Very Vinyl

The boy and I have been braking out our records and listening to the ones we had been putting off listening too....We may, in an effort to downsize our "stuff," put a few up for sale, if vinyl is something that interests you...

But this one is a keeper-

We listened to this last night as the boy played x-box and I answered emails.  Totally.  Fabulous.  Pretty sure Bill Cosby would be pleased that I liked it! 

old world meets new ipad

I'll be the first to admit, I have a special relationship with my ipad.  I think it's one of the best things ever.  I love that I can read all my favorite blogs, books and magazines on the go, just by having my ipad close at hand. 

But I'm realizing that there is so much more the ipad has to offer and there are dozens of products out there that take the modern technology of the ipad and find new ways to channel it into old methods.  Like this typewriter keyboard for example:

Source

Or my personal favorite, an app that allows you to play your ipad and iphone like a real ukulele!  Be still my heart!



That's seriously one of the coolest things I've ever seen and makes me realize I am not using my ipad to the fullest!

Countdown to Coachella...ella, ella, eh, eh, eh! #1

So the weekend of April 20th, the boy and I are making the pilgrimage to the desert to attend the 2nd weekend of the Coachella Music Festival, and we couldn't be more excited!  We've gone twice, and both times were so much fun.  

I know a lot of people don't really dig the "festival scene" and to be honest, neither do I really.  But I find that it's the best deal ever for the money.  I mean, the amount of bands and people I want to see always outweighs the negatives that come with festivals.  Plus there is something strangely therapeutic about escaping to the desert and surrounding oneself with music and people...It's liberating.  

Anyhow, we've got  just over 8 weeks before the shows begin and the boy suggested I start a countdown in which I share some of the music from some of the artists.  I being totally enamored of the boy (and easily influenced) agreed it was a great idea and so here we go.  

Gearing up to Coachella with a few selections from the bands scheduled early on the Friday set...

Quite a lot of country vibes going on, right?  The thing that's cool about getting to the festival early each day, is getting the chance to hear some of these lesser-known artists and maybe finding one that you can really get into.  That's actually how I first realized I liked The Bird and the Bee.  I heard Inara George singing "Would You Be my F*%#ing Boyfriend" from a tent and I was hooked!  

I must admit, I like this one best; I laughed out loud numerous times!

I'll be sharing more from the scheduled bands in the weeks to come, so get pumped! 

Ukulele Love!

One of the goals on my 30 things to do before I turn 30 is:

#25. Learn to play an instrument

And my friends, I am totally tackling this goal!  When thinking about all the instruments out there, one stood out as something fun, super cool, with a great sound and minimal complications: The Ukulele!  It's perfect.  It's small.  There are only 4 strings and I'd be able play all my favorite Uke songs from the 20's.  It seems likely that, even though I have never played an instrument before, this is one I could master before I turn 30.

And so, the boy and I bought this little beauty last weekend!

Isn't it cute?  I already know how to play Radiohead's "No Surprises" and most of the "Irish Rover."  As I get better I hope to post some of my playing right here on this blog! 

And as added inspiration, here are two ukulele artists that have been on constant rotation in my Spotify, Zee Avi and Sophie Madeleine.



 

Because it's friday....

Here are some awesome videos for you to enjoy and help you get through the work day! 









I saw all these videos at an Adam Buxton show in downtown LA last night.  It was so much fun.  He is hilarious! 

Making Christmas

Here's a peak of what's been happening at our flat - Christmas according to my iphone....

Santa Claus is coming tonight!  In honor of that, here is one of my favorite holiday music videos....

Sounds of the Season - Part 2

As promised, I wanted to share another winter playlist with y'all and this one is quickly becoming my absolute favorite!  Go check out Winter is Blue from Andrew & Carissa's blog and I promise you won't be disappointed! 

I think it's the perfect blend of classic christmas songs and alternative newbies that just sound like winter.  My favorite song on the list is Mew's She came Home for Christmas.  I love that band!  Anyway, go download it now and enjoy!

image from Library of Congress

Disney Remix

In the spirit of all the Disney fun that seems to be going around, I'd like to share another angle.  I give you Disney Remixes.  

In these four videos, a very talented musician/editor named Pogo has taken well known Disney images and sound bites and remixed them to make something totally different.  They are a bit strange, familiar and remarkable all at once...And I like them.  

