The Friends We Love Arts and Music Festival makes the front page of the New York Times Arts Section on February 4, 2009.
NEW YORK, NY (February 2009) – The first Friends We Love Arts and Music Festival converged the worlds of music, film and visual art at the Sly Art vs Robot City Soho loft on January 30th. One of the featured street artists at the event, Poster Boy, who has garnered much attention in the last few months culminating in an unfortunate incident with law enforcement. This led to additional coverage in local publications (New York Magazine, NY Post, Time Out NY) and international ones (The Guardian – UK, Clarin – Argentina, Soito – Spain, Diario de Noticias – Portugal, Cotidianul – Romania).
Poster Boy’s work was part of The Neocons – a never-before-seen collaboration of three of the City’s best-known street artists who created live pieces throughout the night. In addition, there were six live performances by critically acclaimed and international recording artists like Jose James, Sarah White, and GAEA. The dance floor was serviced by some of New York’s most sought after DJs – Bobbito Garcia, Waajeed and Moni. The evening was complete with the premiere screening of three Friends We Love portraits.
Conceived, produced and directed by Mike Vargas and Moni Pineda, these insightful ten-minute portraits ultimately pay tribute to the presence of greatness in the working lives of those we love and hold dear. The evolution of Friends We Love was inspired by the duo’s desire for programming that reflected their interests and those of the artisan community. The series grants viewers intimate access while highlighting both the personal and professional lives of its subjects from artists’ living rooms, studios, offices, stages, labs, kitchens and the streets — wherever the creative magic happens.
One of the Friends We Love initiatives is to produce these Arts and Music Festivals featuring the artists profiled in the short documentary series while creating a live component that allows for community building, cultural exchange and collaborations. This Festival, which is the first in a series, also served as a launch party for the Friends We Love Mixed CD, which was recently released by the Japanese label Toy’s Factory.
Since production began six months ago, FWL has had four screenings, been seen in 109 countries and had over 200,000 views, were voted to air on Current TV to 51 million households and have produced 12 self-funded episodes. Given that it is a self-funded production team, they are currently accepting sponsorships, donations or advertisers who would benefit from the branding opportunities on friendswelove.com, the Festivals and documentary series.
February 2, 2009
Friends We Love Arts and Music Festival Recap
Much gratitude and appreciation to all of you who came out to support not only our project but all the great live artists, musicians and DJs who rocked it for you at our first Friends We Love Festival! Even with our visual artists catching a bit of heat early in the night, we still pulled it off! Phew!
We were humbled by the shear numbers, the great energy and big smiles at every turn. Friends we love dearly, esteemed colleagues, gracious volunteers and new beautiful faces helped create our vision into a reality.
We’re creating a Festival page on our site and since we were entirely too busy to capture the night the way we would’ve wanted to, we’d like you to please be involved. Kindly send your photos, videos, stories and thoughts so we can add your experience to the mix.
Make sure to check out friendswelove.com as we upload new videos, music mixes, photos, blogs and overall goodness every week. Stay tuned for the highlights video coming soon.
We love getting feedback because it feeds our souls. Thank you for your presence and please continue to SPREAD LOVE!
Moni & Mike
PS
For those who couldn’t make it, here’s a recap…
The night began with a visual collabo from the Neo-Cons. We heard new music by Asen James, Probe dms and GAEA not only featured TK Wonder but also a surprise appearance by Angela McCluskey! Sarah White brought a whole live band with Don Cuco, DJ Kiva & Daru Jones who brought fire! Dhundee shared a whole other side of his talent and rocked the stage with Stimulus and friends. Jose James made everyone take notice with the debut of new joints from his upcoming album. Stimulus hosted so nicely and saved the day on the turntables. To top it all, we had the first tag-team of Bobbito and Waajeed behind the decks!!
January 9, 2009
FWL Arts & Music Festival + 120 Seconds w/ Alex Barck + New Pix in Our Photo Section
Happy New Year Lovelies!
We hope that 2009 is off to a fantastic start for you and yours. We’ve been hard at work since our last update and have some great announcements. There’s a FWL Festival at the end of the month so mark your calendars, a “Donate” page on our site, a new 120 Seconds and lots of new photography uploads.
Friends We Love has been a self-funded project since inception and as many of you know, producing content of this caliber is costly and time consuming. Fortunately our passion and belief in the series has fueled our enthusiasm and endless work days, but in order to create a sustainable production, we need to raise some funds. We have therefore created a “Donate” page and organized the FWL Festival.
The first Friends We Love Festival series will converge the worlds of music, film and visual art presented by the Sly Art vs Robot City Soho loft space on January 30th. It will serve as a launch party for the Friends We Love Mixed CD, which was recently released by the Japanese label Toy’s Factory. We have six confirmed live performances – Jose James, Sarah White, Probe dms, Dhundee, Asen James and GAEA ft TK Wonder. The dance floor will be serviced by some of New York’s most sought after DJs – Bobbito Garcia, Waajeed, Dhundee and Moni.
The Soho loft walls will exhibit artwork by The Neocons – a never-before-seen collaboration of three of the City’s best-known street artists who will also be creating live pieces throughout the night. The evening wouldn’t be complete without the premiere screening of three Friends We Love profiles, a filming station set up to capture the thoughts of our guests and performers as well as two filmmakers who will be documenting the event from beginning to end. All proceeds from the festival will be used for future video productions here in New York and soon in Los Angeles.
This week we’ve uploaded a new 120 Seconds with Alex Barck from Jazzanova who talks about instilling good values to kids at an early age. We’ve also uploaded productions stills from all our past shoots & screenings – Sol Guy, K’Naan, Zaki Ibrahim, Little Dragon, Coup D’Etat screening, East Village Radio, Posterboy, Alex Barck and Wesley Genovart. Please take a look when you have a minute.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for January 30th and please spread the word. Post our link, invite some friends and let’s kick off the year nicely! The event will be great if you’re there to enjoy it and celebrate this ride with us.
Spread love,
Moni & Mike
December 22, 2008
End of Year Update + 120 Seconds w/ Posterboy + The FWL Cali Fundraiser Festival
Even with the holidays fast approaching, we are not slowing down. In our last update of the year, we have much to report. This week, we uploaded a new 120 Seconds, we shot some great new profiles and set up an easier way to download the music mixes on the site. But most importantly, in January we’ll be having a CD release party / fundraiser you shouldn’t miss.
Friends We Love is heading to California to shoot some great artists and we need your help. Since we began production six months ago, we’ve had four screenings, been seen in 70 countries with over 200,000 views, were voted to air on Current TV to 51 million households and we’ve produced 12 self-funded episodes. As you can probably tell, we work all the time on this labor of love and in order to make Cali happen, we need to raise some funds. It’ll be part CD release, art show with live installations, DJs, musical performances and lots of love!! We’ve got Bobbito Garcia, Jose James, Waajeed, Sarah White, Probe dms, Dhundee, Asen James, GAEA and the NeoCons, CONFIRMED!!!
As with all fundraisers, we need some sponsors. If you would like to utilize this incredible night of talent to market your company, please send us an email to info@friendswelove.com and we’ll send you a package with the sponsorship possibilities. The fashion house SLY ART vs ROBOT CITY is kindly providing their spacious SoHo loft while Coup d’Etat, Ubiquita NYC & Mary Pryor are offering support. Ye Yeah!! Mark yo calendars – it goes down JANUARY 30TH!
This week we’ve got a new 120 Seconds with artist and vigilante PosterBoy. He’s the one who cuts, pastes and remixes ads all over town to make us stop, think and question the environment we live in. This is one for the books. Check out his work – http://flickr.com/photos/26296445@N05/
We also shot a profile on one of the best chefs in the city, Wesley Genovart at his restaurant Degustation. We spent a couple of days documenting everything from a farmer’s market session and knife upkeep to general prep work and step-by-step recipes. Our footage and his innovative, fun and balanced small plates will make your mouths water. Look out for the edit in the coming weeks.
To top it all, we had a chance to shoot Alex Barck from Jazzanova – one of my favorite production teams of all time – for our new series, On the Spot. It’s a promotional platform for the new fresh ‘ish we should know about. It was lovely to hear more about their new record, “Of All the Things,” their collaborations and overall approach. This record has been on repeat at the FWL studios and we love it. Check out a review on our blog – http://friendswelove.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/music-we-love-jazzanova-ft-ben-westbeech-i-can-see/
If you’re still reading this, THANK YOU! You ROCK! Wishing you and all your loved ones a beautiful & joyous holiday season. Peace, unity, love and having fun in 2009!
Spread love,
Moni & Mike
Our collaboration with Giant Step: http://www.giantstep.net/features/212
Youtube Subscription: http://www.youtube.com/user/friendswelove
Our WordPress Blog: http://friendswelove.wordpress.com/
December 9, 2008
120 Seconds w/ Mark de Clive-Lowe + Moni’s “BBS” Mix + Nuyorktricity is Strictly Buisness
In this season of merry moments with family and friends, we come bearing gifts as we do with every update. We’ve got a new 120 Seconds, a music mix and an announcement of our production services. So make sure to navigate the site and check out all the goodness.
