ooh my dear deerhunter

dream a little dream all about the basement scene. this album "flows" as K-spot described to me. and damn bradford sings so sweetly and gently that who wouldnt be enamoured at his musings whether genuinely depressing/confusing or hopeful, wise, and optimistic/reflective. hearing it made me realize that "i don't wanna get old" but alas i am. however i question the idea of "getting old" WTF does that mean?!?! we always define old by the age we are. its all relative. old was 17 at one point.. during the Y or teen mag years. Now i realize that as long as my friends remember me, i am never gonna be old/get old/feel old. what a blessing that is. GODDAMN this album is genius.

weekly date.

first and foremost, anyone reading this should go straight here http://kmusicnow.blogspot.com/
This is my number one musical partner in crime AKA the ever so lovely K-Spot, Krissie, Homegirl, etc i have referred to in past blogs. She's started a blog and trust me, you should listen to her. Your life WILL BE BETTER. Lucky me, I have listened to her in the form of countless mix cds over the past year we've been friends. If i had the fundage, i'd send a copy of each to everyone i know. Or even better, i'd ask her to partner up with me and we'd start a record label, a promotions company...or at least fly around the world and see whatever show or festival we wanted. But i'm not independently wealthy, unfortunately. Point is, she's shown me great bands, i like to think i returned the favor at one time or another, and its wonderful how we feed off each other so well. Its a peculiar bond we have, one that developed quickly out of circumstances beyond our control.... we were awash with turmoil, sadness, sickness, anger, and confusion a year ago, and i wouldn't have made it through without her. There was always one thing to take our minds off the madness of our shared experience: music. cliche as it sounds, blah blah, its truer than true. Whether we were geekin out on something new, dancing, or seeing shows, it was a perfect escape mechanism from the times, and a perfect time to become friends. And here we are, together in the blogosphere, and just a couple of hours away from our ritualistic tuesday nite hangout at Shang Ri La. Two dollar Tuesdays yo! Its our time to catch up, question everything that's right and wrong with our lives, and talk about bands. Most definitely a weekly highlight. The good news is that now, If i want K-Spot on a Monday, i can have her on this here blog site. woo hooo! once i get all fancy pants and such i'll even link her up to me, if she'll have me ;)

Recent R &Rs:

Regrets: missed Twin Shadow on Friday, Gayngs album not as awesome as i envisioned, didn't impulsively buy plane ticket to Scion Garagefest in Lawrence, Kansas this weekend.

Reward: "Peace in the Valley" by Dawes, GL for Spoon at the mohawk on LD, successfully DJing a wedding, sneaking in Weezer "Surf Wax America, and watching the groomsmen go apeshit ;)

bye for now!

harlem

dilemma of the evening: Harlem vs The Drums. DUH, go see the drums. but wait, i really like harlem much better even though i've seen em a dozen times. fuck it.drinks are cheaper, venue is better. K-Spot tipped the scales. Done and duh, harlem it was. They brought it. fresh off tour. sooo superduper tight, songs deftly tweaked and Blue did an amazing job with sound. so refreshing to see the boys back home before hittin up the matador vegas extravaganza i wish i could teleport myself to w/o spending a dime. So yeah, crowd was amazing, sans drunk ass twice stage diving into concrete...(YES< i said concrete, nobody wanted to catch yer ass) mofo who really took shit to the extreme. gaaaawd. come down please sir, we just want to enjoy the show. not that i can't get into that shit, but really, this dude was the only fuck i've ever seen get onstage with harlem (to their credit, they took it like champs!) and take pics in their fuckin faces. and whatever drugs he was on, he'd obviously taken every last bit of em and had none to share, hee hee. BTW, give it a rest you are not at an aeriel pink show and nobody is gonna youtube that shite. anyhow, so glad we mde the choice to see harlem. the banter was witty as usual, and i think the sobriety was higher cuz that shit sounded amazing and there was no innerband makings fun of each other for fuckin up. THank GOD the bass was turned up, new harmonies were invented, and well, they were just the same harlem yet elevated. Can't go wrong. Tonite was pretty fuckin amazing. and well, i hope everyon at The Drums had as much fun.

