This past summer a catastrophic flood hit Louisiana, changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people forever. In an effort to raise funds and provide relief to the victims, Propeller partnered with Music for Relief to create the #LouisianaStrong campaign.

As a thank you to all of the generous individuals who contributed to the campaign we offered an experience to Win a Trip to Meet Thievery Corporation at III Points Festival in Miami. The annual festival, formally known as III Points Music, Art, and Technology Festival, features talented artists and creators with this year's line-up including: LCD Soundsystem, M83, and many more. 

We sat down with winner Richard Foreman of Albany, GA to get all the behind the scenes details on what the experience was like. Check it out below. 

Tell us about your experience on Propeller. What did you do to win?

I love to go to the Propeller site. It is full of information on so many great causes and events that you can easily spend hours just trying to get a handle on all the good things people are trying to do all over the world. I watch lots of videos to educate myself. I like and share on social media when it seems appropriate. There are many opportunities to donate to help people and places in need. And you know you are being told the real story when you are getting your information through Propeller.

I can't express how much I support this organization and what they do. The added bonus is that you get points as you complete all these fun and interesting actions so that, just for doing the right thing, you have the chance to trade them for great rewards and/or win trips (like our brilliant Miami adventure at IIIPoints, with Thievery and the rest of the lineup).

What is your most memorable moment at III Points Festival? 

By far, the most memorable moment of the festival was sitting stage right, on stage, as close to the performance as possible on Saturday night, as they blew away the crowd at that venue!  The proximity to the band members as they performed, the view of all the backstage action, and being privy to the intimate interplay that happened on stage during and between songs amongst the band members was enlightening and enjoyable. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, my daughter or me -- both of us were thrilled to be there and have that opportunity. She's new to Thievery; I've been around the whole time.

How was meeting Thievery Corporation in person? What were they like?

It was awesome meeting this amazing group of people in person. I have always respected them as musicians and greatly admire their progressive political positions and actions. But encountering them up close and personal, and getting to know several of them more intimately was more rewarding than I had expected. 

They were warm, inviting, giving and surprisingly interested in getting to know us too. In particular Mr. Lif, Jeff (Congo), Hash (Ashish), Frank ('booty lock') and, of course Rob Garza ('the man' himself) were gracious, friendly and helpful in multiple ways. And I can't say enough good things about Samia (the tour manager) and Daysha (far away out west handing all the PR, etc.) who made it all go so smoothly and ensured that our backstage experience was a blast!

Did you enjoy the performances? Tell us about them!

Thievery was the best of the bunch (by far), but everything I spent time watching was great in some way. I was pretty bummed out that LCD Soundsystem didn't show up, but was surprised by several other groups as to how good they were live. Junior Boys was extremely entertaining, and Fudakochi was an interesting surprise for me. My daughter was very pleased by Vince Staples and I also was impressed by Laura (of Miami).

As far as Thievery goes – they are incomparable. They are the equivalent of a bunch of individual stars all coming together to form an all-star team at certain times of the year, just to create an amazing live performance or a brilliant piece of studio work for the good of us all. In between, most have their own individual successful music careers; but lucky for us, every so often, they regroup and make music together. Hopefully that will never stop.

Did you see any of the art exhibits? Which ones?

Saw all the art exhibits -- but I (neither of us) remember any specific names of artists or pieces. It was all pretty avant garde and very edgy. A lot was really interesting and some was way out there, even for me, and I'm quite open to unusual stuff.

 Would you go back to III Points Festival?

Both of us would go back to the event in future -- but it would probably feel ever so slightly disappointing without the thrill of the backstage experience that we had this time around. However, IIIPoints and Miami are well worth the visit -- really worth visiting many times over (maybe even annually)!! 

Why was this cause in particular important to you?

I spent 2 years getting my MSc in Biology in Lafayette, Louisiana a while ago, and I loved it so much down there that I nearly didn't leave when I was done. The people, music, food and beautiful wetlands down there are easy to fall in love with – and I did. Louisiana is never far from my mind or my heart. It was heartbreaking to realize how much the area was suffering under the flood conditions this past year.

 Anything else you'd like to add?

My daughter says that she enjoyed the whole experience so much that she would never miss out on an opportunity like this in the future. I feel the same way. And we will make more of an effort to go to see Thievery Corporation whenever they are within reach. Even if it's not as close as we would like it to be.

Of course, I will continue to visit and participate in all that Propeller has to offer. It is never a disappointment.

 
Learn more about Music for Relief by visiting their profile on Propeller. Thanks to everyone who participated.