When hip-hop artist Alecoy Pete, also known as Mic Holden, was in the process of deciding his stage name, he knew he wanted to come up with something suited to his dynamic musical flair.
“I needed an alias, like Clark Kent and Superman. Mic Holden gives me that Superman feel,” Pete said. “I wanted it to sound like a normal name, but also with a punch line.”
Tonight, Pete and Brandon Anderson (whose stage name is Breezy LoveJoy), will rejoin keyboardist and jazz pianist Julian Le as the LeJKeys Collective, a vibrant ensemble that will be performing as part of the Cultural Affairs Commission’s weekly concert series.
This free program at Kerckhoff Coffee House will feature live performances from these three solo artists as they combine their musical interests and tendencies to create a fusion of their individual work, a collaboration known as LeJKeys Collective.
Le, a fourth-year jazz studies student and piano player whose name and instrument preferences are the basis for the LeJKeys Collective, said that although he has worked with these artists before and met them through current hip-hop artist Blu, each show is different from previous performances.
“During the rehearsals we improvise a lot, so we always get a different result. We are usually very flexible so it can go in any direction. Even when we are on stage, it is not always all planned out,” Le commented.
The LeJKeys Collective also consists of other musicians from UCLA and the Los Angeles area that provide the backup vocals and other various instrumental components. Meanwhile, Le, Pete and Anderson focus on their areas of personal expertise ““ keyboards, percussion, rapping and lead vocals, respectively.
According to Le, the music that LeJKeys Collective will be performing tonight is geared toward hip-hop but also contains elements of neo-soul, funk and jazz.
“(Anderson and Pete) have their own songs and recordings, so we all go home and listen to them and when we get together in rehearsals, we just start playing a track and we keep adjusting it and fine-tuning it to where we all like the way it sounds,” Le said.
In addition to working with Le and Pete, Anderson said that he is also working on a solo project titled “Sunny” with the help of the collective.
“LoveJoy comes from what I want to represent with my music, and this new music is in line with that goal that I have for myself,” he said.
According to Anderson, the LeJKeys Collective’s performance will showcase the various musical trends of Los Angeles.
“I think people are going to get a true representation of the underground music scene in Los Angeles,” Anderson said. “There will be a rush of soulful music and energetic melodies.”
Pete said that tonight’s performance comes at a key time for students in terms of getting a sense of where the music industry is headed.
Pete commented, “I like the fact that artists are now self-sufficient and self-empowered. This is the time to really go out and hear these artists because they are at their best.” He continued, “The support of this movement is what is going to keep music creative and alive.”