Royal Cup Events

Come and join Royal Cup for a night of art, music, and gourmet food and drink. We are welcoming the talented photographer Swan, multimedia artist Nare Tevanyan, and musical entertainers The Natives. Read on for more information about each special guest.

The Natives

Coming out of the concrete jungle of Long Beach, California are two men who aim to be the catalyst to the renaissance of hip hop as a whole. Senay Kenfe and Gerrath McDaniel, better known by their stage names of Abstract and Veins, are the two members who make up The Natives. They met while attending Robert A. Millikan High School, known for such local luminaries as Avi Buffalo and Boris Smile. "At the time you know I was really disappointed with where I felt the hip hop world was going and I asked myself was I going to be one of those bitter fans whose always complaining about the good ole' days, or was I going to stand up and do something", said Senay. And indeed he did. Already known in the local open mic scene, the poetic Abstract teamed up with his buddy Veins to make up the musical collective to be known as the Natives in 2008. They called themselves the Natives in homage of the Native Tongue Posse, an eclectic Afrocentric movement dominant in the late 80s and early 90s that breed the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and The Jungle Brothers. As Gerrath said, "Senay's whole style of rapping reminds me and everyone I know of what one commonly thinks is the golden age of hip hop. We don't do music in a effort to get riches or have groupie broads up on us although that would be a sweet fringe benefit. We're trying to disrupt the negative perception many these days seem to hold for this music and culture that we love". Wise students of music, they both profess as their heroes a wide diverse array of artists from Ahmad Jamal to Caribou. With a debut EP coming out in Spring titled "Return of The Native" and many shows lined up in support, The Natives seem to be well on their way to making a impact on the musical world.

Swan

Bloodwork

Swan lives in Long Beach and is a photographer, writer, and teacher of multicultural literature and film.  His interest in the art of photography began in high school, and developed further in college.  His instructors and classmates always told him that he had a gift, and he deeply enjoyed losing myself in those endless maddeningly frantic hours in the dark room.  Then the death of the film age began with the dawning of the digital one.  And somewhere in that undefined and wandering mess went he.  At some point on this hazy winding road, he came to the stark realization that he had no idea what I really wanted to capture in my images.  And so he put down the camera.  

Years later though, he found his muse, or rather, his muse found him, and off they went.  He explains, "My most satisfying creations have been the direct results of a natural overflowing of the heart, rather than of force.  When your muse arrives, you had better pay close attention to her and obey.  But when she evaporates, you must let her go."

Swan creates images that are both aesthetically pleasing and complete as stand-alone pieces.  Many of his photographs also tend to be metaphorically implicit, especially when viewed as an entire set.  His current project's theme is “We all have blood on our hands.”  We do every second of the day, whether we are aware of this or not.  That being said, we are also beautiful creatures capable of transcendence, courage, levity, creativity, and love – but then again we can hardly help but bring our own wounds and stains and shadows into everything we touch (mainly because we aren’t fully aware of how these things work themselves out in our own everyday actions).

There may be more in these images than Swan ever intended.  And there may be less. Oftentimes it takes an unattached observer to see what is really on the “canvas” precisely because he cannot know what is in the artist’s head.  And so, ultimately, he leave these labors of love nakedly on display for you to judge and interpret – or simply to behold or throw away – on your own terms.

There are over forty photographs that constitute this collection called Bloodwork.  If you are curious about gaining a larger perspective on these pieces, I strongly recommend viewing Swan's entire collection at www.swanphotography.info.

Nare Tevanyan

Nare Tevanyan is an International Studies and Political Science major at the California State University Long Beach. Born in Yerevan, Armenia, of the former USSR, and raised in Yorba Linda since the age of twelve, Nare embodies and possesses a unique combination of cultural perspective and understanding. This world view has a powerful influence on the messages her work embodies.

In Eastern Europe, a childhood full of hours spent watching her father sketch architectural blueprints, marked the beginning of Nare’s exploration of visual arts. Since, she has experimented with various media such as paint, paper and stylus, ceramics, chalk, and other mediums, feeling her way around as she finds her niche as an artist. Nare has a zeal for life that is trapped inside of her due to the routines imposed by society, routines that are supposed to lead to success. This view of imprisoned fervor for life is translated into work full of expression through the body. Nare hopes to continue developing her art through more concise body expression in smaller portions of the human form even as she strives to become a diplomat.