TTFN

It’s my last day today, the last day of my internship here at ArtistsPalooza. The summer always seems to go by so quickly and the end of summer always seems to make me sad. The beaches start looking empty, the sun goes down before 8, and people start getting serious again. However, here in the office, there are still crazy looking iguanas all over the wall and I have, in fact, been getting the stare down from the hostile panda print all summer. New interns are coming on board, the earth is still spinning on its axis, and it seems like life will go on.

I just wanted to bid all you faithful readers farewell for now. Because I am a lover of symmetry, I think that it is only fitting that I write a final post. I wish I had some words of wisdom to leave you with, but I don’t feel particularly wise right now. Instead, I want to share a little bit of art that ArtistsPalooza inspired me to make. These are just a few little drawings I did during my first week as an intern. Nothing particularly special, but I feel like they belong here.




Take care,
Michelle

ArtistPalooza's Showcase and Jam Night!

For those of you who don’t often venture down to West Adams Boulevard, who don’t spend the occasional Wednesday night in the somewhat sketchy part of Culver City, and who don’t frequent Club Fais Do Do…YOU are missing out my friends. Why? Because Club Fais Do Do is currently home turf to ArtistsPalooza’s monthly Showcase and Jam Night!

I personally have never gone south on La Brea from the 10 Freeway, and as I was driving around I thought that google maps might be out to get me because there really isn’t much in that area except for dimly lit streets and the occasional pupuseria. However, Club Fais Do Do is truly a gem – a diamond in the rough, if you will. The Cajun vibe is just spot-on and the atmosphere is fantastic. Not to mention the music. Which was amazing, of course, thanks to ArtistsPalooza and the incredibly talented musicians who came down to put on a phenomenal show.

The show went on from 7pm until midnight and featured artists like The Young Royals, Chelsea Williams, Avasa & Matty Love, Eric Kufs, Allison Geddie, Dennis Jones Band, Antonio Jackson, and The Bolt. One of my favorite moments was when Eric Kufs and Chelsea Williams sang a duet of Johnny Cash’s epic tune “Jackson.” Everyone was clapping along and stomping their feet and I don’t think I have ever heard that song sound so good. I am always pleasantly astounded to see how talented these artists really are.

The showcase was so great and all kinds of fabulous people stopped by to show their support, have a drink, check out the awesome music, and eat some delicious organic food. Plus, ArtistsPalooza showcase nights have no cover – it’s free! Overall, a great way to spend a Wednesday night!

A big thank you to everyone who played, sang, showed up, helped out, and made magic happen.

If you missed last week’s showcase, fear not, there will be another one soon! Check out our Facebook, Twitter, etc. and keep on reading our blog!

Semantic Identity Crisis

Most of you know our deal: Empowering Artists to Empower the World.

A few weeks ago, Allison, Lloyd, and Dave spent some time waxing philosophic, contemplating the definition of empowerment. After all, what does it mean to empower artists to empower the world?

I can tell you exactly what empowerment means. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the definitive record of the English language (yes, it’s true. Indisputable), there are 3 definitions for “empower.” Here they are for your reading pleasure:

Empower, v.
Pronunciation: /ɛmˈpaʊə(r)/
1. trans. To invest legally or formally with power or authority; to authorize, license.
2. a. To impart or bestow power to an end or for a purpose; to enable, permit.
b. To bestow power upon, make powerful.
3. refl. To gain or assume power over. Obs.

For those of you who do not frequent the OED, the little “Obs.” at the end of the third definition means that it is obsolete. Although it worked at one time (i.e. the year 1657), that last definition right there is a doozy. It’s like the word “nonplussed,” which means perplexed, confounded, etc. but loads of people use the word as if it means “unfazed.” Which is false. But people still do it. Just like in the curious case of “nonplussed,” the word “empowerment,” becomes confused with domination, seizure of power, and the installment of dictators. Which is also false. Words are confusing.

But enough of this foolishness, we are not in English class.

The question here is this: Are we empowering artists to empower the world?

