oM attended the press party Thursday night to kick off this weekend’s Northside Music and Arts Festival. It’s the first festival of its kind sponsored by The L Magazine, and is exclusive to the fantabulous venues and galleries of Williamsburg and Greenpoint. While sipping cold Heineken lager in the press lounge, we chatted up bloggers, writers, photographers, musicians, and band mates. Here’s what they had to say:
Matra Braithwaite—Blogger, Fashion Photographer at StyleAlchemy.com
“Williamsburg is an exciting place. This festival is like a love session between residents and musical artists. There are great things coming out of these neighborhoods and it’s an amazing experience to be a part of it.”
Here to see: The Hold Steady, Sunset Rubdown, Drinkup Buttercup
Maryanne Ventrice—Indie Rock Photographer
“I live in Brooklyn, but nowhere near hear. I’m familiar with a lot of the bands at the festival and I’m supportive of indie music. The festival is twofold; it allows bands to get to know one another and for people to see who you may not ordinarily see.”
Here To See: A slew of artists including The Hold Steady and curated shows by Ant Farm & Brooklyn Vegan.
Ces—Cartoonist
“This is a larger promotional vehicle for bands and it attracts more people. The list is daunting so I’m following Maryanne.”
Here to See: Everything Maryanne’s seeing
Charles Poladian—Writer for TheMusic.fm
“The close proximity of all these venues makes for a very vibrant scene. It’s lively and I’m glad for the diversity of acts and the fact that things are running early and late!”
Here To See: The Hold Steady, Sunset Rubdown
With three more days left and the buzz officially in the air, get thee to the Northside. See our Northside Festival event announcement for more details.
Photos: Courtesy of Charles Poladian from TheMusic.FM
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram