mygreenblanket

Move

2011-01-12T23:59:00.003-05:00

Hey yo, check out my newer blog and stuffity stuff stuff from radar gone to radar up: amathus.tumblr.com

Cheese.

Subway Talk

2010-08-11T14:31:00.003-04:00

bacKspace en Route to F Word via the L train.

From L-R: Little Kimchi, Charmin Ultra, MaryJo CamelToe, Duchess Tickles, Whiskey Dixie, and Krystal Something Something.

Come play & listen to Krystal's sick DJ set every week at F Word
Splash (50 West 17th St. NY, NY) http://www.splashbar.com/

BSS' "Meet Me in the Basement" goes political

2010-07-16T11:12:00.002-04:00

Fan-made video for Broken Social Scene's recent track, "Meet Me in the Basement" shows obvious political frustration and makes epic remarks on G20 Summit riots and social distractions, such as Justin Beiber, online networks and Lady Gaga -

Read the full article at Pitchfork here.

9th Avenue Food Festival

2010-05-16T18:30:00.006-04:00

With all the things going on in New York City on a daily basis it's easy to stumble upon something unexpected and find yourself submersed in the city's culture. Today, Sunday, May 16, I found myself at the 9th Avenue Food Festival - spanning down 9th Ave. from 57th St to 42nd St. Not only could the you smell the fried foods from the Time Warner Center, but the simple elements of this festival brings back childhood memories from weekend carnivals and getaways. The colorful slides, snow cones, cotton candy, funnel cakes and plush toy games makes being a 7-year-old seem like it wasn't that long ago. Plus it's one of the only spots in New York City you probably won't mind being in a crowd that walks slow, because on this day, no one was in a rush.

See some of the sights and tastes of the festival below.

just a jot

2010-05-10T00:36:00.001-04:00

...and the Prince embraced me backstage with blue and white-striped sweat pants and a vest that glittered against the wooden castle set. It was then I looked over my shoulder at the tourist-filled elevator and bowed my head humbly. Simultaneously his charming fingers grazed my knuckles ever so slightly. They were warm with passionate encore sweat. I wanted to feel that forever.

Lisa Frank Land

2010-04-26T22:08:00.007-04:00

While the Duchess will be in London playing a wicked game of croquet with the Red Queen (which she will win) all ya'll peeps in Brooklyn should see bacKspace perform at Lisa Frank Land! It'll be a night filled with friendship bracelets, unicorns, dolphins, seals and all things gay. Lisa Frank Land is at Sugarland Brookyln, 221 North 9th Street btwn Driggs and Roebling.

For all you Bushwick socialites, check out the event on the Bushwick Culture Calendar here.

Visit the Facebook page here.

www.thebackspace.org
www.thebackspace.org
www.thebackspace.org

Street Smart

2010-04-26T22:06:00.001-04:00

bacKspace performance ensemble at Sugarland Brooklyn's Street Smart

Neko mash up

2010-04-19T14:53:00.001-04:00

Time expired on that feeling:

Hey there, there's such tender wolves round town tonight so go snatch a Pauline and lose your appetite, no television crew, they don't even put out the sirens when your nightgown sweeps the pavement in prayer.

Jonsi!

2010-04-14T12:50:00.007-04:00

More Sigur Ros in any form is always a good thing. Though, with the band's recent announcement of hiatus-status I almost began scratching at my inner thighs and heaving before bunking on a twin bed. Alas, such frivolous actions can be avoided! Lead singer, Jonsi Birgisson, released Go - his solo album of Icelandic orhcestral waterfall music - on April 6, 2010 and it is just divine. Take a listen and tip your hat.

Read the Pitchfork album review here.

Above the breaker

2010-04-03T17:26:00.003-04:00

Written on hard keys, too much caffeine:
I've officially missed the boat, I'll wait for the next tidal wave.
---------------
Days later, in a bathroom with a a dark wooden frame, surrounded by a 2002 green curtain and silver utensils, I had a thought about the boat that left me. Staring into pores that never go away, I squeezed the thought out like an eye-brow plucker with a thread, a publicist with a problem. The boat that left me drifting in the water wasn't meant to hurt my feelings but teach a lesson of paitience and pairings. Not everyone has departed.

You couldn't believe what is was like, that tidal wave. Just brutal I tell you. Nevermind the wetness, it just snapped and destroyed our dreams of street-wandering. With its hard fist and twisted neck its force pounded on the windows, smashed the boards, peeled the paint and took my dreams with it. Thought it would be years until they came back for us.

That day on the dock, I swore you were leaving too. Your gentle hand-wave predicted a long future of goodbyes. I remember your one finger had such a sense of longing it made me want to cry. Grasping the rail with your other hand, desperation floated out of your eyes and laser beamed across all those fishermen. Can you believe that their invisible lines couldn't block the green? The longing ended when your feet, determined as they are, dragged you on that boat. God how I wanted to punish those feet for tricking you. Oblivious, you gladly obliged and I cursed that boat for what seemed like eternity.

In the recently-cleaned bathroom, this epiphany told me your feet were wrong - you can even tell them I said that. Don't you see, that boat kicked you out for a reason. Even though your initial judgements of joining stragglers, like myself, wading in the wide open ocean was somewhat, if not very, skeptical, I think you soon realized the water isn't so bad. Yes at times it can be cold like a murderers dagger, slicing through your gastro organs, but we are meant to be chilled. Though the water may make you dizzy, people in the water crave the dizziness. We crave to dare the sharks to take a limb, look for that adventure of seeking out mermen and talking seahorses. This confirms our essence.

The people in the water don't use their legs very much but most other body parts are still very much functional. We are not bored. We sit in the water waiting for our ship, content. At the point that you joined the pool party most of us began to fully understand why we were deserted with yellow tubes and granola. Sorry for the lack of explanation. Not survival of the fittest, survival of the select. Stubborn is not a valid description when you wade - we have time. You'll begin to see how beautiful it is when the blue unravels and tickles the bottoms of our feet. Ignore the stimulation, we can't excited until it's our turn and that nonsense will just make you anxious. I'm glad you joined the clan and we're pretty sure you're welcome on the next boat, they never just leave one person. Just remember to actually do something when your sea legs disappear. I suggest the first you do is go to the roof and play with shifting your weight. Here we tend to forget the heavy sensations we are all capable of.

Don't pretend to drown! I promise the boat is coming soon - it has to...
---------------
Last line said to self in the mirror right before Hook's croc made a guest appearance.

Snakes and Chains - bacKspace in Hells Kitchen

2010-03-08T23:43:00.002-05:00

~ Venue info ~

Port 41 Bikini Bar 355 West 41st Street near 9th Avenue
All Trains to the Port Authority
$10 at the door
(Best money you'll spend to walk through a threshold.)
$5 reduced admission
(Please r.s.v.p. as "Attending" this event "Snakes & Chains Live" on Facebook)
Link: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=357264320277&ref=ts

Snakes & Chains is a live performance spectacle that will be completely unlike anything in the Theater District, period. I have been hearing more and more how all of my friends are tired of hearing the same old pop music and having nothing to watch but a bunch of lame-ass go go boys and a tire ass DJ spinning some shit you just heard on 103.5 (the Beat of New York, one oh three f-i-v-e... K-T-U!) like ten thousand times in the cab on the way out. So, I am producing this show just for them and you and making it accessible to everyone. Most importantly you don't have to be trapped in a stuffy theater when you'll rather be at a really cool dive bar. It will be Hell's Kitchen's newest Thursday night grungy chic alternative to the theater and the boring pop shop trash, that has paralyzed New York City's brainwashed night owls. We aspire to make normal obsolete. Real people putting on a real show with live vocals, progressive dance, exclusive video segments produced just for your entertainment and audio visual art projections. Become a part of the future... a better future with Snakes & Chains.

