Why is anyone surprised Burberry has started a music channel with Apple Music? Angela Ahrendts, the SVP of Apple’s retail and online stores, was the CEO of Burberry.
Ms. Ahrendts, with Christopher Bailey, were very vocal about taking the heritage brand, and modeling it on Apple’s cohesiveness to make Burberry cool again. They launched the Burberry Acoustic Series, which will be included in the channel.
This is a natural and logical fit. I personally love it. The marriage of music and fashion is well-documented, with my own former boss, Ian Rogers, recently turning heads (as he does), leaving his role as CEO of Beats to take fashion powerhouse LVMH to the next level of digital innovation. Note: Yes, as much as we have seen digital be integral to many fashion brands, overall the industry still needs to innovate in the area. Don’t get me started on the fragrance industry (I used to cover it.)
My personal hope is now Burberry will create a stand alone app, where customers can live in a Burberry world, which will of course, include the music. *Yes, I wrote that request a few posts ago, you’re not imagining it. I love Burberry.
Now where’s my Burberry trench coat? I’m going to go outside and take my swagger back to Golden Square to wrap up my London Fashion Week experience.
When Kayne West approached the Grammy stage to snatch Beck’s golden statue for Best Album of The Year, claiming it should have gone to Beyonce, he tried to make it a joke- at first. We all know the fall out, Kanye (for a completely different POV click on Kanye’s name) wasn’t kidding. He went on to say he doesn’t want to perform again at The Grammys until they change it to reflect popular sales. Hmm, then he went on to say it was an insult to artistry, but he hadn’t even listened to Beck’s album, Morning Phase, which had been hailed as a critical darling in indie circles. I also want to say his intro for Kanye’s own performance said it was his “most personal” and point out there is nothing less personal than using Autotune.
I’m not anti-Autotune, but let’s not kid ourselves. Here’s a link for Kanye and all the other people, who, instead of wanting to explore and make an informed rant, is Beck’s Morning Phase:
Well, now let’s turn to another accomplished, lauded artist, one who has graced the cover of TIME magazine for his work, won the Pulitzer Prize, Mr. Jonathan Franzen. Franzen has chosen to take many jabs at women’s fiction writer, Jennifer Weiner. While he hasn’t read her work, he says no one has told him it is a “must read” and she is using a real issue – the lack of review space given to female writers, as a platform to get attention when she doesn’t deserve it.
Dude. Come on, if you had read her work, I would think you had some valid points, but you are not A) her target demo B) too busy to take the take time to read it the way Kanye, who likes to call himself an arbiter of all things cultural, could have taken the time, pre-Grammys to listen to every album in the category of Best Albums that was nominated. If you never read or listen to music outside of what you like, how can you really know what is good and what is not?
As someone who has been paid to be a music programmer (Yahoo! Music & Vh1), and a writer, I have listened and read works I was not naturally drawn to, and found it not only expanded my knowledge, it expanded my own creativity. I don’t always agree with awards, mostly they are a broken thing, but they do help curate what is interesting.
I have read many award winning literary books which I found to lack a strong plot or interesting characters or deliver a good ending. How is Kanye’s lack of respect any different from Franzen’s? It negates their point, which might otherwise presented have been valid. If you are going to diss someone at least know what you are putting down and acknowledge that’s not going to be given to you as a suggestion because your crowd is caught up in one scene.
When you make statements, that have some merit, but no foundation of their own, it not only disrespects the other artist, it disrespects their fans. How likely am I to buy Kanye’s next album or his ridiculous Adidas line?
How likely am I now to read another Jonathan Frazen book? The answer to all those questions, is highly unlikely, even if they have critical acclaim. Why should my cash line their pockets when they clearly value their own taste and are unwilling to leave room for anyone else’s? Fans who started the #whoisbeck Twitter campaign are also in need of some more cultural exposure. Why must we tweet about our own ignorance or make statements in the press about it? Why not show the courtesy to make an informed opinion and allow that while not your taste, it can be very important to other people.
My friend Courtney Smith’s book, Record Collecting For Girls, has a chapter on guilty pleasures. It was inspired by our conversations. I don’t believe in having musical guilty pleasures. If it speaks to you, if it helps you, touches you, makes you dance or feel good in any way, then go right ahead and enjoy it.
