Category Archives: Underground Music Collective membership

Meet the UnderDogs (and Special Guests) Monday Night in New Orleans!

We’ve been talking about NOLA MusiCon for months, and it’s finally almost time to take the Starship UnderDog down to New Orleans and do this thing!

We’ve already told you about this amazing conference, and the official Crescent City Crossroads showcases that we’re co-producing alongside our friends at DAWn Audio and Tunetrax.

But… what if we told you there is more to the story? (Around here, there always is!)

Before the conference officially gets underway, we’ll be at Cafe Istanbul (2372 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans) this Monday, October 27 as we preview this year’s NOLA MusiCon with a special UnderDogs Across Borders live event. Join us in-person or online beginning at 5 p.m. CT, as we present two rounds of our popular Have You Met…? interview series. Round 1 (5 p.m.) will feature some of our Nashville crew, while Round 2 (6 p.m.) will highlight creatives from the Big Easy and elsewhere!

Round 1 (5 p.m.):
Host: Jazzy the Uncontrolled Goddess
Guests: Yonna Jones, Joe Baze, Gerard Longo

Round 2 (6 p.m.):
Host: Mandy Ortiz (DAWn Audio)
Guests: DJX, Amelia Ray, Mac Infinity

You’ll want to stick around after that. Beginning at 7 p.m., we’ll remain at Cafe Istanbul to bring you an UnderDogs Across Borders interstate showcase, featuring live performances from an array of artists. We’ll be dropping that full lineup a bit later this week, so stay tuned!

Everything You Need to Know About Tonight’s UMC Events in Nashville

October and the home stretch of 2025 are set to begin with a bang tonight, right here in Nashville.

We’ll be back at Helping Our Music Evolve (615 Main St., Suite G1, Nashville) this evening for a double dose of fun with the UnderDogs, beginning at 6 p.m. with a live taping of our Have You Met…? interview series. Join host Jazzy the Uncontrolled Goddess as she welcomes outstanding UnderDogs and special guests to share about their projects, processes, and the ways life informs the creative journey. Tonight’s lineup includes:

  • Hip hop artist, producer, and 1/2 of Da’ Healerz Foundation Mecca
  • DJ, sound engineer, producer, and songwriter Agie Gee
  • Revolutionary hip hop artist and industry educator T.R.A.N.E. Spitta

Speaking of industry education, you’ll want to stick around after Have You Met…? concludes, as we offer a special, FREE presentation of our Building Your Authentic Artist Brand workshop. This workshop — as experienced at SXSW 2025, and soon to be experienced at Confluence Carolinas and NOLA MusiCon later this month — guides musicians (and other creatives) through the steps of developing a purpose-driven, values-based creative ecosystem. Building Your Authentic Artist Brand is designed to help artists identify the unique “why” behind their work; learn best practices for attracting their true audience across three key segments (fans, collaborators, and business partners); and build a sustainable, profitable creative business on their own terms.

Want the inside track on all of these opportunities and more? Consider checking out the buttons below!

Sept. 20: UnderDogs Across Borders at the Nashville African Street Festival

As though next week wasn’t already exciting enough, it turns out that our UnderDogs will be taking the stage not once, but twice in Music City!

We are proud to partner with the Nashville African Street Festival — now in its 43rd year — to present an UnderDogs Across Borders showcase on the Beats & Rhymes stage. The festival takes place all weekend long at Hadley Lillard Park (1038 28th Ave. N., Nashville), with the UnderDogs Across Borders showcase taking place Saturday, September 20 from 4-5:30 p.m.

Hosted by Kelsey Muse and Jazzy the Uncontrolled Goddess, this showcase will emphasize performers from across the hip hop and R&B spectrum, including:

  • Kelsey Muse
  • SADGURL
  • DJX
  • Nicolas Soul
  • Yonna Jones

The event is free to attend. As always, those looking to support the cause are encouraged to donate to our UnderDogs Across Borders campaign, which fuels live music experiences and activations for our UnderDogs in Nashville and beyond!

WATCH: T.R.A.N.E. Spitta Shines on the Sacrifical Conversations Podcast

Revolutionary artist T.R.A.N.E. Spitta is one of five performers slated to join us at Helping Our Music Evolve on Tuesday, September 16 for UnderDogs Across Borders: Vol. 3.

The Nashville-based hip hop artist, performer, educator, and entrepreneur always has plenty to talk about, and he took to the Sacrificial Conversations podcast on 104.1 Tab Radio in Nashville to discuss art, its impact, and to highlight his upcoming UnderDogs Across Borders performance. T.R.A.N.E. also speaks about the ways our UnderDogs Across Borders campaign serves to connect creators regardless of genre, creative discipline, or location (that part begins around the 41-minute mark).

Check it out below, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch UnderDogs Across Borders: Vol. 3 from everywhere next Tuesday!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW: UnderDogs @ The Underdog Apr. 30

Tickets are on sale now for UnderDogs @ The Underdog, our songwriter night and networking mixer in celebration of our community.

Join us at The Underdog Nashville (3208 Gallatin Ave.), as long-time friends of UMC join a handful of our 2025 NEXT2RISE artists to showcase the talent and versatility within our community.

Tickets are just $10, and they can be found here. As for UnderDogs members? They get in FREE! That’s just one more reason to become an UnderDog today!

As for what you can expect? Here’s the plan!

6 p.m.: Doors open and networking begins!
7 p.m.: ARREIS, Kfhox, Timothy Myles, Virtues
8 p.m.: Adam Lawrence of The Mad Sugars, Da’ Healerz, Kelsey Muse, Nicolas Soul