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thedollarcrate · 5 years

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50 Best Albums (That I Own on Vinyl) of the Decade

It’s hard to comprehend how much transpires over the course of a decade or wrap your head around how long (or short) of time that really is.

But what better way to try than to make a list!

Now, I know “Best of” lists like this one are inherently subjective – and probably say more about their maker’s preferences than actually reflecting the best music released in a particular time period. And, I’ll be the first to admit that the list below is incredibly limited, and that I need to widen my exposure to more artists and genres.

But hey, this is all in fun.

So feel free to debate, pick apart or share your own favorite albums from the past decade. But before you dive in, just a few quick points for context:

-I only ranked albums I actually own on vinyl released between 2010 and 2019, which limited my choices to about 170 records.

-I only ranked new music released this past decade, so no reissues or older material released for the first time (sorry Prince’s Piano & A Microphone and Originals).

-I first started buying vinyl around ’09-’10 and started off purchasing mostly new releases before my habits shifted and I started looking for older records. This shows in the list below – nearly a quarter of the albums below were released in 2010 and almost 70% from the first half of the decade.

And we’re off…

50. Centipede Hz, Animal Collective (2012)

Let’s be honest, it was impossible for Animal Collective to top a universally acclaimed and era-defining album – and it was unfair to expect them to. But maybe the continuous onslaught of bizarre and eclectic music found on Centipede Hz was just what we needed after all.

49. Singles, Future Islands (2014)

So much more than Sam Herring’s pelvis busting dance moves and “Seasons (Waiting On You),” every track on Singlesbursts with life and heart pumping energy. To quote Letterman: I’ll take all of that you got.

48. Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph, Frog Eyes (2010)

I don’t think I’ll ever understand Carey Mercer’s lyrics, but I’m certain I’ll never tire of getting lost in his hidden words and knotty melodies.

47. Leaving Atlanta, Gentleman Jesse (2012)

Thirty seven minutes of Pure Power Pop Perfection (note the capital “Ps”).

46. Burst Apart, The Antlers (2011)

If there’s another album with a song titled “Putting the Dog to Sleep” that is as haunting and beautiful as this one, I don’t want to know about it.

45. Carrion Crawler/The Dream, Thee Oh Sees (2011)

With John Dwyer churning out record after record in the ‘10s, it should come as no surprise that at least one landed on this list (and they’re all great). Garage rock. Surf rock. Post-punk rock. Psych rock. Noise rock. Rock rock. I don’t care what you call it, Thee Oh Sees put the pedal to the metal on Carrion Crawler/The Dream, taking you for a wild ride that never lets up.

44. 1989, Taylor Swift (2014)

Irresistibly catchy, everyone needs to satisfy their pop sweet tooth every now and then. 1989 is so sugary, it might just give you a cavity or two.

43. City Music, Kevin Morby (2017)

The city. The countryside. A beach. Aboard a train. At the pearly gates. It doesn’t matter where you listen to City Music because Kevin Morby’s jams will immediately transport you to your own laid back, happy place.

42. Remind Me Tomorrow, Sharon Van Etten (2019)

You’ll regret it if you keep waiting to listen this powerhouse – and powerful – synth-soaked record.

41. You Want It Darker, Leonard Cohen (2016)

It doesn’t get much darker, bleaker or sparse than this, but I wouldn’t want it any other way from the masterful Leonard Cohen.

40. American Dream, LCD Soundsystem (2017)

Retirement never sounded so good.

39. Capacity, Big Thief (2017)

Quietly captivating, mesmerizing and elegant, Big Thief knock you out without you even realizing it.

38. St. Vincent, St. Vincent (2014)

Annie Clark’s shapeshifting album won’t only shred your face off, it somehow makes you feel smarter, too.

37. Before Today, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti (2010)

So, so weird and so, so good.

36. Expo 86, Wolf Parade (2010)

Like #50, Wolf Parade might always live in the shadow and expectations of a towering classic, yet somehow Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner still continually craft eccentric and bombastic rock albums. Expo 86 is no exception, and it is an underrated classic in its own right.

35. Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves (2018)

Like a sunset or sunrise, Golden Hour radiates beauty and warmth with each of its glowing tracks.

34. Yuck, Yuck (2011)

Despite their name and its hideous album cover, there’s nothing gross about Yuck’s infectious indie rock.

33. Play It Strange, The Fresh & Onlys (2010)

I once saw The Fresh & Onlys play at a tiny club in D.C. It might’ve been the loudest show I’ve ever been to – my ears rang for days. This record is just as rollicking, hazy and good as that show was loud.

32. Natalie Prass, Natalie Prass (2015)

There’s a reason “Welcome to 1979” is stamped in tiny letters on this vinyl’s inner ring – it’s silky smooth, filled with impeccable soft ballads and finely tuned jams – and just a tinge of funk.

31. I Am Easy To Find, The National (2019)

Few bands matched the consistent output of quality albums in the ‘10s as The National. They had one heck of a run, and I Am Easy To Find was a fascinating way to end it – a 21st rock album that felt more complex and expansive than anything they’d done before.

30. Melodrama, Lorde (2018)

Everything a pop record should be and then some – bold, breathtaking and exuberant.

29. Just Enough Hip To Be Woman, Broncho (2014)

If you can’t tell from its playful title, this pop rock album wants nothing more than to have fun – and it succeeds on every level.

28. Avi Buffalo, Avi Buffalo (2010)

Sometimes all you want is a light, sunny and meandering album to wash over you and get lost in, and this one will do the trick every time.

27. Hippies, Harlem (2010)

Imagine a band practicing inside a garage inside a garage inside another garage and you’ve got Harlem. This is garage rock to the max – and at its rambunctious best.

26. Puberty 2, Mitski (2016)

It’s hard to describe Puberty 2. Sure, it might sound like simple dreamy indie rock, but it ebbs and flows in unexpected ways that leaves you guessing where it’s heading next.

25. mbv, My Bloody Valentine (2013)

Picking up right where they left off – even if it was more than a decade later – My Bloody Valentine reminded everyone why they are the masters of reverb soaked shoegaze.

24. A Moon Shaped Pool, Radiohead (2016)

Even after all these years and albums, Radiohead still found a way to reinvent themselves and push the boundaries of rock music – and our expectations of them. With gorgeous arrangements and slow-burning, tension filled tracks, AMSP proves that even Radiohead can still take risks – and proves rock bands can make quiet, intimate songs sound epic. Oh yeah, and it has “True Love Waits.”

23. Art Angels, Grimes (2015)

Grimes gave us the future of pop music before most could even envision it. This laid the groundwork for all the challenging and intricate – and danceable – pop music that would follow. And it still sounds ahead of its time.

22. Meet Me At The Muster Station, PS I Love You (2010)

The first sounds out of Paul Saulnier’s mouth on Meet Me At The Munster Station aren’t words at all but two short, ecstatic yelps. And this same boundless energy and passion bleeds through on every fuzzy, raucous second of every track. Did I mention there’s a song called “Butterflies & Boners”?

