Sunday, December 28, 2008

Christmas Report ~ Food, Music, Love

Ahem. I love this time of year. Despite the sad reminder about my mom no longer here, there are still plenty of things I enjoy. One of them is the silence.

I am feeling inspired today, and I think I'll play my guitar and maybe mando too, after writing this blog.

Warning: I use the word "cute" a lot.

I want to talk a lil' about how my Christmas went. Christmas Eve was nice. Tony and I went to his dad's. I received a lovely brown silk scarf, with opium poppies on it (and an Odetta CD, hadn't heard of her. They get it! I really like it so much...We played some fun games, where you have to team up. Tony was so cute! He was a good teammate. He had to act stuff out, draw, and hum little tunes.

My gift to his Dad was a Buche de Noel. I spent 2 days slaving in the kitchen making it with precise attention to the recipe, and it came out fabulous. Brandy, jelly roll, mocha buttercream, chocolate glaze, candied rosemary sprigs and cranberries. It stole the show of the entire meal!! It was fun as f*** to make too. Very exhausting, but I knew it would please. Tony said he'd post a picture of it...It was too cute. He and his dad took pix of it like paparazzi!! My cake loved up the attention...!

The next day we hung out at Tony's urban ranch-loft. {My dad got him a bolo tie with the Texas State Seal on it.} Tony impressed me with a selection of apps - ricotta, peppers, olives, and crostini, which I love. Jeezus, when did I become such a foodie?! He also made a special crack-of-dawn pilgrimage to the North End on Christmas Eve to procure fresh pastries - cannoli, an assortment of little cakes (Napoleon, and others) and chocolate dipped ficelles.

I got some really cool gifts, including the Geroge Kovacs Bling Bling lamp I had wanted so much and the New Order CD, which I've listened to every day since I got it. Makes me wanna buy some synths and pump out dance music. Alas, I have no patience for tedious programming and quantizing:(

But, as I always say, my first stop in a time machine would be the Hacienda. {Next stop would probably be to see Bach play live}

BTW, did you hear? Primal Scream is playing a limited number of US dates in March. Probably gonna go to the NYC show at Webster Hall. That's a pretty cool club. Saw the DDolls there. Stole a white pumpkin that night. Couldn't resist

Labels: , ,

Monday, December 22, 2008

Prime Suspect/Cup of Tea and Sympathy

Current mood: awake
Category: Life

Ah! This time of year is so rough.
Last night I stayed up wrapping Tony's gifts while watching a pretty depressing show - Prime Suspect (Season 7) with Helen Mirren. For those who haven't seen it, Mirren plays a female cop in London who's got a bad drinking problem and whose father is dying of cancer. She is unmarried and has no kids or man in her life; she's totally devoted to her career, and seen as unsympathetic, and a "bitch" by many.

It's cool seeing a show with a female lead. A real woman who has problems and an identity. Not just some hot damsel in distress. There were interviews with Mirren after the episode. I love British actors! They sound so intelligent! No, but it was informative.

Anyway, this morning I had a terrible nightmarish dream just before I awoke. In the dream, the band was playing a show in some kind of auditorium. People were adjusting lights, and fine-tuning things. I had forgotten the merch, and Joe sent Carrie out to get it. I was seriously stressing out because I couldn't remember any chords and we were about to start, and a fair crowd was assembled. The dream felt real!

Then the doorbell rang, and woke me out of the dream. It was the UPS man with a package from my dad. What a pleasant surprise!

One other note: I recently bought Raw Power on CD, and a copy of Amy Winehouse's "Love is a Losing Game" single. Both are good, but the remixes on the single have been making my ears dance. It's like buying Saint Etienne remixes! So good to my ears!!!!!!! So dancey, and English!!!

Currently listening :
Raw Power
By Iggy & the Stooges
Release date: 2002-01-29

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Winter pensive/Philly show blog

Listening to Alan Watts on WZBC right now, loving it. It's elevating my brain, getting me into a higher space and it feels good. (Don't get here often enough!) His voice is so hypnotic. Only in a place like Big Sur in the 60's could this happen! Not really. That's too simplistic, I know. But I can appreciate the massive spiritual awakening that took place then and there. California like my Texas - big wide open space. Deep cleansing breath...

Last night, I spent some quality time writing in my journal about my thoughts and feelings, and my life in general. I also practiced my flute and my mando for a session today. Recording for my dear friends Abunai! It's too bad they broke up. Their stuff is so good!

This time before Christmas is my favorite time of the winter. A very special time when things get quiet and I have some psychic silence. I am grateful for it. For the mental acorns I store up get digested and processed at this time. Processed into something hopefully more beautiful,expressive and meaningful.

The snow has fallen, and continues to cascade in a sparkling parade of liquid crystal. People seem cheerful about it - the first real snow of the season. Tomorrow is the winter solstice.

Last weekend I did a show with Martin Bisi and his band in Philly. I'm getting to travel more it seems. My old roomie Brian Viglione was playing drums on the gig, and it was good to catch up with him some. He's been pretty busy with The Dresden Dolls the past 7 years. Now he's full time with World Inferno...

Anyway, I had never been to Philly before, so that's exciting. Being a musician is great - going on the road, seeing new places, meeting people. Though it has the potential to suck, too. But this was great. Our ride was a mini schoolbus, borrowed from Barbez. Very styling and comfy ride! We rolled in, admiring the Christmas displays fine Philly offered. We loaded into Danger Danger Gallery, where we played. Kinda like Pan 9 meets a more humble Zeitgeist. Then some of us went to dinner with friends of Brian (a photographer who took lots of dead Amanda Palmer pics and his girlfriend). Then we went and got coffee and a treat from Satellite - a hip coffee haus. Finally, we headed over to the venue. I hung out in the green room, mostly until we played. There was a charmingly cute, but mischievous cat named Delphy there. At one point, she attacvked the fur collar on my coat, and I got scratched. That was my tour injury! Ha ha - a cat scratch. Thank goodness I had my trusty Neosporin on me. DJ Butterface needed it too, though.

Anyway, the band sounded f***ing great! We had a lot of fun. Some guy who was a fan of Martin's showed up, and we sold him a CD ( and a Black Fortress disc).

The next day, Martin and I had brunch at my fave Park Slope haunt of Moutarde - an excellent French place. We both had the Eggs Copenhagen. I had the most purrfect cappuccino there, too. Yum. Then we headed over to Other Music in Manhattan for me to take care of some business. Then I walked down Bowery to Grand, and hopped on the bus in time to get back to Beantown.

Hung out with Tony at Brian Carpenter's place that night, all trading gig stories, listening to cool music (Sonic Youth, Morricone, The Cure, etc.), and feasting on sugary treats.

Labels: ,