FEATURED ARTIST ROSTER
supported & managed by RAILROAD HART
Nikara Warren
BLACK WALL STREET
Vibraphonist, composer, arranger, and educator Nikara Warren is a true Brooklynite. Born and bred in the eclectic and electric enclave, her family, her friends, her band, and her musical pedigree are a microcosm of the county at large. Her grandfather is world-renowned jazz pianist Kenny Barron, and she’s the daughter of a half Trinidadian soca/dancehall lover father, and a classic 1990s “Brooklyn ‘Round the Way” girl mother.
Nikara is taking vibes to the people with her infectious compositional sense, her post-modern patchwork of influences and cultural signposts, and her fearless musicality. Her bold quest comes from being well-versed in the vibraphone lineage, but seeking to adventure beyond it. Her debut album, Black Wall Street, represents a convergence of Nikara’s personal, cultural, familial, and musical journeys. Here, she explores abstract sound-collage, hip-hop, jazz, neo-soul, Afro-Latino and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and more. The through line here being for Nikara it’s all dance music. Her vision is cohesive but eclectic—just like how people’s identities are a product of their various heritages and associations.
Hailey Niswanger
MAE.SUN
MAE.SUN, alternately known as Hailey Niswanger, is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer. Fusing genres, MAE.SUN’s music is mindful and eclectic, with cosmic themes weaving throughout. Her music taps into the collective consciousness, serving as an engaging mediation for all. MAE.SUN’s debut album ‘Vol. 1: Inter-be’ was released in 2017, followed by ‘Vol. 2: Into The Flow’ in 2019, and Vol. 3 is projected to be released summer 2022. MAE.SUN has performed at notable venues in NYC, including Music Hall of Williamsburg, National Sawdust, and Bowery Electric. MAE.SUN has also performed at the BRIC Jazz Fest, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, Winter Jazz Fest, and WBGO’s The Checkout.
J. Hoard
NYC based artist, J. Hoard, gives the core of the Black church and allure of “The Great White Way” (Broadway) in each performance supported by original compositions and arrangements that shifts between genres. His credits include Chance the Rapper (J. Hoard is a songwriter and singer on the Grammy winning "No Problem"), Brasstracks, and hip-hop royalty Jean Grae & Quelle Chris. Additionally, he has worked closely with a host of jazz/experimental artists such as Javier Santiago, Jose James and Meshell Ndegeocello (vocalist on her Grammy nominated "Ventriloquism" album).
Kamilah
Bahamas-born, NYC-residing artist Kamilah defies genres just as she defies stagnant societal and cultural norms. Kamilah’s musicality is freewheeling, informed by her Caribbean roots and her eclectic musical upbringing.
Kamilah’s full artistic expanse includes being a vocalist, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, producer, director, and vocal producer. To date, she’s released the searching and soulful EP, Learning Curve, and the singles “On My Mind” and “So Long.”
Kamilah has won first place at the Apollo Theater’s notorious amateur night. She’s earned coverage in The Deli Magazine, The Tribune, and The Nassau Guardian-Pulse. As an in-demand backing vocalist, she has appeared on HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness, on the MTV Video Music Awards, on the film score for Last Black Man in San Francisco, on the soundtrack for DC Comic's latest installment, Birds of Prey, on Good Morning America, The View, and on Sirius XM Radio. Every Monday you can find her performing and creating music at the esteemed series “Producer Mondays” with modern soul star musicians Ray Angry and The Council of Goldfinger at the chic venue Nublu/ Studio 151.
DJL4
Hailing from Florida by way of North Carolina, DJL4 began his artistic journey in 2012 by creating a series of mixes called “The Best Of…” which included samples and mixes from “the best” tracks of various genres.
After debuting his first mixtape, “Best of Trap Music Vol. 1”, DJL4 quickly gained over 3 million views and began to dive deeper into his craft.
Since then, DJL4 has been pushing mix after mix with genre bending styles of mostly underground artists, reaching 30k subscribers and 10 million views on youtube alone.
DJL4’s newest series “Best of Chill Trap” has been expanding the boundaries of feel good music and continues to change the underground trap sound. The 3 Year Anniversary of The REVolution at National Sawdust in 2019 was the viral mixtape phenomenon’s first EVER live performance!!!!
Stay tuned for more mixes and music to come in 2021…
Brandon Kazen-Maddox
Brandon Kazen-Maddox is a Grandchild of Deaf Adults (GODA) and third-generation native signer of American Sign Language (ASL) who identifies as a Nonbinary, Black Indigenous Person of Color and a member of the LGBTQAI+ community.
From 2010 to 2017, Brandon worked as a professional circus acrobat in San Francisco, CA and honed their circus training and dance technique through various collaborations in theatre, film and opera. In May 2019, Brandon graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with an MFA in Dance and New Technology and currently works as a professional artist, choreographer, director, editor and nationally certified ASL interpreter both in New York City and remotely.
In the summer of 2020, Brandon became a co-founder of Up Until Now Collective, a newly-established non-profit organization focused on radical empathy and inclusion. Brandon collaborates with and provides opportunities for Deaf artists who share a passion for bringing artistic works of ASL Dance Theater to the stage, screen and beyond. Within their commitment to creating work for and with the Deaf community, Brandon also highlights and empowers BIPOC and LGBTQAI+ artists, building multicultural bridges of collaboration and community for artists of all backgrounds and abilities.
Brandon and Up Until Now Collective were recently commissioned by Broadstream, a new streaming platform that launched in September 2021, to create SOUL(SIGNS), a series of 10 ASL music videos featuring iconic songs by Black women, which was both featured in The New York Times, ABC World News, and in the Midnight Moment in Times Square throughout the month of July, 2021. Up Until Now was also commissioned by Boston Lyric Opera, Portland Opera, Opera Omaha and Opera Columbus to make a series of Opera ASL Music Videos called SOUL(SIGNS): OPERA and by Global Citizen to make a series of videos celebrating Pride 2022.
Throughout the summer of 2021, Brandon served as the lead liaison for providing ASL Services at The Shed, Little Island, Lincoln Center and the Park Avenue Armory, where they are bringing Deaf Directors of ASL into the inner workings of arts organizations themselves and integrating both the Deaf perspective and Deaf performers onstage, on camera and behind the scenes. Brandon will continue this work with their company, Body Language Productions, throughout the summer of 2022.
Brandon's work as an interpreter and social activist has been featured on CNN and they have appeared as a co-star in "The Good Fight" (CBS), “High Maintenance” (HBO) and “New Amsterdam” (NBC). Brandon was also a featured story-teller for the 100th episode of "Stories From The Stage" (PBS). They are also a recipient of the New England Foundation for the Arts Grant and an awardee of the 2022 cycle of the Creative Capital Award for the ASL Dance Theatre Reimagining of Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party. For more information, follow their Instagram accounts @bkazenmaddox !!