Atlanta Celeb Fest, Saturday, August 16, 2014

This weekend I attended the Atlanta Celeb Fest Celebrity Image Awards Gala at the Georgia World Congress Center. Here are the pictures I took while I was down there of the various guests and celebs :)

Special thanks to Real Media TV for giving me their press pass for the event!

Extra Special thanks to Lisa Stroud for organizing the entire event!

 *All of these photos were taken by ME, Taylor M. Castro. PLEASE do not use them without giving me credit. Thank you!

Special Celebrity Guests

Danny Glover

(Actor, Director, Recording Artist, Political Activist, Philanthropist)

(What an amazing man, I listened to him talk for almost half an hour and I don't think I've ever heard so much wisdom in such a short amount of time)

Demetira McKinney

(Actress, Radio Personality, Recording Artist)

(She was just so much fun to photograph!)

https://twitter.com/demimckinney

Tony Terry

(Recording Artist)

(When asked to sing a little bit for everyone he replied, "Do you have $2,500? I don't sing unless I get paid to honey.")

https://twitter.com/Mrtonyterry 

Commissioner Kelly Robinson & his wife

Lt. Calvin J. Spann

(WWII Tuskegee Airman)

Ms. Nickee

(Founder/ CEO of Diva Day International)

http://www.divadayinternational.net 

Frank Wiley Jr. and his wife Carly

(Emmy award winning Journalist, CBS46 Anchor) 

Chelsea

(Recording Artist)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/all-i-do-feat.-bandit-gang/id842644322

Yadiyda & her manager Nicola

(Fashion designer)

www.yadiyda.com

(From right) Dr. Joel Wallach & Guest

http://www.wallachonline.com

Jason "Lumberjack" Johnson

(Actor/ Public Figure)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4025141/ 

Other Guests to Grace the Gold Carpet

(I didn't catch their names but if you are one of these beautiful people or if you know them, please let me know in the comments below or you can email me at tmatthewscastro@gmail.com)

Design Evaluation of Mayhem Fest 2014

On Tuesday, August 5, 2014 I attended the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival at the Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood in Atlanta.  The venue holds a capacity of 19,000 people and had extended the reach of the festival through one of the parking lots in order to accommodate the three smaller, label sponsored stages and the various vendor booths. The fourth and main stage was located on the Amphitheater’s in house stage. The Mayhem festival caters towards the hardcore music scene and showcases bands that fall into the alike derivative genres of heavy metal.

The three smaller stages were basic rigs, approximately identical in size dimensions, lined side by side on the the gravel parking lot, each with almost identical lighting and sound instrumentations and stage design. The stages rotated the performance order so that the crews had the ability to change equipment. The lighting maps and sound rigs, for the most part, stayed the same. The lighting maps for each stage were designed with a minimalistic approach, since the shows were located in an uncovered area in the middle of a bright, summer day. In all 15 performances held on these stages, the stage design followed the traditional pattern of the drummer positioned in the center of the stage and raised on a platform and the remaining members of the band downstage, spaced in front of the drummer.

Each band had their respective logo backdrops (which hung upstage) and smaller, side banners hung consecutively down stage to create the wings of the stage. Colors within the banners, set pieces, band logos, the musicians’ equipment, and wardrobes did not stray from the basic yet various combinations of black, red, grey, and white. Majority of the bands were adorned in the fashion attire associated with the rebellious rock n’ roll culture, such as clothes with worn holes and cut off sleeves and an assortment of body modifications, like tattoos and piercings and gauges.

I cannot say that the majority performances were memorable as a result of production, because the production design was basic and unsatisfying as a member of the audience. However, I can say that the minimalistic approach is noteworthy since the design allowed for the rapid rotation of performances and provided a memorable variety of music. The only band among the associated performers with an obviously unique costume and stage design was Mushroomhead, a gore and mask themed metal band that has built their brand and stage performance around the periodically changing, detailed costuming. The band covered the top of the drums with paint, another regular performance element used by the band, which splattered all over the performers and stage during the set. For the most part, the overall design of each performance was memorable due to the familiarity of the genre’s predictable delivery and, was lack-luster due to the overall similarity.

