- Hello everybody, I'm Satori Shakoor, welcome to Detroit Performs Live from Marygrove; where Detroit's talented artists take the stage and share insights into their creations.

Today's episode is curated by the Concert of Colors.

They brought the band Universal Xpression who are ready to take the stage.

Stay tuned and get ready for Detroit performs Live from Marygrove.

- Funding for Detroit performs is provided by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb family foundation.

The Kresge foundation, The A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap foundation, The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, The DeRoy Testamentary Foundation, and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

- Hello everyone.

Welcome to Detroit performs live from Marygrove.

I'm your host Satori Shakoor, and I am excited to be here with Ralph Valdez, deputy director for the Concert of Colors.

Hi, Ralph - Hi Satori.

- So how long have you been the deputy director for the Concert of Colors?

- Well I've been involved as a co-producer for the festival since officially, since 2007 But in the last maybe four or five years I've been deputy director, but my role has been pretty much the same which is to oversee the entire festival.

kind of make all the moving parts, keep moving.

- [Satori] And when did the festival start and why?

- Well, it began 30 years ago.

We're celebrating our 30 year anniversary this summer and it began as a grassroots collaboration with neighborhoods and activists in trying to bring cultures of Detroit together.

Ismael Ahmed, our founder for the festival realized early on as many of us do that music is the great universal language, so to speak and that people could really connect through experiencing other people's music, experiencing their culture, their food, their dance.

And so the Concert of Colors began in parks in small neighborhood parks and has grown through the years.

We were at Shane park for a while.

We were with the DSO and now we're homed and housed at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

And we are all over the Midtown area now with that being our home base.

The concentration of the involvement with the Detroit Institute of Arts is on the weekend of July 22nd through the 24th.

But it actually begins on the 18th of July and goes through the 24th.

- And do you love what you do?

- I sure do.

- How does it inspire you?

- In so many ways, because there are times when I'm not running around where I get to sit back and enjoy the music from all over the world, from all corners of the globe.

And I'll see people dancing that are just coming together that may not normally interact.

I'll see young people, old people, you know just every race, every type of person coming together.

And often, you know, they're hugging and getting to know each other by the end of their- You know dancing can be so ecstatic and so expressive and, you know, just help people to really let loose.

And so I've witnessed a lot of things like that that really do inspire me.

- What is the value that, that it's - that it's lending that people want more and more of?

- I think what it, what it brings and what people respond to is its original core mission, which is bringing people together and celebrating diversity, celebrating cultures from around the world from around the city, from around the country.

- We're excited to see the performers on the show.

Who did you bring?

- We're gonna be experiencing universal expression who are longtime friends of the Concert of Colors.

And I'm sure many Detroiters are familiar with them as well.

They celebrate Caribbean culture and represent a wonderful high energy music that we have enjoyed, Like I said, for a while, with the Concert of Colors their history dates back at least 15 years, if not more.

They have a mix of music that is very diverse with music from Africa, music, from the Caribbean the whole diaspora of African culture, is represented in their music and it's all very high energy and danceable.

- Well, I can't wait.

Is there anything that you wanna say to our audience before we go to the stage?

- Well The Concert of Colors is, as I mentioned over a week long of celebration and festivities.

But we are having a group that is a long time favorite of the Concert of Colors representing Ukraine.

They're called DakhaBrakha and we're gonna be having them come back this year to really bring people together in support of Ukraine.

- Well, thank you very much, Ralph.

Ralph Valdez, deputy director for the Concert of Colors.

- It's Very - My pleasure.

- Thank you.

We're going to the stage to see Universal Xpression.

- Don't wanna be lonely.

I've been searching for so long, Just to find that special one.

Someone to call my own Can't stand being alone I need a friend Need a lover No now and then Always and Forever Baby this is it I'm Ready to commit I've got so much love to offer I don't wanna be alone No, I don't wanna be alone I don't wanna be alone No, I don't wanna be alone Eh, I don't wanna walk.

Don't wanna talk.

Don't wanna be don't wanna see Don't wanna play don't wanna say Don't wanna walk don't wanna talk I'm sick and tired of being alone Got no time to waste in vain Said I'm tired of running around I need lady to settle down I wanna build a family.

Loving family.

Make our house homely.

Homely, homely listen to all of your deepest thoughts, do the little things that I ought I don't wanna be alone No, I don't wanna be alone - I don't wanna be alone - No, I don't wanna be alone.

Yeah I don't wanna play don't wanna say.

I don't wanna, don't wanna, don't wanna Don't wanna play don't wanna say don't wanna be I don't wanna be alone No, I don't wanna be alone Yeah, I don't wanna be alone I don't wanna be alone I don't wanna be lonely Don't wanna be lonely Don't wanna be lonely Don't wanna live a lonely life, I need you to call My Wife Someone to have and live for To love, cherish, and adore I wanna build a family, loving family.

Make our house homely.

Homely, homely.

and listen to all of your deepest thoughts Do the little things that I ought I don't wanna be alone No, I don't wanna be alone.

I don't wanna be alone No, I don't wanna be alone Eh, don't wanna walk, don't wanna talk.

Don't wanna play, don't wanna say don't want to be don't wanna see don't wanna think, don't wanna drink; I don't wanna be alone I don't wanna be alone Don't wanna be Lonely Don't wanna be lonely.

Don't wanna be lonely I don't wanna be lonely, Don't wanna be lonely.

Oh Cheers to life, cheers to life raises your glasses high, high up in the sky You don't know why, we giving cheers to life.

Live life You gotta Live life.

Oh Live Life You gotta Live Life.

I tell you Live Life You gotta live life Oh, live life.

You gotta live life Thank Jah Almighty for blessing me today to see another day in glory.

Life Is great.

And I appreciate with every breath I take I'm gonna celebrate.

Raise your glasses high, high up in the sky.

I say You don't know why We're giving cheers to life Live Life You gotta live life Oh live life.

You gotta live life I tell you live life You gotta live life Oh Live life You gotta live Life.

You gotta live life Today you're here with someone tomorrow you're gone make sure your mission to have some fun Now live life You gotta live life Oh, live life.

You gotta live life I tell you live life, you gotta live life Oh live life, live life.

I don't know about tomorrow, So me make sure every little moment is also heavenly spent Life is a precious gift so live up and cherish join me In this toast to what mean the most Raise your glasses high, high up in the sky You don't know why, we giving cheers to life Live life, you gotta live life.

Oh live life, You gotta live life.

I tell you live life, you gotta live life Oh live life, you gotta live life.

Today you're here me son, tomorrow you're gone Make it your mission to have real fun So live life, you gotta live life Oh live life, you gotta live life.

I tell you live life, you gotta live life Oh live life, you gotta live life What me say now?

Live.

I'm gonna live my life.

You should live your life.

We all should live our lives.

Live a life, live my life.

Awoh Cheers to life, Cheers to life Raise your glasses high high up in the shy You don't know why, we giving cheers to life.

You gotta, you gotta Oh live life, you gotta live life.

Live life, you gotta live life Oh live life, you gotta live I thank you father, I am six feet taller I'm still living, counting my blessings.

Raise them glasses high, high up in the sky You don't know why, we're giving cheers to life Live life, you gotta live life Oh live life, you gotta live life.

I tell you live life, you gotta live life.

Oh live life, you gotta live life [Instrumental] Say I'm gonna live my life, you should live your life.

We all should live our life Live our live, live our life.

You could have been a man on the corner begging for a dollar Could have been your mother who had to sell her body for supper You could have been a child world over dying from hunger Could've been a brother who had to sell his store You got a roof over your head, food to eat, a warm bed, shoes on your feet, clothes on your back.

Thank God for that Be thankful for what you got.

Somebody has got it worse than that.

Be thankful for what you got.

Somebody has got it worse than that.

Be thankful for what you got.

Be thankful for what you got Somebody has got it worse than that.

Be thankful for what you got Could've been a lady on the street scunting for food to eat Ooh Could've been the mother who had to sleep on cold ground bare feet Could've been your brother in a coma or hit with terminal cancer Could've been blind of out of your mind or facing pure hard times.

You got your blessings around you You got your wits about you You can laugh, you can smile from someone, a child.

Thank Jah for that Be thankful for what you got, Somebody else got it worse than that Be thankful for what you got Somebody else got it worse than that Be thankful for what you got Be thankful for what you got Somebody else got it worse than that Be thankful for what you got [Instrumental] Could've been a man on the corner, begging for a dollar.

