CD101 Top 3 Contenders - VIP Columbus - Get To Know 'Zach Hume' - Devastation in Japan -

CD101 Day Top 3 Contenders

With CD101 Day just a couple weeks away it is time for the top 3 local bands, voted on by you, to showcase their talents. The Free 'CD101 Day Local Band Contest' will be at Outland (95 Liberty St.) Thursday March 31st @ 9:00pm with Wet Darlings, Phantods, and Culture Columbus favorite The Town Monster.

The 3 top contenders will be battling to the death on the main stage and the last band standing wins the sold out CD101 Day slot. Kidding on the bloodshed but would that not be awesome to have our own Columbus Celebrity Death Match?

The Wet Darlings and The Town Monster, with cameos from the Phantods, went on a Facebook video post battle to encourage people to vote for their band. The videos certainly paid off for these bands with being the top 3 chosen.

Again the show is Thursday March 31st 9:00pm at Outland, you must be present to vote, and the show is FREE why not attend?! Culture Columbus urges everyone to get out to this show and cast your vote... It is do or die time.

Eh and why not vote for The Town Monster who would not with their free April EP posting... It is definitely one to check out.




_______________________________________________________

VIP Columbus

When stepping into the LGBT community of The Short North a name sure to be heard is Stawn Kaufman. He is not just another socialite of our parts but quite the event savy guy. Kaufman created a local Facebook group called ColumbusVIP which brings the LGBT community together through event postings. Events are focused on Columbus top gay bars such as Axis Night Club, Union Cafe, Level Lounge, Exile Bar, Cavan's Irish Pub, and Trafik.

ColumbusVIP stands out to Culture Columbus by members being able to post their own events and comments on the wall. It is fascinating to see such a dynamic group offering members to add their own postings, suggestions, and events.

For more on ColumbusVIP be sure to checkout the groups Facebook page by clicking ColumbusVIP. Culture Columbus had the great pleasure to talk with the creator Stawn Kaufman to get know more about this new wave LGBT group.

Culture Columbus: Stawn what is ColumbusVIP?

Kaufman: ColumbusVIP provides on-demand information about LGBT events and nightlife in Columbus, Ohio. You can find discounts, show times and other information about events in the city ranked #4 in the world for its nightlife & bar scene by GayCities.com.

Culture Columbus: How did you come up with ColumbusVIP?

Kaufman: I've been producing and promoting events for over 5 years in Columbus, Ohio. When I started, we didn't have Facebook as a promotional tool. It was there, but not in use by everyone like it is today. Once it gained momentum, members would send out a Facebook invite for every event, spamming their friends and other users. ColumbusVIP is the solution to that problem, allowing users to effectively opt-out from receiving unwanted event information.

Culture Columbus: Do you plan to have ColumbusVIP branch out more from it's main focus being events?

Kaufman: ColumbusVIP serves as a channel to the LGBT community
for not only events, but community outreach, charity fundraisers
and political causes.I would love to see this happen more as we continue to grow.

Culture Columbus: Do you feel ColumbusVIP brings the LGBT community closer?

Kaufman: ColumbusVIP gives us a page that is constantly live, where anyone can have questions answered or browse information about local and national happenings. It is also moderated, to keep spam and bots out. Having a safe place that is easy to access, where we can connect with our community makes our group stronger and more effective in any initiative.

Culture Columbus: How does one get involved with the ColumbusVIP group? Is it VIP only (haha)?

Kaufman: We are definitely NOT VIP-only! Every brand needs a name
that is concise and recognizable. The name sticks out in your mind
and makes everyone feel pprivileged to be a member. That is the effect I wanted to create, so the name fits. The
response has been amazing.

Culture Columbus: What is next for you and ColumbusVIP?

Kaufman: My first thought was to create a city-by-city "franchise", if you will. That is no longer something of interest, because within a week there were sites like ColumbusVIP popping up in other cities and metropolitan areas around the nation. These sites are not affiliated with us, typically are not as well branded, and are near to never moderated. They can still provide some good information about local events, but I am hoping to develop something more here. As with every brand, you never know in the beginning where you will end up. Having LGBT community as rich as ours presents endless possibilities for ColumbusVIP.

Be sure to check out the event page for upcoming events in Columbus LGBT community or to post your own! But one must become a group member first and remember you do not have to be VIP anyone can join!

