About the Artists in Residence Program
The Artists in Residence program at the Rock Hall is in partnership with The Kulas Foundation. In its fourth year the program focuses on up and coming musicians from the Northeast Ohio area. During their summer with us, the artists perform regularly on our plaza, spend time writing songs, and developing their musical skills. Additionally, they meet with industry professionals from around the country to learn about all facets of the music business- including marketing, merchandising, copywriting and publishing, PR and more. By the end of the program they will have tangible tools and resources, along with improved skills, that they can take with them to move to the next level of their music careers.
During our summer of live music the Artists in Residence will be performing each week, come listen to them play at the Rock Hall.
To learn more about the program here!
Ri Rosecrans
Ri Rosecrans is a Singer/Songwriter and Guitarist from the small village of Wellington, Ohio. This is where picked up the guitar at age 15 with the help of her Uncle Mike, who had offered to teach her, being the only member of her family at the time that knew the art. Combining her guitar playing with her powerful, yet soft vocals, Ri was able to expand her music to new horizons outside of Wellington, as well as obtain the ability to record her music professionally. By taking influence from many different genres, Ri hopes to capture your ears with a unique and refreshing new sound.
Charity Evonna
Charity Evonna is easily identified as an irresistible spirit, A Neo Soul R&B singer songwriter hailing from Dallas, Texas with a voice that resonates deeply. She effortlessly weaves powerful emotions into her R&B melodies. Her upbringing, passion for music, and songwriting reflects her journey of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery. Drawing from the deep roots of the south, it inspires Charity to write and perform songs of hope and empowerment. Charity is a songstress who performs anthems that brings home the message of the importance of self-love and self-care. She spent most of her childhood with her grandmother and going to church learning the traditional gospel; with that, Charity taps into beautiful unique melodies while engaging with her audience, honing her skills through captivating lyrics and intimate performances. Charity, unwavering confidence, and dedication has led her audiences to become completely engulfed in her magical, melismatic vocals.
Jareth Marlow
Jareth Marlow is a 22-year-old musician and artist from Broadview Heights, Ohio. Jareth began his musical journey when he started playing classical piano at the age of 5. Now, many years later Jareth has devoted much time to becoming a pianist, guitarist, singer, and songwriter who enjoys fusing genres like R&B, pop, and folk in his original music. Jareth is currently located in Nashville as he expands his music and career.
songstress jo
songstress jo is a 22 year old singer-songwriter originally from Bellevue, Ohio. Gaining popularity with over 400k hits and 1.4 million views on TikTok, songstress jo writes and performs alternative gothic rock music alongside her band (the familiar). As an artist in residence at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, songstress jo has worked with artist Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s, Liz Phair, MUNA, Vampires Everywhere! and many more. According to Jakk Breedon from takeoff music blog A1234, “…jo doesn’t want you to just feel, she wants to leave behind a thought-provoking message that’ll ruminate in your mind for years to come”. And that is exactly what she aims to do.
JAMPOP
Amassing over 2.5 million hits on TikTok, JAMPOP is a pop
singer/songwriter and producer from Cleveland, Ohio. After producing and
releasing several hip-hop projects under the name Jamil & the Show, JAMPOP
decided to return with a bright and exciting pop sound!
Along with his “ever-changing cast of musicians and friends”, JAMPOP taps into
a sound influenced by house music, jazz legends, and gospel roots. JAMPOP is
the embodiement of a vast universe of music crossing genres and timelines.
JAMPOP is sure to excite! Don’t get left behind.
Dominic Rodeo
After years of exploring the nostalgia, angst, and childlike behavior of pop punk, Dominic Rodio has achieved the sound he has been seeking with his new song “Strawberry Head”. This cut follows a sibling rivalry story between him and his little sister and is titled after a nickname she used to give to him when they were little. Sonically, the song is punchy, upbeat, and relentlessly hooky. Rodio also took the time to experiment with structure, new sounds, and odd time signatures. “Strawberry Head” is the culmination of several years of cluelessness and finally figuring it out through trial and error. It will have you longing for that ever-elusive comfort of childhood, as all good pop punk music should.
