Candy Cigs

Candy Cigs
Originally uploaded by k-dj

Wonder if El Charro would carry a pack ...

Diptych ATCs ...

I was reading the Spring issue of Artful Blogging recently and one of the blogs featured was Think Monday - Think ATCs, a blog featuring weekly ATC challenges. Here are the ATCs I made for this week's challenge: Diptych.


"Change is to give up what we are to become what we could be" ...

"It's the little things that matter" ...

The image is an old family photo ...

Garage Find ...

Some people plow through a box of cookies, a tub of ice cream, a bag of chips. Me? I occasionally go on CD shopping binges. Last big spend in a record store was at Waterloo in Austin in March. So, it was time.

After seeing 'Young @ Heart' on Saturday I was craving some new music. Luckily, Rasputin is just down the street from the theater. One hour and 15 CDs later, I was ready to start listening.
The first play from my new stash was a surprise find. I knew I wanted to pick up the Foxboro Hot Tubs release so Garage was on my mind. Flipping through the bins, I spotted 'You Got Yours!: East Bay Garage 1965 - 1967.' The parentals grew up in Albany (CA not NY) -- I was born in Berkeley -- a CD of East Bay garage bands was a must purchase.

I was not disappointed! The CD opens with 'Waiting For You' by The Baytovens (featured on the front cover and my favorite band name on the disc). A couple of the tracks would be great additions to a '60s for Kids compilation -- notably 'Humpty Dumpty' by The Epics and Dynosaur by The Flintrocks.

In addition to 24 tracks of East Bay rock, there are also detailed liner notes from Alec Palao, El Cerrito, CA. Definitely worth checking out.

Young @ Heart ...

Part of my plan to kick off the 3-day weekend was see "Young @ Heart" on Saturday but the show was SOLD OUT. So, today, I set the alarm, grabbed a Peet's double latte and headed to the theater early for the morning matinee. Fantastic!

It was a great experience even before the movie started.
The elderly lady sitting next to me had also tried to see Saturday's show (sold out) so we chatted a bit about how we really wanted to see "Yount @ Heart" on the big screen and that led to other movie talk - both of us loved "Iron Man" and thought Tony Stark was the role Robert Downey Jr. was meant to play. But back to "Young @ Heart" ...

As I sat in a theater full of people - most at least 60 and many probably 80 - all to see a film about octogenarians singing Sonic Youth, The Clash and others, I started to smile. Music is universal.

I'm no film critic so not going to attempt a review. Let's just say, you must see this movie.



Note: I did notice a few key differences with the audience: no text messaging during the movie, no talking during show and, following the film, the line for the restroom formed quickly. Ah, things to look forward to.

(post addition) I should also mention, during this movie was the first time I enjoyed a Cold Play song.

Like A Prayer ...

Catching up on some blog reading today and saw John Wesley Harding's post that there's now a video for his cover of Madonna's 'Like A Prayer.' (read Howie Klein's post about Seymour Stein, Wes and the song here) Imagine my surprise to see one of my photos in the video!

Here's my pic from The Freight & Salvage in 2004 ...


Watch for it in the video for 'Like A Prayer' ...



Nice to know in some way my photo's helpin' to spread the word.

John Wesley Harding, musician
Wesley Stace, author

The Art Journal Project Continues ...

The last few months have been stupidly busy. I wish I could say I've been busy with lots of fun and creative things and, while there has been some of that, there's also been a lot fo day-job hoo-haw gettin' in the way. But, that said, I finally managed to finish working in the 3rd journal I received as part of a rotating Art Journal project!

Each Journal was started by a different artist - they creat the cover & choose the theme - this journal was all about Travel. While most of my recent travel has been business trips (no, I am not going to create a journal page with that focus), I did have a wonderful trip to Oaxaca last October (and also in 1999) that I used for inspiration.


The bits of newspaper used throughout the journal are from the newspapers used to wrap items I bought in Oaxaca.


The inside started with very bright colors: hot pink of the papel picado, bright yellow paint, the original colors of the Catarina image and my photographs. But, while there is a lot of color in Mexico, most of it is knocked back a bit with layers of earth -- so I hit everything with washes to tone the color down. The handwritten text says "Celebración de la Vida en la Tierra de Tres Valles."


The metal objects in the journal all started as brightly painted or plain tin. Using techniques I learned from Michael deMeng during the Oaxaca trip, I altered each with layers of paint. (I also used Michael's painting techniques on the 'burned paper' edges.)



To give you an idea of where this journal started ...


So, that's the spread.


And now it's time for me to work on the next journal. It arrived in April but I held off opening the box until this one was completed. Hmmm ... maybe I'll get to use bones in the next book ...

