Monday, October 25, 2010

weekend warriors

i drove home from a miraculously weird evening..covered in dos equis and sweat from strangers. but i shall explain. spent a fantabulous weekend in bryan/college station with K-spot and my sister in law, plus 5 other girls...yes i said 7 girls in one house.. wowza! I learned that i'm really not girlie at all, i should probably take care of my skin better, and that i can smoke cigarettes "on vacation" and not make it something that has to seep in to normal routine...this is good. its good that i can set boundaries on my vices and stick to my guns. back on track after tonite... and gonna pay for it in a straight up BTW (balls to the wall by the way) work week. so as long as i can get thru this week of manual labor, i will indulge in a wonderful weekend november 7-9 AKA fun fun fun fest. Team Fabrication was asked to design/fabricate a DEVO inspired T-shirt for Transmission Entertainment...creators of the festival ...rendering me full access to fun X 3. let's hope we can find time to squeeze in the sewing and fabric shopping together....its always better that way...more blogs on FFF to come.. In other news..had a meeting with a bride and groom tonite..wedding ETA a week after FFF fest..everythign went smoothly, should be a piece of cake, and a smaller, younger crowd means a lot. it also means "we don't want any country because our parents like the rolling stones and prince and hall and oats" OMG, thank you veeerrry much! what a lifesaver..and a big plus is that the actual ceremony music will be handled by an ipod. i couldn't be happier with the couple to be. its one of those nonchalant weddings where the bride and groom would rather see people having fun than stress out about that GODDAMN ONE PERFECT SONG that has to be played.. srsly, let's get the traditionals outta the way and then get the shit on straight. its gonna be good. in other very important news, listened to Lower Dens from Baltimore this weekend.. krissie and i went to see Future islands at Deville less than a year ago.. we liked the openers but didn't know WTF they were.. sure enough K-Spot researches and breaks out with the full length lower dens and confirmation that we both enjoyed the shit out of then unknown to us band...for the way in and the way home..YES!! home route: i lamely play iphone girl and manage to access the internets in the cuts and wouln't you know it, Lower Dens are opening yet again for future islands..and Astronautilus is playing outside (prolly spelled that wrong, but shit). super excited for this nite...Astroman has never let me down in a live environment..freestyling and flowing..gentlemans insane..counting the seconds.
OTHER THINGS TO NOTE:
-must make mix of old elephant 6 recordings for krissie cuz damnit that new cloud nothings she played for me is so genius.. and i heard influences out my ass...stuff i want to get all nostalgic and gaytarded about..who better would i do that with?!?!
-must listen to more kesha (i prolly misspelled that)
-tonite i went to a gay latino nite that happens every sunday in the ATX. My friend grisel asked me to go since she deems sundays sungays.. haha. I love that in existence was a pretty hot dance routine that everyone knew..and that it only took two tries for me to almost master that shite. Thanks to my grizzle! must dance more.
-saw my gunner tonite and discussed his new recording school project about muted bass drums and why that happens and why that is totally wrong most of the time
-listened to sea wolf and starfucker on the way home and decided that Starfucker is amazing is either underrated or pussyrated (most likely pussy rated since when i went to see them at mohawk, everybody was 20 or some shit)...either route is wrong, and they are TFA y'all.
totally fucken awesome
erin

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

i heard good stuff today

i heard the kid cudi, best coast, and vampire weekend song.."All Summer" probably something everyones heard and i'm the last, blah blah... but one of my favorite blipsters daretoeatapeach TCB'd on that today and i reblipped it twice. had to make sure craigz had heard it cuz shit was amazing... bethany stood out vocally from the get go, and i can't believe what an amazing mixmash of artists it is...shit, i fucking hate summer. maybe this is the end of it.. one genius song to say goodbye.. i have my "So Long Summertime" mix from K-Spot, which i adore (lots of twin shadow, palmbomen, and a song by the virgins that is TDF)...so here is the icing on an already delicious cake. been looking into my lastfm recs lately and i found a nice one today...Candy Claws..i find it ironic that with a name like Candy Claws (fearful, menacing, abrasive in my book) can make such relaxing tunage. some of my recs were so literally beachy (AKA waves from the ocean/sleep machine/please play this during my massage tomorrow) but candy claws stood out....maybe the percussion? must listen more, but i feel a calming obsession coming on.. ciao for now loves.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Elf Power

