Tuesday, August 30, 2011

"COLOMBIA ... the only risk is wanting to stay"



Joe Arroyo - El Rebelion
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buenas!,
So earlier this month I was granted the opportunity to go on my first press trip!  What is a press trip ? well a press trip (also known as fam trip/media visits) involves a business arrangement between the writer (me) and the selected sponsor, in this case it was PROEXPORT COLOMBIA  - I had the honor to not only explore Medellin Colombia, but to reconnect with my roots and share the experience through here and through the Mag (Urban Latino - Issue comes out in Septemeber :D).
Now here is a glimpse of my experience ...
Antioquía, Medellín is a vibrant city, known by the warmth and friendliness of its stunning people, the year-round spring like weather, and it's gorgeous flowers and mountains! It was not only a breath of fresh air but a scene full of natural beauty and tranquility. I must say I love the paisa dialect, so proper, sweet and very attractive ;).. bueno pues.. Thanks to the enormous educational, cultural, social, and urban transformation -Medellin -today is one of the most important cities in Colombia and Latin America. Its the city of opportunities and progress. As a city with a great gastronmic, commercial and tourist offer, it provides countless opportunities for leisure and business. (I would love to have an office out there, just saying)
Medellín  The City of Eternal Spring, The Mountain's Capital, The Orchid's Capital, The city of beautiful Women and The City of Flowers... aww yes flowers! I was brought on to this trip to cover one of the most popular and important cultural event in Antioquia, Medellin - La Feria de Las Flores (The festival of flowers).  It was handsdown an awe-inspiring experience! La Feria de Las Flores has been going on for the past 54 years and its held during the first two weeks of August. People from all over the world go to Medellin for this extravagant festival.There are a series of parades, concerts and parties that takes place...However the main attractions are The Antique Car parade (we missed that :/) and the Desfile de Silleteros. The Desfile de Silleteros was breathtaking - during this parade Campesinos - men and women of all ages - walk through the town with a large flower arrangements (Silletes) on their backs, each decorated elaborately with flowers of every color and fragrance you can imagine. La Feria de las Flores began as a relatively low-key affair to help inspire local flower growers in the region. What I loved about this parade and city is how the paisas are ALWAYS true to there culture/history/tradition... It's pretty impressive with all the modern technology they withhold they still manage to perserve and maintain that simplicity! and that is simply ... beautiful.
Santo Domingo Salvio
<3

Publeito Paisa!
The bright/flamboyant colors from the costumes, flowers lit up my eyes...the music, performances and the cheering paisas made me feel the pride, the togetherness and love from everyone! oh not to mention the food... I swear I ate so much and didn't gain a pound lol, why? because everything there is natural! Man, I want to go back =/







Before we actually went to the parade we visited Santa Elena – Corporacion Cultural y Ambiental Familia Londoño. The residential area we went to was up in a gorgeous mountain - The Londoño Family are descendants of silleteros founders of the parade, they have continued the family tradition for generations. They are one of the best known families in that region. For this family, the parade of silleteros represents an opportunity to retake the knowledge acquired from their ancestors and with great imagination create today's Silleteras.

Journalists (including me) with the Londono Family!
The creation of the Silletas actually started out as a transporting tool for importing and exporting salt, they later transformed it to a chair, where they would carry "Important People" down the mountains & now they are used for this particular event. 
Demostrating how at one time "Farmers" had to carry "Important People"


We also went to a couple of museums- my favorite one was the Botero Square, Antioquia Museum. It had over 108 paintings and 23 sculptures from Medellin's very own Fernando Botero. You have to check his art out, if you haven't already. Here is his first painting that discovered him:



by Fernando Botero
Even if its not for a festival go there and explore ... you would love every aspect of it from the food to the mountains and especially the beautiful well mannered people. I've never felt so welcomed in my life then the day I stepped into the beautiful country. I'm so proud to be COLOMBIAN! The only risk in Colombia is not wanting to come back home  . . .
This song/video brings me back to Medellin!! Enjoy





XO,
Samantha




Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Mas Musica


Video Song: "Came Along Way " -Eric Sosa
_____________________________________________________________


Hey Guys,
  
What a long two weeks it has been... But I can't complain, I'm so blessed and thankful for everything coming our way. (I was actually in Medellin, Colombia last week - but stay tune for that post!)

Ok so...
The last two days I was with the legendary EDDIE PALMIERI. Mr. Palmieri - a venerated Puerto Rican icon - celebrated the release of his 1st DVD  Eddie Palmieri 50th Anniversary DVD  which took place at Best Buy (Union Sq). The DVD signing at Best Buy was moderated by Erica Gonzalez, the Executive Editor of El Diario/La Prensa. Click here for the clip! Later that evening, the Publisher and CEO of El Diario/La Prensa (and Birthday Girl!!) Rosanna Rosado, hosted the official DVD release party at Copacabana. The 72year old Latin Jazz Originator performed with his Orchestra,  La Perfecta II. The night also helped raise money for the EXODUS program, an East Harlem project that assists ex-offenders readjust to the demands and challenges of every day society. I actually handled the press for both events, check him out on the The Wall Street Journal and El Diario!  click & read all about it.



Speaking of coming a long way... Eric Sosa, is far from the new kid on the block. As we stated back in April... the young MC has virtually mastered the art of rhetoric and epitomizes lyrical confidence with skill and range that many artists today have not mastered. On Tuesday July 26th - The unsigned talent shared his video with fans, (including us) and other fellow media supporters!  “Came Along (Way)” is the name of the new track/video (you can listen to it in our video). The premiere party took place at the Rocawear's Showroom in the city.  The video is a montage of his earlier days till where he is now. His music is a fusion of personal stuff mixed with whats currently going on - from the crowd's reaction following with an encore, it was needless to say the video was a hit . A big S/O to DJ Zeke, "The to go to Kid"  who was on the 1s and 2s (we love you ZEKE). Willmarie Sena from the Bad Girls club was also there hosting the event. Sosa is taken over the NYC underground scene blessing the stage at various venues, we know he will go along way! (Continue the hustle Eric Sosa)..  we genuinely enjoy watching his progress. click HERE for more of a visual recap of the night!


On Saturday  August 13th, I went to see my fave Reggeaton Duo Wisin y Yandel for their SummerStage performance at Central Park! They gave an awesome performance, people went crazy... there were even panties thrown at them lol, yea..so you can only imagine. Before they went on stage Henry Santos (From Aventura) actually went on and performed a couple of his singles! and of course my love Alex Sensation was there hyping the crowd. He handed out mixed-tapes and took the time to greet screaming fans! May I add the mix tape is off the hook - it's seriously been on repeat ever since it got to my room.SummerStage is New York’s largest free performing arts festival! This year they had over 100 performances to eighteen parks throughout the five boroughs. With performances ranging from American pop, Latin and world music to dance, spoken word and theater, SummerStage fills a vital niche in New York City’s summer arts festival landscape. For the past twenty-six years, more than six million people from New York City and around the world have enjoyed SummerStage. This particular event concluded Pepsi's Sabados de Verano summer concert series ... but don't worry SummerStage is still going till September 2nd - check out http://www.summerstage.com/and see if you can catch some awesome FREE performances!

Music, what would we do without it?  Music can influence our life in a positive or negative way. A certain melody or song can inspire us and lift our spirits or make us cry.  The power of music is HUGE it moves us emotionally and physically! Whether its Jazz, Rap, Salsa,  R&B etc ... you can find yourself getting lost into it - you can either hate it or love it, if you think about it, your opinion on music describes YOU! Attending various events actually made me extremely aware of this power... Music shapes us - we pretty much are what we listen to.

Check out Jessica's recap on The Sound of New York an event we co-sponsored last Thursday... Mas Musica!!! :D
 
with Alex Sensation at SummerStage :)












xo, Samantha
Song of the Week - Mr. Saxo beat! -Alexandra Stan
___

What's Up,

This past week we co-sponsored a great showcase with Urban Latino Magazine called The Sound of New York, presented by DeeGee Works aka Mr. Miguel Bonilla's independent production company. 

Miguel Bonilla started his career as Marc Anthony's piano player and since has worked with like La India and produced music for Elvis Crespo, Ricardo Arjona, Victor Manuelle, Huey Dunbar, and Don Omar.

Scene Stealers with Miguel Bonilla
In 2010 Miguel Bonilla launched DeeGee Works, which is dedicated to promoting the New York City latin music scene. DeeGee Works is helping new artists such as Papito, Sostre, OMG, LuLu, and others start a career in the music industry. Miguel’s vision for his sound is a fusion of cultures, sounds and music genres. This style arranges from Salsa, Hip Hop, Kumbia, Rock, and Pop.

DeeGee Works definitely stood true to its mission at The Sound of New York Showcase with live performances by George Lamond, Fragancia (Formerly of DLG), Papito, Sostre and Zeitlin Perez. C&C Music Factory’s Angel Deleon hosted the event, while DJ Lucho provided music along with Miguel’s all-star band and artists. So before I tell you how the showcase went, here's some background info on the artists that rocked the stage at R-Bar.

Fraganica
George LaMond began his music career focusing on the, then up-and-coming genre of Freestyle. His first big break came in 1989 when he signed to independent record label Ligosa Records...and from there his career completely took off! He moved to Columbia Records and toured with top artist like New Kids on the Block, thanks in large part to the success of his hit songs "Bad of the Heart," "Without You", "Look Into My Eyes" and his duet with Brenda K. Starr, "No Matter What." But he wasn't content with just simply conquering the English-speaking market, so LaMond joined the roster at Prestigio Records and was transformed into a Latin superstar. His first single, "Si Tu Te Vas," quickly reached the top of the charts and opened up opportunities for him to work with some of the best names in the industry, such as Marc Anthony, Johnny Rivera and Sergio George.His 2001 album GL earned critical acclaim and spawned the radio hits "Jurare Quererte" and "Volver Amar". Currently part of dance-pop label Robbins Entertainment, LaMond made a big splash with "Don’t Stop Believin'."

Fraganica was part of the Grammy award winning group, DLG. The popular Latin trio came into the music scene with great force, and frequent top-ranking hits such as "Morir", "La Quiero a Morir", "Juliana", "Toda Mi Coarzon". After many successful years together the group decided to amicably split and purse solo careers. With a multitude of experience under his belt, Fragancia decided that now would be the right time to embark on a solo career. Fraga is set on changing the face of Latin Hip Hop while making his fans say, “Wow”!

Scene Stealers with Papito
Papito can tap into different genres of music, ranging from reggaeton to salsa. He has already had three successful albums: Papito Sur 4, El Trago and Sin Mirar Atras. DeeGee Works not only produced two of the albums. Some of his recent accomplishments included the hit singles "El Trago" and "Aun Vive en Mi", both have been played on mainstream radio and internet radio.
Sostre, the "Atrevete" singer debuted at #45 on the Latin Billboard charts without being signed to any major record label. The music video for "Atrevete" made its network debut on Music Choice On-Demand, LaTV, Es Musica, and more national networks. DeeGee Works produced the hit sensation "Atrevete" and "Amada." Sostre is now working on his debut solo album and is constantly releasing new music downloads for his demanding fans.

Papito with some fan/band members
And lastly, Ms. Zeitlin Perez...you remember don't you? She was part of the talented art collective Art For Money and sang at GIVEN's very first Acoustic Tuesday event at Sazon. Well, Zeitlin is an accomplished vocalist with an incredible taste for diverse music. She was part of an all female bachata group, Syrenz and joined an all female R&B group, Diamond. Her ability to switch up the genres is what sets her apart from many.  Zeitlin has performed for merengue pioneers: Rubby Perez, Johnny Ventura, The Henry Jimenez Band, but so far her carreer highlight was being on tour with Grammy Award-Winning Dominican-Merengue singer, Milly Quezada.

The night was filled with great music with each artist performing one to two songs...but the real focus was on the creative genius of Miguel Bonilla and DeeGee Works. Joshua Torrez (we absolutely adore him!) and Chika made did surprise performances as well! There was such an awesome turnout for the event, so many artists and industry people in attendance...we even bumped into my buddy, K7 (::lovestruck:: lol). I recommend you to google these artists...you'll definitely have some new music to add to your ipod.


Enjoy!

Song of the Week: "Cold War (Wondamix)"- Janelle Monae

xo, Jessica 






____________________________________________________________________

Are You FABulous Contest?!


We're having another contest!!! Yay!! We're giving away 2 tickets to FAB's 2 Year Anniversary event on Tuesday, August 23rd at Pranna in NYC with Keynote Speaker, Stephen Dimmick (a 23-yr Veteran celebrity make-up artist, who's worked with Christian Dior Valentino & Marc Jacobs...just to name a few).

So here are the contest rules, they're simple...Become our friend on facebook and post a pic of you fabulously changing your community with a short description of what you are doing.  

Here's an example's:
Here's a pic of me and Samantha taking part in NY Cares Day...repainting and cleaning classrooms in a public school in the Bronx. We had a great time giving this school a make over...and hoped the children benefited from a brighter, cleaner learning environment.

Here's alittle info on The FAB Network: 
FAB is a professional consulting firm dedicated to fostering career and social opportunities for young adults to help build and enhance their careers in the worlds of Fashion, Arts, Beauty and related industries. We are an organization that provides engaging and creative career development services and exclusive industry knowledge that educates and prepares individuals to succeed, both professionally and personally.  

 Good Luck!


________________________________________________________

Become our friend on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Meet up with us on FourSquare

Check us out on
Catch us every Monday (10pm-1am) only on

and find us on

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

TOMORROW! TOMORROW! TOMORROW!!!

___________________________________________________
DeeGee Works, Miguel Bonilla presents

THE SOUND OF NEW YORK

featuring LIVE performances from

George Lamond (www.Georgelamondonline.com)

Fragancia - formerly of DLG (https://twitter.com/#!/fra​gancia)

Papito (www.facebook.com/papitosur​4)

Sostre (www.sostremusic.com)

& Zeitlin Perez (http://www.facebook.com/pe​ople/Zeitlin-Perez/6483861​59)

The Band:
Miguel Bonilla (Band Leader): Piano and Synth
Jessie Caraballo (Marc anthony's drummer)
Luis Quintero (Famous latin percussionist from Venezuela)
Henry Hierro on Bass (From Taxi amarillo)
Pablo santaella (Trombonista de los adolecentes)
ELSON (Coros y Guitar)

Music by DJ Lucho

Hosted by Angel DeLeon - CC Music Factory

Doors Open at 7PM.

Must RSVP to attend: email promotions@ulmedia.net or nyscenestealers@gmail.com

Brought to you by
Urban Latino (http://www.urbanlatino.com​/)
& Scene Stealers (http://www.officialscenest​ealers.com/)

RBar - 218 Bowery, New York City
www.rbarnyc.com