However, Courtney calls bullshit on that in her book and says anyone who doesn’t say they have guilty pleasures is either boring or lying or an asshole. That was the chapter she read on a book panel we did during her book tour. I started with the question “did you call me an asshole?” We have lively debates to say the least, but during that panel people asked me the most questions because they wanted to know about the popular artists that I got to work with in pop music over obscure indie bands — yes, even in Brooklyn! Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world.
Popular doesn’t mean bad. Jennifer Weiner is a fun, great writer who writes heartfelt stories about women that I can relate to, in fact, she is one of the reasons I got a dog. She wrote in her novel “Good in Bed,” every writer should have a dog. So, thank you, Jennifer Weiner for not only providing me and many other women with entertaining fiction we want to read. Thank you for standing up for female authors getting equal press coverage. Thank you for using the platform you EARNED for sticking up for everyone else who does not have it.
While today I was informed it is warmer in Antarctica then New York, I was glad I stocked up on supplies at Trader Joe’s yesterday, including a few protein bars that will help me fend off my need to order Chinese food on Seamless. (*Note, Seamless sending me a 2014 wrap-up that 68% of my orders are Chinese food.) I did go out to the soft opening of Hook and Cleaver on Greenpoint Avenue (yes, I took the Ghost train there and back) and now I’ve done my part for the New York scene for this week. So what’s entertaining me at home besides deciding which DIPTYQUE candle to light to combat my French bulldog’s gas? Here’s the scoop.
NETFLIX:
Marco Polo:
Get stuck in to a softer (less gore and sometimes the ‘good’ guys win), Asian version of “Game of Thrones.” Politics, breathtaking locations, cultural exposure to Geishas and, of course, war, love and spies make this an exciting epic journey. I love seeing this diverse cast of Asians and mixed race casting. Aside from Marco, the leads are all gorgeous mixed race and Chinese stars. Being mixed, this is the first cast I felt like I could walk on set and blend right in simply by showing up with some braids in my hair. I felt the same way in Hong Kong. Aside from that China is beautiful. The blending of the Mongolians and the Chinese cultures takes you deeper into each culture than the black and white “evil” vs. “good” of Disney’s Mulan.
PEAKY BLINDERS
Speaking to the Irish half of my gene pool, Cillian Murphy’s blue eyes lead you down the path of a family of gangsters in Birmingham, England. Aussie Sam Neil (yet, another side of my heritage), plays an Irish cop from Belfast determined to put an end to them. There are two seasons of six episodes here and this one, like Marco Polo, is also produced by The Weinstein Company. Beautiful, dark and they may be “bad men, but your our bad men.” Oh yes. The great thing is that Aunt Polly ran the show for five years while the men were off in France fighting. She is formidable with a dark secret of her own. She caters to the family’s finances and matters of the heart.
BOOKS
The delightful Kristin Harmel has a wonderful new book “The Life Intended,” which I have only just started and finding hard to do anything but read it. Her previous book. “The Sweetness of Forgetting” also a beautifully written book which tells the secrets across generations and has mouthwatering recipes. Don’t think I wasn’t all about the desserts when I went to Paris because of it.
MUSIC: Whilk & Misky “The First Sip” is a sexy EP complete with some spoken French that’ll have you looking around for a winter romance to declare “Babe, I’m Your’s.” Pucker up.
” target=”_blank”>Nicki Minaj “The Pinkprint” – don’t let the singles dictate the vibe of the album. ‘Anaconda’ is fun to listen to during Zumba, but uh we’re all about getting those butts tight, but feels jarringly out of place with the rest of the album, which is a more personal, introspective traditional hip-hop album, cool vibe with insights to Nicki’s personal life with fun guest vocals. I have to SMH in wonderment of how Drake and C. Breezy wound up on a track together. Dudes can put anything behind them, but does it say something about the blatant money business part of the endeavor? The track was not as interesting to me as “The Crying Game,” without any other big names. I love “Four Door Aventador” and the overall vibe here so, if you haven’t given Nicki a chance in a while, it might be time to revisit and feel the wind in your hair as you blast “The Night Is Still Young” getting ready to go out on a Friday night cause “my only motto is don’t lose.” Get it girl.
