By Eartha Watts Hicks
“When you release your fears and pursue your passion, doors begin to open,” says Raine Torre, performer and host of Soul 4Real Tuesdays Live Music & Open Mic Night, a weekly talent showcase. Now held at Nabe, a quaint Japanese restaurant in Harlem, her music showcase reintroduces 90s music to a loyal following in this new millennium.
“My songs selection always depends upon the crowd. I personally love 80s & 90s music. Stephanie Mills, Chaka Khan, Melisa Morgan, Phyllis Hyman, Sybil, CeCe Peniston, Sade, and especially Mary J. Blige.” These cover tunes make up her weekly repertoire, while her band members easily lend their talents and knowledge of music to impromptu requests from open-mic guests, participating in what soon becomes a jam session of sorts, attracting performers from as far away as France and Japan.
“By developing relationships and stepping out on faith, I remain in the company of some incredible musicians. Jamal Peoples, Larry Peoples, Jr. and Kevin Billings also help produce Soul 4Real Tuesdays, and my band members and I receive many calls to perform with at several other venues.”
Raine’s traveling showcase has seen the likes of Melba’s 125 Sunday Gospel Brunch, The Shrine in Harlem, as well as venues in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Westchester, New Jersey, even as far as Oxen Hills, Maryland.
Raine’s passion is not just to share her own beautiful voice, but to also encourage others. Her Soul 4 Real Tuesdays platform welcomes and celebrates all who are looking to take a chance, trust and share their own gift in a warm, friendly, and encouraging environment. Raine’s sweetest gift is making everyone feel, as if they have their own musical family. And for that reason, this sister deserves to be supported wherever she goes.
Soul 4Real Tuesdays Live Music & Open Mic Night lasts from 9pm until midnight at Nabe, located at 2367 Frederick Douglass Blvd (at West 127th Street) in Harlem.
Eartha Watts Hicks is a songwriter, award-winning author of Love Changes, NYCHA/NAACP appointed New York City literacy ambassador, and Harlem enthusiast. For more information on Eartha, as well as her writings and publications, visit www.earthatone.com.
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