21. More Than Any Other Day, Ought (2014)

You really ought to listen to Ought if you aren’t already. Tim Darcy and co. sound a bit uneasy, paranoid and self-aware, but they make the most minute challenges sound so exhilarating and life-altering – even the struggle deciding between two percent and whole milk at the grocery store.

20. Lemonade, Beyoncé (2017)

All hail Queen Bey.

19. Twin-Hand Movement, Lower Dens (2010)

This album sounds like 2 am on a dark, rainy Saturday night – in the best way imaginable.

18. Tomboy, Panda Bear (2011)

You can always count on Panda Bear to make hypnotic, loopy electronic music sound so breezy and effortless.

17. Modern Vampires Of The City, Vampire Weekend (2013)

I don’t know why, but I want to dislike Vampire Weekend so much. But that’s impossible when their music is so damn good and every note sounds so neat and perfect.

16. Past Life Martyred Saints, EMA (2011)

Just do yourself and listen to this album please.

15. The Archandroid, Janelle Monáe (2010)

Blending too many genres to count, this is what I imagine music sounds like in space.

14. Carrie & Lowell, Sufjan Stevens (2015)

I’ll let you know how I feel about this one after I stop crying.

13. The Suburbs, Arcade Fire (2010)

It’s everything you either love or hate about Arcade Fire. Grand, sincere and sweeping rock that swings for the fences with every guitar chord, drumbeat and horn blast. I love it.

12. Silence Yourself, Savages (2013)

Savages grab you by the throat and never let go – this is one intense album.

11. Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes (2011)

This might be the epitome of ‘10s indie rock – and for good reason. Introspective, sensitive and searching for some greater meaning, Robin Pecknold holds nothing back and lays it all out on Helplessness Blues.

10. Kaputt, Destroyer (2011)

Dan Bejar is an enigma and seemingly reluctant rock star. I saw him perform an acoustic set where he spent a majority of the time playing with his back towards the audience (although in fairness, it was at a free outdoor show on a college campus with people mostly chatting obnoxiously over him), and yet it’s as if his creativity requires him to constantly release new albums and show them off. Kaputt is as equally strange and mysterious – and just as creative – as its maker.

9. Black Star, David Bowie (2016)

Take away the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding this album’s release and it would still be in the top tier of David Bowie’s extensive catalogue. Experimenting until the very end, Bowie morphed into something entirely new one last time. Part jazz, part rock and part I’m not sure what you would call it, the results were once again out of this world. He couldn’t give it all away, but we’re sure thankful for what he could.

8. Bon Iver, Bon Iver (2011)

Shedding the cabin in the woods vibe, Justin Vernon took a giant leap forward with Bon Iver and made ‘80s soft rock popular.

7. Celebration Rock, Japandroids (2012)

Perhaps the most aptly named album on this list, no other album exudes the joy of making music and rocking out with your buddy than this one. It’s hard to believe all that noise and energy comes from just two people.

6. Burn Your Fire For No Witness, Angel Olsen (2014)

Angel Olsen’s hypnotic and seductive vocals, lyrics and guitar suck you in immediately, mesmerizing you from the first gentle strums to the peaks and valleys of “Lights Out” and “Stars” all the way to the closer’s pulsing drumbeats and majestic piano.

5. Black Messiah, D'Angelo And The Vanguard (2015)

Oozing with cool, sexy and confident R&B funk, D’Angelo returned after 14 years with an instant soul masterpiece.

4. The Monitor, Titus Andronicus (2010)

It says a lot when a band can a.) make an hour plus punk rock record b.) loosely base it on the Civil War c.) quote Abraham Lincoln d.) close it out with a 14 minute track inspired by a famous naval battle and e.) still make you want to listen to it over and over and over again.

3. Lost In The Dream, The War On Drugs (2014)

The rare album that can feel vast and ambitious and yet deeply private and personal all at once. You really will get lost in these soaring songs.

2. Halcyon Digest, Deerhunter (2010)

At times perfectly melodic and structured and at others feeling on the brink of falling apart, Halcyon Digest is a paradox – sounding peaceful, bright and idyllic while also peering over the edge into something darker. This is a remarkable record from a remarkable band. If not for the abrupt end to the darkly beautiful closer “He Would Have Laughed,” Halcyon Digest sounds like it could go on forever.

1. Let England Shake, PJ Harvey (2011)

A stunning, thought-provoking, and moving – not to mention endlessly listenable – transcendent piece of art about life and the Great War. PJ Harvey doesn’t hold back on the brutality and absurdity of armed conflict, and the album’s devastating closing track – “The Colour of the Earth” – will linger in your mind long after the record stops spinning. As powerful today as it was eight years ago, this album will remain timely and important for years – and decades – to come.

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elijahwrites · 5 years

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Croissants, Cookies, and Kouign Amaans… OH MY!

By Elijah Gomez

All photos by Elijah Gomez.

I’ve gone to The Little Tart Bake Shop since we first moved to the Grant Park neighborhood when I was a little kid. My parents introduced me to many foods I’d never eaten or seen before, and I fell in love with French pastries. My favorite pastry is the plain croissant, but we’ll get into that later. First, let me introduce the woman who made my love for French pastries possible.

Lea & Mrs. Sarah.

Sarah O’Brien (I call her Mrs. Sarah) is the owner of The Little Tart Bake Shop (Little Tart), an Atlanta bakery created so people can eat pastries and enjoy time with each other. Little Tart technically began as a booth at the farmers markets in 2010, and the very first Little Tart opened in Grant Park in 2011. It was made with hard work, development, love and teamwork. Since then, Little Tart has opened two more locations, one in Krog Street Market in 2014, and one in Summerhill in 2019.

For this story, we visited the Grant Park Little Tart. This location has gigantic windows with lots of sunlight, and a big outdoor patio for kids and dogs. Mrs. Sarah has been a professional baker for almost 10 years, and said, “here in the Grant Park shop, I’ve been baking for more than eight years.”

Pink Praline Escargot.

Mrs. Sarah described the Little Tart menu as “... French inspired and Southern based” which I agree with. The menu was made by everyone on staff working together, developing and sharing ideas, and working as a team to choose menu items. Some of the best pastries on the menu are the Kouign Amaan, whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, sablés, and the greatest pastry I’ve ever tasted, THE PLAIN CROISSANT.

The perfect pastry.

A croissant is a buttery, flaky, and slightly crunchy kind of pastry, and was first made in 1839 when an Austrian artillery officer, August Zang, opened a Viennese bakery on rue de Richelieu in Paris. When I eat a croissant, it’s like a flaky flavor explosion in my mouth, and if you have apple juice, it’s a DOUBLE flavor explosion. But if it’s a chocolate croissant with apple juice, it’s a TRIPLE FLAVOR EXPLOSION! Your taste buds have a super delicious party because the flavors are so darn yummy. Basically, croissants are amazing and a perfect pastry. I went behind the scenes in the Little Tart kitchen to find out how they get made, and who makes them.

vimeo

How Croissants are made with Sofia!

