favorite live music. part 1 of ... who knows.

2009 will go down in my personal history book as the year of live music. I pretty much was able to go see a live show at least once a week. I hope to continue this pattern. Live music... well it just makes my soul feel right... too corny? I like to rock, how 'bout that?

Now, I may not have the skillz of my friends Corey Woodruff and Bryan Sutter... two AMAZING live show photographers... but I do like to document my experience. Usually with my iPhone *winces as Bryan kicks me in the taint* Okay, but sometimes, with assorted apps... well, the pics can be kind of cool. The point here, though, is the music. You should definitely check these acts out when you have the chance. In this post, I'll talk about 3 quite different performers... all of which I will go to see again and again.

THE DAMNWELLS


The Damnwells. Thanks to S. Eric Ketzer for introducing them to me. And when I say "introduce" I mean take me on an EPIC roadtrip through the mid-south to follow them. So worth it.



The Damnwells music I would describe as... okay, so I'm terrible at describing music. They are kinda folk, kinda rock, a nice hearty pinch of "indie." Seriously, I'm no good at reviewing music. I just know I like them. A LOT. and you have no excuse not to check their stuff out, because their last album is a FREE download. Why is it free? not because it's bad, oh heck no. They've had a rough, heartbreaking few years in regards to record companies. As documented in the recently released film "The Golden Years."



Here is a video I took from the Damnwells show in Birmingham, AL:



SO MANY DYNAMOS


So Many Dynamos are a local band (St. Louis area) that are so fantastically high-energy. Whenever I go to see them, my friend Mike, who got me into them in the first place, and I dance like, as we call it, Silly White Kids. Sweaty, no-cares, dork-a-rific dancing and flailing around. It's liberating, and so much fun. So Many Dynamos is kinda techno, kinda nerd-rock... all awesome. Oh, and rather brilliant, it seems. Someone noticed that many of the songs on their last album sound like songs from the previous album PLAYED BACKWARDS. who does that? geniuses, that's who:




Here's a video of what I might claim as my favorite Dynamos song, Search Party:




LANGHORNE SLIM


Langhorne Slim opened up for Josh Ritter (also highly recommend Josh... great songs, great performer, always smiling!), and I was smitten by his coveralls and upbeat, slightly rowdy... ummm.. folk-punk style. Yeah, folk-punk is the best way I can think of to describe mister Slim.



I find myself randomly singing this song at least 3 times a week:


So there's a little glimpse into my musical tastes and iPhone photo geekery. Seriously, check all these dudes out. Let me know what you think! Oh, and they are all on twitter: Damnwells, So Many Dynamos, Langhorne Slim


"Without music life would be a mistake.": ~Friedrich Nietzsche

travel photos: it's all about the details

Last weekend I visited Maryland to hang out with my BFF and my cousin. It was a whirlwind tour of both Washington D.C. and Baltimore. When I go on trips, I take TONS of photos. I am such a tourist! There is one travel photography tip that always sticks with me... make sure to capture the details. I know I read this tip on LJC's blog, but I cannot find a link... it's been years. Anyway, think about it. Full pictures of the White house, Lincoln Memorial, etc. are all well and good, but they are a dime a dozen. Getting shots of of, say, the an interesting ceiling tile inside the Lincoln Memorial, or an exceptionally pretty tree branch outside the Jefferson Memorial, will help bring back the feel of the place you visited. Here are some of my favorite detail photos from my trip.


This handsome fella was hanging around with his lady friend in the lake as we walked towards the Jefferson Memorial.


I thought this twisty tree outside of the Jefferson Memorial was really pretty.


There was a lot of construction going on around DC. Instead of ruining the view, it just made it more colorful and interesting.


The index finger on FDR's statue at the FDR memorial was shiny. I don't know if people rub it for good luck, or if they think it's funny to play the "pull my finger" game with the statue of a dead president.



The FDR memorial had this really neat metal art installation. I loved the contrast of the different panel colors, different metals aging in their different ways.


OMGOMGOMG squeee! I visited Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian American History Museum. It was quite a spiritual experience for me. The teal color of her cabinets is the color I hope to have in my kitchen someday. And is there anything prettier than copper pots and pans? I love that Paul traced all the hanging pots and pans with a marker so things could be put away in the right place!


The outside of the American Indian museum was so pretty with it's curves and golden bricks.


Random silly graffiti on a plywood construction fence. Made me smile.





We only did a quick walk through Chinatown in DC, but I still wanted to capture the essence.


On our walk back to the car after our day in DC, I noticed the eerie lighting on the merry-go-round in the National mall.



Some uplifting grafitti in a treehouse outside the American Visionary Museum in Baltimore. We met an awesome kid in that treehouse who was pretending to be an astronaut. He warned us that the aliens came out of red hearts, so if we saw any red hearts we should look out.



Cherry Blossom trees in bloom by the Inner Harbor in Baltimore!


A seagull at the Harbor watching us paddle around in the dragon boats.


Ate a delicious pizza from Isabella's in Baltimore's Little Italy on a Bocce court.


My BFF's feet and mine on "the beach" of the Johns Hopkins University campus, where we went to fly a kite. I am a fan of taking pictures of my feet when I travel too... they say "I walked here."


