I’ve been going to shows since I was 15.

My first ever concert was Avicii - shortly after “Levels” came out in 2012.

I became obsessed with going to shows in Philly - quickly making it a core part of my identity.

This is why I went to school in Colorado, to be closer to venues like Red Rocks and attend hundreds of shows a year.

During this time I met Jordan Chaffin, Jake Nixon and Cece Palmquist - three fellow music lovers and curators.

While we didn’t know it at the time, we’d link back up together in LA more than 5 years later to start what we’re calling Rising Tide.

Rising Tide is an event series to discover emerging artists.

Here’s why we’re doing it.

Rising Tide Inception

Since moving to LA 2 years ago, I’ve felt like there was a void in electronic music.

It’s the genre I grew up on, and one I’ve been an active fan of for close to a decade.

However - despite LA being the home of many of the most talented artists in the world, I’ve found it difficult to discover emerging acts outside your typical headline ticketed show.

On any given weekend, you’ll see 3-5 headline DJs and producers playing all around town.

But where do these artists go in their free time?

What I noticed is that many industry professionals despise going to shows because it’s what they do for a living.

But what if there was a way to create a community about the love for discovering new music - and go back to the roots of why I would go to shows in the first place?

Rising Tide was started for that exact reason - to uplift those passionate about live music and put a spotlight on the artists of tomorrow.

We want to create a space entirely focused on the music, and let these artists show why we’re so excited about them.

1UP Wednesdays

Back in Denver - there was an event series at the 1UP on Colfax called REUP Wednedsays.

It featured $5 tickets and artists like Griz, FKJ, San Holo, Klingande, Jai Wolf, G Jones, Mija and many other well known acts today.

I would find myself in the audience every single week, and loved watching these artists grow to sell out major venues all around the world.

The beauty was that the event series had a built in audience.

Regardless of who was playing, you could always expect many of the same faces to show up - and it became a great way to get cemented in the culture of going to shows.

REUP Wednesdays were a huge inspiration for Rising Tide - and largely why we chose Wednesday for our first event.

Artists in Web3

My entire life is spent at the intersection of music and web3.

The reality is, although some of the most talented artists in the world are actively releasing music in web3 - the music often comes second to the tech.

People know of these artists because they drop NFTs, not because they have great music.

It’s very important to me to show that this movement is about the music, not the technology.

To this end - Rising Tide offers a place for artists in web3 to tell their stories and connect with fans who have never collected an NFT before.

While Rising Tide will include many artists who are not in web3 (yet), this first event features three artists I’m extremely excited about - all of which happen to be active champions of Music NFTs.

Over time, my personal goal is to subtly integrate elements of web3 into the event experience, slowly shifting the stigma around collecting NFTs to be more akin to the hat pin and ticket stub culture I grew up on over the last decade.

What to Expect

Rising Tide shows are about the music.

The goal is to put great people into a room together, but the intent is not for guests to focus on networking.

We’re looking to create an intimate experience heavily focused on the music experience, and have curated a lineup that we believe will make it very hard to miss.

Guests will be instructed to claim a POAP using an IYK disc at the door.

These POAPs will help us keep track of who attended, and enter guests into allowlists and giveaways for the next event.

This is the first of many events - but we’re taking it one step at a time.

I’m a big believer in trying something to see what does (and doesn’t work) and we’re going to learn a lot along the way.

Be Hear Now

The mantra for Rising Tide is Be Hear Now.

It’s meant to highlight the beauty of being present in the moment. Fully immersed in a show and on a wavelength you can largely only reach at a concert.

We hope this mantra can be a driving force behind what to expect when you walk in the door, and as a means to encourage artists that people are coming for the show first, and the people second.

If you made it this far, I encourage you to RSVP for tomorrow’s show.

A Rising Tide lifts all boats.

See you inside.

Special shoutout to OWSLA, Brownies & Lemonade, Next Wave and many other event series which have inspired Rising Tide.