VIE Magazine September 2021

BEING BILLIE EILISH A MEGASTAR’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY

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THE WORLD GO

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LET US ENTERTAIN YOU

Editor's Review of

BEST MOVIES AND SHOWS to WATCH NOW

AM

E R I C A’ S # 1

Beach Cowboy

BRIAN KELLEY

RELEASES FIRST SOLO ALBUM A SUNSHINE STATE of MIND

FLORIDA’S 30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL RETURNS September 2021

2022 HEADLINERS: Emmylou HARRIS • Mavis STAPLES • Dawes Chris and Rich ROBINSON • Jenny LEWIS • Rickie Lee JONES

NUMBERS DON'T LIE

HOMES SOLD

AV G P R I C E SOLD

60% Increase from 2019

28% Increase from 2019

HIGHEST SALE PRICE

AV E R A G E DAY S ON MARKET

2019 Highest $8,995,000

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In this issue On the Cover

Raised in Ormond Beach on Florida’s east coast, with family vacations taking him to Panama City Beach nearly every summer, Brian Kelley grew to develop a deep love of the sand and waves from a young age. He played college baseball at Florida State and Belmont University and then pursued a music career in Nashville after meeting Tyler Hubbard, his partner in the Diamond-selling duo Florida Georgia Line. All the while, Kelley dreamed of owning land and putting down new roots in Florida with his wife, Brittney. They made that dream come true by making a home near the Gulf along Scenic Highway 30-A. Kelley’s first solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, celebrates the lifestyle he has grown to appreciate more than ever.

Photo by Ben Christensen Vie is a French word meaning “life” or “way of living.” VIE magazine sets itself apart as a high-gloss publication that focuses on human-interest stories with heart and soul. From Seattle to NYC with a concentration in the Southeast, VIE is known for its unique editorial approach—a broad spectrum of deep content with rich photography. The award-winning magazine was founded in 2008 by husband-and-wife team Lisa and Gerald Burwell, owners of the specialty publishing and branding house known as The Idea Boutique®. From the finest artistically bound books to paperless digital publication and distribution, The Idea Boutique provides comprehensive publishing services to authors and organizations. Its team of creative professionals delivers a complete publishing experience—all that’s needed is your vision.

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FEATURE 26 Made by the Water: Beach Cowboy Brian Kelley on Florida, Music, and Loving Life

LA MAISON 27 35 L’intermission L’intermission:: Indie Idol 36 Welcoming The Well to Downtown Pensacola

42 VIE Staff Picks: Movies and Series to Watch Now

48 Transcending Further into the Art of Opera 52 The Supper Club Is Cool Again

C’EST LA VIE CURATED COLLECTION 80 VISUAL PERSPECTIVES 87 88 Embracing a Soul-Full Life: Art That Heals 96 Lovelace Lifestyle’s Tips for Entertaining 101 L’intermission L’intermission:: Major League Fashion 102 Mixed-Media Luxury: Creating and Celebrating Joy

108 Keeping It Neutral: A Contemporary Penthouse in Monaco

115 Petite pause: pause: On the Rocks

57 Petite pause: pause: Mix It Up

VIE BOOK CLUB 116

58 Creative and Effective Shelter: Downtown

118 Being Billie Eilish

Los Angeles Combats Homelessness

123 L’intermission L’intermission:: Keynote Design

62 The 30A Songwriters Festival Returns:

130 Petite pause: pause: We Will Remember

Acclaimed Musicians Flock to the Beach

68 Thank You for Being Open: Emerald Coast Theatre Company

74 The World Needs Music 77 L’intermission L’intermission:: Pop Fashion

LA SCÈNE 124 THE LAST WORD 133 AU REVOIR! 136

85 Petite pause: pause: Pick Your Poison THEIDEABOUTIQUE.COM INFO@THEIDEABOUTIQUE.COM 114 LOGAN LANE, SUITE 4 SANTA ROSA BEACH, FLORIDA 32459 V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 15

CREATIVE TEAM CEO / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LISA MARIE BURWELL Lisa@VIEmagazine.com

FOUNDER / PUBLISHER GERALD BURWELL Gerald@VIEmagazine.com

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR JORDAN STAGGS Jordan@VIEmagazine.com

CHIEF COPY EDITOR MARGARET STEVENSON

COPY EDITOR WENDY ANDERSON

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS MARGARET ELIZABETH BIGGS, SALLIE W. BOYLES, FELICIA FERGUSON, ANTHEA GERRIE, SALLIE LEWIS, SUSAN LOVEL ACE, MYLES MELLOR, KELSEY OGLETREE, CAROLYN O’NEIL, TORI PHELPS, SUZANNE POLL AK, NICHOL AS S. RACHEOTES, L AURETTE RYAN, COLLEEN SACHS, LORI SACZYNKSI, JANET THOMAS, MEGAN WALDREP

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY CREATIVE DIRECTOR TRACEY THOMAS Tracey@VIEmagazine.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER SALLY NEAL

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS TIM HUSSEY, OLIVIA WELLER, HANNAH VERMILLION

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS DANIELLE ATKINS, BRANDAN BABINEAUX, CHRISTIAN BERTRAND, HUNTER BURGTORF, BEN CHRISTENSEN, RICH FURY, JACK GARDNER, K AT Y GRANNAN, STEVEN GRAY, NIKKI HEDRICK, BEN HOUDIJK, ROBBY KLEIN, BRENNA KNEISS, OWEN MARCHAND, DAVID MCCLISTER, ASTOR MORGAN, MONICA NOUWENS, NYC RUSS, CARLO PIERONI, ROMONA ROBBINS, LORI SACZYNSKI, TICHR, PAUL VU, ALEX ANDRA WAESPI, K ATHY WITTMAN, GETT Y IMAGES, HALKIN MASON PHOTOGRAPHY, SHUTTERSTOCK

ADVERTISING, SALES, AND MARKETING DIRECTOR OF BRAND AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AMANDA SALUCCI Amanda@VIEmagazine.com

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING KELLY CURRY Kelly@VIEmagazine.com

MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER EMME MARTIN Emme@VIEmagazine.com

BRAND AMBASSADORS LISA MARIE BURWELL Lisa@VIEmagazine.com MARTA RATA Marta@VIEmagazine.com

AD MANAGER AMANDA SALUCCI Amanda@VIEmagazine.com VIE is a registered trademark. All contents herein are Copyright © 2008–2021 Cornerstone Marketing and Advertising, Incorporated (Publisher). All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher. VIE is a lifestyle magazine and is published twelve times annually on a monthly schedule. The opinions herein are not necessarily those of the Publisher. The Publisher and its advertisers will not be held responsible for any errors found in this publication. The Publisher is not liable for the accuracy of statements made by its advertisers. Ads that appear in this publication are not intended as offers where prohibited by state law. The Publisher is not responsible for photography or artwork submitted by freelance or outside contributors. The Publisher reserves the right to publish any letter addressed to the editor or the Publisher. VIE is a paid publication. Subscription rates: Printed magazine – One-year $29.95; Two-year $49.95. Subscriptions can be purchased online at www.VIEmagazine.com.

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Editor’s Note

SHIFT ING SANDS THE New STREAM of CONSCIOUSNESS

T

“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

ruer words were never spoken than these by Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns in his poem “To a Mouse,” from which John Steinbeck would later name his well-known classic novel Of Mice and Men. The pandemic’s start-and-stop effect, now approaching two years, has been life-altering for us all. This analogy steamrolled into my consciousness after a trip to Ireland with my sisters was canceled a few weeks ago. I am not sure why I was so surprised, but the eternal optimist in me could not fathom that COVID restrictions would return so soon or with such a vengeance, or that this trip we planned many months ago would not happen.

Like many, I’ve experienced challenges and some great boons of success and newfound happiness from living a “smaller” life, which to me means not traveling every few months or so. But I was ready to jump back into my former life and thought the trip to Ireland would ignite that, now that we thought the virus was under control with vaccinations. It’s wearisome and deeply disappointing to make plans only to alter them due to unforeseen circumstances, and COVID has made an art form of this. But when I think about it, that’s how life has always been. Our plans do not always work out as we intend—actually, they never really have. So, it’s all about perspective and rolling with the punches, which is a favorite saying of mine.

Being able to see people, travel, go to concerts, or gather without worrying if I am being safe is a sorely missed luxury from before the pandemic. A weird stream of consciousness envelopes my thoughts surrounding what, before now, were somewhat mundane pastimes.

Then, as always, I thank the dear Lord and say, “I am so blessed.” I am healthy. I live in a beautiful place. I am not hungry, lonely, or destitute. That mantra of gratitude then leads me to want to help people in need, which is why I end up being thankful and not upset about the disturbance that this horrible pandemic has caused me. So many people have become sick or succumbed to this nasty virus. I think of the global problems we’re facing, especially now with the crisis in Afghanistan and the countless refugees set adrift, and I become ashamed that I began my personal pity party at all.

Line, released his first solo album, Sunshine State of Mind. As America’s number one “Beach Cowboy,” he’s bringing us more than music—he brings us sunshine. This album has had over 24 million streams in the two months since its debut. It’s a beautiful tribute to a way of life found by the beach, with a lot of soul and an upbeat sound that makes you feel like all is right with the world. Make sure you read the article “Made by the Water: Beach Cowboy Brian Kelley on Florida, Music, and Loving Life” by Jordan Staggs, and listen to or watch my interview with him on our VIE Speaks: Stories with Heart & Soul podcast on Episode 13: “Sunshine State of Mind.”

You can also dive into Billie Eilish’s story in the megastar’s new eponymous autobiography. This musician is doing fresh new things and breaking boundaries along the way. Read all about it in “Being Billie Eilish.”

VIE CEO/editor-in-chief Lisa Marie Burwell interviews musician Brian Kelley at SOWAL House studio in Rosemary Beach, Florida. Watch or listen to the interview on Episode 13 of VIE Speaks: Conversations with Heart & Soul podcast, now streaming on all podcast platforms, YouTube, Vimeo, and Instagram @viemagazine.

To the 2022 30A Songwriters Festival here in our beautiful Northwest Florida hometown, we welcome your return in January with a jam-packed lineup of songwriting greats, including headliners Emmylou Harris, Mavis Staples, Rickie Lee Jones, and many more.

A new sound is in the air, so let’s all celebrate the goodness life has to offer and live abundantly well by loving and helping each other along the way.

To Life and Love!

This is a classic example of my stream of consciousness lately. It leaves me feeling empathy and sympathy, with a desire to help however I can. VIE has always been a vehicle for spreading good.

The world needs a new sound of joy and happiness, which is why the Music and Entertainment Issue is here right on time to help us celebrate life and enjoy the goodness around us. In June, our handsome cover star, Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia

—Lisa Marie Burwell CEO/Editor-in-Chief V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 19

IT’S ALL in the DETAILS

36132 Emerald Coast Pkwy, Destin, FL 32541 | duce@duceandcompany.com | (850) 654-7490 |

The Creatives We collaborate with talented photographers, writers, and other creatives on a regular basis, and we’re continually inspired by how they pour their hearts and souls into their crafts. Follow these creatives on social media and don’t forget to check out our account, @viemagazine.

AURORA MARTIN

sound, yet they never fail to inspire and bring me joy. Soothing and relaxing classical music is what I prefer. As I paint the peace and healing one can find in nature, it is helpful to listen to calming music.

In doing so, I am more effective at communicating the serenity we all desire. This is reflected in the names of many of my paintings, such as Ocean Serenade, Concerto of Color, and Water Music.

Vocalist, “Transcending Further into the Art of Opera” AuroraMartinSoprano.com

IN THIS ISSUE, WE ASKED THE CREATIVES: WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC OR MUSICAL ARTIST ARE YOU MOST DRAWN TO AT THE MOMENT, AND WHY DO YOU THINK IT SPEAKS TO YOU AT THIS POINT IN YOUR LIFE?

For the past couple of months, I have found that I gravitate toward expansive, epic, and earthy music. As a classical musician, I listen to a truly eclectic group of genres, from classical voice to instrumental, folk, singer-songwriters, pop, and rap. The musical works I currently have on repeat are the grand Americana orchestral suites of Aaron Copland, folky-jazz works by Becca Stevens, and international bands such as Banda Magda. While my motivations were originally subconscious, it is clear to me that these musical choices are directly tied to the freedom I feel coming from over a year of a pandemic into a summer of opportunity. I’m thinking and dreaming big and far beyond the confines of my home, and my current musical taste perfectly reflects that.

WHILE MY MOTIVATIONS WERE ORIGINALLY SUBCONSCIOUS, IT IS CLEAR TO ME THAT THESE MUSICAL CHOICES ARE DIRECTLY TIED TO THE FREEDOM I FEEL COMING FROM OVER A YEAR OF A PANDEMIC INTO A SUMMER OF OPPORTUNITY.

AMANDA SALUCCI LORI SACZYNSKI Director of Brand and Business Development

MARGARET BIGGS

@amandasalucci

Writer, “Thank You for Being Open” Artist, “Embracing a Soul-Full Life”

Currently, I am really drawn toward artists who continue to push out of the boxes that we have all put them in. I love when I hear a new song on the radio or a playlist and I don’t even realize it’s an artist I already know because they have switched up their sound and style. The best example I can think of right now is Ed Sheeran. I was already a huge fan of his music, but the first time I heard his new single “Bad Habits,” I thought it was a mainstream EDM artist. Now I can’t get the song out of my head! I can’t wait to see what he comes out with on his new album this fall.

AndySaczynski.com

@margaretbiggsfineart

Classical music has been my genre of choice for a very long time now. Jazz is a favorite, as are classic rock and folk-rock, yet it is classical music I find myself listening to the most, particularly when I am painting. Debussy’s compositions for the piano, such as the famous “Clair de Lune,” transport me to a place of lightness and magic. Chopin’s nocturnes for piano are both lofty and contemplative. Bach’s unaccompanied cello suites have a more serious

I love a wide variety of music, but without question, only one band has held a place in my heart for over forty years: Fleetwood Mac. Their songs have the comfort and familiarity of your favorite cozy blanket yet somehow still feel fresh and relevant. Their albums are the soundtrack of my life, and most of our family memories include them. I thought I would never have an opportunity to see them in concert, but thankfully, they had a reunion tour in 2019, and my lifelong dream was fulfilled in Nashville.

