Before rising artist Janelle Monáe brings the dynamic sounds of Afro-punk to Royce Hall today, UCLA alumni the Elevaters and Adam Stern will take the stage, fulfilling dreams they’ve had for years.
“I’ve seen hundreds of performances at Royce Hall, and every time that I’ve been in there, I’ve daydreamed to myself, “˜One day I’m going to play here. One day I’m going to perform on this stage,'” said Ben Hall, vocalist/percussionist for the Elevaters.
“Now that I have that opportunity, I’m so excited and so grateful,” he added.
The Los Angeles-based group the Elevaters, which is composed of UCLA alumni, blends funk, hip-hop, soul and dance music to create an energetic sound. After graduating from UCLA in 2003, Hall wanted to create upbeat music that could not be contained within one genre.
On Thursday, the group will combine its distinct style and danceable beats with Adam Stern’s organic pop sound during its first performance at Royce.
“We make the music that makes us feel good, and the intention behind it is to move people, either by making them dance and sweat and enjoy themselves in that way, or move them with our lyrics or with our melodies and our harmonies,” Hall said.
“That’s a great feeling as an artist, to see people moved, to see people dancing. That’s the part that makes my heart swell, that fulfills me entirely,” he added.
The group expressed enthusiasm at sharing the stage with Monáe, whose most recent single, “Many Moons,” was nominated for a Grammy in the urban/alternative category.
Additionally, a complete recording of her “Metropolis” suites is scheduled to be released later this year on Bad Boy Records.
After researching Monáe’s accomplishments, Hall said he found Monáe an exciting musician who shares many of his artistic aspirations.
“She’s wonderfully creative and talented, and everything that she does has a very distinct style and aesthetic,” Hall said.
“There’s obvious heart behind it. … It’s really exciting to share the stage with that kind of artist ““ that’s the kind of artist that we want to be.”
Hall and Stern are excited to not only grace the same stage as Monáe but also to be on the stage itself.
Stern, who recently performed at Spring Sing with his sister Lily, said he is excited to finally be able to perform in Royce.
“I’ve seen so many amazing shows at Royce Hall, from guitar, to reggae ““ all kinds of amazing music ““ and everybody that comes through really comes through there ““ that is the venue, so I’m really looking forward to being in that space,” Stern added.
Stern, who was part of the band Grizzly Peak while at UCLA, graduated in 2006 and began performing as a soloist.
He recently released his first album, “The Dreamer Child,” through iTunes and Pandora. Though he calls his soulful music “organic pop,” Stern said his style is really a combination of popular songwriting with world rhythms like samba and reggae.
“I’m inspired by life and breath and love, and definitely all things in between ““ we’re all walking through life, and we all have our own stories and hopefully people can kind of relate to my experiences,” Stern said.
Stern is particularly drawn to the receptive college audience and its acceptance of different kinds of music, especially considering his love for a wide range of genres.
The Elevaters and Stern are long-time friends, but it is the college atmosphere of enthusiasm and acceptance that brings both to share a performance space in Royce Hall.
“There is a certain openness and a certain joy, whether it’s from the fact that when you’re in college you spend so much of your time really focused on doing things that other people are telling you to do or that you’re assigned to do, that college students are really ready to get down,” Hall said.
“College is some of the best times of your life, and there’s something about the energy and people are really exploring and hungry for new kinds of music and new kinds of knowledge in every direction.”