FUN
The band Fun. and New York based designer Rachel Antonoff have joined forces to create The Ally Coalition (TAC), a partnership devoted to encouraging and inspiring the music, fashion, and entertainment communities to take action in support of LGBTQ equality.
The Ally Coalition aims to have an all-embracing presence in music, fashion and entertainment and will work individually with members from each community to raise both awareness and funds in support of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer) equality. The first of these efforts will be with Fun. on the upcoming REVERB Campus Consciousness Tour. The tour – presented in partnership with non-profit group REVERB and Ben & Jerry’s- will hit colleges across the country this fall. To kick off the tour, Fun will be holding a private media acoustic set with a special Q&A panel to discuss the tour’s social mission focus – LGBTQ equality and Getting the Dough Out of Politics.
When early December descends upon us, yes we remember that the holidays are just around the corner, but music and art lovers alike have their own little holiday to anticipate: Miami Art Basel. In 2011, there was a record attendance of 50,000 (up from 40,000 just one year earlier) so it's clear that the annual exhibition is flourishing. The roster of music fueled events that hit Miami each year are adding up and it's no surprise that a new music festival is in the works to correspond with Art Basel. Alex Omes and Emi Guerra of GO BIG Productions are adding yet another musical force to their agenda with the introduction of the first annual UR1 Music Festival in Miami.
“We Are Young” hit makers Fun. (which includes previous members of The Format) brought their energetic tour to Terminal 5 on Saturday, June 16 and it’s safe to say everyone in New York City heard the show. Or at least the crowd.
Fans of The Format are no stranger to lead singer Nate Ruess’ powerful voice, which transcended through arguably the nosiest crowd Terminal 5 has experienced. It’s apparent Nate was born for the stage, as he jumped and pranced his way around other Fun. members and floating balloons.
Nate Ruess, Jack Antonoff, and Andrew Dost are FUN. Well, at least that’s what they boldly state as the name of their American indie pop band, blowing up radio stations nationwide.
With Ruess (formerly of The Format) as lead vocals, Antonoff (of Steel Train) on guitars, trumpet, and Dost’s (of Anathallo) contribution of vocals, piano, drums, keyboard, guitars, and of course the flugelhorn and glockenspiel. But of course. The band formed in the winter of 2008. Their album Aim and Ignite was released in 2009 on the label Nettwerk Records and Some Nights on Fueled by Ramen will be released this February 21.
It’s that time again. The credits have rolled on another weekend and it feels like the next one is light years away. Mondays don’t have to be so gloomy though. Here are some fun and inexpensive ways to get through work week day one and start sailing to next weekend.
Lunch Time Pampering
Surely there must have been something that happened over the weekend that needs to be told in person. Skip the take-out and actually leave the office. Schedule a lunch time manicure with a friend. This will this cut your endless Monday into two manageable parts. If you make this a weekly ritual, you may actually look forward to Mondays.
Wear a New Outfit
Plan out an amazing set of threads to dress in on Monday. The excitement and feeling of looking spectacular will leave you buzzed with energy all day. By the time you realize it, the day will be over and you will be thinking of when you can wear it again, not how many more hours you need to work.
Happy Hour
Most after work watering holes are empty Monday nights since people just want to get home and put the first day behind them. As a result, a lot of bars and restaurants have great Monday specials. Make a plan with some friends to try a new place every Monday evening. If it happens to be football season, pick a place that is showing the game, and maybe you’ll even score a date for Tuesday.
Go On a Lunch Date
Make a plan to meet that awesome guy from Friday night for lunch on Monday. Lunch dates are the perfect first date.They are shorter than dinner, so you won’t feel trapped if your memory was playing tricks on you. Since they are longer than coffee, you will have enough time to decide on date two. Even if the date is bad, you can still have fun emailing your friends about it Monday afternoon.
Take a Fun Class
The gym routine can get old. Rather than the usual cardio kickboxing class on Mondays, sign up for a fun class. Salsa dancing can be exciting and help burn off those late night Saturday drinks. If dancing isn’t your forte, try art or join a book club. There are classes and groups for anything you can imagine. Stop procrastinating and sign up for something today.
Mondays are always around the corner. Rather than dreading them, use the opportunity to do something fun. There are numerous of activities you can do to get through the day. Always remember, the faster Monday ends, the sooner Friday comes.
New Orleans-infused entertainment complex, 115 Bourbon Street, has that Windy City charm mixed with Big Easy resilience. The large facility, located at 3359 W. 115th Street, functions as a sports bar, beer garden, restaurant, night club, performance hall, and lounge. The multidimensional venue harbors delightfully authentic decor, zesty lighting and tons of comfortable seating.
On Thursday and Saturday evenings from 10:00 pm – 3:00am, the Nightclub is its hottest. The DJ plays hours of Top-40, classic hits, house music and progressive tracks. The dance floor, which usually has a great deal of tables and chairs, becomes vibrant –and people from all over come to share in the music, liquor and Mardi Gras beads. The platform in the middle of dance floor is the perfect place to catch beads and the occasional t-shirt –it’s also a great place to find your moment in the spotlight. In the same room, they have a photo booth, which they sometimes allow to use for free.
With the recent news of the iPhone coming to Verizon, it stands to reason that it may become the most popular phone of its generation. Millions of different cases have been created for the phone, and it was only a matter of time before some designers pushed the envelope on cool.
Here are a few of the most quirky, creative, and neat iPhone cases that have cropped up:
The Rotary Phone Case:
For those of us who find the old-fashioned rotary phone design appealing, there is a case that captures its charms without the pain of having to wind the dial for each and every number out for the iPhone 4. It’s charming, fun to touch, and durable despite appearances.
New York City is where everyone goes to "make it," and accordingly, only a very small portion succeed. Countless numbers of actors, artists, writers, musicians, and other “professionals” have ultimately been forced to turn tail and retreat from a city that exemplifies the “dog eat dog” mentality. Rising proudly from the slew of undocumented failures that this city has aborted is The London Souls. When contemporary musicians spend their time experimenting with electronics that clog a stage faster than dreadlocks caught in an overhead fan, The London Souls occupy their time refining their soulful, blues-rock influence into a rocking sound that quickly fills any listener with the warm comfort of a traditional rock feeling. They play fervently with decades of musical influence under their belts and convert that energy into a show ripe with power, charisma, and an overall rock and roll sound that is equally fresh and familiar at the same time, not to mention loud. I got the chance to speak with this unique group of musicians about their music, their influences, the importance of having fun, and playing rock and roll music in the fickle New York music scene.
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