Here are the facts:
1.) ArtistsPalooza works to provide artists with the opportunity and the platform to expand their talent and craft, to share their music//film/acting/art with the world. Our goal is to foster creativity, generate a space for artistic expression, and spark the creative genius that exists in everyone. We’re trying to change the world.
2.) ArtistsPalooza is organized and run by good people trying to do good things.
3.) ArtistsPalooza is a nonprofit. That means that we’re not about making money and we’re not overwhelmed by corporate shenanigans: we’re busy trying to plant the seeds of change.

For us, empowerment is about being encouraged. Without support, acknowledgement, and compassion, creative success is about ten million times more difficult. Empowerment has little to do with “power” but more with initiative, with determination, and with the necessary resources. That’s where we come in.

So here we are, empowering artists. But are we empowering artists to empower the world? (Phew, it’s getting complicated). Dave’s mom thinks that ArtistsPalooza is empowering artists to inspire the world. Allison thinks so too. Is that what we do?

Semantics? Totally. Welcome to my life. You may imagine that your brain looks something like a plate of scrambled eggs right now, but don’t worry about. Just think about it this way: We love art. We want to do art. Play music. Make films. You are an artist. I am an artist. We are artists. We are human. Me Tarzan, You Jane.

If ArtistsPalooza is empowering artists to empower the world, fantastic. If we are empowering artists to inspire the world, phenomenal. The trouble is that we are trying to grapple for a word that doesn’t exist, a few letters to name something beautiful and mahoosive. It’s like calling the expanse of endless blue “the sky.”

Empower. Inspire. Empower. Inspire. We do what we can with what we’ve got.

ArtistsPalooza Seeks Interns!

As September approaches and one by one our summer interns begin to disappear, ArtistsPalooza is looking for a batch of new interns for the fall! All of us here at the office have been busy as bees recruiting and interviewing some promising young whippersnappers to looking for the opportunity to do what they love and help change the world. The future is looking bright!

We are always open to new ideas and faces so if you or someone you know wants to help support our cause, please send them our way! Interns are gold, and we are planning to offer unpaid internships year round. If you’re interested, shoot us an email at info@artistspalooza.org.

For your viewing pleasure, here is the Hot List, the Big 4, the MVP intern positions: Social Media, Marketing, Video Editing, and Web Design. These are the blurbs that we have been posting all over the Internet, so why not throw them up on our blog?

Intern applicants should be interested in one or more of the following:

SOCIAL MEDIA
Help us manage and update our various social media outlets. ArtistsPalooza currently has a blog, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account. Candidates should be Internet savvy, proficient at navigating social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and familiar with blogging. Knowledge of Photoshop, InDesign, etc. is a plus.

MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS
Help us with our marketing projects and public relations. Interns will be reaching out to various media outlets - print, television, radio, online, etc., creating media lists, writing press releases and biographies, and researching new outlet contacts. Interns will also help run events including Music jam nights, Actor showcases, Fashion shows, and Art gallery showings. Candidates should possess proficient writing skills and be familiar with and/or interested in marketing and public relations.

VIDEO EDITING
Help us shoot and edit video of our events. We currently have quite a bit of footage from recent events and are recruiting 2-3 interns who are interested in video editing. We hope to cut one or two videos per week from the hours of content we have in order to promote ArtistsPalooza and to help raise funds. Candidates should be familiar with video editing software such as Final Cut Pro. Knowledge of Adobe After Effects a huge plus.

WEB DESIGN
Help us manage, organize, and update our website: www.artistspalooza.org. Candidates should be Internet savvy and familiar with concepts of web design. Knowledge of Adobe InDesign is a plus.

Come one, come all, interns interns, hip hip hooray! Exciting stuff.

That’s all for now, just wanted to keep y’all in the loop.

Eat Real Festival vs. Carmageddon

Eat Real: 1, Carmageddon: 0

On the fateful weekend of “Carmageddon,” the fearless ArtistsPalooza crew braved the 405 closure to throw down some beats and eat some tasty treats at the Eat Real Festival in Culver City. I guess everyone got scared off the road, because the 10 freeway was appallingly traffic-free – it was preposterous.

Some unfathomably good musicians stepped onto the Beat Garden Stage (and the Main Stage, of course) and shared their talent with the all the good people gathered at Helm’s Bakery for a weekend of food and fun. I had no idea that ArtistsPalooza had the hookup with such seriously skilled singers/songwriters/musicians/bands/whippersnappers – color me surprised!

