visittallahassee.com
The First Friday Festival is an event held every first Friday of the month. It takes place primarily in the Railroad Square Art District. According to visittallahassee.com, for 20 years this has been Tallahassee’s most popular and longest-running monthly event. It has been written about by Forbes and the Huffington Post.
This is an opportunity to interact with the Tallahassee community and what it has to offer. During this time there are a variety of local businesses to explore such as vintage shops, fine arts shops, bookstores and photography studios to name a few.
Food is a must-have for an event of this magnitude, and there are multiple cafes to choose from and food trucks are set in place. Live music is even performed. It is something that will strike the interest of many different cultures and all different age groups. Aaron Brown describes the festival as a “melting pot.”
On First Friday in Briteso Art Studio FAMU students Abe Drisdom and Jelani Malek took the stage to showcase their musical talents. Music is a form of art that connects many different cultures and is a way to express yourself.
“I’ve been influenced by music my whole life,” Drisdom said. “I remember my big brother being a rapper. I got into music around 8. I enjoy making music because I get to see my progress and I get to tap into a creative side.”
For upcoming artists and producers, this is a time to network and make connections you may never have thought of. The most important aspect for an upcoming artist is performing and getting yourself heard by the world.
“I enjoy performing in front of my peers,” Malek said. “It allows me to get my music out to new people and I can get a feel of what music people are feeling and what they are not.”
Without your fans you are nothing and you must deliver the people what they want.
“Dris” and “Lani” have amazing chemistry when they perform. The two are always on point and no one tries to outshine the other. This only comes from years of working together and creating that history.
“I laid my first track with Lani at 17,” Drisdom said.
This reflects in their works of art. Give them a follow with the links below to stay on the lookout for more music and upcoming performances from Drisdom and Malek.