Onset Beach Jazz Festival to put focus on young musicians

Jul 15, 2014

More than ever, this year’s Onset Beach Jazz Festival (which takes place Saturday at the Lillian Greggerman Band Shell in Onset for the third time ever) is all about the kids.

Not only will a group of younger performers participate in a “Voices of the Future” segment which features budding talent from Wareham and around Cape Cod, but any extra proceeds from the event will go towards the “MIMSS” program, Musical Instruments for Middle School Students. MIMSS will help provide Wareham Middle School with at least one or possibly two instruments to be utilized by students there.

Mikelyn Roderick is the organizer of the event and is a singer/songwriter who spent time in Los Angeles pursuing a music career and majored in Voice and Theatre at Emerson College. She said that though this is the first year they will charge admission, it will help them bring in bigger acts, as well as to give back to the children of Wareham.

“Our goal is to have a pretty big audience and proceeds after (paying for) the bands, the sound (engineers and setup), the (event) fees, to donate more than one instrument to the middle school to give them something to add to their music program,” she said, adding that the group organizing the event is a not-for-profit organization. “Having the artists that we have justified charging.”

Included in those artists is Tom Browne, a gold record-selling New York-based recording artist and trumpeter whose hits include “Funkin' for Jamaica” and “Thighs High.” He’s also been named Billboard’s Best Instrumentalist, Best Jazz Cross-Over, Best Jazz Artist-Trumpet and Best Jazz Solo Album in his career.

“He’s like . . . the Miles Davis of trumpet,” said Roderick, “except more traditional.”

Also headlining the show is a Black Entertainment Television award-winning Grammy nominee, and RCA-signed recording artist Elle Varner, whose album “Perfectly Imperfect" debuted at number four on the US Billboard Hot 200 in 2012, with two of her singles reaching the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

As for the Voices of the Future segment, Roderick said that it’s the perfect opportunity for young people who want to sing to be exposed to a large audience and perform with a band.

“A lot (of young singers) are like, ‘I really want to sing, but I don’t know where to go,’” she said. “This is to allow them to perform in front of an audience at a festival. That’s my favorite part.”

One of those young singers is Alyssa Arsenault, 12, of Wareham, who Roderick said she saw perform at this year’s talent show at the middle school.

“She had a great little voice,” she said. “Her mom said that [the festival is] all she’s been talking about.”

“I’m excited about the voices of the future,” added Roderick. “It reminds me of my start, which was singing at that same Band Shell and at talent shows. It’s a tough business and it can be discouraging—that’s why I like to encourage the kids.”

Another young performer is Michael Scena, a 23-year-old R&B and jazz singer from Falmouth. Scena said he’s recently moved back to the Cape since graduating from Roger Williams University, and that he’s never actually performed outside of Providence where the school is located.

“I’ve never really performed around the Cape because I was off for college for a while,” said Scena, who said he was in a hip-hop/R&B band at school. “I’m just sort of getting back into the groove.”

“This is my first time [performing at the Onset Beach Jazz Fest],” said Scena. “This is actually my first performance since I moved home, so it’s pretty excited.”

Mark Rasmussen, the entertainment director for the festival, said that he can't wait for the event to take place, and that Onset in particular is a spot unknown to many, and area itself is one of the highlights of the Jazz Fest.

“It's going to be a great day," he said. "I love the spot. I love the energy.  [Onset and the Band Shell is] a little gem that not a lot of people know about."

The event, which runs from 1 to 7 p.m., will supply wristbands to ticket-holders that way they can leave to enjoy the beach and anything else Onset has to offer, and then return as they so please.

Performers also include local favorite and Wareham native Daniel “Buddy” Monteiro and his band Positivity, soul/jazz singer-songwriter and Berklee College of Music grad Cleveland P. Jones, as well as Ron Moss, author of a cookbook aimed at creating recipes for people in college or on a serious budget. Moss has been featured on BET as well, and he’ll provide a quick, 20-minute segment on some of the highlights of his book. DJ Les Correia will provide all the music in between each of the artists’ performances.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at onsetbeachjazzfestival.eventbrite.com or onsetbeachjazzfestival.org.