Born in Chicago, Jesse actually spent much of his childhood living in Jamaica. He then moved to Miami at around 8 years old. “Early on I was heavily influenced by reggae, gospel, R&B, and Latin music,” says Jesse. In 2002 Jesse’s life made a surprising turn up North. At 16 years-old “I got picked to be a part of the Grammy jazz ensemble,” explains Jesse. “1 out of 13 singers picked from the U.S.” After the Grammy’s, Jesse was recruited to attend the New School University for Music, an outrageously huge accomplishment for a teenager, to say the least. So at 17, Jesse made his way to NYC. “I had mixed feelings,” Jesse confesses. “The 1st winter was not my wave. I didn’t go anywhere, but the people I met in New York, all creative minds were super inspiring. I was constantly learning.” One of those creative minds happens to be Bilal, who Jesse studied with for three years.

If you visit Jesse’s tumblr you’ll see the quote “We Are The Reawakening Of The Romantic Movement.” We asked Jesse to explain what this means to him. “Our generation,” says Jesse, “we need to bring romance and chivalry back. My friends and I, Street Etiquette, MeLo-X, Mara Hruby, Chris Turner, Moruf, and Emily King are [all] firm believers in music being the easiest way to build a connection. So we create to spread love & emotional intelligence. That’s what The Romantic Movement is.” Romantic almost doesn’t seem to do Jesse’s music justice though. It is beautiful, sexy, raw, and human. The song “Zoner,” as Jesse explains, is “about not being able to open up to a woman and express to her your thoughts, and the second verse is not wanting to open up to society.” A Zoner, “to me,” describes Jesse, “is a day-dreamer, a visionary. A person with a perspective on life that is not like the majority.” The video for “Zoner,” was shot in Berlin in December of 2011. “Dr Woo directed the piece. Jesee and Andreea Pavel produced it. “The models are Dinah & Alani both berlin natives.”

When we asked Jesse of his plans for 2012 he hinted towards an upcoming documentary that he has been working on since March 2010. The documentary, Jesse mentions mysteriously, is about women. When we ask Jesse to explain, he laughs, “I can’t yet!” He does, however, hint that it is inspired by his upcoming LP Love Apparatus. After getting a glimpse into “The Romantic Movement” of Jesse Boykins III, it’s pretty clear that he is an artist to experience in the flesh. “The support and love I receive at my shows is the reason why I make music in the 1st place,” says Jesse. So stay tuned for tour dates in the Boston and Bay Area, coming soon!

- Annick Mayer

“I was just inspired and wanted to lend my contribution,” explains PP, surprisingly laidback on an evening at the center of so much action. It’s all in a day’s work for the NYC native, who invited us along to his performance at Dominion Theatre, where we caught “The Worse it Gets,” delivered to a riotous subterranean crowd. We even snuck in some record hunting at In Living Stereo, all while PP shared some insights into how he brings his music to life… and you won’t believe the inspiration behind his name!

What’s got you excited about music right now?

I’m excited to see real musicianship coming to the front lines. Artists like Adele are opening the door for the next wave of powerful female vocalists. My album is very vocal-driven, and sonically it’s rock/R&B so there’s something for everyone to love.

What do you hope fans take away from your upcoming album?

You have such an empowered/empowering take on relationships and love. Where do you think you get that strength?

I’ve been through a lot, relationship-wise. I watched my mother struggle with my dad and I have a tight circle of female friends who have all been in love and heartbroken. I’m empowered by the idea that I’m still strong even the midst of drama, before I can even see the light at the end of the tunnel.

What’s up next for you?

People can look for the album in the early spring. We’ve been prepping the band and rehearsing for a series of live shows, to be announced as soon as they’re confirmed. You can get the scoop on bridgetkelly.com and also my twitter @theycallmebk.

The divine Ms. BK opens for Goapele at Los Angeles’ Key Club on November 8.

We spent a couple days nestled within the hubs of designers-on-the-rise, William Okpo and MadeMe, riding shotgun as they realize their respective collections. Though they are both female-run, NYC-based, steady-climbing operations, you’d be hard-pressed to find two lines with more different approaches and aesthetics.

You may have spotted William Okpo’s earthy-ethereal looks at Opening Ceremony, and possibly noticed the striking Okpo sisters there (they moonlight as shopgirls at the impossibly cool boutique). Named after Lizzy and Darlene’s father (who wanted his girls to grow up to become doctors), the line isn’t just the product of a lot of proverbial blood sweat and tears—it’s also their legacy. The sisters divide their time between school, day jobs and long nights at the Brooklyn studio where they invited the Arcade for a peek at their inner workings. Sisterly tiffs, divine inspiration, and all.

Meanwhile, across the East River, Erin Magee of MadeMe is masterminding street wear for tomboys, city girls and their stylish little sisters. Take the MadeMe x Schott custom moto jacket (lined, like a secret, with Liberty of London florals), a perfect storm of downtown references and devilish little details. We met up with Erin on a typical night in the East Village (oh, just a little pink Manic Panic in the bathtub, nothing out of the ordinary) when she shared the secrets to breathing life into MadeMe while also running production over at Supreme. Not a bad day gig, if you ask us.

They are all women with full plates, irrepressible style, and futures so bright, we’ll all be rocking shades—hopefully their own (hint, hint, ladies!)

