Simply Sensible Santa Claus

Simply Sensible Santa Claus: http://youtu.be/X1SD2bHeBrk

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Bay Area Income Property Management Expo

By Nolan Apostle

Producer & Contributing Editor

Event City Premier Magazine

October 1st, 2014

This unique Tradeshow, the Income Property Management Expo will take place at three different locations - San Mateo Bay Area, Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona. The San Mateo Expo will take place on Wednesday, October 8th at the San Mateo Events Center. The expo will run from 9am to 4pm with a plethora of information to help all types of property managers or would be managers. 

This will be much more than just a full featured conference for anyone with standard residential or commercial income property. There will be a lot of Educational Classes, Contacts and Ideas for anyone with property that produces income that can be leased out for a day, weekend, week, month or longer. Even Venues used for events and other similar type locations can benefit from attending this new conference. 

Listed below are some of the features and highlights of the event as well as a link to the site where you can register. The event is FREE for all to attend. 

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

There will be many free educational seminars and the opportunity to network with vendors on the Expo floor throughout the day. You can also participate in the expo's giveaways and enjoy a few of our special features designed to make your memorable expo experience even more enjoyable!

GOLF ACTION ZONE

Golfers, get some tips from a pro on how to enhance your game, or participate in one of the many contests and raffles for your chance to win great prizes!

LUXURY AUTOMOTIVE SHOWCASE

Walk through a display of the latest Luxury Vehicles and have a chance to Test Drive your Favorite Model!

SEGWAY TEST RIDES

Take a break from the day and test ride a Segway Personal Transporter through the Segway Controlled Course!

FINE FOOD & TASTY TREATS and DRINKS

Enjoy complimentary food & drink tastings from local area Restaurants, Breweries and Wineries!

All of this and much more at the Bay Area Income Property Expo at the San Mateo Events Center. We hope to see you there! Please visit the Bay Area

Income Property Management Expo website for additional information and to register for this FREE event.

First Night Party

Bobby Hurricane (sax) entertains the Blues Cruisers in LA the night before we all board the Norwegian Sun for a week of blues  and three ports of call on the Mexican Rivera.  Seen many old friends already and the jamming seriously starts tomorrow!

Harmonica Mike

On the Blues Cruise

I will be on this year's Pacific Legendary Rhythm and blues Cruise leaving tomorrow from LA, y'all!   I'll post when I can.
.
Harmonica Mike Handler
Event City Music Guy

Halloween & Party Expo Comes to New Orleans in 2015

HALLOWEEN & PARTY EXPO

New Orleans, LA  -  February 6-9, 2015

By Nolan Apostle
Contributing Editor
Event City Premier Magazine

Exciting news for all Special Event and Party Planners, Costume companies, Decorators, Event Designers, and Halloween enthusiast the Halloween & Party Expo comes to New Orleans for the first time next year. The floorplan is already almost sold out, and new exhibitors keep registering weekly! The Expo is ramping up for a fantastic first show ever in New Orleans on, February 6 – 9, 2015 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (ENMCC).

The Halloween & Party Expo is the international showcase for all things party, events, costume, fantasy and Halloween, including an exciting array of all types of decorations and unique party supplies and costumes for all types of engagements and special events. And speaking of special events, the expo has a great schedule of events planned for this new show. Over the years the show has grown to include many new exhibitors which means a much greater selection to choose from for all of the professional industry associates and retailers attending the convention. Below you can view a video of highlights from the 2014 show to give you an idea of what to expect at the next year's event.



New Orleans is certainly one of the most exciting, party-time cities on the planet. It is host to some of the largest and most entertaining world-class celebrations like Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras, one of the countries original Jazz Festivals, countless food and music festivals, and championship-level sporting events. The city of New Orleans surely knows how to have fun and throw a good party, making this city a perfect match for the Halloween & Party Expo in 2015 and beyond.

Event City has covered Halloween Expos in Las Vegas and Houston and is looking forward to covering this new location for this extremely important industry event. The show management is also excited about this change to a new location. “We are thrilled about moving to a new city, and especially one with such a great reputation for its celebratory spirit and fun,” says Jonathan Erwin of the Halloween & Party Expo. “The facilities and hotel options are phenomenal, and their proximity to areas like the French Quarter will really add to the excitement during the show.”

