The VOCAL Times – Everyone is a DJ
Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It's transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It's uplifting, it's encouraging, it's strengthening.
— Aretha Franklin
I was told early on that NY is a playground for motivated people to do dope shit. No matter what your lane, NY offers an international platform to make shit happen. This mantra reigns supreme in the ring with any city around the world and has been the gas pedal to expediting the goals of many.
LIKES: Chicken Chick-fil-a Problem Solvers Buns Good Energy // DISLIKES: Slow drivers in the passing lane Lists Writ- ing Bad Energy BORN: Cape May // BRED: New York City
Sensual Miami roller-disco from the Paris duo Brigitte, aka the disco-charged Parisien duo Sylvie Hoarau and Aurélie Saada, seek to tap into the era of Studio 54 to find a gaze that was not filtered through male eyes only for J’sais Pas. “We wanted to show a feminine view about sex and women: something hypnotic, sen- sual, but not vulgar. We women like to see a sexy girl too. We filmed a real woman roller-skating without showing her face, focusing on her ass in little shorts, to portray everywoman. Disco is about these women: The Helmut Newton women, the Guy Bourdin women. When you say the name Brigitte in France, you think of glamorous names: Brigitte Bardot, Brigitte Lahaye, a porn star in the 70s, or Brigitte Fontaine. But Brigitte is also the name of the woman next door.”
Everyone loves an overnight YouTube sensation from Can- ada, thanks to Bieber. The dynamic music duo, Lennon Ray Louise Stella and Maisy Jude Marion, best known as Lennon & Maisy are two old souls, and sisters. They are now the stars in the ABC musical drama series Nashville. Before securing an acting career, the girls aimed big in creating their own fame. To ensure they would get work- ing visas they uploaded a cover of Robyn’s “Call Your Girlfriend” and went viral overnight. They then performed on Good Morning America in NYC and the rest is history. Their YouTube channel now has over 50 million views and over 500,000 subscribers.
NPR: TINY DESK
Tiny Desk Concert Contest: Over 7,000 musicians across the USA entered in a contest for a chance to perform at NPR Music’s Tiny Desk and at the Lagunitas CouchTrip- pin’ to Austin show. The winner this year is Fantastic Negrito — a.k.a. Xavier Dphrepaulezz, pronounced dee- FREP-ah-lez — has a remarkable backstory. For his One of 15 children, he grew up in a strict home, and later signed a contract with Interscope Records in the ‘90s. That deal fell apart, though, and soured him on music-making. Then, a near-fatal car crash put him in a coma, and eventually left him without the proper use of his hands; he struggled with physical therapy for years to get some movement from what he now calls “The Claw.”
The VOCAL Times – Gnarmads
Crazy Ideas + Mad Passion = Monomaniacs on a Mission. It can start with a rumor, an old postcard, or random afternoon beer banter – a purpose, adventure and challenge presents itself and it’s on. We discover possibility for ourselves to create opportunity for others, getting the most out of life to give the most back. Whether it involves physically doing it or simply drawing upon it’s camaraderie and originality, everything we do includes at least the essence of skateboarding. And through this we share from the skateboard community, to the greater community.
“My name’s Bogdan, I’m 22 years old and was born in the Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn.”
“My name’s Matt Kruz. I’m 23 years old, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and have been skateboarding with my friend Bogdan for about 13 years.”
Gnarmads really started off as a joke — we entered a scav- enger bike race and needed to come up with a name, and people always referred to us as gypsies and nomads, so call- ing ourselves Gnarmads made sense. If you’re free and you do whatever you want, you’re a Gnarmad. It’s about doing things, pushing yourself and having fun.
Last year we endured a cross-country bicycle trip, skating in every place we stopped. It was a leisurely pace and took us about nine months. We met so many great people in different skate communities that were willing to put us up, feed us or just let us take a shower. We learned a lot about ourselves, other people, the universe and this country. Upon returning to NYC we completed two more bicycle trips to Vermont and to Virginia, building DIY skate spots in cities along the way.
We continue to organize events here in NYC such as skate contests, art shows, pool tournaments and community events.
The Gnarmads
Virginia, October 2013
Photo of Nick airing over Thomas at Fearcliff Skatepark. We were leaving DC after Thanksgiving and looked up skateshops on our route. We called them early telling them we were on a bike trip and to stay open and wait for us to get there. We arrived and met Thomas and Kelly, the couple 20-year- olds who run this indoor skatepark; they kept it open all night for us to skate and camp in. of Nick airing over Thomas at Fearcliff Skatepark.
Louisiana, December 2013
After riding all day we stopped at a gas station to pick up some beer before finding a campsite. Bog- dan handed his ID to the clerk, to which he immediately said it was fake. He showed him two matching bank cards, and the clerk exclaimed “Your name is fake!” We exchanged some cursing and shouting and he called the police. We waited right outside and explained everything. They looked at us like we were crazy and just told us to get out of town.
Santa Cruz, April 2014
DIY skatepark hidden in the cliff-side hills north of Santa Cruz on the Pacific Coast Highway. The was also a fixed rope on the cliff to rappel down to the beach / surf spot.
California, April 2014
We crossed over into the southernmost region of California for the first time through Yuma, AZ. We cycled through seemingly endless sand dunes for days, and kept wondering if it was possible to skate down them. One late afternoon we saw a perfect dune mountain, took off our skateboard wheels and jumped into the slope, sliding down some of the hill before sinking in sand, waist deep.