RENTAL: “Gone Girl,” which was a hyped book worth it. Yes, you saw the twist coming, but once it was revealed (in the printed version), it was fascinating how it all unfolded. Though I love Neil Patrick Harris, he was miscast in the David Fincher film version. That is a minor note because perfectly cast were perennial All-American boy, Ben Affleck, and the master of playing an ice princess, English actress Rosamund Pike (remember her as ‘Jane’ in ‘Pride & Prejudice’ and as a Bond girl? Kills it with ice.)
“Guardians of The Galaxy” a film I had no expectations for, except I knew that the main character’s last name was Quill, just like mine. I saw this on a plane that was jam-packed and it was my mental savior. I needed something that was going to make me laugh and this certainly delivered, so if you’re inside, had a long day and need a mental vacation this fun film will do the trick.
Happy New Year! Snuggle up, layer and give yourself a hug from moi. Spread smiles, not hate in the world.
Beyonce is the poster child for feminism these days, despite whatever is going on behind closed doors. (Have we all been drawn in to the master plan of headlines that compelled ticket sales for her joint tour with her husband only to hear pregnancy rumors? Yes!)
If Queen B (and she’s not the first to claim that title), is the face of feminism and she sings about riding on Hova’s surfboard, her ass gyrating for all to see, is that any different than the outright tribute to her own ass, J.lo has released?
For years people have been commenting on Jenny from the Block’s rear assets. When I met her I was shocked at how tiny that rear is, but it’s all relative once you zoom in on something. Is that the new definition of feminism? Everyone’s talking about your ass so own it? Well this is a spectacular way of doing it:
If people are unable to get out of bed today because they are waxing their own surfboards with the release of this video, what is the difference between this and the tongue-in-cheek hit “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj?
Well, for one thing, the taste-level. Jlo may be chewing gum and smoking cigarettes, but she’s doing it in a closed studio, ‘artistically’ and it’s just her ass and Iggy (Nicki’s rival), celebrating how their milkshakes bring the boys to the yard. Hmm, counterpoint so is Nicki, but in a much more over-the-top crass way with coconut milk dripping and mentioning how her pussy tires out her man so much he calls her NyQuil.
Both J.Lo and Nicki are taking their own rights as women to exploit their assets to earn the big dollars men are not providing for them. Nicki’s lyrics advocate getting men to buy her things and are generally crude. Is it about packaging? ‘Anaconda’ has been viewed on YouTube over 177 million times. Men are not thinking about feminism, they are jerking off to it and every time they do, I can hear the cha-ching building up in Nicki’s VEVO account.
Both women smack other women’s asses in their videos, both shake, twerk and leave on a bikini-string to keep them from being ‘fully’ exposed. If we look at Miley’s video for ‘Wrecking Ball’ which, IMHO, is her version of Christina Aguilera’s ‘Beautiful’, that is, until she starts licking steel. Despite protests about Miley not having to ruin the artistry of that moment, fans have watched that video over 700 million times and is on track to hit a billion.
At the end of the day, women are still the first ones to get laid off and get paid 60 cents on the dollar if we are lucky. Has feminism morphed into a marketing idea or are these popstars really in control? I’d certainly like to believe it, because even though Jessie J sang ‘it ain’t about the money’, those are lyrics and we live in reality where bills have to get paid and most of us are not turning down sponsorship deals, we’re sponsoring ourselves! Shake those asses ladies, I’ll take the t-bills that are dropping out of them.
Oh my, Coldplay. Since I heard this song last week I cannot help but fall under its magic. There are certain times in life when a song hits the mark, it’s like the composer and lyricist crawled up into your head and explained to you why you feel what you feel. ‘Magic’ has already slid into my top five favorite Coldplay songs. There are already a bunch of really great covers of it on Soundcloud so I am not alone in my sentiment, which is exactly the point. Here’s to all the people who still believe in magic.
I’ve been thinking about happier times to get through difficult challenges of the moment. Maxims are not really a comfort, but the only way out is through does resonate in my mind. Then I picked up a photo album from back in the day with some of my first adventures in Sydney. Along with photographs, there is, of course, the music that my friends and I loved and created memories listening to, singing and buying *yes people actually buy music!
Here’s an Australian classic from the band Hunters and Collectors, covered by Neil Finn. The performance was taped at SXSW in Austin back in the day. I know because it was done for a website I used to work at called GetMusic.com, which is now, oddly enough a brand revived out of Australia by Universal. We did merge with Rollingstone.com for a while, which is denoted on the notes of the posting. Good times. Without further ado….I share this unforgettable song.
As a bonus, for all my fellow dog lovers, on the eve of my Elle’s fourth birthday tomorrow, the wonderful “Lester”, Neil wrote about a family dog.
I hope you enjoy these precious gems as much as I do.
I have to hand it to Katy Perry & Sara Bareilles for having the most catchy tunes I can’t get out of my head – after one listen! I’m now obsessed with this remix and have it on replay over and over and over again. Kudos to on this mash-up to:
We Heart You Too!
As I mentioned in my Chicago post, there’s a band from Ireland that makes my heart beat rapidly and my body move up and down, fists swaying without control to their happy rhythms, known as Snow Patrol. This summer I tried to take my sister to see them twice. We were going to meet up in Indiana to see them open for Coldplay, yet the timing was craptastic. Then we were excited to see them open for U2 at Soldier Field in Chitown, and uh, yeah we missed them due to mixing up the show times.
Luckily for me, time number eight happened yesterday (yes once I saw them 4 times in 2 cities in one week) in the greatest city on earth. My poor sister, who’s birthday it is today- Happy Birthday Shauna!, was already back in Chicago after a weekend in NY. Yeah, our timing is not so great so I shall pull a Gary Lightbody move and dedicate the show to Shauna. If you guessed the 1st song was 'Take Back The City' you win a gold star!
Gary was happy enough to give NY it’s props saying it is the city they have played in & drank the most in the US. He went on to thank NY for being one step ahead of the curve on everything. Why Thank you Mr. Lightbody. His voice was in fine form so folks worried about the pollops from the last tour, let’s cross fingers he keeps that way.
It was bang hit hit hit after hit, a great mix of ‘Final Straw’, ‘Eyes Open’ and ‘A Hundred Million Suns’- to which I have to “Just Say Yes.”
The third song in was the song made me fall in love with Snow Patrol while I was on a boat in Malta, ‘Chocolate.’ What was I doing in Malta? Well, back then Jen and Brad were still Jen and Brad. “Troy” had been filmed partially on Malta so they had a little fun getaway there. While in Malta with the aforementioned birthday girl and her fellow birthday girl, my friend whom Shauna stole, Jackie, all thought we’d enjoy their nightlife. Jackie had decided being Hawaiian wasn’t for some reason, exotic enough and decided she was going to say she was a Malaysian Princess. Holla! We walked down a long street on the main island of St. Julian’s in the Pacevilla area as instructed, packed with nightclubs, neon flashing invitingly to our dance feet, people streaming in and music pumping out a good time. We got to the bottom of the hill and made it to this remote club we were told by several different islanders would be right for us. It was packed with all the non-English people & it was a total freak show even Britney Spears would’ve gone running in the other direction…..end flashback. (New readers, it’s called a ramble for a reason.)
Cutting back to last night, I was brimming over with love to correct the once, twice send out the fool alert, Snow Patrol ‘Take Back The Cities‘ tour. Paul Wilson got a 'hot'cut
Cascading melodies are always fun and who doesn’t freaking love that Gary is chatty? He’s a frontman who loves his bandmates, maybe just a little too much, although I dig it, there are some haters. Seriously? How can you hate his amiable personality? This being my 8th!! time seeing them over the past 3 albums, I can say Gary’s personality hasn’t changed from being a self-deprecating jokester who fancies dedicating songs to other bands and random fans. Too close for comfort? It's just a bit of fun for the lads!
I really did enjoy ‘Golden Floor’ (hmm segway to Mika’s “We Are Golden“, ah no too many distractions already!) off ‘A Hundred Million Suns.’ A lot of people tossed it in the trash since ‘Eyes Open’ was just jampacked with instant radio-friendliness, but on a second listen, the band continues the themes of eyes, carrying the weight of a relationship, and time. This time round it’s evolved to a place where they are not afraid of anything, even time. I personally like it when a band experiments and finding their new nuances. It’s keeps the creativity flowing. Someone might want to tie haters to a rocket or put out a 911 for the cuckolds of their cold, cold hearts to give it another shot.
You are getting sleepy....nah you are rocking out! Hands up! Are you seeing stars? Like A Hundred Million of them?
Now that I have you where I want you, you should be rejoicing that Snow Patrol have a new single and you really should “Just Say Yes.” I’m digging it’s dance feel after seeing the fellas spin in Chicago. The good news is….there’s another album coming out with a 3 hr DVD of live footage. Meow, wrap it up, send it to me for Christmas, I’m done. Oh man, some old school 'Final Straw' goodness. Bless ya Gary!
Reasons I love Seeing Snow Patrol Live:
1) They SMILE and look like they enjoy playing their music, not bored like some other wankers, hello Weezer.
2) Nathan…..mmm, you are so adorable when you sing along to the parts you don’t have to sing back up too.
3) Did I mention they admit their flaws? During the acoustic part of ‘Run’ Gary was just knocking it out of the park, then the rest of the band came back on to take it up a notch, it went all haywire with the equipment. They promised to play it again. They were forgiven instantly with a rousing sing-a-long of ‘Shut Your Eyes.’
4) ‘Chasing Cars’ makes me melt, then ‘Hands Open‘ catapults me into spastic dance moves. I am also at one with the lyrics ‘you’re cinematic razor sharp, a welcome arrow through the heart. Give me a chance to hold on’– if you insist! It reminds me of when the international fellow music programmers of Yahoo! (Canada, Australia, England) came to LA & we went to see Snow Patrol at The Wiltern (show #7 I’ve seen.) Oh, how the only male, Andy was so tormented by us. The head of the UK, Traci (so gorgeous) like, totally, OMG, pointed to me during those lyrics. Good times, good times yeah.
5) Richard of Belle & Sebastian, a band Snow Patrol is heavily influenced by is on the road with them playing drums.
6) There is a sexually charged makeout/snog/pesh vibe to their shows. Sadly I have never made out at one of their shows because I’m too busy enjoying the music but oh man, can I dig it.
7) True to their word, Snow Patrol added ‘Run’ fully plugged in to their encore.
8) Gary once looked at my red shoes. What a fabulous couple we'd make!
Friday of SXSW the sun was hot, we found ourselves waking up to a little bit of redness on the face. Fortunately there was a gentle zephr that helped ease the heat of the day.
A surprise mocha from the Goddess @blinblin100 alleviated ome of shock of having to move again so we could get to the legendary Ironworks for lunch. Meow that was a damn fine way to get any lingering alcohol out of the body and ready to take in some more. Satiated with pork, we made our way to the Envy/UMG party just off of 9th Street. It was down the block in the courtyard of a condo complex making it not the easiest venue to get walk-by attention. As we wandered under the building it poured out into a pool area.
While there were under 15 people listening to the band, Parachutes, their music still
We're your private singers, singers for shoes we'll do what you want us to do
instantly caught my attention the moment they launched into their acoustic set. I liked their catchy pop-rock melodies and lyrics. Sometimes you get chances to hear bands in small settings or studios where there’s only a few other people around and this felt like a private performance. I loved it!
After that I left to join @ikemusic and a few others at Filter’s Cedar Street outdoor space aka an alley that’s used for outdoor seating the rest of the year. Last time I went to SXSW, Snow Patrol played there as a ‘secret show’ but the venue is open to all ears. The space opens into two bars underneath that provide much need breaks from the heat and of course, alcohol.
Armed with a Jack & gingerale, I was delighted to find The Whip playing. Another chance for bro-mance was in full swing as The Whip got heads bopping and sweaty hipsters moving their…hips. A dirty rocker man named Johnny told me he’d accidentally touched my butt
I like your butt and I cannot lieb
but I didn’t even notice because it was packed out and good times were being had as friends reunited, made new introductions and everyone embraced The Whip. Unfortunately, though I really wanted to see Late of the Pier the line-up was already running behind by 3pm.
The magic of Twitter had allowed me to reach out to the Internet guru, @iancr to inform him of the lovefest we had in his name, so it was off to Ian’s Topspin “it fucking works” party. The ladies (Big Nuts, Meat in the Sandwich, Mocha, @blinblin100 and myself) met up to worship Ian in person. We were worn out but there to support, more importantly I loved saying ‘I want my 2 dollars,’ which Ian quickly peeled off one from a pack for me. He had tweeted to come find him and ask for one during SXSW.
Then it was time to hit one of my favorite parties of Southby, The Spin party at Stubb’s for none other than Echo and The Bunnymen.
Lips like sugar, sugar kisses full of nicotine
Now, I know you are thinking, what? That’s not a new band, shouldn’t you be only seeing bands you haven’t seen before? I never got to see them live before and was glad to have the opportunity. It amused me to see the band smoking between verses and solos. They give people in their late 30’s and 40’s an excuse to use their knees.
