All posts in: Seattle University

29 Dec 2016

My Favorite Posts of 2016

Typically when I write “end-of-year” posts, I’m always pulling up what I wrote the year before in another tab as a reference. I already know that I didn’t do too much writing this year so it will be ambitious to find 12 posts that I really liked as opposed to last year when that feeling was so easy for me! That being said, I think there are going to be a few treasures in here that we can highlight. They may not be the posts that rank to the top in terms of views, but they are the posts that I enjoyed writing the most and the ones that you know I probably re-read a dozen times before feeling comfortable posting. Thank you all for another fantastic year… now let’s head into our 8th year of Yow Yow! This blog is now older than my previous Polly Pocket collection (7 years!)

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  • This Happened Tonight – I honestly don’t know if this is enough to consider it one of my favorite posts, but this is me totally just fangirling out over here. It might be on my list of funny moments in 2016, but whatever the case – this needed to belong on SOME list and I chose this. I think I like this post just because it reminds me a little bit of how I used to write in the old days – you know back in 2009/2010 – no filter – just blagh! whatever I felt like spewing out at the time. If you read the post though (and you know me!) then you know I’m suppressing my feelings here for the sake of appearing normal on Yow Yow! If only this weren’t so short lived…

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  • Happy 7th Birthday Yow Yow! – We’ve never celebrated a Yow Yow! anniversary like this before. The number 7 has no significance to me or Yow Yow! but after all this time, you kind of just feel like you need to do something different. We were already doing regular outfit photos, so I thought – why not throw in a balloon?! One of the best parts about this post is that Aritiza decided to feature this photo above for their Instagram account. I was ecstatic, but very quickly commenters started to notice that the balloon didn’t actually look like a “7” and actually looked like… male genitalia. So almost immediately, my excitement did a 180.

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  • Looking Back: Space Girl – It’s a weird thing to be in front of a camera. I’m not a natural by any means. Every shoot, Elynn probably takes on average 15-25 photos and while we sometimes get 2-3 really good ones, the rest are of me opening my mouth, fixing my clothes, talking, being awkward, you name it. We’ve come such a long way… this post was incredibly special to me though. Space Girl was everything to me when we were in college. I never could get comfortable in front of the camera and having this helmet on made me feel invincible. When we stopped using it and went back to outfit shoots, you can plainly see how hard it is for me in these photos, but I will never forget the gateway that Space Girl provided for me to get me to where we are today.

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  • Wedding Mondays – I know what you’re thinking. How can you choose a favorite? We’ve highlighted so many incredible wedding videos in 2016, but one that I keep going back to (in addition to Mandi’s of course!) is this one featuring Jean (from Extra Petite) and her husband Nick. To this day, we still can’t wrap our head around the three dresses, but we think it’s amazing. Secondly, Long Haul films is no longer doing wedding videos so that makes this one extra special. (see what I did there?) Also, when I was in Boston this past fall for work, I got to stop by the Boston Library and see this venue myself and we fangirled the  same amount we did for BJ Novak. It was just as amazing in person as it is in the video…

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/17721680]

  • Revisiting Casual – I like to look at “Casual” as something we continue to pass on. Every year, I’ve gotta share it with someone new and last year that was Manan. Together, him and I watched the entire series from start to finish and he loved it as much as I did! No surprises there – everyone I’ve ever shown this too has fallen in love with the series so it’s not too late if you decide to hop on the bandwagon. We’re still accepting fan club members. In all honesty, relationships are hard, okay? I’m never 100% content with mine and in 2016 it’s tough to date. If I knew in the long run that I was going to be okay then I would love to have that off my shoulders, but if Casual has taught me anything and if life has taught me anything – it’s that it’s all about timing. We have to let things play out the way they are supposed to. Thank you Casual for continuing to be a positive force in my life year after year.

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  • And When We Give Back – It was such a surreal experience to be speaking with students that had been accepted to Seattle University as the class of 2020. Let that sink in a little bit. When I was a kid, I used to think that college was almost the end all be all. It was hard for me to imagine being a woman with a career – not because I didn’t want to have a career, but because it just seemed so far away. I’m fortunate that my friend who works at admissions asked me to do this panel because it put a lot into perspective. It was a very humbling experience to be giving advice to students as to why Seattle U was a great school for me even though I kind of do this in my real life job too. Additionally, it made me appreciate my parents in a way that I haven’t before. Seeing the parents of these accepted students was a little bit entertaining; they were SO nervous. I wondered how my parents were able to handle me going off to college with such ease and tranquility when that is very clearly not the case for most.

