emo kids never had a chance to be best friends.

SASS 2012

2012-01-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

2011 was full of ups and downs. while i was a dutiful little worker bee for the first six months, i was unexpectedly placed in a rather strangely-opportune state of unemployment. that four month stretch actually gave me quite a bit of time to decompress, gather my wits, reflect, and come back into the work force fully energized.

my resolutions from 2011: overall, i feel i have been mildly successful (with the exception of photo-ing/blogging more, which was an ultimate fail). i also achieved some things which only entered my calendar when i was on the prowl for a job. was given the opportunity to volunteer for a non-profit, to volunteer at the LA Superior Court, and to travel to oberlin, ohio and meet my BFF's baby nora, whom i absolutely adore (if you know me, you will know that i am a BABY STAYS IN THE CORNER-type of person, but this lil one is the exception.). i had committed to taking a japanese proficiency test, so even after i started my new job- i studied. now i know that i can do more to keep learning new things, even while working.

big plans for 2012: after much discussion, i have come up with a catchy acronym which summarizes my goals for this year. it is: Successful Austerity* & Socialization Strategy, better known as "SASS."
*inspired in part by facebook postings by my friend christine c., which juxtaposed descriptive sentences involving "AUSTERITY 2012" with a picture of a $4K pair of shoes. long live shoe sales.

photos from the 2nd Annual DJF Benefit, featuring william beckett (formerly of the academy is...), fun., and jack's mannequin/something corporate, have been posted to their official flickr.

this week is going to get a little nutso for me. shows @ the viper room and then @ the troubadour wed-thurs. hope i make it through!

i’ll be your emmylou, and i’ll be your june @firstaidkitband

2011-12-15T22:47:00.000-08:00

[first aid kit - "emmylou" live on KCRW]

love love love love love.

check out their entire live set @ kcrw here & an interview by tavitulle for rookie mag.

playing video games

2011-11-22T00:11:00.000-08:00

weird video for an excellent song. creepy rainy day time.
[lana del rey - video games]

all of the ghouls come out to play

2011-10-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

[florence + the machine - shake it out]

FLAWLESS.

sorry for being so MIA, internet peoples. i'm back at work and it's been fun adjusting to a normal workweek again. patrick stump (formerly of Fall Out Boy) coming up on monday @ the viper room with elisa. also, can we please talk about halloweekend? it is going to be AMAZE. what are you all dressing up as?

party in the USA

2011-09-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

this tokyo police club project has been floating about my internetz radar recently (i almost typed "gloating about," what the what)... finally found them all in one neat little package on soundcloud & discovered that they have an album release date for this "10 Covers, 10 Days, 10 Years" project. it'll be released as a digital album on October 4th, both on iTunes and with special commemorative packaging on their website.

Tokyo Police Club: 10 Days, 10 Covers, 10 Years by TokyoPoliceClub

which is your favorite cover? xx

new @lights video for "toes"

2011-09-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

lights has a new album, siberia, dropping on 10/4 (same day as people & things by jack's mannequin; interesting timing, warner). check out her new video below.

[lights - toes (music video)]

in other news, i've been following #nyfw this past week, and recently discovered this: http://www.youtube.com/liverunway! watched the elie tahari (my favorite suits are by him) runway with my mother. loved the flowing sash-like designs. and gold gold gold. one model definitely needed more double-sided tape for her top... awk.

the missoni for target debacle: i'll save that for when i actually get the goods. i am told that a friend's friend was prominently featured in tori spelling's blog-- she kindly gave a baby missoni outfit to the 99 months pregnant (mrs. spelling's words, not mine) mom. celebrities! they're just like us. stay tuned...

i learned to fly on my own

2011-09-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

this past sunday, e and i got to catch a very cool performance by lucy schwartz with the heartstrings (string quartet) in a bat!cave. actually, this was @ bronson caves in griffith park, but it was a LEGIT (man-made) cave. she was charming and delightful and all those adjectives; we sat around on chairs (or blankets) and watched a very chill and cozy set. the performance (five or six songs) was videotaped, and she mentioned we can expect to see it on her site in about a few weeks. here's the view from the inside:

here's a video from a similar performance she did at bardot.
["Gravity" Lucy Schwartz & The Heartstrings @ Bardot]

and here's me, either lifting off or getting blown off the cliff! i'm a terrible jumper. really, though, does it not look like i'm flying backwards?

culture collide @FILTERmagazine 2011

2011-09-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

filter culture collide is back again! last year, i got a free tote and caught some sweet acts @ the satellite (formerly spaceland) and the block party.

the fest is happening in LA on october 6 through 9, 2011, and includes the following acts:

Does It Offend You, Yeah? (UK), Avi Buffalo (USA), The Elected (USA), The Morning After Girls (Australia), The Gift (Portugal), Midnight Surfer (USA), Laura Jansen (the Netherlands), Hands (USA), The Lanskies (France), Carina Round (UK), Cosmic Kids (USA), Sparkadia (Australia), Holger (Brazil) Bixel Boys (USA), You Say France & I Whistle (Sweden), Tropicool (USA), Da Brasilians (France), Hypernova (Iran) and Surf Ambassador Hendo (USA). These artists will be performing alongside the previously announced line-up of CSS, Lindstrøm, Gang Gang Dance, Liam Finn, Datarock, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Ximina Sarinana, Isobel Campbell, and many other bands from 23 participating countries.

also, if you must know-- a limited number of festival wristbands, which provide access to all Culture Collide showcases, are available for $20 and can be purchased here. the whole weekend includes live shows, film screenings, happy hours featuring free food and drink from around the world, and intimate acoustic sets at eight of LA's historic venues including The Echo, Echoplex, Taix, 826LA, Swinghouse Studios, The Church, Reform Academy and Stories Books & Cafe. concluding the festival weekend is the TOYOTA ANTICS block party, a free all-day event in echo park on sunday, october 9.

for more info, please visit the following links:
culturecolide.com
facebook.com/FILTERMagazine
twitter.com/FILTERMagazine

who are you excited to see?

baby fever

2011-08-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

i held a baby this weekend, and (after my initial terror) i liked it. video soon.

- meow

show us your bones

2011-08-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

last month, i was able to catch milo greene with ampersandblues at a free UCLA Hammer Museum Also, I Like to Rock show, as well as at the last night of the RACES residency at bootleg theater. RACES reminds me of arcade fire, for sure. super huge crowds and so much excellence at both shows, including a lil band from long beach called pageants at the bootleg gig-- they sounded very low-fi and i was instantly reminded of best coast. no surprise there-- turns out (according to their wiki page) they are recording with bobb bruno of best coast. t/f can someone confirm?

check out further loveliness from milo greene. way to get signed by alex pastavas' label in like, 2.5 seconds. hahah

[milo greene - autumn trees]

this fall, they've got the coveted slot of opening for the civil wars--who recently recorded a daytrotter session on 8/9/11 (best part: the session is totally downloadable). the LA date is @ the wiltern on 11/19/11, so grab your tickets here before they're gone.

the next week (i think), i followed up with the same KCRW/Hammer Museum series to check out the charming lil three-piece lady danville. i had seen them "open" for jack's mannequin @ the viper room previously (by "open," i mean they played the same night at a less favorable set time-- after the show). they were super nice and adorable and begged my friend(s) to stay, so that's why i was there. and was immediately won over.

i caught some of their set when they embarked on the jack's mannequin tour earlier this summer, but i missed out on their cover of MGMT's "kids," which, if you know me, is probably my favorite-ist song of all time. so here ya go:

Lady Danville - Kids (MGMT Cover) by CivEZ

dancehall queen

2011-08-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

[robyn - call your girlfriend]
um, will someone please show me how to dance like robyn? loves it.

video round-up: "cure your moody monday" edition

2011-07-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

[demi lovato - skyscraper]

totally obsessed with this song rn. i confess that i've never really been a fan of her music (basically, i've really never heard anything by her but this song) and i thought the title was a little... cheesy. but, after watching part of this interview she did with e! online and hearing her talk about the demons she has struggled with, you can't help but smile and appreciate the ballad for the glorious-ness that it is: an anthem.

[freelance whales - enzymes]

Freelance Whales - Enzymes from NEUE on Vimeo.
fireworks! growing old! growing young! existential questions with explosions and things. bubbles and flowers... yay!

[washed out - eyes be closed]

via stereogum this a.m. i want her shades... or the whole outfit.

the hello sessions by @milogreene

2011-06-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

milo greene features my mostly friend/sometimes foe graham fink of the outline (i mean, being facebook friends counts, amirite?). you can stream the hello sessions below. "1957" is a free download over on their bandcamp page. dreamy good.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://milogreene.bandcamp.com/album/the-hello-sessions"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Hello Sessions by Milo Greene&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

they'll be part of one of the kcrw summer nights lineups @ the hammer museum on thursday, 7/21 w/ grouplove and recently were recipients of a tweet-out by the civil wars (another recent favorite of mine). check out a live session of "1957" below.

to live and ride in LA: the real rebels

2011-06-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

move over, annoying and loud bikers of the harley-davidson variety. you know who is more punk than you? here's who: non-motorized (of the pedaling with your feet variety; novel idea, i know), environmentally-friendly bike riders. on bikes. with no brakes.

dwell on that for a bit.

i was given the opportunity to preview a screener of to live and ride in LA, a documentary about bikers who race through the streets of LA with, for all intents and purposes, a complete disregard for the rules of traffic-- riding in groups or alone, streaking through the LA riverbed or freeways, doing tricks off of ramps, etc. i don't condone breaking the law (particularly traffic laws, they're for your and the public's safety, sheesh), but the element of breaking these rules makes watching the film all the more thrilling. there isn't much of a storyline in the beginning; a lot of introductions and profiles, but the film comes together as race day approaches. you see how a pretty diverse group of angelenos (replete with buddy holly glass-wearing and/or bearded and/or pabst blue ribbon-swilling hipsters) come together to live, ride, race, and sometimes party throughout this amazing city i call home.

the soundtrack is droolworthy, btw. heard some willowz (shout out to dim mak records), sea wolf, small black (previously feat. on my blog as one of my favorite videos ever), silversun pickups... for more info on the film and the soundtrack, be sure to drop by their site: http://www.trafikpictures.com/tlr/

toodles.

noisetrade: graham colton, the civil wars

2011-06-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

free download of graham colton's album, pacific coast eyes, for one week only (through next tuesday, methinks)! donations/tips suggested, but it's a give-what-you-can sort of deal.

per his NoiseTrade page-- for fans of: Counting Crows, Augustana, Matt Nathanson, Better Than Ezra. look, i didn't write that, so don't blame me if you consider it to be inaccurate. i still enjoyed the album.

i also downloaded this without listening to it first: the civil wars' live at eddie's attic. why? because this KCRW sesh was so good.

aaaand, as you may have noticed due to increased blog/twitter activity... i am officially #funemployed. goal for the time being is to try to write or post something at least every other day. making up for lost time, as it were. apologies in advance if you get some inane fluffy pieces about the weather, my breakfast, or ramblings about life (it sucks? JUSTKIDDING. life is peachy cos i've got one; am constantly grateful for that.).

until the next post,
xx

she always wears blue

2011-06-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

william beckett. melting twenty-teen hearts everywhere. hahaha

and several submissions re: #hairwatch2011.

