*UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) presents Avery*Sunshine with her husband, Dana Johnson, on guitar on Sat, Nov 23, at 8 p.m. at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown LA. Tickets starting at $28 are available now at cap.ucla.edu, 310-825-2101 and The Theatre at Ace Hotel box office.
With thunderous, gospel-bred pipes and heart-to-heart content, Avery*Sunshine can’t help spilling the truth in her music. Kicking off CAP UCLA’s season at The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Sunshine will perform a variety of her inspired songs for an evening of joy. With a name like Sunshine, the audience will surely leave with a smile.
Avery*Sunshine got her start in music at the young age of 7 when her mom said, ‘Look, if I buy that piano, you gon’ practice every day,’ and she did; earning her first music gig as a choir director at 13. Though it wasn’t until 2010 that Sunshine released her self-titled debut recording.
From there the accolades just rolled in, Sunshine won Best New Artist at the Reader’s Choice Awards in 2010. The following year, JET Magazine named her one of their five rising Indie Artists. Sunshine’s #1 hit single Call My Name from her critically heralded sophomore project THE SUNROOM, was awarded ASCAP’s Rhythm and Soul song of the year in 2016.
Flexing her theater and thespian skills, Sunshine starred in the musical drama, I Dream, in addition to appearing on BBC 2 Live with Jools Holland. Sunshine’s song Like This was featured in the TBS series, Franklin & Bash. Sunshine’s latest and third release is Twenty Sixty Four continuing her feel-good get downs and direct lyrics.
Funds for Avery*Sunshine were provided in part by the Kevin Jeske Young Artists Fund with additional support from The Theatre at Ace Hotel.
CAP UCLA’s Root series continues with Bill Frisell & Julian Lage Duo (Dec 5, Royce Hall), Toshi Reagan: Parable of the Sower (March 7, Royce Hall), and Perla Batalla: Discotella Batalla (Apr 18, The Theatre at Ace Hotel).
LENA WAITHE SAYS ‘QUEEN & SLIM’ IS A LOVE LETTER TO BLACK PEOPLE – WATCH
CALENDAR EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE:
CAP UCLA presents
Avery*Sunshine
Saturday, Nov. 23 at 8 p.m.
CAP UCLA at The Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA
929 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Program:
In a genre that is inundated with singers, Avery*Sunshine has forged a career by staying true to her musical vision. Fluent in many languages from soul and house to jazz and hip hop, she expresses herself with a voice that speaks boldly and tells a uniquely familiar story—a story about love and loss, healing and finding the newness of oneself in the midst of it all. Her repertoire features soulful, in-the-pocket R&B grooves, sublime ballads, exquisite arrangements with lush orchestration and exuberant, life-affirming gospel. The Atlanta-based singer/songwriter’s no-holds-barred signature sound has also garnered her acclaim from such pop luminaries as Patti LaBelle, Berry Gordy and Boy George. Career milestones include opening for Babyface at Madison Square Garden, performing for Smokey Robinson at his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tribute and taking the stage twice with the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Sunshine is joined by her musical partner (and husband) Dana Johnson, a classically-trained guitarist, gifted lyricist, producer and the man behind the tracks.
Tickets:
Tickets starting at $28
Online: cap.ucla.edu
Phone: 310-825-2101
The Theatre at Ace Hotel box office: Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; day of the show, 90 minutes prior to the event start time.
Artists website: Avery*Sunshine
About Avery*Sunshine
Some people have a calling that is undeniable and Avery*Sunshine is no exception. Yet the former church pianist/musical director, who scored a #1 Billboard chart hit, was at once a reluctant warrior. “I had no idea that my work in the church would prepare me to do what I do.” Bringing people together through her riveting stage performances, candid and often humorous stage banter and optimistic anthems about love and life is what Avery*Sunshine does best. In fact, she does it so well, that she has garnered praise from iconic musical figures like The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who raved, “I love Avery*Sunshine!” The Atlanta based singer’s no holds barred signature soul/R&B sound has also made believers of such luminaries as Patti LaBelle, Berry Gordy and Boy George who proclaimed on twitter “@averysunshine love this woman’s voice”. Avery*Sunshine and her musical partner (now husband) and guitarist Dana “Big Dane” Johnson, have collectively either collaborated and/or toured with everyone from Anthony Hamilton, KEM, Will Downing, Gregory Porter, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Babyface and Roy Ayers to B.B. King, Michael Bublé and Jennifer Holliday.
About The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles
The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles is Ace’s loving reanimation of the historic United Artists Theater. Built-in 1927 for the maverick film studio founded by Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, The Theatre stands as a monument to a group of seminal American artists — modern iconoclasts striking out on their own. Ace’s restoration of this majestic space serves as a singular stage for art, film, dance and creative celebration in the heart of the Broadway Theater District’s vibrant modern renaissance. View all upcoming events at The Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA at theatre.acehotel.com.
About CAP UCLA
UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) is dedicated to the advancement of the contemporary performing arts in all disciplines — dance, music, spoken word, and theater, as well as emerging digital, collaborative and cross-platforms — by leading artists from around the globe. Part of UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture, CAP UCLA curates and facilitates direct exposure to artists who are creating extraordinary works of art and fosters a vibrant learning community both on and off the UCLA campus. The organization invests in the creative process by providing artists with financial backing and time to experiment and expand their practices through strategic partnerships and collaborations. As an influential voice within the local, national and global art communities, CAP UCLA connects this generation to the next in order to preserve a living archive of our culture. CAP UCLA is also a safe harbor where cultural expression and artistic exploration can thrive, giving audiences the opportunity to experience real-life through characters and stories on stage, and giving artists an avenue to challenge assumptions and advance new ways of seeing and understanding the world we live in now.
source:
Geena Russo
Communications Manager
[email protected]
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