Making things happen?

-This weekend on saturday, I get to finally experience my own show. What I mean by that is: I get to finally experience the whole setting of the venue for a show that I booked myself. I was the person who chose the date for the bands, contacted the bands and decided how much the entrance fee would be. I've made sure to tell the bands that they need to be there on time. The first band is supposed to play at 7pm, so I am opening the doors at 6:30. I know what its like to run the door, clean up the space before the show,  and how to set up the PA system so I think it's safe to assume that the show will run smoothly. The only thing that worries me is the possibility that people might turn up and cause drama. Bridgetown is a safe and sober space. Which means that we will not tolerate any violence, alcohol or drug use in or around the venue. I'm in charge of making sure people who are doing things of that sort leave the area and do not return inside the venue. I'm pretty excited for this weekend.

On the other hand, I recently booked two more shows. One of them is February 20th with a few local bands from LA. The other one is March 23rd. Some of the bands are from the area, while the main headliner is a band from San Diego that contacted me through my instagram. I'm planning on posting the flyers for those shows whenever the bands and I make them. So in about a week!

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

Post 10 open-ended questions for approval you want to ask an expert in the field of your senior project.  The first question should be your essential question and the other nine must be about the foundation of your essential question or help you answer your essential question.
Questions:
1.  What does a person need to do in order to successfully open and manage a live music venue?
2. What main things influenced you to be a part of the music industry? (specifically to be a part of starting up a venue)
3.  What do you think are three of the most important key factors when putting together a business plan for a venue?
4. How can someone(or a group of people) make big decisions for the greater good of the venue? (things that involve finance, permits, etc..)
5. What things should be considered when coming up with a mission statement for a DIY venue such as Bridgetowns?6. Would or have you considered opening a DIY(Do it yourself) venue on your own? 
7. What inspires you to give back to the community by running local shows in a venue? (even though the venue does book touring bands).

8. What is the main difference between your standard "money making venue" and a DIY venue?

9. What are some things that could potentially shut down a venue?

10. What certain things work best when looking for a location/space to open a venue?

Welcome GATTS to Bridgetown: Extra Post- January

In the picture from left to right: Andy, me, Kevin (mentor), Cameron, Marcel, Daniel. All of these guys are core collective members at Bridgetown DIY.

-I totally forgot to post about this last month, but better late than never! In late November, through early December, some of us at the venue helped paint over one of the big walls in the venue. We did that so another artist could come in and paint the wall with his style of art. I didn't know this until after the mural was painted, but the person who painted it is a well known street artist that goes by "Gatts". His work is extremely amazing, very different and just astonishing. It took him from 7 pm to almost 3 in the morning to complete him. He used about 10 spray cans and the outcome was awesome. The wall looks so good. It definitely adds a lot of character to the venue. 

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 hours check

Content:
1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?
-I'm currently doing all of my mentorship hours at a venue called "Bridgetown DIY". It's somewhat close to I-POLY, located in La Puente. 

2.   Who is your contact?
-My contact is Kevin Lopez, he's one of the core collective members of Bridgetown.

3.   How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?   
I have done a total of 59 hours and 30 minutes at my mentorships.

4.   Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.
During the most recent ten hours of service, I attended two meetings. I booked my first event, which is happening the 1st of February. I got the bands together, picked the date and helped make the flyer(I'm including the picture of it at the end of this post). I also attended two shows recently which were pretty big. I helped run the door at both shows, I helped clean the venue and even helped paint a really cool book case we just got for the space.

5.   Email your house teacher the name of your contact and their phone number confirming who they should call to verify it.  
*You need 50 hours plus the original 10 in the summer by May.   The original 10 from the summer do not count toward the 50.  By the end of the year, you will have 60 hours counting that original 10.

Blog 10: Senior Project, the Holiday

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you over the break with your senior project?

Over the break I went to Bridgetown DIY(the place I do my mentorship at). I helped run the door at a few shows, attended two meetings the venue holds every other week. I finally booked my first show! I had to get the bands together, the date set, and it's ready to go on Feb. 1st.

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

I guess the most important thing I learned over break was that no matter what, I'll always have to have a back up plan. One of the bands I asked to play the show had first said yes, and when I double checked with them they then said no. So a friend of mine had to help me find another band. Luckily one of my bestfriends offered to play the show! I don't really know how to source this, seeing that it happened to me quite a few times. Can I source myself?

3.  If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

I would interview Cameron. Cameron is one of the core collective members at Bridgetown DIY. Cameron has been there since the venue was just a simple idea. He's one of the people behind all the rules and ideas that run through the venue.

Blog 9: EQ

1.   Review this.  Confirm by stating "I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ."

Essential Question
Once a topic is chosen, the student will develop a working essential question.  The purpose of the working essential question is to help the student build a strong foundation of research which will allow him or her to create an essential question that encourages depth and rigor in the chosen topic.  An essential question must:

• Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadth and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question)
• Takes a stance (Allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)
•  Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense)

*I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ*

2.  Review the following EQs and

• Tell us if it meets the rule of 3 criteria.
• Tell why it does or why it doesn't

 a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

- I think this question does in fact meet the rule of three. The topic, being weight loss, has a ton of information. It's a health topic which is a topic that calls for a lot of research. You can go in depth with information about weight loss.
 b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

- I feel like this question will lead to just one answer. The answer would most likely not give enough information about it. The research would not be extensive. Does not meet the rule of three. The format of the question is okay, the word choice could be better.
 c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

- Not a lot of research can be done on this. The research that COULD potentially be done would be interviews from people who constantly get their hair done. The format of the question is fine on the other hand.

 d.  How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

-Arguing points can be made. A lot of research could come from this. The format of the question is good. Meets the rule of three.

3.  Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.

-What needs to be done in order to successfully manage a live music venue for an extended period of time?

Vegan Pizza!? Extra Post- October

- I walked into the venue that I'm doing my mentorship at. It was October 13th, a pretty cold day. My mentor Kevin text me and asked me to come to Bridgetown to help out with a show. I got there around 6:30 and helped the bands inside and sat around until the show started. Meanwhile, my mentor and a friend of ours went to go buy a huge, and I mean, HUGE, vegan pizza. A lot of the people there are vegan. I'm actually not vegan, so when my mentor came back with the pizza, I was really curious about it. The dough was made vegan, so no milk or eggs. The cheese was also vegan. I think that would be obvious. Anyways, vegan cheese is very heavy on the stomach, so I only took one small slice. To my surprise, the pizza was really good. The only taste difference there was, was the cheese. It tasted a lot like mozzarella cheese, and it was thick and had a different taste to it. Nonetheless, the pizza was awesome. The whole reason I decided to share this was because, since working at Bridgetown I've come to encounter a ton of new things. I've been introduced to new music scenes, and now even a new life style when it comes to food choice. I might consider going vegetarian and even vegan one day. We'll see. It's a good thing vegan pizza is a thing, I love pizza!