17th Annual Triple A 
Sunset Sessions
February 20, 21 & 22, 2014

Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa 

Main Stage shows 
at the legendary 
Belly Up, Solana Beach, CA

  




  
Sunset Sessions' Alumni 
Songwriter's Retreat 
Tulum October 2013 Recap:
  
 
  
Over 30 people gathered on one of the world's most beautiful beaches & together experienced what many have now called a "life changing retreat": 17 artists, 9 VIPs, MCE's Staff and some very colorful locals, collectively created an adventure that will continue to live and ripple through the world, for a long time to come. 
 
      
This Sunset Sessions Songwriter's Retreat ultimately created the space and opportunity for these 30+ new songs to be birthed, dozens of new relationships created and memories to last a lifetime. Our office is still FLOODED with songs, videos, photos and gratitude, as these connections have continued for over 2 weeks since the retreat ended (that's why this recap took so long). 

Bob Schneider & Laura Moore created an amazing photo book of the trip, anyone can purchase it if you like on this link. And Michele was just at the Village Recording Studio LAST NIGHT where Louise Goffin and Lucas Asher recorded the song they wrote together in Tulum. Artists are connecting all over the world now, doing the same. While we know this recap cannot truly do it justice, really, you had to be there - but we will try! 

 

The magic began on Friday and Saturday as people arrived in Cancun airport and paired off with new friends to carpool for the 90 minute drive to Tulum.  Those experiences along were fun and for some, career enhancing. The official "retreat check in" was run effortlessly by Kristi and Elisa in the "lounge" of Shambala Petit Hotel www.shambalapetithotel.com. Check in was followed by "Yoga by the Sea". The tone was set when our inspirational leader Erin Toppenberg, lead the class to move, relax and open their hearts to the adventure that was about to unfold.

  
After our delicious welcome dinner, we were treated to an introduction of David Hawkin's Kinesiology by our new friend & Tulum local, Mirko Betz. Apparently, Tulum itself calibrates at a level of 455 (as a reference, LA is a 290, NYC 385, Cancun is a 250, Las Vegas under 200) and the group of our 30 retreat attendees collectively calibrated also at EXACTLY 455! This told us what we already instinctively knew: that every attendee: artist, music supervisor, radio programmer, label, manager, staff member, all needed to be exactly there in order for this retreat to unfold as perfectly as it did in Tulum.


Sunday morning we gathered on the beach at sunrise while Don Antonio (a Mayan Elder who traveled 60 miles from a small village for us) and his healer women summoned the "spirits of the ancestors" to help set our intentions for the retreat and guide us on our journey.  Thank you to Charlie Gay, Daniella Hunter and Monica for making this happen for us.  Also to note, Charlie and Daniella just broke ground on a beautiful new property in Tulum called "Sanara" - that I encourage EVERYONE to explore once completed!



Writing Sessions #1:  Michele worked hard to put together the right artists to create great songs.  The first sessions she broke into trios and as strangers became friends, new songs were written...  and here we go!  


Yoga with Erin & then we were off to explore Tulum Ruins for Excursion #1!

 

Karoline Kramer/WJCU, Jen Stilson/VH1 & Mark Bryan 

 

Writing Session #2 - more magic 

       Kahn Morbee & Gooding - Wonderful Ways 

 

After dinner, and an impromptu jam session, we learned about the healing powers of Ayahuasca (is it a medicine? a drug trip? a plant?) from Milana, the lovely co-owner of Ahau Tulum, www.ahautulum.com & contributor the documentary 
www.thesacredscience.com where people traveled into the Amazon & were healed by Shaman! OH MY! We had no idea!

 

Back to the water for some fun and a moonlit swim (some even went skinny dipping while others chunky dunked). Nothing really brings people together like music, tequila and sand & seaweed in places it should never be!

 

Monday included yoga, writing sessions, some rain (maybe helped inspire Tristan and Alex's song "Perfect Storm"?) and a last minute Mayan Astrology lesson.  

 

 

At this point, Mirko calibrated our group again, and we had already collectively risen to a 489 as we moved into our hearts and less from our minds.     

