La Traviata

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

It was only my second time at the opera, and it was even more magical than the first time. La Traviata, an Italian love story. As a hopeful romantic (I rebuke the term hopeless) and a lover of all things Italian, I immediately accepted the invitation from my opera-buff friend for an afternoon at the Kennedy Center. When she shared that it was the opera featured in one of my favorite movies of all time, Pretty Woman, I immediately envisioned myself as Julia Roberts in her striking red gown adorned by six-figure jewels, and got even more excited.

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Even though my friends and I attended the closing matinee show at the Kennedy Center in our hometown of Washington, D.C., we decided to play dress up and pretend like we were at the MET. We stood out like a sore thumb lol, but we got compliments literally all afternoon and we felt like royalty.

As a lover of music and the arts in general, I live for moments like these at the opera. This particular piece, La Traviata, was the full entertainment experience. Everything from the wistful, dramatic and at times spiritual tones of the music, to the captivating staging and scenery, and the superb acting and singing all left me co-signing my audience-mate’s sentiments “Brava!” in my head at the end of every scene, particularly the lead character Violetta’s arias.

In a nutshell, La Traviata tells the story of a young woman, Violetta, who is suffering from a serious illness, yet catches the attention and ultimately heart of a man named Alfredo. After initially rejecting him, Violetta falls deeply in love with him and they get to live happily for a short period of time until outside forces, over which neither have any control, threaten their relationship. Ultimately though, love prevails and they are reunited shortly before her [SPOILER ALERT] untimely death.

Yes, La Traviata means “the fallen woman” and she does die at the end. However, the entirety of the production leaves you feeling more joyful and peaceful than the title, or even synopsis suggests. Violetta’s arias alone left me absolutely mesmerized. And I don’t know if it was the fact that my friends and I attended the closing show at the Kennedy Center or if I was just caught up in my Julia Roberts moment, but I found myself with the rest of the audience jumping to my feet for a standing ovation, wildly applauding the cast with tears in my eyes at conclusion of the performance.

Opera may not be your thing, but if you ever decide to step outside your comfort zone and give it a try, I recommend La Traviata. There is a reason it is the most frequently performed opera of all time. Even if you aren’t a hopeful romantic like I am, I believe this love will win you over.

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Review: Brass-A-Holics

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

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They had me at World-Famous Go-Go Brass Funk band. Being a D.C. native, I feel a sense of pride when musicians respect and appreciate the DC-bred music art form enough to adopt it into their sound. But, I assure you the New Orleans-based Brass-A-Holics has a sound all their own that transcends any type of categorization or boundary you try to place on them. That’s why after hearing them for the first time a few nights ago, it was no question what I was going to write about next. If you are a lover of live music like myself, or just music period, trust me you will want to have the Brassaholics experience.

And it was just that…an experience. Aside from the 15- or 20-minute intermission, from 8 pm to 10:30 pm, it was nothing but a straight party. Playing every genre of music imaginable from funk and R&B to a little bit of jazz, hip-hop and pop, the Brass-A-Holics had the dance floor completely packed and everyone in the room young & old and every ethnicity imaginable in a groove. There was no one excluded from getting caught up in the experience.

Their versatility, I think, is a huge part of what makes them so dynamic and special. We found the band in any given moment flow from Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together to Lil Duval’s Smile (Living my Best Life) to Katy Perry’s Dark Horse to Chuck Brown’s Bustin’ Loose and of course the traditional New Orleans-style brass band music, keeping us on our toes wondering what would come next. Not only that, the band’s three horn players doubled as vocalists and rappers, effortlessly switching back and forth between talents even mid-song throughout the night. We might have even seen some choreographed dance moves here and there as well.

The other thing that makes them so special, is simply their energy. With each song they played you could feel them give a piece of themselves to the audience. It is evident that these talented musicians genuinely love what they do and that is delivered through their unique sound and energy. Hence, by the end of the evening you had even the most chill and laid back of audience members playing along shouting back to the band their iconic chant, “Feeling that band, what they call it? Word on the street, it’s the… Brass-A-Holics!”