a sunday nite in austin texas usually means nothing more than staying home or goths nite out..AKA 80's dancing at Elysium, where i spent probably 50 consecutive sundays each year when i was 24-26. let's just say fond memories. not necessary to be goth, but you get the gist.. and you sure did get it when the B52s hour came on. shit sucked honestly ewww! but nonetheless i loved my sunday nites of yesteryear quite a bit.....old OMD, pet shop boys,FKW, Psychadelic Furs...it was all lingerie (usually of the black or white persuasion) all the time. not goth, but elfgirl. and that was when i could actually dance..now i feel all angular and weird. not sure if its due to the skinny arms or feeling older than, but yeah, doesn't seem to be my jam anymore...but you know, on occasion, 80s nite works. Tonite, being a sunday i was excited not for dancing, but to see one of my all time favorite bands Elf Power. Yes i've followed them for over a decade, and i've seen their audiences dwindle with each passing tour..yet i still go...and i am still rewarded. They dont sacrifice what most bands do...the die hards. AKA die hard songs or fans. I was on my first hit of ecstacy (well i was a pussy and took a half), prolly 22 years old, when my older bro introduced me to Elf Power.. I was lying in the grass and heard my first elf power song: "Will My Feet Still Carry Me Home." It was incredible to say the least...i can't even begin to describe the Elf Power obsession that came of the evening...or the subsequent falling in love with all things related to the Elephant 6 Recording Company/collective out of Athens, Ga. Tonite Elf Power played a song from their very first release "vainly clutching at the phantom limbs". sure i wish i woulda heard Temporary Arm or All your Experiments, but for a band in this stage of the game, rolling around the country in a van after all these years..to play something off the first release is pretty amazing and endearing to me. A few original members still play, but must give props to the new drummer...shit was very good. i'm no music theorist or genius but his time signatures or whatever were completely different than what i was used to hearing off the albums, and the tamborine came in at unexpectedly perfect points. brilliant. always wanting more keys and bass in the mix, but for a band that doesn't necessarily rely on those aspects, the guitars and sweeet vocals made up for it... admittedly i missed the accordian... i didn't hear Jane or Secret Ocean. BUT still i was so impressed...and was so happy to have seen them again. Even bought merch. tshirt coveted if not only for love, but for my (probably still) belief in the notion of the elves, fairies, and mystical world Elf Power sings so earnestly about. I stuck with a CD instead...first release. Jeff Mangum coming onstage woulda been amazing but hey, you get all the e6 you can on a sunday nite ;) I was overjoyed to be accompanied by K-Spot, who wasn't as famaliar w/ EP as i was. But she knew i was geeking out, and stood by me all the way. even took the "take my picture with you please" picture with Andrew Reiger and told him he was making a funny face and we should shoot one more. GAWD, i love her!! post shot, we were headed home and wouldn't you know it, a new leaf on the dancing scene was turned over. We walked into a near empty Barbarella (famous this past year for 80s on fridays and new indie on saturdays) . well, we decided it was one more drink before home time on "Disco" (WTF?) sundays. Requested Atomic by Blondie and were rewarded immediately. It sure is fun when its only you and one other person on a giant dancefloor. prancing around like dorses..Hall and Oates prolly like 5 times, and Krissie's old drill team routines spontaneously erupting out or her already badass dance repertoire. I think i missed my calling as a dancer in highschool cuz that shit was fuuuuuuuun!! we danced for over an hour, just poppin in on our way home..some dude even two stepped with me! finally, jeez i've been craving a two steppin dance, or any dance that involves a bit of a skill or a count. Not that i know how, but i don't have to lead, shit! so Krissie made me dance to some steve earl song with said dude and that was nice...woulda probably made my dad proud.. don't ask my ass why that song was even played, who cares, right?!?! worked up a nice groove to disco/mostly non disco tunes, where we could be as free and fulfilled as we wanted. judging by the sweaty hugs at the end, we were certainly and vivaciously satisfied. SO...seeing as how this nite was meant for nostalgia and old hits..i feel full of love...fond memories of songs heard past, new dance moves to old tunes (dance practice w/ K-Spot coming to a venue in the ATX very soon!)I learned that with the right company and the right elves, you can have a grand time on a sunday nite here in ATX even if yer over 30. xo

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

festivus maximus

further rants about ACL were promised but after stumbling upon sunday VIP tix, i will refrain and only speak about the lovliest of times. not that i have $850 to throw down on vip at this caliber of a festival, it sure does make me not want to go again w/o it. As snobby as it sounds, I've said it before and i'll say it again...huge festivals just aren't really worth it in the end unless you are backstage or VIP. Yes i work in music, haha. So yeah sunday...Edward Sharpe and the magnetic zeroes retained a Christlike presence over the idolizing crowd. Flags from around the world were waving, and hands were pumping in the air. This band in sheer size, mentality, and energy is just epic. Alex even walked on the crowd several times. (did i mention jesus?!?) What was wonderful and unique was that during the famous jane/alexander mimickery at the end of the song...the words were different..no mention of falling, breaking ass, smoking the cigarette you thought would be your last, etc...the band took this time to speak not to each other, but to the crowd, using collective words such as we, us, and everyone. The love was obviously mutual between band and crowd. not enough bands seem humble enough to me. Heres a grand exception. Post show, caught a bit of the henry clay people...i do honestly believe that "For Cheap or for Free" is one of the most underrated albums of last year. "I will be timeless, and you can be famous... and in the end we'll see which one of us starts changing" <---from my favorite song "You Can Be Timeless." and now a few words about Yeasayer.. oh wait, FUCK i didn't see yeasayer. that's the one drawback of our extra perk status...we cashed in more on the shade, gourmet eats, and free liquor of many persuasions.. it just didn't seem worth it to trek across the park when we could hang out, not rush, and meet some superduper interesting people who were in austin just for the festival. i coulda missed the best fucking show of the festival, be it Yeasayer or Flaming Lips (although i'm willing to bet i certainly did not) due to the atmosphere and relaxation and energy of music lovers just hanging out under shady trees, meeting up and chatting. Now dont get me wrong, i wouldn't have missed Beach House or Girls or Edward Sharpe, etc for the fancy hoopla, but having it did admittedly make me a lazy music geek ;) Last was the Eagles. Yep, never thought we woulda posted up for the whole set, but we did for a good 45 minutes. And we became the annoying dumbasses i always complain about at festivals. yes, i complain when i see people stripping of their clothes dancing all around and acting like/being on drugs, who cares if yer on drugs watch where you're going damnit.GAWD!! anyways, so yeah, in some drunken, historic feeling, unified moment...watching the eagles was amazing..yes i danced, yes i removed a bit of clothing (tastefully of course..uh..i think) and took a lil hit of weed. K-spot even yelled "You're Still hot!!" at them, and jen made the daisy duke half top. it was full on belly shots and booty shots and bandanas. yeah. it worked out great.
SOOO in other news my new favorite song is "Eyesore" by Women. its taken me a bit to warm up to the new album. But i realize that it encompasses pretty much of what makes me like a lot of bands...intricate and intertwining guitars, buried vocals und the sea of beautiful, flowing, yet not clamorous noise...pretty lo fi. Chad Van Gaalen produced their first album, but Public Strain, the latest, still retains that velvety quality. I have to listen to it a few more times, just to hear all the instrumentation, deeply buried lyrics, etc...but at the end of the day, this album is more complex in structure and a lil beach boys-ish at times, a little more, well confusing, some may say experimental, but i'm no genius. And i think that's what makes it so brilliant. Women make me want to figure them out. This is a grand thing! China Steps and Eyesore are catchy as all hell. so yeah, i think that will be in heavy rotation this week as i lay low and recover from festival stimulation.