interview

so. it was a first tonite. DJ gig with one of my favorite local bands The Laughing, Incredible show, but not the first.. The real deal was though, an interview with MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE magazine Nylon in the works. Not sure how or why this whole interview/photoshoot came to be, but i will admit that the tunage and the frocks are sorta my thing. And Nylon had come to the ATX to interview the scene, and somehow Team Fabrication made the cut. And Nylon is a publication that encompasses my for way lack of a better term, passion for both. completely on the up and up on the whatsgoingsons in terms of parties i'd like to attend, food i'd like to eat, bands i'd like to see, clothes i'd want to layer, etc forever.... plus half the bands i like are from brooklyn, and well, the nylon offices are not but a coupla trainstops away. plus the spreads are always TDF!!! to die for. so anyways, not gonna talk too much about something that shouldn't be talked too much about..mostly for fear of ruining what a fabulous nite it was (despite my swearing/acronyms/lack of ability to convey my opinion and attitude about the whole thing ...the whole thing being how i felt about fashion, austin, music, etc..... but whatever) i think it went really well! i just don't wanna write too much cuz really maybe we were annoying, or not as exciting as teh GODDAMNED huge list of bands/ppl they were scheduled to hang out with while here. anyhow, Jen really took the reigns and we really worked well together. Usually it is me who does the bulk of the interviews..but tonite she shined, and i was so proud of her. and i guess it comes from years of knowing someone to collaborate and communicate and cut each other off and tell each other to fuck off at just the right moment. it makes sense. if we were a band wed be perfect tourmates. anyways, we'll see what comes of our moment in the sun, something or nothing. either way, it felt good that we'd stuck to our guns for all these years, and someone outside the regs noticed. and trust me i love the regs, but it can hurt to see the irregular side of things once in a while. more to come... xo

music and coffee and cigatrettes

my first day of being smoke free was today! i feel so proud of myself, its kinda nutz! i had a wisdom tooth pulled and was unable to smoke, drink beer, use a straw, chew stuff.. generally felt like shit and slept thru the pain with some ipuprophen and hydrocodone. i followed the guidelines strictly. i was a good girl. then the day came when i was allowed to have a cigarette. i refrained for fear of dry sockets. and then the next day was "Vice Day" i drank two glasses of wine and smoked 3 cigarettes 5 days after my extraction. the cig tasted lame. was it stale? or did i eject a little monster from my system for a few days long enough to make the smoke taste bad. i hope i will never know. i decided that maybe i could smoke only when i drink.. and how convenient that i was going to be goin out and drinking pretty much every nite that week due to seeing my bro and sister off out of town, dancing, shows, whathaveyou. and i realize that it was easier and convenient that way. all the while i was reading Allen Carr's famous book about quitting smoking. it was making a lot of sense. the principals are really interesting, very basic and i was intrigued by the simplicity of the ideas. if i follow the book i realize that i have to look at cigarettes as something that don't bring me pleasure, as a crutch i DON"T NEED. Smokikng doesn't enhance situations. i could go on and on but after reading the book and seeing teh studies, its really true. why do all smokers envy non smokers? smoking feels pleasureable but really pleasure is not having that fucking foul itch and craving to smoke in the first place. at least that's what i think....so if i don't think cigarettes bring pleasure and are actaully hurting me, why would i even want to smoke when i'm drinking? that's when we get to associations.. how many shows have i seen that i feel have been enhanced by the puff of a cigarette? plenty. how many times have i associated the idea of being creative, playing music, sewing, generating great ideas that require commitment and concentration....with smoking? even more plenty.. how many conversations seemed more real when a cigarette was involved? a lot. especially in college, when i was really getting into the whole i dea of new music, being away from home, putting myself out there, being confident in who i was....cigarettes were always there to keep me whole..to have a reason to sit and spark up a conversation with someone..to make a friend. what do you do when you feel cool for the first time in your life because you are doing your own thing and you go to a show? you smoke. and you feel uncomfortable without a smoke because you're just standing there in all your new found confidence that is also a lil bit scary since you're not used to it...and well, you're A-Ok becasue you are there with yourself and your cigarette being fine and feeling good checking out a band you just discovered, feeling that the smoke represents independence. Maybe it did at one point for me, but i refuse to believe that i need a cigarette now to feel confident. shit, college is way long gone and at age 33, i think i've grown up and learned how to assert my independence. i don't need a crutch. i've learned that my body is God given healthy and happy and capable of feeling pressure and going thru both stressful and happy times without a cigarette...i know its the associations that are going to be the hardest. its going to be dancing, when smoking actually (ha) gives you a breather. The shows and feeling how wonderful it feels to stand so close and see a band you adore perform so loudly, so fiercely...you've waited months for this show. and its here. So we shall see how this goes.. But if i may go on a lil self reminder for a moment, i've crafted a few things i need to remind myself before i start hittin up the streets again. 1) i don't the the crutch of nicotine to live. happy/sad/stressful situations i've survived w/o cigs, i am entirely capable now too! 2) Smoking doesn't bring me pleasure.. in fact its killing me. it breaks my concentration instead of enhancing it, it brings on more stress than it reduces because i'm jsut going to stress about when i can have the next one. the amt of enjoyment i tell myself i get from smoking is miniscule to the amount of uncomfortable i get from wanting a cigarette and not being able to have one. think about it. it sucks when you can't have a cig and really fucking want one. the itch blows. 3) Smoking doesn' keep me closer to people. i can't associate relationships, close friends, fond memories of college, shows, parties, boyfriends, etc with cigarettes. the cigarette didn't make the relationship better or more meaningful , and it didn't make the music sound better. In fact, its physically impossible to hug someone your hardest when you have a smoke in hand. cigarettes keep me from connecting to people, not remaining closer. 4) the nicotine trap. everytime i don't smoke, i'm reducing cravings and killing the little monster inside me that wants another one. the monster is dying right now because i've not smoked all day and will continute to die. I"M STRONGER THAN THE MONSTER, and i won't be brainwashed that its enjoyable to smoke anymore. I dont' want to be a drug addict, a slave to nicotine. 5) How good does it feel to be a non smoker? well i felt awesome today after jogging and coffee knowing that my body would survive w/o. i wanted one at work a little bit but reminded myself how fucking proud i'd be if i went all day w/o a smoke. so i didn't. I don't have to be in a nicotine prison if i don't want to be, and ik feel powerful to break free from the jail! i'm Nelson Mandela, whoo hooo!! People who smoke want to do it too, i'm the envy of the smokers, who wish they could quit, yeah, go go go !
but so yeah, i will limit my smoking blogs to few.. most likely posted after shows where i may or may not smoke cigarettes at...we shall see. but for now, i am loving this day and lookking forward to waking up tommorrow..Cigarettes take the genuine me out of me, and i dont' want that. they don't make me a whole person, or the person i already see myself as or want to become.... they don't make me special, unique, cool], have more credibility, hip, intelligent, outgoing, creative, driven...none of these qualities are due to cigarettes. any of them that i possess i do for a reason, because i'm me, not because i'm a smoker. or an ex smoker? There isn't a void smoking fills or a quality that smoking gives me. except yellow teeth and irratibility when i don't have one. so for now and hopefully longer than now, i'm done... i deserve more credit than that, more life than that, fuckin A!!!