Needless to say, the Brass-A-Holics have made an official fan out of me. I would even go so far as to say this was certainly in my top 10 of live band experiences, which is saying a lot coming from a fellow artist and live music aficianado. If you are planning to head down to New Orleans or if they are heading to a city near you, I recommend making it a priority to have the Brass-A-Holics experience. You’ll be glad you did! You’re welcome.

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Review: My Cuban Adventure

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

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As the case for many others, just a few years ago Cuba was not on my radar. But ever since the ban for travel of US citizens to Cuba was lifted, the little Caribbean island that has brought big political controversy over the decades sat prominently on my vision board as a must-see destination. I thrive off of visits to destinations that are rich in culture and history, and it’s an added bonus when it exists in a tropical climate with beach and sun. So, imagine my delight when I heard my parent travel company was hosting a cruise to Cuba inviting all of us travel consultants to attend, making it not just a bucket list trip, but a tax-deductible excursion as well. Winning! [Note: We cruised via the Norwegian Sky, a ship I had previously sailed to the Bahamas. For a review of the Norwegian Sky click HERE. Also, if you are used to 4 and 5 star luxury accommodations, I recommend cruising, as the hotels there aren’t quite up to American standards yet.]

As a caveat, let me start off by saying I had not done a whole lot of research on Cuba and what to expect prior to my visit because I wanted to learn and get the full experience of the country and the culture while I was there. I knew that it was a Communist nation but I hadn’t really thought fully about how that impacted the country and its residents. Needless to say, this probably was one of the most educational and mind-blowing travel experiences for me to date.

Thanks to my senior intern and research assistant, aka my mom (smile), my family and I had one of my best tour experiences to date out of all the countries I’ve explored. If you are visiting Cuba, definitely reach out to Fernando FerTours to schedule your tours! Our tour guide Alejandro was super knowledgeable about everything, having been born and raised there, and he was amenable to pretty much everything we requested along the way, including indulging us ladies stopping at every shop we saw in Old Havana LOL. Because we were a small group (7 of us), we were able to customize the trip to our liking and see and experience what felt like all of Cuba within the two days we spent there.

I’ll get to our exploration of Old Havana in a second but can you indulge me while I talk about my favorite part first? Can you guess what it is? If you guessed the food, you would be correct and you get a gold star (smile)! Me being the foodie I am, that was one of my most anticipated parts of the trip and Cuba did not disappoint. Alejandro, who did not lie when he told us he was taking us to the best restaurants in town, explained how fresh the seafood was to the point that your fish that you ate in the afternoon was actually swimming earlier that morning. So guess what I got an overdose on? Yes, fish and crustaceans! Because Cuba is a multi-ethnic society you get the best of the Caribbean, Spanish and African parts of their heritage in their foods. Each dish was prepared and seasoned to perfection and many of the dishes were styled so beautifully, I ALMOST didn’t want to disturb it because it was plated so masterfully. You notice I said almost right?

This has to be one of my favorite ceviche dishes to date. (Habana 61)
My awesome garlic shrimp dish at El Biky
Cheers to a delightful food experience at Habana 61!
Can you tell I was excited to have my very first authentic mojito experience at Habana 61?
My aunt’s lobster feast at Habana 61
Our tour guide Alejandro’s mouth watering fish dish at Habana 61
Alejandro told us the best pizza on the island was at El Biky so we indulged!
The snapper was grilled and seasoned to perfection at Habana 61!

After talking to my colleagues who had taken other tours I realized that not everyone’s experience was created equal with the food. I also talked to some friends who had previously visited who did not have a good food experience either, primarily with the hotel restaurants. Therefore, I’m referring you to the places where we ate so you can be sure to have an enjoyable experience! Definitely visit Habana 61 (where I had my first authentic Cuban mojito!), El Biky and Vista Mar, with the latter being my favorite food experience of the trip. That had to do partially with the view, as it sat right on the water (hence the name – Vista Mar, translated view of the sea) and had a beautiful pool and lighting. I indulged in the seafood platter, which was amazing!

