Wake Me Up - Avicii

When I first heard--and up until about three minutes ago--I hated Avicii's Wake Me Up.
Country? No thank you.
The lyrics? I didn't get it.
But the video-hit me hard.
A coworker just shared it with me randomly after a meeting.
And I'm so happy she did.

The country with the lyrics and the video--NOW it all makes sense. And now I'm holding back tears at my desk.
Side note: I feel Avicii picked the location of their "awakening" to be UMF just for me because that's where I had mine.

3 years ago I lived in a world where people were mean.
Everyone was against me.
I had to protect myself.
I had to perfect myself.
Nothing was enough.
I was not good enough.

I didn't know that another world existed. Another way of life. Until I went to Ultra Miami 2012.

Thin as all hell, driven by a self-hatred so deep it consumed my thoughts and I couldn't separate a good day from a bad one, I traveled to South Beach having no idea what was about to happen. I was sober at the time and exposed to drugs, drinking, and partying on another level.



I was scared, I was uptight, I was confused. How do people do this? Rigid, tight, and frozen I went through the first couple of days of Miami Music Week mostly miserable.

And then I walked into Ultra and I saw bodies of all kinds. I was smiled at by girls that I were sure should glare at me. I was offered food, kandi, water, and genuine kindness. What did they want I thought. This can't be real. And slowly I softened. My heart opened to the idea that people can be inherently good, that I could not only receive their kindness but that I deserved it.

Wake Me Up tells my story to a "T". I didn't know I was lost. I felt so out of place for so long. I was surviving through life, not living it. But at UMF for the first time I felt at home.

Once I had a taste of PLURR and electronic music I couldn't stop. I came home with my kandi, my bracelets, my tan and my new attitude and I wanted everyone to know--THE WORLD IS NOT SCARY.

And that's something I've lost sight of this past year. Not always but overall yes. I've been hardened again by traumatic experiences, being a grown up, and caught up in myself. And I feel so blessed that today, on the day I get to see Kaskade on his Automatic Tour, that I was reminded what this music really means to me.

My mindset was all about how I would look, who I would see, would I get home at a decent hour for work tomorrow. And now I just can't wait to be surrounded by likeminded people who are looking for the same thing I am: peace, love, unity, and respect.

Crizzly’s Real Thugz Tour: Expect the Unexpected

Crizzly's Real Thugz Tour - Ya that's thugs with a Z.
Photo Credit: Merc Photography

When I came face-to-face with Chris Marshall, better known as Crizzly, after his Real Thugz Tour stop in Portland I was shoulder to shoulder with selfie-hungry fans.

With beats that make you bounce, an abundance of energy, and a determination to get turnt, the crunkstep king attracts those who want to not just party—but fucking rage.

Antiserum and LAXX have softer hearts than their music suggests.

The Austin-based DJ wore a “Dope” hat, gold chain and personality to match. I quickly yelled out, “Can you describe the show in two words?” He coolly answered, “trippy…booty,” before being grabbed by three girls in bedazzled bras, fishnets, and booty shorts.

The DJ grabbed the sold out crowd’s attention with a casual, “How's it going? My name is Crizzly and were about to fuck shit up.” 

His music is just as big as his personality, having remixed some of the biggest names in hip-hop and worked with influential producers like Bassnectar and Excision throughout his growing career. Rappers like Waka, Lil’ Flip and A$AP Rocky are among those songs he’s morphed into electronic bangers over the years.

Photo Credit: Merc Photography

 “With hard-hitting dubstep intertwined with a strong hip-hop presence he makes us feel like we can dance,” yelled Texas native Ian Hopkins who feels a sense of sense of pride watching the DJ come up from shows in his hometown. “He was crazy back then, but I haven’t seen anything like this.”

While Steve Aoki throws cakes, Crizzly throws pizza. He encourages mosh pits (while simultaneously making sure the ladies are looked out for), crowd surfing, and booty bouncing with the help of his energized MC.

Photo Credit: Merc Photography

Tall in stature and personality, the 6-foot something stage presence had the crowd mesmerized with his buldging eyes, nonstop commentary, and unwavering energy. I couldn’t help but mimic his moves and excitement, when he told us to throw our middle fingers up that’s what we fucking did.

Antiserum with LAXX
Photo Credit: Merc Photography

LAXX and Antiserum

After my short-lived interview with Crizzly I turned to dubstep producer, LAXX from across the pond. He charmed me with his accent but I really swooned when he pulled his third musketeer, Antiserum, into a hug (there's just something about a sense of humor). After happily snapping some pictures for me LAXX went onto describe their Portland show as, “Dope, one of the best of the tour hands down. You guys kept up the hype.”

The trio are a complimentary pairing of bass, dubstep, and personality. LAXX has taken the electronic world by storm with his unique twisting of bass music, called Twitch, with support from DJs like Skrillex and Knife Party as a part of Never Say Die Records. Antiserum who played along with his tour mate’s humor posing for a photo, was surprisingly friendly after playing a set that had our brains ricocheting in our heads with his bassy, hip-hop inspired music.

The party started for these three way before the show however, Crizzly throwing a pizza party for 12 lucky fans who got the invite through Twitter. One of those fans was Zach Redmond who donned a pizza costume for the show, which Crizzly of course signed. 

Real Thugz Tour is bouncing around the US bringing pizza parties and snapbacks back with an unprecedented swagger. Support Crizzly and his tour by seeing if he’s in your neighborhood next. Until then get your own taste for his genre bending remixes here.

Relive Your Festival - Be Safe In Sound

Please listen to Safe And Sound by Capital Cities while reading. (Yes I know it's safe AND sound but for all purposes safe IN sound worked better for me)

Racing, spinning, ripping.
Stop thinking, stop thinking.
Imploding.
Regret.
Shame.
I can't take it.

I hear a familiar sound, I throw my headphones on.


The goosebumps rise.
I can't help but move.
I close my eyes and my desk fades away along with my problems.
I am immersed in light.
The sun is warm.
The sky blue.
A rainbow of neon surrounds me.
I am experiencing every festival I've been to at once.
I can feel the elation of my spirit rise with the tempo.
In my head I'm jumping to the beat.
You are one with me.
Hearts synchronized with the music.
I am by myself but I do not feel alone.
I smile. I can't stop smiling.
I scream as the beat drops.
Releasing energy into the crowd.
I move to the music.
I move with you.
We are so alive in this moment.
The memories feel so real.
My heart races as though I'm there.
I see strangers, no--I see friends.
We understand each other.
As the music understands me.
I open my eyes.
The anxiety is gone.
I am centered.
I am safe in sound.