McKinley Dixon

Event Details

Doors 7pm | Show 8pm

Notes on Seating: Open seating, may be limited or standing room only. First come, first seated. Open dance floor may obscure sightlines.

About McKinley Dixon

In September 2024, McKinley Dixon stumbled across a copy of Grants Annual of Magic in a Portland bookstore. Printed nearly a century earlier near Dixons then-home in Chicago, it offered a how-to guide for demystifying illusions—an ethos that paralleled Dixons own artistic mission: to drag magic into hip-hop and infuse hard-won realism with a sense of the mystical. That concept fuels Magic, Alive!, his most imaginative and audacious album yet.

Dixon has been making music for over a decade, turning his experiences as a Southern native and literary-minded wanderer into vivid explorations of joy, grief, and perseverance. He gained wide acclaim with 2021s For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her and 2023s Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?, albums brimming with lush instrumentation, personal trauma, and dense lyrical storytelling, blending Toni Morrison references with intimate confessions. But pouring out his grief nightly on stage eventually left him drained, even as it connected deeply with fans.

Shifting Focus

So he shifted focus. I believe that the way to live forever is to write stuff that is dedicated to children, Dixon says. Magic, Alive! tells the story of three kids mourning a friend and imagining ways to reunite, questioning whether friendship really ends with death. The album wrestles with the idea of magic itself: Could it be the trickster who evades the law, the surreal tilt of the world after a drink or a joint, or the faith in things unseen? Dixon, a son of the ghost-haunted South, answers yes to all of it.

Collaboration and Production

The album began with an email from UK producer Sam Yamaha, a longtime fan. Their collaboration brought Dixon to London, where they dug through Yamahas archives to find the sonic foundation for Magic, Alive!. In July 2024, Dixon returned to Richmond, VA, to record, building on Yamahas and Koffs beats with help from an ensemble including Anjimile, Pink Siifu, Reggie Pace, and Eli Owens. The result is an immersive, expansive record that flows like a dream—connected, unpredictable, and bursting with color.

Album Highlights

Tracks like Recitatif feature wild transformations, with verses shifting from harp-backed poetry to roaring industrial chaos. A Crooked Stick hurls Dixon, Alfred, and Ghais Guevara into a swirl of saxes and synths. Were Outside, Rejoice! sparkles with psychedelic optimism, while Listen Gentle becomes a cinematic ode to belief itself, turning sadness into triumph—or vice versa.

Message and Conclusion

My target audience is everyone with heart, Dixon declares on Run Run Run Part II, a track where tragedy begins to blur into possibility. His message is clear: magic isn't just smoke and mirrors—it's belief, connection, and imagination. Magic, Alive! insists that wonder still lives, if we're brave enough to see it. We ran, we danced / Survived, we thrived, Dixon sings in the closing moments. That's Magic, Alive!

Age Requirement

This event is 21 and over. Any ticket holder unable to present valid identification indicating that they are at least 21 years of age will not be admitted to this event and will not be eligible for a refund.