Me in front of our beautiful view at Vista Mar
My family with our awesome tour guide Alejandro
Delectable seafood platter

It’s essential to note, each of the restaurants I mentioned are known as paladares – small, family-run restaurants, usually in a converted part of a home. In addition to the quality of the food being better because it’s not mass produced, they have more of a homey, welcoming feel to them. Naturally, these types of establishments are harder to do with larger groups but if you can get to one, you should. Just thank me later.

During our excursion in Old Havana, which consisted of a walking tour around different squares where we saw many churches and museums, we learned a lot about the history and culture of the city of Havana, and of course the country as a whole. Some interesting things we learned: because education is completely free and they do not allow privatization of schools, Cuba has a nearly 100% literacy rate and close to 95% of Cubans graduate from high school. Also, due to free healthcare, the infant mortality rate is of the lowest of all of Latin-America. While homelessness is also pretty much non-existent, poverty is real there and close to 100% of the population makes less than $1,000/month (more than 80% earning less than $200/month). Nevertheless, the people for the most part were very welcoming and friendly and of course they loved us spending our American dollars there. Word of caution: women dressed in traditional garb will run up on you to take a picture with them and then tell you after the picture was taken you owe them $5. It’s a nice hustle, but trust they won’t ever get me again! In the words of George W., fool me once…lol.

My second favorite part about Cuba was the music, with the artwork at a close third. Being a lover of music, dance and everything entertainment, I truly enjoyed our “Havana nights” experience at the Buena Vista Social Club. The band was grooving all night with multiple artists coming up to perform and give you a taste of their own unique flair. I also had an opportunity to brush up on some of my salsa moves when one of the waiters propositioned me for an impromptu dance (see video here)! We even encountered an all-female band (two of the members were missing when I captured the video) at the cigar and rum shop we visited. How cool?!

We had an opportunity to join the band and dance with the singers so I couldn’t resist. 🙂

My final unexpected surprise of the trip was the beautiful artwork we encountered at the old train station, turned market in Havana. The pieces bring out every part of the country’s diverse, multi-ethnic culture, leaving you a bit overwhelmed upon your departure. All of the artwork is fairly cheap with none of the pieces costing more than $200, and it helps that the market sellers allow you to bargain with them a little bit. I had an opportunity to purchase a striking piece of artwork that I’m excited to find a place for in my living room, among the other Afro-centric artwork that line the walls.

I could not complete my review without sharing my final highlight of the trip, which was having an opportunity to ride around for the afternoon in Cuba’s infamous classic cars. There are literally thousands of old American cars from the 1940’s and 1950’s that contribute to a significant portion of the transportation on the island, many of them serving as taxis. It was fascinating to see how well-kept and preserved many of the cars were. If you’re a car buff and thinking about buying one of them, think again. Most of them are owned by the government and if they are sold from owner to owner, they can only be sold to other Cubans in the country. Sorry folks!

View of old military equipment on our joy ride in the classic cars
I just thought this guy was too cool for school, I had to snap a pic

I could literally talk all day about my precious two days in Cuba but I really want you to go and experience it for yourself. If you are a travel addict like I am and you want to get away from the norm of the same old travel destinations you visit, Cuba should definitely be on your list!

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Despite the weather, the beach was gorgeous.
Unfortunately, the weather was not conducive to an extended amount of beach time but that just means I just have to return for that experience!

The City so Nice…

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

I’ve been to New York City too many times to count, but each time I go my goal is to have a difference experience. Even with a big city like New York, it’s easy to slip into a routine when you visit that same destination more than once, especially when you liked what you experienced the first time. You loved everything about that restaurant so you go back right? You absolutely had the time of your life when you went to that one jazz club so you revisited the experience. I get it. But the reality is, we never get to experience anything new if we don’t stray away from the comfort of what we know we like, to find something perhaps even better. That was my experience this past weekend.

The weekend started with my first stay on the Upper West Side. Most often when I’ve traveled to New York and I didn’t stay with one of my friends, I’ve stayed in a hotel in midtown Manhattan closest to the train station. This time, my traveling buddy (aka my mom) and I decided to venture off the beaten path and take the recommendation of a friend of a friend to stay at Nylo, a boutique hotel within walking distance of Central Park. (And we’re talking real walking distance, not the New Yorker’s version of walking distance.)

