Mausiki Scales has taken the Atlanta indie music scene by storm for almost two decades as a sought-after multi-instrumentalist and founder and musical director of the acclaimed ensemble, The Common Ground Collective.
Since 2011, Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective and friends have electrified the Atlanta BeltLine with No Tables, No Chairs Parade and Concert. This funk-filled festival invites families on a journey through the pulsating rhythms of the African Diaspora.
“[No Tables No Chairs] is an amalgam of several different styles of the African Diaspora,” shared Mausiki . “It’s an invitation to community, to engage. It is our objective to erase the distance between the performer and community.”
The musical celebration has grown now to include crafting workshops for Junkanoo-style headpieces and caixixi, an instrument found across Africa and South America; face-painting, and colorful second-line parade. Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective usher in the evening with a concert and jam session.
“Common Ground encapsulates how this city vibrates with world class talent,” said Miranda Kyle, arts and culture program manager. “A long-time AOAB collaborator and scholar of African and African Diasporic musical instruments and traditions, Mausiki has been elemental in shaping the sound of the BeltLine.”
The most recent No Tables, No Chairs Parade and Concert took place at Westside Park as part of BeltLine After Dark and included a performance by Senegalese artist, culture bearer, and djeli, Assane Kouyate, music-spinning by The Ear Dr., Funky Fun Stations curated by Lillian Blades and Kamau Dormer, and food and artisan vendors.
To stay informed about the latest happenings on the BeltLine, go to beltline.org/events.