It’s truly rad when groups you loved as a teenager, come back hit you with new music and you still feel connected to their lyrical magic. Which new bands will have a career with that kind of cultural impact? Is the market too saturated for that to be possible?
Favorite thing overheard on the way to Fader Fort: Tom, Tom! I just saw a bird shit on your head man.
After that it was time to go under the highway, round the bend and find the Fader Fort. The line for wristbands was forty minutes so Blin had to head back for a dinner. I braved it out because the one band I had planned to see was going on – Tainted Window.
Taylor Hanson is all grown up!
If you haven’t heard of them, members include James Iha formerly of Smashing Pumpkins and Taylor Hanson–yes that Tay of Hanson,Bun E.Carlos of Cheap Trick , and Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne. The band sounded like Hanson, who I personally really love. My one piece of advice to Mr. Hanson, please shave off that pencil mustache. It looks like you have a smudge on your lip. I did dig the red pants though!
They stuck to their set time and looked like a real band despite it being their first time playing in public. So big kudos to you, I am a definite fan of the windows, tinted or otherwise.
On the way out of the Fader Fort my legs were starting to buckle so I was walking mighty slow. That’s when the fellas behind me started discussing the downfall, due to lack of proper synergy for Sony. Sadly they were deadly accurate. Ah Sony your integration across units needs to let go of the red tape. Get a class in synergy from Disney!
After a delightful long dinner break, it was off to Metallica back at Stubb’s. I can truly appreciate the tightness of their musicianship just like Tool. For me, this was the first time seeing them live. It seemed as if every man I’ve ever met in the music industry was pumping their fists in deep appreciation. Lars was very funny even joking in an accent they were just a new band from Norway trying to get signed. It was apex of bromance watching dudes give each pushes and looks like,’ you’d better rock to this or I’ll kill you.’
Stopping in the street where I spotted a wonderful friend, who I met at SXSW three years ago, I was able to pass the tiara to her that yes, I wore to Metallica.
I think I was born to wear a tiara= keep the tiara!
Doesn’t she look pretty? Most definitely. It was great because the friend she was with knew the newfound Apple friend I was with (he gave me the straight story on Tori) and another magical SXSW moment was had.
Unfortunately our next stop at ACES did not yield the earlier anticipated Late Of The Pier performance. Apparently there was a scuffle between the singer and security earlier in the day which probably explains why they didn’t make it to their 1AM timeslot. Unfortunately no one told us so we waited in the venue for about 45 minutes. It was mind boggling to watch the locals come in and see the scene become extremely odd. The bars stop serving alcohol at 2AM so a mad frenzy to guarantee stupid drunken behavior left us scratching our heads and calling it a night. What a beautiful night it was as well.
The next day everyone was mellow and I ended my SXSW experience with Obits…from none other than Brooklyn! During their third song the singer wound up screaming at the drummer cursing him out and I knew it was okay that I wasn’t staying any longer.
Tell me who you most wish you had seen or who you did see at SXSW…
Another year, another great festival full of hot dirty rockers, free flowing booze, fast formed friendships and oh yeah, some great music as well.
The instant I woke up at 5:40 a.m. things went into a breakneck speed on Thursday morning to get to JFK terminal 5. I made it and was rewarded with a plane full of music industry movers and shakers, setting a tone for the most ‘Bromantic’ festival on earth, SXSW. Exchanges of fist pounding, hand grabbing-pulling in for that half hug with a pat on the back, and we were away.
Just remember if you are going to this festival even at seven in the morning, you are expected to look your hipster best. If this isn’t second nature, remember to layer especially since going from a 30 degree temperature in NY to an 85 degrees with the sun pounding down on you Austin, here’s a few tips:
-big, gawdy jewelry you never threw away from the 80’s, gold is preferred
-oversized scarves draped around the neck like a large cloth napkin in a “v” shape
bold colors, the more the better, patterns that clash and may be viewed an eyesore elsewhere
tattoo sleeves. Why not start now while you have a year to get it done and can spread out the ink, the pain and the payments?
dark, chipped away nail polish
pointed toe shoes or boots (converse are not going to cut it walking around on the concrete so do your feet a favor and forget them!)
hats, although it made me hot just looking at dudes wearing wool knitted ones
Upon arrival a friend let me drop off my bag in her room and even sacrificed waiting for a ‘regular’ room for a handicap one because it was clean, eliminating any waste of party time.