There were four bands on the main stage, first Trivium, next Miss May I, then Korn, followed by Avenged Sevenfold.  The performance elements of both Miss May I and Trivium mirrored the basic design of the majority of the pervious bands with the simplistic stage design and similar wardrobes. The Korn brand has developed a wardrobe and overall design over the past 21 years that was incorporated in this particular performance. Their stage used a minimalistic approach, contrary to previous performances I have seen, and consisted of their signature, gaudy and embellished metal microphone stands and 2 rectangular led screens positioned proportionally on stage left and right that looped colorful, geometric patters synched with the audio.

The most memorable, design intensive, and expensive performance was presented by Avenged Sevenfold. A huge curtain was drawn over the stage in order to conceal the construction of the set, then pulled back to reveal the final creation when the performance started. The stage was transformed into a skeleton themed dungeon with three giant archways upstage and led screens inside each archway gave an appearance of scenery (like walking skeletons and close ups of the band members) behind the archways; a giant skeleton king sat upon a throne of stone and bone and held a giant bone scepter as it slowly and periodically turned it’s head; a grand staircase extended downstage from the king’s throne and the musicians were at the bottom. Tattered red curtains hung in front of the archways’ pillars and on the edge of the stage wings. The entire performance incorporated pyrotechnics that shot fireballs into the air in front of the skeleton king, spanning the length of the archways, and streams of fire diagonally from the left and right fly lofts, all in synch with the music. My observations of the lighting, pyrotechnics, stage, and sound designs indicated to me that the production budget was extensive and allowed for a visually vivid and unique performance that embodied heavy metal.

Discussion on the 2007 Joshua Bell D.C. subway performance experiment

This week in my class we're discussing live music performance. The class is required to answer three questions based on the following article. 

You may remember the social experiment conducted in 2007 by the Washington Post in which they set up a camera to observe the public's reactions to a performance by classical violinist Joshua Bell.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html 

1.     Would you have stopped to listen? 

2.     Why do you think others didn’t? 

3.     Why do you feel he made less than $35 in 3 hours? 

I remember this experiment very clearly, since I played violin at the time I was fascinated by the story; I remember watching the story on the news and then discussing it in my orchestra class that following Monday, where my teacher had asked similar questions to the ones presented in this discussion post. My 8^th grade orchestra teacher made it a point to communicate with her students the importance of performance for both career purposes and personal fulfillment. Her lessons have greatly impacted and helped to build my passion for live performance.

I live in the suburbs, about 25 minutes from the center of Atlanta, but I spend a large portion of my time in the city attending many different local shows in the infamous and popular hole-in-the-wall venues. In the East Atlanta Village (known to the locals as the EAV) and especially in the famous art district Little Five Points there are countless people in courtyards and on street corners and outside of retail stores who perform every single day for tips and for personal promotion reasons. I make it a habit to stop and listen to every street performer I come across. Some are better than others, some are well known local artists and others are train hoppers/ travelers passing through. I have watched countless people pass by, paying no mind to the beauty before them. Had I been in in that particular station in D.C. on my birthday in 2007, I would have loved nothing more than to stop and listen to an incredible violinist.

I think that other people didn't stop to admire the technical skills and musical complexity of Bell’s performance for various and individual reasons. It can be argued that a large portion of the population lacks the appreciation for classical music and this could be a one of the many reasons why people did not stop that morning. I think that the main reason why people did not stop was due to the time constraints of busy work-life and the monotonous repetition of their daily schedules. The threat of reprimand for being late for work and the urgency to arrive at their designated location is, possibly, the biggest reason for people all over the world to not stop and admire the beauty of the world around them. They, simply, do not feel that they have time to do so.

I have know people personally to make hundreds of dollars in a day street performing in Atlanta, and others who have made enough to purchase a value meal. Again, there are so many possible reasons for why people chose to pay attention to Bell’s performance and there are equally as many reasons as to why they chose not to pay monetary attention as well. One of the reasons might be that the consensus of the passing audience felt that his skill level indicated that this was already his profession. Others might have been constricted by the thin walls of their wallets. I have encountered people, terrible people mind you, that believe that street performance is nothing more than begging and, therefore, look down on the act. I have seen instances where the less fortunate attempt to play the heart strings of the public in order to score easy money for whatever vice they may have but, generally, this is not the case.

Whatever the reason the D.C. public had that morning for paying attention and monetary support or not, I think that the musician still accomplished the goal of his performance art. Art is created for personal fulfillment and shared for the purpose of inciting emotion within the audience. Whether or not the emotion is a positive one, if the art has affected the receiving audience in some way and fulfilled the artist then it has achieved it’s purpose. Although majority of the people did not stop that day, I can almost guarantee that at least some of them were positively impacted by the beauty of the performance. They, simply, did not feel they had time to show their appreciation.



