Just a few years ago, Tony Valdivia and Rayleane Martinez were Long Beach City College students talking art, music and aspirations while serving boba at the Hiccups Traffic Circle location.<\/p>\n
Now the duo is working to produce what will be their second annual Summer Luvin\u2019 music festival at Shoreline Village through PeaceArt, an organization they started as a way to promote \u201cbig local artists and musicians.\u201d<\/p>\n
This June, expect to hear an eclectic mix of locals and out of towners who will be bringing with them the English and Spanish sounds of cumbia, disco, indie and alt-rock; even the Peruvian rooted chicha music. Visual and craft artists will also be on hand to sell their creations.<\/p>\n
And while the group is still experiencing growing pains, their focus is to evolve as they learn more about the business of festival organizing.\u00a0However, to pull off a bigger and better show (the first festival took place in an empty North Long Beach lot<\/a>) they\u2019re hoping for a little help from the community.<\/p>\n In order to keep the free fest operational while showing their support for musicians, they\u2019re looking for a few more sponsors and donations to pay bands. They set up a GoFundMe<\/a> a few weeks ago that the public can donate to.<\/p>\n \u201cThey live to play but we do believe in paying back,\u201d said Valdivia, who, along with Martinez, does not get paid.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nACU6bxBE4A&feature=youtu.be<\/p>\n The start of PeaceArt <\/b><\/p>\n What began as long and unorganized podcasts and videos in mid-2017 has morphed into what PeaceArt is today: a series of short, MTV-like online episodes featuring performances and interviews with primarily area bands that culminates with a summertime festival.<\/p>\n It all revolves around PeaceArt\u2019s motto\u2014\u201cInspire people to think rational, act with passion and always do what they want.\u201d<\/p>\n Martinez, who is 21, said the whole concept came out of a simple conversation after class at LBCC. But it was a setback that befell Valdivia, 27, that helped switch their mindset from talking to doing. After he was involved in a car crash that left him $10,000 in debt, Valdivia said he wasn\u2019t afraid to \u201cmake some real moves\u201d toward his passion.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m already in debt, where else do I go?\u00a0I grew up with everybody around me telling me I can\u2019t do things,\u201d said Valdivia, who was born in Hollywood before moving to North Long Beach as a kid. \u201cThey didn’t\u2019 believe in me or projected their insecurities.\u201d<\/p>\n Since launching PeaceArt, Valdivia has been in charge of all the designs\u2014putting to good use what he learned at the Art Institute in Santa Monica.\u00a0It paid off when he secured a job at a Signal Hill print shop after showing a portfolio of work he did for PeaceArt.<\/p>\n For Martinez, a student at Cal State Long Beach, she uses the knowledge and wisdom she learns from interviews with musical guests to encourage students at Banning High School in Wilmington\u2014her alma mater\u2014where she works as a teacher\u2019s assistant.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m living in the same areas, living the same experiences,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cIt\u2019s not always positive. People like us are set at a disadvantage, but I tell [the students] to turn it around and work hard.\u201d<\/p>\n Martinez described their live-streamed web videos as part live performance and part interview where they avoid any personal details and instead focus on the musician or band\u2019s inspiration, what drives them to keep going and what advice they have for others.<\/p>\n \u201cWe share their stories and we\u2019re learning from each other\u2019s experiences,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n That includes the importance of working hard, being dedicated to your craft and finding a good support network. It\u2019s also a chance for artists to be honest about how tough it can be\u2014whether it’s living a broke college life or working menial jobs.<\/p>\n The webisodes are ultimately edited and packaged by Anthony Lopez, who the duo consider the \u201cthird leg\u201d in their tripod.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xfQz5SeBOa0<\/p>\n The evolution of Summer Luvin’<\/b><\/p>\n Valdivia and Martinez said they\u2019ve learned a lot about organizing festivals since their first run last year, during which Valdivia said he had “three nervous breakdowns.”<\/p>\n Valdivia recalled one incident where he had to give money set aside for the porta potty man to the stage guy because he didn’t want to wait for a city official to stop by with his payment.<\/p>\n