We ate dinner at the Paper Moon Diner in Baltimore. A super-neat kitschy-collection laden place with lots of details to photograph. So fun! This fabulous diva stood watch outside the bathroom.


Finished up my trip in Baltimore's Fell's point. Had a pint and some yummy bar food at a little pub, Slainte, there before heading home. Ahhhh.

Free printable Mandalas

In this post I promised that I would periodically post more Daydream Believer original mandalas that you can print out and color. So.... Here are two more... one computer-drawn and one hand-drawn. To download just click on the image and the full-size version will come up in it's own window, and you can download it to your computer. I hope they bring some color, fun and meditation into your day! Here's an idea... if you color one or both, take a picture and send it to me!! I will post pictures of reader-submitted creations in subsequent mandala posts!

Bedroom Makeover

In October of 2008 I moved back into my childhood home. Instead of getting my old bedroom back, I got my little brother's old bedroom. And, boy, did that room need help. It's a tiny room, but one of my cousins, who had lived there one summer, had painted it dark blue. Couple that with chocolate painted doors and trim and red carpet, and this room was depressing and closed-in. I wasn't sure how long I would be dwelling there, but I still needed to rescue this poor space. I still live there, and I am still thrilled with the make-over.


The room before. yikes.


The move to this house was not a well-thought out one, I therefore had a limited budget for this makeover. I didn't even have a bed! I found this one on Craigslist for $50. I liked it's potential. And it's bit of storage in the headboard. In a room as small as this, every bit of hidden storage is like gold.


The doors and trim before.


Ugh. The ceiling was a nightmare. Not only is it that textured paint, my brother had splattered gooey blacklight paint all over it when he was in highschool. I scraped as much as I could off, then coated the whole ceiling with 2 layers of Kilz primer. I can still see some of the splatters glowing through at night.

Here are the After pictures:


So much brighter and happier!


The wall color is a warm tan... neutral, yet still bold in this little room. I painted the bed white, along with all the trim, doors and a side table. I got the big mirror for a steal at a discount decorating store and painted that white as well.


I found this pretty, modern yet girly lamp at Target. The birdie decal on the mirror is a chocolate brown, and is from Uppercase Living.


Here is a shot of the wall at the foot of the bed. I brightened up the closet door with white paint, and hung this painting. The painting was done by my Nonna. It is of Spoon River in Illinois, a landmark we always pass on our way to visit her that signals that we are almost there!


The simple white blinds add even more brightness! The Blue and white comforter, which I love love love, is from Target. I have found the best time to get affordable, modern looking comforters is during back-to-school season, when they have everything out for college dorm rooms.


The only other piece of furniture is a small dark wood cubby-hole shelf, necessary for storage. All of my clothes fit in the closet, with some seasonal overflow in the hall closet. There is also potential for storage under the bed. Though I would love a platform bed, it is just not practical in a space this small.

I have since added a red throw pillow to the mix on the bed, and small white shelves on the wall for my kokeshi collection. I have a thing for the pops that red accents give a room, and it works well with the room's red carpet.

I had lots of fun doing this. I do have a crush on interior design. A few of my favorite inspirational decorating websites: Apartment Therapy (on which my good friend Mamaphunk was featured for her amazing kitchen redo), Decor8, Saucy Dwellings.

Collections: Kokeshi Dolls

These are my ladies. I love them. They are Japanese Kokeshi dolls... Simple, sweet wooden dolls. I started collecting them when my ex's parents, his mom being from Japan, gave one to me for Christmas one year. 4 of these gorgeous girls are from them. I love everything about these dolls...thier simple elegance, the colors, the wood grain, the flower designs, their shiny helmet hair. I have been spurred on to show them off since my good friend ulie, a.k.a. Mamaphunk made a post about her love of tiny dolls. One of her newest acquisitions is one of these Kimmidolls, which I had not heard of, but are distinclty kokeshi and super-adorable. I need them all.


She was my first Kokeshi doll. I love her colors. I could decorate a whole room based on her.


See how the wood grain peeks through the red stain? Pretty!!!


My BFF, who moved to the DC area recently, got me this lovely lady at the Cherry Blossom festival last spring. She didn't even know I collected kokeshi! She got it for me because we were both going through major life changes around the same time, and cherry blossoms are a positive symbol of change.


This is another Cherry Blossom one. She is the tallest. She's a bad-ass, and wears it well.


I found this vintage dollie at my favorite antique mall, stuck head-down in some random junk mug. I am so glad I rescued her!


Is this the best facial expression or what? So happy and content!


Speaking of happy faces, this egg-shaped gal really makes me smile!



These are not as elegant as the rest, but I don't like them any less. I mean, come on! Not only are they Kokeshi, they are also nesting dolls AND friggin bobbleheads!!


Teeny-tiny=LOVE.


I love the rich deep brown of this girl's stain. Beautiful.

So, there you have it, one of my favorite collections. I cannot get enough of these babies. It's trouble, too, that they are beginning to get trendy. There are some fabulous kokeshi-related merchandise on Etsy now. Like these kokeshi damn OWLS!! Or these Amigurumi jewelry boxes. Or these pretty pretty prints!!! See? trouble.