Red Carpet Report: Vegas Music Summit, Exotics Racing, Leslie Frisbee, Calvin Harris, Santana, Hakkasan
Artists have been signed for 2017 Vegas Music Summit starting Feb. 2. VMS has educational panels, networking and showcases throughout Downtown. The annual music and media festival features prominent, emerging artists and gives a forum for industry experts to share insight on A&R, social media, touring, music licensing, songwriting, management, legal and production.
Music execs from major and indie labels, producers, agents, promoters, managers, attorneys and publishers all attend. More: VegasMusicSummit.com. It’s shoulder-to-shoulder access for guests with industry execs and popular artists and networking.
VMS has been the home of breakthrough performances by groups such as Imagine Dragons, Hot Water Music, Awolnation and Otherwise and exciting appearances by top artists. The schedule of speakers includes:
Nigel Dick, music video and film director (Guns ’n’ Roses, Oasis, Paul McCartney); Tom DeSavia, publisher and author (Songs Music, Under the Big Black Sun); Tom Rothrock, producer, composer and musician (Moby, Beck, Foo Fighters); and Matthew Eversten, creative director at Moondog NYC (Victoria’s Secret, Pepsi).
The showcases: Almost Normal, Avalon Landing, Smoke Season, Ray Little, Cameron Dettman, Zach Kibbee, Red Code Riot, We Gave It Hell, Nations, Almost Awake, A Poison Alibi and Jesse Pino.
EXOTICS RACING
For Season 2, EXR Racing Series has expanded to include a 16-race Sprint Series and nine-race Endurance Series with three events taking place at Exotics Racing Road Course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. An EXR Endurance Series Champion will be determined based on the best five results of the nine endurance races, including one of the 24-h or 25-h race.
“With 30 drivers racing our series last year, the success of our inaugural season pushed us to grow our schedule for 2017 to include more tracks and events,” said Exotics Racing CEO Romain Thievin at his Las Vegas track.
“This schedule allows us to bring our series to more regions and people while also offering greater challenges in terms of tracks and formats for our current drivers as well as those who will be new to the series.” The Sprint Series races at LVMS are May 19-21 and Nov. 17-19 and Endurance Series from Jan. 21-22, May 19-21 and Nov. 17-19.
The EXR Racing Series uses identically prepared and maintained EXR LV02 racecars that meet FIA safety requirements. Featuring a 2-liter engine and sequential gearbox, LV02 was conceived to offer advanced drivers a contemporary racing machine that can be pushed aggressively while novice drivers will find it a progressive car that they can grow with as their skills mature.
STYLE AMBASSADOR
Congratulations to our wonderful colleague Leslie Frisbee, director of content for Niche Division (Luxury Las Vegas, Best of Las Vegas, Robin Leach) of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, on being named one of the Las Vegas Fashion Council’s Style Ambassadors for 2017.
Leslie and others will be recognized and honored with an award at the Feb. 9 House of DIFFA Style kickoff event at Neiman Marcus at Fashion Show. The Style Ambassadors also will be recognized and honored and part of the House of DIFFA event Dec. 1 at Aria.
CONTRACT RENEWALS
Guitar guru Carlos Santana has extended his contract for a fifth year of his residency shows at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. He has added dates in May, September and November, with tickets going on sale Friday.
Carlos donates a portion of tickets sales to his charitable foundation Milagro that supports vulnerable and underrepresented youths in arts, education and health worldwide. Meantime, DJ Calvin Harris returns to Omnia at Caesars Palace for his 2017 residency starting Feb. 3.
HAKKASAN’S NEW RESTAURANT
Global hospitality company Hakkasan Group, with nightclubs and dining venues here on the Strip, will open its first restaurant in Hawaii, Yauatcha Waikiki, on Feb. 15 at our celebrity chef Michael Mina’s International Market Place.
Chef Ho Chee Boon, who runs Hakkasan here at MGM Grand, will launch the eatery. The Michelin-starred chef has 28 years of Asian restaurant experience, including the first Yauatcha opened in London in 2004.
STEPPING AWAY
NASCAR driver Carl Edwards didn’t dub it “retirement’ when he announced this morning that he’s “stepping away” from the sport after racing for 13 years in the Cup Series. During his career, Carl won twice at LVMS, in 2008 and 2011, as part of his 28 race victories, 22 poles and an astonishing 340 Top 10 finishes.
