saloon scene 1
what our tastemakers are tasting and making this month
My favorite thing about building saloon has been the garnering of (four!) thousand personalities, tastes, perspectives, projects, ambitions into a single space, newsletter, group chat, cocktail bar, etc. I’ve been marinating for some time on how best to share said personalities and perspectives in a way that doesn’t feel tired, mimetic, or click-baity and feels distinctly tangible. I want saloon members to organically land in the same spaces—read and see and engage with the circling recommendations of our community. I also want that to be readily accessible.
I’ve landed on this: we’re introducing a new installment for our paid members (this first one is free <3) where you can follow the recommendations and social calendars of yours truly, with selected saloon members as guest editors, as well as two fabulous writers and personalities: Rodrigo Bustamante and Sam Falb, reporting from LA and NY, respectively. These two members have a distinct understanding of “The Scene,”—dare we still call it that—in its one million definitions, and otherwise they have great senses of taste and self.
Rodrigo “Rod” Bustamante is a Cuban-American visual artist and writer from Miami, currently based in Los Angeles. Rodrigo graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in May 2020 and has worked with the creative teams at Patagonia, Sonos, UNICEF. He will be starting his Masters of Arts in Latin American Studies this the Fall where he plans to study the relationship between humans, the natural world, and coming of age experiences. He’s on Instagram here, and has a Substack:
.Sam Falb is a writer, creative strategist, and content producer based in New York City. He’s currently a style, art, and parties writer with Vogue, Office, PAPER, V, and a columnist with the CFDA and Elephant Magazine. He also consults on storytelling for Warner Records, and works on projects for campaigns, galleries, and special events. He’s on Instagram here.
founder picks
After online shopping for work all of April, here’s the best-of list.
Isabelle Seiler is hosting a True Beginner Ballet class in tandem with Live The Process, on May 7 and May 31, 6:30pm. Anyone who’s ever tried other “beginner” ballet classes will be grateful for the pace of this one. Sign up here.
Frog Bar’s accompanying jazz bar, Tadpole, is beginning a reading series—May 8, 7-9pm.
My friend Leeza is hosting a gallery night for her photography—can’t wait to see her beautiful work in three dimensions. May 10, 6-9pm at the Slip Gallery. RSVP required, here.
Something amazing and yet unknown is brewing here…yours nyc is pulling together an ample list of curated vendors to sell their wares in a Tribeca apartment. May 10, 12-6pm,137 duane street apt 3a.
NYCxDesign is here, which means a million great minds are descending on the city. Among them is the very Instagram famous Casa Lawa, a Sicilian-based artist residency. Design Hotels brings them to The Moore, May 16 and 17, 5-8pm. RSVP here.
My new favorite band is After—the exact sort of Y2K movie soundtrack I have been loving my whole life, brought to new light. I’m seeing them at Night Club 101 on May 19.
Miranda July and Elif Batuman are pairing up for a talk at Pioneer Works that’s outside my budget, but maybe only because I haven’t read All Fours. May 29, 7:30pm, buy tickets here.
- is hosting a party during Design Week to celebrate the launch of its second issue. May 21, 6-9pm at Ace Hotel in Brooklyn. 100 Free copies. Tattoos (just temporarily). Food (by soon-to-open Lele's). And – rest assured! – drinks. RSVP here.
Beyond desperate to see this “Flower Beneath The Foot” at Emma Scully Gallery uptown, running through June 20.
If I was a cook I’d be busting down the doors of Gem Home, who are hiring cooks to join their team. Apply: info@gemhomenyc.com.
Thuma collaborated with Heller to create a breakfast set I didn’t expect to love as much as I do. Full disclosure I use it at work and not in my bed (as intended) because we have to take the elevator 10 floors to get a dish. The event at their NY showroom to celebrate the launch was so well done (I love the whole team at TCPR, in case anyone is after a PR company), with sesame lattes and baked goods from Win Son.
sam’s new york recs
(May 3): The New York Review of Architecture will host a launch party for their no. 45 issue, on their birthday and International Workers' Day, no less. Learn more here.
(May 9): Rhizome, "the international hub for new media art since 1996," will stage a series of talks and collaborations on art and technology at Cornell Tech, the university's Roosevelt Island outpost. Learn more here.
(May 11): Nowadays will open their doors for the season opener of Mister Sundays, their popular Spring-Summer day party in its fifteenth year, with tickets available online and at the door. Learn more here.
rodrigo’s los angeles recs
No Bad Ideas, a traveling monthly comedy show hosted by Ananya Hegde and produced by Madeline Zimmer, is back for its second installment on May 14th at Bar Lubitsch, starting at 8pm. I went to their first show, which featured comedians like Pat Regan and Ellory Smith, and genuinely hadn’t laughed that hard in months. Be sure to follow them on Instagram to see who will be part of their next lineup!
Jazz at LACMA is finally back! Celebrate the season kickoff on Friday, May 2nd, from 6-8 PM with the Tony Austin Quartet. This is my favorite way to spend summer Fridays with friends–you can bring your own food and wine and have a nice picnic outside the museum! This particular concert is presented alongside the ongoing exhibition Imagining Black Diasporas, which will stay open late for guests to visit after the concert.
First Fridays AMPLIFIED at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County examines how music affects our bodies and lives. From sound healing to the sounds of nature, this is a unique sonic experience to enjoy NHM after-hours.
something else we should know about? pitch juliafharrison@gmail.com.