BlackDoor Ventures, Inc.

Rising star musician/producer REDWOOD drops new single, ‘Justcuz’

Posted on March 11th, 2021No Comments

WASHINGTON – A rising star musician/producer has dropped a new single under her new stage name. “Justcuz,” by REDWOOD, is now available everywhere.

“When people hear Justcuz, I’m sure they’ll think it’s a love-song kind of vibe,” says the 21-year-old DC native with a growing reputation in Detroit. “But it’s really a song I wrote about creating and being an artist. The groove is really different. It’s going to spark people’s attention.”

The name change follows the 2019 release of her self-produced debut EP, “Sempervirens.” She decided to go by REDWOOD, a childhood nickname, “because of the way my artistry has begun to emerge and evolve.

“It also indicates a return to myself, as the process of growing up can often lead us away from our authentic personalities, interests and dreams,” she says. “REDWOOD is who I’ve always been, but now I’m just choosing to fully be the authentic me and accept all of those things.”

She has experienced quite the musical journey since graduating from Duke Ellington School of the Arts and arriving at Michigan State University in 2017. Most recently she was featured in a live NPR Christmas performance at the Kennedy Center with legends Cory Henry and Kenny Barron. Prior to that, she won a nationwide contest to perform with popular R&B band The Internet on their tour stop in Detroit. Along the way, she has shared the stage with luminaries like Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, Terell Stafford and DeeDee Bridgewater.

Regarding “Justcuz,” she says “I want my music’s sound to be determined by the listener. But you can hear the go-go influence, a DMV-type of feel. It’s very laid back.” Among her musical influences are Flwr Chyld, Terrace Martin, Liv.e, KeiyA, and Iman Omari. “These artists are really pushing the envelope genre-wise,” she says. “They have music you can’t really classify.”

Although she’s a Class of 2021 Jazz Studies major, REDWOOD doesn’t want to be boxed in, either. Her musical taste has developed from a flavorful recipe of funk, soul, gospel, R&B, hip-hop, and pop … in addition to jazz. “My music is all about soulfulness,” she says. “Not just sounding good. But feeling good. It’s really intangible. Indescribable.”

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Click here to hear Justcuz; Contact Deron Snyder (deron@blackdoorventures.com) to arrange an interview with REDWOOD

Follow @redwoodsounds to keep up with her on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook. Click here for YouTube.

NESSA’S NOTIONS: As easy as 1, 2, you must be kidding!

Posted on March 9th, 2021No Comments

By VANESSA W. SNYDER

Have you ever searched for the Easy Button? I need to find it – or a Lifeline – right about now. There must be a secret escape exit somewhere.

Some days on the doctoral journey, you just wish there was a safe word you could use to catapult yourself to completion.

Surprise, surprise. There are no shortcuts – and we knew that.

When my mind trails off after several hours on seemingly the same paragraph, I long for a quick fix.  That Easy Button must be here somewhere.

Then reality eventually hits, and I realize there’s no “workaround” because I’ll just work myself right around to where I started. Or stopped.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m learning and growing and becoming an expert in a particular area of study. So, no, there’s no finagling. I don’t get to skip the hard parts on this journey – or any other journey for that matter – if I want to actually accomplish the thing I’m trying to accomplish.

Doing hard things requires doing hard things. So, whatever your thing is, just go ahead and do the thing: losing weight, quitting smoking, finishing school, cleaning your house, writing a book … whatever. Heed the Nike slogan.

There’s no use searching for the Easy Button. It doesn’t exist.

I know because I looked.

(A former journalist currently working on her doctorate in Social Emotional Learning, Vanessa is a dedicated and passionate educator in the DC Public Schools system. She loves learning, leadership, innovation, collaboration, and discovering new ways to drive student gains and support staff members).