Night Shooting w/ Photographer Stefano Gali

Night Shoot. Old School. Film, not digital. Longer than usual held poses. Biting cold. Energized and thrilled to be creating something spontaneous - art for arts sake. Took me back to my old days of modeling before digital was born. Things took time. Light needed to be measured and we had to actually wait (think of that) to see if any thing even came of it. Night shoot. Old School. Holding, waiting. Thrilling, spontaneous. Film...

Where the Sunset and  Hollywood Blvd's intersect...

As you can see, recent LA implant Stefano Gali is a stellar artist. Italian born and bred and with a background in Film, his images remind me of cinematic stills, which naturally, I love. His images are real, sensuous and full of intrigue. We met while both working in South Pas at the edge of Summer.  It was a pleasure to create and collaborate with him around Los Angeles between the hours of 10pm and just passed midnight as we moved from Summer into Fall.

Vista Theater, Los Feliz. 

I've been coming here since I was a kid. I can't tell you how many double features I saw here with my big 6 person family. Well, I usually fell asleep before the second film to be honest. Warm memories. 

Cinematic theater (I do not smoke)

In the photographers vintage Mercedes, Mel's Drive In, Hollywood

At the all night Denny's across the street from Union Station Downtown. 

Some of the most beautiful shots from the movie "Drive" were filmed here.

And that's a wrap...

Check out phenomenal non digitized photography here at:

http://Stefanogali.com

UK Arts & Music Blog "Leicester Bangs" reviews Latitudes

Here's what Phil S. of the UK's Arts and Music blog, "Leicster Bangs" has to say about "Latitudes"!

Mataji Booker – Latitudes (Independent)

A singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and model – there are so many artistic facets to Mataji Booker that the fear must be that she spreads herself too thinly. On “Latitudes” those fears are dispelled in some considerable style. She describes her musical direction as “alt-rock/folk/jazz”, which ignores both the pop element that makes the six tracks on her debut EP so instantly appealing, and her soulful delivery, which refers back to the R&B stars of the ‘70s rather than her contemporaries. It’s a stunning mix of classic styles, with more than enough hooks for radio (and television – where she’s already making inroads).  

A regular attraction at various venues in her native Los Angeles, including The Whisky, The Rainbow Room and The Knitting Factory, she’s also toured Mexico and Japan, and played gigs in Southern Europe. She brings that experience to her recordings, and the often complex songs sound road-tested and fully formed, and as a result, they’re performed with confidence. Opening cut, the title track, finds Booker in a reflective mood, the intricacies of the song and arrangement both taking their time to fully unwind. The jazzy playfulness of “Checkmate” is a musical mating dance, with gypsy violin calling the tune, and “Love Aquarius” and “Molded” are older songs, resurrected for the “Latitudes” project, but they sound very much at home, and their themes fit neatly within the EP’s conceptual premise.

http://leicesterbangs.blogspot.co.uk

Latitudes Release & Listening Party:

Looking forward to performing tunes from my new EP Latitudes 

Fri. Aug. 30 at Lineage Performing Arts Center in Pasadena.

Healing and Inspired living in the city of trees

As the Latitudes EP project nears completion, I contemplate a ride into the future with Love & Music as my guide at home in South Pasadena, CA, where one year ago Latitudes was conceived and came to life! I wrote 'Checkmate' after running into an old flame. The song is a light hearted homage to the mating dance we play when we have our guards up and are afraid to give ourselves fully. And as the summer and our story unfolded, the guy took off,  but 'Latitudes' (Sparrow & the Bluejay), 'Be with Me' and 'Words to Hold' came to visit and stayed... in that order.   These four songs are essentially  the journey I took last summer uncovering layers and layers of deep pain I didn't even realize was there - the catalyst of course being a short lived (Latitudes) and abruptly ending love affair without explanation (Words to Hold), which challenged me to go into places, sad and dark places in my heart (Be With Me), finally ready to be accessed for healing and a richer understanding of the one true love to seek out,  the love and acceptance of myself.  After much thought, two oldies but goodies -  'Molded' and 'Love Aquarius',  were added to the mix completing the 6 song EP. They fit right in. 'Molded',  is one of the first songs I wrote nearly 15 years ago, so it was  meaningful to finally record it for real. Full circle.

 Today Latitudes, formerly titled "Vertical Love" -  is finished and ready to share. Well, sort of ready. We're in the final stages of editing images for the album cover, shot by friend and awesome photographer Eleonora Ghioldi. So now after one beautiful - crazy - painful - joy-filled year from setting my intention, I'll have a CD in my hands soon.  A release is on the horizon. This is living.

Photos by Eleonora Ghioldi

http://eleonoraghioldi.com

15th Annual Inspiration Awards marks my 5th year at Step Up!

 With friend & former student (LA Leadership Academy 2008-2009) and 

current incoming LMU Junior, Yessenia Hernandez. 

The Inspiration Awards always marks the end of the school year and my time at Step Up. Here I am playing on the "green" carpet (above) with Brittany Ballard of Little Plow Films. Soul sista' and inspiring kindred spirit, we started out the same year at Step Up in 2008. She taught the film workshop and I the Spoken Word Poetry.  What a journey! I've been Blessed to get to work with countless amazing young women in the classroom as well as connect with and be exposed to successful, empowering women set on changing things for females of all ages, creeds and backgrounds everywhere. If things don't get too hectic now that the album is done, I most def am going to try for a 6th year with the girls, but for now, I simply sit in Gratitude for the last five and all that they've given me as instructor and friend to so many beautiful young women.

Special thanks to long time friend, mentor and the woman responsible for bringing me on board:

 Step Up LA's Managing Director Jamie Kogan.

Spring Cleaning

I resonated with this quote and image so much that I just had to share it and ponder upon how yes, for me, it has been a time to let go of fear. Fears of failure, Fears of Success. Fear of what people might think or not think at all about my voice, the music, my image. As I forge forward through the final mixing stages of my first album, Latitudes - I reflect upon the countless days and nights since the beginning of this path of music I chose some 16 years ago...remembering moments, long chunks of time when I believed that this probably would never happen for me.  Fear is a prison if you allow it to be.

In a short time, I will have in my hands the fruits of many years labor  - not just physical, but emotional, mental, spiritual - feeling free from expectations, entitlement, fear, full of joy, gratitude and humility. Having learned once and for all that the only way out of fear is through it. Having earned once and for all a seat upon the throne of my True Self. The Self that is here to create with abandon, to share an abundance of love and to give and share freely as I grow in loving what I do - with the "wild" idea that it might help others to learn to find and love their true selves too. Today is always a good day to go of anything that no longer serves us.