BIRMINGHAM, AL – On the evening of January 2nd, several local artists and other creatives will gather for “SUBMERGED” in the space of The Firehouse – a rustic venue in Avondale, one of the fastest growing sectors of the city. The music-based affair will highlight genres such as future-soul, electric pop, hip-hop and much more. Kenneth Shaw, curator of this event, is a local visionary who has always been an admirer of music and other arts. Kenneth believed that Birmingham needed an open mic event occasion geared towards supporting and encouraging the undeniable talent that the city has to offer. The lineup for the evening includes Haru, IbnAmn, Iesha Jordan, Jasmine Garfield, Kenny Loften, Light Vibez, Sage Williams and Youngblood. The event will run from 9pm to 1am, admission is $5.00 and personal libations are more than welcomed.   ABOUT THE ARTISTS: HARU The artist known as Haru, discovered his love for music at the age of 15 years old in Birmingham, Alabama. It was there, also, that he developed a passion for becoming a successful musician/artist. During that time, Haruskii spent countless hours sharpening his ‘free-style’ technique. Still, he stumbled across the problem with needing a unique ‘sound’ that adequately complemented his artistic vision. He not only achieved this goal but also discovered yet, another talent: producing. Since then, he has co-produced with many other local artists and now, in a way that only a true artist can, Haru’s music has the power of opening the eyes, hearts and ears of the masses, revealing to each of them their potential as individuals to ‘become’.   JAZZMINE JA’NIS Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, JazzMine Ja’Nis is an artist who has independently created a lane of her own. The singer, songwriter, and producer has an eclectic taste that has proven to be inspirational in her music. With her love to help other independent acts, she has created a platform that removes cages and welcomes the diversity of any creative.    IBNAMN St. Louis native ibnAmn has much to offer to contemporary rap music. Despite an off/on relationship with music early on, the commitment to delivering the message has been the impetus for staying the course. Rooted in the spoken-word genre, between 14 and 20 he performed at countless venues including the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC. Stokley Carmichael, Sade Adu, Fredrick Douglass and Dick Gregory amongst many others have influenced and continue to foster the creative writing, story-telling, musical arrangement skills, and sheer perseverance of ibnAmn. Now only 23, his only objective is that his listeners, readers, and believers join hands with him on the path of enlightenment.   LIGHT VIBEZ Light Vibez is a 21-year-old, up and coming artist and Birmingham native. While recently taking on a more positive light with his craft, his name and message began to change over the years. He now recognizes himself as more of an activist through his music and holds all material until it perfectly paints a picture for all to feel. Although he has only released one song from his mixtape ‘Unspoken Truths’, he has been performing other tracks from it, creating a solid buzz throughout the city. ‘Unspoken Truths’ will be released in early 2016.   KENNY LOFTEN The 18-year-old Birmingham native took to hip hop when he and a friend would beat box on the way to school each morning, which later led to him attempting to freestyle. He turned out to be good at it and from there decided to refine his skills. Early in his senior year of high school, he dropped his first song “Warm Up” on Soundcloud and within only two weeks, it had over 2,000 listens. From there, another local emcee Eugenius Neutron invited Kenny to his studio where he recorded my first mixtape, Peace By Anarchy. He most recently made a name forhimself by performing as Sloss Fest in July of 2015 and is currently planning a tour amongst other things in anticipation of his next mixtape “These Last Few Months”.   SAGE WILLIAMS Sage Williams is a 20-year-old rapper and producer from Birmingham, Alabama who remembers music as always having been a part of his life. He’s been rapping for as long as he can recall but didn’t truly begin to write it all down until he was about 15. Growing up, he spent a majority of his time at home focusing on writing and learning how to make beats and during this time recognized Jay-Z as one of his biggest influences. His most recent singles “Homecoming” and “Alone” have been generating a stellar buzz online and his upcoming album “Lost” is slated for a 2016 release.   YOUNGBLOOD Youngblood’s work can be described as an experience of sound set hundreds of years through time. Claiming to be a time traveler spirited from a place only known as the time stream, Youngblood recounts his life through musical sonnets. Not much is known about this character, as he is never seen with out his face obscured by a mask of some kind. He tells his story through his musical accounts of his life and the world around him, much like a modern day Batman of music. With a sound that blends electronic soul over spastic rapid fire beat breaks, it’s no surprise every hero has his theme music.