We arrived at The Rhapsody party as the Vivian Girls were playing.
The photog told us to rub up on Krinsky, he was our host afterall.
The marathon was underway where every hour feels like an entire day because so much happens. Armed with bloody marys, the crowd was thick for Glasvegas who I had “seen” (lighting is such you don’t see their faces too much during their full live show) at Shepard’s Bush in London in December with their undeniable ‘O-O-Ohs’ winning over the crowd.
Next up was dinner with ‘Big Nuts’ from a major record label and the programming/marketing/label relations staff of iTunes (about 30.) A tasty treat was local Mary a “normal person” aka housewife friend of one of the group who crowned our hostess “Big Nuts” and added “just a little bit of fish humor.”
My favorite Appleman
In order for me to function there must be an Apple product in my hand.
, was having a slight meltdown as he lost his iPhone the night before leaving for SXSW and was reduced to …email via an iTouch. Oh my, I hope that Apple sales are not down this week as a result! Oddly, spending a lot of time with other new Apple friends, they don’t seem to have a chip implanted in their heads running off mid-conversation when spotting co-workers.
A trip to La Zona Rosa yielded another bizarre revelation– straight men love Tori Amos. I dig me some Tori but was definitely taking her in to channel the show to my gay boyfriend in LA reporting all via text. I was told reality dating show, Tough Love’s number one rule “don’t be weird” didn’t throw straight men away in this instance. In essence they like the quirky! This revelation of more bro-mance was evident by the fact the average height in the crowd was six feet. I could sort of see Tori’s bright red crown. Why do we crucify ourselves indeed trying to stretch our necks trying to see sometimes?
Onwards to see Chair Lift at Red 7 and our dogs were barking as we crossed town yet again. Sadly, although I think a summer tour of Winter Gloves, Chair Lift and Snow Patrol ….get it, get it…yeah okay, I haven’t had much sleep the last week…would be fun on paper, the reality was Chair Lift, the darling of music bloggers everywhere, was throughly dissappointing. The male vocals seemed unplugged and, joined by a music supervisor for a music channel, we were not entertained by the male chest hair of the guitarist– not pretty on skinny white boys. Each new song reminded us of a different 90’s female vocalist. First she was Liz Phair ala Exile in Guyville, then Bjork, then Tori…enough, find your own sound.
Fortunately next up was Rye Rye at Aces on 6th Street.
Crazy-sweaty-cardigan wearing dancers rule at Rye Rye's show
Rye Rye takes the M.I.A. formula of rock + dance=eceltic fun -the rock, +urban instead and you get “Wassup Wassup.” A delectable new talent indeed! ( Indeed the have recorded the song “Bang” together.) The crowd forgot their aching feet and danced. Her two dancers would come out during a song, reminding us Baltimore’s dance scene is still intact, dance like madness for a minute, then Rye Rye would lay down wickedly fun irresistible tunes.
Coming off that high, back on the street we realized our feet were on fire again. We had to get back over to Zona Rosa for the 1am show of Steel Panthers by command from our dinner hostess, Big Nuts. After 12 hours of doing the do at SXSW, we decided it was time for a pedicab. The next one in line happened to be, a rickshaw.
Three of us climbed in and all I could think of was my head hitting the concrete as my butt was hanging over the side. It was most amusing to passerbys who yelled out such memorable comments (as one does at that time of night) as “That’s Chinese…fun.” Going down the hill or bumps was terrifying for me but my friends loved it.
All smiles after we made it in one piece to La Zona Rosa
As for Steel Panthers, the faux awesome hair band, we were reunited with Big Nuts, Krinsky, and a few other now very ‘happy’ revelers. There was a lot of laughter, oh no they didn’t looks, and cringing at points. I especially loved the song “Asian Hookers.” That one is self explanatory. Another crowd pleaser was when Justin Hawkins, formerly of The Darkness now of Hot Leg, joined them on stage to sing “I Believe In A Thing Called Love.” The highlight though was the closer “Community Property” which is a power love ballad letting the object of affection know that she has his heart, but his dick is well, community property.
That about wraps up Thursday….and about all the brainpower I had left on reserve today to write.
Ramblings of the BK GrrlGenius 