3rd Ward Music Machine

About a zillion years ago I headed over to the 3rd Ward to check out this interactive music installation they were raving about. Guess what!? I totes loved it.
The artist had created this electronic board that was basically like a metal piano keyboard that did not move. When a key was touched, it activated the kinetic parts, mallets hitting the metal curved bars. What was really cool is the sculpture went all the way down the hallway, taking over the whole space, creating pathways and visual interest.
There was a nice moment where everyone shut up and the artist played for us:

Ok Go!

Babs invited me to see Ok Go with her last week at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Since I was totally in love with their first album, and pretty much liked their second album too, I was like "totes!" Plus I've seen them live before (a few times), and if all else fails the lead singer is pretty to watch. Really pretty.
This time they had really neat-o stage tricks, like CONFETTI! Tons of it! For their encore I can only imagine it was inspired by Daft Punk, it was full of LED lights and lasers. Very cool/Burning Man-ish.
There was a beautiful part when the lead singer came into the audience and it was just him and his guitar, and us, and the mike. It was a nice attempt at intimacy.
Overall Ok Go might not make the most mind blowing songs, but they are really incredible, innovative, and catchy pop musicians. They took viral video to the next level several years ago with their dancing on treadmills music video, and they continue to shift a little left of center making work that is interesting on several levels, weather its a new jam with a cool beat, a video with the largest Rube Goldberg machine, or a fun and interactive stage performance. They are the full package, phenomenal entertainers. Plus they are really well dressed.

Below is part of a song they did totally with bells, which I thought was innovative and you can tell they took time to figure it out perfectly.

OBEY!

Look! Shepard Fairey wall paper at the Music Hall of Willamsburg!

Drink N Draw

5 min pose

Last night I took my very first life drawing class since I was a freshman in college. Needless to say its been a hot minute. I haven't really been drawing alot lately, except for fashion figures. Those are kinda cookie cutter at the mo'.
I was nervous about my skillz, but I still got 'em. I made these on some crappy Mead sketch book I snatched up at the Kmart at Astor Place, and a bic pen.
I've never drawn naked ladies to "Bust A Move," Metalica, or Justice, but at 3rd Ward's Drink N Draw, you can totes get your art on to some real jamz. No real instruction, and it was a bit crowded, (READ: not amazing for a beginer) but I'm totes going back. The low pressure environment was baller.
5 min pose

Ten min poses
Twenty min pose (and my fav from the class)

Fashion's Night Out

Since last night was Calvin Harris at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, I didn't really have the time to run all around the Manhat in search of Anna Wintour, Andre Leon Tally, or Issac Mizarhi. I could only do the 'burg. But it turns out that was the best one anyway.
Bird on North 6th and Driggs hosted a block party, and thankfully it didn't get rained out. It mildly drizzed at the end but us fashionistas didn't care. The lovely ladies of Vena Cava were there, though exhuasted, understandably so as thier show was earlier that day. OMG the so fashionable, adorable and cute Jen, of Bird was kicking it, which makes sense as Bird is her store.
Mid-party tons of models arrived, stalking around a foot taller than everyone else (and I'm 5'9"), including if I'm not mistake Atong, and the lovely Agyness Dyen! Holler!

I got there before everyone else I was supposed to meet, so I just wandered around looking at the beautiful people. One of them was my editor friend from ID mag, so nice to see a friendly face! I also ran into everyone's fav party kid, Aaron K! I gabbed about how many really good to look at dudes there were and wondered where was my plaid clad man?
It could be said that my favorite part was eating cotton candy. Man oh man do I love that stuff! And look, Metromix thought I looked great doing it! Or when they ran out of the free beer, encouraging anyone who still wanted to drink to go to the corner store just down the block and bring back some Tecate. Over the PA. While the music was stopped so EVERYONE heard. Or seeing Tracy and Milan, who I haven't seen in a while. Tracy is the busiest bee in the world right now, as she's follow ol' Scott around the land. I'm so proud of her. Or Rebecca giving me a necklace she made for me, which is five triangles on a chain. Its really great and I can't wait to wear it with everything.
The night was really a fantastic one indeed, good people, good lookin' dudes, good fahsions, good jams= good times!
Tonight- on to the Tribecca Grand (hello Misshapes, Kate Laphear, Dossier et all) and the last Ruff of them all. I'm bringing my favorite bouncer some flowers on the last night of what was once my favorite party in NYC.

