Archive for March, 2011

Watch the The VIBE House Live on Ustream

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Starting tonight at 8pm CST/6pm PT, the 2011 SXSW VIBE House powered by Cashmere will be live from Austin, Texas.

Watch everything that goes down tonight at The VIBE House powered by Cashmere Agency with performances by Tech N9ne, Killer Mike, Mistah F.A.B., Bliss N Eso, Chiddy Bang, Husalah,  Young L along with some surprise guests.

For a complete broadcast schedule and to RSVP, check out the channel page here.

Cashmere Says Goodbye to Nate Dogg

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

It’s with great sadness that we report the passing of  hip-hop artist and G-Funk innovator Nathaniel D. Hale, better known to hip-hop fans as Nate Dogg. The rap star, born and raised in Long Beach, CA was 41.

Nate Dogg came to prominence in the early ’90s as part of the West Coast’s ascension to the top of hip-hop music world as part of the legendary Death Row Records camp. Along with Snoop Dogg, Warren G, the Dogg Pound, and Dr. Dre, the G-Funk era dominated the charts and it was Nate’s soulful voice that accentuated the hard, street lyrics of his rap contemporaries.

His voice became synonymous with G-Funk music and was tapped to sing on tracks with such artists as E-40, Ludacris, Mos Def, Ice Cube, 50 Cent, and Eminem. In total, Nate Dogg was featured in and contributed to over 40 chart singles.

On behalf of the Cashmere family, we want to send our thoughts, our prayers, and our support to the many friends and loving family of Nate Dogg.

R.I.P. Nate Dogg.

#PrayForJapan Exhibition

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

The recent devastation in Japan has prompted a number of Los Angeles artists to come together  to raise money for relief efforts. Caro, founder of Sweet Streets LA, an annual group art show inspired by Harajuku street fashion, announced the #PrayForJapan fundraiser this past Saturday morning.

Named after the Twitter hashtag, the exhibition originated as an online campaign, but has since grown into a full-fledged event with other Angelenos joining the cause. By Saturday afternoon, JapanLA’s Jamie Rivadeneira had invited Caro to hold the fundraiser at her Japanese pop culture shop on Melrose, where it will be held March 19^th.

The #PrayForJapan exhibit will feature works by Shibuya Girls Pop, a Tokyo-based artist collective managed by Caro, and all proceeds will go directly to the American Red Cross efforts in Japan.

Sweet Streets and JapanLA are asking artists who wish to contribute in the exhibit, as well as volunteers to set up Saturday night, to email Caro at info@streetsweetsla.com.

Cashmere Event Recap: Red Bull Soundclash

Monday, March 14th, 2011

On a chilly night on the world famous Las Vegas strip, 6,000 spring breakers packed into the MGM Resorts International lot to experience Red Bull Soundclash.  The show was one of the hottest tickets in town, and the line stretched down the block with fans eagerly awaiting entry.

The event featured Grammy Award winner Cee Lo Green and The Ting Tings on opposing stages with the audience in prime position in-between both acts to take in the back-and-forth collaborative performance.

Host La La Anthony oversaw the “musical conversation” between Cee Lo and The Ting Tings, as they performed various musical challenges showcasing their musical abilities. Red Bull Soundclash’s experimental format included the following:

Round 1 – The Warm Up: Each artist performed three songs of their original material to start the show.  Cee Lo performed “Lady Killer,” “Bright Lights” and the Gnarls Barkley hit “Crazy.”  The Ting Tings followed with their songs “Keep Your Head,” “Hit Me Down Sonny” and “Shut Up and Let Me Go.”

Round 2– The Cover: The second round featured both bands covering the same song with their own personal style. This night, he crowd was treated to each band’s unique spin on The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”  Cee Lo delivered a faithful rendition of the classic song, adding a bit of gospel flare.  The Ting Tings teased the crowd with a bass-heavy version before exploding into a high energy finale.

