Sean FitzGerald is helping to create a live music event that the South Coast doesn’t usually offer.
As the lead vocalist of the invigorating ska rock band NB Rude Boys, FitzGerald is bringing the unique experience of the Winehouse Project to The Vault in downtown New Bedford for a show on Saturday, November 27th. In addition to the Amy Winehouse tribute, the evening will also include sets from the NB Rude Boys and Citrus Biscuit. General Admission tickets are $20 and VIP tickets are $30. Doors open at 7 p.m. and music begins at 8.
“This is an exciting opportunity for a crowd to be exposed to something new, something they don’t usually see unless they want to drive to Providence or Boston,” FitzGerald says. “It’s a chance to enjoy something new. I challenge people to take a chance, to have some fun and get up to dance to something you don’t normally see on tv or hear on the radio.
“You might surprise yourself.”
The Winehouse Project is fronted by Lisa Kay, and includes a six-piece band with three horns and a pair of background singers. The group has been entertaining audiences up and down the East Coast for three years playing the music of the acclaimed female artist.
“With this show I want to transport people back to the nights where jazz musicians, their instruments and the music moved people’s bodies and spirits,” FitzGerald says. “A time when music in its purest form brings the audience out to become part of the show as intimate participants on the dance floor.”
Music fans will have a chance to preview the Vault concert with a performance by the NB Rude Boys on the Paul Santos LIVE show on Monday, November 22nd. Co-hosted by Chops Turner, the show will be held at Pub 6T5 on 736 Ashley Blvd. and will run from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will be broadcast on Facebook. The event will also include a meet, greet and chat with visual artist Christine Maiato FitzGerald about her upcoming collaborations, techniques and motivations that are inspiring her, works that can be enjoyed at the MaiatoFitz Art Gallery & Studio at the Kilburn Mill in New Bedford.
This will be the first appearance by the NB Rude Boys in two months. The band is in the process of recording a full-length album, with an expected release date of this spring. The band will be featuring some of their original material at the Winehouse concert.
With the return of Open Mics to the Pour Farm Tavern in downtown New Bedford, Tuesday nights are about building a “community” of artists, an open-door opportunity for local musicians. The shows are proving to be a welcome forum for performers who are eager to have their talent enjoyed and appreciated by friends and peers.
In its first six weeks, the evenings are attracting a growing number of musicians, something that has host Yaya Ortiz inspired for the future.
“We’re attracting a supportive group of people, the Pour Farm is a great place to practice your performing skills,” Ortiz boasts. “You’re surrounded by so many local people who are doing the same thing. I always encourage new artists to come out and play, even if it’s only for one song. It’s a safe place for all performers.”
Hooly J Chan of Dartmouth has played at three of the Open Mics since their return to the Pour Farm stage in September.
“As a musician, it’s awesome that there are so many people who are there to listen to you,” she says. “The open mic is creating this little community of singer/songwriters that is cool and supportive. People feel included and it’s a safe place to share their music and develop their skills.”
“There are always people there to listen to your music at the open mics,” says singer/songwriter Jake Perrone of Westport, who played his very first show five years ago at The Pour Farm. “The Pour Farm has a very warm, wonderful feeling, everyone is very respectful. I always see someone I know as well as new faces.”
“This open mic is a good opportunity for local musicians,” Ortiz says. “Live music is so important and I’m grateful that we have this community of creative people. There’s so much talent and so many amazing musicians in New Bedford.”
Ortiz knows the benefits of the Open Mic as well as anyone. When she moved to the city from Maryland in 2018 she was just introduced to the ukulele and the Pour Farm was an opportunity for her to test the performance waters. Those early concerts would lead to her learning the acoustic guitar and an EP of original material that was released in February of this yearunder the name Yaya O.
“When I first started I had no idea how to play and sing or talk to the crowd,” she says. “By doing shows at the Pour Farm I was able to learn a lot and meet a lot of people who would become my friends.”