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 21

La conversation

Let’s Be Social!

We love to communicate and interact with our readers! And we love it even more when they proudly share their stories and pose with VIE for a close-up! That’s what it’s all about: sharing, loving, and building relationships. We thank you all so much and we appreciate you!

@idmi_design PODCASTING – Our cofounder and creative director @todd514 hung out with the @viemagazine crew to record and film an episode of VIE Speaks podcast hosted by @lisamburwell!

Todd was the creative mind behind the interior decor for the VIE office in Grayton Beach, Florida, designed by architect @burwell_associates, and it was a pleasure to be back in this collaborative space featuring @americanleather and @bdi_furniture with a beautiful red resin flower by @nathan_alan_yoakum_art_. @thestoriedgroup “Distinguished among the most gifted interior designers in the Southeast, Lisa Gilmore, who serves clients throughout the US and beyond, thrives on creating original looks that reflect what they love.” Make sure to check out @lisagilmoredesign’s profile in the August issue of @viemagazine. Photo by @nativehousephotography

@laurenathalia Coco, take me away. One of my favorite shots of @emmemartin for our “L’amour!

An Apartment in Paris” shoot for @viemagazine.

This team of boss ladies was a dream to work with.

@graciinteriors How about this fabulous Bradley Sabin piece that we chose to place over a custom purple velvet bed? @callancontemporary—as seen in @viemagazine August 2021

LET’S TALK! Send VIE your comments and photos on our social media channels or by emailing us at info@viemagazine.com. We’d love to hear your thoughts. They could end up in the next La conversation!

@frescopicnicco We’re in print! Pick up the latest issue of @viemagazine to check out the picnic reception we did for @heritagedunes30a.

@solomonbrothers The wedding of #sbcouple @dswiley and @codyfbrown was recently featured in @viemagazine. Check out their August issue for more of this gorgeous day! Photos by @folkhousephoto

VIEmagazine.com

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 23

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Le monde

To learn more, visit SydneyOperaHouse.com Photo by Owen Marchand/Shutterstock

Le monde GOES ROUND AND ROUND

The distinctive Sydney Opera House is one of the most magnificent architectural works of the twentieth century. It was designed by Jørn Utzon after his renderings won an international contest in 1957. Over ten million visitors enter the architectural gem each year to hear performers from all over the world. The multiple wings seen on the building are thought to represent numerous strands of creativity. Some have also suggested that they emulate the forms and functions of nature, representing clouds or palm trees. Either way, it’s easy to see why it is one of the most photographed landmarks in the world.

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 25

MADE

Le monde

BY THE

Beach Cowboy Brian Kelley on Florida, Music & Loving Life

By Jordan Staggs | Interview by Lisa Marie Burwell | Photography by Ben Christensen 26 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

WATER V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 27

W Le monde

hile some of us spent our “quarantined” months of 2020 learning a new skill, baking sourdough, taking up yoga, or binge-watching our favorites on Netflix, America’s number one beach cowboy, Brian Kelley, was happily at work on his debut solo album, Sunshine State of Mind. A seventeen-track instant Americana-country classic, the collection was released in late June 2021 and has been on repeat for fans across the globe. In fact, they have streamed the album online over 24 million times in its first two months post-release. Its summer anthems include the hit single “Beach Cowboy,” “Boat Names,” “Highway on the Water,” and fourteen more all-new tracks birthed directly from the heart and soul of the artist.

Putting pen to paper on the songs that officially sealed his nickname as the Beach Cowboy, Kelley says, was the moment that kicked off the entire project. Touring with the “Georgia” half of the Diamond-selling duo Florida Georgia Line, Tyler Hubbard, had been put on hold in spring of 2020. They had also just wrapped on recording their fifth album, Life Rolls On, and were taking some time off to celebrate. With the pandemic rendering travel mostly impossible, it created the pocket of time that Kelley never anticipated having to work on something of his own. He and his wife, Tribe Kelley fashion CEO Brittney Marie Kelley, traveled back and forth last year between their Florida digs along Scenic Highway 30-A and their Nashville home but spent the majority of their time by the beach, where inspiration seems to come naturally for them both.

Right: Brian Kelley’s debut solo album, Sunshine State of Mind, was released on June 25, 2021.

Opposite: Brittney and Brian Kelley in the vintage VW bus at their lifestyle boutique, Tribe Kelley Surf Post in Grayton Beach, Florida.

Photo by Brenna Kneiss

28 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

BK, as his fans and friends call him, grew up on the East Coast in Ormond Beach, Florida, just north of Daytona, but was no stranger to the Gulf Coast he now calls home. “We grew up vacationing in the Panhandle every summer,” he recalls. “My dad was a distributor for Hawaiian Tropic back in the day, and he came all the way down to Panama City for his accounts. He would work half a day and meet up with me, my mom, and my sister at the beach or the pool for the second half of the day—a half-work, half-vacation situation.”

Brittney, too, grew up vacationing on the sugar-white sands of the Gulf with her grandmother, who often took her to the quaint fishing town of Apalachicola for getaways. When she and BK began vacationing in the 30-A area around 2013, they fell in love with the unique string of coastal communities there—and with each other. “It holds such a special meaning for us,” says BK. “It’s really a beautiful place. Florida, all the different parts of it, are so beautiful, from the Panhandle through the middle of the state, all the way down to Tampa, Naples, and the Everglades. I love all the history of the East Coast and I love going down to the Keys. It’s just such an amazing state with so much to offer.”

With their Tribe Kelley Surf Post lifestyle boutique located in Grayton Beach and a passion for watching the waves roll in as often as possible, the Kelleys have curated a well-lived life for themselves in the Florida Panhandle. “I’m a Florida boy, tried and true,” BK says, “so it was always a goal of mine to make enough money at some point after chasing some dreams to

buy some dirt, live in Florida, and make it home base.” He is also a partner in Oyster City Brewing Company, a popular brewery with headquarters in Apalachicola.

It seems only natural that BK’s first album should be an homage to the Sunshine State and, of course, to his partner in life and love, Brittney Marie. “I had taken some time off last year to do some soul searching and was keeping myself busy and getting my arm back in shape,” BK recalls of late spring and early summer 2020. “Me and Brittney were just hanging out, fishing a lot. I was working on my mental health—getting up early, journaling, walking the dogs, and honestly trying to figure out what the next steps in this part of my life were going to be. I was taking it day by day with the pandemic, hoping someone would call and say, ‘Hey, this is a joke, we’re actually going to do concerts now!’ but that never happened. So I circled back to really finding myself, falling in love with music and songwriting and my artistry again.”

“I CIRCLED BACK TO REALLY FINDING MYSELF, FALLING IN LOVE WITH MUSIC & SONGWRITING & MY ARTISTRY AGAIN.”

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 29

Le monde

All seventeen tracks on Sunshine State of Mind were cowritten

by Kelley, who says his favorite is also the first one he penned, “Boat Names.”

Below right: Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line released their fifth studio album, Life Rolls On, in February 2021.

Photo by Robby Klein

B

oat Names,” BK says, was the first song written for what would become Sunshine State of Mind.

“Every song was less than a year old at the point of the album’s release, and they’re all sharing a certain season or chapter of life,” he shares. “The day I wrote ‘Boat Names,’ I think it was kind of the anchor and the guiding light toward what was to come for this whole project.”

As the hit single “Beach Cowboy” attests, this album was also about having fun for BK, doing what he loves, and being authentically and unapologetically himself. Although it contains ballads and love songs, the album doesn’t take itself too seriously and is perfect for streaming during a day at the beach or on the boat. His voice, which many fans have said they underestimated when listening to FGL’s music, is at once energizing and soothing, right up there with any of the country music greats.

“I wrote a couple of songs in Franklin, Tennessee, when me and Britt were there early in September last year, but the majority of the songs were written on 30-A or in Key West, at Jimmy Buffett’s studio,” BK says. “We were down there fishing, writing, and recording. Out of those seventeen songs, other than about two or three titles, all of the songs and titles were my ideas. I don’t say that to boast, just to share that I learned a lot doing this solo record. I kind of figured out the formula that worked for me. Titles would come to me, and I would write them down, journal about them, mess with them, write some ideas—anything that would come to mind about how I might write that song. Then I would just save it and pinpoint in my mind who in my little circle of writers I wanted to write it with.”

While not new to the songwriting game, BK says that once he achieved success as an artist, it became more challenging to cut songs for other artists to record. When writing 30 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

for someone else, he says, “You wonder, ‘Would so and so say this?’ or you think, ‘I don’t think they’d say this,’ and so when it came time to write for myself, it felt like the easiest thing in the world. I could say something exactly the way I would usually say it because it’s my music. I just found a lot of joy, freedom, and new layers of songwriting and creativity that I’ve never experienced before; it’s like a whole new world.”

It takes a village, of course, and BK says he attributes the album’s success to all his collaborators and cowriters. “They really dove headfirst into the BK world with me, and we were just living these songs out,” he shares.

His favorite track, he insists, is the one that started it all.

“I would say ‘Boat Names’ is my favorite,” BK says, recalling again the day he wrote it. “It was the day before my birthday, and my publisher hit me up. I remember thinking, ‘Do I really want to write on the day before my birthday? I could be at the beach,’ or whatever. I had to sort of slap myself and remember that if I wanted this album to happen, if I wanted songs that I could sing that mean something to me, then I had to show up and be a part of writing them. So I went and made it happen, and we made a great song that day. Parker Welling Nohe and Casey Brown are great songwriters, and our worlds kind of collided when we wrote that song. It’s about Brittney, it’s a love song—but it’s an everyday man’s kind of love song or prayer, saying ‘Hey baby, I love you so much I’m gonna put your name on the back of a boat someday.’ I’m kind of a hopeless romantic, and I just think that’s the coolest thing. I spend a lot of time in Apalachicola, and they’ve got really cool boat names over there, just these neat old boats named after women. I think that a boat’s name says a lot about a person and tells a lot of stories. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have that song; it’s a reminder to me to keep showing up and keep trying.”

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hat reminder is one he recommends for everyone, whether they are a struggling musician, an artist, an athlete, or anyone else with a dream about what they want to do. “If you feel like you’ve got a dream or vision inside your heart, your soul, your mind, and things are churning, you’ve got to go for it,” BK implores. “I know that’s not easy. Sometimes it seems like the hardest thing to do, but you’ve just got to go for it. Get past those moments of fear or anxiety and use them as motivation. I often think about this one scary thought—how different my world, or our world (me and Tyler both) and everyone touring with me, would be if I didn’t take a chance and move to Nashville.” Perhaps he’d be playing pro baseball, as he played at Florida State University before moving to Nashville to join the team at Belmont University, where he met Hubbard. “It’s those visions right there; we wouldn’t be having this conversation, probably.

Maybe I would’ve ended up there somehow, but it’s all about following your gut.”

He continues, “There’s some anxiety among us as creatives, you know, about whether we will keep making great songs or having great ideas. We want to keep showing up and bringing our A-game, and I’ve learned that I just have to trust myself, trust the process, and go with the flow.”

A strong advocate of practicing self-care, meditation, and good mental health habits such as exercise, journaling, and being in nature, BK also believes that being at peace internally invites good vibes from the universe if you’re open to seeing and receiving them.

“There are little signs,” he explains. “It takes an army and a group of people sometimes to believe in you and make something happen, but it starts with you. If you can’t walk through a door that’s been opened for you, nobody else will. You’ve got to be able to see an opportunity or one synchronicity. I’m a big believer that if you dream of being something and you have little synchronicities in your life that keep coming up, maybe that’s the universe, or that’s God asking, ‘Hey, how bad do you want it? I’m teeing one up for you right here.’ And that’s what I’ve tried to see and accept in my career. I’m following my gut. Life isn’t always sunshine and butterflies; there’s a lot of grit and a lot of hustle and hard work that comes with it.”

Certainly, BK and Hubbard are no strangers to the grind. With both front-men also working on solo and side projects, other business opportunities, and spending time with their families, it can be challenging. It’s also rewarding.

“FGL is doing our thing, and I can’t wait to see what’s coming up for us with just a new chapter for the band, too,” BK says. “Over the years of our fan base growing and us getting to know them, we hear stories from people in meet-and-greet lines who meet each other there and begin lifelong friendships because of it. I think that energy and that vibe and positivity, those frequencies from all the people showing up at our shows, it’s all unreal. There are moments of our shows that feel like a worship service, the energy is just so contagious, and it’s so uplifting.”

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“IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE GOT A DREAM OR VISION INSIDE YOUR HEART, YOUR SOUL, YOUR MIND, AND THINGS ARE CHURNING, YOU’VE GOT TO GO FOR IT.”

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hat loyal fan base extends into Tribe Kelley, the ethical, American-made fashion brand of which Brittney is the founder and CEO. Its robust e-commerce platform and boutique located in Grayton Beach, Florida, have seen significant success and growth over the past few years, and BK couldn’t be prouder of his wife, he says. “She’s on fire with Tribe Kelley, and I’m thankful to be along for the journey of that one. Brittney’s got such a clear-cut vision of where she wants to go with that brand. I’m so happy to be alongside her and see her be a boss and just keep evolving and growing.”

This year, BK’s musical endeavors have also included launching his record label, Nashville South, in partnership with Warner Music Nashville. (He and Hubbard launched their record label Round Here Records in 2019.) In addition to music and Tribe Kelley, BK has his hands full with projects and partnerships such as Oyster City Brewing Company, Old Camp Whiskey, FGL House restaurant and bar in Downtown Nashville, Meet + Greet event venue, Tree Vibez Music publishing company, and a new casual eatery in the works on 30-A. It’s enough to overwhelm anyone, but BK says he’s excited about what the future holds and will keep teamwork and family in the foreground of all projects.

“We’ve got a great team for FGL, and all our people at Round Here Records are just great,” he says. “Even being part of the team at Oyster City, everyone there is absolutely crushing it and on fire. I attribute a lot of my success not only to my own chillness and taking care of myself but also just having an amazing team. I am doing what I know is going to allow me to stay clear-headed and focused, trying to stay mentally and physically healthy and just being happy.”

For the beach cowboy whose happiness is “Made by the Water,” that means stand-up paddleboarding, cruising along Scenic 30-A on a fat tire bike, spending quality time with his wife and pups, and, of course, creating music. We can’t wait to see what’s coming in the next wave of BK’s career.