@billbeckett: getting my hair snipped! #crybabystyle

@billbeckett: RT Now that's an idea! I'd look like Powder. @alldoneup You should shave your head.

summertime, one more hollywood bowl show

2011-06-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

september 25, 2011 @ 6pm, check it:
tv on the radio
arctic monkeys
panda bear (aka Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox)
warpaint
smith westerns

can we say 110% likely chance of it selling out?

on sale time/date: saturday, june 18, 2011 @

hollywoodbowl.com,
hollywood bowl box office (12PM – 6PM, Tuesday – Sunday),
via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000,
or through ticketmaster.

(ps, if you want to hang with all of your friends, groups of 10 or more can call 323.850.2050 for information about special rates, subject to availability.)

#LOFNOTC

2011-06-03T23:26:00.000-07:00

cue: a typical friday night. i am sitting at a computer, tip-typing away and/or single-y rofling at some youtube vids or episodes of park & rec/ 30 rock/ community/ wishing ben wyatt were my boyfriend/ all of the above.

last friday night (not the katy perry song, though that thing is DARN catchy) was an atypical friday night. my non-hipster partner in crime and she-of-biting-wit, g-vive was celebrating her birthday, so the crew was rounded up in westLA. we started off @ steingarten (service was tortoise-slow, unfortch) and ended up at the wellesbourne, a lovely library-themed bar. i had seen quite a few photos via various bibliophile circles on the internet, so it was neat to experience it firsthand. the drinks (at least mine) were not overpriced and the bartenders are dressed quite dapper-like... A++

a few days before that was jack's mannequin @ the roxy. boyce avenue was the opener; enjoyed that a lot. late nights are not for me...

a few recommendations for the night, and then i'm off to bed!

check out a bunch of free shows all summer-- pasadena, westwood, and dtLA, courtesy of kcrw's summer nights series. i mean, look at the lineup for the hammer museum events! wicked. i've underlined the bands i'm interested in seeing, in case anyone out there wants to come with.

Thursday, July 7 at 7PM
Graffiti6 + Eastern Conference Champions
KCRW DJ Dan Wilcox

Thursday, July 14 at 7PM
The Soft Pack + Hanni El Khatib
KCRW DJ Chuck P

Thursday, July 21at 7PM
Grouplove + Milo Greene
KCRW DJ Eric J. Lawrence

Thursday, July 28 at 7PM
The Henry Clay People + Lady Danville
KCRW DJ Chris Douridas

lastly, i was sent a link to a trailer for this amazing-looking documentary, to live and ride in LA, which is out digitally (dvd/itunes/etcetera) on 6/21/11. it spotlights the fixed-gear bike culture (i.e. bikes with no brakes) and commuting in LA traffic... illegally... on the freeways, no less. the soundtrack is by dangerbird records (feat. silversun pickups, hot hot heat, darker my love, minus the bear, and more). check it:

finally, according to reputable twit-sources, i guess bikelock is playing a show on friday (6/10, not 6/11... i think) at the roxy. paging @chaotic_flower, paging. at one bikelock show that i remember (notice how carefully i've worded that), i think someone got sprayed in the face with beer. it wasn't me.

w.o.w.

2011-05-14T23:12:00.000-07:00

william beckett hairwatch - yearbook edition via reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/hbeqc/is_it_just_me/

thanks for the link, @rhondalashawn!

grool shows

2011-05-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

guess what? this is going to be an amazing post because i am totally sleep-deprived. bear with me...

first up, the scoop on free tix. did you know that filter magazine has a weekly newsletter that lists tons of giveaways? sign yourself up @ filtermagazine.com. por ejemplo, this week, FILTER is giving away a pair of tickets to see the following shows:
5/5 Calexico @ Echoplex
5/6 Junip, Acrylics @ El Rey
5/9 Junip @ Detroit Bar
5/10 Mogwai @The Mayan
5/14 of Montreal @ The Avalon
to win the tickets, email win@filtermmm.com with the show you want to see along with the date, venue and most importantly, your name in the body of the email. buena suerte! (lest i come off too one-sided here, i believe losanjealous.com also does a weekly (or so newsletter) and thescenestar.typepad.com/ is also an excellent place to scour for giveaways, set times, and pre-sale passwords.)

next point, not free tickets, but pre-sale tix for the hollywood bowl summer season lineup of 2011. check out these amazing shows happening soon/now/then/etc. and nab your tickets at pre-sale before the "regular" (read: plebian) folk get them. so you can be grool (great + cool) and tell all your friends (you've got your gun to my head)-- "i have tickets to The National. what did you ever do?"

TIX ON SALE MAY 7. i only shout because i care.
~~PRESALE CODE: [TBA]~~ i stand corrected, i've learned that presale already started 5/03.

check it:
Grease Sing-A-Long
LA Phil Presents Grease Sing-A-Long
Friday, June 24, 8:30pm at the Hollywood Bowl
Artists: Didi Conn ("Frenchy"), host
7:00pm Pre-show • 8:30pm Film

Hall & Oates
LA Phil Presents July 4th Fireworks Spectacular with special guests
Daryl Hall & John Oates
Saturday, Sunday & Monday, July 2-4, 7:30pm, at the Hollywood Bowl
Artists:
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Daryl Hall & John Oates, special guest
Thomas Wilkins, conductor

Dolly Parton
LA Phil Presents Dolly Parton
Friday & Saturday, July 22-23, 8:30pm at the Hollywood Bowl

Serge Gainsbourg
LA Phil Presents Serge Gainsbourg Tribute with Jean Claude Vannier
Sunday, August 28, 7:00pm at the Hollywood Bowl
Artists: Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Jean Claude Vannier
Beck, special guest
Sean Lennon, special guest
Charlotte Kemp Muhl, special guest
Ed Droste, special guest
Victoria Legrand, special guest
Mike Patton, special guest
China Forbes, special guest
Nika Roza Danilova (Zola Jesus), special guest
Additional special guests to be announced
Anne Litt, host

The National, Neko Case and Sharon Van Etten
LA Phil Presents The National • Neko Case • Sharon Van Etten
Sunday, September 11, 7:00pm at the Hollywood Bowl
Artists:
The National
Neko Case
Sharon Van Etten
Jason Bentley, host

Global Soul with Rickey Minor, Stevie Wonder, and Friends
LA Phil Presents Global Soul with Rickey Minor, Stevie Wonder, and Friends
Sunday, July 24, 7:00pm at the Hollywood Bowl
Artists:
Rickey Minor
Stevie Wonder
Janelle Monáe, special guest
Grace Potter, special guest
Rocky Dawuni, special guest
Ceci Bastida, special guest
Bombino, special guest
The Soul Seekers, special guest
Additional artists to be announced
Garth Trinidad, host

Totally 80's Hollywood Bowl
LA Phil Presents Totally 80s Hollywood Bowl
Friday, September 2, 7:30pm at the Hollywood Bowl
Artists:
The Human League
B-52s
The Fixx
Berlin
Terri Nunn, host

till next time...

swept away

2011-04-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

legitimately would like to know if @thegraduate sold their souls to the devil. you know, in like, an agnostic sense. why are their songs so consistently good?

ANSWER ME.

recently, i got around to downloading the graduate's every other time, an EP companion (of sorts) featuring b-sides to their recent release, only every time. don't ask me what the album titles mean, i'm not feeling very ~deep~ right now. you could say that i am overwhelmed with things we shall not speak of (work/life/packing/#firstworldproblems), so i just take new music as it happens, as i stumble across it, and enjoy it for what it is.

just listen up: you can stream the songs for free, and then download them (preferably the entire album, obvs) for whatever price you choose. yep, radiohead-style. today, they released another set of songs on an EP titled sea legs. same deal-- listen, and then pay-what-you-want for the songs you want.

ain't life grand?

trying to find the in-betweens

2011-04-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

[the naked and famous - "young blood"]

current earworm.

also, you can stream holy ghost!'s album here for another day or so before it comes out. they'll be hitting the echoplex on monday, april 18, along with chairlift. show and ticket info here. i've had two tickets sitting in my shopping cart, but i'm on the fence. if i survive the coachella weekend relatively intact, i'm hoping i'll make it there.

speaking of coachella, in case you were interested-- which i'm sure you are-- i have been able to procure appropriate footwear, a gigantic old-lady hat, and some hair ties. what i need to do now is to pack...

i hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited

2011-02-17T00:06:00.000-08:00

the theme of this past weekend (most likely): i ate too much and now you're going to have to roll me home in a wheelbarrow. #gluttonyisgrand. this week's theme is: eating better + getting up off my butt. it's working.. possibly, if you ignore the fries i had at hotel cafe earlier tonight...

if you can watch this without feeling a shred of something-- regret, sadness, awe.. you're dead inside. and dead to me, thx. (link via @gknolle)

stream her entire album 21 (coming out on 2/22/11) on NPR.com here | and check out three songs @ adele's tiny desk concert.

psst: @flo_tweet kroq presale

2011-02-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

Florence + The Machine Plus Special Guest Hanni el Ehatib
@ The Greek Theatre on June 13, 2011
KROQ PRESALE: Thursday, February 17 at 10am-10pm
p/w: KROQFLORENCE
regular/plebian on-sale: Friday 2/18 at 10am

so, who wants to go?! i will brave the craptastic parking at the greek for this.

i know a lot of good people in la

2011-01-23T23:15:00.000-08:00

one of my favorite songs of the moment, by brett dennen:

[brett dennen - sydney, i'll come runnin' (testify) preview]

things to do this week:
Monday, January 24th @ Spaceland @ 9pm
Lucy Schwartz, The Fling, Belle Brigade and Jenny O - FREE!