Balloon Manufactures & Distributors will exhibit at the Expo

For any industry professionals not familiar with the expo, the Halloween & Party Expo is the largest global show of its kind, highlighting thousands of products from the Halloween, Party, Fantasy Costume, Special Events, Balloon and other similarly related industries. Many industry professionals claim this event to be one of the most important industry related shows to attend. The show boasts a roster of  attendees from more than 63 countries that converge annually to preview the latest trends, make new contacts, continue with their existing business arrangements, and attend a myriad of additional events including fashion shows, free educational seminars, workshops, professional association meetings, parties, and much more.

“This show is very important,” says Sharon Wiess, an attending buyer at the 2014 show. “If you don’t make this [show], and buy at this one, you’ve pretty much lost all the insight on what’s going on in the industry.” 

There are more than 20,000 hotel rooms near the convention center, with 19 hotels partnering with the Expo to secure discounted rates for attendees. Also in close proximity to the convention center is Harrah’s Casino, the French Quarter and Bourbon Street, and the revitalized Warehouse District. If you have never been to the French Quarter it is a MUST ATTEND while attending the Halloween & Party Expo. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Nolan Apostle is a co-founder and Chief Editor of Event City and the Event City Premier Magazine. He has worked in numerous industries wearing a multitude of hats over the course of his career. He has worked as a Videographer, Producer, Photographer, Concert Promoter, Event Developer, Manager, Writer, Journalist, Marketing Director, Artist Management (Painters and Musicians), Ambiance Director, Educator, Tradeshow Manager, Props & Sets Designer, Food & Beverage Director, and more. He has owned a SF Catering company, a Halloween store and a Balloon business including one of the largest Full Service Event Production companies, That's Entertainment. During his earlier years he ran a local radio station which he and friend started in Daly City California. They talked about music, masquerade parties, concerts and of course HALLOWEEN! It was a short lived venture (about 5 months) due to an unannounced visit from the FCC and local authorities at their broadcasting location. Oh well, it’s Only Rock’n’Roll but he loves it!

Registration and hotel reservations are now open – and filling fast – so be sure to make your plans now for the 2015 Halloween & Party Expo. And don’t forget - with Halloween falling on a Saturday in 2015, consumers will no doubt be looking to celebrate, so be prepared with the best products the industry has to offer by attending in February! Booth space is still available for interested exhibitors, and buyer registration is always free. Visit www.HalloweenPartyExpo.com for more information, as well as available discounts and industry news.

Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame Inducts Rock Powerhouse KSAN into Hall of Fame

By Michael Handler and Nolan Apostle

Writer/Music Editor and Contributing Editor
Event City Premier Magazine

For two days in early June, parts of the San Francisco Bay Area rocked again to the sounds and voices of what was once the premier underground FM radio station on the West Coast - KSAN Jive 95.  On June 4th at Yoshi's Nightspot in San Francisco and June 5th at Spenger's Restaurant in Berkeley, former KSAN DJs and staff, radio luminaries, and musicians in the rock scene gathered to induct KSAN into the Bay Area Radio Hall Of Fame's Legendary status. A celebration, a luncheon, a walk down memory lane with friends, new and lifelong, sharing their stories and the magical existence of this only-in-San Francisco "Legendary" radio station. And as we found out, it was a lot more than just a radio station.

The voices still linger in my head... Big Daddy Tom Donahue, Dusty Street, Richard Gossett, Norman Davis, Terry McGovern, Ben Fong Torres, and Bonnie Simmons....now the stuff of radio legends, and all who were in attendance at these events, with the notable exception of Big Daddy, who went to that station in the sky some years ago.  But these and others associated with the station and the rock scene at the time, and still today as we saw at Yoshis, were all on hand to meet fans, listen to the music, and at Spengers, hold an interesting panel discussion led by Rolling Stone's Ben Fong Torres.  Even with the rich history of radio "personalities" in the Bay Area, as evidenced by the more than the 140 announcers already inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, these folks represented the changing times, the opening up of the culture and society, and the mood of the young folks in the Bay Area during the late 1960' and 70's. No one there worked in a vacuum, they were all part of the scene. It created awareness of the music, venues, politics, and the culture that were popular with young folks, who up to that time had no real voice in society.

