The Lock and Key Entertainment folk threw a wonderful networking event at Cosmopolitan Bar by Cote Vertu metro. It featured a bunch of local talent and took placed at a venue with absurdly cheap drinks for a post Covid economy. I had a lot of fun at this event.
I had the pleasure of being a VIP with my logo on the flyer and everything. Albeit I was not there to perform, it was hinted that writing a blog with a testimony of what I saw would be appreciated. In life, one must prove concepts to establish deeper relationships.
To be clear, I didn’t receive compensation for this post beyond free entry to the event. That wasn’t required, nor is it necessarily a requirement for me to write. Paying me to do writeups about your events would be nice though. You can then quote my words and use it for content. We both win.
Still let’s get into how I got myself a VIP bracelet.
How did lil ol’ me go VIP?
It means a lot to be recognized as special in some capacity. Often in this scene we all try so hard to get any kind of love from our peers. Each of us can sing an almost parallel story of the effort we put out, the passion we display and how little it’s noticed. That’s not sarcasm, having interviewed so many people, you start to hear the same pain over and over again.
Back to the story, I was sitting there minding my own business one day when I was invited to be a special guest at a networking event. Asap St Low hit me up and let me know he’d been following our wave. He and I had chopped it up recently at an event. He told me I should talk to his partner Keys and then I remember setting that call up for a Friday afternoon.
That same Friday afternoon was Jun 23, and I remember this vividly because Chris and I drove to Toronto that day. I very much missed the call and proceeded to play phone tag. Finally, I spoke to Keys and heard the sincerity in her mission. She said she’d heard good things about me. This led us to this moment of us talking and honestly, me feeling appreciated.
I wanted to support her mission, and I was super enthused to be included on the flyer. To put it simply, Keys came correct. Let’s talk a bit about networking events.
Networking events are an interesting concept
At a practical level, regardless of what we call our music events, they end up being more or less the same thing. A series of artists are booked and then perform within the designated show hours. The venue may change, the people involved may change and the label we use to describe it may change. Fundamentally it’s a congregation of people ready to hear some music.
Now, at some events, the emphasis is entirely on the musical performers, this would be your concert or your showcase (a concert with far too many acts on it). A networking event changes the emphasis towards the crowd being the focus. As much as you are here for some music, you are there to politick and make connections.
In theory we’re supposed to meet peers in the scene and walk out of the room ready to enhance our projects. I can say, Laurence Greene hit me with a proposition before the end of the night, thus, I networked successfully. I’ll be honest, I did look at the flyer and have a skeptical moment of, “I will know everyone in the room,” yet someone I knew had a new idea for me. Don’t assume folks.
Even if the audience may be the same people you always see, sometimes it’s just good to stand around in a circle in front of the bar and hear a young man break down nutritional facts (this happened). Other times you get the chance to just bond with someone who previously was a far away acquaintance.
Let’s transition into something special I saw at this event.
Lock and Key streamed the event
You ever see someone else do something and realize you should have been doing that thing? Well, that’s what happened for me the day after the event when I found the live stream of the video. I was like oh, that’s me walking around the bar.
There was a camera set up that streamed the entire event to Facebook. While I’m a bigger fan of Twitch, they have made so many bad choices Twitch may be on the decline for real. I don’t know where anyone should stream to anymore, but providing people who aren’t at your event a way to engage is powerful.
For those who want to charge money, you can easily hide the stream behind a Patreon.
We in the local indie Hip Hop scene face an issue where most of the city has no idea what we are up to. Providing this window into an event can allow those who aren’t there to participate from home. I’ve experimented with this for my live performances and the people watching really do appreciate it.
I think sometimes people worry about the optics, small crowd sizes, etc. This is low self-esteem PRSPCTVS and it’s silly. All the performers at this event showed that they give their all no matter what. They were entertaining. Honestly, while there are people who judge the superficialities, more people get sold on the passion if we build the right narrative as a community.
Lock and Key also went a step further with adding value for those of us who went.
Asap held down the interviews
Asap St.Low and Keys were out there with street interviews in front of Cosmopolitan Bar. I was interviewed and they let me talk my talk. I watched them film another one and Asap is great at making feel comfortable. Everyone needs to encourage him to go to more events and film more. Or pitch in to get him a babysitter.
The scene needs more opinions channeled into content. There are many people who chitter chatter in private settings as we all participate in the gossip mill. What we don’t have enough of, is opinions and ideas shared in a modern capacity to leverage the chitter chatter for more than gossip. I know I’m personally guilty of my fair share of gossip, but I strive to be better.
Seeing other people with the passion to create this content inspires me. While there is a competitive and weird, jealousy-driven idea that more interview platforms are problematic to the success of the existing ones, that’s a fallacy. The more interview platforms, the better. If an artist like Rico Blox could run 15 podcasts across a 3-week period, whatever he is pushing would go farther.
Then my interview show could generate fake beef with Lock & Key and we could create bigger hype. I kid, I’m sure the more opinions I have the more drama will flow my way. Still today is not the day for drama, let’s talk about the music.
The performers were fantastic
Regulators came though and gave another great performance. I’ve watched these guys grow over the last year and a half, and their progress is evident. Their charisma is off the charts and the energy they impose forces the room to pay attention. Their set is versatile and blends multiple styles into a unique package.
Moto Mokonzi is a high energy performer with a Caribbean flavour. I don’t really know how to describe the genre of music, but I find his sound infectious. It brings energy into the room and makes people (ladies) want to dance. He’s a highly charismatic and entertaining artist.
Widget blessed the mic as he always does. This man has been rapping for decades and the ease upon which he delivers his track reflects this every time. Widget is a true treasure in Montreal, he’s humble AF but then gets on the mic and reminds you what talent looks like.
Keemo Soul then gets on stage and sings at us. The man has a powerful voice and really reminds you what of the impact of clean vocals. Whatever your preferences may be, there is a sense of awe when encountering the sheer power of his voice. His music really adds the melodic flair a balanced event needs.
Tuggras was the last scheduled performer of the night. I like how he blesses the stage. He is such a calm and reserved dude when he is in the crowd then this energy just explodes once the songs start. His music is upbeat, fun and powerful. Makes you want to dance but also respect his vocal strength. Great show.
There was then an open mic. The only thing I caught was an a cappella poem from 7:Thirty. I am not sure who else performed at it, personally I was dead tired and ready to go home by the time it started.
Late shows wreck me
I got home after 3 AM. Sometimes this works out well but lately I find it harder to manage going to bed that late.
The next morning is a lot slower. It’s wild, but every time I imagine this version of myself getting home at 3:30 AM and jumping out of bed on a Sunday at 9:30 ready to tackle life. But I don’t wake up that early. Instead, I wake up at like 11:45 AM and take another 90 minutes to get the motor running.
I’m not young anymore. The endless supply of stamina is gone. I need to nap before late nights, and I need to balance my schedule in a way where those same nights don’t affect what I got to do.
Trust me, I know this is a me problem, but it’s not an only me problem. When I wake up that late, I find it difficult to be tired enough to go to sleep around my normal time, and then I go to bed later than I want. It takes 3-4 days to return to my normal sleep cycle.
I have a flexible job now, but if I want to do it well I need to be working by 9ish AM most days. Even this blog took me forever to get out. Partly because of all the late nights.
The fairy tale is ending for me
The music world seems to exist outside of normal life. A lot of this year I was able to go to many events and participate. I learned a lot but, there is no way I could have maintained that pace while balancing a full-time job.
Now I sell social media promo and deliver Uber Eats on my bicycle. The money ran out and for whatever reason I needed the pressure of broke to find that flame. It does have me thinking more on how I now spend my time.
I love going to events like this one. I had a really good time. I politicked, there is content being made, it’s everything I wish my life was. However, I didn’t earn any money. For years I had a cushy gig with easy money. Now I think a lot more about how late I can really afford to be out, literally.
While I love nights like what Lock & Key put together, it’s hard to ignore the rest of my life. To bring it back to the previous section, I wish the event was earlier in the night. It was absolutely worth the adventure.
Lock and Key Entertainment provided a great vibe
I know I spent a solid 400 words going on about how I’m old and wish the event was earlier. I am certain other people disagree with me and loved the timeslot. Whatever I feel about the efficacy of that timeslot, Lock and Key may be going after a market that isn’t me.
I don’t mean my role in our scene, totally makes sense for me to be there. However, regular human Holden prefers going to that 7-11:30 timeslot. I also think there’s just more money in that timeslot.
The promo videos for this event were cool. The acts practiced ahead of time, and it showed. The interviews were a fun addition. The event being livestreamed was brilliant.
This was a great event. One of the beautiful parts of an alive scene is the variety of vibes. Some people are craving more late-night events and as Lock and Key throw more, I am sure the crowd will come. The event game is consistency over time and this team is making something happen.
Oh, and shoutout DJ Rookus. He did a great job holding down the DJ work.
Live long and prosper everyone
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