Our new 120 features music producer and good friend, Mark de Clive-Lowe. As a New Zealand native, Mark talks about being surrounded by beaches growing up and how moving back to a beach town is helping him move forward.
This week’s mix is one of broken beats and soul, so let’s call it the BBS mix. There’s a bit of Aloe Blacc, Daz-I-Kue with Bembe Segue and John Arnold with Paul Randolf. It’s another short but sweet mix.
Lastly, if you’ve enjoyed our Friends We Love videos please contact us, Nuyorktricity, for any production services that may arise . Nuyorktricity is a full-service one-stop shop for all your digital video and graphic production needs. Services include sophisticated cinematic and still photography, musical scoring and web design. We offer the skillful production and post-production services for feature length films, broadcast commercials, music videos, and EPKs. As always, please spread the word. We greatly appreciate it!
Thanks for taking the time!
Spread love,
December 1, 2008
FWL CD Release in Japan +En Vivo NYC ft Zaki Ibrahim + Little Dragon + Moni’s “Viva La Musica” Mix
Hope your Thanksgiving was full of gratitude and delicious moments. These days have been eventful to say the least. We saw some great live shows, uploaded a new video series called En Vivo: NYC and most importantly we have a CD compilation dropping in Japan on December 3rd! Wooo hoooo!
Yes, you heard right a Friends We Love mixed CD in all major record stores across Japan this Wednesday. This is a project Moni’s been working on this past year and it’s full of great soul artists – Nicolay, Probe dms, Hezekiah + Bilal, Waajeed + Coultrain, Sarah White, Asen James, Little Dragon, Dhundee, Ovasoul7 + MdCL, Sotu + Aîscha, GAEA + TK Wonder, Erik Rico and Zaki Ibrahim. It’ll be out on the Toy’s Factory Label & will be promoted by the lifestyle magazine Luire, for whom she’s been writing a monthly music column this year. Now we’re looking for a US label to pick it up!
http://www.toysfactory.co.jp/djmoni/disco.html
Two of the live shows we saw this week were artists featured on our compilation – Little Dragon & Zaki Ibrahim. This was Little Dragon’s NYC debut and we were really excited to finally see them. You may know the lead singer, Yukimi Nagano, from her last project with Koop. She was absolutely lovely. Photos from the show will be posted this week on our site, so make sure to check back.
Hailing from Toronto, Zaki’s second NY appearance at Joe’s Pub was both memorable and beautiful. We were shooting it for her profile and as Mike was editing, we realized we were sitting on a great new series – NYC En Vivo. This is where you get to see samples of some of our favorite live shows in NYC. Zaki’s is a great example of our future endeavors so make sure to take a look at her video this week.
Once again, thanks for reading, watching and being beautiful beams of light.
Spread love,
Moni & Mike
November 25, 2008
Sol Guy + Moni’s Funk in Yo Trunk Mix + Zaki Ibrahim + Mark de Clive-Lowe
Blessed ones. We hope you are all getting ready for the holiday weekend with friends and family. This week we have a new 120, a new music mix and news on upcoming profiles.
We’ve just posted our new 120 Seconds with Sol Guy. He is a Vancouver based TV producer, social activist and overall positive light force. If you haven’t seen his show 4Real on the CW, make sure see his site http://4Real.com. In his two minutes, Sol emphasizes the importance of dreams, our power to manifest them and ultimately how beneficial it is for us all to make dreams come true. You’ll be inspired with instant smiles.
If you’re looking for a pep in your step today, take a listen to Moni’s “Funk in Yo Trunk” mix. Here’s the playlist – Cymande – Fug / Coke Escovedo – I Wouldn’t Change A Thing / Plantlife – Luv 4 The World and Red Astaire – Tito. In joy!
Soon coming, you’ll see a profile on singer/songwriter Zaki Ibrahim. Born in Canada and raised in South Africa during Apartheid, she combines sensitivity and sophistication in all aspects of her work. We shot her show last night at Joe’s Pub and she absolutely blew us away. A real inspiration. We’ve also had the pleasure of spending some time with one of my favorite musician/producers, Mark de Clive-Lowe who graced our studios with a 120 which should be up next week.
Happy holidays to all of you. Thanks for reading, watching and being lovely.