  • To Be a “Leftover” Woman in China – Never have I ever ugly-cried so hard over a YouTube video, but this struck a chord with me. It’s 2016 and the pressures of settling down or being in a committed relationship are still very much a priority for most. It’s overwhelming at times! I loved hearing the stories of these young women – young women that I can identify with and find to be so brave for doing something like this. I’m glad the video had a happy ending too, a newfound perspective for their parents.
  • A Girl and Her Bed – I never write pieces like this and I remembered being very on the fence about it because it seems abnormal for me to dispel some serious feelings about a part of my daily routine. In reading it over though, I think the post is kind of beautiful. I’m using words that I don’t normally use and I’m being vulnerable in a way that I haven’t with Yow Yow! before.

  • “The Panic in Central Park” – Is this my favorite TV moment in 2016? Yes. I must have watched this episode at least 25 times and at one point, once a day for a week. We had given up on Girls the season before this one, but after hearing about how much commotion this episode stirred, we hopped back into it. Luckily, for this episode, you didn’t need to know what was happening before it. It was like it’s own standalone episode and it was a beautiful piece. Marnie may be one of the most annoying characters in the series, but in “The Panic in Central Park” she was all of us. We’ve all had that scenario – some version of it, sometimes shorter or longer or more fun or less fun than what Marnie had, but we all got to the same theme at the very end of it.
  • Our Twenties: How We’re Doing – “Be good to yourself” – a friend once advised me. Too many times in a year, I find myself complaining about how I don’t have this or don’t have that. How annoying for those around me that have to listen to this! The truth is, your 20’s aren’t easy. They were never supposed to be so it’s important for us to cut ourselves some slack. Earlier in 2016, I wrote about my New Year’s resolutions. This post though was sort of like our midpoint review. Initially this started out as a mini-project with Casper, but I ended up actually enjoying this more than I thought I would and had a lot of fun with it.
  • Aging and Alone in Manhattan’s Chinatown – I have a thing for pieces that remind me of my sweet Grandma Ruby. This profile by Mantai Chow truly captured a look into the life of an elderly living in Chinatown. I remember watching this video and thinking back to how I never worried about those that lived there because they had what I believed to be a strong community. In reality though, it seems much more lonelier than I thought. These individuals are more brave than I could ever be especially this woman profiled. Hearing her story was one of the highlights in Yow Yow’s 2016.

  • Let’s Talk About New York! – We made it to 12 posts! With all the trips we took this year, how could we not include our favorite one? It took me 26 years to get to New York, but I couldn’t have asked for a better traveling partner and tour guide. Mandi and I took the next step in our friendship and explored New York City together. She was a pro – obviously having done grad school there and me? Well, I could barely have a successful run on the subway without having a mini freak out. There was never a moment for us to stop because we were constantly on the move. And even though we had made a very packed itinerary for our trip, we only ended up doing half the things we were supposed to. I guess that just means we have to go back.
10 Jun 2016

Flashback Friday

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These photos are untouched because it’s a Friday night and it has been a long week so I just don’t even have the energy to begin editing them, but we have something important to say. It has been FOUR years since I graduated from college! Dom shared a group photo of us this morning and it was so nostalgic to see. Sometimes, it really is true what they say that college is the best four years of your life, but in no way shape or form do I feel the need to go back. There were some incredibly challenging moments, but I made connections with people that are very much my lifelong friends still.

The morning of graduation, a bunch of us decided to head over to someone’s apartment for a mimosa party. A lot of mimosas. I didn’t even know the person that lived at the apartment, really, and I still don’t know who that person is, but my friends were there so that’s all that mattered. We had all just gone out the night before, but graduation is long and sometimes you need a little pep in your step as you’re walking across the stage. These photos are really funny for me to look back on especially this top one because it’s totally my “I’m ready to graduate!” pose and it’s ridiculously annoying.

