Talk Story Series 2

Join us for the second installment of our new Talk Story series, this time around with Tendai Maraire of Chimurenga Renaissance and Shabazz Palaces. Special guest facilitator Christina Nguyen of Youth Speaks will lead an intimate interview as we learn about his come up as an artist, challenges he’s faced along the way, and how he navigates the music industry. As always, the event is free and all ages, withextremely limited seating in our recording studio here at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Powered by the Office of Arts & Culture.

#YouthArts

Talk Story Series 1

Join us today for the very first of our pilot Talk Story series, featuring intimate in-studio interviews with guest artists and music industry professionals. Kicking off the series is 2014 Sound Off! winner Otieno Terry and his manager and music director Max Levin, who will be talking about their come up, challenges they’ve faced thus far, and how they continue to navigate the illusive music industry.

Event runs from 4-5pm in the Totem Star recording studio at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Free and all-ages. Limited seating. Sponsored by the Office of Arts & Culture.

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

Project Safe Neighborhoods

New music coming soon! This summer we produced beats and recorded with four new artists (one is missing from the photo above) over the course of 120 hours in the studio. The guys recorded a ton of material and we’re mixing the songs right now. Look out for the new stuff on SoundCloud and on the next compilation. Big thanks to Youngstown Cultural Arts Center for providing the recording studio space, and to the U.S. Department of Justice for funding the studio time (they dabbling in the music business now).

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

Columbia City Beatwalk Youth Stage

Photos: Winter Magic

Set the stage and they will come. The final open mic of the year was an all-out jam session, featuring more spontaneous on-stage collaborations than any other event we threw this year. It was the culmination of a quarter-long residency in the recording studio at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, once again in partnership with the Office of Arts & Culture and its Youth Arts program.

After a tag team opening by DJ Close To The Sun and DJ Hirschurmouth, guitarist Joe Naranjo took to the stage, plugged into the Marshall, and ripped through a Rage Against the Machine cover. With the audience demanding more, Close To The Sun joined him on bass, with Noah Predko jumping on the drums. The impromptu three-piece rock band, all from West Seattle High School, jammed for a good ten minutes and set the tone for the rest of the evening. By the end of their extended jam, all the performers were itching to get on.

DJ Hirschurmouth rocked a couple new instrumentals before getting on the mic and performing his new song “Recovery” (check it out on his BandCamp page). DJ Close To The Sun followed with his own instrumentals (check them out on SoundCloud) – this was when things got really interesting. Robby Little (of The Black Chevys) started bobbing his head to the instrumentals and jumped on the bass. Co-Founder Thaddeus Turner got on the drums. Paris and Star grabbed the mics. It was the first time at an open mic where a live band performed over an instrumental track, much like how national touring artists use pre-recorded backing tracks to add sparkle to their live performances. At this point the energy shifted from a room full of individual artists silently checking each other out to a powerful collaborative community performance. It was epic.

One last thing about our guy Paris, who helped host the event. Paris understands the cipher. He lives for the cipher. It runs in his blood. He gets on the mic and by doing his thing and saying his piece, he motivates the others to join in. He’ll even get in your face (in a friendly way of course) to encourage you to spit. It’s his special way of getting folks to join the movement. Big ups to our guy Paris.

Thanks to everyone for making Winter Magic a big success, especially the Office of Arts & Culture! See you in 2015!

Winter Magic: Open Mic & Art Pop Up

Calling all (in alphabetical order) audio engineers, bands, comics, dancers, DJs, musicians, photographers, producers, rappers, singers, songwriters, spoken word poets, theatrical actors/actresses, and visual artists (did we forget anyone?):

Are you ready for some Winter Magic? The next open mic and art pop up is Thursday, December 18 from 3:30-6:30pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (see map). As always, it is an all-ages event open to the general public and guaranteed to be a great time!

For Performers:
– we provide stage, sound, lights, and backline including drums, bass, guitar amps, keyboards, and microphones
– feel free to bring instrumental tracks in any media format
– sign ups start at 3:00pm when doors open
– if you would like to pre-register, send an email to totemstarrecords@gmail.com with a description of what kind of performance you will be doing and your technical needs
– you may arrive at the venue two hours before show time if you would like a soundcheck (if time permits)

For Visual Artists:
– we provide an open space to showcase your work
– visual artists are encouraged to bring their own installation materials with which to display work
– send an email to totemstarrecords@gmail.com with a detailed description of your work and any installation questions or concerns
– you may arrive at the venue two hours before the event to load in your work and begin installation

Thanks to the Office of Arts & Culture for partnering on yet another Totem Star open mic and art pop up!

