[Doing it Right] Krewella’s Get Wet Tour with Candyland + Seven Lions

September 17, 2013September 26, 20133 Comments

This is the face of a girl who’s been battling the most ridiculously annoying cough and cold combination from hell for a week. I’ve sneezed more times than I could count and essentially coughed up my body weight; so, why’s she smiling, you ask? Oh, because she gets to do her second big show review in the history of ever. Whether you’re a new follower or you’ve been around the block with me a few times, I’m sure you’ll come to notice sooner or later that the passions I have in life are what makes my world go ’round. Music, writing, cats, beauty in the world, my boyfriend and our friends, sunshine and the good life – in any and every combination possible.

A few years back I was talking with a good friend of mine who continually maintains two jobs – one job being a pain in the ass but money in the bank, and the other the exact opposite: the only richness she got from the job was a feeling of pride. And my, oh my…isn’t that enough? Ever since then, I’ve thought about a two fold approach to what “work” is supposed to be. “Work” is what you do to support your dream job and as a writer for the renowned EDM Web-zine The DJ List I’m now a walking, talking example of it.

I’ve gone to the Palladium at least fifty times in the last two years, possibly over 100 times in my five year span in Los Angeles; but never have I ever stammered when I talked to doormen, and been so confused at a simple press ticket – what I kept forgetting was I got this job by being an avid and energetic EDM fan, not by letting my nerves get the best of me. Thank-fracking-goodness my boyfriend knows how (and when) to take control of a situation that’s slipping through my anxious little fingers. After stopping by the wrong booth, I finally heard the magic words I’ve been waiting for: Here’s your VIP wristband and your photography pass. What. If I died at that very second, which is in fact what my heart felt like it was doing, I would have died the happiest little bouncy kitty on planet Earth.

When we walked in, Candyland was rocking the stage with their OG swag and EDM style; their fusion of grimy Hip-hop, dubstep and electro house got the crowd jumping like crazy. From the rafters, it honestly looked like popcorn just going off in every direction. Not to mention, the duo – better known to their friends as Ethan and Josie – hail from Santa Barbara and know some of my college buddies; small, talented world, right? After their set was another 805 local, Seven Lions. There aren’t even appropriate words to describe how his music moves me – he takes chilled out trance and indie rock, pairs it with some of the most stunning synths and rumbles I’ve ever heard and simply put – the man makes musical magic. His set was effing phenomenal and after seeing him be the opener for Porter Robinson and Krewella I cannot wait to see him headline his own show; shit’s gonna get real!

Finally, after a palpable intermission where we refused to leave our spot on the dance floor – the house lights dimmed, the Volcano was unveiled and Jahan, Yasmine and Rainman took the reins at the DJ Booth; it was all uphill from there! Churning through hit after hit, the sisters interchangeably jumped to stage level to interact with their immensely diverse fanbase and feed off of each other’s electric energy. They went through their entire repertoire – Come and Get It, Live for the Night, Candyland even came out to perform their OG remix of Legacy – their song with Nicky Romero. This Chicago trifecta has worked with some of the greatest across all EDM genres and paid homage to many others that I’ve considered incredibly influential. Pendulum, Knife Party, Gareth Emery, Skrillex, Adventure Club, Nicky Romero, Fall Out Boy. No doubt this list is going to get exponentially longer as their careers catapult – and they’re still fresh on the scene!

Now, I can’t leave you without some jams to get you through the day so here are my current favorites from all three artists; enjoy!

[Oh, Snap] Cruising the PCH

September 4, 2013September 26, 2013Leave a comment

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

On the way back from San Francisco, we had two options for our drive: take the 5 and suffer through the dusty drabness that defines the middle of our state, or cruise down the Pacific Coast Highway and enjoy ourselves. Well, after doing the later I can firmly say that as in all of life – it should be about the journey and not the destination; and journey we did! Not even exaggerating, we stopped at every third turnout to catch a view of the stunning California Coast! Now, I grew up in the Bay Area, came down for college in the Central Coast and cruised on down to LA when I was done but never have I ever taken the 1 down the coast. Well, after yesterday I can check that off the proverbial bucket list and I have the pictures to prove it! We roamed the beach, found beautiful foliage and gorgeous coastal views; it really was like a dream come true…