Wednesday, January 26th @ The Echo @ 11pm
Foster The People - FREE show residency (check out some of their songs below... "pumped up kicks," which is very reminiscent to me of "young folks" by peter bjorn and john, has been all over STAR 98.7 lately)

i resolve to...

2011-01-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

1. craft more

2. laugh more

3. communicate better

4. stress less

5. eat less junk

6. photo & document (blog) more

... and tie up any loose ends from 2010.

happy new year, from me to you. for reference, here is my list of resolutions from 2009. #3 and 4, i owned you. let's not talk about the others.

it's filler time

2010-12-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

o hai there, internets. yes, i've been gone a good long while again. i know it seems like we've grown apart, but my feelings still remain. i know. it's not you, it's me. but remember: i will always less than 3 you. so when i come back to you, i'll expect you to be waiting for me.

tra la la...

so i snapped out of my laziness kick and edited a few photos Sunday night. here are some of lucy schwartz when she appeared with justin hopkins' "friends round" back in october. she's really got a knack for the catchy tunes (aka the ones you hear featured on your favorite tv shows, duh). up next for this talented songstress: the 6th annual hohotel holiday (benefit) show on december 17, 2010. presale tix ~~are~~ were available here; otherwise, you can try your luck at the door (or various other connections). good luck. (in my editing queue/dock: pix from the inaugural culture collide fest, wherein my car broke down on the way to silver lake to see the outline and AGAINST ALL ODDS, i made it in time for their show).

last thursday, FILTER was kind enough to hook me up with tickets to check out mackintosh braun and scars on 45 (great britpop type band, reminded me of a mix between keane and -in some songs- straylight run. was also able to catch a few songs by Joey Ryan & Kenneth Pattengale, who, despite ill-timed jokes about menstrual cycles, were very entertaining.

giving thanks, music is awesome, et cetera

2010-11-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

hope everyone is enjoying the last remnants of this holiday weekend.

in other news, this blog is still alive. recently transferred some show photos (lucy schwartz, tokyo police club) onto the comp, so i've got quite a few next big projects to tackle.

what i've been listening to:
- katy perry, teenage dream
- matt & kim, sidewalks
- jimmy eat world, invented
- tokyo police club, champ
- the outline, who you love (EP)
- anya marina, spirit school (EP)

TG it's nearly FRIDAY!

2010-10-07T23:22:00.000-07:00

so i've got a designated partner-in-crime for my silver lake adventures (aka the culture collide festival) this weekend. ladies and gents, ampersandblues and i are going to wander about the land of hipsters. we hope to report back with some interesting news and photos; and if not, at the very least, a few bands that we hate/love.

after taking a look at the line-ups/schedule for friday, we've decided to wing it. each venue we want to get to is a little less than 2 miles away from the previous... i'm wondering how this parking/cabbing/walking situation will work out. a tram or shuttle system would be cool (notes for next year). i'll definitely be checking out the outline @ spaceland, but everything else is sort of play-it-by-ear. there's a pun in there somewhere, i just don't know how to use it.

i heard a couple of songs by voxhaul broadcast and i kind of adore them already. a little like the electro-jaunty version of kings of leon (k.o.l. prior to becoming the hipsters' nickelback, tyvm) may not get the chance to catch them this weekend, but they've got a show on 11/3 at spaceland, so i'm going to note that for the record!

and after friday comes caturday...

M.I.A. M.A.O.

2010-09-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

sorry, y'all. been keeping quiet and laying low lately. i am at the beginning stages of sickness, which i'm DESPERATELY attempting to fend off. i hope it's working.

i have gone through some of my pictures from the final something corporate show @ club nokia. some decent ones, methinks. hope to have those posted before... idk, the next century. someday, maybe.

what have i been doing recently/i hope you find this fascinating:
welllllll--i shot some photos of the analog playset / andrew's acoustic show (apologies in advance: pix are not that great, due to my lack of ability to work with lights or basically shoot anything other than shows, wah wah). robots, which are custom decorated by various famous scenesters, were on display. you can still bid on them here for the two remaining days of the auction; proceeds benefit the dear jack foundation! a very worthy cause, imo. not that i'm biased or anything. ;)

i'm also starting to put together my hallowGLEEn costume; there will be a substantial amount of DIY-ing, possible sewing, involved this year. attended vampire weekend @ the bowl on sunday during this ~intense~ heat wave; maintained my ~hipster cred~ by enjoying beach house.

work work work work work more work blah this is boring. i went on a hike.

what's coming up? wherein i pretend i have a life
on friday, literally going to a show just to see an opening band. sorry, other dudes/bands. the graduate @ the key club is probably one of my most anticipated shows of this season, since they haven't been touring extensively the past however many years. WELCOME BACK TO LA.

10/7-10/10 hitting up the (inaugural) FILTER magazine's culture collide fest all over SL with jaime | ampersandblues. check out their crazy delicious line-up below. pretty stoked for tokyo police club, the outline, and whomever else i may discover while traipsing around on sunset...

then azure ray @ the troubadour on 10/22... and best coast @ the troubadour on 11/13. best coast arguably runs one of the wackiest twitter accounts around. seriously, i wish i were as much fun as her/them.

my bedtime is fast approaching. au revoir.

there you go for the last time

2010-08-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

i hope for my sake that no other bands are planning to do last-ever reunion tours. because it. just. might. kill. me.

friday, e and i headed out to grab a bite @ the alibi room in culver city before heading down to The Grove (anaheim) for the something corporate show. the kogi tacos were excellent (i had beef, pork-- my fave, and tofu). fancy drinks were fancy. made it to anaheim with time to spare & run into our friend allie at the bar. then proceeded to see nearly everyone i've ever known through this band in the audience (going to try to list them here: blayne, allie, rhonda, leah, and kelly)... haha. the photos below are from the anaheim show-- the first time i'd shot a show in AGES. i forgot how frenzied it gets trying to get good photos in the first three songs. intense.

Simple silhouettes and cutouts. 08/27/10 The Grove, Anaheim, CA

Josh Partington, soon to be Esq., Something Corporate. 08/27/10 The Grove, Anaheim, CA

Andrew McMahon, Something Corporate. 08/27/10 The Grove, Anaheim, CA

saturday night was part dos. e and i head out from the westside over to DTLA. run into allie, blayne (happy 100th show!), luke, lesley, and maureen (whom we had met the night before) outside the venue. upon realizing that there were still 1.5 hours left before the band actually hit the stage, decide to forgo waiting in line and hit up rock'n fish to kill time. eventually, we go in, reconvene with friends, and the show starts. a few of us go up in front of the barricade to shoot the (very likely) last soco show... ever. spot breesays from buzznet in the photopit-- i'm not creepy at all, i tell myself.

FORGET DECEMBER. i get weirdly emotional during some song (i don't even remember which one!) because it truly hits me that i wouldn't even know some of my friends without this band. so cheers to the band, to my friends, to these past 5-6 years, to the roadtrips, to the misadventures. may i note, "i love college" (hi tracy!).

also, i may have thrown out my back/neck/hip as i tried to dance around; old age is a drag. as we drift out of the venue, i see more friends after the show: jaime, mary (very nice to meet you!), cheryl, andy, leah, sorry if i forgot anyone... three hours and one impressive temper tantrum (by yours truly) later, we end up at hotel fig where e manages to snag me a final drink for the night-- how fitting, a jager bomb (insert look of horror here). some things never do change?

you don't need to change; your future's with us

2010-08-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

things i've been playing on repeat: tokyo police club, elephant shell & best coast, crazy for you. recently bought two door cinema club's (2DCC as i will call them) album, but i haven't had the chance to listen to it thoroughly. incidentally, both crazy for you and tourist history (2DCC) feature cats on the album covers. catty!

has anyone listened to TPC's new album, champ? it's on my "to-imminently-buy" list, but i haven't gotten around to making my purchase yet. saw them last week... or last last week, rather (b/c apparently i've completely lost my sense of time), with the shawn. so many fanboys (including several under-12 year olds-- forreal) and many a song punctuated by handclaps. the show was A LOT of fun, despite the fact that i really have only listened to one of their albums and despite the fact that when i saw they were going on at 11:15, i died a little inside (/is old). the quirky and always lovely freelance whales opened; and there were a ton of superfans of theirs in attendance as well. HUGE growth from their teeny (but sold-out) show @ the echo from awhile back.

not much to update in re: to life. looking forward to august 31st-- tons of new releases, including jenny and johnny's i'm having fun now (jenny lewis of rilo kiley & johnathan rice) and the graduate's only every time (which can be pre-ordered heresies). now, i would really like to go to sleep right now, and i will do so.

until next time, xo

free download: lucy schwartz's "when we were young"

2010-08-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

@jimmyeatworld & @flo_tweet presales!

2010-07-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

i'm a tad late on the update, but you should still be able to get in on the jimmy eat world presale. info below...

Florence and The Machine with Group Love
@ The Wiltern [ticket link] on Sunday, November 7

Presale starts: NOW!
Presale ends: Thu, Jul 29 at 10pm
Use Password: venue
Public Onsale: Fri, Jul 30 at 10am

Jimmy Eat World with We Were Promised Jetpacks
@ The Wiltern [ticket link] on Wednesday, September 29

Presale starts: Thu, Jul 29 at 11am
Presale ends: Thu, Jul 29 at 10pm
Use Password: invented or KROQ
Public Onsale: Fri, Jul 30 at 10am

go steady with me

2010-07-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

[tegan & sara - on directing music vid]

anyone going to the honda civic tour w/ tegan & sara opening for paramore?

TODAY ONLY: @theswellseason @sheandhim hollywood bowl tix giveaway!

2010-07-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

hello y'all:

the fine folks over at the hollywood bowl have been kind enough to offer a giveaway of a pair of tickets via my blog to the swell season/ she & him/ the bird and the bee show happening THIS SUNDAY, july 18, 2010. please do enter!

email me the following info BEFORE 5:00PM TODAY (i.e. THURSDAY, july 15, 2010), and i'll pick a random reader to win a pair of tix. GIVE ME ALL YOUR INFOS (EMAIL ME @ EMOKIDSBFF(at)GMAIL(dot)com):
- first and last name
- email
- phone number

as i do not have said tickets in my hand atm, i have no idea what seats you'll get. who knows-- they may be better than the seats i have!

please only enter if you are able to attend. if you're the winner (aren't we all), i will contact you... if you don't respond within a reasonable time frame to confirm that you will accept the tickets, i will pick another winner. so STAY ALERT.

PLEASE RT/RE-POST AND SPREAD THE WORDZ. kthx, and happy thursday!

livenation presale: florence + the machine @wiltern

2010-07-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

Florence and The Machine
Saturday, November 6
The Wiltern

Presale starts: Thu, Jul 15 at 10am
Presale ends: Thu, Jul 15 at 10pm
Use Password: venue
Public Onsale: Fri, Jul 16 at 10am
[ticket link]

i won't be in town (going to see some awesome people get married... to each other), so buy away!

summer and fall @ the hollywood bowl

2010-07-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

guess who i'm excited to see next weekend? check out the spectacular schedule for the hollywood bowl.

July 18th: The Swell Season/She & Him/The Bird and the Bee [tix]
i've never seen she & him live, so my MOST anticipated band for the night vote goes to them. they'll be backed (in part) by a band called the chapin sisters (check out a free d/l of their song "digging a hole" here, as well as a rad cover of britney spears' "toxic" on their myspace page). i've never seen once (movie site here) but i have heard many a good thing about the swell season, so that should be epic as well. it'll be my first time picnic-ing at the hollywood bowl, so i'm going to say a little prayer to the weather gods... be good to me, please!

August 29: Chemical Brothers/Chromeo/Yacht [tix]

Sept. 18th: Phoenix/Grizzly Bear/Girls [tix]
seriously contemplating checking this one out. phoenix!

Sept. 19th: Viva Mexico! [tix]

Sept. 26th: Vampire Weekend/Beach House/The Very Best [tix]
vampire weekend was definitely one of those bands that i REALLY did not want to like. i mean, really. i resisted for a really long time. for one, their name had the word vampire in it... and you all know how annoyingly-into-twilight i am (say it out loud... say it). secondly, everyone was raving about them. EVERYONE. which made me feel like this. now i'm tired of resisting. it's going to be awesome.

Sept. 30: Pavement/Sonic Youth/No Age [tix]

waiting for the day we're both safe in LA

2010-07-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

gold motel is greta morgan's (pssst: formerly greta salpeter of the hush sound) debut solo effort. after packing her bags, greta, an illinois native (i mean, according to wikipedia), headed out to the golden coast of southern california to write some songs... songs which would eventually become summer house, gold motel's full length album which was released on june 1, 2010.

you can actually stream the whole album here on their myspace page. purchase a copy of summer house from their webstore or send yourself (or your friends) a personalized (handmade and screen printed) postcard from greta herself. Why? Because snail mail is fun! we should be best friends, greta.

[gold motel - we're on the run (music vid)]

[gold motel - perfect in my mind (music vid)]

spin.com has an exclusive video for "safe in la" here. now, if only it'd start being summer and we'd stop having so much june gloom and random spurts of rain around here...

eclipse

2010-07-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

I KNOW, I'M SORRY YOU GUISE, I HATE TO ADMIT THIS BUT: I WENT TO SEE ECLIPSE at a midnight showing and I KIND OF REALLY LIKED IT. THE FILM. the dismembering and decapitating was pretty rad. bryce dallas howard and kstew's wigs were not, however. but i'm very forgiving.

"Eclipse (All Yours)"

METRIC | MySpace Music Videos

i forgot to add: happy birthday, america.

coming to a warped tour stop near you @dearjackhq @1111am

2010-06-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

meant to post this a loooong time ago, but now is as good of a time as any! warped tour kicks off this friday, june 25th @ the carson home depot center. a date near you can be found here. i will be joining the dear jack foundation/11:11 A.M. crew on sunday @ the ventura date. i'm going to leave at home any band logo sweaters... just in case.

oh, and THIS is happening:

since i'm going to be there anyway, i guess i'll go check out taylor momsen's band. idk. did i just lose all credibility there?

xo

i'm obsessed with the mess that's america

2010-06-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

so, life goes on. i'm working full time now which is equal parts YAY PAYCHECK and OH NOES, NO TIME FOR SHOWS. not that i don't have time, but my body doth protest when i'm anywhere that's not my bed by around 11PM or so.

despite my battle with old age, i did make it out to a few shows these past few weeks. angus & julia stone @ masonic lounge (hwd cemetery), mumford & sons @ fonda, the xx @ fonda, bikelock/kid is qual @ silver lake lounge... all sorts of ridiculous, adventurous fun. might head out to william tell @ hotel cafe this thursday?

totally excited b/c i scored tickets to the now SOLD OUT first time in LA marina and the diamonds' show @ the troubadour on july 6, 2010! someone needs to be my date. not that i'm soliciting... friendship... on the internet... i've been listening to the preview of her album, the family jewels, off of KCRW's site for a month now, and i'm loving it. i did see a live tv performance (i want to say it was for some british program, but my memory is fuzzy) which made me a little worried b/c the sound was a bit weird/subpar, but i hope the live show IRL is going to be good.

[marina and the diamonds - hollywood music vid]

[marina and the diamonds - i am not a robot]

breakneck speed

2010-05-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

just (barely) caught up on over 24 hrs of tweets. never again. time to invest in a phone with internets, srsly. also, i am forgoing chatting with friends right now to bring you this Very Relevant Post, so please be appreciative of my efforts. sorry, IRL friends. after this, at the Very Late Hour of 10:10 PM, i will be asleep.

something corporate reunion show pre-sale happened today at 10:00 AM local time. i'm assuming that is all sold out, so your best bet will be regular on-sale at TBA. i owe e my firstborn child and every child thereafter for getting me tix to the following dates (complete listing here):
- the grove in anaheim 8/27
- club nokia 8/28
in other news, SOMEONE owes me his firstborn child for supporting his career. i'm not naming names, but...

aaaand via scenestar & the TPC newsletter, tokyo police club with be at the el rey theatre on 8/12. tix go on sale 5/20 (this thursday) at 10:00 AM on ticketmaster. TPC is heading out to tour with passion pit during the month of june, and then headline from the end of july to end of august with their labelmates freelance whales as openers. stellar lineup. i highly rec this show!

weekly roundup: 04.23.10 edition

2010-04-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

the funny thing about these blog titles is that i'll do it once and then never do it again. i just searched to see if i had ever done a "weekly roundup" entry and apparently there are none. i mean, there may be some posts with the words "weekly roundup," but apparently i didn't have the foresight to title them in an organized fashion. oh, well. you guys can deal. and i'll probably forget that i wrote this entire paragraph of nonsense.

where was i? oh... there will be a lot of free downloads, so you should keep reading along.

awesome music awaits:
- gayngs - you can find "faded high" and "the gaudy side of town" available for download on tripwire here.
- freelance whales - daytrotter sessions available for download here.
- hot chip - "i feel better" toko remix available for download exclusively on the music slut (a kickin' site that was rec'd to me by ampersandblues) here.
- the temper trap - "sweet disposition" (RAC remix) available for download on treeswingers here (via andrew/heavy accents).
- elogy - "london" and "beautiful" from their debut album one (out this summer on july 6, 2010). you can d/l or stream those tracks.

no download, but preview the national's upcoming album high violet here on the NYT site. it's making my friday.

finally, the scenestar posted a BUNCH of presale passwords for amazing shows that are coming this summer/fall. i just got mine for vampire weekend @ the hollywood bowl yesterday; there are so many great things coming up (phoenix, she & him) that i can hardly stand it! take a look to the left <--- (sidebar) where i keep the running list of shows that are on my radar. see you there!

i am yours now, so now i don't ever have to leave

2010-04-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

[the xx - islands music vid]

tix for both of their LA dates-- at the henry fonda music box (6/5) and wiltern (6/6)-- are on sale TODAY (april 21, 2010) at 10AM. ticket links here: henry fonda music box, wiltern. i'll be a sad panda if i miss this band, so ::crosses fingers::

AND! more exciting news from ampersandblues via tweet: Mumford & Sons add a second show to their Los Angeles appearance: June 3 at @FondaMusicBox. Tix go on sale 4/24 @ 10am via @goldenvoice. this band is brian ireland (of something corporate) approved (via their recent interview with soco-online.org). their june 4th date at the henry fonda music box is sold out... tix will go quickly for this second date, i'm sure.

[mumford & sons - little lion man music vid]
Mumford & Sons / Little Lion Man video

Mumford and Sons | MySpace Music Videos

LIGHTS, LIGHTS, baby

2010-04-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

photo of LIGHTS @ Club Nokia April 9, 2010 by mad cao.

yikes, so it's been nearly 2 weeks since i went to go see LIGHTS open for owl city. been meaning to write up a recap for awhile... here goes nothing:

- i missed much of paper route due to my failure to plan for circling around for an extra 10 mins while i look for a parking spot and/or lot that won't cost me $20+. apparently michael buble was on @ the staples center that night as well. caught the last song though-- a bit too instrumental and woozy for my liking, but i wouldn't mind seeing them again.

- the crowd was an interesting mix of ages. club nokia tix are generally so prohibitively expensive that i feel like most ppl who go there for shows tend to be older. saw a lot of chaperoned kids. there were other people at the bar, though, so i didn't feel too old. yes, i have age issues. and going along with the kind of music we were all there to hear, the crowd was pretty friendly. nary a drunken psycho in sight.

- LIGHTS was pretty flawless. her voice sounded a little faint and/or weird for the first song (not sure if that was just me), but after that, she sounded excellent & was extremely at ease with the crowd and being on stage at a relatively bigger venue. she has a v. devoted following of vocal superfans... adorable. i tweeted the set list that night: @xmaox: @LIGHTS set: listening, lions! (fave 4ever), feb air, saviour, second go, ice, pretend, drive my soul, river & last thing on yr mind.

- owl city can be summed up by this tweet: @xmaox: Owl city/Adam dances like how i would imagine a person on drugs would dance. Lots o' flail. Strings are a nice touch though. i'll admit that his songs are ridiculously catchy, but imo the live performance wasn't very exciting. people around me on the uppermost level of the floor didn't seem to be moving around (i did see one couple dancing around intermittently) and the crowd seemed a bit too sedate for my taste, even with the giant lightshow going on... though i liked the addition of strings.

woo! tuesday. normally i'd be stoked about a little rain/shower, but i really wanted to go see the poppies in lancaster & it looks like it's going to rain the day i want to go. wah wah.

adventures in text messages

2010-04-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

wherein i am reminded that most people are, in fact, idiots. humanity is doomed.

case in point:
i get some weird, out of context text about something "Derek" says. so i politely respond, asking who this is and what the context is. the response? "Brian ****ing lee. the brian from 30 mins ago."

and i'm all "I think you have the wrong number. Pls stop sending me texts and excuse your language. Thanks!" look, i'm a lady, ok?. i do not take kindly to being randomly cursed at by some IMBECILE who thinks they are talking to someone else. also, (as a woman) i'm a little creeped out and about to see if i can get my service provider to block this weirdo from sending me texts. you are wasting my money!

he responds, "Paige [who he thinks he is talking to], I was just at the track with you." wonder what track this is. racetrack? track and field? why do i care? i don't. i simply thank the higher powers that i had finally decided to get a text messaging plan instead of being charged $0.15 for every text sent and received.

then 10 minutes later "OMG I'M SO SORRY MY FRIEND HAD HER NUMBER SWITCHED."

fin.

and now, for things i DO like: the true blood men. on DETAILS. ALEX SKARSGARD, HELLOOO.

shake off the dust that turned me to rust

2010-04-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

going to see LIGHTS tonight @ club nokia; wish me luck and hope i can pass for a hovering-around-21 emo kid... if i don't, clearly my asian genes have failed me. also realized "hovering" is kind of a creepy word. excuse that. FOREVER YOUNG.

i've always wanted to see paper route as well (heard about them when they were on the paramore/jack's tour). the first time i saw LIGHTS @ the troubadour (aka the first time i almost threw-down with a drunken PSYCHO), i wasn't sure what her live show would be like (as with all "electro"-ish acts, you don't know if they're just going to sound like robots on-stage or what). but i was pleasantly surprised-- she has much charisma and stage presence. being a video-game-referencing adorable person with a keytar helps too ;)

[LIGHTS - saviour (adam young remix)]

adam young (p/k/a owl city) has also remixed the something corporate song, "i woke up in a car," for their forthcoming "best of..." album played in space. you can stream it here on their website.

i'm definitely feeling the LIGHTS remix but the soco one is.... interesting. jury's still out on this one. it's probably because of my irrational/emotional attachment to every soco song, like, ever. i have been hearing a lot of "OMG how could adam young actually make something i like, the world is ending," but hey, miracles happen, and now the song does sound like they're in outer space.

the temper trap

2010-04-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

a few short weeks ago in march, i was lucky enough to catch the temper trap (darker my love as their opener) at a sold-out show at the henry fonda/music box. i'm still trying to figure out how to explain their sound (mostly because i am limited to references to music of the late 90's and early 2000's), but their live show was really chill and superb.

after a little internet sleuthing, i think i've got it figured out. i can't help but compare the temper trap's sound to possibly a better version of switchfoot (the epic, sweeping-ness of it all) and new radicals (specifically "you get what you give"). thanks, a walk to remember soundtrack. please note that any and all comparisons are not based on scientific observation or experimentation. sometimes these things are inexplicable.

you can see a few photos from the show here (credit: jaime's flickr). jaime has started a new blog: http://ampersandblues.blogspot.com/ so i'd like to formally welcome her to the blogosphere and urge you to follow her posts!

watch two of their songs "sweet disposition" and "fader" performed stripped down @ this year's SXSW (via tripwire).

[the temper trap - sweet disposition]

[the temper trap - fader]

andddd... a few remaining tour dates for april:
April
8 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Club
9 Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
10 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
12 Dallas, TX @ Pontiac Garage at HOB
13 Austin, TX @ Emo’s
15 Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse
17 Indio, CA @ Coachella
19 Solana Beach, CA @ The Belly Up

i only want one night

2010-04-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

both videos severely confuse me. only one makes me laugh, though. in the battle of WTFery, which would you choose?

Hot Chip - I Feel Better (click-through for the actual vid which is un-embeddable)

an short interview w/ the director of the "i feel better" video, peter serafinowicz, can be found here @ pitchfork.

MGMT - Flash Delirium

MGMT | MySpace Music Videos

idolator, you, me, and everyone else agree: this vid is bananas.

via @angusjuliastone - album preview & us tour dates

2010-04-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

you can still stream angus and julia stone's album down the way on their KCRW's album preview page here. they're a brother-sister duo from sydney, australia. the preview will be up until april 20th (a few more weeks), so listen up while you can.

and from their blog:

TICKET LINKS WILL GO UP ON MONDAY..!

Wed, May 26 Hollywood, CA @ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Sun, May 30 Montreal, QC @ L’Astral

Wed, June 2 Toronto, ON @ Revival

Tues, June 8 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall

(so far, i haven't seen anything about ticket links. give me a holler/comment if you know something i don't!)
eta 4/6/10: found the link for the hollywood show!

[angus and julia stone - big jet plane]

we're half awake in a fake empire

2010-04-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

good morning, y'all! even though i'm not stoked about the fact that i JUST washed my car on saturday after months of build-up and grime (because i'm lazy and keeping my car clean is not really a pastime of mine), i've been waiting for it to rain for about a week. pretty refreshing... except i think it is officially storming now. yikes. stay safe on the roads, angelinos.

so, a long time ago, my bff marg told me i would love the national and obviously, she was right. so MY BAD for not listening earlier. i've heard a few songs, but this is my favorite. appreciate!

[the national - fake empire on letterman july 24, 2007]

as you can see... i am attempting to update more often.

RCRD LBL track - help i'm alive (the twelves remix)

2010-04-04T17:14:00.001-07:00

ok, so i don't love EVERYTHING that's ever posted on rcrdlbl.com, but i do love being able to sample and d/l a lot of their stuff, whether it be remixes or original songs. woo!

freelance whales @ the echo tonight

2010-03-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

very very excited to check out freelance whales tonight. my friend jaime posted a video of them playing in the NY subway stations awhile back, and i was smitten. they remind me of a dreamy postal service + owl city/hellogoodbye (done proper) + folk (arcade fire-esque). and i kid you not, sometimes they remind me of the sounds that whales make. in a good way. not killer whales though (too soon?). try not to visualize dory from finding nemo doing her impression of a whale, b/c that's NOT what i meant.

eta: after hearing their live show, i think the whale sounds were purposeful. so all is good and/or i just stated a lot of obvious things.

i've been a better tumblr-er than a blogger lately. you can follow me here for daily absurdities, inanities, and amusements... courtesy of moi.

i have a few updates from a couple of shows i attended in march (the early strike showcase @ swinghouse studios & darker my love/the temper trap @ the fonda), but that'll have to wait. i also took some photos @ the jack's mannequin show @ the viper room in feb, but am not sure how i feel about them (the photos, not the band). that's neither here nor there.. this weekend, i've got something corporate @ bamboozle left (squee) with angie comin' in to visit! my first scheduled show for april is LIGHTS who is opening for owl city at a SOLD OUT club nokia show on april 9th. major thanks to mad cao for getting me a ticket!

and with that, i need to outro b/c my hair needs to be flat-ironed. xo

RCRD LBL Track - Dog Days Are Over (Breakage Remix)

2010-03-10T13:34:00.001-08:00

dining room domination

2010-03-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

[vampire weekend "en el comedor de mi casa!!!"]

barcelona, spain. source

we are the pretty, petty thieves

2010-03-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

i'm not too knowledgeable about the moz, but i adore "first of the gang." i heard a cover of the song on the radio and HAD to know who sang it: ZEE AVI.

how lovely is this:
[Zee Avi performs "First Of The Gang To Die" @ Fingerprints Music]

Morrissey's original is a catchy tune propelled along with the traditional mix of electric guitars, drums, and that unmistakable croon. Avi took the song and stripped it down with just her voice and a lone acoustic guitar in a rendition that--dare I say--is even more sweet and tender (no hooligan here) than the original. (source)

you can check out her morning becomes eclectic session from last may here, see footage of her performing the song in singapore here, and listen to the album version of her cover (along with a few other covers by noah & the whale, nouvelle vague, etc.) here. the MBE session is definitely worth checking out-- the cover of morrissey (or interpol for that matter) isn't the only amazing thing she does; she has plenty of original material where she draws from a medley of different influences. def worth your time.

when i walk, i touch the sky

2010-03-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

[lucy schwartz - gravity music vid]

ABOUT THE VIDEO:
Gravity, is a colorful fantasy told through interpretive dance and filmed under the light of an old carousel slide projector. Directed by Cooper Roberts.

rpattz is bothered

2010-03-01T22:12:00.001-08:00

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

weekend edition

2010-03-01T00:17:00.000-08:00

thursday: invited to an event @ the w called the modern mai tai experience. a genuine hawaii/o'ahu mixologist was flown out to the event where he (joey) served some very fancy schmancy drinks, including "the world's first smoked mai tai/drink." yes... literally, smoke comes out of this tube into the martini shaker, and the whole drink is shaken (not stirred, ucwidt).

yes, that is caramelized/brulee'd pineapple you see on the drink. it was incredible, as were a few of the other drinks i tasted - a chi (similar to a pina colada with basil leaves) and a drink which shall remain nameless, because i don't remember it (a sake martini, which was fondly referred to as "like fruity gatorade, but better."). snacked on some appetizers, ran into some work ppl & sneakily (or not so sneakily) tweeted about seeing DJ Skeet Skeet there (who, incidentally, is a prolific tweeter, non-drinker, and nice dude, at least from what i gather).

friday: the last day of my internship. in-n-out lunches. coincidentally, the hawaiian girls DJing last night's event, hot muffins, made an office visit, so i got to meet them-- super sweet. total dawson's creek-esque soundtrack moment with this as my goodbye song:

[james blunt - goodbye my lover music vid]

i know, ~dramatic. i loled too.

saturday - sunday: i avoid weekends like the plague. 'nuff said.

all in all, this whole chillaxed hawaii thing makes me wonder how lawyers even function over there. like... the atty culture so COUNTER to the hawaiian culture. thoughts for another day.

HELLO, MARCH.

the runaways

2010-02-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

so, don't kill me, but i find kstew & dakota more convincing as joan jett & cherie currie of the runaways than rpattz playing a new yorker in remember me. though it may just be the case that i'm easily influenced by the epic wardrobe in the runaways... does that make me a bad rpattz fan?? I HOPE NOT.

[the runaways movie - tv spot]

unhappy hipsters

2010-02-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

Alligator

Tegan and Sara | MySpace Music Videos

[vampire weekend - giving up the gun music vid]

oic what VW did thar, with the japanese in the beginning. i watched it again, and i still don't get it. great song, though.

and last but not least: unhappy hipsters.

scavenger hunt for sxsw badges!

2010-02-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

the band midlake is treating their Austin (TX) fans to a unique scavenger hunt opportunity to win SXSW badges to catch the band at their showcase at the 2010 SXSW Music, Interactive, and Film Conference. for more info, check back with FILTER's original post.

The details are simple, Austinites. Follow FILTER on Twitter. Throughout the next few days, promotion details will come rolling through. Each day, a new landmark will be revealed. Get yourself to it, @reply to FILTER with a photo of you at the locale with #midlakesxsw, and that's it! The first person or team with all 10 landmarks correctly identified will win an awesome local prize pack containing a year's worth of free haircuts from Bird's Barbershop, $25 in gift certificates from P. Terrys Burger Stand, free movies from Alamo Drafthouse, a prize pack from Sweet Leaf Tea, a Midlake prize pack, AND two ever-so-coveted SXSW music badges.

three clues have already been released since last tuesday, the 16th, so get on it. may the best fan win.

i promised i'd never sing of love if it does not exist

2010-02-16T18:22:00.000-08:00

i actually like the video more than the song... hayley's makeup in the valentines shot is v. pretty.

[paramore - the only exception music vid]

get back loretta @theviperroom

2010-01-26T21:39:00.000-08:00

freebie time: RSVP & post your full name on the wall of the FB event page (or fan + message them, i'm not sure which is more effective) for get back loretta @ the viper room this thursday, jan. 28th.

MAYBE DAVE GROHL WILL BE THERE.

on an unrelated note-- though related in the sense that it is moar awesome music-- here's a video treat (via jaime)!
[freelance whales - generator 1st floor]

lucy schwartz - gravity

2010-01-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

tomorrow night, i'll be checking out this lovely lady, lucy schwartz, who is having her record release show @ hotel café. her EP help me! help me! just came out on iTunes today.

this might be my first show of 2010 (is it? can anyone confirm?), so i'm excited to dip my toes back into the scene with a smaller show. lucy's only 20 years old (in the meantime, i'm turning 27 -- OH THE HORROR -- at the end of the week; presents are of course welcome; and yes, everything in this blog is always about me) and she's got an impressive resumé already: she's crafting original songs, opening and closing credits to films, and having her music synced to various tv shows. she's also been featured on KCRW (where i first heard her, actually) & has been dubbed an "emerging artist to watch."

you can d/l a track for FREE here. free is my favorite number, y'all. speaking of free... what are you guys doing on thursday night? stay tuned.

hot chip will break your legs, snap off your head

2010-01-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

hello all... MLK weekend is upon us. hopefully y'all have some fun and/or restful plans in store.

lately, i've been a homebody. a lot of job applying, buffy s2 watching (i'm on the last 2 episodes!), reading (outliers by malcolm gladwell), clearly -not- blogging, working, getting my 8+ hours of sleep. I'M BORING. it's the dangers of turning 27.

[miike snow - silvia music vid]

hate to say this, but "silvia" totes should've been on the New Moon soundtrack (which was given to me for the law school edition of secret santa). please don't kill me.

also: saw the vid for "feel it in my bones" by tiesto feat. tegan & sara. holy cow, that song was amazing. but the internetz gods were angry and took it down.... boo. but in other news of videos-that-haven't-been-taken-down (but are un-embeddable): hot chip's "one life stand." what a jaunty and excellent song!

finally, please sign up to volunteer for KCRW’s Winter Subscription Drive 2010. it's pretty much the only radio station worth listening to.

so everybody put your best suit or dress on

2010-01-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

what's up, people of the partying variety? first post of 2010. i know you're as excited as i am...

inquiring minds (read: me) need to know: is this ryan ross @ cinespace tuesdays? please to confirm or deny. if it is him (i mean, the choice of wardrobe seems fairly dead-on), then i can't believe i missed it (read: him)!

top 10 songs of '09

2009-12-31T16:19:00.000-08:00

1. Great Northern: Fingers
2. Maria Taylor: Time Lapse Lifeline
3. Metric: Help, I'm Alive
4. Lady Gaga: Bad Romance
5. Regina Spektor: Folding Chair
6. Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester: Good Girls Go Bad
7. The Sounds: Dorchester Hotel
8. Florence + The Machine: Kiss with a Fist
9. Phoenix: 1901
10. Robert Francis: Junebug

i should call it the lilith fair edition... so many female vocalists!

check out the staff of 11:11A.M.'s top picks here.

i tried to do handstands for you

2009-12-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

i know this is an old meme, but it came up on yahoo. totally forgot how much i love the song (by a band called chairlift)! i guess the video is super cute, too.

[big squirrel & baby squirrel @ ucla]

here's the official vid:
[chairlift - bruises music vid]

fave lyrics:
i grabbed some frozen strawberries so i could ice your bruising knees
but frozen things they all unfreeze and now i taste like...
all those frozen strawberries i used to chill your bruising knees...
hot july ain't good to me
i'm pink and black and blue for you

party in the us... what?

2009-12-28T19:29:00.000-08:00

look, i'm not condoning miley cyrus and her "music," but this -almost- makes it ok.

[uc santa cruz cloud 9 - party in the u.s.a.]

a capella fever

2009-12-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

after checking out this hilar vid of the uc berkeley male a capella group noteworthy (not to be confused w/ BYU's straight-laced-but-pretty-rockin' female a capella group noteworthy who appear on the NBC show The Sing-Off) (and no, Federal Trade Commission, i don't get paid for plugging that show) (where was i?)...

anyhow, here's a slew of a capella videos i unearthed while browsing around youtube. take a look/listen & enjoy!

[uc santa cruz acquire a cappella - i'm on a boat]

FLIPPY FLOPPIES. hilarious and safe for singing along. here's a NSFW language version of the song, performed by the same group.

[uc berkeley decadence - dr. horrible medley]

with my freeze-ray i will stop. the world.

[uc santa cruz cloud 9 - kids & poker face]

weezer did it first @ the paramount party, but still. two of my fave songs in one medley = fabulous!

[uc berkeley decadence - hear you me]

jimmy eat world. a classic, obvi.

[uc berkeley noteworthy - SOAP]

the song that will never die...

speaking of The Sing-Off show... you should watch it and vote for The Socals. thanks!

small black - despicable dogs

2009-12-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

[small black - despicable dogs music vid]

Small Black: Despicable Dogs from Yoonha Park on Vimeo.

wow... i haven't been so moved by a music vid since earlier this year when i watched maria taylor's video for "time lapse lifeline." one of my favorite shots was of the uncle running in front of the flickering tv screen image. do yourself a favor and watch it full screen. it is so beautiful.

Small Black’s “Despicable Dogs” Video Made An Intern Cry proclaims thetripwire.com.

It’s a day spent with frontbrah Josh Kolenik’s uncle/personal hero, a surfer who looks to be as wise as he is wily.

pitchfork gave their self-titled EP an 8.

But as much as [summer] is about goofy sunglasses and cold beer, it's also about those garden-crippling late-month frosts. And these guys have that sense of yearning on lock... it both warms and bruises at the same time.

you can check out a few more songs, plus a remix of "despicable dogs" on their myspace page.

happiness hit her like a bullet in the back

2009-11-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

found these flo + the machine vids on tripwire a few weeks back, and totally forgot to post them!

thanksgiving weekend seems like a good time to get caught up, y/n? i decided last night would be a good night to start putting my retainer in again (after approximately 3-4 years), so i'm going easy and starting with the bottom one. it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. i know, i'm 12. also bought $30 worth of ingredients for making rice krispies, but i need to hunt down a pan/baking dish to put them in. i hope i'm not getting overly ambitious about what i can get done this weekend...

now, onto the good stuff:

[florence + the machine - dog days (Levi’s®/FADER Fort)]

[florence + the machine - you've got the love (Levi’s®/FADER Fort)]

our lady, saint gaga

2009-11-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

::bows down::

[lady gaga - bad romance/speechless @ the AMA's]

[lady gaga - bad romance music vid]

i've been obsessed with this video since it started making its way around the interwebz. how sick are her shoes (like, all 10 pairs of them)? also, kind of amazing breakdown of the "occult" symbols in the bad romance video here (i skipped the lyrics interpretation stuff and went straight to the video analysis). i can't vouch for the accuracy, but (if true) it's a pretty interesting read.

in sum:
s: am officially convinced she is dancer/genius
s: and no longer human/crazy
me: yes i agree
me: she's just so talented that the rest of us cannot understand her

@mariedigby: new cover, tour dates

2009-11-17T22:34:00.000-08:00

[marie digby - fireflies (owl city cover)]

just scored my tickets to her dec. 17th show @ saint rocke in hermosa beach! super excited cos i've never seen her live before. here's the link to purchase tix. e has been raving about the venue (which i've never been to see a show there), so it'll be an adventure.

tour dates:
Nov 30 2009 7:00P @ Jammin Java - VIENNA, Washington DC
Dec 1 2009 9:00P @ Joes Pub - New York, New York
Dec 3 2009 6:00P @ Beat Kitchen - Chicago, Illinois
Dec 5 2009 5:30P @ Kilby Court- Salt Lake City, Utah
Dec 7 2009 8:00P @ Doug Fir - Portland, Oregon
Dec 8 2009 5:30P @ Triple Door - Seattle, Washington
Dec 9 2009 8:30P @ Hotel Utah- San Fransisco, California
Dec 13 2009 8:30P @ Casbah - San Diego, California
Dec 15 2009 8:00P @ Rhythm Room - Phoenix, Arizona
Dec 17 2009 6:00P @ Saint Rocke - Hermosa Beach, California

are you there, internetz? it's me, meow

2009-11-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

oh hai there, internets. i'm glad we could get reacquainted while i sit at home with this cold. meanwhile, i've missed william tell playing @ USC tonight. boo, hiss.

internet round-up, take 101:

- download the graduate's "don't die digging" here after entering your email addy.