Sunshine State of Mind by Brian Kelley is now available on all music platforms. Visit OfficialBrianKelley.com to learn more or buy merch, head to FloridaGeorgiaLine.com for the latest on the duo, or visit TribeKelley.com to shop the lifestyle brand.

You can also hear more from Brian Kelley on our podcast, VIE Speaks: Conversations with Heart & Soul, hosted by CEO/editor-in-chief Lisa Marie Burwell. Episode #13 was recorded and filmed at SOWAL House in Rosemary Beach, Florida, and released on June 25, 2021, to celebrate Sunshine State of Mind. View it and subscribe to VIE Speaks at YouTube.com/vietelevision V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 33

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She Sh i

GR AND BOULE VARD

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SHOPTHEJEWEL .COM

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L’intermission

Indie Idol

Arlo Parks’s debut solo album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, released in 2021, received critical acclaim and peaked at number three on the UK album charts. Visit ArloParksOfficial.com or follow her on Instagram @arlo.parks to hear more.

Photo by Alexandra Waespi

London singer Arlo Parks is already making waves in the music industry at just twenty years old. Her musical style is marked by her creative and honest lyrics accompanied by an indie-pop beat. Parks’s musical influences range from icons such as Frank Ocean to Paramore. It doesn’t take long to become a fan after listening to her current hits, including “Eugene” and “Cola,” both of which have already racked up millions of listens on Spotify. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this dazzling star!

Love, VIE xo V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 35

THE WELL

Le monde

WELCOMING

TO DOWNTOWN PENSACOLA

Story courtesy of The Well Floridian Lounge ³ Photography by Steven Gray 36 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

This summer, Perfect Plain Brewing Co. in Pensacola, Florida, opened an exciting new cocktail lounge concept, The Well, a vintage Florida-style taproom and bar. Located in the East Garden Street District of Downtown Pensacola next door to its sister establishments, Perfect Plain Brewing Co. and Garden & Grain, The Well brings a unique beverage experience to the area. Conceived

by R&R of Pensacola co-owners D.C. Reeves and Reed Odeneal, both natives of the Sunshine State, the destination bar features a funky barrel-aged beer program alongside a modern Florida-inspired cocktail menu crafted by a top mixologist from the region, Gui Jaroschy.

J

aroschy is a world-renowned mixologist and co-owner of Unfiltered Hospitality. He is the former director of bars for Freehand Hotel and Bar Lab’s award-winning Broken Shaker, with locations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. Under his direction, Broken Shaker was a two-time semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best Bar Program.

The Well’s modern Florida drink menu offers ten signature cocktails. A few of the original drink names have nods to the region, such as Panhandle Pie and Via de Luna, alongside clever flavor notes and thoughtful presentation in unique glassware with festive garnishes. One cocktail, appropriately named In the Reeds, incorporates Perfect Plain’s award-winning Holy Spin IPA, rye whiskey, and a fresh grapefruit blend.

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FANS ONLY

Additionally, the taproom features twelve taps pouring a select assortment of draft beers from Perfect Plain alongside four bottled beers exclusive to The Well— two sour ales, a Saison, and a citrus farmhouse ale.

Odeneal developed the eclectic brew program after years of fermenting beer in oak barrels and foeders formerly containing wine, whiskey, rum, and tequila.

Many of these barrels are stacked several feet high in the back of the taproom and now hold nearly 25,000 gallons of beer.

The Well, a newly designed 2,500-square-foot space adjacent to Perfect Plain and Garden & Grain, seats up to one hundred people and features an expansive white oak–paneled bar along with multiple seating areas. Designer Nicholas Pica of STUDIO PICA is the creative mind behind the look and feel. The lounge features a dusty jade green leather banquette installed along the length of an exposed brick wall complemented by colorful terrazzo-topped bistro tables and bentwood chairs. Three seating areas run along the center near the bar, nestled beneath oversize rattan pendant light fixtures. The inviting lounge space features tufted brown leather couches, wicker-accented furniture and lamps, and wallpapered vintage trunks that serve as tables. The vaulted industrial ceilings are accented with a warm Salty Dog blue paint from Sherwin-Williams, while handstenciled patterned concrete floors offer dimension and interest.

INGREDIENTS • • • • • • • •

1.25 oz Tequila Ocho .5 oz Banhez Espadin Mezcal .5 oz Salers Gentiane Aperitif 2 dashes grapefruit bitters 1 mango 15 oz white sugar 7 oz warm water Edible flower, for garnish

DIRECTIONS For the mango oleo-saccharum: Cut the mango into small pieces. Add mango and sugar to a vacuum-sealed bag and let the contents sit for 12 to 24 hours at room temperature.

Open the bag and add warm water to help dissolve the sugar. Strain the mix and refrigerate. Portion out a half ounce for each cocktail.

For the cocktail: Combine all ingredients and a half ounce of mango oleo-saccharum into a stirring tin, add ice, and stir until diluted. Strain the contents into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with an edible flower. Cheers!

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The Well is the brainchild of R&R of Pensacola co-owners D.C. Reeves and Reed Odeneal. Its Florida-inspired interiors were curated by Nicholas Pica of STUDIO PICA.

The Well’s seasonal cocktail lineup is created by mixologist Gui Jaroschy.

THE WELL, A NEWLY DESIGNED 2,500-SQUARE-FOOT SPACE ADJACENT TO PERFECT PLAIN AND GARDEN & GRAIN, SEATS UP TO ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE AND FEATURES AN EXPANSIVE WHITE OAKPANELED BAR ALONG WITH MULTIPLE SEATING AREAS.

The heart and soul of modern Florida seep from the space and its menu, creating a fun, comfortable atmosphere for hanging out with friends, meeting new people, and enjoying the craft cocktails and brews designed by The Well’s top-notch team.

They graciously shared two recipes from the Summer 2021 cocktail menu, so sit back, take a sip, and enjoy while you plan your visit!

VISIT THE WELL AT 42 EAST GARDEN STREET IN PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, MONDAYS THROUGH SATURDAYS. HEAD TO PERFECTPLAIN. COM/THE-WELL TO LEARN MORE.

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TIKI INTERMISSION

Le monde INGREDIENTS • • • • • • • •

1.5 oz Fortaleza Blanco .5 oz Nixta corn liqueur 1 oz pineapple juice .5 oz lime juice 1 bell pepper 15 oz local honey Trimmed pineapple leaves, for garnish Red bell pepper slices, for garnish

DIRECTIONS For the red pepper honey: Juice the bell pepper through either a cold press or a centrifuge juicer. Strain the juice and add it to the local honey. Mix until contents are combined and portion out a half ounce for each cocktail.

For the cocktail: Combine all ingredients and a half ounce of red pepper honey in a shaker tin, add ice, and shake until diluted. Pour the mix into a cognac snifter and top with more ice. Add garnish and serve. ¡Salud!

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WOMEN'S APPAREL, ACCESSORIES & HOME MONDAY-SUNDAY | 10 - 7 PM BECASA AT 30AVENUE 12508 HWY 98 E STE 101 | INLET BEACH, FL 32461

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Le monde

Emma Stone in Cruella Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Now 42 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

VIE Staff Picks: Movies and Series to Watch Now

By Kelly Curry

Have you run out of new things to watch?

Are you looking for your next must-see show or movie? The VIE team is here to help! We’ve curated a list of our favorite movies and series now streaming online so you can watch them ASAP. So, grab some popcorn and check out our roundup here. Who knows— you just might find your new favorite!

Streaming Stre aming V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 43

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Jordan’s Picks STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, Star Trek: Discovery once more follows the explorers of Starfleet on missions to discover the unknown in the final frontier of space. The science-turned-war-vessel USS Discovery ventures to find new worlds and encounter new civilizations while battling the dreaded Klingons and other new and old enemies.

Stream on CBS All Access, Hulu Live, and Paramount Plus

Amanda’s Picks THE NEVERS “All rumors are ugly. No one whispers about virtue,” says Hugo Swann. Set in Victorian London, The Nevers follows an unlikely crew who discovers they have special powers and become known as “the Touched.” Joss Whedon, known for creating shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, is the creative behind The Nevers and returns to his roots with this series as he explores an outcast society with a touch of the supernatural.

Stream on HBO Max

Above: The Nevers Photo courtesy of HBO Left: Sonequa MartinGreen and David Ajala in Star Trek: Discovery Photo courtesy of Paramount Below left: Andrew Koji stars in Warrior Photo courtesy of HBO

CRUELLA Hello, cruel world. Ever wonder how Cruella de Vil came to be or what drove her to madness in Walt Disney’s classic 101 Dalmatians? Well, grab your favorite snacks and sit back for a thrilling history lesson in one of Disney’s latest live-action films.

Cruella is a brilliant, show-stopping retelling with stars Emma Stone and Emma Thompson keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

Stream on Disney Plus GOSSIP GIRL “Never fear, dears. Your one and only source for scandal is back. You know I could never leave you hanging. xoxo, Gossip Girl.” The halls of Constance Billard are once again filled, and school is back in session. There is a new ruling class this year, which can only mean a new queen. But this reboot of the steamy teen drama series has us all wondering—who really has the power this time?

Stream on HBO Max 44 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

WARRIOR This new Cinemax original series is based on the Bruce Lee series. Warrior is a crime drama that follows Chinese immigrant Ah Sahm as he explores San Francisco’s Chinatown. Sahm is a martial arts prodigy who quickly proves his skill and is taken in by one of Chinatown’s most powerful organized crime families.

Stream on HBO Max

GOOD GIRLS Three suburban good-girl moms that are overwhelmed and simply over it come together to take back control of their lives. The only catch is that in order to regain that sense of self-worth and power, they turn to robbing a local grocery store. But, new to the game of crime, the girls soon realize they’re in for way more than they signed up for.

Stream on Netflix

CATCH-22 Catch-22 is a miniseries based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Joseph Heller. John Yossarian is a U.S. Air Force bombardier who is distressed that people he has never met are trying to kill him. With the number of missions he must fly to complete his service constantly changing, John quickly becomes more agitated with his own army instead of the enemy and starts to search for a way out of the impossible situation.

Stream on Hulu or Prime Video

FIREFLY LANE The promises you make on Firefly Lane always remain.

That’s at least what Tully and Kate think when they first meet and become instant, inseparable friends. The two girls grow up together, and while their friendship has a good run, it is not without its fair share of ups and downs.

Stream on Netflix

Tracey’s Picks Above: Mae Whitman, Christina Hendricks, and Retta in Good Girls Above right: Firefly Lane, based on the Kristin Hannah novel Photos courtesy of Netflix Right: The White Lotus Photo courtesy of HBO

GLOW Looking for unconventional women, Ruth sets out to audition for a “real acting part” and finds herself auditioning for GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling).

Brought to you by the creators of Orange Is the New Black, GLOW is not about who you are but more about who you can become when the spotlights turn on. The series follows two frenemies as they work through their pasts and remaining tension. The outcome will either make or break GLOW. Stream on Netflix

Emme’s Picks THE WHITE LOTUS Set in blissful Hawaii, The White Lotus follows the vacations of a variety of hotel guests over the course of a week. However, with each passing day, the pictureperfect guests quickly realize that their problems did not disappear just because they changed locations. Sometimes you just can’t get away from it all.

Stream on HBO Max V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 45

Le monde

THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER Set in the 1960s with fast-forwards to the present, The Last Letter from Your Lover follows a passionate love story that never got its proper ending. Felicity Jones brilliantly plays a present-day reporter setting out to reignite a forbidden love affair.

Stream on Netflix THE SERPENT Charles Sobhraj is known as a supposed gem dealer but quickly becomes Interpol’s most wanted man after going on a crime spree that includes a series of cons and murders. A Dutch diplomat begins looking into the disappearance of a young couple and quickly discovers that he is on to so much more in this thriller inspired by true events.

Stream on Netflix

Above: Jenna Coleman and Tahar Rahim in The Serpent Photo courtesy of Netflix Left: Ted Lasso Photo courtesy of Apple TV Below left: Shailene Woodley and Callum Turner in The Last Letter from Your Lover Photo courtesy of Netflix

Sally’s Picks TED LASSO Football or futbol? Aside from the fact that they both take place on large green fields, the similarities stop there. AFC Richmond, a London-based soccer team, steps out and makes a bold move to hire American Ted Lasso as their new head coach despite Lasso having very little—if any—knowledge of the game itself. Win, lose, or tie, Ted Lasso is in for a wild ride.

Stream on Apple TV 46 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

OUTER BANKS Outer Banks is described as “an American actionadventure mystery teen drama television series” (try saying that three times fast). The story follows teenager John B and his three best friends as they navigate class divides and search for clues that could prove John B’s estranged father is still alive in the marshlands and islands of North Carolina.

Stream on Netflix

Kelly’s Picks

Right: Outer Banks Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

Photo courtesy of Netflix Below right: All five seasons of The Bold Type are now available on Hulu.

Below: The cast of Friends reunites for an unforgettable special.

Photo courtesy of HBO

FRIENDS REUNION The one where the cast got back together (after years of anticipation). It had been sixteen years since the entire cast of Friends had been in the same place, in the same room, at the same time. This unscripted celebration is full of raw emotion. Visiting the original set sent the cast down memory lane, while a sit-down interview with none other than James Corden revealed some Friends secrets that even the biggest fans didn’t know.

Stream on HBO Max THE BOLD TYPE The Bold Type was inspired by the life and career of former Cosmopolitan magazine editor-in-chief Joanna Coles, who serves as executive producer of the series.

Three young millennials, Jane, Sutton, and Kat, find each other at just the right time while working at the scintillating Scarlet magazine in New York City.

Together they learn about falling in love, growing up, and finding their voices in a very noisy world.

Stream on Hulu

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Boston-based soprano Aurora Martin 48 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

Le monde

T F urther

ranscending INTO THE ART OF OPERA

By SALLIE W. BOYLES Photography courtesy of AURORA MARTIN

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long with other art forms, opera emerged during the Italian Renaissance. The distinctive type of musical theater likely made its debut in the late 1590s, as the Florentine Camerata—the poets, musicians, composers, and intellectuals—endeavored to revive ancient Greek music. In the beginning, such performances were exclusive to royalty and nobility, but they soon reached the masses. Vienna’s first public opera house opened in 1637, but even so, many people still believe opera is an amusement for the upper classes.

Aurora Martin, an up-and-coming soprano based in Boston, dispels the notion.

“Opera is not just for a specific subset of people,” she states. “It really is for everybody.

You can find meaningful expression and stories in it, no matter who you are.”

Whether or not the opera is in English or any other language an individual understands, Martin advises, “There’s so much repertoire, so just doing a little research beforehand, familiarizing yourself with the story, will make it more enjoyable.” She adds, “The storylines are just as dramatic as anything you’d watch on Netflix. Every basic human emotion can be found in these stories, and the pure genius found in the compositions, expressed in music, is mind-blowing.” She contends that the music itself allows the passion to “transcend further,” as “our bodies are poised to be affected by these sounds.”

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Aurora Martin (second from right) takes the stage with the cast of La belle Hélène Photo by Kathy Wittman

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he can thank nature and nurture for her talent and affinity for classical music and opera. Her maternal grandmother, whom she never had the opportunity to meet, performed classically on stage in Baltimore until World War II broke out. “My mother has her old scores with notes in them,” Martin says. “It would have been so wonderful to have learned from her.”

Likewise, Martin shares that she and her mother “have a similar timbre. She was a singer, too, but not professionally.” Her mother and father sang in musicals and chorus growing up. “My mother,” she relays, “would frequently sing songs from the Golden Age musicals.”

If not show tunes, Martin says, “We always had classical music on in the house and in the car. It was natural to me. When I was young, I was also in choirs in church and in school.” She grew more serious about singing when “a wonderful choir teacher pushed me in the right direction. I was a complete choir nerd.”

Martin pursued a music degree in college but kept her career options open. “I didn’t want to go to a conservatory at that young age, so I went to Virginia Tech.

They had a small music department. I also added chemistry halfway through my freshman year.” Her double-major combination is not unusual. “A lot of the time, people associate the arts with history and literature, but I met so many musical people who were in engineering, chemistry, or physics,” says Martin. “Patterns and frequencies are at the core of music. I also liked chemistry because you need a lot of imagination to understand it, but it’s also very structured. So is music. The great composers knew what they were doing to a T!”

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Attending her first performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City while on a trip with her music department as an undergraduate sparked a revelation for Martin. Mentally revisiting the event, Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier with soprano Renée Fleming in the title role, Martin says, “It was such an exquisite experience. The hall is huge, and productions at The Met are so lavish. I remember sitting there, having studied music for years at such depth, and thinking, This is what I am meant to do. It clicked for me then. I had a feeling of belonging.”

Choosing opera took Martin’s training to a different level. “It requires an immense amount of preparation,” she says. “Akin to any professional sport, it involves muscle memory for the throat, the body, and the brain.” Since many works are written in Italian, German, or French, she notes, “We had to take language classes—to look at the words and be able to pronounce them.” Martin understands all three languages, particularly German, which she studied from middle school through high school.

Martin continued her formal training in graduate school at the New England Conservatory in Boston. “Virginia Tech was a wonderful experience,” she says, “but walking into the conservatory, where everyone was as obsessive as I am, was amazing.” Martin loved being around people who could relate to her when she’d fixate on a minute of an arrangement and ask, “Don’t you just melt at that point?”

For Martin, every aspect of music, including the many hours of work behind the scenes, is a labor of love.

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long with auditions and rehearsals, her preparations demand ongoing voice lessons and acting classes. “There was a time when opera singers were just expected to go out on stage and ‘park and bark,’ but performers now consider themselves singing actors,” she says. “The dramatic part is just as important as the music. Oftentimes, you have to get very specific to accomplish the role of the character, and if you are not connected, it shows.” Ultimately, she says, “Once you’ve prepared to the utmost degree, you let go. You let the music and interpretation flow through you.”

One of her many magical moments on stage occurred while in graduate school. Playing Ines in Verdi’s Il trovatore, Martin says, “It was my first named role on stage, and it was amazing.” Although a small part, it was a supporting role, meaning she was “thrown in with the leads.” Consequently, her professionalism and ability to take direction were tested. Despite the pressure, Martin was in her element. “I walk out there in a big, heavy costume, the music slows, and I’m supposed to sing out of nothing. I can see nothing, the audience is black, and I hear my voice filling the hall with the lead.”

In this early phase of her professional career, Martin is grateful to be singing around Boston with different companies, she says. Without question, her roster of engagements halted because of COVID, along with other artistic programs, yet opera especially suffered. “You have big productions with a lot of people,” she says. “It’s an expensive medium, as well, because of all the moving parts.”well, because of all the moving parts.”

“Once you’ve prepared to the utmost degree, you let go. You let the music and interpretation flow through you.”

Arguably, the challenges, necessitating pared-down opera performances at casual, public venues, have sparked a revival. In Boston, well-received pop-up productions, such as in alleyways and parks, have demonstrated that the genre captivates audiences of all demographics, including children.

Looking back to her 2012 Virginia Tech graduation—when she performed the national anthem for thousands with Michelle Obama giving her the thumbs up—and looking ahead to a promising future of touring venues in Europe, Martin says, “I’ve never second-guessed my career. Success looks different to everyone, but as long as I’m making music on as many stages as possible, I’ll be happy.”

To hear Aurora Martin perform, gather more information about her history and upcoming performances, or to contact her, visit AuroraMartinSoprano.com.

The cast of La belle Hélène by Odyssey Opera, 2019 Photo by Kathy Wittman V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 51

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THE SUPPER CLUB IS COOL STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE TWELVE THIRTY CLUB

AGAIN

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This origin story is rooted in friendship. In the late summer of 2017, on the eve of the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, an idea was born at a barbecue in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee.

The Twelve Thirty Club, located at Fifth and Broadway in Nashville, is a new bar, lounge, music venue, and supper club concept from James Beard Award nominee Sam Fox and Justin Timberlake. It kicked off a phased opening this summer.

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 53

Le monde Sam Fox, the twelve-time James Beard Award nominee and founder of Fox Restaurant Concepts, and superstar Memphis native Justin Timberlake, along with friends old and new, enjoyed a long night of storytelling, collaboration, and camaraderie. When they began to discuss the best elements in hospitality, music, design, and entertainment—and how to bring them to iconic lower Broadway in Nashville—a new destination was born within the Music City.

The result is the iconic Twelve Thirty Club, one of many innovative restaurant and hospitality concepts from Fox’s boutique brand, Author & Edit. The spirit

LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES FILL THE ROOM WITH SOUL, AND PATRONS SHOULD PLAN FOR DINNERS HERE TO LAST AN ENTIRE EVENING. of the original supper club idea is woven into every aspect of The Twelve Thirty Club, a multifaceted venue located at Fifth and Broadway, the crossroads of Nashville’s rustic roots and cosmopolitan style. At The Twelve Thirty Club, not only is everyone welcome, everyone is an honorary member.

A progressive three-story experience headlined by food and music, The Twelve Thirty Club now welcomes guests to The First Level with an elevated vibe, featuring live music seven nights a week. Walk up the striking staircase, and you’ll land at the intimate fifty-person cocktail lounge, aptly named Honorary Member, where killer cocktails and small shared bites delight. Then, move on to the star of the show—an iconic, four-hundred-seat, dapper-as-hell Supper Club designed to deliver an unforgettable dining and drinking experience. Live music performances fill the room with soul, and patrons should plan for dinners here to last an entire evening. Finally, complete the affair by taking in a commanding view of the city from the posh rooftop terrace, where lush greenery and outdoor fireplaces create the perfect spot for midnight cocktails with friends.

FOOD & DRINK A different menu will meet guests at every level of The Twelve Thirty Club. From playful yet refined bar fare to upscale dining with simplicity and style, expect cravings-worthy American classics with a touch of Southern influence and unexpected whimsy. While the first floor offers cold local beer and inventive cocktails, the champagne and wine program will steal the show in the Supper Club.

THE MUSIC Music enlivens The Twelve Thirty Club with original performances on the massive Supper Club stage seven nights a week. Undiscovered acts, household 54 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

names, DJs, or an impromptu jam can happen any night. The only standard is that the music is unforgettable, and when the talent is curated by one of Tennessee’s favorite sons—Justin Timberlake himself—you never know who might show up.

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN For The Twelve Thirty Club’s atmosphere and interiors, Author & Edit teamed with AVRO|KO, a New York-based architecture and design company whose work is characterized by a unique convergence between the ideals of the past and an off-beat, forward-looking sensibility. It was the perfect match to realize the vision for this multilevel dining, cocktail, and music experience.

VISIT TWELVETHIRTYCLUB.COM TO KEEP YOUR FINGER ON THE PULSE OF ALL THAT IS HAPPENING AS THE TWELVE THIRTY CLUB SHARES THE EXCITING NEWS OF ITS PHASED OPENING AND LYRICAL AWAKENING IN MUSIC CITY.

Above: The First Level bar at The Twelve Thirty Club is now open in Downtown Nashville.

Right: Dierks Bentley, Sam Fox, and Larry Fitzgerald at the grand opening of The First Level Far right: Cocktails, craft beers, and small bites are curated by Sam Fox and his expert culinary team.

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 55

114 Logan Lane, Suite 4, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 BurwellAssociates.com | (850) 231-6377

Florida LIC AA0003613

Petite pause

Mix It Up

Stemming from the favorite NYC classic cocktail bar, Attaboy Nashville puts a fresh twist on the aperitif experience. The first-come, first-serve bar holds fifty seats and opts out of a menu, with only a small list of snacks.

Instead, the emphasis is on the cocktails, which the bartenders specially curate after conversing with guests.

Guests describe their likes and dislikes, ingredients, and base spirits, and Attaboy takes care of the rest.

Visit Attaboy.us/nashville to learn more.

Photo by Danielle Atkins, courtesy of Attaboy Nashville V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 57

Le monde

CREATIVE AND EFFECTIVE SHELTER Story and photography courtesy of BERNARDS

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES COMBATS HOMELESSNESS

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Hilda L. Solis Care First Village Photo courtesy of LA County Department of Public Works V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 59

Le monde

the country, there is an expanding dialogue surrounding the need for government agencies to prioritize human care over human punishment. In consideration of this, the County of Los Angeles decided to take a site previously slated for a new jail and reallocated it to provide shelter for persons experiencing homelessness.

With the unhoused population growing and increasingly at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, the need was immediate and became a critical driver for the community’s completion schedule.

Bernards, an employee-owned multidisciplinary commercial builder and construction management company, served as the builder for the new Hilda L. Solis Care First Village (HSCFV). In collaboration with NAC Architecture and the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, they developed and built a new component-based model for interim housing that met a highly aggressive schedule. From concept to completion, the project took only about five months to build 232 units, at just about $200,000 per bed.

Concurrently, meeting the individual and social needs of the residents remained the highest priority every step of the way. The team referred to this approach as the “art of the possible.”

The interim housing project utilized three different modular components: repurposed shipping crates, prefabricated modular units, and mobile units.

HSCFV, which opened its doors to residents on April 12, 2021, reached full occupancy in May. Its namesake, Hilda L. Solis, is the chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, representing residents of the First District. During her tenure, Supervisor Solis has accelerated the county’s efforts to combat homelessness and allocated funding to build thousands of affordable housing units in her district and around the county. She also authored the groundbreaking Measure A to invest in communities without green space, expand open and recreational park space in their neighborhoods, and protect water quality.

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CONCURRENTLY, MEETING THE

INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL NEEDS OF THE RESIDENTS

REMAINED THE HIGHEST PRIORITY EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

Left and opposite: The HSCFV housing development includes 232 beds allotted for persons experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County.

Photos by Paul Vu, Here and Now Agency Below left: HSCFV includes common spaces such as a kitchen, a dog park, and recreational areas.

Photo courtesy of Bernards Below right: Each resident at HSCFV has their own private unit instead of the typical shelter setup.

Photo by Monica Nouwens

“The Hilda L. Solis Care First Village showcases the idea that the needs of the greater Los Angeles County community must be met through the implementation of such Public Works projects,” says Mike Funderberg, vice president of Bernards. “As builders, we’re very accustomed to viewing traditional infrastructure projects (i.e., transportation and utility services) as commonplace and generally available for the use of everyone. This project, to me, demonstrates that the greater needs of our population extend far beyond traditional thoughts of what infrastructure may be.

Public housing for those unhoused individuals on our streets, coupled with a long-term focus on ancillary services—such as mental and behavioral healthcare, which encompass true comprehensive redirection of the growing population of individuals experiencing homelessness—are long absent and much-needed infrastructure projects for our modern times.”

To help prepare individuals for future work opportunities in the restaurant industry, the licensed supportive services manager for HSCFV is planning to partner with Homeboy Industries in Downtown Los Angeles to provide kitchen services training for HSCFV residents.

A few unique characteristics of this housing project include the use of prefabricated modular units, built off-site, to help meet an aggressive schedule. Units were built with heating and ventilation systems to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. HSCFV includes a dog park, allowing residents to bring their dogs with them to the facility. Residents also have their own unit with a private bath instead of the bunk-style multibed setup typical of shelters.

It’s no wonder the Los Angeles Times says the project “shattered the axiom that homeless housing takes years to build and is exorbitantly expensive.” Bringing care and hope to those who need them most is now more important than ever, and HSCFV and its neighbors are creating an example in Los Angeles that, hopefully, other counties and cities will begin to follow.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE HILDA L. SOLIS CARE FIRST VILLAGE, PLEASE VISIT HILDALSOLIS.ORG. V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 61

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JENNY LEWIS

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THE

30A

SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL RETURNS

THE BLACK CROWES

Acclaimed Musicians Flock to the Beach Story courtesy of 30A Songwriters Festival V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 63

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SHAWN MULLINS

IT'S

RICKIE LEE JONES

NO SECRET THAT MANY PEOPLE

are longing to get back to live music performances and destination concerts. The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and Russell Carter Artist Management are pleased to announce the initial round of confirmed artists for the Thirteenth Annual 30A Songwriters Festival, taking place January 14–17, 2022. From large outdoor stages to small intimate cafés, the festival comprises more than thirty great venues throughout South Walton, Florida. Headliners will include Brothers of a Feather featuring Chris and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes, Dawes, Mavis Staples, Jenny Lewis, Emmylou Harris, and Rickie Lee Jones.

JOHN PAUL WHITE

Top left: Photo by David McClister Top right: Photo by Astor Morgan Opposite left: Steve Earle’s 2021 studio album, J.T. 64 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

Dueling rockstar brothers Chris and Rich Robinson formed The Black Crowes in 1984, penning several hit songs and becoming renowned on the live music circuit all before the age of twenty-three. But over a storied career that saw the release of eight studio albums, four live albums, and over 35 million records sold, the brothers continuously butted heads, calling it quits forever in 2013; each brother vowed never to play together or speak again. This January, Chris and Rich will reunite on the main stage at Grand Boulevard as Brothers of a Feather, an acoustic duo, and perform their classic hits from “She Talks to Angels” and “Twice as Hard” to “Remedy.”

Mavis Staples is the kind of once-in-a-generation artist whose impact on music and culture would be difficult to overstate. She’s both a Blues and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer; a civil rights icon; a Grammy Award winner; a chart-topping soul/gospel/R&B pioneer; a National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient; and a Kennedy Center honoree.

She’s collaborated with everyone from Prince to Bob Dylan. A legendary live performer, she will treat the 30A Fest audience to a string of The Staples Singers’ classics in addition to selections from the recent trio of acclaimed albums made with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy.

Dawes will showcase songs from their latest critically acclaimed album, Good Luck With Whatever (recorded at the historic RCA studios in Nashville

performer who defies genre and salts her songs with a sly and off-kilter intelligence.” Her latest record, On the Line, features performances from Ringo Starr, Beck, and Don Was (The Rolling Stones).

Emmylou Harris returns to serenade the 30A Fest main stage with her incomparably expressive voice and eloquent, straightforward songs that first shook up country radio in the 1970s, cementing her place as the premiere songwriter of a generation. Over her career, she’s sold more than 15 million records and garnered fourteen Grammy Awards, three CMA Awards, and four Americana Awards.

Rickie Lee Jones will make her 30A Fest debut fresh off the release of her memoir, Last Chance Texaco, released in the spring of 2021.

Her chronicles are “as rich and colorful as Jones’s best lyrics,” writes The New York Times. The two-time Grammy winner, known for her haunting voice that ranges from a deep yearning to late-night sultry, first appeared on the Los Angeles scene in the mid-1970s, penning instant classics like “Chuck E.’s in Love,” “Danny’s All-Star Joint,” and the pivotal breakup album Pirates.

Also returning to perform two shows each throughout the weekend are songwriting legends Amy Grant, Rodney Crowell, Patty Griffin, Steve Earle, John Paul White (The Civil Wars), and Shawn Mullins.

Mavis Staples is the kind of once-in-ageneration

artist whose impact on

music and

culture would be difficult

to overstate.

30A Songwriters Festival also recently announced the following confirmed artists for 2022: Dar

with six-time Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb). The Los Angeles-based group is one of the finest folk-rock bands of the modern era—just ask their forbearers. Studio collaborators include Jackson Browne and Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers). Signature songs such as “Time Spent in Los Angeles” and “All Your Favorite Bands” evoke a classic Laurel Canyon sound for the new millennium.

Jenny Lewis established herself as indie rock royalty as the frontwoman of Rilo Kiley, but as a solo artist, she blossomed into a singular, contemporary singersongwriter. The New York Times calls her “a stylish

MAVIS STAPLES V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 65

Le monde Williams, Marc Broussard, Carlene Carter, Robyn Hitchcock, Sierra Hull, James McMurtry, Liz Longley, Dan Navarro, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Jeffrey Steele, Kalen & Aslyn, Peter Bradley Adams, Kyshona Armstrong, Jeff Black, Mary Gauthier, Alex Guthrie, Toby Lightman, Charlie Mars, Michael McDermott, Leigh Nash, Abe Partridge, Alice Peacock, Darden Smith, Barnaby Bright, Meaghan Farrell, Jesse Terry, The Young Fables, and many more.

Since its inception in 2010, 30A Fest has become the biggest and most prestigious songwriters festival in the Southeast and has won many national accolades with sell-out crowds every year. We are looking forward to another one!

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU START PLANNING WITH SPECIAL OFFERS AND HELPFUL INFORMATION FROM THE FESTIVAL’S LODGING AND TRAVEL PARTNERS. VISIT 30ASONGWRITERSFESTIVAL.COM TO GET STARTED.

Dawes will

showcase

songs from

their latest

critically

acclaimed

album, Good

Luck With

Whatever.

DAWES

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Le monde

THANK YOU FOR BEING Emerald Coast Theatre Company, with programs based in Miramar Beach and DeFuniak Springs, Florida, helps bring the arts to the area through education and professional productions.

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G

iven the nature of theatre, it’s fitting that this is a love story that started nearly two decades ago. Nathanael and Anna Fisher met on a blind

date weekend set up by mutual friends in Virginia Beach. Anna knew the moment she first saw Nathanael that she had just met her future spouse,

OPEN although it took him a few more hours to come

to the same conclusion. As Nathanael reminisces,

“I believe God gives us dreams and they’re for a purpose. So that weekend, I asked Anna what her

BY LORI SACZYNSKI / PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIKKI HEDRICK dream was, and she described to me this show that she wanted to produce someday. In my heart, I knew I had met my wife because our dreams were the same.” The couple married in 2003, with the ultimate goal of returning to Anna’s roots on the Emerald Coast of Northwest Florida.

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 69

Le monde The arts are abundant in South Walton County: art galleries, art festivals, music festivals, performing arts; even the architecture and landscape bring an artistic richness to the area. Yet the community was still lacking in educational theatre.

It was important to Anna to create opportunities for local children that weren’t available to her as a child growing up in Destin.

Nathanael and Anna, along with their twin daughters Mia and Bella, moved to South Walton in June 2012. They launched Emerald Coast Theatre Company (ECTC) just four months later. Their performing arts education started with only ten children in an after-school program at Destin Elementary School in partnership with Mattie

Kelly Arts Foundation. Now, nine years later, Anna and her team of five instructors provide educational theatre for children as young as five and continuing through twelfth grade. In a community predominantly focused on youth sports, this is a welcome alternative for children who prefer the arts.

With twelve to fifteen productions available each year, young thespians have multiple opportunities in Miramar Beach and DeFuniak Springs through ECTC’s educational theatre. High school students considering a career in theatre or film can join the Junior Company, which offers audition coaching, training in voice-over, acting for film training, hands-on technical experience, and professional opportunities with master classes by guest artists. ECTC also offers Theatre for Young Audiences through partnerships with Grand Boulevard at Sandestin, the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, and the St. Joe Community Foundation. These performances are designed for children in the community, offering them a chance to unplug from the digital world and experience culture.

In addition to performing arts education, ECTC has delighted the community through high-quality professional theatre. They have experienced tremendous growth since 2012, which certainly was not easy. In fact, Nathanael and Anna volunteered their time in the beginning, not receiving a salary the first few years.

IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ANNA TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL CHILDREN THAT WEREN’T AVAILABLE TO HER AS A CHILD GROWING UP IN DESTIN.

ECTC’s educational programs for kids range from age five through seniors in high school.

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This was especially difficult with six-year-old twins and another baby girl, Zoe, born in January 2013. But their sacrifice, hard work, and determination paid off.

The theatre company was a portable operation until 2016, when it was able to secure a physical location in Miramar Beach. Stacey Brady, the director of marketing and communications for Grand Boulevard at Sandestin, shares, “Grand Boulevard is a longtime supporter of cultural arts in our community. We appreciate that the arts can enhance the quality of life and the fiber of a community. When we met Nathanael and Anna, we were impressed with their pure love of theatre, their passion for ECTC, and their strong work ethic. We immediately saw the benefit in supporting their mission and success. They have been a wonderful addition to Grand Boulevard, and we remain inspired by their hard-earned and well-deserved success.”

In March 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, ECTC placed all scheduled events on hold. Across the country, many industries were negatively impacted

by COVID-19, with performing arts being among the hardest hit. ECTC did not relaunch until Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said children had been out of school for over two months and that summer activities should take place. Doing so in a safe environment was of the utmost importance, so they researched safety protocols recommended by the CDC for their educational summer camps. If Nathanael could sum up the reaction of parents and students in one word, he says it’s catharsis. He struggles to contain his emotions as he reflects on the summer of 2020. “You could feel the release of these kids’ energy. They were so tired of being in isolation. There’s always energy with kids’ programs, but it was something really special when these kids finally got to see each other in person and not through Zoom.”

Above left: ECTC founders Anna and Nathanael Fisher Photo by Lori Saczynski

This sentiment was echoed when ECTC relaunched its professional theatre in late October 2020. The audience erupted into laughter countless times on the opening night of the comedy musical First Date. The energy from the adults was almost tangible. Throughout the history of theatre, this emotional release and processing V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 71

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WHO KNEW THAT A NIGHT AT THE THEATRE COULD BRING HEALING TO EMOTIONAL PAIN CAUSED BY A PANDEMIC? of emotions have been therapeutic. The quarantine isolation took a toll on mental health. The intense hunger for human interaction, laughter, and even tears took both the audience and the actors by surprise. Who knew that a night at the theatre could bring healing to the emotional pain caused by a pandemic? The overwhelming feedback ECTC has received: “Thank you for being open.” And ECTC has remained open with a full schedule of plays and cabaret, always taking health and safety into consideration through disinfecting and seat spacing.

ECTC’s educational theatre continues to expand, and its professional shows continue to attract larger audiences. As they look to the next three to five years, the Fishers would like to have a permanent space for the company, with multiple programs running simultaneously. Partnering with local businesses through sponsorships, as well as individual donor support, is going to be key for this next step to take place. There’s no doubt in my mind that this couple will be unstoppable as they chase dreams together.

Anna and Nathanael, thank you for being open.

VISIT EMERALDCOASTTHEATRE.ORG TO LEARN MORE AND TO SEE THE SEASONAL LINEUP FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND EDUCATION.

NEW LOCATION! 9961 Ea Co Hwy 30A Suite 7B Seacrest Beach, FL 32461

850.231.1720

In addition to theatre for young audiences, ECTC offers kids’ summer camps, musical theatre intensive programs, film camps, voice lessons, tech workshops, and more.

Architecture designed around You and the things You love...

www.aboheme.com

A BOHEME DESIGN WDR AR0015281

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED A BOHEME DESIGN, LLC / NICK MCGINN PHOTOGRAPHY 2021

Le monde

T H E

W O R L D

N E E D S

B Y

MU SI C S U Z A N N E P O L L A K

ur souls need music. Musicians need to perform. Bingo! We need each other. After the enactment of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2020, I started a weekly cocktail class to satisfy both needs.

What cemented connections and transformed the experience was music, which is perhaps the most transcendent art form of all.

Sip with Suzanne began as a weekly half-hour cocktail class experiment—low risk and low investment. Sixty drinks later, what’s come out of it? A community of new friends who feel connected to others even though they are scattered around the world. It’s something for those isolated at home to look forward to. But most importantly, Sip gave us weeks and weeks of live music.

World-class musician Wycliffe Gordon brought his curated performances to the party, sparking immediate joy and leaving ripples of good vibes for days to come.

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ycliffe possesses the spirit of an angel, and he lifted each participant’s spirits by making them feel special and seen. The moment the music began, faces lit up. Wycliffe’s beautiful visage appeared right next to us, not on a stage across a room. He is considered the world’s leading trombonist, but some weeks, he chose to play his tuba, trumpet, or flugelhorn. He always sang. A few weeks after the death of George Floyd, Wycliffe premiered a song he was moved to write, tears streaming down his face. Other times, he sang beloved oldies like “What a Wonderful World,” choosing the perfect appropriate tune for each week. The magical part of live art is seeing the artist respond to what is needed at the moment. Think of the Italians singing on their balconies. Wycliffe’s music sometimes made me cry, and sometimes I sang along (with the mute on). Others danced in front of their screens, spreading further joy. Wycliffe even composed a song in honor of our cocktail class series called “Sippin’ with Suzanne.”

One night Wycliffe could not make the Zoom, so he asked jazz maven Yvette Spears to sing. This contralto bombshell’s platform covers a gambit of venues, from churches to theaters, festivals, and schools. She blew us away and remained a weekly presence. Many don’t know that she is also an oncology massage therapist and transformational speaker, demonstrating balance in all she does. The week before Valentine’s Day, she sang “Just a Little Lovin’,” made famous by Dusty Springfield.

Yvette transformed Dusty’s tame tune into a sultry rendition that caused people’s eyelids to either open wide or close in satisfaction. One regular participant whispered to her partner, “I need coffee first,” and then we all laughed because there are no secrets on Zoom. A virtual cocktail party is very different from one IRL. We can hear what you say, even if you whisper!

Even amid these powerful moments, I sometimes thought this ritual could not go on. Sixty weeks is a very long time, and I was basically hosting a party every week, even if it was easier to organize. There’s no need to dress up, drive, prepare food, mix drinks, arrange flowers, or clean and straighten the house. However, I open up the half-hour by discussing and demonstrating a different cocktail each week. That bit involves digging into my

Left: Renowned trombonist and vocalist Wycliffe Gordon Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Gordon Below: Jazz singer Yvette Spears Photo courtesy of Yvette Spears

knowledge and imagination, not to mention practicing making (and enjoying) the drink. Then, I must figure out what to say and how to make it worth listening to.

Still, people keep showing up, both regulars and newcomers. People crave live music, even if only for a few minutes every week. People want to make connections, even if they never will meet in person. My passion is for connecting people in brand new ways—Bash from London, Jennifer working in the Pentagon, Fatima in Senegal, and moms across California. What the hell, you all need drinks and entertainment, whether at midnight or three o’clock in the afternoon, right? Hosting these guests boosted my confidence, offering me a creative outlet and structure during the lockdown. We started with four participants in March 2020 and grew slowly.

Each week, after our concluding etiquette tips on “How not to get sh*t-faced” and before the live entertainment began, the group chose the cocktail for next week’s lesson.

Unbeknownst to my new friends, I prayed that I had at least heard of the cocktail and could learn enough to demonstrate it with skill, strategy, and style, plus tell a story and entice everyone to return the following Wednesday. My business was on the line, and I was afraid to mess up. Pre-COVID, my guests were offered wine or champagne, not a choice of cocktails. Cocktail classes were new for me, requiring me to open a two-part shaker quickly, pour the correct amount in a shot glass while looking into the screen, and remember to set up my ice or garnish, all while making sure the sound worked on my Zoom. Whenever I messed up, there were Wycliffe and Yvette, stepping onto V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 75

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“

Some musicians know how to reach into the heads and hearts of their audience and change what’s there. They can make a blue person feel yellow and make a happy person feel even more so. their screens to bring professional singing and playing. Their beguiling and bewitching magic made everyone glad they showed up that particular hump day. Wells of gratitude for their performances fill my soul.

Some musicians know how to reach into the heads and hearts of their audience and change what’s there. They can make a blue person feel yellow (widely recognized as the happiest color in the world, lifting moods and improving outlooks on life with science to back it up) and make a happy person feel even more so. Musicians remind me of neurosurgeons who move things around in the brain, connect the wires back together, and help us find a new path. When we listen to music, our spirits shift. We might want to dance and act silly, become strong and courageous, or cry with rage or relief. We are connected beyond words and now, thanks to technology, with souls around the world.

Thank you, Wycliffe Gordon and Yvette Spears, for sustaining and nurturing us with your generous hearts and musical mastery.

Head to CharlestonAcademy.com/sip-with-suzanne to learn more about the series, and visit WycliffeGordon.com and YvetteSpearsMusic.com for more from these talented artists.

Suzanne Pollak, a mentor and lecturer in the fields of home, hearth, and hospitality, is the founder and dean of the Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuits. She is the coauthor of Entertaining for Dummies, The Pat Conroy Cookbook, and The Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuits: A Handbook of Etiquette with Recipes. Born into a diplomatic family, Pollak was raised in Africa, where her parents hosted multiple parties every week. Her South Carolina homes have been featured in the Wall Street Journal Mansion section and Town & Country magazine. Visit CharlestonAcademy.com or contact her at Suzanne@CharlestonAcademy.com to learn more.

RESIDENTIAL Photography by Jack Gardner Architect: Margaretten Architectural

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L’intermission

Pop Fashion

Justin Bieber stars in the new Balenciaga campaign. The new collection includes a variety of ready-to-wear styles along with the brand’s Neo Classic bag and Le Cagole bag. Visit Balenciaga.com to shop.

Photo by Katy Grannan, courtesy of Balenciaga

When it seems everything Justin Bieber does turns to gold, throw fashion label Balenciaga in the mix, and it’s sure to be a knockout. This new collaboration with the pop icon and the renowned fashion house includes a collection of ready-to-wear apparel and accessories that will carry over for multiple seasons. The campaign photos, shot by American art photographer Katy Grannan, exude ultracool vibes to re-create the Los Angeles parking lot atmosphere. Catch us in these Runner Sneakers all season long.

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Photo by Brandan Babineaux

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

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C’est la vie

LET’S ROCK!

A year without concerts has us bringing the spirit of music to our interiors and closets instead. This month’s collection is all about embracing your inner rock star. Bands like Nirvana and Metallica personified the grunge trend in their day, and when fashion houses started filling their runways with black mesh and flannel, it became a classic look that is here to stay. Being a rock star is about having inner confidence—the feeling of knowing you look good regardless of what anyone else thinks. We hope these items inspire you to embrace your inner diva and dance in the mirror because, as the rug says, “You look good.”

1

If Looks Could Kill

David Koma Faux Leather Wrap Mini Dress $1,400 – DavidKoma.com 80 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

Stay Golden

2

Mesh Moment

Audenza Gold ‘RockOn’ Hand $25 – Audenza.com

Batter Up

3

David Koma Gown, Pre-Fall 2021 $2,900 – DavidKoma.com

4

Ralph Lauren Yankees Jacket $498 – RalphLauren.com

5

Roll with It

Sunny Life Rolling Stones Beach Bats $30 – SunnyLife.com

6

Hey, Good Lookin’

Indaba You Look Good Bath Mat $45 – AnnSandra.com 7

Side Beats

Annabel James Tuba Side Table $630 – AnnabelJames.co.uk

Cool Catchall

8

Nicolette Mayer Spectrum of Reality Acrylic Vanity Tray $88 – AnnSandra.com V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 81

C’est la vie

Magic 9 Carpet Ride

Merida Custom Touro Area Rug Made to order – MeridaStudio.com

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The Secret 10 Formula Formula 1: The Impossible Collection $995 – Assouline.com

11

Blue Steel

David Koma Puffed Sleeve Mini Dress $1,500 – DavidKoma.com

Just Beat It

12

Beats by Dre Studio Buds $150 – BeatsbyDre.com

13

Light Melody

Botti Suspension Lamp $16,000 – DelightFULL.eu

Sing the Blues 15

14

Rock ’n’ Bowl

Greg Natale Rope Bowl Bianco $675 – AnnSandra.com

Mansfield Armchair Price on request – EssentialHome.eu

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 83

LEADER IN LUXURY REAL ESTATE

THEPREMIERPROPERTYGROUP.COM | 850.337.1555 SEACREST BEACH | WATERCOLOR | DESTIN

Petite pause

Pick Yo u r Poison

Irving Plaza is a ballroomstyle music venue located in the Union Square neighborhood of New York City. The iconic venue has seen some big names and has served as a significant stepping stone for many musical artists. Instead of showcasing the main stage, we love this cozy little corner!

It’s the perfect spot for taking in a date-night show— complete with craft cocktails, of course.

Visit their Instagram at @irvingplaza.

Photo by Halkin Mason Photography, HalkinMasonPhotography.com

V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 85

MUSCLE SHOALS SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL Presented by Marriott Shoals

NOVEMBER 5 - 6 Muscle Shoals, AL

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW AT MSSONGFEST.COM

@ MUSCLESHOALSSF

Visual Perspectives

Installation view of Tokujin Yoshioka’s Crystallize at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo in 2013. To learn more about the artist, visit Tokujin.com.

Visual Perspectives EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Japanese designer and artist Tokujin Yoshioka presented his solo exhibition appropriately titled Crystallize at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo in 2013. The exhibit included beautiful crystals that Yoshioka grew in a transparent pool filled with a special liquid, allowing the crystals to grow freely. Yoshioka would play music while the minerals were assuming their shapes, intending to emulate the energy of the music through the forms of the crystals.

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Visual Perspectives

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E m br acin g a

SOULBY

J O RDAN S TA G G S

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF

MAR G AR E T B I G G S F INE ART

Ar t That Hea ls

At The Pass

by Margaret Biggs Left: Concerto of Color Above right: A Surrender

long the Gulf Coast of Northwest Florida, talent abounds in seemingly every area and industry. This is a place where visitors and locals alike can find the best of the best, no matter what their interest: chefs, artists, designers, architects, photographers, creatives, event planners, hoteliers—all excel in their crafts and raise the bar for experiences from Pensacola to Apalachicola and beyond. But among these incredible individuals, it’s pretty rare to find a true local rather than someone who fell in love with the beach and decided to make it home.

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ensacola-based fine artist, poet, and philanthropist Margaret Biggs is one of those rarities who has called the area home from childhood. She lived abroad for several years thanks to an international modeling career and later studied at the University of Illinois at Chicago under renowned painter Kerry James Marshall. But in the end, it was the expressive, mesmerizing inland waters of the Deep Coastal South that led her back to her roots.

“I grew up on this coast, living for three summers in my great-grandfather’s Victorian house on Escambia Bay; it was heavenly!” she recalls. “Each summer, our big vacation was spending two weeks in a small cinder block house on Pensacola Beach. My very Southern family has ancestors whose land in Pensacola was granted to them by the King of Spain.”

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wat e r IS THE e lemen t O F h e a li n g , HER WOR K AIMS TO B R I N G A “ s ou l - f u l l ” f e e li n g TO T HE VIEWER , FILLING THEM UP WIT H p ea ce, w e l ln e s s , AND i n n e r b ea ut y.

JUST AS

The times spent at the beach or the Bay house are ingrained in Biggs’s memories as some of the most magical moments of her life, she expounds.

The connections she made there with her family and nature as a child became embedded into her core, pieces of her heart and soul that are irrevocably linked.

“We were always outside, either on the beach, in a boat, or in the woods. Everything we ate was either caught or shot by my father and brothers. We hunted, fished, picked wildflowers and blackberries, went crabbing at night and during the day when the crabs were running. There were bonfires on the beaches and not a single light to be seen along the shores we roamed in the 1960s and ’70s. This was very much our life, and the connection we enjoyed as a family while in nature is the connection that I think I communicate in my artwork. I hope other people see it and remember, as well.”

Inspired by the water, but indeed not your typical “beach art,” Biggs’s oil paintings evoke thought and introspection as they depict shimmering aquatic surfaces, surrealistic seashells, coastal landmarks, and native fauna. Just as water is the element of healing, her work aims to bring a “soul-full” feeling to the viewer, filling them

up with peace, wellness, and inner beauty. Painting and writing, along with meditation, have also been her methods of self-healing.

“From a ten-year career in the disconnected and superficial world of modeling, unhealthy relationships, and twenty-three years of isolation, my life has been filled with rejection,” she shares. “During those decades of severe loneliness, I turned inward and dug deep in search of inner peace, regardless of my circumstances. Through years of spiritual study, meditation, and prayer, I came to appreciate my value.”

A Symphony

by Margaret Biggs Above left: An Invitation Left: Beauty Within

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iggs has practiced the art of meditation since 1986, and her journey toward inner light is continually evolving. She was recently accepted into a two-year course, the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, taught by renowned author, Buddhist practitioner, and vipassanā meditation instructor Jack Kornfield and psychologist, author, and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC, Tara Brach. Biggs will join a peer group of six women as the third class to undergo the course and the first to focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). “There are quite a few businesses in this area that include a DEIA component in their organizations,” Biggs shares, stating that she would like to help promote that. One nonprofit group she has worked with in the past to share this mission is Sunday’s Child. This Pensacola-based organization fosters diversity, inclusion, and equality by awarding

grants to significant charitable and economic initiatives, focusing on the LGBTQ+ community.

It all circles back to healing. Biggs’s creative endeavors have helped her look into herself and heal from within, and her daily practices continue to do so.

“

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“At age forty-nine, completely bankrupt, I returned to my home in the Deep South with a troubled teenager and enough money to just get by,” she recalls, expounding upon why her art has been such an essential part of her life as well as one of her greatest challenges. “I decided to give my dream of becoming a financially independent artist a real try. Much progress was made in my skill level as a painter during the first few years back home, yet my dream of building a career as an artist was again delayed when I agreed to care for my ill and aging parents.

Unfortunately, the emotional toll of caring for aging family members is often unappreciated. Rejection and loneliness again greeted me during those years.”

Opposite: Artist, poet, and philanthropist Margaret Biggs This page left: Fluidity Imagined Inset: Island Pool

Once more, she turned to her love and connection with Mother Nature for solace, expressing that energy through each brushstroke.

“I continued my spiritual practice and found great solace in the natural beauty that surrounded me on the Florida coast,” Biggs says. “As often as I could, I attempted to paint the peacefulness and strength I found in the natural world.”

People who saw her work began to take notice.

“Again and again, people would tell me that my art was very peaceful. My fans would express gratitude to me for helping them see nature in ways they had never noticed before. Through my art, I felt valued.

What I painted was seen as strong and peaceful—the same qualities I strove to be as a woman. People found solace in my work, and the poetry that came to me while I painted has helped people find healing.”

She desires to share that evidence-based healing art with the world and has done so through exhibits and galleries worldwide. To that end, her introspective, expressionistic paintings grace the walls of medical and health centers around the country, including the Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, the Thomas Hospital Oncology Clinic in Fairhope, Alabama, the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile, the Charlotte and Hernando County Health Departments in Florida, and other offices throughout Florida and Illinois.

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“I Am” I Am a Spark of the Divine.

As are the flowers And the trees, The rocks and the sand, The rivers that flow to the bay And open to the sea.

iggs was also selected as a participating artist in the Art in Embassies program of the U.S. State Department from 2018 to 2020 and has held solo exhibitions at the Pensacola Museum of Art, the Eastern Shore Arts Center in Fairhope, Alabama, and the Cultural Arts Center in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Him and her You and me We are all a part Of the One Mind, Expressing Oneself In countless ways In the infinity that is The Universe.

In the works this year for Biggs are new expressionistic paintings, upcoming exhibitions, and website improvements. The most significant update to her site allows her viewers to set a painting of their choice in a room or space through an augmentedreality program. Large-scale, archival-quality prints and hand-embellished prints of past works are also coming, with the consent of her original collectors.

The artist is excited to share these as they will allow more people access to her work, along with the option to choose the ideal size for their home or office. Fans can also find her small book of poetry and art, Visions, on her website and Amazon.

Always moving, ever changing Flowing as One.

She hopes that through sharing her art with more people, her commitment to finding and expressing the light within herself will bring inner peace to those who see it. Biggs shares, “That inner beauty and sense of self far outweigh any other beauty that we may have lost throughout our lives, be it from grief, age, or trauma.”

We are.

I Am. —Margaret Elizabeth Biggs

To learn more, discover paintings and prints, or shop for the perfect piece by Margaret Biggs, visit MargaretBiggs.com or follow her on Instagram @margaretbiggsfineart.

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Lovelace Lifestyle’s T I PS FO R E N T E RTA I NI N G

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Photog ra phy by R OM ONA R OBBI NS

N

orthwest Florida lifestyle expert Susan Lovelace has been helping her clients curate their homes for nearly three decades through her design studio and showroom, Lovelace Interiors.

From fine home furnishings to accessories, art, and apparel, the Lovelace flagship location in Miramar Beach and its sister lifestyle store in Inlet Beach are meccas for those seeking an elegant coastal lifestyle.

What some might not know, however, is that Susan Lovelace is the ultimate hostess!

As we plan for holidays and intimate gatherings at home this year, we look to the experts for advice on creating memorable events for our family and friends. Susan graciously shares her top tips for any soiree, big or small:

E N J OY T H E PART Y YOU RSELF. What’s the point of throwing an event if you won’t have fun? You are the host, so when planning, make sure you include foods, drinks, activities, and decor that you will love. Even if the event is in honor of someone else, like a birthday or shower, there are ways to put your stamp on it by planning something you know you will enjoy. The chances are that others will too!

B E P R E PAR ED, B U T B E F L E X I BLE .

