Monday, December 19, 2011

the end of the year..

"I need time to stop moving. I need time to stay useless." - Cloud Nothings
kinda love these lyrics. And the new GBV album is titled "Let's Go Eat the Factory." classic GBV phrase.
been reading some year end lists lately, most of which only vary slightly. boring.But i love lists and trends, and all that jazz. I'm not gonna lie...can't get behind all the shabazz palaces , fleet foxes, st. vincent, bon iver doting. Frankly i'm a little sick of it all (reading crap about stuff you could give a fuck about, with optional videos for watching...)So i just live my lil ol life and listen to what i listen to, and try go see it live if possible.
Moved to new york this year..its been the greatest decision i've made in my entire life.. as cliche as that sounds, i will stand behind it until i get married or have a kid or forever.. Its been a crazy transition, and constant comparisons to my old home of Austin are made on a daily basis. they will continue surely.
i notice myself still endeared by the songs i was listening to in those months before leaving, songs that remind me of the familiar. This is juxtaposed with a desire to immerse myself in another scene..art, bands, shows, labels... And as i look back on the year..it seems that a year end top album list isn't appropriate. half of that shit would be from 2010, ha! kidding sorta Seems better to go over some of the most memorable shows/bands/songs that have been pretty important and super enjoyed throughout the crazy year:

-Jeff Mangum live in new jersey
-xray eyeballs at a number of places
-Dive at even more places
-Nurses at glasslands
-Twin Shadow/ Diamond Rings at the earl
-davilla 666 at 285 Kent
-The Oh Sees at 285 Kent
-Ty Segall at the mohawk
-Future Islands at Death By audio
-Cults "Abducted"
-Kids on a crime Spree "Sweet Tooth"
-captured tracks
-Tennis
-Weekend (not the weeknd, or whatever the fuck)
-Veronica Falls, Big Troubles, Shark?, Wu Lyf jamming at Cake Shop
-Atlas Sound /Parallax
-Beach Fossils show at 285
-discovering Shea Stadium
-Darlings
-Dom Family of Love EP
-Hooray For Earth at east side drive in
-Eternal Summers at cake shop
-The Hairs at cake shop (finallly!)
-Fat Possum
-Ghost Animal "In Your Room"
-Bass Drum of Death "Get Found"
-Oberhofer at Mercury
-real estate
-Tan Dollar "the turning poing"
-Girls taping at Jimmy Fallon
-Air Waves several times
-crystal stilts
-Wild Nothing
-The Beets at 285
-twitter in general..which i didn't use before i had to ride the subway
-showpaper
-Fanfarlo "luna"
-Harlem... Hippies and Free Drugs
-Gauntlet Hair "top bunk"
-Men "Off Our Backs"
-TCB Tuesday

maybe i shoulda categorized this. maybe next year? this will probably be the last post of 2011...a year I dont' feel the need to kiss off and bid good riddance to. Now isn't that nice?!?!?!?? in the look out for five finger disco shennanigans and TBA in Austin before too long.. and happy holidays kiddos!
xo

Monday, November 21, 2011

ATTN: Dudes

....who live miles and miles away, who are emotionally unavailable, who text two word replies, who i can't figure the fuck out, who are significantly younger, who make me too nervous to be myself around..

feel free to hit me up, apparently i'm still way into your type.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Cloud Nothings and such

ALN:
-11/11/11..everyone seems to be gaga about it, but it holds special meaning for me since it was my 6 month to the day anniversary living in new york.
-post anniversary, i saw cloud nothings at glasslands and i will say they put on one of the top 3 shows i've seen since my tenure in nyc
-glasslands is an amazing venue. I can always get in the front row and nobody is a DB...you can even pee and get a beer and head right back to yer spot during soundcheck
-Dylan Baldi a) knows how to spell his name properly and b) looks a hell of a lot like will sheff
-i feel like watching a drummer play drums is like getting a preview of his orgasm face..am i not right?
-BTW, Cloud Nothings drummer must have great sex...in a completely non sensual way, this homie was a gem to watch
-enjoyed seeing 1/2 the band in standard white t-shirts, obviously tour attire
-old songs with sped up tempo still sounded great.
-new songs stretched boundaries in a good way..and hoping that steve albini took it to a dirtier level on the recording
-def prepped properly when DB says "we're gonna play the whole thing" in reference to the new album. thats pretty awesome
-being pushed up against a monitor is comfy and was a nice grip when zoned out
-girl next to me was soo wasted/drained that she decided to ask me for a sip of my beer after proclaiming "this is fucking great isnt'; it?" Of course i obliged. again, can't stress enough how great crowds at glasslands are
-later, sadly, homegirl fell down...passed out for a sec...IDK but it may have been due to happiness
-excellent merch utilizing the mustache, which is normally annoying but somehow dogged the lame bullet
-some sort of video was shot during the set...and now i want a really nice camera. No wonder, the glasslands backdrop really looks like heaven.
-post show drinks at a new bar. Excellent beer choices and ample room for jazzercising on the dancefloor (don't really need to know the song..just count to 8 and its all good.)
-and upcoming....gauntlet hair, flying nun 30th anniversary party at cake shop (the mad scene strikes again NY/NZ), xray eyeballs, the oh sees, the so so glos, night manager, the beets, big troubles, real estate (<---love the new one omg), mannequin men, dive, woodsman, and if i get around to checking out this "five finger death squad" band..well, that could be interesting.

<3s from happy land

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

gettin off

OMG, i'm not sure if i was hungover or truly sick this morning. Been going nonstop with work lately lately so i went with sick (and tired). the result was: i took a friggin day off. i've worked the past 18 days straight.
i feel high..on life, duh! actually its just giggly fatigue and fuzzy headedness..Plus the idea of having no place or project that warrants my attention whatsoever is pretty awesome..i forgot how great it feels. now i want a week of. or at least 2 days. PLZ

Monday, October 24, 2011

glorified morning rant

the only thing i can tolerate in the mornings lately is deerhunter. Maybe it soothes the fatigue and frustration. today especially I'm finding it super annoying that people on the facebook constantly use the phrase "should of" versus "should have" or "should've". Hell, I'd take "shoulda" over the former any day. love writing about this type of shit on the most ungrammatically correct forum ever. F it.

probably should close this friggin facebook tab yo, since the grammar mistake police are on high aggravation alert. Come on Bradford, help me out here...keep singing..the book is like fucking smoking..its always around to provide a small amount of fun, and sometimes its quite rewarding..BUT most often its pretty boring, a disgusting display of the intolerable attributes of everyday person. and i have more productive and healthier options.. yet i can't fully quit. whatever.. Hazel Street....yum

oh and i have a gay man crush. also a straight man crush. Harmless right? Crushes are fun. plus a sexy dream with someone i follow on the Twitter.. is any of this @ worthy? Bahahaha, i think not. pffsshh...

BTW, tweets are excluded from the laws of language due to the character limit. Annoying facebook posts are not.

I'm learning to accept whatever I can get..thanks Deerhunter.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

CMJoy

The past 7 days have been a whirlwind, physically mostly, due to bartending and dayjobbing it during the CMJ festival. Its also been the best musical week of my NYC lifetime. crazy huh? crazy that i actually got to see several bands and not bitch about crowds or costs..
last friday i finally saw the Beach Fossils in the city. Never let down live or recorded, somehow i've always missed the shows in NY. superstoked! Opening was Heavenly Beat, Dive, and Minks...what an overtime nite for the beachies..Regretfully i missed Heavenly Beat due to work..but was gifted a 7 inch from mr. pena, and it'll take wild horses to keep me away from the next show. (note to self: turntable/synthfix are in order)I couldn't see Dive for shit. God bless 285 Kent, but damn i couldnt see much at all. however, what i heard was bliss. Mostly Wild Nothing style and perfect for captured tracks..And Minks, wow! first time for them too. So impressed with the openers and hearing all the BF side project coverage as of late, i coulda been supremely disappointed with the actual headlining set. BUT, damn did i not refall in total heart with beach fossils again and again. It had been too long obviously. fun jolted me in the heart ..Every ounce of presence and magic and jump around jangle was in full force. These dudes dont fucking fool around with the live performance. Crowd surfing and kspot texting in full effect. Wonderfully enough, nothing ever feels forced..the vibe was that if every member on stage had the flu or lost a job/gf/pet/whatever, the show woulda gone on and the sadness wouldn't have shown. They always come thru like that,and way to go NYC for showing respect.

Saturday nite, caught dominant legs and Nurses at Glasslands..then stepped over nextdoor to 285 kent , yet again, yay! where Davilla 666 and xray eyeballs were playin. Was intrigued by the DL full band arrangement and impressed with the dance moves and tropicalia, which i wasn't expecting. Plus giant musclemen in the front row kept dancing and high fiving the band and clapping like they just got on leave from service..no kidding. it was pretty entertaining and had us in giggles. Props to DL for sorta not knowing how to react and smiling at the random fandom and enthusiasm. up front for Nurses had me blown away.. I still cant place the singers voice..except its got range for days and an eerie pitch that is mesmerizing/mysterious/supersexy..Petter from Alberta Cross is the only modern comparison in my head..but there has to be something else..its pristine either way to me. to some it may be an acquired taste...but honestly, i find it to be a well utilized instrument itself. nothing was wrong with this set at all. and a new appreciation for the casio christmas keyboard (as if it ever left). well done yall.

Next door, Davilla 666 kinda blew my mind. Another rookie to the whole live davilla scene..but i highly recommend it to anyone. i think i counted 7 beaming puerto ricans on stage who simply loved to party and displayed this with instruments. The crowd wasn't crowded, if that makes sense.. and fuckies danced like nobodys biz. ya ya know, ppl bitch about NY crowds not caring, but at 285 Kent and Death By Audio i've noticed..anything always goes.. you'd think ppl were fucking on camera and on cue. *APPLAUSE NOW* *DANCE YER ASS OFF* style. it would be real sad if these DIY venues every went somewhere else..or just left...shitty bathrooms, unbearable heat, sweat, makeshift views from torn up couches and tables...somehow, i rarely leave disappointed. oh and you can smoke cigs and nobody cares..yee haw. and the cheap canned beer: Blue Light..hail canada, o canada!

K so then CMJ started and days ran into nights..can't quite remember when was what and tuesday was friday, etc.. I consider myself quite lucky to work at Cake Shop, where i spent many a long shift this week. i can't even count how many band folk roll into the joint..it seeems to be a place close to a lot of hearts.. and ppl say all the time..." i had my first show here..etc." I see why.. the owners totally give a shit. the bands are treated well. promotion is fantastic, and each night is treated with specialty and importance. Lineups are printed, posters hang everywhere in the venue, website updated, talent buyer and owners come in every single goddamn day to make sure each show happens. There seems to be an understanding that the night is going to be a "night" for someone..even if its past midnite on a sunday nite in nyc, the music is important. The motivation and mantra are captivating.. giving the locals and touring bands a place to play in this grand city certainly means a ton.. its evident in the loyalty. So i got to see several shows..most happily viewed whilst slinging beers or drinking freestyle after shift were Cloud Nothings, Diharrea Planet, Eternal Summers, Dive, Royal Baths, teen daze, and hoop dreams.

