Liv Warfield is one of the most promising voices in indie soul music today. Her triumphant debut album, Embrace Me, is a compelling overload, combining warm, seductive vocals and vintage R&B with a funky new-age twist. Her music is a celebration of love and life; a powerful package of brilliant songwriting and flawless harmonizing. But Liv’s greatness lies in her simplicity. She still has that demure mid-western charm about herself and a unique vulnerability that paints a picture of a young woman with an old soul full of timeless, liberated melodies.

“Ascending from a family history of extraordinary talent arises a self-trained singer, songwriter, performer, arranger and co-producer, Liv Warfield. Warfield is R&B’s purest new musician since Sade. Out of an era dominated by the R&B synthesizer, over sampled hip-hop production and a distinctly bohemian neo-soul movement, emerges a fundamentally pure artist that defies the modern trends of her genre and embodies a global art form through her cross-categorical appeal. A singer who organically blends classic soul, electric rock, sultry rhythm and straight-up sexy blues like Tina Turner—and it’s only the beginning. Artistic genius flows through the veins of this Peoria-born songstress and close relative of the late comedian Richard Pryor. It is through Warfield’s lyrical clarity, her vocal conviction and the brilliance of her timeless arrangements, where she eclipses her contemporaries. Her succinct and purposeful songwriting, inspired by the “message music” of Curtis Mayfield, fuses her gospel-guided sensibilities with secular lyrics that are sultry without sacrificing her foundation of moral authority.” CD Baby

Liv, who is the cousin of legendary comedian Richard Pryor, didn’t inherit her love of music by way of genetics, Sunday morning church choir participation or school band rehearsals, although she did play the violin for 13 years, Liv was a track star who longed to sing. Born and raised in Peoria, Illinois to a family of prideful, standout athletes Liv kept her emotions, talents and dreams to herself and lived vicariously through her musical hero’s such as Jill Scott, Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Sarah Vaughn, Sade and Mary J. Blige. “All of these women have strong voices and there is something in each of them that I see in myself. They were not afraid to be vulnerable and didn’t put on fronts. They were raw, pure and intense.”

“In four years she has gone from a raw talent, unsure of herself onstage, often sitting on a stool wearing a running suit, to a powerhouse, assured of her talent and her ability to move an audience, punctuating her music with movement and magically made-over to allow her outer beauty to match the inner beauty bursting out of every pore.” The Oregonian Newspaper

Embrace Me, is all about acceptance and not being afraid to spread your wings to soar to the next level. It is a woman’s album with male sensibilities. Along with an intoxicating blend of rock, alternative, soul and R&B rhythms, there are lush, rhythmic details and arrangements that create a magical sound, with one common thread on the 11-track album being about love- losing love, receiving love, giving love; the pains, the thrills, the inspiration and the disappointment. On the uncomplicated track, “ABC’s”, a mid-tempo jam about loving yourself for who you are every single day and letting your mind be free, Liv perfects the undisputed rule of being true to ones self. While “I Decided” is a slow-burning groove that deals with the heartache of leaving an emotionally-destructive relationship, “Work For Me”, is an inspiring, educational and uplifting single, that transcends time. Liv also drops a dramatic jewel on the live, epic ballad “Brother Man”.

“One of the best surprises of all, 27 year old Liv Warfield. The Peoria native comes out of left field as a kind of Sade-meets-Jill Scott-meets-Anita Baker, her sultry, steamy voice deftly handling an excellent collection of jazz-influenced soul on her debut album, Embrace Me, live instrumentation is the perfect backdrop for Warfield’s groovy, appealing compositions and her surprisingly assured vocals. A stunning new talent and one of the best debut albums you’ll hear this year.” Soultracks

As the year winds down, I wanted to take a moment to share with you one of the best CDs that I’ve heard in 2006. The artist is Liv Warfield, and the name of her debut release is “Embrace Me”. She’s a very talented young lady hailing from Portland, Oregon. Liv Warfield can SANG! Its R&B music at it’s best; soulful, sensual, funky, and raw. I don’t know what’s going on out in the mid-west, but I think we’re missing out on
something. Discover soulful music from the heartland. Liv Warfield’s “Embrace
Me” is the perfect introduction.” Rhythm Flow

Crooning sweetly on sexy radio-ready tracks and easy-listening ballads, Liv expertly pairs emotive poetry and lyrical storytelling amidst the soundscape of solid instrument laden grooves. Having opened for heavy hitters such as B.B. King, The Dave Matthews Band, The Roots and Floetry, to name a few, this self-described “spontaneous, laid back” chanteuse, has not always been so fortunate in her career. “I’ve sat on the street and sang until five in the morning, sang for money to put gas in the car, checked out of my apartment to be able to have money to do music.”