Rodio is from Cleveland, OH and is currently based in Nashville, TN. He is a 20-year-old junior at Belmont University where he is studying for a degree in commercial music. The story is just beginning for him as he continues to cement himself as a name to look out for in the alternative music world.
M.O.O.K.Y
M.O.O.K.Y is a singer/songwriter born in Akron, Ohio. Pulling influences from
artists like Mac Miller, Prince, & Jeff Buckley he fuses alternative rock, hip-hop, & pop
into his own unique style. With comparisons to The Kid LAROI, Post Malone, James
Blake & like artists; M.O.O.K.Y looks to make his name well known in the music
industry.
M.O.O.K.Y’s debut album Club Phony released in August 2021 with the singles
‘Daydreams’ & ‘Breathe Me In’ gaining immense popularity, earning him 200k plus
streams in 2022. He now performs with a 5-piece band (Jack Hamel on Keys, Joey
Hughes (False Teeth) on Bass/Guitar, Josh LaGuardia on Drums, & Nate Bocchicchio on
Violin) in & around the Midwest.
M.O.O.K.Y is making progress on his second studio album which will be completed by
the end of 2023. In the meantime, he continues to make an impact in the Cleveland music
scene; working towards his goal of becoming a hometown name in Ohio and around The United States.
Marcus Smith
Marcus Smith is a rapper, singer, and songwriter born and raised in Cleveland, OH.
After 15 years in hip-hop bands Black & Broke and SANKURO, Smith is now
navigating the music scene as a solo artist.
Smith is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist. Starting with piano when he was 14, he
learned a new instrument each summer for five years, including guitar, bass, ukulele, and
drums. As a kid, Marcus Smith would sit in his room trying to imitate his favorite artists
Weird Al Yankovic and Hanson and their influence comes through in his witty lyrics and
affinity for harmonies.
“Music is such an important part of my family, with 7 of my 9 siblings involved in music
in some shape or form. I love that I can make the music that I love while representing the
Smith family name; specifically honoring my dad and older brother by way of our shared
name Marcus.”
Marcus Smith released his first official EP, #Bananas in 2014, the follow up EP,
#Pudding in 2016, and in 2019 his debut solo album, NILLA (an acronym for “Now, I’m
Living Life Again.”) Taking care of 70% of the production himself, the album mixes
some Childish Gambino inspired hip-hop with Bruno Mars inspired crooning and is
100% Marcus Smith.
In July 2020, Marcus released an EP titled Milky Way Lover. Three years later, after a
successful Kickstarter campaign, Marcus Smith released his much anticipated sophomore
album “Unique Mélange” in June 2023. The album is an eclectic mix of hip-hop, rock,
funk, soul, and EDM while staying cohesive from front to back.
“Unique Mélange” has features from Disashi Soul (of Gym Class Heroes), Dave Zup, and
a handful of collaborators from the RetroHash Discord (Tracee Shade, Harbyn, Bear. Jon
Baylor, SHORT BUSS13, Vedit), and more!
Marcus Smith has been grinding in the Northeast Ohio music scene for nearly years and
shows zero plans to stop.
Sarah Bailey
Sarah Bailey is an emerging Music Artist with a background in audio engineering.
She started singing and writing songs at a very young age and finding any way to record
them. She started uploading YouTube videos and singing covers that she engineered
herself. She started her official music career with the release of her first single,
“Reckless” in July 2018. Sarah continued to work on her craft until completely making
the switch of writing, producing, and engineering all of her own music herself. After
landing the role of ‘Resident Rocker’ at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Sarah experienced
the industry at a whole new, heightened level, gaining incredible experiences performing
and invaluable connections, such as performing at Cleveland’s premiere festival,
Wonderstruck. Sarah puts out music on a regular basis that manages to thrill and delight
fans—both old and new – with different melodies, musical styles, and emotional lyrical
journeys.
Sarah gained some worldwide exposure in December 2020 after getting a message from
her biggest inspiration of all time, Taylor Swift, after she saw Bailey’s holiday light
display to Swift’s song “Christmas Tree Farm”. Her family takes donations every holiday
season to give to the local food bank, and Taylor Swift made a donation herself. Sarah
appeared to explain the story on publications such as People Magazine, Entertainment
Tonight, Billboard, and several local/national news stations.