Hey guys,

Lifestyle Revolution Group has almost entirely undergone the transition to where Matt will lead and manage most of the day to day operational, financial and leadership systems. I am going to be doing more work to truly realize and define the culture and identity for what LRG and our spaces really stand. I have spent considerable time trying to wrap my head around what that means and how, exactly, to interact with each of you so that we continue to provide you with the leadership and support that will allow you guys to continue to be successful yet balanced. While working to wrap my head around what the new reality of my job and life as it relates to LRG is like, I read an article about Alex Bogusky, formerly of Crispin Porter and Bogusky considered the greatest advertising and branding force over the last 20 years. He is currently going through a pretty radical life transition. Coincidentally, these two quotes were in that article and I could not think of a more appropriate time for me to read them.

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.” -Mother Theresa

“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.” —M. Gandhi

Honored to have the pleasure of working with each of you, as your work and lives inspire me daily.

Ro

PS That article is actually a post on Bogusky’s blog in response to a very harsh article written in Fast Company article entitled “Alex Bogusky Tells All: He Left the World’s Hottest Agency to Find His Soul.” The article is a very good insight into what defines success but is also long and very intense. My primary intention was to pass the quotes along to you.

Last Saturday night was one of those moments. We, along with Tim Robbins, hosted Derrick Tabb’s Roots of Music Fundraiser. Derrick’s amazing after-school program picks students up after school and helps them through their homework for an hour and a half before teaching them music for two hours. Before bringing the students home they all have dinner together.

Tim Robbins, unlike many A-List “charity hosts” that show up for 20 minutes and remain in obscurity, was so committed that he was visibly stressed about the turnout when the crowd arrived later than he expected. He scrambled to introduce potential donors to Roots representatives. Upon arriving at Republic, performers were greeted by Tim and got his help loading their instruments onto the stage. Later, he performed with Ani DiFranco, Jon Cleary, Anders Osborne (who performed a haunting version of “Standing With Angels”) and Rebirth Brass band.

But the stars of the night were clearly the Roots of Music students themselves. The entire crowd was on their feet as the students gave the most moving performance I’ve ever seen in that venue (including the Howlin’ Wolf where the Foo Fighters and The Strokes performed in their heydays). It was one of those obvious moments we all have from time to time that lets you know that New Orleans’ future is a very bright one indeed.

Best,

Ro

In order to prepare for such a grueling if not ridiculous physical feat, we have a couple of items on the agenda for today to be sure we have enough carbohydrates to go the distance.

Capdeville is open and firing on all cylinders. As such, we are going to get our late lunch started this afternoon. Beginning at 2:30 p.m. and lasting until you eat or drink your fill each and every Friday afternoon, this, your “standing appointment” for Fridays, is a great way to ensure that we all remain in touch with each other socially. It will also be a great time to arrange meetings with potential clients, investors, or prospects interested in New Orleans to introduce them to New Orleans’ band of Merry Gentlemen and Women responsible for charting the course of New Orleans’ meteoric rise of late. Hopefully the menu at www.capdevillenola.com will strike your fancy if cocktailing with the Mayor does not.

Later this afternoon, join us at loa bar at International House Hotel at 3:30 for a special early cocktail hour. We will serve complimentary Spring’s Promise, a tantalizing concoction featuring Szambelan vodka, Ponchatoula strawberries, cucumber and rose infused syrup, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a splash of soda. Light as air and the perfect balance of sweet and sour, this cocktail epitomizes the season, capturing spring in a glass. Wrapping your afternoon with us at loa will be the perfect way to cap off a sophisticated preparation for this year’s Classic.

Hope to see you guys this afternoon!

It is amazing how much my world and New Orleans has changed in those five years. I am also shocked to see how much of this has actually happened (a lot) through the collective efforts of hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people. I also find it eerie that LRG’s vision is still today exactly the same as mine was five years ago. I have not edited the below whatsoever:

Why I Choose to Throw Parties in New Orleans and How Your Having a Cocktail Helps Us (or The City)

I have been working with the gracious editors of this publication to develop a monthly entertainment column/piece about New Orleans. You can understand my sense of nervousness, then, when I realized that if this piece went well I would be held in the same publishing capacity as my friend and onetime mentor, Fletcher Mackel (whom you will find in this magazine getting his rear end handed to him by Rich Lenz).

My company, The Renaissance Initiative, is a nightlife development and consulting firm that works with fashion and entertainment clients to attract, retain, and continually expand their customer bases through creative positioning and branding strategies. At least that is the official description you will see on our website. In reality, we throw parties. In my opinion, we throw fantastic parties.

Both on and off the record (the job of a promoter is, after all, to trump their events as being the best), I will tell you that many of the city’s movers and shakers attend our events. These are many of the young professionals in the entertainment, fashion, real estate, and entrepreneurial sectors who are developing New Orleans’ into an entirely new type of city. A city whose creative flair, artistic and architectural relevance, and relatively low cost of living make it a perfect place for burgeoning companies in creative industries.

And just how do we play into all of this? Well, we just want everyone to have a cocktail and a good time. Our goal in this is twofold. The first is that we just want to get all of these people in the same room, if for only an hour, just to see what type of synergies are created. With so many dynamic people in one setting, the possibilities for the creation of new (need word!!) could be endless. Also, relationships among this set creates a support and resources network that allow burgeoning entrepreneurs in different industries to help one another. The collective rises together.

The second goal is to create a sense of community and metropolitan lifestyle for the many talented people that pass through New Orleans, both those at the universities and those who view New Orleans as simply a rung on the corporate ladder as they climb to the top. I feel that if we give these people entertainment options similar to those in some of the country’s larger cities, we can create a renewed sense of urban living and community among those twenty and thirty-somethings who desire a more refined array of entertainment options. I also feel that this will help to create a social fabric that will grant would-be passers-through a sense of community that will give New Orleans a “stickiness” factor. If we can make the city sticky, then those transfer opportunities don’t look as attractive, New Orleans seems the perfect place to start that business. The end result is that more talented people stay in New Orleans. More talented people who will help us to fix the city’s troubled school and political systems. Talented people to create job opportunities for talented graduates from area universities. There is no limit to the possibilities.

So, go ahead. Have that cocktail. Start a conversation with the person sitting next to you. It could be good for the economy.”

I am sure that by this point most of you have heard that at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 10th Republic New Orleans, along with other venues in the area, was held up at gunpoint by three armed and masked men. Everyone is OK physically. Mentally and emotionally, however, I think we have a relatively tough road ahead. My only concern is for our team’s health, safety, and well-being. Everything else in terms of the material things can all come or it can all go away and I would be indifferent as long as our team is safe and well.

This is one of the most helpless, vulnerable and, at the same time, infuriating things through which I’ve been. I have been stunned all day today and I was not even there when the event occurred, so I can only imagine how those who were there feel today. I do not have children, but I would imagine that this feeling is very close to a parent’s feeling if the same happened to a child.

I would like to personally acknowledge the fact that Danny Talbot, who was our Manager on Duty, did everything absolutely perfectly and is, no doubt, the reason that our team was unharmed physically. I would also like to thank Bruce Fowler, who is a very visible pillar within LRG, for heading over immediately to provide any and all support Republic needed. Lastly, I appreciate the way that Blake Allemann conducted himself, taking ownership of everything, once he arrived.

A few points that I would like to make as we move forward:

1. The health, safety, and well-being of our team is first and foremost, both mentally and physically. We will do whatever those who went through this experience need us to do in order to help them deal with their experience and feelings. We will also have Michael Sarver, Lt. of the NOPD over to speak to the staff to assuage any concerns or fears that might arise. Lastly, we are looking into bringing in a professional to help talk with people about how to move forward.

2. Expect immediate and tremendous policy shifts in the way that we operate, the hours until which we stay open (we’ll close earlier on a nightly basis), our security personnel and systems, with whom we create partnerships or promotional opportunities, and our programming choices going forth to ensure that this NEVER happens again at any of our spaces.

3. I still very much believe in Republic’s plan, direction, and team that we set forth for 2010. Danny’s brilliance under such a dangerous situation is evidence of that. This is a setback and it will take some time, but I think the most important thing that we can do to heal this very gaping wound is to fight harder for those things that we do to inspire New Orleans and ourselves: the live music, the private parties, the fashion events, and the fundraisers.

Other successful venues have been through similar situations. They each endured and created policy changes to ensure it would never happen again, as will we. A situation like this can either be the cause of an organization’s splintering into pieces and completely falling apart. It can also be the point at which an organization’s members form the kind of bond necessary to make it through anything, together. I am hoping that this situation strengthens our bonds with each other, strengthens our passions for what it is we mean to New Orleans, and our commitment to work with each other to accomplish extraordinary things together. I will do anything, whether personally or professionally, for each and every one of you and each and every member of our family to ensure that this we achieve the latter.

With sincerest gratitude, apologies, and love,

Ro

This is who we are. This process leaves us as vulnerable as you are when someone else scrolls through your iPod or iTunes list (you know, the old “Danielle put that Mariah Carey on my iPod” line we’ve all used to no avail).