The previous Pour Farm Open Mics were hosted for 10 years by local musician Chris Evil, but it was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Evil still hosts monthly shows at the Pour Farm featuring local bands and musicians.
The Open Mics were resurrected when the bar’s owner, Craig Ribeiro, mentioned the idea to Ortiz.
The Open Mics are held every Tuesday night. Musicians can sign up to play between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Music begins at 9and may last until 1 a.m. Performers are allowed three to five songs, depending on the depth of the schedule, which may include a dozen performers. Ortiz recently began having featured artists at the events, playing extended sets of material.
But Ortiz has a vision for the event. She hopes to expand the evenings to augment the singer/songwriters with a wide-open array of genres, including all forms of music, comedy, spoken word and poetry, as well as dee jays.
“I want to create a positive environment where people are excited to get up and play something,” Ortiz says. “I want to make this a creative place for everybody.”
The musicians mentioned in this article have original material available online. Hooly J Chan’s music can be found on the albums “Make Believe” and “Hospital Socks,” while Perrone can be heard on the album “Green Blood.” Ortiz’s music can be heard on Saturday, November 13’th with a full performance at the Stove Boat Concert Series at the home of Sarah Donner on 63 Thomas St. in New Bedford. Ortiz also performs country covers and original songs on Wednesday nights at Cork in downtown.
Go see a band you like and get introduced to something you’ve never heard before.
When the 4752 Music Festival takes place in downtown New Bedford this Saturday, October 23rd, it will be an experience unlike anything the South Coast has to offer – a day of “free floating” music, culture and commerce with 13 bands playing mini-shows in six downtown businesses – all within a four-block radius.
The event is entirely free.
“This is completely unique for New Bedford,” says New Bedford musician Eric Baylies, who will be playing the event with the Baylies Band. “This is probably one of the coolest things to ever happen in the city.”
With music starting at 2:30 in the afternoon and running until midnight, Saturday’s opportunities are limited only by a visitor’s interests – guests can enter and exit a venue as they wish. All but one of the venues will be all-ages, the only exception is the No Problemo bar which will have music starting at 10 p.m. for a 21-plus audience.
There is a listing at the bottom of this story that includes all of the bands, venues and times of the performances.
“I want to cultivate the idea of something that’s free-floating,” says event organizer Devin Byrnes. “If you go and see a band and you really like them and you don’t like the next band that much you can go and have a burrito or a coffee. You can zip home to take a shower, whatever you want to do, and come back to catch up with some of the music being played later in the day.You can experience seven hours of continuous music or go see your friend’s band for one song and then leave.
“It’s cool to think that you may be having a drink with a friend downtown, hear music being played and pop in to check it out,” Byrnes says. “If you’re not listening to music you could go to an art gallery, a restaurant, or a store.”
The genres for the event are decidedly alternative, including noise, punk and acoustic. Half of the performers will be local while some bands will be travelling in from throughout the northeast, including Boston, New York and western Massachusetts. Byrnes will be compensating the artists for their performances.
“A lot of the music being played won’t be for everyone,” Byrnes says. “It’s underground and mostly a little weird. In my mind all of these bands are interesting, they all bring things to the table that will keep a listener’s attention for half-an-hour. When I see a band I want there to be something about that band that’s memorable. Music is totally arbitrary – somebody may love the lineup and somebody may think it’s garbage.
“You can always preview these artists online and decide if you want to see them in a live setting.”
And for Byrnes the settings are an integral facet to the festival’s experience.
“These are non-traditional venues that will have unique atmospheres,” Byrnes says. “We’re trying to create a novel experience. A lot of these bands are used to playing alternative venues, house parties and basements.
“The idea is that you’re getting people into these venues where they wouldn’t ordinarily see bands.”
“It’s cool to see musicians in spaces that don’t usually have bands and see a lot of people walking around downtown,” says Craig Paiva, who has owned the No Problemo restaurant for 19 years. “This isn’t about making money, it’s about the love of music.”
