The Prick Cushion

sent:

reasoning:

post on Crafty Bastards vendor favorites coming up soon.

‘it’s just a little prick’. this was the most memorable one that made me wish I was a more capable sewer in need of a pin cushion. they also sell girlie bits, bacon bits and zombies on their website or etsy.

temper trap – sweet disposition

sent:

reasoning:

i’ve had this song on repeat ever since i saw the movie 500 Days of Summer. i believe it was the music of the opening credits, and as soon as I heard it, i knew i was going to like the movie.  part of the reason i love semi-dramatic films, tv shows, reality shows (Laguna Beach, The Hills) is because they have soundtracks. whenever you’re just having an awful time, and you’re walking through your office or on the street with this numb feeling, i’ve always wanted some ‘nobody understands me’ song  start playing. on Laguna Beach, whenever a revelation is revealed of someone getting dropped or screwed over, a song of ‘why does life hurt? why don’t people think of me” begins, and i LOVE that. short of me carrying around a boombox with an unlimited music selection, or suddenly breaking into song, it’d be wonderful and comforting and not creepy at all to have a sympathetic, understanding song begin playing. perhaps this is why people get iPods. i’m not a big fan of earplugs though – i don’t want to constantly be plugged in for when a ‘bad’ moment arises for me to say ‘oh, sweet disposition by temper trap would be great right now!’ but i digress. add this to the soundtrack of my life/songs for moments that make me want to become better than myself

Girls Rock! DC, 9:30 Club

sent:reasoning:

what an empowering and ultimately inspiring show. more about Girls Rock! DC and to donate money/time/equipment here

more pictures of the show here, Meaghan Gay publicity stills here

at one point, a counselor shouted “didn’t you wish we had something like this when we were young?” YES, how i wish i did.

Ra Ra & Tigercity @ 9:30 club, 7/10/09

sent:

Poster and Facebook event page for upcoming 9:30 club show with Ra Ra Rasputin and Tigercity.

reasoning:

this show is going to be amazing. afterparty for serious heavy hitters only – it’ll involve a rooftop and the sun coming up.

The Dance Party
www.myspace.com/thedanceparty
“If you’ve never heard the Prince George’s County power pop quintet the Dance Party, you should know they didn’t pick their name to be ironic. They really do want people to dance and party, as evidenced by their wild shows… In other cities, such a hedonistic musical approach might seem passe, but in the earnest D.C. scene, their rowdiness has made them stand out.”
- Washington Post Express

Ra Ra Rasputin
www.myspace.com/rararawks
“Local favorites Ra Ra Rasputin give the best of both worlds, a live act that reliably can get asses not only in the door, but shaking on the floor with their infectious dance punk.”
- DCist.com

Tigercity
www.myspace.com/tigercity
“With echoes of the Bee Gees, Prince and Roxy Music, Tigercity’s funky, electro-driven indie-pop was born of a desire to avoid what [lead singer] Bill Gillim calls the ’scratchy post-punk guitar sound’ New York bands have been milking for the past few years. The group’s earliest tracks relied heavily on synthesizers and computerized beats, but their move to New York brought the addition of drummer Aynsley Powell and guitarist Andrew Brady, and with them a progressively refined combination of New Wave’s mechanized sheen and funk’s organic grooves.”
- Rolling Stone

Casper Bangs
www.myspace.com/casperbangs
“Rob Pierangeli, formerly of local indie-pop standouts the Hard Tomorrows, is back with a new project, and thankfully, the same knack for hooks.”
- The Washington Post

BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE:
http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?orgid=3595&pid=6534854

spoon – don’t you evah

sent:

reasoning:

the song is nowhere new, but i’ve had it on repeat and been dancing all over the place. it’s also made me give Spoon a second listen to -> they might be one of my new/”old b/c they haven’t come out with anything lately” bands. i didn’t buy too much into that little yellow rollie-pollie thing at first, but it does become cuter and cuter the more you watch.

tigercity @ DC9

recipient:

The Chronicle of Philanthropy/PO Box 48/ Boulder, CO 80329-9954

sent:

DC9 business card, along with Daytrotter Tigercity: Damn Right There Are Claws – Dancing Claws article

reasoning:

i was bummed all week over a stupid boy, lack of money, and lack of job issues, but DDW had come into town, and when he suggested a tex-mex for dinner, i knew things would be good. we started off happy hour at Solly’s and then DC9 – a place i’ve taken a fierce liking to lately – dance parties, good bar food, chill lighting & decor, schlitz in a can, plus lots of open bars offering Sparks or redbull vodkas. while we were sitting drinking our Magic Hat #9s, Tigercity’s van pulled up around 6 and they started unloading their equipment. whee! so excited, but of course i just played it cool drinking my beer and talking to the 2 guys at the bar who were going to the 9:30 club for jimmy eat world. J.E.W. makes me happily reminisce about jr high, but this night – these guys were paying much more money to go to the wrong place to see the wrong band.

poor but sexy started off the night, local DC band with a keyboard, synthesizer and adorable lead singer who robot dances across the stage. i was standing next to the stairs to the left of the stage, and tigercity had a booth right behind me, so everytime one of the band members needed to get back to their seat, they had to walk by me. i was definitely the short little asian girl standing in the way, but i was also the one who ‘accidentally’ got to bump into each of them. yes, tigercity makes me a little giddy groupie, are they that big of rockstars yet? they are in my heart.  you can probably tell that the rest of this show review isn’t going to turn critical, or disgruntled, the tigercity lovefest is going to continue.

tailor, new york city

recipient:

Citibank/ PO Box 1899/ Hartford, CT 06144-1899

sent:

Tailor Business Card

reasoning:

i’ve been a huge sam mason fan ever since i discovered these Dinner with the Band podcasts, and was super excited when SL considered my suggestion of Tailor for dessert. check out the DWTB videos where sam creates tasty and interesting combination foods like miso butterscotch halibut, olive cobbler and avocado margaritas for indie musicians (matt and kim, tokyo police club, pela, el-p)  who then play in his brooklyn apt – it’s hipsters rocking their craft and making me wish i didn’t have an office job. everyone expected this place to be fancy schmancy and super tasty. it was fancy and tasty, but the menu threw a lot of people off – scallops with red papaya, maple-poached snails, bell pepper cake, and beet parfait.

to assuage the skepticism, i kept telling everyone that sam mason is a rockstar who used to be the pastry chef at WD-50 where wylie dufresne deconstructs food with science (molecular gastronomy) – coffee-flavored gnocchi, coconut milk in a gel, grapefruit molasses. dufresne been on top chef a couple of times and i saw this interview with him on epicurious, and while i can’t necessarily tell the difference or appreciate ‘fine cuisine’, WD is doing really cool stuff. pastry chef sam mason took rockstar mixologist eben freeman (also of WD-50 methodology) to open Tailor.

been reading up on the new restaurant for awhile, so when we cabbed it there and were kind of lost, i immediately recognized the entrance and excited pulled open the large wooden door. i was all flustered b/c i had to buy ‘proper’ clubbing shoes and was running around manhattan at 9PM looking for a store that was still open. and another reason we were in such a rush to make our 10PM reservation was if we didn’t show on time, they’d charge $25/head – so for our party that’d be $250 on my already-beyond-capable-spending-limit credit card. we all got there on time, and were made to wait downstairs at the bar for 45 minutes. i kept waiting for sam mason or eben freeman to walk by – of course it didn’t happen, but if it did, i’d be able to forgive everything that happened after. we ordered 4 desserts – manchego cheesecake on graham cracker ice cream, mango ravioli with cilantro and coconut, strawberries with celery ice cream, and chocolate with sesame ice cream & mole. i tried to order their solid cocktails – you get an 3 for $12: cuba libre, gin fizz and white russian. i knew getting that would have put everyone’s skepticism and gripes to rest when they saw how cool it was. unfortunately they ran out for the night. LAME.

Crafty Bastards, Washington DC

recipient:

National Geographic Society/ PO Box 64112/ Tampa, FL 33664-4112

sent:

brookadelphia business card

reasoning:

yesterday was CityPaper’s Crafty Bastards! Arts and Crafts Fair. i moved into my new place at noon, sort of unpacked, and cleaned. i got on a bus towards Adams Morgan and didn’t get lost (!).  while my transition into DC hasn’t been the easiest, but this was a good day, when urban life loved me back.  i won’t go into how much i want to be on my own and independent, but yet become frightened, squeamish or whiny at the prospect, as well.

the fair was teeming with baby clothes and obama memorabilia, but some of my favorite new designers (including the aforementioned brookadelphia): b-kao, imogene,barrysfarm, miss alison, maryink and sofia masri. i picked up a bunch more business cards from other vendors, i’m slowly combing through their websites, and may post about them later.

MGMT @ 9:30 Club, Washington DC

recipient:

New Account Acceptance Center/PO Box 781052/ El Paso, TX 79998-9935

sent:

DCist: MGMT at 9:30 Club

reasoning:

my obsession since March when i happened upon their album on the New Releases shelf in WOZQ… is there a stronger word than obsession? ever since playing “weekend wars” on our ‘Tea Party w/ DJ Raw Sugar & DJ Burnt Honey’, i’ve had MGMT on rotation non-stop. their album has already hit 30+ plays on my iTunes, i should open a myspace account considering how many times i’ve visited their page, i’ve read every album and concert review of them posted on the web, and seen practically all the interview clips on youtube. i have fallen for andrew and ben hard. is this how girls felt when the beatles first came to america, or the rolling stones appeared on the Ed Sullivan show? i’ve had musical obsessions and phases before, probably once every year, but i can’t recall the last time i was so smitten. they are beautiful, emit real deal hipster coolness, and they are total rockstars (liberal arts graduates (wesleyan) now opening for radiohead – WHA?!)

with all their buzz and quick rise to fame, they seem to have 2 effects on people:  complete adoration, or completely unimpressed. i’m in the first category.

mgmt – electric feel

recipient:

PetSmart CHARITIES/INKJET RECYCLING CENTER/Po Box 42029/Phoenix, AZ 85080-9876

sent:

MGMT’s video for Electric Feel

once they invent the technology to send videos on the super super cheap, i’m so on it.

* i think SONY got to all the official video posters on youtube, so none of them will allow me to post it on my blog, and the dailymotion vids aren’t posting either, so this is one of the better live versions i’ve seen. for the official video (an ultimate trippy, resplendent dance party): http://www.dailymotion.com/related/9939012/video/x5n1v8_mgmt-electric-feel_music

* ADDENDUM: I posted this a whole day before Kanye did. Safe to say he got it from me, he reads nopostagerequired and i now have something to hold over Mr. Late-to-Bonnaroo himself.

reasoning:

current band/music/song/video obsession: MGMT.

two kids who graduated from wesleyan: a bee gees, with the scissor sisters, indie hall & oates, psychedelic tigercity, crazy, gorgeous and total love. i’m going to see them at the 9:30 Club in DC on the 28th of July – beyond excited.

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Happy Birthday to sig gains in the city. hope you are having an amazing time, and that this birthday with your kids and your friends, and being in the city makes the day not suck, but actually completely wonderful.