ISLAND LIFE: A #HENCHHIPSTER'S VIEW

Island chief David Massey hosted a showcase last night at the trendy No Vacancy in Hollywood, highlighting the label's young and rising talent.

The hipster hot-spot is known for its secret entrance, where you must pick the correct pathway out of three unmarked doors. A lounging lady in a negligee then greets you in what looks like her bedroom before her bed moves to reveal a descending staircase. I swear there were no psychoactives in my system at this point... I think...

Before the music began to reverberate through the walls of this repurposed house, I ran into firecracker Nova Rockafeller at the open bar, where we bonded over reality TV and Cosmo kama sutra. Before her set, she agreed to throw on her meanest mug with me for the picture seen left, snapped by producer/songwriter and Boardwalk Entertainment principal Evan Bogart.

She blew the crowd away with her in-your-face performance of "Made In Gold." Watch the just-released official video below. FYI, its unofficial videos have already accumulated over 100k views.


The night remained vociferous with the addition of Tribe Society, who threw some rock into the mix. Their own "King" proves reminscent of AWOLNATION and Imagine Dragons, which surely ain't a bad thing. New to the scene — they only posted their very first Facebook entry in February — these boys seem destined to make a name for themselves and ready for radio.


I have to say, the ladies really stole the night, though. As much as I want to egg my ex's house and go on a bar crawl with the fabulous Nova, I think I'd switch teams for Kiwi singer/songwriter Virgina Wigmore, aka Gin Wigmore (seen right), if you know what I'm sayin'. Backed by suit-clad, bearded men − two of whom own some fierce Gretsch guitars, I might add − She dazzled with her Duffy-esque vocals and "take no prisoners" 'tude. Call her the lizard queen, 'cause this chick's a born rockstar.

After a four-year hiatus, Gin's ready to take 2015 by storm with her upcoming third LP, Blood to Bone, due this summer.


Massey later introduced the evening's final performer, Mike Posner, saying, "He's the only artist who can make me cry." Posner, whose smash hit "Cooler Than Me" went Top 3 at Pop radio in 2010, closed the night on a gentler note with piano ballads "Buried in Detroit" and "Iris," ending his set with "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" on acoustic guitar sans mic. All of the aforementioned songs are brand-spankin' new, btw. Word has it that Posner, who recently wrote Maroon 5's "Sugar," has two full-lengths full of new material ready to be released at a moment's notice, Sky High and Pages.

Naturally, EVP/GM Eric Wong could be seen sobbing into champagne flutes with Massey throughout Posner's entire performance.

As the tunes dwindled, insiders began forming tight-knit circles, so I took my cue. Attempting to make my usual Irish Goodbye, I of course fell down a flight of stairs like the graceful angel that I am. No one saw that, right...?