~Featuring~

Tyler Stone
(Electro vocals & dance)
Join this talented young vocalist who was abandoned as a child and taking to be raised by crazed robots. Embark on a journey to explore the meaning of digital perfection. His mesmerizing state-of-the-art electronic style will reprogram your state of mind.
&
bacKspace
(Performance Ensemble)
“Time and time again, bacKspace effortlessly creates a new dimension for its audience. Each one is vastly different than the one before, but always leaves you feeling like a better person. They really make you see the world in a different light! Easy to understand. Hard to forget!”
www.thebackspace.org
&
Artist Vanessa Bucci displays a possible future through art which depicts a skewed world overrun by the technology which enables our current quality of life.
www.bluetapecrewapparel.com

ODDSAC

2010-01-27T11:38:00.002-05:00

A visual/abstract film by Animal Collective - premiering at Sundance now. Just bought my ticket to the New York screening on March 2nd, 2010 - sky, whoa I walk.

bacKspace New York Debut

2010-01-24T22:04:00.002-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2010
Contact: Aaron Kint; Ashley Mathus
E-mail: thebackspace@gmail.com; mygreenblanket@gmail.com
“let the BED BUGS BITE” bacKspace performance ensemble’s New York Debut

----------------------------------------------------

Ladies, Gentlemen, Undecided, and Inbetweenies,

The year of bacKspace is upon us! The freaksters present to you the first 2K10 orgasmic experience, the New York City Debut and world premiere of “let the BUGS BUGS BITE.”

From the creators of “Rave,” “Omen,” and “Top That! The Musical,” “let the BED BUGS BITE,” promises to be a night of bloodthirsty dance, over-the-top theatrics, sexy performance art, electronic body-thumping music, bold fashion, thirst-quenching gender F$%&ing, vivid neon and goth stage design, deep, heavy, juicy, sweaty, hilarious, confusing, enlightening, and awe-inspiring awesomeness! bacKspace, a New York based performance ensemble, originated in Columbus, OH where they became a household name for forward-thinking entertainment. After the move to the big city, bacKspace became enthralled and inspired by the creepy crawlers of NYC (both human and insects alike), hence the premiere that you all have been waiting for!

“let the BED BUGS BITE” (LB3, the neat abbrev for “let the BED BUGS BITE”) will be premiering Saturday, February 13, 2010 at Chez Bushwick at 8:00pm. Chez Bushwick is located at 304 Boerum St, Brooklyn, NY (buzz #11 to get in). bacKspace not only takes entertainment value to the extreme but we’re recession friendly! For $5.00 you can witness an uncensored, unadulterated, unforgettable, undeniable extravaganza that will blow your mind (and maybe even that extra skin between your legs)!

If you've never been to a bacKspace show before…

1. We're really sorry for you that must be hard to deal with
2. Expect live entertainment for the ADD generation
3. Try to fathom looks that will blow your mind
4. Expect dancing that will make you moist
5. Expect to WANT MORE!

The bacKspace line-up for LB3 features:

Aaron Kint (Artistic Director)
aka Krystal Something Something

Jessica "Diba" DiBattista
aka Lil' Kimchi

Jeff Marras
aka Charmin Ultra

Ashley Bono
aka Mary Jo CamelToe

Ashley Mathus
aka Duchess Tickles

Amy Campbell
aka Whiskey Dixie

Jenny Campbell
aka Henny Penicillin

and ultra chic, custom couture costumes by Aleksandra Krninova, one of NYC's up-and-coming fashion designers of 2K10.

....WARNING!....
bacKspace DOES NOT condone the use of beige, brown, taupe, camel (unless of course when accompanied by "toe"), forest green, gaucho pants, string quartets, the "Amelie" soundtrack, deep and audible breathing, "modern dance face," soft lighting, or liturgical anything. So if you're expecting to see a "modern dance show," then you'll definitely be in for a surprise.

Not familiar with orgasmic dance experiences in Brooklyn? Well easy access is always preferred! Coming from Manhattan? Take the L train to the Morgan Avenue stop and exit near the intersection of Bogart St. and Harrison Place. Bridge and Tunnel peeps? Hop on the L train anywhere on 14th Street from 8th Ave. - 1st Ave., and get off of the Morgan stop. Morgan, Morgan, Morgan!

For more info on the bacKspace performance ensemble, deets about the show, hot pics, video entertainment and more, visit

WWW.THEBACKSPACE.ORG
WWW.THEBACKSPACE.ORG
WWW.THEBACKSPACE.ORG

OTHER NEWS FROM THE DESK OF BACKSPACE:

Be sure to check out the February 11th issue of TimeOut NY, why? Because bacKspace's very own Aaron Kint will be featured as one of NYC’s 50 Most Stylish People!

Columbus, Ohio misses us (and here’s why): http://www.examiner.com/x-35751-Columbus-Fine-Arts-Examiner~y2010m1d15-Columbus-misses-Backspace

Get out of the house, get over the cold, and make it to the hottest hot spot in Brooklyn, Sugarland! bacKspace will be heating up the night on Friday, January 29 with a new set from DJ Daddy Whorebucks and hosted by Charmin Ultra! Find out more info about this Williamsburg playground at www.myspace.com/sugarlandbklyn or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/Sugarland-Brooklyn/72807509856

Be on the look out for some fresh tunes from bacKspace, as they bring you the “let the BED BUGS BITE” EP featuring seven new tracks.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of bacKspace TV at www.youtube.com/user/thebackspace

Love,
bacKspace

###

Reality Pride: the turning age featuring Glee

2010-01-21T13:41:00.024-05:00

I'm a gleek and I'll tell you why.

For the last ten years or so American audiences have been subjected to and taken part in (guilty as charged) the chaotic mindless-ness, over-the-top [questionably 'Americana'] dare devils acts, dubious characters from the depths of nowhere land, grandiose schemes and impending persons, intrigue in fake body parts defining beauty, arranged marriages (the list could go on) of reality TV. Our country's networks and media subjects have gone from an unpredictable creative haven to a dumbed down, chair-ridden group of people who watch other people lead boring lives, aka Pixar's impressions of us in Wall-E. What happened to sitcoms that would positively engage family activity and bring a group of smiles around the television set? The lesson-learning plots of "Family Matters," "Full House," "Saved By the Bell," "The Cosby Show," "Blossom" - and every other show 90s kids can think of - swiftly disappeared to be replaced by ambiguous producers where the dollar sign took place over dignity, pride and privacy. Values were suddenly determined the price of a purse, the size of a house, or how long one was able to sustain a clock around their neck. Self-impressions became a concern to many a people, and families (like Balloon Boy's) have instilled upon their children an unstable definition of entertainment.

Enter Glee: On the border of a new decade, Fox decided to hone in on various aspects of reality TV programs (American Idol, X Factor, Beauty and the Geek, Chuck) and produce a level-headed show that, apparently, brought Americans back to the good ole' days of a bona fide sitcom. The phenom known as Glee - a kick ass show where dweebs have amazing voices and minorities are the new celebrities - brings audiences what they have been missing for ten years: Fictional characters, real acting, vocals that we cannot even fathom to impersonate in our living rooms, drama, comedy, honesty, suspense, love, goals, lessons, heart-felt apologies, a set design that doesn't only feature a bed and alcohol, this list could go on forever. I say "miss" because the numbers have to mean something, right? The Associated Content reports that Glee ratings, "within the demographic of 18 to 49 year olds" have had close to 3.5 million viewers throughout most of their season. The AC says, "Overall the last two episodes of Glee passed 8 million in total viewers, putting it at some nice total numbers for the network." Though American Idol is still breaking records on TV in its 9th season, I feel a change coming and I refuse to look back.

Although, maybe it's all high school related. The days where Will Smith schemed in the hallways and Zack Morris weighed the pros and cons of playing hooky are way behind us, but maybe that nostalgia has become evident in Fox's writing den and made itself heard all the way to the Board room. It seems everyone is yearning for a little teenage drama sans vampires these days, myself included. Glee takes our former peers from our glory days and transports them into the world of now. We all knew people like Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry or Puck, and maybe that's why we want to watch - to reminisce and nod in agreement while still maintaining the presence of booming technology, fashion statements bordering obsession and the gay uprising in political media. Also, we should consider the possibilities of how the parodies of popular culture on YouTube throughout the 00s ignited this change in programming. Maybe society's sitcom u-turn couldn't have happened without major Internet interventions and shows like "Big Brother" or "Fear Factor." The self-marketable engine took us on a roller coaster making the world much smaller. Yet smaller made us less original and motivated. Laziness had not only a physical affect of sitting in chairs staring at a computer all day, but society became complacent in imagination.

