Tuesday, June 19th

DSP Shows Presents River Whyless w/ Jalen N’Gonda Live in The 9th Ward

Tickets: On sale Friday, March 30th @ 12:00pm | $15.00 at Ticketfly.com, Babeville Box Office (M-F 11a-5p), or charge by phone at 877.987.6487

7pm doors, 8pm show

River Whyless

For many bands, and especially those who’ve been together for several years, recognizing maturation, progress or palpable evolution is a daunting task. Is it continued creative accomplishment that signals progression? Or perhaps it’s profitable commercial endeavors? The answer is often quite unclear. Six years, two albums and countless gigs after first forming as a band, River Whyless, the North Carolina-bred folk-rock outfit has discovered their evolution is a subtler albeit monumentally important one. Deep in the throes of writing and recording their bold new album, ​Kindness, A Rebel , the four musicians reached a necessary and collective understanding. Namely: this band is their lifeblood, their family and their love. To that end, with unspoken acceptance, the members of River Whyless, each songwriters in their own right, collectively put aside their respective egos, coalesced around each other’s creative vision, and fully embraced the beauty of their enduring partnership.

Creatives regularly waver between honoring their own creation and rallying around larger ideas for the benefit of the group. But with every member of River Whyless now charting a life outside the band, and also writing on their own, when coming together to record ​Kindness​ it was never more crucial they be open and honest with each other.

River Whyless is choosing to not predict what lies ahead. Allowing their creative union to continue guiding them, they insist, remains their only constant.

Jalen N’Gonda

Born in Maryland, USA, Jalen N’Gonda chose the city of Liverpool as the place in which he would flourish as a musician. It was at the age of 11 he began getting into music, inspired by his father’s collection of jazz, hip-hop, soul and classical records. Since moving to Liverpool in 2014 Jalen has been playing gigs across the UK and beyond. Two years later Jalen is selling out headline shows in London and Geneva, is breaking into the Viral Charts with his debut single and is supporting touring act such as Laura Mvula, Martha Reeves and Lauryn Hill at the Montreal Jazz Festival. With his tender soulful voice and bluesy arrangements, Jalen will leave you no choice but to be drawn into his world.