In February, Mrs. Sarah and I sat down to chat about Little Tart.

Elijah: So, Mrs. Sarah, how did you get into baking? Sarah: My grandma was an incredible baker, and taught me to make her famous apple pie when I was ten years old. I've been baking ever since.

E: Where did you study baking? S: I didn't! I studied literature and poetry but just always came back to my love of baking. [Note: She earned her MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop]

E: Why did you decide to collaborate with Octane on the original Grant Park location? S: I respected Tony and Diane (founders/owners of Octane Coffee) and the business they built, so I was proud to partner with them. I didn't know anything about coffee so it made sense to me to partner with the best in town. I learned a ton of what I know about coffee from watching them.

E: Do you have many seasonal dishes and pastries? S: Yes! Our galettes, quiche, danishes, frangipane - so much of what we do is seasonal.

BGT Sandwich.

E: Why did you choose to reduce Little Tart’s menu items that contain meat? S: My goal is to be thoughtful in all of the decisions I make in this business. I have many opportunities to truly demonstrate my values, through hiring, policies, how we work with our community, and how we spend our money. So this is a way for us to tread a bit lighter on the earth, by using less meat, since animals raised for meat contribute greatly to greenhouse gases and thus, global warming.

E: What makes a sablé different from the other cookies at Little Tart? S: The texture! Sablé means "sandy" in French, so a sablé should be lightly crisp and crumbly, never soft!

Grant Park Little Tart coffee bar.

E: What inspired your design choices? S: Just what I like! My home pretty much looks the same as Little Tart. I love green and brass and plants and lots of different wood tones and textures.

Grant Park Little Tart seating and table.

E: How do you balance family life when you and your husband both work in the food industry? S: Oh boy. Big question Eli! It's hard all the time, and I'm not sure balance is a real, achievable thing, but mostly I just try to ride the wave of whatever is happening and enjoy the downtime when I have it. I also invest in my team. I surround myself with the best folks so that I can have time away with my family. I couldn't do any of it without my team, and that includes my team at home - my husband! And my husband is lucky to have incredible partners, too. So we're in a good place to somehow make it all work. [Note: Mrs. Sarah’s husband is Paul. He co-owns Ticonderoga Club.]

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Currant and Double Chocolate Chip!

My final thoughts about The Little Tart Bake Shop are that it’s a great business with delicious food, a calm and welcoming atmosphere, and very kind people who love to bake and support our community. Little Tart is overall a great place to hang out and have fun while eating yummy pastries.

Little Tart’s locations are currently closed because of COVID-19 social distancing, but you can support them this weekend on Saturday and Sunday (March 28 - 29) by PRE-ORDERING some Little Tart yumminess ONLINE. Pre-order (with one hours notice) and then pickup Saturday or Sunday from 9am - noon at the Grant Park shop. They’ll have pastry boxes, coffee (iced and cold brew concentrate in mason jars), and pantry staples. I LOVE YOU LITTLE TART!

FIN.

Little Tart Bakeshop 437 Memorial Dr SE Atlanta, GA 30312 littletartatl.com

Omari at the coffee bar.

Eating the perfect pastry. Photo by Kristy Gomez.

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artikgato · 5 years

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Happy Odaiba Day! Digimon has always been a very important part of my life, and over the years I’ve managed to throw together a few Digimon cosplays and make a few plushies. Lillymon was the fourth cosplay I ever completed, actually, all the way back in 2005!

Season 1 Mimi was completed in September of last year for Anime Weekend Atlanta (to meet Ai Maeda, which was amazing). I wore plainclothes Yolei/Miyako from 2010-2014, and made Poromon to go with the costume. That picture of Digital World Yolei/Miyako is to my knowledge the only one that exists (and that is honestly as it should be). I only wore that costume once, at Momocon in 2010. I debuted Aiba from Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth the costume in 2016, and wore her as recently as last year.

The Tentomon plush was a gift for an Izzy cosplay way back in 2010, and of course the Palmon plush I made earlier this year. Palmon is absolutely the biggest plush I’ve ever made, and probably also my favorite.

And, finally, there’s Lillymon. I debuted a slightly rougher version of her at Animazement 2005, and then reworked the costume to be cleaner and easier to wear in 2006/2007.

#odaiba day #digimon adventure #digimon adventure 02 #cosplay #digimon cosplay

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magicalgirlmelanie · 6 years

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Big throwback to 2014- my first AWA! Can’t wait for this week, and to bring out Madoka again. My love for her hasn’t changed but how I wear her did haha. LOVE MY BLUE BABE @graceemacee 💙💙💙 photo by Mad Scientist with a Camera. #puellamagimadokamagica #madokamagica #madokamagicacosplay #awa #animeweekendatlanta #sayakamiki #madokakaname (at Anime Weekend Atlanta) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnwy83Uh7HE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=cldgrf17whfj

#puellamagimadokamagica #madokamagica #madokamagicacosplay #awa #animeweekendatlanta #sayakamiki #madokakaname

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someawesomeamvs · 7 years

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youtube

Warning: Potential spoilers, potential seizure trigger

Title: Rebecca!

Editor: JamesBlond

Audio Source: Bravest Warriors: Dramabug Minisode

Anime: Ouran High School Host Club

Category: Comedy

Awards: Anime Iowa 2014 - Audience Choice Anime Iowa 2014 - Best Comedy Anime Weekend Atlanta (Music Video Exposition) - Grand Prize

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heidiblack · 3 years

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Convention Review: Gem City

Convention: Gem City Comic Con

Location: Dayton, Ohio

Date: July 24-25 (sat/sun)

Table cost: $75

Table size: 8'

Application: FCFS

Table placement: back corner from entrance in main hall, but visible straight down a long aisle and near 2 other author/artists I've worked with before

Items for sale: 11x17" posters (fanart and original), tutorial artbook, coloring book, original comic (sons of fire), zines (fanart and original; sfw and nsfw), postcards (4.25x5.5", fanart and original), pins (original), resin coasters and jewelry

New items/display: Stained-glass style charm necklaces, organization for my resin pieces

Mask policy: not required for vaccinated people (was CDC guidelines at the time)

Previously attended? Yes (2013, 2014, 2015)

Pros: inexpensive table, close to parents house (20 minute drive), 8' table, a lot of familiar faces

Cons: cheerleading tournament was also happening at the same time so there was a large amount of stomping, artist alley divided and some people were in a separate room, low traffic

Most popular item(s): Posters (20)

Least popular item(s): tutorial art book (0)

It has been since before I moved to California in 2015 that I attended Gem City (back when it was in the Nutter Center at Wright State). The Dayton Convention Center is definitely much better lit.

Unfortunately, the artist alley was weirdly laid out, with some artists in a side room that was actually shut at one point during the show.

I was told I was the only artist with Genshin Impact art, which drove sales, though overall the show was slow. Other artists who had been in previous (more recent) years noted that attendance was significantly down, most likely due to a combination of Covid and the show being at a different time (July rather than the normal spring show). Had a lot of free time for drawing. Still, I did almost twice as well as I had done back in 2015

Gross sales: <$1k

Recommend/will attend again? As my parents live in the area (free lodging!) the cost to me is minimal, so I'll be back in 2022. If you're local or within maybe a 2 hour drive, it's worth considering

Other 2021 convention reviews: Anime Ohio

Inconjunction Gem City AnimaticCon Westwood Art Show/second saturdays Cincinnati Comic Expo New York Comic Con Voltcon Anime Weekend Atlanta Art on Vine Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) Con+Alt+Delete Anime Zap (2022)

These reviews take a lot of time and effort, but I think they are something the artist alley community needs! If you would like to support me so I can keep doing these, please consider donating or buying from my shops! https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=JBTBC5WRMRTJ2 Storenvy Etsy

#convention #art #heidiblack #artist #comic #comics #convention review #artist alley #gem city #dayton #ohio #review

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blackkudos · 6 years

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Fantasia

Fantasia Monique Taylor (née Barrino; born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe," which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Subsequently, she released her debut album, Free Yourself, which went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA and garnered Taylor three Grammy nominations in 2006.

In 2006, she released her second album, Fantasia, which featured the single "When I See U" which topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for eight weeks. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA and received three Grammy nominations in 2008. She then played the part of Celie in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, for which she won a 2007 Theatre World Award. Her third studio album, Back to Me, was released worldwide on August 24, 2010 and features the single "Bittersweet," which peaked in the top ten on the R&B chart. The single won her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. As of February 2012, Taylor has sold 2,842,000 albums and 1,425,000 tracks in the United States. In 2012, VH1 ranked her number 32 out of the 100 Greatest Women in Music.

On April 18, 2013, Taylor returned to American Idol singing "Lose to Win." The performance dubbed "dynamic, passionate and powerful" won her fervent expressions of approval from the show's current judges and a wild ovation from the live audience. Moreover, she has received rave reviews in the media for the performance. In November 2013, Taylor returned to Broadway in the musical After Midnight. On October 16, 2014, she was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

Taylor has been nicknamed "Baby Patti LaBelle" by her idol Patti LaBelle.

Early life

Fantasia Taylor was born Fantasia Barrino to Diane and Joseph Barrino and raised in High Point, North Carolina. She began singing at the age of five. Taylor cites Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle and Tina Turner as her biggest musical influences. Music runs in her family. R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo, formerly of Jodeci, are her first cousins. Her uncles, The Barrino Brothers, were a 1970s R&B band.

Despite the travels, she attended Andrews High School in High Point, North Carolina. Feeling embarrassed and harassed after she was raped by a classmate, she dropped out of high school. She became pregnant at 16, and on August 8, 2001, gave birth to her daughter, Zion Quari Barrino with her ex-boyfriend, Brandel Shouse.

Career

2004–05: American Idol and Free Yourself

Taylor's show was a heartfelt staging of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" that left her in tears from "feeling the song" and earned praise from the judges and was named amongst the AOL's 2004 list of greatest television moments.

For the final performance of the season, Taylor offered a second performance of "Summertime" that again drew praise from the judges; Simon Cowell remarked that she was the best contestant to ever compete in any competition, including the more than seventy Idol champions crowned nationally and internationally since the show began its first global incarnations. On the finale, over 65 million votes were cast in order to determine the winner on May 26, 2004, up from 24 million in 2003. Taylor defeated runner-up Diana DeGarmo by 1.3 million votes. At age 19, she was the youngest American Idol winner until May 23, 2007, when then 17-year-old Jordin Sparks won the title.

Taylor participated in the U.S. tour with the other American Idol finalists and appeared in the 2004 Christmas special, Kelly, Ruben and Fantasia: Home For the Holidays as well.

Taylor's brother auditioned for the eighth season of American idol but failed to make it to the Hollywood round.

Taylor is one of only four winners, the others being Ruben Studdard, Kris Allen and most recently Candice Glover, to have landed in the bottom three or two, which she did twice.

Performances

^Note 1 : When Ryan Seacrest announced the results in the particular night, Taylor was in the bottom two, but declared safe when LaToya London was eliminated.

After winning American Idol, Fantasia signed to J Records with 19 Entertainment and began work on her debut album. In June 2004, she released her debut single, "I Believe", which later debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This number-one debut made Fantasia the first artist in history to achieve this with a first single. On the sales chart, the single spent eleven consecutive weeks at number one, giving it the longest consecutive stay on top of that chart for an American Idol contestant. The CD single, "I Believe", went on to become the top selling single of 2004 in the U.S., and has since been certified double platinum by the CRIA. Taylor also won three Billboard Music Awards for the single.

Fantasia released her debut studio album, Free Yourself, in November 2004. It debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200, selling 240,000 copies in its first week. To date, it has sold over two million copies worldwide, and was certified Platinum in the U.S. The singles "Truth Is" and "Free Yourself" became R&B hits, reaching number two and number three respectively on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while the controversial "Baby Mama"—which critics accused of romanticizing single motherhood—reached the top twenty. Taylor did even better on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay, where she was the first artist of any kind to simultaneously hold the top two spots of the top three, and "Truth Is" spent 14 weeks at the number one position. Taylor was named the number-one artist of the Adult Urban Contemporary format for 2005 according to the December 13, 2005 issue of Billboard magazine.

Through the spring and winter of 2005, Fantasia made many television appearances to promote her album. She played Aretha Franklin in an episode of the series American Dreams, singing "Respect", guest voiced on The Simpsons episode "A Star Is Torn", and guest starred as herself in a cameo role on the sitcom All of Us. She appeared three times as a musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. On March 25, 2005, Fantasia performed at the thirty-sixth NAACP Image Awards in honor of Illinois Senator Barack Obama after winning the award for Outstanding Female Artist. In May 2005, Fantasia went on her first tour with her own live band, with soul singers Kem and Rashaan Patterson. She also appeared as a headliner at several music festivals including the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival and the Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica. In October 2005, she received good notices as an opening act for Kanye West's Touch the Sky Tour.

2006–07: Fantasia, acting debut and The Color Purple

In 2006, Taylor was nominated for three Grammy Awards for her debut album. Though she did not win any awards, she performed at the 48th annual telecast with several artists including Aerosmith, Joss Stone, John Legend, Maroon 5, and Ciara in an all-star tribute to Sly and the Family Stone during the Grammy Award show.

In August 2006, Fantasia played herself in a Lifetime Television film based on her autobiography Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. The film was directed by Debbie Allen and debuted on the women's cable network on August 19, 2006. The movie received nineteen million viewers throughout its debut weekend. The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life is Not a Fairy Tale has also become Lifetime's second most viewed program of all time.

Fantasia had many musical collaborations during the fall of 2006 including a remake of The Clark Sisters' "Endow Me" which featured Faith Evans, Lil' Mo, and Coko of SWV, a remake of Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "I Wish" with Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams for the soundtrack to the 2006 computer-animated film Happy Feet, and most notably her duet with Aretha Franklin which was recorded at that time and later released in 2007.