Though a sitcom, Fox hasn't become lackluster and forgotten about Glee's entertainment value. What with our pop culture line-up these days, they have to impress in the glitz and glamour, or at the very least have a little fake blood in the costume shop. Fox has combined Broadway sass with Hollywood professionalism (I'm talking about A-listers here) and created a cast that continues to impress episode after episode. The quality of the casts' singing is beyond inspiring. They give American audiences what we have been voting for via mobile phone and screaming at our TV sets since the inception of American idol. Also, the casts' genuine amazement that Glee has become so popular is heart warming and humbling. They dance on mattresses, have excellent comedic timing, are continuing to get a stellar line up of actors and singers to guest star, and, more importantly, evoke emotions in me that I haven't felt whilst watching TV in a very, very long time.

Whatever the case, I'm thankful major networks are initiating substantial changes to their evening line-up, where sitcom's can start re-inspiring kids in a healthy and educational way; like the influence Glee has had on show choirs internationally, or the positive encouragement all the minorities on the show bring into real-life homes and high schools. Maybe now we can forget about red flags and blue flags, and instead sit around the TV and laugh at the industry's creation instead of our own neuroses.

That big grin matches your significant O

2010-01-21T10:44:00.012-05:00

"The problem with being attached to an anchor is it's damned hard to fly." _Half Broke Horses (p 258)

Suffocation key was unlocked last night.
Jostling, it finally broke the bolt, and I could see through this tiny door possibilities that just weren't for me.
The key led to a presentation of dinner tables, clinking glasses and chinky grins,
Wide-eyed do-gooders and hearty lips brewing futures,
Laced eyes coaxed with salty mascara and yearning for a different key.
No buffer and food, lots of gumption,
Reasons for feeling padded and thick - sounds like "poo poo poof!"
Chocolate layers sticky with ties of friendships.

The door was better shut when it came to kisses and arm reaches,
I don't want your secret garden relationship.
Stomach flips of disgust over hand engagement,
Teeth chomping on skin,
Limbs swinging in "hey ya's,"
Groovy in side glances filled with bubbly, licorice grins.
Two missing.
How come I have the key but can't move past the doorway?

Instead intimidation matters, filled with self-professed prophecies and illusions,
Stuff our mouths and pretend to come out as words.
Light this face up with a glow stick maybe you'll see what's inside now,
No reflection, you're in the moat past the doorway,
enthusiastically on your way to a caucus of monotony.

Ways of misunderstanding and understood by people in two's,
standing strong and walking briskly in sync,
henceforth, leaning over the top of a cliff ready to jump off into oblivion together.

Ambling Alp

2009-11-26T21:38:00.001-05:00

A must see video by Yeasayer. Talk about 2009 tripiness:

Subway text memo

2009-11-23T12:16:00.003-05:00

Your irreverent nature comes with a cost.

Amount, dollar and euro signs I can't be sure.

Two twins with different color leather shoes hustlin', bustlin' and tappin' their toes,

One L and four feet make for a nice violin arrangement,

15 puttin' these words to memos and plastic

'I want you so badly' repeating in my head twist it around and I'm still in your bed,

silly mattress feathers tangled up in turquoise sweatpants and gallons of water leftover from Halloween.

You're the only one drinking. That water, gulping for a metaphor, hydration for the wordless soul. When the gallon is empty you'll have company and offer nothing, though no missing charm, you just drank it all. You followed their direction!

Thus, your self-offering is nothing but red lace and silence.

Later, on a different day, same mindset:

Word vomit into, on, around and deep tissue extra pressure for age co-existing responsibility bla means an extra name, tag and smile attached to your flimsy hip. Sugarcoat that shit with the thinnest lines you can find.

Introducing Duchess Tickles

2009-11-04T14:49:00.003-05:00

Duchess Tickles, grand finale opener closer, loser and moat.

Statements in between Mariah's lines, "Pay Attention."

Bury your Yoshi beneath these twigs of hair and leaves of dye, no one is leaving this castle of candy and fountains of youth. Instead you will crawl with me to my like and dislike chamber and I will tie your hands behind your back because I don't give a damn if you actually do or do not like it.

Phones that vibrate, sounds that make me go wee a wee with my toes and tongue at the same time, pickled jewelry in the Languid Lake, crystallized champagne from Cherry Chonks' garden, whispers in the secret alcove of the north wing, Damien the Dragon who you must meet darling I have to show you now!

Come come darling, he's eating the Reject's leather

not soon but now, I'll get back to this later.

Wes and the Fox

2009-11-04T14:16:00.005-05:00

Picture a glittered imagination - scattered pink, yellow, and blue veins in the brain, boiling like witches glue over an open fire of microphones and computer graphic applications - of punky robustness and a cartoon swag. You are funny and deadpan is a word of inspiration, a magnet to your fridge. You are Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited). Cooler than cool.

Dazed & Confused nabs a stellar spread and interview with the acclaimed director for their November issue, turning heads on 23rd Street and making minds beg to be a part of his world (or at least mine). With the upcoming Fantastic Mr. Fox, released in theaters on November 13, Wes talks about his process in film, sound, design and animation, imagination, and reveals how you can still maintain both on an even scale. As a society prone to un-imaginative programming, jobs, politics and lyrics, we might want to pay attention.

"Writing, for me, is usually just following a train of thought - imagining a scene or setting. When I'm writing, I'm probably doing that for five hours a day. Once Mr. Fox was written, I didn't have a preconception of what it would look like. Instead, there's a process, working with our production designer Nelson Lowry and with Tristan Oliver and figuring out how it ought to look. So it's almost like you're creating something from your imagination, but your imagination is aided by actually making these things and then saying,'And now we add a little of this, a little of that...' I don't know if that is exactly imagination or if that is some other process. We're dreaming up what we want the movie to look like visually, not by just closing our eyes and thinking of it, but by painting it, by building things and adjusting them."

Sly

Delighted

Sad

Astonished

[4 fox faces in an auburn sketch, non-the-less mischievous. ]

Watch the trailer below:

A fantastical playground that's (sorry Disney) OK to be what it's not.

What with Where the Wild Things, Alice in Wonderland, and now Berenstain Bears I might as well move back home and hang some Piglet wallpaper again.

Get smart, get MURS

2009-10-15T14:27:00.005-04:00

Get in tune with MURS (Making Underground Raw Shit) a raw rapper if you will, with a political agenda spreading contagious messages with his thick beats and timely lyrics. Murs played at Red Rocks earlier this summer, and will soon be leading the crowd-sways and head bops at Treasure Island Music Fest this coming weekend. Let em give you the low down on systematic knowledge (too bad I'm not required to make science projects anymore).

THE SCIENCE VIDEO feat. MURS in HD from Erick Peyton on Vimeo.

Sink your teeth into this

2009-10-12T13:24:00.002-04:00

Had enough of vampires yet? No, well good cause there's more coming down the literary yellow (or should I say red) brick road. Flavorpill reports a new book, Dracula the Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker, the next next next next of kin in Bram Stoker's line of morbid genealogy.

Click here to read Flavorill's take on the new new Dracula, (he better not have any business with poking faces) watch the trailer, and meander around different sites that are hopping on the vampire craze, keeping Stoker current, and taking a big bite out of your dripping wallet.

Watch Dracula the Un-Dead Trailer below!

A pleasure of the guilt persuasion

2009-10-10T13:19:00.003-04:00

Never did I think I'd see the day where I post something about Miley Cyrus. But here I am, doing just that. This remix makes me feel like I always feel when a good song comes on: spinning in circles in a Tennessee field, also known as Bonnaroo - the happy place. Not that either of the two artists would perform there, especially being that one of the artists is deceased. Props to being current! Enjoy the tunes and throw some confetti.

I concur

2009-10-06T19:59:00.005-04:00

Here's a little blurb from the current book I'm reading, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky:

"I had an amazing feeling when I finally held the tape in my hand. I just thought to myself that in the palm of my hand, there was this one tape that had all of these memories and feelings and great joy and sadness. Right there in the palm of my hand. And I thought about how many people have loved those songs. And how many people got through a lot of bad times because of those songs. And how many people enjoyed good times with those songs. And how much those songs really mean. I think it would be great to have written one of those songs. I bet if I wrote one of them, I would be very proud. I hope the people who wrote those songs are happy. I hope they feel it's enough. I really do because they've made me happy. And I'm only one person."

Lemony Lickity

2009-09-10T20:05:00.002-04:00

The alliterations of Lemony Snicket's "The Reptile Room" [Book 2]

Reptile Room

Hazy Harbor

Lousy Lane

Montgomery Montgomery

Mulctuary Money Management

Swarthy Swamp

Hook-handed

Brilliant Baudelaires

...and in the prelude note for Book 3

Lake Lachrymose

Wide Window

Curdled Cave

Lachrymose Leech

Snicket your way to a scrumptious scone!

The Big Pink

2009-09-10T19:22:00.002-04:00

Apparently it's music video Thursday. I've found about 5 videos that I absolutely adore today, and that is always celebration for a little dance party. Below is The Big Pink's music vid for "Dominos," an indie power ballad (in my opinion, obvs) that just takes a girl's skirt and rips it up.

Don't you just wish on certain days you can explode just like that ice sculpture and still make it look sexy? Look for The Big Pink's album debuting in the states on September 15, 2009.

Summer of Hate/Love/Death?

2009-09-10T13:55:00.002-04:00

Watch the Crocodiles' video to "Summer of Hate" below. They're ranked on SPIN's 20 Best Summer Songs of 2009, plus the black and white graphics remind me of Revolver in motion.

Yellow Bird Project

2009-09-10T13:05:00.006-04:00

Check out this track by Kristian Matsson (The Tallest Man on Earth), one of the indie rockers who was commissioned by the Yellow Bird Project to construct a [obviously folkie] sound embodying YBP's non-profit org that makes sweet tees for a variety of charities.

What do ya think?

While you're at it, look to the left where all the bomb-ass artists are, and listen to some of the tuneage. A lot of my favorite bands are part of the Yellow Bird Project, and have designed bomb-ass tees for your liking. Go now!

LL

2009-08-30T12:14:00.010-04:00

" 'Downhill? The term means nothing to you?' "

The Giver, pg. 79

I had the urge to fall, in the physical sense, down a very specific hill in LBI. This hill, if you will, was more like a mound, separating one business from the sidewalk business. The hill's meager attempt to be the king of LBI dirt was appreciated by my cush eyes, but in all actuality, the mound was about 4 feet from start to finish. Watch your ankle.

My little hill that could was adjacent to the miniature golf course I stood upon with my borrowed green ball and lead of two points. I drifted into my head for a second, and stared at some point before we got to the hole with the waterfall and bridge - that hole always shakes and quivers with children's anticipation because it's an adventure (for me, it reminds me of the pirate ship in Hook). I know I was happy to be done with the Polaski's at the register, though that shan't be any logical reason to roll down a hill. Maybe I just need to travel more.

[No one threw their clubs this year.]

What goes up must come down down in a speedy tidal sense, we're on the beach here people. A tsunami of a body lurching at the concrete with a wide open mouth and a wave of silence gargling through vocal chords. A body of water without the pretty sounds of a splash. You're choking. After my roll down the Shreky grass, would be the interesting, in the most sarcastic sense of the word, landing "I'm sorry, I just felt like rolling down this tremendous hill!"

How does my impact feel? Is it worth it to disturb these lives for ten minutes? What would the passersby feel? Same as the ones I actually care about? There she blows, tumbling into people with their large tumbling slushees, green and red drip drops staining their polo shirts and white boat shoes.

Did she just roll down that hill, under the rope with an ice cream cone in the palm of her hand?!

Beach-siders, the source of blood on the island, have these specific put-put faces that obviously have experienced too many pastries in such a short time span. The women and men of the bay side grimace with wads of cash in their pockets and fake silver lining. I could have tumbled into them and disturbed their sense of center, but I opted against it.

I would have rather been here:

Air bag (not Radiohead's)

2009-08-26T09:51:00.003-04:00

Upon finishing Motherless Brooklyn, I will quote another favorite passage of mine:

"I'm an air bag in a dashboard, packed up layer upon layer in readiness for that moment when I get to explode, expand all over you, fill every available space. Unlike an airbag, though, I'm repacked the moment I've exploded, am tensed and ready to explode-like some safety-film footage cut into a loop, all I do is compress and release, over and over, never saving or satisfying anyone, least myself. Yet the tape plays on pointlessly, obsessive air bag exploding again and again while life itself goes on elsewhere, outside the range of these antic expenditures."

Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn, page 262. What a fantastic, hilarious book!

The Dead Weather

2009-08-25T09:46:00.007-04:00

Jack White, the dirty bastard, has done it again. Done what, you ask? Started a new band of course - the Dead Weather - and this Nashville group masters that raw, gritty-southern, don't-fuck-with-my-banjo sound that I always associate with Tennessee. Alison Mosshart's voice floats and jabs betwixt and between the whirling and yowling guitar riffs White does so easily. And (bonus!), the immense Jack Lawrence is the bassist too, black rimmed glasses and all.

Check out the short film below featuring the Dead Weather's rockin, spinning song, "Treat Me Like Your Mother"

How many bands is this now, three?

Crystal Castles

2009-08-21T21:54:00.003-04:00

A little emo but a lotta rough - it's zombie techno music! Head-bop your beating skull to Crystal Castles fantasmic "Crimewaves"

CRYSTAL CASTLES - Crimewave (new official video)
Uploaded by Differentrecordings. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

This guy just woke up from many years under the dirt and he's loving it. That, or he's a super-prepster who got beat up the night before by some punks and doesn't remember a damn thing. Happens to the best of us.

Trigger Ballads - a little over a year later

2009-08-21T13:00:00.004-04:00

"And today the ocean decided to say no"

Found written under my AA "Trigger Ballads" dress, on red cloth, two days ago.

I can't remember if I wrote that, or someone else. I like it.

MPP

2009-08-20T16:01:00.002-04:00

Jump jump like a waiting room chair.

Swerve, slinky. Miss the car and wiggle around their ankles.

Forest of bouncy hair, wiggle with the live-octopus eyes.

"This wilderness up in my head, This wilderness needs to get right out of my clothes and get into my bedroom."

"Lion In a Coma" Animal Collective

Round up August

2009-08-16T17:05:00.001-04:00

From Memoirs (Written 1916-17, Published 1972)

"I was twenty-three years old when the troubling of my life began."

William Butler Yeats

Motherless Brooklyn

2009-08-15T15:54:00.003-04:00

A favorite passage of mine from my current book selection, Motherless Brooklyn , by Jonathan Lethem.

"There are days when I get up in the morning and stagger into the bathroom and begin running water and then I look up and I don't even recognize my own toothbrush in the mirror. I mean, the object looks strange, oddly particular it its design, strange tapered handle and slotted, miter-cut bristles, and I wonder if I've ever looked at it closely before or whether someone snuck in overnight and substituted this new toothbrush for my old one. I have this relationship to objects in general-they will sometimes become uncontrollably new and vivid to me, and I don't know whether this is a symptom of Tourette's or not. I've never seen it described in the literature. Here's the strangeness of having Tourette's brain, then: no control in my personal experiment of self. What might be only strangeness must always be auditioned for relegation to the domain of symptom, just as symptoms always push into other domains, demanding the chance to audition for their moment of acuity or relevance, their brief shot-coulda been a contender!-at centrality. Personalityness. There's a lot of traffic in my head, and it's two-way. "

Page 131, Motherless Brooklyn.

Animal Collective TONIGHT

2009-08-15T15:38:00.004-04:00

In Prospect Park at 8:15....seeing this song live

So excited!! This will be my third time seeing Animal Collective, but my first time seeing the mind-boggling group on my home turf. Looking foward to it, Panda Bear.

Hot Diggity Dog

2009-08-12T21:54:00.003-04:00

please compare Iron and Wine's (yellow below) The Shepherd's Dog and Handsome Furs' (the mean growler one post below) Face Control

Handsome Furs

2009-08-12T21:13:00.003-04:00

yep, Handome Furs - check them out

they are the mood setting I've been looking for -

"Legal Tender"

I and Love and You

2009-08-11T16:02:00.008-04:00

After 10+ albums, The Avett Brothers might finally be getting the recognition they deserve. Listed on RS's Artists to Watch this month, a lot writers, producers and artists are gossiping about the brothers' (Seth and Scott plus [non-related] Bassist Bob) new album debuting in September 2009, I and Love and You.

