On Monday, April 287th I was on an Out in Tech panel. Out in Tech is a community of LGBT tech industry professionals in New York City. Also on the panel: Caitlin Thompson (WNYC), Elisa Kreisinger (Upworthy), Kate Lee (Medium) and Jamilah King (TakePart).
Here’s a great, comprehensive recap of the event by Will Pally. Some highlights below:
I had the opportunity to write about the new Sleater-Kinney album, No Cities to Love, for Bitch Magazine. Read it here.
SLEATER-KINNEY
No Cities to Love
Sub Pop Records
January 2015
After a ten-year hiatus, this month Sleater-Kinney is releasing their eighth album, No Cities to Love, on Sub Pop Records. When news of the new album broke last fall, Sleater-Kinney fans across the world rejoiced. Over the past two decades, the band has amassed a dedicated following. Fans’ love of Sleater-Kinney is fervent and contagious.
When Sleater-Kinney started playing the early 1990s, for many of us the band’s sound was something we’ve never heard before. Corin Tucker’s powerful wailing voice, Carrie Brownstein’s intricate wailing guitar riffs, Janet Weiss’s precisely wailing drum beats—the way they all wailed together was the sound of a genre we couldn’t quite define, the sound of a generation that didn’t want to be defined. We didn’t quite fit in completely with one thing or another, and neither did Sleater-Kinney. They carved their own sound and to the punks, the geeks, the loners, the creative kids, the feminists, the queers, and the confused, it shaped who we became. Just as Brownstein sings in “A New Wave” on No Cities to Love, Sleater-Kinney created “a new kind of obscurity.”
During their hiatus, each member of Sleater-Kinney continued to experiment creatively and work on the things they love. We got to watch Carrie, Corin and Janet grow with us. Carrie became an actor, Corin helmed a new band and raised two children, Janet drummed all over the place in various bands. All of these new experiences gave Sleater-Kinney a new story to tell. There’s something about this Corin-Carrie-Janet trifecta that creates a powerful energy. It awakens something inside us, reminding listeners that we can do the things we want to do.
The new album opens explosively with “Price Tag,” which sets the tone for the rest of the album. The 10 songs on No Cities to Love are jam-packed with a more mature version of Sleater-Kinney’s signature sound: they’re fun and catchy with a cleaner, more organized kind of chaos. Their voices sound stronger than ever. The guitars seamlessly dance and chase each melody. Brownstein’s guitar riffs sound almost like St. Vincent. The drums bang out a solid and steady stride of confidence. Sleater-Kinney took something that worked for them a decade ago and refined it to still sound relevant.
In the title track “No Cities to Love,” Brownstein laments “I’ve grown afraid of everything that I love,” reminding us that the things we love aren’t always the easiest to face. In the past, Brownstein has been open in interviews about her struggles with anxiety, stating that the band’s final tour promoting The Woods was more of a tour of hospital emergency rooms. The fact that Brownstein is ready to take another tour head on speaks volumes of their growth together. Is that anxiety still present or has all the experience Carrie has under her belt given her a renewed sense of confidence? Either way, it is humbling and inspiring to know that even our heroes have fears.
Before you know it, the album is over. The whole 10-song album is just over 30 minutes long and closes with “Fade,” a slower moving song that picks up midway with elements of voice distortions and ends with a trailing guitar.
So what does this new album mean? In one way, No Cities to Love is an album to bridge the gap between generations. Its a chance for today’s young punks to know what its like to be excited about a Sleater-Kinney release and be able to apply the songs and the lyrics to life as it’s happening. Also, the album is a continuation of all the things we knew all along. Its a reminder to those of us who have been long time Sleater-Kinney fans that our creative lives don’t end, they transition into various projects with many different collaborators along the way. You can always go back to the projects you started in the past. You can take breaks from things to seek out other pursuits to develop your skills, find other influences, and refine your voice.
This review was originally published in Bitch Magazine (January 2015)
Earlier this month I took an After Effects class at BRIC. BRIC is also where HomogroundTV is filmed for Brooklyn Independent Media. Here’s a few things I created during class.
I was invited to be a guest on the QueerMinded Radio Show based out of Columbus, OH. I talked about Homoground and what it’s like to promote and find queer artists. Listen here.
I was interviewed by Persephone Magazine.
