Sherita explores the acoustic sounds of Macedonia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and the Middle East.


Sherita is:
Rima Fand – violin, voice
Greg Squared – clarinet, voice
Renée Renata Bergan – percussion, voice
Adam Good – ud, tambura


Sherita, named for a pink, fossil fuel dinosaur whose portrait has adorned a Brooklyn billboard since the 1970s, gathers inspiration from the sounds of bygone eras to create music that is alive in the present moment. Through exploration of the acoustic traditions of the Balkans and the Near East, Sherita makes original music that is at once both ancient and modern; by turns haunting, exuberant, enchanting. This quartet opens a musical time capsule, sent for posterity. The old songs and dances they find inside come to life again, and give rise to new ones. The world of an aging billboard is reborn in the present-day city. If you want to come hear us live (which you do, of course), like us on our Facebook page to find out about events.

In the Georgian language „Veli Ulevi“ means „inexhaustible field“, which is a fair descriptionof the work of Russudan Meipariani and Zura Dzagnidze. The band is supported by Fabian Wendt (bass) and Jörg Bielfeldt (drums) since 2012. Their deep understanding of classicalmusic, composition, Georgian folk music, Jazz and experimental music brought the two Georgian musicians together.The music of „Veli Ulevi“, opens a new frontier which goes far beyond present musical to an intense, enchanting, touching but also challenging musical experience.

Russudan’s siren-like voice, which lies somewhere in between fragility, abstraction and raw emotion, is accompanied by the extraordinary rhythms and harmonies of Zura’s guitar and Russudan’s piano, organ and keyboard. Zura’s “tapping” techniques open new and exciting dimensions of guitar playing. The duo’s performance also includes the use of less common instruments such as: Xylophone, thumb piano, toy piano and electronically synthesized sounds. The audience is literally faced with “folk music from outer-space“. Fabian on the fretless bass, with his fabulous playing up in the higher register and groovy riffs transfers the compositions to the next level of sound and feel. And Jörg on drums fires the beats, which under Russudans floating vocals start breathing and turn (awake) into a percussive monster machine. This broad and versatile music sends their listeners on a journey over trees, behind hidden doors and to the edges of dreams.


                      In the Kingston community of Waterhouse Cecile and Janet were proud parents of Ricardo A. Mills, musically christened LeJahni. One of eight siblings according to Miss Janet, LeJahni was singing before he could speak. She recalls him following her around the house humming and making sounds long before he could form words. Like many before them his parents migrated in 1987 to Brooklyn New York leaving LeJahni and his siblings to become what is commonly known in Jamaica as barrel children. LeJahni would eventually reunite with his parents in 1989 allowing New York to become his new reality
Though the lights, sounds and pace of Brooklyn were exciting and in many ways alluring, memories of Jamaica were a constant theme for LeJahni. He recalls among his fondest being in his father’s shop where musicians would frequent and his wanting to be like them. The musical connection was never really made though until he heard the enchanting sounds of Garnet Silk. His words and melodies so impacted LeJahni that he was then convinced that the world of music is where he should be. After moving to Brooklyn, NY, LeJahni found the promise of living in the United States was not what he anticipated. Life was hard, and the pursuit of the American dream seemed unattainable. To him as a young teen the temptation to ease the strain in ways that were'nt legal were ever present. And eventually he succumbed to the streets complete with its trappings of the fast cars, faster girls and the overall high speed life style. This was not without its risks and challenges and at age 19 it all came crashing with a 12 year sentence that would not only rob him of his youth but disappoint the people who loved him.
The chapter of realization: Despite its obvious drawbacks being away brought about the necessary self improvement tools useful not only for survival in the hostile prison environment but also for life beyond the prison walls. The Bible and a spiritual awakening along with completing his education kept him focus and the promise of making well on life gave him hope. It is in this context that music called once again and the realization that LeJahni could be a useful vessel for the delivery of uplifting and prevention messages for the next generation of would be and wanna be bad boys and girls. Everyday brought opportunities and LeJahni took every moment to hone his craft. The spirit of Garnet once again came to life the message of Marley took hold and the energy of all those who made a mark in the upward mobility of the downtrodden all played their roll. LeJahni was now not just a statistic but a man with a mission and a plan.
In May of 2008, after 12 years of incarceration LeJahni was released and returned to Jamaica. Being away for 20 years from his home land, he felt like a foreigner in a strange land. The world had changed a lot and the harsh realities of life brought constant memories of his time behind bars. He refused however to allow that to be an obstacle in his life. Instead he focused and builds on to the vision he had so carefully crafted. He then took stock by acting upon it. He would then joined with other artistes and took his experiences to mentor youngsters caught in the vicious cycle of crime encouraging them to take advantage of the school system and all it has to offer. His commitment to this project brought him to Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre, and several group homes and schools across Jamaica. With this mission and music he is now able to give back to society while realizing his dreams. The New Beginning:
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Tony Rebel, Queen Ifrica, Garnet Silk                            