A few of the parameters that we laid out when choosing this list:

• Rock and roll is the theme, but more so as an attitude than as a genre.
• Some artists just require greatest hits albums. There are too many good songs on too many albums for certain artists (Buddy Holly, Neil Diamond) when you have to limit your choices to 100. We wanted you to be able to hear the songs you liked by certain artists no matter what album they were on. That being said, some albums (“Some Girls” by the Stones, for example) stand on their own even though there is a Greatest Hits album by the same band already on the list.
• While we want Capdeville to be authentic and reflective of music history, we also want it to be upbeat and fun at all times, hence no Velvet Underground or Bright Eyes.
• We accidentally forgot the Smiths (thanks John Michael), Arcade Fire (again, thanks JM), Lil Wayne, and The “Animal House” soundtrack. We’re working to remedy that.
• This list, like the bar itself, is intended to be something we create for your enjoyment, not ours. So this list is subject to change based on your suggestions. Join in our chat below and let us know what you want to hear. This jukebox will be ever-evolving.

***We’ll be sending out our reasoning and thoughts behind certain choices from Capdeville’s twitter account so please follow to learn the reason why there are or aren’t certain choices on the jukebox. If you are following me I will feature these ideas as well.

Let us know what you think!

AC/DC Back in Black
Al Green Al Green: Greatest Hits
Alice In Chains Dirt
Allman Brothers A Decade of Hits 1969-1979
Billy Idol Rebel Yell
Billy Idol Billy Idol
Bloc Party Silent Alarm
Bloc Party Intimacy Remixed
Blondie The Best of Blondie
Blur Parklife
Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks
Bob Marley Legend
Bruce Springsteen Born to Run
Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA
Buddy Holly Greatest Hits (Purple Cover)
Culture Club At Worst…The Best..
David Bowie Best of Bowie
Def Leppard Vault: Def Leppard Greatest..
Dion Run Around Sue
Dire Straits Sultans of Swing:The Very Best of Dire Straits
Duran Duran Duran Duran: Greatest
Elvis Presley 30 #1 Hits Disc 1
Foo Fighters The Colour and The Shape
Frank Black Frank Black
Guns N Roses Live Era Disc 1 & Live Era Disc 2
Hard-Fi Stars of CCTV
Huey Lewis & The News Greatest Hits: Huey Lewis & the News
Iggy Pop Lust for Life
Jay Z MTV Unplugged
Johny Cash 16 Biggest Hits
Journey Journey: Greatest Hits
Led Zepplin Houses of the Holy
Led Zepplin Physical Graffiti
Men at Work The Best of Men at Work: Contraband
MGMT Oracular Spectacular
Michael Jackson Thriller
Michael Jackson Bad
Motley Crue Motley Crue: The Greatest Hits
MyNameisJohnMichael The People that Come and Go
Neil Diamond The Essential Neil Diamond Disc 1 & 2
Nirvana MTV Unplugged
Oasis (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
Otis Redding Live in Europe
Pearl Jam Ten
Pearl Jam Vs.
Queen Queen: Greatest Hits (Purple Cover)
Radiohead Pablo Honey
Red Hot Chilli Peppers Californication
Run DMC Raising Hell
Skid Row Skid Row
Smashing Pumpkins Greatest Hits
Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Stone Temple Pilots Thank You
Talking Heads Talking Heads: 77
The Beach Boys Pet Sounds
The Beatles Ones Disc 1 & 2
The Buzzcocks Singles Going Steady
The Cars Complete Greatest Hits
The Clash London Calling
The Clash Combat Rock?
The Cult Pure Cult
The Cure Galore
The Doors Strange Days
The Band Best of The Band
The Generationals Con Law
The Kooks Inside In/Inside Out
The Gaslight Anthem The ‘59 Sound
The Pixies Doolittle
The Pixies Surfer Rosa
The Police Every Breath You Take: The Singles
The Ramones Rocket To Russia
The Ramones The Ramones
The Rolling Stones Hot Rocks 1964-1971 Disc 1 & 2
The Rolling Stones Some Girls
The Streets A Grand Don’t Come for Free
The Strokes Is This It?
The Verve Urban Hymns
The White Stripes Elephant
Twisted Sister Still Hungry
U2 Rattle and Hum
U2 18 Singles
Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend
Van Halen 1984
Weezer Weezer
Wyclef Jean The Carnival
Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Outkast ATLiens
Jay Z Blueprint 3
Passion Pit Manners
Metric Fantasies
Santigold Santigold
The Cold War Kids Loyalty to Loyalty
Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair
Better Than Ezra Paper Empire
The Hold Steady Stay Positive
Top Gun Sountrack