“This is a lovely, strong set of songs, with Liv’s vocals forefront, indicating the quality of this woman’s vocal delivery. The opener ‘A, B, C’ has, not only Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie on drums and vocal chores, but quite the ‘dirtiest’ bassline I have heard all year. An excellent opener, that leads us through Liv’s Soulful musical garden. These songs are all of a very high standard, with, perhaps, ‘Waiting’, ‘Work For Me’ and ”Get Away’ being the sets other highlights. All told, very satisfying throughout and a great addition to any Soul collection.”
Soulwalking.co.uk

“Liv is a singer and a songwriter with unlimited potential. She is a vibrant 27 year-old black woman who has all the things going for her that could make her a star. Warfield is so damned positive, such a good wordsmith, sings with such power and conviction that even jaded old reporters can see sunbeams shooting out the top of her head. Her love songs aren’t sappy or nasty, they’re sexual, but you actually get the feeling she’s talking about love with sex. Quite a concept. She sings about the heartbreak without whining, and calls him out without calling names.” Counterpunch

Hip-hop, pop, R&B, soul, rock from a female perspective, the rising star of Liv Warfield and her debut Embrace Me are soon to shoot to instant-classic status. “You can listen to this CD all the way through and it’s going to keep you in a vibe the whole time and then you’re gong to want to listen to it again. You can take away everything else, but my music is something that I will fight for.” Spoken like a woman set out to conquer the world.

“Local soul sister Liv Warfield may have gotten her start karaoke-ing at the Galaxy, but now she counts stars like Method Man among her admirers.” Portland Mercury Newspaper

The It’s All About M.E.E. (Media, Expression, and Education) Festival is a 3-day multi-media celebration taking place from February 23�25, 2007. It�s All About M.E.E combines the best of our Freshest Youth Program, the Urban Word NYC Poetry Slam Final, and the Hip-Hop Education Summit [H2Ed].

Over 15 community arts and media organizations will participate in the celebration, representing cities like San Jose, Oakland, L.A., Chicago and DC, as well as countries like Mongolia, Brazil & Canada. Workshop Facilitators include Full Circle, The Grassroots Artists MovEment (G.A.ME), Beatbox Entertainment, What’s the 411 Initiative, Words Beats and Life, and Hip-Hop Congress. Special celebrity guests include Roxanne Shante, Doug E. Fresh, Raqiyah Mays and Pharoahe Monch, as well as notable Educators and community leaders such as Jeff Duncan-Andrade, Tamara Dawit, Professor Dave Stoval, Mark Gonzales, Ora Wise, Lavie Raven, and Professor Andrew Ryan will engage in dialogue and workshops. In addition to three days of programming, the Hip-Hop Association will celebrate the official release of the Hip-Hop Education Guidebook: Volume 1, a comprehensive tool for those interested in Hip-Hop Education.

“Teachers have no other choice but to learn how to use hip hop in the classroom. It’s the language of the children. They have to respect the culture of Hip-Hop.”
–Talib Kweli, Hip-Hop Artist

Schedule:

Media & Activities | February 23, 2007 | 12pm � 6pm:
Setting off the festival, the Freshest Youth Program will be filled with engaging edutainment activities for youth that include break-dancing (b-boying), graffiti art, DJing, MCing, as well as compelling performances by youth in Hip-Hop theatre and film screenings.

Also taking place on this day will be the panel discussion, “When the Gun Draws: Addressing the Epidemic of Gun Violence and the Propaganda Behind It” featuring Legendary Lyricist, Pharaohe Monch, who will be joined by distinguished panelists to examine the rash of gun violence sweeping the nation and strategies to alleviate this preventable plague which is disproportionately effecting Black and Brown communities nationwide.

Panelists include Raqiyah Mays of The Ave Magazine (Moderator), Piper Anderson of Black Out Arts Collective, Hezues R of Guns 4 Camers, Monifa Bandele of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and Terrence Fisher, Director of Bullets In The Hood, winner of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Short Filmmaking award.