I'd like to thank you for reading tho, and I'd love to hear your opinion on the matter. Please feel free to respond to the questions in the comments below.

Thank you!

Bear Girl, Slowriter, & Capital Arms at Wild Bills 7/1/2014

Bear Girl, Slowriter, and Capital Arms kicked off a tour last night that covers the east coast: 14 shows from Atlanta to Buffalo, NY. 

It's a slow Friday night at Wild Bills in Gwinnett. 8:40 pm and there roughly 50 people crowded about a red and blue lit stage with a pentagram backdrop. There's a lot of flannel in this crowd. The age group here is no less than 18, no more than 25 (excluding the parental units sprinkled in and the venue’s staff).

I got there just in time to catch the last half of Hello Cobra. Elements and influences of Mastodon shape the the first song I hear this evening. A four piece band, no vocals for these fellas. Unfortunately, the drummer has to ask the sound guy to turn all of them up and a burst of feedback pollutes the air. However, it becomes obvious very quickly the noise is intended. The band is rehearsed in the execution of their rhythms, but their stage presence is lack luster and their style is more tribute than original. 
Constant directions to the sound guy is more than disturbing, it gives revelation to the lack of preparation by the band and possibly a rushed sound check. Backlash from the sound guy suggests his dedication, motivation, professionalism and respect have long faded with the color of his hair. 
I'm not too disappointed, the metal genre has somewhat reached it's creative peak in recent years as various sub genres have accumulated and rock music enthusiasts have flooded YouTube and local dive bars with mediocre and tired no-hit-wander* bands. It's unpleasant noise. 
*an artist or band that has barely created a buzz or has sizzled enough to be considered hometown famous, tours all over the metro Atlanta area, and never manages to burn a fire long or hot enough to be considered noteworthy. 


It's over? I'm slamming a shot of Jack Daniel’s.

Slowriter steps up on stage an gives tribute to Tyler Perkins, guitarist and vocalist for Bear Girl, for the majority of the work put into the booking of this tour. It's starting to fill up a little more, there's now about 75 people in the small lounge area of the club and about 50 of them are up close and personal with the modest stage. Bryan Taylor has put together an aesthetically appealing set with synced video of little kids dancing, turtles, and crowd addressing monologues by various men projected on a screen on the right if the stage. His songs feature smooth electronic backtracks while he plays guitar over them and sings original lyrics, and the drummer for Bear Girl provides rhythm support for the solo artist. This set I was actually impressed with, it’s clear Taylor has put a lot of time and effort into his unique performance and he avoids eye contact with the crowd by wearing a pair of large sunglasses on stage. Signed with Autumn and Color, Bryan Taylor will drop his new LP “King of the Void" on October 28th. 

I stepped outside for a smoke and had a chit chat with the co-owner of Autumn + Colour. It’s a decent sized independent label with a slue of various artists, 15 to be exact, ranging in many genres. He talked about the unique qualities of Slowriter and the heavy hip hop influences in the upcoming album. 


Now for Bear Girl. This trio from Atlanta has creatively blended their rock, metal, jazz, indie, and pop influences to create a sound all their own. They are upbeat and energetic, with the edge of indie rock lyrics that have a sort of dark undertone, the heavy hitting kick of a metal band, and a twist of jazz influence rhythms. I've seen them before and each time I do, I truly enjoy the show. 


The show was a success thus far, around 150 people by the end of the Bear Girl set. I didn’t get to stay for Capital Arms, but I made sure to check out their music on the way home. They will be releasing their debut EP "Land" August 5th  via Cardigan Records.

You can check out these bands and their labels via the links below. Definitely worth a listen!

Autumn + Colour
http://www.autumnandcolour.com 

Cardigan Records
http://www.cardiganrecords.com

Slowriter 
www.slowriter.org 
https://www.facebook.com/slowriter 

Bear Girl 
http://www.beargirl.net/
https://www.facebook.com/BearGirlSr 

Capital Arms 
https://www.facebook.com/capitalarms

The Notorious Atlanta Rave Scene

Okay let's talk about raves. 

As 90's baby growing up with hip, young, and popular parents I am very familiar with the rave scene. Now that I am of age, raves are trendy again... 

Let's talk about the target market for these trending events -with catchy titles, hosted by the cool kids, featuring DJ what's his face and the bikini babes. 

I've been to a hand full of these raves, and they're almost identical to the raves my parents attended in the early 1990's. However, there is a key difference as to how these newer generation, drug- and alcohol-induced parties become the hot spot for night life among 20 somethings in the big city (don't tell Skrillex I'm saying this). See, where there was once word of mouth and beepers to spread the word about the place where its possible to experience pure ecstasy (the feeling, not the drug;) for an evening, there is now Facebook and Twitter. Social media networks have boomed their own market as well as the entertainment industry, and pretty much every market for that matter. For instance, now there are all these local entertainment businesses popping up, gaining huge popularity, and generating tons of revenue by throwing giant parties at local clubs and venues.

Case and point: Tier 1 Entertainment.  

In my Introduction to Management class I was assigned a project for which I had to conduct and informational interview with a manager in my field of study. Of course, I got super excited and immediately wanted to interview the industry's top band and artist managers. Then it came down to the wire ("Just a reminder, Assignment due tomorrow!") and I realized I aimed for the stars and missed by a long shot. So I was scrolling through my feed on Facebook, since I was at a dead end and pretty much had nothing else to do, and it hit me like a meteor shower: I know someone who owns an entertainment business, focused around music, right here in Atlanta. 

Wait. Preface to this story...

Earlier this year when I decided it was time to experience the rave scene (you know, 'cause everybody's doin' it) I found myself at a dingy, little, hole-in-the-wall, bar slash club slash black-market called the Connect Lounge, located off Auburn Ave under the bridge (in the wrong side of town). For most of the night I sat on the patio with my bestie people-watching and mingling with "ravers" whom we couldn't quite understand if they were high, deranged, drunk, homeless or [e. all of the above]. It made for many good laughs, and quite stimulating conversations, really. It was there, on that cool January night, on the patio of the dirtiest place I have ever been that I met O.J. He was drunk and friendly and we talked about the music industry...seriously. And even though I never give strangers I meet at clubs my Facebook, I took his phone and added me on Facebook that night. I never went back to the Connect Lounge, and I wouldn't suggest that anyone should go there ever -at least not without a tetanus shot, flu vaccine, and roll of toilet paper (because there never is any). "Wobble Wednesday" is crowded but sketchy.

Anyways...

O.J. owns Tier 1 Entertainment, and after months of forgetting we even know each other he was nice enough to meet me for an interview the night I contacted him, which was the night the project was due (by my chin hairs). Surprise, surprise, I learned something! Tier 1 is legit and O.J. is pretty good at running a business. It was that night I learned that a rave today is more than a few semi-pro, kinda amateur, kinda good DJ's entertaining a bunch of college kids, drop outs, hippies, and dancers but instead there actually is a science to it: social science. 

Catchy themes for the parties give people something to Tweet about and share locations while gaining mass amounts of cash and exposure for both the clubs and the talent. 

The advertisement and promotion is almost entirely by the target market.

.SMART MARKETING.

Better yet, what the people want, they get. The most popular DJ's get played the most and the coolest venues get booked. Even if it means booking in Kennesaw or Athens, or even Florida for spring break. Tier 1 focusses heavily on and markets directly to college students because "they know where the party's at bro!"

This makes for a much more visually, audio, and physical stimulating experience at a rave. 

{I hear Molly can help you with that too.}

I haven't been to any raves in Athens (UGA territory) or Kennesaw (Kennesaw State), but I have been to the Quad. Located off Spring Street next to The Varsity, close to GA Tech and Georgia State, the Quad is poppin' Tuesday and Friday nights. The layout of the club is really cool too: there's 2 bars, a merchandise booth, a downstairs stage and dance floor, a main stage and dance floor (kind of upstairs because the main level is split), a hookah area, booths at the bars, couches downstairs, and two patios. The stages are adequately lit, the sound guys know what they're doing, there is security, and there's two bathrooms (with toilet paper). Oh, and there is a sign when you walk in that says "Free PLUR"... Still, there is a warehouse type atmosphere to the place, which keeps the original rave-like feeling, and it's not the cleanliest place in the world but it's a decent and exciting place to experience the scene in Atlanta.

Thus concludes my rave rant.

"Peace.Love.Unity.Respect."