Round 3 – The Takeover: This  round showcased a collaboration between the two bands.  Each was tasked with seamlessly finishing the second half of a song started by the opposing band.  Cee Lo’s performed the Gnarls Barkley tune, “Run”,  that then was followed by The Ting Tings’ “Fruit Machine.”  Cee Lo continued with another Gnarls Barkley song “Smiley Faces”, before finishing  with The Ting Tings’ “Be the One.”

Round 4 – The Clash: The fourth round highlighted the artists’ musical versatility by having them perform their songs in three different styles outside their usual repertoire.  The styles included reggae, acoustic and rock/metal.

Round 5 – The Wildcard: In the fifth round, the bands invited a special guests to perform with them on stage. The Ting Tings tapped The King himself – Elvis Presley (impersonator) to help with their hit single “That’s Not My Name.”  Cee Lo brought out Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp to reunite Goodie Mob for a performance of “Get Rich to This.”

The night ended with the two groups on one stage performing the grand finale, a collaborative rendition of CeeLo’s hit “Fu*k You.”  The audience left knowing that they had witnessed a musical showcase unlike anything they had seen or heard before.

Up next, Red Bull Soundclash heads to the spring break hotspot South Padre Island in Texas where Snoop Dogg and Ghostland Observatory will perform together this Thursday,  March 17, 2011.  Tickets for this event are available at redbullusa.com/soundclash.

SXSW 2011: Artists Announced for The VIBE House!

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Los Angeles/New York/Austin (March 11, 2011) – VIBE and Cashmere Agency are excited to announce the most comprehensive urban lineup for the official SXSW Showcase, The VIBE House. The must-attend showcase begins on March 16 and runs through March 19, 2011 at Venue 222 (222 East 6^th Street, Austin, TX 78701).  The showcase features some the biggest names in urban music, including DJ Quik, Tha Dogg Pound, Slaughterhouse, Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Curren$y, Big K.R.I.T., EPMD, Killer Mike and Blu. Fans can also expect many surprise performances each night during The VIBE House showcase. (Full showcase list below).

The VIBE House is the hottest ticket in Austin during SXSW 2011 and features four nights of performances packed with the over 70 of the hottest urban artists and up-and-comers and “The VIBE House Party,” a special all-day Saturday (March 19) live music event featuring the exciting lineup of AllHipHop.com’s “Breeding Ground” and Cashmere Agency’s “Respect The West” showcase, presented by Stampede Management.

The VIBE House promises to be the most interactive showcase at SXSW 2011 with a coordinated social media strategy encompassing all the artists’ social networks. Newly remodeled, Venue 222 will be providing free high-speed Wi-Fi capabilities to all attendees allowing artists and partygoers to interact with various social media hubs including Twitter via @CashmereAgency and @VibeMagazine. The VIBE House attendees can also check-in on Foursquare and Hashable, as well as use #VIBEHouseSXSW hashtag on Twitter for a chance to receive exclusive prizes.

Saturday’s day long “VIBE House Party” will also feature a Xbox Kinect full interactive gaming lounge with plasma TVs and the hottest games, Dance Central and Kinect Sports, for attendees to enjoy. The House Party will also feature exclusive gifting by PRO-Keds, Skullcandy and Looxcie.

Attendees can RSVP for The VIBE House,  view live streaming performances and daily recap videos on www.vibe.com/sxsw.

Stay tuned to www.vibe.com/sxsw for announcements on additional artist performances and special events taking place at The VIBE House.

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Atabey is the Movement!

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Courtesy of Cashmere Crew member James Koo

I’ve grown up on all sorts of music, from folk, to indie, to dubstep, to r&b and hip hop. Lately, it’s almost been entirely pop and rap. All I hear are 808s and atonal beeping. Sometimes the homogeneity of the music just comes off as the type of sounds a toaster would make while hitting on a microwave. Think about it.

So let’s take it back. Back to an era where drums were pure and music was made with more than a mouse and keyboard. If you’ve been searching for music that’s a raw reflection of culture through drumming, dance, and song, check out Bomba music. Created by African slaves who worked on Puerto Rican sugarcane plantations, the music reflects a diverse influence with religious, cultural, and socioeconomic undertones–while still making room to reflect the struggles of life and love.

