When I moved to Denver in 2010, the plan was for me to open a vintage store, similar to the ones I love on S. Congress in Austin. However, when I realized just how vibrant the music scene was here, I put the store dream on pause to spread the good word of new music. I’ve reached the part of my life where being grounded in one place sounds like a dream once again, and am so excited to be opening STNDRD this Sunday, May 31st in the Highlands.
Vintage clothing emporium it is NOT. In fact, it’s the exact opposite – the latest streetwear fashions and newest trends by brands I am crazy about that don’t fall apart. Check out the STNDRD blog HERE for styling tips and new releases!
We got in at 4:30, just enough time to get settled and catch a great sunset down at Hendry’s. The pink sky turning the ocean pink showed why the place is so expensive.
Dogs have nice little day cares around here.
Seeing Phish at Santa Barbara Bowl was a treat. The top corner with the ocean view was full of CO people itching to stare at water. Second night our neighbors were two men who had been married 42 years and had it all figured out. “I have nothing to do! I walk my dog!”. Told us to invest in commercial/residential property.
1. Awolnation “Knights of Shame” – This song is three years old, but I only recently realized Awolnation was far better than the “radio band” I had dismissed them as, so I’m sharing this in case anyone else did the same. As a big Grateful Dead and Phish fan, I crave seamless transitions, and this song manages to do so a dozen or more times; they effortlessly bounce into different themes and musical genres while maintaining a solid mid tempo beat that lets the other segments fit like perfect pieces of a puzzle, one after the other. On top of all the Gorillaz style ambiance, the lyrics are simple and soulful, touching and distant. “Waiting on a heartbeat, can any body hear me?” gives me a beautiful but empty feeling the way David Bowie does in “Space Oddity”:
2. BABYMETAL “Doki Doki Morning” – When this J-Pop wondertrio opened for Lady Gaga in Denver, I was really excited expecting saccharine sweet melodies and choreography. They brought all that, however, the drum kit with double bass drums showed that there was something more to the mix and once the music started it filled the entire stadium with a furious tribal pounding. This music is probably not for everyone, but for me it’s the perfect mix of soft/hard that I crave in pop music:
3. Wand “Flying Golem” – Signed to Ty Segall’s God? Records, Wand brings an extra hooky, jubilant side to the roster. When they explode it’s powerful, as evident on their single “Flying Golem” that has been on steady repeat all summer:
4. Yung Gleesh “Since When” – The first time I heard Yung Gleesh I thought it was some of the worst music I had ever heard. Yet I kept searching for more songs and next thing you know I think the guy is a comic genius. Something about his leaned out marble-mouthed voice does it for me, and I can’t help but crack up watching his videos. “Since When” is his latest song, using his upper and lower registers almost as if they are two different characters:
5. Wampire “Wizard Staff” – Anyone who was a fan of their first album will instantly recognize that these guys and their sound have completely grown. Adding three members obviously makes their sound much larger, and they sound like they are having a lot more fun:
A few months ago I took a chance and met up with Tsunami Publicity to see if they would teach me the ropes of Music Public Relations. It’s been a whirlwind of learning and hard work, culminating into the very successful ARISE Music Festival in Loveland, CO a couple of weekends ago. On my list of goals is “have a radio at the show”, so it was exciting to cross that one off the list. Can’t wait to start representing bands and helping them reach their full potential, I’ve still got a lot to learn, though.
When I saw that Juliana Hatfield covered Elliott Smith’s “Needle in the Hay” for the new Wes Anderson tribute off American Laundromat, I flipped with excitement at the thought of her breathy vocals doing the song justice. She performs a beautiful version that doesn’t stray far from the feel of the original, but when the drum machine comes in it’s pure Juliana. I love when she layers her vocals, and here they sound beautiful and odd, lending a discordant turn to the end of the song.