The Beat Garden Stage was absolutely sublime. Under a beautiful pepper tree in a rare spot of shade, the stage was in a prime location and tons of people came to chill in the shade and listen to great music. The vibe was perfect.

Up on the Main Stage, at the epicenter of all the Eat Real happenings, some truly excellent bands made some sweet music: The Devil’s Box, FuDogs, Vinyl Soul, Suicide Cowboy, Common Rotation, and our very own Allison Geddie! Apparently there were all kinds of food related shenanigans taking place during the interlude in between the musical acts – DIY food demos, food craft demos, a butchery contest – but we all know what the crowd was really gathered for.

If you are anything like me, you were probably scurrying around the festival like a woodland creature getting ready for winter. Luckily, the price for each delicious dish was capped at five bucks. And I had the best and only gelato-cookie-sandwich of my life. Yes. It was magical.

Basically, I wish this festival were every weekend. Good music, good food, good people…what more could you ask for?

Our photographically inclined intern Marissa was snapping some phenomenal photos during the festival – they’re posted on Facebook so go have a look!

For those who missed this epic event, I feel for you. Don’t look at the pics on Facebook because they will only make you sad.

Be sure to check it out next year, my friends…rumor has it that ArtistsPalooza may be back for an encore.

A Bit of a Long-Winded Meta-Blog About Love, Hate, Nighttime Teeth Grinding, Art, and Writing

Warning: Being that everyone here is an artist of sorts, I am writing a somewhat disjointed and chaotic blog about writing. Maybe we can connect over our mutual struggle of artistic expression, assuming that the struggle is, in fact, mutual. As the writer of this blog, I just thought I should warn you before subjecting you unwittingly to my whimsies. So consider yourself warned…

I hate writing. I really do. I’m not one of those wishy-washy people who say they hate something but they really actually love it. Or maybe I am. If I were to get philosophical, I would guess that love and hate are the same thing, you just feel them differently. But that is beside the point.

This is the point: Writing is art. I am not brazen enough to say that I hate art because that would mean that I hate beauty, blood, life, love, death, and God. And I don’t hate those things. There are few things that I can say that I hate: genocide, infanticide, human trafficking, dead puppies, etc. I can say I hate those things, because those are things that should be hated. That kind of hate cannot be confused with love. Unlike the way I hate writing.

I’m in college. Can you tell? I guess that means I’m allowed to be pretentious and annoying for those four years of undergraduate education. I took a year off school after my freshman year so I guess that makes me a cheater because I get to have five years of pretentious tomfoolery.

In approximately 6 months I will have to write a 40-60-page manuscript for my senior honors thesis. Thinking about this makes me violently unhappy. But being the masochist that I am, I chose to do it. Here’s a dried-up cliché for you: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Ugh. Even looking at that aphorism makes me feel slightly ill. It seems like a consolation prize for suffering, like when your parents used to say, “Well, when you have your own kids you can do what you want.” Not helpful.

It seems illogical to me that I write to become a better writer so that I can write some more. I guess that right there is the thing that I keep trying to reconcile…

Writing is good for me. Not in the same way that vegetables and flax seed and yoga and exercise are good for me, but writing is good because it is hard. And all things that are good are hard…or is it the other way around? It doesn’t matter. I have spent the past 22 years trying to find something that makes me happy. I can’t say that writing is that thing, but sometimes when I write I feel like life gets to make sense for about 10 seconds before my world of words threatens to implode under the pressure of reality. Too much? Yeah. Writers are so melodramatic.

I have heard people call writers liars, but I think those people are confused. Writers are just trying to be honest. Here’s a bit of honesty for you: I have been writing this blog for what seems like hours and I have been editing it like crazy. If I didn’t edit it and cut out about 60% of what I write, you would see all kinds of colorful neuroses. For example, I’ve written a paragraph about my fear of balconies on high-rise buildings, the rattlesnake I found in my backyard last week, and the way I have been grinding my teeth lately. Disclaimer: you are about to read a self-indulgent paragraph about my teeth-grinding problem. If you couldn’t care less, skip ahead. This is a choose-your-own-adventure.