Could've been a child world over dying from hunger Could've been a sister who had to sell her body for supper Could've been the brother who's sick with terminal cancer You got a roof over your head, food to eat, a warm bed.

Shoes on your feet, close on your back.

Thank God for that Be thankful for what you got Somebody else got it worse than that Be Thankful for what you got.

Somebody else got it worse than that Be thankful for what you got Be thankful for what you got Somebody has got it worse than that Be thankful for what you got Be thankful for what you got Somebody else got it worse than that Be thankful for what you got Be thankful for what you got Somebody else got it worse than that Be thankful for what you got - Well, that was a Universal Xpression.

And I'm excited to be sitting here with Richard Paris who is the vocalist and keyboard player for Universal Xpression How you doing Richard?

- I am wonderful.

- So tell me about Universal Xpression, How did you start?

Who are the, the other people that are with you?

- Universal Xpression is a band that born out of a need here in Detroit for versatile band, cuz we don't only do reggae.

We do soca, we do Afro beats, and we take some Motown songs and put them to reggae.

And we've been around for over 20 years.

The drummer is my brother, Noel Parris.

And the bass man is Oliver Mansa.

He's from Ghana.

The foundation, you know, comes from Africa.

So when you bring that African to the Caribbean, it, it meshes well.

And as a matter of fact, that's what make us stand out from the other bands when we play because people say we play happy music.

- [Satori] What are the three beautiful songs that you played for us?

- [Richard] They're all written by myself and they're written from experience in life.

They don't wanna be lonely.

Obviously nobody wants to be lonely in this, this time and you, but you gotta find that perfect person.

So when you find that perfect person then you get to, you know, measure up to what that person needs and your needs to make it work.

So that's why we came up with don't wanna be lonely Be thankful.

So many people take things for granted.

You know, the fact that you can get up off your bed the fact that you can speak fact that can smile fact that you can be right here.

You gotta be thankful for that because it's not really given.

You know, it's a blessing to be.

And then live life is the fact that so many people go through life making life, but not living life.

There is a big difference between the two.

You gotta enjoy the little things in life, the smiles the hello, the goodbyes and all that good stuff.

So that's where live life came from.

- [Satori] And the impact that Detroit has had in the writing of your music - Has been tremendous and not only ours, but in some of the famous reggae artists who you could hear the Motown swing in their music.

And again, you know, music is a universal language.

So whether it gravitates you or pulls you to it, you know you go that way as long as it's positive.

- So how did you find the Concert of Colors?

- We heard of Concert of Colors and mega pledge to perform.

We have done it probably about six times but this year is special because we are bringing a Caribbean stage as part of Concert of Colors right at the DIA.

And we are having an artist out of Toronto by the name of David Rudder.

Universal Xpression, Bomba Rica that brings the Puerto Rican vibe.

We have roots vibration.

And we have a band from Chicago called Indica that bring the, the roots reggae.

So it's gonna be a, a melting pot of excellent music.

- What does make the Concert of Colors unique?

- It's a melting part of all cultures.

And I don't think there's too many other places you can go to a festival and experience that.

And that's what make the color part wonderful.

- What do you personally believe is important to bring people all cultures together through music specifically?

- Where music is like I said is a universal vessel, And it's something that everyone can relate to.

And to transcend different cultural aspect through music is the greatest thing there is.

And that's what Concert of Colors is doing.

- So what do you want audiences to leave after they listen to you?

How do you expect to leave them?

- Well, expect and want is gonna join to together.

And I know they're gonna leave with happiness.

They're gonna leave with understanding of different culture.

They're gonna leave with love because that's what most of the music's all about when you're there.

You gotta be in the moment, dancing, you know smiling or whatever the case may be.

and leaving concert the colors, you should leave with love, a taste of culture and opening and awakening of difference in the world.

- Well, thank you so much, Richard Parris and Universal Xpression.

I can't wait to come and see you in July at the Concert of Colors.

And thank you, ladies and gentlemen for tuning in to Detroit Performs Live from Marygrove.

I'm your host, Satori Shakoor.

See you soon - Funding for Detroit performs is provided by The Fred A.

And Barbara M. Erb family foundation.

The Kresge foundation, The A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap foundation, the Michigan Council for Arts and cultural affairs, the national endowment for the arts The DeRoy Testamentary foundation and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.