Shakura S’Aida has made waves with her powerhouse vocals for more than two decades, and she’s not slowing down. Her latest album, Hold on to Love, was released in 2022 and nominated for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards. S’Aida first performed at Base31 — Prince Edward County’s newest cultural destination in the heart of Picton — on a warm Friday night in July. We are thrilled to host S’Aida once again at the Sergeants Mess Hall venue for Shakura S’Aida’s New Year’s Eve Bash. 

Join us and say ‘hello’ to 2024 in style with Shakura S’Aida. Here’s a breakdown of the evening’s schedule:

  • Doors open at 9 pm Sunday, December 31
  • First set: 10 pm – 11 pm
  • Second set: 11:15 pm – 12:15 am (with a brief pause at midnight for New Year’s kisses, a little feather-shaking, and a toast with complimentary bubbly)
  • The celebration continues with the last set 12:30 am – 1:30 am

Throughout the evening, light snacks and a variety of beverages will be available for purchase to keep your energy up for dancing the night away. Our dress code is casual and comfortable, so you can move and groove freely on the dance floor.

ABOUT S’AIDA

Shakura S’Aida is an award-winning performer, who has travelled the globe for more than two decades, connecting and inspiring audiences with her powerful vocals. An undeniable talent and an outspoken advocate for human rights and racial equality, her artistic work reflects that which impacts and connects us all: Love, conflict, community, life, and death.

“I believe we all have a responsibility to look after each other,” says the Toronto-based artist. “I see, create, and use music as a way to bring people together.”

B31: How did it feel to perform at the historic Sergeants Mess Hall venue at Base31 for the first time this summer?

SS: It was fantastic! Staff and management – from the very first moments of reaching out to see if I was even available – I had such a feeling of being welcomed that it made me really want to do this. Even before I found out there was a connection with my friends, everyone seemed really interested in having an experience, and to share an experience. I am all about community building. It’s the number one thing in my life.

Any time I see other people reaching out and trying to broaden communities, strengthen communities, it makes me want to be a part of it. So, even before I went there [to Base31], that’s what I felt. Once I arrived, every single person involved who touched us, whether it was through their words or actions, they were just so welcoming and kind and willing to help.

B31: What do you want people to know about the New Year’s Eve show?

SS: I don’t want this to be billed as a romantic evening. I want this to be billed as a ‘come one, come all’ kind of thing. If you don’t have someone to hangout with, come hangout with us! Last New Years was the first time we’ve been out again and really be able to breathe and look forward to the new year. So let’s do that — let’s have fun. 

B31: What type of music are you and the band going to perform?

SS: Oh! At least one Diana Ross and The Supremes. At least one Elvis Presley, The Beatles. The great thing about some of the other  band members is that they also sing, and so you won’t have to just listen to my voice all night. Paige’s voice  is sweet and very melodic, Brooke’s is bluesy and soulful; together we’ll  play a lot of  the different songs of the sixties. 

B31: Can you share you and your family’s connection to Prince Edward County? 

SS: What’s really interesting is I was visiting The County before my parents lived there. Some great friends live there. I’ve been coming out to The County for Easter and for Christmas for years. When my parents moved out and started The Stache on Main in Wellington, the thing that really made me want  to want to be a part of their experience and their journey was the fact that people welcomed them;  invited them into their homes, and made them a part of the community. 

My dad became like the mini Mayor of Wellington and knew everybody. There was really a lot of goodwill there. My mom and dad still have great connections there and still speak with friends on a regular basis. I was surprised how many of their friends came out to my last concert at Base 31. It really touched me. County people are very unique and when you are a part of that community, you feel it. The Stache also became a stopover for great musicians on their way to and from Toronto, on their way to Ottawa, Montreal. Paul James and Colin James were there on a regular basis. My family  really went out of their way to bring in musicians who might not have otherwise been exposed to a PEC audience. They also did a great job of bringing young bands in to play on the ‘off nights’ to build a following.

B31: So why the 60s?

SS: In the 60s, there was something for everybody. Rock and roller, folky or a motown soul’er, there was something for you. One of the very unique things about the 60s is it was the birth of so many different genres of music and I think it had a lot to do with what was going on in the 60s. Between the Civil Rights movement and Vietnam and the awakening that brought out of many people; a lot of great storytelling happened in the 60s. 

That’s what I want to hone in on, I love great stories.

 

Get into the 60s groove performed by Shakura S’Aida and her band, with songs like: I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown, Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones, I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye, Midnight Train To Georgia by Gladys Knight & the Pips and Land of a Thousand Dances by Wilson Pickett. 

To purchase your tickets to Shakura S’Aida’s New Year’s Eve Bash, visit the Base31 website here.