I’ve been grinding my teeth lately. Apparently I’m eroding my precious enamel. I don’t have dental insurance so I’ve been trying to control myself but I can’t seem to stop. I just want to gnash away. My dentist – Dagon Jones – he’s Swedish, I think – recommended a nighttime bite guard to prevent enamel erosion. He estimates said bite guard will cost $694. Not going to happen. I don’t really think it will help anyway since I can feel myself doing grinding my teeth when I’m awake. Maybe I don’t even do it when I am asleep. But I know that’s probably not true. I imagine that when I am asleep at night I just go to town, grinding my teeth to kingdom come.

Nobody cares. I don’t even care. Why would I even write something like this? Maybe because it is the truth, it is what I am thinking about right now. I’m even gnashing my teeth as I type.

So here I am, writing about writing, blogging about blogging. What is it called…breaking the fourth wall? My creative writing professor hates this sort of self-referential meta-narrative brouhaha. Homie don’t play that, he says. He wants to dive in, disappear, devour, dissolve – Let the story be, moan about your own issues later. But I feel compelled to break the fourth wall, to partake in this particular artistic obsession. Look at the camera. Exit the page. Understand art in a different way. Everything is fake and real at the same time.

I’m afraid that no one will understand what I am saying. I am afraid that everyone will think that I am childish, untalented, frivolous, and dumb. I don’t really like anything that I write. Nothing is ever good enough. Ever.

Now that you know how crazy I am, I feel like we are friends. Although considering that I have no idea who is actually reading this blog, I guess I feel like the general Internet blogosphere is my friend. Strange. When you share your writing, your art, or your music with someone, you create a certain intimacy that is beautiful and unique. Or maybe it’s horrifying and embarrassing. Or maybe it’s everything at once: empowerment, humiliation, life, death, love, the big bang theory, hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch. There I go again with the melodrama. Maybe art just is.

If I were a rational person, I would say this to myself: Just accept that it what it is. Enter that selfish state of mind. Entertain the thought that you matter, you have incredible talent and self-worth, and you have something fantastic to share with the world. Delude yourself into embracing this seemingly foolish notion, and eventually realize that it is the truth.
My favorite thing about writing is finishing something, throwing in the towel, ending the last sentence with a period. Even if the piece is some kind of long-winded whimsy, in its final moment it feels whole. I feel like I have accomplished something for a quick moment; for now, I have earned the air I am breathing.

So here it is: my favorite moment. I love it, I hate it. It is what it is. Period.

ArtistsPalooza's July Featured Artist

The accordion has to be one of the coolest and most underrated instruments around. You don’t often see someone lugging around a huge bellows-driven-free-reed-aerophone-windbag-piano-squeezebox, but the accordion makes the most wonderful music. Just ask our July featured artist, a 92-year-old accordionist named Bob Souza.

Bob had worked for Dave’s dad for years before Dave discovered Bob’s extraordinary musical talent. A hard-working and detail-oriented office worker, Bob Souza didn’t seem like a man who could play the accordion like nobody’s business. As it turns out, Bob has been playing the accordion for over 60 years and is a wonderfully talented musician.

When Bob’s health started failing him and he ended up in hospice care, Dave headed up to Oakland to film Bob playing his accordion. Dave and Marissa, one of our ArtistsPalooza interns, have done a fantastic job putting together this beautiful video celebrating Bob Souza’s musical talent.

So ladies and Gentlemen without further ado, Bob Souza, ArtistsPalooza’s July Featured Artist!

Co-Founder Allison Geddie on Chinese TV!

Allison discovered this sweet video the other day. Apparently the music video for her song “Fixing Me” was featured on a Chinese TV show. Does anyone out there understand what the hosts are saying? Check out this sparkly gem…

Check out ArtistsPalooza on blogtalkradio.com!

MyTalkabout and Artists Palooza 07/01 by Peter Marcus | Blog Talk Radio

Last Friday two of our fearless leaders, David Lockhart and Allison Geddie, connected with Peter Marcus on blogtalkradio.com to chat about current projects, future goals, and recent happenings within ArtistsPalooza.

Anticipating the upcoming gastronomical and musical extravaganza known as the Eat Real Festival, Allison and Dave discussed the fantastic and talented musical lineup that ArtistsPalooza has been busy putting together. In case you haven’t heard, the Eat Real Festival is on July 16th and 17th at the Helm’s Bakery District in Culver City and promises to have both epic music and delicious food. It’s going to be amazing.

