Berklee's Cafe 939 is a state-of-the-art, all-ages, student-run music venue and coffeehouse. While most rooms in Boston have a specific musical niche, Cafe 939 embraces nearly any style from rock, jazz, folk, and world to bluegrass, hip-hop, electronica, avant-garde, and beyond.
Cafe 939 showcases Berklee's emerging student performers and local Boston artists, as well as national acts seeking a more intimate, personal space in which to connect with their fans. The venue is open to the general public and aims to attract musicians and music fans from all walks of life. Right down to the colors on the walls, it's a jewel to behold, located right in the Back Bay.
Coming to the Red Room @ Cafe 939 on July 30 will be Alicia Lemke. At this show, she'll be releasing her new EP, Shades of Motion. She'll be joined by Russell Lacy and Nathan Reich, two other Berklee students. Don't miss this free event of great songwriters!
A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Alicia Lemke is a young singer/songwriter currently attending Berklee on scholarship. Both an accomplished jazz singer and self-taught guitarist, Lemke began writing her own brand of folk music a little over a year ago, and has just released her first original EP titled Shades of Motion. Musically speaking, Lemke is an amalgam of poetic and whimsical lyrics, lilting melody, and fingerstyle guitar, with a clear, graceful, and strong voice. Her songs speak of her own self-awareness, honesty, and personal experience.
Though her first forays into music were in community musical theater as early as middle school, Lemke’s real passion came from 10 years of classical alto saxophone and jazz baritone saxophone. Her leadership in high school propelled her into college jazz ensemble, where she doubled on baritone sax and vocals. Her discovery of vocal jazz inspired her to take a semester off from school to work under the tutelage of jazz piano legend Garry Dial (Manhattan School of Music) in Manhattan. It was during that spring that she picked up acoustic guitar, and upon encouragement from her mentor Mr. Dial, auditioned for Berklee College of Music.
Russell Lacy is a native Virginia fingerpicker who meshes old-time and bluegrass music with his own interpretations of Delta blues and songster traditions. His songwriting drifts easily from ballads to blues numbers, and by playing the chords, melody, and bass simultaneously, Lacy creates a full sound that is reminiscent of John Hurt, Doc Watson, Robert Johnson, and countless others in American roots music.
The Groove praised Nathan Reich's album Arms Around a Ghost as featuring "serious songwriting. . . literary but straightforward, playful but honest."
This event has been canceled or postponed. This site will be updated as additional information becomes available.
In every generation there is an artist who pushes industry standards and musical tastes to the limits, and Joy Daniels is such an artist. Also appearing: Jordan Brown.
In every generation there is an artist who pushes industry standards and musical tastes to the limits, and Joy Daniels is such an artist. With an unusual and eclectic mix of soul, hip hop and rock, this amazing singer/songwriter offers listeners a musicality far beyond her 24 years. Her music is beautifully constructed lyrically and musically to explore the complexities of the human spirit.
Released in May 2010, Daniels's second independent solo album, ESM, is both soulful and deeply amazing. In an attempt to create a work that had musical integrity as well as a commercial sound, Daniels entered a world of truth and discovery as the album developed. ESM is both an artistic and contemporary achievement: musicians can appreciate the layering of genres, from reggae to hip-hop to soul and rock, to create a fresh sound. Music-lovers can expect ESM to stand the test of time.
