Don’t miss this epic free event by Harriett’s Bookshop at Milkcrate Cafe from 6:30-8:30pm! Tonight Nabil Ayers will be in conversation with Black Music Month cofounder Dyana Williams. My Life in the Sunshine book signing will follow, along with drinks and music at one of our favorite cafes in the city. Get your copy of Nabil Ayers‘ My Life in the Sunshine here or tonight at Harriett’s Bookshop’s event at Milkcrate Cafe!
Multi-talented music industry entrepreneur Nabil Ayers is stopping in Philadelphia tonight on his book tour for My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family out now via Viking Books! Harriett’s Bookshop and Milkcrate Cafe are linking up to deliver a conversation with Nabil Ayers and Philly music icon Dyana Williams, with a book signing, DJs, music and drinks after the discussion!! Don’t miss this free event at Milkcrate Cafe tonight from 6:30-8:30pm.
About the book:
“In this timeless and relatable story, Nabil uncovers the pain of rejection, the joy of inclusion, and how to redraw the lines that define race and family. Throughout his adult life, whether he was opening a Seattle record store in the ’90s or touring the world as the only non-white member in alternative rock bands, Nabil felt the shadow and legacy of his father’s musical genius, and his race, everywhere.
In 1971, a white, Jewish, former ballerina, chose to have a child with the famous Black jazz musician Roy Ayers, fully expecting and agreeing that he would not be involved in the child’s life. In My Life in the Sunshine, their son, Nabil Ayers, recounts a life spent living with the aftermath of that decision, and his journey to build an identity of his own despite and in spite of his father’s absence. Indeed, the title of the book is an homage to the opening lyric from his father’s classic 1976 song, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.”
Since the book’s publication, Nabil has learned more about his extended family than ever before, including the existence of two-half sisters he’d never met. He’s also connected with his father’s first manager and some of his former band members, adding new chapters to this already fascinating story.
Like Roy, Nabil became deeply involved in the music world, first as a musician, and currently as the recently named U.S. president of the London-based Beggars Group label family. He has worked closely with The National, Grimes, St. Vincent, Pixies and Big Thief. He was in the crowd at Seattle’s OK Hotel the night Nirvana played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for the first time in 1991. He co-founded Seattle’s beloved Sonic Boom Records stores in 1997, launched his own indie label The Control Group in 2002, and has toured the world playing drums with artists such as The Replacements’ Tommy Stinson and The Long Winters.
Nabil also sits on the board of directors for iconic Seattle radio station KEXP and the Recording Academy’s New York chapter, and has written about music, race, the space where the two intersect and many other topics for the New York Times, NPR, GQ, The Root, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Vulture and more.”
Not in Philly? Don’t miss Nabil Ayers in a city near you!
Upcoming Dates/Cities:
Sept. 15: Philadelphia (Harriet’s, with Dyana Williams)
Sept. 22: Lawrence, KS (Lawrence Public Library)
Sept. 24: Champaign, Ill. (Pygmalion Festival)
Sept. 28: New Orleans (Ace Hotel, with Ben Jaffe)
Oct. 12: Tacoma, Wash. (University of Puget Sound)
Oct. 13: Portland, Ore. (Live Wire Radio broadcast)
Oct. 14: Portland, Ore. (Powell’s Books)
Oct. 25: Chapel Hill, N.C. (Flyleaf Books, with John Darnielle)
Nov. 9: Brooklyn, N.Y. (Center for Brooklyn History Othmer Library, with Rebecca Carroll)
Keep up with Nabil Ayers:
More on Mylifeinsound:
