CTRL Presents BEWARE!!! - A CMJ Showcase

Ellis Dodi brings folky lyrics to life with her evocative voice and soulful performance. Folk becomes the words of a story while Dodi and her dexterous backing band use the sounds of genres from Blues to Pop in order to create the empathic crowd that is her audience.

Ellis Dodi is the solo project of Erica Di Loreto. Di Loreto comes from a diverse background in theatre and dance as well as music. In 2009, she began teaching herself how to play the acoustic guitar and shortly after began writing her own songs. By the time she graduated college and moved to Brooklyn, Di Loreto was already familiar with the underground Bushwick DIY scene through her involvement with 'The Neverlands', a warehouse space turned underground venue. In 2013, Di Loreto started performing in Brooklyn and the LES under the stage name Ellis Dodi.

Dodi is currently releasing her second music video for the single, "Black Rope" on **03.18.2015**


Pop juggernaut Madaila's debut record, "The Dance", is upbeat, synth-heavy, and catchy. Vocal skill and range are immediately apparent. But in the tradition of Prince and more recently Frank Ocean, there is an ornateness and occasional darkness to this pop music that exposes Madaila's complexity and musicianship. Tight arrangements and multi-instrumental performances showcase musical minds at work.

Tight spandex and technicolor attire showcase a different side. When playing live, both powerful and playful elements of Madaila are present as the five-piece finds the deeper possibilities within their concise recorded material. On stage, spontaneous expression and contagious melody coexist.


Phony Ppl either crash-landed from the past or the future: critics and fans can't decide. Since throwing warehouse shows around New York in 2011, Phony Ppl has tossed together vintage astral funk, colorful world music, and dusted-out hip-hop either from the future or the past. Co-founded by writer/arrangers Elbee Thrie and Aja Grant, the band flipped D.I.Y recordings into self-released hits like "I Wish I Was A Chair" and "End of the Night," and tours with like-minded experimental elders Theophilus London, Erykah Badu and The Roots. Their latest effort, 2015's "Yesterday's Tomorrow" gained rotation on BBC1 and Odd Future Radio, and the L.A. Times applauded it's "meteoric rise" via social media, peaking at #6 on iTunes. The band will be on the road with the record throughout the year.