- marie digby announced new tour dates for december on myspace.

- butch walker covers taylor swift. and naturally, i love it and have been listening to it repeatedly.

You've Got The Love: Pepsi Music On Location on Yahoo Music!

one word for florence = fierce. though, i have to question her choice of footwear for an abandoned zoo... however, i don't really have any other suggestions for suitable footwear for that kind of enviro. nvm.

pablove foundation benefit @ avalon

2009-11-10T22:45:00.000-08:00

everyone, please check out the event below. there are some very famous artists performing and it's all for a good cause!

as you may know, jeff of dangerbird records started the pablove foundation in honor of his son, pablo, who passed away earlier this year after bravely fighting cancer. pablo was 6 years old. read the story & follow jeff's journey as he cycles across america raising awareness and funds for childhood cancer. you'll feel good, i swear.

Please join us on November 21, for a very special Pablove Foundation benefit show at the Avalon. The show will feature stripped-down performances from:
Band of Horses* confirmed as headliner
Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Shirley Manson of Garbage
Tom Gabel of Against Me!
Sea Wolf
Butch Walker
Jarrod Gorbel of Honorary Title
Songs for Kids
and more!

Tickets are available via ticketmaster.

The Pablove Foundation raises money to improve the lives of children with cancer. Your ticket purchase directly benefits the charity's programs. These include funding pediatric cancer research, helping families without health insurance, and improving hospital playrooms. Please visit pablove.org to learn more.

satellite heart

2009-11-05T22:50:00.000-08:00

from the new moon soundtrack (omg excited sfm bbq)...

ps. got my midnight showing tickets. where are all my fangirls at?

'Satellite Heart' Anya Marina

Anya Marina | MySpace Video

just say yes

2009-11-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

[snow patrol - just say yes music vid]

this snow patrol kind of reminds me of cher, i can't really put into words why... and i mean it in the most flattering way possible. maybe it's the flashing planetarium light show. their compilation album is out on nov. 10th (next week!) & just say yes is their new single. enjoy!

dear jack

2009-11-02T23:46:00.001-08:00

last week, e & i were lucky enough to catch 2 sold-out andrew mcmahon solo shows (jack's mannequin) at anaheim HOB & troubadour in LA. on wednesday, we attended a screening of andrew's documentary, dear jack, and sat with our nearest and dearest JM friends (and some surprises-- pauly shore? who is that guy anyway?). it was an intense and fun week!

too lazy to re-write this announcement, so here it is-- in all it's quoted shameless promo glory:

Tomorrow the much-anticipated Dear Jack film will be available in-stores and via digital download through iTunes (the link will become active at midnight on 11/3).

Also, the Dear Jack EP will be made available on tomorrow as well. The EP features four previously unreleased tracks: “Dear Jack,” “Diane, the Skyscraper,” “There, There Katie,” and “Swim (Music Box).” This musical companion to the Dear Jack film will be sold exclusively through iTunes (the link will become active at midnight on 11/3).

Finally, a limited-edition “Swim” art book, which includes artwork created by friends and fans of Jack’s Mannequin that became a prominent part of the “Swim” music video will be released on exclusively at JacksMannequin.com (the link will become active at midnight on 11/3).

west coast winter: just me and the blue sky

2009-11-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

you are cordially invited to the 2nd annual Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Holiday Ice Skating Party! proceeds benefit LLS and will be credited to LA Team Jack's Mannequin.

ALSO: we're going to be running a raffle with some AH-MAZING prizes, which will be announced later... you can only get raffle tickets if you show up!

here are the deets since the flyer is fuzzy-looking:
When: Sunday, Nov. 15th, 10AM-12NOON
Where: Seaside Ice in Redondo Beach. Check out their website for more details and directions. It's a (outdoor) skating rink on the beach!
Cost: $15 per person, includes skate rental and discounted parking.
Accepted Forms of Pre-Payment: Cash (in-person), check (mailed or in-person), or PayPal (email me for the link).

Please note: Pre-paid admission will end and payment must be received by Friday, Nov. 13th, 2009 at 5pm. After that time, we can only accept cash.

ps. all blog inquiries should still be sent to emokidsbff(at)gmail(dot)com. this is just for the fundraiser!

the early novembrrr

2009-11-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

halloween has come and gone. who dressed up & what were you? i was a cupcake with red sprinkles. somewhat glad i didn't go with the lady gaga idea, since i've seen a lot of pictures of ppl who were dressed as her.

i'm already thinking about next year, and i think i might be sushi. tuna or shrimp, not sure yet.

anyhow, i leave you with this video, in the halloween spirit.

[sea wolf - wicked blood music vid]

sea wolf just played a show @ kcrw's halloween masquerade this past weekend. if you missed that, never fear (well, maybe a little fear, b/c you know the twi-mobs for this will be INSANE): on nov. 6th (friday), the band will be participating in a special Twilight: New Moon event at the hollywood & highland complex. other artists performing include: death cab for cutie, anya marina, and band of skulls. Q&A with some cast members will also follow.

ps. they're also playing a show @ solana beach - belly up, on nov. 5th.

so turn it up and break it down

2009-10-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

i know, i've been a bad blogger this month/year/decade. picked out a shiny new template here for semi-overhaul-ish purposes... i haven't figured out how to coordinate colors b/c i'm challenged like that, but orange will have to do (for now).

so, what else is going on? this week has been crazy; have had lots of work-work and non-work to deal with. new PC came in 2 weeks ago, so i need to get with the whole transferring files & installing le photoshop. monday was snow patrol & tues-thurs was all about the sounds. seeing them @ kimmel brought back good college/intern memories. oh, to be 21 again!

[the sounds - come on bring that beatbox back]

4 songs & a fight (but no ticket fees)

2009-10-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

the sounds posted this blog recently:

Meet The Sounds and Pay No Ticket Fees!

We are taking over The Hollywood Palladium box office on Tuesday, October 20th from 3-4pm in order to offer you concert tickets at FACE VALUE...with no ticket fees.

Trying to keep ticket prices as low as possible is something we always try and work out with our promoters, so we worked out with our LA promoter, Live Nation, for you to be able to buy Wiltern tickets for our show on October 21st and 22nd without paying any of the extra ticket fees if you come and buy them directly from us!

Oh did we mention we will also be signing autographs and taking photos with those who come out? See you there...it will be fun!

Are you coming to see us at Jimmy Kimmel Live that night? Come by early and meet us at the Palladium.

i already have my tickets (for both nights) waiting for me at will call, but anyone who is funemployed should go pick some up! yayyyy

let's waste time, chasing cars

2009-10-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

hey, remember the time before snow patrol became "that band" with "that song" on grey's anatomy? srsly. like when run was like the most amazing depressing song ever? yea. oh, memories.

they're playing tonight @ the music box: henry fonda theatre and tomorrow @ the wiltern. i'm going to see them @ fonda tonight, courtesy of my friend irene. guess who's opening for SP btw? PWTs!!! weird. ahem. snow patrol will release two albums in november:

1. up to now: out nov. 10th, 2009. this double album features all their hit singles, cover versions, rarities and album tracks that span the band's amazing 15-year career. it'll include 3 previously unreleased songs (just say yes, dark roman wine and give me strength), songs from the two albums released on an indie label in 1998 and 2001, and 2 songs by the reindeer section (an indie supergroup w/ members of belle and sebastian, idlewild, mogwai and teenage fanclub. some covers and live tracks are also included.

Official Track List:
CD1
Chocolate
Chasing Cars
Crack The Shutters
Set The Fire To The Third Bar
Crazy In Love
Just Say Yes
Batten Down The Hatch
You’re All I Have
Hands Open
Cartwheels
The Planets Bend Between Us (2009 Version)
Ask Me How I Am
On-Off
Making Enemies
Run (Live at the Union Chapel)

CD2
Take Back the City
Shut Your Eyes
An Olive Grove Facing the Sea (2009 Version)
Run
Give Me Strength
Signal Fire
Spitting Games
Open Your Eyes
Dark Roman Wine
Fifteen Minutes Old
You Are My Joy
Golden Floor
Starfighter Pilot
PPP
Chasing Cars (Live at the Union Chapel)

2. late night tales: out nov. 3, 2009. a compilation/dj set of songs mixed and selected by tom simpson and gary lightbody.

track listing:
1. "Observatory Crest" Captain Beefheart
2. "Midnight" A Tribe Called Quest
3. "Dark Lady" DJ Food
4. "I Walk the Earth" King Biscuit Time
5. "Canal Song" Iain Archer
6. "Ordinary Joe" Terry Callier
7. "It's All Gone Quiet" The Week That Was and Field Music
8. "Last Train" Allen Toussaint
9. "Fancy" Bobby Gentry
10. "That's Us/Wild Combination" Arthur Russell
11. "Eanie Meany" Jim Noir
12. "Half Asleep" School of Seven Bells
13. "Family Tree" TV on the Radio
14. "Hold On" Holy Ghost!
15. "Download" Super Furry Animals
16. "New Sensation" (INXS cover) Snow Patrol
17. "Next Train" Miracle Fortress
18. "Sweet Little Mystery" John Martyn
19. "The Happy Detective (Part 2)" Will Self

when it rains...

2009-10-14T00:27:00.000-07:00

things to know:

- the graduate has a brand new song up for stream here on absolutepunk.net. please comment/recommend/share the heck out of that link. we emo kids ♥ them!

- our friends over at kata kouture jewelry are having a warehouse sale on october 24 in carlsbad... here's what rhonda says:

saturday 10/24 kata kouture will be having a sale with macbeth footwear, spicy clothing, loserkids.com & keep a breast. itd be awesome if you came out to support and to do some shopping! :)

check out the flyer below.

- late night blogging and thinking about food plans for tomorrow make me hungry. you know what'd be great? a chipotle truck. i'm craving a burrito bowl something fierce right now.

- i've reintroduced myself to the concept of saving (money). i'll let you know from time to time how that shakes out.

- i have wandered off-track. ahem. the sounds have posted a tour update on their myspace blog. info about the opening acts, cali, jimmy kimmel & beatbox video preview (just a snapshot!) all await. did anyone get tickets to kimmel, anyhow?

i'm crying blood

2009-10-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

could they please use this song on True Blood? I THINK SO. comment me with your favorite T.B. quote, kthx.