If you would’ve asked me back then if I ever saw myself leaving Seattle, I probably would’ve just said “nahh.”

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20 Mar 2016

And When We Give Back…

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No no, I’m not getting into comedy and improv, I promise! A couple of weeks ago, my dear friend Lucas, who is an admissions office at Seattle University,  asked me if I would be interested in being a part of the alumni Q&A as part of an event that he throws for accepted students in the Bay Area. Before we move forward, this is for the class of 2020! How crazy is that?!

Now that we’ve let that sunk in… I’ve been out of school for almost four years now and students from the university still call me every once in awhile asking me if I’ll be able to donate. Since I’m still trying to pay off my loans (like most other people from my year) this isn’t feasible so when Lucas asked me about this favor, I thought – this is something that I can do.

The entire event was such a trip. I totally remember going to campuses and learning about the different programs that universities had to offer with my parents, my aunts, and touring Seattle University’s campus with Kevin. Naturally, all of these high school seniors were somewhat embarrassed to be with their enthusiastic parents, but it was the parents that impressed me the most. When their kids were away, they would come up to me and ask me questions like how safe Seattle was, how the rain was, what I felt like I got the most out of the curriculum, etc. I wasn’t the most easygoing child, okay? I can totally admit that, but I have so much praise for parents for what they do – and mine especially. Shout out to them for caring about where I went to college and helping support me through this first big adult decision that I was making on my own. Yesterday, was a really humbling experience.

It was really funny because I happened to be on the Q&A panel with two other alumni who spoke a lot about the Jesuit values and curriculum and course load whereas my questions were very much student life/culture based and at one point I thought I was answering these questions incorrectly because I was a little bit of the black sheep. Those parents in the audience were probably like – What? How did this girl get through school when she spent three years planning events and hoping to obtain a career in the music industry?

Where I might have slipped up – telling these kids that this is a tough decision to make and that if it isn’t the right one, it isn’t the end of the world because you can always fix it (ie – transfer) lol. my bad.

Where I redeemed myself – telling them that they’ve all worked really hard to get to where they are at and obtaining these acceptance letters. They probably took a lot of hard courses in high school and did a ton of extracurriculars, but it doesn’t stop there. You can’t slow down in college or after you graduate and you must “continue to show your hustle” (yes, I was very proud of this line) because it’s a competitive world out there and everyone wants exactly what you want.

I can’t believe it has been 8 years since I made that decision myself, but wow – what an amazing experience. Four years of life skills, a great education, and friends that I will have for life. Wouldn’t trade it in for anything.

25 Apr 2015

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I still remember the early days of Yow Yow! and when I was a college student writing posts about Quadstock. Quadstock isn’t one of those things that defines me, but honestly, I wouldnt have minded if it was one of those things. I worked on this festival behind-the-scenes for two years and on my third year, I was running it along with my co-chair. It has been three years since I last did it and even though I’m very far removed from the Seattle University community and this organization, I still feel really proud of how far it has come and I get just as excited about the reveal of the lineup as I do for any other music festival. Beat Connection as a headliner is just downright amazing. They are well-respected within the Seattle music community and they’re going to do a great job of closing out the night. Also when I found out that SEAC was still doing the unveiling party, my heart skipped a beat because I’m so proud and thrilled that something I started is still continuing five years later!

06 Jul 2014

The Weekend: Lots of Things!

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It’s been two weeks since we’ve had one of these posts and so much has happened! I didn’t have time to post last weekend’s highlights so I’m combining it with this lovely holiday weekend. Some of my best girl friends from Seattle flew to see Ash and I for the long weekend and like any vacation we jam packed our days from start to finish. It’s interesting how the trips you plan when you are out of college and “more of an adult” shift from the vacation breaks you had when you were in school. Instead of traveling to cities where you plan on drinking constantly and sleeping in because of your hangovers, you’re waking up at 8:00 and getting your morning started. (Sort of like how the five of us would any day!) Instead of drinking, we put our money towards amazing meals and instead of going to bars, we went wine tasting in Sonoma. So there.

– also don’t those fireworks look great?! They went off Wednesday evening in San Francisco after the Giant’s game and they looked a whole lot better than the ones we tried to watch on 4th of July from this view.