Panel will include a Special Screening of Pharoahe Monch’s New Music Video, “When the Guns Draws.”

+This event is FREE and open to the public and will be taking place at the Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School.

Expression | February 24, 2007 | 7pm � 10pm:

In the Urban Word NYC Annual Teen Poetry Slam Final held this year at Brooklyn Academy of Music | Howard Gillman Opera House, hundreds of teens representing every borough and most ethnicities come together in celebration of youth spoken word, to determine which five teens will form that year�s NYC Teen Poetry Slam Team and compete at Brave New Voices, the National Teen Poetry Slam.

Seats are almost sold out! To Purchase Tickets visit www.h2ed.net/itsallaboutmee

Education | February 25, 2007 | 7:30am � 7pm:

Closing up the festival once again at the Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School, the H2Ed Summit will give opportunities for educators, social workers and parents to learn and participate in workshops that will teach how to use Hip-Hop as an educational tool across a multi-disciplinary curricula.

Workshop Schedule:

11:50-12:50AM (1st Hour Facilitator)

Workshop A: Literacy | Rhythm & Reason: Utilizing Hip-Hop to engage literacy, critical thinking and creative writing facilitated by Urban Word

Workshop B: History | African Ancestry: Tracing Your Roots by Gina Paige

Workshop C: Music | Human Rights Are For Young People Too! �Supporting Children’s Rights & Participation Through Hip-Hop by Tamara Dawit & Tristan “Collizhun” Graham

Workshop D: Immigration, Social Justice & Leadership | From West Coast to West Bank: Understanding Ideas and Imperialism Through Global Hip Hop by Mark Gonzales

Workshop E: Media – Global Action Project Youth Presentations

Workshop F: Tolerance – Slingshot Hip Hop: Culture and Resistance from Brooklyn to Palestine by Ora Wise

2:50-3:50PM (2nd Hour Facilitator)

Workshop A: English Language Arts – Hip-Hop Novel Vs. Street Literature – Facilitated by Kwan

Workshop B: Global Studies | Global Education Through Hip-Hop � HIV/AIDS by Tamara Dawit & Eternia

Workshop C: Math – Edu Rap: Improving Test Scores and Discipline for the Hip Hop Generation by Dr. Ron Kelley

Workshop D: Peer-Peer Mediation � By Cashus D, Federation for Hip-Hop Preservation- Chicago

Workshop E: Technology – By Andrew Ryan, Hip-Hop Matters

Workshop F: Diversity � By Lavie – BCAM/University of Hip-Hop

Sponsors of the 1st Annual It�s All About M.E.E. Festival include SoonR, African Ancestry, St. Martin Press, The Ave Magazine, the Institute for Urban Education at the New School University, and Breakthough.tv
For more information and registration visit www.h2ed.net/itsallaboutmee.

Contact:
212.500.5970
press@hiphopassociation.org

About the Hip-Hop Association:
The Hip-Hop Association (H2A) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) community building organization with national headquarters in Harlem. Our mission is to utilize Hip-Hop culture as a tool to facilitate critical technology, education, and leadership development; while preserving Hip-Hop culture for future generations. For more information visit www.hiphopassociation.org.

About Urban Word NYC:
Urban Word NYC ignited the youth spoken word and poetry scene in New York City when it was established in partnership with Teachers & Writers Collaborative in 1999. Since then, Urban Word NYC has provided thousands of New York City teenagers with free, safe, ongoing, and uncensored writing and performance opportunities. Urban Word believes teenagers can and must speak for themselves and the key to building self-confidence, honing critical thinking skills, and developing imaginative and honest writing is to honor what they say and feel. For more information, please visit www.urbanwordnyc.org.

About BCAM:
Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School provides students a small, personalized learning environment with school, family, and the surrounding Brooklyn and citywide community in a collaborative educational partnership. We offer an exciting and challenging college preparatory academic curriculum and a professional focus in leading communications, arts, and media fields, in a culture wherein students are encouraged to develop individual responsibility, social awareness, self-expression, collective action, and discipline. Through this three-dimensional notion of high school, BCAM students gain the academic, professional, and social skills to enter a range of college and professional opportunities, and most importantly, succeed in this high stakes 21st Century.

Julie Mehretu’s maps look like electric grids of different worlds exploding. In the fall of this year the Detroit Institute Of Arts will get some of this energy to permanently marks its walls.