She released her self-titled second effort, Fantasia, on December 12, 2006. The album involved production by Missy Elliott, Swizz Beatz, Babyface, Diane Warren, and others, and has since spawned the singles "Hood Boy" produced by Tone Mason, "When I See U", and "Only One U" and went on to be certified gold.

When I See You" became her first single to top the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, remaining at the number one spot for eight consecutive weeks. The single stayed on the chart for over a year and was named number eight on the Billboard Best of The 2000s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

In February 2007, Fantasia appeared and performed on American Idol, and announced that she would be starring in the lead role of Celie in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, the hit musical based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. After appearing on American Idol and The Oprah Winfrey Show, the musical received a boost of over two million in pre-ticket sales in one week. Leading up to her first performance on April 10, 2007 the play garnered a total of 6.5 million in pre-ticket sales.

While playing the role, Fantasia earned rave reviews for her performance. New York Post critic Clive Barnes said, "... there is some elemental quality to Fantasia that is either greatness or something close to it." Upon her warm welcome to the stage Fantasia was asked to perform at the 2007 Tony Awards in a tribute to Atlanta's Alliance Theater in which The Color Purple got its start. In recognition of an outstanding stage debut performance, Fantasia was given the Theatre World Award and the Best Replacement Star Broadway.com Award. Fantasia was initially scheduled for a limited six-month engagement ending in October 2007 but had her run extended until January 6, 2008. The Color Purple box office saw a thirty-four-million-dollar jump in sales since Taylor started in the show, a third of the play's 100 million dollar earning since its debut in 2005. The New York Post reported that Taylor missed nearly fifty performances in the show, causing the producers to give back tens of thousands of dollars in refunds. In the September 2008 issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine, Taylor revealed that the reason for her absences in The Color Purple was because of the development of a cyst on her vocal cords. She was ordered to immediately undergo surgery which later revealed that she in fact had a tumor on her vocal cords. She now reports that after a successful surgery, the tumor was completely removed and she is now well.

2008–10: Back to Me and Fantasia for Real

Fantasia received two Grammy nominations for her sophomore release, Fantasia and subsequently began work on her third studio album in 2008. She stated on the red carpet of the 2008 Grammy Awards that the style of the new album would be a blending of the avenues she has touched musically, which include American Idol and Broadway. She also revealed that she would be writing some of the album's songs and would collaborate again with Missy Elliott, The Underdogs, and Midi Mafia, who produced one of her biggest hits, "When I See U".

Midi Mafia produced the majority of Fantasia's third studio album. Also, hip hop duo Rock City were confirmed to be writing for the new project. At the time, they had recorded four songs together. She also worked with songwriter-producer Rich King which spawned two songs for her third release. KP, Eric Hudson and Raphael Saadiq are a few people that also became involved on the project. Fantasia confirmed that about 75 percent of the album was complete by mid-2009, and that fans should've expected a new single by the fall of 2009, with the album due to be released in early 2010. This was later delayed, and while recording her new album, Fantasia decided to do a great deal of it the "old fashioned way," inviting a live orchestra to record in the studio with her.

Fantasia was then cast by Oprah Winfrey as Celie in the film adaptation of The Color Purple musical, which began production after the release of her third album, as Fantasia confirmed to MTV News on March 5, 2008.

In June 2008, Fantasia parted ways with 19 Entertainment, but remained with 19 Recordings and J Records. She said that after the release of her third album, she plans to release a gospel album. She performed with her mother, Diane Barrino, in a Thanksgiving special on BET's Bobby Jones Gospel. Fantasia also appeared on Jennifer Hudson's self-titled album, on the song "I'm His Only Woman", which was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award, though it did not win.

Fantasia reprised the role of Celie in the national tour of The Color Purple during its Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles stops.

Fantasia also stars in a reality show produced by World of Wonder. Titled Fantasia for Real, it premiered on January 11, 2010, on VH1 to rave reviews and ratings. The show's first season ended in July 2010 with its second began on September 19, 2010.

"Even Angels", a song from Fantasia's third studio album, produced by The Stereotypes and written by Heather Bright, was never released to radio . She performed the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show on February 3, 2010. The album's first official single, "Bittersweet", was released on May 11, 2010 and has gone on to reach number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as well as number seventy-four on the Billboard Hot 100.

Fantasia's third studio album, Back to Me, was released on August 24, 2010. Fantasia cited Tina Turner, Queen and Aretha Franklin as influences, and like musicians she admired from their era, she recorded with a live band. The album has been promoted by appearances on Good Morning America and The Wendy Williams Show among others. On March 28, 2010, Taylor also performed "America the Beautiful" at WWE WrestleMania XXVI. To promote the album, Taylor embarked on her first solo concert tour, Back to Me Tour in the fall of 2010.

Taylor appeared on Charlie Wilson's album Just Charlie, on "I Want to Be Your Man."

In the summer of 2010, she appeared as a guest judge alongside Wayne Brady, on episode 11, of RuPaul's Drag Race.

2011–13: Grammy Award, return to acting and Side Effects of You

On February 13, 2011, Fantasia won her first Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Bittersweet".

In 2011, Taylor was cast in her first film role, playing gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in a biopic based on the 1993 book Got to Tell It: Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel. It was later reported that the film was fully endorsed by the Mahalia Jackson estate. Fantasia also would receive not only the top salary in the project but a percentage of the box office revenue the film creates. Production was originally planned to begin in October 2011 in New Orleans and Chicago with a release date of late 2012 and a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. In August 2011, organizers of the International Hair Show in Atlanta, Georgia, said medical conditions requiring bed rest had forced Fantasia to cancel her scheduled performance there. Double Dutch Productions LLC, the production company behind Mahalia!, released a statement saying it "extends apologies to Fantasia Barrino for the inaccurate, non-factual and disparaging statements of Ms. Barrino's reputation, character and image."

In 2011, Aretha Franklin expressed interest in having Taylor play her in a planned biographical movie.

On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Taylor (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release her future material on the RCA Records brand.

On February 13, 2012, VH1 named Taylor 32nd out of the 100 Greatest Women in Music.

Taylor was featured on a cover version of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" with Kelly Price and Faith Evans from Evans' compilation album R&B Divas, which was released on October 2, 2012.

On December 19, 2012, Fantasia premiered her new single, "Lose to Win". During an interview on Steve Harvey's morning radio show, Taylor revealed that the album's release date would be March 13, 2013. However, on February 28, 2013, via her Facebook page, Fantasia announced that her album would be released on April 23, 2013. The album was available for pre-order on March 19, 2013.

On April 19, 2013, Fantasia revealed that her next single would be "Without Me," featuring Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott.

In June 2013, Fantasia embarked on a five-date tour with Andrea Bocelli. In an interview on Today in that same month, she revealed that she will return to Broadway in October 2013.

