An Annual Affair

No Tables, No Chairs

No Tables, No Chairs Parade and Concert is a fun-filled and funk-filled journey through the pulsating rhythms of the African Diaspora.

From the all-day family festival, to the Funk-line parade and evening concert, Mausiki Scales the the Common Ground Collective and friends transform Westside Park into an interactive stage bridging generations of music lovers. Sponsored by Art on the Atlanta BeltLine, the event is free and open to all to participate.

ALL-DAY FUN AND FUNK

Fun and Funk Fill the Day

Start the day with games on the lawn or creating your own elaborate parade costume while DJs spin classic and contemporary hits. Grab a blanket, a few goodies, friends and family and enjoy the park. Then join the Funk-line parade as we transform Westside Park into a musical journey through the Diaspora. And, finally, groove to the sounds of Mausiki Scales & the Common Ground Collective at a free concert on the meadow. You can rest tomorrow!

no tables, no chairs funk-line parade

mausiki scales, founder and band leader

parade tailgate

funky fun stations

“the village” marketplace

MEET THE FOUNDER

Mausiki
Scales

Mausiki Scales has been a force in the Atlanta indie music scene for almost two decades as a sought after keyboardist and founder/musical director of the critically acclaimed ensemble, Mausiki Scales & the Common Ground Collective. An honoree of the Georgia Governor’s Award, Mausiki is also a folklorist and historian who translates his knowledge into musical arrangements that leave his audiences moved and moving…literally.

Whether performing as a trio or a full ten-member-plus ensemble, Mausiki Scales & the Common Ground Collective are known for taking fans on a fearless exploration of the pulsating rhythms of the African Diaspora, seamlessly connecting the dots between afrobeat, funk, hip hop, soul and New Orleans jazz…in a single performance.

Together, Mausiki Scales and the Common Ground Collective have released four albums, the most recent, Passages: The Water Brought Us, and were featured on the Roy Ayers Fela-fied afrobeat version of “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.” They have also collaborated with other artists such as Babatunde Olatunji, The Last Poets, Third World, Russell Gunn and Julie Dexter.

In 2017, a new Mausiki Scales project, “Drums and Shadows” was released, featuring the juke joint-invoking single, “No Tables, No Chairs,” inspired by his signature parade and concert on the Atlanta BeltLine. The album was recognized by BBC Radio DJ, Gilles Peterson as one of the 50 Essential Jazz and Beyond Records of 2017. Mausiki released his latest project, “WestWest Africa,” in July 2020. The single, “Kaleidoscopic Universe”, has achieved worldwide acclaim. In 2021, the “No Tables, No Chairs” Parade & Concert was selected as an ongoing installation as part of the Art on the Atlanta Beltline Continuing Collection.

PARADE COSTUMER DESIGNER

Lillian
Blades

FEATURED CURATOR

Kamau
Dormer

Lillian Blades was born in Nassau, Bahamas in 1973 and currently resides in Atlanta, GA. Her work has appeared in solo and group exhibitions throughout various galleries in the United States, as well as The Bahamas, Trinidad, Germany and South Africa. Her public commissions include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Jean Childs Young Middle School. Her artwork is also in the collection of the Birmingham Museum of Art and the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas.

Lillian’s works are predominately mixed media assemblages and are made with an assortment of materials, both found and constructed by her in her home based studio. Her childhood home of Bahamas, ancestral background of West Africa, and her late mother, who was a seamstress, influence her art. These influences appear through use of her color palette and objects that evoke memory and history.

Kamau Dormer has been enriching Atlanta's cultural landscape for the past 18 years through the practice and sharing of Capoeira Angola, an Afro-Brazilian martial art. As a professional educator, Kamau offers workshops and classes for all ages, covering dance, singing, and instrument-making. At "No Tables No Chairs,”, Kamau's Funky Fun Station will guide participants in crafting a Caxixi, a percussion instrument to be played during the FunkLine Parade.