WAVVES VS. THE WAVE

caught the Wavves at mercury lounge last night.
Kind of felt bad for the easy going, fresh faced kids (nathan + kick ass drummer) since the crowd was kind of lame. Despite the seemingly bored audience, they still played a "sick" set.
they played at market hotel two nights before and i bet brooklyn rocked it way harder.

∆ wavves - so bored

vs.

The Wave
on the Arizona/Utah border
"made of 190-million-year-old sand dunes that have turned to rock"

via LA Times. photos by Spencer Weiner

I KNOW WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

found this picture via swedish design blog, fine little day. Apparently this wild thing (incredibly not a muppet!) is in Fiskebäckskil, Sweden.
upon concluding that this picture was very real , i immediately thought of this....

the animal kingdom never ceases to amaze me.

BEAUTIFUL BUT BRUTAL

New Department of Eagles's video "No One Does It Like You", premiered at MOMA the other night. Video does an excellent job of translating Marcel Dzama's art work into a choreographed video. The mood, washed out colors, choreography and costumes are right on.
Video was produced by Directors Bureau, directed by Marcel Dzama & Patrick Daughters (of Feist video, "1234" fame). Dzama was also responsible for costume design.

WHAT'S NOT ON DISPLAY

Ever wonder what's in the attic (or basement) of the American Natural History Museum? Stumbled upon this slide show Saved By Science via Seed Magazine where artist Justine Cooper was given access to the attic, basement, storage rooms and closets of the ANHM, documenting "the intersection of science, curation, and the endurance of human curiosity." See full slide show here with audio commentary.

OTHERWORLDLY

Stumbled upon this Danish photographer Kim Høltermand via another blog which i would give credit to if i remembered what it was.
Her pictures, mostly architectural, are quiet and somber yet incredibly dramatic.
kind of otherworldly while being of this world.

VOTE WITH YOUR FORKS

thanks to a very well connected friend, got to attend this:

Hearing him speak about his personal experiences, anecdotes and the natural progression of his literary path made me want to be a more conscious person...and grow a garden.

TO JOIN OR NOT TO JOIN....

here are the last 2 men on earth who have not joined facebook.
this past weekend, a birthday dinner in p-slope.
spaghetti carbonara and shaker lemon pie
mmmmm......

A POIGNANT POST

via lover's last go around

IF WE COULD COLLECT ALL THE MISSING HOURS

Today I looked out my window. I live on the 5th floor in Chinatown. I held an espresso in my hand. The sun lit up the tops of two trees. On the street I saw people in coats still wearing hoods. Second day of Spring. I can not decipher the weather. The air is not filled in bird song. I sip my drink and begin to think about an email. From a girl I knew back in highschool. We exchanged Frank O'hara-ish emails, "I do this, I did that, I went here, I am here." A condensing of over a decade. Cool. Then she asks if I'm happy. Something in my mouth didn't taste right. I twirled my tongue. I ignored the question. Today in the shower I noticed my thighs are getting bigger. That I need to shave. That I need to address the idea of happiness.

I was raised in a religious household. It had its "cultish tendencies." There was a lot of talk about Jesus. Ultimate teacher, etc. My father and his boys were always hawking on the point where J.C. is asked a question and replies with a question. I do love me a good rhetorical strategy, but for the most part this seemed more like avoidance than intelligence. It has always felt to me a perfect politician move. But then again I tend to think of deities and politicians of the same vein (vain?) but I am aware a majority disagrees with me. So here we are splitting the hair of a strand which already is a split end. Nonetheless. The day is still without song bird sounds. And there's this question of happiness. But before we get to that another digression. Yesterday while having dinner with a friend I was informed that no one would describe me as "happy-go-lucky." I winced. I faltered. The ego that wants all was disappointed. But she was right. And I should have been happy. We have a friend who we both would describe as h-g-l. He is not she; he is not I. We like him as him because he is he.

