Athens-based Cicada Rhythm joins for the latest installment of Closer Look’s Summer Indie Music Series. The two members of Cicada Rhythm, Andrea DeMarcus and Dave Kirslis, were born and raised in Georgia, and their songs put a modern twist on folk music. They join us in studio for an interview and a live performance.

Cicada Rhythm | Closer Look

The moniker of Atlanta-based Okorie Johnson, OkCello uses a cello to create sound loops and dense audio landscapes. He also blends genre, sometimes moving between classical, jazz, and folk. OkCello joins us in studio.

OkCello | Closer Look

Dr. Gordon Vernick is an associate professor of music and coordinator of jazz studies at Georgia State University. As a professional trumpet player, he has performed in all musical mediums, from symphony orchestra to jazz quartet, and has freelanced all over the world. We’re joined by Gordon Vernick and his band members  Kevin Bales, Marlon Patton, and Delbert Felix.

Gordon Vernick | Closer Look

Nikki Speake is a singer and songwriter from Dadeville, Alabama who started writing dark country numbers at the age of 16. Since moving to Atlanta, she has played in a number of local bands, and currently plays bass in Shantih Shantih and is one of the vocalists and songwriters in Midnight Larks. But her own band, known as Nikki & the Phantom Callers, is what she calls a “super group” of Atlanta musicians, featuring Anna Kramer as bass and backing vocals, lead guitarist Aaron Mason, and Russell Owens on drums. The band joins us for an interview and live in-studio performance.

Nikki & the Phantom Callers | Closer Look

Early in her career, singer-songwriter Rosey was signed to Island Records/Def Jam, where she wrote many successful hits for other artists, including for films like Bridget Jones’s Diary and Shallow Hal. She gave up her role behind-the-scenes in order to pursue a new career as a solo artist. Earlier this summer, Rosey re-released a project of jazz and blues hits. She joins us for our Summer Indie Music Series, and we’ll learn more about her musical journey, the road to becoming an independent artist, and creating her own music label.

Rosey  | Closer Look

There are four parts to it: lead, tenor, baritone and bass. That’s the general make-up of what we know as The Barbershop Quartet. This musical tradition goes back centuries and, as we hear, continues on today. Our Summer Indie Music Series continues with local barbershop quartet The Untouchables, made up of Rufus Massey, Neil Hutcheson, Maury Morris, and Tony Boyd.

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