Dr. Karl Lewis is dentist and a live music producer who is working to change Sarasota’s arts landscape for a good cause.
Sure he wants you to brush, floss and rinse. But Lewis also is the founder of Real People Real Music, an organization devoted to creating a more diverse live local music scene.
Lewis once dreamed of being a musician, but his trombone only collected dust and his drum set didn’t fit in his dorm at Rollins College in Winter Park, where he graduated with a degree in anthropology. He graduated from the University of Louisville School Of Dentistry in Kentucky in 2002. He settled in Sarasota but often ducked out to other cities to catch his favorite R&B, neo-soul, Motown and jazz artists.
We caught up with him at Florida Studio Theatre, where RPRM was holding an intimate tribute concert to soul greats Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Ray Charles.
Unravel: Why did you decide to set up Real People Real Music in Sarasota?
Lewis: As a minority, there wasn’t much I could connect with as far as live music here.
I was tired of traveling out of Sarasota to search for urban live shows in intimate venues and I kept meeting people here who felt the same.
I enjoy Sarasota’s performing arts scene, but it was leaving a lot of music lovers behind. Plus, the shows are often expensive and seasonal. As the Cultural Coast, we need to be offering a more diverse music lineup.
It eventually led to bringing performers here who wouldn’t otherwise have Sarasota on their tour calendar, and it just grew until I gave it a name in 2010 and made it official. I know plenty of people here who go to Tampa and Orlando to see shows, so why not support something locally? I also sometimes produce small concerts in those cities, but I think Sarasota is ready for a new segment of music to complement the scene. Plus it’s my home, and I feel it’s a way to give back to the community.
You already have a professional career, why is RPRM so important to you?
I’m really passionate about arts education for youth and preservation of classic soul music. I believe that the soul music that rose to popularity in the ‘50s and ‘60s is dying away. It all sounds the same and it feels like creativity is dying out in my community. One of my initiatives is to keep it alive, whether it’s the blues, funk or jazz of today.
Songs like “What’s Goin’ On” by Marvin Gaye, and “Change is gonna come” by Sam Cooke had a message. It wasn’t the cold product of a production studio. I want to find acts capturing that feeling and make them accessible. That’s why I chose the name RPRM. Most of all, the most important part of my mission is to give youth in my community the opportunity for exposure to arts and raise money for youth-based nonprofits throughout Florida. As a child with a single mother who struggled to raise me, I realize the value of giving back to the community.
How do people find out about your shows?
It’s pretty grassroots. RPRM doesn’t have a huge marketing budget. Despite a website, most of the promotions are through the Facebook page, word of mouth, flyers and posters in shops around town. Once in a while, a performer or a show we’re producing gets covered in (the Herald-Tribune’s entertainment weekly) Ticket, which really helps. I put my cell number right on flyers and posters, ‘cause I wanna make sure I’m accessible. I know a lot of people still aren’t familiar with RPRM, so it’s important to me to make a personal connection when possible.
I might buy advertising now and then, but it’s rare. When people love a certain kind of music experience, they’ll look for it. By now, past audiences know I’ll put on a solid show, and RPRM followers are loyal and waiting for the next one to happen.
Which shows are you most proud of producing so far?
(Grammy Award winning jazz vocalist) Kurt Elling, (jazz vocalist) Whitney James, (jazz pianist and vocalist) Frank McComb and (Grammy Award winning blues vocalist and guitarist) Chris Thomas King.
RPRM hosted a singer and song writer’s master class with Maroon 5 pianist P.J. Morton, and I’m proud of my latest success with vocalist Alex, who lit up the stage with his Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Ray Charles covers.
Which music artists do you dream of bringing to Sarasota?
India Arie, Stevie Wonder or Erykah Badu.
What are you listening to right now?
Allen Stone’s new album, “Radius.”
What does RPRM have planned next?
I’m working on finding a venue for The Mad Violinist & the Symphony Crack Orchestra. They’re a classical music fusion band. I didn’t think a whole concert could keep the audience’s attention without a vocalist, but when I saw them at the Vinyl Music Hall in Pensacola, they blew me away. Sarasota needs to see them.
Connect:
Website: http://realpeoplerealmusic.com/
Facebook: Real People Real Music