Dec 21

Dec 21 Gems and Secrets Newsletter #6 — SHY Martin, Stumptown, and your holiday movie lineup!

Gems Secrets

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WELCOME:

Ah, good morning sisters and brothers, we survived another week. At last, the weekend has arrived and... oh crap.. does anyone else need to do any last minute shopping? What shoe size was Carol and does anyone have any allergies or diet restrictions we don't know about? It's like yesterday was October and tomorrow's already January. Where does the time even go?
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Sure, while the holidays can bring a lot of stress, our newsletter is the cure. You'll laugh, you'll find a new song you like, you might even check out an event where you end up meeting your soulmate, which turns into you falling in love, and in which we (hopefully) will be invited to the wedding, and then before you know it, you're giving birth to twins (Gem and Secret are great names by the way).

All of that thanks to our newsletter, incredible right? The possibilities are truly endless and while we deserve all of the credit, it was actually all thanks to you for subscribing in the first place. You're welcome.
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**We trust upon you to share our newsletter with your peers but starting in 2019, we'll start handing out some free stuff to thank you for all of your efforts and support. Regardless, give the gift that keeps on giving and share the newsletter with your friends and family.

Winter Solstice is today! (Don't go outside for the next few months)
Black Mirror returns to Netflix in 6 days (Zach is excited)
New Year's Eve is in 10 days (Who's giving us a kiss at midnight?)
🦔 Groundhog day is in 43 days (Are we taking bets?)

FEATURE OF THE WEEK:

The feature of the week can be anyone whom we feel deserves some extra recognition in their field. With this extremely prestigious award, we shine a light on the creative people who make the world just a little more interesting.

Sara Hellstrom aka SHY Martin is the creative mastermind behind some of your favorite dance tracks. Tracks like Kygo’s ‘First Time’ feat. Ellie Goulding, Bebe Rexha’s ‘(Not) The One’, The Chainsmoker’s ‘All We Know’, and NOTD’s ‘I Wanna Know’ feat. Bea Miller.

As a songwriter who’s work has already garnered herself over a billion streams, the talented young artist has proven over and over again how gifted one can be when wielded with pen and paper.

Read the rest of the article here.

Know an artist we should shine some light on?
Send us your pitch here

SPACE HIGHLIGHT:

Yep, it's getting cold out there baby so if you're looking for something sweet to do with your partner (or friends), check out the Little Choc Apothecary. Not only is their hot chocolate the tastiest little treat you could ever ask for, but we’re pretty sure they have a secret recipe for the worlds best chocolate chip cookies.

And the best part, everything on the menu is gluten and vegan free (yeah, seriously). Next time you’re strolling through Williamsburg, venture down Havemeyer to this super cozy spot, you won't regret it.

WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO:

There's been a lot of great releases this week, here are some of our favorites:

• Midas.Gold released a really cool music video, watch it here.
• French producer Kulkid releases new dance track (feat. Kaleena Zanders), listen to 'Skyline' here.
• TS Graye is like a cooler Lana Del Rey, stream her new song right here.
• Kinder is an electronic duo with a really badass sound, check out their new song right here.
• Cassette Tapes, the indie-pop duo from San Fran dropped a new song and literally all of their music is great, stream their latest here.
• Sol is thinking about the kids, are you? Listen to their new song here.

Can't make up your mind? You can always follow our Spotify playlist, we update this bad boy almost every day. Pop, Indie, Dance music, etc... just the best of the best, we promise.

PLACES TO BE:

What’s Happening in New York City:
James Cohan - Federico Herrero: Open Alphabet, on view through December 21
Heller Gallery - Amber Cowan, on view through January 5

What’s Happening in Los Angeles:

LAST Projects - Katya Grokhovsky: NOTHING PERSONAL, 2pm December 22
Upstairs at the Ace Hotel - Percussive House & Techno: Mor Elian, 6pm December 23
The Dynasty Typewriter - Was it Really That Bad? 8pm December 27

THINGS TO WATCH:

Movies:

- Shaun of The Dead: Listen, this zombie comedy has been on my list to watch forever. And let me tell you, I’m upset it took me this long to watch it. The good news is that it was recently put on Netflix. Merry Christmas, Edgar Wright is a genius.

- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: One of my most anticipated films of 2018 and it blew my expectations out of the water. With its solid characters, story, and creative art style, it may be the best adaptation of Spider-Man yet.

- A Charlie Brown Christmas Special: - I was unsure if we should consider this a movie, because of the cinematic experience given, or a TV show because of the length. Regardless of my indecisiveness, check this out again. It has only gotten better with age.

TV Shows:

It’s time to cram all of your favorite Christmas episodes in the next few days. Here is a list of my favorite TV Christmas Specials (in no particular order):

The Simpsons:
- Season 1, Episode 1 “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”
- Season 7, Episode 11 “Marge Be Not Proud”

The Office:
- Season 2, Episode 10 “Christmas Party”
- Season 3, Episode 10/11 “A Benihana Christmas”
- Season 5, Episode 11 “Moroccan Christmas”
- Season 7, Episode 11/12 “Classy Christmas“

Seinfeld:
Season 9, Episode 10 “The Strike”

Community:
Season 2, Episode 11 “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas”
Season 3, Episode 10 “Regional Holiday Music”

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia:
Season 6, Episode 14 “A Very Sunny Christmas”

*Follow Fred (he's our movie critic and we like him a lot)

CALLING ALL COFFEE LOVERS:

Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel is an absolute must if you're in Manhattan.

Not only is this the best cup of coffee we’ve had east of the Mississippi it’s also a great place to get all of your work done. The mood lighting and comfortable armchairs make it easy to stay a while, and there’s something fun about the anonymity of hanging out at a hotel you aren’t even staying at.

Come for the coffee, stay for the people watching. Cheers.