Marking a milestone

It’s been ten years running for the popular music and poetry festival Mahalia’s Corner and its founders, the band 2 Mile Hill, are launching this year’s season with a throwback show on Tuesday, September 3 at the place where it all started, Marina Bar and Restaurant or the old Bump ‘n Wine as it was called a decade ago.

The first show featuring musical guest Kweku, an open mic and performances by 2 Mile Hill, is called the Origin Story. It marks the beginning of a season celebrating the evolution of a movement that the band started to give young artists a platform to hone and demonstrate their craft and seasoned performers a safe space to show a different, more vulnerable side to their audiences.

In addition to the first show, the four-week festival will include a series of weekend shows at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination, starting with featured guests Lead Pipe & Saddis on September 7 and 8, followed by Edwin Yearwood on September 14 and 15. The Sunday show will be a repeat of the show on Saturday. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. all nights.

The Mahalia’s Corner Tenniversary will climax on September 22 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre with an all-star cast of ten performers who have graced the Corner stage over the years: Betty B, Bobo, Ch’An, Iron Pipe, John Yarde, Khiomal, Lil Rick, Rhesa Garnes, Teff and RPB.

2 Mile Hill’s frontwoman, Mahalia, said it’s a surreal feeling to think so much time has passed between the conceptualization of what seemed like a small idea and now. “It’s amazing to see where it is now and how much it’s grown,” she continued.

“I feel really grateful for the support we’ve received from friends, fans, family, and artists that needed a platform to stand on and a place to grow,” Mahalia expressed. “Just knowing that it is still necessary keeps me inspired and motivated to continue.”

She added that this season will be full of surprises. She is particularly excited to see what new talent the Open Mic segment of the festival will uncover and also to expose a fresh crop of upcoming local stars in the Spotlight Artiste segment which became a part of the showcase a few years ago.

“My adrenaline is very, very, high going into the first show, the throwback show. I think it will set the bar high for the rest of the season,” she said. (PR)