The new album is produced by genius Rick Rubin, and is sure to be a little more catchy and a little less sappy compared to 2007's Emotionalism. Supposedly Rubin found out about the bros on youtube, but seeing Ruby work his magic on these folksy arm chair, bearded dudes might be just what my ears need. I'm looking forward to a sound with a lot of emotion but without sounding emotional, if that makes sense. There's quite a difference between hearing whining vocals with a banjo versus hearing the pain peek through southern (and cute) drawls with a rockier edge and harsher tone-of-voice. Right now I'm thinking about their lyrics off there new single, "I and Love and You," and how even though I'm not driving North from North Carolina, I still want the same things.

All one foot in and one foot back
 But it don't pay, to live like that
 So I cut the ties and I jumped the tracks 
For never to return  
Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in 
Are you aware the shape I'm in 
My hands they shake my head it spins
 Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in

To acquire a little noise history on the Avett Brothers, take a listen to "Pretty Girl from Chile" and "The Ballad of Love and Hate" off Emotionalism, as well as a personal favorite, "Murder In the City" off The Second Gleam. And if you go to their concerts, make sure to bring a helmet and a sturdy flask.

F&M

2009-08-10T19:22:00.007-04:00

First song I thought of when I found out Knickerbocker was my cross street:

"Knickerbocker," by Fujiya & Miyagi

Vanilla strawberry knickerbocker glory

I saw the ghost of lena zavaroni

Brooklyn Bed and Breakfast

2009-08-10T17:27:00.013-04:00

A new find in my new home: 3rd Ward

What is it: A space to create, collaborate, work, listen, play, feel, and be "interdisciplinary"

Where is it: 195 Morgan Ave. Bushwick, Brooklyn

Why: Cause you can never have enough cool, cheap space for starving artists such as myself

My homies and I caught a free show this past Sunday and thus stumbled upon an interesting new spot with projectors, balloons, and lots of technological hipsters waiting to see something new. 3rd Ward is a great space for artists, photographers, choreographers, musicians, graphic designers, freelancers, writers, filmmakers, DJ's, directors, fashionistas, and dreamers alike. Many of the events at 3rd Ward are free, and though not all may be cutting edge, it's certainly worth taking the short walk over to see what's happening in our little nook in BK. A basic membership includes free access to cool mac-based design lab, free access to co-working space, free admission to events, business tools such as a desk, wi-fi, and reception, discounts on various products and classes, and of course to be "in it" with all who's "doing it." What the website fails to mention is the price of a "Basic" or "Unlimited" membership, but hey, you get a free bike when signing up!

3rd Ward is set in an old warehouse building about two blocks from the Morgan and Harrison stop. If you head south from Jefferson and Knickerbocker you'll run into some colorful, picture worthy graffiti on the way. The art on the way to art spans blocks long of sidewalk-walls, only getting cooler as the sun goes down. Only about 20 minutes from my current location, I look forward to submitting and seeing more shows and events at 3rd Ward in the near future. Now to get the K train up in there!

Woodstock looming

2009-08-07T16:39:00.004-04:00

In all my years I never realized Woodstock took place on my birthday. Wowie wowie this makes me so happy! Below is a pic of Jimi Hendrix performing at Woodstock on August 18, 1969 - almost 40 years ago. This is like waking up, thinking your stylish only to find that your father wore neon headbands and spandex shorts just like you.

Everyone should try and visit Bethel, NY - it really is a quaint and subdued place - kind of like the Secret Garden. Walking through the streets you can feel a secret looming behind the doors and underneath the pavement, itching to tell its story. Yes, there are rich, artsy and in shape residents who glare at tourists and passersby alike, but walking through the mountains and being in such a momentous and generation defining locale really does have its perks. Go here to get information on visiting Bethel, NY, the home of peace and music.

King Rat this time, not Raam

2009-08-05T13:57:00.002-04:00

A beautifully animated short by the late Heath Ledger to new Modest Mouse's EP single, "King Rat"

...and still the ship continues to sink.

Prediction

2009-08-04T13:06:00.004-04:00

This song will be on the radio in about a year and a half, so why not take a listen now?!

La Roux, "Bulletproof"

Look for this British electro-pop's full album release in October 2009.

The big come up

2009-08-04T12:32:00.008-04:00

Sunday, August 2, I was a W.E.T. (Work Exchange Team) volunteer at the 2nd annual All Points West Music Festival. I was fortunate enough to attend the festival for free in exchange for working a few hours at the information booth, VIP Lounge and various other tents. As my last shift ended, I trucked through the mud on a mission. My body was reacting towards the lower Manhattan wind, which viciously blew the defined-artsy balloons hanging above the festival grounds, making them quiver with excitement. Last year I remember saying to my friend before Radiohead began, "The wind is an element!" (and though this is common knowledge, when you visualize the New York City skyline, really feel the air whip in and around you, and hear the music pulse deep within your ear drums, it really is difficult to think of anything more than basic elements which appear so magical and new). The muddy crowd packed like sardines around the Bullet Stage shook with fevered anticipation, and I waited but 10 minutes to see a favorite band of mine that I have been yearning to see live for quite some time: The Black Keys.

After going to Bonnaroo for the last two years, All Points West in summer 2008 and a few other festivals here and there, I feel pretty lucky to have seen so many bands I love. The Black Keys were missing from this list, and boy did they bring it on Sunday. Playing before headliners MGMT and Coldplay, The Black Keys were the perfect bluesy-rock tuneage for what was a very grimy day. Grinding out tracks from their latest album, Attack & Release, crowd-pleaser, "Thickfreakness", and the enchanting melodies from Magic Potion, the duet from Akron, OH was (to quote their song title) "All You Ever Wanted". Vocalist/guitarist, Dan Auerbach, stripped his vocals down to a raw emotion, toying with the east coast wanderlust and pouring his heart deep into the mud in which we stood. All the while drummer, Patrick Carney, pounced on his drum set like a panther, pounding rhythms that could scare the Hoboken mobsters right out of the Malibu diner and down to Wildwood. This duet is a match made in musical heaven, and I hope you take a listen.

Listen to:

"Remember When (Side A)"

"I Got Mine"

"Oceans & Streams"

"I'll Be Your Man"

Thank you, Dan and Patrick, for the perfect post-work, post-rain rockin' experience.

Comparison

2009-08-04T12:07:00.007-04:00

Two very similar album covers by two very different bands:

School of Seven Bells' album artwork from their record Alpinisms

Listen to "Sempiternal / Amaranth"

Harlem Shakes' album artwork from their record Technicolor Health

Listen to "Sunlight"

Loving both rainbow rays in two completely different settings/backdrops/locations.

It's true one can find rainbows everywhere, and both albums explode with sound just as rainbows explode with color and dreams of never where

Post-post, post

2009-07-30T15:48:00.003-04:00

Post move, post volunteering for All Points West and post getting my bills in order, I will take a DJ class in Manhattan. Now that I have mastered (I use that word lightly) the art of rock climbing, I want to master the art of spinning (in hand form, not talking about gyms here).

Current Party Shuffle mix: Modest Mouse's "Horn Intro" into Modest Mouse's "Bukowski," both feat. on Good News For People Who Love Bad News.

New blanketing

2009-07-30T15:45:00.004-04:00

Check out badass Spencer Tweedy's blog, created by 13-year-old son of Wilco's frontman, Jeff Tweedy.

Thank you, SPIN.

2009-07-30T15:38:00.003-04:00

Do you ever think about where the first time was that you 'heard' or 'heard of' a band?

Today, I'm dedicating this post to Postal Service and Qdoba.
I remember sitting in the Mexican semi-fast food joint on Washington Street in Hoboken and being told of, then searching for, Ben Gibbard's eclectic and one-time-only band.

Thank you, Party Shuffle, for turning to "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" and thus initiating this post.

Well after this I should think nothing of falling down stairs

2009-07-22T15:58:00.002-04:00

neither here nor there

2009-07-21T20:05:00.006-04:00

As I'm sitting in one of my favorite coffee shops in NYC, reading a newly purchased book, neither here nor there, and I have the urge to type one of the passages that literally made me laugh out loud, quite loudly. I love when a book does that - and Bill Bryson never lets me down.

I recall about a year ago writing about another one of his books on this blog, and I recall it being equally as funny. Bryson is my favorite travel writer, consistently sarcastic, brutally honest, and stereotypically hilarious. I'll just get to it...

