WEBVTT 00:00:10.274 --> 00:00:17.632 - It's been such a wonderful weekend. Even the weather was wonderful, so kind of how can you get any better 00:00:17.632 --> 00:00:24.851 - than that? We are so grateful to have you all here today, and we're also really excited about our bands 00:00:24.851 --> 00:00:31.792 - today. I want to start with a land acknowledgement. To start, we want to gratefully acknowledge the 00:00:31.792 --> 00:00:39.358 - native peoples on whose ancestral homelands we gather, as well as the diverse and vibrant native communities 00:00:39.490 --> 00:00:47.682 - who make their homes here today. So in the spirit of this weekend, this weekend has just had so much 00:00:47.682 --> 00:00:56.118 - to offer. It was a whole new setup downtown. It was so interesting having the Arts Village on Kirkwood. 00:00:56.118 --> 00:01:02.526 - Who loved the Arts Village on Kirkwood? I thought it was just such a wonderful 00:01:03.650 --> 00:01:09.631 - Lotus never stays quite the same, right? We always change a little bit. And so having it there was really 00:01:09.631 --> 00:01:15.387 - something we appreciated so much, just having the space, having the city allow us to use that side of 00:01:15.387 --> 00:01:21.424 - the block, being able to have dance workshops there, having a parade that ended up there, all the activity 00:01:21.424 --> 00:01:27.180 - that happened there. So we're excited about what that brings to the future. I know you heard a lot of 00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:32.766 - amazing music and really several bands mentioned this too, that the joy of the music that we heard 00:01:32.962 --> 00:01:39.885 - is really an antidote to some of the political currents of our time just to have this joyful noise and 00:01:39.885 --> 00:01:47.010 - not just noise, music in our midst for a whole weekend. It's been wonderful. We want to thank, of course, 00:01:47.010 --> 00:01:53.934 - all of you for being here. We want to thank our amazing volunteers because you know this festival runs 00:01:53.934 --> 00:01:54.942 - on volunteers. 00:01:59.938 --> 00:02:06.654 - Our Lotus staff, of course, has worked so many hours that some of them have gotten maybe just three 00:02:06.654 --> 00:02:13.773 - hours sleep each night. But it has really been a testimony to how this vision comes to bear when everyone 00:02:13.773 --> 00:02:20.757 - is putting everything they have into making it happen. I also want to thank some of the people who made 00:02:20.757 --> 00:02:27.742 - our whole weekend possible. We're incredibly grateful to a group of people, the Lotus Scene Savers, who 00:02:27.906 --> 00:02:35.512 - raised nearly $25,000 to invest in the festival. Isn't that amazing? Yeah. To keep the 6th Street tent 00:02:35.512 --> 00:02:43.119 - up and alive. You already gave them a round of applause, so thank you. Again, we're just glad that you 00:02:43.119 --> 00:02:50.873 - are here for this final piece of the festival. Most of you know that Lotus is a charitable organization. 00:02:50.873 --> 00:02:57.150 - So for 33 years, we've been able to celebrate this diversity of the world's cultures 00:02:57.250 --> 00:03:03.431 - through Music and the Arts because of the support of our local community. So thank you. The ticker you 00:03:03.431 --> 00:03:09.912 - buy covers about 30% of our festival costs. So you know that we have to make up the rest through donations, 00:03:09.912 --> 00:03:15.913 - through business support. So we thank everybody who's a part of that. And so, of course, that leads 00:03:15.913 --> 00:03:22.034 - me to wanting to name our presenting sponsors. We just named the Lotus Scene Savers. If you know some 00:03:22.034 --> 00:03:24.734 - of these people, thank them. The IU Arts and 00:03:25.154 --> 00:03:32.515 - Humanities Council, who helped make the festival happen tonight or this whole weekend, and also Blockhouse 00:03:32.515 --> 00:03:39.532 - Studios. Did anyone see the projection mapping on the courthouse? That was pretty, pretty amazing. So 00:03:39.532 --> 00:03:46.686 - we're so grateful for them. We also want to thank the people who housed our artists, which is the Grant 00:03:46.686 --> 00:03:49.438 - Street Inn and Holiday Inn Bloomington. 