THE DETROIT EXPANSION TOUR

I digs. —NH

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:09:00 -0400

I digs. —NH

First Stop on the Tour: DETROIT, MI- MARS BAR OF DETROIT! 5/26/12 -journeling

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:05:00 -0400

JEEEAAAHHH BOOOYYYYEEEEE!!! So it was Dulcinea Detwah, her two dancers Jeremy and Kairi, Kilusan Bautista, and Nakia Henry (me). The five of us packed into a Jeep and drove to Detroit, MI on Thursday night at 11pm. A bit uncomfortable at times as I was in the back seat the entire time… they wouldn’t let me drive. Some crap about me not having a license… punks! (jokes) Anyway, the designated drivers got us there safe and sound.

The plan was to drop off one of the dancers to his family’s house in Troy, MI and keep it moving, but his father held us at gunpoint, chained us to some chairs and cooked this amazing spread of food. Chicken, waffles, sausage, eggs, fruit, EVERYTHING! And then had the nerve to tell us that he loved us when we were leaving… CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT??? Well don’t! No guns, no chains… only a gracious host of a doting father and some hungry bellies with grateful hearts attached to them. And yes, the love was real and reciprocated! I felt it! This was such a highlight to the end of a 10-hour drive. Being in Troy with love all around, felt like paradise… like a mini vacation.

After departing from the beautiful homecoming, we went and checked in to our hotels and freshened up a bit before heading to Detroit to visit our families, (Mine and Dulcinea’s). All smiles there- hugs and kissy faces all around, excitement about the upcoming show, last minute promoting to the family. Just LOVE all around.

The following day, we went to Fairlane to get some last minute pieces for the show… yes Fairlane. And then we headed to the what used to be called the Cass Corridor but is now called…..(drum roll)….. MIDTOWN (slow clap/side eye). Sound like some Bushwick/East Williamsburg stuff to me, but all in all, I respect Detroit’s turn around and #EXPANSION. Shout Out to Flo’s, Tulani Rose, and Goodwells Natural Food Market.

Next up, TECHNO FEST!

We made a brief stop to the Electronic Festival in Hart Plaza to do some promoting for our show that evening. We even walked the Riverwalk, which was beauteous!

s/b—It isn’t often that Detroit is hotter then NY with regard to weather. We are usually neck and neck or NY is hotter (all the damn people in NY vs. Detroit being surrounded by water). Buuuuuttttt that sun was leaning. And it was raining like crazy the week before in NYC so, Detroit was winning all around.

Back to the hotel to grab our things for the show and then MARS BAR!

MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYEN!!! Our families came and packed the place out so tough! Lol it was amazing to see. DJ L Boog was on the 1s and 2s!!! We were dancin, ballroomin, and hustlin all night long. When it came time to perform, the crowd sang along to our songs, hand in the air, and hearts reaching out. I felt like I was living my dreams. I HAVE NEVER SUNG IN DETROIT BEFORE. Have “performed all over the D, but never sang.” Then Dulcinea wowed the crowd with her exciting set- dancers in tow. And they killed it and brought it back to life. OOOOOOH they were so awesome!!!

This was an amazing start to a phenomenal Tour. Dreams come true indeed.

Campaign Perks Updates!

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:51:38 -0400

We are happy to announce that the Detroit Expansion Tour Swag Bags and Autographed Posters have been mailed! Thank You so much for your patience with this process!! If you have not received your swag bag, please be sure to message us via Facebook or reply to this post. Posters were mailed 6/1/12 so please allow a week to receive this perk. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! Please help spread the word about this project! bookdetroitexpansion (at) gmail dot com … spammers will be shot in the face.

—NH/DD

The Detroit Expansion Indiegogo Campaign

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:45:22 -0400

The Detroit Expansion has raised a whopping $3090.00 via http://indiegogo.com thanks to our friends and families! We are so grateful to you all for your continued support. We do not take this for granted. Your contributions will help us with all of the expenses that come along with traveling. We would personal like to thank:

Kathy Foreso, Aisha Benton, Oseyi Mchawi, Sesame Leonard, Ayoka Orisabunmi, Stephania Exantus-Vereen, Liu Jay Lam, Elonda Zander, Carmen Barcelona, Tosin Adeyinka, Mayteana Morales, Channy R. Spread Art, Sarah Zeile, Mary Pryor, Chris Gaskins, Nattyindigo, Selima Harleston, Joe Twiggs, Jeannine Maffucci, Bianca Mona, Jacqueline Harris, Alfreda Henry, Marion Lombardi, Arin Maya, Dominique Kelley, Amma Whatt, AileyGirl02, Frances Baca, Kenneth Songco, Brooke Holmes, Tanwi Islam, Will Knight, Maisha G Rodriguez, Desiree Godsell, Shanika Singleton, Kevin Petite, WiseAmazonWoman, Nocole Rogers, Kristen Arnett, Joseph Gell, Janaya Williams, Laeticia Emmanuel, AfaliaDance, Angela Austin, Maxine Montilus, Sapna Shah, Yahya Jefferies-El, Carlos Burgos, Teneise Ellis, Saretta Wesley, Dameka Humphreys, Gain Records, Ebonie Pittman, Reanne Moe, Alyson Heard, Annie Wu, Jessenia Santana, Myesa Jacobs, Ryan Johnson, Malkia Henry, Billie’s Black, Marcus White, Roxie Seigle, and Michelle Bolton!!

—NH/DD

The Detroit Expansion Tour Nakia Henry and Dulcinea Detwah both...

Thu, 17 May 2012 23:42:00 -0400

The Detroit Expansion Tour

Nakia Henry and Dulcinea Detwah both hailing from Detroit, MI, and now residing in Brooklyn, NY, have big hearts, big sound and larger than life stage presence – the goal of the Detroit Expansion Tour is to share these elements with the world beyond the constraints of a laptop or electronic device. They want to share their art with you up close and personal. Although the two artists have very different sounds and styles they both share very unique perspectives of the Detroit sound and Brooklyn sentiment.

The artists like most Detroiters feel a strong since of pride and allegiance to their home. And they understand in the midst of the current “depression” that the city is experiencing, ultimately the arts will be central in the city’s revitalization. Therefore, Dulcinea and Nakia have decided to hold a FREE concert in their home community on Detroit’s eastside at the close of their tour.

With new albums, remixes and music videos to boast, it is the perfect time for Nakia and Dulcinea to set sail and join the ranks of all the R&B, Hip-Hop, Electronic and Soul music greats who have come before them. After the two crash the South by Southwest, Winter Music Conference and Electronic Music Festivals in the first half of the year – they will head out to Europe (July-September): Berlin, London, The Netherlands, Italy and Paris and end the tour in Africa (December-February): Ghana, Senegal and South Africa.