Dear Reader
I am holding onto the vibes of summer through the music I listen to. Upbeat jams that I can sing while I’m riding my bike through the streets of Brooklyn. It’s been 3 months since I’ve been able to run without pain, and while I’m incredibly sad about that, I am grateful to be joining the legions of people out there who seem to have all discovered biking during this pandemic. Grateful to still be able to move!
Among the songs I’ve been filling my playlist with is Stop from Hamilton alum and She’s Gotta Have It’s Anthony Ramos (he was also Gaga’s bestie in A Star is Born). I was lucky enough to speak to him (from our respective parts of Brooklyn: him on his rooftop a few blocks away in Bushwick, me in Clinton Hill). You can read my story on American Songwriter, but I really just love the song’s reminder to take a moment to reset before life — and those thoughts that run within our minds — take over. The music video is fantastic too, because it highlights the story of Anthony Payne, a hair groomer who lost his job when the pandemic hit, so he took to the streets, cutting people’s hair for donations he’d give to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Here are some of the things you can do (and I will be doing) to stave off those summer-ending vibes. If you’re in South Africa or another part of the world where you’re heading into spring, please don’t talk to me for a while. Just kidding. I know we have to give summer back to you sooner or later.
Today’s selection of events for your entertainment during this troubling time:
1. Saturdays at PS1 MoMA have usually been a fixture of New York summer (will always treasure the fond memories my friends Caitlin, Swathi and I have of catching Lizzo perform there before she blew up big time) but, as we know, things have been different this summer. This Saturday, they’ll host 11 DJ sets and live performances by artists who represent NYC’s expansive music community, including Papi Juice, Barbie Bertish, AceMoMA, J.I., St. James Joy and Eartheater, with stage design by Cécile McLorin Salvant. From 9am PST / 12pm EST.
2. Surf Lodge, another space synonymous with summer — if you summer in Montauk that is — is also hosting a special Labor Day event, together with Governors Ball and Bumble. Dubbed Endless Summer, it’s a two day Labor Day-weekend virtual concert series starring Australian breakthrough artist Tones and I and the legendary Texas musician Gary Clark Jr. The event will raise money for the Equal Justice Initiative, founded by Bryan Stevenson (who Michael B Jordan played in Just Mercy), which works to end mass incarceration and racial inequality. Tones and I, with opener Oli Benz, plays Saturday, September 5th, 4:30pm PST / 7:30pm EST. Gary Clark Jr, with opener Blackillac, plays Sunday, September 6th, 4:30pm PST / 7:30 pm EST. Stream it here.
3. The Apollo Theater is hosting Wyclef Jean for their season opener, this coming Wednesday. The Grammy-winning artist will play the first-ever, complete performance of his double Platinum album, The Carnival. You can watch it live on the Apollo Digital Stage. 8 Sept, 5pm PST / 8pm EST. Find out more here.
4. I’ve yet to visit Mexico City, but when I do, first on my list is going to visit the Frida Kahlo Museum. The building occupied by the Frida Kahlo Museum was also the home in which the artist was born and spent most of her life, known colloquially as the Blue House. You can tour it online here, with 360-degree views of all its rooms as well as its grounds.
5. The queer and trans collective Queeranga is hosting a session of meditation (I almost wrote medication, but I guess it is, kinda), to get you calm, collected and centered for the long weekend. Join them on IG Live this evening at 3pm PST / 6pm EST.
Thank you for reading. And remember:
Stop, breathe it in for the moment
Stop, give it a minute and you’ll own it
Stop, only just begun
Soon it’ll be almost over so just
Stop, see what comes into focus
Stop, it’s kind of crazy what you’ll notice
Stop, like a setting sun
Soon it’ll be almost over
So stop.
Stay safe and stay sane.
Your neighbour,
Nadia
PS I’m still dedicated to putting this newsletter out on a regular, biweekly basis, as long as you’re still keen to read it. And if you feel like sharing, please do!