One of the first things I appreciated was that upon check in, the front desk clerk presented us with two complimentary drink tickets at the snazzy hotel bar. They had me at FREE. It just goes to show you that a little can take you a long way. Upon entering the room, we also noticed something very different than most of the standard rooms in which we’ve stayed in New York – it was actually pretty spacious! The rooms were also very well decorated, comfortable, and had a nice size bathroom and tub as well. The bar/lounge area reminds you of a friend’s comfy living room, complete with a chess set, and during the late night hours, you can find a small band with a vocalist crooning some of your favorite tunes. The hotel also boasts an award-winning restaurant, Serafina, which we didn’t get to try but perhaps we’ll have an opportunity on our next stay.

That night, my New Yorker friends took me to a fish bar called Crave a few blocks away. I’m typically not one for an entire meal of cold food but the salmon sashimi salad and the Whale platter, a tower of crustacean delights, was quite delicious. When in Rome, right? They serve a number of cooked items as well, including the Jamaican jerk spare ribs, which we had as an appetizer and they were quite tasty, especially with the sauce that accompanied them.

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Whale Platter

The next morning I found myself back in foodie heaven for brunch at a hidden treasure above the Museum of Arts and Design on Columbus Circle called Robert. Not only was each dish delightful in its own right (I’ll get to my lobster benedict in a moment), the beautiful décor and stunning views of the city may have me bending my own rule a little bit and returning for more. Now onto my love affair with this lobster benedict. It was so beautifully prepared on my plate, I almost didn’t want to eat it but my grumbling stomach said otherwise. It had to be one of my top benedicts of all time, and I’ve had quite a few. My dining partners loved their plates as well – endive salad with pears and apples topped with salmon and smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, bagel and asparagus. Delicious!

Of course the highlight of our trip was getting to experience what we came there for – Whipped Cream, the ballet featuring Misty Copeland! Anyone who knows me well knows that I absolutely love to dance and experience it, especially live. [See Beyond the Barre] And having been a Misty Copeland fan ever since I knew she existed, it was a real treat for me to get to see her perform for the first time. Having seen a number of ballets, I can say that this was one of my favorite performances. The backdrops, the choreography, the music were all colorful and upbeat and had an overall joyful tone. In addition to Misty, who was absolutely amazing, I was also very impressed by the talented ensemble of dancers, especially the male lead. Considering Misty is only in four of the performances, you might not get to see her in this particular run but if you have a chance to check out Whipped Cream, you will not be disappointed.

We concluded our trip with a wonderful dinner at Keen’s Steakhouse, not too far from Penn Station. If you are a meat lover like me and mom, this place is for you. My mom and I opted to split the 24 oz T-bone steak, which was way more than enough for the two of us but believe it or not, they had an even larger steak and chops for couples to share. It was perfectly prepared and seasoned and the hand cut fries and green beans were the perfect complement. If you are a wine lover, they have a nice wine selection as well. Despite almost burning down the place (once with my mom’s scarf catching the flame of our table candle and the second time with my menu burning as I unknowingly held it over the flame moments later) we had an enjoyable evening lol. Hey at least we got great service because our waiter wanted to keep an eye out on us!

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Next time you’re in New York, do yourself a favor and live a little and experience some of those off the beaten path joys that make the city so nice they had to name it twice.

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Lalah

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

Lalah Hathaway is a freak of nature. I said those words aloud to myself as I witnessed her stellar performance for perhaps the fifth or sixth time as she opened the DC Jazz Festival last weekend at the Howard Theatre. I had to look up the meaning of that term to ensure I’m not insulting one of my favorite vocalists of all time. Yes it can be used in a derogatory way but I mean this statement in the most complimentary way possible: an unusual, unexpected natural phenomenon. That’s what she is. I feel comfortable saying she is by far one of the best vocalists of all time. Yet there are people who haven’t heard of her. Despite her natural soothingly melodic voice, a famous father, and making Grammy history for being the only singer to win three consecutive wins in the Traditional R&B Performance category, sadly many don’t even know she exists. What a shame.

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Lalah belting out a tune at one of her previous Howard Theatre shows.

