Interviews and NYC

Yesterday, I had the privilege of interviewing two very talented New Jersey musicians.

In the morning, I met Chris Rockwell at the Terrace Bagels & Cafe in Freehold.  There, we (ate delicious bagels with flavored cream cheese spreads like sun-dried tomato and blueberry, and) chatted about his upcoming performances with the Charm School Dropouts (there’s one this Friday at Bands on a Budget on Mattison Avenue in Asbury Park), as well as his new solo album coming out in the fall.  Information about this Friday’s show and other upcoming events can be found via Chris Rockwell’s  facebook page.  I’m certainly hoping to check out Friday’s show.

Later on, I spoke with Tom Brislin who is hard at work in Nashville, TN writing songs for his first solo album. He has turned to the Kickstarter campaign to fund his project, and you can read more about my interview with Tom Brislin on Notes on the State of New Jersey.

Today, I’m off to visit our neighbor, NYC, with some Jersey friends for lunch and a play in Central Park.

Hope you have a great day!

~Melissa
The Jersey Girl

Make A Wish Come True

Networking and Charity Event to Benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation

On Thursday, July 29th, at the Katra Lounge in NYC from 5pm to 10pm, entrepreneurs, business owners, and other go-getters from a variety of professional fields will share inspirational stories about how they find the motivation and the courage to pursue their life’s dream – something that not everybody is willing to do.

The networking event is being organized by New Jersey resident, Andre Farnell (Dre’ The Trainer) of Better Body Expert LLC.  He is a Fitness Expert and life coach in the New York/New Jersey area who has worked training soldiers in the US Army, numerous corporate executives, athletes, and those in the entertainment industry.

Inspired by the role that the Make-A-Wish Foundation played in empowering and encouraging his young nephew, who at the age of 8 was diagnosed with Leukemia, a form of bone marrow cancer, Farnell, who is dedicated to helping people regain great health and change their lives through physical fitness, wanted to create an event to empower people to “Live their Passions” in their careers while giving back to the organization.

The night of the event, a $25 minimum donation will be collected at the door by Make-A-Wish volunteers.  100% of the proceeds from the event will go directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.   Farnell hopes that people who attend the event will realize that their wishes and dreams should be pursued beyond childhood and take action.

Farnell is very excited about hosting the event and says “This is going to be fun & inspirational event that brings some great people together from many industries and also brings in some great donations for the Make A Wish Foundation.”

I’m honored to be a part of this important event and want to share it all with you.  I know too many people who’ve given up on their dreams, and this will be an amazing opportunity for people to begin working toward them instead.  Come to Katra Lounge in NYC on July 29th and check it out!

~Melissa
The Jersey Girl

For those of you who can’t make the event, you can still help.  A secure page for online donations has been created. Please click here and give what you can and help “make a wish come true.”