BPMI to Host 22nd Annual Showcase at Brighton Music Hall on April 17

The Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI) will host its 22nd annual showcase on Wednesday, April 17, at 7:00 p.m. at Brighton Music Hall. Featuring performances by a selection of six artists scouted by its 2024 student cohort, this event will shine a light on the rising stars set to hit major festival stages this summer. In addition to the concert, the cinematic-themed evening will include the premiere of a docuseries recounting the unique experience of the BPMI Live class of 2023.

BPMI Live, the institute's immersive three-semester program, offers students a hands-on opportunity to expand their skills beyond traditional classroom learning and into the vibrant world of live music. This year’s BPMI Live artists include Maz & Kidd Revel, Kyle Ray, Project MishraM, Fifteen0eight, and Samantha McKaige. Their talents, spanning genres including hip-hop, country, hard rock, and folk, have earned them coveted spots at renowned festivals such as Faster Horses, Bourbon & Beyond, Louder Than Life, and Governors Ball. 

Under the guidance of Morgan Milardo, the institute's managing director, the class reviews hundreds of artist applications to discover new BPMI talent. Once selected, each artist is paired with a dedicated group of BPMI students who serve as their management team. Together, they collaborate on various aspects of artist development, including marketing, promotion, digital presence, merchandising, sponsorships, and tour budgeting, ensuring a comprehensive and strategic approach to their careers.

This year's showcase is sponsored by Citizens Live and presented in partnership with Live Nation New England. Tickets are $10. Brighton Music Hall is located at 158 Brighton Avenue in Allston.

Learn more about this year's artists below. 

Samantha McKaige

Samantha McKaige is a guitar-playing, Americana-singing, folk- and country-loving songwriter who takes inspiration from the landscapes around her, including the forests and peaks of her Pacific Northwest home, the beaches of Northern California, and the rivers of the Rockies.​ Heartache and travel inspire the themes of her lyrics, with her eclectic sound reflecting musical influences Caamp, the Highwomen, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Taking pride in the DIY elements of an independent musician, McKaige books all of her own shows and tours, having played over 100 gigs around the United States. McKaige has shared stages with artists such as Hunter Hayes, Ezra Bell, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Suzzy Roche, and Copilot. She has performed at historic and esteemed venues such as Brighton Music Hall in Boston, the Sunset Tavern in Seattle, and Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. Her music has been featured in Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist and has amassed over 100,000 streams. McKaige’s EP Bury Me Please in the Puget Sound can be found on all streaming platforms.

Project MishraM

Project MishraM is a progressive Carnatic fusion band that seamlessly blends Western genres like modern progressive metal, djent, funk, jazz, and electronic with the intricate rhythms of Indian classical music. Originally from Bangalore, the band's unique music has earned them critical acclaim at prestigious festivals like UK Tech-Fest and ArcTanGent, where they have shared stages with top progressive metal acts such as Leprous, Vildhjarta, and Devin Townsend. Their debut album, Meso, was nominated for Best Debut Album by the ProgSpace Awards in 2021. A feature in Rolling Stone India and subsequent tours in the United Kingdom and Europe have solidified their global presence. MishraM continues to captivate audiences with their innovative sound.

Maz & Kidd Revel

Two uniquely talented artists in their own right, Maz and Kidd Revel share a live set that showcases their undeniable creative bond—one that celebrates life, creativity, and the journey of self-discovery. Maz, an artist-producer buzzing in the alternative hip-hop scene of Boston by way of São Paulo, blends overblown and mellow production with an unconventional delivery, attributing much of his inspiration from his DJ father. Kidd Revel is a musical maverick from Los Angeles, with a distinctive kaleidoscope of sound that spans an eclectic fusion of genres—rap, hyperpop, alternative rock, ambient, and drum ’n’ bass. Maz and Kidd Revel met at Berklee College of Music, where they fused their individual upbringings to forge a unique sonic soundscape based on their shared love for hip-hop. After amassing multiple sold-out shows in Boston with artists such as Quadry, WHYTRI, and Radamiz, the duo looks to continue to spread their ethos of unwavering, infectious energy to the rest of the world.

Kyle Ray

Kyle Ray is redefining a genre by infusing the rebelliousness of classic outlaw country with the harmonic and lyrical richness of bluegrass and folk. Taking inspiration from artists like Johnny Cash and Chris Stapleton, his catalog spans from weary acoustic ballads to upbeat energetic tracks. Ray’s debut single, "If It’s Taxed, It Ain’t Shine," released in early 2024, evokes a raw and captivating sound, with lyrical content pulling from the beautiful and tragic experiences of his upbringing in small-town Kentucky. Kyle Ray is just beginning to make his mark on the country music landscape.

FifteenØeight

FifteenØeight is an alternative-pop/electronic duo formed by Daphne Eleftheriadou and Tomer Oron. Their music, characterized by mesmerizing drum patterns, ethereal vocals, and deep bass lines, transcends traditional boundaries within the pop genre. Currently based in Boston, they have performed all over the world including London, Athens, San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles. After successfully selling out an entire Sofar Sounds tour in 2023, FifteenØeight released their debut album, The End of the Beginning. Their first single, "All the Things You Did," performed exceptionally well on streaming platforms in the days after its release, a testament to the duo’s bright future. With a second record already in the works, the duo is constantly creating and reaching for ways to expand the universe that is FifteenØeight.

About the Berklee Popular Music Institute

The Berklee Popular Music Institute's BPMI Live program is a one-year program that provides practical access to high levels of the music industry, with a focus on the thriving concert festival circuit. Founded by Jeff Dorenfeld (former manager of the band Boston) and now under the guidance of Morgan Milardo, students learn how to navigate careers in the ever-changing music industry as they hone their skills in artist discovery and development, communication, marketing, promotion, and live music. Curriculum activities are designed in collaboration with today's top industry figures to reflect contemporary trends and practices in the music business. The capstone of the curriculum includes opportunities for students to participate at prestigious festivals and industry conferences. Students travel to festivals such as Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, and Bourbon & Beyond, where they act as artist managers, production and tour managers, and artist media representatives.

BPMI Live serves as a springboard for careers in the music industry. Alumni of the program have gone on to work at Interscope, Capitol Records, DreamWorks, BMG, Universal, Live Nation, AEG Live, Oak View Group, DWP, YouTube, Google, CAA, ICM, Paradigm, WME, Billions, Snapchat, the Lincoln Center, Red Bull, Spotify, Stem, Republic, Red Light Management, Songkick, Kobalt, Sony, Darkroom, and C3. Notable BPMI Live artists include Jackie Foster B.M. ’18 (The Voice), Jobi Riccio B.M. ’20 (Yep Roc Records), Mom Rock, and Lizzy McAlpine ’20, who was featured as the program's first virtual performer during the COVID-19 shutdown, in March 2020.

BPMI Live's program predecessor, Heavy Rotation Records (HRR), was founded in 1995 in an unprecedented deal between Epic and Sony Records. Prior to transitioning the focus to music festivals integration, HRR released 18 albums, including Shekinah: 13 Artists, distributed by Epic; Apollo Sunshine’s eponymous second album, co released with spinART; Dorm Sessions 1–13; and Under the Influence. Notable artists who appeared on HRR albums include Annie Clark ’04 (St. Vincent), Shea Rose ’11, Nini & Ben (HAERTS), Big D and the Kids Table, members of Passion Pit (as the Peasantry), Isom Innis ’10 (Foster the People), Amy Allen ’15 (Grammy Award-winning songwriter on Harry Styles's album Harry's House), Madi Diaz ’07, Julia Easterlin B.M. ’14, and Bent Knee.