Day 7-- Tuesday
got up, got tired.
Food for day was mainly these two veg shakes I made, consisting of chard, celery, carrot, tomato, beet, lemon, parsley and Epic. The epic didnt help the texture, but did help make the shakes filling.
I probably ate a full cup and a half of cashews, though. I missed chewing. :)
Snack was a grapefruit and some pumpkin seed flax crackers from Go Raw.
Day 8 --
2nd to last insane day at school. Made myself a strawberry, kale and double scoop epic protein for breakfast, then hit class.
For lunch, I grabbed a Naked red machine (yes, I know, technically pasteurized but I was dragging) and dumped some Raw Protein from my locker into it to tide me over.
On the way home, I hit Whole Paycheck and bought a bunch of produce and some pre-packaged stuff to make my life easier.
Got home, made some guacamole with cauliflower...a snack that never gets tired. Realized I forgot to buy spinach so I can't make my dip :(. Had some pickles too, then headed to Bulls for Pub Quiz, where we placed 2nd to a team full of people way smarter than us, so no shade.
At bulls, found out Whatever Brains were playing at Casbah, so me and Miss walked over there just in time for the WB set. And it has been a minute since I've seen them, and now there are like...6 people in the band, including two keyboardists and they've gotten weirder and more atmospheric. I likened it to Rah Bras and Chaz agreed with the comparison. Anyway, they were really good. The 25 minute set went by in a flash and when they said "this is our last song" my thought was "Already?"
The headlining act, Cusses, a female fronted band were meh. I find myself constantly torn between wanting to support fellow female musicians and wanting to hold them to my own standards of musicianship. This girl could sing and was in amazing shape...she was belting it out hopping up and down, but the songs were pedestrian to choad rock. I was more impressed by front woman's lungs than anything occurring sonically or the pointless background videos.
In addition, I've been doing my SXSW due diligence, and am really really excited to see Saddle Creek's Icky Blossoms. Here is a ridiculously amazing (NSFW) video collage of pg-13 pornography set to their get-down groover "Cycle":
Plus, their self-produced video for the equally hypnotic "Perfect Vision" which is my new official laying-in-bed-contemplating-my-navel jam.
Now noshing a pear. Anyone with must-sees for SXSW 2013, please feel free to send them my way. I'm already planning to see perennial favorites Ash and Telekinesis!, and the un-missable Christeene. If possible, I'm also planning to see the adorable and (intentionally? unintentionally?) hilarious Kitty Pryde, but only if she plays a day show.
Til next time!
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Monday, September 10, 2012
Christeene: Waste Up Kneez Down
It has been about 6 months since I first encountered Christeene.
As you may recall, I was conflicted by Paul Soileau's new "drag" persona/performance art piece. The songs are over the top in their filth (that's really saying something coming from me, since I hero worship Peaches) often to the point of being jokey. The stage show's rape allusion really struck the wrong chord with me-- who is this guy getting onstage and mimicking being gang raped? What the hell does he know about this? Does he think it's funny or risque? Does he have the right to do it?
Christeene bothered me for six months. But, I thought about Christeene for six months.
And then I bought the album. Waste Up, Kneez Down is a parody of the nasty hip hop we all loved in high school. The album opens weak with Damn Right, but recovers quickly with the addictive and hypnotic "Fix My Dick," a Lil Kim style number that rips off a Missy Elliot beat (I forget the name of the song, but I used to call it "The Seizure Song"). It's catchy, horrifically graphic and enthusiastically sex-positive, and even more genderqueer sex positive.
Next up, the most troubling song of Christeene's ouvre for me: "Slowly/Easy," the song that often serves as an introduction to the stage show and includes a fake abduction and trick-gone-bad rape scene (at SxSW, the back up dancers literally tossed her back and forth between them, tearing her dress-- it was impossible not to watch but was also highly disturbing). The video, which can be viewed here (WARNING, NSFW!!!) addresses the situation with more subtlety-- making the "scene" feel as though it could be a bad PCP trip or something of that ilk, making it unclear as to whether Christeene jumped her john or her john was a panda bear stalking her, though as the video goes further on and the lyrics of the song proclaim slut politics (maybe in a manner more self-aware than is befitting the overgrown pre-adolescent that is Christeene's stage persona, more on that later), the video appears to jump back and forth in time, showing Christeene enjoying these encounters less and less, with more fear and less insanity in her eyes.
On stage (and in many of her songs), Christeene is a "baby-person" according to her creator/wearer/puppetmaster, Soileau's interview with Queerty magazine. She minces around, she has no concept of how ridiculous she looks or sounds and is eerily reminiscent of the scene in Thirteen when Evan Rachel Wood gets out of control and starts mocking her mother by chanting "No Bra, No Panties!" The way she addresses sexuality smacks of her creator's gender -- the filth, man, the filth! -- but his subtle misunderstanding of the meaning of sex, the artful love/hate relationship with sexuality ("I got no pride when I'm shakin' my junk from side to side," vs "I'll let you chew on my crabcake to hell with the first date just slide me the beefsteak") reads incredibly feminine in gender, and certainly, in my imagination, would be similar to a transgendered take on sexuality. I cannot truly understand the pain that must come from feeling like your body is fundamentally NOT RIGHT for you, but I can appreciate the feeling of it being embarrassing in some way that can, sometimes, require someone to simply use your body as a way for you to accept it as something that is not wrong, dirty or disgusting. I think a lot of young women are taught to view their bodies with contempt, which is pretty but Christeene's preoccupation with being pretty and keeping her chin up are somewhat admirable.
The rest of the album keeps a similar feeling, walking a line between almost comically detailed descriptions of sex acts and R&B burners in the style of Millie Jackson (seriously, "Tears From My Pussy" may be the best slow-jam R&B parody I've ever heard, and "Oprah Angelz" is less beautifully orchestrated, but still hilarious). The last and greatest highlight of the record is probably "African Mayonnaise," which starts with the bold incantation "I am your new Celebrity, I am your new America, I am the piece of filthy meat that you take home and treat to yourself." Which lampoons celebrity culture, fast food culture and brings to mind...well, you know.
So, Paul, I'm gonna give credit where credit is due. This is a genius project. The songs are catchy and funny. The videos (worth watching) are pretty great. And while I understand the statement he is trying to make with the "rape" onstage, I think it does the show and character a disservice by dragging such heavy politics into it. Christeene is clearly broken in many ways, and the audience is smart enough to know that without her get broken onstage. I won't presume that Soileau is being intentionally obtuse, but he seems intelligent enough to know that for survivors, that imagery is upsetting, off putting and could cost him record sales (I nearly left after the first song because I was really icked out).
Paul, your see-through panties, the fright wig and the carefully and strategically applied bruises are shocking enough. I promise.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Raw for Lent Day 29-30 (Lincoln and Chicago)
Day 29:
Woke up in Lincoln around 10am and decided to try and get my body moving, so I strapped on my sports bra and sneakers and went for a run. It was only about a mile or so, but it was really pleasant, even though it was a little drizzly. After the run, I took a shower and Nate and I went up to Yia Yia's pizza to meet up with Jim (Shipbuilding Company) and his fiancee Ellen. While there, we ran into Darren (The Show Is The Rainbow, Bad Speler) and hung out for a little bit.
After lunch, I hung out with Jim and Ellen, then took Cathy up on her offer to let us see We Need To Talk About Kevin. The movie was a broken narrative. The premise circles around a mother and her son and their contentious relationship that is exacerbated by...well I don't know if the spoilers are out yet, but Kevin does something awful.
After the flick, Nathan ran me to the coop on South St and I picked up some bell peppers, kumquats, bananas and apples, then I headed to Zoo Bar.
The early show was still going on, so I wandered past the Bourbon...and there was Darren again. He let me into the show and I saw a couple of songs by Shipbuilding Company, who were sort of a prime example of the genre I like to call "Arcade Fire rock." Lots of descending chord progressions at moderate tempo, fogerty-esque guitar tricks and a reedy voice at the front. I don't have any real malice for the Arcade Fire or the 8000 bands that are capitalizing on their success, but I am not altogether too excited by mid-tempo big-sounding rock unless it's emo as fuck (see earlier entries on WWPJ).
I headed back to my venue, Zoo Bar, and got unpacked. The venue had been promoting the show with the wrong bands on the promotional flyer (Pink Flag, Low Horse and Pharmacy Spirits) and it turned out to be Mildred Bonk who were experimental noise mostly...a lot of feedback and effects. The sound wasn't really coming through on my phone.
Next up was Fuchsia Minutia, who are a very mathy, noisy little act. Their set is essentially organized chaos, but the sheer virtuosity of the players is pretty impressive. Word on the Lincoln street is that these guys do the best cover songs ever. I believe that they are probably really good.
I played 3rd, the was followed by the Pharmacy Spirits, whom I kind of adore. They're sort of like a spooky version of a band that's really into the beach boys. Or a Christian Death cover band that has never heard a Christian Death song in their life. Regardless, there is some sort of sunglasses-at-night coolness to the sound and I drive around listening to it sometimes and enjoy it. This song pictured is called Teen Challenge. I apologize, again, for the quality of the sound on these guys, this room was just a tin box basically and loud as hell.
After the show, we packed up and I went over to the guys from Fuschia Minutia's and hung out until (woefully) 3:30AM.
Day 30:
My notes for this day were:
"Chicago bound. Stayed up WAY too late in Lincoln. Chicago traffic. Rain."
My day was basically the wasteland that is Iowa. Iowa takes FOREVER to drive. I also rolled into Chicago at...oh exactly rush hour, which meant that I got to the skyline then sat in traffic. And it was raining. These were two days of just straight soggy shoes for me (foreshadowing!). Anyway, I got to the venue about 30 minutes early and it happened to be next door to an asian restaurant, so I got a cucumber salad and an avocado salad and used the nice clean asian restaurant bathroom.
So, musicians, folks in general, do you ever have one of those events you have to attend where you walk in the door and go "Oh Man..." and not in the good way? That's kind of how I felt walking in to Ultra Lounge. I was the first person there...by some time. I bummed around for a while until Vortis and the sound guy showed up, then loaded in.
Vortis were the punk rock mixtape that your friend Mike/Steve/John/Chris gave to you when you were 15 along with some safety pins and a Misfits patch. The group formed under the idea of the Vortis, which was a turn of the century idealogy that supports the idea of living with an adolescent clarity. Their songs were upbeat, fun and bled one right into the next. The energy was lost on the crowd of 5-6. At the end of their set, per a discussion, I got up there and completely butchered "Oh Bondage Up Yours" by X-Ray Spex.
The Funs - cute, and fun. Nothing I've never heard before (Just think about all the 4-track recording lo-fi artists in the late 80s no-wave underground and you got it), but they were still very sweet, fun to listen to and brought a great crowd of kids to the show. Violent, bouncy, dancey kids. I wish I were still so enthusiastic. Really I do.
At the end of the night, I went back to Tina and Liz's place and climbed into their baby's ikea loft bed (and seriously, if I weren't starving myself to death right now that thing would have COLLAPSED under me, every time I shifted my weight, it let out a terrible shriek, threatening to drop me), and promptly passed the fuck out.
Only to wake up at 7am for the drive to Columbus. With a cold (SOGGY SHOES!). This is really gonna help with the high notes. Videos to be attached later. Can always be searched via my youtube account, though!
Woke up in Lincoln around 10am and decided to try and get my body moving, so I strapped on my sports bra and sneakers and went for a run. It was only about a mile or so, but it was really pleasant, even though it was a little drizzly. After the run, I took a shower and Nate and I went up to Yia Yia's pizza to meet up with Jim (Shipbuilding Company) and his fiancee Ellen. While there, we ran into Darren (The Show Is The Rainbow, Bad Speler) and hung out for a little bit.
After lunch, I hung out with Jim and Ellen, then took Cathy up on her offer to let us see We Need To Talk About Kevin. The movie was a broken narrative. The premise circles around a mother and her son and their contentious relationship that is exacerbated by...well I don't know if the spoilers are out yet, but Kevin does something awful.
After the flick, Nathan ran me to the coop on South St and I picked up some bell peppers, kumquats, bananas and apples, then I headed to Zoo Bar.
The early show was still going on, so I wandered past the Bourbon...and there was Darren again. He let me into the show and I saw a couple of songs by Shipbuilding Company, who were sort of a prime example of the genre I like to call "Arcade Fire rock." Lots of descending chord progressions at moderate tempo, fogerty-esque guitar tricks and a reedy voice at the front. I don't have any real malice for the Arcade Fire or the 8000 bands that are capitalizing on their success, but I am not altogether too excited by mid-tempo big-sounding rock unless it's emo as fuck (see earlier entries on WWPJ).
I headed back to my venue, Zoo Bar, and got unpacked. The venue had been promoting the show with the wrong bands on the promotional flyer (Pink Flag, Low Horse and Pharmacy Spirits) and it turned out to be Mildred Bonk who were experimental noise mostly...a lot of feedback and effects. The sound wasn't really coming through on my phone.
Next up was Fuchsia Minutia, who are a very mathy, noisy little act. Their set is essentially organized chaos, but the sheer virtuosity of the players is pretty impressive. Word on the Lincoln street is that these guys do the best cover songs ever. I believe that they are probably really good.
I played 3rd, the was followed by the Pharmacy Spirits, whom I kind of adore. They're sort of like a spooky version of a band that's really into the beach boys. Or a Christian Death cover band that has never heard a Christian Death song in their life. Regardless, there is some sort of sunglasses-at-night coolness to the sound and I drive around listening to it sometimes and enjoy it. This song pictured is called Teen Challenge. I apologize, again, for the quality of the sound on these guys, this room was just a tin box basically and loud as hell.
After the show, we packed up and I went over to the guys from Fuschia Minutia's and hung out until (woefully) 3:30AM.
Day 30:
My notes for this day were:
"Chicago bound. Stayed up WAY too late in Lincoln. Chicago traffic. Rain."
My day was basically the wasteland that is Iowa. Iowa takes FOREVER to drive. I also rolled into Chicago at...oh exactly rush hour, which meant that I got to the skyline then sat in traffic. And it was raining. These were two days of just straight soggy shoes for me (foreshadowing!). Anyway, I got to the venue about 30 minutes early and it happened to be next door to an asian restaurant, so I got a cucumber salad and an avocado salad and used the nice clean asian restaurant bathroom.
So, musicians, folks in general, do you ever have one of those events you have to attend where you walk in the door and go "Oh Man..." and not in the good way? That's kind of how I felt walking in to Ultra Lounge. I was the first person there...by some time. I bummed around for a while until Vortis and the sound guy showed up, then loaded in.
Vortis were the punk rock mixtape that your friend Mike/Steve/John/Chris gave to you when you were 15 along with some safety pins and a Misfits patch. The group formed under the idea of the Vortis, which was a turn of the century idealogy that supports the idea of living with an adolescent clarity. Their songs were upbeat, fun and bled one right into the next. The energy was lost on the crowd of 5-6. At the end of their set, per a discussion, I got up there and completely butchered "Oh Bondage Up Yours" by X-Ray Spex.
The Funs - cute, and fun. Nothing I've never heard before (Just think about all the 4-track recording lo-fi artists in the late 80s no-wave underground and you got it), but they were still very sweet, fun to listen to and brought a great crowd of kids to the show. Violent, bouncy, dancey kids. I wish I were still so enthusiastic. Really I do.
At the end of the night, I went back to Tina and Liz's place and climbed into their baby's ikea loft bed (and seriously, if I weren't starving myself to death right now that thing would have COLLAPSED under me, every time I shifted my weight, it let out a terrible shriek, threatening to drop me), and promptly passed the fuck out.
Only to wake up at 7am for the drive to Columbus. With a cold (SOGGY SHOES!). This is really gonna help with the high notes. Videos to be attached later. Can always be searched via my youtube account, though!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Raw for Lent: Day 22-26
Day 22 - SxSW!
Departed San Antonio around 10am, after visiting the alamo.
Arrive austin about 11am, to set up for the show. Played first to open the showcase. Tons of awesome bands--
Acorn Bcorn - straight up old school kinderwhore style riotgrrl music, reminiscent of Babes in Toyland a little, Marina's voice more sonorous than Kat Bjelland's. Interesting set up-- side by side kits played with the feet primarily.
The Back Pockets - Weirdness to the power of 10. Came dressed like they were going to a Woodstock themed party at Studio 54. Set up an elaborate in front of stage thing. While the band played, a guy danced around fucking with the audience and pretending to be ascientist. The music was pretty eclectic, mostly like someone really likes the big builds in Arcade Fire. Would be at home in the Elephant 6 family. Overall, recommend seeing them. The show is worth it and the singer's voice alone is mesmerizing for at least 3 songs.
Agent Ribbons - HOLY TWEE batman! Agent Ribbons combines sweet 50s doo-wop chord progression with saccharine sweet vocals bemoaning all the liars the singer has
met. A duo, the guitar does more work than you'd think it should, especially given the relatively simple styling, and the drummer's call-and-response back ups make it so you don't even miss the bass.
TacocaT - Oh, TacocaT. Why is this band NOT on K records? Can we get them on K? They're adorable, fun, light and giggly. They are twee-rock, with irreverent lyrics about things like getting a new issue of Cat Fancy, smoking pot out of a vaporizer and the venerable (in girl band circles of late, anyway) Tanya Harding. This band is soul-related to EAR PWR for those who are familiar.
Christeene - I do not, still, 24 hours later, totally know what I think of Christeeene. When I first saw him, I was like "What the fuck?" granted, we were at a queer show, but he was wearing a fright wig, smeared make up (courtney love circa heroin) and had bruises painted all over his body. Then he climbed on stage and revealed some bizarre underpanties contraption. The show, though, was intriguing. The dance moves were fun and the backup dancers ridiculous and the rap would make Lil Kim blush. I don't think I would ever purchase this music, but my new friend Joey said I was in for a treat. If you like haunted houses, penises (there was a lot of penis, not gonna lie) and just draw dropping weirdness, then you just may like Christeene.
Went over to Whole Foods Austin...my new love affair. If I were ever here and not raw, I would probably gain 8000 pounds. They have a RAW station. It's almost entirely raw and it has apple pie and they carry those Hail Merry tarts that are the best thing I've tasted in a very long time. Like, if they get them in NC, I will eat them. From the raw station, I got a broccoli cashew salad and avocado kale salad. They were both good but I think I preferred the broccoli cashew.
After dinner we wandered over to see Last Year's Men, who played great. I procured me a tee shirt with which to rep them on the road and at home, then we bounced to the BrooklynVegan showcase and caught Screamales, who were fine.
We left during Andrew WK.
Day 23:
Whole foods for raw falafel and raw tzitiki, broc cashew salad, another Hail Merry raw tart (meyer lemon) and coconut water.
Day party trek started with meeting up with our friends Lost in the Trees (Orchestral Folk Pop) who we had just missed due to ill timed eating/walking, then we headed to the Paste magazine party for We Were Promised Jetpacks, whose show was PACKED but epic. Big guitars, big scottish voice, little, young, scottish dudes.
They were immediately followed by Blitzen Trapper, who were loud and otherwise not noteworthy. We decided to walk to Cheer Up Charlie's to catch the Love Language, some other hometown buds, who played an amazing set. Upbeat, 60s influenced guitar and key pop with some noisier elements, then we wandered all the way back to Waterloo for Lucero, who are not my cup of tea but I respect the hell out of the band. They're country-twinged bar rock, and have a far reaching influence.
We went to the Mohawk for the Jagjaguar/Dead Oceans/Secretly Canadian party. The first band was not worth talking about, but!
