#[ft. guest appearance from heather]

[imjusthereforwolfstar]

Day 6 Glowing/ Thought I'd Lost You

My little contribution to this year's Fic-O-Ween, Coops at the Lupin's Cottage

Huge thanks as always to @lumosinlove giving us her characters and then letting us play around with them. Header belongs to @noots-fic-fests

Mild Vaincre Spoiler

It had been a fantastic long weekend at the Lupin’s cabin on the lake. Remus and Sirius had “opted out” of the last night practice for the week, and were hundreds of miles away at the Lupin’s cabin before anyone noticed they were gone. And if they picked up a giant fuzzy stow away on their way up there, who was to know? 

Sirius had been quiet during the last half hour or so of the ride. Remus knew better than to push Sirius to talk. He needed time to sort out what he was thinking about and why he was thinking about it before being prodded to talk. So he sat in comfortable silence with his fiancee and took in the Halloween decorations that were appearing in town.

Remus parked the car in the driveway and opened the trunk. Kuny’s 200 lb Newfoundland Leia hopped out and began sniffing around the driveway while Remus attached the leash to her collar. Leaves crunched underfoot as they approached the front door. He could smell the yellow and red mums that his aunt had placed on the steps the week before, and he smiled at the twinkling orange and purple fairy lights strung over the porch. 

Their weekend was filled with the best of fall. Leia was so happy to be out of the apartment in Gryffendor, and she galumphed happily down the forest path and chased squirrels and chipmunks. They spent an especially memorable evening trying to wrangle her to give her a bath after she splashed in the lake and rolled in the sand. All three of them ended up showered and happily exhausted, cuddled up on the couch watching Great British Bakeoff.  

While Leia slept for hours in sunny patches, Sirius and Remus cooked up a storm, with stuffed roasted squashes, crusty loaves of bread, hearty soups and stews, all with the last of summer's fresh products from the farmer’s market. Remus dug up his family’s stash of Ball jars and they loaded up the fridge to take as much of it back as they could. Remus left a few jars of pickles in the fridge and 2 apple pies in the freezer for whoever came by next.  

They added their own fall touches to the house. A new wreath that they had found in a local shop for the front door, a clumsily knitted blanket for the guest bedroom (Remus was getting lessons from Lily). And if a 12 ft skeleton made its way into the back yard, that was their business. 

Their last evening at the cabin, they watched scary movies with popcorn and hot spiced apple cider, Leia laying at their feet and enjoying an occasional kernel. When the last movie ended, Remus unwound himself from the blankets and stood, then whistled to Leia. “C’mon girl, let’s go potty one more time before bed.” Leia got to her feet slowly and stretched, meandered over to the door and waited for Remus to clip the leash on. Then she pulled Remus out into the yard to sniff for the perfect spot.

Sirius had been thinking a lot this weekend. He had been thinking a lot about a lot of things. He’d been thinking about their wedding, of course. Remus, his Remus, dressed in a suit, standing in front of Dumo, right in the spot where Leia took a leap off the dock into the water to chase after a duck. Remus, his Remus, waiting for him. Thinking about what it meant to be married, what it meant to start a new family, a new life, a happy life. A life he always thought he’d never get to have.  A life he deserved. 

And he had been thinking about how he almost lost it all. Even though he had many conversations with Heather about it over the last year, even though he had mostly made peace with what happened, every once in a while, it all came crashing back to him. How he almost lost Remus, his Remus, and what that would have meant for, well, everything. 

A wave of it had hit him during the end of the last movie. They had been watching The Birds, and Sirius’s mind wandered. Remus must have noticed, and as the movie ended, he got Leia ready to go outside before bed. 

Leia led Remus around the corner and down toward the lake, and Sirius lost sight of the bobbing orb of the flashlight. His mind wandered again to the meeting in Arthur’s office when he couldn’t look at Remus, as he just walked out, leaving Remus to deal with the fallout on his own while he got on an airplane and flew hundreds of miles away. 

Where would he be right now if Remus hadn’t fought for him. Hadn't called him and left him that message. Hadn’t been willing to wait for him. 

Sirius's mind drifted to a place where he didn’t have a text thread going with Hope about the latest baking tips. Didn’t have Lyall reminding him to change the filter on the furnace before turning the heat on. Didn’t have a weekly FaceTime with The Julian Lupin. 

Didn’t have Remus. His Remus. 

The second Remus stepped into the doorway from the yard, Sirius had his arms around him.

“Re. I thought I lost you.”

“Baby! It was only 5 minutes, what happened?.”

“Once I couldn’t see the flashlight glowing anymore, I panicked.”

“Where would I have gone? The entire property is fenced in.”

“I don’t know. But as soon as you went around the corner and the light was gone, all I could think of was what life would be like if I didn’t have you anymore.” 

Remus hung up the dog’s leash and toed off his shoes, then headed into the kitchen to put the kettle on for tea. “Do you want to talk about it, love?”

“I don’t know. It’s not like it isn’t something we haven’t gone over and over.” 

“But it’s been on your mind all weekend. It’s okay to need to talk about it again.” 

Sirius took a deep breath. “I just…don’t know how to do this next part Re. I don’t know what it means to be a good husband. I’m so excited to be married to you, but what if that changes things? What if I start to turn into my father? What if I do something terrible and lose you?”

Remus immediately put the tea bags down and came to stand in front of Sirius. “Baby. You are already a wonderful partner. You are kind and loving and unafraid to push me when I need to be pushed. You are exactly what I need. And I am marrying you because of that. And I can’t promise nothing will change, or that we will never have a disagreement, but I don’t think a certificate and a ring are going to change who you are as a person.”

“I guess so.”

“I know so, Sirius Black.”

Sirius got up and turned the stove off. He opened the cabinet and his heart gave a tug. Everyone who comes up to the cabin frequently has their own mug. Two trips ago, Julian dragged Sirius through every market and store until he found Sirius the perfect mug. It was white with a sky blue dinosaur holding a little mug with a rainbow heart on it. Underneath was the word ‘Tea-Rex’.

He took the mug out and clutched it to his chest, then turned to Remus. “How can you be so sure?”

Remus shrugged. “I just am. I have faith in you, and faith in me, and faith in us together.”

Sirius closed his eyes at that. For so long it was just him. He was so used to doing everything by himself and for himself that he sometimes forgot he doesn’t have to do that anymore. 

Remus walked over and pulled his own mug down out of the cabinet. Julian had picked this one out too, but years ago. It was a giant yellow Lego man head, and it made Sirius smile every time he saw it. 

Remus poured the tea water and the smell of apples and cinnamon drifted slowly up to Sirius’s nose. “What I really know is that we are in this together, no matter what. Whatever that means, and whatever that looks like. And I think it looks a lot like you are stuck with me forever.”

Sirius rested his head on Remus’s shoulder, and Remus wrapped his arm around his side. “If you want, let’s make an appointment with Heather. I’ll go with you. It might be good for us to talk about your worries together with her, and maybe make a plan if we need.”

Sirius nodded and leaned a bit more heavily into Remus. Remus stood up to his full height and stretched, then put his arm around Siruis’s shoulders and steered him toward the staircase. “Right now, I think a shower and bed are a good plan. We have a long drive ahead of us, and the wrath of Arthur Weasly to face when we get home.”

Sirius allowed himself to be led into the shower, and then led into bed. Leia curled up at the foot of their bed, and Sirius tucked his toes under her belly. Remus turned on the bedside lamp and picked up his latest novel. Sirius snuggled into his side, closed his eyes and listened to the wind rustling in the leaves. Arthur Weasley and his anger be damned, he and Remus needed this weekend before the season really got going again. He felt more settled, more secure in things, at least for now. They had a plan. And at the end of the day, no matter what, he gets to marry Remus. His Remus. And really, what could be better than that?

[thebabysittertm]

ㅤHeather Holloway was in a position that Steve didn't envy, namely her apparently 'undead' status as a vampire after Hargrove had attacked her in an uncontrolled hunger and then turned her in what Steve assumed must have been a panic. She was sort of alive, in the sense that she was present and aware, but Steve was having enough trouble as a werewolf - he didn't need anymore. That said, Heather had insight into who Billy Hargrove really was that Steve didn't have, so Steve didn't understand why she forgave Billy or why she'd defend him so vehemently if there was any sort of threat, be it physical or verbal. All he knew was Hargrove's temper and the way he'd fought with him the night Steve had gone and gotten clipped by a werewolf, and his constant antics both before and after his vampirism. He was lacking a lot of information needed to trust or even particularly like the guy.

ㅤSomehow he was still willing to give him a hand, however, and he wasn't sure why the fuck he should care. Feeding Billy Hargrove was a dumb idea and he knew it, but he also knew that Max had fought damn hard to protect her brother's life and Billy had to eat, and do it discreetly, to survive. There could be no loss of life or Hopper would pull the plug, and they all knew it so he didn't actually have to know how badly Billy felt about hurting Heather or how much he never wanted to hurt anyone else ever again. Steve was about as safe as he could be under Hopper's very simple rules, and he'd keep reminding himself of that; if Hargrove got too violent, he could also defend himself a lot better than a regular human could. It would be fine.

ㅤThere was a fear that Hargrove would figure out his secret, and that wasn't going to go away anytime soon, but he'd hold onto the knowledge that Billy hadn't seen any of the werewolves and if his senses were stronger as vampire, he quite simply didn't know what he was experiencing - maybe Steve's cologne really did cover up enough to throw someone off his scent, literally. He wasn't sure if it was something a vampire could taste in his blood or if blood just tasted like blood, but he'd deal with that when the time came, if it did. Maybe Billy would be so busy being a menace and smug about it that he wouldn't notice anything important. It seemed possible.

ㅤYeah, definitely a smug menace. Steve rolled his eyes so hard that he tilted his head into it when Billy echoed his words to put a spin on them that he hadn't meant with a completely inappropriate full once over that really didn't make Steve anymore inclined to go somewhere quiet with the asshole, and then Hargrove kept talking. "You are not helping your case," he pointed out, tone flat and not hiding the fact that he was having second thoughts, especially as his brows knit. "I didn't say anything about the back seat."

ㅤIt was useless, Hargrove was on the move and clearly not listening to him as the sounds of the party engulfed him. Steve lingered where he was, strongly considering another drink that wouldn't do jack shit for him, but he could hope that if he chugged it fast enough, he might feel something for a minute. He wasn't sure if it would affect a vampire, however, and he didn't need Hargrove drunk on top of everything else. Just because it didn't get Steve drunk didn't necessarily mean it wasn't in his blood, right? If he wasn't keeping it a secret, he'd have asked the little geniuses he babysat what their monster theories said about it so that he didn't have to test it.

ㅤHe also strongly considered changing his mind and just driving home instead, but Hargrove should have been finding a meal in the party and he'd left it because he'd found one, so it would have been a dick move. It was still tempting when he no longer had the vampire in his space, taunting him and somehow simultaneously putting him off and making him feel like he should help him out, but he finally sighed and ran a hand through his hair before stepping back into the rest of the party to be seen after Hargrove had already left.

ㅤHe caught Heather's eye where she was hanging out with some of the basketball team, particularly Jason, and raised his eyebrows at her with a flick of his eyes to Jason and back. She smirked and sipped at her drink before breaking the eye contact to laugh at something stupid that had been said. Steve actually saw the way Jason's attention honed in on her as soon as she had his eyes and damn, was he glad that hadn't worked on him when Billy had tried. She looked far too pleased with herself when she glanced back at him just for a second, but he just shook his head and gave her a wave as he started for the door.

ㅤThat got a sudden frown from her, like he could almost see the wheels turning as she put it together - she had to know that Billy had just left, but did she know that Hargrove was going to make a pass at him? The way her own eyebrows rose immediately after suggested maybe she had, and he was definitely going to give Billy shit for targeting him on purpose if he got the chance. He wasn't about to interrupt Heather's hunt, especially if she wanted to take Jason Carver down a few pegs, so he slipped out the door to his car. He'd be a few minutes late getting there, but he pulled in and parked beside Hargrove behind the building so that his car wouldn't be as visible from the street, and then couldn't help stalling for a few seconds longer than was strictly necessary before sighing and climbing out of the BMW to peek inside the Camaro.

ㅤThe fucking back seat, of course. Would it be more comfortable? Yes, which was why the back seat had the reputation that it did, but Steve didn't plan on giving Billy more than his wrist, so the comfort angle wouldn't be that important, would it? He pulled the door open and leaned over to look inside, mostly so that Hargrove could see exactly how unimpressed he was with the choice. "Don't get any ideas back here. You get enough to take the edge off, got it?" he asked, even though some voice in the back of his head wanted to remind him that he knew better - Hargrove already had the ideas, and Steve could expect that he was giving him a decent meal, not just a taste, regardless of what control he tried to exert on this situation. Against his better judgment, he slid into the car and shut the door behind him, a little awkward about offering up his arm, but he wasn't really sure how someone did this intentionally. He just knew what the attacks looked like when they weren't.

　IF HE PUT MUCH THOUGHT INTO IT  things got rapidly darker. There was a sense of regret with Heather. He hadn’t meant to harm her. But Heather had attempted to help him and in a moment of not fully understanding his actions, being compelled so strongly by the aching hunger and his self-resolve crumbling he had done something he could never take back. To make matters worse Heather treated him with such understanding it could only make him feel sick at times. The loathing, shame and pitiful sadness would make the best of cocktails ‘cause it threatened to empty his already hollow stomach. She was a reminder he couldn’t lose that type of control again and harm someone beyond comprehension. ‘Cause things seemed fine now but the world hadn’t changed from what they knew, there were still people alive that they could recognize and know—how might they feel many decades from now when they remained unchanged and everything around them was unrecognizable from the world they were born into?

It was one thing to be damned to an eternity alone. It would have made sense to Billy after everything. Some type of consolation for all the bad things he had done. For those he had harmed before the change and those he had harmed afterwards. It was a different brand of torture to know he had brought this upon someone else and someone he was actually quite fond of. 

But selfishly, there was comfort in it too. He knew Heather wouldn’t leave or abandon him. Not now, not ever. And although it made his self-hatred stronger, he doubted she even fully blamed him for his actions. She had a way of resolving the worst things about him. It was something he despised ‘cause he knew he deserved far worse, anger at the least; and he was unlikely to ever shake that off. If he couldn’t be good for himself he could certainly try for her and attempt to make as little mistakes as humanly possible.

None of this Billy was willing to indulge with Steve. It was the type of information that had to be observed or pried from him in a moment of uncharacteristic weakness. He wasn’t thinking of baring his soul to Steve. Rather he was single-mindedly focused on the distraction of this all.But it did mean one thing… the threat Billy posed to Steve was very little all things considered. Even though he was too foolish to observe the differences within Steve, if he would have taken the time to see past the facade the other was putting up perhaps he would have known. But Billy has never seen the world with an outward perspective—he’s only observed it internally, caving into himself and his mind; desperate to make sense of all the unraveling threads in his own mind to pay attention to the details of the outside world.. so Steve’s secret was safe for now.

It was a very, very bad idea. To be fair, Billy had never been a person who was exceptionally keen on taking the easiest, wisest routes in life. It was part of the reason he had ended up like this even to his own disbelief. It turned out not believing in monsters didn’t stop you from becoming one when push came to shove.

Of course, he’s pleased with himself. How can he not be? Steve hadn’t seemed too interested in letting Billy close to him and with their tumultuous history, he probably shouldn’t. But Billy wasn’t going to ponder too deeply on those things.In truth, finding a meal like this meant things would be easier until the next time he needed to feed. He didn’t have the luxury of turning down a willing participant. It made it easier and in a lot of ways, safer too. For himself and for others. And then came the fact, he did want to bite Steve. The flirting had been to mess with him but there was a tinge of seriousness to every word. Billy wasn’t just talking out of his ass completely. Mixing that lust with the yearning for the other man’s blood could and probably would be a powerful combination making it all the more enjoyable for Billy.

His eyes roll though ‘cause of course Steve has to make this all the more difficult. He doesn’t want to be seen with Billy. In the back of his mind, he understood. And in a lot of ways, it would always make it safer for Billy too so they could never be associated together if anyone took notice of a healing bite mark on Steve’s body. Rumors? Billy had no concern over any trivial Hawkins gossip anymore. In the past, he would have been concerned for word getting back to Neil but the best part of his newfound strength and abilities was that his ‘father’ was no longer a looming demon or fear in the back of his mind. It gave whole new agency to Billy and that was something he would never cease to be amazed by. His head cocks to the side and a small shit-eating grin spreads across his face as he shakes his head in a silent scoff. “Fuck it indeed,” Billy said with a wistful once over of Steve ‘cause if allowed he certainly devour the other, “If you wanted to get me all alone in my backseat all you had to do was say something.” He really cannot help himself as jerks his head towards the door back inside, “I will be waiting for you, Harrington.” And without much further adieu, Billy is heading back into the party to make one more appearance before he slips off to meet Steve, mind preoccupied with how starkly contrasted the veins against Steve’s skin would probably appear.

[littlesouthblog]

July 30th - August 2nd 2020 | Lulworth Castle, Dorset

Family friendly Camp Bestival announce huge line up for their 2020 festival within the beautiful grounds of Lulworth Castle. Headlining artists include Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada, Friendly Fires, Becky Hill & Sophie Ellis Bextor.

Event info

What the promoter says

we are over the moon with excitement to announce our momentous and mighty line-up appearing across all the stages of your favourite stages at Camp Bestival 2020. Step into the world of the silver screen with marvellous entertainment for all the family, including headline sets from music favourites Fatboy Slim, Liam Payne and Groove Armada, as well as a special guest set from indie rock legends, Friendly Fires.

“We can’t think of a style of music that isn't on the bill this year - from rave to grime, classical to pop, guitars and reggae. From the original party-starter Fatboy Sim and indie royalty Friendly Fires through pop stars Liam Payne and Becky Hill to Groove Armada and a special Sophie Ellis-Bextor show with Sink The Pink, not forgetting our new and breaking acts like Georgia, Biig Piig and Self Esteem. It's not just about music - it's all going off from CBeebies to skate ramps, an outdoor cinema, tree climbing, Wild Tribe screen-free adventures into nature, yoga, meditation and explosive science shows! Get ready for Camp Bestival 2020!” - Josie and Rob da Bank

Other smash-hit stars taking to the stage include Becky Hill and rising star, Georgia, pop royalty Sophie Ellis-Bextor, radio legends Sara Cox and Jo Whiley, as well as YouTube sensations and 2019 X Factor Finalists, Max & Harvey. 

“This year at Camp Bestival will be special one for me as I am bringing my daughter for her first festival. Infantile grown-ups, watch our children grow and glow as we attempt to teach them about the festi-love, dancing and laughter…” -Fatboy Slim 

"I've heard amazing things about Camp Bestival and I can't wait to head down to Lulworth Castle to join the party." - Liam Payne

“Camp Bestival is absolutely me and my family’s favourite weekend of the year...can’t wait to return & put on another cracking 80s party. Last year the tent was bouncing with all ages, love seeing kids on their parent’s shoulders raving along to Wham! - this year’s gonna be even bigger & better.” - Sara Cox 

"I’ve had so much fun at Camp Bestival over the years. It’s an incredibly fun, beautiful and vibrant festival and I couldn’t be happier to be bringing my 90’s Anthems show to all the party people who’ll be there. See you down the front!" - Jo Whiley

The party doesn’t stop there – Camp Bestival are proud to welcome back CBeebies with appearances from Kids’ TV faves Mr Tumble, Mister Maker and the Shapes, and Rebecca Keatley with much more to be revealed soon. Youngsters can also get down and dance with a back-to-back line-up from the likes of the legendary Dick & Dom, Britain’s Got Talent superstars Boogie Storm, CBBC’s Sam & Mark and not forgetting a rave with the UK’s favourite family ravers Big Fish Little Fish. Why not channel your inner artist with Aardman Model Making Workshops or put on your science goggles and get ready for the weird and wonderful with live science shows by Brainiac Live and TheDadLab.

Go back to nature and discover Wild Tribe, the screen-free field returning for its second year with Spinney Hollow’s Craft Village, bushcrafts and bivouac building, drumming circles, immersive theatre from Mossy Crow, water slides, zip lines, tree climbing, campfires, calm spaces and Hortisculpture. What’s more, young environmentalists will be able to join in activities with Youth Strike 4 Climate, founded by climate change activist Greta Thunberg. 

Encompassing the glamour of Hollywood, Camp Bestival will transform into the most enchanting film set for the weekend. New to 2020, festivalgoers will enter the world of magical movie mania with AV shows featuring well-loved cult movie classics remixed by DJ Yoda, acting workshops from Stagecoach and The BRIT School and a Sunday finale like no other with Son et Lumière fireworks and projections on Lulworth Castle. Be sure to also not miss the Full Moon Cinema, an out-of-this-world outdoor cinema to celebrate the full moon on Saturday, plus who better to talk through his career in screenwriting than Irvine Welsh.

Get ready for some belly laughing comedy from comedian and best-selling author of ‘This is Going to Hurt’, Adam Kay, and side-splitting stand-up from the Scummy Mummies. Wide Awake Club/Wacaday TV legend Timmy Mallett brings his hilarious live show to Lulworth, and there will be readings on the chaos and comedy of real-life parenting from Man Vs. Baby.

The Magic Meadow will come alive on Saturday evening with Camp Bestival’s biggest ever circus performance with a huge High Wire Spectacular featuring dazzling displays of balance and circus feats complete with a live choir providing musical accompaniment. Then step into the Pink Flamingo for evening flamboyant cabaret featuring Cheryl Hole, Madame Galina and Her Only Friend(s) and Witt ’n’ Camp.

Adding to the spectacular entertainment for all the family, treat your taste buds to an array of award-winning food and drink. Tuck into the delectable offerings from The Feast Collective and DJ BBQ and become a foodie aficionado with Mother Earth’s Open Kitchen, Live Fire Cooking Demos, Temper barbecue chef Neil Rankin and hear from Omari McQueen, the UK’s youngest Vegan food entrepreneur and chef. Watch this space with lots more mouth-watering delights to be revealed… 

Fancy a detox? Head to Slow Motion and unwind with a series of relaxing and rejuvenating experiences on offer for all ages. Leave the outside world behind and opt for Ayurvedic workshops, meditation, sound healing and gong baths. Don’t forget to also take part in two genuine festival firsts: a Holistic Triathlon, consisting of meditation, 5k run and a session calming yoga to finish, and make sure to pop on the gloves and sign up for a Family Boxing session!

Line Up

Fatboy Slim

Groove Armada

Liam Payne

Friendly Fires

Sophie Ellis Bextor ft. Sink The Pink

Becky Hill

The Sugarhill Gang

Grandmaster

Melle

Mel & Scorpio

Dick and Dom

Sara Cox

Jo Whiley's 90s Anthems

Adam Kay

Irvine Welsh

Brainiac [live]

Son et Lumière 

Castle Fireworks Spectacular

Max & Harvey

Level 42

The Sherlocks

BRIT School

TheDadLab

Heather Small

Full Moon Cinema

Stagecoach Performing Arts School

David Rodigan

The Selecter

All Hail Kale Presents: Hypochondria [live]

DJ Yoda Presents: Filmstock

Reef

Space

Mr. Tumble

Norman Jay MBE

LTJ Bukem

The Sol Cinema

Mister Maker & Rebecca

Cheryl Hole

Gengahr

Spinney Hollow Craft

Self Esteem

Georgia

Sam & Mark

Holistic Triathalon

Scummy Mummies

Tim Burgess

Mr. Motivator

Glowie

Goldierocks

The Cuban Brothers

KIDS FLY

Adamski

DJ BBQ

SamSam Bubbleman

Klaus Blatter

Jaguar Skills

Bushcraft

Dub Pistols

Big Fish Little Fish

The Wurzels

Junior Jungle

Man vs. Baby

Blingo

Aardman Amazing Scene Machine

Bowie Disco

London Stage Orchestra

Plastic Mermaids

Thrill Collins

Cirque Bijou

Deptford Northern Soul

via littlesouth

[flymoonstruck]

earworms, #3

Hello! Fancy some music?

1. Rudimental & Sub Focus - Trouble ft. Maverick Sabre and Chronixx

Remember that time when I told you I wasn’t really impressed with Rudimental’s new track and was expecting them to come up with something proper? Well, anticipation’s over. We finally have Trouble – a delicious dnb cut with some help from the likes of Sub Focus, Maverick Sabre and Chronixx. With the latter two it’s impossible to get away without a certain level of Caribbean sound which goes so well with the typical Rudimental brass game and Sub Focus’ deep beat-substance. As soon as you hear the track you can pinpoint the people involved; however, that doesn’t necessarily spoil the harmony or the wholeness at all.  

2. Wolf Alice - Beautifully Unconventional

The Song! In an interview on Radio 1 Ellie said the track was inspired by that Winona Ryder/Christian Slater film. And, really, it’s so obvious that it could be easily added to the score of Heathers, both because of the lyrics and the slightly 80’s vibe to it. On top of that, to me Ellie herself is so like Winona, I wonder what kind of video they might put out… After the brilliant My Love Is Cool Wolf Alice are on to new, unexplored musical territories. Still, it looks like we’re in safe hands and Visions of a Life would be no less of a treat for our poor music junkie souls.

3. Elli Ingram - Better Alone

The album’s ready. It’s called Love You Really and it’s out September 15th. That’s our second taste from it and we can’t wait to wrap our ears and hands around it.

Better Alone

4. LCD Soundsystem - tonite

With the release of Everything Now last month the whole drama around Arcade Fire is now over. Luckily, we still have LCD. Why I put these two bands together, in one basket? Well, allegedly legendary status in music, long-anticipated new records (and rather curious promotion campaigns), socially-conscious lyrics and those sweet 80′s disco flashes. Do I need to say more? Tonite is in one league with Dance Yrself Clean and Daft Punk Is Playing At My House and it makes you want to grab your dancing shoes just as much. When you listen to the lyrics - even more just because you need to shake that vast feeling of emptiness off.

5. Buddy - Type of Shit ft, Wiz Khalifa

It should be clear by now that for some reason I like Buddy. Recently he announced a new EP with the romantic-floral title of Magnolia. New singles are pouring and again, we have another guest-star, giving a helping hand with a verse.

Our third course this week is Bastille’s take on Basket Case. Along with Dan Smith’s voice, string and brass sections, which have long ago become their trademark, we can now add covers to that list with an honest heart. With a good portion of creativity and wit, Bastille are reworking the term “cover” in every way imaginable - they are turning songs inside out, making them something different and basically - their own. It’s not by chance that fans put them in a completely new “category” - “There are normal bands/singers who do a one song cover. Then there are Bastille." With Basket Case we get an unexpected but an excellent rendition of the Green Day classic so nicely fitting into Bastille’s world - a bit depressive, a bit desperate and childish but still with an uplifting melody. And, to be frank, who wouldn’t recognise themselves in the character from the song, 20+ years ago, or today?

Basket Case 

And because there’s still loads of music which I am missing out, let’s limit the damage as much as we can. As far as albums go, Chase & Status have finally blessed us with Tribe after what felt like a lifetime. And the wait was worth every long, single day and month. Grime, garage, d&b, dub, reggae. It is just everything we’ve ever dreamt of, plus some experimental stuff and a radio-friendly song for us all to be happy and satisfied. Personal favourites – Nervous (!), Tribute, Don’t Stop, Real No More, all 17.

Gearing up for a record, Nothing But Thieves deliver “I’m Not Made By Design” - another track with killer vocals from Connor. Gorillaz share a new take on their delicious dance anthem Strobelite, this time with Kaytranada on board, while Skip Marley makes his appearance on our weekly entry with Refugee. 

New singles have also come out by ZHU (it’s an EP, really, try this out), OFFAIAH & Shenseea, Anna Of The North and Amber Mark. 

[wearemidboss]

ROM Record Retrospective, Volume 13

Hello again! I’m Matthew Hopkins, a.k.a. 2 Mello, the composer and sound designer behind 2064: Read Only Memories. Welcome to the second edition of the ROM Record Retrospective, a blog feature to celebrate the recent release of the soundtrack on limited release vinyl through iam8bit. Every Friday until I’m done, I will be taking a handful of songs and explaining their creative origins, the time at which they were created, their content and other trivia surrounding them. I will be using the Bandcamp release’s track list for this feature, and you can find and listen to that here.

41. Love Me Better (ft. SAMMUS, Heather Plunkett and the Neo-SF Choir) Okay, brace yourself, because there’s definitely more backstory on this song than any other song. I was commissioned to make a positive, uplifting ending credits track in the vein of Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own” from the Ghostbusters II soundtrack. This means writing lyrics, and I’m very cheesy at writing song lyrics, but luckily that kind of fit with the vibe we were going for. The backing beat is yet another melody building off of and incorporating the main theme, with a brief cut to 4 Moolah’s hip-hop track for guest vocalist SAMMUS to drop one of the most charming raps I’ve ever heard over. I didn’t want it to be just my voice on the singing part either, so I recruited local friend Heather Plunkett to sing backup and sound better than me on the hook as to make the song good. It worked. Lastly, I wanted to do something for this finale song to symbolize how this game was only made through the help of people who really believed in what we were doing. What better way to show this than to email everyone who contributed the Kickstarter and tell them to provide files of themselves singing the theme melody! We got over a dozen submissions from voices all over the world, and some members of the dev team also pitched in! Everything about this song was really a delight, except for the weight of 100 audio tracks on my small laptop as I was mixing it. That part was really hell.

42. You’re The One Who’s Spoiled Everything Signaling the expanded version of the soundtrack’s beginning is this jokey song from the “spoiled milk bad ending”, our ode to the Silent Hill dog endings. I definitely took some inspiration from Mother 2’s music with the odd droning sounds and melody with a ridiculous, untenable amount of vibrato. It’s fun when you’re given full license to act a fool.

43. 2064 Theme A huge, sparkling new edition of a game needs a new badass theme to play at the title screen. I wanted a big sound for those big numbers “2064” that flash and fill up the whole screen as they appear. The huge, distorted anthemic feel of this version of our theme really showed how far I’d come since I started composing for the game; the entire team came really far and I think you can see that in the other added content for 2064. This was my contribution to our overall improvement. One element I really liked adding here was the moaning choir. Choirs just have a way of making things sound really dire and great.

All right, that’s it for this week! Please come back next Friday to hear more song breakdowns, and if you have any more specific questions, hit me up on Twitter. Lastly, if you haven’t yet, I strongly recommend you pre-order our vinyl over at iam8bit!

-Mello

[willow-and-wolf]

Banff Adventure Wedding Photographers

Banff Elopement Photographer

Heather & Alex

As Banff Adventure Wedding Photographers, we are always scouting for new amazing locations to shoot in the mountains. Being avid hikers and campers we love getting outside and always have our eyes peeled for big landscapes and stunning scenery to work into our weddding photography.

Banff Adventure Wedding Photographers 

The other summer we hiked the Iceline Trail in Yoho National Park. It’s a beautiful trail with glaciers, waterfalls and great views of Yoho and Little Yoho Valley. The Trailhead is at the base of Takakkaw Falls. A towering 1,224 ft waterfall and the second tallest in Canada. Fed by the Daly Glacier, the falls are raging in early summer from snow melt. We thought this would be an amazing place for a wedding shoot as it is pretty accessible in a wedding dress with access by a paved path and a short scramble up a rock pile. The views below the valley are beautiful as well as the backdrop of the waterfall and its magical mist.

Post Wedding Shoot

Heather and Alex first got in contact with us and wanted to do a post wedding shoot. Heather is from Calgary and Alex is from the UK. They both live in London, England, and wanted to get married in the Canadian Rockies where Heather grew up camping and enjoying the mountains. Their wedding day was in Canmore but they wanted the day’s focus to be on family and friends. They didn’t want to leave their party and all the fun to go and take photos! This is why they decided to do a post wedding adventure shoot with us! Not only could they spend the whole day with their guests but they also could get to some amazing locations that wouldn’t have been possible on their wedding day.

Their Story

We met these two in Yoho National Park and started walking up to Takakkaw Falls. After taking some photos down by the river we decided to keep heading up to where we had previously scouted some amazing rocks at the base of the falls. Heather could not have picked a more perfect dress for the setting. It picked up the wind and danced in the mist creating the most beautiful shapes and lines. Just as we were about to head down the sun came out and the most amazing rainbow appeared behind them!

Next, we decided to make our way to Peyto Lake to watch the sun set over the mountains. It was the perfect night. As we walked along the cliffs, we marvelled at the colour of the water in contrast to the vibrant sky. As the sun dipped below the peaks the clouds lit up and we all agreed that this has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. We feel so lucky that we got to create these memories for Heather and Alex. These photos are proof that doing a post wedding adventure session is always a good idea! 

Vendors:

Dress: Truvelle from Heart Aflutter Bridal

Other similar adventures by Willow & Wolf – Banff Adventure Wedding Photographers

Sarah and Brent – Peyto Lake Adventure Desiree and Tyson – Lake Minnewanka Adventure

Banff Adventure Wedding Photographers was originally published on Willow & Wolf Elopement and Wedding Photography

[warninggraphiccontent]

5 June 2020

A quiet week

Yeah, right.

It was Data Bites #11 on Wednesday. It was good. You can watch the video here. It will also appear here soon. There's a Twitter thread here. Previous events are here. The next one will be on 1 July. And Glyn made paella.

I wrote 3,000 words explaining how government is planning to use our personal data to combat coronavirus - contact tracing apps and much else besides...

...and I discussed data on this week's IfG podcast with team IfG, and special guest Rowland.

I wittered on a bit more on Twitter about the tenth anniversary of David Cameron's open data letter.

What are you doing this Monday morning at 0930? You're watching me interview digital government rockstar and revolutionary, Audrey Tang, about Taiwan's coronavirus response, aren't you? Register here.

We're doing a short report on digital government and coronavirus - how did existing services cope, how has it accelerated change, etc. If you're a UK civil servant, we'd be very grateful if you could spend two minutes filling out our survey on remote working tools. Thank you!

Don't forget our spreadsheet of data-related developments in the UK government's coronavirus response. And don't forget to add anything that we've forgotten to add.

There's just under a week left to enter the Orwell Youth Prize. If you know any 12-18 year olds, let them know!

Some good people doing good things:

Julian (and other former colleagues) have just launched Engage Britain, a new approach to tackling the biggest challenges facing the UK (using, in part, the same platform Taiwan uses for public engagement)

Rachel has helped bring together a number of charities to call for a data collective to get charities the data they need to make a difference; and

Hera is leaving the Open Contracting Partnership to go full-time at Chayn, a global volunteer network providing resources to help women experiencing abuse.

Giuseppe highlighted Loud Numbers, a new data sonification podcast coming later this year. Here are my data sonifications from late last year.

And to bring it full circle back to this week's Data Bites... I couldn't resist illustrating just how stupid this week's developments in parliament have been by comparing how long the voting queue of MPs was to London buses and Big Ben.*

Finally, the excellent Ben Worthy has a plea to anyone who's used parliamentary data:

Who’s Watching Parliament: help with our survey of data users

Our new project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, looks at how new data is being used to monitor parliament. We want to know more about who is using data, what they are using it for and how this could impact on their thinking about Parliament and democracy in the UK.

If you have used Parliament data, please help us by filling in our short survey.

The project is being overseen by Dr. Ben Worthy, an academic at Birkbeck College. Please ask him any questions via email.

Have a great weekend

Gavin

*Yes, I know, Big Ben is the name of the doctor.

Today's links:

Tips, tech, etc

How to hold an unconference online (James Cattell)

How Hansard is reporting parliamentary business during lockdown (Parliamentary Digital Service)

Join the COVID-19 Response Network: A Slack Workspace for Public Servants (Apolitical)

Power Dynamics and Inclusion in Virtual Meetings (Aspiration)

Working from home (Andrea Cooper)

Graphic content

#BlackLivesMatter

Minneapolis Police Use Force Against Black People at 7 Times the Rate of Whites* (New York Times)

Covid-19 pandemic hits black voters’ incomes hardest, FT poll shows* (FT)

Photos From The George Floyd Protests, City By City* (New York Times)

1,023 people have been shot and killed by police in the past year* (Washington Post)

W.E.B. Du Bois’ Visionary Infographics Come Together for the First Time in Full Color (Smithsonian Magazine)

W. E. B. Du Bois’ staggering Data Visualizations are as powerful today as they were in 1900 (Nightingale)

What W. E. B. Du Bois Conveyed in His Captivating Infographics* (The New Yorker)

Viral content: cases

UK excess deaths during pandemic reach 62,000* (FT)

UK coronavirus death toll passes 50,000, official figures show (The Guardian)

Coronavirus excess deaths: UK has one of highest levels in Europe (The Guardian)

Coronavirus in charts: the fact-checkers correcting falsehoods (Nature)

Democracies contain epidemics most effectively* (The Economist)

A deep dive into testing statistics (Ed Conway)

Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19 (Public Health England)

Exclusive: Government censored BAME covid-risk review (HSJ)

This is how many tests have been done, and those that were sent out in May (Paul Bradshaw/Flourish)

There Has Been an Increase in Other Causes of Deaths, Not Just Coronavirus* (New York Times)

Where U.S. coronavirus cases are on the rise (Reuters)

British nursing homes in crisis as deaths mount (Reuters)

Revealed: the coronavirus death toll across Britain - how many excess deaths has your area had?* (Telegraph)

Viral content: consequences

Coronavirus and unemployment: a five nation comparison (IfG)

The vaccine: the only way back to previous life (El Pais)

Trust and Behavioural Responses to COVID-19 (trustgov)

Trust in UK government and news media COVID-19 information down, concerns over misinformation from government and politicians up (Reuters Institute)

Next Wave of U.S. Job Cuts Targets Millions of Higher-Paid Workers* (Bloomberg)

American retailers have laid off or furloughed one-fifth of their workers* (The Economist)

Only 12% of Brits think MPs should have to physically be in Commons to vote during COVID-19 crisis (YouGov)

Is Britain easing lockdown too soon?* (New Statesman)

Anti-viral content

Environmental justice (IPPR)

The hospital corridor (Dr Kate McLean)

Ministerial directions (IfG)

Ministerial moves (me for IfG)

Air pollution in China back to pre-Covid levels and Europe may follow (The Guardian)

‘Going in the Wrong Direction’: More Tropical Forest Loss in 2019* (New York Times)

Meta data

Viral content: contact details

Personal data and coronavirus (me for IfG)

Spot the difference – explaining the Covid-19 apps (ODI)

Germany and Korea expose flaws in the NHS track and trace plan* (Wired)

The coronavirus pandemic highlights the need for a surveillance debate beyond ‘privacy’ (Inforrm)

UK ‘test and trace’ service did not complete mandatory privacy checks (Politico)

Book excerpt: Developing for privacy in the pandemic (Heather Burns)

Viral content: lies, damn lies and...

Sir David Norgrove response to Matt Hancock regarding the Government’s COVID-19 testing data (UK Statistics Authority - more)

Statistics Watchdog Still Not Satisfied With ‘Trustworthiness’ Of Covid Test Figures (Huffington Post)

Informing the pandemic response: What’s next from the ONS? (ONS)

‘No part of the economy remains untouched’: update on how the ONS is measuring the impact of COVID-19 (ONS)

Interview with Sir Ian Diamond, National Statistician of the United Kingdom (UN)

Viral content: everything else

Why we’re calling for a data collective (Catalyst)

The problem of modelling: Public policy and the coronavirus (TLS)

Excess mortality during the Covid-19 pandemic (FT)

AI firm that worked with Vote Leave given new coronavirus contract (The Guardian)

Flawed data casts cloud over Spain’s lockdown strategy* (FT - thread)

Vital data and research projects to tackle COVID-19 searchable via new developments in online health data portal (HDR UK)

Covid, hysteresis, and the future of work (VoxEU)

Big tech

Welcome to the United States of Amazon* (Tortoise)

Whole Foods Just Fired an Employee Who Kept Track of Coronavirus Cases (Vice)

Facebook’s Smooth New Political Fixer (Politico)

Facebook Employees Stage Virtual Walkout to Protest Trump Posts* (New York Times)

Anti-viral content: digital government

More must be done to realise the value of geospatial data (Public Technology)

Facing up to the digital identity challenge (HM Land Registry)

Vision, Voice, and Technology: Is There a Global “Open Government” Trend?* (Administration & Society)

Archival Catalogue Record Identifiers (Down the Code Mine)

SHARED, CROSS-GOVERNMENT PLATFORMS (Jerry Fishenden)

Anti-viral content: everything else

When the Robot You Consider Family Tries to Sell You Something (Slate)

Measurement for Learning: A Different Approach to Improvement (Centre for Public Impact)

Fact-checking the president:  A study in post-truth (Martin Gurri)

Us folks at @fullfact have produced a prototype API for how our fact checks related to the coronavirus could be made available as a machine readable view (Andy Dudfield)

Who governs? A new global dataset on members of cabinets (Jacob Nyrup and Stuart Bramwell, via Tim)

The police want your phone data. Here’s what they can get — and what they can’t. (recode)

Why Information Matters (The New Atlantis)

Eye-catching advances in some AI fields are not real (Science)

Opportunities

EVENT: How Taiwan became a coronavirus success story (IfG)

JOB: Head of Geovation (Ordnance Survey)

JOB: Head of Digital Inclusion, Accessibility & Standards (HMRC)

JOB: Technical writer (GDS)

JOBS: Product people (GOV.UK)

JOB: Senior Data Analyst (Lower) (Citizens Advice - more)

JOB: ANALYST, DIGITAL RESEARCH UNIT (Institute for Strategic Dialogue)

JOB: Data Scientist / Mid-Level / Senior Data Scientist (Flowminder)

JOB: Technology Editor (Rest of World)

JOB: Research Fellow, TrustGov Project (University of Southampton)

JOB: Learning and Development Specialist – Data Trainer - maternity cover (ODI)

And finally...

Urban henges… or streets of the rising sun (Victoria Crawford)

Taking Lessons From a Bloody Masterpiece* (New York Times)

When you're building a general course about artificial intelligence, you come across some good memes. (Mindy McAdams)

How Pi was nearly changed to 3.2 (Numberphile)

next slide please (Darren Dutton)

[cynthiajayusa]

What’s Hot South Florida: Jan. 18– Jan. 24

Thursday, January 18

OUT Shine Film Festival presents their Glow Miami Monthly screening at O Cinema Wynwood at 7p.m. This month they present Freak Show. Get tickets at: Outshinefilm.com. 

Friday, January 19

W Fort Lauderdale and Atlantis Events invites the entire community to get on board at the official Atlantis Sail Away Party from 6 to 10p.m. This is a 21 + event and there is limited capacity, so please RSVP at Wsailaway.eventbrite.com. 

Tonight and tomorrow night Le Boy will be celebrating their 3rd anniversary with 30 boys live on stage, a complimentary buffet at 7p.m. and ½ price VIP rooms until 10 p.m.

The Pub invites the entire community to their 2018 Softball Turnabout: Heathers go out to Sea. The show will start promptly at 7p.m, and for those of you who haven’t been to this event before, it’s hysterical!

Saturday, January 20

Art Explosion presents its closing party entitled “Fashion Reaction” at Art Serve (1350 East Sunrise Blvd) with the cocktail hour from 6-7p.m. and show time from 7-9p.m. The event will be hosted by Max Tucci and feature Avi Ram, Antonio Edwards, DJ Frankie Fox, Fabrizio Cruz/Akrylika, Chad Johnson, a fashion show, and much more. General Admission is $30 ($20 for Arts Untied members) and can be purchased at Eventbrite.com or at the door.

Noche Latina Saturdays inside the Ivy Dance Room and Patio at the Manor Complex presents the final official appearance of Angie Ovahness Pryce and Tonny Morales Glez as Miss and Mr. Noche Latina 2017. The night will also star resident DJ Larry Larr and sexy Latin Go-Go Papi’s. Saturdays at the Manor are from 11p.m. to 4a.m. and is free before midnight (Fl res) and only $7 after for members and $10 for non-members (18-20 $12 all night).

da Fonseca Contemporanea (2201 Wilton Drive) presents the opening reception of Art of Nature from 6-10p.m. featuring works by Ernesto Kunde & Twyla Gettert. For more information call 202-494-1111​.

The Outlandish series presents Jackie Hoffman (Mamacita in “Feud”) in “What Ever Happened to Jackie’s Emmy at the Sunshine Cathedral at 8p.m. Jackie will share some delish dish and so much more in her offensive, side splitting monologues and songs. To purchase tickets, go to: OutlandishFL.com.

Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar presents their monthly “Beast: Fetish and Gear Party,” starring DJ Alex Ramos.

Wilton Manors Arts & Entertainment Expo presents their monthly Art Walk from 6-9p.m. Enjoy an evening of fun in one of South Florida’s most eclectic and easy going neighborhoods, Wilton Manors. The artists will be displaying paintings, photographs, jewelry, sculpture and much more. For more info, go to: WMAE.org.

The Club Fort Lauderdale features their Bi-monthly (1st and 3rd Saturday of the month) Res-Erection Naked Blackout event at 10 p.m. This is always a sold-out event so get there early!

FIU arena (1180 Southwest 113th Avenue) presents FattyCakesNY at Dessert Wars Miami from 5-7p.m. Featuring over 40 vendors with the best cookies, cakes, donuts, candies, pastries and so much more. Entertainment, food, drinks, and an endless night of fun with family and friends, this will be the night you cheat on your New Years resolution!

Today and tomorrow Florida Flow Fest celebrates its 7th year as a FREE Performing Arts Festival and moves to Ft Lauderdale’s Riverwalk! Flow Fests are free public events offering participants the opportunity to study movement arts with instructors from across the globe. For more info visit their Facebook event page at: facebook.com/events/188420111629896/.  

Monday, January 22

Miss and Mr. Noche Latina 2018 (an official preliminary to Miss F.I. and Mr. M.E. Florida 2018/19) – will be celebrating their 15th year anniversary and moves back to Fort Lauderdale at Lips with doors opening at 8p.m. and the [ageant starting sharply at 9p.m. The pageant will star Angie Ovahness Pryce, Tonny Morales Glez and Olga Dantelly (Miss, Mr. and Miss at Large Noche Latina 2017) as well as Kalah Mendoza and Antonio Edwards (Miss F.I. and Mr. M.E. Florida 2017/18). The opening for formers is themed Egyptian and the category for contestants are: Evening Wear, Q&A, Swimwear, and Talent. For more information call 954-478-4587. 

Wednesday, January 24

Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar and Stephen Tendrich present “Pink Society Nail: Give Prostate Cancer the Finger,” get in the know benefit at 6 p.m. This important event will be hosted by Antonio Edwards (Mr. Florida M.E.) with performances by Tony & Gloria, Carmen Adore, Charisma, Lenore Jaye, Starlet Skye, Dee Dee Van Carter, Sharde L. Ross, Babylon and much more. There will also be a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction.

Twist’s Fresh Wednesdays presents special guest appearance by Tiffany Fantasia with show time at 1 a.m. along with DJ Alex Infiniti.

HOT Stuff

Rock Hard Clothing (3205-A Wilton Drive) which also features, lube and the largest video head cleaner selection in town features 15% off their entire store for all Atlantis Cruisers! For more information go to: RockHardLoveStuff.com.

This is HOT

Multiplatinum global superstar Camila Cabello released her self-titled full-length debut, Camila last week. As one of the first most anticipated albums of 2018, the record immediately captured #1 on the iTunes Overall Top Albums and Top Pop Albums charts. Around the world, it has peaked at #1 on iTunes in 96 countries thus far, speaking to her presence as an international force everywhere.

WATCH:

Among its blockbuster tracklisting, the record includes the RIAA double-platinum smash “Havana” [feat. Young Thug].  “Havana” recently crossed 765 cumulative streams and counting fast approaching the billion mark. Making history, the song achieved “the longest run at #1 on Top 40 Radio by a female artist in five years” in addition to occupying the #2 position on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and the top three for ten weeks. Having spent 5 weeks at #1 – “Havana” is also the “longest running female #1 single in the UK since Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ in 2011.” Globally, she stands out as the “most-streamed female artist on Spotify” and “2nd most-streamed artist on Spotify” in addition to becoming the “first female artist to achieve over 40 million monthly listeners.”

Right out of the gate, the record has garnered widespread critical acclaim. Entertainment Weekly raved, “Camila is defiantly her own pop star on debut album,” and USA Today praised how, “Camila is a vibrant blend of sounds and styles.” In a 4-out-of-5 star review, The Times London applauded its unpredictability—“Like the hit that made her name, it is rather unexpected.” The New York Times dubbed her “an avatar for young girls on the cusp of steeper emotional terrain,” and NME called the collection “a strong and surprisingly confident impression.” Stereogum predicted, “The groundwork is laid for Camila to be a blockbuster success,” while Billboard put it best, “Cabello has vocally, lyrically and impressively established that she was always meant to be simply Camila.”

  source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/01/17/whats-hot-south-florida-jan-18-jan-24/ from Hot Spots Magazine http://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2018/01/whats-hot-south-florida-jan-18-jan-24.html

[demitgibbs]

What’s Hot South Florida: Jan. 18– Jan. 24

Thursday, January 18

OUT Shine Film Festival presents their Glow Miami Monthly screening at O Cinema Wynwood at 7p.m. This month they present Freak Show. Get tickets at: Outshinefilm.com. 

