What is it like to be Beyoncé and Solange’s father? What if you also founded a record label, produced over 100 platinum albums, own a WNBA team, and lecture around the world? Sasha Klare-Ayvazian and Nico Carter sit down with the one-and-only Dr. Mathew Knowles for a powerful and candid conversation on his career, music, basketball, and equity and representation in the recording industry.
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Hello! My name is Sasha Klare-Ayvazian. I am a professional musician in Austin, Texas. I’m an Armenian-Jewish man originally from Western, MA. COVID-19 has stripped away so much of my work, I decided to start this site and create content around three of my passions: music, movies, and hoops. I have played music all my life and it is my career, so that one’s easy. My Dad loves movies and kind of got me going there. I just absolutely love going to the theatre (ideally Alamo Drafthouse): the big screen, the lights go out, and you get transported for 2 hours—a big reason I love sci-fi! And hoops…not sure how it happened. My parents aren’t sports folk (though my Mom loves LeBron—how can you not!). I do know when it happened: playing pickup at naked-hippie camp in Vermont. When I tagged along to pickup one fateful Tuesday in the old Chevy Pickle and experienced how stupid hard it was to get that damn ball through that rusty orange rim, I just fell in love. Love playing the game. Until recently, I played in the noon game at the Austin JCC—probably the thing I miss the most. And I love the NBA (I’m not a big college guy). I’m a huge Celtics fan! Actually crazy story, the day before my wedding I met Paul Pierce—one of the most incredible things to ever happen—in the hotel we were staying. I said, “Paul thank you so much for 2008! (Pause.) Man, I can’t believe we lost in 2010…” “Don’t bring that up.” He responded. Well said Paul.
MMH NBA Power Rankings: October 2021 Edition
by Chris Dodson, Cody Tannen-Barrup, Simon Pruitt, Sasha Klare-Ayvazian | Nov 3, 2021 | Hoops
Hello and welcome to the inaugural Music Movies & Hoops NBA Monthly Power Rankings. This isn’t your normal Power Rankings as we’ll incorporate the full triumvirate of our themes, something you, the reader, cannot get anywhere else!
There and Back Again: An Old Settler’s Tale
by Sasha Klare-Ayvazian | Nov 3, 2021 | Movies, Music
Five years after performing at the festival, Sasha exchanges his guitar pick for a pen in this sweeping review of the 2021 Old Settler’s Music Festival. Sasha covers three days out in Tillman, TX at one of Texas’ finest Americana and roots music festivals featuring interviews with performers Jackie Venson, Bob Schneider, and Fruition.
Fantastic Fest V.1: A fantastical debut official press assignment, Saloum, and Last of the Wolves
by Sasha Klare-Ayvazian | Oct 3, 2021 | Movies
Sasha debriefs on his experience covering 2021 Fantastic Fest in an official press capacity before reviewing two of his standout films; Saloum and Last of the Wolves.
Before No Time To Die – A Few Bond Favorites
by Nate Mondschein, Cody Tannen-Barrup, David Haffner, Simon Pruitt, Sasha Klare-Ayvazian | Sep 23, 2021 | Movies
In celebration of the upcoming release of No Time To Die (the 25th installment in the James Bond official film cannon), MMH contributors Cody Tannen-Barrup, Dave Haffner, Simon Pruitt, Sasha Klare-Ayvazian, and Nate Mondschein talk up a few of their favorites from the 007 series.
I Went To James Harden’s Birthday Party
by Sasha Klare-Ayvazian | Sep 20, 2021 | Hoops, Music
This is the story of when I went to James Harden’s birthday party.
MMH Fantasy Drafts | Horror Villains Battle Royale
by David Haffner, Sasha Klare-Ayvazian | Aug 17, 2021 | Movies
Pick six to keep you safe. The rest are coming to kill you.
One Song | Down Like Silver’s “Broken Coastline”
by Sasha Klare-Ayvazian | Aug 5, 2021 | Music
Sasha Klare-Ayvazian explores “Broken Coastline” in his One Song series. The question is can he write with the same simple, understated brilliance of Down Like Silver?
Double Feature
by Sasha Klare-Ayvazian, Masseo Davis | Jun 28, 2021 | Movies
One day my friend Charlie came to our crew with an idea that is as simple as it is awesome: linking two movies around a theme. “Double Feature,” he called it. Let’s dive in.
Killer Chord Progressions
by Sasha Klare-Ayvazian | Jun 21, 2021 | Music
One for the songwriters! One for the music theory heads! Ten accomplished songwriters share their favorite chord progressions. If you’re a rising songwriter or composer treat this document like a sacred text.
Evolving Radar
by Sasha Klare-Ayvazian | Jun 4, 2021 | Music
Sasha takes his–and the site’s!–first plunge into narrative fiction with a quasi-biographical story of a young musician and a fantastical experience.
Musician Starting 5
by Sasha Klare-Ayvazian | Jun 2, 2021 | Hoops, Music
Drafting the ultimate starting 5 + 6th man out of music legends.