00:03:49.570 --> 00:03:57.344 - and our benefactor sponsors, Bloom Magazine and Downtown Bloomington, Inc. Can we have a round of applause 00:03:57.344 --> 00:04:04.827 - for them as well? So, just as a last thing, I feel like we say this over and over again, but we really 00:04:04.827 --> 00:04:12.311 - are so grateful for all the individual donors, contributors, just not the festival, but Lotus Blossoms 00:04:12.311 --> 00:04:16.670 - and all the other things we do throughout the year, because 00:04:17.154 --> 00:04:22.878 - You give wherever Lotus needs it most and all our programming. It's not just about the festival, though 00:04:22.878 --> 00:04:28.437 - we are here for the festival. It's for all the things we do all year. We're so thankful for you. But 00:04:28.437 --> 00:04:34.051 - I am so excited about this band. I just want to tell you where I saw the band. I saw the band at Folk 00:04:34.051 --> 00:04:39.665 - Alliance in New Orleans this January, and I loved what they did. And I know you're going to love them 00:04:39.665 --> 00:04:45.499 - too. I just want to give you their background. They're rooted in the tradition of sacred steel and fueled 00:04:45.499 --> 00:04:46.270 - by the fierce 00:04:46.498 --> 00:04:53.181 - faith-filled spirit of modern gospel blues, Nicky D and the Sisters of Thunder are one of the 00:04:53.181 --> 00:05:00.645 - most electrifying and soul-stirring ensembles in contemporary sacred music. Led by powerhouse guitarist, 00:05:00.645 --> 00:05:07.897 - vocalist, and band leader Nicky D, the group delivers a sound that is traditional and yet innovative, 00:05:07.897 --> 00:05:14.366 - melding Holy Ghost Fire with blues grit. She loves that. Lou Ann Holliday, she loves that. 00:05:15.298 --> 00:05:24.076 - heartfelt worship, and a thunderous presence that lifts you up, up, up. Their performance overflows 00:05:24.076 --> 00:05:32.854 - with energy, emotion, musical synergy, all created by family. Joyful storms of blues riffs, gospel, 00:05:32.854 --> 00:05:42.334 - I'm just trying to read all the words here, hand claps, sanctified grooves, and testimonials, both personal 00:05:42.626 --> 00:05:50.078 - Universal. Will you please join me in welcoming Nikki D and the Sisters of Thunder? 00:08:33.058 --> 00:08:41.054 - Let's look for the purple banana for the clothes in the truck. 00:12:07.522 --> 00:12:15.290 - On guitar, we got the manager, my sister Gloria, and today's her birthday. Give it up! And then on bass, 00:12:15.290 --> 00:12:22.911 - we got my cousin, the music director, Tameka. Y'all give her a round of applause. Now on drums, we got 00:12:22.911 --> 00:12:27.646 - my nephew, but he gonna introduce himself. Can he do it, y'all? 00:12:38.434 --> 00:12:47.811 - Ladies and gentlemen, and his nickname is Chumblay. And I'm Nicky D. And the D stands for Dino Mike. 00:12:47.811 --> 00:12:57.281 - Now today, we're going to do some gospel. We're going to sing some soul. We're going to do some funk. 00:12:57.281 --> 00:13:03.966 - But right now, we're going to do some down home blues. Are y'all ready? 