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Soul Sanctuary

Soul Sanctuary's Official MySpace Page!

About Me

Soul Sanctuary was first conceived by founder/manager Stephanie Renée as a lounge/performance venue and opened its doors for business at 722 Arch Street in Philadelphia on Wednesday, April 10, 2002 in what previously was known as The Red Room of dance club Brave New World.
At that time, Soul Sanctuary maintained a weekly schedule with the following themes:
THE GROOVE – Wednesday night open mic session for poets, MCs, vocalists and musicians
SPIN CYCLE – Thursday night dance party featuring music by Lil Dave and the Ill Vibe Collective
TESTIFY – Friday night poetry and spoken word gathering
INNER CITY LIVE – Saturday night live performance showcase featuring up-and-coming independent artists, hosted by Tiffany Bacon of Power 99 FM (WUSL Philadelphia)
XFAD (Crossfade) – Sunday night hip-hop DJ night featuring music by DJ Razor Ramon
During its initial months of operation, Soul Sanctuary hosted an impressive number of performances and special events, drawing very supportive crowds and hosting such stellar talent as:
Jazmine Sullivan (Jive), Raheem DeVaughn (Jive), Stori James (RCA), Anthony Hamilton (MCA), human turntablist Scratch (MCA), rapper Flo Brown (MCA), trombonist Jeff Bradshaw (Hidden Beach), Def Poetry Jam on Broadway star Black Ice (Koch), Rick Tate Jr. (saxophonist, Musiq), Erik Tribbett (music director for Vivian Green and former drummer for Jill Scott), Renee Neufville (former member of R&B duo Zhane), improvisational orchestra Burnt Sugar, Maya Azucena, Yewande, Chinua Hawk, Rob Murat, John Legend and Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys, who played a private acoustic set to kickoff the 2002 SISTAHS Celebration of Women.
Because of creative differences with her financial partners, Stephanie Renée removed herself from all management duties at the club as of June 30 and hosted her final Groove jam session at Soul Sanctuary on September 25, 2002. Partners continued to operate the space under the Soul Sanctuary name until December 31 of that year.
In 2003, Stephanie Renée began the process of revising her original plans for the organization and by February, she had incorporated Soul Sanctuary as a non-profit media & education foundation. Today, Stephanie and her supporters are expanding upon the vision for Soul Sanctuary in many tangible, community-focused ways.
OUR MISSION:
Soul Sanctuary, Inc. is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, formed in 2002 to provide programmatically-diverse, media arts-based offerings for the preservation and expansion of the continuum of culture in Philadelphia and beyond. Through educational workshops, films, other broadcast media and live performance, we encourage global application of these broad-based communications skills to academic and sociological challenges for teens and adult audiences.
Visit our official website at www.Soul-Sanctuary.net for complete information!

My Interests

Soul Sanctuary is fulfilling its mission of creating a sanctuary for new works and artistic excellence through the following programs:
THE ORIGINAL SOUL SANCTUARY RADIO – available as a downloadable podcast, our radio programs highlight independent artists and cutting-edge work that often is denied airplay within most commercial radio station formats. Now webcast on FunkyPeopleRadio.net Wednesdays at 2 pm EST and again on Thursday mornings at 7. On Thursdays at noon Eastern, a second edition of the program is broadcast twice weekly on ProjectVibe.net and available bi-weekly via podcast, giving even more exposure to high-quality music and spoken word material. Subscribe to our feed or stop by the website to check out special episode of our jazzy soul show with world influences, SSR: Enharmonic. And our latest show, The SuiteSpot, broadcast on 4DaSoul.com (new 2008 schedule TBD). Featuring an assortment of groovy tunes hosted by a rotating slate of DJs including Stephanie Renee, RhapsodE and special guests.

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SOUL SPEAK – an audio interview series presenting casual conversations with notable personalities in modern media, where we discuss their most recent projects, their commitment to cultural expression and their views on how to successfully navigate the business side of show business. Past subjects include Frank McComb, Lalah Hathaway, Lina, Mike Phillips, Anthony David, Stokley of the group Mint Condition, Rahsaan Patterson, Eric Roberson, Van Hunt, RhapsodE, Tim Dillinger and LadyBug Mecca.
THE VOICE A CAPPELLA ENSEMBLE – this co-ed chorus explores themes of diversity, spirituality and humanity through song (currently on hiatus)
12th HOUSE WRITERS COLLECTIVE – an incubator for up-and-coming Black literary talent in the Greater Philadelphia community (now restructuring before new members are solicited)

I'd like to meet:

All cool, intelligent, open-minded people who love cultural expression and who want to contribute positively to urban America's legacy or expand our global connectedness from sea to shining sea.

