Grady Brannan, the famous music photographer renowned for capturing the electrifying moments of live performances, has just unveiled his latest exhibition, ALL ACCESS ALL THE TIME.
San Francisco
I Goat You Babe: San Francisco Goat Fashion Show Brings The Love on Valentine’s Day
Only in San Francisco! Goat a load of this, California non profit Value Culture presented a unique fashion show this Valentine’s Day in the heart of San Francisco. The Goat My Valentine Fashion show took place in the iconic Union Square with actual goats being walked by cultural G.O.A.T.s of the city. A huge crowd gathered and went wild as goats in custom elaborate designs good enough for the Met Gala were walked by iconic San Francisco cultural figures. The event had everyone smiling on Valentine’s day, even those still suffering over the one who goat away. Seriously, good thing there are pictures because who could make this up?
We got the chance to get “festival ready” at the Outside Lands kick off party which was held August 4th. The event took place at Bloomingdales at Westfield mall in San Francisco. The fun afternoon featured a live performance, a fashion presentation by Bloomingdale’s personal shopper, light bites, and specialty cocktails. The event was hosted by Value Culture, A 501c3 NGO focused on building the future by valuing cultures.
Upon arrival we headed to the check in table and felt like we had been transported to a whole other world. Attendees were wearing festival attire while sipping on specialty cocktails presented by Bacardi. Music filled the whole floor as local singer Sam Johnson played guitar and guests swayed along. The event also featured quick bites prepared by Honey Brie Boards in the form of charcuterie board bowls filled with decadent cheese and crackers paired with a variety of dried fruit and nuts. We also got to chat with Bloomingdale’s Personal Shopper, Amanda Adams who gave us a fashion presentation on all the best festival pieces Bloomingdale’s had to offer.
Value culture, created by founder Adam Swig, believe that culture heals, builds, and brings people together. The San Francisco based nonprofit says, “In our ever changing globalized world, there’s never been a more important time for us to value the world’s cultures, heritages, arts, music, and those creating and preserving humanity’s greatest gift to each other.” The mission of Value Culture is to produce and support artistic, educational, charitable, and spiritual events to inspire individuals to give back in their communities. To support Value Culture’s cause, text VALUECULTURE to 44-321 to donate or visit their website here .
Don’t forget to check out our TikTok on the event down below or @theknockturnal.com and follow us on Instagram @theknockturnal for clips and interviews of your favorite celebrities and exclusive events.
@theknockturnal.com We got to check out the Bloomingdale’s Pre Outside Lands Party hosted by Value Culture in San Francisco this weekend #theknockturnal #journalism #fyp #fypシ #foryou #outsidelands #bloomingdales #sanfrancisco #valueculture #33333 #summer #party #outsidelands2022 #outsidelandsoutfits
A Night in Review: Value Culture Presents at The Chapel: Gili Yalo, Kosha Dillz, Noa Zimmerman
Value Culture, a non-profit organization looking to connect people back to their communities & internal philanthropy, brought together the San Francisco community for a moment of musical bliss on Wednesday August 11th. Hosted at The Chapel, a former chapel turned into venue, presented on the outdoor stage in San Francisco, attendees were transported around the world in a cozy corner of the city. The lineup for the night consisted of indie folk singer/songwriter Noa Zimmerman, a young artist hailing from San Francisco who opened the night with soft melodies and a voice so gentle but sure that felt as if the listener was being cradled in a warm spring day. Sharing personal stories in between each song, including her astrophysicist friend’s practical feedback for the more magical elements in her song “The River”, from her latest album Indus. The personal anecdotes and gentle conversation with the audience helped welcome attendees into the opening of the night. More of her music can be found various music platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc along with more information on her Foundation and music from her albums on her website.
As Noa finished up her set, Dj Beatific began to set up to carry the night into a more hip hop atmosphere with remixes of hits from both the 90s and 00’s setting the mood for the pumped up performance of New Yorker rapper Kosha Dillz. Bringing over New York energy Rami Matan Even-Esh, aka Kosha Dillz, combines his personal feelings surrounding the world, politics, and his Jewish roots and much more through woven rap with more old school hip hop beats. He, alongside DJ Beatific, took the audience through some of his hits and more recent work that allowed him to share his emotional journey through the pandemic. Definitely taking on the role of stage hype man and main performer Kosha Dillz charmed the crowd with his charisma, witty conversations with the audience, and even a little heckling here and there. Although the crowd may not have been his usual rap listening demographic, he interacted with everyone throughout the night to keep them amped up. He set up the stage and easily transitioned the night into the main event’s hands, Gili Yalo.
