Fri Oct 13, 2017

7:00P - 10:30P

25th Street Recording Studio - Oakland California

“Music Action Lab is a life-changing experience and a fantastic platform for artists to learn and act.”

—Farhan Bogra
Music Action Lab 1.0

“As a partner at innovation think-tank Prototype Thinking Labs, we work with hundreds of social entrepreneurs, startups, and companies every year. The Music Action Lab Fellows stood out like a lantern for their depth of character, wisdom, and commitment. In a space where “passion” and “impact” can just be buzzwords, I was so impressed with this community’s deep entrenchment in on-the-ground action, just as I was with the profound kindness that permeated the space. These are people who don’t quit-- and not because they are trying to make the “next big thing”, but because they are trying to make the next unsexy thing that has to happen and can feel that need in their bones. This is the right way to do diversity.”

— J Li, Managing Partner, Prototype Thinking Labs

Launched in Fall 2016, the Music Action Lab is a social justice-focused music incubator for talented musicians around the world to come together for a month of musical and social innovation that culminates in new, original music advancing local and global issues.

Participating musicians in the Lab are selected by competitive application and drawn from explicitly diverse geographic, musical, social, and ethnic backgrounds to heighten the challenge of artistic inquiry, and the promise of artistic excellence.  Selected members split their time on a daily basis between interactive learning sessions facilitated by social impact experts drawing from academia, the arts, culture, media, and activism fields (in the mornings); and collaborative music-making under the mentorship of professional recording artists (in the afternoons).  In addition, the residency features weekly “Music Action Live” sessions that provide participants a hands-on experience in one aspect of utilizing music in a community setting.

The 2017 Music Action class features musicians from Africa (Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania), Europe (Kosovo), Asia (Armenia), South America (Nicaragua), and the USA. Faculty features multi-GRAMMY nominated drummer Eric Harland, longtime member of the country’s leading jazz ensemble SFJAZZ Collective, and social entrepreneurship expert, author, and NYU Professor of Social Entrepreneurship Jonathan Lewis.

Coming together from four continents and highly diverse musical backgrounds, the Music Action Lab Fellows embarked on a rigorous but joyous process of collective, collaborative music-making—with the added dimension to focus their compositions to address, advance, inspire, and respond to social justice issues. In partnership with 001, the ACTION LAB 2.0 collective will be recording newly composed original music and filming a video of the recording. 

COLLECTIVE

Rona Nishliu : Vocals (Kosovo)

Delasi: Rap, Vocals, Mbira (Ghana)

James Brandon Lewis: Sax (USA)

Sevana Tchakerian: Accordion, Vocals, Flute (Armenia)

Avery Waite: Cello (USA)

Kauzeni Lyamba: Flutes, Sax, Percussion, Vocals (Tanzania)

Kasiva Mutua: Percussion, Vocals (Kenya)

Erika Oba: Piano, Flute (Japan/USA)

Ernesto "Matute" Lopez: Drums (Nicaragua)

Chris Bastian: Bass (USA)

What's in it for you: as a doubleOone member, you will attend a 4 hour recording session in a state of the art studio, and share this unique moment with a band as they record a track, and work together to reach excellence.

You will be in the recording room with the musicians as they play, next to the percussions, facing the bass and guitar players, and surrounded by a violinist and saxophonist. You will find that studios are sanctuaries, places where time flows at its own natural pace, and where true inspiration is captured in sound and music.

If you are a musician yourself, we might even have a surprise for you. The recording is followed by a cultural chat and a Q&A session, addressing creativity, emotional labor, art and life choices, communication,  practice, inspiration, achievements and the road to one's true calling, ambition and mastery.

*Our recording sessions standards: you will attend the recording session with a small doubleOone group (only 20-25 spots available/recording), and engage in creating genuine music. Catering and wine will be served.