Each Thursday during our end of year fundraising campaign we've been sharing a letter from a local musician about how BFF.fm has benefited them in 2020...and this is our final letter of the year! And this time we'll hear not from a musical artist, but a visual one. Here's one of our favorite humans, Marissa Carpenter, aka Sadtiva:

I really lucked into becoming a member of the BFF.fm community. My best friend and honorary abuela, Eddie Delgado, organized the first Besties Bash in 2018 where we saw Screaming, Boy Scouts, and Rose Droll perform at the Secret Alley, and then they invited me to table at the next one! I was delighted, as the first Besties Bash was so intimate and magical. The next month flew by, and by the time I knew it I was hauling my art in rolling-luggage on BART, ready to hop off at 16th St. station.

This became a monthly pilgrimage: pack art, get on BART, put art out, vibe, and dance with the silliest of energies. Over the course of 18 months, I fawned over 48 bands (Try the Pie, April Magazine, Modest Blouse, Azua, Hose Rips, IRMA, Soar, Maggie Gently, Sour Widows, Brooke Terrace, Angel Boy + the Halos being just a few) and drank maybe over 100 La Croixs, while jiggling behind the table next to Eddie and Megan B.

THEN BFF.fm birthed another baby called MUSH, a concert series showcasing 16 bay area musicians at Jack London Square. Amanda asked me if I’d like to sell some art, to which I said, “of FRICKIN course!” I absolutely loved frolicking around the lawn and dancing to Maya Songbird, Cougar on a Meth Binge, Thriftys and Mahawan as the ferry rolled in and the sun set on the marina. I never thought I’d be present in a space mostly reserved for audio artists, which I think really illuminates the scope of BFF.fm's diverse contributions to an ever sparkling community.

I’ve even celebrated two birthdays at Besties Bashes! Like I’ve said, LUCKY. My 25th birthday landed on the last in-person Besties Bash at The Secret Alley right before the pandemic hit.

I was elated learning we’d be having a livestream version. Aside from not being able to hug my friends, I was kinda relieved to have more free time and the Virtual Besties Bash gave me a chance to finally sit back, work on bigger pieces, hang them on my walls and show them off in a little commercial. Being totally ignorant in the realm of video editing, I asked my friend Carlos Santana (also known as moonside) to edit the commercial for me. I just had to include an ode to an old Youtube cat meme as a signature touch. Blessed with FOUR Virtual Besties Bashes, I’ve seen all my favorites that I saw in real life, now in the comfort of my own room! (this is includes but is not limited to: Boy Scouts, Baseball Gregg, samplelov, Maya Songbird, Gabby Lala, IDHAZ and Diners)

I used to take the art I’ve made my in bedroom to Besties Bash, now BFF.fm brings the art to me <3

Join more than 1050 of your friends and neighbors who also believe in the power of community radio to bring people together, even when we have to stay six feet apart, by making a donation to BFF.fm before the ball drops at midnight tonight!. BFF.fm/donate