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Crosscurrents

Bay Area Beats: John Givens

Courtesy John Givens. Cropped and resized from original.
No Lovely Thing drummer Kevin Crawford, singer Melissa Jones, and guitarist John Givens

Berkeley based guitarist and songwriter John Givens brings a sensibility for visual art into his songwriting; he used to be a filmmaker and art director. Together with his 8-piece soul band, No Lovely Thing, he also explores themes ranging from the political to the emotional. He shares the stories behind some of their songs in this edition of Bay Area Beats.

Sound, for me, it all should relate back to the ideas of the lyrics, it is the blueprint, it's the underlying template for the decisions that you make from there.

 
No Lovely Thing is performing at Venue Oakland on Saturday April 23.

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Crosscurrents Bay Area Beats
Jen Chien was the managing editor for Crosscurrents and KALW News from 2016 to 2018. She has been a contributor to All Things Considered, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, BBC/PRI’s The World, Making Contact, SF Public Press, East Bay Express, New America Media, and KPFA in Berkeley, where she took part in the First Voice Apprenticeship Program. She is the recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Emerging Journalist Award from the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California. She holds a BA in American Studies from Smith College, and an MA in Interdisciplinary Performance from New College of California. Before entering the field of journalism, she had a successful career as a professional dance and theater artist, teacher, and massage therapist.