Black Music Month Event To Showcase Top Chicago Vocalists From The Voice and America’s Got Talent.

Overflow Coffee, newly relocated in the former building of historically acclaimed Vee-Jay Records, extends its rich history by hosting the return of Overflow After Dark, a music series that will round out Black Music Month featuring top Chicago vocalists D. Lylez best known as a contestant from NBC’s The Voice and Sharon Irving from NBC’s America’s Got Talent as well as Billboard Top 20 Artist Jessica Love as Emcee. The event will take place on Saturday, June 26th -7pm-9 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm). Ticket Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

The music event is a continuum of parent organization Entrenuity’s Grand Opening series which houses both Overflow Coffee and second floor Mox. E, a state-of-the-art business incubator and co-working space. Entrenuity is committed to business development and access to capital especially for Black, Latinx, and women entrepreneurs while fostering creativity, collaboration, and community.

Overflow After Dark was birthed out of the vision to provide local artists and entrepreneurs with a professional platform to showcase their work. The music experience fuses the heart of blues, soul, and jazz from generations past to the present. As the home of former Vee-Jay records, one of the earliest independent, Black-owned record companies in the U.S.; the building holds a rich history of Black entrepreneurship, dating back to the 1950s when entrepreneurial couple, Vivian Carter and Jimmy Bracken defied the odds and founded a Black-owned record label, VeeJay Records. The label grew to be one of the earliest and largest black-owned record companies for artists like The Dells, The Staples Singers, Jimmy Reed, Memphis Slim, The Beatles, John Lee Hooker, and more. A wall mural is dedicated to the founders along with a nostalgic wall display of album covers from their illustrious roster.

“I’m thoroughly excited to feature these hometown artists who are so gifted. We want to provide a home for the Chicago community with resources and opportunities to enrich both their personal and professional lives”, says L. Brian Jenkins; Founder of Entrenuity, Mox.E, and Overflow Coffee.

Darious Lyles better known as “D. Lylez” grew up as a pastor’s kid. Along with his father, who once sang with soul crooner Sam Cooke, he was inspired by the likes of artists Marvin Gaye, Usher, and Bobby Caldwell. He soon carved out his own sound as a Chicago-based R&B performer and began producing songs that streamed to millions. D. Lylez shot to mainstream fame as a 2020 contestant on The Voice.

Jenkins states, “Black music month celebrates the undeniable impact of our music. Our desire is to continue to highlight the rich music history of reputable artists throughout the city and provide us all with a reason to come together and celebrate one another.”