local music & a giveaway!!

2 local artists who I have had the pleasure of seeing live several times have recently released albums. Beth Bombara and Via Dove. I went to both CD release shows, both of which included a download of the CD with the price of admission. Since I had already downloaded both albums, I am left with an extra download code for each. So I'm giving them away here! Simply leave a comment telling me your favorite local artist (doesn't have to be st. Louis... though I'm not sure how many readers I have in other cities...) and I'll pick a winner at random. I will e-mail the winner the two passcodes for the album downloads. I will pick the winner TODAY (November 26, 2010) at 4PM Central Standard time. So get to commenting!

A bit about each artist....

I first saw Via Dove at An Undercover Weekend, a yearly event that features local artists each transforming into a famous national act for one night only. Last year Via Dove blew everyone away as the Rolling Stones. It was such a fun and energetic show! After that, I tried to make as many shows as I could to see Via Dove as themselves, and was still impressed. The album, El Mundo Latino, is pure rock 'n roll. Good times! Here is a review.


Via Dove at this year's Undercover Weekend, as Pearl Jam. I had a fangirl spazztastic good time with that performance!


Via Dove's CD release show. They were minus their bass player due to a family emergency, but they still rocked the crowd!

I started following Beth Bombara on twitter, and started seeing her around at other local shows. After seeing her perform, I was in awe. This talented lady can play any instrument, it seems. And her voice is amazing. She is also married to a musician, Kit. Check them out in the recent Lo-Fi St. Louis video. Love it! With her musical skills, songwriting and Kit's musical skills, the new CD , Wish I Were You, is one I have listened to over and over. And it gets better every time! Beth did a kickstarter drive in order to get a vinyl pressing of the album, so if you are into records, I would recommend you check that out. It is the kind of album that lends itself to vinyl, for sure. See Corey Woodruff's cool photos of Beth and Kit here. Review of I Wish I Were You.

Beth Bombara performing at her CD Release show.


Beth and Kit.


Beth with Cassie Morgan as The Breeders at this year's Undercover Weekend.

So again, leave a comment on this post, and you could win these two downloads!



Support local music! St. Louis is wealthy in this department, with lots of talented artists, and an ever-growing community of local music advocates. Check out all these local music blogs/magazines:

I Went to a Show
5 Score Pachyderm
Speakers In Code
Eleven Magazine
RFT Music

Also, stay tuned to R&R Music Labs' project, STL Loud... compilation CDs of local artists performing original songs. (STL Loud Kickstarter... I recommend you contribute :))

Okay...you have until 4PM CST... GO!

tattoo dreaming

In the summer of 2009, I went to Chicago with some friends, and 3 of us (the soon to be Food Blog Mafia!) got tattoos together. It was my first tattoo... I wanted something food related that I would never get sick of. Garlic. Kelly got a sweet Bon Appetit one, and Kelli got the Latin phrase "Saspere Aude."





I still love my tattoo, and can't wait to get another one. I have one planned for the top of my foot, which I hope to get early next year. And I probably won't stop there. Apparently the things are addicting. Here are some tattoo ideas that I am pretty in love with.

I will most definitely get more food ink. I love perusing the Food Tattoo group on Flickr. Here are some of my faves:




Also, check out this slide show of St. Louis Chefs and cooks and their tatts, and this food tattoo post on Chef's Blade, with an appearance by yours truly!

A literary tattoo would be great:



But what would I do? Maybe a Carl Sandburg quote, as he was born in the same town my dad was born in, Galesburg, IL. I loved some of the quotes they had engraved on stepping stones at his boyhood home:





I have collections of things I find beautiful. Like Kokeshi dolls. I would so totally get a kokeshi tattoo.


I also collect owl stuff. There's a whole Owl tattoo website!! Man, I heart the internet:







A pretty, designery typographical tattoo is also a strong consideration, to reflect my career and love for all things pretty.





In the movie Tokyo!, one of the trilogy features a girl who has emotion buttons tattooed on her. I find this to be a crazy beautiful concept. "I pushed it." the man says, with his thumb on her "Love" button. *sob*

signs of the season... mid fall

I was feeling lazy today, but I didn't want to just zone out to the tv or my beloved internet. So I went for a walk, and did what my friend Julie calls a"Hipster Photoshoot." Using my camera and it's various photo apps (mostly Hipstamatic, to keep with my hipster theme), I kept my eyes open for signs of this particular part of the season. After Halloween, before Thanksgiving and Christmas... the air is just starting to get cold, the leaves are in various states of death and color. Holiday decorations are starting to go up, signaling that winter is near, yet traces of early autumn are still present. It's a gorgeous time of year. Not too cold, not too hot... the most vibrant colors of nature intermingle with the most stark and gray. Gorgeous.




Black-eyed Susans and Roses still cling on to life amidst decay.


The pool, closed for more than a month, is surrounded by trees shedding their leaves.



One lone ghostie haunting the neighborhood... the rest went home after Halloween. And, can you see the "leaf ghost"?





Literal signs of the season... hunting, parties, Christmas bus trips.



Fallen leaves, fallen signs.





Leaves turn so many pretty colors. I even found some crazy white ones!



The hardware store is stocked with firewood. Meanwhile, people find...erm... other ways to warm up.








Some holiday decorations are up. The creepy santa and the tree with Elmo & teletubby "ornaments" are the same house.

Past photo theme posts:

Leaves
Fire Hydrants
Orange
Emo Toys
Reflections
Butterflies!
Winter
Yellow