C'Mon Team!

If you're reading this blog, then you're looking at our brand new website crafted by the amazing creatives from C'mon Team! Led by Krista Welch (photo + social media), the creative team included Amber Zbitnoff (photo), Luke Knecht (video), Sabrina Hounshell (photo + graphic design), and Julia Peterson (content writing + website design). In just 72 hours, the team created our new website, a promo video, imagery, a new social media plan, updated web content, and a brand new logo. For free!

"We're a group of creatives that visits non-profits around the world to create digital content and tell the story of their organization and cause online all at no cost to the non-profits," C'mon Team! states in its mission. "Our aim is to give back to the givers by sharing our skills generously in the spirit of community."

Thank you C'mon Team! You're changing the world, one non-profit at a time!

Columbia City Beatwalk

Totem Star returned to The Royal Room in September, programming the Youth Stage once again for Columbia City Beatwalk. This month featured performances by Royalty (Arts Liberation and Leadership Institute), Glasshouse (Hip Hop Artist Residency), and the amazing hip hop dancers from Northwest Tap Connection, led by Shakiah Danielson with special guest Gabriel Teodros.

Totem Star presents the Youth Stage at Columbia City Beatwalk. Every second Sunday from July through October. 5:30-7pm at The Royal Room. Free and all ages.

Columbia City Beatwalk

For the second year we are curating the youth stage at Beatwalk, the annual neighborhood festival in Columbia City, which goes down every second Sunday from July through October. This month, eleven singer/songwriters took to the stage at The Royal Room and delivered a heartfelt showcase of music. Performers included Soulchild Elle, Yoshio, Ramsey Tall, Torren, Ann O, Eva Walker, Saturn Star, Ezrael, Zoë Roberts, Amy Hall, and Yohanna E. Next month’s theme will be dance and social justice – don’t miss it!

Totem Star presents the Youth Stage at Columbia City Beatwalk. Every second Sunday from July through October. 5:30-7pm at The Royal Room. Free and all ages.

Hairball Audio

We’re audio nerds. Yup. And super proud of it! In a lot of ways, you almost have to be if you’re spending hours and hours in a studio experimenting with sound. A while back, our drummer/producer friend Teo Shantz (Kore Ionz, Owuor Arunga, Otieno Terry) hipped us to Hairball Audio, who delivers high quality audio equipment with a commitment to local manufacturing. Their products include the Lola andElements mic pres and 500/FET compressors. And the best part of all…is that Hairball Audio is located right here in West Seattle!

Teo encouraged us to reach out to Hairball and after sending them an online inquiry, owner Mike Mabie immediately replied and said he’d love to meet with us. A week later he came down to Youngstown to meet the youth and offered to donate two mic pres and a 500 series compressor to the studio! What?!

The Lola, named after Mike’s dog, is their signature “modern classic” mic pre, which Tape Op Magazineclaims will “bring out the most of any mic selected.” The 500/FET compressor, based on the iconic Universal Audio 1176, is considered to be “the most classic FET compressor sound.”

Thanks to Hairball Audio, our recordings will be that much more sweeter! Much love to Mike and, of course, Lola!

Hip Hop Showcase At Beatwalk

For our third installment at Columbia City Beatwalk, we brought the four elements of hip hop — the DJ, rap, b-boys/b-girls, and graffiti — to The Royal Room. Upendo Moore represented the first element as our DJ for the evening, spinning his own beats as well as bringing on the rappers who represented the second element, including Chief Lonnie the Godson, Hero, HirschUrMouth, and Keali`i (pictured above). B-boy crew The Rush (mentored by none other than Jeromeskee of Massive Monkees) took over the floor to bring the third element, while graffiti artist Malcolm Procter spread colors on recycled canvas during the entire show, selling his live piece to a lucky audience member at the end. Hip hop is alive and well, thanks to Columbia City Beatwalk. Give the youth a place to create, and the art lives on. Final Beatwalk of the season is Sunday, October 11th at Lottie’s Lounge – don’t miss it!

HirschUrMouth

Chief Lonnie the Godson

Malcolm Procter

Hero

The Rush

The Rush

Chief Lonnie the Godson and Upendo Moore

Color Lines, The McAfees, And The Black Chevys At Beatwalk

Columbia City Beatwalk Youth Stage

The Creative Advantage

The Creative Advantage arts education initiative, a unique public-private partnership between the Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle Public Schools, and The Seattle Foundation, is reinvesting in Seattle’s students and our community’s economic and creative future by addressing inequities in access to the arts, and restoring arts education to all Seattle classrooms. The long term goal is that by 2020 all Seattle students will have access to a continuum of arts classes; the program is launching in the Central Pathway which includes schools that flow into and out of Washington Middle School in central Seattle.

Totem Star is honored to have been added to the Community Arts Partner Roster for The Creative Advantage. Check out our profile and look for us soon at a Central Arts Pathway school near you!

Civic Partners Award Announced

Mayor Ed Murray just announced $1.7 million in investments to Seattle-based arts, heritage, and cultural organizations through the Office of Arts & Culture. The Civic Partners program will provide funding to 168 organizations in 2014, creating broad public access to quality arts opportunities that promote a diverse cultural community. Selected as a first-time grantee this year, the Office of Arts & Culture got on the phone with Totem Star co-director Daniel Pak for a testimonial on how the funding will affect the youth we serve. Read the whole story on the Mayor’s blog.