Friday, January 19

W Fort Lauderdale and Atlantis Events invites the entire community to get on board at the official Atlantis Sail Away Party from 6 to 10p.m. This is a 21 + event and there is limited capacity, so please RSVP at Wsailaway.eventbrite.com. 

Tonight and tomorrow night Le Boy will be celebrating their 3rd anniversary with 30 boys live on stage, a complimentary buffet at 7p.m. and ½ price VIP rooms until 10 p.m.

The Pub invites the entire community to their 2018 Softball Turnabout: Heathers go out to Sea. The show will start promptly at 7p.m, and for those of you who haven’t been to this event before, it’s hysterical!

Saturday, January 20

Art Explosion presents its closing party entitled “Fashion Reaction” at Art Serve (1350 East Sunrise Blvd) with the cocktail hour from 6-7p.m. and show time from 7-9p.m. The event will be hosted by Max Tucci and feature Avi Ram, Antonio Edwards, DJ Frankie Fox, Fabrizio Cruz/Akrylika, Chad Johnson, a fashion show, and much more. General Admission is $30 ($20 for Arts Untied members) and can be purchased at Eventbrite.com or at the door.

Noche Latina Saturdays inside the Ivy Dance Room and Patio at the Manor Complex presents the final official appearance of Angie Ovahness Pryce and Tonny Morales Glez as Miss and Mr. Noche Latina 2017. The night will also star resident DJ Larry Larr and sexy Latin Go-Go Papi’s. Saturdays at the Manor are from 11p.m. to 4a.m. and is free before midnight (Fl res) and only $7 after for members and $10 for non-members (18-20 $12 all night).

da Fonseca Contemporanea (2201 Wilton Drive) presents the opening reception of Art of Nature from 6-10p.m. featuring works by Ernesto Kunde & Twyla Gettert. For more information call 202-494-1111​.

The Outlandish series presents Jackie Hoffman (Mamacita in “Feud”) in “What Ever Happened to Jackie’s Emmy at the Sunshine Cathedral at 8p.m. Jackie will share some delish dish and so much more in her offensive, side splitting monologues and songs. To purchase tickets, go to: OutlandishFL.com.

Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar presents their monthly “Beast: Fetish and Gear Party,” starring DJ Alex Ramos.

Wilton Manors Arts & Entertainment Expo presents their monthly Art Walk from 6-9p.m. Enjoy an evening of fun in one of South Florida’s most eclectic and easy going neighborhoods, Wilton Manors. The artists will be displaying paintings, photographs, jewelry, sculpture and much more. For more info, go to: WMAE.org.

The Club Fort Lauderdale features their Bi-monthly (1st and 3rd Saturday of the month) Res-Erection Naked Blackout event at 10 p.m. This is always a sold-out event so get there early!

FIU arena (1180 Southwest 113th Avenue) presents FattyCakesNY at Dessert Wars Miami from 5-7p.m. Featuring over 40 vendors with the best cookies, cakes, donuts, candies, pastries and so much more. Entertainment, food, drinks, and an endless night of fun with family and friends, this will be the night you cheat on your New Years resolution!

Today and tomorrow Florida Flow Fest celebrates its 7th year as a FREE Performing Arts Festival and moves to Ft Lauderdale’s Riverwalk! Flow Fests are free public events offering participants the opportunity to study movement arts with instructors from across the globe. For more info visit their Facebook event page at: facebook.com/events/188420111629896/.  

Monday, January 22

Miss and Mr. Noche Latina 2018 (an official preliminary to Miss F.I. and Mr. M.E. Florida 2018/19) – will be celebrating their 15th year anniversary and moves back to Fort Lauderdale at Lips with doors opening at 8p.m. and the [ageant starting sharply at 9p.m. The pageant will star Angie Ovahness Pryce, Tonny Morales Glez and Olga Dantelly (Miss, Mr. and Miss at Large Noche Latina 2017) as well as Kalah Mendoza and Antonio Edwards (Miss F.I. and Mr. M.E. Florida 2017/18). The opening for formers is themed Egyptian and the category for contestants are: Evening Wear, Q&A, Swimwear, and Talent. For more information call 954-478-4587. 

Wednesday, January 24

Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar and Stephen Tendrich present “Pink Society Nail: Give Prostate Cancer the Finger,” get in the know benefit at 6 p.m. This important event will be hosted by Antonio Edwards (Mr. Florida M.E.) with performances by Tony & Gloria, Carmen Adore, Charisma, Lenore Jaye, Starlet Skye, Dee Dee Van Carter, Sharde L. Ross, Babylon and much more. There will also be a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction.

Twist’s Fresh Wednesdays presents special guest appearance by Tiffany Fantasia with show time at 1 a.m. along with DJ Alex Infiniti.

HOT Stuff

Rock Hard Clothing (3205-A Wilton Drive) which also features, lube and the largest video head cleaner selection in town features 15% off their entire store for all Atlantis Cruisers! For more information go to: RockHardLoveStuff.com.

This is HOT

Multiplatinum global superstar Camila Cabello released her self-titled full-length debut, Camila last week. As one of the first most anticipated albums of 2018, the record immediately captured #1 on the iTunes Overall Top Albums and Top Pop Albums charts. Around the world, it has peaked at #1 on iTunes in 96 countries thus far, speaking to her presence as an international force everywhere.

WATCH:

Among its blockbuster tracklisting, the record includes the RIAA double-platinum smash “Havana” [feat. Young Thug].  “Havana” recently crossed 765 cumulative streams and counting fast approaching the billion mark. Making history, the song achieved “the longest run at #1 on Top 40 Radio by a female artist in five years” in addition to occupying the #2 position on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and the top three for ten weeks. Having spent 5 weeks at #1 – “Havana” is also the “longest running female #1 single in the UK since Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ in 2011.” Globally, she stands out as the “most-streamed female artist on Spotify” and “2nd most-streamed artist on Spotify” in addition to becoming the “first female artist to achieve over 40 million monthly listeners.”

Right out of the gate, the record has garnered widespread critical acclaim. Entertainment Weekly raved, “Camila is defiantly her own pop star on debut album,” and USA Today praised how, “Camila is a vibrant blend of sounds and styles.” In a 4-out-of-5 star review, The Times London applauded its unpredictability—“Like the hit that made her name, it is rather unexpected.” The New York Times dubbed her “an avatar for young girls on the cusp of steeper emotional terrain,” and NME called the collection “a strong and surprisingly confident impression.” Stereogum predicted, “The groundwork is laid for Camila to be a blockbuster success,” while Billboard put it best, “Cabello has vocally, lyrically and impressively established that she was always meant to be simply Camila.”

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2018/01/17/whats-hot-south-florida-jan-18-jan-24/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/169813265015

[scratchtheblock]

New Post has been published on SCRATCHTHEBLOCK

New Post has been published on http://scratchtheblock.com/scratchtheblock-presents-shugah-shorty/

SCRATCHTHEBLOCK PRESENTS: SHUGAH SHORTY

A pinch of boom-bap rhythms, some quality extra-soulful beats,a balanced mix of different sonorities represent the main ingredients of our last hip-hop selection called Shugah Shorty. It’s an opportunity for us to pay tribute to brilliant producers and rappers and to give y’all the chance to discover something interesting to add to your music collection.

Open your mind, prick up your ears and enjoy da sound!

KOTA THE FRIEND – SACRAMENTO

Brooklyn rapper/producer Kota the Friend is definitely one the most interesting performers of the New York hip-hop scene.He’s gaining momentum thanks to consistent lyrics, impressive skills as producer and rapper flaunting through the hella dope project titled Palm Tree Liquor almost entirely produced by himself. Recently Kota unleashed his sophomore opus entitled Paloma Beach described as:

A completely collaborative effort with a bunch of other producers. I think it’s beautiful because it’s helped me to see other peoples’ vision. I have to put all this energy into this verse, so everything is more potent. Yeah, the verse is more potent, the hook, the sound, the mixing—it’s all on point. The sound is more grand. It’s obviously still me being more of myself, but it’s on a whole other level. …

Scratchtheblock squad selected for your pelasure the superb and mellow Sacramento

RAPSODY FEAT. HEATHER VICTORIA – PAY UP (PRODUCED BY KHRYSIS AND KASHIF)

Jamla queen, Rapsody iz almost ready to drop what is expected to be her magnum opus: Laila’s Wisdom.  Last year the North Carolina rapper blew our mind with the little treasure called Crown,a compelling work packed with big names behind the board such as 9th Wonder,Nottz,Eric G,Terrace Martin,Khrysis as well as special guests like Raphael Saadiq,Moonchild,Anderson.Paak and Ab-Soul.  Laila’s Wisdom is scheduled for 22 September and we bet it will be a superlative album…..you only have to listen to the second leak entitled Pay Up flawlessly produced by Jamla in-house grammy nominated mastermind Khrysis and another incredible genius from the Soul Council squad , Kashif. Singer/songwriter Heather Victoria iz da icing on the cake!

ABNORMAL SLEEPZ – BOYZ N DA HOOD (PRODUCED BY SAM GOUTHRO)

Da U.K hip-hop scene is living a flourishing moment,especially when it comes to talk about underground acts. Artists like Sumochief, Blue Lab Beats, Jake Milliner , Eric Lau , Mecca: 83 , Budgie got a sort of magical. Abnormal Sleepz (formerly known as Reece Samuels) is a Manchester rapper and producer which impressed us with an outstanding  and vibrant project entitled The Meditape Two released last year from which we selected the a-ma-ziiiii-ng soulful piece called Boyz N Da Hood. Sleepz raps over da magic beats cooked by San Diego young,fresh n fly beat-wizard Sam Gouthro.

SCIENZE FEAT. NIACHENE – THUNDERCATS (PRODUCED BY CHUK LE GARCON)

We make a quick run back to 2014 in order to dust off ScienZe little masterpiece called #BringBackElla . The Brooklyn emcee/producer confirms his prowess with the well-appointed sequel to Ella , recruiting bright sonic-architect such as ShunGu , NAMELESS , EOM, D.R.U.G.S among others. The track called Thundercats is what we consider as the centerpiece of the entire project! ScienZe soulful rhymes meet the soothing vocals of Niachene Patterson and together they glide over da supa-smooth chill backdrop finely wrapped by Chuk Le Garcon. Divine, simply divine!!!

CHRIS CLASSIC – A FATHER FIGURE (PRODUCED BY ROBERT GLASPER)

James Dewitt Yancey is a key figure in da hip-hop game, an incredible source of inspiration, a rare master of rhythm and the very essence of the beat. New York songwriter Chris Classic knows perfectly well how huge n powerful Dilla’aura is , and with his mini project called 3 For Dilla Chris pays tribute to the hip-hop mogul rapping over some timeless beats. Taste the track titled A Father Figure for which Chris takes advantage of the sumptuous joint Dillalude #2 included on the majestic Robert Glasper Experiment‘s Black Radio Recovered .

  LUTE – JUGGIN’ (PRODUCED BY SAVION ALLEN)

When it comes to show serious hip-hop music , North Carolina flexes its muscles  with dope exponents such as: legendary producer 9th Wonder, Phonte Coleman,J.Cole,Rapsody,Ski Beatz,Khrysis!In a time where the competitiveness between rappers is extremely high , it’s relatively easy to make a large fanbase through social media but the path to stardom constantly demands hard work,sacrifice and above all a rare talent. Charlotte rapper Luther “Lute” Nicholson’ built a significant fanbase with the project West 1996 and now he’s almost ready to legitimize his status as solid rapper with the debut album under the banner of Dreamville Records called West1996 pt. 2. The lead single called Juggin’ is something epic! The hypnotic supa-soulful hip-hop cut is masterfully produced by Nashville producer Savion Allen

YOUNG RJ FEAT. BJ THE CHICAGO KID – ISSUES

The countdown is almost over! Young RJ is just finishing his brand new album and he’s currently in the process of putting the finishing touches to Blaq RoyalT. He warmed up da audience with two singles Huh? and Wait featuring legendary Pete Rock and Motor City rapper Boldy James but he definitely knocked we out with the outstanding piece called Issues.  The superb and groovy hip-hop track is designed by Young RJ himself and Detroit producer DaG and hosts a special guest: BJ The Chicago Kid. Dope , simply dope!! Mr. RJ , has already proved succesful in producing brilliant beats for the likes of Calvin Richardson,Phat Kat,Elzhi,Lloyd Banks,T3,De La Soul,Young Buck,Eric Roberson,Little Brother and Disclosure .

STACY EPPS – THA WON (PRODUCED BY ASTRONOTE)

Equipped with a great vision , solid skills as producer as well as a rare talent as remixer , Parisian producer Mathieu Rakotozafy aka Astronote  lands at scratchtheblock.com with one of his most powerful productions: ThaWon.  Avant-garde artist Stacy Epps grabs da mic to spit some incredible head-nodding bars over da soulful production and everything sounds like a match made in heaven!!! Able to combine with self-confidence soothing vocals and agile rhymes Ms. Epps is the perfect voice for this majestic hip-hop sound. ThaWon appeared on Astronote’s Loose Bullets , a compilation of productions and remixes masterfully handled by Astronote .

MOKA ONLY – HI

Moka Only is a veteran hip-hop soldier which continues to carry the torch of quality underground hip-hop music while staying true to his values. The indipendent and prolific canadian rapper and super-producer recently delighted our ears with a new album called Concert For One dropped via his own imprint Urbnet . Moka’s soulful jazzy signature sound is what we love to experience and his raw rhymes are simply delightful. If you love masters of sound like Dilla,Pete,Tip then you will appreciate Concert For One …in the meantime taste the superb smooth cut called Hi.

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[rockzone]

REWIND 2017 The World's Biggest 80s Festival announces 3 UK festival Line-Ups

Rewind The 80s Music Festival, the world’s first and biggest 80s music festival, is back with three amazing UK festivals for summer 2017. Tickets are on sale now at the official festival website www.rewindfestival.com.

REWIND SCOTLAND will return for its seventh year at Scone Palace, Perth on Friday 21st July until Sunday 23th July with performances from pop pioneers The Human League and the legendary Billy Ocean, alongside debuts from Scotland’s Tom Robinson, The Undertones, The Trevor Horn Band, Junior Marvin’s Wailers, Musical Youth and Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. Jaki Graham, Joy Division’s Peter Hook, Owen Paul, Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, Claudia Brucken, and Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory, appear with Martin Ware’s super-group British Electric Foundation. Performances from Level 42, Belinda Carlisle, Heather Small, Nik Kershaw, Go West, Chesney Hawkes, T’Pau, The Real Thing, Soul II Soul, Kim Wilde, Nick Heyward, Jason Donovan and Dr & The Medics complete the Scottish line-up.

REWIND NORTH for the fourth year, REWIND returns to the North of England at Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire from Friday 4th August until Sunday 6th August promises fantastic performances from New York’s Village People & Sister Sledge and rockers Status Quo, whilst there are Rewind North festival debuts for Tom Robinson, Altered Images, The Trevor Horn Band (+Special Guest), The Blockheads, Hugh Cornwell, The Orchestra, Junior Marvin’s Wailers, Captain Sensible, Johnny Hates Jazz and appearing with British Electric Foundation, Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory, Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, Jaki Graham, Owen Paul, Claudia Brucken and The Farm’s Peter Hooton. Level 42, Kim Wilde, Peter Hook & The Light, Roland Gift, Dr & The Medics, Belinda Carlisle, Toyah, Nick Heyward and T’Pau, complete the Rewind North weekend line-up.

REWIND SOUTH at Temple Island Meadows, Henley-on-Thames returns for its ninth year on Friday 18th August until Sunday 20th August and welcomes Gloria Gaynor with the Village People and Rock Gods Status Quo on the mainstage, along with Rewind South debutants, Big Country, Tom Robinson Sugarhill Gang ft Grandmaster Mele Me & Scorpio’s Furious 5, Musical Youth and Junior Marvin’s Wailers. Kim Appleby, Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, Jilted John, and Rozalla perform with British Electric Foundation, alongside Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory. There’s also a festival first from the amazing West-End show Thriller Live, Level 42, Nik Kershaw, Nick Heyward, Dr & The Medics, Imagination Ft Leee John, Midge Ure, Kim Wilde, Belinda Carlisle, The South, Go West, The Christians, and Ex-Katrina and The Waves complete an amazing weekend of 80’s acts.

* Photo Credit: Laurence Harvey