Music. Thoughts. Inspiration.
“Your city is remarkable not only for its beauty. It is also, of all the cities in the United States, the one whose name, the world over, conjures up the most visions and more than any other, incites one to dream.”
~ Georges PompidouRead more about my trip here.
My trip to San Francisco was just the change in scenery I needed. I was able to visit most of the ‘must-see’ sites without adhering to a crazy, pre-planned schedule. For people who like to do short trips, I think 4 days, 5 nights is plenty of time to get a feel for the city and its unique culture. The fact that it is only 49 square miles makes it that much easier.
I will save most of my photos for another post, but for the people just looking for some ideas, my trip went a little something like this..
Since my return to the East Coast, every time I hear “Not A Bad Thing” on the radio I close my eyes and I can almost feel the warmth of the sun on my skin as we cruised over the Golden Gate bridge. San Francisco, my little piece of paradise.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Where | SOB’s
Doors | 7:30 PM
Showtime | 9:00 PM
$15 (age 21+)
Though Sevyn has had a few less than stellar performances in the last 6 months, I’m still holding out on a live performance to make a decision for myself. I know she can write, and the choreo’s on point, but what about the vocals?
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Where | Highline Ballroom NY, NY
Doors | 7:30 PM
Showtime | 8:30 PM
$15 in advance, $20 day of show
As a former 90210 fan, I was so happy for Tristan “Mack” Wilds following the release of his first album New York: A Love Story. Further incentive to attend the show? I may finally be able to see Mateo perform for the first time in 3 years!
Monday, April 7, 2014
Where | The Capitol Theatre Port Chester, NY
Doors | 7:00 PM
Showtime | 8:00 PM
Not gonna lie, as much as I dabble in Gavin Degraw’s music, the main draw to the concert was the chance to see opening act, and up-and-coming artist Rozzi Crane do her thing! When I first came across Rozzi on YouTube, I instantly loved her tone, but questioned some of her song choices; I’m interested to see what she does with her set.
1. All the big players in (social) media, technology and entertainment were there
Just to name a few: Buzzfeed’s CEO Jonah Peretti, 300 Co-founder Kevin Liles, Rap Radar’s Elliott Wilson and President of Lava Records Jason Flom, all made an appearance. SMW doing it big!
2. The scope of the seminars, events and vendors
PR, marketing, technology, nonprofit, music, writing, television, art — basically, SMW touched on everything I’ve ever loved. And because the scheduled events were so diverse, so was the crowd!
3. Revolt TV: Watch, Engage, Invent – Thursday Independent Event
Despite the trek to Dumbo from the SMW campus, I had thee best time at the Revolt event. Jake Katz, Revolt TV’s VP of Audience Insights and Strategy, provided some insightful commentary on the development of Revolt that led to a great discussion surrounding the fate of music television. The open bar was the icing on the cake.
4. Morning Yoga, hosted by Under Armour & Breathe Repeat
How many conferences do you know that incorporate a workout into the day? After only a few hours of sleep it was a struggle to get up at 7 a.m., but I was determined to make it to my first ever yoga class (late)!
5. Networking
Though I was only able to make it to SMW events 3 out of the 5 days, I still met so many other creatives! We were all so excited to connect, collaborate, and share events.
6. Free Stuff!
In addition to my free Under Armour yoga mat and sweatbands, I went home with a bottle of wine, tote bag, dry shampoo, morning glory muffin, two new journals, a headshot and a free Chipotle burrito! Whoop!
I can finally cross off one of the top 3 items on my bucket list — I performed at my first open mic!!
Every year at Penn, the Inspiration and the Excelano Project collaborate for a night of love talk and slow jams. As an Inspiration alum I had already planned on attending the show, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take on one of my greatest fear — performing solo.
For once, right after I decided to perform, I had the perfect song in mind. “Almost Is Never Enough,” a power-ballad on Ariana Grande’s debut album Yours Truly was instantly one of my favorites off the top-charted release. The song, a duet with The Wanted’s Nathan Sykes, is the perfect mash-up of 90’s-inspired R&B, with the flair of a contemporary anthem.
Additional photos and video from the show coming soon!
Super late post! Despite being in an a cappella group on Penn’s campus for three years, two weeks ago was the first time I was able to see some groups from a different school perform at the “Cherry Tree Massacre” hosted by the Georgetown Chimes.
I wasn’t able to get any video (I was dying to pull out my phone, but for once there wasn’t a phone in sight), so I’ll skip my analysis/comparisons (for now), and focus on my stand out performance for the night by the Georgetown Phantoms!
I was blown away by their “Chain of Fools” soloist, Enushé Khan (she killed it!), and the arrangement was great as well.
In looking for some video to share from the event, I came across audition footage of Enushé (below) for a talent competition presented by the Georgetown University’s Black Student Alliance. “Battle of the Voices” will be the first Washington metropolitan collegiate singing competition!
Check out their site to see additional audition footage for all the competitors — I wish they had something like this at Penn when I was an undegrad! If you’re in the DC area, Battle of the Voices will be held on Feb. 28th at Georgetown University.