Gardens and Villas were an erasure-esque synthpop band whose lead singer had a quiver full of FLUTES! (This fills me with glee) They were poppy and fun.
Bear in Heaven went next and I learned...that the lead singer of Bear in Heaven, an amazingly catchy synthpop band, has NO RHYTHM. It was hilarious, and the songs were great as always.
We bounced after Bear in Heaven, and I ate some Kale chips at the hotel.
Day 24:
MY SHOWCASE! I ran my first ever SXSW showcase for Permanent Wave, Tom Tom Magazine and Break Yr Heart up off the North Loop. It went as follows:
Attia Taylor (attiataylor.bandcamp.com) - keyboard and vocal loop songwriter
WOJCIK (wojcik.bandcamp.com) - hard hitting guitar songs with a rich alto voice
LAM! LAM! (lamlam.bandcamp.com) - this is my little pet project, electropop
Spooky Qs (spookyqs.com) - queer songs about amazing things (the new record is ENTIRELY repurposed protest songs!)
Shondes (shondes.com) - poppy, theatrical folk rock, with an edge and electric violin
Jeepneys (soundcloud.com/jeepneys) - groove heavy, world music influenced with live guitar and live rototoms
Inches to Pixels (reverbnation.com/inchestopixels ) - rockabilly feeling four piece with a raging female drummer
Seashell Radio (seashellradio.com) - folky boy/girl duo with the ability to rock!
Duck Fight Goose (duckfightgoose.bandcamp.com) - shanghai chillwave
Red Light Cameras (reverbnation.com/redlightcameras ) - pop punk songs about giggly topics, like bicycles and juice
This show was presented by
The Permanent Wave (thepermanentwave.org)
Tom Tom Magazine (tomtommag.com)
Break Yr Heart (breakyrheart.com)
MonkeyWrench Books (monkeywrenchbooks.org)
Day 25: Saturday, or, the big one
Departed San Antonio around 10am, after visiting the alamo.
Arrive austin about 11am, to set up for the show. Played first to open the showcase. Tons of awesome bands--
Acorn Bcorn - straight up old school kinderwhore style riotgrrl music, reminiscent of Babes in Toyland a little, Marina's voice more sonorous than Kat Bjelland's. Interesting set up-- side by side kits played with the feet primarily.
The Back Pockets - Weirdness to the power of 10. Came dressed like they were going to a Woodstock themed party at Studio 54. Set up an elaborate in front of stage thing. While the band played, a guy danced around fucking with the audience and pretending to be ascientist. The music was pretty eclectic, mostly like someone really likes the big builds in Arcade Fire. Would be at home in the Elephant 6 family. Overall, recommend seeing them. The show is worth it and the singer's voice alone is mesmerizing for at least 3 songs.
Agent Ribbons - HOLY TWEE batman! Agent Ribbons combines sweet 50s doo-wop chord progression with saccharine sweet vocals bemoaning all the liars the singer has
met. A duo, the guitar does more work than you'd think it should, especially given the relatively simple styling, and the drummer's call-and-response back ups make it so you don't even miss the bass.
TacocaT - Oh, TacocaT. Why is this band NOT on K records? Can we get them on K? They're adorable, fun, light and giggly. They are twee-rock, with irreverent lyrics about things like getting a new issue of Cat Fancy, smoking pot out of a vaporizer and the venerable (in girl band circles of late, anyway) Tanya Harding. This band is soul-related to EAR PWR for those who are familiar.
Christeene - I do not, still, 24 hours later, totally know what I think of Christeeene. When I first saw him, I was like "What the fuck?" granted, we were at a queer show, but he was wearing a fright wig, smeared make up (courtney love circa heroin) and had bruises painted all over his body. Then he climbed on stage and revealed some bizarre underpanties contraption. The show, though, was intriguing. The dance moves were fun and the backup dancers ridiculous and the rap would make Lil Kim blush. I don't think I would ever purchase this music, but my new friend Joey said I was in for a treat. If you like haunted houses, penises (there was a lot of penis, not gonna lie) and just draw dropping weirdness, then you just may like Christeene.
Went over to Whole Foods Austin...my new love affair. If I were ever here and not raw, I would probably gain 8000 pounds. They have a RAW station. It's almost entirely raw and it has apple pie and they carry those Hail Merry tarts that are the best thing I've tasted in a very long time. Like, if they get them in NC, I will eat them. From the raw station, I got a broccoli cashew salad and avocado kale salad. They were both good but I think I preferred the broccoli cashew.After dinner we wandered over to see Last Year's Men, who played great. I procured me a tee shirt with which to rep them on the road and at home, then we bounced to the BrooklynVegan showcase and caught Screamales, who were fine.
We left during Andrew WK.
Day 23:
Whole foods for raw falafel and raw tzitiki, broc cashew salad, another Hail Merry raw tart (meyer lemon) and coconut water.
Day party trek started with meeting up with our friends Lost in the Trees (Orchestral Folk Pop) who we had just missed due to ill timed eating/walking, then we headed to the Paste magazine party for We Were Promised Jetpacks, whose show was PACKED but epic. Big guitars, big scottish voice, little, young, scottish dudes.
They were immediately followed by Blitzen Trapper, who were loud and otherwise not noteworthy. We decided to walk to Cheer Up Charlie's to catch the Love Language, some other hometown buds, who played an amazing set. Upbeat, 60s influenced guitar and key pop with some noisier elements, then we wandered all the way back to Waterloo for Lucero, who are not my cup of tea but I respect the hell out of the band. They're country-twinged bar rock, and have a far reaching influence.
We went to the Mohawk for the Jagjaguar/Dead Oceans/Secretly Canadian party. The first band was not worth talking about, but!
Gardens and Villas were an erasure-esque synthpop band whose lead singer had a quiver full of FLUTES! (This fills me with glee) They were poppy and fun.
Bear in Heaven went next and I learned...that the lead singer of Bear in Heaven, an amazingly catchy synthpop band, has NO RHYTHM. It was hilarious, and the songs were great as always.
We bounced after Bear in Heaven, and I ate some Kale chips at the hotel.
Day 24:
MY SHOWCASE! I ran my first ever SXSW showcase for Permanent Wave, Tom Tom Magazine and Break Yr Heart up off the North Loop. It went as follows:
Attia Taylor (attiataylor.bandcamp.com) - keyboard and vocal loop songwriter
WOJCIK (wojcik.bandcamp.com) - hard hitting guitar songs with a rich alto voice
LAM! LAM! (lamlam.bandcamp.com) - this is my little pet project, electropop
Spooky Qs (spookyqs.com) - queer songs about amazing things (the new record is ENTIRELY repurposed protest songs!)
Shondes (shondes.com) - poppy, theatrical folk rock, with an edge and electric violin
Jeepneys (soundcloud.com/jeepneys) - groove heavy, world music influenced with live guitar and live rototoms
Inches to Pixels (reverbnation.com/
Seashell Radio (seashellradio.com) - folky boy/girl duo with the ability to rock!
Duck Fight Goose (duckfightgoose.bandcamp.com) - shanghai chillwave
Red Light Cameras (reverbnation.com/
This show was presented by
The Permanent Wave (thepermanentwave.org)
Tom Tom Magazine (tomtommag.com)
Break Yr Heart (breakyrheart.com)
MonkeyWrench Books (monkeywrenchbooks.org)
After the show (where I scarfed a couple of raw bars) I met Kyle for some whole foods, which was a HUGE meal for me-- happy "tuna" salad (which was AWESOME), an avocado, a raw tart and a pint of cherry tomatoes. We wandered down to try and get into the Merge show, but couldn't, so we just decided to go home. I was pooped.
Day 25: Saturday, or, the big one
We got a little bit of a late start and hit whole foods for the first meal; I went ahead and tried actually ordering a "to go meal" from the raw "restaurant" (station) in Whole Foods. I got the pizza, which was almond and flax crisps topped with raw marinara, spinach, mushrooms and macadamias, nutritional yeast and garlic and came with a side, so I got the broccoli cashew salad. I also got some fruit salad, a kombucha and I tried a "lemon cheesecake cup" from the raw cafe which was totally vile. We headed over to the Deville and Mohawk, whose day parties were mad busy. We tried to get in elsewhere and finally ended up seeing, well, a lot of nothing. We stopped by Bull McCabe's Austin and watched a little basketball, then we went into Beerland and saw Terrible Twos and Bass Drum of Death, and they were both pretty rad. We then headed to sidebar but the band was ridiculous so we bounced.
I headed back to the car to grab a sweater and some Raw bars, then went directly to Red 7 to wait for my boys to start. First act I saw was called Odonis Odonis, and they were pretty noisy guitar feedy stuff, with a synth pad drummer.
Up next was some band whose name I forgot but they were not memorable.
VELVET TEEN then got up and shredded. Velvet Teen are a 90s/early 2000s rock and roll band with great guitar interplay, a little synth backing occasionally and lots of energy and good time. The only downside was that I was standing behind that couple who were like, bro-ing out and fist bumping the whole time.
Next was Breton, whose set ended literally 3 minutes after VT's but sounded really good so I plan to check them out. Then came Twilight Sad, a scottish band who were sort of cure-ish, and built up decent grooves but overall kind of dull. The power went out in the middle of their 2nd to last song which was pretty lame.
Jetpacks came on at 12, and I stayed for a few tunes,
but then decided to bounce to make sure I got over to Braid. Braid are an emo/post-hardcore band from Champlain, IL. They are also one of my favorite bands of the past few years. The show was not super full when I arrived, only $5 and I got a great spot up front. The boys were bantering like an old comedy team. It was truly a joy to watch them, and they played tons of awesome tunes, including almost every single one I wanted to hear. I really wanted to stick around and try to talk to them for a minute, but we had to get up at 7:30 to get Kyle to the airport.
but then decided to bounce to make sure I got over to Braid. Braid are an emo/post-hardcore band from Champlain, IL. They are also one of my favorite bands of the past few years. The show was not super full when I arrived, only $5 and I got a great spot up front. The boys were bantering like an old comedy team. It was truly a joy to watch them, and they played tons of awesome tunes, including almost every single one I wanted to hear. I really wanted to stick around and try to talk to them for a minute, but we had to get up at 7:30 to get Kyle to the airport.
