Santa Fe, MN (Top40 Charts/ Santa Fe University of Art and Design) Santa Fe University of Art and Design (SFUAD) announced today that the Grammy Award-winning powerhouse Living Colour will perform on campus April 19 at the Shellaberger Tennis Center as part of the university's Artists for Positive Social Change series. Tickets will be required for the Living Colour concert, which is free and open to both students and the greater
Santa Fe community.
Doors will open at 5 p.m., with Living Colour taking the stage at 8 p.m.
In conjunction with Living Colour's April 19 concert, SFUAD students will have the opportunity to participate in a symposium with the musicians. "From the Bottom to the Top: In Living Colour" will feature the musicians offering advice about making it in the music industry, overcoming obstacles and finding your voice as an entertainer. The university's director of Artists for Positive Social Change Brian Hardgroove will mentor existing student bands: The jazz fusion band Ruder and the Shockwaves and the rock band Venus and The Lion will both perform as opening acts for Living Colour.
Best-known for their Grammy Award-winning song "Cult of Personality," the New York City-based Living Colour rose to fame with the debut of their album Vivid in 1988. In 1989, the band was named Best New Artist at the MTV Video
Music Awards. According to Hardgroove, "Cult of Personality" is about how our society focuses on big personalities, to the extent that we are often swept into believing the messages and ideals of iconic individuals—whether it's JFK, Mussolini or others who have had great power and political influence.
"Living Colour speaks to the ethos of SFUAD's Artists for Positive Social Change initiative, with their social commentary and lyrics that are often focused on urban renewal and gentrification," said Hardgroove, who is a well-known record producer and former member of the superstar hip-hop group Public Enemy. "We're bringing these professional entertainers to campus so our students can learn from them. It's important that students interact with artists who know what graduates will deal with when they leave college, and who will also inspire them as an artist and in life. At the same time, Living Colour has done what many of our students are trying to do—succeeding in the arts world while delivering a positive social message."
Hardgroove added that Living Colour's visit will be significant not only to SFUAD music students, but also to students who wish to pursue a career as an entertainer or performer. Besides serving as lead singer for Living Colour, band member Corey Glover is an actor, having appeared in movies such as Platoon (1986),
Say Anything (1989) and The Proposal (2009). He also co-headlined a national tour of Jesus Chris
Superstar beginning in 2006, in which he played the role of Judas.
"These are successful people in show business, not just musicians," said Hardgroove. "They've thrived despite a sometimes uphill battle, as they didn't necessarily represent the norm when they rose to fame in the Nineties."
For more information about Living Colour, visit their website. Tickets will be available to the public from April 4 to April 11, and can be picked up at the Lensic Box Office on a first-come, first-served basis.
Previous Artists for Positive Social Change events have brought Public Enemy, Shepard Fairey, BukueOne, Kate Reid, Ozomatli and other notable artists to the SFUAD campus.
