The Poet & the Violin (1st show 4:00pm)

There are shows and there are events. Shows are great but they happen often. Events don’t happen as often as shows do and some events may only happen once in a lifetime. This event can certainly be placed in the “Once in a lifetime” category. This once in a lifetime event consists of 3 parts.

First part is “Brooke Alford. Artist of the Violin” In Brooke’s 13 year career span as an independent artist, she has released 4 CDs (Expressions LP, The Viosocalist EP, Closer Remixes EP, and My Christmas EP) and has had the opportunity to open for The Whispers, Mint Condition, Paul Taylor, Marion Meadows, Najee, Will Downing, India.Arie, Robin Thicke, Andra Day, and Marsha Ambrosius, just to name a few. Brooke has shared the stage with Alex Bugnon, Frank McComb and recorded with Bob Baldwin, Marcus Anderson, Climate Change, and Chante Cann. Some of Brooke’s notable corporate clients include Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola, The Hotel at Avalon, AARP, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, Bud Light, and Taliah Waajid. In short, she is a very accomplished musician. Currently residing in Atlanta Georgia, she is traveling all the way to California for this event.

Second Part is “Novelist/Author/Poet Graffiti Bleu” He is considered a literary “Triple Threat” of sorts. He is a brilliant storyteller, prolific emcee and a dynamic spoken word artist. He has published 4 books, 3 of which are a part of the “Poet’s Pursuit of Pleasure” series (An Emotional Affair, Intimate Rival’z and Simony Chiavary 2.0) He has performed the spoken word across the globe. At gala events such as the Morris County NAACP 80th Anniversary Celebration in 2011, where he performed for the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. He also performed and lectured at the 100 Thousand Poets for Change World Conference in Salerno Italy in 2015.

The third part is the release of the book this event is honoring. “The Art of Saying No” is a self help/memoir which is Graffiti Bleu’s 5th published novel. He describes this as the “Picasso” of everything he has published thus far. The spoken word performance he has written for “The Poet & the Violin” to celebrate the release of the book will undoubtedly match the “Picasso” level of artistry. Join us and be a part of history that pushes the culture of independent music & art forward.