Kgodnico and O'Neil performing from a distance. Photo by Sadsoul

On May 4th, 2024, the community gathered together to support the Love is War Show, and I got to be the host!

Before this, there were events I've put on in the past that many of you have been to. There was the Bonita Jungle Jam, Suave Jazz Boathouse Party, Ugly Intimate House Show/Party, Mamazxddy's Haunted House Party, and I'll even throw the BBQ in there too why not. Notice how these are all at my house. I wanted to get out of the house! Also, going broke after every event and valuing everyone but myself was a battle I continuously faced.

Something I found important when putting together shows was to respect everyone that is a part of the process. I honor people's price, and if I hear a price that's too low, I want to show them that they need to respect themselves more. I remember after Ugly, I had artists reach out to me in gratitude for paying them. It was the first time they've ever been paid to perform, they would say. Honestly, I was on a huge budget and wish I could've paid them even more— but it was a free show. This time, I hoped that by charging an entry fee, I could pay artists even better this time. Thanks to everyone that bought tickets, and to a friend that donated $400 for the show, I was able to do exactly that! I still went over budget and went negative, but that was strictly because I had decided to add some things that I felt was necessary.

I took my time asking around to friends and venues about how to put on a show. I asked people how much they're willing to pay for a local show, what they'd like to see, what they want to eat, what they want to hear, and how they want to feel. I had people with venues explain to me the lack of respect people had for locations, and I asked them how things could be different. Communication and trust is important in every relationship. Being a host, it is vital that I over-communicate and establish a trust where everyone knows this will be a good show because I said so.

Okay, so I spiraled half a year ago and reset my social media. I had no clue how I was even going to promote this show. The name of the show was inspired by my boyfriend's unreleased album, "Love is War". I chose this show specifically because I wanted to show him how much I support his artistry. Then I chose artists in the community that were on similar boats. These were all very talented individuals that genuinely deserved the spotlight. Delarose DJ-ed his unreleased music during my BBQ the year before and I was appalled that he wasn't sharing this! I would hear Kgodnico's unreleased and wonder how many people in this community are holding back. Unfortunately, we know how hard it is to feel support from your own community. It has been a drought here, in terms of shows and support. Who can blame anyone in this economy. Things aren't worth the price, people don't want to go out, and there's also another thing I want to touch base on.

There's this thing, that social media has played a huge role in, on human interaction. There's the concept, "FOMO", which stands for "fear of missing out", right? Then there's this concept, where people would rather wait til the event is over to see whether it was worth it or not. They want to see it fail, and think, "glad I missed out". When the event actually turns out well, suddenly that FOMO kicks in. It's quite silly, and I know I can say this, because I notice myself acting this way sometimes and I have to catch myself. It's very similar to how Jesus couldn't feel support in his own hometown.

Organizing who and where went smoothly. I chose Trackout Studios because I wanted the show to be intimate. A big venue will look too empty. I was surprised when we started with promotions. Doctor Hewitt (shoutout!) bought the first ticket moments after seeing the flyer. Within one week, we were halfway sold out!? I intended to have pre-sales for only a week, but a friend requested an extension so I did. I should have cut it off after the first week, because if I kept going I was losing money for budgeting, but the idea of being sold out for our first show sounded exciting! One of the artists had already made a flyer with "sold out" on it once I updated the group on sales. He definitely foreshadowed it; maybe even help manifest it. April 12th, 3 weeks before the show, we were officially sold out!! My worries of having no following did not matter. Get this, only 20% of sales came from my friends. 80% of the sales came from people we met through promoting, strangers, or from my artists.

The night before the show, I prayed for some rain to cool off the heat. I actually didn't realize the venue had no A/C, so I last minute bought some extra fans and borrowed some. I had oversold tickets, and was worried of it being too hot and crowded. I was lucky in many ways. In parts of the process of this show, I felt God by my side. The Theos came up on my feed while I was looking for a band, and I instantly reached out to them when I heard their single. O'Neil had his friend, Herb, make a stage out of wood they already had, and even delivered it to the venue. I had dreams of two stained glass pieces of two people, and a few days later found it listed on Marketplace and got a great deal out of them. I spent days looking for a rug to fit the stage and found one on Marketplace the exact size i needed for only $20 same day we had the stage delivered. I was ecstatic. Then, the day of, the weather went against the app and decided to rain. Praise!

DJ Xero posing next to Love is War sign. Photo by Maeriyakii

It was a bit concerning, the rain. It wouldn't die down until 8pm, and the doors were to open at 8pm. People were already there by 7:30pm, and we were still trying to move the furniture outside from the venue. I felt the chaos, and so did everyone else. In this moment, there was intense gratitude filling my heart. The crew instantly went to do what they needed to do. I was everywhere, and also not at the right place at times. Everyone needed me. The security guy had to bail, and I was praying the backup security guy wasn't going to bail too. I was in my pajamas checking people's IDs. Vendors were waiting for me to tell them where to go. O'Neil pushed me into the bathroom and told me to get ready, and so I opted out of makeup and threw on my outfit for the evening. Then, the show began. 

In retrospect, one thing I wish I was present for was the sound. I wanted to do sound check, regardless of whether people were present or not; and we ended up not doing one. The show started instantly without my knowledge. Luckily, everything turned out fantastic! I wanted to cry! I am a harsh critic on myself. Too harsh, my friends say. We can hyper-analyze all our lives on what could have been different, but I am choosing to take these notes with me when I decide to host another show!

Ryna showing off one of her many talents. Photo by Maeriyakii

I won't go in detail on the show, because if you were there, you know, and if you weren't, you missed out! Check out these amazing shots taken from this evening, and hopefully, I'll see you at the next event ;)

Thank you to everyone that came out to the show. Thank you to Kidd Kwest with the venue. Thank you Trackout Studios. Thank you to the artists O'Neil, The Theos, Kgodnico, Xero, & Delarose. Thank you to our surprise guest Joe Rock. Thank you Mamazxddy ;). Thank you Dani for the film photos.  Thank you Matthew Fields for the video clips. Thank you Jenny & Jessie. Thank you Sadsoul, Kyla, Sarah, Gabrielle, Tatum, and Matt for being amazing vendors. Thank you Herb for the stage. Thank you Ahzuwop for being the spotlight the entire night. Thank you Christian Lepe from Black Horn Security, and Princess for introducing me to Christian. Thank you to those who bought a ticket but couldn't make it. Thank you to my boyfriend, again, O'Neil, for being there every step of the way. 

Dri, Doctor Hewitt, Kgodnico, Joe Rock, O'Neil, Eddie, and Herb. Photo by Maeriyakii

Delarose bringing Doctor Hewitt on stage to express his love for Hewitt. Photo by Maeriyakii

Legendary Ahzuwop
Photos by Danithadiety

The Theos. So proud of these guys! Photo by Maeriyakii

Kgodnico. Photos by Danithadiety

Probably my favorite photo from the entire night. Kyla (@Be.Di.Zen) setting Ryna up for her tooth gems.
Photo by Danithadiety

My love my darling O'Neil. Photo by Maeriyakii

DJ Xero and Delarose. Photo by Danithadiety

Left: Zeke from The Theos. Top: O'Neil. Photos by Danithadiety

My effervescent bubbly fairy Dani! Photo by Maeriyakii

Photo by Maeriyakii

Boots Photo by Danithadiety. Peace Photo by Maeriyakii

Top photo by Danithadiety
Bottom photo by Maeriyakii

Photo by Danithadiety

My sweethearts Jenny and Mamazxddy.
Double trouble photo by Maeriyakii
Jenny photos by Danithadiety

Angel (left) always comes to support me, this guys rocks!!
Kidd Kwestie and Keenan (right) :) Photos by Maeriyakii

Killer Kosmetics vending!
Photo by Danithadiety

Doctor Hewitt and I! Photo by Sadsoul

The Theos. Photo by Danithadiety

Sadsoul (left) Kai and Ryder (right). Photos by Danithadiety

Okay DJ Xero turn it up! Photo by Maeriyakii

Duo photo by Maeriyakii
Xero photo by Danithadiety

Xero & Jenny photos by Danithadiety

I love you :) Photo by Maeriyakii

Yesssiieee~ Photo by Maeriyakii

Simon says, Delarose edition~ Photo by Danithadiety

Delarose with a surprise Billie Rose Duet with Bill Suave! Photos by Danithadiety

And can I get a round of applause for this outfit? Photos by Danithadiety

Photos by...
Maeriyakii, Danithadiety
Maeriyakii, Danithadiety
Danithadiety, Maeriyakii

I wish Film wasn't so expensive, but maybe that's what makes the photos feel more luxurious. If you want a shot come find me next time! Big shoutout to Dani for these beautiful shots, and Creative Photo for being so quick with the development. Here are some selfies I took at the end of the night :) If you have any, please send me yours! XOXO