Beautiful Eulogy is a Portland, Oregon-based group made up
of artists Braille, Odd Thomas and Courtland Urbano. The group introduces a distinct and directive sound that’s driven by a
desire to worship and glorify the God of the Bible, based in the context of its members’ hip-hop roots and shaped by influences like
electronic music, folk songs and old hymns. The natural way Beautiful Eulogy came together parallels its organic creative
process. As its members cooperated on various musical and church-related projects, they realized their chemistry and the
opportunity before them to form a completely collaborative group that would emphasize a new gestalt — one that would allow them to
steer away from a pure hip-hop trajectory while holding onto its origins, and that would free them from the courses of their solo
careers while applying their individual talents to a collective. “We’re reinventing ourselves together,” the group
says. Its members enjoy their creative freedom within self-imposed boundaries, by predefining their work’s message, sound and
purpose. This type of intentionality is central to the way Beautiful Eulogy creates songs, settling on concepts and driving
them through a process and reprocess of musical and lyrical shaping. The resulting tracks are lyric-driven, but contain an
equally deliberate musical backdrop. This panorama enhances and clarifies the presentation of weighty spiritual and
theological truths, inviting listeners into the artists’ ideas about and experiences of God. Listeners may have first heard
Beautiful Eulogy on Rapzilla’s King Kulture compilation, or featured on “Misconceptions,” a track from Lecrae’s Church Clothes
mixtape. Beautiful Eulogy’s debut album, Satellite Kite, serves as a foundational prototype of the group’s approach
and ambition.
Jeremiah “JGivens” Givens was born in Los Angeles. During
the early 1990s Los Angeles experienced an all time peak of gang violence and drugs; to avoid this, at the age of five is
mother relocated to “Sin City” Las Vegas. Although Las Vegas proved to have much less gang violence than Los Angeles, sex,
drug, and perversion were still inescapable for youth there. JGivens was raised in a single-parent Christian family and was
taught from the Bible at a young age by his mother. From elementary school, Givens would live to aspire to be a mechanical
engineer specializing in rollercoaster and ride design. By the end of high school, Givens was a youth leader and minister at
his church, graduated with honors at the top of his class, led a prolific youth ministry and community service outlet, played in the
city Honors Orchestra, was admitted to the University of Southern California – Viterbi School of Engineering, and would be expelled
from school his senior year for drug possession and sent to opportunity correctional school—not quite the perfect all-American
picture, but where sin abounded, grace abounds moreover. In lieu, Givens would soon continue on to the University of Southern
California where he continued to be heavily involved in academics and community, yet continued to recreationally use and sell drugs,
party, and practice sexual immorality. But God never ceased to speak to Givens even in his complacent lifestyle of sin. In
his fourth year at the University, Givens began to fully surrender to Christ in his actions and lifestyle, and began to shed the
secret sins that he was indulging in. A fast would change the complete spectrum of Givens’ future. During a time of
fasting God revealed something COMPLETELY NEW to Givens’ life—the gift of lyricism. Givens had never rapped and officially
written any piece until this time period. His friends encouraged him to get a cheap microphone and make a Mixtape, and so he
did. The response was surprisingly positive, so in his final semester of engineering school, JGivens began to compose a
mixtape. He released it in June of 2010 just post graduation and the journey in music began there. Givens has spent
his his post-graduate years persuing music and outreach in Las Vegas.
Segment of Society Productions presents Songwriter's Circle Nick Ivanovich
(Indianapolis) Kristen Ford
(Boston) Shane Del Bianco
(Columbus) Wisdom and Folly
(Indianapolis)
Friday, July 25 | 8:00p | free
Through the years his musical pursuits have taken Nick Ivanovich to performing
“Rock and Roll”, Gospel, Folk, and Bluegrass. Today his contemporary style of Folk Music is an amalgam of all these musical
types, and yet distinct and individualized in its presentation. His songs paint a landscape of the multiple dimensions of the
human condition as well as expressing empathy with its commonality.