Gili Yalo is an Ethiopian born musician who found his bearings and ties back to Ethiopian culture after an emotional life starting from coming to Israel with his family as refugees during Operation Moses. Much of Gili’s history talks on the difficulties of growing up as an Ethiopian man in Israel during a time when society wasn’t so keen on having neighbors so different share space with them. He has often shared in interviews how childhood stories and personal dealings with racism molded him to come to terms with the feelings of knowing and owning his Ethiopian history, roots, and blood. Pouring these sentiments into his music, Gili Yalo creates a new world of music taking inspiration from Jazz, Funk, and Blues genre sounds but tying together the haunting nature of Ethiopian scales, which are pentatonic. However the music is lively and incorporates Yalo’s feelings of music in Ethiopia being a way of life and not just dreams of being on stage. This was incredibly apparent in the strong and overwhelming power Gili Yalo brought to the stage. As he shared some of his hits like “Sew Lesew” and “Selam” the audience is transported into this mystical world that is so new and so nostalgic at the same time, especially for other immigrants. To be able to cross beyond the barrier of language and pull people from all walks into a new music, whether it be for the instrumentals or the hypnotizing pull of the vocals, is no easy feat and Gili Yalo beautifully achieves that. Gili’s music is available on popular music sites such as Spotify, ITunes, Apple Music, etc and his most recent album Made in Amharica is a musical journey that everyone genuinely needs to embark on.
![DSC08281 Photos from Value Culture showcase with pictures of the performers](https://theknockturnal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/DSC08281-1170x1755.jpg)
Noa Zimmerman: Photos taken by Misha Vladimirskiy
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DJ Beatific: Photos taken by Misha Vladimirskiy
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Kosha Dillz: Photos taken by Misha Vladimirskiy
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Kosha Dillz: Photos taken by Misha Vladimirskiy
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Gili Yalo: Photos taken by Misha Vladimirskiy
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Gili Yalo: Photos taken by Misha Vladimirskiy
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Gili Yalo & Kosha Dillz: Photos taken by Misha Vladimirskiy
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Gili Yalo & Kosha Dillz: Photos taken by Misha Vladimirskiy
Overall the night was an immense success for both the audience and for event coordinator Adam Swig who created Value Culture. Truly we do not need to be from the one same culture to share a bond with so many other paths our fellow humans take. Adam’s goals are embedded within his organization and Value Culture brought together the community in San Francisco to remind us just how connected we can all be thanks to music.
PEOPLE, Investigation Discovery Host Fifth Annual ‘Inspire a Difference’ Gala
PEOPLE and Investigation Discovery distributed awards for significant charity work to four celebrities and one “everyday hero” Thursday night at Dream Downtown. Padma Lakshmi, Julianna Margulies, Alonzo Mourning, and Gabrielle Union were among the celebrity recipients this year, along with a woman named Vanessa Russell, who is devoted to bringing awareness to child trafficking.
Each of the five honorees gave a speech detailing their passions in regards to their respective charities and foundations. Jess Cagle, editorial director for PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly, and Henry Schleiff, Group President of the Investigation Discovery, American Heroes Channel, and Destination America portfolios, introduced each awardee.
“Media organizations, print or any other form, not only can play a critical role in making sure victims’ voices are heard, but they, in fact, actually have an obligation to do so,” Schleiff said. “Vision is the art of seeing the invisible. Tonight, ID is honored to be here with PEOPLE Magazine and with you to celebrate the amazing work of our celebrity honorees, and visionaries, and everyday hero who inspire a difference for those who often struggle to find a voice.”
