Monday, November 18, 2024

Doechii @ Camp Flog Gnaw 2024

Tyler, the Creator's live music creation, Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival celebrated it's 10th anniversary last weekend. The two day festival was held at Dodger's Stadium in LA. It's line-up is currated to showcase a unique range of hip-hop/rap/soul music and artists with more traditional hip-hop genre sounds to those that are more alternative. This year's line-up included Erykah Badu, Andre 3000, Yves Tumor, The Marias, Raye, plus many more, a slew of surprise special guests and Tyler himself headlining to close out night one. 



The 33 year old mastermind released his eighth studio album, Chromakopia, on October 28th and it quickly hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Chromakopia may have come a little too late for Grammy Award nominations this time around, however, Camp Flog Gnaw 2024 brought more than one artist to it's stages who are nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award. 

One of those artists who's coming in hot with four Grammy Award nominations is Doechii. She's also featured on one of Tyler's new songs from his latest album, Chromakopia, titled "Balloon". 

The 26 year old from Tampa Florida dropped her third mixed tape, Alligator Bites Never Heal on August 30th. The mixed tape, which is commonly musical projects with less constraints and less commerical pressure of an album or extended play, garnered Doechii a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance for her single "Nissan Altama" and Best Remixed Recording for "Alter Ego" Kaytranada remix featuring Kaytranada and JT. 



Doechii @ Camp Flog Gnaw 11/16/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini







By 3:30 on Saturday afternoon a formidable crowd gathered at the CAMP stage, also known as the Main Stage, to see Doechii. It was quite a scene seeing that many people at a stage that early at a festival.
She hit the stage ten minutes behind schedule but was right on time to give her fans one of the best sets of the weekend.
Before getting things going she greeted the crowd, reminding us that she'd just wrapped up her own tour and was ready to keep it going at Flog Gnaw. 





Decked in GOLF appropriate attire: a striped polo shirt, booty shorts, knee high stockings and stileto heels, the first three songs came from Alligator Bites Never Heal to get the crowd going. And they do so, effortlessly. Next up was "Spookie Coochie", a throw from her 2020 debut. After that the already amped up crowd got evn more amped when Doechii brought out special surprise guest SZA for the song "Persusasive". The crowd roared as SZA, a vision in a pink and yellow butterfly top and baggy cargo pants emerged and worked the stage. Their combined energy was electric, bringing some fans to happy tears as the two songtresses performed together. Once the song was over, SZA sung Doechii's praises before handing the stage back to her. 



SZA on stage with Doechii @ Camp Flog Gnaw 11/16/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini


As the set went on Doechii showed us what shes made of. She started off with a taste of spoken word poetry. She rapped. She sang. She sped things up then she slowed things down. She got the crowd involved with vocal ques. She twerked a little. And she did all that without losing her breath or a beat. 

By the time she started singing one of her biggest singles, the Grammy Award nominated "Nissan Altama"at the end of her thirty minute set, with the help of her bacing DJ, Doechii kicked off her shoes so she was free to run around the stage. 

A ray of positive energy, Doechii's drive, ambition and passion for her craft prevailed. She thanked Tyler for creating a space for all of the weirdos to be creative and keep creating in their own way, while also congratulating him on his 10 year Anniversary of Flog Gnaw. 

Out of all of the great sets that took place at this fest, I'm glad I was able to catch this one. 


Doechii set-list at Camp Flog Gnaw 2024: 
1. BOOM BAP
2. BOILED PEANUTS
3. DENIAL IS A RIVER
4. Spookie Coochie
5. Persuasive
6. Stressed 
7. DEATH ROLL
8. PROFIT
9. Crazy
10. CATFISH
11. NISSAN ALTAMA

Saturday, November 2, 2024

Get Your Day of the Dead Bread from Gusto Bread

Celebrate Dia de los Muertos with Gusto Bread on 4th Street in Long Beach!
The Mexican holiday where families gather to welcome back the souls of deceased loved ones with food, drink and celebration comes right after the beloved holiday of Halloween here in the States. The celebration of life and love happens over November 1st and 2nd, All Souls Day or Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). Tradition says that the gates of heavan open the night of October 31st and spirits of children can visit their family members for 24 hours while the spirits of adults can do the same on November 2nd. 


Pan de Muerto & Calavera Macarons from Gusto Bread
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Gusto Bread is a delicious modern artisanal panaderia that offers renitions of different kinds of bread including loafs, sweet breads, tradional Mexican pastries and those with a bit of a twist like their double baked concha (!!).

November 3rd is the last day to get their special Day of the Dead Bread.
Pan de Muerto is a Mexicn sweet bread assiocated with Dia de los Muerto. This smooth, round bun is a symbol of  the circle of life because of it's circular shape and with extra dough arranged on top to respresent a skull, cross bones and tear shed of the living. It's to be enjoyed at Dia de los Muertos celebrations, shared on alters in remembrance or both. 


 Calavera Macarons from Gusto Bread
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Gusto's day of dead bread with toasted fennel, orange zest and dusted it with floral vanilla and rose sugar is definitely something to celebrate! The roll is as perfectedly round as a bread roll can get. It's texture is fluffy yet firm. Biting into it is almost like biting into pillowy Challah bread. The orange zest was immediately decectable, delicately springing my tastebuds to life. The fluffiness and the zest paired with the floral sugar coating had me humming mmmm with every bite. 
 Before I knew it I finished my Pan de Muertos before I finished my cup of coffee.
I wasn't done yet though.
Gusto Bread keeps the Dia de los Muertos celebration going with Calavera Macarons! These super cute almond meringue cookie sandwhiches filled with cafe de olla buttercream are shaped and decorated as sugar skulls and are super yum! The macarons are light and chewy with a hint of almond and the cafe de olla buttercream is to die for. It's a buttercream frosting filling fit for a cupcake. 

They also have a whipped cream filled Pan de Muerto made with Sonora flour grown and milled from Farmer Mai Nguyen. It's big enough for the whole family to share and enjoy. 


Calavera Macarons from Gusto Bread
photo by Nikki DeMartini


Don't delay! Tomorrow is the last day to get your Dia de los Muertos treats from Gusto Bread until next November. Get there early because once their Pan de Muertos and Calavera Macarons are gone, they're gone!


If you dont't make it to the store in time to buy a Gusto Pan de Muerto here's a receipe from Gusto to make your own at home