Taylor starred in the musical revue After Midnight which opened on Broadway on November 3, 2013, with previews beginning on October 18 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Her role ended on February 9, 2014. She had received rave reviews from critics for her performance. New York Post wrote "... although I admired Ms. Barrino's heartfelt performance in "The Color Purple," I was surprised at how smoothly and intuitively she slid into the vocal persona of a jazz singer." Taylor was the first of a rotating roster of special guest stars that also included k.d. lang, Toni Braxton and Babyface. On March 20, 2014, it was announced that Taylor will return to the production for a second stint for four weeks, beginning on May 13 through June 8. Taylor performed alongside the cast and Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight at the 68th Tony Awards.

In August 2013, Taylor co-wrote and recorded the theme song "In the Middle of the Night" for The Butler.

2014–present: The Definition Of...

On October 16, 2014, Taylor was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Taylor appeared on Dave Koz's new Christmas album, The 25th of December, which consisted of a collection of Christmas-themed duets. The album was released on September 30, 2014. In November 2014, Taylor teamed up with former Destiny's Child member Michelle Williams on the remix of Williams' "If We Had Your Eyes". In November, Taylor announced that she had started work on her next album. She posted a short clip of her and R. Kelly in the studio on her official Instagram account. "No Time for It," the first single from the album, was released on January 7, 2016. Taylor is working with music executive and producer Ron Fair.

Taylor toured with Anthony Hamilton beginning on April 21, 2016, in Buffalo, New York. The Definition Of... was released in the United States on July 29, 2016 and debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 Chart, selling 32,000 units The album also topped that week's Billboard R&B Albums Chart and was No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album's chart making it Taylor's fourth top ten album. The new album featured two top 10 singles on the Adult R&B Songs airplay chart: "No Time For It," which peaked at number six, and "Sleeping with the One I Love," which peaked at number 9.

Personal life

In September 2005, Taylor published a memoir, dictated to a freelance writer, titled Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. In it, she revealed she is functionally illiterate and was unable to read the text of contracts she signed or to read to her then four-year-old daughter. In 2006, following the release of her autobiography, Taylor's father sued her for $10 million after she said unflattering things about him in the book that he claimed were false.

On December 9, 2008, Taylor's 6,600-square-foot (610 m2), lakefront home in Charlotte's Glynmoor Lakes at Piper Glen community was in foreclosure and would be up for auction. Her 4,500-square-foot (420 m2) home, also in Piper Glen, is unaffected. The home was due to be auctioned in January 2009 by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office after the company Broward Energy Partners, which had paid over $68,000 of her taxes in 2006, said it had not been fully repaid. The auction earnings were to be used to finish reimbursing the company for the loan, on which Taylor had paid back $10,000. The auction was canceled after Taylor's attorneys and the lender reached an "eleventh-hour deal", the details of which were not disclosed.

Her uncles, The Barrino Brothers, were a 1970s R&B band and her brother is Grand Hustle recording artist Ricco Barrino.

An August 2010 divorce filing in Mecklenburg County District Court alleges that Taylor had a year-long relationship with Antwaun Cook, who was married, bringing up the subject of alienation of affection laws in North Carolina. Taylor claimed the two began dating after Cook and his wife separated.

On August 9, 2010, Taylor was hospitalized in Pineville, North Carolina, due to overdosing on aspirin and an unknown sleep aid. Dickens said, "'Her injuries are not life threatening ... she was dehydrated and exhausted at the time." The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department classified the incident as a suicide attempt. In transcript segments released the day before an August 24, 2010, interview on the VH1 series Behind the Music, Taylor confirmed the incident was a suicide attempt, saying, "I didn't care about anything. I just wanted out. At that moment I wanted out. I wanted it to be over with...." Taylor denied rumors that the incident was a publicity stunt.

Afterward, Taylor said, "Music saved me. When I went in the hospital, I went into the computer room, and I looked up artists who've been through things, artists who sing from their soul. I took my cues from them, and I just put my mind and everything into music." She also relied on her family, something she had not done earlier in her career. Taylor testified in court that she aborted her and Cook's fetus around the time of her failed suicide attempt.

In late August 2010, the ex-wife of Antwuan Cook, Paula Cook, accused Taylor of knowingly pursuing a relationship with her husband despite knowledge of their existing marriage. In December 2010, a North Carolina judge ruled in Taylor's favor, stating the Cooks' separation date was September 14, 2009, and not June 2010 as Paula previously claimed.

On August 1, 2011, Taylor announced a second pregnancy during a charity concert event in Jacksonville, Florida. She did not reveal the name of the father. On September 13, 2011 it was confirmed that the singer would be having a boy. On December 13, 2011, she gave birth to a son, Dallas Xavier Barrino. On July 18, 2015, she married Kendall Taylor, a businessman.

She dated former NFL player Michael Clayton, who was at the time playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From 2008 to 2009, Taylor dated rapper Young Dro.

Artistry

Voice

Taylor's voice has been described as raspy, gritty and soulful.

Influences

Taylor has said from childhood she has been influenced by soul singers Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan and Tina Turner, as well as jazz singers Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway and Nina Simone. Taylor has drawn many comparisons to her idols. LaBelle affectionately calls Taylor "baby Patti." "[Fantasia's] just a baby me...when you see yourself in someone else, you say, 'God I'm 70, she's 30,' so she's like the Patti Labelle from back in the day and everything and she's so raw," LaBelle stated in an interview. She always credit her church upbringing and cites The Clark Sisters as one of her influences. Taylor is also an admirer of rock music and was influenced by Queen and Elton John. Her fourth album, Side Effects of You introduced a new and much edgier rock-inspired sound which she coined as 'rock soul'. During an interview with Billboard.com, Taylor has stated that she would like to go in more of a rock direction for her fifth studio album. "This whole rock soul direction has been on my heart. I'll always be soulful: I started singing in the church at the age of five. So that will never go anywhere. But there's a certain side of me that wants to tap into that whole rock world. It's hard to come from R&B to that. But it's something I believe in and will fight for," Taylor said in the interview.

Genres and songwriting

Taylor's music is mostly contemporary R&B, heavily rooted in soul music and gospel music. Her lyrics speak of love, pain and resilience. She also incorporates pop, funk, reggae and hip hop into her music. Side Effects of You demonstrated the versatility of Taylor's voice. Taylor introduced a new and much edgier rock-inspired sound which she coined as 'rock soul'. Gerrick D. Kennedy from the Los Angeles Times praised the album as "sumptuous contemporary R&B dipped in vintage rock and soul". Andy Kellman from Allmusic called it "her finest album yet". Taylor further showcased her versatility and expanded her range while starring in Broadway musicals The Color Purple and After Midnight, as well as her mini-tour with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Taylor has received songwriting credits on Side Effects of You. She wrote majority of the tracks along with Sevyn Streeter, Emeli Sandé, Andrea Martin, Al Sherrod Lambert and many others. Aside from her own project, Taylor co-wrote the theme song to the movie The Butler entitled "In the Middle of the Night", which she also performed, as well as a song called "In the Middle" for American Idol twelfth season winner Candice Glover's debut album, Music Speaks.