CMJ was in constant comparison to SXSW all week in my head. As well as many ppl i heard during random chats amongst patrons..I did find that SXSW is much more of a beast than CMJ..you could actually buy fucking tickets to cmj shows and not be ousted by industry fuckies. NY seemed to stay itself while Austin is transformed and mangled to a degree that's overwhelming and kinda disgusting.. Notably, badge entry at CMJ had a nice low cap on it.. so stuff was pretty manageable to get into it seemed. This means fewer pissed off everyday showgoers, and more legitimacy to the actual shows as good old fashioned, awesome rock shows..compare that to buzzy bullshit, next big blah blah events with corporate sponsorships taking precendence over the acts. Honestly, i know there was a Fader Fort somewhere, but never even cared to find out where.. Furthermore, in ATX, everything is usually in walking distance, while CMJ is spread throughout BK and the city.. Less scrambling around here...less pressure to get in/out/onyerway, sprinting to catch a 15 minute set while missing another.Things just seemed so chill this week. Though catching a cab was difficult, i like that it wasn't too much more of a hassle.. and i only had one place to go when i got in.
Not to diss on SXSW, i really would like to go if i could..its just interesting to see the version of a music festival in nyc, and how different it is from the main one i've been so in love with for so many years. Plus getting paid for being at a venue all frickin week has been nice.. versus taking a week off and spending lots of cash.. coupla things CMJ lacked: elfgirl getting to see porcelain raft and gauntlet hair, east side kings, and afterparties.. perhaps i was too tired to go looking for APs. ON the upswing,maybe i'll save some cash and energy for those ones goin on in the Texas Spring.

Friday, September 30, 2011

nothing special to get off my chest

This city just doesn't stop with the tug of war does it?

Everyone here is drunk or broke. both perhaps? but how does that work?

Gauntlet Hair has two new tracks and they fucking rule.

News from KSpot on the TFFTS, and super excited for the mix.

While researching Gobble Gobble, prolly tied with Hooray for Earth or Soft Moon or Summer Camp for best sxsw show, I found the Eskimo Taco mix from Get off the Coast. The cover art makes me realize i need some new art in the apartment. or more porn.

Note to self: czech out more Get off the Coast action.

Free downloads have been wonderful. iTunes purchases have been minimal :(

going to see The Soft Moon tomorrow. and to Todd P's daytime BBQ.
pretty neat idea..acoustic jams from a buncha great fuckies :

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=287646384579144

Got schooled on the UT football craziness and have decided to reignite my fan flame with a pm game tomorrow. Televised of course. Unfortunately. same with the cowboys. someone misses texas duh!

I barely know what's going on in ATX music anymore.. I do know that Grape St and Frank Smith should go on tour.

Thanks to Craig for the new Gem Club and Future Islands. Dropboxsuckas!

Its been nice not working. It'll end soon. But at least i get a proper weekend out of the whole deal.

Been feeling way too girly lately but then Dude came to town and toughened me up a bit.

Why can you buy beer all nite but its like pulling teeth to get a bottle of wine at a decent hour here?

Found some cool shelves on the street in Tribeca today. My first decent curb find..or the first time i wasn't afraid to pick something up that was still completely useful for fear of bedbugs. If i get bedbugs, its gonna blow. crossing fingers.

TCB Tuesday was great this week. all smiles! happy that school is back in session, cuz i know all those yuppies were totes screwing off their wednesday morning classes.

My last pack of Texas cigarettes will die tomorrow. RIP.

and with that, its back to hot cocoa and cold air. could be worse.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Public policy change

The NYPD will not be arresting anyone for small amounts of weed on their person. i don't touch it personally, but geez isn't it about time? let's see how these officers handle this shit...
Has anyone seen that Religion is like a penis thingy floating around the fbook? maybe its everywhere, IDK but i was impressed. something or nothing about...its fine to have one, its fine to be proud of it...but please don't whip it out/wave it around in public or shove it down my children's throats.

just some things...

Friday, September 23, 2011

everyones a someone

so many things i want to write about at the moment.. Not much in the mood to organize the past month (awesome)..much less try articulate via typos and unmapped thought patterns how grand things can be(and without a doubt how completely peculiar and 10 sheets to the wind fucked up they can be) i will write only a tad. honestly i promised myself i'd get a sketch pad or blog daily to get the gears running. And surprise! ive no sketch pad in site.. ( BUT......# 2 pencil check!)i'll just post a quickie. a rant. a message. to anyone who cares: please don't say anything remotely awkward or haphazard to me..even if it can somehow can be twistered into some sort of back handed compliment..just don't say it. i don't have the energy to read anyones neuropathways at the time, and i'd rather hear something put on the table, loud and clear. But only if its nice. that's all i can handle. and that's all i really need to hear. so thank you. cuz i'll seriously cry if i hear anything else. and then whoever said it feels bad and then i feel weird for being emotional. and yes admittedly im being over dramatic right now. but that's my right and i'll exercise that shit till its dead..or till i get my spark back. so yeah, just don't think too hard and play it cool. thanks for hearing me out ya fuckies.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

hard times man

Its really hard to play an actual Joy Division song (in this case, "Disorder") when all the songs you play before and after are just gonna sound like knockoffs. Hang the DJ. Just kidding.

PS did anyone hear Jeff Mangum's recordings form the Trinity Church in Toronto? shit was marvelous and i got chills to the gills. Homie still has it, he prolly doesn't smoke cigarettes..he was wailing. Harmonizing to the expected notes of all the (well all as in only 2 full lengths, but still)hits we love. Being such a recluse for so long, i am super curious about Mr. Mangum's stage banter. from what i heard so far, he sounds just as surprised and amazed that he's touring as the folks in the crowd. He seems genuine. Bias does have its place in this argument for my husband, yet honestly, listen to it, homie seems happy and right where he wants to be. Keep up the good work honey, at least until All Tomorrow's Parties please.

SO in the battle of east coast versus best coast, .. must be vocally jealous of my older brother and friends in Humboldt County who will get to see David Kilgour (most notably from the best new zealand band ever, The Clean) play a set at the Logger Bar. Crazy intimate set, i mean this place super small, mostly for townies and is all wood, gonna sound amazing. Srsly, if bands go to humboldt County, they go to Arcata usually..or they play at Humboldt State. Leave it to my superfan bro to write an email to mr. Kilgour, which he answered within 2 hours, asking him to stop into the neighborhood (in this case across the street) bar on the way from playing San Francisco and Portland. Obviously DK obliged and the show is going down. I'm super stoked for all the kids over there. Neil is cleaning his home and Kevin is bringing tacos as David and partner are staying over. I sent a request via phone for "Do Your Thing". i'd totes cry if i were there. I sense a flying nun kick comin on...

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

TCB Tuesday again!

So tonight is TCB Tuesday Sophomore edition..Woo hoo!! Last week went well in my opintion, but it wasn't crazy. And the only person who danced was me in front of the window...but only when i saw someone i knew outside.. or a stranger on occasion, who was debating where to have the next cocktail. Oh Nolita! So great there is lots of space back behind the setup at the Vig Bar. good for stashing shit and moving around. I guess they were satisfied with the flow of people in and out.. The earlies, the mids, and the till the enders.

Funny how when putting up fliers, i really didn't know where to go, unlike Austin..where promotions of fashion shows had the town divided and conquered with Fabrication posters. even stranger is the facebook invite. The first round had 66 people. I never realized that i knew, in some crazy random way, 66 fuckies up in here.. Whether its thru studio work, friends of friends, prior DJ stuff, old ATX band ppl, folks who have lent me their couch, ex boyfriends, new work buddies...66 i never woulda guessed. Wowza! Of course very few ppl who say they are coming never do.. and the ones you expect never see totally come. its the way of the world. And luckily its always a pleasant reminder that people can be completely surprising. maybe that's why i liked that diamond rings interview so much ;0)

anyways, crossing my fingers regarding the sophomore edition tonite. Too bad its raining and "smells like wet dog in manhattan." <--stolen from someone who's couch i was lent.

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Hairs

any band with a song called "Duh! X 12" is gonna grab my attention. Plus "Balding College Girls" and "Scabies Babies" ...can't go wrong with the words dudes. These names sorta conjure up images of a screamo noise band with songs that kinda all sound the same (that makes sense yeah?) yet i'm pleasantly surprised with The Hairs gentle and playful approach. you're not a big bad punked out bear, but yer not carrying around candy and giving all the kids baby bear hugs either. pretty sweet guys. anyways, thanks for being one of my new faves.




"if yer feeling lonely, Duh! X 12
if yer feeling crazy, Duh! X 12
if yer feeling sad, Duh! X 12"

yeah we've all been there, it just sounds better when someone else sings about it ;)

Monday, August 1, 2011

meet me at the bar, its goin down

its been forever since i've had a solo DJ gig. its going down tomorrow night. actually i hope its goin up. i havent had a car or a stereo in my room, much less a sewing/craft/keyboard room to jam it at all costs in quite some time.. So i guess the most exciting part is to hear my favorite tunes in full form on full blast..anything i want to hear at my finger tips. anyone who comes, many many thanks and hearts and hugs and kisses forever and in advance (no expiration date). kinda counting on support from some homies. thats my ticket to playing more. anyone who dares buy an overpriced beer in Nolita due to a haphazard facebook invite or a belated text, i adore you. if all goes well, i'm gonna wanna keep doing this on the regs. plus it pays decent, my brokeass can't argue with that.

a constant flow happens here: missing random meaningful(less) stuff and super important till the end people in Texas VS. the crush as all hell i have on my new city.. the potential to find moments of curiosity and joy (really? really!) in the tiniest shit.. pretty cool, but a weird play by play in the head when the big picture comes into play. enough of that, just live..

so living..yes, what's that w/o adventure.. and adventure i will in the next month.. going to Atlanta, Georgia to visit K Spot in her new world of a life. gonna seriously geek out. loved atlanta on the sour notes tour. awesome that i have an even more awesome reason to visit again. Gonna hit some shows, and looking crazy forward to seeing Toro y Moi, Bass Drum of Death, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra in onefreakinnight!! We are going to Athens for that one kids. Never been, dreamed about it for years..the place of musical history i care most about. no its not Strawberry Fields, but that was quite moving. Its the 40 watt y'all. can't believe the show is gonna go on there. The birthplace of elephants..or at least the newborn phase.. whatever, no worries, seeing it first hand, maybe touching too many surfaces knowing brilliance (in fantasy husband form) has touched them too. plus its football weekend in athens so i'll prolly get off on that shit too, with a few "HOOKEMMUTHAFUCKS" in the mix. Funny how Krissie came here and we saw no shows.. the city where i can go to bed nightly and think damn i fuckin missed that shiiiiiit, suuuuucksss!! And on my trip to GA, its shows TTM... reading rainbow on night two. anyhow..vacations, like anything new and off the normal routine are what keep me going.. so this one, i'm super stoked to attend. Bring it Georgia, be a peach for me!

As for the next month of August..its TCB month. Until vacation, its task time. Oh and BTW, the FFF lineup was released today in full. FTR, it is not sick and it isn't epic whatsoever..BUT FUCKING A sure is grand and kinda wishing i could go. and wondering how i fared in teh "Guess the Fest" contest.. i think i scored over 50%, but who knows if that gets you anywhere.. spot on is what they're looking for. made a good run though (i think). oh austin, why are you so difficult? and why are you so tempting sometimes? maybe i'll pop in on a whim. hopefully sooner than later, TYVM southwest airlines. Till then, here i am and oh my, what next ;)

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Something Else

"It's really diverse. Short of bugging your own friends to come out and see you, after that it's out of my hands by and large who comes to my show. I can only make the music I want to make, and present the image that I feel represents me and hope that the right people get it. Not that there's wrong people. People who come to my shows are all over the place. Kids in high school, 20 something downtown folks like me, people my parents' age, which is really cool. It's all over the place. I'm trying to reach as many people as I can. I want to try and make the music and put on the kind of show that allows anyone to feel like they can come and express themselves and be themselves and be safe and have fun. I would be really worried if I had a demographic niche and everyone were the same that comes to my show."

And this is one of many reasons I love Diamond Rings. Thanks Brooklyn Vegan for this...John O was asked to describe his fanbase, and that's what he said. THis man loves unicorns and wears ghetto printed tshirts that say Diamond Rings. I've seen this man perform to like 5 fuckies at 11 am at sxsw. By the end of his set, there was a massive crowd. yay! I've seen this man be nervous and berated by a sound guy, only to perform the most excellent of sets. I've tried to publish said set to YouTube to no avail ;( I've mumbled and dedicated his lovely lyrics to many friends..Bless him for the split with Ps I Love You cuz PS they rule too. KSpot and I found him at Cheer Up charlies, and he was more than happy to pose for pics..plus his makeup? not a smudge in sight..that's pretty fuckin A for a Canadian in Texas. Yee Haw, y'all!

Monday, July 18, 2011

day off.

i wanna put off TCBing until tomorrow and just read all day. Going to the strand was completely inspiring. Sometimes the life biz gets in the way of the simple pleasure of the afternoon bookage. plus books smell afuckingmazing. and reading is a lot more fun when its designated, and not just right before bed style. at least for me. Fuck the bank, fuck the laundry, fuck the city, i'm embracing the day off. people like resumes right? i'll send some of those out later or maybe even TOMORROW. ahh.

Black Angels are playing for free tonite at mercury lounge. how would that queue look? prolly a bit much, but still haven't been to the mercury in years and its tempting. plus seeing atx bands in ny is super fun.

BUT,

The Hairs and Lower Dens are playing this week and maybe the best thing to do would be to save the inevitable Black Angels beer money and use it for something else. decisions decisions.. clearly i have too much time on my hands....which honestly would rule if i were independently wealthy. sheeeiiiit, i'm not. damn.

ION, most of my favorite tweets this wknd were from pitchfork festival goers in chicago those lucky fuckies...some of the highlights:

-a kid in a cast moshing at No Age
-Cupcakes from Oliver Future
-festival goers being nice to each other cuz one day they'll all be in the same lazer tattoo removal center together, haha
-dads rocking out to some dad rock
-someone's cat mesmerized at the computer screen when cut copy was streaming.. adorable
-nobody has more fun at an ariel pink show than ariel pink.

ok i'm procrastinating on both real shit and fun shit, so i'm out for now. happy mondays everyone.

observation

at the end of the day...the air was so thick and permeated with unspoken envy and competition... everything was briefly normal in a lighting bolt instant...just taunting them with a flash of the past...a giggle, a fleeting memory. We are all here. then the density of reality set in. it always did. and thank you for your times were muttered..the familiar stranger reared its grotesque head, despite resistance. luckily,to be ignored and unfortunately, seen soon enough. the usual. We are all here. then nothing else mattered..it was just two ppl trying to make sense of their surroundings. and one of them muttered, in Russian, "Kak dela?" (how are you?). The situation was sublime in the end, from an optimist's point of view. Later remedies sought and found, a coalition to end the abuse. ahem, accustomed abuse ;) We are all here. later she was reminded that familiar suckage is better than general suckage, and everything made sense. We are all here. even later, it became night and nobody cared about anything but the moment. It was a nice time after all and nobody was there. hearts and goodnite

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

snippets and blippets

OMG, Captured Tracks pop up store opening when Krissie gets here! In greenpoint, super close... damnit i miss having a record player ... much less a fucking stereo...or a car to plug my ipod in. FUCK, when's christmans again? Well, i'm going, cuz that's where all our boyfriends hand their music over... Thanks as usual to craig for the heads up. oh and for being a total disser on Radiohead and deathcab and generally covering all the bases conversation wise.. obscure musical knowledge, fixed gear bikes, grrr, drug cartels, cocaine drug additives, crack babies, sex drives of our siblings. Yep went there too. @craigz is the jam.
Been revisiting the playin on blip..just a lil commentary, An Horse is great, and totally underblipped. Thanks @Locostavos. currently hearing Bradford Cox at Primavera sound...@pratinsky is kicking out the jams today...tom waits, Atlas sound, yee haw.. Thinking of making a few itunes purchases today..with my meager account balance...just wanna get some stuff..Gardens and Villa perhaps? Burnt Orange? Grooms? getting around to the cults as so recommended? new pump up songs to get ready to? i'm feeling more in the vein of up tempo and aggressively happy. I have a feeling the new future islands will be amazing.. but for now.. choices. love that preview button y'all

its getting nice in here..

its getting to be a good time feeling type of mood. IOW, i'm starting to really enjoy just BEING here. being as in physically as well as socially, contemplatively, and emotionaly all around just being right here. in brooklyn, ny, where i chose to call home about 6 weeks ago. its been fabulously tough, emphasis on both.. i think the whole 3 days off and making plans suited me just fine, a listmaker at heart. The beach yesterday had me smiling cheek to cheek, feeling like an actual kid..a kid that grew up without too much worry, just enough to still look forward to a trip out to the waves. I almost impromptued my "King Of The Beach" routine right on the sand.. i digressed..a 45 minuted jog in the morning had me a lil ready for just lazing..and that i did. afterwards, had a great nite with ex roomie julia, and found my first, admittedly, yet best margarita here to tally. Woods on s. 4th has an excellent taco truck and i was super stoked to get 2 texas fixes...
Today i tcbd and was pleasantly surprised by the pop up listing of Future Islands at Death By Audio tonite.. thought about seeing Puro Instinct and John Maus at glasslands, but the cheap cover and super duper <3 for FI had me giddy..
The set and sound was spectacular.. ive yet to see a show at DBA that isn't sardined packed and sweaty as a steam room on acid. srsly, god bless $1 water bottles! I was still not let down. didn't get 10 arms lengths from the front, but didn't really matter. The opening two songs from first full length Wave like Home were Beach Foam and Little Dreamer..they provided such anticipation for the bulk of the set, hit after hit from Tin Man, Walking Through that door, IOD, and VE.. all so lovely..so many fucking handclappers and even crowd surfers! this crowd had their shit together.. how can you not with such an endearing and comedic front man!?? GAWD!!! Plus two new ones that had been played "4 or 5 times". They were more in the vein of Wave Like Home versus the dancier beat driven In evening Air.. But was totally enthralled..esp since i knew i wouldnt get to see Washed Out in a couple of weeks.. this totally hit the spot. speaking of spots.. K Spot will be here in like two weeks and Mom and Dad this sunday. THese events most likely have an impact on my sudden surge of endorphins..way excited! bro downs with new roomates never hurt, and neither does a good hard jazzericize session (speckled with 2+ routines that i remember from ATX classes. ) So...referencing the list maker, i feel the time to TCB on that right now..just for clear head purposes:
Good Things:
1. Craig goes to shows with me
2. i've live closer to a beach that is more beautiful than any one i've been to in TX
3. Visitors from TX
4. My balcony
5. Naming a bar Old faithful, even though i've been in the hood about a month
6. Patio soon to be , if not already , opened at No Name Bar
7. Trains arriving 3 seconds after entering the platform
8. Cooking at home
9. Discovering foods on the outs..esp
10. Jogging long distances just to see what's next
11. surprise shows
12. Brooklyn Vegan
13. flip flops
14. settling in
15. 24 hour bakeries
16. rice to riches
17. captured tracks
18. lack of clutter
19. walking
20. i haven't locked my keys/phone inside the house..knock on wood!
21. random awesome texts
22. visitors
23. little italy
24. ppl asking me for directions and confident i gave the right info
25. getting to know brooklyn with a jogging stride


dislikes:
1. haven't taken a bus yet
2. not a crazy awesome place to dance has been discovered
3. the L sucks after hours
4. fear of bedbugs and thrift store shopping
5. no bluebell ice cream
6. overheard in new york (my new twitter tag) is kinda gross
7. missing tons of shows due to work
8. leaving my sewing machine and keyboard to gather dust while i miss them
9. Finding my way around the west villiage..daunting
10. fewer laughs, acronyms, and shouting.. must be remedied!!

all in all..things are feeling bright.. weather is nice..looking forward to:
1. rollerskating
2. pies n thighs
3. scarves
3. finishing the book on hasidic judaism
4. Coney Island
5. East River ferry
6. Lower rent, perhaps fingers crossed
7. Local shows/side project collaborations TBD
8. VISITORS!!

ok ok gotta quit with the head space...just had to TCB for the moment.. esp since there's not much space here. luckily, nooks and corners are in exploratory and curios stages.. i can't wait to plop down , make a grass angel and just breathe..then maybe a spelling lesson? forgive me.
xo
erin

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Northside festival

Sure was a festival this weekend. Northside Festival in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, very young, very much an in utero sister festival to sxsw, which in my opinion, is a nice thing. Now that i live here among the thick of the area of said festival,i can honestly appreciate the compact geography and smaller size of the northside fest.. versus the beast that is SXSW. even living on the outskirts of sxsw, where i had to bus or car it ,i could still bitch about the shows taking over my favorite venues and bars knowing i didn't have a space to call home...that means YOU Nomad bar, Longbranch Inn, etc..i love you but i want a quite calm amongst the storm ;) But here, yeah, it was small enough to where the venues didn't amass into a complete takeover and a lot of the shows were in sepparate rooms from the hangout bar area. Plus, I could walk everywhere, including home, yeah!! That said, i enjoyed both aspects..the shows and the scene. i must say i was most enamoured with X-Ray Eyeballs, an apparent brooklyn fave introduced to me by my go to goer of shows, craig (!!!) They had me hooked on first listen and nearly took down the ceiling at death by audio at an unofficial showcase this past weekend. I had visions of shapes have fangs or the apeshits or one of Penny's many projects at beerland as i listened. Ass shots, weiner shots, you name it :


also caught The Oh Sees as said venue, the sweatiest, DIYest, smokiest indoors, you could walk by and miss it totalliest venue i've been to here. They killed it.

Surprise sneak in to Music hall of Williamsburg brought Thelonius London, and honestly was captivated. Never a fan before. Clueless in fact. But i see the rage now...

Other highlights included a decent outdoor set by wavves, who was much funner w/ KSpot at FFF BTW...it was a weird setup..the crowd was blocked 10 feet from the steve madden stage and apparently nathan was a lil under the weather..Still played my faves and i was happy to see it, big as all Jesus pot leaf T shirts and all. Beirut gave me a new reason to love them playing on the same stage...go figure. Surfer Blood gave me chills with Catholic Pagan, and GBV did 3 fucking encores. yes emphasis on 3 and fucking, cuz these dudes have been around the block and still do kicks and mic swinging, yelling.. and 3 encores. Woven Bones show also blew my mind and cant hardly believe the transformation of Andy and his new crew. A +

Last day i opted for Blair and Airwaves at Glasslands... super duper cool to see Blair solo, WOW! and despite sound and mix issues, Airwaves brought the songs that made me smile. Go Knock Out.

I also became infatuated with Fergus and Geronimo..a brooklyn band that i'd heard of but never experienced. I heard TV personalities, The Clean, Gogol Bordello, and all kinds of gypsy craziness and i figured an accordian would make its way on stage at some point.
In other Hardly Art news, i saw Collen Green (the east coast version of Best Coast) and was amped TTM hearing her solo and electric. Sweet lady and a drum machine, a guitar, pink sunglasses, and a voice that made me jealous. YES.

Above and beyond, a great weekend.. missed diamond rings and the strange boys, atlas sound, porcelain raft, reading rainbow, and Dom. whatcha gonna do? I was able to work and see shows and get paid. That spells FUCK YEAH in my lil book.
Speaking of pay, more of it woulda resulted in a splurge to see Foster The People and Gardens and Villa ... or a venture out to see Hooray for Earth DJ in Greenpoint last night.. but rest was much needed.
Many more brooklyn musings to come... so many more i could type for hours..but the sun comes up early here and i have readily available project runway to watch..more to come after a lil R and R and cable TV xoxo

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Hello New York!

i arrived in the lovely Brooklyn last wednesday..and i've had no time to do anything but drag my booty all over this burrough looking for a fucking apartment. The search has been maddening, frustrating, and enlightening. I thought i had discretion and selective skills when dealing with our friend craigslist, however...I came upon a couple of trainwrecks as of late. 1) Beer-drinking, advice-giving, compulsive cig- smokin in the middle of the afternoon lady (i think) who was slightly successful at her attempts to grow a beard. That was awesome...i mean no judgement, live your life, just prolly not a good fit for me and and the 2 other people who were involved with the living situation. NEXT
2) damn seriously had to body spray myself after goin into this one dudes place..rust and mold and who-knows-what smell from his kitties, rain leaking thru roof, and i think he had an aversion to using the lights...dungeon y'all....Sheesh, i vanillafied myself immediately after so as to not offend the next apartment owner! dude, i wll not be cast out as a big fat smelly NO WAY upon arrival just cuz i was dumb enough to actually think this apt was liveable...and after you fell asleep and never called...after you still have the place for rent even though its 700 ABP in a prime williamsburg location. no wonder.
I'm not even that clean, girly, or prissy...and i've seen some shitty apts in my time in this city..but wowzass So...the search goes on...and buying a can of soda for a buck and a half just to pee somewhere..lets keep it up.. woo hoo!

more important news, aka fun in new york news: i finally met one of my blip friends, Craigz. We met for Karaoke Underground on saturday. This was awesome, my first nite to actaully go out and have a lil fun here. Craigz (yes, its habit to add that z, his name is craig) is fuckin A!! we had a blast, he was an excellent sport and we sang the vaselines "Son of a Gun" with Julia...and then later Julia and i sang "Damaged Goods.) The stage was really elevated and the crowd was so excited..it was like a normal concert of covers of your favorite songs. Congrats KU, i think you have won the crowd over!

Last nite, after a brief ray of sunshine in apartment hunting forecast, i was feeling like celebrating and catching my first show. God bless Craigz for getting me to go.. I saw Widowspeak and The Vivian Girls at 285 Kent, a nice converted warehouse with white walls, black graffiti, high ceilings, a disco ball, and a makeshift bar that actually served wine, but more importantly, $3 budweisers..OMG!
Widowspeak was gently sweet, but the real treat was vivian girls. i admittedly wasn't crazy about them 3 years ago during sxsw...not disappointed, just a lil curious about why so much hype to come..anyhow, i was certainly willing to see the newer and more developed VGs...sooo not let down! fandom resurrection!! First off, the band is now only 3 ladies (saw them with 4 or 5 before). This set up is essential for this band, there need not be any frills here..and they sound a lot tighter. Second, the sound -after a few micpops/crackles from the monitor- was pretty fucking great. Third, these girls stole my heart with their set...it ran the spectrum from a punked-out Lush to a sweet and more savory Holly Golightly. These songs flowed in and out of one another, even with the tempo changes and dynamics of each. Mad props to the set order and the entire set in general. Lastly, it was fucking refreshing to see a band back from tour, playing at home, unfazed by the sound mishaps, and in a proper sized venue. I think the VGs thrive in a setting like this over a festival type space, displaced from the crowd and serious fans. It was a perfect way to see em..despite what Craigz deemed a "hipster moshpit" to our left. I am soo happy i went.

Coming up is the Northside festival all over brooklyn...not sure exactly how its gonna work since i'm a rookie, but the line up is pretty swell. holiday shores, GBV, wavves, takka takka, the black hollies, atlas sound, sooo many!! i'll shut up cuz who knows if i'll even see anything.

And so it goes.. one week down. I have to find an apartment and start getting on with life. Its amazingly weird not having a job or a home. Amazingly awesome regarding the job. Im blessed for Julia's space and her lovely roomates.. but i feel unable to accomplish anything without cultivating my own space. Attitude has been up and down, but all in all, it has to get better. Patience is a virtue. I'm ready for a dance nite. I can't believe its been a whole month since i've danced and i'm 3 weeks in to jazzercise withdrawal. suck sucks..i need some advice in those departments.. No Jsize at the YMCA in greenpoint, but aerobic dance and punk rope? those sound fun.

ok, off to the races for now. umbrella and quarters in tow.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

pause. blog time!

i just watched the drums cover the supremes. this is prolly an old youtube vid but i sorta am out of touch with stuff right now. Either way, i hearted it TTM and can't fucking wait to be in new york...Just got back from california to visit my bro and niece and friends before moving east.. I love it more every time i go, even though its the land of hippies, dreadlocks, and a section at the store called "goddess sizes". haha. seriously, it pretty much is the most beautiful place with loved loved loved ones who i can't stand to go so long without seeing. I will admit, it is much more, ahem, calm there..and it bugs the shit outta me when things...take..forever... My folks had a realization..that maybe everyone's lax pace of life, the slowness of certain folks, the way of living without the rush...maybe they are all just fucking high as kites. FUCKIN A, why hadn't i thought of that before?!? everyone is just ass stoned and WTF are we so hyped up about?!?! damn, its like a blanket was lifted off my head. spoken like a true non smoker. could be true guys... bottom line, though, fuck it and tsunamis stay away!

So..Its been a whirlwind week..moved out of austin, living with my parents, vacationing..now i'm home sorta..under a beautiful peachy, crescent shape Texas moon. Got home too late to run into the ATX..will certainly miss Karaoke wtih Jen...dancing at Barbs..both of which are going on RFN :( Its cool, sad but cool... things are less stressful and i feel as if i could shun responsibility for another week if i wanted to. But wait! there could be an amazing apartment overlooking a park in Bushwick that could be mine. OMG, calm down erin! so... since i''m saving money and rarely treat myself to fun stuff besides thrift store finds, a decent meal, a nice glass of wine or a massage (all of which i conquered this week too!) i logged into itunes and i realized i had 12 bucks in my account...score!! plus not dancing it all out or having jazzercise around, i bought:

Cut Copy: Need You Now and Where I'm Going
Generationals: Ten-twenty-Ten
Foster the People: Pumped up Kicks
Metronomy: The Look

Honestly i've been jogging a bit, but i really miss the JCize and will prolly take in one more class this week before flying out. Just to get a fix and refresh my memory with the steps..working on a new solo routine, which sorta debuted at a deserted grassy section of the Town Lake trail last week. Nothing like dancing in a summer dress and barefoot, with dirt weaseling up my toes, ahhh... and BTW, yes, its a bathing suit under there fuckies, sheesh! The final analysis: "King of the Beach" on LD, forward flip flop fancy gymnastic move needs a bit of work, and first 8 counts of new routine seem proper. Must pick a song though~! and bow down to any and all dance instructors i made fun of in the past. you gots my mad respect.

so what else..plenty, and more... but again, that moon. gotta take it in while i can y'all <3

Friday, April 29, 2011

here we go nuffin

So here i am, posting lyrics to a song i've loved and listened to a million times..but damn doesn't it make sense??? right. fucking. now ?!?!?!? Dear Spoon, Thank you for nuffin.. hearts :)

When I'm with you, all my brothers, oh
I feel like a king
It feels like I'm dreaming

When that blood goes rattling through my veins
My ears start to ring
I notice what matters

And I got nothing to lose but darkness and shadows
Got nothing to lose but bitterness and patterns

When I can't find the way to reach you my love
I'm just not the same
Just the same

When I know you're watching out for me
I know what I'm knowing
I can see what matters

And I got nothing to lose but darkness and shadows
Got nothing to lose but emptiness and hang-ups
Oooo

Oh, when I know you're watching out for me
I look for what matters
And I notice what matters

And I got nothing to lose but darkness and shadows
Got nothing to lose but loneliness and patterns

The flowers blooming, the trains collide
Ahhh
I don't got a thing to lose

i've been numb lately..waiting for a storm that hasn't hit, under sever tornado warning. Trying to conceptualize the upcoming change but losing all the bets...emotional at all the wrong times, and feeling numb at the appropriate sad ones. this move can't happen unless i know someone's watching over me, unless i focus on what matters, unless i am forced to let go of emptiness, bitterness, loneliness, old patterns. WTF do i have to lose, right? well, at the moment it feels like i'm losing everything, and i've forgotten about the flowers yet to bloom. i've never done this before, so my brain is in self sustaining lockdown...forcing itself to ward off the reality and cling onto the familiar..this may also be disguised as sadness and anxiety, fear of the unknown, a survival coping mechanism..all natural patterns of thought. HOWEVER, i need to get a small taste of the flowers blooming. this is totally surreal, and i can't think of any way to put it into typeset, unemotional words. shoulda hired a therapist for an hour or so.. jsut so i could let it all out and get it all straight. but alas, the time has flown, and luckily i've got the blessings of loving friends, and tough loving friends. couldn't survive without any of you fuckies. Plus my family, fucking A!!! Seeing Dad play for the last time for a while was wonderufl. i sorta danced my ass off and wished i played one last show with daddy. here's bit of history on that, written my my pal Jason Chronis : http://ontheroadsouth.blogspot.com/2011/04/zebras.html I nearly tear up when i hear this song and watch this video. ahhh...
So this will prolly be my last ATX post...we'll see how living in the cuts for a few days and a vacation out to slow mo west coast treats me before the adopted and adaptive pace of NY life slays me or pays me. one of my last fond memories of ATX was wandering down the streets to the sounds of Edwawrd Sharpe on the railroad tour, and dance skipping right up to the brilliant view and sounds with G Face, posting up for a song or two, thinking of my mom and k-spot,and how wonderful the company coulda been had timely and monetary circumstances had been different. (woah total runon sentence, wow!).it was refreshing and fun for realz.. but things have changed, for better or worse, the deal is sealed..i'm going y'all, and i won't quit talking or swearing like a texas gal. that's where my heart is..but its time for a breath of fresh polluted air to refuel. YES. heres to not being scared,and starting to get excited. As RT and sisters raya and buffy have said..its gonna be just fine. Last show in the ATX: tomorrow nite White Rabbits (first studio band) and Sour Notes (ex band). this should be interesting and fun. i still have some valuable faces to kiss and hug tomorrow, but it looks like the end will be filled with tunes. that seems like a good sendoff and a wonderfully inspiring beginning ;)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Adios Emo's

ahh, the last visits to last places.. Emo's was tonite.. I saw Watching the Moon, Grape Street (Harlem/Frank Smith side project, ooh lala), Booher and the Turkeys, and Shitty Carwash.. bittersweet, but mostly sweet this evening. Jen and I went together, which has been rather fun these days. I wore this amazing onesie she created herself, and I love her for not only HER, but the seriously legit designs she has created. its wonderful to step outside the box and wear animal prints, plaid, ruffled collars, uniquely placed pleats and gathers, more angular and structured than i usually wear. Its been right up in my face all these years, and honestly, it fucking works with me.. and i just now realized it after scoring quite a few pieces this weekend. it feels good. that's what fashion should do for anyone. a very happy discovery at the garage sale ;). i will be purchasing mucho mas. and hopefully some new yorkers will notice her talent. Memory jogged at emo's tonite..over the years, i've seen a million shows there, seen a million doormen, bartenders, sound peeps..after all my bitching about sold out shows on the outdoor stage, it was nice to rekindle my love with this venue. for one last time this year. sooo. trying to recollect some of the shows i've seen there, its a looong list and i need ginkgo, so here we will try:

TV on the Radio
What Made Milwaukee Famous
Black Kids
Airborne Toxic Event
The Go Team
Beach House
Beach Fossils
Apples In Stereo
Of Montreal
Raveonettes
Washed Out
Javelin
Interpol
The Rapture
Beaulah
Elephant 6 holiday tour
Sebadoh (This Microwave world played with...OMD, what a nite as a band. we were giddy)
The Laughing
Frank Smith
The Arm
Tilly and the Wall
Elf Power (a bunch!)
Hold Steady
Bedhead
Zykos
SoundTeam
White Rabbits
Spoon
The New Year
Canoe (yea corndogs are our friends)
The Minders
The Lilys
The Ponys
Le Tigre
Jay Reatard
And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
Shitty Carwash
Harlem
Clap!Clap!
New Pornographers
The Unicorns
Arcade Fire (a few times, climb the rafters, yehahh!)
Ghostland Observatory
Voxtrot
belaire

OMG>>>i can't even go on...especially thinking about all the local shows on random weekday nites...i will say this though..when we played there, i was most certainly happy to have such great sound, and to have shared the stage with such greats..i geeked out like that. Sean geeked otu when he and Lou Barlow had the exact same jeans on when we played with. The soundmen were always nice, and DJ gigs were always super grand and $$$..i can't thank emo's enough..will always remember the sparkleberry (Sparks, Vodka, redbull, cranberry). shit kept me going many a nite. Will always remember the courtyard socials, opting for a port o let versus the ladies room line, and OMG the mensroom has no door and was deemed "worst place to take a shit in austin" my Misprint. SRSLY, what's wrong with that ?!?!<3

Monday, April 11, 2011

its official

so i'm totally in heart with Craft Spells, metronomy remixes, and Oberhofer right now.. and the new billboard (!!!yes, billboard i said) of the new Battles album is kinda awesome.. it this glorious glob of pink silly string looking muck that stands high above the i-35 freeway at the 32nd street exit. Sooo weird. i had seen the artwork online but was kinda stunned that a billboard that didn't have miller lite or save a child was posted up on the freeway. i guess the sxsw sponsorship is over and the overly gregarious media front by whathaveyou anti abortion association decided that it may be more appropriate to advertise near the planned parenthood exit. don't get me started, fuck that shit. soo..i officially gave my final quit date at work tonite. its all becoming a reality. and yes, the awkward and indescribable dreams of ex boyfriends, paranoid work situations, unimaginable tiffs with friends have ensued. its nice to wake up and know that reality isn't exactly measured by my dreams..i certainly hope for better ones, but i know my brain, i'm sure there's more to come. speaking of yet to come.. Very pissed i'll be missing the crocodiles and beach fossils and crystal stilts and many others during Austin Psych Fest (Krissie are ya wit me??)..but that's moving weekend for me and i gots to get shit either thrown away or into my parent's storage nook they so kindly cleaned out for me..plus my dads band (some originals and covers by rolling stones, beatles, zombies, kinks, ? and the mysterians, beach boys , you know the drill...its an awesome drill and i wish i could relearn the songs and play w/ em grr...)is playing on moving nite/weekend..in other news, came across some old recordings from random sunday jams with Drivesafe and RT today.. its funny the spontaneous joy that is had when just fucking around on your instrument...and sooo lucky to have the songs;/memories on the ol hard drive. not much else to report.. sucking ass that i can't get sea of bees or the loom on the DL tip, but hopefully soon i'll be able to buy real merch and pay real handclap praise to the bands. Oh and BTW, must intro Gunner to Airwaves...he'd get a kick esp after dana falconberry and friends #notetoself So.. it seems to be raining now.. the wind sounded like a pussy ass beach wave earlier, and it made me wanna visit a texas beach before i move.. prolly not gonna happen but damn, if that's not a powerful and thought provoking time for one to spend with the nature. k, so i'm totes babbling and using the word totes like its appropriate for writing. AKA must stop with this and get some rest. i gave official notice that i'm quitting my job today so i deserve a few cocktails after that big step, following a good weekend of being alone, packing my possessions in near solitude, and thinking. if you were in my head you'd prolly want a glass of wine too. thanks for reading, trying not to be so self absorbed lately..but that shit hurts , forgive me. hearts everyone ")

Sunday, April 3, 2011

the Austinite

i don't have much to say, but i have a feeling that my next few blogs will be regarding the whole last days in ATX agenda i have going on. I felt like a total AUstinite today.. went to town lake, jogged for about a half hour.. then headed over to barton springs..dude next to me was trying to smoke weed, but i guess he thought i was some sort of narc lady so he kept it under his blanket. WTF?! not a partaker doesnt = hater. noticed rather obviously that everyones swimsuits are getting smaller by the season.. dont know if i can hang with that. the ruffly boy shorts kinda have me hooked. But i may need a follow up evaluation. BTW< is macarren park (<--sp??) pool an actual pool now? sure as shit hope so!! Slapped on some fake tattoos yesterday and despite my lack of weed, dreadlocks, and hippie/ster swimming attire i felt right at home.. oh wait! i didn'[t stop at daily juice on the way home.. woops! Studied my NFT brooklyn book and David Sedaris short stories underneath the sunrays. pretty nice day.
got in some nice dinner with lovely donations from K-Spot, who so generously stocked my freezer with healthy expensive delicious foodstuffs.. plus ice cream bars, yeeeaah! How is Atlanta i wonder? went dancing with Kandice tonite at Brabarella.. and i say that cuz i wore a bra. yeah big news.. i guess its time to make that a habit. Had a wonderful time. Danced Dirty Dancing style (not dirty, just partnered up like baby and whatever Patrick Swayze was named in that damn movie) with some random dude and it was pretty awesome. Got to practice lots of ballerina steps and had a partner to back me up. homeboy was doing some major break dancing, so i had to play pinch hitter and step off a bit.. damn how the fuck did he do that?!? but i was never put in a corner, har har. bottom line, dancing alone is ALWAYS my thing, yet having a lil partner action was kinda nice, esp w/o groping and all that unjazzy BS. sooo.. "Home" sans krissie is not as fun. last weeks memories danced in my head...just noting it for the record. Kandipants sure gave me some swift moves to emulate, i just don't get how some people can just craze out so naturally...its pretty awesome. caught my ass shazaaming twice tonite...and GODDAMNIT, i WILL buy that record by The Generationals. its waay too catchy to not own. The weeks been nice.. morphed into Paul Pierce, had some polvo's, bday love and laughter..makes me wonder what up next.. but wonder is most def different than doubt.. at least for now <3 so i took this pic of totally random grand piano (one of two i've spotted on the town lake trail) that really reminds me of how crazy/weird/unique/WTF this sweet sweet hometown of mine is..you can see it here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/85739421@N00/5584645236/

the letters on the piano say "Play Me, I'm Yours". fucking rad.

BTW did Best Coast play in College Station tonite? fucking twatter, are you for real?
loves loves,
elfgirl

Thursday, March 31, 2011

this.is.the.real.deal.

so here comes the end of march...birthday party is over. i retired my larry bird jersey for paul pierce.. and i'm ok with that. K-Spot has left the building and i'm in denial about that. i went to see Light Me Up and Boys Life tonite. it was spectacular on all fronts. felt like a second birthday actually. only cuz i had some very HQ people around me..Light Me Up sang a new song "Lucky Penny" and i was almost freaking over with tears. OMG!!!!ahhh..
hungover, pensive, sad today, along with the onset of nightmares (fuck off i thought i sent you fuckers to the corner store yo!) I predict mini freakouts to come.. The realization that i have a month left in this house and this city. its madness. no fucking around anymore. get rid of shit, get plane tix booked, get the idea that YOURE NOT JUST COMING RIGHT BACK into yer head. NY has always been a place i adored, but i caould always come home to somewhere else. No escapes this time. moments of confidence and doubt swing like a pendulum, but thankfully they linger longer at the more uplifting side of the swing. I don't know really how this next month is gonna be.
At the mohawk tonite i heard Edward Sharpe, Crocodiles, Soft Moon, MGMT, etc.. in between bands. Craving a Krissie next to me.. wanted her to see Boys Life really bad cuz she loves the beach fossils and its right up her alley. July will bring BL to new york for 5 shows, and i can't tell you how happy that makes me. even on vacation, i will go see a band from austin, just to witness the tourlife, the crowd reaction. i anticipate many front row spots for ATX bands coming thru the new city. rent or buy some vans fuckies! if i have a room, my floor is all yours!
so...what else is new? well what else is old? i'm clinging to both right now. srsly don't want to blog down the blog with a bunch of personal crap, but hey this.is.the.real.deal. it really does hit all at once. today being the pre all at once day. April is my month of TCBing. can't afford not to. must lay off the vices and get boxes and sell shit and "just get there" as my friend Jenny from denver told me tonite. it is very simple when you put it on the table. all you gotta do is get there. and BTW, getting there isn't half the fun whatsoever. Being very negative and nostalgic..should listen to more of that Naked and Famous album..kinda makes me pumped when it pops up on the ipod as of late. so...sad to miss the psych fest..turns out i will be a moving ass machine that weekend. hauling and trucking whatever belongings i have left to my parents house. The garage sale will certainly be an eye opener. My hope is that my house will be empty, i will be $200 richer, and moving shit will become more carload style versus truck load. Thank GOD! moving blows. Missing ATX psych fest is really gonna be lame (reevaluation of the lineup today AKA stupid internet search). missing intimate and friend fueled shows like tonite and gatherings like last nite are gonna be the lamest. making jokes with my folks and seeing them so often is gonna kill me. BUT i've grown up so much..being sick and conquering demons has been the most grown up and challenging thing i've ever been thru. sometimes it happens when people are 18. i waited a decade for my own awakening. things happen for a reason , i truly believe that. GOD ain't fuckin around here. so bring on the challenge. i'm ready. i'm ready. i'm ready. the worst fear is the unknown, but its also the most thrilling. let's try keep the pendulum on the thrilling side of things. rambling thoughts are out for now...i don't have a therapist or a punching bag, but i have long jogs, jazzercize, upcoming skype dates with K-spot, HQ folks ,shoulders to lean on, and mytwinletoes on my side until shit hits the fan. feeling very nostalgic, thankful, and dare i say optimistic at said moment. goodnite sweet march, its been a great month. let the real madness begin, April, come in like a fucking lion.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

ATX weekend/sxsw memos

sweet, bitter, sweaty. AKA tonite, the last night in the ATX to dance with my besty K-Spot, who will relocate to Atlanta, Georgia next week for the HR dept at the job. super proud of her, and will sadface my last month in austin due to her absence. Sister in law came down for teh weekend and it was pretty much bliss. Dancing tonite kinda ruled, even though the songlist coulda been better..it was grand times all around. Going away party last nite at Shang (duh!) GTBF with Teamfab mate Jen and rocking "on a boat" with damon on the #19 bus late nite style.

This month has flown by it seems... sxsw was just last week...realized a few things. 1)i love public transit. Everytime i get on the bus there's a guaranteed compliment. Thanks fuckies, it really does mean something when you say i'm "lookin' good". plus i don't have to deal with APD or driving or giving a shit about getting to my vehicle. i feel free. this is good prep for new york. 2) i became a Twatter. well, i've had a Twitter acct for a while but never used it. Now i'm following some fuckies and it really is kinda fun. Shitsville on the battery power of the iPhone i will admit. 3)officially hoooked on Instagram. I wonder what real photographers think of all these effects and color washing and framing and such..at the press of a button. prolly haters. But i'm no expert, and instagram lets me pretend. Still in awe of all you people that can shoot the pics w/o the instahelp.
SXSW recap:
Thursday:
*lunch at east side kings w/ RT saved my tummy all day..delicious.
*surprised by Hooray for Earth who i hadn't heard of but caught at the pitchfork takeover at east side drive in. I thought of bear in heaven on prozac. glee!!
*Caught The Fresh and Onlys for the first of a thousand shows they played all week. sheesh!
*worth the walk to see Atlas Sound. homie was seriously painting a canvas of noise right in front of us. got serious chills. Thanks KSpot for the wise decision to try get in..super great timing.
*evening time..on thursday. Beach Fossils and Hunx and His Punx at Shang. Beach Fossils were stunning, as always..the crowwd actually got the fuck into it and John ended up with a bloody bass thumb. Love me some sweet dudes who are appreciative of humble atx crowds. and the townies of course.
FRIDAAY:
*Small Black was a winner...same with last year with guest Washed Out. Made it back this year for teh Rhapsody party, which was pretty grand with the free shirts and guiness and such. Covered THe Sun was High (So was I) by best coast and was super dreamy
*great decision made to skip deerhunter (sorry braddy) to go to the Gorilla Vs bear party.. HRO tweeted that Matt Bonner from the Spurs was in attendance and that was kinda awesome. Made our way down for fucking Summer Camp, which was totally enthralling.. This girl had me cross over for a second. came down into the crowd and we danced, got a lil 3 finger action in..the recording is even better. Thanks kspot! I fancy a duo, but the production on the album fills that shit up.
*Soft Moon: perfection. dark in the club. Pedals fucking everywhere, seriously, how the fuck do you remember what each pedal does?!? holy geez it was perfect. A place to bury a place to bury strangers y'all.
*Longbranch in at night. Another decision with great luck and timing cuz that shit filled up. Saw WEekend and prolly was supposed to like them more or something. BUT the highlight of the fest was Gobble Gobble from canada. These dudes had a Dj on stage making beats..band on the floor with crazy ass keyboards, samplers, percussion out of your mom's kitchen cabinets, glocks, makeshift shakers..plus they had no shirts and wore tutus. carried props through the crowd and totally let us bang on shit. We were seriously grinding against a Nord electro..so fucking up front. sweaty dance party to songs we'd never heard. love love TTM.
*Cloud nothings played right after and we were equally close and it felt houseparty cozy.

Saturday:
east side drive in for mess with texas fest..
*finally saw The Oh Sees, kinda over rated live.but hey, not pissed.
*caught candy claws finally at Gypsy, along with Headless Horsemen. Two dudes face to face with drums and a laptop..by god you must be from NY and practice in your 1/2 bedroom. good job guys!
*Surfer Blood at ESD..view from the top of the #19 Bus (food trailer with upstairs hangout zone). it was nice, but of course the sound not the greatest. Dead Milkmen kinda rocked it though..i think the view and the nostalgia made up for the sound.

*finally say Constantina from Belo Horizante Brazil. Friends of Rapha's, never met, instantly recognized me, bought me a beer and offered me food. GODDAMNIT i love Brazilians! the show was spectacular and they put on a grand party. Mostly instrumental, loungy, somewhat jazzy, but the drums kicked in and hints of Mogwai and noisy, clamorous chaos brought life into it. Streamers and confetti? yup. did i say i fucking loved brazil? shiiiiiit!

So Jen and I had our Team Fab gig for the Thrillist Party on monday. It was kinda the most awesome show we'd ever played. The crowd was amazing, we were treated like queens, if queens like Pop Chips, free Rum, and Durex condoms, hee hee. well, we are those types of queens, and it was great beign on stage with each other, interacting with the crowd, and honestly NGFing. If that was Team Fab's last show (sniff sniff) it was one for the books.

OKAYS, enough about southbysouthwest. its over. austin is normal again, if only for a brief time. cuz this next month is gonna be chaos. i predict a riot. of freakouts. and uncertaintity. But this weekend, as we said farewell to Krissie, its apparent that this place will always be home.

Random thoughts:
-Kanye West i didn't see you live but dancing to monster is fuckin A
-Michael Cera wears a hoodie and a backpack...and this ain't a movie set son. you're still adorable
-bummed about not seeing Foster the People
-Jam of the Week: Oberhofer : I Could Go. justcan'tfuckingstoplisteningtoit!
-the generationals have some great songs, i should just listen to the fucking album more
-fuckies in austin don't need spring break to go bat shit crazy. eeks RE: tonite
-i'm retiring my Larry Bird jersey for Paul Pierce on Tuesday. go celtics! here we go birthday. yay!

<3 all

Sunday, March 20, 2011

words will break my laughing muscles. SXSW

WOW, did you hear the news?!!? so. it was a violent fest. i hate that shit. we're trying to have fun and we don't want to end up in a hospital or searching for cotton balls we don't have in our fucking purses cuz when the fuck would we need those? bandaids perhaps, but shit.. wanna be scotch tape doesn't stop the bleeding. i can count the number of scary episodes at sxsw this year (and the many thanks for my lack of presence at said events):

1) the strokes at auditorium shores for free. fuckies stormed the barricades and all of a sudden RIverside drive onlookers had a blocked off street and a place to bro down at the shitsville festival style BS atmosphere that is Auditorium Shores. gugh. has anyone seen the strokes live? not worth the madness. musically perhaps, but check your egos at airport security please!!!!!

2) Screeching Weasel fuckface decided to punch two WOMEN at the scoot in. FUCK YOU twice. san antonio show cancelled either cuz homie is in jail or will get his ass beat. thank you LA times and all the interweb velocity for getting the word out on this..shit TTM. srsly, just search Screeching Weasel gets into Fight! on YouTube. gross

3) Boom camera arm at OMD show at stubbs fell on crowd and sent two ppl to the ER.This was an official SXSW showcase w/ improper permits.

4) DFA played at the beauty bar where alley onlookers broke down the fenced barricade. is on Youtube and looks not toooo bad, but screams of a girl needing help never sets my heart at east. Nice interim jokes told by DFA whilst the APD had to TCB on horses.

So aside from some superduper amazing nice shows, which i will write about later, i'll close with a few memorable quotes from the week:

1)" now would be a great time to be on psychadelics" - some bro hanging out at Flamingo Cantina awaiting the only Atlas Sound show at SXSW. K-spot and myself agreed that the general monstrosity of the sponsorship logos and oddly placed gold watch dealer banner would put anyone on psychadelics into a tailspin. #beerisgood

2)"man i wish i could get into a fight right now!" some dudester just kicking it, post 2:15 AM on east 5th street on the walk to my car last night. srsly bro, the pure volume house is not worth a fight.

3)"You are not an Ostrich" -kpsot telling me that my outstretched neck wouldn't even be able to see the end of the line at longbranch inn for Gobble Gobble and Cloud Nothings. Thank GOD cuz we posted up early fuckies and were rewarded with the madness of houseparty style dancing and noise <3

4)"Can I Kiss you" -homeless dude "no"-Me "Can i give you a hug?" -homeless dude "no but thank you anyway" --me. "I like your demeanor" --homeless dude. This was an extrememly awesome interaction witha non begging homeless man. dare i say i was smiling the whole time?!? well i was, out of laughter and maybe a bit of 'GODDAMNIT I LOVE AUSTIN!!" but the smell was a bit intrusive.. said homieless was spotted eating out of trashcan tonite, FYI

5) "my mic smells like beard." --Aaron Sinclair of Frank Smith. I found it to be the least vulgar of things one could say about a weiner shaped apparatus. just sayin.

6) "can i get more applause in my monitor?"-- Lead singer of Smith Westerns. funny as hell, but a complete DB the entire time. WTF? hate that shit. file that under too young to be so idolized by the pitchfork readers...and don't let shit go to yer head.

i would write more about the amazing music i saw (Dom, Gobble Gobble, Cloud Nothings, Soft Moon, Summer Camp, The Lemurs, Beach Fossils AKA the nicest band ever, Hunx, Royal Bangs, No Age..etc) and the ultra fun DJ gig with Jen a la Team Fabrication style... but girls gotta rest. Maybe a regrets and highlights blog to come?? so...Spring Break is officially cashed. only the week, not the mentality, hee hee.. Kanye or not (emphasis on not damnit!!) it was breathtaking and sentimental..and was enjoyed with the greatest of forever friends... i'm talking to you RT, Krissie, Gunner, Jen, Damon, and new friends, my Brazilian homies from the band Constantina (hailing frome Belo Horizante) as well. <3 special thanks for my bro, sis in law, and my folks for coming in to enjoy the march madness. Special thanks to Rio Rita double espresso over ice with a shot of sweet n low and cream. and maddd thanks to the door peeps/ bartenders at shang, gypsy,Longbranch, rio rita, hotel vegas, mohawk, and everyone for being so bushy tailed and grinning ANY time a regular like myself/us stormed up amongst a sea of tourists. it'll be hard to leave home after such hospitality. TAKE A BREAK KIDS>>> its much deserved ;) and TYVM for GVBear for an excellent party at the Klub K. kinda got excited that HRO tweeted that Matt Bonner was at said party. Go Spurs..sort of..i mean, after the celtics of course ;) oh and diazepam, old school homeowner on east 6th with 1$ watter bottles and cokes, plus Sopranos reruns to lull me to bed..much love and hugs ;)

BTW, i got prime viewing for surfer blood and dead milkmen on the top of the cheesesteak smelling lonestar stocking #19 bus..all hail buddy Tim for the bus and awesome food trailer invasion of east austin. here's a mini vid:

Sunday, March 6, 2011

the house of fashion

my friend RT said i should get ready for dudes wearing shiny silver spacesuits and giving themselves hardons because of it. on the subway. well i'm not even there, and I'm over it. IT!!! i'm also over the whole single rat tail dreadlock (emphasis on DREAD) i see many a dudebro fuckie sporting around town, mainly after the PBR run or buffalo exchange. Okay, I'M BEING AN ASSHOLE--- yeah i get it. Guilty as charged. maybe i'm jealous of the stylish girls or maybe i'm too broke to afford what i really want to buy, whether or not its what they have or a la croix or rodarte dress i just saw in elle. but seriously, everyone looks the fuckin same, and everything hits at once. too much at once. trying to make a statement has become the most mundane statement on the planet. for the most part, people are sweet and jovial when you spend an actual second to have an actual meet up or conversation...and style really, truly doesn't define a persons true essence, all cards on the table . I guess i just don't get what and why things are fashionable. at said moment at least. or is it a certain attitude i try to look past but am intimidated by? i like to think not because i try my hard, hard, hardest to be with and around everyone i see, and i'm usually rewarded by this mantra. i guess, well, i'm just ranting right now. dammnnnitt!!! oh and also i'm admitting, i'm sick of my wardrobe. i'm sick of trends. i want more flashy accessories, i want bejeweled vintage waist cinching dresses (thanks a lot Mad Men) and i don't have them. plus warm boots and textured leggings. waah wahh for me. okay i'm stoppping . i can do better than this BS. but wait, this isn't BS is it?!? or is it!??! God help me and the rat tails . hearts xo

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

the big 3

three shows in three days. im so tired, i can only hope that the sxsw party-a-thon wont ruin me with fatigue like the past few nites. all for a great cause though. won't lie to you, it is always a pleasure seeing the laughing, and sunday nite was a great preview. last nite i caught the Elephant 6 Holiday Tour. my new crush is Julian Koster, former member of NMH plus founding member of the music tapes. i must admit a lil disappointment with the whole evening, forgive me E6 Gods ;) The Olivia Tremor Control covers were by far the best of the bunch. And if you were in the crowd i hope you like Elf Power as much as i did cuz the set was heavy on the elf. no complaints;) no 5 fingering anyone, just a brush on the back of Scott Spillane, which really is kinda cool.. the band changed my life. i hate the word, but yeah, in an entirely EPIC way. so onto tonite, PS I Love You and Diamond Rings. A-FUCKING-MAZING!! PS I Love you's first time in texas, and they killed it. had to turn to my friend ashley cuz i was stuck in that damnit, who does he remind me of?!?! mode. WOlf Parade. DUH. homeboy Pete from PSILOVEYOU sounds like spencer krug. to the fucking max. not a mystery, but God bless ash for getting it off my mind for the rest of the set. speaking of the set, my ears were bleeding. stood way too close and the guitar amp was slaying everything. but it was powerful and right to just get lost in. esp when J Mascis riffs came stabbing at the crowd from said amp. it was such a pump up for Diamond Rings. I found myself 8 counting Jazzercise steps to the beats, and had nice front and center viewing capabilities. i almost decided to wait until sxsw to catch them, but holy geez this was one great show. without all the riff and raff. elfgirl needs sleep now. xo

Monday, February 28, 2011

Pre Spring post

surprise of the day...Sunday Jazzercise class... i never go on sundays, and today was just what i needed after waking up to a dreary morning. Jazzercise has been a Godsend to me, ever since i became too disenchanted with my neighborhood to jog..and i go because i'm sick of the normal scenery of the standard 3 miles, and I love the incorporation of actual dance routines into a cardio workout. Plus i get to hear some awesome music. most of which i would never choose to listen to whilst cleaning the house, driving around during various errands..or anyfuckingtime for that matter. I'm now better schooled on Katy Perry, Beyonce, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and so many more.. Today was completely surprised to hear "Don't You Evah" by Spoon during the pre weight segment.. "They're from Austin" homegirl Kate announced. She always talks about the music (which i love about her leading the class. plus anyone with a pulse can tell she's an ex drill team member, and totally loves the extra rhythmic step she adds to all the 8 count routines.yes!!) I also heard some Scissor Sisters..apparently two SS songs have made it onto Jazzercise routine playlists. Flor-ida i heard also, and realized i've been pronouncing it wrong the whole time. An old remix of Rick Springfield also made it into the mix today, and i thought "GODDAMNIT i wanna DJ this soo fucking bad!!" Shakira has me movin my hips and feeling a lil extra brazilian and booty bangin all the time. we did a mambo once too.. one of my favorite routines. i never knew that the step-ball-change i abandoned when i was 8 years old would have so much impact on my life a good (CHRIST!) 25 years later. sheesh. i can only hope i get some J-Cize into my life up in the Northeast. speaking of...lots of headway has been made, and things are quickly progressing..just need to unload some seriously unimportant tangible goods, book my ticket, and its showtime!
speaking of... shows! ahh yes, its a show week for sure.. i saw the laughing tonite. got lost in a plethora of soundscapes yet to be topped by any band in the ATX in my humble opinion. BTW, Grant plz don't ever cut that hair!! plus caught a bit of International waters, a new ATX band that tickled my ears quite a bit. Tomorrow i'm going to the Elephant 6 Holiday Reunion Tour. Hoping for a jeff mangum sighting, but will be certainly pleased to see old members of Elf Power, Marshmallow Coast, OTC, sunshine fix, NMH, music tapes and whoever else wants to chime in..playing old tunes. i haven't done much research on this tour, and didn't have my hopes up too high.. after reading the 33 1/3 series on Neutral Milk Hotel and realizing the importance and DIY normalcy (for the time at least) innerworkings of the whole collective...I have to see it. To me, it seems completely imaginative and somewhat enchanting and admirable for this blogospheric/internet culture we now reside in that this collective remained the family that never lost its core beliefs.. at least i hope not. And after attending show after show of side project after offshoots of side projects, it could be pretty magical to see a culmination of it all. honestly i'm kinda hoping for all covers of the greats..i see so much new stuff nowadays..and i love it to the max.. but we all can pinpoint a time when a song or a genre really defined ourselves as obsessive creative freaks. and quite frankly i'm glad to enjoy the circus..and if it sucks, well, i'm still gonna see my husband at ATP in New Jersey in October...yeeeeaah.
Night 3 of show week is PS I Love You with Diamond Rings just added to the bill. kinda really jazzed about this show. Tuesday nite, the first day of march.. a great way to start off the March of madness.. the month of my birthday and the departure of my best friend to the city of Atlanta. The month i finally get to see Ray Allen go balls deep vs the Spurs. I'm gonna do my best to not be sad. I'll prolly cry at Frank Smith on Thursday. but that's alright. we've still got the mid march mania of SXSW to keep the demons away. at least for a lil while until real life and real feelings set in. Again, more commentary on the move (yeah yeah,read it and huff..it IS on my mind all the time...sorry for the boring yet most prioritized thoughts going on in elfland)..gotta switch banks and switch bills, rent my room out, and cut several ties to texas on the accounting tip. Plane ticket to arrive and be booked within the next week or so. Then everything becomes real. reality. yes, its gonna come some time, and it can't be blanketed by the many attempts of doing so as of late..times have been good...but knowing that a new real version of living is on the horizon...thats a scary yet exhilirating way to feel. its showtime for elfgirl. rehearse everyone, cuz we all need to perform TTM! gnite loves.
oh wait, PS! i think the Mohawk was playing some of the new walkmen tonite, and it fucking rocked. i coulda been wrong, but whatever, shit sounded great and reminded me to not give up on bands that stole my heart once or twice <3



3/1/2011 fuckies! BTW, homeboy didn't change clothes all week last year.. but his makeup was perfection ;)

Friday, February 18, 2011

its getting fuzzy in here..

so these bands i hear lately..they tickle my ears and i dig em.. admittedly, they all kinda sound like Jesus and Mary Chain and Spiritualized ...fuuuzzzed out. reverb. distortion peds TTM. feedback. feedblack ;) sometimes there's a lady singing who isn't Hope Sandoval, but whatever. yummy. yeah just a thought. and its nuts to see the time and trends circulate like legwarmers and fingerless gloves. its the second coming kids.. or the third..

saw HRO's valentines day photo winners were posted today.. i thought i may send a photo 2 carles telling homebro i'd give him the Ntire alphabet if he'd B my BF4 life or sumthing. j/k . srsly. i dont really want to enter that contest, it could scar one for life losing. that commentary is harsh..but as of late, i do like the whole Panera bread dude..

so SXSW...Kanye will be here. i will be *hopefully* riding my bike around..cuz everyone's hip to the whole east side factor, and a lot of fuckies drive cars here. more to come on SXSW. DUH. Kanye just came up. no one man should have all that power. ha.

another random thought...Weekend titled their album "sports". that makes perfect sense to me.. i love huey lewis, and a lot of badass sporting events happen over the weekend. wonder if they thought of this shite..

sidenote: i wonder if i should DL the Men, cuz on the the fuckbook Empire of the Sun told me i should czech the Men out.

too much to think about. i DJ for the first time in months on tuesday. i hope everyone likes JAMC. and, um..whatever i like? yeah that would be cool.

barbarella has two floors open now (TFL!!!) and will do a test run tomorrow nite with the ladies. The weather feels nice right now. its good to be out and dining al fresco was wonderful this evening..

despite the news, moving to new york in may seems appropriate, as people "come out" and are "happy" during that time. Well, i see the subtle differences in ppl here in ATX, where nothing even remotely drastic happens weather wise..so i'm hoping that these descriptions of the NEsterners is accurate. BTW, i'm not sure i really wanna live in Park Slope. I'm not rich nor pregnant, and i could use more in my life besides a nice park and a giant food co=op or whathaveyou.. not dissing on it, i just was really hoping to settle in greenpoint. But the doors wide open now.. elfgirl on a winging it type of tip. won't this be lovely? so lovely, i'll have to scream.

goodnite you lovelies, tolerant of random elfgirl musings <3 and more..
xo
E

Sunday, February 13, 2011

remember to love

tend to wonder sometimes.. whatever happened to THAT album, THAT band, THAT song..one trick pony? one song on a mix CD from boy i'm dating that was followed by an illegally downloaded album? awesome SXSW set and then what? going thru some old tunes..and just wondering what happened to.. or moreso should i still be listening to.. or WTF have i been cuz i know you put out another album and i didn't czech it out or whathaveyou nonsense.. anyways, just curious..
saturday looks good to me, daedelus, blank dogs, duraluxe, the sun, the glands, apollo sunshine, white flight, the envelopes..
so many more.. it all started with Sea wolf popping up on the ipod while reading the newspaper in peace last night. i never listen to sea wolf anymore, and at one time, it didn't go off repeat...one of recent decent.. then it dawned on me, that my playlist is full of casualties, at least to me. this is temporary, and i don't like it. its time for a ressurection.. and a spelling lesson apparently. anyways, its valentines day officially. no diatribes on love songs or happy hearts. just an official THANKYOU for broken hearts and hard times. Those give you the ability to be the hardest, betterest, fastest, and strongest you can be <3

Thursday, February 10, 2011

2561 baby!

tonight magic happened. My boyfriend Ray Allen (not to be confused with my boyfriend Chris Knox or husband Jeff Mangum of course!) made history tonite. He is now the all time leader in 3 point shots in NBA history. I adore the Celtics, I had to see this game. And icing on the cake, my sweetie sunk it against the Lakers, yeaaah! It made me soo happy. I even maneuvered my schedule at work around to see this awesomeness:



I kinda wanted to cry. I really just wanted to be there in the Garden. I met up with some folks at our favorite B-Ball joint where my heart was crushed last year when the lakers beat the celtics in the NBA Finals. ahh what a series... what a game.. just a bad finish. Last year was loud, intensity left and right, jumping up then sitting back down..standing the entire last quarter..the best~! Tonite a bit more subdued, and we were able to hear the bar tunes. Now for an historical game like this, i'd prefer to hear the commentary, but i'm willing to let that go for good conversation, pals, and tunes....Usually this bar plays the redundant 90s favorites or pop punk teen/tween movie soundtrack crap. Tonite, I was surprised at the fine selection of artists at Little Woodrow's. Little Woody's we like to say, bahahah! (No that never gets old.)

