At a time where live performances are impossible and tours have been cancelled around the globe, Purgatory Perceptions is a cultural salon committed to fostering new relationships and meaningful discussions across the creative community.
Founded by renowned percussionist Rodney Green, Purgatory Perceptions recaptures the spontaneity lost amongst shelter-in-place and social distancing. It gives us a curated entertainment experience where cool kids can still meet other cool kids despite the state of society (see: hell).
Blurring the border between mediums, Purgatory Perceptions intermingles musicians with visual artists, aestheticians, intellectuals, and the rogue dilettante—so basically, a night out on the Left Bank.
Hosted by New York-based poet Whitney Graham, who has been published by HopeIRL and October Hill Magazine, each episode features an eclectic cast of characters in a roundtable discussion without limits. Those who have seen her feature performances at Bowery Poetry, Brooklyn Arts Fellowship Gallery, and 11th Street Cafe know Graham’s powerful voice is best heard in real time.
The show is “a physical manifestation of James Baldwins’s argument concerning artists as witness,” as Graham puts it.
The second episode of Purgatory Perceptions will feature music from Julius Rodriguez, a multiinstrumentalist and composer who bonds a deep sense of history with an appetite for the unknown.
Rodriguez’s work has been praised by JAZZIZ magazine, The New York Times, Paste and Vanity Fair. He has performed alongside Wynton Marsalis, Keyon Harrold, Ben Williams, Jazzmeia Horn, A$AP Rocky, Meshell Ndegeocello, Braxton Cook, and the late Roy Hargrove.
Following Rodriguez is rising darling of the New York street art scene Bushwich native Stephanie Grajales—who has become a force with her pop art pieces.
Showrunner Rodney Green is a hustler, simple as that. From humble beginnings as a church drummer in Camden, NJ, Green has toured internationally with saxophonist Bobby Watson, served a two-year tenure in Diana Krall’s band, and collaborated with a versatile roster of musical legends.
Tune in with us to watch the second episode of Purgatory Perceptions on Saturday, August 29th at 4:00PM, via their Patreon.
