Mountaineer Idol contestant to play at 123 tonight

Mountaineer Idol runner-up, budding rhythm and blues artist and entrepreneur Ellis Lambert is set to perform at 123 Pleasant Street tonight at 10 as part of SoundVision's: Got 16z Part four hip hop and R&B showcase featuring 10 local acts.

Lambert is known around Morgantown for his great performances during WVU's Mountaineer Idol contest, but there is much more to this determined 21-year-old.

"My music is a lot of really soulful music. It's really well thought out. It's all just real, based off life experience, myself, family members, and friends and things like that," Lambert said. "I never try to embellish or to cover up some of the things I've gone through. I'm very open in my music and very honest."

You can expect that honesty to come through in an intimate live setting. As for the show itself, Lambert said to expect a great time.

"It's going to be a lot of energy, a lot of crowd participation – just a fun show," Lambert said. "There's not a lot of R&B artists in Morgantown, so we're excited to bring that live feel back here"

He also promises a quality vocal performance that listeners can hear in a live setting rather than through their headphones.

"I've really put myself through vocal boot camp since my mix tape came out," Lambert said. "My goal is to sound better than the recordings and really stress my vocal abilities and kind of let people know; yes – I can sing outside of the studio"

Showgoers can certainly expect a certain level of professionalism, as Lambert has been practicing his show for a four months- a stark contrast to many locals who simply throw their shows together a week beforehand.

His hard work is already paying off in dividends with his mixtape, "Love N' Stuff," having made its way as far west as California. The mixtape's buzz has even initiated several upcoming major radio interviews for Lambert. In addition, his team is currently in the planning stages for a national four- to six-week tour this summer.

However, this type of work ethic is certainly not an anomaly limited to just music for Lambert; it also flows into the running of his company.

Lambert created his own record label in December called Extended Family Movement, which promotes its own local artists and local businesses in Morgantown. The company already boasts 15 interns and seven to eight artists releasing projects in the next six months, and it's growing fast.

"We are a very diverse label, and we're just starting off the ground, but we're already making a big impact," Lambert said. "I've been planning this company since I was about 16 years old. I'm glad it's finally come to fruition now."

Lambert holds all of his label's artists to the same lofty standard he sets for his own work ethic and musical quality.

"With my music, I try to reiterate the importance of well -thought out music that will last, and I try to teach that to my artists now," Lambert said. "I tell them whatever kind of music you're in, make sure that it's timeless. We all write and play instruments; that's one thing that was important to me, as well."

The singer and manager expanded on his label's ideological goals for the Morgantown music scene.

"For the immediate future, my goal is just to expose not just my music, but the entire movement that were doing with Extended Family and letting people know that there's still good local music, that we're not all trying to do ‘Popcorn, just-wanna-dance-for-now music,' but music that will last," Lambert said. "We don't use a lot of vocal effects. Our biggest concern isn't making money or getting famous but making sure people understand the value of real music and that it takes time to make timeless music. We want to put that hard work, that grind, back into music"

Lambert's long-term goals aren't just rooted in the Morgantown area, but globally.

"I have a huge vision for this label long-term. Our goal is to be a major label, to be an umbrella, comprised of many labels such as a Columbia or Sony – a major label that supports smaller labels," Lambert said. "I want to do this type of music on a grand scale. I want to be able to reach people's lives, and give real artists a chance again, and bring back some of that great classic music of the '90s."