Secret Show Society // Dead Scene
For a period of two and a half years, I and a few peers helped program “Secret Shows” throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Occupying various parks and backyards, we started what was once a small gathering of friends into a decent sized turnout of friends and strangers alike, all in service of enjoying music made by new // up and coming bands.
We had hosted the likes of many popular local bands from the bay area, not the least of which No Vacation (their debut!), Hot Flash Heat Wave, and Jay Som. Other bands have either continued to perform or have split off into new projects or moved on to new places in their lives entirely.
My role was to facilitate the completion of various goals for each show, each of which were created and handled by people specializing in roles best suited to their skills: audio setup and talent communication; visual media representation and content creation; stage lighting/setup and artistic direction; and location scouting and legal research.
Our high point was when we organized a small music festival in Oakland. “Hardly Secret” brought upwards of a 150 people, featuring a set list of 10 bands, some local, some traveling from Sacramento.
It was rough work, but in doing these shows, I learned much from experience. Though now I understand more about event management and team management in general, I also have earned a huge appreciation for those who curate events of any kind. I plan to continue curating events in whatever capacity my life allows, as I have nothing but gratitude to the experiences I had, and the people I met.
(All Digital Photography by Julio Marcial, Analog Photo by Trevor Lampert)
RGB Arts Festival, Spring 2019
"The RGB Arts Festival is a 3-day student-led effort to expand collaboration between different departments on the SFSU campus, with concerts on Thursday, April 25th, Friday, May 3rd, and Monday, May 13th.
Featuring collaborations between Music, Cinema, Dance, Creative Writing, and Communications departments, the RGBAF is an attempt to highlight the strength of artistic diversity within the student body at SFSU. By giving students of diverse backgrounds and beliefs an outlet for their aspirations, we hope to achieve a more open dialogue through art.
There is a hope that this festival will continue onwards after its inaugural 2019 premiere, the guidelines for which are being created through the trailblazing efforts of its curators."
The Branching Out Project, Fall 2020 - Present
The Branching Out Project, associated with the Manzanita Project, is an ongoing collaborative effort to provide philanthropic support with the material success of each EP the Manzanita Project releases.
It works thusly - creators sign up to contribute art and music to a digital release. All content created for each season must utilize or be inspired by original material, stems, and themes from each associated release. The revenue from which is split 50/50. 50% goes towards a choice of two organizations, chosen based on their benefit to community and relating to the theme of the release. The other 50% is split evenly amongst all opted-in contributors to each associated release.
The Branching Out Project was created to solve an issue - how can I benefit my community, despite the Manzanita Project being an inherently inward facing endeavor? Branching Out allows my music and creative work to make inroads towards making an impact in each respective community it grows into, as well as the artist community that directly involves itself in helping Branching Out and Manzanita, by extension, grow.
