Recent posts: california

Scouring the 2025 NAMM Show performance schedule, I eagerly set out to pack my show itinerary with hidden gem artists I’d not seen anywhere else. My eyes zeroed in when I saw Caro aka “La Flamenkita” on the bill and knew she’d be a must-see. Reading The Culture OC’s recent profile of the Mexican-American rising guitar phenom, I excitedly anticipated viewing the California native flamenco guitarist as she took the Westin Hotel stage on NAMM Show’s Wednesday night. Captivating the audience, the crowd hung on every note as you could hear a pin drop as she played. Those in attendance sonically transported to the Spanish Mediterranean in an instant.

Previewing Grammy Museum’s new “Hip-Hop America: The Mixtape Exhibit” before its public opening a few weeks ago, my eyes immediately met priceless, meaningful cultural artifacts at every turn. Among the friendly faces greeting the small crowd of photographers and journalists viewing these rarities, stood UCLA’s English and African-American Studies “Professor of Hip-Hop” and Rap Lab founding director Adam Bradley. As a life-long lover of poetry and song lyrics, I was hyped to connect with him about his passion for the art form and his influence on the prominent “Lyrical Adventures” pod within the exhibit.