Early Thursday snow pics 1AM-10AM Brooklyn

{flash, no flash gif!}

{fuck god believe in yourself. amen.}

More pics here.

Insert joke about how I braved the yucky weather to see the band Yuck

So many good shows coming up in February and March, makes up for all this miserable cold weather and wanting to stay inside hermit-style. Missed out on getting a ticket for one of the two Wild Flag shows at The Rock Shop though, I'll be checking Craigslist during the days / weeks before with high apple pie in the sky hopes.

Braved the stinging, sideways snow Wednesday night to check out Yuck at Glasslands. The Mercury show the night before was canceled due to visa issues in the UK apparently. They landed in Newark (according to twitter) hours before they took the stage. Also, I heard they were scheduled during CMJ last year, but didn't make it, again with the visa issues. Someone needs to get on that shit.

Notoriously hated Total Slacker went on before, they always opening for bands and they always get bad reviews, "they could be so much better, but it's like the choose not to". They were fine, definitely not hatable though. See, that's the thing, they incite no strong emotion either way for me, and therefore, I guess that's a big fail? I dunno, who cares. They made me smile though. At the end the guitarist jumped into the crowd and started smashing his guitar to bits on the ground. It seemed out of place since their songs are not really punk or aggressive, so the display appeared disingenuous. It was weird, out-of-place, and entertaining, like the movie Showgirls. Anyway, missed the other openers - Fergus & Geronimo and Darlings. So crickets about what they are like live.

On to the main show... Yuck were polite and cool and sounded great. Their set didn't seem as '90s College Radio as I thought AND for good reason, it was like an updated take on that, expanding upon what I grew up loving in a perfect way. As a result, I really want them to stick around, keep evolving, and continue making great music. The singer said how grateful they were to finally be in NYC. And how venues in Brooklyn are pretty cool cos they put "coral" all over the ceiling. Ha. Cute. I love this band. I love their name. I love their 7" art. I'm really glad I left the warmth and comfort of my apt and blanket fort that isn't full of knee-deep snow to attend this show in the far off and mostly annoying world that is North Brooklyn.

Anyway, here's a photo I took where the drummer (and his epic hair) is being obscured behind the main singer. Much better, more professional photos that I didn't take can be found here. And really really great footage of three songs from their set including "Get Away" can be found here where the guitarist (doing his best J Mascis, and I mean this in the best way) had some complications, got another guitar, and kept right on going. Yes. Great live, great album. I am all for Yuck.

Green-Wood

{close up textures}

Two Songs

Thanks KEXP for perfectly playing these two songs this morning at just the right time when I came to a certain realization. No guessing anymore, it's very clear. Feel like a big dummy though. But what can you do. I love these two songs though.

Moving on...

You'll Always Give Me...

Can't wait for the new R.E.M. album Collapse into Now. I still think Reveal (2001) is underrated. I listened to that over and over right before I moved here along with about 10 other albums from that year - Bjork's Vespertine. Those albums make me think of Alabama, my first office job, and 9/11. It also marked the last time I really bought albums, like from a store on a CD and not digitally (mp3s from iTunes and/or directly from the artist's site) or free online (Napster, Limewire, torrents, Mediafire, etc).

Anyway, the new REM song "It Happened Today" reminds me of The State's "Boner Song". Bad thing? No way!!

ne fumant pas

{Kristen Wiig . 2009}

Been thinking about the Fall 2011 Men's Collections on style.com, then I randomly found this image tucked away in an inspiration folder... It literally epitomizes how I feel about fashion. When it comes down to it, I can't take it all that seriously. I have to be having fun with it. Also, I really like paying $3 for boots at thrift stores, and using "it" five times in two seconds.


{Le Smoking, Yves Saint Laurent . photographed by Helmut Newton . 1975}

Speaking of YSL, I got some great floral tapestry lace-up flats from Forever21 a while back for $18. Planning on wearing them with short skirts and black dresses, sexy on top / grandma on bottom. Anyway, the logo on the box is a direct rip-off of the YSL logo. Hilarious. Does this bother anyone? It doesn't? We should all just have a laugh then? Ok.

Reason #3205983 why Twitter is so entertaining

More sNOw in Expected This Week

Freakout!

We Are Were - New Editions To The Shop

Crunchies and Crossfire

Here are two songs I got stuck in my head today.
Thanks internet cat memes and repetitive toy commercials during Saturday morning cartoons in the 80s.


{You have no idea how bad I wanted to hate everything about this}


{I never even played Crossfire, no one I knew had this game, or if they did it sucked and they never brought it out.}

Speaking of games, Harry Crane is a board gamer aficionado in real life.

Madonna, Miaow, Morrissey, and Marx

For $17 you can get giant heads or giant cats on a dress. Thanks, Etsy.
{red lips placement!}

{mew mew}

{I like the Morrissey one - it looks like he's hugging you}

{No Karl Marx hugs, though...}

...And Video Art!

I can't believe people don't talk about (or even mention) Night Flight and it's influence on most kids throughout the '80s and how that has affected current music / art / movies - and how we use media? But maybe it was still too obscure to make any real measurable impact... It did come on TV at about midnight on the weekends. Anyway, it was great. It filled in the gaps of what your older siblings / cousins / neighbors only hinted at what was cool...

Central Park

{Sheep Meadow looking out on Central Park South}
{Mom's old faux beaver long coat from the '60s}
{Strawberry Fields looking out on Central Park West
The Dakota, The Langham, and The San Remo}

{bird feet textured snow}
{near the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain}

{lunch at Picholine - tuna napoleon and olive oil ice cream - yuuuum}

{lunch in Central Park - hawk eats squirrel - yuuuum}

More pics in the flickr set HERE

silk white and black dress - thrifted in Alabama
leopard fur collar - Etsy {June and Ward}

Before Today

This was probably my favorite of last year. I listened to it often straight through which I've never done with an Ariel Pink album before. AND this album was well liked by others too, I noticed it's inclusion on most End of the Year lists. COS OF THAT, I've had to look at this cover more than I intended – which is strange, I honestly rarely pay attention to an album's design or even see most covers anymore. This fact is made extra sad due to the idea of designing album covers (and/or drawing illustrations for music magazines) was something that initially steered me into graphic design and not fine art. Anyway, I started thinking about Before Today and how it felt like a mash-up of several album covers I have stored in the old brain bank...

I'm sure I'm not the first to make these connections. There's probably even an album with glowing little priest figures out there that could be included in this too.

Hair, Nails, Half Cat Baths

{with my hair like this I feel like Gwyneth Paltrow in A Perfect Murder}

{or it's a cross between Julian Assange and "Ashley" from Fifteen}
{And when I curl my hair I feel like Ashley's nemesis, Brooke. Oh that Brooke! While searching for Fifteen screengrabs, I ran across this pretty great post about the Canadian teen drama that I eventually got tired of cos it was shown on Nickelodeon constantly – even though no one seems to remember it? Anyway, It still holds a place in my pre-teen heart.}

---------

{Chu can't stare from outside anymore, so she's all in my face and half cat baths}

{still obsessed with the fake nails...}