Legacy

Since winning American Idol in 2004, Taylor has sold over three million records and won numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, three Billboard Awards, three NAACP Image Awards and two ASCAP Awards. Her first single, "I Believe" topped the Billboard Hot 100 at number-one, making Taylor the first artist in history to achieve this with a first single. I Believe remained at number-one for eleven consecutive weeks, giving it the longest consecutive stay on top of that chart for an American Idol contestant. In 2005, Taylor was named the number-one artist of the Adult Urban Contemporary format, according to the December 13, 2005 issue of Billboard magazine. In 2012, VH1 ranked her number 32 out of the 100 Greatest Women in Music. Taylor was the first artist of any kind to simultaneously hold the top two spots of the top three on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay. Her song, "Truth Is" spent fourteen weeks at the number-one position. Taylor's American Idol performance of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" was named amongst the AOL's 2004 list of greatest television moments.

Over the course of her career, Taylor has inspired other artists, including American Idol season eleven contestant Joshua Ledet who was dubbed "Mantasia" by fans, the media and even Taylor herself. Actress Amber Riley revealed her admiration for Taylor in an interview on The Arsenio Hall Show and cited her as an "inspiration."

Discography

Free Yourself (2004)

Fantasia (2006)

Back to Me (2010)

Side Effects of You (2013)

The Definition of... (2016)

Filmography

FilmsBroadwayTelevision

Bibliography

Life Is Not a Fairy Tale (2005)

Tours

Headlining

2010–11: Back to Me Tour

2013: Side Effects of You Tour

2016: The Definition Of... Tour

Co-headlining

2004: American Idols LIVE! Tour 2004 (with the Top 10 finalist of American Idol 2004)

2016: Fantasia & Anthony Hamilton: Live in Concert (with Anthony Hamilton)

2016: Annual Summer Jam (with Maxwell and Ro James)

Opening act

2005: Touch the Sky (for Kanye West)

2006: Unpredictable Tour (for Jamie Foxx)

2011: Intimacy Tour (for Kem)

2013: 2013 World Tour (for Andrea Bocelli)

Wikipedia

#fantasia #06-30

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concerthopperblog · 2 years

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Erra comes to The Masquerade to Pull From the Ghost

Over the weekend, ConcertHopper was in attendance for the Pull From the Ghost Tour stop at The Masquerade in Atlanta. This tour featured Erra, Alpha Wolf and Invent Animate. Later stops of the tour will also include Thornhill who is finishing up a tour in Australia at the moment. In spite of the earlier threats of storms, the fans piled into the venue in droves for the show. As the lights prepared to go down for the show to start, if you took time to scan the venue, you’d see excited people packed from the floor to the top of the balcony.

First to take the stage was Invent Animate hailing from Texas. The hybrid prog and metalcore band formed in 2011 and then self-released their debut EP in 2012. After some localized touring, the band released their first full-length album Everchanger in 2014. The band tackles some complex subject matter and flashes technical prowess, filling the room in a way that few four-piece groups can.

Next up was one of Australia’s metalcore titans, Alpha Wolf. The band, not without facing some of the pitfalls we see too frequently in the metal community, parted ways with vocalist Aidan Ellaz (also of Dealer) was accused of sexual assault. Despite this, they found a charismatic front man in Lochie Keogh. The band has been of force of nature after the shackles on touring were loosened. They’ve made multiple trips across the oceans to the US and will even be playing the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Virginia this upcoming September. The musical stylings of Alpha Wolf (fast, brutal and in your face) are matched by their on-stage performance. The band leaves it all in the spotlights on the stage for their fans, even talking about how they are exhausted until they step on the stage and the energy of the fans recharges them and they forget their exhaustion. The rest of this tour and Blue Ridge are in for a special treat from these fellows.

Finally, it was time for the headliners, Erra. The band, who hail from Birmingham, Alabama, have always been something of local darlings in the Atlanta metal area. Having toured with some of metalcore’s biggest acts like August Burns Red, TesseracT and Born of Osiris to name a few. The group carved a path of their own and created what others have described as an act that is the “spearhead of the whole modern/progressive metalcore movement.” The band has made some power moves, featuring Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox on their single “Vanish Canvas”. All of this culminated in a powerful set that swept through their catalog of metalcore masterpieces. Like Alpha Wolf, Erra will also be making an appearance at this year’s Blue Ridge Rock Festival.

The tour continues through late August including one date with just Erra and Beartooth in Ohio.

7/23 — Anaheim, CA — Chain Reaction 7/24 — Los Angeles, CA — Teragram Ballroom 7/26 — San Francisco, CA — Great American Music Hall 7/27 — Roseville, CA — Goldfield Trading Post 7/29 — Portland, OR — Hawthorne Theater 7/30 — Vancouver, BC — Rickshaw Theater 7/31 — Seattle, WA — El Corazon 8/2 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Complex 8/3 — Denver, CO — Marquis Theater 8/5 — Chicago, IL — Bottom Lounge 8/6 — Columbus, OH — KEMBA! Live^ 8/7 — Detroit, MI — The Shelter 8/9 — Cleveland, OH — Beachland Ballroom 8/10 — Toronto, ON — Velvet Underground 8/11 — Montreal, QC — Fairmount Theater 8/12 — Allston, MA — Brighton Music Hall 8/13 — New York, NY — Gramercy Theater 8/14 — Philadelphia, PA — The Foundry 8/16 — Pittsburgh, PA — Enclave 8/17 — Baltimore, MD — Soundstage 8/19 — Indianapolis, IN — Emerson Theater 8/20 — Nashville, TN — Basement East

— No Thornhill ^ — ERRA Only (With Beartooth)

As always, please feel free to browse around ConcertHopper’s website further and to check out our articles covering a wide variety of topics. Please also check us out on social media on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Life is a beautiful thing and music only adds to that beauty, take some time to get out and celebrate beauty and life with a community of like-minded individuals at a concert soon, it’s always worth the price of admission.

#2022 #concert photography #Concert #concert review #Concerthopper #metal #metalcore #music #Atlanta #georgia #The Masquerade #Review #concert

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conventionalwisdomcomic · 7 years

Photo

Still waiting on Conventional Wisdom’s coverage of Anime Weekend Atlanta 2017? Here, have another memory of AWAs past!

#Anime Weekend Atlanta #2014 #flashback #Scribbles #Slenderman #mine #cosplay

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craigwinslow · 6 years

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2018: Ripples from Jet Fuel

Oh, hello again friend! It’s been 1.5 years since my last update...

If you look back, I used to write and share a lot more. I often feel discouraged at the nature of these massive ��catch-up” posts where I essentially dump a bunch of images on you. Then again, it’s kind of comforting; I’ve had my hands full, and it’s been some very positive momentum.

Immediately after wrapping up my Adobe Creative Residency in May 2017, my focus turned toward a massive opportunity at The Neon Museum in Las Vegas. For the rest of 2017, I worked on designing an entire, first-of-its-kind, permanent exhibition called ‘Brilliant!’ which opened Feb 2018; a 30 min immersive audiovisual experience, reviving their broken neon signs with digital light.