I was only partially sad that I couldn’t take any pictures of her performance, once I found out why I couldn’t. At the request of Lalah, the Howard Theatre did not permit any video recording or photography. And it wasn’t because Lalah is some diva like unfortunately many artists of our time are. She spoke from the stage, “because I like to make a connection with you.” And boy did she! She expressed quite hilariously, that she finds herself wanting to make that connection with her audience only to find someone’s entire ipad in her face, and they’re looking and connecting with the ipad rather than connecting with her. It’s true. With my phone tucked away in my purse and my sole focus and attention tuned into her and her incredible band of equally talented artists, I was able to experience her like I’d never had.

Her show was more than 90 minutes of amazingness. From her female DJ to get the crowd going with some oldies but goodies from each decade, to her fantastic background singers who absolutely more than held their own in their solo introductions, to the dynamic musicians that played every single note to perfection…it was a night to remember. Of course she belted out some of my all-time, absolute favorites like “Forever, For Always, For Love”, her cover of Anita Baker’s “Angel” and her original song “Mirror” that I adore from her Lalah Hathaway Live album, which earned her a Grammy this year for best R&B album (woohoo, go Lalah!). However, some of my favorite highlights of the evening surprisingly were the songs she performed from her upcoming album set to be released later this year. In general, I’m not impressed with new music, which is why I’m a bit of an “old head” if you will, and listen mostly to my 90’s music on Pandora, my ipod, and yes I still listen to CDs (don’t judge me). But Lalah’s new music…I think I’m going to have to go ahead and buy a CD for the first time in years.

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Not only is her vocal ability unmatched, her lyrics are honest and authentic and she’s actually telling a story. I honestly don’t know what happened to R&B music but it’s definitely not the R&B music I grew up on and love. Unfortunately, many of the artists who are singing real, authentic R&B music have had to go the independent route, as Lalah has, and their music is not getting the exposure it so desperately needs. Which brings me back to Lalah…she is worthy of being supported so if you have a chance to see her in concert and/or buy an album whether in the store or online, my recommendation…do it! You will not be disappointed!

I do have to put a footnote in here to express my disappointment with the venue of the Howard Theatre. After finding out the demand for her show, they tripled the prices to $75 and did not make clear on any of the communication for the show that if you bought a general admission ticket, you would be standing…for 2 hours! As a venue that serves food and drink and has the capability to seat people (as I have been for several concerts there) that is unacceptable. As a result, they had a venue full of angry people requesting to get their money back, which unfortunately put a bad taste in people’s mouths for Lalah, in addition to the venue. Ultimately they found seats and chairs from somewhere and the poor service staff had to physically hump tables and chairs to the floor while Lalah was starting her performance. Super tacky and unnecessary. To add insult to injury, because they packed the venue to capacity with standing room only ticketing, the bar and kitchen were all backlogged so it took anywhere from 40 to 50 minutes just to get a drink delivered to your table, if you had one. Needless to say, it will take a lot to get me to ever spend my money there again.

But I digress. Going back to Lalah, if you ever have a chance to see her in concert, you are going to get something really special, especially if you are a true music lover. Pure, unadulterated musicianship – not just from the band members but from Lalah herself. Her voice is truly an instrument. Did I mention she whistles as if she has a harmonica placed to her lips?! And at one point in the performance, she literally belted out an entire musical chord with her vocal chords and some type of breath simultaneously. I don’t know how it works but it does. And you deserve to witness it.

Even if you missed Lalah, if you are in town or if you are looking for something to do this weekend, the DC Jazz Festival continues through Sunday. There are many more talented artists that will be featured throughout the weekend and tickets are still on sale. If you love good music like I do, come on through!

 

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Throwback to 2011 when I met Lalah at the BET Honors. (Yes I have a girl crush and I’m ok with it!)

I’ve Been Gone For Too Long…

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

As I contemplated what to write after more than three weeks of being absent from Golden Life Musings, my brain cells took on a life of their own as they pumped the hook to Ciara’s “Gimme Dat” soundtrack in my head, and there has been no releasing it ever since. Have you ever gotten that one song in your head and no matter what you do, including playing other music, you cannot let it go? Yep, that’s me right now. But for me, as catchy as the song lyrics and beat are, it’s the feeling of what those song lyrics mean for me that’s taken a hold of me.