PADMA LAKSHMI – AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
Model, author, actress, and television host Padma Lakshmi was the first to accept her award on behalf of her work with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
“The ACLU, to me, is probably one of the most valuable institutions to our democracy. It is the one champion and defender – in a class of its own, in a league of its own – to protect our civil liberties, our civil rights, the laws and tenants of the constitution, the very bedrock of why America is, indeed, great.” Citing her own “horror…as our rights have been chipped away,” Lakshmi described her increasing and fervent efforts as an ambassador for women’s rights and immigration issues.
“Who here is an immigrant or the child of an immigrant? Who here is part of the LGBT community? Who here is a person of color? Who here is or knows someone with a disability? We should all defend the ACLU because they defend all of those people, and more,” she said. “I came here over forty years ago this week. I landed in New York when I was four, on Halloween Day. [My mom] literally sculpted out of the mist a way forward, in the way that people who don’t really have another choice often do.”
“My mom came here with one hundred dollars in her pocket. Not one penny more,” Lakshmi continued, acknowledging her own privilege that her mother spoke English and was skilled as a nurse. She related stories of children and single mothers struggling in detention camps on the border, seeking asylum and refuge.
“Our democracy is under attack,” she concluded. “They’re fighting for you, and for you, and for me, and for my daughter, and for all of our children.”
“We have always been a beacon of hope, and the thing that gives us our moral high ground, is that we say, give us your weak, give us your tired, give us your poor, that we will envelop them into our arms. Here in America, you can be part of us too, as long as you can peacefully work hard.
“Who do we as Americans want to be? Because collectively, our house is on fire. What are we going to do about it?
“A country is made of its people. And we, the people, are in charge.”
JULIANNA MARGULIES – ERIN’S LAW & THE BRADY CENTER TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE
Three-time Emmy winner and producer Julianna Margulies accepted her award for her work with Erin’s Law and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. She spoke on the two, combining her dialogue to envelop the theme of “common sense.”
“I would like a safer world for all of us, but especially for our children,” she began. “I have been scratching my head for years wondering why these simple, common sense laws are so hard to pass. None of it makes sense to me. So that’s why I got involved.”
Margulies described the philosophy of “common sense background checks” in relation to gun violence, and said we need to think about Erin’s Law in the same way. She used the anecdote of seatbelts; when she was a child, there was no law to wear them. When she got her license, it changed to the passenger and driver’s seats. Then, in 1989, children under 14 had to wear belts in the backseats, as research proved fewer deaths when wearing them.
“I jump in a cab in New York City, and, because I’m old, I forget to put my seat belt on,” she quipped. “Then my son, who’s nine, goes, ‘Mom, why isn’t your seat belt on?’ Why? Because that’s what he knows, because we’re preventing accidents before they happen. That’s what we need to be doing with gun control and with Erin’s Law.”
Margulies reported that 90% of Americans – gun owners included – agree with common sense background checks.
“Vegas happened less than two months ago. Six weeks ago. Since then – honestly, since I was working on this speech – I kept having to change the number of deaths in this country. Since Las Vegas, over 900 people have died from gunshot wounds in our country. Think about that. What are we doing? Something has to change.”
Margulies then switched gears to telling the story of Erin Merryn, author of Erin’s Law, who was also in attendance. Merryn calls herself the “voice for the voiceless” and has dedicated herself fully to the activism and awareness surrounding child sexual assault. Merryn survived six years of sexual assault in her childhood, and when she was thirteen, finally came forward at a Children’s Advocacy Center. Since then, she has been dedicated to enforcing age-appropriate classes for children on what is okay and what is not okay. Erin’s Law has been passed so far in 31 states and is still pending in 15.
“Give them the tools, dear God, we should be giving our children every tool in the shed,” Margulies said. She then told a story about a nine-year-old girl in Maryland, where the law had passed, that came forward after a seminar on sexual abuse was presented to her fourth grade class. Tearfully, Margulies related her story, of abuse since she was three, by her mother’s boyfriend.
“It works, because he’s in jail for forty years,” Margulies said to applause. “It worked in Illinois as well, for an eight-year-old girl. He’s now behind bars. It gives kids the courage to come forward and say, I have a voice, and not live through these atrocities thinking they deserve it, or, they can’t do anything about it, so they just suffer through it.”
“Raise your voices, and we’ll be heard. We just have to raise them really loud right now.”
ALONZO MOURNING – THE MOURNING FAMILY FOUNDATION
Alonzo “Zo” Mourning, NCAA, NBA, and Olympic basketball champion, received his award for his work with an organization he founded with his wife Tracy in 1997. The Mourning Family Foundation is dedicated to creating youth development programs, schools, facilities, and educational and extracurricular activities in South Florida.
“My life’s work is giving, and making a positive difference in other people’s lives. I humbly accept this award, but it feels pretty uncomfortable to receive an award for what you’re supposed to be doing. Something that we all have a responsibility to do – especially when you think about where you come from – to make a difference.”
“Our kids are coming into the world thirsty for information, for direction, and they count on us to give it to them. When we think about the problems that our kids have, we don’t have a kid problem. We have an adult problem.”
“It took these angels in my life,” Mourning said about his own childhood and adolescence. “It took my foster mom, who fostered 49 kids in her lifetime. It took coaches, it took teachers, it took family members, it took friends. It took a village to contribute to my overall development not only as a player, but as a person. It took all of that.”
The Mourning Family Foundation has helped thousands of children over the past twenty years in conjunction with Tracy Mourning’s organization, called Honey Shine, which mentors and fosters girls in the Miami area. Mourning spoke of his dedication to raising high-school graduation rates, which have gone from 50% to 85%. 100% of the children in after-school Mourning Family Foundation programs graduate from high school.
“We’re excited about the change, and we know that it’s contagious,” Mourning said.
“We can become the change that we wish to see in this world if we embrace the responsibility.”
GABRIELLE UNION – THE RAPE FOUNDATION
Actress Gabrielle Union has dedicated her energies to The Rape Foundation, founded in 1989.
“I was the perfect victim,” Union began. “I had the luxury of being raped in a wealthy community.” She stated that the under-worked police department, under-utilized rape crisis center, rapid therapy process, and supportive family and friends made her experience “painfully rare.”
“Whose pain and whose truth is tolerable? Whose pain and whose truth is intolerable? Whose pain and whose truth means direct action, right now. And who can wait?”
At age 19, Union was raped at gunpoint while working at her summer job at Payless. For the past 20 years, she has been speaking out as a sexual assault survivor.
“I have to keep reminding people that just because you might see someone look polished, or on a show, or in a movie, or a magazine – yeah, me too. You cannot price your way out of sexual violence or sexual harassment or sexual assault. All of us who keep moving further and further away from urban centers because we think we’re getting safer? I was raped at work, coming from a two-parent household where both my parents were college educated, I was the right kind of black person. And by that I mean, I laughed at racist jokes. I didn’t call people out on their shit. I was the non-threatening kind of black. You know, the cool one.
“So when I was raped, I was believed. But my dad fell into this very bizarre, dark hole, because my dad bought into the American Dream. My dad’s from the projects. And the horrors that he saw from the projects, he wasn’t supposed to see in the suburbs.
“I was the point guard. I dated the right kinds of boys. We were active in our Catholic church. He married the right kind of woman. We went to the right kind of schools and had the right kind of friends and I was still raped.
“Assimilation was supposed to pay. It was supposed to keep us safe. Me shrinking and hiding my blackness, that was supposed to mean something. And his child was raped, at gunpoint, at her after-school job in the summer. My dad thought he was teaching me work ethic, and how to not be entitled. My dad didn’t want me falling into the trappings of my very privileged friends. But what he and none of our parents realized is that you can’t out-run or out-price sexual violence.
“Sexual violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time, and nobody had it coming. Nobody is asking for it. If you had some cocktails, you’re not asking for it, no matter what you had on. I was at work, wearing a tunic and leggings. And a family female friend still asked what I had worn. And I was the perfect victim.”
Union then spoke about the current Harvey Weinstein’s victims and tasked the media to re-define what it means to be a “perfect victim.”
“Everyone’s truth deserves to be believed. Everyone’s pain should incite you to act.”
VANESSA RUSSELL – LOVE NEVER FAILS
This year’s “Everyday Hero” award was given to Vanessa Russell, who began as a dance teacher in 2000, teaching all genres of dance between ages 3 and 25. In 2010, she discovered that one of her 15-year-old students had been sold into human trafficking. Russell then realized, upon research and intense activism, that human trafficking, which she called “modern-day slavery,” is one of the nation’s largest yet most under-discussed emergencies.