Carlos Cymerman from Social Co-op also called in on Friday to show his support for ArtistsPalooza and talk about the inspiring effect of being around creative people – essentially, the domino effect of good vibes. Carlos is passionate about helping people live their dream life and sharing the message of ArtistsPalooza.

One of the key and most interesting topics, in my opinion, was the idea that passion, music, art, and dreams are ageless. Regardless if you are a teenager or 90 years old, it is never too late to make music and to find and do what you love. Our July Featured Artist, for example, is a musician named Bob Souza – a 91-year-old accordionist who has been playing his whole life. On the show, Dave talks about Bob Souza’s inspiring story and wonderful music.

The radio show also heard from a New York singer/songwriter/musician - Ollie Boy Lester of The Undigables – who talks about how he started his musical career later in life. Ollie Boy’s message: It’s never too late! Older people have just as much to offer as young people and when it comes to music, age is irrelevant. Music is about passion. Listen to the show to hear Ollie Boy Lester’s new song “One More Love Affair."

Allison Geddie also shared her story and passion for music, talking about how music became something powerful and undeniable when she was 23. When the dream of being a musician seemed beyond reach, Allison realized that music was her passion, her contribution, and it was her purpose to nurture and share the gift with other people. Keeping this in mind, Allison’s work with ArtistsPalooza has been geared toward giving space for people to believe in themselves and to share their art with others. Basically, she works to empower artists to empower the world...

Here is what I got out of the conversation:
Do your thing. Share it with the world. There is no expiration date.

Thanks to Peter Marcus for having us on blogtalkradio! We’ll be back for another episode on July 15th!

Click on the link to listen to the whole show!

MyTalkabout and Artists Palooza 07/01 by Peter Marcus | Blog Talk Radio

A Day at the ArtistsPalooza Office

Hello Hello Hello!

First day on the job: Sitting in the ArtistsPalooza office, settling in, and getting the stare down from a panda across the room. Not a real panda – it’s just a print, but he looks pretty hostile. There are pictures of massive iguanas all over the wall and unless my first-day jitters are causing some kind of hallucination, I’m pretty sure there is a little white Chihuahua running around.

I walked into the office this morning to find a cozy room full of people, laptops, and good music. Over the past few hours, Dave, Lloyd, Allison, and Blythe have been in and out of the office, taking care of business, and making things happen. All are super nice and wonderfully chill.

We three interns are busy working on all kinds of projects: Marysa with a “y,” our social media maven, is hooking up ArtistsPalooza with updated Twitter and Facebook accounts; Marissa with an “i” is editing and putting the final touches on a stellar video for Bob Souza, our featured artist; and I (Michelle) have been writing, blogging, and generally typing up a storm. We are all new to ArtistsPalooza and psyched to be involved!

Everyone at the office is buzzing about the Eat Real Festival, an annual party in LA offering live music, delicious food, and free entry. We are busy looking for bands that fit the Eat Real vibe and organizing some fantastic performances for the ArtistsPalooza stage at the weekend-long festival in Culver City. Be sure to stop by Eat Real LA on July 16th and 17th for BBQ, beers, and tasty beats! Did I mention that it is free?
Here’s the info:
Location: Helm’s Bakery District, off Venice Blvd. and National Blvd.
Dates: July 16th and 17th
Festival Hours:
Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Dave is getting psyched about organizing a festival outside of Woodstock for the fall. ArtistsPalooza is hoping to take a bus from LA to Woodstock, picking up artists at various pit stops during the epic cross-country road trip. Today, Dave and Marysa have been planning the route and figuring out cities to present to our Woodstock contact. Here’s what we have so far: Tucson – Austin – Atlanta – New Orleans – Nashville – Chicago. Thinking about heading out in September, if any bands want to join us from any of these cities!

We have also been throwing around vendor ideas for the outdoor festival in August in Topanga Canyon and planning the Fall 2011 theater season at the Fais Do Do Ballroom in LA. ArtistsPalooza is starting a theater at Fais Do Do and we are casting soon!

Also, if anyone has contacts we are trying to get in touch with the Black Keys to do a music video. Ambitious? Yes. But that’s what we do.

Just another day at the office, I guess!