The Afro D All Starz will be a featured attraction at this coming Sunday’s Carnaval @ SomerStreets event.

By Sanjeev Selvarajah 

“Thinking about music, people say things like, ‘Well, are you are a trumpet player, MC, or spoken-word artist? Is your band hip hop, jazz, or soul?’ My answer is, “Yes. All of the above,” Pete Shungu, aka “Afro D” said. People can get a taste of his eclectic style when he and his band, the Afro D All Starz, perform June 1 at the kick off of the 2014 SomerStreets festival on East Broadway (McGrath Highway to Pennsylvania Avenue). The band’s most recent album, Strength in Numbers, was recorded, mixed and mastered by Yuki Kanesaka and Wil Renderos of the Audio Chemists.

Shungu performed at Somerville’s 2012 Martin Luther King Day celebration, and the Afro D All Starz were invited to perform at SomerStreets by the city’s LGBT liaison because, according to SomerStreets’ Carlene Campbell-Hegarty, “their music speaks to a sense of community and calls on people to be allies to one another.”

Shungu wears his Somerville pride with heart.

“We rehearse in Somerville, two of the band members live in Somerville, I’m a Tufts alum, and I lived in Somerville myself when the band first started,” he said. “We have played a lot of gigs in Somerville over the past few years at venues like Johnny D’s, Precinct, etc., as well as events like SomerStreets.”

One of his favorite places in Somerville is the First Church Somerville.

“I started going there back in 2007,” he said. “My then-girlfriend –now wife- Melissa basically asked me out on a date to church after we had only been together a couple of weeks. I hadn’t been attending any church for several years at that point, but I agreed to go with her and am very happy about that decision. We got married in that church in 2011, and our first daughter, Malia, was just born in April, and I continue to attend and play an active role at First Church as well.”

Molly Baskette, lead pastor of First Church, was thrilled to talk about Shungu.

“Pete is, very simply, an amazing person: passionate about justice; talented but humble; loving and open; smart and discerning but open to new wisdom from others,” she said. “He has a real heart for people on the margins -people of color, queer folks, urban youth- and will work hard to represent them and support them. We asked him to be a deacon (one of the senior lay positions in our church), even though he is a fairly ‘new’ Christian, because he is so wise and kind despite his youth. Pete is a stalwart member of our choir, marching band and praise band, Project Soul. He does often arrange music, and plays trumpet or sings.”

Shungu is generous and forthcoming about the writing in the All Starz’s music:

“Many of the tunes were written by Steve Mossberg, who used to play keys with the band, but others were created more organically,” he said. “(Mossberg) is really a talented composer and arranger.”

“In terms of lyrics, I write all my own lyrics, and Tanya (Richardson), our singer, writes most of her own lyrics as well,” he added.

“Ultimately, I was drawn to the message, the energy and talent, and knew it was something I had to be a part of,” Richardson, who has been with the bad for two years, said. “Overall, I’m a music lover in general. Although I’ve grown up listening to a lot of soul music, R&B and hip hop, I appreciate a lot of other genres.”

All Starz drummer David Beauchesne shared the feeling of writing new music.

“The moment when you realize you have a new song coming together is very exciting, he said. “I also enjoy doing college gigs, and we’ve done a fair amount already. I’m also looking forward to our upcoming performance at the SomerStreets festival. That should be fun.”

Shungu agreed, saying, “It’s always fun to play festivals; it gives people of all ages, youth, families, the opportunity to access our music and provide a festive, positive atmosphere.”