It was one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I’ve worked on to date; an incredible affirmation in my own abilities, for The Neon Museum to put so much trust in me to enable my vision for the project, and it continues to be a fully collaborative partnership. 2019 will see much more out of ‘Brilliant!’

I’ve often referred to the Adobe Creative Residency as jet fuel for my creative career, and it’s absolutely true— at the time, I had a college degree, 3 years experience at JDK, and 3 years experience working for myself. Landing the Adobe Residency amplified my momentum tenfold, financially enabling me to explore, improve, and share on a global stage. (Applications are now open for 2019 by the way!)

This however, led to a massive amount of stress, which I had to constantly cope with as I pushed myself harder than ever to achieve as much as possible in those short 52 weeks. But, what happens... when the jet fuel runs out? After your dream job ends?

It kinda... didn’t end. The rest of 2017 led right into working on ‘Brilliant!’ which felt like a massive extension of Light Capsules, but neon, and Las Vegas. Similar stress levels continued, but it was such viscerally, wonderfully, satisfying, fulfilling work.

The people who have experienced ‘Brilliant!’ tell me about their emotional responses, it’s rich with history, nostalgia, and a feeling of childhood magic— I could not possibly be more proud of it.

Following launch, I finally took a proper break: a month in Europe with Maggie to Amsterdam, Haarlem, train to Berlin, train to Copenhagen, and a weekend in Paris. It was incredible. I visited museums. I relaxed. I read a freakin book. (Ready Player One. Yes, I thought the movie fell super flat.)

Halfway through the trip, I had already started working on my next big opportunity, with the Portland Trail Blazers for the NBA Playoffs. Their CMO saw my SXSW talk near the end of my Adobe Creative Residency, and wanted to bring me in to work on new concepts— ripples from the jet fuel of my year as a creative resident, provided doors to open and opportunities I wouldn’t have expected.

Here’s a selection of 2018 projects I was most excited to create this year, followed by a look into the future at what 2019 might look like.

BRILLIANT! A NEON MUSEUM EXPERIENCE

360º permanent audiovisual exhibit at The Neon Museum in Las Vegas, NV. — Read more here!

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS NBA PLAYOFFS

Concept design and creative direction for the pre-game opening of the NBA Playoffs. — Read more here!

LIGHTFORM x GEMMA O’BRIEN

Projection augmented mural at Lightform HQ, collaboration with Gemma O’Brien for Lightform. — Read more here!

INTO THE MOON

Projection design for a music video directed by Micah Dudash for Casey Dubie’s “Into The Moon,” supported with projectors by Canon. — Watch the full music video here!

PICKATHON COSMOS

A massive projection mapped sky canvas for the 20th annual Pickathon, co-curated with Eric Cade Schoenborn, showing various digital artists’ work. — Read more here.

LONDON LETTERHEADS

Collaborative projection mural with Anna Frederick for PVS’s The Grand Exhibition at London Letterheads; also gave a Light Capsules talk, taught two pen tool workshops, and showed a reprise projection of Light Capsule No.009.

THOUGHTWORKS PARADIGMSHIFT

Concept work, specialty lighting, projection mapping, and stage/content design with the core ThoughtWorks P/S team. I was also honored to be a featured artist for their Signature Event, creating multiple graffiti projections and a laser/projection kiln light installation called “Harrop’s Kiln”

WHITE NOISE NOW // HEAT

Our follow up to SALT, we brought the massive, recently unoccupied, surprise location Blodgett Oven Factory to life with a site-specific performance of light, sound, and movement. One night, one experience. Full video & documentation is in the works. — Here’s a peek.

SEATTLE PIER 86

Public art collaboration with Chris Rojas, creating a variety of projection mapped historical and locally-inspired content for Seattle’s largest projection mapping installation to date.

KAMP GRIZZLY HOLIDAZE

Closed out the year with a proper doozy of a party— KAMP brought me onto their core team to create some special light installations for their holiday party: detailed shopping carts with faux neon, commissioned a custom market sign, controlled live visuals on a 4 meter projection-mapped sphere, animated a powerful stage laser— oh, and an entire experiential light room where I created “NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL CYBER” augmenting a designed array of 500 CDs + 17 mirror balls + haze.

There you have it, 2018.

Oh! Also I had some past Speaking Scenarios!

WeMake Celebrates 2017 Keynote Speaker — Portland, OR CIID Open Lecture — Copenhagen, DK Nevada State College — Henderson, NV PSU Show & Tell — Portland, OR NAB Show Panel on Future of AR/VR/XR — Las Vegas, NV AIGA Vermont WTF!? Series — Burlington, VT New Mexico Highlands University — Las Vegas, NM

Reflecting forward.

Back when I started this independent venture in 2013, I started setting annual ‘mantras’ to focus on overarching goals, a mental mind-state— something to balance my gut against when pursuing projects and concepts.

It’s been tough, self-defeating at times, and borderline overwhelming, a pressure to always be sharing, socializing the medias, while balancing getting the work done, and having a personal life. Those who love what they do, know that work/life balance isn’t B&W. It’s oddly comforting though, taking this all as affirmation that these past years I’ve been gaining speed, continuing to actively tumble up the rabbit hole.

Previous mantras: 2013: Do More, Go More 2014: Do More, Go More 2015: The year that moved me. (From The Past, Build The Future) 2016: Go, Hustle, Be. The year of YES. 2017: YES. Let’s do this. (smarter, better, together) 2018: Let’s do this, together.

Looking back at 2018, “Let’s do this, together.” absolutely rings true. Nearly all of the above projects involved heavy collaboration and getting multiple partners together to achieve such lofty projects. No one can do it alone, but also the goal isn’t ‘more people’ it’s bringing together the right people.

This year I learned the massive benefit of building the right team for each job. I’m now feeling more internally stabilized, striking a balance, and have found a better flow.

2019: Seek, Select, Assemble.

Seek— Pursue the difficult.

Select— Nod to advice I received many years ago from Austin Howe: “Continue to be selective. It will pay off.”

Assemble— Bring people together, contribute to community, enable other creatives’ dreams, build powerful collaborative teams to explore new concepts.

A peek toward 2019...

Winchester Mystery House — I’ve been working on some special concepts with their team and we’re narrowing in on a few to hopefully bring to reality.... Tim Burton — Recently announced by The Neon Museum, I’m hoping to be closely involved... dare I say, “collaborate?” with the legendary director himself in 2019. Light Capsules — I’ve been scouting so many locations, near and far, now it’s time to make it happen. NYC. Vancouver. Colorado. Atlanta. Crookston. New Orleans. Jacksonville (OR). Chicago. San Jose. Salt Lake City. Ireland. Lviv, Ukraine. A whole new website... it is time! Japan — In April I’m heading to participate in Tokyo Letterheads and explore Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. Incredible new tools —I’ve been fortunate to be testing new tools, ones that have already started to spark entirely new design workflows... Lightform, Torch 3D, The Wild, and Google Earth Studio/VR are four in particular I’m super excited to continue exploring.

Stay focused, stay positive, kick some ass. Hello, 2019.

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