#YouthArts

Killing The Game

By Paris Randall

Totem Star is officially killing the game! November 20 marked the second monthly open mic we hosted in the intimate and inviting Movement Studio at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in West Seattle. As host of the evening, I got to kick things off, feeling the energy of the audience and getting them involved in a little call-and-response.

The first act up was Dogg Pound (formerly known as Vicious Puppies Crew). These b-boys have been killing it for years, with Robert, Sammy, and the rest of the boys showing us how they’ve earned so much respect over the years. They host a breakdancing class every Monday and Wednesday at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center from 3-4pm.

Next up was the neighborhood rock band with that classic flavor, All Star Dads! Sterling, Miles, and Gunnar know how to entertain. Gotta love that West Seattle High School alumni!

Speaking of all-stars, two veterans returned tonight to the Youngstown spotlight. Enter Massiah andStar. The latter is a well-versed rap vocalist, currently specializing in LGBT events and artist collaborations. Trust me when I tell you, the girl knows what she’s doing! She hit us with a snippet from her upcoming project.

Massiah has been involved with Youngstown for years (he taught me a lot about recording and performing). This musical maverick dropped a jewel on us from his upcoming project, The D.A.L.M.S. LP, expected to drop in 2015. He rocked that crowd something fierce!

Alien Angel brought the metal. Also from WSHS, these guys for sure know how to rock! They tantalized the audience with some guitar and drum work. Pure energy.

Close To The Sun is a DJ and a music producer. He graciously rocked the 1’s and 2’s for us the whole night! When the time came for him to perform, he couldn’t just do it the old-fashioned way. No! He came out dressed as a Creeper of Minecraft fame. But what couldn’t creep up on us was how awesome his beats sounded. Stuff of legend indeed.

Following that was yours truly. My mission was to get the crowd involved. I stopped my set mid-way through the first song to interact with the crowd, teaching them my hook, because I needed their energy for this performance to really take off. It worked!

Next up was Will. He dropped two songs of his own, all original productions. And boy, did his beats hit hard! His words really hit the crowd.

Our penultimate act was the Black Chevys. This group has a rich, soulful sound that I consider soothing to a savage beast. Two sultry voices and excellent instrumentation. Magic. The female voice is Totem Star’s own, Nafsiya.

Ezra closed the show, shining with his guitar and solo vocal. His interpretation of the classic “Hallejuah” was touching.

Time to kick everybody out. But before that we made sure they enjoyed the music, the food, and of course, the incredible visual pieces by Sita. The next event is Thurdsay December 18! Chee!!!

Photos: Jeremy Protacio http://rockpapersketch.com

Giving Thanks Open Mic And Art Pop Up

The next open mic and art pop up is Thursday, November 20 from 4:00-7:00pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (see map). As always, it is an all-ages event open to the general public and guaranteed to be a great time!

For Performers:
– we provide stage, sound, lights, and backline including drums, bass, guitar amps, keyboards, and microphones
– feel free to bring instrumental tracks in any media format
– sign ups start at 3:30pm when doors open
– if you would like to pre-register, send an email to totemstarrecords@gmail.com with a description of what kind of performance you will be doing and your technical needs
– you may arrive at the venue two hours before show time if you would like a soundcheck (if time permits)

For Visual Artists:
– we provide an open space to showcase your work
– visual artists are encouraged to bring their own installation materials with which to display work
– send an email to totemstarrecords@gmail.com with a detailed description of your work and any installation questions or concerns
– you may arrive at the venue two hours before the event to load in your work and begin installation

Thanks to the U.S. Department of Justice for sponsoring yet another Totem Star open mic and art pop up!

#ProjectSafeNeighborhoods

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!

Photos: All Hallow's Eve Open Mic

“Totem Star really, really pushes us to become better artists, producers, musicians all around…and all together it’s been a wonderful experience.” The audience at the All Hallow’s Eve open mic heard an incredible story about artistic and social development, told by emcee Paris who hosted the event last Thursday. Having received his diploma from the Southwest Interagency Academy and participated in programs with organizations like the Service Board and Arts Corps, he is an example for all young artists and entrepreneurs by engaging with the wide spectrum of opportunities and resources available at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

The typical quarterly Totem Star open mic is like a mini arts and music festival. A lineup of rappers will take to the stage, rhyming over bass-heavy beats they produced. A soul/R&B group will get the audience out of their seats to close their eyes and shake their hips, while a hardcore punk band will jumpstart headbanging and moshing. Spoken word poets will unzip, unpack, and liberate the minds of audience members with personal stories of overcoming oppression. DJs spin electronic dance music while a singer/songwriter pulls up a stool and cradles an acoustic guitar.