I grew up on stage and around music. From the time I was four, twirling around in my first tutu (See Beyond the Barre), into my late teens singing in a local girl group, I lived on the stage and I loved it. I also loved to write songs, some of which actually earned me some recognition in a couple of songwriting contests. And then life happened. We can also call it the realities of adulthood setting in. Sure, there are plenty of people who have pursued professional music careers into their adulthood; in fact, my two friends are some of them. However, the sad reality is many of us have done a dangerous thing with passions like this. We’ve set them off to the side and filed it away in the “someday I’ll get back to it” category and unfortunately, many never do. I’m a culprit of this and I did it with my music, a self-professed passion.

A little over a week ago, I appeared on stage again in a reunion tribute concert with that girl group I mentioned above, Visions, which was comprised of me and two of my childhood friends who performed together professionally in the D.C. area in the mid to late 90’s. Until that night, the three of us had not performed on stage together in 18 years. I can’t even believe I just wrote that. Now I’ve sung since then, even on stage, backing up both of those friends at various shows over the years, but not in a featured role. Admittedly, I had been hiding behind my some day until I finally became intentional about my someday becoming right now. All it took was a decision. I said to my girls, let’s do this…and we did.

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It felt good up there. As I was singing I started to wonder, why has it really been that long since I last performed? I offered up a bunch of excuses in my head, but after contemplating more on that after the performance, the only thing that made any sense for me was fear. Have you ever noticed, in general the older we get, the more fear we have? The fear of being judged, rejected and perhaps most of all, failing is so powerful. I wonder how many unrealized dreams, including my own, have been stopped by that one powerful emotion (See Why Won’t We Be Great).

The reality is as much as I love to sing and write music, I’ve done very little of that as an adult…until now, that is. In the words of Ciara, I think it’s time to bring it back…

See a link HERE of the Visions Reunion on May 19.

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She Slays

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

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To slay (verb): killed it, succeeded in something amazing. I can always count on the Urban Dictionary to come through in a pinch. Well, Beyoncé has indeed slayed again with her new album Lemonade and Formation Tour and she is showing no signs of stopping here. She is unapologetically killing the game and continues to slay nearly two decades into her career.

Last week I attended the opening show of Formation in Miami and it was for lack of a better word, magical. I’ve been to more Beyoncé concerts that I can keep track of, but this one was special. I believe all of her tours had sold out before but this time she sold out stadiums, as opposed to concert halls and arenas. After performing her newest single Formation, for which her tour is named, she expressed a genuine excitement and giddiness about the fact that as a little girl she had dreamed of this day… the day she would perform at a sold out stadium full of fans that had come to see no one but her. I caught the magnitude of that and found myself almost tear up 5 minutes into her show. Now before you judge me, I should clarify that I’m not one of those crazy people who cry or faints at just the sight or sound of their favorite artist. This was an inspiring moment for me. I too have a big dream that others might deem impossible and I long for that feeling of having big dreams realized.

You may not like some of Beyoncé’s lyrics or how much skin she shows or even perhaps the sound of her voice, but there are a few things you have to respect about her. She is a brilliant business woman with a stellar team behind her and she is one of the hardest working entertainers out there period. Her work ethic and drive towards her purpose are undeniable. Even after by all traditional standards most people would say she’s “made it,” she continues to push envelopes and break barriers in the entertainment industry and beyond.

I don’t want to ruin it for those who may be attending her show, and have paid big bucks I might add, but I do want to point out some critical things that stuck out for me. One, just as any Beyoncé experience, and that is just what it is… an experience, you will get nearly two hours of nonstop entertainment. As an entertainer, I study and appreciate other entertainers. I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone perform like she does for nearly two hours – dancing (full-out), singing (and not that lip synching many entertainers resort to because, granted it’s hard to both sing and dance full-out, sorry J-Lo and Janet), and enduring six costume changes and making it look easy. I know for a fact, it isn’t.

