This Saturday the Brewery Arts Center brings in two-time Grammy-nominated artist Rocky Dawuni for the Levitt AMP Concert Series. The Afro roots musician will be coming straight from his home country of Ghana to Carson City to kick off his U.S. tour. He said he is excited to bring his version of African music and to be playing here for the first time. “I’m bringing unfiltered African energy and African power,” he said. “I feel we are at a time that we need the power of music to elevate ourselves and be an inspirational tool to people.” GLOBAL MUSICIAN Dawuni has performed in Africa, Europe and the United States. CNN named him one of Africa’s Top 10 global stars. Through his global reach, he uses his music to shine a light on issues facing humanity across the globe. He says the U.S. appreciates diversity and global sounds. “I feel that the type of music I play connects people on a much higher level because the music is not only about us being in a space celebrating ourselves,” he said. “It is also a higher calling for an opportunity to see who we are and connect to people in a much deeper way.” EXPLOSIVE ENERGY Dawuni said his concerts are full of energy with a big band and music to get people dancing. “They’re exciting; they’re explosive,” he said. “At the same time too, they are inspirational. For me, music is power for social transformation.” He said his concerts will take people on a journey and they should be ready to dance. “It’s about movement and dancing and elevation and something much higher,” he said. “They should be poised for a very exciting experience.” The band includes eight members. They’ll have drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, horns and backup singers. Dawuni leads the show with his vocals. “I let the band do what they do, and I do what I do, and together we have that beautiful chemistry of sounds and energy,” he said. “It’s really a beautiful thing to behold.” THE MUSIC He started his career in Africa and he said he had a vision and worked toward it by pushing the boundaries of his sound and being innovative. He said the effort helped his longevity as an artist and the ability to create new heights. He’s released eight studio albums and gained more attention with his recent releases. The Grammys recognized Dawuni earlier this year with a nomination, which was the second of his career. The most recent album Voice of Bunbon, Vol. 1, was nominated for Best Global Music Album. His album Branches of The Same Tree, released in 2015, was nominated for Best Reggae Album. He said he appreciates his hard work being recognized by the industry. “It shows my investment in creativity and also working hard to spread my music around the world,” he said. “It has been a global resonance, and I am very happy for that.” FUTURE MUSIC While he tours, he will be working on a follow-up to his last album, titled Voice of Bunbon, Vol. 2. He said he hopes to have some singles together to share soon, but he is in no rush and will share it when it is ready. “We’re formulating and crafting a new body of work that has new, strong and really incredible music that we can’t wait to share with people when the time comes,” he said. When asked about following this album following a Grammy nomination, Dawuni said it is more important to reflect what is going on in the world and utilize music to combine mind, vision and his perspectives that can stimulate conversation and elevate consciousness. Instead of focusing on awards, he is focused on his art. “The main thing is you have to go in and put your heart and soul into the creativity,” he said. Local band Moxy Ruckus will open the show. Learn more about them at https://moxyruckus.com/
IF YOU GO WHAT: Rocky Dawuni at Brewery Art Center’s Levitt AMP Concert Series WHERE: The Change Companies Stage, 449 W. King St. at the Brewery Arts Center WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 2 MORE INFO: rockydawuni.com breweryarts.org