You can watch all Pogo's videos on his youtube page.  Do you know of any Disney Remixes?  Share!  

youtube videos: scary mary, alice by pogo

Do you Spotify?

Have you tried Spotify yet?  If you haven't, I must insist you do!!!  Spotify is like itunes to the next degree.  Not only does it allow you to create playlists from all the music already stored on your computer, you can stream almost any song you like instantly, add it to playlists and play it anytime.  It's pretty awesome!  And it's amazing to think of how music sharing has changed so much just in the last 10 years.  I mean, I remember making mixed tapes...that wasn't really that long ago.  Now almost any recorded song is accessible for free with a few clicks of a button.  Pretty cool, right?

Check out Spotify, it will rock your world and I gaurentee you're bound to have a fun music-filled weekend!

Cheers,
Gidget

Fact: Ballet Dancers tend to be cool...

Hello Cherubs.  'Bout done sprucing up the blog and now I got to get back into actually writing.  I'm not sure why my life got so hectic and crazy this summer; I wasn't expecting it.  But I think that it may be finally starting to slow back down.  (Fingers crossed!)  

I am totally jazzed about the wedding coming up this weekend...it's going to be a blast.  And I actually managed to tailor this vintage dress all by myself so that it's fitted and ready to wear this weekend!  (I had to take in the bust as clearly the darn thing was designed for Marilyn Monroe!) 

On a completely different topic, and the inspiration behind my post title, I recently stumbled upon the music of Oh Land and I just simply had to share some it with you.  After doing a bit of research, I realized that Oh Land is even cooler than I originally thought.  You see, the electro-pop, ethereal singer, named Nanna Øland Fabricius, is actually a former ballerina!  She trained with the Royal Danish Ballet and the Royal Swedish Ballet and I think you can just tell from her moves in her videos.  I feel like I can always tell when people have had good classical ballet training, even just in the way they walk.  

And so I give you Oh Land.  Super cool Danish former dancer.  Check out her self-named album-- It's the perfect summer spin!

Fallen Behind

There has been a lot of really strange, unusual things going down in my life lately.  I've been sick, I've been anxious and I've been inundated with some sad news.  And well, these things have taken their toll.  If you were expecting a package from me, I am terribly sorry, but it's been delayed.  If you were expecting an email from me, I apologize, I will get back to you soon.   And if you were thinking you'd see some happy-go-lucky sunshiny blog post on here today, then all I can say is sorry, try again tomorrow.  

So often I'm unsure of how much personal stuff I should share on this blog.  I mean it's weird, sharing your life on the internet.  I keep thinking what would the me of six years ago think of the blogging me now?  The me of six years ago would probably be appalled that I'm posting every little detail of my life on a blog as if anyone would care what I did over the weekend or what dress I'm wearing that day.  Oh, the ego!  I think the old me would be embarrassed, call me pathetic and get back to reading her Hemingway (cause that's what I did back then.) 

Whereas the current me is fine with the blogging...In fact, the current me even feels like I could be more honest and more sharing on this here blog.  But I guess it's the ghost of my 22 year old self that keeps me from going overboard with sharing the specifics.  In any case, things have been a bit rough and all-consuming lately and I just haven't been able to keep up my regular pace.  I hope to be able to get back into the swing of things soon.  Until then, here's a playlist to brighten up your Thursday!

Playlist from Kellie!

Hi Everyone! Kellie here from ...on the brink of something beautiful (at getthewordsout.blogspot.com). I'm so glad that Heather asked me guest post, cause well- I love her blog and blog parties!   {Kellie, the feeling is mutual!}

Since it's almost summer, the only thing on my mind seems to be music and the music I want playing on my ipod...so here are some songs on my list right now. Hope you enjoy them! And don't forget to stop by my blog and say hello!!!!

-Kel

Boardwalk Life

It's been super hot, dry weather over here in Los Angeles and basically it feels like summer.  I always get excited at the thought of spending the summer on a beach-side boardwalk or pier.  Drinking coca-cola in the sun, wearing cut-offs and flip flops, riding the rides, kissing under the pier in the evening all to the soundtrack of Springsteen's Born to Run.  Ok, so that may be just a total idealization and will probably never happen.  But even so here's some inspiration for my boardwalk summer....

Had to throw a shot of Mr. Springsteen in there!  Hope you have a lovely Thursday!

