Powersoul brings hip-hop, spoken word, jazz to Sebastopol

When musicians Eki’Shola and Kayatta Patton met with a local focus group this summer to brainstorm ways to support underrepresented performers locally, the two realized they shared a dream: to see Black women as headliners for Sonoma County’s big entertainment shows and music festivals.

Powersoul may prove to be their first stride toward that goal. The live music show will bring North Bay and Bay Area artists Eki’Shola, Patton, Erica Ambrin & The Eclectic Soul Project and DJ Dyops to Sebastopol’s HopMonk stage on Friday, Sept. 23.

“I hope people will see the significance of three Black women on stage,” said Eki’Shola, 45, of Santa Rosa. “I hope this isn’t it and it becomes the norm. I hope people of color will see us and be inspired to collaborate with others and put on their own show.”

“Powersoul” is a play on the word “powerful.” The intention is to feed audiences’ souls, Ambrin said.

“You can tell when Kayatta and Eki’ perform for people, they feel it in their soul,” said Ambrin, 36, who lives in Sebastopol. “There’s a kind of transcendence of energy coming from the music and into the people listening. So to have all three of us in one room share pieces of our music with people — it’s huge.”

Soulful tapestry

The artists will perform new songs at HopMonk, as well as covers and tunes from their older albums — songs and spoken word focused on community, healing and love, Ambrin said.

“I hope people can open their minds and hearts for healing during the show,” Ambrin said. “The music and the things we’ll talk about will be focused on healing. We want people to leave feeling fulfilled.”

Eki’Shola, a London-born vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who blends jazz, ambient tones and soul music, will perform her song “Dreaming” from her trilogy “Pieces.” Each album of the trilogy is inspired by her surviving and healing from the damage of the 2017 wildfires, when she lost her home, instruments and computer containing three albums’ worth of recorded music and lyrics.

Since Eki’Shola’s first performance at HopMonk in 2015, she’s performed in London, New York and across the Bay Area.

Ambrin, a Southern California-raised soulful singer and songwriter, will cover a song from Marvin Gaye and perform “Paper Crown,” her song about “putting gratitude first and enjoying the journey through life’s ups and downs,” from her 2018 album, “Lucid Dreamer.”

Patton, a West Oakland native with a strong stage presence and socially conscious lyrics, will perform her soulful single released in August, “Popcorn,” which is about appreciating the hard work we put into ourselves to become who we are.

The artists may surprise the audience with a collaborative performance together at the end, Patton said.

“This is a snapshot of what we envision in the long run, where we’re highlighted and the main attraction,” said Patton, 45, who lives in Berkeley.

That focus group last summer was the beginning, according to Patton. Kimzin Creative and On the Margins, Bay Area organizations that support diverse representation in the arts, had invited Eki’Shola and Patton to participate in the group of poets, musicians and visual artists in Sonoma County.

A month later, after a producer told Patton that HopMonk wanted to book the artist, she suggested that Ambrin be a part of the show, too. They invited Eki’Shola as well.

“There isn’t many of us (Black artists) here in Sonoma County, but there’s enough of us to be in the rotation of performers,” Ambrin said.

“Our voices need to be amplified. We have something to say.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. @searchingformya on Twitter.