00:13:07.266 --> 00:13:18.327 - The blues is all right. Let me hear you say. Hey, hey, the blues is all right. Let's church them. Hey, 00:13:18.327 --> 00:13:29.066 - hey, the Lord is all right. Hey, hey, the Lord is all right. I said, don't, don't, don't. Go ahead, 00:13:29.066 --> 00:13:35.294 - y'all. Let the devil ride. Oh, don't. Let the devil ride. 00:13:38.786 --> 00:13:43.550 - I'm gonna play while they dance, is that alright? 00:17:44.578 --> 00:17:51.639 - Somebody got a neighbor that's the devil. Somebody got a coworker that's the devil. Sometimes your dog 00:17:51.639 --> 00:17:58.563 - act like the devil. But we here for a moment to shake the devil off. But we gonna do Tina first. Are 00:17:58.563 --> 00:17:59.454 - y'all ready? 00:18:49.986 --> 00:19:03.657 - I think I got four people over here and seven people right here and three people right here. So, 00:19:03.657 --> 00:19:18.878 - this side, if you don't mind, I want y'all to shake like this to the to that side, right? This side, I want 00:19:19.362 --> 00:19:26.471 - This side, just shake it in the middle, okay? But now we gotta do like how we go. We're gonna say, shake, 00:19:26.471 --> 00:19:33.379 - shake, shake. Shakeity, shakeity, shakeity. Shake, shake, shake, shake. So y'all gotta do it with your 00:19:33.379 --> 00:19:40.220 - feet. Are y'all ready? Say yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Here we go. Y'all ready? Come on and shake, shake, 00:19:40.220 --> 00:19:47.262 - shake, shake. Shake, shake, shake. Yeah! Shake, shake, shake, shake. In the middle. Shake, shake, shake, 00:19:47.262 --> 00:19:48.670 - shake, shake, shake. 00:19:51.458 --> 00:19:55.467 - Shake, shake, shake, shake. Shake, shake, everybody. Shake, shake. Shake it, shake it, shake it, 00:19:55.467 --> 00:19:57.534 - shake it. Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it. 00:21:02.754 --> 00:21:11.303 - Come on. The devil been fooling with me all day. Can we hit the devil two times? There we go. Put up 00:21:11.303 --> 00:21:19.767 - our dukes on tonight. Can we hit the devil three times? Now, how many years have this festival been 00:21:19.767 --> 00:21:28.230 - going on? Ooh, I don't think I can hit the devil 30. You said 30 something years? 33? Wow. We'll be 00:21:28.230 --> 00:21:31.870 - here till Christmas if I hit him 33 times. 00:21:33.314 --> 00:21:40.067 - Let's put a three in there. He said, go, Kristen. So we're going to put a three in there. Somebody put 00:21:40.067 --> 00:21:46.754 - your number one through 20, but put a three in there. Yeah. But y'all got to put up your dupes to get 00:21:46.754 --> 00:21:53.770 - them 13 times. Are y'all ready? I know I had y'all working. I had y'all shaking. Now I got y'all fighting. 00:21:53.770 --> 00:21:57.310 - Y'all ready? Let's hit the double 13 times. Let's go. 00:22:22.690 --> 00:22:32.485 - a round of applause. Don't go too far. We got some more dancing to do. But I brought my god sister, 00:22:32.485 --> 00:22:42.476 - and she's an amazing woman. She's an amazing artist. And she's going to sing some Sam Cooke for y'all 00:22:42.476 --> 00:22:46.590 - tonight. Can she do that? Go ahead, Todd. 00:22:59.394 --> 00:23:17.822 - I've been running ever since It's been a long time 00:31:35.202 --> 00:31:43.806 - Are y'all going to do that? Come on. You know what? You know what? Come on down to the front. Come on 00:31:43.806 --> 00:31:52.241 - down to the front. And we're going to wait right here. We're going to wait right here. Come on down 00:31:52.241 --> 00:31:58.398 - to the front. Come on down to the front. We're going to wait right here. 00:32:10.146 --> 00:32:12.862 - Now listen if you didn't 00:38:45.090 --> 00:38:55.784 - Hey, honey, can I sing something for you? Any birthdays today? Any anniversaries on today? Well, can 00:38:55.784 --> 00:39:06.691 - y'all help me sing Happy Birthday to my sister Gloria? Any October birthdays this month? And I'm gonna 00:39:06.691 --> 00:39:14.526 - do a little something like this, y'all. Say happy, happy birthday to you. 00:39:15.202 --> 00:39:35.966 - Happy, happy birthday to you. You look good. Oh, you're looking fine. I'm so glad you are a sister. 