beach fossils knocked my socks off

i'm a little drugged up on post wisdom tooth removal meds, but i didn't wanna end the day w/o raving about the amazing fucking show Beach Fossils put on last nite. They were opening for Here We go Magic, but me and the K-Spot were there for one reason only. Not let down. right up front. bassist john took his shoes off. same with drummer. proper reverb on vocals. it was just right. renewed my faith in the soundsystem at emo's. I see waaay to many sold out shows there, and i'm usually forced to the outside stage left area...and it sometimes isn't even worth it.. BUT last nite, it was grand. To top it off, Krissie knew said bassist John and before she could intro me, he said he used to come see my band play in austin when he was in high school. "weren't you in some electropop band a long time ago?" he asked . i mentioned This Microwave World. "Yes!" he replied, and he's seen us on the very same stage i just watched him on. i was shocked that he remembered..i mean, years ago ! prolly 2004. but a sweet moment indeed and another reminder of how fucking small this world is.. and the ties btwn brooklyn and austin are sooo close. In other news, FFF fest lineup is officially out. IT IS STUNNING. Period. now how do i go for free? can i lend a piece of gear to a stage? can i do internshit stuff? gotta make it happen. more to come soon. like i said, i'm out of it. i feel like Wavves or best coast. it feels kinda awesome, and yes super excited they are coming for FFF. goodnite!

two favorite city rant

I FUCKING hate it when i feel like NYC has invaded Austin. I don't want to offend anyone since i love these cities dearly.. i grew up in one, and found a home in the other bigger one where the population density and wanderlust beats the fuck outta the homestead. That said, i really can't stand going dancing in one of the few places in austin and feeling like i'm in some just opened or below street level/no sign/makeshift bar club in some part of brooklyn when i'm really just on Red River Street in Austin trying to get a lil shakin and smilin done. i swear, do a dance circle if you want, act like you know karate and dance better than i do on many levels.... but seriously people it kills me. i know waht its like to want to feel special and make a scene or be noticed; we all do. one of my favorite salinger quotes , misquoted i'm sure is "i'm sick of myself and everyone else trying to make some kind of splash..i'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody." i get it. i live it. i know it. but when my dance space is invaded, i hate it. its my therapy. its my unleashing of my spirit that i'm prolly too scared to do anywhere else, even if it means having a coupla cocktails first. either way, maybe i acted the same way at some point, maybe i got in your way or pissed you off on the dancefloor. but i didn't start a dance circle or act like a shark. hey more power to you for that, we'd probably be friends if we weren't so concerned with the music, but really, the cicular dance a thon that invaded, when the real deal was only one dude who looked like he could be breakin II at the 6 line in Astor place...it was all very annoying. grrr.. oh well. the passion pit, chromeo , the cure, and Karen O were great, and ready for the floor is always a winner for sure, (CEO, The Drums, Wild Nothing, and Best Coast i missed) so kudos as always to the DJ. man, sometimes i feel like i should open my own club..then the excuses roll in: you're not talented enough, you hate accounting, yer gettin old for these hours, and mostly id just wanna dance the whole time instead of DJ. sorry about the rant, just felt like i had to get it out there. grrrr!! all better. and Beach Fossils wednesday with K-Spot!