The walk back to my car was ridiculous, by the way. I haven't ever in my life been asked if I wanted to party more times.
Day 26:
I dropped Kyle at the airport, filled my car with gas and went to Whole Foods to grab some more provisions for the road. I picked up one more Hail Merry tart, some apples, some bananas, some kiwi berries, cherry tomatoes and some of the hail merry treated nuts.
I met up with my high school friend Emily who now lives in Austin and we reminisced about the weirdness that was high school for us. I lost track of time a little and before I knew it it was almost four, which meant I really needed to get on the road. I mainly just noshed on my fruit and nuts from whole foods and arrived and got settled in OKC. I was way tired and crashed out pretty much AT 10pm.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
RAW FOR LENT 3.0!
Hey everyone! I've been a terrible little blogger, but I am back for 40 days of Raw III. As we learned year one, it's actually more like 46, and this leap year will be 47!
My bar was overrun by really drunk ridiculous folks on Mardi Gras, but I had a good time.
Anyway, day one was easy. I spent most of today at the barn, so drank a coconut water before riding, then went to work. After work I did my stock up: chia seeds, raw almonds/cashews/pecans, red kale, tomatoes, grapefruit, grapes, red pepper, avocados and because I was suddenly famished right then, a cruditee platter and guacamole.
And yeah, dude, ate all that cruditee platter. Cauliflower, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, celery and broccoli. No shame.
I would also like to let everyone know that I will be on tour for most of the month of March as LAM! LAM! and would love to meet anyone (or crash on couches!) and will definitely take advice on any raw spots, because I am certain that I am going to get sick of gas station bananas and apples. The schedule thus far is as follows:
3/12 - New Orleans, LA! @ Mudlark Theater with Brendan Glassen
3/13 - Hattiesburg, MS @ Crowbar
3/14 - SxSW (**still searching for showcases, if you can help out.)
3/15 - SxSW
3/16 - SxSW
3/17 - SxSW
3/18 - SxSW
3/19 - Oklahoma or Kansas...HELP!
3/20 - Oklahoma, Missouri or Kansas...HELP!
3/21 - Lincoln, NE @ Zoo Bar with Pharmacy Spirits and Low Horse
3/22 - Chicago, IL @ Ultralounge with Vortis and The Funs
3/23 - Columbus, OH @ Worm Zone with Souvron Court, Fellows, Inc. and Meewillis
3/24 - Brooklyn, NY @ Ladyhouse with WOJCIK and Lisa Liu (Magnetic Islands)
3/25 - Suffolk, NY TBD
3/28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Comly Haus with 185668232, Sheep Beats, Bank Shot and Dead Whale Ramblers
3/29 - Richmond, VA @ TBD
Raw vegan road food suggestions (sans fridge) highly encouraged. So excited to start this journey again!
My bar was overrun by really drunk ridiculous folks on Mardi Gras, but I had a good time.
Anyway, day one was easy. I spent most of today at the barn, so drank a coconut water before riding, then went to work. After work I did my stock up: chia seeds, raw almonds/cashews/pecans, red kale, tomatoes, grapefruit, grapes, red pepper, avocados and because I was suddenly famished right then, a cruditee platter and guacamole.
And yeah, dude, ate all that cruditee platter. Cauliflower, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, celery and broccoli. No shame.
I would also like to let everyone know that I will be on tour for most of the month of March as LAM! LAM! and would love to meet anyone (or crash on couches!) and will definitely take advice on any raw spots, because I am certain that I am going to get sick of gas station bananas and apples. The schedule thus far is as follows:
3/12 - New Orleans, LA! @ Mudlark Theater with Brendan Glassen
3/13 - Hattiesburg, MS @ Crowbar
3/14 - SxSW (**still searching for showcases, if you can help out.)
3/15 - SxSW
3/16 - SxSW
3/17 - SxSW
3/18 - SxSW
3/19 - Oklahoma or Kansas...HELP!
3/20 - Oklahoma, Missouri or Kansas...HELP!
3/21 - Lincoln, NE @ Zoo Bar with Pharmacy Spirits and Low Horse
3/22 - Chicago, IL @ Ultralounge with Vortis and The Funs
3/23 - Columbus, OH @ Worm Zone with Souvron Court, Fellows, Inc. and Meewillis
3/24 - Brooklyn, NY @ Ladyhouse with WOJCIK and Lisa Liu (Magnetic Islands)
3/25 - Suffolk, NY TBD
3/28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Comly Haus with 185668232, Sheep Beats, Bank Shot and Dead Whale Ramblers
3/29 - Richmond, VA @ TBD
Raw vegan road food suggestions (sans fridge) highly encouraged. So excited to start this journey again!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Raw for Lent: Day 32-33
Sunday, Day 32
So today was the first day that the restaurant I work at ran brunch. You all know that I am a huge fan of LUNCH and its foods; sandwiches, soups, bento boxes. I don't much care for brunch. I'm just tossing that out there. I packed a banana, a mango/coconut juice and half a honeydew (and I already had a 1/2 jar of kimchi I'd left from the night before) to cover the long shift; almost a 9-5!
When I got off work, I came home, then set some nuts to soak to try some new recipes. I ran out to teach a lesson while things were soaking, then went to borrow my friend Sarah's laptop, hit whole foods for missing ingredients and some foodstuffs for the week.
At home, I spun up two recipes from Eating Raw for Dummies. I did their butternut squash nacho sauce, which tastes a lot like spicy, noochy red pepper hummus. It's definitely tasty.
However, the walnut sun dried tomato pate is WHERE IT'S AT.
1.5 C Walnuts, soaked at least 3 hours
6 T sun dried tomatoes, soaked at least 1 hour
(reserve the sun dried tomato soak juice, you will need about 1/2 cup of it )
1/4 c basil
1 clove garlic
1 T oil
1 T Nama Shoyu
2 T lemon juice
Toss everything in the blender
I ate these dips with cauliflower and a red pepper. Found myself downing the pate much quicker.
I then stayed up very late, laying out the new Pink Flag EP coming out on June 18!!!
Meme:
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
Monday, Day 33
This morning, got up and finished the designing then went and got a wax for the first time in like 3 months.
Princess got back from her comps and I let her try the dips with some flax crackers, and she agreed they were both good but the walnut was the winner. I fixed some cabbage to eat with the dips, then set about cleaning up some.
I spent most of the day trying to get the house in order for a prospective roommate who didn't call/didn't show so she's out of the game. In the afternoon, I finally worked up the guts to try perfect food. It is really not as bad as everyone said it was. I mean, it is ROUGH by itself mixed with water, but so is protein powder. The worst part is the smell; it smells just like fish food, but doesn't really taste like anything to me...then has kind of an icky aftertaste. After choking half a glass down, I just tossed the rest into a smoothie with a cup of blueberries, a cup of strawberries, 1/4 c of macadamias and what was probably a 1/4 scoop superfood.
Later I had some raspberries, two kiwis and a couple of pickles. I wish today hadn't been eaten by so many "managerial" activities. It turned out to be really nice and I would've liked to have gone to the barn. So now, I squeezed some lemon and agave into some water and am having a lemonade as an evening snack. :)
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
Hate is a strong word for bands. But if I have to choose a band I hate, it's probably this one.
So today was the first day that the restaurant I work at ran brunch. You all know that I am a huge fan of LUNCH and its foods; sandwiches, soups, bento boxes. I don't much care for brunch. I'm just tossing that out there. I packed a banana, a mango/coconut juice and half a honeydew (and I already had a 1/2 jar of kimchi I'd left from the night before) to cover the long shift; almost a 9-5!
When I got off work, I came home, then set some nuts to soak to try some new recipes. I ran out to teach a lesson while things were soaking, then went to borrow my friend Sarah's laptop, hit whole foods for missing ingredients and some foodstuffs for the week.
At home, I spun up two recipes from Eating Raw for Dummies. I did their butternut squash nacho sauce, which tastes a lot like spicy, noochy red pepper hummus. It's definitely tasty.
However, the walnut sun dried tomato pate is WHERE IT'S AT.
1.5 C Walnuts, soaked at least 3 hours
6 T sun dried tomatoes, soaked at least 1 hour
(reserve the sun dried tomato soak juice, you will need about 1/2 cup of it )
1/4 c basil
1 clove garlic
1 T oil
1 T Nama Shoyu
2 T lemon juice
Toss everything in the blender
I ate these dips with cauliflower and a red pepper. Found myself downing the pate much quicker.
I then stayed up very late, laying out the new Pink Flag EP coming out on June 18!!!
Meme:
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
Superlatives are definitely not my forte. But if I had to choose, I would probably say that this is my favorite song by my favorite band. At least, tonight it is.
Monday, Day 33
This morning, got up and finished the designing then went and got a wax for the first time in like 3 months.
Princess got back from her comps and I let her try the dips with some flax crackers, and she agreed they were both good but the walnut was the winner. I fixed some cabbage to eat with the dips, then set about cleaning up some.
I spent most of the day trying to get the house in order for a prospective roommate who didn't call/didn't show so she's out of the game. In the afternoon, I finally worked up the guts to try perfect food. It is really not as bad as everyone said it was. I mean, it is ROUGH by itself mixed with water, but so is protein powder. The worst part is the smell; it smells just like fish food, but doesn't really taste like anything to me...then has kind of an icky aftertaste. After choking half a glass down, I just tossed the rest into a smoothie with a cup of blueberries, a cup of strawberries, 1/4 c of macadamias and what was probably a 1/4 scoop superfood.