I too, was a KSAN listener, and some of the very DJs I grew up with on KYA or KFRC AM indeed made the switch to the FM side of the dial, and we expanded their radio consciousness along with them. It was a great ride as it was apparent in the opening night show Yoshi's, it was a mini Fillmore or Avalon experience, sans the light show. The bands and musicians, some new, some "original", all sounded great. They included Sal Valentino with Annie Sampson, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Country Joe McDonald, who told the story of a certain cheer, Cold Blood with Lydia Pense with Tower of Power's former vocal king from the way bay - Rick Stevens, who still IS a young man, well at least in spirit as he wooed the crowd with his wonderful voice. Dan Hicks without the Lickettes and the Imperial Messenger Service (former Quicksilver Messenger) all who played their hearts out to an audience filled with those same announcers who featured their music on the radio daily in the 60's and 70's. Each act seem to get stronger, as the memories of their music took hold and we were ALL young again. 

The intention of this story was not to review the music but to acknowledge the event as a whole, and the greatness of KSAN Jive 95, a truly legendary radio station, so in that light I'll just say no one was disappointed, and the musicians were having a ball. Former members of KSANs on-air personality staff would introduce the acts, which for some in the audience would be the very first time actually seeing any of them. Having this opportunity to put a face to a voice after so many years was a delight for many in the crowd. 

The Yoshi's event was smoothly produced and presented by master PR guys Kenny Wardell and Steve Cushman, and it certainly is important to include a few of evenings highlights presented by these two. One of the elements that made K-S-A-N, KSAN, was "newsman" Skoop Nisker, who blended topical music with new news into living matras of current events... his poem to the Unknown Hippy was rousing and sounded like one of his on-air commentaries.  Dan Hicks, who had provided some of KSAN's original station breaks and musical IDs, was on had to do two fun songs, sounding great even with out Daria and Roberta, his current Lickettes.  Cold Blood's short set with Rick Stevens brought the East Bay funk of Tower of Power into the HOUSE and Lydia was on it as well, and the Messenger Service was as loud and metallic as ever.  Hearing songs like "Have Another Hit" and "Show me the Way" really took me back to my dance hall days....both David Freiberg and Linda Imperial sounded strong and full of life.  And finally, Country Joe's story behind the "Feel Like Fixin' To Die Rag's"  F--- cheer was priceless.

The next day saw KSANs actual induction into the Bay Are Radio Hall of Fame by the California Historical Radio Society at a lunch at Spenger's in Berkeley.  Bonnie Simmons, long time program director and still active in the radio scene at KPFA, accepted the award for the other members of the station and in the memory of founding program director and mentor Tom Donahue.  The panel included Bonnie, Scoop Nisker, with a sore voice from the previous night's terrific reading of his beat poem, Richard Gossett, Norman Davis, who I'd heard as a mere child when he was on AM radio,  the always fun Terry McGovern, and the wonderful Dusty Street, who went from engineer at KMPX to the queen of  KSAN.  Ben Fong Torres acted as the nimble moderator and covered all the bases.  Hearing their personal histories and back stories was fascinating, as well as their understanding of the importance of KSANs influence on the music of the Bay Area and nationally as well. As Richard Gossett said," we were so lucky to be at the  right place at the right time,  war babies tired of top 40 radio and able to fit into what was going on. And it could have only happened in San Francisco."  Amen to that brother. 

On a personal note, seeing some old friends from radio and even one  of my college professors was a real joy, and many folks had similar encounters with lost friends and associates. Several of the KSAN DJs hadn't seen each other in years, so I'm thankful for the California Historical Radio Society for putting on this event and giving everyone involved a great reason to get together once more.  KSAN will live on, now recognized as a rightful member of the Legends of Bay Area radio.

Pictures from Maker Faire 2014

Rock Golem Assistant

Close-up of the Rock Golem internal wiring

Opened back of Rock Golem

The Rock Golem in full Glory

PhotoBot staffer helps Event City staff to use photobot

Event City staff with "Ooze!" background image

Event City staff with "Ping!" background image

Event City staff with "Lava!" background image

Event City staff pose in front of a green screen for Photobot picture

Maker Faire attendees stand in line waiting for the off-site parking shuttle

Two Maker Faire attendees showed up in costume and replayed an action scene

A band triggers Tesla lightning bolts with their music as caged attendees get close to the electricity

Special agents of Event city – Felix Solomon, Jimi Shawndi, Dennis Shelgren – embark on mission to cover Maker Faire

Close-up of woolly beast vehicle

Fanciful beast vehicle is pedal around the faire

Woolly beast roars

Underwater ROV demonstrates its capacities

Robot Brigade staffer with Photobot

Emcee invites attendees to enter the cage

A band triggers Tesla lightning bolts with their music as caged attendees get close to the electricity

A band triggers Tesla lightning bolts with their music as caged attendees get close to the electricity

A band triggers Tesla lightning bolts with their music as caged attendees get close to the electricity

A band triggers Tesla lightning bolts with their music as caged attendees get close to the electricity

Attendee rides a bike on a virtual tour of Rome

Attendee rides a bike on a virtual tour of Rome

Attendee rides a bike on a virtual tour of Rome as Virtual Bike staffer watches

Attendees try their hand at writing with pen and ink on aged paper

Attendee poses with ancient forest spirit and wood pixie

Ancient forest spirit

Ancient forest spirit

Gilly

RoboCop offensive military-grade mecha menaces attendees

RoboCop offensive military-grade mecha menaces attendees

3-D food printer made out of Legos™

This Eiffel tower was printed using pancake mix

Monkeybot rides a six-legged bot that glides smoothly on skate wheels

Jimi Shawndi Gives Euro-Pop Spin to His Song "Surrender”

By MICHAEL HANDLER
Contributing Music Editor
Event City Creative Magazine

A nice update to the dub or chill 90's sound, Songwriter Jimi Shawndi who penned Surrender offers a vocal and instrumental outing with understated guitar parts, synth and percussion.  All these work together quite well and I can see this as a big hit on the club/dance circuit and it immediately received my attention to hum along, but the song could be longer to really let folks get into the undeniable groove.  The artist's considerable blues voice is missing from this track, but his hand is firmly in the overall production.  

The singer on Surrender, Brianna Musso, is "a 21 year old newbie with an incredible natural vocal ability" according to Jimi, who has played music since he was a youngster and certainly has an ear for talent as he is constantly searching for musicians, vocalists and producer types to collaborate on his 600 plus song repertoire. 



Jimi has established himself as a Bay Area musician playing since the 1980's. He had some early career success with a Glam Rock Band - Christine Christine, and Rock'n'Roll Radio legend Tawn Mastrey was a big fan of the band. Jimi's diverse musical tastes from mainstream rock, R&B, ethnic, jazz and big band, to Euro-pop is quite prevalent when you listen to his music. This reporter only had time to review one of his songs, and it was a difficult choice indeed. 

Jimi has begun to place his tunes online via Facebook and YouTube, and even entered a song into the Today Show's new theme contest last year. He has written two Musicals, one of which made it to the stage about three years ago - GRADUATION. It was fully produced, a video was made from the production, it ran for two weeks in Redwood City California and was actually profitable. 

Jimi is currently working on a large online project as a Partner and Music Director assisting in developing a unique form of combining music, publishing and advertising to help monetize the songs and musical projects created by unsigned artists. Go Jimi!

Contributing Editor Michael Handler is an accomplished Musician,  Songwriter, Journalist with an extensive Radio background (Announcer and Commentator). He has appeared in several films and has received several awards as well. Active as a musician from 1966 to the present, Michael’s Bands include Crystal Palace Guard - Denver, Rhythm Doctors - Oakland; Just Six - East Bay Area; the Cool Papa Band and James Anthony Cotton Band - Bay Area; and the Country Blues Revue (founding member), Santa Fe, NM

 He has appeared on several recordings playing harmonica, percussion and guitar, including 3 CDs with the Country Blues Revue. He was on the Board of Directors for Bay Area Jazz Society, Loft Jazz and Jazz in Flight.

