Missy Lane’s last month (photo credit: DLM Studios.)

Until next time!

Don’t miss Grammy-nominated Tuareg guitarist Bombino JUNE 2

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“THE WORLD’S BEST GUITARIST™” – NOISEY

It’s not every day you get to experience something like this. Sonic Pie Productions, in partnership with The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, and Raleigh-based Friends of World Music presents BOMBINO, Thursday, June 2, 8 p.m. Tickets are $29. 

Omara “Bombino” Moctar, whose given name is Goumour Almoctar, was born on January 1, 1980, in Tidene, Niger, an encampment of nomadic Tuaregs located about 80 kilometers to the northeast of Agadez. He is a member of the Ifoghas tribe, which belongs to the Kel Adagh Tuareg federation. His father is a car mechanic and his mother takes care of the home, as is the Tuareg tradition. Bombino was raised as a Muslim and taught to consider honor, dignity and generosity as principal tenets of life.

The Tuareg, known amongst themselves as the Kel Tamasheq, have long been recognized as warriors, traders and travelers of the Sahara Desert – as a people of grace and nobility as well as fighters of fierce reputation. They are a nomadic people descended from the Berbers of North Africa and for centuries have fought against colonialism and the imposition of strict Islamic rule.

Durham From The Heart Season 2 Livestream Series

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Durham from the Heart is back, for a second season! Don’t let your week blur together–reclaim your Wednesday and mark the middle day with these 1-2 p.m. online performances at https://www.facebook.com/DowntownDurham

Comment in real time or just hang out. Sponsored by Downtown Durham Inc., curated by Sonic Pie Productions. If you live or work in Durham, North Carolina or Durham County and want to apply for this (paid) performance opportunity, email us at sonicpieproductions@gmail.com.

SELL OUT ALERT: Deep Fried Swap Meet Hootenanny ft. Rissi Palmer, Tamisha Waden and XOXOK

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If you are ready for some in-person fun, join Tess in the big backyard of her 1935 farmhouse for fried chicken, deep fried mac & cheese, homemade coconut cake and more artery-clogging nibbles to enjoy with two glasses of craft beer or wine. It’s a Deep Fried Swap Meet Hootenanny! It’s especially monumental because it’s Sonic Pie Productions’ first live concert event since the U.S. outbreak of COVID-19 in March.

To Tess and Bryce, a hootenanny is where folk music can mean country, soul or hip hop, so get ready for special musical guests Rissi Palmer (Apple Music’s Color Me Country), Tamisha Waden (The Foreign Exchange) and Keenan Jenkins (XOXOK). Throw in a swap meet and everyone goes home with unforgettable memories and a new treasure. Each ticket holder should bring 1-2 sanitized personal items to swap and the story that goes with them. A zero waste event.

Saturday, October 10, 5:30 p.m.

Durham, NC

Tickets $45, tips encouraged! All proceeds benefit the 501c3 Durham Central Park, Inc.,