The Broward Center for the Performing Arts has launched Amplify Arts, a new initiative presenting performances that reflect the voices and sounds of South Florida. It seeks to support artists through their careers while also exposing them to new audiences.
Its inaugural show on Saturday will have Broward County’s Sons of Mystro and Alexander Star & the Golden People performing.
Raised in Broward, Brothers Malcom and Umoja McNeish form the Sons of Mystro. The hip-hop violin duo demonstrates the versatility of their instrument through their original work and covers of rock, reggae and American pop hits.
For their performance, the duo will play tracks off of their latest album, “Invincible.” The brothers recorded, mixed, and mastered it themselves. It includes some songs fans would be familiar with, like “Vivaldi Rock” and “Invincible,” and it also includes many new tracks they recorded, such as “Symbolic Waves” and “New Dawn.”
“People might not know this, but we do reggae music as well, and we have two reggae albums,” Umoja said. “ But this is the first step we made because those were produced by somebody else … This was the first time we really broke out into creating something that was from our essences, from our souls.”
For them, this album is the amalgamation of all their failures and struggles. Umoja had a moment where his laptop and hard drive broke after they had finished so many projects. But experiences like these led them to title their album “Invincible,” the same name as their song.
“ And a lot of times too, like for us, especially like growing up or even as a family, we go through stuff, personal issues and whatnot,” Malcolm said. “And for some reason we're always able to just like figure it out … We always just know how to just put the switch and just figure it out, so that's why we're invincible.”
Sons of Mystro want their audiences to understand they, too, are invincible. They share this message with fellow musician Alexander Star, an Emmy-nominated songwriter and performer.
READ MORE: Broward's Sons of Mystro fuse violins with hip hop in their bid for NPR Tiny Desk stardom
Both acts bring a positive message that they want listeners to be inspired by.
Star is an “impact artist and activist,” someone using their music as a vehicle for positive change. A long time ago, he decided that he would make music his parents would be proud of, music that uplifts others and lets him be his authentic self.
Ten years ago, this led him to the Motivational Edge, a nonprofit serving underprivileged youth in Miami. He became a lyrical expression teaching artist with the group.
He would be sent to foster homes, group homes, and even juvenile detention to help kids process their trauma by writing and recording original music about their lives.
Star would show up once a week and replace English class for the kids.
“ They would come in, they would see the mic, they would see the speaker, and I'm like hey man, we about to make some music, but you can’t curse in these songs,” he said. “You don't have a stripper in your lap right now, you don't have a gun on you right now, you're not smoking a joint right now. What's really on your mind?”
Once he was able to tap into that, he would help the kids create music that best represents who they are. He calls it being an “inner glow specialist”.
Both artists want to bring the best out of others and melt away their doubts and fears. In Illinois, a few weeks ago, Sons of Mystro went around to schools and held workshops where they performed and taught students about the power of intention.
“ And on one of the schools on our way back, they held up a sign that said, “We are invincible”,” Umoja said. “It was the dopest thing ever, and we see them come to our pages and they mention, I'm invincible.
The Sons of Mystro and Alexendar Star are both energetic performers who break conventional ideas of performance.
“ This is a show of stereotype breakers. You thought you knew about going to see people play violin, they gonna flip it on its head,” Star said. Whatever you thought you knew about a melanated live band, multicultural hip hop, R&B, whatever, like, we gonna flip it on its head.”
IF YOU GO
What: Sons of Mystro and Alexander Star & the Golden People
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1.
Where: Amaturo Theater at Broward Center, Ft Lauderdale, FL
More info: Broward Center