LIKE THE SONG? CHECK OUT MORE SWEET ELECTRO TUNES FROM LOS ANGELES’ THE NEW DIVISION AKA  JOHN KUNKEL HERE.

We got a front-row view of the action as the new collection—a playful and yet provocative mix of references from his Midwestern youth and a rollicking, rockabilly approach to Americana—revealed itself among the whirlwind of preparations. Model castings, late-night tailoring sessions, studio visits (and don’t miss the winged adidas Originals x Jeremy Scott kicks on the guys’ feet)… everything taking shape before the lights go up for a few delirious moments on the runway. The designer was more pensive than we expected, immersed in the work required to breathe life into it all. What we captured was a surprisingly thoughtful master of ceremonies with one mission: have a little fun with your fashion, people!

Dig the track on this clip? That’s our girl Becca Schack’s “Your Restaurant.” We’re pretty geeked on her “electro-sexy” new approach to pop.

“We just went to the beach behind my building,” she describes. “We ran around on the beach just before sunset… Just my kind of thing; not too much fuss. I actually recorded the song alone with Doc Mckinney—who I love—and then Aloe Blacc added is vocal later. We’ve never met. I invited him to my Highline show.”

Arcaders with tickets to the already sold-out show are in for a treat. “I’m so excited about the Highline show,” says Alice. “I haven’t played with a full band since before I had my baby. That’s been at more than a year! The show is gonna be so fun. I’m sharing the bill with Gary Clark Jr. and it’s gonna be a rip roaring show; a real party.”

CEO is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping the previously incarcerated find and maintain employment. Cara Shih joined their team as Marketing Director about two years ago, and happens to be much of the muscle—and, without a doubt, heart—behind Released With Conviction. “The project started off when I was looking for an opportunity to work with our participants and staff. I wanted to create an outlet where they could tell and relate their stories to people outside of their own communities,” says Shih. That is of course where the photographers come in. Meet Jeyhoun Allebaugh, Bryan Tarnowski and Michael Scott Berman. The three photographers each have their own distinctive style, however, their intention appears to be the same; “This project is exactly the type of work that I am interested in doing, because it allows me to use my artistic eye while doing something so much more than just creating a photograph,” says Tarnowski. Each photographer had to become “all encompassing,” he explains, capturing “everything from doing their laundry, to going to the corner store, to going to work. Everything is important, especially in a project like this where even the little things are huge.”

Over the past few months, each photographer has shadowed the lives of various people in different stages of the CEO program. “For me,” Berman explains, “learning about what [the previously incarcerated] go through—they really have to have a lot of patience, because no matter how hard it is for someone who hasn’t been to prison to go find work or establish a career right now… imagine how hard it is to have this ‘bad thing’ so to speak, looming over your record.“ This is where the CEO program really takes a holistic approach to the job search, not just starting or ending with endless applications. Burman continues “CEO goes beyond the end of the story, many of the participants come back and stay in touch. Its really a relationship that means a lot to these guys.”

The CEO program begins with a referral from a probation or parole officer. From there, the participants enter the CEO “orientation and depending on their probation, a Life Skills Education class, that lasts for about a week.“ CEO’s work begins right away. “Many people don’t see the previously incarcerated as individuals.” defends Shih. “I think that too many times they are being told that they are part of this group that can’t get jobs or are going to go back to prison, and they are subsequently not treated the same.” The mission for CEO and this project in particular is to show that these people are not defined by any of these things or their time in prison. Shih continues to explain how the rest of the CEO program gets to work; “After they graduate from the Life Skills Education class, they receive work boots. The work boots take them onto our transitional work sites, which are all over the five boroughs. They attend the work sites usually three days a week, and on their days off they meet with their job coach or job developer. Once they find a job they enter our ‘Rapid Rewards Program’ where they are able to earn up to $1,000 a year just by handing in their pay stubs.” Shih points out, “A lot of times the jobs that they start with do not pay enough, so the Rapid Rewards are an incentive but also extra help to get back on their feet.”

Another photographer on the project, Jeyhoun Allebaugh, who is also a photo assistant for the NBA, explains that he “always comes back to documentary photography for sustenance. It fuels and enriches my life in a way that nothing else I’ve found can.” This sentiment, which runs through each and every person involved in the project, is indeed what makes it so successful. “The subjects set the tone with their voices and you can let the photographs melt into that. It is a very cool aspect to the audio/visual medium,” Mulling this idea over, Jeyhoun concludes, “There is just something amazing about a very powerful, yet subtle moment.”

This project would also not be complete without the help of Culturefix, the Lower East Side bar and gallery. “Culturefix is a really great venue for non-profits.” Says Shih proudly. “They have been really supportive of our mission and really helpful in letting us carry out our vision in their space.” On June 14th, two days before the official opening, CEO staff, the photographers, and many of the participants gathered in the gallery space to intimately celebrate the fruits of their incredible project. “The participants got up and spoke about their experience with the project. There were people who had been with CEO for 18 years and there where people who are still in the first stages of the program,” says Shih, “still trying to find a job.” It seems almost impossible for anyone to put into simple words just how moving each participant’s journey home really was. Stop by the Culturefix Gallery to experience Released With Conviction for yourself, because, as Allebaugh puts it, “There may be nothing more beautiful than the reclaiming of one’s humanity.”

Released With Conviction runs until June 25^th at Culturefix Gallery, 9 Clinton Street, NYC.  The exhibit opens tonight, June 16th, 6-9.