BLACK VIOLIN REVIEW By: Tiesha Blizzard, Waterbury Arts Magnet School

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By: Tiesha Blizzard, Waterbury Arts Magnet School On February 2nd, 2011, students and families alike gathered at the Palace Theater to see the band known as "Black Violin".

At that moment I knew, this wasn't going to be the typical show at the palace. The show started with the lights. The lights were stunning with blue, purple, and orange.

The violin solo wasn't an easy piece to play but the performer made it seem as if it was as easy as eating piece of cake.

The lighting of the show gave it an energetic atmosphere and enhanced the show compared to if they would have used neutral lighting.

One of the violinist known as Kev began playing at nine years old while Wil began at fourteen and the two meet in high school.

1 By: Tiesha Blizzard, Waterbury Arts Magnet School On February 2nd, 2011, students and families alike gathered at the Palace Theater to see the band known as "Black Violin". The walls of the palace, as usual, were beautiful and quite the sight. I looked on the stage to see this breath-taking drum set. At that moment I knew, this wasn't going to be the typical show at the palace. The show started with the lights. The lights were stunning with blue, purple, and orange. My favorite moment of the show was yet to come with a violin solo! The violin solo wasn't an easy piece to play but the performer made it seem as if it was as easy as eating piece of cake. The drummer known as 'Beat down' was one the most talented drummers I've ever heard. The vibe in the room was contagious and not a single person appeared bored by this show. The lighting of the show gave it an energetic atmosphere and enhanced the show compared to if they would have used neutral lighting. They played songs ranging from Drake, Maroon 5, Rihanna, and even classics such as Beethoven! One of the violinist known as Kev began playing at nine years old while Wil began at fourteen and the two meet in high school. The band has played in 27 counties and almost all the states in the US except for Alaska. When asked how he discovered his love for the violin, Wil said, "I was put into the wrong class". Kev on the other hand was put into a music class and stuck in that class for two years. Thankfully he found a passion for the violin. Playing shows can be hard work and physically demanding but Wil says "Feeding off the energy of the crowd energy" helps to get him through. The name of the band came from a CD called "Black Violin" which inspires them every day and hopefully one day they will become the biggest band ever.

2 By: Subrayan Gobindraj - Waterbury Arts Magnet School I very much enjoyed our schools musical experience at the Black Violin concert at the Palace Theater. The band had three simple rules that made the show different from any other Palace event I have ever been too; sing along to any songs you know, don t be afraid to cheer at any time, and you can get out of your seat at any time. The musicians played classical music and remixed versions of present day music that is popular to young audiences today. The band consisted of four members. After the concert, I had the opportunity to interview two on the band members. One of the members was the violinist Will B. and the other was Kevin Marons. The other two members are the DJ TK the bands DJ and Beat down the drummer. Will B. and Kevin Marons both met in orchestra class in high school but went to different colleges. They both got college scholarships for their expertise in playing the violin. After college Will and Kevin met up again and had DJ TK join then met Beat Down when he was in another band. Will started playing violin at 9 and Kevin at 15. Beat down started to play the drums at 7. The band had gotten their name from a CD of a black violinist that played in a way the band had never heard before. They had entered a music competition, Apollo, and won in The band has been together for 8 years and is still going today. As a student that is a music major in high school, I found the concert to be very inspirational. The way the musicians played was different from what you would normally think about when you hear the word violin. I have only heard the sound before a few times. It had a rock sound mixed with a classy sound. They had played classical music and remixed present day songs an emphasized violin on it to give it new dimension and sound. I think the concert was great; an enjoyable learning experience.

3 By: Chynna Marrero, Waterbury Arts Magnet School This was an amazing performance. It was very funny and entertaining for all ages. Wil B and Kev Marcus really got interactive with the audience and kept everyone on their toes. This group of four started with just one goal in mind, do something inspiring that no one has ever done before. Kev Marcus was inspired in college by an album Black Violin, he then passed the album to his friend Wil B and together they wanted to recreate the sound. They say they have not perfected it yet but they do try. Their sound though is an amazing blend of classic and hip-hop music, which really gets the audience going! The group has been together for 8 years and has performed in around 27 different countries. Sometimes performing 3 or 4 times a day they still say they "have the best job in the world." Motivated by their fans, audience, and coffee, the group has talent-to say the least. Over the summer fans can expect a new album for the group and many performances.

4 BLACK VIOLIN By: Samantha Santovasi, Waterbury Arts Magnet School On February 2, 2012 my school, Waterbury Arts Magnet School, went to see the Black Violin concert. When I heard the name I thought we were going to an orchestra or classical concert, I was really surprised when I realized what it really was. It was a band that combined aspects of all different music like classical and hip-hop. One would never think to combine these two music genres, but they actually worked well together to produce a wonderful concert. Believe it or not, two of the members actually found their love for their instruments by accident. Wil B, the violist, actually played the saxophone, but was put in the wrong music class and started to learn the viola. Kev Marcus, the violinist, was put in a music class and when they were told to pick instruments, the violin was the only one left. Who would have thought they would love something they accidentally stumbled upon by accident, and turn it into something so amazing. Even though they loved learning these classical instruments, they had hip-hop in their souls, so they decided to combine them. The point of their show is to get people thinking outside the box, and to encourage people to do what they want, but differently than everyone else, to be different. Alongside them are band members DJ-TK and Beatdown, the drummer. These artists are so passionate about their job, they don t even see it as work, but something they would be willing to do for free. Their hard work doesn t go unnoticed though; they have played in 27 countries like Japan and Austria, and in 49 of the 50 U.S states. They even played the tailgating party at the Super Bowl this year. Their love for music doesn t stop there; they even go to schools and do workshops with the students, like they did at my school. I know after seeing the show I was really curious to where they got the name Black Violin from, so I asked them. On one of the members first days of college his professor gave him a CD and told him that his homework was to listen to it, even though he thought this was bizarre, he did. The artist was Stuff Smith and the title of the CD was Black Violin. He shared the CD with the rest of the band members and they were all inspired so much that they decided to name their band after his CD, Black Violin. To this day the band still goes back to that same CD for inspiration. I can honestly say that this was one of the most diverse concerts I ve ever been to. It had a little hip-hop, a little classical, and even a little rock, three main music genres. The concert was amazing and you could see how much these people love what they do. They said that they want

5 everyone who attends one of their shows to take three things from it. Firstly, Black Violin rocks. Secondly, think outside the box, and finally, out work everyone. These are three things that I did take from this show.

Art: Tom Slaughter, Photo: Colin Brennen

Art: Tom Slaughter, Photo: Colin Brennen The New 42nd The New Street, 42ndInc. Street,1Inc. welcome NEW VICTORY SCHOOL TOOL TM RESOURCE GUIDES THE NEW VICTORY THEATER The New Victory Theater is New York