The press campaign begins...
Yesterday I woke up and headed to a meeting with Jorge Araujo, the Founder and CEO of Amazon Pepper Sauce, which is based in Cartagena. When I walked into his spacious apartment, he greeted me by saying, "You don't have to say anything, I read your whole story in the paper this morning!" And he showed me that morning's copy of El Universal, with a full-page article on the festival, along with a goofy picture of me and Tom. My lesson learned: a press campaign is something that has to be managed carefully--if you don't specify exactly what message you want to convey, then it's unlikely that message will get out. In fact the article is fine, but from now on I'm going to be a lot more diligent in preparing for these interviews. And I'm going to make sure I approve of any pictures that run. :)
In the afternoon I headed to the airport to fly to Bogota for the weekend. Two people I had met before came up to me in the check-in line and talked to me about the morning's article. Then, in the waiting room, I ran into Cartagena's best-known Fusion group, Wayové, who were on their way to Toronto for a small tour of Canada. (If you happen to be in Toronto on May 22, go check them out at Lula Lounge.) Just minutes before our flight was scheduled to depart, a massive tropical thunderstorm struck and kept us delayed two hours. And so Wayové and I sat around and talked about music, and they broke out some instruments and sang some songs. It's their first-ever trip to North America, so they were all in great spirits, and it was the best flight delay I've ever had.
However, when I got to Bogota, I had very little time to rush to the National University (my mom's alma mater!) to see Nathalie Gampert's group, Bajos Distintos, performing at the Festival de Fusion. Just before the show I met up with Cristina Lleras, the ex-roommate of my good friend, Raphaela Neihausen, at Georgetown. I had never met Cristina before, but being Raphaela's friend she's kind and sweet and smart, and she had already purchased a ticket for me (you have to keep in mind I'm lugging around my suitcase and computer all across the Nacional's sprawling campus), and we entered the 1600-seat Leon de Greif Auditorium for a great show. After Nathalie's performance, a rising Bogota band, Mojarra Electrica, brought down the house with pure party music and a makeshift parade through the aisles. It was fun, but it demonstrated some of the issues instrumental music (which Nathalie does) will always have competing with bands featuring singers. In general, crowds just like singers. Of course, I think there's room for both styles, but some people will never be satisfied without singers.
Afterwards we had dinner at a restaurant called 1492, which really has nothing on Clinton Street's 1492. My plate, a cheese-stuffed trout, was simply wrong. And the music in that restaurant... O.K., a plea to Colombian bars and restaurants: your inexplicable continuing obsession with '80s rockers Toto is endearing, but can you please let me eat a meal without having to hear "Hotel California" or "Dust in the Wind"? Please?
In the afternoon I headed to the airport to fly to Bogota for the weekend. Two people I had met before came up to me in the check-in line and talked to me about the morning's article. Then, in the waiting room, I ran into Cartagena's best-known Fusion group, Wayové, who were on their way to Toronto for a small tour of Canada. (If you happen to be in Toronto on May 22, go check them out at Lula Lounge.) Just minutes before our flight was scheduled to depart, a massive tropical thunderstorm struck and kept us delayed two hours. And so Wayové and I sat around and talked about music, and they broke out some instruments and sang some songs. It's their first-ever trip to North America, so they were all in great spirits, and it was the best flight delay I've ever had.
However, when I got to Bogota, I had very little time to rush to the National University (my mom's alma mater!) to see Nathalie Gampert's group, Bajos Distintos, performing at the Festival de Fusion. Just before the show I met up with Cristina Lleras, the ex-roommate of my good friend, Raphaela Neihausen, at Georgetown. I had never met Cristina before, but being Raphaela's friend she's kind and sweet and smart, and she had already purchased a ticket for me (you have to keep in mind I'm lugging around my suitcase and computer all across the Nacional's sprawling campus), and we entered the 1600-seat Leon de Greif Auditorium for a great show. After Nathalie's performance, a rising Bogota band, Mojarra Electrica, brought down the house with pure party music and a makeshift parade through the aisles. It was fun, but it demonstrated some of the issues instrumental music (which Nathalie does) will always have competing with bands featuring singers. In general, crowds just like singers. Of course, I think there's room for both styles, but some people will never be satisfied without singers.
Afterwards we had dinner at a restaurant called 1492, which really has nothing on Clinton Street's 1492. My plate, a cheese-stuffed trout, was simply wrong. And the music in that restaurant... O.K., a plea to Colombian bars and restaurants: your inexplicable continuing obsession with '80s rockers Toto is endearing, but can you please let me eat a meal without having to hear "Hotel California" or "Dust in the Wind"? Please?
posted by robertkelleya at 10:56 AM
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