by Joshua J. Pinkay | Jul 30, 2018
The fourth annual KAABOO Del Mar is almost here! The highly amenitized event, set to take place at Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds in Southern California on September 14-16, 2018, has gone to great lengths to make sure that each attendee feels spoiled and is treated to a hospitality-driven experience that engages all five senses. At KAABOO multi-day annual events, guests enjoy a world-class music and HUMOR ME comedy lineup; an onsite Contemporary Art Fair in ARTWORK, plus a display of outdoor murals and installations; PALATE gourmet food and craft libation tastings; a Las Vegas-style day club called BASK, plus spa and relaxation services at INDULGENCES. KAABOO Del Mar overlooks the Pacific Ocean and enjoys pristine weather, ocean breezes, and numerous easy to access lodging options.
Over the last couple of months, KAABOO has also been offering a chance for local Southern California musicians to participate in the festival through their Discovery Tour program, which is a a unique program that is designed to showcase some of the amazing talent in our area. Every year, KAABOO has a stage dedicated to local and emerging talent. Three musical acts and one comedian will be selected as winners of the Discovery Tour, earning them the coveted opportunity to perform at KAABOO on September 14-16th, 2018, alongside the previously announced music + comedy acts in the lineup, including Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry, Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters, Craig Ferguson, Iliza Shlesinger, Nick Offerman and more.
On Friday, August 10th, SweetTooth, Sophia Dion, Desert Rhythm Project, and Nick Crook will compete to win audience votes for the third and final music stop, and this Sunday (July 29th), comedians will then battle it out at the American Comedy Co. Details and ticket links can be found at www.kaaboodelmar.com/discovery-tour. Make sure to check out the TOURMALINE Stage and HUMOR ME at KAABOO to see these bands and many more local acts!
by Joshua J. Pinkay | Jul 30, 2018
Tennis icon Maria Sharapova and sbe CEO and Founder Sam Nazarian celebrated the global partnership with Maria Sharapova’s Sugarpova confectionery line and sbe, at Cleo Mediterráneo, one of sbe’s international award winning restaurant brands. Brandi Cyrus arrived with gal pals to support Maria and was seen enjoying her sweet treats. Sam and Maria chatted over her confections sharing stories while James Kennedy had a laugh with friends. Over 200 guests were in attendance including Marta Pozzan, Bridget Marquardt and many other notable influencers. Maria enjoyed sharing her treats and truffles with guests stating she was “thrilled to announce Sugarpova’s new partnership with sbe – a collaboration of two brands that share a common ground in creating and providing a premium product and luxury experience.” Maria, Sam and the guests enjoyed delicious light bites with Cleo’s renowned Chef Danny Elmaleh, and Sebastien Silvestri, COO of Disruptive Group. Sam Nazarian stated, “Maria is not only a tennis icon, but an incredible businesswoman who has created unique products. Myself and the sbe team are very proud to bring her distinctive brand to our properties and excited to welcome her global fan base to our locations.” Maria was the spotlight of the night greeting guests and mingling.
Sugarpova treats were passed along with Cleo’s favorites including Moroccan Fried Chicken with Apricot Mustard and Mini Falafel with Pickled Fennel and Tahini, Wagyu Sliders and more. Guests at the party sipped on a bevy of signature cocktails courtesy of Cleo as well as Giuliana Prosecco, Hiro Sake and Peroni while enjoying tunes from DJ Bobby French. The tennis star’s premium Sugarpova chocolate Bars and Truffles are now available for guests staying at hotels across sbe’s worldwide portfolio, including locations in the USA, Middle East, and Europe.
Chef Danny Elmahel, Maria Sharapova, Chief Operating Officer of Disruptive Group at sbe, Sebastien Silvestri and Founder and CEO of sbe Entertainment Group, Sam Nazarian
by Niki Smart | Jul 21, 2018
Photo credit: Jan Welters
Amidst cheers and applause, British R&B singer, Seal strolled confidently on stage and, right off the bat, began charming the audience with his soulful rendition of “Luck be a Lady”. Welcome to a new side of Seal and his tenth studio album “Standards”. This is an album that Seal has always wanted to make because he grew up listening to music from the rat pack era, and for him, recording these classic tunes has been a lifelong dream. Seal said “It was a true honor to collaborate with the same musicians who performed with Frank Sinatra and so many of my favorite artists, in the very same studios where the magic was first made – it was one of the greatest days of my recording career.”
Who knew that Seal was a crooner? Well, he is, and a mighty fine one at that. His voice is rich, velvety and flawless, his style is sassy, his look debonair, and this man can handle a room – or should I say a bowl? Bending down to sing to the ladies in the front and shaking people’s hands, Seal utilized the entire stage, the catwalk strip, and even ventured off stage altogether to further flirt with the audience.
