Release bringing array of talent

 The show will be Saturday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall and is open to the public free of charge.

This marks the sixth year for Release, the creation of CSC student Jovan Mays. Mays, a member of the national champion Slam Nuba poetry team of Denver, will return for this year’s event, along with an array of other talented performers.

Marty Lastovica, a senior from Omaha who inherited the organizational duties of the event from Mays and also performs music, said the audience can expect another high quality event this year.

“We may not have quite as many performers as years past, but we have great quality,” Lastovica said.

Mays will be joined by Slam Nuba team members Ayinde Russell and Dominique Ashaheed. Earlier this month, Ashaheed won the Women of the World Poetry Slam in Denver.

Artists will come to Chadron from many directions, including Denver-area singers Martin Gilmore and Max “The Maykit” Winne, and Omaha-area favorites Kevin McClure and KB the Kid.

Many local performers are scheduled, including Alan Bird, Karl Minor, Freddie C, Travis Hencey, Jazzlynn Seumalo, Dave Hockenbary and students of the Pine Ridge Job Corps.

Lastovica said Release provides a venue for expression through the arts for performers from both near and afar, and is an unrivaled value for audience members. He describes the event as a “PG-13” affair, “safe for pretty much the whole family.”