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The Oxted Sessions is both very honoured and very excited to welcome Chastity Brown this June.
"She is not only an artist of considerable merit, but one who possesses that indomitable spirit that defines the best singers and songwriters of past generations, those in particular that lay their feelings on the line." The Alternate Root
Hailing from Minneapolis, Chastity Brown has a sound that cannot be pigeonholed, incorporating Americana, soul, blues, roots & a dash of funk. Her music carries messages of love, hope and connection that resonate and rouse. Touring in support of her exceptional new album 'Sing To The Walls', Brown is visiting the Hurst Green Community Centre on Friday 2nd June.
As the daughter of a blues musician, Chastity Brown was born with an innate ability to channel complex circumstances into beautiful, uplifting songs. But after surviving the isolation of the early pandemic and witnessing the global racial reckoning that manifested itself in the riots mere blocks from her South Minneapolis home, even she is surprised to hear the way her new album Sing To The Walls turned out.
?It?s a love album, in a way I didn?t plan on,? Chastity says.
Like so many artists who endured the uncertainty of the 2020 lockdown, Chastity?s instinct was to turn inward, at first out of self-preservation, and then because the new songs kept coming and coming. Since finishing her last album, 2017?s Silhouette Of Sirens, she estimates she?s written nearly 100 new songs, 10 of which found their way onto Sing To The Walls.
Sing To The Walls is a sonically expansive album; it mines the roots of Americana, folk, and soul music, but Chastity?s stories are delivered in a style that feels remarkably timely, modern, and forward-thinking. "I celebrate the emotional richness in the tradition, but in my music I?ve committed myself to moving forward and reflecting the experiences of those overlooked by tradition."
Between writing sessions she?s been vibing to chilled out, forward thinking artists like Leon Bridges, H.E.R., SZA, and Daniel Caesar, taking their cue to expand beyond genre and her folk/roots history to encompass her appreciation of all Black American musical art forms. ?I also want to poke at what the blues is,? Chastity reflects. ?It has a lot of stereotypes, like it?s mostly only played by blue-eyed white guys now. But what about Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey? I feel so closely connected, in a pure, undeviating lineage, to the heritage of being a Black, queer blues woman. I want to share this music with them, to say that I?ve listened, and I?ve done something new.?
Praise for 'Sing to the Walls'
"Richness in tone, expressive lyrics & stirring melodies... A near masterpiece" Americana Highways
"Brown has produced something both timeless and universal. And, at times, subtly funky." Country Queer
"Brown pulls in neo-soul, folk, and blues... This is an album that refuses to dwell in desolation... A joy-filled experience". The Current, Album of The Week
Support comes from Moonshine & Molly.
Moonshine & Molly are an Oxted based, acoustic blues/rock duo, Martin and Mariam Mickels. They started performing together after they met in 2010, and some years later Moonshine & Molly was born. In 2014 they wrote and recorded their album ?Timeline? from their flat in Oxted and performed the full album in sequence live to a packed audience.
Martin has performed as a guitarist around the world with bands such as The Sweet, Michael Schenker Group and Statetrooper, and currently plays with local rock heroes Randy & The Rockets.
Mariam started out as a Cabaret singer on the London Burlesque scene performing at iconic venues such as Madame Jo Jo?s and the Battersea Barge. She currently makes up one third of vintage trio The Whiskey Sours.
Due to their other musical (and parenting!) commitments, Moonshine & Molly do not get to take to the stage these days as often as they, or their fans, would like, so this is a rare, and much welcomed, chance to see them live.
Group-save tickets are available, as are discounted tickets for under-25s. There will be a bar on site.
4 Oak Close,
Hurst Green,
Oxted,
Surrey,
England,
RH8 0BA.
Sorry, This Event is in the past!
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