Sponsor Shout-Out: The Heavy Light Show & Hullabaloo – A Match Made in Heavy Light Heaven

It was a productive Saturday, and I was making some serious headway on Hullabaloo writing projects when the phone rang, startling me out of my zone.

A mysteriously familiar voice: “Hey, this is Ida. I just got your press release about Hullabaloo. I have a radio show called The Heavy Light Show, and this is right up my alley.”

Me: “OHMYGOD, YOU’RE THAT IDA!?!? I LOVE YOUR SHOW!”

So much for professional. 

I’d sent Ida that press release, secretly hoping she’d like the sounds of Hullabaloo and maybe, just maybe, mention it on the show…because the show is seriously awesome and so is Ida, and, by extension, her listeners. So when she said she was super-psyched about Hullabaloo, I pretty much freaked out and went just a little fangirl. Because when Ida gets psyched about something (a song, a band, a store, a restaurant, a sponsor, whatever) she gets seriously psyched. It’s one of the reasons she’s so fun to listen to—her easy, authentic enthusiasm is contagious.

Long story short, The Heavy Light Show is a sponsor of Hullabaloo!

Ida Hakkila hosts (ummm, hostesses?) the Heavy Light Show every Saturday night from 9 p.m. – 11 p.m. on WDST (Radio Woodstock, 100.1). The show, described as “a two-hour non-stop happy fun ride,” is the perfect mix of indie rock, old-school hip hop, punk, soul, classic rock, 80s…Ida’s playlist can jump from James Brown to Future Punks to Devo to Del La Soul to Foxygen and somehow make it seem seamless. And it’s all stuff you don’t hear every day but wish you did. She literally plays what she wants to hear (or what you do, she takes requests!), and she’s got great taste. In previous lives she DJ’d at WNYC 23-3 K-Rock and Q104.3 in New York City, and she has written jokes and been a musical consultant for The Late Show with David Letterman.

Did you miss Saturday’s show? You can listen on-demand, you know. (Pressed for time? First Hullabaloo mention around 50:40.)

So cancel your plans every Saturday night between now and Hullabaloo and tune in—you’ll hear some awesome music AND some Hullabaloo shout-outs too!

And here’s the really cool part (yup, cooler than Hullabaloo on the radio): Ida starts telling me how she just got her logo redesigned, and do I know Will Lytle, who did the illustration? Yup, I said, he’s doing $1 portraits and selling illustrations at Hullabaloo. Coincidence or fate?  Hullabaloo and The Heavy Light Show: It’s a match made in heavy light heaven.

Thanks a bunch for your support, Ida!  We’re psyched that you’re psyched. This is gonna be great!

Sponsor Shout-Out: And North – Beyond the Boroughs

What does “upstate” mean to you? Geography aside, the word “upstate” conjures all sorts of images and ideas, especially if you’re from the city—farm fresh food, Mom & Pop shops, craftspeople, and nature at its best, to name a few…

…But for Emma Tuccillo, the founder of lifestyle/travel blog And North, one might say it means “inspiration.” As she recently told Grace Bonney on After the Jump, she’s not just been inspired by upstate New York herself, she also wants to encourage the creatives of the city to head upstate to be inspired by—and appreciative of—the creatives outside the five boroughs. We think it’s a noble mission!

And North describes itself as “a curated guide to upstate New York for creative individuals.” From inns and restaurants to local artists and purveyors, from scenic bypasses and the area’s most beautiful hiking spots, And North collects the best our great area has to offer on one beautifully written, expertly collected website with a gorgeous aesthetic and perfectly-composed photos, all gathered and communicated from a unique point of view—that of young creatives who discovered the joys of upstate while attending college at SUNY New Paltz. The blog is part travelogue of their adventures and visits—the things they see and do, the food they eat—and part intimate portraits of the people they meet and places they go.

Emma and her team of writers, photographers, designers, and other creative friends celebrate the area they’ve come to love, and seek to connect the creative communities of NYC and those “north.” They’ve featured businesses and people from all over the Hudson Valley, the Catskills, and the Adirondacks, including some of our favorite places close to home: Market Market in Rosendale, the Esopus Lighthouse, Hullabaloo sponsors Kingston Wine Co., and more!

We’d like to thank And North for sponsoring Hullabaloo, and sharing our mission of telling the world just how fantastic it is up here!

Check out their blog (www.andnorth.com), and their Instagram (http://instagram.com/andnorth), to see where they go and who they’ll feature next! 

On the Hullabaloose!: Anna Rexia and her Winter Spirits Roam Hullabaloo

We’re SO enchanted by the amazing costumes, characters, and mythical beings that are “Anna Rexia and her Winter Spirits”…So you can imagine just how excited we were when Anna expressed an interest in bringing her spirits down from the soon-to-be-snowcapped Catskills to play with us at Hullabaloo before they get too busy doing wintery things (you know: making icicles, tiptoeing around hibernating bears, sorting snowflakes, freezing your car doors shut…)!

While they usual only emerge from their forest hiding places during full moons, Anna and her tribe have made appearances at some of the coolest area events, including the Woodstock Film Festival and the O+ Festival, so you might recognize them from their forays into the streets of unsuspecting cities and villages. Don’t worry…they’re delightful!

Anna combines an earthy, natural look with whimsy and an otherworldly aesthetic that evokes fairy tales, mythology, and fable, to create unforgettable and hauntingly beautiful characters.  She has conceptualized, created, produced, and done make-up and costume designs for both organized and impromptu performances all over the region, mesmerizing attendees and delighting onlookers with her amazing costumes. She’s also got a great Etsy shop where she sells her wild, woodland-inspired headware, is available for all sorts of artistic projects—from store windows to clowning—and she draws and creates in various other mediums too. She describes herself as a visual artist and character cultivator and explains that her stage name is a statement, not an endorsement for unhealthy body images or lifestyles (in fact, she wants to be a voice for body positivity!). Check out this multi-talented lady’s work here: www.annarexia.org

The characters are engaging and captivating, and the costumes and make-up are stunningly beautiful. We can’t wait to meet them all! The Winter Spirits will be roaming and frolicking through the aisles, interacting with our friendly shoppers, and will even be available for photos—in or outside of Peter’s photo booth!  (Rumor has it that a new Spirit may make her debut at Hullabaloo too!)

We know it’ll be a magical experience for Hullabalooers of all ages. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see these magnificent beasts roaming free!