Matt Baratz hosts the First Friday event at Local Honey for one main reason – the artistic look.
“Back in 2014 when I was a freshman at Belmont, I just kind of approached them, told them I liked the property, the grungy looking vibe,” said Baratz.
The name of the event derives from a local artistic festival in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. It happens the first Friday of every month and establishes a starting point for many people.
“It was something that I really missed from back home,” said Baratz.
Something else that typically gets missed in the world of music is image and visuals. They go hand-in-hand.
“You have to bring together the style, the fashion of a brand, visuals and stuff. They all coexist. People think of them separately, but, in reality, they really are suppose to exist in harmony,” said Baratz.
Baratz started Hooligan Recordings in 2013 as an independent music label. Over the course of its three years, it evolved into something more. It is now a platform for independent artists.
“Its very much an artistic collective at this point. We offer all sorts of services, graphic design, photoshoots, all of that,” said Baratz.
Local Honey opened the space to Hooligan Recordings in November of 2014, where the band Royal Hoax played.
“We’ve had a partnership with Local Honey for about a year or so. We definitely want to continue to support that. We love what they’re doing, and fashion is important to us,” said Baratz.
Royal Hoax is tied to an organization called Rock for Hunger, which distributes food to local food banks throughout Nashville.
Rock for Hunger is the charity Hooligan Recordings donates to. Jake Hoke, a founder of the organization, is a mentor to Baratz.
“Those guys work way too hard for me to let that progress go unnoticed on our end,” said Baratz.
Although First Friday happens once a month, keep an eye open for the other events sponsored by them. The goal is to bring together different elements of the artistic spectrum.
“We’re all about the artists, music and the culture,” said Baratz.
This article was written by Celida Salcedo.
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