By Shantaja Brown
“A Night of Black Music: Iconic Black Artists Covered by Local Black Musicians” are the words I saw on a digital flyer my girlfriend sent me, and instantly, I knew I desired to be there. In the year and a half that I have lived in Boone, I’ve never seen a Black band or live music being played. So, as a Black woman, to have the opportunity of hearing live Black music being played, and more moving, to capture it, was something I could not allow my soul to pass up!
I walked into E-News, a local Boone coffee shop located on Howard Street at approximately 7:15 p.m., and the first people I see were three very beautiful Black women: Taylor Alexis Young (25), Johnee Jones (21), and Zeina Mvemba standing and harmonizing together. I also saw three Black men: one setting up the piano, Jay Archie (19); one the drums, Kendrick Davis (22); and one on the guitar, Alvin Carlisle (23). Formally, they are known as N.S.G., with the acronyms being a band secret. They were all cohesively dressed in green and black. So, effortlessly, they blended and become beautifully immersed and intertwined with the relaxing, naturistic E-News environment that is filled with various kinds of green plants. It is a sight that I have missed – a sight that felt like home.
It stood out to me that all three women were wearing hoop earrings. I explained later through conversation that most times outside of the Black community hoops are seen as “ghetto” or “trashy”, but in this context, hoops were represented in unison with a beautiful space, beautiful music, and beautiful people. So naturally, I was curious to know for Black women, what hoops represent? Zeina shared, “For me, it is self-expression. Yeah, some people do see them as being of this subculture, not as professional or whatever, but it’s just a way of expressing myself. It makes me feel like a quintessential Black girl like I got my BIG hoops on, and I feel good.” Taylor also answered “It’s deep; it’s real deep, and I feel like it’s African, too. To wear large jewelry, to adorn yourself with large statement pieces, to be expressive and not be afraid to share yourself with the world.”
Pretty quickly, there was a crowd of people packed to the back of the building and E-News darkened, with a few dim lights. What happened next enlightened this emotion inside of me! Johnee, Taylor, and Zeina start singing “I Feel Love” by Donna Summers”, and there was this feeling of aliveness inside of me that was also being felt by everyone in the crowd as we began to cheer. N.S.G. at that moment created a feeling of nostalgia through music so well that I felt like I was living through the 70s, 80s, and 90s. In that moment, it was as if they were reaching through and grabbing my soul, with music that Taylor describes as “Black American music; it’s the music that birthed everything else.” I became the passion of Kendrick’s drums behind “Talking about a Revolution” by Tracie Chapman. I experienced the cool soulfulness of Zeina’s voice singing, “I thought it was you” by Herbie Hancock. I gravitate towards the whimsical piano notes throughout “Green Eyes” by Erykah Badu being played by Jay. N.S.G. brought the songs back alive and peeled the layers of my soul back, one song at a time. It was a mix of R&B, soul, jazz, funk, and folk all wrapped up into a beautiful bouquet of vocal Black art and gracefully thrown into a diverse crowd of souls eager to catch every magical tune.
After the show the lights came on, not only was the room brighter, but every face in the building as well. I looked around, and I saw people from all walks of life. I see Black students, white E-News employees, older people who have come to support me, and Hispanic friends. Men and women mingling and mixing, laughing, and sharing and celebrating music, Black music to be specific. I was mesmerized by the amount of variation in a place and community that can be so polar opposite. Even more so, I was pleased to know that music is at the center of that variation.
In light of it being Black History Month and Women’s Month coming in March, I am witnessing barriers being broken down in this moment. Seeing that music can bring people from all backgrounds and races together is outstanding. Taylor agreed; she expressed, “I think this event paves the way for more Black music to be programmed at venues in Boone, and to know you don’t necessarily need a Black audience to be received. It’s good to know that the music holds weight and has merit anywhere with anybody. It just speaks to the power of music that it transcends cultural boundaries.” Zeina resonated with me as a Black woman who is unapologetically taking up space and conveyed “I feel like it’s really important to make a space where perhaps a space wouldn’t have been given to you, and I feel like this is what that was.” Lastly, Johnee touched on the emotions she felt while performing and making room for herself. Johnee exclaimed, “It was all the emotions, nervousness, but excitement. It was joyful because I was grateful to be around the people that I love and support me. I felt so grateful to be in that space.”
The next day, I reached out to Alvin via social media because I desired to know more about who N.S.G. was and how they came to be. From Alvin’s perspective, N.S.G. was created to have “a greater diversity in the Boone arts and music scene.” The band was originally formed to bring Black music to the awesome space, a room in the basement of the 641 RPM record store that puts on shows. I became aware that the Black music event was organized and sponsored by Awesome Space in collaboration with Alvin Carlisle. The most touching part to me was that not only did Alvin reach through and grab Kendrick and Jay, but when he asked Taylor Young to be a part of what is now known as N.S.G., she reached through and grabbed Zeina and Johnee.
N.S.G. is a Black music band that has so much to give to App State, Boone, and the music world that reaches souls from every corner of the earth. I had the pleasure of experiencing all that N.S.G. showered me with as a Black woman, an App State student, and an open soul. I know there is more to come, so I say we all should get ready to have our ears opened and our souls lifted.
You can book N.S.G. via email: Taykoralexisy@gmail.com or Instagram: @Tayloralexisyoung
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