MUSIC | ASTR

Photo via Facebook

I discovered ASTR a few months ago and I was excited to get the chance to see them live in New York last week. I actually got to see them twice!

If you haven't heard of them, definitely check out their music. They're an electro-pop NYC-based duo and they're going to be huge, I can feel it. They have a brand new EP out now - Varsity

 

STORY | A Love Story

Whenever I'm in NYC, I always make it a point to try to visit STORY, a cool retail concept that "takes the view of a magazine, changes like a gallery, and sells things like a store." It has a new "story" every couple months. The past themes I've checked out include the Making Things Story and Made In America Story.

STORY is a retail concept that takes the point of view of a magazine, changes like a gallery and sells things like a store. - See more at: http://thisisstory.com/our-story/#sthash.uSmRCDTu.dpuf

I happened to stroll in during their Love Story theme last week. Everything was adorable. I resisted the urge to buy everything. Take a peek:

MY LIFE | New York Donuts

My first stop on my latest NYC excursion was to a donut museum. Yeah, a donut museum.

I stumbled upon the event online for a museum featuring an exhibit of the history of New York's donut shops in Brooklyn and naturally, I had to check it out. I made my way to the City Relinquary, a quaint and unique community museum in Williamsburg.

It shares the history of NYC's most famous donut shops and includes nine present-day donut hot spots: Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, Doughnut Plant, Mike's Donuts & Coffee, The Donut Pub, The Doughnuttery, Dun-Well Doughnuts, Shaikh's Donuts, Dough, and Carpe Donut NYC. The exhibit was organized by Julie Thomson, an amazing donut blogger.

TRAVEL | Ace Hotel in NYC

For the longest time, I've heard wonderful things about a place called the Ace Hotel. And over my many stays in New York City, I had never gotten the chance to make a visit. So during my latest adventure out the the Big Apple, of course I had to stay at least a couple nights.

The first thing I see when I get to my room? I was welcomed by the face of the wonderful Amy Poehler in cat ears. It was a superb start.

 They're just so witty at the Ace.

Social Media Week NYC 2014 | Part 3

Thursday Cont'd

Thursday night I headed out to Brooklyn for an event hosted by Revolt TV & Huge Inc. at The Dumbo Loft and it had an awesome vibe. The venue was really cool and there were drinks and snacks.

Joe McCaffrey of Huge interviewed Jake Katz, VP of Audience Insights & Strategy at Revolt TV.

"Revolt is a multi-platform TV network that was recently launched this past October by Sean Combs. It aims to be “the go-to source for music content, like ESPN is for sports,” explains Jake Katz.

An interesting point that came up was the importance of knowing your audience and how to strengthen your social media presence. Katz adds, “You can create a real meaningful experience on one platform” rather than stretch across as many as possible.

Social Media Week NYC 2014 | Part 2

WEDNESDAY
The week was off to a great start and I had a busy schedule of events to keep up with. I was really looking forward to Masthead Media's event at the Gansevoort Park Avenue 'Calling All Journalists: How to Rebrand Yourself as a Content Marketing & Social Expert' ft. speakers from Conde Nast, Equinox, Weber Shandwick and Anne Chertoff Media.

"You don't have to be an expert before entering this space. You enter this space and then become the expert." - Liz Miersch, editor-in-chief of the online Equinox magazine 'Q'

Journalists are the ones who are being looked to for knowledge and skills in the social and digital space. They know how to engage, interact and write compelling content. “Journalists know how to put soul into stories,” says Jason Kaufman of Weber Shandwick.

Social Media Week NYC 2014 | Part 1

Social Media Week NYC just wrapped up and I was so glad that I got the chance to attend this year. Last year I went as media, but this time around I received a campus scholarship. I was super pumped to be back in the city, surrounded by industry folks and digital media enthusiasts.

Here's a quick video I whipped up give you a glimpse into my experience:

GIVEAWAY | Dobel Tequila x Perry Farrell [CLOSED]

Photo via Facebook

I've got an exciting giveaway this week! Dobel Tequila teamed up with rock star Perry Farrell, lead singer of Jane's Addiction and creator of Lollapalooza for a cool campaign.

With the help of famous photographer Danny Clinch, they came out with a pretty rad photography book featuring stunning shots from Lollapalooza 2012. I've got a copy of the book, plus a signed photo of Perry Farrell himself up for grabs!

MY LIFE | ET Canada Experience

It was fun while it lasted!

My six-week internship at ET Canada came to an end last week and I had such an awesome time there. I got to create content for the web and learn a lot about what goes on behind-the-scenes of my favourite entertainment news show.

 Cake and cute dogs. A pretty good bonus.

I mainly helped with photo galleries and wrote blog posts. One of the articles I wrote was even retweeted by Seth Rogen! (THIS ONE)

MUSIC | Dierks Bentley

Photo via Facebook

During my last week interning for ET Canada, I got to tag along and help out with a shoot with country music star Dierks Bentley.

I got to check out Toronto's newest country bar, the Rock 'n' Horse Saloon, for the first time. Apparently they have a mechanical bull inside! Sounds like a fun time.

Dierks Bentley was in town for a special debut screening of his Riser documentary on February 11th at the Rock 'n' Horse Saloon and ET Canada chatted with him about his new album and even got his tips on how to win a country boy's heart (for a special Valentine's Day web exclusive).

 He was super nice!

INTERVIEW WITH: Matt Webb

Photo via Facebook

I've gotten to meet Matt Webb a couple times through Faze Magazine (him and Marianas Trench were once our cover stars!) and recently, I got to chat with him about his second solo project.

He released Right Direction on February 4th and he was super excited about it. I spoke with him over the phone about his new music.

"I had a much clearer idea of how I wanted to sound on this EP. I wanted to make a really stripped down sounding record that's really guitar based and taking it back to the roots. I wanted to make it really organic and raw, and something this is really cohesive that people can enjoy from start to finish." - Matt Webb

Here's his latest music video, for "Right Direction" -

MY LIFE | Valentine's Day

I've never been a big fan of Valentine's day. But this year was the best by far — even without a significant other. I spent the evening with my best girlfriends at our favourite restaurant. We had our usual table, usual drinks and usual server, who seriously made our night.

 "Since I knew you were coming I got you all flowers." - CUTEST MOMENT EVER.

My Valentine's Day inspired outfit

- Christina
Follow my adventures on Twitter: @christinaaa28

Valentine's Day With CollegeFashionista

Photo via Facebook

I got to take part in a fun Valentine's Day feature for CollegeFashionista! I shared my thoughts on the lovey-dovey holiday and some tips on how to spend the day as a single gal in the city.

Take a look -

>>Click here to read the full article<<

FASHION | Muttonhead AW'14

Canadian-made Muttonhead released their AW'14 "High & Dry" lookbook and they're keeping things cool and comfy. I've already picked out my faves.

Check it out:

INTERVIEW WITH: David Ward

Photo via Facebook

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Vancouver musician David Ward. I interviewed him before his show at the Tranzac Club in Toronto for Faze Magazine. His new album, Golden Future Time, is a two part saga that showcases two different sounds — "Side A is more cinematic spooky art rock and on side B there's more synthesizer-based experimental soul jams," David explains. It was released on January 28, 2014.

What is it about music?

"I just love it. I love listening to it, I love making it. When you're singing on stage live and you're connecting with people on that kind of level, it's a spiritual experience. There's something so special about music, the way it translates to people and the way it translates to me. It carries so much, the stories, emotions, lessons—it's a special art form."

Oscar Buzz & MoviePass (+GIVEAWAY!) [CLOSED]

The 2014 awards season has been pretty exciting so far, but there's still a huge one yet to come. The Oscar nominees have been announced and the Golden Globe winners are in, kicking off this year's race to Hollywood's biggest night, The Academy Awards on March 2nd.  

Here are the films nominated for Best Picture:

INTERVIEW WITH: Shad

Photo via Facebook

I got the chance to interview Canadian rapper Shad a couple weeks ago when he was in town for a show at the Danforth Music Hall. It was a chill interview and he's such a talented and humble guy. His latest album, Flying Colours, is nominated for Rap Recording Of The Year at this year's Juno Awards! Here's a snippet from our chat -

FASHION | Material Girl x Rita Ora

International artist Rita Ora is back for a second campaign with Material Girl, a clothing line created by Madonna and her daughter Lola.

"Rita is the perfect fit for the Material Girl brand. She is a style icon who knows how to have fun with fashion," commented Lola. Madonna added, "Rita is fearless when it comes to fashion and expressing herself. We love her personality and think she perfectly embodies the spirit of Material Girl."

Rita takes on the streets of Miami for the Spring 2014 campaign, "Material Girl Hits Miami."

Take a look -

MY LIFE | 22

A week ago, I turned the big 22.

This was on repeat, obviously:

GIVEAWAY | February Goodies [CLOSED]

Happy February! Here's what's up for grabs this month:

UPCOMING | Fashion In Conversation Series @ Apple SoHo

FYI New Yorkers, you don't want to miss this! The Apple Store in SoHo is hosting a series of events featuring some of the most prominent faces in the fashion industry. From Vogue royalty Anna Wintour to designer extraordinaire Zac Posen, the 'Fashion In Conversation' interviews will be moderated by Kinvara Balfour. Here's the lineup: