new music!

so brandon and i went to a ben kweller concert. if you've ever talked to me in person about ben kweller or a ben kweller concert, you know how giddy i get. i immediately transform into a 14 year old girl (thankfully without the squealing).

anyway, this time we were beyond pleasantly surprised with the amazing opening acts! in the past, i've liked some opening acts, i've not liked others, but rarely do i get as excited as i did about jones street station and princeton. princeton opened for jones street station, who opened for ben kweller. both are relatively new and unknown bands, but i think they have great potential!

just a tip: jones street station is streaming their entire album on their website. i highly recommend a listen! they are a folksie/bluegrassy kind of good summertime jam band....i hope you like! two of my favorites: last time and tall buildings

best album cover EVER

check out this pitchfork article about wilco's new album, entitled wilco (the album) coming out in june. seriously this might be the best album cover i've ever seen in my life. no joke.

cover can bee seen here: wilco (the album) cover

music

first i want to say i've decided that i want to start dumping some inspiration/things i'm really into at the moment here. i'll test it out for a while and see how it goes. if it's distracting, i might start a tumblr blog where i can dump those things. i'll try this for a bit, and then ask opinions.

back to the post. so, as you can see by my little "currently on repeat" section, i absolutely cannot stop listening to okkervil river's "the war criminal rises and speaks." there's another song i love on this particular album (down the river of golden dreams), so i think i've typically sort of skipped over or not payed attention to the first half of the album. for some reason this week, however, i've been obsessed with this song.

when i went to see him at the talking music lecture series, will sheff (lead singer of okkervil) talked about how he likes to write about characters and sort of portray them in a very human way, even if on surface level they aren't good people. this song is talking about someone who does things they never imagined they'd do in a time of war, and now 30 years later he's being put on trial. this particular verse is my favorite i think...

Now he’s rising and not denying, his hands are shaking, but he’s not crying.
And he’s saying “How did I climb out of a life so boring into that moment?
Please stop ignoring the heart inside, oh you readers at home!
While you gasp at my bloody crimes, please take the time
to make your heart my home, where I’m forgiven by time,
where I’m cushioned by hope, where I’m numbed by long drives,
where I’m talked off or doped. Does the heart wants to atone?
Oh, I believe that it’s so, because if I could climb back through time,
I’d restore their lives and then give back my own, tens of times now its size
on a far distant road, in a far distant time
where every night I’m still crying entirely alone.”

will sheff, wii, etc.

this week/weekend has been extremely busy, luckily with fun activities. wednesday was talking music, thursday was my company's holiday party, friday was will sheff solo in concert. saturday started with brunch with chris, adam and jackie, then we trekked out to my grandma's for a visit, then went over to my parents' house to drop off the car and break in their new wii and back to the city. today consisted of sleeping in, hanging out at home, watching the bishop's wife with sara, and crafting.

now to back up, will sheff at cafe du nord on friday night was aaaaaaaaaaaaaamazing. sara and i got their before the show started no one was really filling in the floor yet so we decided to go right up front and center. we were a little nervous about being so close at first (we were concerned about it being awkward because we were SO CLOSE) but it ended up being well worth it (and not awkward at all). he performed almost all of my favorites, and two other members of the band (okkervil river) were there, so it made the performance even better.

anyway, it's time for bed. i promise i'll update with some photos soon, but i've been so busy and i can't really photograph what i've been working on. i promise after christmas there will be plenty of pictures and crafts.

talking music

wednesday evening i had the pleasure of attending one of the lectures in the talking music city arts & lectures series. we saw an interview and short acoustic session with will sheff of okkervil river, which has become one of my favorite bands in the last year. i really enjoy hearing about a band's music from the musician's point of view, and it was extremely interesting to hear his thoughts and philosophies on his music as well as the music industry.

i saw ben gibbard of death cab for cutie last year (equally as fascinating and truly a treat to hear solo), and then sort of forgot about the lecture series until my friend sara found will sheff's appearance. i will definitely keep it on my radar in the future to avoid missing out on artists such as stephin merritt like i did this year.

i also am excited because will sheff is playing at cafe du nord tonight, and i am also going to that. i'll report on that show later...

ny [day two]

day two in new york--lots of wandering, including a trip through soho, a few stops at some buildings by famous architects, a random stop in a wholesale market event (brandon got a shirt, will include a picture later), over to the new museum, and then of course, the event that sparked the entire trip, the ben kweller/conor oberst and the mystic valley band concert. the sun came out for us (which also meant the cold came out for us), and we had a great day exploring the streets of new york.

window washer, herzog & de meuron apartment building

herzog & de meuron apartment building

random graffiti

apartment building, SHoP architects

gate

corner in soho

"stranded at bleecker and broadway
looking for something to do"
-myriad harbour, the new pornagraphers

ben kweller

the reason we are even in new york, this very moment--to see ben kweller and conor oberst on stage together

i can't tell you how excited i was to see them play together--i mean, yes, the trip STARTED with this idea to go to this concert and then blossomed into a lot more, but this very moment (in the photo above)...seeing and hearing them play...that is why i wanted to see this concert. i was SO giddy when i saw bk on the side of the stage with his guitar, getting ready to come on...it was a perfect moment.

hardly strictly bluegrass

so today was the much-anticipated (for me) hardly strictly bluegrass festival in golden gate park--a free concert! in previous years i have not attended this event, but this year with ben kweller and iron & wine playing, i have been looking forward to this for a few months now.

my excitement (specifically for ben kweller) was so great this morning that i couldn't sleep this morning--literally i woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. i was like that kid in that disney commercial who says "i'm too excited to sleep!!!!" (i literally quoted him in bed this morning).

anyway, we got to see an amazing set by ben kweller. he was playing a few new songs, and then some classics, mostly songs with a blue-grassy twinge to them.

anyone who has attended a ben kweller concert with me can verify that this next statement is true: ben kweller turns me into a 14-year-old groupie teeny-bopper. it's not that i want him, it's just that he seems like a totally nice, down-to-earth guy, and he is just about the most adorable person i've ever seen--i'd love to grab a beer with him. he is a great act to watch, very enthusiastic, and everyone on stage looks like they are having a blast, and it's contagious. you can only imagine, then, how excited i was to hear him say "i'll be at the merchandise tent after the show." i, of course, dashed over there with my newly purchased ep, but once in line had second thoughts. thoughts such as "i am probably double the age of most of the people in this line." brenna, who came with me, was a true pal and reassured me that no, in fact there were multiple people my age and older in line, and it was perfectly acceptable to want to get my ep signed and that i just needed to own my enthusiasm. once we got to the front of the line they were trying to usher him off, so it all was very rushed but brenna got...the picture (right as the lady said "last picture! last picture!" so much excitement! i am sort of glad it was rushed because honestly, what would i say, besides something to make a complete fool of myself?

after my photo op, brenna and i decided that roasted corn on the cob and pomegranate lemonade was too much to resist, so we made a stop at the concession area. the rest of the group was still in the crowd, being nostalgic and watching elvis costello perform, but the amount of people had at LEAST quadrupled so there was no way we were making it back to our spot (i had insisted on being close for ben). after a phone meltdown (no one could get through), we FINALLY got in touch with the group again and made our way over for iron & wine. unfortunately a ton of other people had the same idea, and anyone who has ever listened to iron & wine knows their music is not exactly loud, so we could barely even get close enough to hear ANYTHING, let alone actually tell what song they were playing. at that point we were exhausted, sunburned and dehydrated and decided to call it a day. we headed back out of the park and headed home, completing a very satisfactory sunday.

i hope i do see you next year, hardly strictly bluegrass!
chris, this picture was taken for you...these two were literally caught red-handed...

now we are watching the angels vs. red sox game, waiting for that outcome...
happy sunday everyone!

games galore

this weekend was busy but VERY fun! it started out on friday night with an amazing coldplay concert. katie drove down from sacramento and joined up with chris, brandon and me for a trip to hp pavilion in san jose. it was a change from the normal concerts i go to--most of the shows i have gone to over the past few years have not been produced shows--it's more just a band performing. this one, however, was complete with videos projected on giant orb type things and a shower of butterfly confetti. chris martin was much more personable than i expected him to be, and the concert was just amazing overall. they were very entertaining and made me swoon as always. *coldplay pictures courtesy of chris asuncion*

laser beams

viva la vida

out in the crowd

butterfly confetti (no, not leaves [brandon] and not bats [chris]...but thanks for trying)

on saturday we had a fun day at at&t park...

brandon with his game face on

chris has not learned to say no to temptation...just couldn't pass up the nachos (mind you, this was AFTER a big bbq beef sandwich)

we met up with some college friends we hadn't seen in a while and enjoyed the beautiful weather and baseball game. i have to confess that once everyone had arrived, i got to chatting and missed most of the last couple innings...ooops! oh well, it was great to catch up with friends i haven't seen in a few years.

we then walked from the ballpark to ghirardelli square to grab some delicious ice cream and then bussed out to the sunset to have a picnic at chris' house. we got take-out chinese (that chris and i had been craving for months) and had some good old fashioned jenga and twister fun.

brandon contemplating his next move, hoping chris will knock it over in the meantime

shaky-handed chris being serious...a rare moment indeed

the demise of the most intense game of jenga EVER...katie and i thought the game was over about 10 minutes before it actually was...ridiculous. we have no idea how that tower held up as long as it did

and the game of twister...i was crying from laughing so hard pretty much the whole time

overall an exhausting but very fun weekend. this morning started out with breakfast at tartine for morning buns, croissants, and a scone. katie and i then ventured over to ikea to meet up with my sister to pick up some items for the baby's rom. next weekend is going to be another busy/fun weekend when we start to put the baby's room together. i can't wait! jen and josh will be in tahoe while brandon and i put it together--it is sort of a "while you were out" idea, except they know we're coming and they know the design...we just have a couple surprises they don't know about. it should be fun! i hope it all comes together as i have it in my head.

bezd

this weekend was (finally) our trip to bend, or to see the mates of state, the decemberists and death cab for cutie. we had an amazing time! we took off friday night after work and drove up to redding, where we spent the night (and that is where the rain began). the next day we continued on up through california into oregon--it was so beautiful! i love the urban and cities, but occasionally it's great just to see such beautiful natural landscape. we saw snow-dusted mountains, valleys, forests, it was just amazing.

we arrived in bend, ate, checked into the hotel, and then got bundled up for the concert (although not enough). mind you, most of this time it was raining. and we were going to an outdoor concert. we arrived at the gates a little before 4:30 (when they opened) and as i was grabbing blankets from the car i see a flash and then hear the following kaboom! rumble rumble....that's right, a nice thunderstorm. while i love thunderstorms, i prefer them from an indoor, safe spot as opposed to outdoors in the open. it was interesting attempting to stay dry, but the thunderstorms did pass, and about an hour later (when the first band finally started) the rain ceased and we spent a wonderful (muddy and freezing, but wonderful) evening listening to amazing music! colin meloy even traipsed through the crowd and ending up walking right by us (and stepping on brandon's foot). the concert did not disappoint!

on sunday we woke up around 9, packed up, hit dutch bros. coffee and then got on the road....again. we made the trip back in one shot (broken up by a stop at a pizza parlor and a driver switch). it was a long car ride but not as bad as i had thought it would be. it was a whirlwind trip, but well worth it!

and now, some pictures...

learning to embroider in redding

the rain

the crew

the scenery

"and all the stars were crashing 'round as i laid eyes on what i found..."

the mountains

and home

two things

first, i'd like to share that on april 30, brandon, sara, chris and i went to see colin meloy at the fillmore. can i just say...amaaaaaaaaaaazing. absolutely incredible. what talent! and then hearing about his 2 year old hank...it was almost too much. colin, you can sing to me/around me anytime. i know i'm kind of gushing like a teenage girl, but i really don't even know what to say other than he blew me away. to pull off mariner's revenge alone in an acoustic set...well, that just shows how great he is. i was really excited that he sang grace cathedral hill, as it is one of my favorite decemberists songs. o, valencia didn't disappoint either...well, every song made me happy and excited, so i'll stop there. sufficient to say i wouldn't hesitate to see him again. and again.

