3 Music Apps to Turn Up the Beat at Your Event

Playing DJ can be hard. Let ABCey help you out with three recommendations for music apps to keep the tunes going at your next party! If your corporate event has a low budget and you have to cut costs on hiring a DJ, these could also come in handy! Our favorite is Spotify because of usability and number of options!

1. Spotify

Spotify is the new spin on Pandora. With live streaming of almost any artist you can think of, you can have it all. If you don’t want to make up your own playlist, you can browse the thousands that are pre-created for you! This is perfect for a last minute get together or if you want to find music based on your mood!

2. 8 Tracks

8 Tracks is also an online streaming platform. Users can create a free account and either listen to top tracks or make their own. Each playlist must consist of at least 8 tracks giving this fun app its name.

3. Soundcloud

Unlike the other two apps listed above, Soundcloud caters to lesser known artists. Artists and producers can promote their music on Soundcloud and share it with other users! And, it’s free!

With so many great options out there, you’re sure to have tons of music to choose from! All of these are available on the Apple App Store and Android Google Play. Let us know if you have used these apps and what you think on Twitter or Facebook!

Tech Tuesday: ABCey’s Best Event Finder Apps

Tech Tuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming technologies for their innovative ideas and impact on the event world!

With hundreds of events out there each week, it’s not always easy to keep track. Other times, you miss an awesome event, because you simply didn’t know about it. ABCey has the perfect event finder apps for you, which help you to pick out the best events for you!

Gravy

Gravy is the perfect app for you if you belong to the indecisive crowd of people that like to make decisions according to their mood. Whether you like it “classy,” “brainy,” “lively,” or “whatever,” Gravy helps you to find the best events depending on your mood. You can also decide the distance you’re willing to travel to the event. If you don’t feel like a long car drive, why don’t you just chose something in walkable distance?

Like A Local

Do you travel a lot and want to see more than the typical tourist attractions? Like A Local is a real-time stream app, which is curated by locals and designed for you to discover the hidden gems of the city. Learn about the best spots to eat, party, shop, or relax. The app tells you why locals love the spot and why it’s worth a visit. With Like A Local, you can literally explore cities like a local!

SongKick

Are you crazy about music and love going to concerts? Don’t miss any concerts of your favorite bands and artists anymore with SongKick. The app connects with your music library and alerts you of upcoming concerts and shows in your area! It also marks the event down on your calendar and shows you where to buy tickets.

Spotsetter

If you have a lot of traveling friends, this app will be perfect for you! Spotsetter is a travel app that connects with your social media accounts and notices what your friends have said about particular spots on their trips. If you happen to travel to the same place, you can check out what your friends have said and either follow their recommendation or avoid a certain spot right away.

Time To Enjoy

This smart app connects to your smartphone calendar and looks for nearby events in your scheduled free time! For instance, if you have a busy day but a three hour break in between, Time to Enjoy offers you the right event for your off-time window! Use your free time to actually do something you enjoy and make the best of your day!

Which of these apps would you use and why? Tell us about it in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!

Startup Monday: Songhop, the World’s First Active Music Discovery Software

Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that features some of the best and brightest companies in the Bay Area. They are often companies that we have our eye on or have worked with in the past & would like to share with friends and followers of ABCey Events!

This week, we want to introduce you to Songhop, a startup located in Palo Alto. Songhop was recently launched and offers “the world’s first active music discovery software.” Users can browse through dozens of songs and decide whether they like them or not. Songhop also helps new artists gain recognition in the midst of the mainstream.

How it works: The interface is very simple. Sign up and start listening to songs right away! If you sign up with a social network account like Facebook or Twitter, you can see what songs your friends like. Start exploring songs that are categorized by genre, or check out your friends’ favorites. As soon as you play a song, Songhop provides you with three options. Click the “X” if you don’t like the song or the heart symbol if you like it. You can also share the song via message or social network.

