Blaque Dynamite Organ Trio featuring James Francies & Joe Cleveland

Name: Blaque Dynamite Organ Trio featuring James Francies & Joe Cleveland
Start: 2025-03-14T19:00:00-04:00
Location: 5377 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN, United States, Indiana 46220

Schedule

Fri, 14 Mar, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

5377 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN, United States, Indiana 46220 | Indianapolis, IN

SHOWS : 7 & 9:30p
Prepare to witness one of the greatest organ trios ever assembled: The Blaque Dynamite Organ Trio! featuring Blaque Dynamite aka (Mike Mitchell) on drums, James Francies on organ & keys, and Joe Cleveland on bass! Don’t miss this trio - it’s not just a performance; it’s an EXPERIENCE!
Blaque Dynamite is more than just a drummer; he's a force of nature. From the moment he smashed his first drum set at the tender age of two, Mitchell has been an undeniable force in music. Before he could even vote, he had already shared stages with legendary musicians like Chick Corea, Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock, Kamasi Washington, Stanley Clarke, Thundercat, and Willow Smith. This Grammy-nominated artist has redefined the term "prodigy." Blaque Dynamite blends jaw-dropping technical skill with an electric stage presence. His sound—a fearless fusion of jazz, funk, gospel, and experimental vibes—has set fire to stages on five continents.
With FOUR groundbreaking albums and three EP’s AND a signature drum stick line with ZILDJIAN under his belt, Blaque Dynamite isn’t just keeping time—he’s shaping the future of music. Whether he’s laying it down for Thundercat, Erykah Badu, MonoNeon, Kamasi Washington, Christian McBride, and countless others, or blazing the stage with his own band, Blaque Dynamite delivers every beat and note with purpose and passion. His ability to sing and play at the same time with such raw intensity and emotions will leave you with goosebumps for the rest of the night!
The New York Times called pianist, producer, and composer James Francies “a pianist with liquid dynamism in his touch.” Since his debut album Flight entranced listeners in 2018, Francies has expanded personal explorations of sound bending and orchestral approaches to the music. Collaborations across stylistic realms – including those with Childish Gambino, Pat Metheny, Mark Ronson, The Roots, Yebba, Chris Potter, Common, Eric Harland, Marcus Miller, DJ Dahi and Ms. Lauryn Hill – have enhanced his development and refined his sound. In issuing Purest Form, his second Blue Note release, Francies accesses intimate chambers of his artistry, interpreting love, grief, frailty, and fortitude. Francies’ expression blooms across false borders of genre and style. He nurtures a celestial fascination with melody and texture. “Music, in its purest form, is an honest space we’re trying to get to where there are no preconceived ideas of what we think something should sound like,” he says. “When you really tap into who you are on the inside, musically and as a person, that energy supersedes anything else.”
Joseph Cleveland was born and raised within a heavily influenced musical lifestyle. Growing up in church, Joseph watched his parents, Alfonzo and Lori, serve in the music ministry every week. This presented him the opportunity to gig consistently at just 13 years old and it didn’t take long to realize music was his life’s calling. Joe’s success with his high school choir and musicals eventually lead to a full-tuition scholarship at Berklee College of Music. There, he was a part of the Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye ensembles. Though his favourite ensemble was under the direction of Alain Mallet, who directed the Paul Simon and Sting ensembles. At 19 Joe’s tours began to pick up steam and he landed touring gigs with singers Brandy (R&B) and Ciara (R&B / Hip Hop), K-Pop artists Big Bang and Taeyang, and he also made a Jimmy Kimmel appearance with rapper MGK (Machine Gun Kelly). Joe has since recorded and/or toured with likes of Rita Ora, Nick Jonas, Miguel, LeAnn Rimes, Mac Miller, B.J The Chicago Kid and Gunna.