Kindred, the Family Soul Come to Southeast DC for Park Concert Series

Last year, on the hush, word circulated among those of us connected to the east of the river area that soul singer Raheem Devaughn was coming to southeast DC to perform in an impromptu concert. Last year was a re-election year for many of the city's councilmembers, so we looked at this as a re-election gimmick for the sponsoring councilmembers Kwame Brown and Yvette Alexander who were putting on the concert.

Those of us who attended the concert didn't really care though if it was a gimmick. We were so happy to have a high-quality act like Devaughn to be performing in the area for FREE that we lapped it up happily. The concert last year, which took place in Fort Dupont Park, off of Minnesota Ave., SE, was actually part of the summer concert series National Park Services puts on each summer.

However, the concert last year was the last of the series and actually different because the appearance of Raheem Devaughn was a deviation from the acts that typically are part of the Fort Dupont summer concert series. Most of the acts who appear at Fort Dupont are older acts that appeal to an older demographic between the ages of 45 and up. Raheem Devaughn, with his Marvin Gaye-esque vocal style has fans as young as the teens to the 40-somethings.

So, how happy we were to find out at the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest that just passed on July 25 that Kindred, the Family Soul was the surprise guest for the final day of the Fort Dupont Summer Concert series. Councilmember Yvette Alexander of Ward 7 let the cat of the bag happily and we spread the word immediately on Facebook. Kindred, the wife and husband music duo are a perfect end to a summer of soul! Make sure you bring your lawn chairs, blankets and plenty of H20 because this one is sure to be packed! Listen to some of their music HERE and Get details for today's event HERE.

W. Ellington Felton Directs New Raheem Devaughn Video , Verdict: We Like, We Like It!

Raheem Devaughn's new video "Four-Letter Word" is an artistic delight in its simplistic visual that shows us everything we really want to see-- Devaughn singing, seductively licking his lips and emoting as only he knows how. The sprinkle of four-letter words cascading down the screen are simple accents to a video that shows us just why we dig on Devaughn...he can sing, duh!

Directed by DC's own W. Ellington Felton,-- who in his own right is a talented triple threat as a singer, actor, and video director-- the video incorporates a sense of community as Felton cites names of his and Devaughn's fans underneath the chosen words that are showcased in the video. Yours truly was thrilled to see my name as one of the first featured as was, I'm sure, were other fans who were mentioned in the video after sharing through Facebook with Felton our favorite four-letter words.

With this video, Felton and Devaughn are choosing the route that many artists are choosing, whether they are indie artists or big label affiliated...and that is, include your fan base in whatever creative way you can fathom, it will reap rewards in the long run. This brings to mind such revolutionary acts such as Saul Williams and Radiohead.

Saul Williams' big deal promotion of his cult classic "Niggy Tardust" which included an initial free download may not have reaped in the big bucks first off, but the album has amassed such a following and familiarity with his work that I will guess the benefits will be far-reaching when it comes to his next project .

Liberated Muse says "kudos" to out-of-the-box" thinking artists who are bringing us their product all the way live, keeping their artistry intact, with integrity and with the public in mind and in the middle. We love you:-)