ROUND TWO
Soul Fire Productions is back with its second installment of Rhapsody-N-Soul, presented with support from Culture Works. The evening of poetry, storytelling and music features headliner Georgia Me, known as the Queen of Spoken Word, with Long Island-based Kyle “Atlas” Flemings and Daytonians Ralph Farley and Leroy Bean. Allamby & Wilson will serve as the house band for the evening, backing musical guests like Gil Frazier, Floyd Weatherspoon and Terry Harris.
“People wouldn’t let Rhapsody-N-Soul go,” Scott Matthews said. “They kept texting and e-mailing me about the next show. We’re so very excited to have Georgia Me. She is so energizing.”
Matthews was one of the featured performers at the first Rhapsody-N-Soul in 2020, but he serves as production manager this time around.
“I’ll have the headset on this time,” he said. “You won’t hear me do anything until the very, very end. I’ve been performing spoken word since the ‘70s so it’s great to be able to work with some of the young, up-and-coming artists. I’m happy we can give them opportunities to perform and express themselves.”
ECLECTIC VISION
While the previous installment of Rhapsody-N-Soul was a no-frills night of spoken word, “Revival Revelation Rejoice” is a heavily-produced night of diverse entertainment.
“For the first show, all six of the artists came out, we sat on bar stools and we went down the line a few times,” Matthews said. “We each had four or five pieces and that was the end of the night. This time, you’re not going to see the entertainers until it’s time for them to perform, except for our house band, Allamby & Wilson. You won’t know who’s coming up next, whether it’s a poet, a guitar player or a storyteller.”
Curating live programs that are distinctly different is important to Scott Matthews.
“This feels to me like a Broadway show,” she said. “You have every part of entertainment theatrically produced but people won’t know what to expect. My hope is if people hear about Rhapsody-N-Soul, it will be just another aspect of creativity. I don’t want to put myself in some box where I do the same thing all the time.”
“It’s exciting to be a part of my wife’s company and for us to be able to work together,” Matthews said. “We have a lot of the same interests, but she has some skills I don’t have, and I have some skills she doesn’t. The two of us coming together has really produced some very serious projects. We have a lot of other ideas, so we’ll continue to do some interesting things together in the future.”
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Rhapsody-N-Soul: “Revival Revelation Rejoice” with Georgia Me, Ralph Farley and others
Where: The Tank, lower level of the Dayton Arcade, 35 W. Fourth St., Dayton
When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 13. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Cost: General admission tickets are $35; 100 VIP seats available for $65 for doctors, nurses and other medical professionals. The price includes two drink tickets, hors d’oeuvres, prime seating and early entry to the special pre-show event at 6:30 p.m.
More info: www.soulfirellc.net
About the Author