The All Hallow’s Eve open mic was no exception, with every performance slot on the sign up sheet filled. With pepperoni and cheese pies donated by Proletariat Pizza and a seemingly bottomless coffee pot provided by Dubsea Coffee, everyone in attendance contributed to a nourishing and positive vibe. Huge thanks to the Office of Arts & Culture for sponsoring the open mic event through their Civic Partners funding program!

Photos: Derek Edamura http://derekedamura.wordpress.com

All Hallow's Eve Open Mic And Art Pop Up

For the next quarterly open mic we’re hosting an All Hallow’s Eve costume party on Thursday October 30 from 4:45-6:45pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (see map). As always, it is an all-ages event open to the general public and guaranteed to be a great time!

If this is your first time attending a Totem Star open mic, welcome to the fam! You will experience performances by live bands, rappers, spoken word poets, DJs, and more! And for the first time we are curating a pop up art gallery. This is for you – a space where music, art, and creative minds like yours collide. Meet awesome people, enjoy free snacks and refreshments, and by all means, don’t hesitate to sign up for a performance slot or a space to showcase your work at our pop up art gallery. Space and time fill up fast! Here’s more detailed info:

For Performers:
– we will provide stage, sound, lights, and backline including drums, bass, guitar amps, vocal mics, and a keyboard
– feel free to bring instrumental tracks in any media format
– sign ups start at 4:00pm when doors open
– if you would like to pre-register, send an email to totemstarrecords@gmail.com with a description of what kind of performance you will be doing and your technical needs
– you may arrive at the venue two hours before show time if you would like a soundcheck (if time permits)

For Visual Artists:
– we will provide an open space to showcase your work
– visual artists are encouraged to bring their own installation materials with which to display work
– send an email to totemstarrecords@gmail.com with a detailed description of your work and any installation questions or concerns
– you may arrive at the venue two hours before show time to load in your work and begin installation

Thanks to the Office of Arts & Culture for sponsoring yet another Totem Star event! #CivicPartners

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.

WRAP Showcase At Youngstown Cultural Arts Center

In the words of Totem Star co-founder Thaddeus Turner, the biggest impact of any youth program hits when youth “come to the realization that their individual actions directly affect the group as a whole.” On Thursday, December 19th, youth participants in the Work Readiness Arts Program (WRAP) sponsored by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture did just that by booking, planning, promoting, and producing their first community arts and music showcase and open mic at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.

Through the course of the two-month program youth focused on music production and performance and multicultural community organizing. The group, going by the band name Sustain, recorded an original song, “The Struggle,” currently in the final mixing stage, and learned the ins and outs of event planning and production. With two meetings a week and an advanced curriculum of topics including vocal recording techniques, use of compression and equalization during audio mixing, advancing a live performance with a music venue, social media marketing strategies, and much more, getting ready for the big show is what brought the group together.

“Each member had a newfound sense of ownership, not only to themselves and the group, but also to the community,” Turner said at the conclusion of the showcase. With almost a dozen performances by WRAP youth, along with guest performers from Arts Corps, West Seattle High School, and Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, the showcase was a complete success and the youth are already planning the next event for early 2014.

Special thanks to the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture for sponsoring and to Youngstown Cultural Arts Center for partnering on the program. All photos by Jenny Crooks. Click to view the whole gallery.

Joel E. Smilow Clubhouse At Rainier Vista 2013

Thanks once again to the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative and their 2013 Community Matching Grant, we got the keys to the recording studio and music room at the Joel E. Smilow Clubhouse at Rainier Vista and put on yet another successful Bars & Beats work training program from September to November. With music production as the driving force, our youth earned stipends by putting life skills into practice in our professional studio working environment. Work readiness skills including communication, time management and organization, goal setting, public speaking, and relationship building laid down the foundation of the Totem Star curriculum. Through the course of the program, youth learned basic skills on the drums, bass, guitar, and piano, and how to produce beats in the recording studio using a digital audio workstation. Kore Ionz video producer Jeff Santos visited the program and shot footage of the youth in action, with a short documentary currently in the works featuring music produced by the youth. Program participant and youth recording artist Isaiah Bridges sums it up best: “Totem Star is a place for me to be myself and get off the streets to do something positive for my community.”

