For their second mission, Ford asked State of the Artist to showcase a local artist. The result was a double dose of appropriateness. Firstly, SOTA is comprised of artists. Secondly, they showcased themselves by throwing an album listening party for their new album, SeattleCaliFragilisticExtraHellaDopeness. Fiesta means party in Spanish. This pleases me. 

The guys played the album twice through to a packed house at Capitol Club in Capitol Hill. Ford was nice enough to supply a party budget, which meant free drinks and food for the lucky guests. 

“All the faces looked happy, heads were nodding,” Nate said, “Every piece of feedback we got was positive.”

With the Fiesta parked outside a hip club chalked full of dazzling young urbanites, mission number two was a win-win situation for SOTA and Ford. But then again, free Pabst Blue Ribbon will make just about anyone instantly popular on Capitol Hill. Did SOTA really have the goods, or just the suds? 

As it turned out, the listening party was only part one of mission number two. The second half was the real kicker. SOTA was going to throw an album RELEASE party several days later. Details:

-A live performance of SeattleCalifragilisticExtraHellaDopeness at Pravda, a swanky private loft in Capitol Hill 
-$8 cover
-Moderately priced drinks
-Pabst

The doors opened at 10pm. On the way there I got desperately lost in an attempt to navigate the public transit system. Disoriented and thirsty, if it weren’t for the brand recognition of the bright green Fiesta movement banner outside the loft’s unremarkable street-side entrance, I might have continued to wander the streets aimlessly and eventually deteriorated into a street person.

By the time I made it upstairs it was 11pm. The loft was swanky indeed with a large stage, a bar on either end of the room, a video screen playing footage of SOTA and a DJ mixing with a Fiesta banner hung from his setup. 

It had everything but people. Only twenty or so were standing around idly. SOTA was nowhere to be seen. No one was talking about Fiestas. 

Troubling. A Pabst later Nate and Parker appeared at the top of the stairwell in good spirits and explained the show wasn’t set to start until midnight; that's when parties start. Nate described the theme as:

“A huge North West hip-hop slash Ford Fiesta Fiesta.” 

I hurried out to an adjacent bar to grab a friend. When we returned to the loft at 11:55pm the place was nearly full, the DJ's music was growing louder with the crowd. 

Right around midnight SOTA took the stage and tore through on one hell of show with a series of local guests off the album, a goulash of Seattle sound. All the while the Fiesta banner hung smartly in the background, but that was it; no Ford grab bags, no spokespeople. Alan Jackson never showed up. 

When my friend and I left in the wee hours of the morning the show was still going strong. Our bus route wasn’t running anymore. Several miles into our search for a backup route we found ourselves on Third Avenue, just up from the Alaskan Way Viaduct. 

It was a ghost town. I was still struggling to digest how progressive it was for Ford to be involved with such a genius stroke of marketing, one that must be unnervingly risky to have so little control over, but it sure seemed to be working. 

The Pabst was digesting much easier. Every toilet within a sea of city blocks was closed up for the night. I’m not sure if what we did next is considered vandalism, but it was necessary. We hailed a trusty Ford Crown Victoria and got out of town. 

Mission accomplished. 


*The next mission is the secret one. Stay tuned. 


(To follow SOTA/Team Seattle, Text SeaCal to 44144)

Links:

http://sotaboys.wordpress.com/

http://www.fiestamovement2.com/seattle/team-profile/team-sea 

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