Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 25, 2013

B3

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 25, 2013 


SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

JASMINE’S CORNER

Book Reviews by Jasmine Kelsey Williams 

KISSES

 In 2010, Kisses released their quaint, praise worthy record, “The Heart Of 
The Nightlife.” I was a big supporter of that incredibly catchy and soothing 
album. It combined 80s dance beats with subtle, charming vocals. At the time, 
it felt like Kisses was one of the few bands doing something different with their 
predilection for all things ‘80s. For the LA duo’s sophomore release “Kids in 
LA,” the band has polished their sound that gives them a larger soundscape to 
roam through. This inclination for a more developed style has them sounding 
just like every other band out there obsessed with new wave. From the nine tracks here, there are 
moments musically that really shine, but the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. “Kids in 
LA” suffers from the lack of creativity found on “The Heart Of The Night Life.” It is also burden by a 
completely dull narrative. When you really get into the thick of things, those flashes of greatness are 
short lived and sadly forgotten once a number of uninspiring tunes are heard. 

 

 While the debut record focused more on tropical beats 
and laid back vibes, “Kids in LA” has more of a LA 
nightlife disposition to it. It’s flashy, retro, and packs a lot 
of gleam. Jesse Kival and Zinzi Edmundson, the couple 
behind Kisses are engaged. This record reflects more so 
on relationships than anything else. However, the stories 
aren’t either interesting or engaging. With mundane 
lyrics, stale beats and ostensibly no connection from one song to the next, it not only becomes a 
frustrating listening experience but one that’s difficult to support with its shortcomings. Nonetheless, 
there’s this twinkle of hope within the songs, “Funny Heartbeat” and “Air Conditioning.” Both tracks 
remind me of songs from their impressive debut—catchy, sensitive, no nonsense pop gems. Even 
when Kisses dabble with melancholy arrangements, you still can find the carefree joy embedded in 
those distinct tunes. 

 Kisses’ “Kids in LA” exudes a summer night sort of feel, but as with any summer night, the fun ends 
as quickly as it started. “Kids in LA” is a display of a band burgeoning from adolescence to adulthood. 
There is this self-awareness of growing up entrenched inside the record, but those listening to it rarely 
can connect on a deeper level. It’s as almost as if this particular record was a love letter from one 
member of the band to the other since they’re in a dedicated relationship. The sweetness is there, the 
passion is present, but the magic isn’t on display the way it should be. Something on “Kids in LA” is 
awry, which left me wholly unfulfilled by the entire thing. Tragically so the album fails to live up to 
the potential one may have had for it after listening to their first record three years ago. 

Grade: 5.9 out of 10

Key Tracks: “Funny Heartbeat,” “Air Conditioning” 

DEATH OF A NEIGHBORHOOD WITCH 

(A Jaine Austen Mystery) By Laura Levine

Coming to towards the end of May means bringing in 
another good read that is sure to satisfy and this witty and 
fun selection by Laura Levine should do just that. “Death 
of a Neighborhood Witch” may be early on the Halloween 
theme, but it is anything but. Our protagonist here is Jaine 
Austen, who tries to deal with not just the same humdrum 
life in Beverly Hills, but also trying to pluck up the courage 
to approach the new cute neighbor who has just moved in, 
but also incurring the wrath of her other strange neighbor 
Cryptessa Muldoon. As early as the first chapter, readers 
will be drawn in to Levine’s humorous tone and funny 
banter between the characters, as well as the unexpected 
and hilarious twists that come along in later chapters. When 
Cryptessa is found murdered near her own home, Jaine 
and the Beverly Hills neighborhood breathe a sigh of relief, 
but at the same time turn anxious as Jaine and her fellow 
neighbors are pointed out as possible culprits. When Jaine 
herself is spotlighted as a suspect, she puts her detective skills 
to work to clear her name, as well as discovering a few dirty 
little secrets about her neighbors as well. Levine’s tone is not 
just humorous; when the situations become more grave and 
serious, she carefully and slowly descends into these deeper 
tones without completely overshadowing the humor in the story or changing the characters to fit 
the situation. All characters retain their own personalities and remain consistent throughout the 
story, which is plenty to keep the readers entertained, as well as being able to make them laugh. 

Published and copyrighted in August 2012, and receiving praise from various critics as well as 
Publishers Weekly, “Death of a Neighborhood Witch” is a perfect pick for your summer reading 
or Halloween reading and is sure to satisfy your desire for a good mystery, but one that will make 
you laugh while doing so.


KISSES

Artist: Kisses

Album: Kids In LA

Label: Cascine

Release Date: May 14th, 2013

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS


BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques


By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA


BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS WITH EVENT 
MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA

IS YOUR BUSINESS “DISASTER-READY”?

The severe windstorms that wreaked havoc in the Los Angeles region in December 2011 bear no 
comparison to the devastating tornadoes that ripped through America’s Mid-West earlier this week. 
They serve as reminders of how important it is to be prepared to deal with the aftermath of Mother 
Nature and other unexpected crises. Every business should have a crises management plan in place 
to ensure that matters aren’t any worse than they need to be during the aftermath of a disaster.

Since we live in earthquake country, it may become necessary to evacuate your place of business. In 
this case, an employer can establish a temporary dwelling for employees someone on, or adjacent to 
the business. Investing in a basic camping kit that includes a tent or canopy structure will serve this 
purpose. Employers can create a mini storehouse of supplies to deal with the immediate needs of 
employees during the hours and days immediately following a disaster, including:

• First aid kit
• 1-2 gallons of bottled water per person
• Canned goods, protein bars or other food that has a long shelf life
• Solar-powered charging stations that are now affordable and readily available – these can 
be used to charge phones, tablets/laptops and other equipment needed to communicate until help 
arrives
• Outdoor cooking equipment
• Cigarette lighters
• Battery-powered flashlights & lanterns and a battery-powered radio
• Battery-powered radio
• Either providing or encouraging each employee to prepare an individual backpack that 
contains a basic set of supplies to sustain one individual for at least 24 hours (i.e. bottled water, 
protein bars, small flashlight w/extra batteries, portable solar-powered charger and a plastic rain 
poncho that folds and fits into a small pouch.
• Maintaining a minimum of ½ to ¾ of gas in your personal and company autos (after the 
December 2011 windstorms, many gas stations were unable to pump gas due to the loss of electricity)


By no means is this a comprehensive list of everything needed, but certainly will be sufficient until 
it is safe for your employees to leave to connect with their loved ones, or until disaster relief services 
arrive. It will also garner additional respect from employers who can be assured that their employer 
truly has their best interests at heart.

Hosting live events is a great way to build a loyal 
following for your brand, especially for a new 
business. Most business owners realize if they 
want to grow their business and stay in business, 
they need to let more people know about who 
they are and what they offer. Live events can 
bring you amazing opportunities, collaborations 
and most important, new customers. They can 
also position you as a leading authority or expert 
in your field. Here are some ideas:

New businesses:

If you are struggling to grow your business, 
start with some type of signature event, even if 
you only have a handful of interested people to 
invite. If you are a B2B, host an event that offers 
great information, learning and networking 
opportunities for business owners. If you are a 
B2C, invite people to an open house or some type 
of “feel good” event. If you teach piano lessons, 
invite a few parents and their children to a tea 
party to talk about new teaching techniques and 
give a demonstration. Make it fun and worth 
their time.

Who can you collaborate with? 

Perhaps you join forces with a business or non-
profit that shares the same target audience, 
but is not a competitor. Dog stores often hold 
adoption days and collaborate with non-profit 
organizations that rescue animals. 

Promote your event (on and off-line):

Ask your chamber to promote your event for 
you. Some chambers will send an email on your 
behalf for a small fee. Promote your event on all 
the social media channels; you might even try a 
targeted social media ad. Don’t forget off-line 
promotions – bring flyers to your networking 
meetings or make it really special and send a snail 
mail invite to a select few.

Use social media and email marketing to stay 
connected:

After you meet people at a live event, make sure 
you have a plan for staying in touch. This is where 
social media and email marketing come in handy, 
they make it easy to build the momentum. Ask 
people at your events to continue the conversation 
on your Facebook page or Twitter. Ask people to 
spread the word about your business. Get them 
involved in the evolution of your brand. Make 
it fun.

Develop a signature presentation

Think about the information you know that you 
take for granted. Can you turn it into a presentation 
that would be interesting? If your own events are 
successful and people enjoyed attending, you will 
find that you will start to receive invitations from 
others to make presentations at their events. 

Follow up:

Send an email to those who came to your event. 
Thank them for attending and let them know 
how they can stay in touch with you, what else 
you offer and what’s next. 

Create a registration page 

You might consider using Constant Contact’s 
event marketing tool to collect your RSVPs. It 
makes it easy to create an event page, registration 
page, send a reminder email before the event and 
a thank you email after the event. If someone else 
is helping promote the event, set up a registration 
page they can use to drive traffic back to you. Put 
a “join my email” list on the event registration 
page so people that are not on your list can sign 
up for your emails.

It takes time to grow a business and get the word 
out about your business. Live events plus social 
media and email marketing can build awareness 
and introduce you to new people who might be 
important to your business.

About MJ: MJ and her brother David own 
HUTdogs, a creative services business that 
specializes in internet marketing strategies 
and Social media education. “Like” them on 
Facebook for trending news in social media, 
internet marketing and other helpful tips, www.
facebook.com/hutdogs.

They love to share knowledge and create 
networking opportunities at their live events. 
Check out their schedule at: www.hutdogs.com/
workshops/schedule 


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