NOW. BY ALL. IN MY MOTHER. DOWN, BABY IT GO ALL THE WAY DOWN. THIS HERE IS VIDEO FROM R&B LIVE IN EVENT SHOWCASING LOCAL ARTISTS AND THEIR LOVE FOR RHYTHM AND BLUES. AND IT’S RETURNING TO MILWAUKEE NEXT MONTH. JOINING ME NOW IN STUDIO, THE FOUNDER OF R&B LIVE, LENA COLE, AND THE MUSIC DIRECTOR, OLEN FRANKLIN. THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. OF COURSE, LENA, I WANT TO START WITH YOU. FOR FOLKS AT HOME WHO DON’T KNOW WHAT R&B LIVE IS, THEY HAVEN’T HEARD OF IT OVER THE PAST 14 YEARS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN DOING THIS. TELL ME WHAT R&B LIVE IS ALL ABOUT. BASICALLY, WHAT IT IS, IT’S A SHOWCASE WHERE WE HIGHLIGHT SOME OF MILWAUKEE’S MOST TALENTED ARTISTS, MUSICIANS AND VOCALISTS, AND WE JUST GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO SHARE THEIR TALENT WITH THE CITY. A TIME FOR THE CITY TO COME IN AND GET AWAY FROM EVERYTHING THAT’S GOING ON AND JUST IT’S A SAFE PLACE TO REALLY ENJOY MUSIC AND HEAL. MUSIC IS HEALING, SO IT’S JUST THAT’S WHAT IT IS. YEAH. YOU GUYS DO THIS ONCE EVERY OTHER MONTH, BUT YOU WERE SAYING YOU’VE BEEN DOING IT FOR 14 YEARS RIGHT HERE IN MILWAUKEE. WHAT’S THE IMPACT THAT YOU’VE NOTICED HERE IN THE COMMUNITY? I JUST I ENJOY WHEN I SEE DIFFERENT GENERATIONS COMING TO THE SHOW. YOU’LL SEE A GRANDMOTHER, A MOTHER AND A DAUGHTER AND FOR ME, THAT’S SPECIAL. IT’S NOT A LOT OF THAT ENTERTAINMENT LIKE THAT IN THE CITY. SO FOR ME, LIKE I SAID, I SEE THE HEALING AND YOU’LL SEE PEOPLE CRYING IN THE AUDIENCE JUST SO PEOPLE CRYING ON THE STAGE AND AND THAT’S THAT’S SPECIAL IN THE MUSIC. IT DOES THAT. AND SO FOR ME, THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT WORTH CONTINUING. SO THE NEXT ONE IS HAPPENING ON DECEMBER 17TH. IT’S HAPPENING AT THE COOPERAGE. OLAN, YOU’RE THE MUSIC DIRECTOR. HOW DO YOU GUYS FIGURE OUT WHAT MUSIC TO SHOWCASE? WELL, WE WELL, AT LEAST THIS ONE IS EASY BECAUSE IT’S CHRISTMAS SEASON. HOWEVER, THIS SHOW IS REALLY NOT GOING TO BE BASED AROUND CHRISTMAS MUSIC. SO BUT TYPICALLY WE KIND OF PICK THEMES OF WHAT THE HOLIDAYS IS OR WHAT THE SEASON IS AND THEN WE KIND OF KIND OF LISTEN TO THE RADIO AND SEE WHAT’S REALLY POPULAR AT THAT TIME. AND KIND OF PICK SONGS AROUND THAT. BUT WE ALL ARE 90S AND 80S BABIES, SO WE KIND OF STILL STICK TO THAT GLUE OF MUSIC THAT WAS LIKE REALLY LIKE, LIKE IT KIND OF HELPED US THROUGH A LOT OF STUFF, YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST AND GROWING UP, THE REAL R&B. YEAH, THE REAL R&B THAT WE DON’T HEAR NOWADAYS ON THE MUSIC ANYMORE. REAL, REAL MUSIC, REAL INSTRUMENTATION. YEAH, THAT’S AWESOME. AND SO FOR THIS EVENT THAT’S HAPPENING AND YOU’RE NOT EVEN THE EVENT THAT’S HAPPENING IN DECEMBER, TAKE ME OVER THE PAST 14 YEARS, YOU GUYS OBVIOUSLY FEATURED THE LOCAL ARTISTS AND LOCAL TALENT, BUT YOU GUYS HAVE HAD SOME PRETTY GOOD SPECIAL GUESTS TOO. YEAH, OUR SLOGAN IS YOU’LL NEVER KNOW WHO WILL SHOW UP. AND WE’VE HAD CARL THOMAS, KIKI WYATT, YVONNE ARNDT, JUST TO NAME A FEW OF THEM. AND THE SPECIAL PART OF IT IS THE AUDIENCE NEVER KNOWS THAT THEY’RE COMING EVERY TIME WE HAVE AN ACTUAL ARTIST, IT’S ALWAYS A SURPRISE. AND SO FOR ME, IT MEANS THAT THE PEOPLE ARE COMING KNOWING WHETHER NATIONAL ARTISTS IS GOING TO BE THERE OR NOT. AND IF THEY’RE NOT, THEY’RE NOT DISAPPOINTED. THEY’RE HAPPY WITH THE THE TALENT THAT’S ON THE STAGE. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AND SO IF FOLKS ARE WATCHING THIS RIGHT NOW, THEY WANT TO BE A PART OF R&B LIVE NEXT MONTH. GIVE ME THE RUNDOWN ON WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW AND HOW THEY CAN GET TICKETS. WELL, THEY CAN ALWAYS GO ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA. IT’S R&B, LIVE MILWAUKEE BAND EXCUSE ME, BAND ON FACEBOOK. WE ALSO HAVE AN IG. WE’RE REALLY EASY TO FIND ON SOCIAL MEDIA. ALL OF THE INFORMATION FOR THE TICKETS ARE THERE. OUR SHOW IS AT THE COOPERAGE. DECEMBER 17TH AT THIS IS OUR LAST SHOW OF THE YEAR, BUT WE’LL BE BACK IN MARCH. FOR MARCH MADNESS. THAT’S OUR BIG SHOW THAT STARTS OFF THE YEAR EVERY YEAR. ALL RIGHT. THIS IS NOT TECHNICALLY PUTTING YOU ON THE SPOT BECAUSE WE TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE COMING ON AIR. BUT IF YOU COULD PICK ANY ANYBODY TO COME FOR AN R&B LIVE SESSION, THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY. MAYBE THEY’LL SEE IT OUT THERE ON THE AIRWAVES. WHO WOULD YOU HAVE? WELL, AVERY WILSON IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES RIGHT NOW, BUT I’M ALWAYS BEEN A FAN OF PJ MORTON AND JASMINE SULLIVAN. YEAH, THAT SOUNDS LIKE THAT’S A LINEUP. THAT’D BE AMAZING. YEAH. R&B LIVE 2024. LET’S MANIFEST IT RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING HERE. WE APPRECIATE IT. R&B LIVE MILWAUKEE RETURNS TO MILWAUKEE DECEMBER 17TH AT THE COOPERAGE. IT’S RIGHT NEAR WATER AND WALKER STREET. MILWAUKEE’S VERY OWN SEAN HINTON IS A SPECIAL GUEST CURATING THAT SHOW. WE HAVE ALL OF THIS