Hometown Hero Kev Choice Will be at Yoshi’s on June 30th

There is a musician from Oakland who has been rocking stages around the world for years. He plays the piano, raps and produces, just to name a few of his many talents. You may have heard of him. His name is Kev Choice. He has released four albums and tours all over the globe. His music speaks about social issues happening in the Bay Area and around the world and his jazz flavor gives you a break from the noise happening around you. According to his bio “being able to read and play music gives Choice an advantage over average emcees and producers and he says. ‘I can communicate my musical ideas in multiple ways… I can take a beat that I make, and write it out for a band or an orchestra, or any configuration of instruments,’” (Kev Choice).

His musical resume is very impressive. He was Lauryn Hill’s musical director in 2007. He has performed with some of Oakland’s artists, such as, Too $hort, Mistah FAB, Goapele, The Coup, and Souls of Mischief. When he is not composing and performing, he is teaching at Oakland School for the Arts and being an activist in the community, especially at 51Oakland, which is a non-profit for providing art and music programs in Oakland Public Schools.

If you have not seen him before, you are in for a treat. He is performing at Yoshi’s in Oakland on Friday, June 30th. He has performed there many times and his shows sell out because he brings the musical originality and positivity that is really missing in modern hip-hop! I enjoy watching and listening to him in this intimate setting (videos of his music can be seen on YouTube). Tickets can be purchased at Kev Choice at Yoshi’s.

Kev Choice, sitting at the keyboard, at Yoshi’s in January 2017 (photo taken by Joy Elan)

He says, “Performing live is a way to take people on a journey. I want people to feel highs and lows, experience emotions, and relate to the things I’m saying in the music. I want people to see the amazing musicians in my band play at a high level and have us touch them with our musical gifts individually as well as collectively. I definitely always look to reflect my diverse musical influences in a show. I try to combine classical, jazz, soul, funk, rock, drum & bass, electro, and all types of music, in a Hip-Hop context. I like to stay current with my show, constantly adding new elements, trying new things, and trying to take it to a higher level,” (Kev Choice)