T-Pain, Tea and CT Adventures

On Friday, I got a few tickets see T-Pain at the MGM Grand in CT. Overall, the show was a fun time. An up-and-coming heavy hitter, Ryan Leslie was the opening act. He was backed by a full band and put on an energetic show... (on a sidenote, he went to Harvard when we was 15). The main attraction, T-Pain played for an hour or so. His performance was entertaining and almost theatrical at times with hit after hit after hit. I think he closed with "I'm So Hood", a song full of pure scholarly and artistic expression of the socio-economic divide of inner-city America... right?

This type of music is a guilty pleasure of mine. When I drive, I usually flip between stuff like Interpol, The Smiths, Elliot Smith and uhhhh, Hot 93.7.

We didn't get a free boat ride or anything but being of the music industry, we did get to meet T-Pain after the show. Backstage he has wearing a green pair of Mountain Dew pajamas which nicely complimented his platinum grills.

On the way back we stopped in downtown Hartford for midnight tea at Steam City Cafe (they serve food until 1AM!) which is located in the beautiful Cheney Building which was designed by H.H. Richardson. I'd say this building has Bristol Byzantine / Moorish influence and one of his greatest works.

It's Called The Music Business

Check out the March 2009 (#248) issue of Alternative Press magazine in which I reveal some "insider" advice in the DIY column. This issue features Thursday or Bring Me The Horizon on the cover.

I started reading AP about six years ago - it's one of the best ways to find out about new music and it goes out to more than 200,000 eager music fans. It's on shelves now at most major stores - you can pick it up at Newbury Comics, Best Buy, FYE, Hollister, Hot Topic, or where ever you fancy.

Twenty First Birthday

Yesterday was my 21st birthday. I started off my day in Boston at the State House. I was invited to a major gathering of government officials and business leaders where the discussion was focused on the state's technology sector. Heads from Google, IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, iRobot and many more filled the room. Governor Patrick posed questions about how the state can position itself to be the leader in tech sector, help the sector flourish, and retain it's brightest companies, entrepreneurs, and students. So far, I've been very impressed with his administration's attention and enthusiasm about the topic.

After the meeting came to an end, I met many new faces and got plenty of "happy birthdays!" On my way out, Governor Patrick asked me, "you don't plan on leaving us?" (referring to the state) and to which I replied, "certainly not, I was born and raised in MA and plan on staying..." The truth is, I do plan on staying in state and I'm really starting to dig Boston, especially because of the many new friends and connections I've made there in the last few months.

After the tech-filled morning, we made our way down to Providence. We checked out some local art at a few galleries, notably the Providence Art Club, a few antique shops looking for decor for my new (but 1870's) place, and explored a few neighborhoods. We also, for the first time, checked out the Rhode Island State Capitol building, designed by McKim, Mead and White. Two state houses in one day, not bad. We visit this city often (one of my favorite small capitals) and try to capture something new each time.

After the adventures, for my birthday celebration/dinner, Elizabeth took me to one of my favorite restaurants, Capriccio. It's the basement of an old marvelous, mansard-roof-having, bank building on the edge of the financial district near the river. Check this place out if you're ever in Providence.

Back in town

I couldn't find the time to write about the Budapest adventures, but to wrap it all up... it was an amazing experience and probably one of my favorite cities (it tops the list along with Gdansk). Back to reality, the New Year has started off nicely for my company Ten Minute Media with many new projects in the works. I'm excited to see how this year will move forward for my company, community and country with the new leadership.

Last Saturday, was Gasoline Alley's holiday party in Springfield, MA. The event brought people from all over the region, Boston, New York and even as far south as Virginia. I met a lot of great socially and environmentally conscious business hustlers, such as the people behind Generation Sustain up in Shelburne Falls (town that is home to Bill Cosby), Kopali Organics and Earth Advertising from New York City. Although there was a nasty snow storm in play, a hundred or so people filled the transformed, post-industrial entrepreneurial oasis with energy and stimulating conversation.

Budapest: Day 2

Today we strolled the main pedestrian street of the city Váci Utca. The street was generously lined with decorative storefronts, cafes, and restaurants. Over head were bridges of Christmas lights between the buildings. It was pretty cold out, so I picked up a small bottle of Unicum, an herbal Hungarian bitter, to ease the winter temperature. We went to Központi Vásárcsarnok (Central Market Hall) and spent hours exploring this bazaar for fresh tasty bites, drinks and hand-cafted gifts. My eyes were instantly drawn to the bold cast iron skeleton of this structure and the light that poured through it. We ate some very filling nokedli, drank Traubi and ended with a warm cabbage strudel. We made our way back towards the famous Karácsonyi Vásár (Christmas Market), a spectacle so festive that it could replenish anyone's faded holiday spirit. Like the Central Market Hall, there were so many mouth-watering choices. We settled for a warm chimney shaped cinnamon pasty called kürtőskalács that was prepared over a glowing brick oven. After taking a nap to rid us of our jetlag, we went back out and had dinner at Central Kávéház, an inviting neo-classical-with-deco-flair styled restaurant with kind service and excellent food. So far, we've only scratched at the surface but so far I love this city.

Budapest: Day 1

We arrive in the great city of Budapest with much excitement. From the airport, we take the minibus to our hotel in central Pest. After getting settled in and resting for a bit, we decide to take a late night stroll within our immediate area, near the Blaha Lujza tér and Astoria stations. The architecture is beautiful yet tells of a destressed past and constant transformation, like any Eastern European city. A lovely pastel-colored building abuts a raw facade of a former glory, chipped away stucco that exposes her brick bones. A few more steps and we're stunned by the grandeur of the New York Palace Hotel. After stopping for a quick meal consisting of donor kebabs and heavily seasoned rice, with Coca-Cola to wash it all down, we jump on the next metro train to bring us closer to the Danube. We stop at one of the city's many landmarks, Parliament, for a visual tease of what's in store for tomorrow and call it a day.

NYC & SVN

On Wednesday, I was invited along to a holiday party for Social Venture Network in New York. SVN is a group of socially conscious entrepreneurs and investors that are doing big things. Later in the day, I left for Hartford to meet-up with my good friend Rob, founder of SocialK, to drive down to New Haven to take the train to Grand Central. When we arrived in New York, we grabbed a drink at the absolutely gorgeous Campbell Apartment, waited for a friend from UBS and then took a cab to Pipa Tapas, a place of with great food and enchanting décor. I'd highly recommend this restaurant, it's excellent.

After that, we made our way uptown to the SVN party at Cafe Notte where we reconnected with our friend and fellow western MA'er, Joe Sibilia. I can't say enough about Joe, he's one of those people that leave you with energy, ideas and inspiration. He's had a big impact on how I run my business and how I want to run my business.

Never judge a book by it's cover. To the untrained eye, Joe's outfit of an off-white one-piece jumpsuit, would led you to believe he is either a Ghostbuster or coalminer. He's known to be a pioneer and trendsetter in many capacities, so take notice!

I met a bunch of incredible people and made a few new friends. At the end of the night, Joe, Rob and I said farewell to the great people of SVN and then we headed back western MA.