Tangina Stone at Rough Trade NYC

    Good friend of mine and amazingly talented musician, artist on the rise, Tangina Stone headlined at one of the hippest new in-the-cut venues in Brooklyn on Tuesday. Rough Trade is a record shop, bookstore, ping-pong hangout in Williamsburg where there is also a performance venue in the back fully equipped with a bar and balcony for additional seating. The space is dope and so were the performers. Stone was joined by, other femme music artists, Sonic and Polly A, as well as a femme DJ DJ Whitney who kept the crowd dancing before and long after the show.

Sonic

 
 Opening up was Sonic. "A former contestant on The Voice Season 8, Sonic's soulfully versatile and dynamic sound secured her a spot on Christina Aguilera's team and ultimately catapulted her to a spot in the show's top 20. Inspired by artists past and present like Pharrell Williams, Billie Holiday, Chaka Khan and Sade, Sonic incorporates these influences into her abstract r&b soulful sound. She released her three track mixtape titled 'WAV' in the summer of 2015, and is set to release an original, more in depth project, later this summer."  Sonic's music is alternative and sultry, the band backing her and her voice brought on such a mood. They were able to hype up the crowd and make people dance, with soft melodic tones reminiscent of Sade meets Nelly Furtado. A phenomenal kick-off to the performances this evening.

Polly A

   Next up was Polly A, who's style was unmistakably significant from her hair to her voice. "LA-based singer/songwriter Polly A has written for the likes of Alicia Keys, Selena Gomez and J. Cole ("Crooked Smile"). She was one of only three female artists to perform at this year's Rolling Loud Festival annd has been in-studio with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Salaam Remi. Polly A will release her sophomore EP later this summer and her new single, "Just Like That" is out now!"



  and of course, closing out the show was Tangina giving us a full set of her music old and new, including her latest single "Anxious" and her first ever recording "Reasons", and even a cover. This has been my third time seeing Tangina Stone live in the past month and I am always impressed. Her band never disappoints and it is always an experience. This evening I was the photographer, but that did not slow me down from having a good time. Her album will be releasing very soon and more info is available for upcoming shows on tanginastone.com/ . For now here are a few moments I captured of her set.

My #Curlfest hair-do !

I'm not quite sure what to call this look but I certainly turned heads at Curl Fest on Saturday. Here's what I did:

CURLFEST 2017

     Right in the middle of Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY Curl Fest was back again for it's 3rd go 'round as the largest celebration of Black Hair! This was by far the largest turnout I have ever seen for any kind of festival. There were tons and tons of festival goers circulating in and out, there could not have been a more perfect location. I arrived around 3pm with my squad and was immediately excited by the large groups of people I saw coming and going as we journeyed to festival grounds. I ran into a friend by the name of Ike Slimster who was working a live painting station alongside other Black visual artists, there were several stations much like this one and of course the area was outlined with booths and tents of various companies for natural hair products and other Black-owned goods. Spike Lee was even there selling merch for his upcoming series "She's Gotta Have It" a reboot of his 1986 film. Undoubtedly , the stage was the main event, host and DJ's keeping the crowd moving (literally) the whole day, in yesterday's overcast heat. You can hear the music on your way, and there was a variety of everything you would love to dance, chill, and vibe out to. Now, what truly made #curlfest2017 such an amazing event was of course the audience. The lovely festival goers, the crowd primarily made up of femmes of the African Diaspora with all kinds of hairstyles. Undeniably the good ol', wash and go/twist out/braid out/fluff and go/I woke up like dis afro was the number 1 look, but there was such an assortment of attention grabbing hairspiration it felt like every poster in the hair salon, pinterest hashtag, and dreamy tumblr page came to life. and OF COURSE the festival was a photo-op for everyone. There were a lot of photographers out. To get the full experience or at least visual I would highly recommend checking out the "#curlfest2017" hashtag on instagram, there are already thousands of posts. Here are the photos I was able to capture:

Loc Update-UPDATE

International African Arts Festival (photos)

This festival is back, in Brooklyn this year, and this was my first time attending. With African and Caribbean food, live music, and of course hundreds of vendors IAA did not disappoint. The abundance of vendors providing more of a variety of product than any festival I have ever been too, handmade bags, scarves, jewelry, shoes, hair/body products, and ALL TYPES of Clothing !

Loc UPDATE !

"Kiss it Better": Taylor Steele and Kearmonie!

  Last  month a good friend of mine Taylor Steele and I put together a little poetry reading at Father Knows Best in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The intimate performance included a set of poems from Taylor, followed by a set by myself and accompanied by 2 group pieces. Here are a few pieces from the evening

3 Headwrap Styles with Shoulder-Length Locs !

ctrl

   A 20-something's dream formed of romantic nightmares. ctrl is like floating on a cloud of heartache and grief, a melodic journey through one's spirituality. Thematically weaving love, sex, self-doubt, and a carefree attitude our lovely SZA done did it !
Fans have been awaiting a SZA album for the last 3 years. The long-haired freckled face teen queen first hit the scene with a mixtape titled "see.SZA.run" followed by "S" and then a project called "Z" after her signing with TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment), the label that brought us our beloved Kendrick Lamar. She gained most mainstream recognition for her project "Z" and music lovers have been anxiously awaiting more ever since.

   and it is here ! With perfect timing as the pre-summer heat teases all of us. The first track is "Supermodel", a love letter, well a break-up dedicated to a lover who won't claim her. Before the song even starts we hear a voice, that sounds like an older woman saying "My greatest fear that if I lost control, or did not have control things would just, be -- fatal". Listening to the album we hear this voice a few more time discussing things they've learned about life and friendships, listeners later learn that this is SZA's mother, which makes the album even more of a gem. The album also features flawless verses from TDE label mates Kendrick Lamar and Isaiah, both incredibly fitting for each song. Travis Scott is the only other featured artist on the single "Love Galore" which was released just a few weeks prior.

   A few standout tracks include The Weekend, Broken Clocks, and 20-something all sure to put anyone deep in their feelings. Nonetheless, all of the songs are beautiful. Walking down the street, sitting in the park, crying over an ex, cleaning the house? Whatever you are doing ctrl is a great option for just relaxing and getting into some good good. SZA does not shy away from the truth and has probably sparked music festival ticket sales for this summer because I know I NEED to see this performed live, all of it.