Release features diversity and talent

“Release elicits Chadron State and its community to an artistic and musical experience second to none within this region,” said Jovan Mays, senior at Chadron State College and coordinator and founder of the event.

“The theme ‘Release’ is very reminiscent of the artists who are all driven by their ability to emotionally capsize audiences,” Mays said. This year’s talent will continue to build on to Mays’ overall concept of expression through diversity.

Last year’s show brought nearly 600 in attendance, featuring more than 15 national and regional artists. The talent ranged from hip-hop to poetry to country to Rhythm and Blues to bluegrass.

“The concert was really well done,” said graduate Jesse Hamer, in a press release after last year’s show. “It was two hours well spent.”

“Release” has been somewhat of a catalyst for the arts in Chadron, Mays said. The show sparked new interest in performance, which became evident in this year’s Sigma Tau Delta’s open mic events at the Bean Broker. Local talent, including both faculty, students and community members, poured into the coffeehouse to perform each month bringing in numbers ranging from 30 to more than 60.

This year new artists from outside the Chadron area will include poets Ian Dougherty and Stacy Dyson. Returning artists include musical artist Martin Gilmore, The Denver Slam Nuba and the Thunder Valley Dancing Divas.

Mays said that while Denver Slam Nuba performed at last year’s “Release,” this will be the first year the entire team will perform. Slam Nuba is a competitive national poetry team out of Denver sponsored by the Pan African Arts Society. Slam Nuba is an award winning and nationally certified poetry team, which placed fourth in the nation in 2007 and making it to the semifinals for the second year in 2008 at the National Poetry Slam.

Slam Nuba will be joining “Release” the day after the team’s big honor, Mays said. The team will be opening for renowned author, poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron on May 1. One of Heron’s famous pieces is “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” Mays said this work and many others are studied by artists around the world.

From the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, returning artists the Thunder Valley Dancing Divas will also join the stage. The Dancing Divas use the art of dance to express their own message.

“The Thunder Valley Dancing Divas don’t have to write some compelling song put to acoustic guitar. They just go out there and dance,” Mays said. “Anybody who knows the region they’re coming from can see the beauty in that youth and vibrance.”

This year’s “Release” will also feature several many local artists returning to the stage including Ben Treffer, Tim Nolting and Deb Carpenter-Nolting, Julie Watts, Jessi Doke, Travis Hencey, Amanda Morris, Chris Van Dyke, Shaun Marie and Kent Kelso. Also performing are special guests Donna Hoppens, director of Consuming Fire Dance Studio and Jolana Milburn and the Tumble Time Kids. New artists joining the “Release” show are Colt Spence, Josh Dorr, Alan Bird and Jazzy Seumalo. These artists, Mays said, are locally found treasures from Sigma Tau Delta’s open mic night events.

“Release is a presentation designed to promote expression and diversity here at Chadron State College. With an array of aspiring and credited musicians and artists ranging from acoustic guitar players to spoken word poets to hip hoppers to jazzers to cowboy poets to pianists this show is surely to spark the minds of the community,” says Mays’ mission statement.

“Musician and Revolutionary Ben Harper once said, ‘Music is the last true voice of the human spirit. It can go beyond language, beyond age, and beyond color straight to the mind and heart of all people.’ ‘Release’ has and will always be based on that premise,” he said.

Admission for “Release” is a free will donation. Merchandise for fans of several of the artists will be on sale. “Release” is sponsored in part by Student Senate, the Diversity Committee and Sigma Tau Delta.