Later I had some raspberries, two kiwis and a couple of pickles. I wish today hadn't been eaten by so many "managerial" activities. It turned out to be really nice and I would've liked to have gone to the barn. So now, I squeezed some lemon and agave into some water and am having a lemonade as an evening snack. :)
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
Hate is a strong word for bands. But if I have to choose a band I hate, it's probably this one.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Raw for Lent: Day 23
Today I got up and attempted a recipe from CIG Eating Raw. It is a carrot ginger soup. I ended up tweaking the recipe a little because after I made it, it was bland.
7-8 Carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 c h20
1/2 c macadamia nuts
1/2 avocado
2 T ginger
2 tsp nama shoyu
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dill
1 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
few grinds of black pepper
I spun the big stuff (nuts, carrots, water) first to grind them down, then added the rest as it went on.
The soup is a sort of curry color, bright yellow and not the greatest consistency, but it's fairly tasty. It's best right out of the vitamix when it's just a little hotter than room temperature. I garnished with a little olive oil, which also helped the flavor I think. I might have added a little too much dill and a little too much garlic but I still feel like the soup is missing something.
7-8 Carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 c h20
1/2 c macadamia nuts
1/2 avocado
2 T ginger
2 tsp nama shoyu
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dill
1 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
few grinds of black pepper
I spun the big stuff (nuts, carrots, water) first to grind them down, then added the rest as it went on.
The soup is a sort of curry color, bright yellow and not the greatest consistency, but it's fairly tasty. It's best right out of the vitamix when it's just a little hotter than room temperature. I garnished with a little olive oil, which also helped the flavor I think. I might have added a little too much dill and a little too much garlic but I still feel like the soup is missing something.
I finished the grapefruit before showertime.
Later, I headed out to see Darren Hanlon at Casbah in their inaugural quiet show series. It was nice, he sang unamplified and played Punk's Not Dead as I requested, following it with an even more exciting quick verse of Anarchy in the UK! Videos forthcoming.
I finally broke down, tired of making food, and bought guacamole at Cosmic last night so I would have a snack. I mixed it with bean sprouts and then ate it in cabbage tacos.
On another note, my amazingly talented friend Rusty Sutton is the 30 day song challenge and I'm a big fat copycat, so I'm going to follow along his footsteps.
Day 1: My Favorite Song
I struggled a lot with what I would really consider my favorite song. Owing to overall plays, though, the convergence of several things I enjoy (dance grooves, noise rock, post-punk and ambient noise) and the fact that it is associated, forever, in my mind with going for long walks, I hereby nominate Ghinzu - Blow.
On another note, my amazingly talented friend Rusty Sutton is the 30 day song challenge and I'm a big fat copycat, so I'm going to follow along his footsteps.
Day 1: My Favorite Song
I struggled a lot with what I would really consider my favorite song. Owing to overall plays, though, the convergence of several things I enjoy (dance grooves, noise rock, post-punk and ambient noise) and the fact that it is associated, forever, in my mind with going for long walks, I hereby nominate Ghinzu - Blow.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Raw For Lent: Day 6-7
So today was my off-tour prep shit day. I realized that since starting this, I've already dropped like 6 pounds, probably due to both dehydration and essentially not eating for 3 days. It's cool, though, since I'm sort of above my fighting size right now anyway. Good news: I totally am rocking the regular size jeans again as of today.
I got up early, cleaned up the kitchen as best I could, cleaned up my room a little too and then hit Whole Foods for what I refer to as THE GRAND EXPENDATURE (wherein I buy a whole bunch of supplies I don't usually have, like raw nuts, chiaseeds, maca powder, psyllium husk, etc etc) and get all my shit together. So I started the day by making a carafe of unsweetened almond milk, then tossed together my ceviche chard salad, let that sit on the table while I soaked almonds and cashews for the spinach dip and cashew cheese I planned to make. In the meantime, I tossed together a quick tomato sauce.
appx 1 1/2 c cherry tomatoes
Spin that in the vitamix. I think it would probably be better if it were dehydrated as well, but I just let it sit out on the counter for a few hours, and am putting it in the fridge with the lid ajar to thicken it up a bit.
I came back down, made cheese and dip, then made myself a little bowl with some guac and the spinach dip and some Go Raw! crackers (holy shit these rule!) and celery, then headed to Chapel Thrill to see my favorite band from 2009: The RAA!
They also played a lot of stuff off the old album, including Don't Haunt this place:
And a sweet cover of Eye Of the Tiger:
I got up early, cleaned up the kitchen as best I could, cleaned up my room a little too and then hit Whole Foods for what I refer to as THE GRAND EXPENDATURE (wherein I buy a whole bunch of supplies I don't usually have, like raw nuts, chiaseeds, maca powder, psyllium husk, etc etc) and get all my shit together. So I started the day by making a carafe of unsweetened almond milk, then tossed together my ceviche chard salad, let that sit on the table while I soaked almonds and cashews for the spinach dip and cashew cheese I planned to make. In the meantime, I tossed together a quick tomato sauce.
Quickie Tomato Sauce:
appx 1 1/2 c cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 T olive oil
1 T olive oil
pinch salt
1 t basil
1 t basil
Spin that in the vitamix. I think it would probably be better if it were dehydrated as well, but I just let it sit out on the counter for a few hours, and am putting it in the fridge with the lid ajar to thicken it up a bit.
I cleaned the vitamix, then tossed together some almond chocolate nib cookies (they taste healthy) then went upstairs to clean myself in preparation for a rock and roll show! I plan to make raw lasagna later in the week, and since the cheeze takes a day to set and the sauce tastes better if it has achance to marinate, I figured I'd use my day off to get a head start.
I came back down, made cheese and dip, then made myself a little bowl with some guac and the spinach dip and some Go Raw! crackers (holy shit these rule!) and celery, then headed to Chapel Thrill to see my favorite band from 2009: The RAA!
When I got to the 506, Dork was still there, even though she said she was going to leave. The opening band, Pepper Rabbit were pretty good and I talked to one of the guys outside, they seem super nice. They're playing SxSW this week, so if you're there.
The Rural Alberta Advantage went on next and were fantastic as always. Even Dork stayed untl they played Frank, AB at the end of the set, because they were captivating and the mood in the room was great. I went home and totally passed out.
They also played a lot of stuff off the old album, including Don't Haunt this place:
And a sweet cover of Eye Of the Tiger:
Tuesday (day 7!) I got up early and went to the gym. I'm trying to make sure I eat every 2 hours or so but I'm kinda crappy at it so wish me luck! I had a cookie before the gym, then came home and set about making vegan sushi, with the cauliflower "rice," cukes and avocado. I wish I had pickled some radishes, but I need to get my pickling pants on and get to it. Also the cucumber harvest is apparently shitty because I haven't seen kirbys ANYWHERE.
I packed some chard ceviche for dinner and headed to work, pounding the last 3 dates I had in the car for some energy, then bounced around 10:00, got home, had some celery and spinach dip, dropped the cashew cheese (which is SO tasty!) into the fridge and went to sleep!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
New Year, New Attempts
I have been *the worst* blogger guys!
I'm going to change all of that though. I resolved to try and post at least once a week (and yeah, I'm already late) but will be doing my darndest to keep it up!
So, I stopped at several joints on the way to and from NYC this year, unfortunately, none besides my beloved Vegan Treats were really worth mentioning (except Soy and Sake, which I visited a whopping 3 times in NYC. Holy shit that place could be my life partner) so I figured I'd talk about the obligatory 2010 music post.
And then I realized, no, I didn't buy much new music. I listened to a lot of it, but ultimately found myself disappointed by the large majority of the records that came out last year AS A WHOLE. I wanted to love Corin Tucker's solo record. I wish that Deerhoof capitvated me. I totally don't understand Robyn as a whole.
That said, I did find some shit worth listening to, and I've made you a mix of it.
I'm going to change all of that though. I resolved to try and post at least once a week (and yeah, I'm already late) but will be doing my darndest to keep it up!
So, I stopped at several joints on the way to and from NYC this year, unfortunately, none besides my beloved Vegan Treats were really worth mentioning (except Soy and Sake, which I visited a whopping 3 times in NYC. Holy shit that place could be my life partner) so I figured I'd talk about the obligatory 2010 music post.
And then I realized, no, I didn't buy much new music. I listened to a lot of it, but ultimately found myself disappointed by the large majority of the records that came out last year AS A WHOLE. I wanted to love Corin Tucker's solo record. I wish that Deerhoof capitvated me. I totally don't understand Robyn as a whole.
That said, I did find some shit worth listening to, and I've made you a mix of it.
Download the ZIP file here!
1. Ke$ha - Tik Tok
Love or hate her, there was no escaping Ke$ha this year. And you know what? Her album is rad. I chose this song because it so obviously represents her (it is her "Baby One More Time"). Plus, you know you've shouted along to it, drunk, at least twice.
2. Screaming Females - Pretty Okay
I know this song was previously released, but I am counting it as a 2010 release (due to the Singles compilation happening). This is so worth buying. Buy it. It's so good.
3. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Gimme The Wire
1. Ke$ha - Tik Tok
Love or hate her, there was no escaping Ke$ha this year. And you know what? Her album is rad. I chose this song because it so obviously represents her (it is her "Baby One More Time"). Plus, you know you've shouted along to it, drunk, at least twice.
2. Screaming Females - Pretty Okay
I know this song was previously released, but I am counting it as a 2010 release (due to the Singles compilation happening). This is so worth buying. Buy it. It's so good.
3. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Gimme The Wire
Having never really listened to Ted Leo outside of my Nike running mixes, I found myself pretty surprised by the goodness. Moreso by the awesome, Steely Dan meets pop punk feeling to this song. And I say that as a SD fan.
4. Broken Bells - Trap Doors
A lot of people have had some not so nice things to say about the Broken Bells record. I happen to like it, although I do think it's tonally a little inconsistent. Its best work is on songs like this one, where it sticks to dark synthpop. And I think this song sounds like it could've been a Tears For Fears song. Just sayin'.
