Paulette Branson &
Meet the Band...
Paulette
Band Leader (Guitar & Vocals)
Paulette is a writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Her first instrument was the drums and she later learned the guitar, bass, and piano. As a child, Paulette was most influenced by her mother and other church musicians, but later found an appreciation for world music, funk, blues, soul, hip-hop, rock & roll, disco, and the list goes on and on; thus, forming the funky, fusion band "Mixed People" in August 2012.
Paulette is a fearless leader with an aged soul, who hopes to stamp this planet with sound waves of joy, happiness, love and beauty - appreciating all people for who they are!
Pierre
Vocals & Percussion
You may have seen Pierre Nix singing and grooving onstage with Mixed People. Or perhaps you've seen him playing with West African drum ensembles in Fairmount Park. You might have heard a track he produced for a local singer or rap artist. Or maybe you've even seen him onstage performing the works of August Wilson or Shakespeare.
Pierre was born into a family of musicians in North Philadelphia. Since childhood, he's been exposed to an array of musical styles - styles ranging from Classical, to Jazz, to Funk, to Hip-hop. Seeking to better understand his heritage from a musical perspecive, while in college, Pierre began to study traditional music of the African diaspora. He currently studies under the world-traveled master percussionist and rhythm speaker, Jan Jeffries. Drawing from these various forms allows him to eclectically compose music for himself and others.
Point being, Pierre is fiercely making a name for himself in the Philadelphia arts scene and beyond. Ever the chameleon, Pierre wears hats as a composer, songwriter, percussionist, remixer, and producer. Be sure to keep an ear out for this rising talent.
Bird
Keys & Vocals
Robert L Williams, aka Bird was born in Philadelphia, PA. This master musician, composer, and thrilling performer was considered a child prodigy and is compared to artists like Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Maxwell and Terence Trent D'arby. Having mastered the piano by age 10, he quickly took to composing, and by his teens had composed music for a number of Philadelphia artists including seminal Philly rap group 3x Dope, Dr Wizard and Gamble and Huff's Bruce Hawes.
Hailed as the Ambassador to the new sound of Philadelphia, Bird also inspires many as a motivational speaker.
In recent months, Bird has become increasingly popular on Jango internet radio and is climbing the charts on Reverb Nation. No stranger to controversy, Bird is rumored to believe himself to be the reincarnation of Beethoven. As eccentric as he is brilliant, Bird is an electrifying performer who never fails to dazzle audiences.
Bird is now hard at work on his solo debut CD.
NaJashi
Drums
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, NaJashi spent his childhood learning and performing music with his family. His roots largely began in Jazz, Latin Jazz, Reggae and R & B - then later grew to Funk, Soul, and Rock and Roll. In high school, Harun NaJashi performed in almost every band and then became a drumline instructor before co-founding The Set, a fusion group comprised from styles like jazz, r & b and funk. He later played for various independent artists such as Ghetto Songbird, Chad Anthony, Ronin Ali Al-Rashid, Jenn Zungolo, and a progressive reggae artist Ryan "Daga" Joseph. NaJashi has cameoed for Mandrill and played with jazz great Bobby Watson. He has done an abundance of studio recordings with many artists and recently came off tour with "Star Band", a cover band group performing for such venues as Star World Casino, a GALAXY Casino Corporation located in Macau, China. He’s inspired by a wide array of artists like John Coltrane, Bob Marley, Art Blakey, Quincy Jones, Babatunde Olutungi, Nina Simone, KRS1, Diane Reeves, Mongo Santamaria, Pancho Sanchez, Carlos Santana, Chano Pozo, and much more. Harun NaJashi is very knowledgeable on African concepts of music and the works of Sheik Ante Diop, which have provided him an important framework to understand the cultural unity of African music spread throughout the diaspora of the world.
Currently, NaJashi is working with upcoming artists and bands - Rafiya, Badd Kitti, Rotimi & The Afrophonic Crew, Distrubing Daisy, and best of all, Mixed People!
Terrence
Bass
Terrence Jones is a musician's musician with a diverse musical ear and experience in all genres of music. Philadelphia born and raised, Terrence is an accomplished bassist, keyboardist, and producer. He developed a love for music playing alongside his father and brother, both musicians as well. Although he is a graduate of John Bartram high school, he also studied music at Settlement Music School. Terrence has interned with engineer, Pascal Volberg, at Direct Hits Studios and The Studio, working on various aspects of production and engineering. Terrence has worked with the band Subtle Ground featuring the artist, Kuf Knotz. He has also played with various churches and choirs in the Philadelphia tri-state area. Currently, Terrence is working with guitarist, Paulette Branson and her band Mixed People, soul group - And Other Wonders featuring Mike Maiorini, afro pop artist - Rafiya, and rock artist - Vixen Allure and Disturbing Daisy.