Louis York and The Shindellas to perform at Franklin Theatre Friday night

Are you ready to experience the power of new American soul?

Louis York and The Shindellas, from Franklin's very own Weirdo Workshop, are coming to the Franklin Theatre Friday, Nov. 12 for a night of family fun, soulful love and joyful music. The show starts at 8 p.m., and doors open an hour prior.

Louis York, the progressive R&B band comprised of Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum production and songwriting pair Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony, will perform alongside the internationally recognized and ferociously talented Shindellas: Kasi Jones, Tamara Chauniece and Stacy Johnson. 

Both groups have been performing separately for the past two years. Individually, Louis York and The Shindellas are powerful musical forces in their own right. Their collaboration is something to be celebrated, creating a unified experience that highlights each group’s authentic sonic prowess. Friday’s show is aptly titled, “Together Again.”

“It’s an integrated show, almost like a Motown review,” Kelly said. “We’re real friends in real life. We play together all the time, we rehearse together. So, you’re going to see the comradery and the love and the fun.”

Kelly and Harmony discovered Franklin after growing tired of the lack of close-knit communities in big cities. The band name, Louis York, is an amalgam of their native cities, Harmony from St. Louis and Kelly from New York.

Their plan was to move to Nashville, but in a twist of fate, they were led to the town they’d soon call home.

“We discovered Franklin just through a bad experience with an Airbnb,” Kelly said. “It led us to start driving, and anger, and we ran across this beautiful community called Franklin, Tennessee.”

The pair founded Weirdo Workshop in 2015, an independent record label and artist collective based in Franklin. The Shindellas joined the label soon after its start.

Both bands describe their genre as "new American soul."

“Tamara always says it best, she says it’s ‘everything you’ve ever heard, and everything you’ve never heard,'” Johnson said. “When you get five artists, people who have such diverse backgrounds, and put them all in the studio together and just shake it up, this is what comes out.”

The Shindellas are musically influenced by artist such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner. Their showmanship style is influenced by Judy Garland, Bette Midler and Beyonce.

Louis York studies a wide array of music, from classical to modern hits, in order to cultivate an original sound. Their own music is a melting pot, incorporating inspirations from Tracy Chapman, Ray Charles and Billy Joel.

Both bands’ performances exemplify a level of cohesive stagecraft, vocal strength and feeling lost on many of today’s modern artists.

“I feel like creating this new genre has been kind of like creating a new language,” Johnson said. “And what our language is all about is love and joy and welcoming people. I feel like … this music is like a whole new vocabulary of just how to feel love, how to feel joy, how to look at yourself and … we’re more than just us on stage in flashy costumes, we’re mirrors for the audience, and the love we have for each other, and the music. It should be mirroring back the love [the audience] can have for themselves.”

Friday night’s show is planned to be an otherworldly, emotional and joy-filled experience.

“People don’t give music enough credit for being a spiritual experience, and I think a lot of times people come to our show they expect to have a good time, but they don’t necessarily expect to cry or they don’t necessarily expect to be changed,” Harmony said. “So, if I was buying a ticket, that’s what I would be looking forward to, something that not only entertains me, but opens my mind … to new possibilities that relate to my spirituality and my emotional health.”

Both bands were appreciative of the love and support Franklin residents have shown them in the past. They are excited to perform at the Franklin Theatre.

“It’s a hometown show," said Kelly. “You guys get it special here in Franklin, because we really do love here the best. We go all out.”

Tickets are on sale now.

Original post:
williamsonherald.com