Lisztomania, think less but see it grow like a riot, like a riot, oh...

Thursday night (in Louisville, thankfully) we attended Englishpalooza concert #5, our fifth concert in less than a month, no less--we are having too much fun! It was Phoenix at the Louisville Palace. The Palace is one of my favorite places in Louisville. It's an old theater,  the inside is beautiful and it's big enough to have a great crowd, but small enough to always have a great seat. And I have to say, this was one of the best concerts I've ever seen!

Phoenix's album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix has been in heavy rotation for me since it came out last spring. It's one you can pop in and love every song.

Not the best photo of the band... but you can see the crowd up and loving it!

Everyone was on their feet the entire show with great energy. They opened with Lisztomania--and from then on you could hear everyone singing along. And dancing. In the aisles. I was sweating my a#$ off! It was great! Plus, these guys were into it--they are from Paris, France and whoo...french rockstar's have that certain je ne sai quoi! Ha. I'm sure Matt loved how much I was swooning over lead singer Thomas Mars, who on the encore was crowd surfing over everyone in his skinny rocker jeans. :)

Thomas Mars surfs the crowd.

très rêveuse (translation=very dreamy)

They have some cool pics of Louisville on the band's website...check it out!

Lisztomania

PHOENIX | MySpace Music Videos

Too bad Sofia Coppola is his lady/baby mama...

(This blog has become the Tiger Beat of my, uh...30's!! haha.)

If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning...

Or in my case, if I had a paintbrush! Spring is the season of home improvement because all those hibernating projects can now come to light. Recently, I re-opened my "workshop" aka my garage to work on a table painting project. It once resided at my mother-in-law's home--but I scooped it up for a little make-over.

Here it is before, just sanded. (with my own power sander, no less! Love that thing.)

One coat of white paint in....

Two more coats of white** and two coats of dark walnut gel stain later.. and voila! 

After

It's hard to tell in the picture but I'm using it in our front hall. Needs a little "vignette" but it turned out great! 

The cute dining room shelf on this blog, The Old Painted Cottage was my inspiration. 

 Bonus project: little chicken-wire frame...

I also did this little frame! I wish I had the before--it was hideous!  This was a Mom find. It had an ugly rope on the top so you could nail it and hang up with that. It also had a wooden square with a plastic rooster attached right in the middle. And it was the color of bad wood paneling in a 70's living room. I removed the ugly rope and rooster and painted it blue. Those are little french flash cards I tucked in there. I think I will find some ribbon to hang it on the wall. Tres bien! 

I have one more re-purposing project I'll post soon. Luckily, I can work on it inside so I won't miss Glee !

**I always liked to use Martha Stewart's paints from Lowe's but weirdly... they are now sold at Home Depot. They can still mix the colors at Lowe's if you ask. I like the white called Flour Sack.

I am the King of the divan...

I love days when you can roll down the windows, turn up the volume... and feel the sunshine! The arm hanging out the window--a sign of spring. Sigh.

Play this loudly with the wind in your hair!

	Plastic Bertrand - Ca Plane Pour Moi .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Say no more...mon amour...**

**Super-double post Wednesday**!!

This Saturday is Record Store Day. So you should figure out a great album you've been wanting to buy... and physically go to your local record store and buy it. Record Store Day has been going on for the last three years nationwide as a way to support the independent record stores (that means do not even set foot near a Best Buy), who in the changing face of the music biz... are struggling. The best part is that there is all kinds of special release EP's, singles, re-issues happening just for Record Store Day. (The Hub has already placed a hold on several. Good man.)

We will be patronizing ear X-tacy in Louisville... which has been struggling to stay open as of late! You should too! (If you live in Louisville if not, find your town's own ear X-tacy and go there.)

“Folks who work here are professors. Don't replace all the knowers with guessors. Keep'em open they're the ears of the town”--Tom Waits on the independent record store.


A side note--This all somehow makes me want to watch "Empire Records". Worth a rental.
Damn the man! Save the Empire!

(**If you get this post title reference, you are one of my people.)

Let's get physical... physical...

So... last month I posted about a video with Gwyneth Paltrow's trainer, Tracy Anderson... doing these funky arm exercises. Gwyneth claims it gives you fantastic arms.. but the whole thing looks a little goofy. Well, tonight--since I was home alone--I highly recommend this when no one is looking--I attempted said video. And my arms were burning! I'm a convert...

One week he's in polka dots, the next week he is in stripes.. cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion...

Do you ever get on-line and you start at site you might normally look at.. and then you link.. and link.. and you come across something bizarre/strange/cool out of nowhere? It happened to me today and because of it I learned about "go to hell pants". Actually, it can be a "go to hell" shirt, sweater, just about anything.

 An example of some "go to hell" pants. 

Somehow I ended up here on a street style blog called Mister Mort . I'm kind of getting obsessed with street style blogs--there's so many. But more on those in a minute. Back to the "go to hell" pant. On Mister Mort it said "If you are not already familiar with the term Go To Hell Pant, google it." So I did. And I came across the Tweed & Velvet blog, which offered a helpful explanation and some photos. And if you really want the whole history of the trend.. go here. Basically, it means... if you don't like these pants (i.e. shirt, tie, shorts, etc.) you can go to hell! Ah-ha! Very preppy. Very dapper on-the-yacht-with-Mimi-going-for-a-clambake-later kind of ensemble. 

I think he's saying, "Dahling, if you don't like my embroidered lobster pants.. go to hell!"

 Maybe I can get Matt to rock the skull & crossbones "go to hell's"?
( I doubt it)

So back to the street style blogs...mostly they are photos of fashion-y people on the street.. some everyday hipsters...looking cool, showing off their own personal style in various cities around the world, NYC, Paris, London.... It's fascinating. There's a good entry here that gives you a list of some of the best street style blogs... Happy internet-ting! 

He's a dedicated follower of fashion... The Kinks.

Fire in the disco, fire in the Taco Bell....

**Super double -post Thursday!!**

Some things to share.. in no particular order.....

1) This Electric Six song, Danger! High Voltage... from 2003... which I recently found on Matt's ipod and love! Jack White sings on it (although he never really admitted it is him--he enjoys creating "mystery")
It mentions Taco Bell. How many songs can you say that about?**




P.S. The video is a little "racy" and "weird" at times...


2) The new Vanity Fair with Grace Kelly on the front... and amazing photos inside....inspiring.



The Eternal Style of Grace Kelly Features: vanityfair.com

Check out the slideshow.

From the V&A website: In April-September,  the spectacular wardrobe of Grace Kelly will be on display at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Tracing the evolution of her style from her days as one of Hollywoods most popular actresses in the 1950s and as Princess Grace of Monaco, the display will present over 50 of Grace Kelly's outfits together with hats, jewelery and the original Hermès Kelly bag. Dresses from her films, including High Society, will be shown as well as the gown she wore to accept her Oscar award in 1955. These will be accompanied by film clips and posters, photographs and her Oscar statuette. The display will also include the lace ensemble worn by Grace Kelly for her civil marriage ceremony to Prince Rainier in 1956 and 35 haute couture gowns from the 1960s and 70s by her favourite couturiers Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Yves St Laurent. 

Who wants to go??  

3) Haroué accueille 3 grands créateurs (Haroué hosts 3 great designers) 

 So after I jet over to London to check out the Grace Kelly exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum, I'm going to head here, to the Chateau de Haroue in France. 

 

May through August they are hosting an exhibition of three designers, including Hubert de Givenchy--who made all kinds of clothes for Audrey Hepburn, including the black dress in the beginning of my all-time favorite movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. 

 Cue Moon River....

Alas, the private jet may not be available...

4) Lastly, I must share this cool article from The New York Times. It's about people who photograph their food... before they eat it and why. Read it here.

**if you thought Danger! High Voltage was the only song to mention Taco Bell.. you'd be wrong**

	Das Racist - Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair Flow it, show it Long as I can grow it My hair..

If Matt reads this post---he will roll his eyes! I'm trying to let my hair grow long.. and it is driving me crazy! It's sooo much more gratifying to cut it... . Mine is still short but to me it feels long-ish... and I keep asking him...don't you think my hair looks longer? But I'm still tempted to chop, chop, chop....This is a personal post of long hair inspiration for myself...

 The Pros of long.....

Adorable updo's 

Gleaming tresses

 tres chic a la Charlotte 

The wind in your hair

Rock 'n' Roll like Nico...

Still... Anja Rubik's short hair.. love! 

Maybe the real answer.. is bangs....

ah, isn't being a girl so much fun?

You've applied the pressure.. to have me crystalised....(censored version!)

Check out this video from the show...or not ... Edited to note: I got an email from the venue and was asked to take the video down--it wasn't mine... (I found it on YouTube.)  I understand. Hey, if you don't want me to spread the word about your band.. and how great it is, I get it. Censored by the man!  P.S. There was flashes and video-ing going on the whole show!
 ( I bet you can still find some of YouTube, if you really wanted!)