If you’re in Los Angeles, come join us in shouting out “ATABEY!”, one of many names used to call on mother earth in Taino culture! It’s all happening tomorrow night.

Thursday March 10th @ the Paramount
2708 E Cesar Chavez Ave
East Los Angeles
Only $10

With everything from Caribbean food and drinks to books, live music, and spoken word, this is the perfect opportunity to engage in something genuinely organic. With guests from all over the US and Puerto Rico, you’re not going to want to miss out on this chance to spend a non-L.A. evening in LA.

$10 Cover? Not bad. No cro-magnon bouncer with an inflated sense of entitlement? Good. FOOD, DRINK, and MUSIC? TOTALLY AWESOME!! For more information, please visit Atabey on Facebook.

Red Bull Soundclash Spring Break Takeover!

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

This March, Las Vegas and South Padre Island in Texas will be THE music lovers destination for spring break. Red Bull Soundclash is putting on two unprecedented live music showcases featuring first-time ever match ups between Cee Lo Green and the Ting Tings at the MGM Resorts International in Vegas on March 12th; while Snoop Dogg takes on Ghostland Observatory at Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark on South Padre Island March 17th.

Red Bull Soundclash is a unique clash of sounds, styles and creativity, that features two bands with different musical styles (e.g. Hip Hop vs. Electronic) facing off on two stages positioned on opposite ends of the venue with the audience in the middle.  Over a period of four rounds, the bands complete various tasks, some rehearsed, and some improvised, to showcase their musical abilities:

• Round 1 - The Cover: Both bands play their own version of the same cover song.
• Round 2 - The Takeover: Begins with the first band playing one of its original songs and mid-way through the other band takes over, seamlessly finishing the song in their own style.
• Round 3 - The Clash: Highlights each band’s musical versatility by having them perform songs in three different styles.
• Round 4 - The Joker: Each act brings out a special guest to join their performance.

For more information and to get your pre-sale tickets, that are available now for $10, please visit redbullusa.com/soundclash.

Snoop DoGGGG plays the G-Connection

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

When we last left off on the G-Connection, Brittany Dailey had selected Snoop DoGGGG over ReGGie and GreGG to go out with on a date. Was Snoop DoGGGG everything Brittany Dailey wanted? Or was the Boss DoGGGG’s ballin’ lifestyle too hectic for her? Find out in the final episode of the “G-Connection with Snoop Dogg & Warren G”.

Check out episode 3 of “the G-Connection with Snoop Dogg & Warren G” below.

Cashmere Event Recap: 2011 Long Beach Step Show

Monday, March 7th, 2011

This past weekend “Step N2 the Beach” Long Beach Step Show turned 21, as African-American fraternities and sororities brought their A-game to be crowned the Kings and Queens of the biggest Step Show competition on the West Coast.

Organized by Cal State University, Long Beach (CSULB), and, of course, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the show features musical performances as well as a friendly competition between the  nine traditional African-American fraternities and sororities as they step to win prizes. The nine participating houses, or the “Divine 9″,  include fraternities Alpha Phi Alpha, Iota Phi Theta,  Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, and Phi Beta Sigma and sororities Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Zeta Phi Beta. This year’s theme was “Step Epic…The Long Beach Take Over”. Proceeds from ticket sales go towards community outreach and leadership programs initiated by the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

Cashmere had a heavy presence this year as our clients MetroPCS, Terminator, and musical artist Kendré were all involved. Kendré made a big splash with an exciting performance and later mingling with the crowd and hadning out his Who’s The Nerd? mixtape.  DJ Willie Shakes was also on hand passing out Terminator products as well as educating students and others on safe sex.

But the event was about the step crews. Kappa Alpha Psi pulled out a surprise as they brought out a young Kappa in training (couldn’t be older than eight) that charmed the ladies.  The Iota’s held it down with human jump ropes and other assorted acrobatic moves. The Sigma’s team was stuck back east and only had one person make it out to the West Coast, however that one Sigma held it down for the entire set all on his own and impressed the crowd.