The French Quarter is so thick with history and juxtaposition, you don’t even need Bourbon Street alcohol to become intoxicated. I attended a wedding there a couple weekends ago, and it was my first time back since I quit drinking (today is 990 days, almost to 1,000!). Before the trip I was worried that I would have a frustrating time, but the second the plane landed and I heard the first Louisiana accent, all was at ease. My family goes back generations in Louisiana, and it felt like a warm hug just walking the streets that zillions of cousins had also pranced upon. I got up early to get some photos with minimal people in them; just dozens of skaters and German tour groups.
William Faulkner house. A literary tour came into the lovely quiet bookstore inside and the tour guide said “No one knows where the Creole people came from.” What? Almost wanted to take over the tour. Instead I went to the serene historical Catholic church next door and thought about loved ones, as these are my mornings now that they lack hangovers.
LaLaurie House- famous house where a famed socialite tortured slaves, owned by Nicholas Cage for awhile and used as a location on American Horror Story, read more here:
Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop- a bar you can still have a great time in even if you aren’t drinking. Just sit in the dark, cool back of the bar and soak in the history. This place is so mythical to me, that I once lived in an old Victorian carriage home that looked like it:
Always have to pay respect and sit and judge people with Ignatius from The Confederacy of Dunces.
Of course, you can’t forget the music. Preservation Jazz Hall was invigorating and fresh as always, but the street buskers stole my heart. I came across 13 Strings and a 2 Dollar Bill and immediately thought “that’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen” about The Notorious Nora Jean. The next day I came across them again, and she was tap-dancing on a wooden pallet while playing the mandolin and singing wearing the cutest Gunne Sax dress. Not to dwell on her looks and style, but I admit that I’ve been wearing railroad stripes, hats, black and dusty boots ever since. They are everything you’d want in a traveling busker duo:
I’m a sucker for an outfit shot in an alley, and the wedding at the House of Blues more than provided. Dress by MSGM
I was absolutely that girl in high school that thought Courtney Love was the perfect grunge goddess, and while I was excited about the recent news of the Hole reunion, a tiny bit of worry sunk in that it would be a in cohesive money grab. Worried for nothing, Courtney Love released her newest single “You Know My Name” yesterday and it’s catchy, raw, melodic; everything you’d want in a Hole song. With an anthemic punk sound that is still all Courtney, she turns her voice on a dime from whispery cooing to unabashed perfect screaming. Full of edge yet carefully produced, it’s got me ayi-yi-yi-yi-yi-ying all over the place. Listen to “You Know My Name” here:
Iggy Azalea drops her album The New Classic today, and from the first listen it sounds like she’ll be the Queen of the summer. Born in Australia, she moved to Miami at 16 to chase a rap career, got her chops honed working with the ever sexy T.I.and her Clueless-inspired video for “Fancy” with Charlie XCX has been playing every time I get in the car already. With her swaggery Missy Elliott cadences and appreciation for dancehall, Iggy brings something unique and good-weird to the table. Watch “Fancy” here, I only wish she had worn a white Calvin Klein dress for the party scene:
Penthouse Magazine published some of my photos in their piece on Puff, Pass and Paint for the May Issue, and I think it’s the best thing ever. It was quite an adventure trying to track it down, I went into every creepy gas station on Colfax, Barnes & Noble, and even waited outside erotic store Romantix for the second they opened like some total weirdo. Then there was the guy that dropped the women’s bodybuilding magazine when I walked up on him at Wal-Mart (they don’t carry Penthouse). It’s easier to find nudie mags in the woods!
With a lurching haunted house beat, the new Swans song “A Little God In My Hands”, it’s hard to tell if you should be scared or dancing. Explosive blasts of noise and horns are layered over the steady pattern, brought to futuristic swamprock heights with a repetitive, muffled chorus of robotic voices and sonic screams of feedback. Their new album To Be Kind comes out on May 13th, with collaboration from St. Vincent’s Annie Clark, among others.
leslieloudspeaker 