2 posts tagged “coachella”
Listening
Since I bought my Coachella tickets, I've been listening non-stop to many of the artists who will be performing at Coachella. This week I realized I had enough of all those artists -- at least, for now. I now have a better idea of whom I want to see, as well as whom I can skip, at Coachella. Holy Fuck is definitely my must-see band of Coachella 2008.
And now back to your regular listening!
Last fall I made a conscious decision to stop listening to old music and pay more attention to new music and new artists. Some new music I really like now is:
1. Falling Off the Lavender Bridge - Lightspeed Champion
Lightspeed Champion is ex-Test Icicle Devonte Hynes. He's best summed up as a quirky, pop singer. His lyrics and song titles reflect a sense of humor (e.g., "Everyone I Know Is Listening to Crunk," "I Could Have Done This Myself"). It's refreshingly different.
2. Oh, This Old Thing? - Sleeping in the Aviary
I'm a huge fan of garage punk. Always have been, always will be. This album was recommended to me. I was digging it for a solid week before I investigated any details of the band. To my great surprise, I learned that they're from Madison! They have a gig coming up at The Annex, which I'm going to try to make.
It figures that the year I decide to leave Wisconsin for New York City, Madison becomes the new breeding ground for great bands!
3. Get Awkward - Be Your Own Pet
BYOP is another punk band that I like. I love their raw energy and untamed spirit. I'm praying that they'll be added to the Coachella line-up.
Writing/Editing
I'm currently finishing up editing an accounting book. BIG YAWN! The worst part of it is editing the math, which I totally suck at. I'm counting on the author to double-check his own math. (Get it? "Counting...math." *slaps knee*) I told the author that I need my fingers free to do math. Joke, but no joke.
I created a new feature for my Beastie Boys blog, Mic to Mic. It's a tumblelog. What the heck is a tumblelog, you ask? The creator of the tumblelog, Tumblr.com, explains it:
To make a simple analogy: If blogs are journals, tumblelogs are scrapbooks.
You can also look at tumblelogs as slightly more structured blogs that make it easier, faster, and more fun to post and share stuff you find or create. Blogs are great, but they can be a lot of work. And they're really built to handle longer-form text posts. Tumblelogs, on the other hand, let you easily and quickly post and share anything you find or create.
It's nice because I have it set up as a button on the blog. I intend for it to be an excursion from the blog when not much is happening with the band. The blog focuses on the Beastie Boys now; the tumblelog (titled "Wall to Wall," which is the companion lyric to "Mic to Mic") is a collection of stuff, past and present.
I also created a personal tumblelog at bboysgirl.tumblr.com/. I haven't done much with it.
Finally, I created a Selfportrait.net page for myself recently. Selfportrait.net is an artist networking site. I intend to use it as an online portfolio of my work. I think it will be particularly useful when I move to NYC and start networking with writing peers.
I spent literally two minutes creating a profile, so look at someone else's page to get a good idea what the site is about. I can see a lot of my friends who blog and/or do photography digging the site.
Although I'm reluctant to build YET ANOTHER networking page because it's another thing to manage and waste time on, I think it's important to experiment with what's out there.
Reading
My favorite reading of late has been KnowTheMusicBiz.com. I discovered this site because John Doe (X), who I am a HUGE fan of, is now writing a column for the site, titled WWJDD? (What Would John Doe Do?). I will soon be seeing John and his bandmates in X on their 31st Anniversary Tour. They're playing the Barrymore Theatre in Madison on March 21. I'm going to the show with my sisters, who are also X fanatics, and my friend Krista, whom I took to a John Doe solo gig last year.
Watching
My sister loaned me her dvd set of the first season of "Veronica Mars." I had never seen the show before. I just finished watching the season one finale. I quite enjoyed the series. I might look for the subsequent seasons on dvd -- although everyone I've talked to about the show has said season one was the best.
Consuming
The weekend before Valentine's Day, my sisters, Krista, and I went to the Valentine Craftacular at the High Noon Saloon. The Valentine Craftacular is a craft fair created by "alternative types" -- you know, girls with tattoos and lip rings -- so it was a lot of unique handcrafted art and clothing. I purchased four items.
1. A handmade skirt:
I wanted something to make me feel pretty again. Winter clothing has made me feel like a big blob.
2. A handmade purse:
Funky pattern. Had to have it.
3. A knitted cap:
I liked the texture, color, and ornament.
4. A bracelet:
I used to read Richard Scarry books to my son when he was little, which is why I was drawn to the bracelet. It makes me think of my beautiful baby boy.
Wishing
I'm wishing to get healthy again. I fell on the ice a few weeks ago and did something bad to my foot. I had x-rays done, but they couldn't see any breaks in the bone. I'm going to have a bone scan this week. My foot feels as though someone has dropped a bowling ball on it. Not good.
Because I have too many writing and editing projects going on, I have failed to maintain my Vox blog. Oh, shame!
I want to correct that failure. I'm going to try to write regularly about what I'm listening to, writing and editing, reading, watching, consuming, and wishing for.
Listening
1. I have been listening to so much good music lately! My favorite discovery of late is Holy Fuck, an experimental band from Toronto. Their songs are completely instrumental (i.e., no vocals). Unbelievably good stuff! I will see them perform at the Coachella Music Festival in April.
2. I've been listening to a lot of abstract hip-hop, funk, and soul. I created what I believe to be the most awesome playlist this past week.
Watch That Sound - DJ Vadim (from Sound Catcher)
Dead Ones - Lifesavas (from Gutterfly Soundtrack)
That Kind of Man - The Heavy (from their self-titled 3-Track EP)
Here I Come - The Roots (from Game Theory)
No Reason for You - Kutiman (from Kutiman)
I Ate Your Soul - Grieves (from Irreversible)
Morning Child - 4hero (from Play with the Changes)
Beaten Metal - Antibalas (from Security)
Sloop Jay D - Bullion (from Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee)
Poison Dart - The Bug (single)
My 2600 - Captain Funkaho (from Peanut Butter Wolf's Jukebox 45s)
Loveless - 4hero (from Two Pages)
Model Citizen - Ohmega Watts (from Watts Happening)
Colleen - The Heavy (from Great Vengeance & Furious Fire)
Come on Now - The Sweet Vandals (from The Sweet Vandals)
Good Communication - Y Society (from Travel at Your Own Pace)
Sirius B - The Heliocentrics (from Out There)
12 Apostles- Flevans (from Cold Hands)
Music Is Ruling My World - Kutiman (from Kutiman)
Blood from a Stone - Spanky Wilson & The Quantic Soul Orchestra (from I'm Thankful)
The Dark Side of the Sun - Modeselektor (from Happy Birthday!)
Nike Boots - Wale (single)
Writing/Editing
1. I recently completed editing a book titled History and Tradition of Jazz. I really enjoyed this editing project because I learned a lot about jazz music, which I was somewhat ignorant of. For weeks, I've been listening to nothing but jazz music, which was good but also made my ears want to bleed after a while. After studying all the artists (from Count Basie to Ornette Coleman to Miles Davis to Kenny G [!!] to Wynton Marsalis to Medeski, Martin & Wood), I chose Charles Mingus as my favorite jazz artist. I dig avant-garde jazz!
I asked the publisher to think of me for future music titles. The last book I edited for the publisher was an educational title dealing with teaching problem children. I struggled getting through it because it was so damn boring. With the jazz book, I edited at lightening speed because I enjoyed the topic.
2. This week I wrote and published a book review for Ari Marcopoulous' photo book Ad Rock at Mic to Mic, my Beastie Boys blog. Mic to Mic -- which I originally created for just my good friends to read -- has become very popular with the Beastie Boys fan community. I was shocked when I started reviewing the site's numbers. Beastie Boys are a very difficult band to write about, so they have very few fan sites. My blog is the only site that publishes updates regularly. When I was following the Beastie Boys tour last year, I met so many nice people who told me that they enjoyed reading the blog. I was going to give up on the blog at the end of the tour (because I need to focus on other things), but after all the compliments, I decided to keep it going.
3. For a long time, I have hated -- it seems unfairly -- on Myspace. I always viewed at it as something for young people, not adults. However, recently, I've learned it is a good source for discovering and keeping updated with new music and artists whom I admire. I created a new Myspace page (I have another one that I never look at or update) for the sole purpose of connecting with artists.
Reading
Maybe it's just me, but the book seems a little Adam-lite.
Watching
I canceled my cable television over a year ago because I never watched television. I can't say I miss it. I just watch dvds now.
I haven't been to the cinema in ages. I lost interest in film because, for a while, nobody was making any good films. The last film I saw in the cinema was "Super Bad." Funny flick. Somebody recommend a good film?
Consuming
This week I purchased a 3-day pass for the Coachella Music Festival, which takes place in Indio, California, at the end of April for $287.70. It's sooo worth it! I went to the festival last year with my friends Jenny and Paul and had a fantabulous time. We're teaming up again for this year's festival. Read my Last.fm journal to find out about who's playing at the festival and whom I'm excited about seeing.
Wishing
I wish winter was over. This has been the worst winter in 30 years. I have shoveled more snow this winter than any person should shovel in their lifetime! I'm ready for green grass and sunny skies.