5. Beach Fossils - Face It
I assume that most of you haven't been living under a rock and know that bands with Beach/Surf names, an abusive hand with spring reverb and generally at least two underfed hipsters in Ray Bans have spawned faster than wet gremlins in 2010. So instead of taking an entirely anti-"beach" stance, I found the band most likely to succeed outside of this beachiness in my heart, mainly because of these sweet ass guitar licks that sound like every boy in every band I ever had a crush on in high school.
6. Veelee - When You Gonna Come Home?
Man, I really wanted to give you guys Blood's Sake, but I bought it on iTunes so I can't share that one. Veelee have been making consistently good minimalist (in the Philip Glass sense) pop/electro. You may remember their year end EP in 2009. Watch out for them. They're based in Carrboro, but I see national tours very soon. Oh yeah, don't be an asshole like me. Buy yr digital copy at their bandcamp.
7. Last Year's Men - Karma
Good on the boys at Churchkey for releasing this song as a free one, as it is easily one of their best. I know what you're thinking; spring reverb, twang-- another surf band? NO. This recording is not what this band sounds like anymore. When they come to your town, go see them, then just hitch yr car to their minivan and enjoy the rest of the tour. They will sweat, bleed and spit on you and you'll love it.
8. Rat Jackson - Summer Hummer
God Bless Rat Jackson. That's all.
9. Tokyo Police Club - Not Sick
I think I might be the only person over 25 who still buys shit that comes out on Saddle Creek. But you know what? I like it. And his voice. And their last record. And this record.
10. Wolf Parade - Ghost Pressure
As unnerving as it is to listen to this David Byrne impression, I like this record. I didn't much care about Mt Zoomer but I think that their break up caused more buzz for the record. And it's cool. Heart the synths, but I am a dance music whore.
11. Yeasayer - Love Me Girl
OMG YEASAYER WROTE AN HONEST TO GOD TRANCE SONG. When I saw them (probably in 2006 or 2007?) I was not a fan and I don't really love the record, but I think this song is great.
12. Four Tet - This Unfolds
Four Tet is one of those things that I never really set out to listen to, but when I stumble across it always seems ever more attractive, and with every listen endears itself to me further. It is clever and self referential (and maybe a little self reverential too) but it totally takes the icky "reading into lyrics" part out of putting on music when someone comes over while still being sexy.
13. LCD Soundsystem - You Wanted a Hit
This whole record is full of songs that have already been written by LCD and appeared on other records. Yeah, they have different names and words, but they're the same. They're still good, just kind of stale. But then there's You Wanted a Hit. Which is different for me somehow. I think it's because it sounds kind of like a Say Hi song.
14. No Age - Fever Dreaming
I really just want to be in this band. There is nothing I dislike about this record. I love that half of it sounds like it was recorded in a studio and half sounds like it was recorded by an iphone in a shitty club with a shittier PA. YOU CAN SLEEP ON MY COUCH, NO AGE.
15. Male Bonding - All Things This Way
Male Bonding are sort of like my poor man's No Age. I like their record a lot too, except the pussy 13th track. WTF Male Bonding?
16. Dinosaur Feathers - Vendela Vida
I have no idea how I came across this song. It just happened. And I just can't deny its ridiculous awesomeness. It reminds me a little bit of what would happen if Franz Ferdinand had a lovebaby with Vampire Weekend.
17. Trophy Wife (UK) - Microlite (acoustic)
Who is Trophy Wife? They're a self declared British DISCO band. And their songs, while dance music, are fucking beautiful, as evidenced by this acoustic guitar based version of their big hit, Microlite.
18. Clive Tanaka y su orchestra - Neu Chicago
This guy is going to be THE next big thing in dance if there is any justice in the world. God, I want to go to a party where he is the DJ. Everything has a fantastically happy feel to it. I can't wait for something to be released NOT ON CASSETTE TAPE.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
40 46 Days of Raw: Day 42-23
Oh, some crappy days. Something I ate on Monday really didn't agree with me. I've narrowed it down to the almond butter from Mara Natha (a company I don't really like much to begin with) or the raw crackers =/. Either way, I was in severe intestinal distress for most of Tuesday (and believe me, it's not fun having tummy cramps and having absolutely no appetite when you're a waitress and have to be around food all night). I packed myself another arugula salad w/ strawberry vinaigrette, but ended up just eating a little bit of kimchi, a pickle and some grapes and strawberries that my co-worker Kat (who had mentioned that she thought bringing fruit habitually over candy was a good idea) brought for all of us. Day 42: Bust.
Day 43 was busy, but strangely so. Wednesdays are my double days. I managed to get out of work at the Fed fairly early and head to whole foods Chapel hill to pick up some pineapple and kombucha for a snack. Then, only one of my lessons showed up. The whole day. I finally got back home at about 7, where I worked on LAM! LAM! 2.0 until 8, when we left to play a show at Craig's House in Durham with Just Friends (Ex Fake Accents/Puberty) and So Cow, who were both rad. So Cow are on tour from Ireland and if you dig the Beach Boys, Hefner, or twee pop in general, you should check their schedule and see if they'll be near you. It'd be, as they say, "grand." We got home from the show at 4am, when I realized I'd consumed all of, oh, about 150 calories and promptly shoved an avocado down my throat. So, two days where I probably coulda eaten a little more.
I won't lie, these extra six days are really starting to wear on me. I placed an order from Veganessentials of shit that is sure to make me sick as a dog on Easter Sunday. I HATE having to choose a vegan online shop. Did anyone else notice that Cosmo's seems to have an exclusive on the reduced fat vegenaise (PS OMFG reduced fat vegenaise!)? While VE has all the Larsen stuff (which makes sense, I suppose). Either way, my list of stuff due to arrive on Day 44 is as follows:
Daiya Shredded Vegan Cheese - Cheddar
Daiya Shredded Vegan Cheese - Italian
Organic Cowgirl Veggie Steaks by Viana
Organic Chickin Fillets by Viana
Seven Grain Crispy "Chicken" Tenders by Gardein
Match Meat Vegan Meat Alternatives - Crab
Vegan Sliced Baked Ham by Pure Vegetarian
Liz Lovely Artisan Cookies - Goats A' Grazin'
Liz Lovely Artisan Cookies - Snicker Dudes
Organic Tofu Elbow Macaroni
Bow Wow Bon Bons Truffles by Rescue Chocolate (SIDEBAR: these profit animals, choose these as yr truffles!)
So I can't wait for this stuff to come! :)
Day 43 was busy, but strangely so. Wednesdays are my double days. I managed to get out of work at the Fed fairly early and head to whole foods Chapel hill to pick up some pineapple and kombucha for a snack. Then, only one of my lessons showed up. The whole day. I finally got back home at about 7, where I worked on LAM! LAM! 2.0 until 8, when we left to play a show at Craig's House in Durham with Just Friends (Ex Fake Accents/Puberty) and So Cow, who were both rad. So Cow are on tour from Ireland and if you dig the Beach Boys, Hefner, or twee pop in general, you should check their schedule and see if they'll be near you. It'd be, as they say, "grand." We got home from the show at 4am, when I realized I'd consumed all of, oh, about 150 calories and promptly shoved an avocado down my throat. So, two days where I probably coulda eaten a little more.
I won't lie, these extra six days are really starting to wear on me. I placed an order from Veganessentials of shit that is sure to make me sick as a dog on Easter Sunday. I HATE having to choose a vegan online shop. Did anyone else notice that Cosmo's seems to have an exclusive on the reduced fat vegenaise (PS OMFG reduced fat vegenaise!)? While VE has all the Larsen stuff (which makes sense, I suppose). Either way, my list of stuff due to arrive on Day 44 is as follows:
Daiya Shredded Vegan Cheese - Cheddar
Daiya Shredded Vegan Cheese - Italian
Organic Cowgirl Veggie Steaks by Viana
Organic Chickin Fillets by Viana
Seven Grain Crispy "Chicken" Tenders by Gardein
Match Meat Vegan Meat Alternatives - Crab
Vegan Sliced Baked Ham by Pure Vegetarian
Liz Lovely Artisan Cookies - Goats A' Grazin'
Liz Lovely Artisan Cookies - Snicker Dudes
Organic Tofu Elbow Macaroni
Bow Wow Bon Bons Truffles by Rescue Chocolate (SIDEBAR: these profit animals, choose these as yr truffles!)
So I can't wait for this stuff to come! :)
Friday, March 26, 2010
40 46 Days of Raw: Day 37
So I retried almond milk now that I got a nut milk bag and I can say with authority: NEVER MAKE ALMOND MILK WITHOUT A MILK BAG. It's ridiculous. Wonderful.
Not wanting to waste almond meal, I pulled together a quick recipe for raw cookies.
Raw Thumbprint Dough Cookies
~1 cup (the leftover from making almond milk) almond meal (still wet is ok!)
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp raw cacao nibs
1 banana, mashed
1/2 tsp psyllium husk
1/2 c mulberries
8-10 raspberries
agave nectar/maple syrup/honey
Mash almond meal with banana, maca, and psillium. Add cacao nibs and mulberries, mix well, then form into balls. Press into small discs, place a dot of syrup on top to hold a raspberry in place (a little syrup on top too if you like) then enjoy! :)
I also made some chia gel with coconut water instead of regular water to make a sort of chia "jello." For lunch, I polished off the rest of my Go Raw granola with some almond milk and some white Chia. Obviously, I got a few fun things in the mail yesterday, one of which was chia. Chia is a south american seed, a big component in "chia goodness" and has a light, nutty flavor on its own and a tapioca-like consistency. I've been eating the Chia Goodness cereal, but also dropping chia seeds into other food. Aside from being very filling, it also has lots of soluble fiber, water (from the absorption) and beneficial fats. I also got some psyllium husk powder which I'm going to try and get into my body to promote that soluble fiber stuff. Lastly, I ordered some maca powder and cacao nibs.