other random thoughts for now:
*Diplo remixed Deerhunter's Helicopter and i'm disappointed ;(
*I wonder what Girl Talk would sound like if chilled out a bit like Dan Black when he's making his "own" tunes
*WTF is up with this MyOpenBar "Bruise Cruise" going from Miami to the Bahamas?!?! i mean seriously this deserves a whole other blog..but can you imagine the black lips, the vivian girls, Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Thee Oh Sees, The Strange Boys, Ty Segall, Jacuzzi Boys,and Turbofruits on a MFUCKING cruise ship?!? with waterslides, hot tubs, slot machines, 24hour room service, lawn chairs, and probably some astroturf?!?! Oh. Em. Gee. more on that later, and why i think i wanna go.i think.
*went to houston fashion week and a certain designer had the best fucking runway music that wasn't shazamable, DAMNIT!!!
*PS I Love you is brilliant. Its about fucking time we got our fix after "facelove" yeeah!!
*Gauntlet Hair is killin me right now, but its 430 AM. i must sleep. it will be there tomorrow. fuckin A and GOOOD NITE!
GOOOD NITE!!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

festivus minimalist

sooo. its almost ACL weekend past. i felt the desire to blog about this for a few reasons. But right now the most important one: Me and Jen AKA Team Fabrication were asked to DJ an ACL afterparty with Dan Black. so we went to the venue and somehow i was hustled into arm wrestling this nice dude from DC who was in for the fest with college friends from Utah.aside from the fact that i love the idea of getting together every two years (as they said they did)they were extremely amiable and wonderful people. so wonderful that they offered their sunday VIP ACL passes to us for free. me, jen, and Krissie (K-Spot). More than happy to take part. for anyone interested, the arm wrestling was ended in a draw. nobody could win, even though i was talking a mean game, haha. so we're going tomorrow. with free food and drinks, all girls, talking shit/props/gossip about what we're gonna see. weeks end recap: Thursday nites spoon could not be beat. it was intimate and glorious, as a spoon show should be. Friday ACL left a bit to the imagination. after parking hassles and whatnot, we missed half of soft pack. But finally it was time to see Girls for the first time in my life. Def wished for more tempo but was charmed to the socks off degree by the end of the set. wish they woulda rocked out more and played with a bit more feedback as they did in the second half of the set.. but that just makes me curious and excited for the next album. and how adorable were the roses taped on each mic. Plus the standin keyboardist had a texas longhorns jersey on. Hookem MuFuck! so next was Beach House who completely brought the TTM effect. 1/2 a valium and a beer = me and k-spot ready to roll. it was glorious. and they were so gracious. Take Care was played, my abs favorite..as was zebra, silver sould, oldies, and a new song and damn if they didn't say the crowd was beautiful and so were the breakfast tacos. haha. Luckily we'd seen spoon in a proper setting the nite before cuz that shit was unbearable. the amount of people there to see spoon was insane. same with black keys. so we didn't get to see spoon up close as we'd wished. but jim and britt were so graciously wonderful the nite before...it really means more to see a band (like spoon or beach house) who are not ego trippin balls. speaking of...The Strokes. No bad feelings, well.. but shit, don't start your set 15 minutes late and be on drugs. its only 830, its not 100 degrees, you've got plenty of afterparty time. so post ACL saw Mates of State for free at Mohawk. Dance party on the balcony, yeaaah! so ACL made me realize that the shows don't mean shit unless they are small or you post up early enough to be close. FFF fest is so much better because the tix aren't oversold and you can completely navigate w/o missing a beat. plus the lineup is sick. bring it on November. either way, i am excited to go to acl tomorrow with free food, drinks, and perhaps a massage. it is relaxation day. no expectations, just hanging with the girls and our boyfriends (AKA music) anyways, so much more to rant about acl, but i'm tired. so i'll close with a happy thought of a good nites sleep and a lucky blessed day at acl tomorrow. some times i really do love this town, and especially the out of towners <3

Sunday, October 3, 2010

wedding and wastings...