Two, there are no other brands advertised but hers (or her hubby’s), and there are many. If I could earn a dollar for every time I saw the branding for her new Ivy Park fashion line, I would be rich. Hey, I can’t knock the hustle. As my mom and I were heading to our seats, we noticed they were selling t-shirts that said “Boycott Beyoncé”. We both looked at each other with these puzzled looks on our faces like who would ever sell a t-shirt with such a negative message against their brand? Later we heard on a radio station that when police officers were threatening to boycott Beyoncé because of perceived negative messages against the police in her Formation video, her brand team said if this is going to be a thing, let’s profit from it. That’s gangsta! Lol again, you’ve got to respect the hustle.

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Last but certainly not least, I was mesmerized by the fact that she could drop an album on Saturday and by Wednesday, her fans knew literally all the lyrics to the songs that hadn’t even been released on the radio yet. Beyoncé herself was even taken aback by how loyal her fans are, which by the way spanned across multiple ethnicities, ages and sexual orientations. The look of amazement and gratitude on her face when she pointed her golden mic towards the audience and heard them singing her words back to her was priceless.

If you’re one of the tens of thousands of people who have invested in seeing her Formation experience, you will not be disappointed. I assure you Beyonce makes good on her promise to always slay.

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Check out Beyonce’s cool Purple-themed tribute to Prince HERE

 

Winning in DC

Posted on by goldenlifemusings

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On Sunday I had an opportunity to attend the very first DC Music Summit, hosted by Accelerate with Google. Thanks to fellow Washingtonian and artist/entertainer Ashley Brown, who founded the summit, aspiring and current artists got to come together, network and learn more about the music business. I can’t tell you how beneficial this was for my hometown of Washington, D.C., which is sprawling with talent, but for some reason has never quite been able to establish itself as a destination for thriving musicians and entertainers. A lot of talent is born here, but it’s not too long before our fellow homegrown artists are forced to pack themselves up and ship off to lands of greater opportunity – aka New York and LA and now to a certain extent, Atlanta – to find success.

As I listened to the phenomenal panel on the “Music Industry A to Z” that featured a range of industry experts as diverse as the District’s music scene, I found myself both encouraged and mystified at the same time. There was a lot of great information shared by the panel, which was comprised of The Washington Post‘s pop music critic Chris Richards, Future of Music Coalition CEO Casey Rae, Grammy-nominated producer Rich Shelton, The Growth Group’s Alexis Kimbrough and Listen Local First co-founder Chris Naoum. Even audience members, which represented such local organizations as the DC Chapter of the Grammy’s and the District Government’s Entertainment Office shared valuable information on how to “make it” here in DC. Which begged the question, if we have so much talent and we have all these resources and tools to support success at our fingertips, combined with the changing music industry in our favor, why aren’t we as our generation now calls it, WINNING in DC? [Side Note: There is a subset of artists that have been able to make a good living out of their craft in DC and I applaud them, but I’m talking about winning in the music industry on a grander scale as a culture.]

When I say the changing music industry is in our favor, I mean we are moving more and more every day to a completely digital society driven by independent and label-owned artists alike, which should mean location matters less. As long as you can get your music to the Internet, you are good right? Well, not so much if you don’t know how to market your music online and monetize the growing online sources of music like Pandora, Spotify and Youtube. That’s the area in which I believe many local artists are suffering and where the Summit hit the mark – offering information on how local artists can maximize those online marketing and exposure opportunities.

As an artist myself and part owner of a family-owned local music production company and DC native, I have a vested interest in seeing the local music scene flourish. I applaud Accelerate with Google and Ms. Ashley Brown on bringing this important and necessary platform to the District. I hope to see other projects like this follow suit. In the meantime, whether you are an artist yourself or you just appreciate good music, be sure to support the talented group of musicians, singers, rappers, songwriters, producers etc. that live and work in our great nation’s capital. Little by little you can help DC become not just a breeding ground for homegrown talent, but a place where they can live and WIN.

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The Summit was held at Mousai: Young Artist Coalition
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Local Group Prinze George performs at DC Music Summit

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Me with Angela of the DC Entertainment Office
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Music Industry A to Z Panel
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Audience Members at Music Industry A to Z Panel