The Drums, The XX, The Soft Pack, Helena Beat, Phoenix, Hockey, Spoon, Young the Giant, The National, Band of Dorses, Yeasayer, Fences, Edward Sharpe, Silversun Pickups, Cut Copy..

who the hell is helena beat? IDK, but i plan on finding out PDQ. shazamed that sucker!
So after a week of being home sick, i got better for my baby and saw the pivotal shot. i got all geeky and soft hearted when they showed Ray Allens mom. Standing ovation, handshakes, everyone was hugging him. Even Kobe showed a bit of love.. that's pretty much the only time i'll give Kobe that much credit and please note this is off court/non statistical cred. (yeah hes fun to watch, he's a fucking impressive player, but honestly kinda been an ass. him and ray have had words.)

Needless to say, I fucking love the celtics, i love me a game of basketball, and I'm going to miss not watching the playoffs in Austin this year. So many grand memories. And now, a good bar soundtrack that had us dancin in our chairs!

geez new york, be nice to me come may <3

Sunday, February 6, 2011

time baby

another brilliant nite in austin that deserves a write. saw two ends of the ATX spectrum, highlighted by the simple notion that gettin across the entertainment district should always be quick and free *just say NO to night time parking meters!!
so went to beerland w/ GFace to see Black Gum. was oh so pleasantly surprised.(well the rough tracks i'd heard had me excited so perhaps surprised isn't the best word. who cares) Nonetheless, Badger on the drums, Travis on guitar and IDK who on bass..it was on LD for sure! sloppy muddled vocals, jangly guitar, drum lady totally TCBing mad style, a song named "the longest two minutes of your life" ..played with a Harlem/woven bones asthetic..it was amazing..it belonged in the matador Casual Victim Pile. One song, introduced as "we're gonna sing about the beach!" made my receptors go in high gear happy. Saw some really old faces (srsly considered before going that i may be the only person over 30 in the venue..NOT TRUE) and was happy that the same Austintes AKA ex models, ppl at afterparties of the olden years, ex/semi musicians were in attendance. Beerland will always be hip apparently because that's where everyone starts, and everyone stays, if that makes sense. reminisced about the too many times i'd played on that same stage and how FUCKING LOUD the stage monitors were, how shit wasn't heard at all in the crowd.. esp regarding vocals. always wondering how it sounded after playing... I didn't miss This Microwave World oddly enough, it was a run that raced like many an austin band..it was in a happy sort of memory zone i fell into..for a brief moment...i wish i coulda stayed for Soft Healer but made my way across town to see Frank Smith. I tell you, i've been waiting for the new 2011 Frank Smith song births..and sure enough 2 new songs were delivered. Evolved and raw, harder and with even more strut and swagger. jaw dropped. small splices of noisy Spiritualized feedback, a hint of CCR, and vocalist Aaron sinclair had thoughts of Kurt Cobain yelling as he did on "Drain You". I'm not even sure this can be conceptualized for a bluesy americana band, and it may not seem appropriate. but seriously, a whole new level was achieved. it. was. intense. best live so far by the FS.
Last nite dream of seeing Wild Nothing was realized. Saw with K-Spot and new fan Jeannettieo. the set was eternally perfect in every way. the band was gracious and i got the feeling they weren't expecting to play for a packed ass room. as i fan, an admirer, i think " how the fuck could they not realize it?", but honest to GOD they seemed humble and surprised. Abe Vigoda pretty much rocked it after a few songs and some sound board realizations. Just a few adjustments were made and the sound was grand. Props to the keyboardist/guitarist. unprops for the crowd not allowing me to see WTF kind of synth he was playing. Wah, wah.
Kspot and i both came to the oddest conclusion: this band Abe Vigoda rules but singer sounds like dude from the bravery (or the futureheads/kaiser chiefs/whoeverthefuckelse was buzzband at the time during SXSW ..um...06 perhaps??) either way couple the bands and above and beyond the best show i've seen at Red 7 inside.
in other news, i have a DJ gig in a few weeks. Its been since november and that was a wedding. i wonder WTF to play. i wonder if Traktor still works. I wonder how the skipped AP at danny's is going. I wonder where all the hot Brazilians were tonite since it was Carnival.. oh wait, perhaps they were AT carnival festivities ') oh well..
things are still grand when you let them be. even when you venture back to past stomping grounds you thought were not welcoming or welcomed for that matter. There's no place like home.

Monday, January 31, 2011

magic and mystery

so i was gonna write about seeing no joy, wavves, and best coast. But honestly, i can't say enough about how seeing a sold out show at emo's makes me cringe. i could listen to it all in my car and geek the fuck out moreso than the show thursday nite. whatever..shit was fun and much anticipated..but like most shows at emo's (God bless 'em) just can hear what i wanna hear properly when i can't get front and center. IN other newz..I'M GOING TO SEE JEFF MANGUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HFC, holy fucking christ i am going to new jersey to see Jeff Mangum at the intimate (?) monday nite show following the all tomorrows parties festival in october. I never thought i'd get to have this experience. My girl Julia refreshed and refreshed browser style and was able to procure us tix. This means i have to move to NY.not that there was any question, but hey, i'm going...and i have an adventure to attend to a few months after i arrive. the stars have aligned for once. YOOOOZA!!!!! and on a side note, K-spot and myself tried dancing this saturday and heard a terrific track..we couldn't figure out who it was..had a beach fossils sort of vibe...something about Olivia in the lyrics.. if anyone knows said track please comment! it would make us veeeery happy!
xo
elfgirl

Thursday, January 27, 2011

HOLY GOATS and SMOKES!!

damnit i need a whole day to write about this but a lovely photo will have to suffice for now...see below and good gracious, aren't we all so excited?!? BTW, what's with the (Neutral Milk Hotel) next to my husbands name? if you get tix for the intimate mangum-only monday nite and need that set of parentheses to know what you're in for....well..GAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. i hope you at least have the best fucking life changing, heart healing, magical nite of your life (TRYING not to be jealous)...OR sell them to someone who will weep in the presence of such majesty, AKA elgirl... here! present and accounted for! check! pick me, pick me, pick me!



more to come, OMG! WTF?!?!!!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

4 is the magic number

its 4 am here, which is appropriate cuz i have exactly 4 things i want to write about just briefly before haytime. geez if only i had 4 hours!

1) recorded:
i just got a collection of ariel pink and matt fishbecks Holy SHit. i'm not too schooled on this but i'm becoming a quick lover of all things holy shit. i think of TV personalities when i hear it.. church bells and both anger and sadness..and i long to see it live, even though i prolly never will.. the politics and passion and beauty of it all..they have my heart in so many ways.. how can they span such great lengths to connect to us all on a myriad of different levels/topics/interests.. God bless em.. Hers's my favorite "My Whole Life Story"



2)Live: I went to see The Laughing tonite. I've been a bad fan. its been months since ive seen them. and GODDAMNIT i wanted to leave the venue and weep of happiness of the wonder of this show. the growth as a band is astounding *been following for years* and id o hope they make it out on another tour.. i saw Grant just morph into an animal on the drums, and Logan leading the party with sexy, fluttering vocals.. which were totally audible just enough to hear the harmonies provided by Grant and new bass player Matt. I can't describe the influences i heard.. the old Jungle/experimental/indie rock pop labeling just cant cover the capacity of this band. I heard 4 new songs tonite. i wonder if they've been listening to Bear in Heaven.. 16 deluxe, sonic youth, psychadelic furs, syd barrett, gauntlet hair .. a fucking melting pot of the most delicious stew of tunes ever.. i wonder if they thought the jagged waterfalls of noise (via angular guitar, intriguing and low ended- as they should be- basslines, and blankets of synth noise) needed some oomph? cuz outta nowhere, loud bombastic and frantic drumming came in, and immediately a different (same) song was played. I was so impressed with the unexpected tempo changes, the rise and fall of the pace and energy, the noisy and melodic atmosphere, affected so perfectly with hints feedback and simple slices of noise and the crescendos down into a Lower Dens sort of jam zone...plus the feeling of wanting another song RIGHT NOW! it was a truly brilliant show.. the best of 2011 so far..


here's and old video of The Laughing as captured by Leah Ross, an angel of a videographer;


3) I'm currently reading the 33 1/3 series about Neutral Milk Hotel's Aeroplane Over the Sea by Kim Cooper. I'm astounded at the closeness and open forum she's achieved with her account of the elephant 6 collective and the role Neutral Milk Hotel played during that beloved time in the late nineties in Athens, Georgia. I adore the back story, personal tidbits, and each members respective journies into the band... some of them involve New york city, Austin ,Texas (hook em fuckies!) ,and various other places around the country . I'm going to have to re read a few chapters with album art in hand, and Aeroplane on repeat in the itunes. i can't wait to finish. and I"m def going to the Elephant 6 Holiday Tour. I've refallen in love with this magic, even though i wasn't privvy to it during its inception. am i overindulging in a fantasy right now? cuz this book is blowing my mind in terms of the collectiveness and unconventional circus ride that made the elephant 6 collective we have pasted in all our heads. I hope not. i want to believe.

4) I'm leaving Austin. GODDAMNIT it was one of those nites when you see all the people you want, and really feel like your town is special. You miss some folks you wish were with you, but you see some folks that have been off the radar, such as yerself. Seeing The Laughing, seeing old friends, visiting beautiful special people for just a wonderful few moments.. it all meant so much.. it will be hard to leave..but i'm keeping my eyes on an unknown prize. a lil scary..but i know that new faces will be loved and the ones still here always go on tour.

side notes from tonite: Pajama pants get you everywhere at the ghetto convenient store, i miss being on stage with an instrument. DJing is a must and soon. i did not see Javelin tonite, and i don't regret it at the moment. hiding out for a while is grand. i think i saw some of my substitute teaching students at the laughing show. could be wrong but they all had cokes and fat Xs on the hands. weirdness. did not feel old despite said realization <3
loves from a friday nite,
elfgirl