________________________________________________________

Get To Know 'Zach Hume'

Columbus has many music venues for local bands to play, among them are Circus, Skully's, and Ravari Room, and if you have been to any of these 3 venues surely you have heard one TRIO Productions shows. Zach Hume is the founder of TRIO Productions, where he works with the bands to showcase and promote their talents.

Burglar, The Town Monster, and George Elliot Underground are some of the bands TRIO has promoted. TRIO just showcased Burglar's CD release party a few months ago at Skully's, it was definitely a blow out show with fans packed wall to wall.

Culture Columbus is down with TRIO Production bringing the best in Columbus local music. For more of TRIO check out the interview with Zach Hume or follow on Facebook.


Culture Columbus: Zach what is TRIO Productions?

Hume: TRIO Productions is a new local production company in Columbus, I do local shows at Circus, Skully's, Ravari, and other local venues and a few out of town. I work with Local and touring bands and the goal is to grow the local scene, bands, and TRIO.


Culture Columbus: You seem like quite a motivated individual what made you decide to come up with TRIO?

Hume: Well it was not intended it just happened. In 2009 I did a Benefit show with bands that I had friends in to raise money for MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Research, and a few months later I did a benefit for Cancer Research. A local bar owner was impressed with the shows and asked me if I was interested in doing a monthly show. So in January of 2010 I did the First TRIO Showcase at Circus, with Burglar, Mount Carmel, and American Nude.

Culture Columbus: Do you want TRIO to take you onto bigger and better things? Give me the break down...

Hume: I would, I have been working with a label from NY called Rethinkpopmusic. I did a few shows in Columbus for them and they helped me book a few shows in NY and the east coast. In the last few months there has been a lot of growth and opportunities. It is exciting to see were the work is going, and where it can go. One of my next shows is for Rethinkpopmusic at Skully's with one of their bands “The Yes Way” on Saturday march 26th.

Culture Columbus: Since we have a grasp on what TRIO is lets do you... Where do you like to hang in Columbus?

Hume: you can find me at Bodega, Skully's, Surly Girl. I am in the short north most of the time. Clampdown is one of my favorite events every month, it’s at Ravari. Other than that it really depends on what shows or events are happening. I will try to get to some and try to avoid others.

Culture Columbus: Any favorite shows you have promoted recently? And why?

Hume: My First show at Circus was awesome! Burglar, Mount Carmel, and American Nude killed it. There were about 200 people there and it was just a really good starting point. The best show I have done was the Burglar CD Release show at Skully's in January. We had Phantods, and Two Cow Garage open and there was between 500-600 people. One of the best nights I have had. The NY shows were really fun too. If your ever in Manhattan go to Bowery Electric, and Brooklyn go to Spike Hill, they are killer venues.

Culture Columbus: What do you like about Columbus?

Hume: The best part of this City are the people! I have met so many amazing and talented people in this City. It has a great growing music scene. I am excited to see what direction it goes.

Culture Columbus: Plan to stay in Columbus for awhile what is your plan?

Hume: I would like to stay in Columbus and do what I can to help the scene and the bands I work with grow. But I am also looking into different opportunities that I have gotten, but ill always have a home base here in Columbus, I grew up here and have family here.

Be sure to check out TRIO's next show at Circus Friday April 8th featuring Hotel War, The Razers, and Low Men.

__________________________________________________________


The main focus of this blog is to give people an inside look at events that go on around Columbus, to introduce them to people doing great things in the community, and to insight conversation and knowledge.

With that being said, we’re stepping outside of our small community.

On Friday 11th Japan was hit with an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale. This caused a 30-foot tsunami to sweep across the land. Death totals are approximated at 2,700, with 3,700 still missing. Entire cities wiped away instantly. Lives changed forever.

I don’t want to write a dreary story about prayers, tears, and hypothetical situations. We all have imagined winning the lottery; do the opposite in this instance.

The most interesting article I read was about the strength of the Japanese affected. Little looting has been reported and there is a general calm amongst the citizens. This could be associated with a couple phrases of importance to the people; shikata ga nai and gaman. The first translates closely to “it can’t be helped” and is the general reaction to events that are outside of ones control. Gaman means to act with patience and perseverance when faced with a crisis or tragedy.

Humbling.

Oh yeah, then on Sunday the Shinmoedake volcano erupted, for the second time this year.

Not everyone prays, but everyone texts: REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

That’s cheaper than your bar tab will be this Thursday and probably as much as your March Madness entry fee.

-Matt Montell