During intermission, some of the Cashmere Crew handed out giftbags to the judges, laced with all sorts of goodies.  There were plenty of smiles, dancing, stepping, strolling and other fun had by all.  We want to thank CSULB for having us and we look forward to another 21 years with them and their successful event.

At the end of the night, it was the brothers from the Iota Phi Theta fraternity and the ladies of Zeta Phi Beta sorority that stood tall. Congrats to both houses. Check out the full gallery of photos Cashmere captured from this weekend’s event here!

Cashmere Tech Wrap-Up

Friday, March 4th, 2011

HASHABLE KICKS #SS AT TAKING NAMES

It’s time to ditch those business cards and thank-you notes for good. Hashable’s here and making it easy to (virtually) do both.

Michael Yavonditte wants Hashable–which combines the connection mojo of LinkedIn, the hashtag shorthand of Twitter, and the check in functionality of Foursquare–to change the face of networking.

“People are really interested in accessing who is connected to whom, and how strong those connections are. That is the kind of data we have,” Hashable’s CEO tells Fast Company. More to the immediate future, Yavonditte and his team plan to unleash a guerrilla marketing campaign at SxSW that they hope will make them the darlings of the interactive conference, a position Foursquare clinched last year.

“Foursquare popularized the notion of a person wanting to know if their other friends are at Starbucks [or some other location]. With Hashable you are checking in with a person as opposed to location. We are the inventors of people check-ins.”

Click to read full article

FACEBOOK SNAPS UP GROUP MESSAGING SERVICE BELUGA

Beluga caviar is some of the world’s most sought after (and expensive).

So it’s a name that suited Beluga, the group messaging service, which was also sought after in Silicon Valley.

Google employees behind Beluga — Ben Davenport, Lucy Zhang and Jonathan Perlow —  were in the midst of raising a round of angel funding that had become quite competitive when Facebook, fast becoming the Moby Dick of Internet companies, swallowed it up Tuesday, snapping up its talented team and its popular service.

It’s clearly a catch. TechCrunch’s MG Siegler called Beluga his “group messaging white whale,” as he quickly became hooked on it. Beluga lets users send instant messages, photos and location information to groups.

“This was a good, fast move by Facebook,” Siegler wrote.

Click to read full article

7 EXCEPTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR MARKETING SINGLES

The use of the ‘single’ has always been a popular way to release music, dating all the way back to the introduction of the gramophone player in the early 1900s when the 7-inch, 10-inch or 12-inch vinyl ‘single’ was the premier music format. Although newer technology has moved the focus to the album rather than the single, the digital music format seems to be giving ‘the single’ a resurgence in not only popularity, but in importance as well.

The Single has now evolved into a multi-purpose marketing tool, giving musicians the opportunity to offer different styles of ‘singles’ to their fans for a variety of different outcomes.

Click to read full article

TWEETLOUDER – HOW FANS TRACK FAVORITE BANDS

No matter how dedicated of a fan you are, it takes time to add all of your favorite bands to Twitter. Track them down. Determine if they’re worth following. And add them.

TweetLouder is a new service that seeks to simplify this task.

It uses your Twitter account and your music listening history to connect you with show updates from your favorite musicians. Snyc your music accounts up from iTunes to Pandora and in moments, an official list of Twitter accounts is created.

One click and an act is followed.

This service comes by way of the concert tracking startup SonicLiving. This shows the power of open APIs and how value can be created. Tell your fans.

Click to read full article

HOW TO: TURN YOUR FACEBOOK PROFILE PHOTO INTO A VIDEO

Some Facebook users — myself formerly among them — are obsessive profile tweakers. We edit our list of interests. We reorganize our photo albums and experiment with awesome profile photo hacks. We weigh carefully whether we want to “Like” this Page or that, because we wonder how that information will be inferred. And we’re always just a little bit, well, bored with our profiles.

Enter FlipYourProfile, a new Facebook app slash browser plugin that allows you to replace your profile photo with a video. That’s right. You no longer have to have a boring still image in your profile photo box. You can have a moving, breathing, sound-generating profile video on loop.

The app was built by Cisco and DDB Singapore as a way of promoting the former’s line of Flip video cameras.

Click to read full article