Me and Mississippi played tennis on what was a beautiful day (intermittent winds, 78 degrees, sunny). Then I came home and planted some raspberry bushes. For dinner, I made raw spaghetti with sauce. I processed some sun dried tomatoes and walnuts into the sauce, but for some reason really wasn't feeling it, so I mixed up an alfalfa sprout, tomato and avocado salad with some balsamic vinaigrette and ate that.
I went to see Free Electric State and Veelee at Tir Na Nog in Raleigh. I have not seen either band since last year, and while both were good, I was straight blown away by Veelee's somewhat anthropological approach to music. From Ginger's drumming paraphernalia (maracas, noisemakers etc) to Matt's almost digeridoo pedaltones, to the wordless vocalizing that permeates so many of their songs. I can't really describe the music except that it is turquoise and entrancing.
Listened to some of our new tracks on the way home, discussed the new Ted Leo and Titus Andronicus. Ate a grapefruit, passed out. A good day.
Not wanting to waste almond meal, I pulled together a quick recipe for raw cookies.
Raw Thumbprint Dough Cookies
~1 cup (the leftover from making almond milk) almond meal (still wet is ok!)
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp raw cacao nibs
1 banana, mashed
1/2 tsp psyllium husk
1/2 c mulberries
8-10 raspberries
agave nectar/maple syrup/honey
Mash almond meal with banana, maca, and psillium. Add cacao nibs and mulberries, mix well, then form into balls. Press into small discs, place a dot of syrup on top to hold a raspberry in place (a little syrup on top too if you like) then enjoy! :)
I also made some chia gel with coconut water instead of regular water to make a sort of chia "jello." For lunch, I polished off the rest of my Go Raw granola with some almond milk and some white Chia. Obviously, I got a few fun things in the mail yesterday, one of which was chia. Chia is a south american seed, a big component in "chia goodness" and has a light, nutty flavor on its own and a tapioca-like consistency. I've been eating the Chia Goodness cereal, but also dropping chia seeds into other food. Aside from being very filling, it also has lots of soluble fiber, water (from the absorption) and beneficial fats. I also got some psyllium husk powder which I'm going to try and get into my body to promote that soluble fiber stuff. Lastly, I ordered some maca powder and cacao nibs.
Me and Mississippi played tennis on what was a beautiful day (intermittent winds, 78 degrees, sunny). Then I came home and planted some raspberry bushes. For dinner, I made raw spaghetti with sauce. I processed some sun dried tomatoes and walnuts into the sauce, but for some reason really wasn't feeling it, so I mixed up an alfalfa sprout, tomato and avocado salad with some balsamic vinaigrette and ate that.
I went to see Free Electric State and Veelee at Tir Na Nog in Raleigh. I have not seen either band since last year, and while both were good, I was straight blown away by Veelee's somewhat anthropological approach to music. From Ginger's drumming paraphernalia (maracas, noisemakers etc) to Matt's almost digeridoo pedaltones, to the wordless vocalizing that permeates so many of their songs. I can't really describe the music except that it is turquoise and entrancing.
Listened to some of our new tracks on the way home, discussed the new Ted Leo and Titus Andronicus. Ate a grapefruit, passed out. A good day.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
40 Days of Raw: Day 33
Day 33: This afternoon, I made a snack of Go Raw Granola with Almond Milk and a canteloupe and sat down to watch the new phenomenon, Me and My Dick!
I've included the first number (the entire play is available on youtube, just let it play in sequence), and I have to say, it's pretty hilarious.
I also pulled together some radish and cabbage slaw for dinner (nothing to write home about, though) as well as some chia and strawberries. The Mac Cheese doesn't seem to be fermenting at the rate described, but the whey has the right scent at least. I'll keep you posted. Apparently this recipe has won all kinds of awards and things, but right now it tastes exactly the same as it did when I pulled it out. Wait and see, I guess.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
40 Days of Raw: Day 32
So, an immensely busy day...
Woke up and went to teach. Several lesson cancellations today gave me 40 minutes to hit Whole Foods and grab a salad and some Vitacoco. After work, I went to Bed Bath to get some Cheesecloth so I could strain out my almond milk and get to work on some Mac Cheese from Really Really Raw Food. It's "maturing" right now.
Last night, Pink Flag played at the Local 506 with Pariah Piranha, 8" Betsy (with whom we'll be releasing a 7") and Athens Boys Choir, who was really funny.
Rob from the Dirty Little Heaters let me onto a little secret; Med Deli in Chapel Hill now has free pickles at their condiment bar, so we got a little snack and ate tons of pickles. So, Triangle-ites, be warned, there are pickles, but when I'm in the hood, there will be none!
I also made a chia snack when I came home, then settled into bed before getting up again this AM.
Woke up and went to teach. Several lesson cancellations today gave me 40 minutes to hit Whole Foods and grab a salad and some Vitacoco. After work, I went to Bed Bath to get some Cheesecloth so I could strain out my almond milk and get to work on some Mac Cheese from Really Really Raw Food. It's "maturing" right now.
Last night, Pink Flag played at the Local 506 with Pariah Piranha, 8" Betsy (with whom we'll be releasing a 7") and Athens Boys Choir, who was really funny.
Rob from the Dirty Little Heaters let me onto a little secret; Med Deli in Chapel Hill now has free pickles at their condiment bar, so we got a little snack and ate tons of pickles. So, Triangle-ites, be warned, there are pickles, but when I'm in the hood, there will be none!
I also made a chia snack when I came home, then settled into bed before getting up again this AM.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
40 Days of Raw: Days 25-28
Day 25:
Headed into Manhattan for a "day o fun" following our tepid show in the bronx. We hunted for basses for Dork at Southside, Ludlow and First Flight. Thing I never knew: guitar shops that are pretty cool for guitars tend to stock only 8-10 basses at a time. Bleh. Sick got pancakes at Clinton St. Baking Company and said they were quite tasty. I talked Dork into getting the Soul Chicken sandwich at Red Bamboo (Since my last trip, it has haunted me in a way no sandwich has haunted me since the Cajun Seitan at Candle Cafe). She thoroughly enjoyed it. I hit up Quintessence and ordered the chips and dip (and oh, holy joy, having the mouth feel of something resembling a complex carb again was wonderful!) as well as the malai kofta, which I wolfed down directly after the guac and salsa. I also stopped off at One Lucky Duck, Pure food and wine's take out joint. I got a raw lasagna as well as a tira misu and a mallomar.
Here's where it gets itchy. On the drive back, I started to feel sick. Pungently sick to my stomach. At home, the girls ordered in NY pizza and I poked at my lasagna. It was totally unappealing since my stomach felt like it had been stabbed. I ended up eating the desserts (bless my sweet tooth) which were totally delicious. I got sick that night and was not right in the stomach until...well, I'm still working on it. I curled up in my mom's bed and drank water and hoped it would be over soon. I can only assume one of two things happened:
1 - I was allergic to a crucial ingredient in the malai kofta. I am slightly allergic to carrots, but not enough to cause that much distress without eating a whole bag of them.
2 - There was too much oil or something I am no longer used to eating in the meal.
I think 2 is more likely, since the thing I found least appealing about the faux lasagna was the overly generous cashew ricotta. I actually ended up eating just the zucchini, tomato and tomato sauce out of the layers and leaving the rest picked at, then moved onto a salad.
Day 26:
Woke up, still sick to the stomach. Watched Sick and Dork eat NY bagels. My mom packed a whole bunch up, which are now sitting in my freezer along with the whole foods veggie burgers for Easter. Yay bagels! I had a couple of pickles and a banana for breakfast, a banana for lunch, a banana for dinner (bananas are supposed to be binding). I drank kombucha as well, hoping to give my flora a fighting chance. The girls stopped off at Pat's for some cheesesteaks. Last time I was in town, I hit up Giana's for what was probably my first and last vegan cheesesteak.
On the way into Philly, we were stuck for about 2 hours in Camden, NJ because the road looked like the pictures I've added. No, that's not a lake, that's Hwy 30. We got to the Terrordome and played with some amazing bands, like Big Attack, The Teenage Whore Moans (it was unfortunately their last show, but they were GREAT!) and Joe Jack Talcum (dead milkmen omfG!). The show was really cool and we were happy to have a good night. We drove about 4 1/2 hours home before things started getting bad, so we pulled over, slept an hour until I peed in my pants a little then got back on the road. Home in Durham by 9:30am.
Day 27:
Still, sadly, not totally right in the stomach, I reached for another banana in the morning and then slept most of the day away. Finally at around 6, I got up the strength to attempt to put some real food in me. I did asparagus, two ways.
Way 1: Creamy asparagus soup, from Goneraw. I actually was not overly impressed by this recipe. Too much lime and just a little...off somehow.
Way 2: Noochy spars
This worked much better for me. I ran the asparagus under hot tap water (about 115*) for about a minute until they turned a little greener, then diced 'em up fine with some radishes. I poured some homemade balsamic vinaigrette over the top then sprinkled with some homemade parma. Can you say good? It was!
After getting a taste of parma again, I also pulled together some grated zucchini "pasta" with some evoo and parma to try and recreate a favorite comfort food (spinach noodles with margarine and parma. so simple, so tasty). It didn't quite hit the same high as my noochy spars, but it was pretty good.
Day 28:
Today, I was a bum and used more produce my mom gave me. Made a banana, flax seed and agave pudding for bfast, then snacked on an apple, some almonds, a yellow pepper and have some cut up broccoli sitting next to me now that might get bumped until the morning. So, until then...thanks for watching, bloggers. Someone asked me tonight what my first food out of the gate will be when I am done with my 100% raw challenge. Any suggestions? Those bagels in my freezer seem like a pretty good call right now...but even more so, I'm craving some Daiya (to be reviewed very soon...not enough testing completed!)