On Paris....

"Katz was in a tetchy frame of mind throughout most of our stay in Paris. He was convinced everything was out to get him. On the morning of our second day, we were strolling down the Champs-Elysees when a bird shit on his head. 'Did you know,' I asked a block or two later, 'that a bird shit on your head?'

Instinctively, Katz put a hand to his head, looked at it in horror, and with only a mumbled 'Wait here,' walked with ramrod stiffness in the direction of our hotel. When he reappeared twenty minutes later, he smelled overpoweringly of Brut aftershave and his hair was plastered down like a third-rate Spanish gigolo's, but he appeared to have regained his composure. 'I'm ready now,' he announced.

Almost immediately another bird shit on his head. Only this time it really shit. I don't want to get too graphic, in case you're snacking or anything, but if you can imagine a pot of yogurt upended onto his scalp, I think you'll get the picture. It was running down the sides of his head and everything. 'Gosh, Steve, that was one sick bird,' I observed helpfully.

Katz was literally speechless. Without a word he turned and walked stiffly back to the hotel, ignoring the turning heads of passersby. He was gone for nearly an hour. When at last he returned, he was wearing a poncho with the hood up. 'Just don't say a word,' he warned me and strode past. He never really warmed to Paris after that."

Bill Bryson, neither here nor there

Maybe I find this so funny because when I was in France I thought everyone was out to get me, poison me, shit on me (well, a bird actually did shit on me in Normandie), and it's the relateable sense of individual travelers that lures me in.

We be wilin'

2009-07-20T13:33:00.000-04:00

I can't wait!!!

Did you rub my lamp?

2009-07-17T16:40:00.003-04:00

I used to know this whole scene by heart when I was about 7 years old. I would trot into my grandma's school, grabbing the teachers attention by sitting on the counter and pretending to make dreams come true:

Loves esp around 5:45

Loves!

2009-07-16T15:38:00.001-04:00

Bonnaroo feels so long ago - but here's a funny video to bring me right back:

Maybe it feels like forevs because we have two pictures to prove we were there.

Look for me!

2009-07-14T16:52:00.005-04:00

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Fall 2009

via: the Cut

Point of light

2009-07-13T11:37:00.004-04:00

"Space Walk" Lemon Jelly

" 'Verified.'

'I'm moving outside.'

'Okay, I'm letting go.'

'Copy that.' "

NYC Dance Happenings- Umbilical Brothers

2009-07-10T10:54:00.011-04:00

It's been quite some time since I've written about the modern dance scene in Manhattan proper. Post Trey McIntyre Project and Philadanco at the Joyce, and Broadway Bares at the Roseland Ballroom, it's time to do some catching up with dance chit chat.

Thursday evening, the Umbilical Brothers, a monozygotic duet from Sydney, Australia, shared the stage in Speedmouse - a whirlwind of stimulation, caricatured humor, and whimsical nonsense. David Collins (the one with curly hair) and Shane Dundas (the one without curly hair) addressed the audience like we were old friends, taking free liberty to express their ultimate purpose, admission of intimidation, and lack of "transitions" (more on that later). As writers, directors and performers, the Brothers immediately honed in on making us aware of their silly flaws, only to reiterate their non-flawed transitional nature in every skit they created. The Umbilical Brothers stand true to their organic physical title - Dundas squirms his mouth to make the most questionable animated sounds. Clicking, clacking, grunting or yelping with his inner cheeks and teeth, Collins is the yin to Dundas' yang, the movement to his noise. Limber and poised, Collins' free-strength abandon is met with outstanding balance, focus and a smile comparable to Heath Ledger.

The Umbilical Brothers place themselves in their own world - controlled by a remote, which happens to be in the hand of their Roadie. Roadie, a physically sarcastic stagehand, is hidden underneath a felt mask and an over sized pink and yellow polka dot clown costume throughout the entire production. Roadie's hand grasps the average contraption with all the amenities a normal remote possesses; however, the remote's not so remote purpose is to demonstrate choreographic composition through labels [on/off, stop, play, pause, mute, rewind, porn] onto Dave and Shane. Thus, the Brothers stutter when there's a 'ga ga glitch', turn their skulls like molasses when slow motion becomes activated, and squawk in gibberish when being fast-forwarded.

As Speedmouse switches channels on our literal television experience, Collins and Dundas mutate into velociraptors, javelin experts, ping pong champions, German commentators, Arnold Schwarzenegger posers ('get out'), babysitters, and puppeteers. Their skits are acts Willy Wonka would approve of. Immersed in the accuracy of their target in media or society, Dundas and Collins take their humor seriously. Their bodies are able to mold and bend like clay, taking on any shape they aim to mimic. As dinosaurs, the Brothers could have been in Jurassic Park - arching their backs and squishing their necks backwards while making growling noises that could have startled a scientist. On a different [foreign] channel, Collins claps and wobbles through a series of Yoga poses that Dundas dictates in an hypnosis-like German documentary accent. Collins' poise and ability to transfigure his body from standing to crouching is something to be admired. Can the two Aussie's be categorized as modern dance? Most likely not, but their ability to refrain from categorization within comedic performance art speaks for itself.

It's important to note that though the Umbilical Brothers emphasized their trouble with transitions, it's hard for me to remember them actually doing it. Steady and sure of their consistent timing (choreographically, audibly, and comedically), Dundas and Shane probably paid the most attention to their transitions, as they hardly stayed in one place too long. The transitions actually enabled a fast-paced flip book whatjusthappenedicantevenrememberwhatiwitnessed tasting, with a side of giggles.

The Umibilical Brothers are performing at the Joyce until July 11.

Check out the duo's hilarious encore below

Motion Occupies Music: Michael J. Fox

2009-07-09T16:13:00.001-04:00

Ashley,

I want to try to keep writing for you. As you already know it is hard for me to put things into works. I often have to close my eyes, and just let the words try to flow through my fingertips. It doesn’t always work. It’s like choking on my own thoughts.

I thought of a great phrase yesterday, and I have already forgotten it. I am sorry I did not write it down. I hope you keep writing. I hope you may be the keeper of many good memories.

Here is the Michael J Fox experience:

'Always Looking Up', his book based on optimism.

ABC produced a one-hour mini documentary loosely based on the theme of his book.

I was simply asked to mix the show.

As many people my age, I grew up with MJF, remembering him as a smart alec young man on Family Ties to Back to the Future. Here was an amazing young actor with a sharp mind and sense of humor. He had it all going on. Then the news came of his diagnosis with Parkinson Disease.

This struck a chord, we are about the same age. How does this happen to someone so vibrant, so young?

I was happy to be asked to participate on the production of this show. I met MJF briefly as we had to record some narration lines. Because of the extreme deadline we were facing I had the studio preset and ready to role as soon as Michael was ready to record. There was a slight hitch due to a communication gap, and I was somewhat taken aback as to how this particular concern was not thought of or addressed prior to recording. Michael’s Parkinson’s is accompanied with uncontrollable movement. Therefore, when in a recording booth, this movement is unfortunately picked up by the microphone. I had not been made aware of his preference to sit on a stool. Had I known that I would have found one that did not squeak. A total snafu on our end. But the professionalism of Michael and the production team, including great editors enabled us to continue unencumbered by a squeaky stool. I was not thrilled, but happy that the performance was captured without upsetting the talent or affecting the outcome of the production.

What stood out the most was how incredibly smart and down to earth he was. Above and beyond all, was his optimism. After working with him and working on the show, and meeting he and his wife at the post gathering, I came away with the feeling that I should never waste time on looking back, but spend more time looking forward, and looking up. Keeping the good things in mind and pushing away the negative. I doesn’t always come easy, but I will tell you that right now, as I am writing these words to you, it is working for me.

MJF is a fine example of a person who is not giving up on life. One who seems to embrace each and every moment. A man who is proactive in finding a cure for the disease that has so affected his life and that of those who surround him with profound love and support.

Once again, I have been lucky to come into contact, however briefly, with a special talent. One of many who have inspired me throughout the years.

Voodoo on it

2009-07-09T12:09:00.004-04:00

New Orleans.

Music festival.

Southern comfort food.

Pink and gold beads.

Halloween weekend.

Voodoo Experience

Click here for the complete lineup

This is Voodoo Experience's 10th Anniversary,

and who turns a reason away to celebrate?

