June 18, 2014
Toshi Reagon Plays NYC During Pride Week
Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
On June 27, Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely will play two shows for Pride at New York City at SubCulture on Bleecker Street, a much more intimate venue than the arenas she usually plays.
"I am always proud to be a part of the LGBTQ community, and pride time in NYC and now around the world is always magic. You are in the best company," said Reagon. "I never take it for granted. No matter if it is a huge commercial happening, an intimate gathering, or my fave, the Dyke March."
Toshi Reagon is a talented, versatile singer, composer, musician, curator and producer with a profound ear for sonic Americana, from folk to funk, from blues to rock. While her expansive career has landed her comfortably in residence at Carnegie Hall, the Paris Opera House and Madison Square Garden, you can just as easily find Toshi turning out a music festival, or intimate venue or local club.
Reagon knows the power of song to focus, unite and mobilize people. If you've been lucky enough to be in her presence, you know you can't walk away from her without feeling better about yourself as a human being. She aims for nothing less.
She has been the recipient of a NYFA award for Music Composition, and has co-composed music for two Peabody award winning films. Reagon is a National Women's History Month Honoree, and is the 2010 recipient of OutMusic's Heritage Award. Her collaborators include Lizz Wright, Chocolate Genius, Robert Wilson, Ani DiFranco, her band BIGLovely and her mother, Bernice Johnson Reagon. Her current touring projects include "Celebrate The Great Women of Blues and Jazz," a 16-piece, all women's ensemble of some of New York's best Instrumentalists and vocalists.
Reagon has also created the Words* Rock* & Sword: A Festival Celebration of Women's Lives, on September 14-21. It is a way to learn and be connected to the powerful work and skills coming from the women in her community. The festival brings together musicians, filmmakers, health educators, dance instructors, activists, community organizations and everyday people. She invites all to partake.
"Whether we are in Queens, Brooklyn, Harlem, whatever, I never take it for granted that we are out in the streets making noise, shouting each others names loudly and saying we are here to stay!" said Reagon.
Toshi Reagon and BIG Lovely play at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 27 at SubCulture, 45 Bleecker St, Downstairs. Tickets are $20-25. For information, visit http://www.subculturenewyork.com/event/563815-toshi-reagon-biglovely-new-york/
Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