Mailboxes in Big Sur

[Oh, Snap] Stunning Sunsets Vol 2

August 9, 2013September 26, 2013Leave a comment

Photography, like writing, is something that each and every person could excel at if they simply give themselves the chance. The more I’ve been able to develop my craft as a photographer, the more I’ve come to realize that we all have an eye for excellent pictures because we’re all attracted to the simple beauties that this world has to offer. Over the course of the past year I’ve managed to snap, edit and proudly publish more pictures than ever before – and for someone like me, that’s a feet in itself! Whether it’s my friends, my cats, the neighborhood kids running in sprinklers or a butterfly perfectly perched on a window sill – I’ve had cameras in hand, ready to capture it all. Though not as malleable as the other subjects, nature definitely can stun and surprise me better than the rest. The silhouette of a tree and waves crashing on the beach are each so magical in their own right, but hands down – nothing will compare to my love of manipulating the light of the perfect sunset. So, without further ado – these are my favorite sunset snaps from the last seven months and the second round in my ‘Stunning Sunsets‘ series; enjoy! =)

Downtown Los Angeles

Doing it Right: Porter Robinson’s Circle Assembly Tour

February 4, 2013August 14, 2013Leave a comment

Over the last few years, I’ve developed a major crush on Electronic Music – from Trance to Electro House, from Industrial Tech House to Dubstep, and from Drum & Bass to Trap, I basically love it all. And it’s no wonder, there are elements of electronic music oozing from every other genre. The “Dubstep” of 2013 sounds eerily similar to the hard rock sounds of Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold, System of a Down and Korn and “Trap” music is nothing more than hard Rap and Hip Hop beats sans the obnoxious “Money, Hoes and Drugs” vocals.

Each of Saturday’s acts is respected within their own right, as well as their own cross-genre productions. If you made me drop a pin on the EDM map for Penguin Prison, Seven Lions or Porter Robinson I simply couldn’t do it; each act boasts a mature sound and is beyond versatile. To be honest, I’d either essentially forgotten or literally had no idea that PP was the opening act – it wasn’t until much later that I put 2 and 2 together to get 4; there were gorgeous vocals coming straight from the DJs mouth, which we were all highly astounded by, a Indie-electro sound and beats that made you just bop around the dance floor – he was the perfect opening act.

Next up was Santa Barbara native Seven Lions – the best way to describe his sound is Trance–step. By weaving beautiful, harmonious dissonance and booming basslines, he creates a unique sound that I’ve only heard from the likes of Blackmill, on the more relaxed “Chill-step” end of the spectrum, and Xilent, who sits on the harder hitting Dubstep and Drum & Bass side of things. Seven Lions played literally one of the best set’s I’ve heard in the last few years, let alone one of the best ‘Dubstep’ sets ever. He gets down with the crowd and his energy is contagious, the only other performer I could even compare him to with sound and style would be Bassnectar – and that’s an amazing compliment to both artists in my opinion.

Seven Lions @ The Hollywood Palladium

Last, but by no means least: there’s mister Porter Robinson himself. After the astounding set by Seven Lions I wasn’t expecting to get swept off my feet: boy was I wrong! He started off the set with his hit ‘Seconds’ and then continued, hit after hit, to wow, astound and hype the crowd. There was a perma-smile on my face the entire time he was spinning and my feet could not stop moving to his beats. The Circle Assembly Tour is a must for any self-professed EDM lover; if I could, I would go back in a heartbeat!

Porter Robinson at the Hollywood Palladium

[Roadtrippin’] It’s a California State of Mind

October 19, 2012January 13, 2014Leave a comment

For the past few weeks I’ve had little angel on my shoulder, coercing me to get the fuck out of my overheated Los Angeles bubble and venture up north for an extended weekend of good food, great meals and family time. But, whenever I was close to jumping in my car and cruising back home, the devil on the other side would start with the litany of excuses: I hate driving on the 5 – That’s too long to leave my cats alone for– gas prices are cray cray – etc, etc. The fact of the matter is those are all very valid reasons for not wanting to hit the road – but at the end of the

day, they all start to sound like the same excuse, ‘I don’t want to.‘ It’s been a long past few months and there was a lot of apprehension about being isolated, and in the middle of nowhere, for an extended amount of time – but I’ve also come to terms with the fact that I over-saturate my life with connections. My phone may as well be tethered to my side as a Siamese twin because I swear I’m always on it – Tweeting, texting, Instagram-ing and Facebooking; may as well just call me a walking, talking social media slut – I’ll take it.

I also, finally, took some my own advice: get out of my head and into my heart.

Being a creature of logic and reason is fine and dandy; but, emotions can’t be quantified, feelings can’t be measured and you can’t organize anxieties.

With this freshly pressed game plan in mind, I turned to packing up my troubles, both literally and physically. Piling clothes, jewelry, hair products and my work laptop in an over-sized duffel bag, I synced my iPod and kissed my cats goodbye. The drive can last anywhere from 6 and 9 hours, so I had a lot of music to load in to get me through it. For the first time, I wasn’t planning outfits or huge escapades – I was going to be comfortable and at home with the people I love. Yes, the 5 is awful and gas prices aren’t going down – but the idea that the people I love are only a tank of gas away is so comforting.

When I hit the road, I double checked my route and turned my phone off for a while; I was on auto-pilot, my car was on cruise control and it was just the two of us and the highway. I’ve had my new car since April and the furthest we’ve gone together is Ojai – this was our first big adventure and I had way too much fun. There’s a feeling that I get from being in the open road, windows down and music up; my mind opens up, my stream of consciousness is deep and introspective and I almost get this runners high. Maybe it’s a drivers high. Either way, that drive cleared out my mental cobwebs and reset my system. Around 10 pm I cruised into the city and it was bustling with lights and noise, roaring with personality as it always does.

San Francisco at Night

5 Roadtrip Essentials:

Map I know I’m captain obvious but you should probably know where you’re going – just in case your phone dies, your partner in crime slash navigator passes out or you’re just horrible with directions.
Music Make sure your playlist is twice as long as your total drive – if you’re like me, you probably have musical ADD and change a song halfway through…which means your playlist doesn’t last as long as you think it does. Plan ahead and your head will thank you later; besides, how many times can you really listen to Levels*?
Good Vibes If you’re no fun, your drive isn’t going to be fun! Besides, if you can’t have fun by yourself rocking out with an air guitar and singing lead vocals at the tippity top of your lungs – why would anyone else want to?
Comfort Grub There’s nothing worse than hitting the road, getting super hungry and not being able to find a damn thing you want to eat or drink – well, save yourself the problem and do a little store run before you head out or save some money and make sandwiches at home. Make sure you have something delish to wash it all down, and a few extra bottles of water – and you’ll have a happy heart, and stomach, the entire drive.
Car Charger Phone navigation applications, especially Verizon’s – and I speak from experience, do a pretty good job of draining your phones battery. Being lost in the middle of nowhere with no phone is kind of horrible, so do yourself a favor and make sure you have a working phone charger.

[Oh, Snap!] You Stay Classy, San Diego

September 3, 2012January 13, 2014Leave a comment

Ron Burgundy on the origin of ‘San Diego‘

Don’t let the non-blonde hair or fact I can’t surf fool you, I’m a California girl true and true. I was born and raised in the Silicon Valley of Northern California, found myself in Santa Barbara for college while I completed my Bachelors of Science and moved to Los Angeles shortly after I got my degree. When I was in middle school and high school I was on a club basketball team that traveled around California, and it granted me the opportunity to visit and explore many sides of the great, Golden State. And to boot, my family loves to travel. Combine those two facts, and that’s a lot of location scouting. Within California alone, I’ve been to: Napa, Sonoma, Walnut Creek, Petaluma, Vallejo, San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel, Los Angeles, San Diego…the list could go on and on; but that’s not the point. Each time I visited a new place, I would try and envision myself living there – and to this day, the more and more I consider San Diego, the more I’d like to give it a chance to woo me over.

The Gaslamp District at Night
Taken with my HTC Rezound; snazzed up in Instagram using the XPro 2 Filter.

The other weekend, one of my friends suggested a girls trip down to San Diego for a few days – and the offer couldn’t have come at a better time. Los Angeles, that magical city of sunshine and traffic, can grow tiresome if you don’t get the energy to leave every once in a while.

There’s a saying – ‘You never know what you‘ve got until it’s gone.’ – and in a way, that’s how I feel about my city of angels.

LA is wonderful for nightlife and experiencing different types of culture; from art walks to club experiences, and from warehouse parties to flea markets – LA is a mecca of different cultures that clash and meld all over the city. But San Diego is equally diverse and spread out over a larger area of land; the air is so breathable – and the views are so stunning.

The Glass Door, San Diego
Taken with my HTC Rezound; stitched together with Diptic.

To be honest – we had thought long and hard about what sorts of shenanigans we wanted to get into in San Diego. There were discussions of going to the San Diego Wildlife Park or the Zoo for their Nighttime Zoo: China Celebration, and potentially going out and dancing at Voyeur and Fluxx, two of San Diego’s best night clubs. But, instead – we had a nice girls weekend in the apartment; venturing out only for nourishment and exercise.

For brunch(/lunch) we consulted Yelp and Metrowize; there were so many great options that it was hard to narrow our sights on just one. What caught our attention – this article about the Booziest Brunches in San Diego. I’m a sucker for a kickass Bloody Mary, and let me tell you – this place does it right! They not only garnish the thing with bacon but they also use bacon infused vodka; genius!