Spread love,
Moni & Mike
November 18, 2008
FWL // NEW: VIDEOS + MUSIC MIXES + BLOGS
Our blasts are coming at you quickly because we don’t stop working! Thanks to all of you who came out to our screening at the Coup D’Etat event this past weekend. It was a huge success with over 500 people coming through, music by Talheim, Sol & Moni and great artwork and films.
We’ve uploaded a new 120 Seconds with Somali MC and musician, K’Naan. He shares his views on language as not only a tool for communication but also as a cultural carrier and its influence in the way we view ourselves and our surrounding environment. If you haven’t subscribed to our youtube page, please do it here – http://www.youtube.com/user/friendswelove. It’s a great way to know when we upload new videos.
Speaking of new videos, we’ll be starting a new series called Food for Five or $5. Whether you’re feeling the effects of the mismanaged banks or just want to economize without forsaking the pleasure of good food, this is the series for you. If you’ve got $5 recipes you’d like us to try, please don’t hesitate to email us. We’re also opening up the screens by encouraging you to submit videos that you feel fit with our format and overall aesthetic. If you have any questions, let us know…
We’ve got a new Moni mix on friendswelove.com taken from her guest spot at East Village Radio’s Never Not Working show. It’s a taste of Colombian music for your ears – cumbia, salsa, vallenato, and other afro-Caribbean rhythms. Thanks to Radio Rios & Oskar Mann for the invite.
In case you still need more content to visit our site, we’ve recently added new blog entries for you to check out. We’ve reviewed exhibits by Ellis G, Blek Le Rat and Doze Green. Introduced you to 4Real.com, Sol Guy, K’Naan and a review of Jazzanova’s new release. It’s full of photos and many things we love.
Lastly, we’ve started working on a new short film on the Neo-Con collective of street artists Ellis G, Aakash Nihalani & Posterboy. This perfect combination of talent had their first meeting and bombing tonight and we were there to not only witness it but also document it. We had a good day of chasing shadows, eating arroz con pollo & carne guisada, laughing uncontrollably, finding beautiful cityscapes and building dreams. Friends we love, WIN WIN!
Thanks for reading, watching and being. We greatly appreciate it.
Spread love,
Moni & Mike
November 13, 2008
Great Exhibits & New Profiles on K’Naan, Sol Guy & Posterboy
Since our last update we’ve shot a couple of new profiles, made some revisions to our Current TV winner and we’ll be part of a great exhibit and screening on Friday. To top that, we continue to get blog love around the world with visits to our site by folks in 48 countries.
We are happy to announce two new profiles you should look out for. One is Somali MC and musician K’Naan who was in town from Canada shooting a music video for his upcoming single “ABCs” with none other than Chubb Rock! K’Naan has also collaborated with Youssou N’Dour, Mos Def, Nelly Furtado, M1 from Dead Prez and other great artists. Make sure you look out for his upcoming album, Troubadour. We had a great time getting to know K’Naan and we think you will too. He blew our minds with his views on language as a cultural carrier and it’s use within colonization… Genius!
Along with K’Naan came his manager Sol Guy, who left a huge impression on us. I love it when the stars align to create synchronistic moments of encouragement and joy. That’s how we felt when got to know Sol and his show-project-movement 4Real. It’s a global community where people who are passionate about art, culture, and social change can represent, connect, and collaborate. The movement involves an online community at 4Real.com while donating 50% to those communities they collaborate with. Another example of the WIN-WIN model we live by.
One of our boys, Ellis G has an exhibit until Dec 6th at the Sara Tecchia Gallery at 529 W 20th / second floor in Chelsea. While you’re there, go to the sixth floor to Jonathan Levine Gallery and see Doze Green and Blek le Rat – a couple of other dope shows. Speaking of street art, we’ve also shot the infamous Posterboy doing his magic http://flickr.com/photos/26296445@N05/. He’s the one responsible for the great reworked subway posters all around the city. Make sure to look out for it.
Also, we’re going to be part of the Coup D’Etat Art exhibit and screening this Friday, Nov 14. It’s a collaborative project featuring Ellis G, Livingroom Johnston, Concep, One9 and Alexandra Cespedes and screenings by Sunshowah, Beautiful Losers and Friends We Love. We’ll have Talheim and Moni on the tables playing music.
Lastly, it is with great pride that we embark on a new a wonderful feeling of progress and evolution but also of healing and growth for our country and ultimately the world. It is empowering to know that as a people we can demand and effectively create positive change for ourselves through the election of President Obama!
Spread love,
FRIENDS WE LOVE ft ELLIS G WINS CURRENT’S LEADERBOARD VIDEO IN THE US!