Rare Mexican Cuts from the Sixties!

Any music junkie I've ever met has it - their holy grail - the album they heard about or maybe once had that is the recording they now search for in every record store they enter. With the Internet comes the search on Amazon, Amazon UK and eBay (tho' I would say these searches are not nearly as enjoyable as flipping through the bins).

My holy grail of recent years: Rare Mexican Cuts from the Sixties. I once had the album and then *poof* gone. I don't know if it went out on loan to someone who disappeared from my life or if it vanished in a move -- all I know is that when I go to my wall of CDs, it's not there. Of course, as soon as the CD went missing, all I wanted to hear were Mexican garage bands from the '60s covering The Rolling Stones, The Doors and others.

I came close to recovering this lost gem a few times including almost locating it through Waterloo Records in Austin ... but, ultimately, no Rare Mexican Cuts. Although, I did often stumble upon other musical treats because of my search including Los York's Los York's 68.

Tonight, thanks to garage60s.blogspot.com, I'm now listening to Bajate De Mi Nube - translation Get Off of My Cloud. Sure, I'll still search for the CD so that it's back in my collection where it belongs but, until then, I've got the songs!

Rare Mexican Cuts from the Sixties

Sam Interviews E!

Wahoo ... my friend, Erin, of Namastemofo.com captured on video by Sam Page.

The Blog ...

So thinkin' my blog needs a look, a design ... some sort of pizzaz. Maybe a new name? Hey, then maybe I'd post more.

Gettin' Ready to Create ...

I'm off to Artfest tomorrow. Once again, the time between registration in September and my flight to Seattle raced by and I find I'm completely unprepared. I had grand visions of creating something for the gallery, finishing lots of inchies, charms and other goodies to swap, and finding the perfect art elements for my class projects. As it is, I'll be lucky to finish a few keyhole charms for my housemates. After a final run to Home Depot on Sunday, I now have all the tools required ... still have to pack tonight.

As hectic as things have been, so looking forward to 3 days of art classes and no discussion of computers, technologies, strategies, dependencies and all the other joy that comes with the day job. This year, I'll be taking 2 classes with Linda & Opie O'Brien (Who's Your DADA and Flat to Stacked) and a class with The Ashmans (Necklace Journal) ... it's all about metal this year.

A New Decade ...

Happy Birthday to me. March is always a bit crazy with my annual trip to Austin for SXSW ... this year was a bit nuttier than usual thanks to an unexpected business trip to London than ran directly into my Texas travels. So, now, it's my birthday and I'm taking a moment to capture some of the the things I've observed, experienced or noted over the past few weeks.

• Everyone should fly business class at least once before turning 40.
  (warm nuts, Port, and a clean pair of socks ...)
  
• When shopping at independent record stores, always ask the person behind the counter what they're listening to - and buy whatever at least one item they recommend. It's a great way to discover new music.
  (I'm now listening to Jeffrey Lewis '12 Crass Songs' thanks to the guy working at Sister Ray records in SOHO, London)
  
• When photographing concerts, always be polite and don't interfere with the photographers who are there to earn a living and the fans who are there to enjoy the show.
  
• Always tip the waitstaff and tip the waitresses who card you really, really well.
  (thanks to the waitress at The Boiling Pot who carded me at lunch when I ordered a Shiner)
  
• Eat breakfast for dinner; french toast at night will make you smile.
  
• You're never old when you're with your friends.

And with that, I'm off to wrap up my birthday with a slice of lemon bunt cake and a viewing of 'The Breakfast Club' ...

Reading in 2008 ...

Reading. A good way to start the new year. Last year was such a blur I might have found my way through a couple books. Here it is still January and I've finished 2 books that have been on my books-to-read stack for awhile.

The first book I finished reading this year was Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman. Why didn't I read this book sooner?! A fantastic read that brought back plenty o' memories as well as provided some great music commentary. I wasn't into metal - went more the the punk, goth, alt route - but had plenty of friends who were and fondly remember watching back-to-back videos full of spandex and big hair on MTV before going to class. Moving Chuck's other books up on my to-read stack.

After Fargo Rock City I moved on to By George by Wesley Stace. While it might seem an odd segue, there is a connection ... one book written about music, the next written by a musician (some of you may know Stace by the name John Wesley Harding).

I started By George last year - having picked up the book immediately upon release - but, due to my own series of unfortune events, I was distracted from finishing the book. Returning to the pages this year, I found myself drawn in by the characters and the connections between the two boys George. I continue to think about the people, the family, the connections ... and am looking forward to both JWH's next album and Stace's next novel.

Hmmm ... what to grab next from the reading stack ...

Catching Up ...Moving Forward ...

I had good intentions of multiple posts about the Oaxaca trip ... tho' was too busy experiencing Oaxaca to post while there and various negative events occupied my brain and energy once I returned so focus was on getting to the holidays and saying good-bye to 2007.

One thing I realized after meeting all the great artists who attended the workshop in Oaxaca - and something that I'm carrying with me into the new year -- is that I'm not the only one workin' a day job. Ok, sure, this may seem obvious to the rest of you - but it was a pleasant reminder to me. It is indeed possible to work and still create. That said, focus for the new year is on making the necessary changes and finding the right balance so I can spend more time and energy in creative environments and creating my own things ... whatever those may be.

So, here's to 2008. On the list, put the final touches on the piece I started in Oaxaca ... just looking for the right word.

Today's Quote ...

"Why is there a frozen zombie on the TV?"

- heard after Tivo had been paused for an hour.

Random Report ...

Returning to 'play all' on the Zune, I was offered this surprise of a segue yesterday ...

'Red Hot & Blue Love' from Working Class Dog by Rick Springfield

followed by ...

'Leilani' from Stoneage Romeos by The Hoodoo Gurus

Really, it worked.

Peliculas de Las Calaveras ...

After all the talk of "El Charro de las Calaveras" while in Oaxaca, had to set Tivo to see if I might be able to see the film for myself. No such luck yet, but did watch "Las Calaveras del Terror" tonight. '

Must watch more of the Mexican Western/Adventure/Mystery/Horror genre! Oh, yeah, need to post some more Oaxaca tales, too.

Oaxaca Tales ...

It's been a week since I returned home from Oaxaca. Sure, I thought maybe I'd blog while in Mexico but, once I arrived, the experiences trumped all else and the thought of typing blog posts vanished. So, I'll try to capture some of the memories in written form over the next few days.

Traveling to Oaxaca



SJC: I started the journey with an 8pm shuttle flight from San Jose to LAX on Thursday so that I could catch the LAX redeye and, ultimately get in to Oaxaca first thing Friday morning.

LAX: Sitting in the deli bar at the International Terminal at LAX outside gate 121, '70s radio lending to the flashback feel - KC & the Sunshine Band's 'Boogie Man' playing while I take in a cheese pizza for my 11pm dinner. I met some other Oaxaca-bound artists, Syd & Sue, at the gate. As we chatted, Syd remembered my radio piece Stephanie Lee's Plaster Architecture class at Artfest this year. Felt nice to have a piece remembered.

MEXICO CITY: Now I remember how much I hate flying through Mexico City. It's always chaotic. This time, thanks to misdirection through immigration, instead of simply turning around and re-boarding our flight to Oaxaca, Syd, Sue & I ended up in the main terminal. A porter offered to help us with our bags and lead us to the domestic boarding area. Unfortunately, we no longer had full boarding passes - just the stubs from our original flight (same flight number continued to Oaxaca). 90 minutes later, passports flying, new boarding passes in hand and multiple trips running back and forth to find a security gate that would let us through, we arrived at our gate at the exact departure time. The one woman remaining at the gate shook her head, no. Our porter started talking quickly, sweaty and out of breath from carting our bags back-and-forth. The woman got on the radio, asked for our papers, and I happily paid the porter in $US dollars as we boarded the plane. He earned it. We would have definitely missed the flight had it not been for him.

OAXACA: Arrived at 8:00 am on Friday morning. Let the relaxation begin ...

Hits Home ...

Literary Death Match ...

Ah, another great way to get out of 'work week' mode and into a creative space. I went to Opium Magazine's Literary Death Match at the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco with friends on Friday night. Absolutely fantastic (and not just saying that because of the superbly tasty free No. 209 Gin).



Readers: Round 1: Evany Thomas (McSweeney's) v. Wesley “John Wesley Harding” Stace (Swink)
Round 2: Gary Kamiya (Salon) v. Daniel Handler (Opium)
Judges: New Yorker editor Ben Greenman (Literary Merit), Shaun Landry (Performance)and Oscar Villalon (Intangibles)

The final round ... a game of 'Opium' (Horse) between Wes & Daniel. Handler won by a point.


Making a note to catch more of Litquake in '08 ... off to go read more of 'By George' now ...

Yeah, Zoe!

Ok - first had to say that because my friend Zoe deserves a "Yeah!" ... second because I had dinner tonight at Restaurant Zoë in Seattle (kitty-corner from The Crocodile Cafe). Fabulous! Spicy octopus appetizer, special salad with an amazing mozzarella-like cheese (wish I could remember the name), Scallops served with winter squash, bacon, black lentils, mushrooms ... finished off with a lavender-citrus panna cotta.

Full & happy now.