Karen Ponzio Photos
DJ Mo Niklz and Ceschi Ramos.
“Build us a holiday / out of straw and out of sticks / out of claws and out of bricks / out of gauze and spit. / We’re alive, barely alive, but we’re alive! / We’re alive, barely alive, but we’re alive!”
Ceschi Ramos repeatedly sang that last line until it became a scream. It is a line his fans have sung and screamed along with him repeatedly at his live shows, but on Friday evening, as he sang them to the camera with only DJ Mo Niklz behind him, they rang truer than ever
Ramos was the final act of the latest installment of Fake Four Friday, the now weekly Fake Four, Inc. event broadcast on Twitch that has been bringing an ever-changing lineup live streaming from a variety of locations all over the world since May 15.
Previous shows have included local acts such as Ramos and An Historic as well as other Fake Four, Inc. artists such as Gregory Pepper and His Problems, Squalloscope, and Moodie Black, who had their own takeover of the event on June 26. This past Friday’s show featured Ceschi as well as Lisa Vazquez, Virtual Bird, and Prowess The Testament.
Twitch, a video game broadcasting and viewing platform that has more recently been used for live-streamed music events, allows viewers to interact with the performer and other viewers via chat as well as donate to the performers. Fake Four, Inc now has its own channel that one can visit to view a show or subscribe to for additional perks. Shows are then archived and are available there for viewing afterward. Donation information for the group and performers is posted throughout the show.
Niki Anarchy, who is in charge of media and fan support for Fake Four Inc., had the idea to start the weekly Twitch shows which she not only runs — from the organizing to the tech and sound of the live show — but also curates and books, along with Fake Four co-founder Ramos.
Before the show, viewers and some of the performers of this night and previous nights gathered in the chat room and exchanged greetings and commentary (including a Fake Four logo emoji) while stills of the performers were shown and background music was played. The atmosphere was not unlike the start of many a live show, when friends are meeting up and gleefully anticipating the performances ahead.
Lisa Vazquez.
The night’s first performer, Lisa Vazquez of Portland, Ore., began by saying she would “try to spread some good vibes for you,” adding, “I don’t know what that means anymore. I don’t know what anything means anymore. I’m just here to spread some good vibes.”
The vibes were both good and plenty as Vazquez sang and rapped over samples and beats that had a distinct R&B flow, with lyrics like “don’t matter where you come from, only matters where you going” and then asking “are you growing?” On another tune she asked “where do we go from here? I know the choice is not so clear.”
In between songs she challenged viewers to expand their minds, at one point saying, “It’s not just about you. It’s not about you. It’s about all of us.” Vazquez also mentioned that she “dropped a little beat tape today,” with proceeds going to the NAACP as well as The Color of Change. Continuing with the slow grooves and the rhythmic flow and feel, she also continued to inspire with her words, singing “time to stand up and stick together now / ‘cause we gotta fix the mess that we made of this world.” She received appreciation via the chat room throughout her set and set the tone for a warm and inviting night.
Virtual Bird.
Next up was Virtual Bird from Olympia, Wash., who readily served up the “raw acoustic stylings” mentioned by Ceschi via chat during the intermission. Beginning with a song titled “I Want to Want to Be” — singing “I wish that I could tell you I’m happy. I want to want to be” — the song selections went everywhere from a self-described “sad song,” to a “Minor Threat parody,” to a “more upbeat” number singing “I no longer have an ego I can hide behind.” Each time Virtual Bird held the viewer captive with a passionate plea and a lyrical loveliness, ending the set with the line, “I wanna keep all of you in my heart.”
The chat room participants sang their own praises of this intimate yet expansive performance prior to and throughout the set. It proved itself to be one of those moments where you discover a performer and hear just enough to make you eager to search out and explore more of the work in depth.
Prowess The Testament .
Ceschi described the next act, Prowess The Testament, hailing from Washington DC, as “one of the illest MC’s I’ve met throughout my travels.” She appeared on screen and shouted “and we are live! It’s Friday, Fake Four! Y’all are here and I’m here and excited to see everyone having fun.”
After a quick sound check Prowess said she wanted to “open this up with a prayer,” going into the song “Say Amen,” saying that she would be saying amen but viewers could say “abracadabra” if they wanted to. True to her name throughout, she demanded and commanded the attention of the viewer. With vibrant and powerful vocals, she led viewers through a communal healing of sorts, asking them to take a breath together and to “put your hands, your hearts, your minds together.” Mentioning that she was a huge fan of mythology, she offered songs with titles like “Wings of Icarus” and discussed its influence on her music. She also had a song titled “Ving Rhames,” which she did a cappella.
Afterward she spoke of how people “pontificate about the journey of woman in this industry” but then also mentioned that “rarely are we asked to be a part of the conversation.” This led into her final song and latest release, “Bang, Bang,” which she said was inspired by Cam Newton and “being tired of women getting the short end of the stick.” She capped the set with inspiration as she sang “one nation under the goddess indivisible.” Afterward she thanked the viewers, the chat room alight with praise, and said, “We’re gonna come out of this pandemic. We’re gonna come out on the other side together.”
Ceschi Ramos.
The final performance found Ceschi Ramos backed by DJ Mo Niklz, with both performers backed by a screen that played images including clips of the videos for Ceschi’s songs “Electrocardiographs” and “Middle Earth” while he performed those songs. Ramos volleyed between performing with a guitar and without, but each performance continued to have the same energy he brings to any performance, whether it be in front of one person or 100, each line cutting through the air and finding your heart and mind in perfect time.
Throughout the night viewers had been requesting songs in the chat area and Ramos kindly obliged many of them, including “Old Graves” and “Prison Sporks.” He shared a new song — mentioning that he had “a bunch of new acoustic songs” he hasn’t “put to tape” yet but he would be doing so in the week ahead — that included the line “how dare you fall in love with anybody if you can’t love your own life?”
It felt, of course, like one we might all be singing along to at future shows. And speaking of which, even though I was sitting in front of an iPad alone, I still found myself singing along to favorites such as “Lost Touch,” “Say No More,” and, I must admit, pretty much every other one as well. It was a testament to not only the performance but the strength of the songs and the community they bring together that Ramos is able to convey such unity even when he is not in the room with you.
DJ Mo Niklz and Ceschi Ramos.
Ramos decided to perform one last song, a remix of “Love Song for the Apocalypse,” a song he released digitally back in March right as the country was shutting down due to Covid restrictions. As images of the people and signs held up during recent marches and protests across the country flashed behind him, he dropped to his knees and sang: “All I wanna write’s a song to sing / to bring back the dead and fix everything / but ‘til that day I remain a complete failure.”
For more information about Fake Four Fridays please visit the Fake Four Inc Facebook page or Twitch channel.