The average ages of child victims range between 11 and 14. Russell cited the growing homelessness epidemic of San Francisco as an exacerbating factor of trafficking.
Russell founded Love Never Fails, which is dedicated to housing, educating, and protecting women and children involved in or at risk of becoming involved in domestic human trafficking. As a survivor of domestic assault herself, Russell, who lives in the Bay Area with her husband and seven children, believes firmly that human trafficking is something that can be fixed.
Inspire a Difference honorees over the past five years have included Rosario Dawson, Marcia Gray Harden, Stephanie March, Tamara Taylor, Angie Harmon, AnnaLynne McCord, and Grace Gealey.
For more information about the mentioned foundations, please see the links and phone numbers below:
ACLU: http://www.aclu.org/ – (212) 549-2500
Erin’s Law: http://www.erinslaw.org/
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence: http://www.bradycampaign.org/ – (202) 370-8101
The Mourning Family Foundation: http://www.mourningfamilyfoundation.org/ – (305) 46-0095
The Rape Foundation: http://www.therapefoundation.org/ – (310) 451-0042
Love Never Fails: http://www.loveneverfailsus.com/ – (844) 249-2698
The Super Bowl fun started hours before the North Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos hit the field at Levi Stadium in San Franciso as a who’s who in entertainment hit the city in celebration of the big game over the weekend.
Kicking off the Super Bowl weekend MGM Grand presented Leather & Laces 13th Annual Two-Night Mega Party which was hosted by Jeremy Piven and Emmanuelle Chriqui. The party which was sponsored by Monster Energy and Medea Vodka along with Sushi Confidential, Sqor.com, 99.7 Now, Bauers Transportation and Mymojo.com had a guestlist which included Chuy Bravo, James Hall, JJ Stokes, James Anderson, Sam Barrington, Johnny Gill, Carissa Rosario and Charles Woodson during the first night and Alessandra Ambrosio and Emily Ratajkowski were on hand to host the second night’s celebration of Leather & Lace, while Shaquille O’Neil, Andrew Sendejo, Adrian Ross, Daryl Johnson, and Cage The Elephant were in attendance.
On Saturday afternoon Pepsi hosted their Black History Month celebration event #theRecipein partnership with the NFL highlighting players, celebrities and local champions for their achievements on and off the field. The brunch was hosted by Terrence J, Angela Simmons and featured a live performance from Miguel and DJ D-Nice.Special guests in attendance included T.I., DJ Envy, Legendary Damon and Karen Civil. Guests were also able to go online and take #TheRecipe quiz and share their personalized recipe cards on social media.
Meanwhile also taking place in San Francisco was the sixth annual DIRECTV Super Saturday Night at Pier 70 co-hosted by Mark Cuban’s AXS TV featuring a performance by the six-time Grammy Award-winning band, Red Hot Chili Peppers and special guests Run DMC, plus surprise performance by DJ Snoopadelic. Run DMC opened the show with their classic hits “It’s Tricky,” “Walk This Way,” and many more. The Red Hot Chili Peppers performed over an hour set with “Californication,” “By The Way,” “Otherside,” “Under The Bridge,” and “Can’t Stop” among other hits. Among those in attendance included: Reggie Bush, Alicia Keys, Liam Hemsworth, Kate Hudson, Julianne Hough and Nick Jonas.
![SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 06: Recording artists Joseph Simmons (L) and Darryl McDaniels of RunD.M.C. perform onstage during the DirecTV and Pepsi Super Saturday Night featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers at Pier 70 on February 6, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for DirecTV)](https://theknockturnal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/508873328-300x199.jpg)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – FEBRUARY 06: Recording artists Joseph Simmons (L) and Darryl McDaniels of RunD.M.C. perform onstage during the DirecTV and Pepsi Super Saturday Night featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers at Pier 70 on February 6, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for DirecTV)
DIRECTV Super Saturday Night closed out three nights of live concert performances, with Dave Matthews Band performing at DIRECTV’s Super Thursday Night and Pharrell Williams at Pepsi’s Friday Night Live.