'Release' to promote expression, diversity

Jovan Mays of Aurora, Colo., a 2004 graduate of Smoky Hill High School who is studying to be a history teacher, said he organized the show to bring out the humanitarian aspect of the audience by “bombarding” it with various musical genres, personalities and approaches. Mays is building on the success of last year’s show which drew an audience of more than 300.

This year’s show will feature more than 15 artists. The list includes local talent with ties to Chadron State, and artists from out-of-state who will be visiting Chadron for the first time. The acts include an array of music ranging from bluegrass to hip hop, and poetry ranging from “cowboy” to “slam.”

“I’ve tried to find performers who will open their hearts and lay it all out there with compelling lyrics that come from the soul,” said Mays, who is a senior and a member of CSC’s football and wrestling teams.

Mays, who recites poetry and music, will join repeat musicians Jessi Doke of Wausa, Deb Carpenter-Nolting of Bushnell, Ben Treffer of Scottsbluff and Martin Gilmore of Arvada, Colo., in the show. New acts include the Chadron rock band Emblem Exits, Chadron singer and guitarist Jolana Milburn, hip hop singer Conrad “Cipher” Bravo of Scottsbluff, cowboy poet Tim Nolting of Bushnell, musician Matt Lentz of Ainsworth, musician Chris Van Dyke of Benkelman, Denver’s Café Nuba National Slam Poetry Team and the Thunder Valley Dancing Divas of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Emblem Exits consists of Chadron State students Travis Hencey and Kent Kelso, and their friend Alex Keller, a student at Chadron High School. A number of the other artists have Chadron State ties, as they are either students, alumni or former instructors of the institution. In addition to Mays, they include Milburn, Doke, Carpenter-Nolting, Treffer, Lentz and Van Dyke.