In case you didn’t know, Friends We Love is in the WIN-WIN business! Thanks to all of you who voted, our video beat out 9,000 other submissions. This means that Friends We Love will be seen in 51 million homes around the world!!! We also make a little bit of cash in the process, which is great! We couldn’t thank you enough. Not only did you spread love, but you’re helping us spread love to millions of viewers! Not to mention all the great new projects and installations Ellis will be commissioned to do ; ) Much gratitude for helping us make it happen!
IN JOY!
moni & mike
October 6, 2008
New Friends We Love Videos, Laughs We Love, Plush Toys & Blogs
Bright ones,
We hope this finds you smiling. Since our last update, much has happened and it’s good to reconnect with all of you. We’ve uploaded two videos today one of which is the first in a new series, our Facebook group is growing as is our blog and if you like to laugh, we need your help.
We just finished our third Friends We Love profile featuring street artist Ellis G and we couldn’t be happier with it. Visually it’s quite different than our first two so please check it and let us know what you think.
The other video we’ve posted is a tribute to Coney Island’s Astroland, which won’t be the same next year. This short is also the first in our new video series called eMotion Pictures. It’s a chance for us to delve into our photography background and create some visual poetry that evokes emotion and thought.
If you know us personally, you know that we LOVE TO LAUGH. Last week when we were talking about the infectious power of laughter and it’s many health benefits, we came up with Laughs We Love! This is one project we’re embarking upon that we’ll need your help to fulfill. We’re asking everyone we know to please send us recordings of laughter – audio or video. If you’d rather have us record you, let us know and we’ll make it happen. Once we post them, it’ll be the perfect place to go to when you’re having a bad day. Keep your ears open for our Laughs We Love plush toys. Yes, you heard right – a plushie that records your laugh to gift to whomever you love.
Thanks to all of you who are adding our links, posting our videos and spreading the love! We have 547 members in our Facebook group, our Giant Step videos are getting lots of play and we’re getting some nice mentions on the blogosphere. If you haven’t checked ours in a minute, please do so http://friendswelove.wordpress.com/ and drop us a comment. Also, you can find all our videos to date on our site, Vimeo, youtube, facebook and wordpress. Phew!
September 16, 2008
Vote for FWL on Current, New Profile on Ellis G & Please Spread Love
Joyous ones,
We hope this finds you basking in the first cool breezes of autumn. Thanks to all of you who keep up with us and here’s our update. In the past week we’ve uploaded Bobbito’s profile to CurrentTV and are excited about our next profile on Ellis G, which should be posted by next week.
For those of you who already watch Current TV online, we ask you to please bump up our Bobbito video. It’s a way to move it on up towards cable broadcast. Here is the link. Everyone else, sign up, vote and gain access to some great content!
Keep your eyes open for our next profile on graffiti & street artist Ellis G. His profile is in my opinion the most visually compelling to date. We’re hoping to do an event with a live installation of his work in the next month. If any of you have any spaces or galleries in mind please let us know.
Also, we are asking all of you to please help us spread the word. You can either post our link on your site, send our link to some friends or just share the videos you enjoy with those you love.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to read our updates, watch our videos and send us feedback. It means the world to us.
Spread love,
Mike & Moni
September 9, 2008
Screening in Brooklyn, Site Revamped & New Film on Coney Island
Loved ones,
Thanks to all of you who came out to see the screening of N’Dea Davenport’s profile at Sputnik this past Saturday. We really appreciate The Real Live Show crew for inviting us to come through. Their show was really tight, inspiring and so on point! To top it, we had Dhundee & Waajeed throwing down on the decks. A lovely night had by all.
Our main news this week is the revamping of our site http://friendswelove.com. Our video section has a new look and a couple of new videos. We’ve added a music section where we’ll be posting Moni’s mixes for you to download and enjoy. The ‘latest’ includes all the FWL updates while the “blog” is full of music, theater & restaurant reviews, bits of inspiration and fun happenings around town.
Although these days are gorgeous, they are also bittersweet. It’s that time of year when school is back in session, the leaves start to change and we’re flooded with memories of that fateful day. In case we needed to be more melancholy, just last week we learned that Coney Island will never be the same again. With that in mind, we had to bid our farewell to Astroland this past Sunday with cameras in hand. We came away with some beautiful photographs and a sublime film that has kept us mesmerized. Please check our site to take a look for yourself.
Thank you for reading.
