Flobots.org Art to Action workshops are led by our staff and a rotating team of Flobots.org Partner Artists, all of whom are professional artists who work and teach in their given field. Our current roster of Partner Artists includes:
Stephen Brackett, aka Brer Rabbit, lead emcee of Flobots and chair of the Flobots.org Board of Directors. Best knows as a musician, artist and rapper, Stephen is a graduate of the Iliff School of Theology as well as an experienced teacher. Most recently, Stephen taught Language Arts to middle school students at Foothills Academy. Stephen was named “The 2010 Songwriting Person of the Year” by the Denver Post.
A founding member of Flobots, Andy has been playing and working in the local music scene since he was 15 years old. After high school he attended the University of Colorado at Denver and graduated from the College of Arts and Media with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Music Business and a Minor in Music Performance and completed the Chancelor’s Scholars and Leaders Program (CSL). It was during his college years that Andy cut his teeth in the Denver music scene, from playing in his band Bop Skizzum and interning at the Gothic Theater to working with concert promotion companies and finally forming his own that did work for House of Blues, Clear Channel and NIPP. Andy has always enjoyed teaching music and working with youth. He’s taught Guitar of music classes for over 6 years, working with non profit programs like Butterfly Hope and local after school mentoring programs for Denver Middle Schools like BEACONS , and has also taught guitar classes for the Denver Public Schools Saturday Morning Music program. It was with these experiences and skills that Andy helped create the curriculum for the Flobots Music Program at Denver Childrens Home, teaching residents how to write, record and perform their own songs. Andy calls this one of the most rewarding experiences of his life and hopes to expand the program across the country while lending his expertise of music business knowledge to the board.
Flobots.org Art to Action coordinator, owner of Cherry Sound Studio. A gifted multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Chris is the former coordinator of the youth music program at the Spot/Urban Peak. He currently teaches in the music therapy program at the Denver Children’s Home.
Lead vocalist of the Denver band Bop Skizzum. As a multi-instrumentalist and multi-talented performer and artist, Erin Jo teaches music, dance and songwriting to elementary and middle school students throughout Denver.
Adrian H. Molina, Program Specialist and Lead Instructor.
MOLINA is a Hip-Hop artist, storyteller, poet, playwright, human bridge, community builder, and youth advocate.
An artist of the people and for the people, Molina has been known by many names, from Mo Brown, to his full given name, to Molina Soleil and Molina Speaks. As an unsigned, independent artist, Molina has released eight eclectic music projects, most notably “Soulaju”, “Name & Town”, and “Build 2020”, amidst a growing cadre of singles and guest appearances.
Molina has performed at hundreds of cultural and community oriented events. As an educator, Molina teaches Chicano Studies, Hip-Hop Studies, and Media Studies courses at the college and high school levels. He has lectured at dozens of colleges and universities nationally. Molina designs curriculum and facilitates programming for Flobots.Org’s Art to Action and Fight with Tools programs.
Ken and Panama have each taken top honors in the National Slam Poetry Competition as both solo artists and team members. Named “Best Road Poets” by Denver’s Westword, http://www.westword.com/bestof/2010/award/best-road-poets-1438795/ Ken and Panama travel the country performing and teaching at universities, and also coach the nationally recognized Minor Disturbance Youth Slam Poetry Team.
Songwriter, recording artist and music instructor. Melissa combines songwriting and performance with themes of community, identity and joy, and has become very popular with students at the African Community Center, a refugee resettlement agency in Denver. Melissa is an aspiring yogi who loves collecting and playing unusual instruments.
Nathan Makruk, Cody Davidson, Rob Davidson, and Nathan Schmit, founders Youth on Record, which provides songwriting and audio engineering programs to youth at eight residential treatment centers in the Denver Metro area.
Multi-instrumentalist, member of the Denver Jazz Orchestra and Bop Skizzum, graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder Master’s program in Jazz Performance and Pedagogy. Since 2009, Serafin has been a lead instructor in the Flobots.org Music Therapy Program at the Denver Children’s Home.
With a unique voice, an incredible guitar style, and a handful of original tunes, Rob stormed onto Denver’s local music scene, leaving audiences impressed. Within a mere week of open stages, he was offered his first gig at Arvadas D-NOTE. Shortly thereafter, he was playing to full crowds at Boulder’s legendary Fox Theatre and opening for national acts such as Leon Russell, Colin Hay, The Wood Brothers, Raul Midon, Back Door Slam, and Lucy Kaplansky. Over the past two years, he has toured across the country supporting long time Dave Matthews collaborator, Tim Reynolds. And in March 2007, The Fox Theatre invited Rob as the main support for its sold-out 15th anniversary show with The John Butler Trio. His full band headlining shows in Denver and Boulder are now to sold-out crowds.
Recently, Rob performed for former President Bill Clinton, Senators Ken Salazar and Bob Hernandez, and Congressman John Salazar and he is already booked to play at The Democratic National Convention in August 2008. His song “Sweet Things” is currently in rotation on Sirius Channel 30: The Coffee House, and 97.3 KBCO has invited Rob twice now to perform in its world renowned Studio C. In addition, 93.3 KTCL, 102.3 KCUV and 99.5 The Mountain have all featured Rob live and have added him into local rotation. Rob Drabkin’s career seems to escalate daily as he gains fans and recognition wherever he plays.
Ietef Vita, aka DJ Cavem Moetivation, emcee, poet, founder of Living Bling, Being Green, a movement that works to connect hip-hop culture to sustainable living. Ietef is actively involved in Denver’s GrowHaus, an aquaponic organic nursery that brings organic food to communities in Northeast Denver.
Jose Guerrero, lead member of the Minor Disturbance Poetry Team. A celebrated slam poet and youth instructor, Jose led his team to a ground-breaking victory at the 2010 Brave New Voices National Poetry Competition in Los Angeles in the summer 2010 and was featured in an HBO documentary this fall. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILLa0-CULTw He is a student at the University of Denver.
BIO COMING SOON…
BIO COMING SOON…
BIO COMING SOON…