He was also a featured extra in the films True Grit (2012), and Brothers playing a Taliban fighter alongside Toby McGuire who played a US Marine.                                                                            
 His extensive Broadcast, DJ and on air talent career spans from 1970- 2014 and listed below is a partial collection of the media outlets where Michael displayed his talent:
KTHO-FM, Lake Tahoe, Nv., Transmitter Engineer; KNLT-FM, Kings Beach, Ca., DJ; KMMT, Mammoth Lakes, Ca., Founding Staff member, DJ, Music Director; KOZZ-FM, Reno, radio DJ; KOLO-TV, Reno, broadcast engineer, voice talent, camera; KGRL-FM, Eugene, Or. DJ; KVAL-TV, Eugene, Or., Broadcast Engineer; KLCC-FM (NPR), Eugene, Or., DJ and Music Director; KZEL-FM (State Rock of Oregon), Jazz DJ; KJAZ, Alameda, Ca., jazz DJ and on-location host; KCSM-FM, San Mateo, Ca., jazz commentator; KSFR, Santa Fe, NM, substitute jazz and blues DJ, voice talent.
 
Editorial
Editor, Writer, Music Journalist and , contributing photographer - 1981-Present
Print: Jazz Now, SF Bay Area; Downbeat Magazine, SF Bay Area Correspondent
On Line: Jazz West, Event City Creative Magazine and Event City Premier, Jazz Santa Fe


Awards
Michael Won or placed in several Jammie Awards, Best Harmonica Player (Bay Area, early to mid- 90’s), consistently placed in Best Harmonica Contest, Socorro, New Mexico last three years; won Best Country Song of the Year, 2012, New Mexico Music Awards; nominated for Best Country Song of the Year, 2013, New Mexico Music Awards (awards given May 31^st, 2014, Albuquerque, NM.)


Michael received a BA in Radio & TV awarded 1970 from San Jose State University

Robot Brigade PHOTO BOT - A Big Hit At Maker Faire 2014

By Nolan Apostle
Producer/Contributing Editor
Event City Creative Magazine

The Robot Brigade is a small group of programmers and engineers with day jobs ranging from robotics to cancer research. Projects by Robot Brigade are purely extracurricular, making each product extra special and fun.

The Robot Brigade team enjoy everything robot related, from constructing paper robots to designing D.Bug kits, prototyping a cookie cutting robot, to creating very cool projects like the Photo Bot. They enjoy working together as a team and feed off of each other's energy, drive and knowledge.

The team's favorite project is the PhotoBot. Photo Bot is an all-in-one photobooth that is perfect for concerts, parties, conventions, meetups and all types of Special Events. A green screen is set up so that custom created backgrounds can be used in each set of photos taken at the event. The PhotoBot system allows the user(s) to select their own choice of backgrounds (custom or built into the system) and start the photographic process by the click of a button. PhotoBot is an extremely simple and very easy to use system. It is portable, easily installed - can be set up within minutes of arriving at the location where you will use it, any non-techie can install it with ease, and it can easily accommodate large groups of people – which is a great feature beyond the traditional photobooth!

PhotoBot is one of Event City's Top Choice Products found at Maker Faire this year!

Maker Faire 2014 of the San Francisco Bay Area A Sneak Peak at some Faire Favorites, New Exhibits, and some of the more Exciting Attractions

By Nolan Apostle

Contributing Editor

Event City Creative Magazine

magazine@eventcity.net

Maker Faire 2014 

A Sneak Peak at some Faire Favorites

Maker Faire, the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth, has announced its maker selections for Maker Faire Bay Area 2014. Here's the short list from Event City voted by our staff as the "Event City Favorites". All of the maker selections for this year are pretty spectacular and we know will certainly excite and delight Faire goers in many ways. 

