Saturday and Sunday, September 20 & 21 from 10 am to 6 pm daily
Ticket Concourse, Waiting Room, North and South Patios, Railway Platforms

Music at the North Patio

Metro Art & Leaving Records are teaming up to bring live music and DJ sets to Union Station’s Train Festival 2025: LA’s Spirit in Motion, on September 20 and 21. Gear up for an eclectic lineup of Los Angeles’s finest artists, featuring Axon Orkestra, Qur’an Shaheed, Sharada Shashidhar, Jesse Justice, Mekala Session, DJ Passionfruit and one of the original turntablists, DJ J.Rocc! Catch them live as they turn the North Patio into soundscapes.

Saturday Performances: 

• 12:00 – 1:45pm – Axon Orkestra 
• 3:00 – 4:45pm – Qur’an Shaheed, Sharada Shashidhar, Jesse Justice, Mekala Session  

Sunday DJ Sets: 

• 12:00 – 2:00pm – J.Rocc 
• 3:00 – 5:00pm – DJ Passionfruit

Learn about the artworks at Union Station from Metro Art Docents

Immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of LA Union Station through guided explorations of its art and exhibitions. A diverse range of site-specific artworks are integrated into the station. Learn about these artworks and exhibitions from Metro Art Docents, who are available in the Waiting Room Gallery and by the public piano, on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 am to 2 pm.

About the Artists

Axon Orkestra is a cinematic fusion ensemble blending percussive strings, soaring melodies, and irresistible rhythms. Rooted in the musical journeys of its members across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, the group creates an adventurous mix of original compositions and reimagined regional classics. Formed in 2016 in Los Angeles, Axon began with late-night jam sessions among friends and evolved into a genre-defying collective. Axon Orkestra is Violinist Fabrice You (of FishTank Ensemble); Guitar Dusty Brough; Bassist Miles Jay, (Youssou N’dour, Nile Project), + Saxophonist Paul Bertin + Tupan player Marco Peris (Inspector GADJE) + Mandolinist Eva Scow (David Grisman, Edgar Meyer, Willie Nelson) with collaborators on saxophone, tupan, and mandolin, Axon Orkestra delivers a dynamic sound that flows like a river through diverse musical landscapes.

Qur’an Shaheed’s musical journey began in a family of musicians, led by her mother, Sharon, a pianist and music school owner, and her father, Nolan Shaheed, who toured with Stevie Wonder and was Marvin Gaye’s music director. Introduced to the piano at the age of four, she trained rigorously, laying a foundation of discipline and technical skill that has now evolved into a freer form of spontaneous, genre-defying expression. Shaheed’s musical practice is an extension of her world—playful, bold, undaunted. A fluid approach to fashion—colorful, deconstructed pieces, geometric piercings, and intricate tattoos—mirrors their creative philosophy, where compositions dissolve into iridescent soundscapes.

Sharada Shashidhar is a Los Angeles based vocalist, composer and producer. Her soulful voice takes inspiration from jazz and Indian classical music, which influences her songwriting and productions. Shashidhar’s elaborate harmonies and vocal creativity come together in a new beat-orientated spiritual jazz. Sharada has performed across the US and EU in spaces such as Le Guess Who? Festival, Badehaus Berlin, Zebulon and more. She has shared bills or collaborated with the likes of Carlos Niño, Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra, and Zeroh among others. Sharada graduated from the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City and released her debut EP, Rahu, on Leaving Records in March of 2020. Her latest album and debut as a band-leader, Soft Echoes, is out on Leaving Records.

Mekala Session is a drummer, percussionist, and musical director known for his work with the multi-generational Los Angeles jazz band The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, which he now leads while honoring its founder Horace Tapscott. He graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in 2017 and has collaborated on albums with artists such as Zeroh, Qur’an Shaheed, Kenny Segal, and Jamael Dean. He is also recognized for his work on the films Diamond Jack (2017) and Keeping Time (2023).

Tana Yonas aka DJ Passionfruit is a contributor in LA analog outfit, In Sheep’s Clothing and has a regular show on NTS titled ‘Wabi Sabi’. Known for her far reaching vinyl collection, listen as she delicately guilds together many lost treasures and shares music from lesser known and under-represented musical traditions from across the globe and decades.

One of the original turntablists, J. Rocc founded the Beat Junkies in 1992 with Melo-D and Rhettmatic, but has done just as much on his own as in a group setting. He began DJing in the mid-’80s with a California group named PSK. Soon after forming, the Beat Junkies became a seminal force in the rise of instrumental hip-hop, including core member Babu plus future stars Shortkut and D-Styles. In addition to numerous mixtapes and his own production for Stones Throw releases, J. Rocc has been the DJ for Madlib’s live shows since the early 2000’s, was the 3rd member of Jaylib (Madlib & J Dilla) during the group’s live events, and collaborated with Madlib on Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute to J Dilla. J Rocc’s first album of his own original production, Some Cold Rock Stuf, was released in 2011. Since then, he’s released solo albums A Wonderful Letter (2022) and Beatitudes (2023).

And more!

Grab your family and celebrate the past, present and future of train travel throughout the iconic Los Angeles landmark.

• Railroad Equipment Tours & Displays
• Model Train Displays
• Food & Beverage Carts and more!

In partnership with @metrolosangeles @amtrak and @metrolink, Train Festival invites guests of all ages to check out rail equipment on the tracks from various decades since the opening of the station, marvel at the rarest of model train exhibits and learn about the history, restoration and art throughout the building.

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