Paiva will be tapping into his own pocket to provide food for the artists playing the event. Throughout the years he has used his location to put on shows in a wide array of genres, from jazz and reggae to hardcore, hip-hop and acoustic.
“These venues are doing this basically because they’re cool and they’re buying into something that’s viable and interesting,” Byrnes says. “There’s no financial compensation for them whatsoever, unless somebody buys something from them.”
Venues for the concerts include the Centre St. loading dock for the Fiber Optics Center, the Communal Space on Union St., Destination Soups on Union St., The Mad Lila on Purchase St.,the Paradise/McFee Gallery on William St. and No Problemo on Purchase St.
“We’ve had unbelievable support from local businesses for this event,” Byrnes says. “The businesses that are doing this are so onboard. I put out feelers in July wondering if we should do it this year and they were all like ‘Let’s do this!’”
Masks are recommended but not mandatory for the shows,and there will be no proof of vaccination required. Tip jars will be available.
“These shows will be good advertising for these venues, and people can discover other cool things that the city has to offer. You can see a band you know and discover a band you don’t know. It’s a good opportunity for young people under 21 to see live music, something they can’t always do.”
This will be the second year for the festival. It was first held in 2019, but was nixed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The first year was a great success,” Byrnes says. “I was so happy with the way it came out, it was an experiment that exceeded my expectations.”
A native of Salem, MA, Byrnes has owned Destination Soups for 13 years. He will also be playing the event with his band Picniclunch.
“The idea for this event was largely organic, it isn’t modeled after anything in particular,” he says. “I’ve been to festivals where there’s multiple stages with music at the same time and you can’t always see all the bands you want. This event is designed so that you can follow the action around the city, it’s got walkability.”
T-shirts from the event will be sold for $15, with a design created by Mike Ribeiro, a member of Picniclunch. Ribeiro also designed the flyers for the concerts.
“This event is about as local as local can be,” Byrnes says.
And perhaps this festival will lead to additional music and cultural events in New Bedford.
“I’d like to see more art spaces open up downtown,” Byrnes says. “Maybe this event will inspire people to open up more art spaces, but it would be a labor of love. There’s a lot of great people in this city trying to do cool things.”
Bands, venues and times for the 4752 Music Festival on Saturday, October 23rd
New Bedford’s electric and eclectic Picniclunch will be playing Saturday.
If you enjoy the singer/songwriter format, you might want “Past Tense” to be in your future.
With a performance this Saturday night at the New Bedford home of Sarah Donner, Cassie will be playing all nine songs from her new release, “Past Tense.” Available on all of the major streaming services, the New Bedford-based artist will bring her contemplative and intriguing storytelling to 63 Thomas St. for a show that begins at 7 p.m. Cassie will be sharing the bill with national acoustic artist Dr. Gasp.
There is a suggested donation of $10 and guests are invited to bring their own chairs, food and drink. The show is another installment in Donner’s Stove Boat Concert Series, performances that take place at her home in a uniquely intimate forum, attracting both local and national talents.
“Intimate shows allow you to feel the music and feel the energy in the room,” Cassie says. “You know that the people attending the show are going to listen to you and they’re going to be open-minded. I want my music to resonate with people, not just swaying to a beat or background music in a bar.”
“Past Tense” is a decidedly downtempo record. Recorded at the Westport home of Jake Perrone, the songs are carried by Cassie’s signature melodies and distinctive voice, accompanied only by her electric guitar.
“Songwriting is extremely therapeutic for me, it’s a vulnerable thing to do but it helps me process my emotions and experiences,” Cassie says. “One of the reasons that I’m happy to release this album is that I’m releasing all of these emotions and past memories. It allows me to start anew and continue to grow as a musician.”
Cassie sights the influence and inspiration of fellow female songwriters such as Fiona Apple, Amy Winehouse, Angel Olsen, and Laura Marling.