There will be more than 1,000 makers at the Faire and even more exciting new - more than 20% of them are first-time exhibitors. There are many fan favorite makers, attractions, and performers returning, including, one of the Event City Creative Magazine's favorites the life-size version of the Mousetrap Game which can be seen at the show during these times. 

We are extremely excited this year not just from a standpoint of another Maker Faire, but because it will be the biggest Maker Faire yet worldwide! You can find a list of all makers at the Maker Faire web site: http://makerfaire.com/meet-the-

Now here's your sneak peak at Maker Faire Bay Area 2014 - Links borrowed directly from Maker Faire website:

El Pulpo Mecanico

Swap-O-Rama-Rama: Swap-O-Rama-Rama is the world's largest clothing swap with a series of do-it-yourself textile/accessory workshops guided by local designers.

Candelaphytes: From renowned installation artist Michael Christian, the Candelaphytes are a sight to behold. These are three, 8-meter tall kinetic sculptures constructed of steel that sway and ungulate slowly, appearing to be dancing plants. Motor-driven and fully programmable, Candelaphytes brings together nature and mechanics harmoniously.

The Great Fredini's Coney Island Scan-A-Rama: The Scan-A-Rama is a 21st century 3D portrait studio offering full body 3D printable portraits.

Light Cloud: A sight to behold! The Light Cloud is made of 5,000 lbs of steel, glass, and technology, made luminescent and paintable with a digital brush. The Maker Faire crowds can control Light Cloud and color it in real time by using a mobile app!

ROBOTIS: DARWIN MINI Dancing Team: Robots that dance! See these mini robots in action, controlled with an Android OS, OpenCM 9.04 controller, XL-320 Smart Servo, Bluetooth connections, and compatibility with 3D-printing modifications.

Titanoboa: This work of art is an electromechanical reincarnation of the ancient 50-foot serpent rendered extinct by past climate change. Titanoboa is a project from Charlie Brinson, co-creator of the Mondo-Spider and 3E-ROI exponential evolution project from Vancouver, Canada.

The Turbinophone: The Turbinophone is a jet engine that has been transformed into an interactive musical instrument. Attendees will have the opportunity to make a General Electric J79 turbojet make music!

Links to some returning Maker Faire "Classic Makers":

• Arc Attack: Creators of the original Singing Tesla Coils, the crew of ArcAttack will use their high tech wizardry to generate a truly 'electrifying' live music performance.
• Coke Zero & Mentos Fountains from EepyBirds: A huge crowd-pleaser! Geysers of soda shoot over twenty feet into the air in this spectacular mint-powered version of the Bellagio Fountains.
• Cyclecide -- The Heavy Pedal Bike Rodeo: Fun for folks of all ages, Cyclecide is a traveling, pedal-powered carnival put together by alter-bike mechanics, mariachi-punk musicians and cycle crazed clowns! Their carnival is an interactive work of art
• Death-Defying Figure-Eight Pedal Car Racing: Homemade pedal cars will compete on an exciting -- and death defying! -- figure-eight track! Attendees can watch the racers go round the track, crash, and fix their cars.
• Game of Drones: A drone flying competition featuring aerial combat, obstacle courses and other UAV games with divisions for tiny, palm-sized toys up to huge multi-rotor heavy-lifters.
• Learn to Solder: Makers of all ages can come learn or build on their soldering skills!
• Life Size Mousetrap: Fantastically handcrafted, this 16 piece, 50,000-lb. interactive kinetic sculpture is a giant Rube Goldberg-style contraption complete with a Vaudevillian style show!
• Maker Camp: Focused on the youth of the maker movement, Maker Camp will have plenty of hands-on making projects for the youngest Faire visitors.
• Power Racing Series: Souped-up toy cars from childhood, racing around the track and driven by grown-ups! The cars are a sight to see and the race so fun to watch.
• Serpent Twins: The Serpent Twins are stunning mobile sculptures are rendered in metal and cast off materials using modern science and artistry.

If you plan on attending Maker Faire 2014 at the San Mateo Events Center here's some tips and valuable information to help you - "Maker Faire Article - Attending, Traveling to and around San Mateo" It lists traveling to, from and around the San Mateo area as well as alternative transportation to attend the Maker Faire.