If you'd like to make a tax-deductible contribution to support Soul Sanctuary's good works, you can do so through PayPal by clicking the button below:

Music:

Anyone and anything soulful...with particular emphasis on messages that uplift and celebrate

Movies:

NO SUCH THING AS NEOSOUL, our first documentary which began screening at locations across the US in September 2004. This documentary film provides audiences with an insider’s look at the period between 1993 and 2003 in the development of Philadelphia’s dynamic young talent and the factors that have contributed to their global success (see trailer in the right column of this page for more information);
UNSUNG, our next feature...a video podcast series available on our home website and via YouTube! These short films will take a more global look at the underground soul movement, speaking to notable performers about their personal definition of soul music and the challenges they face in choosing this specific artistic path in contrast to the shallow demands of popular music culture. Featuring interview and performance footage from Mint Condition, Van Hunt, Will Downing, Lina, Lalah Hathaway, Rahsaan Patterson and many more of your favorite artists.

Television:

GenIsUs: Revitalizing Teen Talk - on Comcast Cable Greater Philadelphia beginning in October 2007. They now have a new MySpace page , so sign up for more info. Also coming in October/November, SOUL SPEAK the Series, a new internet TV show hosted by Stephanie Renee produced in collaboration with JJC Pics and FunkyPeopleOnline.

Books:

Perhaps, some day...

Heroes:

All of the amazing artists who have graced us with their talents on our stages, on our radio shows and through our film interviews; those folks who understand the powerful need for more philanthropy among urban cultural institutions; pioneers like Alvin Ailey, John Allen, Joan Myers Brown, Reginald Hudlin and Oprah Winfrey, who have put their time and talents to excellent use to preserve and maintain the rich cultural heritage of Black America in varied artistic disciplines

My Blog

Music and Other Happs

A hearty hey to all of my favorite chitlins! :)Today is the Autumnal Equinox, also known as the 1st Day of Libra, so consider this the unofficial kickoff of the Stephanie Renee birthday celebration.....
Posted by Soul Sanctuary on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:11:00 PST

Been So Long...

Hey peoples! Popping in to remind you about the ticket giveaways we're conducting this weeks for show taking place at World Cafe Live in Philly.K'NAAN (September 19)LEELA JAMES (September 22)andRAPHAE...
Posted by Soul Sanctuary on Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:37:00 PST

September, already...

Hey folks. This is a quick one.Cannot believe that the summer vacation season is over already, but it was a GREAT few months of soul music here in Philly. We've just uploaded the last set of summer co...
Posted by Soul Sanctuary on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:58:00 PST

Poppin in, Stoppin Through

Hey peoples!As you've likely noticed, our time here on MySpace is dwindling down to a trickle! This site has been a great way to communicate with our fans and listeners, but it is--in many ways--outli...
Posted by Soul Sanctuary on Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:32:00 PST

We Will, We Will FEED YOU!!

Congregation, rejoice!At long last, we've made it even easier for you to keep up with our Soul Sanctuary Radio programs. We're now syndicated through FEEDBURNER! [insert applause here]So, shout it fro...
Posted by Soul Sanctuary on Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:08:00 PST

Getting Back In The Flow

Luvvies, I know I've been a lil absent up in heah. Trying to keep all of my personal and professional pursuits afloat simultaneously can be utterly impossible. But at least the music has kept flowing ...
Posted by Soul Sanctuary on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:03:00 PST

Another GREAT week of music!

OK, so...besides the fact that I am buzzing off of caffeine right now, I am exhausted but thrilled at how much fun I've been having ODing on soul music in the past week. And the summer still has a mon...
Posted by Soul Sanctuary on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:21:00 PST

Captured for Posterity

Let the good times roll...Just added to our Summer Soul online photo album are pics from the Anthony David show at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia this past Tuesday. We'll keep adding to the album as ...
Posted by Soul Sanctuary on Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:04:00 PST

A Bizzy, Soulful Week on Tap!

Whew, I tell ya! This week is going to remind me why we look forward to the summer months. Lots of stuff going on. Lots to listen to. Lots to DO!First, on today's Original SSR, on our website's CONTE...
Posted by Soul Sanctuary on Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:15:00 PST

What a week!

When we fall silent for a few, it's always for good reason. And things about to pick up in a real way.First of all, there are THREE new shows on the podcast this week: The Original, GrooveSetters and ...
Posted by Soul Sanctuary on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:23:00 PST