[vv brown - crying blood music video]
Crying Blood

VV Brown | MySpace Music Videos

LIGHTS (camera, action): the listening giveaway

2009-10-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

freebie friday hath returned (albeit, a little late in the day-- cannot seem to get over this lame jet-lag business & work has been craaaazy).

canadian keytarist LIGHTS just finished up a string of tour dates opening for keane, and is kicking off a headlining tour to support the release of her new album, the listening which comes out next week on tues/oct. 6, 2009.

tour dates: ** supporting act: stars of track and field from portland, or.
10/2 – North Star Bar – Philadelphia, PA
10/3 – Sonar Lounge – Baltimore, MD
10/4 – Middle East – Boston, MA
10/6 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
10/7 – Webster Underground – Hartford, CT
10/9 – The Brillobox – Pittsburgh, PA
10/10 – The Shelter – Detroit, MI
10/11 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
10/20 - Buffalo, NY- Mohawk Place10/21 - Covington, KY - The Madhatter
10/22 - Grand Rapids. MI - The Mixtape Cafe
10/23 - Des Moines, IA - House of Bricks
10/24 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
10/25 - Lawrence, KS- Jackpot Saloon
10/27 – Triple Rock – Minneapolis, MN
10/28 – Subterranean – Chicago, IL
10/30 – Hi Dive – Denver, CO
10/31 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
11/03 – Troubadour – West Hollywood, CA

11/04 – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
11/05 - Portland, OR- Hawthorne Theater
11/06 - Seattle, WA- El Corazon
i'm excited to say that i'll be seeing her perform @ the troub on november 3rd. join me!
to enter for your chance to win a LIGHTS prize pack-- includes a LIGHTS tee & a copy of her CD the listening, email me at emokidsbff(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject line "LIGHTS." i'll pick ONE winner at random (US residents, only) from all the entries. please include your full name and address in the body of the email. contest ends two weeks from today-- friday, oct. 16th. good luck!

are we really going home?

2009-09-30T23:36:00.000-07:00

came home yesterday afternoon to 131 unread emails. considering i'd left about 30 emails unread when i left two weeks ago, wasn't too bad. fortunately, the friends were kind enough (and civil enough) to not spam my fb wall with questionable content while i was AFK in japan. well played, friends.

so, what's new? i came home with my luggage filled to the brim. i unloaded quite a few gifties while i was out there visiting relatives and such, so on the whole, i'd like to say i came out even. but i'm certain i gained weight from nomnoms despite the insane amount of traipsing and adventuring kya-sa-rin-san and i did. more recaps to follow...

currently, what i need to get done: finish sorting the things i brought home, clean room, and catch up on emails. oh, and deciding which color combo i want for the juliet necklace by kata kouture (my dear friend rhonda makes jewelry with lego pieces). that's all for tomorrow (day off from work!).

ps. i've got another freebie friday coming up... be excited.

toronto international film fest 2009

2009-09-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

[toronto international film festival 2009 - red carpet diaries]
keep yr eye out here on this post from sept. 10th to the 19th-- videos and interviews should update automatically. the content is produced right then and there, as they talk to the celebs, so it's pretty much like a live feed of the red carpet.

have you ever been to a film fest? i've gone to a screening at one, but have never done the whole shebang. perhaps something to look into...

are you calling me darling?

2009-09-11T23:08:00.000-07:00

[the ting tings - that's not my name (music vid)]

the ting tings are kicking off a run of tour dates in america (opening for p!ink), NBD. there's a fly-away contest for the ting tings' upcoming performance at NY's madison square garden. to enter, just count the total number of times katie says "that’s not my name" in the video above. look, i won't tell on anyone if you google the answer or something. everyone who answers correctly is automatically entered to win, with one lucky winner earning two roundtrip tickets to NY, one night of hotel accommodations and a pair of tickets to the show!

Tour Dates:
September
15 Seattle, WA - WAMU Theater
17 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
18 Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
20 Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
23 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
24 Houston, TX - Toyota Center
26 Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
28 Fairfax, VA - The Patriot Center
30 Toronto, ONT - Air Canada Center
October
2 Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden
3 Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
5 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

i hope it's gonna make you notice...

2009-09-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

[paramore - use somebody (kings of leon cover)]

gahh.. ♥ her still. pick up paramore's new album brand new eyes in stores sept. 29th, or get your pre-orders in over here.

tonight, i'm heading out to see crash kings @ the musicbox (fonda). they're opening for david cook (idk, i think some fans of american idol might know who he is)...
xo.

then i set fire to our bed

2009-09-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

it's no secret that i'm finally starting to have a greater appreciation for female lead singers. that turning point came along earlier this year, when i heard great northern's new album, remind me where the light is. definitely among my top albums for this year.

so here's the roundup:

- the sounds stripped (in-studio performances)-- you can watch vids for beatbox, no one sleeps when i'm awake, and a couple of interview clips all here on iheartradio.com. their october 21st, 2009 show has been moved from the greek theatre to the wiltern. tix are on sale sept. 12st, 2009. will post a link when i find one. if you haven't already, start following @thesounds for updates and random twitpics-- you won't be disappointed.

- lights tracklist for her four-song EP, out sept. 8, 2009, here. you can see february air played by an army of lights on her youtube channel. she's just so cute. jeebus.
"Saviour" Music Video

- florence + the machine first saw this video over on hatesomethingbeautiful. this one goes out to @rawrdinosaurz.

[florence + the machine - kiss with a fist music vid]

unrelated, but still relevant to my interests: WTWTA soundtrack cover and exclusive FILTER wild things cover were released this week. filter issue #37: karen o and spike jonze discover where the wild things are, is on stands sept. 11, 2009.

TOMS + trovata

2009-09-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

third weekly installment of freebie friday: TOMS + trovata family reunion event

i know that flier is teenytiny (but you can click on it for a bigger version), so here are the deets:

when: next thursday, Sept. 10, 6-11pm
where: TOMS Headquarters
3025 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404

cover: FREE

Bring your friends and come dressed as an iconic family to have your family photo taken in our classic portrait booths.
The best family portrait will receive a $1,000 shopping spree from TOMS + Trovata.

you can RSVP at on the facebook event page. they'll have the TOMS & Trovata fall/winter 2009 collection available for purchase as well!

with mics in hand, we'll stand against the test of time

2009-09-03T23:55:00.000-07:00

[n.a.s.a. - gifted, feat. kanye west, santogold, & lykke li]

didn't realize this video was out in early '08. a little creepy astronaut...

mew mew

2009-08-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

happy friday y'all! in keeping with the new tradition of freebie friday (dang, i hope i can keep this up), just wanted to mention something cool going on from aug. 29th (sat) to sept. 3rd (thurs).

(before we launch into our regularly scheduled programming, i would like to mention that today is the last day to enter my crash kings giveaway. email me yr name & address w/ subject line "crash kings" to emokidsbff(at)gmail(dot)com for your chance to win!)

mewseum: a six-day installation & special performance on august 31 by danish rock band mew (garnering recent buzz and fame as the opening act for nine inch nails). you can stream their album no more stories... (which was released earlier this tuesday) on myspace.

click here for the flier that has all the deets for the events. for a chance to attend the aug. 31st show, email mewseum@sonymusic.com. the show will be super tiny and they'll premiere a video trilogy for their first three album singles, including the world premiere of their videos for “repeaterbeater” and “beach.”

mewseum hours (free admission!):
August
29 Saturday from 12pm -10pm
30 Sunday from 12pm - 6pm
31 Monday from 4pm - 10pm; special performance from 7pm - 10pm
September
1 Tuesday from 4pm - 10pm
2 Wednesday from 4pm - 10pm
3 Thursday from 4pm - 10pm

located @: Zune L.A. Space on 8275 Beverly Blvd. (at Sweetzer) Los Angeles, CA

i'll see you there!

psst... moar shows:
September
1 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
2 Los Angeles, CA - Palladium (w/NIN)
3 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda (w/NIN)
4 San Francisco, CA - Independent

where the wild things are - all is love

2009-08-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

Where the Wild Things Are Trailer

holy cow, i think i just squeed a little. the film looks sooo beautiful. i can hardly stand it!

(as a disclaimer: i don't recall WTWTA being one of my favorite books as a child-- probably i think i skipped straight from goodnight moon to something like the boxcar children, babysitters club, or sweet valley high. but i think a film like this-- with a trailer impeccably matched to arcade fire's wake up-- is exactly what our generation needs right now. it's a time to remember what it was like to be a kid and dream of otherworldly things...)

earlier today, myspace music premiered the first single off of the movie's soundtrack. karen o (of the yeah yeah yeahs) and the kids (a collaboration with an untrained children's choir) sing all is love over on the WTWTA myspace page. grab the single, which is available tomorrow, tues/aug. 25 & the soundtrack, which will be unleashed tues/sept. 29.

ps. enter my crash kings giveaway (a few posts down). you have nothing to lose!

life, or something like it

2009-08-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

... and just like that, and just like that, it's done.

well, this week was busier than expected. i'm now partially employed x 2 jobs (though still looking for f/t job, plz and ty) + working on the light the night (LTN) team jack's mannequin stuff. if you missed out, incentives for fundraising for LTN were announced last week & we've got a guide to signing up posted here.

tomorrow, i've got work in the A.M., will step foot into bay cities for the first time w/ kitkat and baby g, then bday dinner for an old friend. i know, i know, my life is ~so~ difficult. got my katy perry tix to her show @ the palladium on saturday, the 29th. very excited. she's one of my inspirations for whatever i decide to dress as for halloween... her and lady gaga. don't ask.

xo, tgi-almost-friday.

win stuff! crash kings giveaway

2009-08-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

freebie friday! yep, whose inner recessionista is not screaming for awesome free stuff? hmm?
crash kings is an la rock band ::gasp:: without a lead guitarist. the result is something pretty eclectic and totally rich. you can stream some more their songs over on le myspace. earlier this year, they toured with chris cornell. stamp of approval, you has it. and you all know how i feel about piano rock... really loving raincoat and my love right now.

one winner gets:
1 copy of Crash Kings' self-titled debut
1 Crash Kings USB Bracelet
1 Crash Kings Puzzle
1 band poster

email me at emokidsbff(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject line "crash kings." i'll pick ONE winner at random (US residents, only) from all the entries. please include your full name and address in the body of the email. contest ends two weeks from today-- friday, aug. 28th. good luck!

[crash kings - mountain man]