Why we love it: Songhop enables you to broaden your musical horizon! Discover new music you would have never heard otherwise, or help new artists to find success. Are you planning on throwing a country themed event, but your knowledge of country music barely exceeds Taylor Swift or Brad Paisley? Use Songhop to discover more! Best of all, Songhop is free, and free is good!

Would you use Songhop? Tell us what you think about the world’s first active music discovery software in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Tech Tuesday: TuneTug, the Interactive Party Music App

Tech Tuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming technologies for their innovative ideas and impact on the event world!

Ever been at a party or event and wanted to choose the songs being played? TuneTug is a new party music app that allows guests to check out the event’s playlist, add music from their own online libraries and ‘tug’ up and down on their favorite songs for the DJ to play next!

How it works: Just download the free app, upload your playlist from iTunes or Spotify or create a new one from scratch, and let your guests do the rest! As long as they can use internet on their mobile devices, your guests can access the link you’ve shared and start ‘tugging’ on songs they want to hear or even add their own to the mix. The more popular a song, the quicker it will get played!

Why we love it: Instead of worrying if your guests will like the music, TuneTug takes away that anxiety by putting the music in their hands, literally! By giving your guests the choice of what songs to play on this party music app, they will be more involved in and committed to the event because they are choosing and listening to the music they want to hear.

Would you use TuneTug to involve and entertain the guests at your next event or party? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!

ABCey’s Weekend LineUp: 8.07.14- 8.10.14

Whose ready to rage at Outside Lands this weekend?! Here at ABCey, we are getting ready for this music filled weekend. But don’t worry, for those of you who aren’t going we have some fun alternatives for you!

Featured Event: Outside Lands |Friday August 8th-Sunday August 10th| 12 pm-10 pm |Golden Gate Park| This is the place to be this weekend. Hundreds of thousands of music lovers flock to SF to jam to the tunes of their favorite bands and artists! Some performers include headliners Kanye West, Arctic Monkeys, Death Cab for Cutie, Tiesto and so many more! Tickets are sold out but you can head over to StubHub and find single day tickets (Warning: They are expensive)!

1. Outside Lands Night Show: The Killers |Saturday August 9th|10 pm| The Independent, 628 Divisadero St., San Francisco| Whether or not you are going to Outside Lands, you can catch some of the acts afterwards! The Killers on Saturday night will be performing at The Independent at 10pm. If you went to the festival all day and can’t seem to curb your music craving or weren’t able to get tickets to Outside Lands but really want to experience part of the magic, then go on Saturday night to see The Killers!

2. Outside Lands Beach Cleanup: |Aug 9th| 10 am| |Ocean Beach at Noriega & Great Highway| Help keep San Francisco beautiful this weekend by joining the Outside Lands clean-team pick up the beach! Refreshments will be provided by Devil’s Teeth Bakery and Noriega Produce and the cleaning supplies are supplied by Surfrider, San Franpsycho and Indosole. And, as if you needed another reason to go, festival gates are within walking distance!

3. T-Party Screen Scene: | Aug 10th| 11am-5pm| The Chapel, 777 Valencia Street SF| This pop-up shop is a unique, one-day event that is dedicated to locally-designed t-shirts and screen printing. Some of the vendors include The Girl and Rhino, Original Language, Oaklandish and The Loin SF. This is a must stop event to grab some of the most unique t-shirts in one of the most unique cities.

4. NightLife LIVE: Emerging Music & Art Paired With Science |Aug 7th| 6pm-10pm|The Cal Academy of Sciences| Check out rotating art installations while enjoying the music of neighboring Outside Lands. This is a perfect place to relax and enjoy great music accompanied with great art! So bring your friends out for a cultured night to wind down the work week! Tickets are only $12.

5. Deaf Louder: The Second Bay Area Deaf Dance Festival: |Aug 8th- 9th at 8pm| Aug 10th at 4pm| Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24^th St, SF| Maybe you’re looking for something that will take you away from the Outside Lands craziness and want to experience something else this weekend. Deaf Louder features deaf dancers in an evening long showcase of contemporary dance and music. This dance festival is unlike any you’ve ever been too. Bringing out many emotions in the viewers, this is sure to be a great hit!