Between songs, his laid back banter made him even cooler. Listening to him, one gets the feeling that this is a man who is sincere and has a gentle, generous spirit. He jokingly told the audience, “Hello Los Angeles, well I know most of the people here, yeah, you guys all hit me up for tickets.”
Things got a little more serious when Seal talked about a recent bout of depression and recanted a day when he listened to “That’s Life” at full volume. “It helped” he quipped, and proceeded to perform the song with the magic of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra behind him, conducted by Thomas Wilkins. Seal likened playing with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra to driving a Rolls Royce. He clearly loved the material he was performing and who he was performing it with.
Halfway through the show, Seal announced that a very special guest was in the house; someone who had, in part, been responsible for him being a musician. It turned out to be none other than Joni Mitchell, and as the cameras swung around to find the icon seated in the audience, Seal got everyone to sing the line: “paved paradise, put up a parking lot.”
Towards the end of his show, Seal broke out his hit songs “Kiss from a Rose”, and “Crazy”, and last but not least, invited his 8-year-old daughter up on stage to play piano for a short performance of “Superstition”. For an encore, it was “Rebel Rebel” to honor the late David Bowie. No matter what style: classics, pop, rock, ballads, covers – Seal handles them all with vibrant, powerful vocals and ebullient showmanship. Seal is the real deal.
by Joshua J. Pinkay | Jul 20, 2018
With every award show in L.A., there’s bound to be a plethora of events celebrating the socialites and celebs in town for the festivities. ESPY Week is no exception as the elite stars of sports are honored in their own way through an exciting ceremony that highlights these star athletes’ achievements.
Kicking off ESPY week, The Bespoke Men’s Club was hosted by current Super Bowl Champions of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod. Both Jenkins and McLeod brought their off the field passions into full effect as owners of their own individual fashion boutiques Damari Saville (Jenkins) and Back of House (McLeod) with their ESPY week pop-up event. After winning a Super Bowl together, the duo thought it would be great to partner for a successful collaboration, just off the field this time with The Bespoke Men’s Club!
The Bespoke experience consisted of a gifting suite in Downtown LA’s Fashion District on Monday, July 16th & Tuesday, July 17th. Bespoke was curated to provide the best in clothing, electronics, and grooming in one Men’s Club experience and the event was just that! Each guest received a Talley & Twine luxury watch as they entered the lounge to commence the experience. Just past the shopping experience, guests were offered complimentary haircuts and grooming services on behalf of Luster’s S-Curl and The Mane Choice. While receiving grooming services, guests were able to get a sneak preview of The Equalizer 2 from Sony Pictures which is set to release on July 20th, 2018.
Vibes were set by a live DJ, artwork by Erik the Artist, passed bites and delicious cocktails crafted by Teeling Whiskey and ROAR Organic. The two-day event was all possible because of the support of brands ProJeweler, Clean Showroom, Todd Patrick, Gordon Crush, Packs Supply, Ainsley & Troupe, Gifted Apparel, Esquire Men’s Grooming,Fairplay, Jabra Headphones, Hard Soda, Mr13195 and Taylordblu.
Jenkins + McLeod had some of the sports world’s most prestigious athletes in attendance including Jalen Mills, John Ross, Trumaine Johnson, Jay Ajayi, and Dontrelle Inman just to name a few. Check out the rest of the images from this event below:
by Ely Anne Vedar | Jul 2, 2018
Antonio “KANIN” White has released his newest single, “All Hail (Freestyle)”, a track specifically created to deliver Kanin’s message of solidarity with true hip-hop. Kanin says, “This is a proclamation of me arriving into the rap game, ready for war and battle with any artist or rapper who uses today’s lame gimmicks and so called rap styles. I come from an era and background where we take pride in our words and lyrics and so ‘All Hail’ is a representation of this. It’s to saying, ‘I’m not your new age mumble rapper, I am a writer and a poet with a message and that message is Real is Back’.“
This will be Kanin’s first release since his previous hit record, “All Eyes On Me”. Kanin originally came to notoriety after collaborating with Grammy Award winning superstar,
Kendrick Lamar, for his track “Winner Circle” from Kanin’s
Old School New Sense EP.
As for the “All Hail (Freestyle)” video concept, it’s a nod to an old YouTube parody by a digital personality named “Supa Hot Fire”. The setting of Supa Hot Fire’s videos revolved around “pretend rap battles” with a staged crowd that supported any verse he would say, even if it was absolutely horrible. The idea is to compare this parody to today’s “modern” rappers that are trending from gimmicks. Video Producer, Saul Luzeus of Good Vibe Crew, felt like it would be the perfect visual concept to match the message in the song, “All Hail, Kanin is here.”
“All Hail (Freestyle)” is available on all musical platforms including, Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, and Google Play. The video is available on Kanin’s official YouTube channel.
Follow KANIN on social media below:
