North East Kingdom

So I have been avoiding writing about my home away from home because it is an untapped resource of fun and great people. Very closely knit and teeny tiny- but this was a mistake and one that I can no longer allow to continue to do. The North East Kingdom is a little slice of heaven that seems to have everything for everyone. Salt of the earth people who take care of one another and involve themselves heavily within the community- because there is little else to do. So I have been coming up here every year or so since I was born to visit my godfamily and friends- but it wasn't until recently that things have really taken off here. The shows are getting wilder and more artistic with every passing month. I played one show at this great spot called Parker Pie back in the summer and now I am getting offers and shows left and right. But that's not the reason I am writing about it. A close friend up here i just recently found out, is a VJ. His name is Cavin Meese, and lemme tell ya- he. has. skills. amazing skills. His focus is entirely show oriented- he comes at each gig from a lighting perspective where the visuals are more integrated into the performers so that not only is he playing live, but is an integral and all encompassing part of the show. Check him out if you have a chance, seriously. His work is inspiring and you can tell he works heavily with the venue and performers to really make the show fly. His knowledge is endless and he has become a personal hero and guru to yours truly, the Ka$h money. So this is my shout out to him - KUDOS sir! keep up the good work. He is someone I hope to work with often and soon...more to come

James Zabiela

MidweekTechno got a HUGE boost this week as Soul Clap joined up with James Zabiela for an outrageous set the likes of which the Phoenix Landing have never seen! Bass heavy, crowd jammed in like some sort of rocket to paradise overflowing with passengers, we were almost beating them away with a stick!
I haven't gotten to play a show that was so much fun, and so crazy all at once. Soul Clap started early, throwing out some of their new tracks to a jam-packed house all eagerly listening and warming up their dancing feet. From then on the atmosphere only got crazier and more intense as the crowd swelled and danced the night away with the robo-master himself James Zabiela throwing down a set so hard and so origional that it was all i could do just to keep up- but I rocked out the visuals with style and flair, and by end of his first breakdown, I had a scheme down packed. Beat matched and all very robot/dystopia/future styled, the set featured scenes from THX-1138, Tron, War Games, and some vKa$h originals thrown in for good measure.
The Crowds response was intense. They clamored to get as close to the stage as possible for a better glimpse of a show that we will never be able to see again in such a venue. Getting these two big hits together (soul clap and James Zabiela) was so inspiring it reminded me of the days of the Cyber-Trance Movement back in SF, when going to a club was actually going to a show, not just going to a place to get wasted and try and score. House is coming back, and we are all just lucky enough to be a part of it.
Welcome back to life I say, and welcome to our world of full throttle, bass bumping, visual stimulating all around good shows!!!!

MidWeekTechno.com 10/15

October 15 rolled around sooner than I realized. But I somehow managed to not only enjoy great food at the Phoenix Landing in Cambridge, MA- but also a rather wonderful PRE-show! Sitting adjacent to me was a couple obviously intoxicated and obnoxious. I have no worries for these types of people- they can make great conversation, and an interesting drinking buddy or two- however something about this particular couple struck me as off. They seemed sketchy, and scandalous. They demanded their food after only 9 minutes waiting and then proceeded to wolf it down and take off down the street without paying. The greatest part of the whole ordeal was watching the bouncer take off with his 6' tall stride and chase them down the street to bring them back and force payment, well handled by the whole crew and my kudos for being so polite about someone trying to rip them off. The calamari as always was excelent.
So this MidWeekTechno session saw yet another triumph for the Airdrop family. Bringing in a bass heavy delight was Sergio Santos, a Boston favorite, and New Yorks own Connie. The beats were impressive to say the least. Welcoming them with open arms I synched up some very nice loops that were quick, poinant and most of all right on beat. The heavier the bass, the more i appreciated all the different clips I had to choose from. As the night drew on, i brought the videos in to a more darker scene, allowning a lot of red and "TV glitches" to add to the late night, early automn, October feel.
The vKa$h set was unusually animated with a lot less of the sexual vibe attached. I do certainly love playing highly edited sexy women, but it was nice to keep it minimal and really let loose after each breakdown. The songs were underground as usual, with some tracks plaid off of some very close friends of mine. A new high for me happened when Connie and I actually started planning some of our stuff out before each switch. Simple terms such as "im going tribal" or "get ready for the breakdown" can add so much to someone beatmatching from a selection of over two hundred clips. And with on-point beat matching, the visuals - although entertaining (from what I hear) were also used to heighten the tracks, and meshed well without being overbearing. All in all a great set and two DJs that I hope to work with again soon!!! Come on over Sunday and check out a visual set made to acompany the wonders that is Tanner Ross. Phoenix Landing Rebound should be a great one!

Ah the Life of a visual Kid

So how to get one of these started........This is my blog I guess. So I have been a Visual Mixmaster for about three years now- I hate the term "VJ" although that has been labeled as what I do, it consider it much less of a "jockey" and the term brings up notions of Sway and Tabitha Sorin from MTV- and when that isn't the case, people assume that you meant DJ and just misspoke, or they miss heard. But who cares?! I love what I do, and I enjoy all the people I get to meet. At the moment I am trying to get my life together after a hectic summer of traveling, VJing, making art and moving from Cambridge to Dorchester.
So my goals now are to get some demos out there so I can get some exposure, use my skills to allow me to travel AND make money and get some more equipment together so I can really take it up a notch. Right now I am trying to save up enough money to buy a good video camera and a tablet so that I can show some of my more artistic abilities during live performances...among other things.
I guess a little of my history would be good here...let's see...
I'm 24, a SMFA Boston/ Tufts student who stumbled into VJing through a friend of mine. I started working at one of the hotest clubs in town Underbar. After working there for about a year, I spread out- working solo at Mantra (Boston), the Intercontinental Hotel (Boston), The Luna Lounge (New York), The House of Yes (New York), The Loading Dock (Lowell), Rumor (Boston), Felt (Boston), Rise (Boston), The Burton House (Brighton), Camp DK (Vermont), Parker Pie (Vermont), The Bartender's Ball (Nantucket), Dance On The Charles (Boston), as well as many others that I just cannot think of right now. Some companies I have worked for include Redbull, Captain Morgan, Tripple 8 Vodka, Kristal, and a bunch of others, but I really think RedBull has helped me the most. They have a lot of respect for their artists which is rare to find in a corperation. I just hope that others take their example.
DJs I have worked with include Soul Clap (my good buddies and guiding lights in their own right) Sergio Santos (another helping hand in the darkness of a club), Pat Fontes, Ministry of Sound (UK), Tanner Ross, Roger Sanchez, DJ Endoh (A GREAT kid and a GREAT friend) Triad (the band, not the DJ) DJ Random (South Carolina), Jason Bosserman, Dixon, DJ T and many many many more- but those are the ones I can think off right away.
I guess my ultimate goal is to travel the world VJing and making art. I would love to be a permanantly mobile person- constantly traveling with a good entourage and a smile. Everyone seems to want to be a tour manager or producer- I guess that would be fun, but at the moment I just want to make a living creating art and inlfuincing those around me to think and consider the wonders of this world we have been blessed with. So there you have it, a small peek into the professional Life of vKa$h. More to come....stay crazy....