Hip Hop Summer

 The boy declares: 

"This summer, let's make it a HIP HOP SUMMER!"

I reply:

"Say what?"

He explains:

"We are going to listen to nothing but hip hop for the whole summer...and we are starting now!"

Me:

"Fo-shnizzle."  (not really, I think I actually said, "ok, cool.")

You have been warned.  We are starting our Hip Hop Summer now.  It's gonna be off the hook!  Cause I'm sure you've heard that California knows how to party!  It's gonna be off the Richter-scale!  Care to join us?

Hurt

This version of the NIN song by Johnny Cash is so powerful.  I heard it on the radio the other morning (and was surprised as it isn't something our cheesy radio stations play) and I remembered what an amazing video they made for it.  I was in tears when I first saw it...something about his voice, this song and these images.  Check it out.  

For a Long Time I was in Love....

....with No Doubt.  Yep.  Go on music snobs, judge me if you must.  But you know how when your young, like a tween, and you come across a band that just knocks your socks off?  And it's not poppy in a over produced way or produced by the Disney corporation?  It's not even a band your friends are listening to, but you have found it and you know that it will be cool--it IS cool?  That's how I feel about No Doubt.

I loved Tragic Kingdom and proceeded to buy all their previous music, whatever I could get my hot little hands on.  I had never heard anything like it and I felt like instantly cooler for just knowing about it.   I was completely smitten with Gwen's tough girly-girl style and proceeded to bedazzle my bra straps, buy some wife-beaters and cut them short so my midriff would show.  It was a style I could make and afford!  That and my mom's reddest shade of lipstick made me a typical little "gwen-a-be."  I had a crush on Tony, thought Tom and Adrian seemed like they'd be so fun to hang out with, plus they were from Anaheim and I felt as though they were a band from a background much like mine.  They were inspiring in that way, I felt like they were just like me and if they could be cool then what was to stop me? (Remember I'm like 13 at this point.)      

I was right in my prime angst-y teen years when Return of Saturn was released and I loved singing along to the self-questioning tracks which make up most of the album.  That album definitely reminds me of a very interesting time in my life.  Rock Steady didn't hit quite so many chords with me, maybe I was just getting older and my music tastes were changing, but eventually it grew on me.  And now I am just thrilled to know that they are in the midst of recording a new album!  I can't wait to hear what they come up with this time and I am just so happy to know they are still making music together.

So here is a little video to take you back to a simpler time when No Doubt was just breaking out into the mainstream and we all were bearing quite a bit of midriff!

Radiohead Weekend

I have been having one of the best weekends mainly due to the fact that it's the first in over a month when the boy an I are both home and able to just hang out and be together.  Here's a quick peek at what we've been up to~

The Boy and I have been dealing with a lot of very difficult issues lately and the Boy has been feeling especially melancholy.  It's extremely understandable considering the circumstances, but this weekend I wanted to try my best to cheer him up, even just for a short while.  So, we declared yesterday Radiohead Day, which entailed listening to every Radiohead album and song ever released including the b-sides.  It was really fun to listen to the way their sound evolved over the years and I know there are some who love the early stuff, and others adore the more recent releases, but I got to say that OK Computer is still my favorite...with In Rainbows as a close second.  We actually didn't make it past Hail to the Thief, there's just so much music!  So we'll have to continue our Radiohead Day again later.  

The boy pooling our Radiohead collections from both our laptops!

 The boy also did some fabulous cooking for me (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and we shared many a cup of tea.  It was so nice to eat good food and just sit and chat for hours, we had a lot of things to talk about, sad and otherwise.  I think it was just nice to talk things out and be reminded that we have each other through this particularly difficult time.

Then today we visited the Beverly Hills Farmer's Market to stock up on some fresh and tasty veggies.  It was such a pretty sunny day, with all the surrounding mountains glistening with fresh snow!

We finished off the afternoon with some chips, salsa and Cadillac Margaritas at El Torrito.  It's really nice to have the boy back.  I think he's swell and, what can I say?  I love him!

If I have an incredulous look on my face it's because the Oscars were on in the background and I just found out the King's Speech won for Best Original Screenplay, and, well, I am maybe the only person in Hollywood who thought it was not that great...well me and the boy, but seriously people, it's not that great!  I wanted Another Year to win, but hey what can ya do, right?  I'm happy that Aaron Sorkin won for The Social Network, so I will focus on that!  ;)