00:39:47.810 --> 00:39:58.974 - Give her a round of applause. Come on, I found the love. One round. I found the love. 00:40:22.274 --> 00:40:44.446 - Give it up for Lataja, y'all. We gonna build it up, y'all. 00:41:56.770 --> 00:42:14.326 - Every little thing is gonna be all right. I don't know what you're going through, but don't worry about 00:42:14.326 --> 00:42:24.286 - a thing. Because every little thing is gonna be all right. 00:42:35.362 --> 00:42:35.934 - Yeah. 00:43:30.274 --> 00:43:39.330 - Buzz Kirk Chumlee, right? Okay, got that. So, my nephew was born on Valentine's Day, but when he was 00:43:39.330 --> 00:43:48.655 - born, my sister, she was there, and she nicknamed him Chumlee. So we call him, I know he's 25, but he's 00:43:48.655 --> 00:43:58.070 - still our Chum Chum, our Chumlee. And so, he gotta do a little something for Chumlee. Is that all right? 00:43:58.070 --> 00:43:59.774 - Is that all right? 00:44:01.762 --> 00:44:07.426 - So Chumlee, I want you to take your time, do a little something, then we gonna go back and forth, is 00:44:07.426 --> 00:44:10.174 - that okay? Do a little something for the people. 00:45:30.050 --> 00:45:38.637 - family discussion. We thank y'all again. Y'all give it up for The Sound. Y'all give it up for Tony, 00:45:38.637 --> 00:45:47.310 - Gabe, Wayne. I kind of think of my one guy name. We gonna do this song and we want to make room for, 00:45:47.310 --> 00:45:56.670 - is it pronounced Gaden? That's the group we got coming up, yes. Y'all give them a round of applause as well. 00:45:59.426 --> 00:46:06.812 - Oh man, thank you so much. So this instrument I'm playing, and I love what Lotus is doing, they do education, 00:46:06.812 --> 00:46:13.796 - they enlighten people on the arts, on music, on just everything, history with this town. So I just want 00:46:13.796 --> 00:46:20.645 - to give y'all a little history of this guitar. This guitar is called the Hawaiian guitar, came out of 00:46:20.645 --> 00:46:25.278 - Hawaii, originated. Now it's played different ways in country music, 00:46:25.634 --> 00:46:32.113 - of music and gospel music as you can see but we all got it from Hawaii. I'm sorry, Tony. I'm I'm I'm 00:46:32.113 --> 00:46:38.848 - ringing a little bit, Tony. I'm sorry. And so, this song, I just want to give you a little enlightenment 00:46:38.848 --> 00:46:45.327 - on because I was asked last night, how did you start playing this guitar? I was eight years old when 00:46:45.327 --> 00:46:51.678 - I saw it at at the church, Church of the Living God and so, I told my dad I want to play it and he 00:46:51.810 --> 00:47:00.720 - My other sisters were playing music and so I'm like, let me try this thing out. Now my y'all wasn't 00:47:00.720 --> 00:47:10.164 - good, I'm still not that good, but just a little story about my music, my family, and how I got my start. 