So this week's concert journey took Matt and me to Bloomington, Indiana home of my beautiful Alma Mater--IU!
We couldn't resist the lure of cheap tickets and a cool, small venue in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and so... it was a rockin' Tuesday! (and thus, the use of a lot of undereye concealer on Wednesday) The XX were well worth the drive, for Englishpalooza concert #4. Aside from an obnoxious fratboy  "bro" or two trying to get attention and bringing out the "fist pump"... (no, friend this is not your scene) along with Matt and I realizing that college kids look really young now.... it was an impressive show--as you can see from the semi-decent video above someone took of the song "Crystalised"

A huge curtain covered them when the show (which could depict any show.. really. Not this one exactly, right?) started---with lights and them silhouetted in the background...

                                 The XX ( from a show.. somewhere)                
                    

During "Stars" they had a big X outlined.. in stars. Clever.( I hear that's what they do...)

But before all that, we had jj. We had high hopes for jj. Love both their albums. Then they took the stage. She sang to recorded tracks, no band. Her voice lovely--her look---weird, like a chubby Stevie Nicks with some Bjork sparkly eye make-up-- maybe on something? The guy had a topknot bun, acted like he played the guitar but didn't really appear to. Plus, he kept talking to her, drinking her beer.. and then pulled a random on stage who was really strange--the girl kept hugging the singer....I can't believe there's no YouTube video of that posted!( but if there is--I won't post it.) I'd stick to them on your ipod only!

Swedish "duo" and I use that term loosely, jj

Luckily, I convinced Matt to stop for the BEST breadsticks in the world.. at Pizza Express on the way out of town! Yum--with each bite I was in college all over again.:)

 Thank goodness our next concert is in Louisville!

I've been looking so long at these pictures of you, that I almost believe they're real...

I discovered the coolest blog today... it's called My Mom, the Style Icon . It encourages readers to submit photos of their moms (or aunt or grandmothers) in their "style heyday". Then she posts them and the stories behind the photos! The cool thing to see is how so many looks are in fashion today...Everyone longs to be from another era, I think ! Nostalgia! **

 From the website....My Mom, the Style icon

**(Get ready, Mom--I may submit one of you rockin' your Jane Fonda-shag hair cut and big sunglasses--I'm thinking that one of you and Dad on your honeymoon:)

I told you to be patient, and I told you to be fine...

Thursday night, continuing Englishpalooza 2010, Matt and I took a drive up I-71 to Cincinnati for an amazing show by Justin Vernon. He is the lead singer of  Bon Iver and several other side projects including Volcano Choir. We saw him open once for Wilco and also saw him perform here in Louisville--when his album For Emma, Forever Ago was becoming really popular.

But this was a completely different kind of show. He sang all kinds of songs.. from a Tom Petty cover to a John Prine tune. It was great because you can tell this guy just loves music and wants to share it.. and he is sooo talented! At times you could hear a pin drop--everyone was enthralled. 

Below is some low quality video of his encore Skinny Love, which he played with no mics or anything on a really old guitar! Fan-flippin'-tastic!

Better quality listening here...

This was the last night of a festival put on by Bryce Dessner of The National, (whom I'm dying to see!). Bryce and his brother Aaron (also of  The National) played on several songs.. as did Annie Clark of St. Vincent, who played earlier in the week! (We're seeing her at Pitchfork in Chicago in July.) We definitely got our money's worth!

Annie & Justin (we're such pals, I refer to them by their first names) played their song from the New Moon soundtrack, (yeah, I know...really.) which I love!

tiny Justin Vernon and the boys from The National from our seats! (which were decent despite this pic.)

Another bonus--the venue--Memorial Hall--was beautiful inside--really a historic place!

Happy Birthday to ya...

Have you ever heard this Stevie Wonder "Happy Birthday" song from 1981? It is awesome. Here's a little sample of the lyrics **

You know it doesn't make much sense
There ought to be a law against
Anyone who takes offense
At a day in your celebration

That just blows regular Happy Birthday out of the water! Well, I'm dedicating this one to my loving husband, Matt who celebrated his birthday on Friday, April 2nd. We went out for amazing sushi and just had an enjoyable time--as we always do!


Also--I'm proud to say that I baked him the most chocolately-chocolate cake imaginable (at his request) a la Martha Stewart. (It is the the Easter issue of Martha Stewart Living--yes, I have a subscription. I'm so domestic.) Completely handmade, including the delicious icing!

Here he is with it--(We must note, that it was after a long day of walking all around town--and he was wearing a hat--and isn't wearing it here, although still handsome :)

From Savannah

I'm wishing my hub a Happy 32nd! :) I couldn't ask for a better husband and best friend-- I love you! XOXO

**Upon further inspection of these lyrics I think this song is actually written for Martin Luther King, Jr. Now it all makes sense! Otherwise, that is a weird birthday song !