Will you be attending any of these awesome events?! Let us know if we missed any in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

5 Summer Apps That Make You Want To Party!

Here is our salute to the summertime barbeques and outdoor parties that are taking the nation by storm! ABCey Events has found the five best apps to make any summer party kick it up to the next level.

1. First, and most importantly, download the SunSmart App. After recording your skin type, this app will tell you when it is time for another layer of the lotion! Everyones’ skin is different so what is good for someone else is not neccesarily good for you. Please be careful this summer and where the appropriate amount of sunscreen!

2. No summer party is ever complete without the jams pumping! To ensure your party is music filled with only the best tunes, check out TuneIn Radio, a free radio app that lets you broadcast your own music or pick and choose your favorite songs! One of the best and newest music apps we have seen in a while.

3. To add to the party vibe of your event, download the Mixology app to learn how to make yummy cocktails! This app explains how to create each drink so your party is a booze-filled success! Perfect for pool parties!

4. On to one of the most fabulous grilling apps you will find, GrillTime. GrillTime sets off alarms on your phone when to flip burgers, chicken or any other meat! Instead of guessing when the food is ready, or forgetting about it because of how much fun your party is, rely on this app to help you make the best tasting barbeque anyone has ever had!

5. Finally, what is a party without a little Karaoke? Karaoke Anywhere is a mobile app that, like its’ title says, you can take and rock out anywhere! What other game is more perfect for a pool party than a little friendly karaoke competition?

How will you be celebrating this summer season? Let us know below in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!

ABCey’s Weekend Lineup 6.12.14- 6.15.14

Looking for something fun to do this weekend in and around the City? Here at ABCey, we have you covered from electronic picnics to World Cup viewing parties to fun things to do with your dad on Father’s day!

Featured event: Sunset Island |Saturday, June 14|12:00am-9:30pm|Great Lawn, Treasure Island| What better way to celebrate the last official weekend of spring and usher in summer than an outdoor picnic and festival on Treasure Island?! The groovy musical guests include Phuture, Kyle Hall, Beautiful Swimmers, Awesome Tapes From Africa and many more! And the best part of all, the event will be bringing in some of the best local food trucks from around the Bay Area, including Senor Sisig, Mr. Nice, Eat Fuki, Curbside Coffee and Me So Hungry.

1. Waterfront Flicks: Outdoor Film Night |Thursday, June 12|8:00pm|Jack London Square, Oakland| Looking for good movies to watch this summer? Look no further than the kickoff movie night at the Waterfront in Oakland this Thursday evening in Oakland. This is a summer-long-event and is free every Thursday night! For this Thursday evening, they will be showing Gravity, and for the rest of the summer’s movie schedule, check out the website. They show a mix of new and old movies, perfect for everyone to find a movie or two they want to see over the summer!

2. 2014 World Cup Live Outdoor Big Screen Party |Saturday, June 14|9:00am|Civic Center Plaza| In honor of the World Cup “kicking off” this week, there will be an outdoor viewing party taking place in the plaza of the Civic Center! This is an all day and completely free event, so why not take your favorite sports buddies and friends over to the center on Saturday and watch Colombia take on Greece at 9am, Uruguay and Costa Rica at noon and Italy versus Germany at 3pm. This sounds like a great place to get into the soccer spirit and watch the World Cup!

3. Burning Man Precompression |Saturday, June 14|7:00pm-2:00am|8410 Amelia Street, Oakland|With only 81 days left until the renowned Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, Nevada, make sure to head over to Oakland to get a small taste of what is to come! This event is held at NIMBY and is an indoor/outdoor event, with 6 stages of epic beats, art cars, fiery installations and much more. Make sure to get there before 9pm, when tickets only cost $15, after that it bumps up $10 to $25!

4. North Beach Festival |Saturday and Sunday, June 14-15|10:00am-6:00pm|North Beach District, San Francisco|North Beach is celebrating its 60th annual festival this year. This two day event is free and welcomes you to come and explore! During these two days, the streets of North Beach shut down while food vendors, artists, musicians and craft vendors flood the area. Lovingly known as the Italian district of San Francisco, expect some of the best Italian food you will ever eat! You really do want to make sure that you make it over to this festival and bring dad as a special Father’s Day treat!

5. Giants vs. Colorado Rockies |Sunday, June 15|1:05pm|AT&T Park, San Francisco|Of course, there are always baseball games going on in the Bay Area, so that is nothing special. However what is special is that on Sunday, Father’s Day, the Giants play at home! If your father loves baseball and you have yet to get him a present, head over to Stubhub or the Giants ticketing area and pick up a couple of tickets to make your dad’s day as special as you can!

This Father’s Day weekend is filled with so many different things to do, it’s bound to be an incredible holiday! Let us know how your weekend goes in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!

ABCey’s Weekend Lineup 6.5.14- 6.8.14

The summer kickoff parties are in full swing this weekend and here at ABCey Events, we can’t wait to attend some of these fun and exciting events in the Bay Area! As usual, there are plenty of events to choose from and this weekend we narrowed down some of our favorites including parties, fairs, and festivals!

Featured Event: DISTRIKT Revel Station| Saturday, June 7th|1:00 pm-10pm|16th Train Station Oakland|Head over just across the bridge to Oakland and attend DISTRIKT Revel Station. This event is a non-profit electronic music party and the only fundraiser in the Bay Area prior to Burning Man. The party will feature 4 areas of sound by DJ’s DISTRIKT, Dusty Rhino, Friends and Family, and Opulent Temple. Food and beverages will be offered and a cool new lounge area will be built making this year the biggest year DISTRIKT Revel Station has had! This sounds so fun and we can’t wait to see pictures and hear how this event goes! This event is 21 and over with $20 presale / $30 door.

1. Sunset Artisan Fair |Saturday June 7th|11:00 am-4:00pm|3635 Lawton St. San Francisco|The Artisan Fair is an annual event featuring handmade DIY(do it yourself) crafts by local artisans. These include jewelry, art, sewn goods, accessories, and more. Also included at the event are gourmet street food and deserts with live music! Every year 100% of the proceeds go to a charity organization. Sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday!

2.Basic Training Hayes Valley Launch Party |Saturday June 7th|12:00 pm-4:00 pm|432 Octavia St. San Francisco|Do you love to workout outdoors? Come attend the launch of The Basic Training fitness hub, an innovative outdoor workout space for public use in Hayes Valley. The free, pop-up fitness pod will transform a previously unused parking lot to a colorful, bright, multi-use space. The day kicks off with free Basic Training workout classes from 8 am until 12 noon at the top of every hour. Starting at noon, the party begins with free food, free drinks, music, and giveaways until 4 pm. So get sweaty with Basic Training’s day of fitness and fun!

3. Union Street Festival|Saturday, June 7th-June 8th|10:00 am-6:00 pm|Union Street to Gough to Steiner Street., San Francisco|Looking for a place to try new food, craft beer, and wine all while enjoying local art and community groups? Come visit the Union Street Festival this weekend. For the 2014 festival, the six blocks of the event will feature a unique collection of fashion, food, technology, crafts, and health and fitness booths. Grab a couple of friends and experience this long-standing San Francisco event.Free to attend but bring money for food and drinks!

4. Silent Frisco| Sunday, June 8th| 11:00 am| Ocean Beach San Francisco|Love to dance and listen to music? This San Francisco based event uses cutting edge technology to enable artistic expressions with headphones! Silent Frisco will provide more than 3,000 two channel festival optimized headphones for attendees. These headphones operate on two simultaneous long-range feeds providing the best audio. This enables attendees to enjoy the music while neighbors enjoy peace and quiet. Silent Frisco always tries to find places where concerts normally wouldn’t be and their mission is to get people under the stars, out in fields, or at this year’s venue, Ocean Beach! Silent Frisco is featuring 2 channels: Boys Vs. Girls. The two hour set will include: Kraak & Smaak • An a Sia• P um pkin• J *Labs• Motion Potion• LAURA Lisbona• DEEJAY THEORY• HOLLY RICH• DING DONG • KIMBA• Matt Haze. We can’t wait to see this event come to life!

5.California Dreaming- Poolside Party+ Fashion Show +Trunk Show |Sunday June 8th|12:00 pm-7:00 pm|The Hotel Phoenix 601 Eddy St. San Francisco|Come check out the best of the best in local San Francisco DJ’s and Designers while enjoying some poolside fun in the sun! The second annual party will feature eleven DJ’s and seventeen, with more to be announced, designers. This is a great chance to bring along some friends and support local talent! We love a good pool party and this one sounds like a ton of fun!

This weekend is guaranteed to be a great time with all these fun events. The girls at ABCey want to hear what you will be up to! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.

ABCey’s Weekend Lineup 5.29.14- 6.1.14

Here at ABCey, we are always excited when the weekend comes around, and we’re sure you are too! There are some great events taking place all throughout the Bay Area, including music festivals and lots of food. No matter what you choose to do, it’s sure to be a great time!

Featured Event: BottleRock Festival | Friday, May 30 – Sunday, June 1 | Napa Valley | This is the second year of this feature music festival in Napa Valley including 60 bands with tons of wine, food, and beer. The lineup is sure to please any type of music taste with favorites including Outkast, Eric Church, Matt and Kim, and more! Even if the music isn’t enough for you, the signature local food will definitely draw your taste buds in. The food offerings range from sushi to barbecue, and everything in between. Single and 3-day passes are still available for $279.

1. Off the Grid Twilight at the Presidio | Thursday, May 29th | 5-9pm | Main Post Lawn Presidio | Here is a great example of why we love the Bay Area! Off the Grid is a reoccurring event every Thursday until June 26^th and is the perfect excuse to leave work a little early this week. This event is free to the public and includes lantern-lit cabanas, campfires complete with relaxing Adirondack chairs, and plenty of food trucks. Come out and relax with family and friends while listening to the free music and taking in a leisurely summer evening.

2. Start Up and Tech Mixer | Friday, May 30^th | 5 – 10pm | W Hotel, SF | This event is a great chance to network with other individuals in the tech industry and create a shared network of ideas. We’re very excited about the Start Up and Tech Mixer which will include a variety of speakers and areas for networking with other tech professionals. It’s sure to be a great time with a wide range of participants, food and drinks, and professional development. The event keeps the best of what tech conferences offer to bring a unique tech event to the industry.

3. Chocolate and Chalk Art Festival | Saturday, May 31^st | 10am – 5pm |Gourmet Ghetto, Berkeley | This event is a chocolate lover’s dream with the acclaimed Gourmet Ghetto supporting local business and art at the same time! Buy tickets for the variety of dessert offerings and then sample unique chocolate, which will include: goat cheese truffles, a variety brownies, Oreo shakes, Caribbean chocolate soup, and more. The chalk art portion will include a contest between contestants on the sidewalks and will add a fun interactive flare for the event attendees. We’re jealous of all those that will make it out to Berkeley to sample these tasty chocolate dishes!

4. Live 105’s BFD | Sunday, June 1^st | 11 am | Shoreline Amphitheatre | We are excited about this Sunday’s concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre for Live 105’s 20^th annual BFD concert! The lineup is unique with bands ranging from Foster the People and M.I.A. to Fitz and the Tantrums. This is sure to be a fun-filled day with live music and dancing to pass your Sunday. Tickets are still available and range from $47 for grass seating to $285 center stage. Check out the lineup this Sunday!

5. Walking Distance Dance Festival | Friday, May 30 – Saturday, May 31 | Friday @ 7:30pm & Saturday @ 4pm | Locations Vary | Here is a unique chance to see dance performances outside the theatre! This weekend marks the start of the Walking Distance Dance Tour that will lead its participants throughout the Mission district watching a variety of top dance companies perform. It will be a distinct chance to view a variety of dance styles and blends of music. We’re sure this will be a great way to gain a different perspective of the city with it’s blend of dance, music, and architecture.

This weekend is guaranteed to be a great time with all these great events. The girls at ABCey want to hear what you will be up to! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.

ABCey’s Weekend Lineup: 3.20.14 – 3.23.14

It’s the first day of Spring and we can’t wait to celebrate by attending some great events this weekend! As usual, there are tons of awesome things going on in the Bay Area. At ABCey, we did some digging and are bringing you our top picks!

FEATURED EVENT: 7th Annual Disposable Film Festival | Thursday, March 20th | Castro Theatre | 10pm | Opening Night kicks off with a festival favorite, our Competitive Shorts Premiere! The evening showcases a curated selection of the best of thousands of disposable films made on a variety of devices from around the world. All films are rated by an expert panel of judges. Fans get to vote for their favorite films for the Audience Choice Award! Be the first to see this year’s collection of the best disposable films made on everyday devices like cell phones, pocket cameras, and webcams.

1. Magnolia Cocktails | Thursday, March 20th | San Francisco Botanical Garden | 5:30pm | Celebrate the first day of Spring by coming out to enjoy evening cocktails garnished with magnolia petals in a relaxing secluded garden! Wander through the lovely, hidden nooks of the Exhibition Garden, and learn more from the docents about the Garden’s magnificent magnolias.

2. BOOKSWAP: Farm Fresh Edition with Novella Carpenter | Friday, March 21st | The Booksmith | 6:30pm | Join the first Bookswap of 2014! Never been to one before? Here’s how it works: You pick a book you love. The Booksmith closes the store early, opens the wine, serves some dinner, hands you a coupon, and turn you loose inside the bookstore with 30 of your new friends. At the end, there will be a big, rowdy, white elephant-style swap. You’ll part with your book, and leave with a book someone else adores! You will be joined by Novella Carpenter, who’s memoir Farm City has been chosen for One Book and One Marin. Get the chance to ask her any questions you’d like, and about her new book Gone Feral coming out in June.

3. Jemima Kirke: New Paintings | Friday, March 21st | Fouladi Projects | 6pm | Fouladi Projects Gallery is pleased to present new portraits of women by painter and RISD alumni, Jemima Kirke. Jemima has by now become widely known for her role as “Jessa” on HBO’s series “Girls”, but her intrinsic identity is as the artist in her studio, painting idiosyncratic oil on canvas portraits of friends and family. She was recently named one of Forbe Magazine’s “30 under 30” for Art and Style! You don’t want to miss out on her inspirational work!

4. DASH | Saturday, March 22nd | Un-scripted Theater Company | 10pm | DASH is a brand-new late night improv comedy show from the San Francisco improv veterans Un-Scripted Theater Company. It’s a hour-long madcap romp, incorporating your suggestions into a fast-paced, no-holds-barred, completely original show each week! Come early and enjoy a wide variety of microbrews, sodas, and snacks in the Salon across the hall. This event will take continue to take place every Saturday!

5. Aca-West A Cappella Festival | Sunday, March 23rd | University of San Francisco | 9am | This awesome festival is hosted by ASUSF Voices and features Deke Sharon, Vocal Producer for Universal’s hit film, “Pitch Perfect” and NBC’s “The Sing Off.” Workshops will be held earlier in the day covering a broad range of topics like vocal percussion, song writing, vocal arranging, and behind the scenes of Pitch Perfect and the Sing-Off. The festival will also feature a concert in the evening with performances by Vocal Rush (from “The Sing Off”), The Riveters, and The House Jacks.

How will you choose how to celebrate the beginning of Spring?! Which picks were your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!