Workshop: Breaking the Mold - Building DIY Scenes and Spaces

Cleveland Rocks: PPF’s Professional Development Workshops are held on the third Monday of the month from 7-9pm at the Cleveland Rocks Shop (15801 Waterloo Rd.). Each workshop will focus on a different music-related topic with discussions from 7-8pm, followed by a 2×4 Songwriter Showcase from 8-9pm featuring 4 different artists, 2 songs each.

Breaking the Mold: Building DIY Scenes and Spaces

Panelists: Dave Ziggy, Navy Jayde, and Robin "Hyperius" Blake

This panel explores the power and complexity of DIY culture as a tool for community-building, artistic autonomy, and resistance. We'll dive into the challenges of throwing your own shows, managing logistics with limited resources, amplifying marginalized voices, and creating art when the industry and status quo are working against you. Whether you’re booking your first gig or dreaming of building your own scene, this conversation centers real-world strategies and hard-won wisdom.

Stay for The 2×4 Songwriter Showcase immediately following the workshop.

2x4 Songwriter Showcase Artists:

Dave Ziggy, Jinari Kemet, Theresa May, and Black Voltron (unplugged)

Free Event!

The Cleveland Rocks Shop is an intimate venue with LIMITED capacity. Please arrive early to grab a seat!

This event is made possible with support from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

Bios:

Dave Ziggy

Instagram: @daveziggy44

Dave is a Cleveland-based polymath: producer, MC, curator, and event organizer. As founder of Ziggy Presents, he’s thrown countless genre-defying shows that center authenticity and inclusion.

Navy Jayde

Instagram: @joinmy.navy

Navy Jayde is a DJ, and organizer who’s helped shape DIY nightlife and queer-centered events throughout the Midwest. Their work champions QTBIPOC liberation through sound, sweat, and shared space — always prioritizing community, safety, and joy. The former owner of Black Punx Press, and the creator of Enigma, a reclamation of techno as a genre, they have been making moves on the DIY circuit for years.

Robin “Hyperius” Blake

Instagram: @hyperiusblake

Robin Blake (aka Hyperius) is a musician, composer, and multi-disciplinary creative whose work bridges tech, Black futurism, and spiritual groove. As the bandleader of Black Voltron, he’s helped lead large-scale independent productions, merging hip hop, jazz, and liberation. He’s also a 2025 recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize Verge Fellowship for Music.

Jinari Kemet

Instagram: @jinari_kemet

Cleveland rapper and multi-instrumentalist Jinari Kemet is a versatile performer, bending genres and making a scene on stageTheresa MayInstagram: @mochatrumpetgalTheresa J. May (she/her) is a versatile trumpeter, educator, and advocate originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Dayton. Currently, Theresa serves as an adjunct faculty member at Cuyahoga Community College, where she teaches Applied Trumpet and World Music.A passionate advocate for equity and inclusion, Theresa co-founded the Chromatic Brass Collective, which champions diversity in the brass community. She is also a member of the International Society for Black Musicians (ISBM), an organization dedicated to elevating Black musicians and their contributions to music scholarship.

Black Voltron (Unplugged)

Instagram: @blackvoltronband

Black Voltron delivers electrifying live performances, blending classical training, church roots, and diverse lived experiences. Their versatile musicianship captivates audiences in venues of all sizes, conveying raw energy and emotion, and giving "goosebumps". Transcending genre boundaries, they create a unique sound that fuses jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, house/disco, and world music, honoring the Black Diaspora while innovating contemporary music. When Black Voltron unites, they can play "anything".

Robin "Hyperius" Blake

Dave Ziggy

Navy Jayde

Jinari Kemet

Theresa May

Black Voltron