Tall Robot founder Rene Chargois in downtown Long Beach. Photo by Esther Kang.
“Networking” as a musician or artist typically happens by accident, and at the most unlikely of places, while loitering in the parking lot of a venue or taking a smoke break between sets at a show. Finding compatible collaborators, especially for those new in the scene, is more often than not based on serendipitous circumstances.
That’s why Long Beach-based arts/entertainment entity Tall Robot, in partnership with The Prognosis, is launching a new monthly event called the Inspiritment series, a creative networking showcase for aspiring artists in the local community. The inaugural event on April 9, featuring performances and a live Q&A with established artists such as musician Avi Buffalo (Sub Pop) and visual artist Punk Picasso, will take place at The Brass Lamp.
Sam Marsey. Courtesy of Tall Robot.
“That’s what Tall Robot is about — bringing intimacy,” Tall Robot founder Rene Chargois said. “I wanted to flip the script where at our events you’ll get a chance to meet the artist, either through a Q&A or a meet-and-greet situation.”
Officially launched this past October, Tall Robot is the brainchild of Chargois, a 24-year-old Carson native who is finishing up his first year studying music business at the Berkelee College of Music. His first definitive exposure to the Long Beach music scene was seeing Beat Theatre, a local film/beat-scoring group, at the Cultural Alliance of Long Beach about three years ago. He immediately got involved, and today he is one of the organization’s core event producers.
Chargois’ impetus for conceiving Tall Robot came from a desire to help aspiring artists succeed. With a strong interest in entrepreneurship and a business-savvy mindset, he wanted to create a traveling platform showcasing contemporary art and music, starting here in Long Beach.
Avi Buffalo. Courtesy of Tall Robot.
“I hated the fact that there was a lot of great talent and they fell through the cracks,” he said. “Especially in this age they don’t know how to market themselves or how to navigate. That’s where Tall Robot comes in.”
Over the last few months, he and his multi-talented team of five members, including Omaha-based artist Kevin Franz as creative director, have been plugging away at a number of projects. They’re working on a web series called That Bumps, an intimate look into the lives of a dozen Long Beach-based beatmakers. So far, they’ve released one episode on north Long Beach hip hop artist T-mon. Chargois plans to compile the series into a cohesive documentary.
The company is also taking on distribution, partnering with the Long Beach-based jazz/psych/experimental outfit Furcast to help distribute the group’s much anticipated upcoming LP and deluxe EP.
Mike Becerra of Don’t Trip. Courtesy of The Prognosis.
While still in the nascent stages of developing the company, Chargois has grand visions for Tall Robot. As a devout appreciator of many forms of art and entertainment, he envisions Tall Robot as a multi-pronged brand, eventually publishing a photography/videography quarterly magazine, opening up a contemporary art gallery in Long Beach, featuring original films at festivals and distributing records worldwide.
The upcoming Inspiritment Series will jump around to different venues in L.A. and the O.C. in the following months. The event on April 9 will include 30-minute performances and 15-minute interviews with musicians Avi Buffalo, Don’t Trip, Sam Marsey and self-taught visual artist Punk Picasso, the creative force behind Long Beach clothing brand Four Figures. The entire showcase will be filmed for viewing on the company’s Vimeo page, and the interviews will be conducted by host Brandy Brim.
Work by Punk Picasso. Courtesy of The Prognosis.
“We want to get to the heart of the person, then the mind,” Chargois said, explaining the nature of the interviews. “We want to get down to what drove them here, their creative endeavors, personal experiences, then go into their creative process. I want to make every artist a person. They’re people. Fans often forget that.”
“My dream is to close the gap between fans and artists, or even artist to artist,” he continued, “but also having a project actually happen because two, three people met at the Inspiritment series and they end up making a record or a short film or a music video. That’s what I’m most excited for.”
The first Inspiritment Series takes place on Saturday, April 9 at the Brass Lamp in Long Beach. Tickets are $7 pre-sale and for students, and $10 at the door. The event is 18+. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/TallRobot.