KEM WITH AFTER 7

SATURDAY JANUARY 14TH 2012 8P

STATE THEATRE

Kem has carved a niche for himself in the music world. His jazz-influenced contemporary R&B vocal styles are claiming a loyal following in an African-American musical environment dominated by hip-hop sounds. Signed to the Motown Label with a five album deal, Kem stood ready to make music rooted in his own experiences. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, his birth name was Kim Owens; the “Kem” spelling was a mistake on an associate’s part that the singer adopted because he thought it sounded distinctive and marketable.

Kem’s family moved from Tennessee to the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan, when he was young. When he was four, he began to explore the keyboard. A babysitter taught him to play the harmonically ambitious “Color My World,” by the pop group Chicago. “I played that song for about three years straight,” Kem told Cleveland’s Scene Entertainment Weekly. Influenced by R&B giants of the day like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye and by jazzpop-stars Steely Dan and Grover Washington Jr., Kem became fascinated by music in high school and sang in the choir. Estranged from his family during the period when he was homeless, he reconciled himself with them, and they supported him strongly when he returned to music once again. Word of his talents continued to build, and version two of Kemistry sold an impressive 10,000 copies over a five-month period which got the attention of executives at the Motown label, who signed Kem and released Kemistry for the third time. Kem took to the road nationally; and the album cracked the top 20 of Billboard’s Top Hip-Hop/R&B Albums chart.

TREY SONGZ

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 9TH 2012 7:30P

STATE THEATRE

There are entertainers who sing for their people and then there are singers who speak for their generation. Stevie spoke for hearts and souls; Marvin crooned for his country; Fela sent the rhythm of Africa abroad; Curtis gave the ghetto a voice. Artists come a dime a dozen, but a spokesman for the masses who’s been bestowed with a voice from the heavens, once every generation. With Songbook/Atlantic Records R&B blessing Trey Songz, the first generation to come of age in the 21st century has one they can claim as their own.

One thing that Trey does better than any young R&B artist today is to create songs that resonate with fans regardless of gender, race, age, or residency. His music soars above categorization. You’ll be hard-pressed to find many who can’t relate to the gorgeous “Last Time.” With production by R&B sure-shot Bryan-Michael Cox, Trey documents the challenges of monogamy and the complexities of infidelity in one final episode with his female on the side. The song is beautiful. It’s ugly. It’s common. It’s special. It’s human.

ROYAL COMEDY TOUR

ROYAL COMEDY TOUR FEATURING SOMMORE, MARK CURRY, TONY ROCK, & BRUCE BRUCE

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10TH 2012 7P

STATE THEATRE

The Royal Comedy Tour continues its outstanding run as one of the funniest comedy tours ever. Now in its third year, the tour has sustained its laughter strongly due to the comedy innovations of its leading lady Sommore and a revolving cast of the top comics in the business. The 2012 tour will feature Bruce Bruce hot off his “Losin’ It: Live From Boston” special on Showtime, Hanging with Mr. Cooper’s Mark Curry, as well as buzzworthy actor and comedian Tony Rock.