“Persephone Magazine is a daily blog focused on topics of interest for modern, intelligent, clever women. We strive to give a voice to more women from a variety of backgrounds and with diverse interests. We feature articles not only from our talented staff of writers but from our incredible readership, as well; readers who give voice to their opinions and viewpoints out of a desire to educate, entertain, or engage with our community. We encourage thoughtful discussion and respectful debate. We are an environment that welcomes all perspectives that come from a place of respect and consideration for fellow community members.”
One of my goals this year is to learn more about advanced reporting and analysis using Google Analytics. I’ve been using Google Analytics in all of the websites/web-projects I’ve been involved in for around 8 years, so I’m pretty familiar with generating custom reports and analyzing data to be used in strategic ways. Google now offers an Analytics Academy where you can sign up to take free courses and get certified in different components. I missed out on the certification for the Digital Fundamentals last year, but I’m excited to have successfully completed and received my certificate for the latest course in Platform Principles! A lot of the information is pretty basic stuff, but it’s always good to get refreshers in things and see different examples of how things are used. I think there’s still time to register & participate in the course. The course ends on March 27th.
It took a few hours to complete and even though its not a huge accomplishment, it’s one tiny step to my larger goals which are to A). get my Google Analytics Individual Qualification (IQ) certificate and then B). become a Google Analytics Certified Partner (GACP).
Anyone else getting GA certified or have similar goals and want to motivate each other? Let’s #getshitdone together 🙂
I was really excited to see that Feminist Playing Cards were included in Pitchfork’s 2013 Holiday Gift Guide! Below is the excerpt about the cards:
Email. Twitter. Text Message. Facebook. Instagram. YouTube. Billboards. Flyers. QR Codes…. Everyday we are bombarded by so many channels of communication. Technology has made it easy for us to be notified of every little update and we can choose the media that we consume (and on our own time too!).
First, you need to know WHO you’re trying to reach. Women? Men? Women between the ages of 18-24? Stay-at-home moms? Young professionals?
Break down their demographics as much as you can. If you’re looking to reach multiple audiences, create an internal profile of each target market so you can develop tailored campaigns for each. You should note their lifestyles and current trends. How do they speak? How do they dress? Where do they shop? How do they currently consume media? What type of music do they listen to? Or do they prefer books over music? Films over books?
Based on your audience analysis, you should have a good idea of how your audience prefers to communicate and receive information. From this information you can now identify your cross channel marketing outlets. Cross channel marketing includes all of the many tactics and platforms you use to reach your audience.
For example, your target audience of young professionals prefer checking their email on their smart phone on-the-go. Your stay-at-home moms will have the television on in the background as they take care of household chores. You could find out that a podcast is the best way to reach your affluent, high level donors during their commutes to and from work. Or that 14-22 year old male gamers spend hours on Reddit.
Identifying the best way to communicate with your audience is just one piece of the puzzle. You can send out an email campaign, but if the content isn’t compelling it will go unread, straight to the trash, or skimmed over without a click.
Based on your audience profile, you should be able to gauge your audiences interests to create campaigns that are emotionally appealing to them. The more you can relate to your audience, the more integrated your messages become into their existing lifestyle.
You’ve identified your audience, the channels they prefer to use and now you’re speaking their language. You’re on your way to success! BUT all of that is meaningless if your audience doesn’t perform an action.
Whether, you are a business trying to convert new visitors into loyal customers, a nonprofit seeking out your most passionate supporters to take urgent action, or a musician promoting your latest album, cross channel marketing increases your chances of conversion.
You have to make things as easy as possible and point people exactly where to go and what to do. Include an easy-to-remember personalized link to a custom landing page that clearly spells out the action you want your visitors to make. Example: “Download the new single from my latest album” or “Sign this petition to urge congress to consider cleaner energy solutions”
People are not interested in being obviously marketed to 24/7, that’s why its important to engage with your audience in a conversation. Think of it like dating: you don’t want to come off to strong at first – that will turn them off completely. You want to listen at first and learn about their interests, then you can bond over the things you have in common. Once you build a relationship with someone, they are more apt they become to support your cause and be loyal to your brand.
You can listen to the interview on iTunes or stream it on Heritage Radio. Please feel free to chime in on the conversation by leaving a comment over at Design*Sponge.
Also, I was super stoked that 99u (one of my favorite blogs) tweeted about the interview!