 

That evening brought our "Artists in the Round" concert at neighboring Ahau Tulum hosted and organized by Bob Schneider himself! The Sunset Sessions artists played the songs they had JUST written together hours earlier... incredible! 


"You Can't Always Get What You Want" Jam

 

We were introduced to a lovely Mayan musical family ("Eden") who blew everyone away.

 

Then we ALL seemed to go on a trip (without even taking drugs!) when Whitebread took charge of the stage & lead everyone in a 15 minute groove of "Ayahuasca Baby". We will all remember this concert for many years to come! 

  

 

Our calibration now shot up to a 507! (only 4% of all humanity are above 500).

  


By Tuesday, we were surely connected.  The day was filled with more writing sessions, dips in the Caribbean Sea, meals, songs and laughter.  Our excursion to the Grand Cenote was such a wonderful and refreshing highlight for many as we explored these underground water ways crystal clear waters, caves and BATS! Cenote Songwriters Retreat Tulum 2013 
 

 

Before the night's final concert, we gathered together in the Yoga Studio again, with candles lit, for an exercise in "appreciation" that Michele wanted us to share called "Fishbowl". It was a moving experience to see the love and appreciation each person discovered for one another in such a short period of time. Hearts were opened, tears were shed and even more bonds were firmly established. 

 

 

Shawn, Lucas and Louise Songwriter Retreat Tulum

 
The "Grand Finale Sunset Sessions Concert" at Papaya Playa was a blast, Bob turned the MC duties over to the lovely & hysterical, Anya Marina! It brought with it more freshly written, never before performed songs by incredible artists. www.papayaplayaproject.com 

 

"In My Tribe" by Ali, Mark, Dave & Shawn 

 
Back at Shambala Petit, everyone gathered for the final night's party-  dancing, singing, shots and another round of skinny dipping for some of the bravest souls! The retreat came full circle when we heard the yells "Hurry, baby turtles just hatched!" We rushed to sand and our amazing group helped about 100 baby turtles find their way to the water!   

  

  

     

Truly we are so grateful to all of the artists, VIPS and attendees who said "YES!  Count me IN!"  and flew from all over the world!  People stepped out of their comfort zones and trusted this was where they were supposed to be. The ripples of this experience will travel far and wide....  this is only the beginning.  Stay tuned...  and be sure to see the continuation of this at February's 17th Annual Triple A Sunset Sessions in Carlsbad, CA!   

 

Our artists included: Bob Schneider, Tristan Prettyman, Anya Marina, Alex Cuba, Mark Bryan (Hootie and the Blowfish), Kahn Morbee (The Parlotones), Glenn Hodgson (The Parlotones), Josh Solomon (The Empty Pockets), Ali Handal, Louise Goffin, Bob Stein (Whitebread), Shawn Pereira, Gooding, Lucas Asher (Faulkner), Eric Scullin (Faulkner), Michelle Delamore, Dave Sloane (FERAL VINCA) and Brittney Rose.

 

 
Our "Industry VIPS" included: Gene Rumsey, Karoline Kramer-Gould: WJCU, Diane Michaels: KPND, Mamie Coleman: FOX, Janine Scalise: Starz, Jennifer Stilson: VH1 & Logo, Anita Chinkes-Ratner: Viacom, Brian Corona: Atlantic Records, Erin Toppenberg and Sean Russell.



And special thanks to our Tulum contributors: Roberto and the staff at Shambala Petit, David and Milana and the staff of Ahau Tulum, Christopher and the staff of Papaya Playa, Mirko Betz, Nuno, Don Antonia and Cynthia, Monica, Charlie Gay and Daniella Hunter.

 

Be sure to visit our Facebook page  www.facebook.com/mcsunsetsessions & our youtube channel www.youtube.com/sunsetsessionsrock for more photos & videos of our retreat!

Anya Marina, Mirko Betz, Michele, Gene Rumsey, Danielle Hunter & Charlie Gay
Halloween, Ahau Tulum
 
"We're here for the passion, playing our own game, 
so turn it up, 
turn it up. I'm one of you and you're one 
with me we're never far from where we wanna be. 
You're my tribe." Lyrics from "In My Tribe" 
www.SunsetSessions.org