second thing:
i walked home from work yesterday. as in, the whole way. normally my commute is cable car to light rail, light rail to my office. yesterday i got out to the platform for the t (my light rail line) and saw the next train wasn't coming for 28 minutes. i waited a few and the time wasn't decreasing, so i thought to myself 'hey, i can make it to caltrain (by the ballpark) in 28 minutes...i'll just walk.' good thing i did, because no trains passed me by in the entire walk. i got up to the caltrain platform and looked at the time ticker. another 20 minutes. i was meeting brenna at union square, and i thought well, who knows if it will actually be 20 minutes, and then i have to get on the train, which will be packed, and ride it which will at least be another 20--i might as well walk. i walked to union square, and then once there brenna and i decided to walk home instead of take public transit. overall, i guess it wasn't that long of a walk--only 3.7 miles, but if you know where my office is (out in the boondocks), it seems like quite a feat. it was a fun little adventure, but i wouldn't want to do it every day. i'm curious what the hold-up was with muni as well...

here was my route:

View Larger Map

i'm from barcelona

this evening we went to a concert for the band i'm from barcelona (who, incidentally, are from sweden). i was excited reading concert reviews, which talked about balloons, confetti, and leaving the concert happy and full of joy--and the reviewers were right! the band is comprised of 29 members, and literally started with a group of friends (i think i counted 17 members present at the concert). they sing about things like treehouses, the chicken pox, and sleeping in, and are just overall...happy. they don't take themselves too seriously, everyone on stage is having fun, and it just makes you want to leave all cares behind and sing along. it was slightly campy (in a good way) and induced giddiness--a great escape from work.

and yes, my hopes of confetti and balloons were fulfilled. i felt like i was at a birthday party.

the confetti aftermath

and for a little video:

re:coachella

well, we're back safe and sound from coachella! it was a super fun weekend. we drove down to l.a. friday night, spent the night chez asuncion, then drove out to indio on saturday morning. luckily, it wasn't as hot as last year so we weren't exhausted so easily. we started out in one of the tents at mgmt, then wandered over to see a little st. vincent before we decided to grab a bite to eat because we had back-t0-back-to-back shows coming up and it was our only opportunity to eat. after food we were conflicted because hot chip and death cab were playing at the same time (well, overlapping times) so sara and i wandered over to hot chip while the boys went to death cab. as soon as we got to the hot chip tent, however, we realized the organizers MASSIVELY underestimated the following that hot chip was going to have. the tent was already overflowing--there was no way we were going to see anything. we decided to go back to death cab which ended up being a great choice--literally thousands of people were migrating over to the hot chip tent (that was in addition to the people already there). somehow we fought through the crowd and met up with the boys at death cab.

death cab was amazing as expected, and then we ran over to see rilo kiley. after that we went over to animal collective, which was a little too smokey for us, and then we ventured home. i have to say highlights: death cab and rilo....low-lights? my horrific HORRIFIC allergies. we're talking i went through multiple tissue packs and napkins and basically had watering eyes all day. as in it looked like i was sobbing. all day. i swear i was having a good time:


other than the allergies, the day was great!

on the way to indio

mgmt

having fun

walking around

death cab for cutie

rilo kiley

coachella at night

coachella 2008

well it may not be hawaii (eh hem...kelly) but i am getting away for the weekend somewhere warm and i can't wait! tomorrow night we're driving down to la, and will be making our trek to indio, ca on saturday for coachella 2008. in my crazy, heat loving way, i am really looking forward to being in the desert in the sun all day and welcoming a breeze, as opposed to freezing all day every day. this will be a welcome break and change of pace from the past few weeks. i have a wonderful cat sitter, a back-up cat sitter (there's a reason, and it's not just that i'm an overly paranoid mom), sunscreen and sunglasses packed and i'm ready to go. it's going to be exhausting but so much fun! there will definitely be a post when i get back with pictures.

on a side note, i got a hair trim today and i just have to say that i love my hair cut guy. he is so happy and always makes me feel good. he has a very positive outlook on life and it's just so refreshing! plus he gives incredible scalp massages and makes my hair pretty! kudos to lee...he's great!