Nick has been musically active for over 30 years, and his songs reflect the peaks and valleys, and everything in between, along
life’s journey. Also, his work as a psychotherapist interacts with that artist within, often adding to the counseling
repertoire and enriching the moment.
Kristen Ford delivers a high energy set of indie rock. She lives for
live performance, her passion and charisma shining forth on stage both solo or with her band. Her hooks will linger in your
mind, blending genres from folk to reggae to rock. Where she's from is a long story. Let's just say Boston was home
for five years, and she's currently on the road full time, which feels just as homey as anywhere.
Music has been part of Shane Del Bianco's whole life. Heremember listening
to Jimi Hendrix and Elton John records with his mom. Music was always more like a friend than anything. He studied
music formally to unlock parts of Shane that wanted to be expressed. Shane learned that art is a frustrating journey, that is
more about sorting out what’s inside than what you present to the outside. That discovery, challenge, calling is his passion
and he hears it in everything he does.
They met while attending Anderson University. As they got to know each other they realized they shared some similar
experiences. Caleb survived Bacterial Meningitis and Amy, childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. They both grew up in
Christian homes with parents who encouraged their love for music and songwriting.
Together they have experienced a rollercoaster of heartbreak and healing, and the beauty of grace and redemption. Their songs
are an honest reflection of their personal struggles as individuals and as a married couple, as well as life experiences they've
witnessed through others.
The idea for the name Wisdom and Folly stems from Proverbs 14:8: "The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,
but the folly of fools is deception". *mbs['Over the course of their individual lives and marriage Caleb and Amy have experienced
the tragedy of foolishness and the sweetness of wisdom. The battle between wisdom and folly is ever present, but they bear the
marks of forgiveness and their music is, and will continue to be, a truthful reflection of that struggle.
For so many of today’s youth, they are forced to live in a world where they can’t simply express who they are, who they want to be,
or the direction they plan to go into to get there. For so many, the “norms” of life force them into hiding where they are
left feeling beaten down, bullied and downtrodden by society. For this unfortunate majority, the real person in them stays
locked away behind a series of MASKS which inhibits them from enjoying the riches life provides. For Tulsa, Oklahoma’s
Outline In Color, the time is now to let their heartfelt emotions out through
their musical power. For Outline In Color, the time is now to shed their MASKS.
“It really seems that these days the bands that are just completely honest and real are starting to be the bands that have long
lasting careers,” admits Outline In Color vocalist K.C. Simonsen. “It's really encouraging for a young band of dudes that
genuinely love what we do to see the bands we admire not just for their music, but also their passion succeed.”
This honesty is easily identifiable in their music. With MASKS, Outline In Color have taken a more organic approach to their
music than they did previously to create what most feel is their strongest work to date.
Most unfamiliar with Lancaster County, Pennsylvania typically associate it with sprawling rural environments and Amish
populations. Those who have spent time in the central PA location can speak of an entirely different portrait of
Lancaster. They have experienced the "big city" atmosphere mixed with the earnest hard work ethos of a small
town. They know of the thriving and vibrant downtown arts and music scene, which has produced a number of ground breaking
local music acts. They can also tell you the benefit of its close proximity to 5 major US cities. It is this blend of
circumstances that established the creative approach, broad vision, and DIY principles of
This Or The Apocalypse. :They are a band that exhibits the
patience and dedication to step outside the box to create something both heavy and unique. Their craft of song is
intelligent, scathing, honest and even uplifting.
“While the core of the songs retain the trademark TOTA sound, each member made a commitment to push their individual arrangements
and performances well beyond any previously established boundaries. The synergy between the band and the co producers was
the perfect storm of aggressive and creative youth coupled with experience and wisdom. The blistering ensemble of tracks will
undoubtedly blaze a new path for the band and turn the world of aggressive music upside down.
They met while attending Anderson University. As they got to know each other they realized they shared some similar
experiences. Caleb survived Bacterial Meningitis and Amy, childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. They both grew up in
Christian homes with parents who encouraged their love for music and songwriting.