Here's the thing. This would be perfect with a accompaniment of birds. Perfect with grapefruit juice and clean light. Language lies. On the surface it can seduce. For a moment I was seduced. Last night I became seduced with h-g-l, today in the shower. Not so seduced. An act of cleansing. A rinsing of the ego. Soap. Lather. Rinse. Sing. Soap. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. How's your brain. A bit soggy. Let me ring it dry. Words are the recollection. The after. The putting into language what can not be expressed. The document after the moment has moved on. Or is still moving. And you are typing and translating its trail. Happy. Yes. Sad. Yes. Dialogue of the dialectical. To know happiness is something that can not be summarized in words. Language is made up of lies, the after, the need for preservation. The quest of, yet happiness is the is. This can only be seen. Felt. To know a known thing is to have experienced the knowing. I can not give you the answer you want because I will not enlist words to do the work they are incapable of doing. I will not use the J.C. method and ask you if you are happy or to define happiness. No thanks. I'll leave that for someone who is seeking an unreliable narrator. What I can say is that it is Saturday. There are no birds in the sky but a plenitude of sun which shines on branches which contain buds. The buds will be leaves. These leaves will be green. Music will come. Music will go. And somewhere at some point in time I will be eating grapefruit. I like to share.

thanks steven, i really enjoyed reading this.

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT

don't think, just watch.
via facebook friend Luke

It is apparently an excerpt from 1977 Japanese horror film Hausu

FOR YOUR VISUAL PLEASURE

BUT DOES IT FLOAT
an ongoing visual conversation curated by Folkert and Atley

i am a visual person therefore i love it.
it overwhelms
it stimulates
it fascinates
it mystifies
me.

maybe it will do the same for you.

&

for your listening pleasure:
∆ nite jewel - weak 4 me
i am a sucker for lo-fi synth dance pop. i know this.
call me sentimental but it's the "little girl who danced her way through most of the 80's" in me.

pic via dustytapes

I HATE JAKE BUT LIKE BOOKS

His name is Jake, lives in NY and he's stolen my identity.
GRRRR!!!!!!
he bought a camera online via overstock.com and mailed it to Florida and will most likely get a away with it.
JERKFACE!!!!

I will be reimbursed but I want justice more!

..........................................................................................

p.s. I need a good book to read. Please submit recommendations.
Last 3, in order were:
1) Ominvore's Dilemma (excellent but slow, took me a million 30 min. subway rides and a trip to new zealand to finish but, I finished!)
2) Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs (funny, but also at times, annoying)
3) The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao (quick, engaging....good vacation read but alas, i am no longer on vacation)
4) ?????

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS BAD LUCK?

After the food poisoning, the bed bugs, the USPS almost losing my winter coat and boots en route to NY from Honolulu, I find myself still having to pay a lab fee that my health insurance won't cover for getting a yearly examination, and have just discovered tonight that i am now the victim of credit card fraud.
rad.

a friend questioned me the other night as to whether i believe there is such a thing as bad luck.....
my final answer?
yes.

On a brighter note, this weekend......
Art show in the LIC!
Presenting mike sanzone in collaboration with earl barret halloway:



thanks to joe and paige who cooked a delicious meal of succulent short ribs and cornbread. I forgot to take a picture so i've substituted with the hawk they've been carefully watching in the hood.


Coraline in 3-D! (ok, i lie. this was last weekend)

SHAMELESS PLUGGING OF FRIENDS

Now that i have finally filtered through the back log of e-mails and am now up to date, let me just take the time to plug some friends that are doing awesome things as well as plug one random thing. I know my readership consists of 5 people including mom and sis but hell, it can't hurt to spread the word.

1) Joshua Ben Longo solo show goes to France!

check out the weirdness that is Longoland if you can in France, or check out his blog here
He has also recently been featured in the Hi-Fructose Collected Hardcover book here

need i say more?

2) Poet and ex-roomate, Steven Karl featured in:

download pdf here

3) Balmorhea (Bal-mor-ay)


A funny thing happened while i was in New Zealand. A record label (thanks brian at western vinyl) e-mailed me a promotional mp3 to feature on my blog. I think they have mistaken my blog as a "music blog" and i tried explaining that my readership consists of 5 people but tis the wonder, the power (!) of the blog and internet (they say that's how animal collective got to where they are). I can't help but respect this guy's pr acumen besides, the song is pretty good. So here it is, an acoustic quartet (although from the picture, looks like a quintet) from Austin, Texas who will be playing at South by Southwest:

∆ balmorhea - harm & boon

"Balmorhea flashes brilliance only to highlight a slow-burning constancy that's at the core of one of the year's early slow wonders."

- Pitchfork

"Balmorhea, an acoustic quartet from Austin, plays tender, bucolic instrumentals that waft and linger like the remnants of a summer afternoon."

- Time Out New York

SOUTH ISLAND