Jun 14, 2015

Dance until the Sun Goes Down #DayShiftSEA















One of my pet peeves about the social scene in Seattle is the lack of overall promotion for events and finding out about them hella late. Throw my transplant status into the mix and well, sometimes I'm left finding out about the latest happenings moments before they start. That's the case with the #DayShiftSEA event happening today from 2p to Sunset at Captain Blacks in Capitol Hill.

Brought to you by the wonderful folks at Night Shift SEA, #DayShiftSEA is the daytime, sunshine edition of their dance party. It's a beautiful day in Seattle, so get some drinks, meet new people, and sweat your hair out!

#DayShiftSEA
2p to Sunset
Captain Blacks - 129 Belmont Ave. E
$10 Cover


For a sample of the sounds your ears will be blessed with...



A photo posted by Night Shift (@nightshiftsea) on



Jun 9, 2015

Uniting Seattle Minorities in Tech & Creative Industries (via @hereSeattle)

I've worked in advertising for quite a number of years and for the most part I've been the only (or one of a few) minorities in the company and on my immediate team. Moving to Seattle this was even more present as I realized my new company (and city) had an even fewer number of brown faces.

At times the reality of having few people "look like me" can take its toll and make life as a Tech/Creative professional in Seattle seem daunting. In short, the struggle is real.

Founded in 2014, HERE Seattle is "an organization for minorities in creative and technical industries in Seattle, founded on the principles of empowering members through networking, philanthropic activity and enhancing industry knowledge."

A girlfriend told me about the group back in March and I had the pleasure of attending my first event in May when they hosted their "We Got the Jazz" social at the Columbia Towers. I didn't know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised! Also, if I'm keeping it 100, I was just excited to have a reason to get mildly dressed up (Seattle's version -- because I didn't rock jeans out socially like that in Chicago lol).

The founders (Seth, Andre, Eric & Todd -- 4 dapper black men) did a great job working the room and taking the time to connect with everyone who attended. From my past experiences attending social events geared toward black professionals, the event hosts have dropped the ball in making the effort to connect with folks. I could tell everyone in the room at the HERE Seattle event felt welcome and appreciated. On top of that the music was dope and the vibe was chill. It lacked the pretentiousness that can often follow young, black professionals...

Their upcoming June event will take place on Wednesday, June 17th (full details can be found by joining the group -- click here). I can officially give them my stamp of approval, but if you require seeing some receipts, check out a quick recap of their May "We Got The Jazz" event below.


HERE Seattle Presents: We Got The Jazz - 5.1.2015 from Here Seattle on Vimeo.


Jun 2, 2015

DOPE Movie (via @DOPEMovie)

I just saw the trailer for DOPE, and already know it'll be a summertime classic! It's exciting to see the next generation of rising black actors shining in this refreshing film. DOPE will be closing out the SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival) this weekend (6/6 & 6/7) and I've already snagged my ticket. It premieres in theaters 6/19, so I'd say beat the crowd and get a look at the film early. SIFF tickets are $13 and can be purchased by clicking here.


ABOUT THE FILM:

Dope

USA | 2015 | 115 minutes | Rick Famuyiwa
Like a 21st century urban update of Ferris Bueller, this remarkably fresh comedy follows a trio of friends, fronted by college-bound ’90s hip-hop head Malcolm, who stumble into a duffle bag full of designer party drugs, leading them down a riotous rabbit hole into the criminal underbelly of the hood.
Malcolm (newcomer Shameik Moore in a breakout role) doesn't fit in with the other kids in his tough Inglewood, California neighborhood. A self-described geek into white shit like Donald Glover, he is smart enough to be on the fast track to Harvard, yet chill enough to spend lazy afternoons debating the finer points of classic “Yo! MTV Raps” episodes with his fellow outcasts and bandmates Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), a snarky ultra-cool lesbian, and Jib (The Grand Budapest Hotel's lobby boy Tony Rivoli), who claims to be 14% black. When this crew stumbles onto a backpack full of designer party drugs, it leads them down a riotous rabbit hole into the criminal underbelly of the hood. Director Rick Famuylwa's coming-of-age comedy was the toast of this year's Sundance Film Festival, combining the attitude of Ferris Bueller, the kinetic visual style of Spike Lee, and the brains of Neil deGrasse Tyson for a totally new kind of film, one that is both modern (Bitcoin, drones, Snapchat) and nostalgic (flattops, Air Jordans, a soundtrack filled with ’90 s hip-hop classics), while also being fresh, funny, smart, uncompromising, and, yeah, totally Dope.






Jun 1, 2015

Sip & Sin at The W Hotel (via @wseattle)




During a random night in lower Queen Anne, I stumbled into Oskar's Kitchen and ended up grooving to the sounds of DJ Topspin for hours. From that moment on I made it a point to stay updated on his rotating sets, not only because he's a dope DJ, but being new-ish to Seattle I figured a DJ would be the best source for all things fun. 

Summer is a few weeks away and one of the events sure to become a staple in my weekly rotation are the "Sip & Sin" nights at the W Hotel Seattle

Hosted in the hotel's TRACE Bar and Lobby, the weekly events feature a rotating lineup of DJs and are broken into two categories:

SIP - Social Interactive Playtime: Every Wed and Thurs from 8p - Midnight. Features happy hour specials from 4p - 7p and 10p - Midnight. Note: Wednesday nights the DJs will spin traditional vinyl, so this is the night I prefer to attend.

Tips: Wednesday night is Ladies Night and features specials for women all night long. Also, their food is BOMB! I suggest getting there between 6p and 630p to take advantage of their food/drinks specials, then waiting until 8p to order your next round of drinks (ladies). The discount is about $4 to $6 off regular drinks, so it's a solid deal.


SIN - Social Interactive Nighttime: Every Fri and Sat from 930p - 130a. This also features happy hours specials from 4p-7p and 10p - Midnight.


I am not one to send people off, so I suggest checking out the event on either June 3rd (Wed - SIP) or June 19th (Fri - SIN) when DJ Topspin will be there. Here's a preview of his magic hands...


A video posted by @sixtwentyseven on

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