Headed into Manhattan for a "day o fun" following our tepid show in the bronx. We hunted for basses for Dork at Southside, Ludlow and First Flight. Thing I never knew: guitar shops that are pretty cool for guitars tend to stock only 8-10 basses at a time. Bleh. Sick got pancakes at Clinton St. Baking Company and said they were quite tasty. I talked Dork into getting the Soul Chicken sandwich at Red Bamboo (Since my last trip, it has haunted me in a way no sandwich has haunted me since the Cajun Seitan at Candle Cafe). She thoroughly enjoyed it. I hit up Quintessence and ordered the chips and dip (and oh, holy joy, having the mouth feel of something resembling a complex carb again was wonderful!) as well as the malai kofta, which I wolfed down directly after the guac and salsa. I also stopped off at One Lucky Duck, Pure food and wine's take out joint. I got a raw lasagna as well as a tira misu and a mallomar.
Here's where it gets itchy. On the drive back, I started to feel sick. Pungently sick to my stomach. At home, the girls ordered in NY pizza and I poked at my lasagna. It was totally unappealing since my stomach felt like it had been stabbed. I ended up eating the desserts (bless my sweet tooth) which were totally delicious. I got sick that night and was not right in the stomach until...well, I'm still working on it. I curled up in my mom's bed and drank water and hoped it would be over soon. I can only assume one of two things happened:
1 - I was allergic to a crucial ingredient in the malai kofta. I am slightly allergic to carrots, but not enough to cause that much distress without eating a whole bag of them.
2 - There was too much oil or something I am no longer used to eating in the meal.
I think 2 is more likely, since the thing I found least appealing about the faux lasagna was the overly generous cashew ricotta. I actually ended up eating just the zucchini, tomato and tomato sauce out of the layers and leaving the rest picked at, then moved onto a salad.
Day 26:Woke up, still sick to the stomach. Watched Sick and Dork eat NY bagels. My mom packed a whole bunch up, which are now sitting in my freezer along with the whole foods veggie burgers for Easter. Yay bagels! I had a couple of pickles and a banana for breakfast, a banana for lunch, a banana for dinner (bananas are supposed to be binding). I drank kombucha as well, hoping to give my flora a fighting chance. The girls stopped off at Pat's for some cheesesteaks. Last time I was in town, I hit up Giana's for what was probably my first and last vegan cheesesteak.
On the way into Philly, we were stuck for about 2 hours in Camden, NJ because the road looked like the pictures I've added. No, that's not a lake, that's Hwy 30. We got to the Terrordome and played with some amazing bands, like Big Attack, The Teenage Whore Moans (it was unfortunately their last show, but they were GREAT!) and Joe Jack Talcum (dead milkmen omfG!). The show was really cool and we were happy to have a good night. We drove about 4 1/2 hours home before things started getting bad, so we pulled over, slept an hour until I peed in my pants a little then got back on the road. Home in Durham by 9:30am.
Day 27:
Still, sadly, not totally right in the stomach, I reached for another banana in the morning and then slept most of the day away. Finally at around 6, I got up the strength to attempt to put some real food in me. I did asparagus, two ways.
Way 1: Creamy asparagus soup, from Goneraw. I actually was not overly impressed by this recipe. Too much lime and just a little...off somehow.
Way 2: Noochy spars
This worked much better for me. I ran the asparagus under hot tap water (about 115*) for about a minute until they turned a little greener, then diced 'em up fine with some radishes. I poured some homemade balsamic vinaigrette over the top then sprinkled with some homemade parma. Can you say good? It was!
After getting a taste of parma again, I also pulled together some grated zucchini "pasta" with some evoo and parma to try and recreate a favorite comfort food (spinach noodles with margarine and parma. so simple, so tasty). It didn't quite hit the same high as my noochy spars, but it was pretty good.
Day 28:
Today, I was a bum and used more produce my mom gave me. Made a banana, flax seed and agave pudding for bfast, then snacked on an apple, some almonds, a yellow pepper and have some cut up broccoli sitting next to me now that might get bumped until the morning. So, until then...thanks for watching, bloggers. Someone asked me tonight what my first food out of the gate will be when I am done with my 100% raw challenge. Any suggestions? Those bagels in my freezer seem like a pretty good call right now...but even more so, I'm craving some Daiya (to be reviewed very soon...not enough testing completed!)
Saturday, March 13, 2010
40 Days of Raw: Days 21-24
Haikus for the tour days
Day 21:
on the precipice
no groceries, I rely
on the salad bar
(romaine, cabbage, broccoli, beets, peppers, strawberries, cukes)
Day 22:
pretty much the same
as day 21 foodwise
but with raw crunch bar
Day 23:
Yabba pot is whack
except their salad dressing
which I hope was raw
(for all the pontificating the Yabba Pot website does, or used to do, since it appears to be down now, I was shocked that they didn't have a SINGLE raw item on the menu and had to ask for a salad)
Day 24:
Getting by on juice
my mom stocked the fridge for me
oh, produce delight!
(and my dad bought the awesome veggie burgers from Whole Foods Manhasset which is so sad for me :()
----
By the way, my band, Pink Flag is on tour which means limited time on the internet and also a lot less food. We practiced for our tour with The Shakes and Astronomers at a secret Chapel Hill show, and since, we've been to Wilmington NC and played with Cheap Girls; Arbutus, MD where we played and had a slumber party with the ADORABLE and totally worth checking out Math the Band; and played Bronx NY tonight on a last minute show with Empire, Two O'Clock Courage, The Kezners, Smile Why Not and Soho Violet.
Tomorrow I plan to hit Quintessence and/or Angelica Kitchen and/or Pure Food and wine OR SOMETHING YOU RECOMMEND. I also found out today that I've been cheating a little by drinking Odwalla smoothies, which I realized today are "flash pasteurized"...whoops. However, besides bananas and apples, they're pretty much the best calorie food I can get at rest stops. We're also going bassssss shopping! Yay!
I'll probably wait to update again until I get home from tour on Sunday. Still looking for NYC and Philly recs :)
----
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
40 Days of Raw: Day 13 & 14
Guys, I'm not going to lie, day 13 was a doozy. My roommate bought some sourdough bread which tempted me the whole morning. I fixed myself a bowl of ultra spicy kimchi and tried mixing it with the raw hummus I made, which essentially rendered both elements totally unappetizing, so I ended up just swishing it around in my bowl and not eating it. I didn't include a picture because it looks grody. So naturally, when I got to work there was an amazing vegetarian (easily veganized) dish on the specials and I also sold about 15 orders of the hummus plate (which is my staple meal on shift). The scent of hummus and warm pita was kind of overwhelming.
I left work and ran to the Local 506 to catch Pretty and Nice, who stayed over. They were quite enamored with my homemade fermented veggies as well as my darling puppies. Having essentially not eaten all day, I cut up some celery into the kimchi, which helped ease some of the spice. I think next time I'll try cutting radish into it. We stayed up way too late and were planning to try and get up and maybe hit Elmo's diner this morning like we did last time, but work and tour schedule interfered. Alas. Anyway, if you've never heard them, check them out. I believe you can (with some ease) find and download the song Tora Tora Tora, which is pretty rad and the reason I ended up buying their cool, off-kilter pop album.
Day 14: dippy.
Today I set aside about an hour to go to the store, since all I had to eat were pickles, kimchi and that hummus. Of course, I was famished by the time I arrived, wandered the aisles in a stupor and ended up leaving the store with half the ingredients actually required to make pretty much anything worth a damn. Fortunately, I'm crafty. For late lunch I whipped up a Broc and Guac-- avo diluted by peas after I read this scary article on goneraw.com which decries the high fat diets of many raw foodists and blames fatigue and illness on them (I have been tired! I do need energy! This made me feel like I was reading an infomercial.). It was SO delicious.
I hung out with some friends
and slowly but surely my blood glucose dropped and dropped to the point that I got a bit of a headache, got giddy and then got a BAD headache. Having not eaten in almost 10 hours, I took my food processor into the basement when I got home and made the creamed spinach dip from goneraw.com while pounding coconut water to try and bring some quick sugar into my blood stream. Can I tell you something? This dip rocks. It ROCKS. It is awesome. When I am no longer raw, I'm gonna buy some rye bread, spread this all over it and refuse to leave the house until it's all gone. Either way, it's still pretty good with cauliflower. :)
Days 13 & 14: Not my best. But stickin to it.
I left work and ran to the Local 506 to catch Pretty and Nice, who stayed over. They were quite enamored with my homemade fermented veggies as well as my darling puppies. Having essentially not eaten all day, I cut up some celery into the kimchi, which helped ease some of the spice. I think next time I'll try cutting radish into it. We stayed up way too late and were planning to try and get up and maybe hit Elmo's diner this morning like we did last time, but work and tour schedule interfered. Alas. Anyway, if you've never heard them, check them out. I believe you can (with some ease) find and download the song Tora Tora Tora, which is pretty rad and the reason I ended up buying their cool, off-kilter pop album.
Day 14: dippy.
Today I set aside about an hour to go to the store, since all I had to eat were pickles, kimchi and that hummus. Of course, I was famished by the time I arrived, wandered the aisles in a stupor and ended up leaving the store with half the ingredients actually required to make pretty much anything worth a damn. Fortunately, I'm crafty. For late lunch I whipped up a Broc and Guac-- avo diluted by peas after I read this scary article on goneraw.com which decries the high fat diets of many raw foodists and blames fatigue and illness on them (I have been tired! I do need energy! This made me feel like I was reading an infomercial.). It was SO delicious.I hung out with some friends
and slowly but surely my blood glucose dropped and dropped to the point that I got a bit of a headache, got giddy and then got a BAD headache. Having not eaten in almost 10 hours, I took my food processor into the basement when I got home and made the creamed spinach dip from goneraw.com while pounding coconut water to try and bring some quick sugar into my blood stream. Can I tell you something? This dip rocks. It ROCKS. It is awesome. When I am no longer raw, I'm gonna buy some rye bread, spread this all over it and refuse to leave the house until it's all gone. Either way, it's still pretty good with cauliflower. :)Days 13 & 14: Not my best. But stickin to it.
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