Special thanks to the Joel E. Smilow Clubhouse at Rainier Vista for generously donating the recording studio and music room for the duration of the program. Totem Star would also like to extend an enormous amount of gratitude to all of the local restaurants and other sponsors who donated family style meals to nourish our youth before each session: `Ohana Belltown, Pyramid Alehouse,Frontier Room, Lottie’s Lounge, Tutta Bella, Uli’s Famous Sausage, Dahlia Bakery, andBent Burgers. Together we raised over $9,000 in community matching, all for the youth!

Aki Kurose Middle School Academy 2013

Shortly after our last summer work training program with the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration we connected with Neighborhood House (who has been serving diverse and marginalized communities in Seattle since the 1900s) to start our first after school program in partnership with Seattle Public Schools. In January 2013 we launched our Bars and Beats pilot program at Aki Kurose Middle School Academy, located in our home neighborhood of Rainier Valley in Southeast Seattle, proclaimed by the U.S. Census Bureau as “the most diverse zip code in America,” with 59 languages spoken in the district.

With a school population of 97% students of color, 87% Free or Reduced Lunch, 20% English Language Learners and Special Education, and a 20% mobility rate, the goal of Totem Star is to use our Bars & Beats music production program as a conduit to increase reading, writing, and mathematics skills, as well as tackling social-emotional development issues. By providing quality arts education instruction in line with the Seattle Public Schools K-12 Arts Plan, Totem Star strives to fill the gaps in access and achievement.

Totem Star worked with 20+ students from January through May 2013, with student ethnicities including African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and East African. Students expressed their artistic creativity through programming beats, writing lyrics and sharing with the group in a public speaking format, recording in a studio setting with a digital audio workstation, and producing and starring in a music video for their original song “Let Your Light Shine,” soon to be released on YouTube.

“Rising to the top I got my own feeling / I’ve got a chance to get to the top / Feeling so excited I’m gonna work / I’m gonna play and have so much fun,” exclaims Anthony Johnson as he dunks a basketball over Totem Star video production manager Kizamu Tsutakawa in the music video. “Let your light shine / Be heard don’t back down / Show who you truly are,” sings Lashaiah Dickerson in the hook, reminding her peers that anything is possible through hard work, perseverance, and a positive attitude.

Metrocenter YMCA 2012

In the summer of 2012 we brought our mobile recording studio back to the Metrocenter YMCA for another work training program in partnership with the Juvenile Rehabilitation Program and YouthSource.

“The resistance of your existence of your appearance is disappearing because we all stuck in fear,” explains Tré “A$htre” Garrett in the group’s stand-out collaborative track “Money and Soul.” Brandi Crockett continues, “They want to strip us of our culture and humanity / They’re always trying to take away all of our sanity.” Jacob Moreno sums it all up in the hook, “They want to keep us in the hood / They want us in the dirt / We at war with the Feds / So stack up on that heat / I’m talking about that knowledge cause they hungry for the power / Keep your money and your soul / Your money and your soul.”

At the end of the summer program Totem Star received news that we were selected by the City of Seattle, the Office of Film + Music, and One Reel as a featured youth-serving organization at Bumbershoot 2012 “in an effort to raise awareness on the positive impact they’ve had on our music community.” KOMO Newsradio visited our table at the festival and invited the youth for an in-studio interview, which broadcasted to thousands of listeners. Listen to the interview featuring Gilford “Yung Gilly” Smith here.

Youthsource 2011-2012

As we said our goodbyes on the last day of the 2011 summer program at the Metrocenter YMCA, the youth asked us when they would be able to get back in the studio with us. Concerned with a gap in service, we approached the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration with the idea of offering something during the school year that youth from all our previous programs could attend. Within a month the Totem Star after school open studio was born at YouthSource.

Sessions were productive, with youth showing up early to sign up for the precious studio time. Some amazing tracks were produced, like “La La La” by A$htre, featuring a sample of The Delfonics classic hit “La-La (Means I Love You).” Amazing poet Robert Ofrancia recorded our first two spoken-word pieces, “Gettin’ Older” and “Why Is It You Love People You Hate,” while Young Dre displayed his youthful grasp on lyrical excellence on “Is That You.”