Meet This Week’s #MusicMonday Spotlight Performers Shevonne and the Bad Boys and Kristopher James

Shevonne and the Bad Boys was originally formed by lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Shevonne Philidor in 2010. The band is currently made up of five members: Andrew on guitar, Eric on bass, Terrance on drums, Jared on the saxophone and Shevonne on guitar and vocals.

Shevonne has been singing since the young age of five and has appeared on NBC’s America’s Got Talent and America’s Most Talented Kids. She has also been featured in USA Today and has performed for three presidents!  Her very first performance was in her kindergarten talent show in North Carolina where she performed “I Believe I Can Fly” by R Kelly.

Their first performance as a band was at the Hi-Life Bar & Grill in Brandon. You can frequently find them jamming out at the Brew Hub in Lakeland.

The band has played on every stage at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa and continues to play at the property at least twice a month.

Catch them in the Hard Rock Cafe for the Brew Tap Takeover on February 26 from 9pm-1am!

Kristopher James started out his music career when he was 15 years old playing drums in a high school punk rock band “Disturbing Peace.” He transitioned to guitar during college and over the years, started to develop his singing and songwriting skills.

Fun Fact: Kris’ first performance was at a church in Bradenton, Florida two days after he learned to play the drums.

His inspiration for song writing came after writing a song about fatherhood. His lyrics were about being someone his son could look up to and from there the music started to pour out. It’s safe to say that Kris’ son is a driving force behind the inspiration in his music career.

Kris inspiration for music stems anywhere from Radiohead to James Taylor. The sound depends on the artist’s mood during the time of writing. He says that best way to describe his vibe in particular is “Folk Americana.”

You may recognize Kris from Seminole Hard Rock’s Tampa Bay Acoustic Music Festival” held in the Hard Rock Cafe last summer. Tune out and tune in to his folk vocals at the Gasparilla Music Foundation Benefit Concert on February 27 from 7pm-8pm!