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I did my first hike with some co-workers at Rancho San Antonio Open Space last weekend! There really are some gorgeous views here in the Bay Area.

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On Sunday afternoon, we caught a free concert from Yuna and Allen Stone at Stern Grove. We had never been over to this area before, but we loved how it was just kind of hidden in this park and large enough to hold a concert and fit THIS many people. It’s definitely one of the prettiest venues I’ve ever been to.

We’ve been watching episodes of this on Netflix.

We got athletic and competitive during our pre 4th of July company picnic with Bubble Soccer.

Happy 4th from the Seattle gang!

Visiting our Ash at Stanford

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

04 Apr 2014

Goodbye Piecora’s

The Capitol Hill that I had the opportunity to experience back in college is not the Capitol Hill it is today. When I first learned about the closing of the pizza place in my university’s neighborhood, I was instantly reminded of that Boy Meets World episode where Cory returns to his hometown to find that the restaurant he frequented – Chubbie’s – had undergone a complete renovation. It wasn’t the same and in a weird way it completely turned pirate themed. Piecora’s was a huge part of the Seattle University community. We always worked with them for events and they were so happy to work with us! I could always count on them for a slice of their amazing veggie pizza, salad, and spumoni. I still remember a night in college where I had given up on studying and dragged my then roommate – Anna with me so that I could get my fix.

Piecora’s has decided to sell to a developer – Equity Residential for $10.29 million. It’s interesting because Equity is one of the largest owners of apartments and was my home for two years. Piecora’s has been living at their E Madison location for 30 years and will close for good on Tuesday, April 15th.

I’m really going to miss this place.

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02 Sep 2013

Wedding Mondays

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Happy Holiday weekend everyone!

I’m so excited to share with you a very special wedding video this weekend. It’s not every Monday that I get to share a wedding video of a bride that I know, but this just happens to be one of those days. Stacey and I went to college together and as a freshman when she was a junior, she was someone that I looked up to in the Seattle University community. Her kind personality, bright outlook on life, and love for her friends and family are just a few of the many qualities that have made her such a beautiful bride on her wedding day.

Congratulations Stacey and we are wishing you all the best here at Yow Yow!

 

17 Jul 2013

Mayer Hawthorne on Jimmy Fallon

Yesterday was a very special day for Veronica, Charles, and I. Not only were we celebrating Veronica’s belated birthday at one of our old stomping ground restaurants in Capitol Hill, but we were also celebrating the release of Mayer Hawthorne’s latest album “Where Does This Door Go?” Two years ago, the three of us booked him for our college’s music festival and to this date, it’s still one of the things in my previous life as a booker that I am so proud of – mostly because…it’s just nuts and that life is insane! Our boy Mayer performed his single “Her Favorite Song” on Jimmy Fallon last night so check it out here!

08 Jul 2013

Meet: Hollis Wong-Wear

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photo cred | Janae Jones

This year, our series of “Women That Are Making It” is something that I am most proud of because we are featuring strong, ambitious ladies that are running the world with their wit, talents, and knowledge. When I first heard Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ latest track “White Walls” on the radio for the first time, I had to know – who was that girl singing the catchy hook? After doing some digging, I quickly found out that not only was Hollis Wong-Wear living in Seattle, but she was also an alumni of Seattle University who was a senior when I was just a freshman! From that point on, there was no question. We needed to get Hollis on Yow Yow!

Q: I heard that you first got started in music and the arts by writing poetry. How did this come about for you and what was your inspiration behind it?

Hollis: Literature and reading have always been central to my life. I started reading at a freakishly early age and was always the girl that was posted up at the library after school. The librarian in the children’s section at the Larkspur Library by my elementary school was my homie; she saved the best and latest books for me to check out first and tear through. I was the first one in the county to check out Walk Two Moons when I was in 2nd grade, an accomplishment I have clearly not forgotten! Because I honestly felt a closer affinity to books and reading than I did to most of my peers, I have always identified as a writer first and foremost. The necessary solitude of a writer mirrored the isolation I felt as a kid.

I grew up in the Bay Area and my life was fundamentally changed by an organization called Youth Speaks, which organized poetry slams and spoken word performances and showcased immensely powerful young poets and famous poets on the same stage. It ignited me. I felt empowered to write my own story and perform it in a raw way – I had always been theatrical. I left the theater behind to pursue performing my own words, and because of it, grew into a performer and writer who saw community and social justice as my catalysts and centers. Performing spoken word poetry as a young person is the foundation of my identity and work as a writer. 

