Desirée Richardson
Bohumila Augustinová
Jennifer Bartell Boykin
Alyssa Eskew
Johnny Guillen
Gil Grifaldo
Maya Harris
Beaux Jamison
Jae Rodriguez
Desirée RichardsonDeath Ray Robin is an Alt-R&B act featuring vocalist Desirée Richardson and a rotating cast of instrumentalists from Columbia, SC. Best known for her mellifluous soprano and straightforward yet poetic pop sensibilities, Richardson vacillates between genres, writing about themes of self-love, identity, revenge, forgiveness, and hope. Influenced by Regina Spektor and My Chemical Romance, Richardson’s flow from ethereal chorister to earth-shattering banshee is a spellbinding experience best witnessed in-person. Being that she was a choir girl, an avid listener of pop and R&B, and an inconsolable teen in 2007, it’s not difficult to understand why Richardson so comfortably stands between the worlds of “legit” singing and primal screams. Before starting Death Ray Robin in 2020, Richardson has served as an accessory to several Columbia musical acts since 2010, including Fork & Spoon's Pandercakes, sandcastles. [sic], falling off a building [sic], Live Singles, and FatRat Da Czar, most recently lending her talents to alternative pop trio Say Femme and indie rock band flower shopping [sic]. Richardson is currently collaborating with Columbia engineer Uzoma Udogwu of recording studio Orpheus Sounds to bring the songs featured in her live original sets to a recorded format. You can find Death Ray Robin on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @deathrayrobin.
Bohumila AugustinováBohumila Augustinová was born and raised in former Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic. She has a degree in fashion design and is the former leader of Yarnbombers of Columbia and former curator for Anastasia and Friends gallery. Over the years she worked with wire, fiber, recycled materials, but her current passion is ceramics. She was introduced to clay 5 years ago when she accepted a position as arts and culture specialist for Columbia Art Center where she is the director now. When she’s not working, she is at home creating with clay and exploring new techniques.
Jennifer Bartell BoykinJennifer Bartell Boykin is the Poet Laureate of the City of Columbia. She teaches at Spring Valley High School, where she was named the 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year. She was born and raised in Bluefield, a community of Johnsonville, SC. She received the MFA in Poetry from the University of South Carolina. Her debut book of poetry, Traveling Mercy, will be released in November 2023 under the name Jennifer Bartell. Her poetry has been published in Obsidian, Callaloo, pluck!, As/Us, The Raleigh Review, kinfolks: a journal of black expression, Jasper Magazine, the museum americana, Scalawag, and Kakalak, among others. An alumna of Agnes Scott College, Jennifer has fellowships from Callaloo and The Watering Hole. She is pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science at USC to become a school librarian.
Alyssa EskewAlyssa Eskew is a self-taught artist from Lexington, South Carolina. Her work combines elements of religious iconography, mysticism and manga. She primarily does digital illustrations and will have prints available for sale at the event. You can see her work online and on her Instagram @s_cueart.
Johnny GuillenJohnny Guillen is an LA born artist who has called Columbia home for the last 13 years. He's been writing for over half of his life, mostly concentrating on poetry, but has recently begun shifting his focus towards short stories. He often finds himself drawn to writing about his experiences growing up, assimilating to American culture as a Latin person, the loss of identity and journey to rediscover it, mental health as it relates to depression, and love/heartbreak. Currently, he is working on a collection of writing tentatively titled "Songs To Hum In Purgatory" which should be in print later this year. Painting has recently become another outlet for creativity, specifically mixing a number of mediums to create pieces inspired by Basquiat, Pollock, and West Coast graffiti. You can find his work at jguillen.medium.com or on Instagram @jtypedformiles.
Gil GrifaldoGil is an Independent filmmaker/cinematographer/artist focused on an experimental and personal style of filmmaking with visuals inspired by dreams and familiar feelings. His goal is to build a space for free roaming and local filmmakers to support each other and create. In the coming years he aims to advance his art and help others to do the same. You can learn more about Gil and his work at his website.
Maya HarrisMaya Harris, known as Dragonfly Beatz on stage, was born and raised in South Central LA. Harris started producing in 2020 after 20 years in the military, inspired by the likes of Erykah Badu, Amy Winehouse, Wondagurl, and Donny Hathaway. She performs a creative mix of trap, R&B, boombap, and hip-hop, which she creates in FL Studio, at events like The Cookout, and in collaboration with artists like dbottzyoubeatin. When she isn’t producing and performing music, she is spending time with her 21-year-old daughter, who she aims to always show the power of perseverance. You can connect with her on Instagram @dragonfly_beatz
Beaux JamisonBeaux Jamison is a trans nonbinary singer and songwriter from Orangeburg, SC. They moved to Columbia in 2009 to study music at Columbia College. Beaux loves to perform covers of jazz and indie pop songs along with their own tunes written in a folk-campfire style while accompanying themselves on the ukulele. Outside of music, Beaux enjoys most types of physical activity, performance art, and culinary adventures. They love doing just a little bit of everything! You can connect with them on Instagram @the.beaux.sho or tiktok @lzbeaux. Please support their work and adventures via cash app $thebeauxshow
Jae RodriguezJae is originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina and now resides in Columbia, SC where she earned her Bachelor’s of Arts in Music with a concentration in piano performance from Columbia International University in May of 2021. At the age of 12, Jae was granted a scholarship to attend Instituto Canzion, a spanish-speaking music institute in Raliegh, NC where she would begin her journey in learning music theory and piano. Since moving to South Carolina, Jae has had the opportunity to teach piano, voice, and guitar to over 70 students of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels at Freeway Music. As much as she enjoys learning to sing and play covers, Jae is also passionate about songwriting and composition. You can connect with her on Instagram @_jaerodriguez_ and tiktok.
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