Thursday, December 27, 2012

2012: Most of the Year In Review, Part 3

December 19
ITM Performs at the Halftime Show for the Boston Celtics

As some of you may know, Sunspot's original R&B crooner, Runna, is the Director of the In The Mak'n (ITM) Step Squad and Dance Team. ITM has been relentlessly practicing and rehearsing their performance for weeks. I, G. Jonz, had the honor of putting this mix together. I've done this many times in the past for countless ITM shows, but I could see the fire in these young dancers eyes. For many of them, this was the first time they'd perform in front of an audience -- an audience of 18,000+! The young lions had something to prove. The veterans of the team knew what to expect and gave it 110%, like they do every time they step foot on a stage. Everyone did an amazing job! Here are a few pictures from that night. (Also, as an added bonus to the night, the Celtics won this game against the Cavaliers and this is also the game where Paul Pierce scored 40 points!)


December 24
DJ Seth Chaos Releases Volume 1 of his Certified Mixtape Series

This was actually a nice Christmas surprise to us on the Sunspot team. Seth Chaos, who has worked with us on a number of different projects, has taken songs from many Sunspot releases and mixed them into a unique experience. Chaos has also included the very first S.O.U.L. Music/Sunspot collaborative track as a bonus. You can take a listen below.


December 28
Last Friday with Sunspot

Yep, this isn't happening until tomorrow night, but it's been mentioned it in the other two parts of the Year in Review, not to mention Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, texts, LynnHappens.com, smoke signals and Morse Code. It will truly be a night to remember and a great way to kick off the last weekend of 2012. Thanks for reading this series. To close out, I'd like to paraphrase a quote by Shawn Michaels:

"We will give you a show like you have never, ever seen before. Why? Because we can."



Year In Review, Part 1
Year In Review, Part 2

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

2012: Most of the Year In Review, Part 2

Mid-July
Boston Community Showcase

Female MC Ladii Goddiva invited us to perform at an event she was hosting in Boston. We got in contact with Goddiva thru Ξәƞῼβλα, who is shown here with G. Jonz performing I Dare You.


Runna lighting up the stage with Sunspot's remix version of Turn It Up


This event is actually the first time that Runna and Balán Braxton (Ξәƞῼβλα) met each other. They recorded their song Thinking About You at different times and never spoke to each other before until this day. This picture shows them performing a snippet of it together with G. Jonz for the first time.


September
Not Sure Community College


Pretty self-explanatory, but I'll go ahead and explain it anyway. G. Jonz and C.Luk are in a band and no, Sunspot has NOT disbanded. (Disbanded... punny.) This is the first of many videos showcasing what the band can do. Be sure to Like the band on Facebook: Not Sure Community College
If you're on Twitter, so are we: @notsureband


HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON!

Year In Review, Part 1

Monday, December 24, 2012

2012: Most of the Year In Review

This is the time of year where everyone takes time to reflect on the past calendar year. What was good? What wasn't so good? How many epic fails did I commit? How many Facebook pictures did I like/share because if I "ignored" them it showed that I didn't care? (That one's for you, Thai.)

I figured I'd take the time to give my opinion on some of the things Sunspot has been a part of in the last year. I should have time to bang this out before this week's show.

February 21 - July 31
The Photo Shoot and Making of "Check The Recipe 2"
This is actually could've been two different sections. "The Making of" started in February while "The Photo Shoot" started in the last week of July... but they're intertwined. So there you go.

If you've Liked my Facebook page (and if you haven't, you're really missing out on some (high?) quality quips), you noticed a series of photographs featuring the Sunspot crew and other musicians that promoted my second mixtape. The photo shoot was a lot of fun. It's one thing to put in work to promote your work, but when you're surrounded by friends and family, it really doesn't seem like work at the end of the day. It was also a bonus that I knew the photographer from my previous job and the graphic designer from high school. I can't thank them enough for all their hard work, especially when they had to race against the clock!
If you need photography or videography, hit up KKS Photography.
For graphic design of any kind, Wendy Carmona-Florencio - Illustration & Design.
As far as the making of the actual mixtape, I couldn't possibly fit every detail in one entry, which is why I started this. However, I will say that Check The Recipe 2 was more successful than I ever thought. To everyone who was involved in the making of it: artists, producers, writers, loved ones, fans, affiliates, associates and anyone else that doesn't fit into one of those categories, I say THANK YOU.


August 22
KAYA Lynn Out Loud Talent Show (or as I call it, The LAWL Show)
Sunspot staples G. Jonz and The Right Hook assisted KAYA behind the scenes in putting together this 2nd annual showcase. Runna also helped in making the show a huge success as ITM's Step Squad and Dance Team both performed that night. The entire process was something I wouldn't trade. The youth involved were so inspiring and incredibly gifted. During practices, they supported each other and gave helpful tips. The other advisers, Lynda and Lyna, offered great insights to the performers. The pressure was on for many reasons, but once the music hit and the lights were on bright, it was showtime and positive energy overpowered everyone in attendance. New friendships were definitely made that night. KAYA Crew, if you're reading this, thank you for the opportunity. I can not WAIT to do it again!

The good people at LynnHappens.com has the entire show on video. Here's the link: http://lynnhappens.com/?p=5932

I looked at my list at what I wanted to write about. I realized that, while I didn't plan to make this a mini-series of blogs, that's ultimately what this will become. All 3 parts will be done before the new year. And possibly before Sunspot's show this Friday.