BellevillePride~ MetroEast News
By: Susan Spit-Fire Lively / MetroEast NEWS
February 10, 2012
(BELLEVILLE)
“Open Mic Night @ The Inn” on Thursday, Feb. 9th The Cigar INN hosted another incredible evening of the best live entertainment this side of the river!
In addition to our annual Valentine’s Day Party (hot drink specials and all the chocolate aphrodisiacs you can eat!), we will be having our very first CD Release Party!! Local R&B sensation Chrissy Renick has released her first EP – “A Thousand Shades” (currently available on ITunes) and will be sharing some of her new music with us!
Chrissy is an exceptional musician, songwriter, and vocalist originally from Cape Girardeau, Mo. She attended college at Murray State, KY., and currently resides in St. Louis. She plays piano and guitar and has a gorgeous singing voice, perfectly suited for the Rhythm and Blues she so loves. Possessing great range both in her voice and her songwriting, she plays Pop, Classic Rock, and Alternative-Soul music as well. Renick has performed at The Old Rock House, the Way Out Club, Cicero’s, The Over/Under, Petra Hookah Lounge, FOAM Coffee & Beer, The Benton Park Café, The Wood, and many other area venues. Her influences include, Alicia Keyes, Corinne Bailey Rae, India Arie, MeShell Ndegeocello, Lauryn Hill, Joss Stone, Fiona Apple, Aaliyah, Jack Johnson, and Sarah Bareilles.
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| Chrissy Renick at Cigar Inn |
Warming up the stage for Miss Renick will be wildly popular poet Blackstone (Cyral Laban Vaughan). Blackstone is a talented poet, author, spoken word artist, radio personality, emcee, and public speaker. His spoken word performances are magnetic and intriguing, and his writing is of great strength and depth. Blackstone has been featured at Café Annie’s (Orlando), The Blue Shark (Tampa), Solstice Lounge (Tampa), Spice Lounge (Tampa), Sacred Ground (Tampa), The In Spot (STL), and Midtown (STL), among others. He co-produced (with author and spoken word artist X Blu Rayne) the iconic show “S.W.A.U. - Spoken Word Addicts Unleashed” at Escalades Bar & Grill. Cyral has a CD he is working on called “Raise a Man, Raise an Individual; Raise a Woman, Raise a Nation”, and his latest book, entitled “Oil and Water”, was released on June 15th of last year. Mr. Vaughan lives with his family in St. Louis, Mo.
Gracing our stage for the first time will be Cris Gualberto, a multi-talented artist originally from Quincy, IL. His live performances are intense, and his work is deeply intriguing. His most recent performance was at The Regional Arts Commission for the world-wide event “100 Thousand Poets For Change”, in which he delivered captivating performances separately and in group format. Gualberto attended and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, and then went on to become a Peace Corps volunteer, where he served in Gambia from 2002 to 2004. Upon his return to the states he worked as a substitute teacher, Upward Bound summer instructor, teaching assistant, political campaign worker, and office assistant. He is currently a research technician and laboratory manager in the Department of Molecular Biology at Washington University School of Medicine.
Cris first put pen to paper in 2007, and has written two collections of poetry – “Blossoms of the Fading World”, and “Amaryllis in Dreams”. He is now in the process of creating a third book that is tentatively titled “Alcestis”. His poetry is an attempt to “explore the intersection of human perception with memory and the construction of identity through myth and the awareness of time”. Cris’ influences include timeless poets such as Walt Whitman, Arthur Rimbaud, T.S. Eliot, Constantine Cavafy, Guillaume Apollinaire, George Trakl, and Ezra Pound.
Tres Morrison, a brilliant up and coming musician, songwriter, and vocalist who is originally from London, UK, will be here as well. His range of musical styles is impressive, ranging from Alternative Rock to Heavy Metal to Gospel. His influences include Leonard Cohen, U2, Jason Mraz, Jeff Buckley, The Script, and Mumford and Sons. He has been singing since he was very young, and he has performed at many local fundraisers and charity events. He has a great voice and his musical performances are amazing. He is currently working on his first CD and is in two new bands: “Dead by Six” and “Endless October”. He is forming a third band with his friend Lamone Waller. Tres also recently auditioned for the hit show American Idol. He and his family reside in Cahokia, IL.
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| Special Guest: Mocha Williams |
Our Special Guest for the night will be Miss Mocha Williams,(pictured left) a well-known and much-loved poet, writer, and spoken word artist originally from St. Louis, Mo. She attended Northwest High School and is currently a Registered Nurse. Her work ranges from fiery love poetry to the hilariously comedic, and her performances are electric, to say the least. She has performed at Exo Lounge, Club 15, The Cigar Inn, STL’s Finest Bar & Grill, and many other local venues. In her spare time Mocha enjoys writing poetry, reading, watching sports and movies, and listening to contemporary R&B.
We hope you will join us every 2nd & 4th Thursday at The Cigar Inn. Doors-8; Show-9
Love & Hugs,
Spit-Fire
