"Sunday Sessions: A Reimagined Music Experience Reviving Community Through Intimacy and Storytelling"

What is your favorite way to connect with your community?

After the world of COVID, we are finding ways to authentically reconnect and are no longer placing an emphasis on individualism. We are coming together through collective passion. With Sunday Sessions, we go back to our basics: music.

Sunday Sessions is an intimate space designed for those who connect through music. Based in Chicago, this event, held once a month, brings together you and your “music cousins” to share stories about songs within our collective experience. Each month has a different theme, such as: College Daze, Cuffin’ SZN, Songs We Had No Business Singing, and Soul Train Line. The event is broken down into three segments: Happy Hour, Interactive Jukebox, and The After Vibe. During Happy Hour, everyone participates in BINGO, which encourages you to get to know the “cousins.” For the Interactive Jukebox, you must come with a song that you want the DJ to play. You will write the song down and place it into the drawing box to be randomly selected throughout the event. If your song is selected, you must rep your city and tell the audience why you picked that song. The After Vibe is for those who caught the vibe and aren’t ready to let it go. You’ll always catch a vibe, but you might also gain a new perspective when a cousin shares a new view on a song. You might also find yourself bonding over a shared experience or even meet someone from your hometown. Each session expands your music palette and provides an opportunity for you to expand your personal community.

The most amazing thing about this is the community that has come out of it.
-Rasheed Brown, Co-Founder

Sunday Sessions started in March of 2023, founded by Rasheed Brown, Dan Brown, Clarence Quarcoo, and Cole Smith. The concept sprouted from an idea among friends to gather on Sundays and listen to music together. Initially, the event took place in the living rooms of the friend group. The event consisted of bracket-style competitions, in which it was up for debate which song was the best of the best. As weeks went by and the sessions grew bigger and bigger, the idea to bring it outside the living room was discussed, and thus Sunday Sessions was born. The most important aspect of Sunday Sessions is the maintenance of “The Living Room Intimacy (LRI).” LRI is a specific level of comfort, vulnerability, and connection most commonly associated with sleepovers, family game nights, or kickbacks—the opposite of the “chip on your shoulder” tone set at the club. The goal is to feel cozy and relaxed, like you can exhale. This is why the venue for Sunday Sessions mimics a living room display, creating the perfect environment for storytelling. Storytelling allows the audience to foster empathy, revel in nostalgia, and explore new lenses. Over the past year, the stories have taken on a life of their own, growing deeper and funnier. The storytelling transforms each time a DJ creates a new atmosphere. They are the conductor, controlling the flow of energy. Sunday Sessions aims to give a platform to a new DJ at each event. This allows them to grow their following and expose their audience to fresh environments and soundscapes. The triple threat of intimacy, storytelling, and DJs redefines how we connect, share stories, and enjoy music.

Sunday Sessions is reminiscent of a living room - Great music, drinks, and unmatched stories and vibes.
-Dan Brown , Co-Founder

Sunday Sessions honors Black identity, curating an environment that unites diverse facets of Black culture. They cultivate a unique space that fosters a sense of inclusion and celebration. Sunday Sessions has rapidly expanded its horizons by collaborating with other art-based organizations, such as Black Film Club. This collaboration consisted of a two-part series in which Part 1 included a screening of Love Jones, followed by a discussion that unpacked the complexities that made Love Jones a classic. Part 2 featured a session centered around “Love Songs from Classic Films,” where the audience shared their favorite memories and danced the night away. Sunday Sessions continues to expand as they host pop-up events, and you might even see a session pop up in a city near you soon! To catch a session, pay close attention to their Instagram @sundaymusicsessions; tickets drop spontaneously and go quickly. After a session, don’t forget to take Sunday Sessions home with you, as each session is turned into a @spotify playlist you can put on replay. Sunday Sessions is on its way to becoming a Chicago staple—an event that leaves you feeling rejuvenated and is the perfect way to end a Sunday.