Nominated twice by Pollstar for Music Festival of the Year,

Voodoo Experience has brought over 1 million fans to the south,

as well as over 450 artists to the stage.

Check out the map of the festival grounds

Who's in?

It's only 20 hrs and 15 mins from NYC.

A cappella

2009-07-08T15:28:00.011-04:00

We laid there with a sense of bewilderment and enchantment. Two immobile quads mushed together, forming lethargic shapes from an underneath point of view. Time was an unknown fact, entry bracelets replaced watches and phones and burning neon. The essential numbers - like a mother, father and brother - were silenced by the beauty between the trees. Backs rested and massaged, we walked without purpose in a seemingly OK manor. Front of calves were burnt, back of calves were cold. Two-faced. Pretty lights engulfed our heads and laughter spoke languages we couldn't remember. Fireworks debated points of homeostasis and levels of crazy. Two was easier than one, yeah way! Spitting in straws. Splitting. Paper plates ignited with fury, the sparks caught our laughter and burned in the sounds of madness, happiness, lochness, and animated voice. His ingeniously loud vibrato lured nomads out from behind shadows, looking to play, looking to wonder. The wicked witch melted twelve times. The green became even greener as technology played with fun. We stared. I stared for a while - maybe days - and it felt like Christmas. Four o'clock chocolate donuts, gonuts. Wayne O. got arrested and no one knew what to do with his sneakers or 10,000 claims. His absence was filled with Savannah nights and her teddy bear husband. All the ducks swam in the water, and woke up old legends from sleeping bags of warmth. LCD Soundsystem started the last day with Bob and the mess felt normal, just as my dirty hands felt clean.

It's like this: pretend you're a Google satellite. Zoom in past the oceans, past the metropolis', past the highways, houses, pools, convention centers, past the trees, and focus on the little flicker of light. That is a world, right around a campfire. Soaking, brewing, heating - a full circle of bending minds and crooked smiles. People are living within the tiniest dot on the biggest scale. They decorate their dot with pink and green glow sticks, and maybe some empty cans. Surrounded by thousands, do they ever look around? Me? I didn't find the need to, as our neighbors were mirror images. Through the looking glass, we all screamed at peaks.

See you next year Stickman.

In tents

2009-07-08T11:00:00.002-04:00

It's a great experience to go to bed in a tent listening to "All the ducks are swimming in the water fal da ral da ral da"

Going to bed with 15

2009-07-01T10:55:00.007-04:00

"Everyone was there."

"Oh you mean the desert. Of course that's what you mean - the place where you desire, no? Tell me about 'everyone'."

"Well, everyone at least that has been on my mind lately. And yes, the desert. Is it desired? I can't be too confident about desire within the dry world both fake and real, but the dust formed wisps around us and rolled along the 20 mile stretch as silent as a bubble with the speed of a panther. The stretch of desert was as far as my eyes could reach, and I have 20/20 vision you know. I had never witnessed such an expansive line of flatness. I remember thinking of the lyric 'cause every place I go, I'll take another place with me'. The past was all present, and everyone, well my everyone, seemed confused."

Thinking with a head tilt

"It was some sort of treasure hunt. A wicked game. They carried me home."

"Whose 'they'?"

"Two boys, I knew them both. They carried what used to be my 16-year-old-self. Limp and distraught, I came-to with minimum memory. It was like the same experience on New Years when I came-to in a blanket with my hands choking a coffee mug. One of the boys, my particular favorite, had lost a bright salmon and purple Nye sneaker. He wasn't aware that he lost a shoe, or maybe he didn't care to notice. I reminded him it was there, sticking out like a sore thumb amidst the linear brown paths.

We pinpricked and molded our way through the crowd. I recall encountering a mafia family in the living room - glued to the TV and silent. There sofas were crimson while their still shadows vibrated on the dim walls. Our presence was unknown. It reminded me of Pleasantville."

Sits down in a quiet upper west side pre-war building. There's dust on the bathroom floor and cream cheese stains on both desks. The desks are adjacent to the window. The window muffles sounds of construction workers and big machines. Golden Jesus in three ways stares at the computer, and she never looks up. Buddha is there too, as well as a solar calculator, blue post-its , a Brasilian magazine, and a blinking voicemail contraption.

"So what happened next, where did you travel to?"

"I can't be too sure as I might be making it up. All I know is that I went to bed contemplating solace and Wisconsin, and then I wound up in a desert and feeling wanted but still sick."

Michael Jackson: Legend

2009-06-25T20:49:00.005-04:00

A day to remember.

R.I.P. THE King of Pop

I remember driving home from the catskills blasting "Man in the Mirror"

and choreographing dances in my living room

to "Black Or White" - and meaning it - when I was 9.

Free Willy and fly.

The most exciting thing since Bonnaroo

2009-06-22T12:03:00.003-04:00

Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's fantastical Alice in Wonderland

Into the Wild

2009-06-21T17:33:00.002-04:00

Both a fav book and movie of mine.

Check out the track "Society" by Eddie Vedder.

Play Pause

2009-06-20T16:29:00.003-04:00

Sadie Benning: Play Pause

on exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art until September 20

...the perfect anecdote to a rainy Saturday

Dots

2009-06-16T19:14:00.003-04:00

The T.V. repair man suddenly exploded into a million tiny pieces of green and could never hold a wrench the same. He came to your door pixalated and shimmering. Is that real or something we should comfort? He swung his head with a powerful gusto, spinning his wiry neck in circles until his knees lost all tendons and snapped suddenly like an alligator's mouth closing upon it's prey. Standing there, facing a skeleton of green, you shook his hand and said, "Thanks."

Hi

2009-06-16T19:11:00.003-04:00

The enchanted mess of the ding dang dong delivery man:

he dropped his popcorn and his fingers were never the same.

The cake we eat begins with an B

2009-06-16T16:03:00.005-04:00

Try to make it come true and spellbind the orbs to glow upon your squared off domain. Smiles and wheat and weep in the straw for eternity's explanation of it's utopia. Row the boat through a moat of glow sticks and ghosts and boots to get to those sounds. You're getting closer, hear it? It hurts so good to wake up with a little less. Paddle and wade, lines of poles blend in with the trees and you tend to walk into them. Lost duets and melody days get hazy and blurry with the quickness of a New England fox. A trap grabs the foot, waving it in front of music-stained eyes, exhaustion and jelly. Voices echo around around around with the droll of repetition yet the humor of butt scratcha's and knowing grins make the sound dazzle amongst the dirt. Melt meld molten skin turns to liquid as fast as the chocolate ice cream that laces between your fingers. It tastes good. Gooey good. Ice cream and names have never had such an important relation in a place like this. This place, with all it's glorified madness is my hospital, my sectioned mental basket case wing. I have a corridor with a view and see all the other blind people walking the streets in true oblivion. This, right here, will make everyone get better with medicine bottles filled with riffs and IVs pumping the beat of a drum through feeble arms painted gold. This is our haven where hot dogs replace salads and computers are something for people with polished hair and toes- the dirty creatures cannot touch the aluminum and silver- we might get electrocuted. Burn the zero's of the world, fly like moths wings, make babies in summertime clothes, plant the divided sky and stay there. Just be there to see yellow reach the moon and say "Hey Moon, remember me?" And when the moon replies "Yes", she opens up the skies of silence and allows you to dance in her night until she cannot be of any further assistance. She gives you her playground and hides away when the other lights get as big as a tyrannosaurs you cannot dream of anything else except of what's right in front of you. I don't know what happens before and after this, but I'm not sure I need too.

BONNAROOOOOOOOOOO

grit and dirt and jam jam jam

2009-06-16T15:33:00.001-04:00

Shuffle and party, or reverse?

2009-06-08T19:58:00.006-04:00

I just love my "Party Shuffle" on iTunes. I keep meaning to write about the cool mixes it creates, but I always forget to sit down and reminisce because I'm busy listening to the next song. "Party Shuffle" creates mixes I couldn't even dream to think of myself- and growing up with an addiction to editing songs [via mia madre] I think it's enlightening every time I hear two songs that aren't supposed to belong together blend so perfectly- like a cup of the purest Colombian coffee.