Via the fabulous K-Spot, i realize now that Beach Fossils, Real Estate, and CLoud Nothings have albums coming out in two weeks. Super stoked. Plus even more stoked that i had some HQ time with HQ tonite..really excited about the class actress as well..on the DL tip (shhhh! don't say a word! DL meaning not just one the downlow, but on the download haha) ANyhow, this weekend was Matador Bday festaganza in vegas. DAMN i wish i woulda gone! but alas, my threshold for spontaneous endeavors is waay low..so are funds. PLUS i must/can wait for the fest circuit to inundate our fair town with outta town lovers of a scene they may or may not idolize/fantasize/put on some fake ass pedestal, blah blah.. i live here, what do you expect ?!?! so its ACL week this week and FFF fest on the horizon. I have a friday tix to ACL and i do believe its the best day, lineup wise. so very excited for what I think the real show will be... thursday at the Mohawk. Spoon. yes, in a venue that isn't madison square garden, stubb's, or anywhere close to that. A Spoon show for the homies. the friends. the fans, the family. i promised Britt a steady flow of Tecate all nite long. ironically its usually him handing me one..haha. DAMN, if i'm not crazy excited about the intimacy of this show. and that i get to share it with K-Spot. so i'll put in my early nites and early mornings this week.. Task and reward. FTW, for the weekend, for the win! In other news, i saw two friends get married tonite, and everyone was required via invite to wear their favorite band/concert tshirt. i went with white rabbits, after searching for ages for my old Jesus and Mary Chain, washed to almost bra necessary thinness. either way..plain and simple..a beautiful ceremony that i was privileged to be invited to. took a sidestep down to danceville and was pleasantly surprised by Best Coast, Miike Snow, and Teengirl Fantasy, (CEO and Edward Sharpe are just long lost dreams i now see). either way, dancing is therapy and it was had tonite.(Thanks Krissie!) cuz weddings...well, i would not even wish a blog about weddings upon any of you reading. so let's just say,for what its worth, weddings done right don't have to make you cry..they can make you smile..esp when the first dance is to pat benetar. xo

Saturday, October 2, 2010

special affections

"i always thought you were really something else. i liked your presence there from far away"- simplicity is usually always bliss when it comes to lyrics. Especially with Diamond rings. New album coming out in a ocuple of weeks called Special Affections. The first Diamond Rings songs i heard was "All Yr Songs." in love at first listen. Again lyrically sweet and endearing... "cuz in the summer weather, we'll put sunscreen on together, i would not want your skin to burn" and of course the opposite season "cuz in the winter weather I'll lend you my warmest sweater.. i would not want you to get cold.." Its like mumblecore music, a bujowski film set to melodies. and i adore it. its made the mixtape for friends cut plenty of times. i woke up early one morning during sxsw 2010 and Diamond rings played for 15 people. i was in front and took a YouTube iphone video. shitty quality. my phone , not the tunes. Later in the eve saw him at cheerup charlies. and what an angel he was..so sweet to the fans, posing for pics with me, Krissie, and Jen. And i will say, his unicorn t shirt, turquoise jeans, glittery, facepaint makeup with just a laptop and guitar.. he put himself out there and that takes balls to pull off. Diamond Rings has sincere balls. if that makes sense. can't wait to hear what's yet to come...geez how can i move to Canada? goodnite all <3