Calvin Harris

Lalalala- last night was the best night ever. It was Fashion's Night Out, which was fantastic. And I'll get to that in another post (I know ya'll be like, hey its fashion week and shit, and you're just bloggin' about the Caribbean parade- NORA- get on yer shit) but last night was the night that I saw CALVIN HARRIS. We're in love, he just doesn't know it yet.
I haven't really been telling ya'll about all the DJ's I've been getting into this summer. I haven't been toting around my massive, yet beautiful, camera to these shows. I just wanna dance, and that 4 pound hunk of plastic makes it tricky, plus I gotta be nice to the machine, tis a pretty penny. Thanks to GBH, I've seen Boys Noize, DIM- twice, Klever, and Flosstradamus (Chicago DJ, what?!) just off the top of my head. MSTRKRFT played but I was sooooooooo tired that day I think I might have passed out if I had tried to go. Also Calvin Harris played, but NJ was in full force so much that my peeps couldn't stand it and I begrudgingly left with them before he hit the 1's and 2's.
Last time I saw DIM chance had it that I was on stage, and I talked to him... yeah.
DIM-"Are you waiting for the bathroom?"
Me-"Yes, but I'll be quick!"
Very exciting.

BUT NONE OF THEM COMPARE TO THE MAJESTY THAT WAS CALVIN HARRIS LAST NIGHT!
First of all, I've seen dance acts, and been super amped to see them, and then the crowd is all lame and hating on life and doesn't dance. This crowd gets MAD props (with the exception of one stupid girl) for tons and tons of dancing. And I think we have to attribute that fact to the radical jamz blasting out of the speakers (and they were blasting, an ear plug fell out and that ear is still ringing, unfourtnately) the openers were great, and there was ZERO pause between sets. They just flowed into each other (that's what she said) which was great, I hate waiting upwards of 30 minutes for the next act.
Calvin's warm up DJ played Aphex Twin's Windowlicker (hello!) and Major Lazer's Pon de Floor, so-haaaayyy. I was in the mood.
And Calvin, while you could have cut out about 30 mintues of the "just the beats please" you rocked the house. I think everyone just about exploded during "Acceptable in the 80's" and "I'm Not Alone." I wanted to hear Vegas, and Ready for the Weekend, but even without I'm still floored by the rocking jams from last night.
Everyone was dancing on each other- some dude picked me up like at least 3 times- many many people made out. You brought some merrymaking to our place, baby, to our place.
Tru Luv.

oh life!

On Thursday night I met up with Babs and Katie at Terminal 5, not my favorite venue, but whatevs. We went to go see the Dead Weather, and they knocked it out of the park. But of course a Jack White-Allison Mosshart combo is going to be baller, obvi. My only complaint is that the music is so raw and gritty, and sexy and no one is rocking out. Its a venue, a sold out venue, filled to the brim with kids who are in love with this band, with this music, and no one is dancing. Not that I ever want to impose my way of enjoying the jams, but I really think some sexy, sweaty, rought and tough dancing would have just matched the jams accordingly.
Then we went to T-flatz afterwards, and ate a beer or two since thier kitchen was closed.

---FUN FACT---

Drinking a shot of cranberry juice right after a shot of tequilla makes you feel like you never did the shot in the first place. Thanks, Shawn!

Then Friday I got out of work early to meet Babs and Lisa for a taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Its always interesting to check out how a show is taped, and for living in NYC I don't nearly take advantage of all that goofy stuff. Surpirze, the band playing was the Dead Weather. So we rocked it out, and we're off to the left watching the band. It was neat-o. Also the bass player of the roots is totes hot and a half.

Friday night I went on the WORST date of my entire life. Ladies and gents, never get so trashed that your date has to shove you into a cab. Also don't write an email the next day saying you don't remember what happened. It's soooo not classy.

Katie, Babs and I saw a matinee- 500 days of summer- and let me tell you, seeing a movie before noon in NYC equals 1996 prices! We saw the flick for 6 or 7 bucks! Baller! Also the movie was adorable and fun. Katie then invited us over to her BRAND NEW APT! Its really sweet, well decorated and totally Kaite. The light filtered through the curtians, the color scheme, the full collection of Twilight... Go Katie! Congrats!

We left Katie, with my new awesome roommate, Laura, and headed over to LIC to check out PS1's warm up. The art, for the first time ever, was kinda meh. No Olafur Eliasson this time... But the installation was cool- it looked like a woolly mammoth.

Then I watched a ton of Babs' IBers get skrunk and go to a strip club. We decided not to pay 20 bucks to see totties and went back to her apt. On the way rescued someone's iPhone. We're good samaritans.

Sunday my pops came over and helped me fix the apt. I have two shelves, and Laura has a light in her bedroom, and he also fixed my earrings! And I bought him ice cream!
It's crazy now that I'm older my dad will curse in front of me, and it still wierds me out a bit. On one had I love it because it shows he's a human and is treating me like a peer instead of his little girl, but it will never stop being bizzare to hear him call his potential new boss a bitch. Sometimes I act like I can't fix things in my apt because there is comfort in having my dad help me. I don't think I do it intentionally, but I have noticed that I do have him come over for things I could probably figure out on my own- as I'm a smart lady. Hey- what can I say- I love my dad.

I ended my Sunday biking out to Bushwick to hang with 10 men and watched "Another Gay Movie." And ate delcious potatoes and veggies at taco night. And then I played pool and rode my bike home.

No one can accuse me of not taking full advantage of this city and living life for every second. Fuck all that noise- I'm a 20-somthing in NYC! I love it!

Dog Love

It's like siamese dogs. Its not but it looks like it.
Look how happy these guys are, to be in the park, under the sun, with their very bestest friend. And a good poufy hair cut. Yes!

The ballerest street band

I caught this awesome band on the street the other day in da 'burg, and they kicked so much ass. The Superpowers, check em.






Chloe's in the land for the weekend, so I'm gonna tap that and see you on Mizzonday!

Renegade Craft Fair

Rebecca hollered at me and my peeps to come holler at her and her wares at the Renegade Craft Fair at McCarren Park in da 'burg, so we did.













And there was totally a one-eyed guitar playing pirate there also.







This was mine and Milan's favorite booth, really fine and delicate ceramic bowls with gold leafing. The interior walls of the booth were lined from floor to ceiling with small sheets of white paper creating a calm inside, a refuge from the intense sun, and a perfect place to host the delicate objects.
Garance joined us, which was awesome. I tried to speak French with her because j'adore le Francais, mais mon Francais est tres mal et je pense qu'elle ne m'a compris. Zut!
Not only did I like these neat jams, but I liked the way they were displayed. Perfect for the kind of day it was.

I basically wanted everything, but smartly (accidently on purpose) didn't really bring cash, so I couldn't purchase anything. Which was good because I have a fatter wallet, but sad because I couldn't support any of these wonderful, independent, up and coming, local design stars!

Still playing around with formatting this blizog-a-doodle. Play with me!

My life without a camera

Since I've been camera-less for almost two weeks, I noticed just how much I think about taking pictures. I think it was good for me to not have a camera and experience things not through the lens. But I'm done with that, I just got my new New camera again, and I've got a fully charged battery, I'm revving to go!
Things I've done recently-sans camera

-I went to the Columbia MFA Thesis show in Long Island City. That was pretty cool, I spotted Dana Schutz, just being a supportive member of the artist community. The art was "comme-ci comme-ca" as in just so-so. There were some baller pieces, but there was some crap-ola also. As always.

-Katie, Babs, and I hollered at the Kills at the Music Hall of Willamsburg. Jamie slammed a over zelaous fan off the stage and onto the floor. It was violent, which I'm always against, but it was also fucking rock and roll. (which is never an excuse for violence!) And we all want to do Alison Mosshart, but that's usually the case.

-Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand kinda made love to me (just the tip!) at the Franz Ferdinand concert at Roseland (which I hadn't been there since high school). Franz was one of those bands I had been dying to see and never had, and then Courtney had a ticket and let me go with her and WOW! I was post-coitel after the show...

-We celebrated Tracy's birthday at the Cabin Down Below, which was amazing. My new favorite bar. Katie can tell you why...

-I went to Jordan's dinner on the floor/thrive guide launch party. AMAZING good times, new friends, and old, coming together for loving and parmasian aspargus.

-Babs, Lisa and I decided on our blog's name on Cinco de Mayo. It's called Icanttakeyouanywhere.blogspot.com but nothing's there yet so no hyperlink for you. When it launches offically I'm sure I'll blizzog all aboutz it.

Au Revior Agathe, take two

Just some more lovely photos from a fantastic evening.

Katie spotted Rebecca Turbow! The fabulous fashion designer ala NYC!

Theo!

Julie- always fabulous!

Have a fantastic weekend, and if you're in the BK check out the cherry blossom festival at the Botanical Gardens this weekend. Should be pretty!

Good Bye Agathe!

Agathe's going away party was on Tuesday. My heart broke a little bit, but I finally started getting some good stuff going with my camera. I'm slowly figuring out how to use it.

We had drinks at Union Pool, which the outdoor area was PERFECT for the weather . More pics to come!

Hue are you?

I went to the Hue Are You opening party at the Future Perfect on Friday. The show was fantastic, if not overly crowded to the X. The show, curated by the American Design Club was aiming to show color in contemporary design. The pieces were fun, whimsical, and engaging.

If you've never been to the Future Perfect, check it out, it has some of the ballerest furniture, totchkes and jewelery. Its all funky and amazing. And I want it.