Department of Music Lecture: Mvstermind, Damon Davis, and Blvck Spvde

Title

"Music in St. Louis"

About

Associate Professor Christopher Stark moderates a panel discussion on St. Louis Music with musicians Damon Davis, Blvck Spvde, and Mvstermind.

Biographies

Damon Davis

Damon Davis is a post-disciplinary, Emmy Award-winning artist who works and resides in St. Louis, Missouri. In a practice that is part therapy, part social commentary, his work spans a spectrum of creative mediums to tell stories exploring how identity is informed by power and mythology. He is well known for his solo exhibition, Darker Gods in The Garden of Low Hanging Heavens, which premiered in St. Louis in 2018 and went to Art Basel Miami later that year. The exhibit explored the surrealist manifestations of Black culture by constructing new mythologies in response to tropes of Blackness.

Davis is the founder and creative director of music collective/ label FarFetched. Filmmaker Magazine selected him and Sabaah Folayan as part of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film 2016” for their work co-directing the critically acclaimed documentary Whose Streets? chronicling the Ferguson uprising of 2014. In 2020, critic Ben Davis cited his project All Hands On Deck, which captured the hands of people who shaped and upheld the Ferguson movement, as one of the “100 Works of Art That Defined the Decade.” He is a Firelight Media, Sundance Labs, TED, and Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow.

Blvck Spvde

Blvck Spvde stands as a multi-talented artist with a storied career spanning decades in both the realms of music and fashion, earning him a profound level of recognition within underground circles. Notably, he has received accolades and admiration from some of your beloved artists.

Mvstermind

Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin challenges the box of being a successful “Independent Music Artist” and opens up a world of creative storytelling. Through the power of music, voice, and experiences he leaves an intentional mark of community. His work has impacted MLS Franchises, as seen in RollingStones, as he is cemented in stone in his hometown as an entrepreneurial hero. Born and bred in Saint Louis, Missouri. Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin is the new proof of concept of what is possible in your own “backyard” as a musical entrepreneur. Inspired by possibility, his distinctive approach and sound leave the fingerprints of a true “Mastermind.” As an artist, Muhammad creates music under the moniker “Mvstermind” writing, recording & producing music for the soul’s ignite with his collaborators & friends. Born in the midst of diverse musical tastes, Mvstermind fuses sounds from all genres, paying homage to his musical memories. Age 12 is when he first began to produce music. “I selfishly create music for me, FIRST” he states, music is his therapy & motivation to be GREATER, sharing his creative expressions with the world with an intention for it to serve as the same. From streaming services to Apple TV web series “City Flavor” and national stages across the country, Mvstermind’s music has the likes of NPR, Complex, & the world buzzing for more. His touring and performances have had him share stages with the greats, such as Snoop Dogg, Chance The Rapper, Lupe Fiasco, Travis Scott & more. As a producer Mvstermind has been catching the wind in the film/media world. Received recognition from the likes of the Berlin Film Festival for his involvement with “Summer in Saint Louis”. Working with collaborators such as “My friends and I” Mvstermind produces music, scores, and voiceovers, for artists, films & commercials that have touched the globe. Mvstermind’s dedicated music hustle evolved over the years and helped him develop a keen sense of business acumen. His impact along with partnerships has served as an essential component of the Saint Louis ecosystem. For instance, his partnership with Dr. Scholl’s resulted in a custom-designed “Mvstermind” eco-friendly tennis shoe, which was available in Zappos and Kole’s and is now currently sold out worldwide. Being a creative visionary and a man of his word, his business approach grew his name and impact over the years, resulting in him being able to create a 1 of its kind moment. In 2022 he was appointed The Director of Musical Experience for MLS’s new expansion team “Saint Louis City SC”. A role in which he created and pitched to the owners himself. As stated by the team’s CXO - Mat Sebek “There’s nobody better than Mvstermind,” he says. “We could have done a nationwide casting call, but he’s right here.” Here Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin curated the franchise's first-ever musical philosophy to represent its CITY on a global scale. Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin is a true product of his community, therefore his urge to build platforms to assist and inspire others is purely innate. His platform “Mvstercamp” was created to enrich the artist community across the globe with programming designed to discover themselves spiritually & creatively, all while building up business acumen to be discovered. This past fall they incubated 95 in total performance artists through a six-day artist boot camp that resulted in a performance at the nationally recognized “Music at the Intersection” music festival. As much as Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin believes in Saint Louis, so does Saint Louis. In 2022, Mayor Tishaura Jones appointed October 2nd to be the official “Mvstermind Day” in the City of St. Louis… Giving proof of what we are all witnessing. - “May we all strive to be GREATER” - Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin

Christopher Stark

Christopher Stark, whose music The New York Times has called, "fetching and colorful," has been awarded prizes from the Guggenheim Foundation, Chamber Music America, the Barlow Endowment, and the Fromm Foundation at Harvard. Named a "Rising Star" by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, his music and arrangements have been performed by ensembles such as the Detroit Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, and members of the St. Louis Symphony. In 2012, he was in residence at Civitella Ranieri, a fifteenth-century castle in Italy, and in June of 2016, he was in residence at the Copland House. Recent highlights included performances at the 2016 Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and at the Whitney Museum of American Art as part of the 2016 NY Phil Biennial. In 2018, he lived in Bergen, Norway, where he worked with musicians from the BIT20 Ensemble, and in 2020, he was a resident artist at the Bogliasco Foundation in Italy as the Aaron Copland Fellow in Music. His film score for the feature-length film Novitiate premiered at Sundance in January 2017 and was theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics. His debut CD, Seasonal Music, was released in 2019 on Bridge Records.