Spread love,
Moni & Mike
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
September 3, 2008
New FWL Profile on N’Dea Davenport + Blog Love + New Mix to Download
Queridos,
Hope you had a relaxing holiday. Our hours are usually non-stop, but this weekend we took some time to enjoy the last days of summer. This week we offer you a new profile video on N’Dea Davenport, a link to our page on the Giant Step site and a get-down mix by Moni.
On our second Friends We Love profile, we feature star vocalist of The Brand New Heavies, N’Dea Davenport. N’Dea opens up and takes us through the many life experiences which have shaped her creative outlook. From her feelings as an underdog during childhood to the avant-garde art world of LA in the 80s, we get to see a how all these bits of inspiration have influenced her approach to music and life. Regardless of whether she’s collaborating with underground stars or with musical legends like Madonna or Stevie Wonder, N’Dea continuously pushes the boundaries of her talent. Please take a look and let us know what you think!
We are happy to announce that our 120 Seconds segment is now being broadcast on Giant Step’s website. It is really exciting for us to be able to reach a whole new audience, especially one that supports the new music and shows Giant Step is known for worldwide.
On that note, Friends We Love needs your help! We are interested in spreading the word about our show and there’s no better way to do that than through you. We’ve already gotten some blog love from LA on Velanche’s Urban Landscapes, which is a great source for podcasts, charts and music news. Also, we’ve been featured on Nassim-Essabah’s NuJazzSpirit blog where you’ll find concert footage and in-depth interviews with some of our favorite musicians.
If you have a website or a blog, please post our videos or a link to our site. If you have favorite blogs you think we should contact, please let us know. Every little bit helps and we’re grateful for it all.
As an aural end of summer treat, we’ve uploaded another music mix by Moni. You can listen to songs by 7 Samurai, Kid Gusto, Mark De Clive-Lowe, Omar, Aaron Jerome, Lewis D, Peven Everett, Pth Projects, Ben Westbeech and Ian Friday. Enjoy!
Spread love,
Mike & Moni
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
August 26, 2008
A New 120 Seconds + Giant Step Collab + Moni Music Mixes
Greetings loved ones,
This past week was full of fun times and good news. First of all, we’d like to thank everyone who came to the Loisaida Film Festival on Sunday and helped us celebrate a wonderful moment with our community. The evening was gorgeously clear and cool as we sat under willow trees and watched several dance performances and some truly inspiring short films from all over the world.
Along with the fun times, we’ve also been working diligently. We’ve just posted a new 120 Seconds with Erin Hirsh, the stylist responsible for Rihanna and Kanye West’s wardrobe and fashions for the Glow in The Dark Tour. In this clip, Erin shares her thoughts on the hipster phenomenon. Let us know what you think!
We’re happy to announce that Giant Step will be broadcasting our 120 Seconds webisodes on their site! I hope that you take a look around our new host site as you’ll find music and show listings and a wide range of music mixes on their jukebox from all around the world.
On that note, I’ll also be uploading music mixes to our Friends We Love site. Some are mixes I’ve recorded for specific projects while others feature a certain genre or mood. Soon, the mixes will be inspired by the friends we profile and their favorite music. This first mix was one I recorded for The Fader’s Suite 903 soul series. Make sure you check our site for new updates!
Spread love,
Moni & Mike
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
August 20, 2008
Announcing the launch of “Friends We Love” A Little Show About BIG Things
| CONTACT INFORMATION: | |
|
Announcing Launch of “Friends We Love – a little show about BIG things”
Friends We Love is a compelling video series that follows artists and creators from a diverse panorama of modern life as they move from inspiration to expression.
New York, New York — August 18, 2008
Some of today’s most forward-thinking artists and creators reveal what moves their creative process forward in the video series FRIENDS WE LOVE (www.friendswelove.com). Co-produced and directed by Mike Vargas and Moni Pineda, these intimate ten-minute portraits ultimately pay a tribute to the presence of greatness in the working lives of those we love and hold dear. The series premiered at the Brecht Forum last month and will be featured at the Loisaida Cortos International Film Festival on August 24, 2008 at La Plaza Cultural Garden (Ave C & 9th Street) at 5PM.
Friends We Love takes viewers on a journey through a myriad of trades and disciplines, each narrated by a distinctive personality. The project will feature a wide array of subjects ranging from architects and painters, to poets, choreographers and entrepreneurs – all sharing their passion with unique and compelling stories. A snapshot of an episode will contain a chef showcasing a signature dish, while another will include a pop singer describing a career-defining moment.
The evolution of Friends We Love was inspired by the duo’s desire for programming that reflected their interests and those of the artisan community. The series will grant viewers unprecedented access while highlighting both the personal and professional lives of its subjects from artists’ living rooms, studios, offices, stages, labs, kitchens and the streets—wherever the creative magic happens.
“The determining factor that sets Friends We Love apart from other series of this nature, is our personal relationships within the community and the access this affords us,” said Mike Vargas, producer and co-creator of Friends We Love. “Each captivating profile will leave our audience entertained, informed but most importantly, satisfied.”
“We have so many talented friends who are making a mark in their respective fields, once the seed was planted, our series quickly blossomed organically. While many of these friends are established, some of the others are on the rise to becoming household names,” says Moni Pineda, producer and co-creator of Friends We Love. “The thread that ties them is the creative process, which is what interests us. We love hearing how their ideas evolve from concept to concrete forms of expression.”
MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS:
QUOTES
“Loving Friends We Love! – it’s great to get a candid insight into some special people and for that to spread to folks who might never have heard of them. really excited to see it grow and evolve… Thanks for creating it”
- Mark de Clive-Lowe, London
“I thought this was an excellent piece. I actually see Bobbito about once a month passingly (in Harlem) -and I was aware of his basketball / dj ability…however, this was an in depth look into a man with many talents. (I had no idea)…It was very inspiring. I hope everyone who is passionate about anything creative takes a look at this. It reminds me that our passions can create endless possibilities!”
- Drego Moore, NYC
“My name is Nassima. I’ve discovered your video of Bobbito!!! Amazing!! Really- I read the concept which I find brilliant!!! No kidding… Really inspirational… and creative and very interesting…
I really love the way you put into words the main objective of this “multimedia family, artistic group”…
Really amazing… I will definitely check your site very often
Please let me know when you are in Paris:)
Cheers from France”
- Nassima-Essabah, France
“What a great trailer and best of luck to you and the spreading of words and works of artists Great creative inspiration!!! Thanks for sharing”
-Amber Quinn, NY
“Hey Moni and company I LOVE this exploration of art, culture and the creative process, thanks SO very much for sharing AND inspiring!! Continued success! Blessings and creativity”
- Erik Rico, California
“Really love the soundtrack (José James, MdCL) !! and the editing amazing!!! Very creative. Quick, subtle and fresh! BRILLIANT!!!! and of course the interview is dope!”
-Swingsoulajazz, France
ABOUT FRIENDS WE LOVE
Friends We Love is a video series exploring the motivations, inspirations and creative processes of some of today’s most forward thinking artists and collaborators. Each profile is edited to a ten minute piece, a five minute trailer and a 120 Seconds segment where interviewees are asked to speak freely about a topic they feel strongly about.
Please contact Moni Pineda or Mike Vargas to arrange an interview and/or for additional information.
RELATED LINKS
Technorati Tags:
creative | art | music | video | profile | friends | love | artist | interview questions | series | motivation | inspiration | dj moni | mike vargas | monica pineda | moni | michael vargas | nuyorktricity | youtube | expression | concept | painter | singer | media | webisode | gilles peterson | bobbito garcia | erin hirsh | n’dea davenport | ellis g | kinetix
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<
August 19, 2008
New Videos + Film Festival + New Blogs
Dear Friends,
Hope you’re enjoying your day. There’s a bit of news to report this week – a new video, a film festival and a new blog. We’ll start with our new 120 Seconds video post with music pioneer, Gilles Peterson. For those of you who follow his blog or know him personally, it won’t be much surprise that he decided to dish on his addiction to Arsenal Football Club and his recent decision to take a break. It’s quite funny, so check it out and please let us know what you think.
This Sunday is the day we’ll be premiering the full version of Bobbito Garcia’s Friends We Love profile at the Loisaida Cortos International Film Festival. This festival has traveled to Barcelona, Madrid and Antwerp in the seven years since it’s inception and Mike and I are really happy to be a part of it. We’ll be celebrating afterwards at Nublu, where I’ll be spinning from 11-2AM. This helped us realize our wish to have one screening event each month, so if you’re in the city, please don’t miss it! Mil gracias to Ellie Diez for the kind invitation!
Lastly, we’ve joined the bandwagon with our own Friends We Love Weblog. Yes, we did it. Now we just have to keep up with it. You can check it here – http://friendswelove.wordpress.com/ This is where you’ll see what inspires us. So far I’ve reviewed some music – Zaki Ibrahim, Kid Cudi, a theater show – FELA!, some summer concerts and soon coming, some of our favorite restaurants. You get to see our photos and ramblings at your will, so subscribe if you’re into it.
