Thursday, May 23, 2013

On being me

We all know that at the end of the day, blogs are more than a little self-serving.  They give we writers and wannabe writers, the chance to put our words out there for the world to munch on and then give us their feedback either by leaving a comment or by not coming back.  For me that's all good.

For the past seven years being me is pretty much the coolest thing ever...for me.  Whether others feel that way, it really doesn't matter.  It used to matter.  I was starved for validation.  Turned out I was looking in all the wrong places for it.  Admit it.  Every human wants to be validated.  We want to know that we have a purpose for being here.  It's in our DNA.  Today I get more than I deserve and it will blow my mind every minute till I leave this plain again.

The best thing about being me today is that I do not have any formal education beyond high school.  Not having a degree does limit job opportunities and affects my pay scale but it also means that I have created my own foundation and built me without blueprints with angles and elements proscribes by architectural scholars.  I was given a few building blocks in English classes on how to properly construct a sentence and a paragraph.  I learned from tutorials and a few library books about balancing a visual piece and aligning photograph.  I never took a single journalism class so I had no clue how to do an interview or write a review.  I walked into this thing cold!

"How is that a good thing?" you ask.  Easy, I ask the questions that journalists don't.  I allow my emotions to come into play in an interview.  It is no longer a "Q&A" but a conversation.  Unintentionally I open people up like the, proverbial, can of worms.  Most times I don't even mean to.  I let them tell their stories and their backstories.  I want it in context.  I introduce readers to the real people behind the art and I can do that because the ABSOLUTE BEST THING about my style is that, with very few exceptions, at the end of the conversation I have made a new friend.  The reason you, dear readers, feel the way you do about the people I write about here, on Not Your Mom's, Put A Face On It and for FourCulture is because I'm introducing you to people I have gotten to know enough to actually love, even if just a little.

Tomorrow, I'll introduce you to another friend.  He's pretty cool.  He has blue hair.  Yep...blue hair.  He dances like a boss, sings and has a kind and gentle heart.  He is yet another member of the tribe.  So come back tomorrow and I'll let him tell you all about himself as an artist.  Peace out bitches.  Love you.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

All the latest from DoLab including lay-away for Lightning In A Bottle

LIB 2013!
 
Kill Paris This Friday Night at King King!
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Kill Paris flyerKill Paris, Crywolf, & niceFingers!
Live painting by Natalie Bilmes
Los Angeles
Friday, May 3rd, 9pm - 2amKing King google maps
buy tixbuy ticketsRSVP RSVP

 

Kill Paris
Kill Paris rockin the buttons and knobs!
Corey Baker aka Kill Paris has been scorching the internet blogosphere this summer. Receiving support from A-Trak, Dillon Francis, Flux Pavilion, and Skrillex. Kill Paris's focus has been on giving his music away for free and make it easier for people to share with others. Live shows consist of 90 percent originals and remixes. Corey is currently sharing the stage all over the US with the likes of Pretty Lights, Zion I, Mimosa, AraabMuzik, Whiskey Pete, Figure, Mac Miller, Infected Mushroom, & Nicky Romero to name a few.
We just did an exclusive interview w/ Kill Paris, check it out:
Do LaB: For fans who may just be discovering your music, can you tell us about how you got involved with music and how you’ve defined your own personal style. 
Kill Paris: "I started playing guitar about 10 years ago. Played in rock, metal, country, and indie bands. I’d say I’ve defined my style by making very emotion driven songs. I always keep it sexy."
Do LaB: What artists influenced you the most when developing your style, and in general?
Kill Paris: "Al Green, Bjork, Alex Metric, soooooo many artists. I really get inspired by artists who thrive to stay unique and really do their own thing. It’s so easy to get caught up in the mediocrity in music today, i like hearing and seeing artists take chances."
Listen to Kill Paris' music below:
Kill Paris Soundcloud

Crywolf
Crywolf whoops it up
Recently signed with Le Castle Vania’s label, Always Never, Crywolf (formerly Cry Wolf) otherwise known as Justin Taylor Phillips, is an electronic music producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist from Denver, Colorado. In the short, one-and-a-half year existence of Crywolf, Phillips’ melodic, heavy-hitting electro and dubstep remixes have been met with support from national acts such as Skrillex, 12th Planet, Adventure Club, Krewella and more. Crywolf’s tracks have been featured in Elektro Magazine, Fuse.tv, been met with rave reviews from a multitude of blogs such as This Song Is Sick, Ear Milk, Play This Song Loud, Good Music All Day and more, and have held the #1 spot on both The Hype Machine and Twitter Music Charts twice. His debut EP, Ghosts, is set to release in April..
Listen to Crywolf's latest music below:
Crywolf Soundcloud
niceFingers
Nicefingers like Ganesh and stuff
Comprised of members Nick Waterhouse and Dave Schneider, niceFinger is passionate about bringing lovable, amazing, uplifting, bumpin and straight dirty music to your eardrums. It is no surprise that niceFingers has morphed into a composition/production duo determined to blend and bend the bass genre into something all their own. Delivering only the freshest tracks to satisfy your musical hunger, sit back and enjoy as the niceFinger vision continues to mature and evolve.
Listen to niceFingers' latest music below:
Nicefingers Soundcloud
Live painting by Natalie Bilmes
Natalie Bilmes artwork



Join us for another incredible night of music, art and dancing!
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Lake Skinner Panorama 1
Lightning in a Bottle News & Updates
Vokab Kompany Exclusive Release!
FLOAT AWAY
We are excited to exclusively debut Vokab Kompany's new music video for "Float Away." Click below to watch:
Vokab Kompany
You can also download this song for free here: https://soundcloud.com/vokabkompany/float-away
See Vokab Kompany live at Lightning in a Bottle 2013!
http://lightninginabottle.org/artist/vokab-kompany/
See all the artists performing at LIB 2013: http://lightninginabottle.org/artists/
 
we full!Volunteer & Vendor Applications are closed

Thanks to everyone that applied to volunteer or be a vendor at LIB this year! We received more applications than ever before, and are really inspired by you're willingness to participate and contribute to LIB.
Vendors have been selected and will hear back from our coordinators in the next few days.
Volunteer coordinators have filled all available volunteer slots and notified all accepted volunteers.
 
Save Your Pennies!LIB Layaway tickets now available!

Missed out on a free volunteer tickets? Lock in your LIB tickets for a low down payment before they sell out! Check it out:
Full Weekend Pass w/ Tent Camping - 3 payments
$80 + fees by Monday, May 20th
$80 payment Monday, June 3rd
$80 payment Monday, June 17th
Full Weekend Pass w/ Tent Camping - 2 payments
$120 + fees by Monday, May 27th
$120 payment Monday June 24th
Layaway purchases require signing up for an account on the beTicketing website.
 
Skinner Lake Panorama
Upcoming Do LaB Events - May & June
MartyParty flyerMartyParty
w/ Noah D and Trill Murray
Live painting by Alexander DCD Smith
Los Angeles
Friday, May 17th, 9pm - 2amKing King google maps
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Russ Liquid flyerRuss Liquid, Sugarpill
w/ Astronautica
Live painting by Evan Mendleson and Curtis Scoville
Los Angeles
Friday, May 31st, 9pm - 2amKing King google maps
buy tixbuy ticketsRSVP RSVP

 
Gaudi flyerGAUDI w/ Special Guests TBA
Los Angeles
Wednesday, June 12th, 9pm - 2amKing King google maps
buy tixbuy ticketsRSVP RSVP
San Diego
Thursday, June 13th, 9pm - 2amThe Ruby Room google maps
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Lake Skinner Panorama 2
The Do LaB Recommends
Lucent Dossier Private PartyLucent Dossier Experience
Private Party V & VI
Downtown Los Angeles
Friday, May 31st, 9pm - 2amThe Lighthouse parking: google maps
Friday, May 17th
buy tixbuy ticketsRSVP RSVP
Saturday, May 18th
buy tixbuy ticketsRSVP RSVP
Did you catch Lucent Dossier's incredible shows at The Do LaB at Coachella?? Now you can party with them up close at their private party! These sell out fast, so get your tickets now!

 
Skinner Lake Panorama