Q: From poetry, how did that lead you into music? Is this the direction you always thought you would head in? Did you have any other career aspirations that you saw for yourself?

Hollis: I sang a lot in choirs growing up and have always loved music, but didn’t feel like I had a true talent for it. My mom attempted to cultivate me as a pianist and failed miserably; I didn’t have the passion or the discipline to be anything better than a competent beginner.

I only started doing my own music when a girl I had met through Youth Speaks in Seattle, Madeleine Clifford, and I became fast friends, bonded by our shared biracial experience, love of hip hop, and ferocious politics. We looked around and saw an absence of women like us making music we wanted to listen to. So we decided to do it ourselves. We parlayed our poetry into rap fluidly, and performed as Canary Sing for five years. We were bold, political, lyrically deft and a lot of fun. Performing with my best friend made the plunge into music much more manageable as we learned how to make music and navigate the music scene together. Both of us are unsure of whether we would have ever made that leap without our friendship to enable it.

I still have tons of other career aspirations that I still entertain: professor, novelist, education policy specialist, music video producer, public radio producer… I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be, but I knew I wanted to be creative and make a difference. I still hope that, even as I continue to place more and more of my eggs in the music basket. 

Q: You graduated from Seattle University when I was just a freshman. Being in a music-centered city like Seattle and even more so a neighborhood like Capitol Hill, did that help your involvement with music at all? Did you spend your weekends frequenting Neumos or the Showbox? On a typically weekend at college, where would we have found you?

Hollis: Going to school straddled between Capitol Hill and the Central District was a huge part of my education – learning the history and the culture and the tension of Seattle, growing a rich network of artists and community members, and being in an urban environment. I went to see hip-hop shows at Neumos and Chop Suey regularly, and wrote in writing circles and read at open mics at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. I was a serious student during college so you could find me in the library quite frequently, but I was also always off campus: freestyling in the back seat of a friend’s car driving through Lake City or on Maddy’s back porch in the Central District; eating late night treats in the International District; studying at cafes on the Ave. 

photo cred | Seattle Peach

Q: You’re producing music videos for Macklemore, running operations for Blue Scholars, and at the same time are recording music, yourself. What does a typical day look like for you?

Hollis: There’s no such thing as a typical day for me! I am a nomad. I typically wake up at 9 AM and start immediately with e-mails, then will go off to do a variety of things: meetings, recording sessions, work sessions, poetry meet-ups. I also tutor high school students for SAT/ACT test prep and general enrichment, so there’s some of those sessions sprinkled in there. I’m anywhere from Beacon Hill to Capitol Hill to Greenlake to West Seattle. Over the last couple of months, I have made sure that I am in the studio working both on my solo material and The Flavr Blue’s new music every week for a significant amount of time. 

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Q: How did you get hooked up with Macklemore and the Blue Scholars?

Hollis: I met Blue Scholars through an Isangmahal poetry open mic where Geo and I were the featured performers. I was so nervous; I knew every syllable of their self-titled LP and was hugely inspired by their music. Geo was hella nice and I felt so cool that he remembered who I was a week later when they headlined Quadstock. We ended up hanging out two summers later in New York City and I was friends with Geo and Saba ever since. When they changed up their management to handle it themselves, they hired me to do coordination and communications, which allowed me to quit my non-profit communications job and essentially freelance full-time. It’s been 3 years since that happened.

I met Macklemore through my friend Gabriel Teodros and Khingz, who were huge early supporters of Canary Sing. Canary Sing actually opened for Macklemore at a show at Chop Suey in 2007 or 2008 (we’d then open for him again at Showbox in 2011). But I didn’t really get to know him until he, Ryan Lewis, Zia Mohajerjasbi and I worked tirelessly for months on the “WING$” song and video. It was such a huge process and learning experience for all of us, and I became really close with all of the guys through that. It was great in particular to grow a friendship and a creative relationship with Ben, who I consider one of my closest friends. 

Q: At 25, not many people can say that they’ve performed on stage with mainstream acts like Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in front of thousands? What is that like? Is it something that felt natural to you or did it take some getting used to?

Hollis: I feel grateful that in my young life as a performer I’ve gotten to perform on some pretty impressive stages that have made it so that performing, say, on the main stage of the Gorge for Sasquatch isn’t a harrowing experience. At 19, Maddy and I performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem for Brave New Voices, the national youth poetry slam; we performed in front of over a thousand opening for Saul Williams two years later. Performance has always felt natural to me, and more than anything, it’s confidence and comfort on-stage that makes a performance truly great. As long as I know exactly what I’m doing on stage, I feel good. If anything, I need to combat my overly analytical, totally lucid mind, and appreciate and take in the experience that so many performers wish they had. It’s a crazy lucky thing that I’ve been able to perform on the stages that I have and hopefully will continue to in the future. 

photo cred | Janae Jones

Q: Tell us about The Flavr Blue. How did you guys get together? How long have you been performing with each other? This summer, fans can catch you at Capitol Hill Block Party and Bumbershoot. How does it feel to be performing at two of Seattle’s major music festivals?

Hollis: The Flavr Blue was originally a duo—my bandmates Lace and Parker—and they invited me into the studio to sing on the last song of their debut EP. The studio happens to be in the house where my boyfriend lives, so I was frequently on the couch right outside. We made that song, “In My Dream,” and suddenly the debut EP of a duo became the first half of a debut LP from a trio. Right away there was a natural chemistry between the three of us: they were heavy into production and experimenting with vocals, and I was interested in writing solid, fun pop music after having recorded hip-hop and acoustic R&B for years. It was a musical departure for all of us, and we realized that the three of us had a great synergy to make The Flavr Blue a thing. That was two years ago. And we’re still growing and learning so much.

It feels like a great accomplishment and a huge challenge to perform at Block Party and Bumbershoot. It’s my first time performing on music stages at both festivals, and they’re the big ones for local bands: Neumos stage and Fischer Green. We are determined to put on a spectacular show and it’s definitely pushing the limits of what we’ve done in the past. I’ve learned a lot about live show production in the last half-year and look forward to growing the experience of The Flavr Blue as more performance opportunities emerge. 

Q: Should the audience expect any surprises from your set at all?

Hollis: We’re performing four completely new songs with surprising instrumentation, and we’re working on a really stunning visual show. Hopefully it all translates! We’ve felt so grateful for the support we’ve received thus far. 

Q: I hear you are originally from the Bay Area. San Francisco is becoming a fast favorite for me after Seattle of course. Can you let us in on some of your favorite spots?

Hollis: Oh man! Too many awesome places in the Bay Area; hard to say what my favorite spots are. I’d say one of the most underrated neighborhoods and one that shaped my teenage years was the inner Richmond and Clement Street. Burma Superstar, Genki crepes, Green Apple Books, and King of Thai Noodle II were all regular haunts of mine. My favorite venue in the Bay is probably the New Parish in Oakland. 

Q: How does your family feel about the career path? Are you all a musically talented bunch as well?

Hollis: My family is very supportive of now, although it was definitely an adjustment for my parents during college that their academically motivated, for-sure-headed-for-grad-school daughter was making hip-hop music. My mom in particular has always wanted for me to go to grad school and be educated and successful, but over the last year both of my parents have recognized that the work I’m doing is groundwork for a veritable career; that I’m not a drugged up deadbeat just because I’m pursuing music as a vocation. It was a gratifying moment to invite them to see me perform with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at the Fillmore in SF, then invite them again two weeks later while I was tour managing the Blue Scholars for their winter tour.

We are not a particularly musical family honestly. I’m the only person in my immediate and extended family on both sides that’s pursuing music as a career. 

photo cred | Artists For Artists

Q: You mentioned to me that you are currently based in Seattle (since you’re not touring) what are you most looking forward to this summer in the city?

Hollis: Sun and work! I am so busy. But this nice weather has been really great and allowed me to relax in between tasks much better 🙂 It will be really cool to be at Seattle’s two biggest festivals as a performer and a fan.

Q: 2013 has been an incredible year for you and we’re only halfway done! If there is one accomplishment that you are most proud of so far, what has it been?

