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

[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

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.



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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

[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

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

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

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)

Thursday, January 27th @ Mountain Bar @ 9:30pm
Boobs4Food "Together We Can" Concert to benefit LA Regional Food Bank
Cover: $10 presale on Eventbrite (includes 1 raffle ticket)/ $12 at the door (cash only, includes 1 raffle ticket)/ additional raffle tickets: 1 for $2, 5 for $5
... was "can" supposed to be punny? if so, excellent work.

i resolve to...

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

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

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!

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.

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

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?