“I play my music a little slower because I want people to feel something when they listen to it, to take it slow and feel it all,” she says. “It’s really important for people to not hide from sadness and negative emotions and all the things that don’t make you feel good.
“Each song is a different story,” she says. “Hopefully people can experience their own emotions and stories through my music.”
A self-taught guitarist and ukulele player, Cassie has bolstered her performances by studying singing at the Deborah Perry Vocal Development Studio in New Bedford, an experience she values greatly. While “Past Tense” is a stripped-down, folky solo record, Cassie’s life-long love of jazz and artists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Johnny Mathis has her hoping to make a foray into the jazz world in the near future.
Cassie should not be confused with the R&B singer of the same name.
“I’m always shifting and changing as a person and I think my music reflects that,” Cassie says. “My songs help me with my anxieties and allow me to live in the moment. We don’t know how much time we have on this earth, so I want to be present for all of it.”
This Saturday, October 2nd, the State Pier on the downtown New Bedford waterfront will come alive with the annual Oktoberfest, offering visitors the opportunity to hear some outstanding local music.
The event will kickoff at 3 p.m. and music will run from 3:45 until midnight. It will feature sets from The Felix Brown Band, New Bedford Rude Boys, The Pourmen, Band Inc., Off Kilter, The Double Bar Music Band, and Citrus Biscuit. Performing on a large professional stage, the musical entertainment will be augmented by a top-notch sound system and lighting by New England Showtime.
Produced by the South Coast Business Alliance, this is the 15th year for the event. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Proceeds will go to benefit local at-risk youth and educational-based charities. The festivities will take placeadjacent to the Black Whale restaurant. Food and drink will be sold, including numerous regional breweries and local vendors and food trucks.
For 10 minutes Tom O’Leary was “living the dream.”
As the drummer for the U2 tribute band, The Joshua Tree, O’Leary was given the opportunity to play to an audience of 68,000 people during halftime of the New England Patriots’ game with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, September 12’th at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA.
The band played the classic U2 songs “Where the Streets Have No Name,” and “Beautiful Day.” The Patriots organization reached out to the band because they wanted to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks with a recreation of U2’s iconic Super Bowl halftime concert at the Louisiana Superdome in 2002. As The Joshua Tree played “Beautiful Day” in one of the Gillette Stadium endzones, a list of the 9/11 victims was scrolled across the stadium’s Jumbotron video screen, similar to what was done during U2’s set on February 2nd, 2002 when the Patriots defeated the St. Louis Rams.
“It was so surreal to look out at 68,000 people and see myself up on a huge video screen playing the drums,” says O’Leary a New Bedford native and resident. “It’s literally something you dream about when you start playing the drums.”
O’Leary claims that the Patriots’ organization“accomodated the band professionally.”
“They really took care of us,” he says. “They gave each member of the band a Patriots’ jersey with ‘The Joshua Tree’ printed on the back. I didn’t take mine off for three days.”
“There were a lot of people who came up to us after the game who recognized us from our images on the Jumbotron,” he says. “I saw people who I hadn’t seen for years who happened to be at the game – teachers and classmates from high school who were calling me up and telling me they recognized me on the video screen.”
O’Leary has been a member of The Joshua Tree for about a year, joining the fold during the down days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Joshua Tree has been performing for 20 years, playing throughout the nation and abroad. Before the pandemic they were playing between 80 and 100 shows a year. The four members of the group also comprise the Tom Petty tribute band, Rebels. O’Leary is also a member of the local pop rock group, The J Kelley Band.
The singer for The Joshua Tree is Mike Golarz, an East Bridgewater resident who has previously lived in New Bedford. He has been with the group since it formed.
“It’s been a lot of hard work and grinding for 20 years, but we’ve built a recognizable name for ourselves,” Golarz says. “It was cool to have some of the Patriots’ players and coaches recognize us. It was cool for me to see a bunch of famous players and sports talk show hosts I listen to everyday on the radio.”