Hollis: Thanks so much. It’s hard to pinpoint. My bandmates frequently make fun of me for being “unimpressed” and “uninterested” while I move through my life. Sometimes I think I overcompensate for the potentially overwhelming amount of things going on by being super level-headed and not getting particularly excited about what’s going on in my sphere. But weird things will pop out at me sometimes. Like when I saw that the Billboard Awards had nominated “Thrift Shop” as a video of the year, and I was like… “I produced that! Holy shit!” Or when I was going on about how intense and stressful my summer was going to be, a friend of mine said, “So, you’re basically performing in every major music festival in the Seattle region this summer.” And I was like, “Oh shit. Yes. This is basically my dream come true I think.” 

I’m actually extremely proud that “Same Love” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring my friend Mary Lambert is on the verge of going platinum and has become a watermark for the year of progress on gay rights that we’ve had. It was a gorgeous union for me of my musical spheres and my poetic past, as I met Mary as a youth poet in Youth Speaks and was able to introduce her for her feature on that song. I am immensely gratified by that collaboration and the fact that a young queer musician and spoken word artist whose work has touched me greatly has broken into the mainstream. So dope. 

Q: Hollis, this year on Yow Yow! we are focusing on the life of a 20-something and being a recent post grad transitioning out of college. What advice do you have for young adults our age and moving into the adult world?  /// In a city like Seattle, teenagers are always trying to break into the music industry whether it is on the performing or the booking side. I started booking when I was still in high school for the Kirkland Teen Center and I wouldn’t have gotten there if it weren’t for the adults already involved in music helping me get my foot in the door. What advice do you have for people who aspire to work in the industry?

Hollis: I think we’re in an amazing time to be a young person. More than growing a career in one path, it’s more about growing your capacity, particularly in the creative sectors. In music, success is equal parts artistry and entrepreneurship, which means we have to be original, inspired, and savvy in order to prevail. It’s a great challenge. I also encourage all young people to have purpose in their work – a drive and a passion, but also a motivation larger than self. No matter what your focus is professionally, there is always a way to connect it to a larger cause, to be aware of how what you do in the world can either silence or empower people with less opportunity. All people are capable of teaching and of learning constantly. It’s easy for us to be isolated in the age of social media even though there is an illusion of immediate connectedness, and to be instantaneous experts because we have the latest technology or we can Wiki really fast. Truly great work takes time to cultivate, and humility, and thoughtfulness, and exertion. There’s no replacement for it.

There’s also no need to rush. Working with intention is way better than hurrying down a road you didn’t want to go down. I used to think that I was too old at 22, 24, even 26 to be an emerging artist; if it was supposed to happen for me to be well-known or successful, it would have happened already. Not true. I’m so glad that I’m the age I am now, with the self-knowledge that I possess, where I can really focus on the work I have to do. It took me those years out of college to try new things and struggle financially and fail gloriously and build the relationships that now have proved fruitful for me as an artist and a human being.

I facilitated a panel conversation and Jake One, arguably Seattle’s most renowned hip hop producer, had an amazing insight that spoke to me greatly. He attributes the success to the relationships he forged in his early years as an artist with people who were just as earnest and ambitious as he was. As his career grew, their careers grew; they grew together, probably exponentially so. We are nobody without our people, our networks, and the genuine relationships we form with our peers that aspire and inspire to new levels of greatness. It’s better to not look so high into the stratosphere and get disheartened by the gulf between where you are and where and who you want to be ideally, and instead look at ground level at who is doing the work and has the passion and fire you have, and let those people push you up. 

photo cred | Ashley Genevieve

Q: At this point, what is next for you? You’ve accomplished so much coming out of college already with your multiple projects. Are there any solo projects in the works or things going on outside of music that you are pursuing?

Hollis: I appreciate that even though I feel like I’m really at the beginning of what I hope to do. I am working on a solo EP and honing what my individual sound is like. I am grateful to be working with my friend Budo, an amazing producer, on that end. The Flavr Blue’s new EP is something I’m also really excited to release to the public. It will be kind of crazy to see what happens when the video for “White Walls” is released to the masses. I’m not really sure what’s in the cards for me, but I definitely feel like it’s now or never, ya know? I’m working hard to be ready for whatever comes my way.