00:47:10.164 --> 00:47:19.162 - And how I keep going because what my parents instilled in me, I'm gonna play it right here. It was a 00:47:19.162 --> 00:47:20.766 - Wednesday morning 00:47:22.498 --> 00:47:39.097 - when I heard my mother scream. So I went downstairs to see what that scream means. My daddy had a heart 00:47:39.097 --> 00:47:50.110 - attack, y'all. He passed away on the kitchen floor. I said, oh, God. 00:47:53.346 --> 00:48:12.133 - last time I see him alive anymore. Oh, no, no, no more. No, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, 00:48:12.133 --> 00:48:22.654 - no. Well, this is the last time I see him alive, y'all. 00:48:52.066 --> 00:49:01.726 - I'm only 18 years old. But in the meantime, I gotta show y'all something. In the meantime, what my daddy told me. 00:49:32.994 --> 00:49:41.606 - Can you see me? I am in Bloomington, Indiana. It's in Bloomington, Illinois. I think it's in Minnesota, 00:49:41.606 --> 00:49:50.219 - but I'm in Indiana, Daddy. And Daddy, I remember when I was a little fellow, as you called me. You told 00:49:50.219 --> 00:49:58.666 - me that one day I would sing to the nation, Daddy. And here I am in a whole nother state, a place I'd 00:49:58.666 --> 00:50:01.150 - never been before. Oh, Daddy. 00:50:01.442 --> 00:50:09.454 - You taught me right. You showed me right from wrong. Let me let y'all into this conversation. So when 00:50:09.454 --> 00:50:17.388 - my daddy would show me different things on this guitar, he would tell me to make it talk. Can I make 00:50:17.388 --> 00:50:25.321 - it talk, y'all? And I would do something, a little something like this. It may not get over, but I'm 00:50:25.321 --> 00:50:29.406 - going to do a little something for you. Here we go. 00:50:39.746 --> 00:50:46.930 - I kind of sound like Charlie Brown teacher, but that's not right. Thank you. Thank you very much. And 00:50:46.930 --> 00:50:53.692 - my Elvis Presley voice. And then, my daddy would say, if that don't get him, little fella, say, 00:50:53.692 --> 00:50:58.622 - make it sing, and I would do something like this. Can I make it sing? 00:51:20.098 --> 00:51:26.872 - But that don't make them clap their hands. He said, now shoot the rocket. Now, my daddy called me Wild 00:51:26.872 --> 00:51:33.448 - Thing because he wanted boys and he had four girls. He called me Little Fella, I mean. He called me 00:51:33.448 --> 00:51:40.354 - Little Fella. My mother called me Wild Thing. And my sister called me Nicky D. Couldn't nobody say Nicky 00:51:40.354 --> 00:51:46.996 - D like Lynette could. So this is what I need y'all to do while we got about two more minutes. I need 00:51:46.996 --> 00:51:49.758 - somebody to say, play, Little Fella. Woo! 00:51:50.114 --> 00:51:58.473 - I need somebody to play, say Play Wild Thing. And I need somebody to say Play Nicky D. As I shoot these 00:51:58.473 --> 00:52:06.269 - rockers, are y'all ready? I gotta hear you play, little fella. Play Wild Thing, let me hear you. 00:52:06.269 --> 00:52:10.046 - Play Nicky D. I can't hear nobody. Here we go. 00:55:24.002 --> 00:55:24.638 - We wanna. 01:01:58.114 --> 01:02:09.004 - Are y'all so hard already? Are y'all ready for Gaben? Am I saying the name right? Since y'all up. Yeah. 01:02:09.004 --> 01:02:19.580 - You like that? You like that? This one a little more participation. We're going to do it real quick. 01:02:19.580 --> 01:02:26.910 - Y'all with us? Now, that's what we sing back at home at church, okay? 01:02:29.282 --> 01:02:47.276 - If I couldn't say a word If I couldn't say a word I'll just wave I'll just wave my hand I'll just wave 01:02:47.276 --> 01:02:57.758 - my hand If I couldn't sing a song If I couldn't sing a song 01:04:24.098 --> 01:04:31.951 - Everybody just wave your hands. Everybody just wave your hands. Everybody just wave your hands. 01:04:31.951 --> 01:04:40.621 - Come on. Everybody just leap for joy. Everybody just leap for joy. Everybody just leap for joy. Everybody 01:04:40.621 --> 01:04:48.883 - just leap for joy. Everybody let your light shine. Let everybody let the light shine. One more time. 01:04:48.883 --> 01:04:51.582 - Everybody just shine your light. 01:05:00.258 --> 01:05:01.502 - Just shine your light.