new york city MUSIC

If you live in the NYC area and want to go to a big music festival, you’re usually in for a haul. Coachella is in the West Coast’s desert, Bonnaroo- the middle of nowhere, Tennessee, Lollapalooza- the middle of the country, and although I’m pretty sure Jay-Z is actually from New York, his “Made in America” festival will kick off this year in Philadelphia. There is Governor’s Ball, though. GovBall 2012 The fledgling festival just had its second run this past weekend on Randall’s Island on the East River. It still has a long way to go towards becoming "the premier big festival of New York City”, the long-term vision from its founders, but it was certainly bigger and better than last year; extended to two days and drawing over 21,000 each day. In an earlier blog I gushed with expectations from the volunteer experience I had last year- a duty that at times bordered VIP access to the festival. Met Das Racist @ GovBall 2011 This year, volunteering was less glamor

Walt Whitman to Dr. Seuss- I can’t help it, I love a good rhyme, and Curren$y’s “The Stoned Immaculate”, one of this year’s biggest rap releases, delivers on all metered counts. In his own words, on “Take You There”,  the New Orleans rapper says, “If you ain't heard of me…guessin that your internet services ain't working too good at y’alls pad” Curren$y’s quip on internet service is almost lost in the wordplay odyssey that is “Immaculate” (elsewhere he raps; ‘I chase that money like it said something about my momma, I chase that money like it key-scratched my impala), but as an intern at a firm that heads Web 2.0 campaigns for entertainment clients, it’s a verse I can definitely appreciate. Curren$y’s lyrics and trajectory into mainstream fame show an uncanny awareness  that; the web, especially social media sites are an effective place to build a fan base and get heard  (the core concept of PR 2.0). He’s only been signed to the Warner Brother label for a year

The Governor’s Ball Music Festival is an awesome and fairly new addition to the New York City area music festival circuit.   Last year, a variety of musical acts (Mac Miller, Empire of the Sun, Pretty Lights, and Das Racist to name a few) entertained the crowd. The festival highlights all kinds of music with the one condition that you can dance to every act. Kid Cudi was just added to this year’s lineup of big names like Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, Santigold, and Beck, as well as up-and-coming acts like Cults . There are no overlapping sets, so one of the good things about Gov Ball is that concert-goers intent on seeing more than one of these great artists don’t have to make any tough decisions. Two-day passes are $190, a pretty good value when you look at the full lineup. Personally, though, I think the best way to go is to volunteer and pay just a $15 processing fee for entry to the show. It’s something I did last year and plan to again because it was a great expe