The Joshua Tree did a soundcheck for the performance on the Friday before the game as the players went through their practice routines.
“It was an honor to do that show, given the enormity of the anniversary,” Golarz says. “There were 68,000 people in the stadium so I was concentrating on playing to the people who were around us, thinking that if I was entertaining them I would probably be entertaining everybody.”
In 2005 The Joshua Tree landed a high-profile gig performing at The TD Garden in Boston during Boston Bruins games. They would perform “Where the Streets Have No Name” as the Bruins took to the ice, also playing between periods as well as doing a 45-minute set after the game was finished. They were the second band to ever play at a Bruins game – the first band to play the event was Godsmack. For two years the Garden would play a recorded version of The Joshua Tree’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” as the Bruins’ players came out of the locker room for pre-game warm ups.
In addition to O’Leary and Golarz, The Joshua Tree includes guitarist Mike Courcy of Wareham, MA, and bassist Joe Wilson of Rye, New Hampshire. The group’s next local performance is on October 10th at The Chicken Box in Nantucket.
Acoustic music fans have a couple of opportunities to enjoy the singer/songwriter format this Saturday night, September 11th.
The Pour Farm Tavern on Purchase St. in downtown New Bedford will feature three individual performers, while the evening will also offer another installment in the Stove BoatHouse Concert Series at the abode of Sarah Donner.
The Pour Farm performances will begin at 10 p.m. and will include solo sets by Chris Evil, Jake Perrone, and Hooly J Chan, while the Stove Boat concert will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. with music by Molly O’Leary and Juliana Finch.
The Stove Boat show will have O’Leary performing songs from “Holding Space,” her debut album to be released later this month. A song from the record (“I Wonder”) can be enjoyed online at her website, mollyolearymusic.com. Finch is aGeorgia-born, North Carolina resident whose music has been described as having “strong Americana roots, with a sultry, soothing voice and carefully crafted lyrics, spanning the breadth of the human experience in search of connection.”
Donner, a nationally-renowned singer/songwriter with more than a dozen records and multiple national tours to her credit,began hosting “Indie Music Night” house concerts when she was a resident of New Jersey, a string of shows that were held monthly for six years. Now a resident of New Bedford, Donneris hosting the shows at her house at 63 Thomas St. in New Bedford. There is a $10 suggested donation and guests are invited to bring their own chairs and beverages. Donner recommends guests reserve a space by contacting her at sarah@sarahdonner.com. Audiences for the shows have ranged from 15 to 30 people. Masks are required when inside the house and guests are asked to be vaccinated if medically able. The concert is weather permitting.
“When I moved to New Bedford I really wanted to continue to host bands and singer/songwriters,” Donner says. “As a performer myself, I find house concerts to be one of my favorite venues so I wanted to offer that to touring musicians who were passing through or local folks who wanted a listening crowd. The Stove Boat Concert Series is designed to be an intimate space for songwriters to share their music.”
Donner is planning to host additional concerts in October and November.
The Pour Farm show will be the fourth acoustic event hosted by Chris Evil since the relaxation of COVID-19 standards. He has hosted a show each of the last three months featuring local talents.
Hooly J Chan’s latest album “Make Believe” and her previous release “Hospital Socks” can be enjoyed online, as well as Jake Perrone’s “Green Blood.” Both are locally based songwriters.
Your assumptions may be preventing you from having an enjoyable musical experience.
While you may be familiar with names like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, you may have some misunderstandings about classical music that could be deterring you from enjoying this diverse and expansive style of entertainment.
The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra provides an excellent opportunity to be introduced to a genre of music that is as vibrant and alive as it ever has been, a form of music that appeals to audiences of all backgrounds and ages. There is a reason that people still enjoy classical music centuries after its beginning.
“It’s easy to get lost in classical music,” says Jesse Holstein, a first chair violinist who has been with the NBSO for 20 years. “Like all kinds of music, whether it’s reggae or rap or R&B, it taps into the human experience and the range of emotions. For some people it can be very meditative and centering, and sometimes it’s really exciting.
“It’s another tree that comes out of the fertile ground of music.”
“There’s a lot more to classical music than the famous composers,” says EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks, who has played violin with the NBSO for eight years. “We play music that is hundreds and hundreds of years old, but we also play music that was written last year.”
Contrary to some modern stigmas, classical music isn’t snob music. It is a field to be explored and enjoyed by all.
“Classical is often associated with high society and the elite, but it’s really for everyone,” Holstein points out. “It doesn’t need to be a museum piece or like going to church.People shouldn’t be afraid or intimidated that they might not get it, just let it wash over you.”
“People shouldn’t have any expectations about what they should be experiencing,” Holmes-Hicks says. “You can take out of it what you want,”
And the NBSO offers an array of opportunities to enjoy classical music. The Symphony Orchestra, with nearly 70 musicians, will begin its season at the Zeiterion Theatre on September, 18th. Their Chamber Music series, with much smaller groups of performers, will begin performances this October.
“What’s exciting about seeing a symphony is that there’s so many people on stage,” Holmes-Hicks says. “It’s fascinating to see 68 people making music together and working as one organism – there’s always something different to listen to, it may include harp and piano. Chamber music is an intimate experience where listeners can take in the music up close. Sitting just feet away from the musicians, audience members can see the magical musical conversation and interaction between the players as they communicate non-verbally to play together and match the phrasing and feeling of the music.
“Be prepared to soak it in and see what it’s all about. Come to a concert without expectations.”
In addition to its first concert on September 18th, the Symphony will also perform on the nights of November 6th, January 8th, February 19th, April 16th, and May 14th. The NBSO’s Holiday Pops concerts will both take place on December 11th, at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The February 19th concert is devoted to “Hollywood Pops,” their “movie night” concert. It will feature music from three iconic film composers of our time with music from popularmovies and television.
The Chamber Music series will be held on Saturdays at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Marion and on Sundays at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in South Dartmouth. They will be held in October, November, January, March and May.
“Classical music runs the spectrum of emotions and feelings, it can be really powerful and spiritual, just let it do its thing,” Holstein says. “Contemporary classical music is really exciting. People are addressing issues such as racial and social change, written by women composers and composers of color.”
The NBSO is happy to provide some background on the music their audiences will be enjoying. A half-hour before theZeiterion symphony concerts, Conductor Yaniv Dinur presents a free informational talk for audience members about the piece they are about to present that evening.
“The Zeiterion Theatre is a cool hall for classical music,and the musicians feed off of the energy of the audience,” Holstein says. “It has a really warm sound and it’s comfortable.”
And with any genre of music, listeners may have favorite composers or favorite pieces. And classical music may have a more prominent role in your life than you realize.
“Classical music pops up in many different places that people don’t recognize, such as on tv or in movies, there’s a lot of themes that people will recognize,” Holmes-Hicks says.
To purchase tickets or to get more information on the concerts, the NBSO can be reached at nbsymphony.org.
But the impact that the NBSO has on the music community goes beyond traditional performances. They boast a youth orchestra and a wide-ranging educational program that reaches more than 4,000 students in regional schools and giving them lessons in classical music.
The Southeastern Massachusetts Youth Orchestra (SEMAYO) is geared towards musicians 21 years of age and under, with different ensembles for musicians of all abilities and backgrounds, including strings, woodwinds and brass. Musicians are placed in an ensemble based on their audition, which will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 15th and Thursday, Sept. 16th, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the UMass-Dartmouth College of Visual & Performing Arts Building (Parking lot 9). To schedule an audition, contact Charlene Monte online at montecello@comcast.net. Please insert “SEMAYO Audition Request” in the subject line.
The youth orchestra’s website is semayo.org. Guests can listen to a pair of virtual performances from the SEMAYO that were recorded last year – “The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,” recorded in December, and Toto’s hit song, “Africa,” recorded in February.
If you’re looking to wrap up your summer with a helping of invigorating music, the NB Rude Boys will take to the stage of Cisco Kitchen & Bar this Sunday at 6 p.m.
The band’s dance-inducing tunes have inspired good times for the past three years with their collection of ska that runs from reggae to rock. This will be their only show during September.
During the tumultuous days of 2020, Candida Rose saw sunshine in the storm.
At the height of the pandemic and the social unrest taking place in America, the New Bedford vocalist had a musical epiphany that she felt she needed to share.
“We’ve got to love each other through.”
While walking along East Beach in New Bedford’s south end in August of last year, Rose heard the musical mantra in her head and saved the sentiment on her phone. Upon returning home she transcribed the melody and began crafting the lyrics for the single “Love Each Other Through,” which was released this past April 16th.
“In the midst of all the awful things being said and done I was still able to look around me and see the beauty in humanity,” Rose recalls. “I was seeing people helping each other, coming together for a common cause throughout America as well as New Bedford. I saw the first responders on tv, people coming together for the “Black Lives Matter” movement, my neighbor making kale soup for me, and my daughter helping people as a CNA. Friend to friend, neighbor to neighbor, people were helping each other from the heart.
“The song is about the fact that we’re all one, that we have to help each other. If we can share each other’s light and each other’s love and goodness we can get to a better place.”
Available digitally on most streaming services, the song is a collaboration with Erik Peterson, a vocalist, musician, studio engineer and producer for his company Sounded Ground Studiosin Canterbury, CT who provided the instrumental backing tracks for the song. Rose has known Peterson since the spring of 2019 when they met at Unity Radiant Light Spiritual Center in North Providence, RI.
“Love Each Other Through” is Rose’s first release since 2006’s 10-song CD, “KabuMerikana: The Sum of Me,” which sold more than 3,000 copies.
And while the idea for “Love Each Other Through” came to Rose last fall, she first became determined to share it in November, inspired by an online course she was taking in Prosperity, something she describes as “spiritual fulfillment and awareness.”
“Late last year I decided to do something more with my music,” she says. “So I sent a demo of the song’s vocal melody to Eric.”
The instrumental ideas and “scratch tracks” for “Love Each Other Through” were presented to Rose by Peterson in early January, which allowed her to debut the song on New Bedford Public Access on January 18th in a televised event celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The completed version of the song was recorded later that month. Since then Rose has performed the song multiple times, both solo and with full bands.
“We do things not only to benefit ourselves, but to benefit the world and our community, that’s what prosperity is really about,” she says. “We need to reach out with our hearts in our own way. We all have ways of uplifting our community and our world, and for me that’s singing and songwriting.”
“If we can share each other’s light and each other’s love and goodness we can get to a better place.”
And Rose has uplifting people on her mind – she is hoping to translate the lyrics to the song into multiple different languages, including Cape Verdean Creole, Brazilian Portuguese, African languages, and European languages. Her goal is to have the song listened to by a million people.
Rose also has plans to continue working with Peterson with the intention of recording and releasing a follow up single, “So Here I Am,” by the end of October. She also has hopes of a full CD with Peterson and other collaborators by early next year.
A native of New Bedford, Rose’s full name is Candida Rose Baptista. Her singing career has seen her performing with numerous jazz, R&B, and Cape Verdean groups. As part of her self-employment through her company, Golden Rose Music, she spends most of her weekdays traveling throughout the South Coast region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island as a Life Enrichment Entertainer, performing at nursing homes, assisted living, and adult day care facilities, as well as for various senior groups and associations.
“Even as a little girl my life has always been about music,” she says. “For me, love and positivity have always been my priority.”
Sonic SouthCoast 