The members of Mourning (A) BLKstar. The band’s singular style is inspired by the music of the African Diaspora. Photo courtesy of Bobby Murphy
A nine-member, internationally touring Afrofuturist collective will be joined on stage at Space next week by Portland keyboardist Kafari for a performance that promises to permeate the audience with both energy and a message.
“If you are looking to go to a show that is in conversation with both independent art and what Black folks in this country are currently going through, this is a good experience to have,” said Dante Foley, drummer for Mourning [A] BLKstar.
The band is set to play the Portland venue at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 20 – its first time performing in Maine since before the pandemic.
Mourning [A] BLKstar was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2016, and the group’s vocalists, horns and rhythm players take on a wide range of genres.
“We like to describe ourselves as a multi-generational project, mostly centered on the music of the African diaspora,” said Foley. The group combines Afrofuturism, neo-soul, old jazz and more into one cohesive sound that Foley calls “a nice gumbo.”
Local music fans might be more familiar with Kafari, a Portland-based artist with a captivating, barebones sound, who first toured with Mourning [A] BLKstar in 2017 and has become “a member of our chosen family,” Foley said. “He became super close to all of us in varying ways.”
The friendship between the group and Kafari translates to their music, and thanks to Kafari’s improvisation skills, Foley said, every show with him is a “different experience.”
“Kafari as a human being is one of the most empathetic and thoughtful people that I’ve ever had the experience of meeting,” Foley said. “That definitely comes across when I’m playing with him.”
But something that’s the same of every Mourning [A] BLKstar show is how the musical joy of the band spreads to audiences – Foley’s favorite aspect of performing with the group.
“A large part of what makes being in this band so fun is when we’re on stage everyone has their favorite part of the song that someone else is playing,” they said. “And we want to extend that to the audience.”
While the band is focused on pushing performance forward and combining past genres into a unique sound, it’s not just about how they sound but what they’re saying. The group’s music persistently comments on oppression and social issues in the country. The band’s website says that the group is dedicated to “sharing stories and songs of America’s unfolding apocalypse.”
Mourning [A] BLKstar with Kafari
8 p.m. Thursday, July 20, Space, 538 Congress St., Portland; $15 in advance, $18 day of show, $2 off for Space members. space538.org
Send questions/comments to the editors.