What iTunes did: The end of The Roots' "Rolling With Heat" ends with a woman speaking as if she was hosting a radio broadcast. She says, "It's the top of the hour, we're about to prepare you for another two hours of music-free commercials." AND THEN the break in the track stopped for oh about .5 seconds, only to drop the down beat of a soft bongo drum. Enter angelic psychedelic Shepherd's Dog "Lovesong Of The Buzzard". The twangs of hippie strings after The Roots' mean muggin' rhythms seemed to purrfect to be accidental. The space between the two songs was spot on because it gave the listener a moment to breath while transitioning with the previous artist's words. Both songs have a constant rhythm, thought created with different instruments, therefore, the ease of the beats just flowed one into the other- " The Lovesong of Heat" or "Rolling with the Buzzard" could be the name. Post-mix, I day-dreamed a DJ playing this transition, and saw everyone raising their lighters and exhaling.

If you have those two songs (which ya most definitely should!), try listening to them back to back- I think you'll like it.

Justin Vernon- roo

2009-06-07T11:28:00.001-04:00

I cannot WAIT for him to perform "Woods" (he better!!)

Silent Disco- roo

2009-06-07T11:09:00.002-04:00

This is one of those things you wait an entire year to get to do again: Silent Disco

DJ me up!
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Goodrich.

Bad Things

2009-06-07T10:49:00.003-04:00

The most bad ass opening sequence I've ever seen for a TV show. I love the shots of the bayou mixed with the innocence of children, the eccentricities of the church, the notion of sex that's associated with vampires without including a shot of an actual vampire, the creepy myths of the south, metaphors of the death and re-birth of bugs and animals, and the drawl of Jace Everett's voice.

2009-06-01T21:45:00.000-04:00

Interesting post, yet I don't know why it's interesting to me.....

Cucumber sandwiches

2009-05-29T23:35:00.008-04:00

She was a little girl and all she had was her attic.

Full of beads and turquoise pearls she sat by that moldy brown adjacent door everyday, waiting for it to open for her.

Her silver key made of spirals and magic was the entrance to the garden well and cherry farms and kept her possessions safe.

In the attic she could see all of her father's acres, the stables, apple garden, vegetable patch, unicorns den and (most importantly) the ocean.

She had been banned from the ocean (although she could never remember why), but she always dreamt of jabbing her toes in what would be the sticky sand and swirling her big toe in the shape of stars.

While dreaming of sea shells she had tea by herself, always with her pinky reaching for the sky and crumpets made of sand.

The New Scot

2009-05-29T23:10:00.003-04:00

New favorite tuneage by my new favorite Scots

Glasvegas

so glam. so dirty. all elements to make a kick bum band.

their play on nursery rhymes and kiddie songs makes my tummy smile;

such as "liar liar liar pants on fire".

The deep-throated pronunciation of their "a's" makes me want to have a guinness and become a rock star (yet again)

key tracks:

"Flowers and Football Tops"

"Geraldine"

"It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry"

"Lonesome Swan"

Wine in the well

2009-05-29T22:57:00.005-04:00

New Iron and Wine

Around the Well

A collection of b-sides and mellowed out tunes distant from Beam's last album but makes me want to light a marlboro, get out my drum and sit on a porch for a few hours in front of the fire with polka dots and a broken wooden railing.

key tracks:

"Peng! 33"

"Hickory" (that word reminds me of bark and honey)

"Belated Promise Ring" (never had one of those thank hickory)

"Serpent Charmer" (really I just like those two words together, evil brings everyone down through slick sidewinder smiles. But really, this songs intro and the thawp thawp of color-bending beats is fantasmo)

"Carried Home" (sad, not a soldier but been there in other states of mind)

"Kingdom of the Animals" (cause who ever frowned at that? mine would be full of talking dolphins of the Turks persuasion)

check em out on npr here

The Kids- roo

2009-05-29T17:45:00.003-04:00

MGMT starts their set at 2:15AM Saturday, June 13 at Roo!

Oh I cannot wait to spin in circles,

wear neon paint,

twirl my hair,

and dance baby dance.

"This is a call to arms to live and love and sleep together"

Coolza

2009-05-29T17:05:00.004-04:00

Off to the show this Sunday, May 31.

Looking forward to returning to Randall's Island,

(as I haven't been since the Warped Tour days of 2004)

seeing some basket tosses that reach 35 feet,

but mostly, some new music.

Favorite Cirque du Soleil album to date: Quidam

[show and album name] (1997)

Anvil: The Story of Anvil

2009-05-29T17:00:00.002-04:00

Kinda sad. Kinda inspiring. But 100% rock.

Playing at the Angelika now.

Harry Hood- roo

2009-05-11T01:32:00.002-04:00

In my recent discovery of Phish, I am really hoping the Vermont jammers play "Harry Hood" as part of their set. The song has never appeared on any of their studio albums, however, it has been played, rung, and spit out over 200 times during Phish's live concerts. I'll let you know what happens after THE Roo.

Ransom

2009-05-11T00:07:00.003-04:00

"Your

GAZE

hits

the

siDe

of my

FACE"

Trafalgar Square

2009-05-03T16:20:00.000-04:00

Gives me chills every time. Waaaaaaaa

The Model as Muse

2009-04-30T19:31:00.005-04:00

Not only does this photo make the word peace tangible, but it makes me very excited for this exhibit.

Read the NY Times review here

GAGA

2009-04-30T18:58:00.001-04:00

Watch while listening to "Hands First" by Caribou

What will you learn?

2009-04-27T22:47:00.006-04:00

Get informed, but what will you learn that you don't know already?

The Informers, directed by Gregor Jordan, playing at the Angelika NOW.

The Requiem for a Dream for our jaded-typepad generation.

Based on Bret Easton Ellis' short stories (published in 1994), The Informers features an all star cast- Mickey Rourke, Winona Ryder, Billie Bob Thorton, Kim Basinger- reminding us how fun can turn into disaster.

Music, sex, drugs, and a whole lotta [missing] love.

The Informers know everything and nothing.

"I need someone to tell me what is good."

My point exactly

2009-04-26T23:09:00.001-04:00

pre-mania

2009-04-26T22:47:00.006-04:00

So it goes, though no one knows you like they used to do

Have a drink the sky is sinking toward a deeper blue

And you're still all right

Step out into twilight

Why: Atypical sound, folkie without the hay, youthful arrangements, open road material
Tracks: Take It from Me, Citywide Rodeo, Riga Girls, Living in Twilight, Not Your Year, Painting By Chagall, Love Doesn't Last Too Long

Storybubble Pictures

2009-04-26T22:39:00.001-04:00

2009-04-26T22:34:00.004-04:00

Tri.Be.Ca.

2009-04-26T22:14:00.003-04:00

Top ten things to do during this New York Spring:

- Whale watch on the Long Island Sound (if one can do that)

- Rock climb at Chelsea Piers

- Kayak on the Hudson River

- Go hiking [more] in the Catskills

- Screenwriting class

- Cycle over the George Washington Bridge

- Photograph more at concerts/music venues

- Naked yoga

- PR for musicians

- Literati

Sing sing sing

2009-04-26T13:50:00.000-04:00

Oh Shanti

2009-04-18T23:01:00.001-04:00

We Shan't

Exhibition

2009-04-18T22:54:00.004-04:00

Tangled Alphabets

Leon Ferrari and Mira Schendel

Exhibition at MOMA until June 15

shake shack

2009-04-08T21:50:00.001-04:00

this reminds me of my ex-boyfriend, which one I cannot be sure.

Sunday Song

2009-04-05T15:19:00.002-04:00

"Skeletons", Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!

1:47 with the top down

Solo with Solo

2009-04-02T23:00:00.003-04:00

Another film at the Angelika.

Taxi driver: curious, bleary-eyed, accepting, misty in the Smokies.

This shot of Souleymane Sy Savane is exactly what I want to do

when I re-visit Tennesee in June.

I'm hoping seeing this film was a self-invented sign of the end of 'Solo'.

2009-04-02T16:16:00.000-04:00

Viewing at the Angelika tonight:

The Cake Eaters

2009-04-02T16:12:00.003-04:00

Best Film Soundtrack I've heard since Garden State

The Cake Eaters (2007)

The Frames

Duncan Sheik

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

The Rosewood Thieves

Nada Surf

Lauren Pritchard

Sage

The Wailin' Jennys

The Weepies