Thanks for reading, watching and supporting! It means the world to us…
Spread love,
Moni & Mike
LOISAIDA CORTOS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Sunday, August 24, 2008 @ La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
Corner Of 9th Street & Avenue C (East Village, NYC)
Doors Open @ 5pm & Screenings At Dusk
Free Admission-Donations Accepted!
Live Performances And Panel Hosted By Luis Salgado Of R.Evolucion Latina & Tony Winner ‘In The Heights’
‘Going Beyond Shorts With Music And Dance!”
After Party with DJ Moni
Nublu 62 Ave. C (East Village, NYC)
Music, Dance & Photography Slideshow!
Doors Open @ 10pm
Cover $5
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
August 9, 2008
Three new 120 Seconds videos + more love
Dear Friends,
We hope this finds you enjoying the summer with those you love. This past week has been quite eventful. On Thursday, we spent some quality time with the legendary and ubiquitous Gilles Peterson who gave us a memorable 45 min interview. From a pirate radio station at age 15 to the BBC Radio One, from Talking Loud Records to Brownswood Recordings and all the festivals around the world in between- Gilles blew our minds! Then we went record shopping, which was a real treat. He bought a rare Colombian 1976 Latin Brothers vinyl record and gifted me a Malcolm X tribute album!
Today, we interviewed Erin Hirsh, designer and stylist extraordinaire to a few people you may have heard of – Eve, Gnarls Barkley and Kanye West. Her path from modern dancer to designing state of the art LCD jackets is not a typical one. To top it off, she even got us last minute tickets to see her stage work on Kanye’s Madison Square Garden show.
It is with great pleasure that we announce three new 120 Seconds videos.
Here’s a quick synopsis of each:
N’Dea Davenport, singing sensation of the Brand New Heavies, shares her personal journey overcoming uterine fibroids, while raising awareness of the importance of getting proper health screenings and health providers.
Brooklyn based shadow artist Ellis Gallagher aka © Ellis G. airs his thoughts on common sense, respect, the NYC Police Dept and clarifies the differences between “street art” and “graffiti.”
Entrepreneurs Paul Estevez and Tony Martinez of Kinetix Integrated, breakdown their feelings on the golden rule, the environment and the importance of proper hygiene.
Please send us so we can post it to our ‘testimonials’ section. We’d love to hear what you have to say!
Thanks again for reading, watching and being a friend!
Spread love,
Moni & Mike
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
August 2, 2008
Kinetix Integrated, Gilles Peterson and the Friends We Love Store!
Yesterday we had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Estevez and Tony Martinez, two of the creative minds behind Kinetix Integrated – a company behind some of the most memorable music and entertainment events in the Latin community. It’s a captivating story of a group of entrepreneurs who have perfected the path from concept to execution while making their dreams come true.
Next week, we’ll be spending some time with worldwide music sensation, Gilles Peterson! Wooo Hoooo! He’s always been a great source of inspiration for me. I’ve had the pleasure of not only DJing with him but also co-producing his Brownswood label night in NY at Nublu. We are very excited to dig as deep as he digs.
Words can hardly express how much your messages of support mean to us, so we’ve decided to create a ‘testimonials’ page on our site http://friendswelove.com Please take a look. You may see your sweetness there. If not, leave us a post and we’ll make sure to include it.
We’ve also added a ‘participate’ section asking for suggestions or correspondent possibilities and after several requests we’ve even added a ’store.’ Yes, a store! This is where you can make a much appreciated donation to our project or buy one of our t-shirts and stickers
Don’t forget to SPREAD LOVE!
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
July 29, 2008
Friends We Love Premiere @ The Brecht Forum 7/25/08 Featuring Bobbito Garcia
Thanks to all of you who came down to the Brecht Forum on Friday and helped us celebrate the premiere trailer of our new series. We couldn’t have wished for a better turnout or a better time. There were magical moments throughout and great new possibilities.
I’m happy to announce that we were asked to participate in the Seventh Annual Loisaida Short Film Festival by Ellie Diez. It feels full circle as both Mike & I were part of the first one back in 2001. We were also so inspired with Friday, that we’ve decided to do an event screening once a month.
We understand some of you are far away, so check out the video – http://friendswelove.com. Please share this link with your friends and leave a comment letting us know what you think. If you’d like to know more about the project, please check out our site.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and for supporting us in so many ways- Whether it’s a posting, an email or coming to the screenings – everything counts in large amounts
Spread love ~ Moni & Mike
