This blog is by singer/songwriter/producer, Benita Charles Music. She shares her thoughts and views on life and music. She resides in Harlem, NY. Her debut CD, Moments In Love: Volume 1 is now available on CD Baby and iTunes.
The Benita Charles Trio @ Corkscrew Brooklyn Wines
The Power of Music: A special thanks to all who attended our show at Corkscrew Wines Brooklyn for the 13th annual Make Music New York festival. It truly was a night to remember and one of our best shows to date. One of the things that made this an exceptional show is the audience engagement we had. We literally had the whole street singing along on our songs. In addition to my original song, the Freedom Song. The crowd also sang along to the cover song I do "Work To Do." They were attentive and hanging on to every word and note. The crowd stayed through the full performance and requested an encore! Additionally, they even gave me valuable feedback at the end to make my show even better. It was so appreciated because it was given with love. One of the best compliments we got is the fact that even though we are a trio, we sounded like a full orchestra band and that we sounded very tight and in sync with each other. The highlight of the night was when one of the audience members approached us to tell us their mother, who was wheel chaired bound and passing through reacted to our music. She was told that she would die on Tuesday but she was determined to see her grandson's graduation and insisted on going. Her nurse was pushing her wheel chair past us when they stopped and listened to our song, "Work To Do." Her son told us that she reacted to the music and he was so excited about that! That touched my heart in such a way. I can't explain the joy I felt in knowing that our music reached her to give a reaction. That was the first time that had ever happened and it was truly a miracle. The power of music is incredible!!! A special thanks to the owner of Corkscrew Wines Brooklyn, Karin Holm Torres for requesting us and her staff for being so accommodating! They truly made us feel so welcomed. She said she wants us back. I'm looking forward to more collaborations. A special thanks to my band: Peter Archer (guitar) and Cheo (percussion) for their musicianship and professionalism. It's always a pleasure and thank you for the music! Thanks to all the new fans we made and our faithful fans. You truly make this journey so worth it! Last night's show was a message to me that I am on the right journey to changing the world through my music! I'm going to continue to "Let my Light Shine!"
A special thanks to all who attended our show for Make Music New York at the Clayton Williams Community Garden in Harlem! It was a lovely day in the garden of original music and some of our favorite classic songs. The audience enjoyed the show and we enjoyed bringing the magic to the audience. There were passerbys who stopped and stayed for the entire concert. Moving cars slowed to hear the music and out of sheer curiosity of what was happenning.
There was a gentleman named, Roland from Switzerland. He came to my concert because he missed the annual concert in his country. My concert provided comfort for him and he stayed for the entire concert! That was so awesome!!! I love the power of music.
A special thanks to my dear and talented friend, Marci Geller who came from Long Island! It was such a pleasure to see her at the show!
A special thanks to Preachermann of Preachermann and the Revival for blessing us with his presence! He is truly a powerhouse vocalist and we were happy to see him! For those of you who don't know, I sing background vocals in his music project. My stage name is "Motown Mama!" It's a dynamic show!
A very special thanks to my band, The Benita Charles Trio! Peter Archer (guitar) and Cheo Rodriguez (percussion) rocked the music with my vocals. It's a pleasure working with such talented musicians!
Thanks to all my fans and well wishers for your continuous support of my art! I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart!!!
Much love,
Benita Charles Music
"Spreading love through music for your inspiration and entertainment!"
Make Music New York 2018 with The Benita Charles Trio!
In celebration of the first day of summer, NY-vocalist, Benita Charles will present a special concert for the 12th annual Make Music New York festival on Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 5:00 pm at Clayton Williams Community Garden at 303 W. 126th Street (at Frederick Douglass Blvd.), in Harlem, New York City. (This is a free outdoor concert.)
At the show, Ms. Charles will present original music from her Moments In Love CD, her new single, Never Ever Give Up as well as songs from her favorite singers. The show will also feature musicians, Peter Archer on guitar and Cheo Rodriguez on percussions. For more information, visit:http://benitacharles.com
“I’m looking forward to bringing my music to the guests of the garden to spread joy!” – Benita Charles
About Make Music New York:
Make Music New York is a live, free musical celebration across the city that takes place each June 21st, the longest day of the year. On that day, hundreds of public spaces throughout the five boroughs become impromptu stages for over 5,000 free concerts.
A Soulful Experience in the Bronx: Preachermann and The Revival bring
atomic soul to the Soundview Park Art and Music Festival on July 2nd
for the July 4th holiday weekend.
Don't fight the chocolate! Join one of the hottest
bands in NYC for a soul-stirring show at the park. You have to see it to
believe it! Shalimar
The Preachermann and The Revival Band:
Ed Preachermann Holley, lead vocals
Benita Charles, background vocals
Amnel Holguin, background vocals
Jonah Rosenberg, piano
Joe Paldino, guitar
Nick Paldino, bass
Karl Watson, saxophone, violin
Manny Montanez, percussion
Tom Pope, drums
Performance Details:
Sunday, July 2, 2017 - 3:30 pm
Preachermann and The
Revival
Soundview Park Art and Music Festival
Bronx Rive Ave. (bet. Lafayette Ave and Surf Dr.)
Bronx, NY 10473
This year's Make Music New York concerts on June 21st were simply amazing!
I had a wonderful time at McKinley's Children's Garden in Jamaica Queens. Although the students were not there this year because they were practicing for their graduation, the audience that attended was very engaged and interested in my music. I sang to tracks of my original music and I ended with the cover, we are family. It was so much fun!
At Sister's Cuisine in Harlem, NYC later in the evening, the show was so interesting because we had people who attended the show and people who were passing through who all enjoyed and engaged with us. It was a great show with the Benita Charles Trio (Benita Charles, vocals, Peter Archer, guitar and Cheo, percussion).
Music has the power to heal, unite and touch lives. I am so grateful to be a music maker!
A Soulful Experience in the Bronx: Preachermann and The Revival bring
atomic soul to the Soundview Park Art & Music Festival on July 2nd
for the July 4th holiday weekend.
Don't fight the chocolate! Join one of the hottest bands in NYC for a soul-stirring show at the park. You have to see it to believe it! Shalimar
The Preachermann and The Revival Band:
Ed Preachermann Holley, lead vocals
Benita Charles, background vocals
Amnel Holguin, background vocals
Jonah Rosenberg, piano
Joe Paldino, guitar
Nick Paldino, bass
Karl Watson, saxophone, violin
Manny Montanez, percussion
Tom Pope, drums
Performance Details:
Sunday, July 2, 2017 - 3:30 pm
Preachermann and The
Revival
Soundview Park Art and Music Festival
Bronx Rive Ave. (bet. Lafayette Ave and Surf Dr.)
Bronx, NY 10473
Happy Summer!! It's finally here. My absolute favorite time of the year. Warm sunny days, longer nights and fun outdoors! I hope you are having a great summer!!
In celebration of the first day of summer, I will present 2 special concerts for the 11th annual Make Music New York festival on Wednesday, June 21, 2017! The concert is only days away and the excitement is building! It's an entire day of free music all over the city,
At 1:30 pm, I will present a fun-filled set at McKinley's Children's Garden in Jamaica Queens. It's been a couple of years since I've played there. This year they asked me back and I'm happy to return! It's always a great time with the children.
At 5:00 pm, I will be in Harlem for a soulful set at Sisters Cuisine on 124th Street. Looking forward to rocking the crowd on the street!
About Make Music New York:
Make Music New York is a live, free musical celebration across the city that takes place each June 21, the longest day of the year. On that day, hundreds of public spaces throughout the five boroughs become impromptu stages for over 1,000 free concerts.
For more information about Make Music New York, visit: http://makemusicny.org
I look forward to seeing you at the concerts!
Much Love,
Benita Charles Music
"Spreading love through music for your inspiration and entertainment!"
Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK 2017
McKinley's Children's Garden - 1:30 - 2:00 pm
108-56 Union Hall St, Jamaica, Queens
A large outdoor community garden in Jamaica, Queens.
(No cover)
NY-vocalist, Benita Charles presents a fun-fill set of original music, children's music and family- friendly fun.
Sister's Cuisine - 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
47 East 124th Street
NY-vocalist, Benita Charles presents a soulful set of original music and covers for a crowd- pleasing set in the park! You won't want to miss the fun with Peter Archer on guitar and Chao on percussions.
Beautiful Day: A special thanks to all who attended and supported my three performances for the 10th annual Make Music New York 2016 festival on Tuesday, June 21, 2016. It was such a wonderful day of great music and entertainment. I'm so honored to be one of the many hundreds of artists that provided free music to all New Yorkers on the first day of summer!
McKinley's Children's Garden (Jamaica, Queens):
My performance at McKinley's Children's Garden in Jamaica, Queens at 12 pm was so amazing. There were so many children from the area schools there. They were the most attentive and engaging audience ever! I warmed up the crowd with "If You're Happy & You Know It" and a game of Simon Says. The kids loved it. Then I introduced the first artist, Noni before my 30 minute set. In my set, I performed my original songs, "The Gift," "The Freedom Song" and "Never, Ever Give Up." I ended the set with my Prince tribute, "Kiss."
I learned from the producer, Fareed that the kids really enjoyed it my performance! That was great to hear!
Jackie Robinson Park (Harlem):
My performance for the Bea Montgomery's Mothership Connection Show at Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem at 4 pm was so much fun! It was a shorter set because I had another gig a couple hours later, but I made sure that I left an impact!
I opened with "I'm Going Down." Then I sang my original song, "Round and Round." I got a great response to my original song which was a huge compliment being that there was only a couple of people in the audience who knew me. I always like to perform for different audiences because it's then that you know where you stand in terms of connecting with an audience. I finished the set with my Prince tribute, "Kiss." It was well received.
It was so great to see my friend, Roxanne Candy at the show! I appreciate all the love and support of my friends and fans. A few of the audience members told me they enjoyed my performance and it really was a great feeling, especially since they didn't know me.
Bea told me when she interviewed me for her Mothership Connection TV show a couple of weeks ago that she wanted to me work the crowd and to warm up the crowd. I'm so happy I was able to deliver! Mist in Harlem for Uptown Funk:
My performance at Mist in Harlem at 6 pm was so amazing! For this performance, I performed with my band, The Benita Charles Trio - featuring Peter Archer (guitar) and Cheo (percussion). We rocked the streets of Harlem at Mist for a high-energy set.
At the show, I performed my original songs, "Round and Round," "Never Let Me Go" and "The Freedom Song" among other favorites. They were well received by the audience. I also was happy to perform my special vocal Prince Tribute (a cappella) which led to Prince's "Kiss" with my band. The audience thoroughly enjoyed it! We had a blast with the audience, many who stayed for the entire show. Others would dance to the music or smile as they passed by! It was an awesome sight to see. In the end, we accomplished our goal to bring music and joy to the people of Harlem! It was so wonderful to see all the smiling faces in the audience, especially my beautiful cousin, Mone Bourne! She took a great shot of the band for us.
A very special thanks to my band, The Benita Charles Trio! It such a pleasure to work with Peter Archer (guitar) and Jose Rodriguez "Ceo" (Percussion)!! These gentlemen are a joy to work. Not only are they great musicians but they are dependable and highly professional! I appreciate their time, attention and talent.
The staff at Mist was great. The Marketing Director, Ashon was very helpful in getting us set up before the show. They posted a great video of us on their site and shared it on all their social media. It was awesome to get the promotion.
There was a celebrity photographer at the show, Khris Conner from NAM (National Association of Merchants) who was covering various performances for Make Music New York for Uptown Funk (venues in Harlem). He specifically wanted coverage of the performances at Mist. He said he came at 11 am but that performance was cancelled. It just so happened he came back during my show! Lucky for me!!
Here's the link to Kris' photos: http://www.gettyimages.ca/galleries/search?phrase=Benita+Charles&family=Editorial&sort=
There was also a gentlemen from Germany, Atila Aksungur who took some
wonderful pictures of the band. He said he will send them to us next
week when he returns home.
Overall, the day was so incredible! It was more than I could have imagined. I met so many great people and provided great music to the world! I am so grateful for the gift of music. It touches lives and truly makes the world a better place!
Thanks to all who continues to support me and my music!! I love you from the bottom of my heart!
-- Much love,
Benita Charles Music
"Spreading love through music for your inspiration and entertainment!"
Benita Charles is a singer/songwriter/producer who resides in Harlem, NY. Her debut CD, Moments In Love: Volume 1 is now available on CD Baby and iTunes.
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