California, May 2014
It was a slow riding day because one of our rear derailleurs broke off. We had set our sights on at least making it to this small town that ap- peared to be just over the canyon, called Los Alamos. The Google Maps route took us on a windy road for a few miles, before the road suddenly turned to sand and we couldnt continue onward.
Arizona, April 2014
After riding all day through the barren desert, it was get- ting dark and we werent seeing any safe place to camp. Just before nightfall we spotted an area on a hill above the highway and set up camp just in time for sunset. In the morning while packing up, we noticed there was a handmade heart, made out of wires, attached to the barbed wire fence near the site. Someone else in the past must have found similar refuge at this beautiful and middle-of-nowhere spot.
Hasbeens & Willbees Brings the Finer Things to Upstate New York
Hasbeens & Willbees, the much talked about Catskills restaurant on the serious come-up, is set for another creative burst with the launch of a series of auction events, showcasing the owners’ most treasured findings from overlooked corners of the world.
A Unique Restaurant and Antique Dealer Based in the Andes
Hasbeens & Willbees, the much talked about Catskills pop-up restaurant on the serious come-up, is set for another creative burst with the launch of a series of auction events, showcasing the owners’ most treasured findings from overlooked corners of the world.
Kai Kuhne, former independent fashion designer and leading member of the design group AsFour, and John Mollett, former fine arts representative at the Jan Krugier Gallery, recently partnered to open the Hasbeens & Willbees restaurant in Andes, NY. “Wanting to keep connected to our careers and the worlds we love, we’ve incorporated our experiences and knowledge into a fresh new concept,” said Kuhne, “representing the new luxury and a fair market for the finer things in life.”
The new Hasbeens and Willbees concept embraces a lifestyle of luxury that cherishes the art, design, furniture and fashion of the past, while showcasing the genius and beautiful products of today.
As a preview for their auction house to open in New York City in the Spring of 2014, the Hasbeens & Willbees soft launch will take place at their Catskills restaurant. This new avenue is about giving some of the old freaks a place to shine, and provide a venue of exposure for a younger generation. It references old furniture and art, as well as showcasing wonderful new products. The Hasbeens & Willbees private label soap and olive oil will also be available in the store.
Kuhne and Mollet have been around the world selecting and amassing items for the auction house that is opening in the Spring of next year. “The shopping has been a blast! But now it’s time to get selling and develop a track record so that we can get some great consignments as well,” says Mollet. “We’ve decided to first do a little preview maquette of the auction concept up at our restaurant in the Catskills to get the ball rolling. For the auction we plan to have a few days of preview dinners where guests are surrounded by the auction items, while using the culinary objects on the table during their meal.”
While the auction items will be the focus of the events, the cuisine at Hasbeens & Willbees is something quite special in itself; simple yet refined. Each dish is inspired by inherited recipes from Mollet’s grandmother from New England, thus bringing something fresh and unique to the region. Their crab cake, for example, rivals that to be found anywhere in the state, filled with Jumbo Lump crab freshly picked from the Maryland fish markets and overnighted to the kitchen. Hasbeens & Willbees is an inspiring example of how farm-to-table doesn't have to be rustic.
The main auction event is sure to be active and filled with lively characters. The events will highlight guest chefs, projection screens, topless game show-style girls, a tuxedo-clad auctioneer, live performances, and an early Westwood style fashion show. It’s set to be a Friday night not to be missed.
Most Recent:
For the month of June, NYC Pride welcomes WorldPride as it marks the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and a half century of LGBTQI+ liberation. To celebrate this moment, The Ally Coalition have created an emotive community-driven sound and light experience featuring a soundscape by St Vincent, and generated by user messages. The experience is powered by Microsoft AI technology that explores powerful feelings of hope, anger, joy and determination.
London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London is continuing its collaboration with Microsoft to inspire the next generation to rethink, redesign and revolutionize the future of the fashion industry. Leveraging Microsoft’s cutting-edge Mixed Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and IoT technologies and LCF’s industry-defining mentors, selected students were invited to participate in a semester-long intensive course that culminates in a final showcase of their prototypes this June.
The Petersen Automotive Museum announced today that its upcoming “Hollywood Dream Machines: Vehicles of Science Fiction and Fantasy” exhibit will spotlight a unique and immersive mixed-reality experience powered by Microsoft HoloLens. The display, named “Hollywood Dream Machines: Worlds Reimagined,” will be centered around the iconic Time Machine from “Back to the Future” and the famed Warthog from the “Halo” franchise. Opening May 4, 2019, the experience will offer guests an inside look at these legendary sci-fi machines.
Sister City, a new, meticulously designed hotel in NYC that embraces technology to offer guests a modern respite, debuts a first-of-its-kind lobby music score. Inherent to Sister City’s founding ethos was the question of its sonic landscape — Sister City asks what new shapes music can take as a site-specific, living extension of the hotel, and looked to Brian Eno’s Music For Airports and John Cage’s concept for “4’33”” as touch points for these conversations.
We’re excited to announce a new action sports music festival Gnarlytown set for June 22 in San Pedro, CA, co-founded by veteran pro skateboarder Chris Cole in partnership with John Reese of SGE and Nitro Circus. Set at the scenic LA Waterfront Berth 46 in San Pedro, CA, Gnarlytown will combine the perfect blend of action sports, punk rock, and craft beer tasting.
Microsoft has announced another partnership through their ongoing In Culture program that supports today’s most innovative creatives, this time with English singer-songwriter and rising star NAO. Together they are producing a never-before-seen interactive and personal music video to support the “Orbit” track on her new album Saturn released late in 2018.