I am part Sicillian Italian and Lebanese. My grandmother Mary's maiden name was Vassallo (Sicilian Italian).  Their main home was in Jamaica Plain Boston their summer home was in Pembroke, MA.  I loved going to my grandparents home. My grandparents were excellent at cooking. We would have a full course meal of appetizers, bread, soup, salad, pasta, meat and dessert.  My grandma was good friends with Joseph Bonanno. My great grandfather was Dominic. He came over on the boat from Sicily, Italy. My grandfather's name was Wehbe (meaning God's gift in Lebanese). When his parents came over on the boat from Lebanon, the name changed to Weatherbee (an English name).

At age five I started drawing. I continued through college. As a teenager, I started to write poetry. I also kept a dream journal and wrote short stories from it. I always wanted to write novel. I did have a poem and short story published in college in the school magazine. I also love to gourmet cook, bake. I was involved in tap, ballet, jazz, acting, violin, modeling. I love to learn. I like to read biographies. I also love all different types of music. I like to garden. I love to excersize. I go to the gym and sprint an hour on the elliptical. 

My parents were Catholic. I used to go to Holy Family Church. My dad later decided to go to a small protestant family church. I always had a close friendship with Jesus. My dad got involved with Amway when the company first started. I started going to the seminars with my dad at as young as a toddler. My dad was friends Rich Devos, Jay Van Andel and Dexter Yager. I always liked going to the seminars because I would learn a lot about keeping a good attitude, capitalism, sales, marketing, business and nutrition. This is how I got interested in nutrition. I studied quite a bit on my own growing up and still do. I eventually wanted to be a nutritionist, chiropractor, massage therapist. I went to school for liberal arts for two years. Then I went to school for biochemistry with a minor in health management resources. My dad's involvement with Amway influenced me in sales and marketing field for 15 years. I had tried network marketing on my own. I liked selling nutrition & environmental products. Sales, marketing & business were a skill to me, not a passion. I worked in the field for 15 years doing telemarketing, temporary work. I also did customer service and secretarial through temporary agencies. When I worked at a company for 10 yrs, I did some training, customer service, business to business marketing. I found I liked training, teaching people and customer service in the industry. I do not like the way the sales, marketing and business market has changed. It has become very impersonal. I do not like the way companies treat their employees now. I am old school on this. I believe in becoming friends with your clients and employees and people do not want to be sold. I changed from that field to go into companion & personal care. I liked the companion care aspect. I did not like the PCA part of it. I am spending time taking care of my two beautiful children. My daughter Victoria whose now 15 reminds me a lot of myself in all the good ways growing up. My son Keil whose now 13 is also creative. They both love to write, draw and read. gymnastics, swimming, soccer, field hockey, and track growing up. 
I really don’t care about having a fortune or about fame. It isn’t what is truly important in life. I do like to help others whom are less fortunate whom need the money. I also understand what it is like to have nothing. I went through a very hard time with my ex husband whom was abusive. He left my daughter, son and I destitute at one point. This was a much different experience than growing up in Duxbury. 

I definitely learned many things the hard way. Especially, whom your real friends are. Also, to be safe from abusive people. I am thankful for the The faithful people whom saved me life literally from the people who hurt me. I am also thankful for all the blessings that I have.

Smokey Jones is an anomaly—more accurately, an anachronism. She is not an internet sensation. Nor is she the most recent candidate cast off a talent show.  And her music and personality are both wonderfully free of the constructs and artifacts of playing the game. Her rise is the stuff of fairy tales, the sort of dreamweaving that inspires kids to pick up a microphone in the first place. Someone heard her sing, ushered her cross country to audition for Island/Def Jam executives, and a contract was put before her the next day.

So Smokey Jones was transformed from utter unknown to roster member of the world’s most powerful record label in exactly five months. Of course, this glamorous coda is the lasting upswing in an otherwise circuitous story. Prior to the lightning strike, Smokey was homeless, spending nights on friends’ couches around Los Angeles or in her car’s backseat. She had left college and her family in northern California to pursue music fulltime: “The agreement with my parents was plain,” she recounts. “They told me ‘We won’t support you financially if you don’t go to school.’ They offered love and mental support, of course—but not money. I accepted that.” 

In truth, Smokey — real name Sara Mancuso— was always comfortable on her own, and in her own skin. She found her creative space, literally and figuratively, quite early and began recording music by age fourteen: “I didn’t like anyone, ever, growing up, so I’d always have these little hideaways where I’d go write songs.  My favorite spot was a beautiful tree on Carmel Beach. I’d sit on one branch that opened up beautifully to see the ocean, but no one could see me in the tree.”

As fate would have it, she needed just one person to lay eyes on her—Chris Anokute, IDJ’s Senior Vice President of A&R. By sheer happenstance, Chris heard her singing in an LA studio and set up the meeting back in IDJ’s New York offices. 

That career is now set to ignite, sparked by her remarkable impending debut album, set to release in the next year. “I have no genre!” Smokey squeals, in equal parts pride, glee, and consternation. Indeed, the album’s mixed bag speaks to Smokey’s wide-ranging influences, inherent ability, and talented supporting cast—writers and producers like Jay Angel and busbee, who counts P!nk, Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, and Lady Antebellum among his many collaborators. This eclecticism allows Smokey great creative freedom but inevitably invites externally-imposed categorization, both fitting and forced:
 “I’ve been compared to everyone from Janis Joplin to Amy Winehouse to Joss Stone. I agree that Janis or Amy are accurate references, but I don’t think I sound like anyone. I think I sound like myself. To be honest, I think I sound most like the female version of Caleb Followill [lead singer of the Kings of Leon]. If I were a guy, I’d be Caleb. But really, I don’t want to sound like anyone else; I don’t want that taint in your head when you hear my music. I don’t want people to think of anyone else but me because I’ve poured my entire self into my music and it’s really emotional and honest. To call me someone else is dishonest.”

One listen is truly an exercise in openness. The songs, though assorted, artfully weave together strands of pain, loss, angst, retribution, and rebirth. “Lightning” features a dramatic and –forgive the analogies—Adele-esque build that segues into infectious sing-song smacking of Fun and the Lumineers. Of particular note are Smokey’s remarkable harmonies. Meanwhile, the balladic track Bumps & Bruises balances the thorns of hurt with refrains of empowerment: “What a girl needs to hear is that she’s beautiful/ What a girl needs to feel is that she’s worthy inside.” Elsewhere, “Don’t Lie to Me” is wonderful paradox: its ominous opening strains and venomous lyrics borne of love gone awry sit in stark contrast to its delightful, “Hey Ya!”-ish backbeat.

Then there’s the wonderfully idiosyncratic “Train,” a whiskey-soaked wailer that shows just how Smokey got her name. Proclaims Smokey: “You’ve never heard anything like ‘Train,’ ever!” Other standouts include “Walking on a Thin Line,” a tribute to her now-deceased grandfather. “My Grandpa was a working doctor who helped thousands of people,” Smokey sobs. “But he was especially important to me because my dad was in jail until I was ten years old. He suddenly and unexpectedly was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I had just gotten back from seeing him in the hospital, and I could barely stand to see him like that. As a doctor, he knew what was happening, how serious it was—but he tried to keep our spirits up. I didn’t know what to do or how to help him. So I wrote the song as a poem, an ode.”

Finally, there is “Naked,” a beautiful, bare catharsis laid over airy piano plunkings: “I gave you everything but you left me naked / Promises, silly dreams, you loved me but you faked it.” Smokey forcibly drags the listener through a poignant, teary chapter in her life. To use her word, the honesty is staggering—epic, really. The stuff of “Naked” is the stuff that endures.

 With heartache as a backdrop, Smokey Jones stands eagerly on the cusp of new beginnings. And to her, the future is assured: “I don’t feel scared because I made it through the discovery process. Even if just one person hears one of my songs, someone who was like me—sitting in a stairway, depressed, and has nothing; I want to touch that person. I want to be there for people who are total strangers. The Beatles held my hand when I was down and alone, and I want to do the same for others.”
When asked to sum up just how she made it, the uncanniness of her ascent, and where it’s going next, Smokey says simply: “It’s just happening.”  Indeed, Smokey Jones is just that—happening. 

An enchanting singer, songwriter, guitarist and percussionist, Stefani Valadez touches the heart and soul of her audience as she brings ancient love songs and FolkRock'nBlues into a haunting and soulful, rhythmic present.  Her diverse repertoire includes songs from many lands- Mediterranean, Brazilian, Middle Eastern, Celtic, Mississippi Delta, the land of rock and roll.  Her haunting voice and sizzling rhythms will linger long after this unique experience.

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