Make your plans well in advance. The bigger the soiree, the sooner you should start! You should determine the guest list early, and save-the-dates or invitations should be sent as soon as you have your date and time. It’s courteous to give your guests plenty of notice. Make a to-do list and a to-buy list.

Creating a timeline will also help for bigger events.

Of course, there are always factors out of your control, such as the weather or the needs and desires of guests or co-hosts. Be ready and willing to pivot and compromise when needed. Do it all with grace and style, and you’ll make the process look effortless.

A C LEAN SPAC E I S KEY. Make sure your house is clean and tidy. Put everything away that doesn’t make you smile. An upcoming party is a perfect time to purge your home of items you no longer love or feel are in the way.

Whether you hire help or clean it yourself, give your home a good once-over the day before the event.

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spread or passed hors d’oeuvres, remember that no one wants something too messy or complicated.

Small bites should be simple enough to eat with minimal effort while mingling. A sit-down dinner menu should include your specialty as the chef or something that looks and tastes great but won’t have you too exhausted to enjoy it yourself.

MAKE THE PART Y FE ST IV E BU T D ON’ T OVER CO MMIT TO A THEME .

“

A sit-down dinner menu should include your specialty as the chef or something that looks and tastes great but won’t have you too exhausted to enjoy it yourself.

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”

will inevitably gather), front porches, and any space where guests might go. Having a clean bathroom with a candle burning and fresh hand towels goes a long way! When your house is clean and tidy, you can relax and focus on being with your guests instead of wiping down surfaces or moving things around at the last minute.

SE RVE SOMETHI NG THAT TASTE S REALLY D ELI C I OUS. When it comes to the food, all that matters is that it’s good! Simple party platters are fine if they include crowd favorites. You don’t have to go all-out in the kitchen for a week or spend a fortune for your guests to love what you serve. Choose a menu that will leave everyone smiling, and if you’re going for a buffet-style

When it comes to decor or themed parties, remember: it’s your home, not Disney World. You don’t need to make your space look like the inside of a piñata for Cinco de Mayo, nor do you need a cacophony of Christmas decorations for your holiday get-together.

Fresh flowers and candles are always good ways to spruce up your space in a natural way. If you do choose to throw a themed party, find subtle yet memorable ways to work it into your decor or menu.

W ELCOME G U E STS W I TH A BEVERAGE .

Hand your guests a drink upon their entrance! Have bubbly on hand—very cold—for those who drink alcohol and something fun and refreshing for those who don’t. It’s important to get everyone comfortable and make them feel special from the very beginning of the event. They’ll be more apt to mingle without feeling awkward, and you’ll have time to continue preparations while they get to know each other or catch up.

FOR D I NNER PART IE S, T HE TABLE I S THE STA R. Always set a beautiful table so your guests feel special.

It doesn’t always have to be formal. At my farm, I have sterling silver saddle-shaped napkin rings that a dear friend gave me, cowhide placemats, and napkins with boots on them. At my home in Santa Rosa Beach, I like to be colorful and coastal yet elegant. Don’t be afraid to get out your good china! What are we saving our nice things for? Use them and enjoy them by sharing special moments with your friends. This will be far more meaningful than looking at them through glass forever.

ALWAYS SERVE DE S S ERT. This is a party, and therefore a chance to cut loose and enjoy a treat. Keep the meal simple but have great wine, herbal tea, and a fabulous dessert for your guests to enjoy at the end. Having coffee available is a great idea, too, for those who might need a pickme-up (or decaf for those who just enjoy it with their sweets). Dessert and after-dinner drinks will keep the conversation flowing and the smiles on your guests’ faces until it’s time to wind down. Having dessert prepared ahead and ready to serve will save you time and energy the day or night of the party (this goes for your meal and beverages, as well).

A G ENER OUS S PIRIT IS T HE MOST I MP ORTA N T A S PECT OF ENTERTAI NIN G! When you express your excitement and gratitude to your guests for attending your soiree, you are the ultimate hostess. Let them know you appreciate them taking time to come and engage with each guest as much as possible so no one feels like the odd man out.

Be kind and courteous, but also be yourself ! Your guests are not there to see a Stepford Wives robot.

They want to see and spend time with you, so let yourself relax and have fun instead of getting too stressed about the event.

Just remember to enjoy yourself, and your guests will follow suit!

Visit LovelaceInteriors.com to learn more about this interior design and lifestyle studio, or visit their store locations in Miramar Beach and Inlet Beach, Florida.

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Photo courtesy of Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren recently announced a partnership with Major League Baseball with designs for three special collections in collaboration with some of the sport’s most iconic teams. Combining fashion with America’s pastime, the first collection will include the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. The collections will later expand to incorporate additional teams, including the Boston Red Sox. We have a feeling this collection is going to be a home run.

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Mixed-Media Luxury

BY SALLIE W. BOYLES

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF STEPHEN WILSON

Creating and Celebrating Joy

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Left: Charlotte-based mixed-media artist Stephen Wilson started his career in the fashion and textiles industry and evolved to creating one-of-a-kind artwork using thread, fabric, album covers, and packaging from luxury brands

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H

aving mastered the fine arts of drawing and painting through years of formal training, the revolutionary Pablo Picasso is often quoted for his sage advice: “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” Indeed, some of the most admired art emerges from individuals who spend years honing a professional skill until something shifts, permitting the soul to take control.

“I know exactly what some pieces are going to look like, but at the end of the day, it’s always a surprise.” of our mass-produced items,” Wilson says. “We” is important here. “It’s not like creating a painting,” he shares. “This work requires a team of people and a lot of time.” That’s why his setup resembles that of a design studio.

In addition to his sales and marketing team, Wilson employs three machine operators to fabricate components, including his lifelike, embroidered butterflies. They appear throughout his collection, and unmounted butterflies come in groupings for customers to purchase and display as they wish. Three-dimensional flowers, formed with a 3D printer and painted by hand, are another hallmark of his work. To replenish the inventory, Wilson says, “Flowers and butterflies are made every day.”

A shake-up in the embroidery design and manufacturing industry nudged Stephen Wilson, a master of digitized embroidery, to pursue his calling as a mixed-media artist.

Relaying the history, he says, “Union City, New Jersey, close to where I grew up, was the embroidery capital of the world.” The designation dates to the nineteenthcentury boom of the Garment (or Fashion) District, just across the Hudson River in New York City. “It was where we worked after school,” says Wilson. “My whole family on both sides were immigrants from Italy who worked in the garment industry and the lace factories.” He further recalls going to his grandmother’s house as a child and learning to use her old-fashioned treadle sewing machine. “The trade was passed down. It’s in the blood.”

From gaining hands-on experience and meeting the right people through his relatives, Wilson started his own embroidery company to serve the fashion industry.

His portfolio includes recognizable designs, such as the embroidered emblems for Hard Rock Cafe’s iconic jackets. When international trade agreements sent the bulk of his clientele to low-cost, offshore manufacturers, Wilson turned to the home decor segment. He stayed in business by providing crafting and quilting samples and designs. Acknowledging that he had a good run, Wilson, now in his early fifties, says, “Up until my forties, I employed fifty to sixty people.”

About eight years ago, after receiving rave reviews for some artwork he’d created solely as gifts, he transitioned. “We started making one-of-a-kind pieces instead 104 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

As he points out, “Without the industrial machines,” some of which have been retooled for specific jobs, “the designs would be impossible to make.” Wilson also divulges that the equipment, which can be finicky and locks up at times, requires expert operators. After loading the thread, he says, “someone has to stand there to fix thread breaks and needle breaks.” Other delicate tasks entail finishing work, like trimming excess threads and cutting raw materials to size.

Wilson conceives the design for each piece of art created, beginning with his sketch, and personally executes the assembly. “A lot of pieces don’t have a plan,” he confides. “I design in stages, thinking, What does it need? I know exactly what some pieces are going to look like, but at the end of the day, it’s always a surprise.

The piece definitely tells me when it’s done. Some may sit for three months while I’m waiting for the aha moment.”

He did not wait long for art galleries to express their enthusiasm. “My first gallery exhibition was in Charlotte,” says Wilson, who is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, “then, immediately after, in the Bahamas, Connecticut, and Palm Beach. People had never seen it. We weren’t mainstream.” His unconventional approach has been widely appealing—visually and thematically—to patrons across the United States and abroad.

Much of his collection is an ode to glamorous fashion. With an eye for design, Wilson understands the admiration, particularly for the artistry and skill associated with brands like Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Hermès, and Valentino. Adeptly incorporating their “artifacts,” such as silks, leathers, hardware, and even packaging, he makes each piece of artwork an “homage to their craftsmanship.”

The idea to stitch on their signature boxes came when he had a stack from some

Right: Fans of luxury fashion designers can commission Wilson to create a unique work of art using boxes or other packaging items from their purchases.

Left: Butterflies and florals made of thread are two hallmarks of Wilson’s work.

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Wilson’s works are all originals, and no two are identical. vintage Hermès scarves he’d used in his compositions. Experimenting, Wilson designed a thread pattern with a “French toile vibe” and “framed them in a shadowbox with an embroidered butterfly.” Never intending to develop a series, he shipped the few creations he’d made to gallerist friends for their Christmas presents. Upon following up, he found they all had unwittingly sold the gifts in their galleries, thinking that was Wilson’s intent, and they wanted to know when he could send more.

“Luxury goods are aspirational,” he asserts, noting that many owners are so attached to the prized designer items that they can’t even part with the boxes and tissue—although such trappings often end up in the back of a closet. One way of preserving the memory of buying a Chanel handbag in Paris and later unwrapping it, suggests Wilson, is to commission him to create a work of art from a remnant of the original packaging. Having an elegant, reimagined relic to admire ultimately grants peace of mind to recycle the rest without regret.

Inspired by his teen years of performing in a band, Wilson’s album series—an extraordinary tribute to rock music from the 1970s and ’80s—resonates with lovers of music from that era. “It started with an art installation for Art Basel,” says Wilson, referring to the international art fair. Showcasing fifty albums with an array of stitching techniques, he says, “I wanted to do a cool wall with a Studio 54 feel.”

His technique of using album and CD covers and sleeves as his physical canvases resulted from trial and error.

Embroidering over the imagery, he replicates the artwork, photography, and lettering in thread. Wilson draws every stitch, and the work is painstaking. “One in five albums gets torn,” he says. He takes no shortcuts. The seemingly plain backgrounds of certain covers are often actually mosaics of one-inch, embroidered squares or patch-like shapes. Each “tile” displays a pattern or image that relays the band or album’s story.

Wilson’s works are all originals, and no two are identical.

“I sign on the back,” he says, “and mount a certificate to the piece that describes the techniques used.”

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Offering a glimpse of what’s to come, Wilson references a past series in which he had “released butterflies” on a textured canvas, achieved with oil paint, fabric, and thread. “It was the most fun I ever had,” he says. “I’m going back to painting canvases and doing textural work with thread.”

Wilson’s website presents more of his collection and provides links to his social media, a gallery list, and contact information. He also welcomes visitors to his showroom in Charlotte, and guests may schedule a private tour of the studio, open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The studio’s email is studio@stephenwilsonstudio.com.

“There’s no ‘behind the curtain’ here,” says Wilson, who enjoys explaining his craft and encouraging people to work with their hands and experience the joy of creating.

VISIT STEPHENWILSONSTUDIO.COM TO LEARN MORE OR SHOP NOW.

Left and opposite: No two pieces of Wilson’s art are the same, and each comes with a certificate of authenticity that details the process he and his team used during its creation.

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keeping it

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neutral A Contemporary Penthouse in Monaco

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new Caffe Latte The

Contemporary Modern Penthouse in Monaco is a perfect definition of elegance and luxury with touches of functionality and simplicity.

Throughout the space, neutral tones deliver harmony and comfort through a minimalist aesthetic. The surrounding city, Mediterranean coast, and local architecture serve as clear inspiration.

“In today’s homes, contemporary interiors are comfortable and welcoming without being cluttered and dark,” says the Portugal-based Caffe Latte design team.

A tour of this incredible penthouse begins with the spacious entryway. Its modern decor offers a brilliant opportunity to delight houseguests from the moment they step inside. This is the best place in a home to display great artwork or even luxury furniture that catches the eye. It’s the spot where everything begins. Comfort, minimalism, and space define the penthouse entryway, providing a serene atmosphere and introducing the home’s neutral yet inviting tones.

Other areas to explore include the bright living and dining rooms, a sophisticated kitchen, a luxurious master suite with a walk-in closet, a sweet kids’ bedroom, well-equipped bathrooms, and, last but not least, a singular office.

Despite a color-free palette, the possibilities are endless in the penthouse’s living room, thanks to the use of layering, hero furniture pieces by Caffe Latte, and contrasting textures. Comfort, modernity, and functionality are perfectly in sync here, delivering a warm ambience to residents and guests. The luminous feeling easily carries throughout the rest of the home.

When it is time to eat and spend time with family and friends, the happiest place will be the dining room. The Caffe Latte team chose an open, practical, and cozy area for entertaining. The adjacent kitchen is likely the home’s most used room, so the top priority was making it an enjoyable space for spending time. With straight, clean lines, the kitchen still captures attention thanks to its sleek decoration and finishes, including the marble island, matching backsplash, and two metallic pendant lights.

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Form and function meld perfectly in Monaco’s first contemporary penthouse, designed by the experts at Caffe Latte studio. With plenty of open space and lavish furnishings, the residence is perfect for entertaining or just enjoying quiet evenings with family.

Above: A neutral children’s room blurs the boundaries between playroom, classroom, and bedroom for a modern family.

Opposite: Caffe Latte’s Loren or Marco dining chairs could easily replace the Collins chairs seen around the table (left) for a bigger statement.

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Right: The calming neutral palette continues throughout the home, including the sumptuous master suite, which features a den and an impressive ensuite bath.

Below: No detail was spared by the European interior design firm Caffe Latte, even in the penthouse’s smaller spaces.

comfort,

MODERNITY & FUNCTIONALITY ARE PERFECTLY IN SYNC HERE, DELIVERING A WARM AMBIENCE TO RESIDENTS & GUESTS.

The Caffe Latte penthouse was inspired by the modern contemporary style of decorating, where interiors showcase space rather than things. This European interior design firm and furniture company’s goal is to provide ergonomic functionality to any room through a modern minimalist approach. Its team hopes to accomplish this by complementing other architectural design aesthetics by using a neutral color palette, presenting sobriety to any interior decoration project, and, ultimately, creating a consensual and transversal design suitable for any taste.

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E P I S O D E 1 : “ R E S C U E M E ” - w ith La u r ie Hood E P I S O D E 2 : “ V I E A D V E N T U R E S , PA RT 1 ” - w ith Tra c e y T h oma s E P I S O D E 3 : “ P I V OT W I T H Y O U R T R I B E ” - w ith B r ittne y Ke lle y E P I S O D E 4 : “ V I E A D V E N T U R E S , PA RT 2 ” - w ith Jorda n Sta ggs E P I S O D E 5 : “ LO V E T H E R E P ” - w ith B r ook Ste tle r E P I S O D E 6 : “ F I T F O R L I F E ” - w ith Z olta n “ Z oli” Na gy E P I S O D E 7 : “ L I F E I S A B AT T L E F I E L D ” - w ith Ge of f Spe y re r E P I S O D E 8 : “A RT O N T H E S P E C T R U M : S E E I N G W H AT OT H E R S C A N N OT ” - w ith Na th a n A la n Yoa kum E P I S O D E 9 : “A D Y N A M I C D U O : L I V I N G A N A D V E N T U R O U S L I F E ” - w ith Romona Rob b ins & Sh a ne Reyn o l d s E P I S O D E 1 0 : “ K E E P I N G T H E A RT S A L I V E I N 2 0 2 1 ” - w ith A le xis Mille r E P I S O D E 1 1 : “ T H E G O D FAT H E R O F N E W U R B A N I S M ” - w ith Rob e r t Da v is E P I S O D E 1 2 : “ D A N C I N G T H R O U G H F I R E ” - w ith Da nie lle Tor le y E P I S O D E 1 3 : “ S U N S H I N E S TAT E O F M I N D ” - w ith B r ia n Ke lle y E P I S O D E 1 4 : “ F E E D I N G A C O M M U N I T Y ” - w ith Tif f a nie Ne ls on E P I S O D E 1 5 : “ FA S H I O N , A RT & M O D E R N D E S I G N ” - w ith Todd D. Re e v e s

W ATC H O R L I S T E N TO V I E S P E A K S | C O N V E R S AT I O N S W I T H H E A RT & S O U L Listen on Spotify | Watch on YouTube | Subscribe on iTunes | viemagazine.c om VIE Speaks Epis ode 13 was pr odu c e d and fil med at SOWAL House, a p roduc tion s tudio and e vents venue t h at fos t er s c r eat ive c ul ture on 30A by sup p or ting th e individual s w h o sh ap e it.

Petite pause The historic Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre located in Morrison, Colorado, is a star in its own right. The venue’s unique location, where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains, gives performances an acoustically perfect sound quality. In its seventy-five years, the Red Rocks stage has seen some of the biggest names in music, including the Beatles and Johnny Cash. We can’t wait to see who else will join the roster.

Check out RedRocksOnline.com to see the list of upcoming events.

Photo courtesy of VisitDenver.com

On the Rocks

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BOOK CLUB THE READERS CORNER

Dive into this enchanting bookstore located in Romania. You are sure to find a new favorite novel or two on one of Cărturești Carusel’s six floors, which hold over ten thousand titles. Patrons can choose between flipping through pages or appreciating the first-floor gallery dedicated to modern art. The establishment’s white columns and spiral staircases give it a whimsical aesthetic, perfect for sparking the imagination during storytime!

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In Bucharest, Romania, Cărturești Carusel holds over ten thousand books, a bistro, and a modern art gallery.

Visit it virtually on Instagram @carturesticarusel.

Photo by Tichr/Shutterstock

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The Readers Corner

Billie Eilish attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscars Party Photo by Rich Fury/ VF20/Getty Images 118 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

Story and photography courtesy of Grand Central Publishing BILLIE EILISH IS A TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY GLOBAL POP PHENOMENON, UNCOMPROMISING AND UNAPOLOGETIC. BETWEEN HER RECORD-BREAKING, AWARD-WINNING MUSIC AND ARTISTRY, IT’S NO SURPRISE SHE HAS BECOME ONE OF THE BIGGEST AND MOST LOVED ARTISTS OF HER GENERATION.

N

ow in her first book—a stunning visual narrative journey through her life—Eilish is ready to share more with her devoted audience for the first time, including hundreds of never-before-seen photos. This gorgeous coffee-table biography, released in May 2021, captures the essence of Eilish inside and out. It offers readers a personal glimpse into her childhood, her life on tour, and more and is a must-have for every fan or a great gift for the lover of music and pop culture.

“I don’t want this book to feel like a chore,” Eilish writes in the intro. “I want it to feel like a photo book you might have of yourself.”

The 336-page glossy tome reads more like an Instagram feed, with small snippets of the author’s thoughts as she shares photos from everything, including growing up, her family and friends, moments between shows and sets, photo shoots, pets, press events, hobbies, passions, and much more.

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The Readers Corner

This page and opposite top: Billie Eilish performs at the 2019 Lowlands Festival in the Netherlands Photos by Ben Houdijk/ Shutterstock Opposite bottom: Billie Eilish, the star’s eponymous autobiography, includes an in-depth photo journal of her childhood, career, behind-the-scenes moments, and more.

Photo courtesy of the family of Billie Eilish

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SHE SHARES NEVER-BEFORE-TOLD STORIES & RECOLLECTIONS FROM HER PERSONAL LIFE & CAREER, FROM THE EARLY YEARS TO HER BREAKOUT SUCCESS.

P

ublished simultaneously with the book is a stand-alone audiobook, Billie Eilish: In Her Own Words, providing exclusive, unique content in which the artist reflects on her life. She shares never-before-told stories and recollections from her personal life and career, from the early years to her breakout success. This is an audiobook like no other, providing an intimate window into her journey in an honest, down-to-earth recording.

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The Readers Corner

E

ilish has become one of the biggest stars to emerge since the release of her debut single, “Ocean Eyes,” in 2015 and continues to shatter the ceiling of music with her genre-defying sound.

Fast-forward from her humble breakout to 2019 when Eilish’s album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in the US and seventeen additional countries. It was also the most-streamed album of the year. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was written, produced, and recorded entirely by Eilish and brother Finneas in their childhood home in Los Angeles. Eilish went on to make history as the youngest artist to receive nominations and win in all the major categories at the Sixty-Second Grammy Awards, receiving awards for Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album. Eilish is also the youngest artist to write and record an official James Bond theme song, “No Time To Die,” which debuted in February and will be featured in the newest 007 film series installment in October.

Billie Eilish performing in Barcelona in 2019 Photo by Christian Bertrand/Shutterstock

Billie Eilish’s eponymous biography and audiobook are now available for purchase.

Billie Eilish © Grand Central Publishing, 2021

L’intermission

Keynote Design This gorgeous Enzo Crystal Piano by Lucid Pianos is made in Germany and comes in gold, chrome, and bronze.

Visit LucidPianos.com to learn more.

Photo courtesy of Lucid Pianos

The Enzo Crystal Piano by Lucid Pianos is a harmonious vision for the discerning musician. The minimalist beauty of the intricate design presents itself as a futuristic phenomenon. The gorgeous creation comes in multiple finishes and sizes, giving you the option of prominent chrome or understated matte metal hardware. You are sure to make a statement while tickling these ivories.

Love, VIE xo V I E MAGAZ INE . COM | 123

8T H A N N UA L P E P S I G U L F COA ST J A M The 8th Annual Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, rescheduled twice from its original September 2020 date, took place June 4–6, 2021, in beautiful Panama City Beach, Florida. It was the first large-scale music festival to play in the US in over a year. Headliners Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, and more than twenty other acts performed for over 23,000 live music-starved fans each day, setting attendance records over the 2019 event.

For most artists on the bill, the festival was their first time on stage in at least fifteen months. Riggers and stagehands, who hadn’t built a set or hung a speaker in as many months, cried when they arrived on-site to begin constructing the massive roof and stage. Such was the case for many staff members, artists, and crews, who treated the weekend like a long-overdue family reunion. The ninth annual event is scheduled for June 2022.

Photography courtesy of Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam

Headliner Luke Bryan

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Record crowds attended the 8th Annual Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam in Panama City Beach, Florida, June 4–6, 2021

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Luke Bryan

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La scène

An intimate dinner at Jonah Allen Studio in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, celebrated the artistic photographer’s new gallery and his documentary short film, An Intentional Moment.

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Food and beverage by Swiftly Catered

Gerald and Lisa Burwell with Jonah Allen

A N I N T E N T I O N A L MOM E N T D O C U M E N TA RY R E L E A S E

Jim and Shelly Rode with Jonah Allen

Sandy Arnold, Jonah Allen, and Angela Hubbs

A celebration for the release of Jonah Allen Studio’s documentary short film, An Intentional Moment, took place at the artist’s new gallery in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, on July 23, 2021.

Partners and clients enjoyed a private dinner hosted by the talented Jonah Allen and catered

by Swiftly Catered. Everything was thoughtfully planned, creating an intimate soiree for all to enjoy. It has been a pleasure working with Jonah in the magazine, on the VIE Beach House – A Show Home, and in our HOME—Inspirations for Home and Life by VIE coffee-table book.

Congratulations, Jonah!

Christy and Ben Bricken with Jonah Allen

Photography by Hunter Burgtorf

Jonah Allen; Floral arrangements by Beachy Blooms

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La scène

Marisol Gullo, owner/ artist of Not Too Shabby in 30Avenue and Miramar Beach, Florida 128 | SE P T E MBE R 2 021

Jordan Staggs, Lisa Burwell, and Bo and Dave King

Dawn Wiley and Cody Brown

H OM E BY V I E B O O K S I G N I N G AT N OT TO O S H A B BY We had a wonderful time celebrating VIE’s first coffee-table book, HOME—Inspirations for Home and Life by VIE at Not Too Shabby

by Marisol Gullo in 30Avenue at Inlet Beach on July 16, 2021. Not Too Shabby combines Marisol Gullo’s incredible artistic talent and eye for interior design to create the perfect place to find pieces to make your house a home. We are honored to have her as one of the creatives in this luxury coffee-table book. Thank you to Signature Catering of 30A for the delicious bites and beverages and to everyone who joined us. It was a wonderful evening spent with good friends and great conversations.

Photography by Hunter Burgtorf

Ellsyan Reynolds

Gina Vicars and Ashlee Vicars Keel

Kelly Curry and Sally Neal

Emme and Kathy Martin

Adrien Tillery and Kayan Brown

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On the twentieth anniversary of the devastating September 11 attacks in 2001, we look back on the life-altering events that took place that day and the weeks that followed.

Americans will forever remember those who were lost and those who sacrificed much to join the war against terrorism. We continue to pray and be grateful for our first responders, emergency workers, clean-up crews, and all those who lend a hand to help their fellow humans in hard times. May we never forget that through adversity we grow more united and stronger than ever.

Photo by NYC Russ/ Shutterstock

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Petite pause

We Will Remember

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The Last Word

Solution on next page

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

BY MYLES MELLOR

ACROSS

DOWN

1

1

5 8 10 11 12 13 17 18 19 21 23 25 27 29 32 33

1986 blockbuster starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer with a 2021 sequel, two words Multiple Grammy winner and singer of “Rolling in the Deep” Japanese fish often found in ponds “Hotel California” band Beloved Latin American singer known as “the Queen of Tejano music” Roger Clemens statistic Simon Baker starred as a former psychic in this crime drama, The ____ “America the Beautiful” closer Canadian singer who sang “Come on Over” (last name) Attracted Band that sang “A Horse with no Name” Brandenburg Concertos composer Khloe’s sister Singer of “You Belong to Me” “No One” singer Keys Word repeated three times in the Beatles song “She Loves You” James Taylor lyrics “In my mind, I’m going to _____”

2 3 4 6 7 9 13 14 15 16 20 22 23 24 25 26 28 30 31

Much-loved Jeopardy host who recently passed (last name) Beauty contest, e.g.

Arthur Godfrey played it Rejecting replies Bruce Willis’s breakthrough film, two words “Hips Don’t ___” (song by Shakira) Rock band who sang “Oye Como Va” Location of one of the CSI series Teenage Mutant ___ Turtles Shaft composer Hayes Attach, as a patch Shirley who sang “Goldfinger” All My Children character, ____ Kane Main character in The Hobbit “What Kind of Fool ___?” (2 words) Cirque du Soleil show “Poker Face” chanteuse, Lady ___ Score at the Super Bowl (abbr.)

Tai __ Setting for Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do”

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The Last Word Puzzle on previous page

“

We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.

—Arthur William Edgar O’Shaughnessy

”

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! ONE-YEAR FOR $29.95

V IEM A G A ZINE .C O M / S U B S CR IBE-V IE

Au revoir!

Au revoir!

BEFORE YOU GO . . .

Feast your eyes on this architectural masterpiece by David Tajchman. Modeled after the aero dynamism and curvature of the owner’s car, Tajchman outdid himself on this concept, a perfect blend of mid-century meets futurism. The curved sofa in the living room and unique windows are a refreshing break from typical cookiecutter designs. The windows boast 360 panoramic views of the sea and surrounding cliffs. We’re pretty sure the home looks like it’s straight out of a Quentin Tarantino movie—in all the best ways.

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Designed by architect David Tajchman, this home emulates the owner’s vehicle. The private residence remains elusive among the cliff where it dwells. Visit DavidTajchman.com or follow him on Instagram @davidtajchman to see more work.

Photo courtesy of David Tajchman

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THEIDEABOUTIQUE.COM Santa Rosa Beach, Florida: (850) 231-3087

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©2021 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity.

From the Gulf to the Lakes Corcoran Reverie has your waterfront home in Northwest Florida.

ML S : 8 7 7 2 0 9 | OF F E R E D AT $ 6 . 4 9 M 2 8 3 L A KE V I E W D R I V E, S A N TA R OS A BEA C H , F L 3 2 4 5 9 L I S T I N G C OU RT E S Y OF H I L A RY FA R N U M- FA S T H & J A C OB WAT K INS 4 0 4 2 E. COUNT Y H WY 30A | SANTA ROSA BEACH , FL | 850.231.5030 | 283L A K E VIE W DR.C O M ©2020 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. Corcoran® and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated.