Current favorite tracks from each artist below. I know, I know, I’m like Santa!
“Into the Mirror,” Minus the Bear (this one is soooo sexy, I love it)
“Citizen,” Broken Bells
“Promises,” The Morning Benders
3. I am in love with NYC. I visited some friends there a few weeks ago and had the BEST. TIME. EVER. I want to move there. For serious.
Yes, this is a REAL picture I took.
4. I am going to Vegas THREE times in the next 5 weeks. Yes, I am insanely crazy. Pray for me. PS if you don’t remember how I normally experience Vegas, refresh your memory here. Now REALLY pray for me.
5. I saw Two Door Cinema Club perform at Bardot and they rocked my socks off. 6. I went to a Brown Bag Party recently and it was a TRIP. Don’t know what that is? Well, I have two words for you–sex toys. Yowza!
7. I really am digging the two new albums from The National and The Black Keys. I highly suggest you download both of them ASAP and prepare for eargasms. Also check out The Black Keys’ “Tighten Up” music video. It is extremely cute and silly and you can see it here.
8. Lastly, I am thoroughly enjoying the new Local Natives video for “World News.” It’s just a little bundle of joy, (mind you, I don’t totally get it, but it still has very warm & fuzzy vibes). View it below.
Sorry about this seemingly random and disjointed post. I’ll be back with something more substantial soon enough. But for now, I give you just a ‘lil taste of me life. Laterz.
Coachella has been over for 2 days and I still can’t stop thinking about how it was one of the BEST. WEEKENDS. EVER. Yes, the festival had its faults, (quite a few of them to be honest), but seeing 22 of your favorite bands in 3 days kind of overshadows any negatives. Here are some of the highlights of my Coachella. (Brace yourself, this is gonna be a long one. It’s worth it though :D )
1. THE MUSIC. The award for the best performance of the weekend goes to La Roux. Holy crap, she was insanely awesome. The audience was SO into it and danced and sang along the entire time. Check out the video I captured of the tail end of “Bulletproof”. Gives me the chilly willies!
Other stellar performances on Friday were Yeasayer (dance party!), She & Him (Zooey Deschanel was so cute and happy), Passion Pit, Vampire Weekend, and of course, Jay Z (with a surprise guest performance by Beyonce herself).
Hot Chip stole the show on Saturday–probably my second favorite performance of the weekend. They rocked out while we all danced our happy tushies off. Other Saturday winners: The XX, Muse, and Tiesto. Tiesto was the closest I’ve ever come to being at a rave and let me tell you it was INSANITY. The verdict? I loved it and had the time of my life dancing with my bestie, Chris! Check out a video clip I took during his set below and watch how the audience’s energy grows and grows as the music builds. Craziness.
Sunday was all about Local Natives! Check out the picture below of the PACKED crowd. Amazing really because the show was at 2pm, which is very early by Coachella standards. Plus, I’d say 90% of these peeps knew the words to most of the songs. Sweetness. Florence & the Machine, Julian Casablancas, and Phoenix also put on some stellar performances on Sunday.
For more videos of Coachella performances that I didn’t capture, check out this Pitchfork article. From the looks of it, Die Antwoord and Major Lazer were huge hits. Wish I had made it to see them, but you can’t be in two places at once, yo!
2. THE VIP TENT. Now that I’ve had VIP, I’m never going back. It’s like a mini safe haven from the packed insanity that is Coachella. Yes, it’s crowded in VIP too, but it’s totally bearable crowded. Plus, they have SUCH yummy food in there with barely any lines. Food winners of the weekend: the SPICY PIZZA station (omg yum) and the Cool Haus booth where I had the most delicious ice cream sandwich (oatmeal cookies with cinnamon ice cream, pictured below).
VIP also had much better bars with more drink options and shorter lines. Another super cool thing? There was a ferris wheel in VIP! A really pretty, colorful one. How random and awesome is that? There was also seating with views of the main stage, shade, and a little fountain that tons of people decided to treat as a pool. Downfall of VIP, however, were the steep prices of food and drinks, but it wasn’t any worse than outside of VIP. Downfall #2, is that VIP costs a shit ton to purchase. Luckily, I got upgraded for free through work.
I’m all smiles in VIP:
3. THE CELEBS. This section is for you, J Dubs. Celeb sightings left and right! Mostly in the VIP tent. Here’s a fun little list of people I saw: Paris and Nicky Hilton, Katy Perry, Pink, Penn Badgley, Kelly Osbourne, Kellen Lutz, JC Chasez (omg NSync), Melanie Griffith (hey there cougar), Whitney Port, Kate Bosworth, Scott Speedman, Anne Hathaway, Mischa Barton, a few more randoms, and then my ALL-TIME FAVORITE: Alex Sarsgard aka Vampire Eric from True Blood! I am not lying when I say that he is the most attractive man I have ever seen in my life. He was standing next to me ordering a drink and had his hand resting on the bar. I decided to place my hand next to his and gawk at the two of our hands next to each other. His were ginormous, very fitting for a vampire. Please check out the creepy photo I took of him in the background. He totes looks all vamped (as in vampired) out in it.
4. RANCHO LAS PALMAS. Our hotel in Rancho Mirage. Loved that place! Our room was really nice with comfy beds and overlooked the golf course. It was also only about 15 minutes from the grounds, which wasn’t too shabby at all. Plus, they had a nice pool we enjoyed lying out by, and they even had water slides and a lazy river that they so aptly named SPLASHtopia! Dana, one of my roomies for the weekend, and I ordered a few Miami Vices (pina colada/strawberry daquiri mix drinks) which were absolutely delicious and made our Coachella weekend feel like a mini tropical vacation. Here I am poolside with my Miami Vice. Sigh. Can I go back?!
5. THE COMPANY. Cell phones did NOT work at the festival, which was a huge annoyance, but whenever I did finally find my friends (or run into ones I wasn’t expecting to see at all!) it was always a very joyful experience. Some encounters were only brief, but everyone I interacted with at Coachella, made my experience a very special one. All of my friends (some old and new!) couldn’t have been more positive, in better spirits and just all around FUN all weekend long. Thanks guys, (you all know who you are), for making this weekend an unforgettable one. Awww, cue cheesy, sappy music.
Me and some of my favorites:
6. THE SHADESTERS. I loved some of the shady shit I saw going on at Coachella. Peeps doing every drug in the book right out in the open? Check. Actual drug deals? Check. Frozen lemonade/churro/pretzel man selling water bottles filled with Jaeger out of his freezer cart? Check. I saw some crazy shit and cannot pretend I did not love every second of it.
7. THE HIPSTERS. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to categorize them as a highlight of my experience or as a negative but I chose the former mainly because they made for SUCH great people watching! Omg, never have I ever seen such crazy outfits in my life. I’ve decided this was the basic formula for most of the hipsters I spotted: Ray Bans wayfarers+tribal inspired headband or straw fedora hat+a ton of bracelets+either an American Apparel body suit, uncomfortably tiny jean shorts, or a romper=hipster success. I may have made an attempt at the hipster look myself, and I must say I feel like I fit in just fine.
Overall, Coachella was bomb diggity. Besides the OBSCENE crowds, the very poor, unprepared staff, the heat, and the total cell phone failure, Coachella rocked my socks off and you will be damned sure I will be all over it again next year. COME WITH!
So I’m minorly/majorly obsessed with Zooey Deschanel. Reasons why you should be too:
1. She’s in a great indie band, She & Him. They just released their sophomore album called Volume Two that I’ve been loving lately. Their music has an old pop, vintagey sound. Check out their super cute music video for their latest single below.
2. She’s a really stellar actress. Have you seen 500 Days of Summer? Great movie. She was also in Elf. Love Elf! (PS is it weird that I have now blogged TWICE about the movie, Elf?!)
4. She is in a really cute cotton commercial. This commercial just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Watch it below.
5. She has a super cute retro style. I never could pull this off but she does so flawlessly. Can I BE this woman?! Sigh.
6. Um, did I mention she’s gorgeous? Yeah. Mad girl crush!
7. Last but not least, I LOVE the name Zooey. I’ve decided to name my future daughter that. So future husband, if you’re out there reading this, you better like the name too.
Creeped out a little bit by this post? No worries, I am too.
There are a few things that are really making me smile at the moment. The first thing is Hot Chip’s new music video for “I Feel Better”. These dudes have succeeded in making another hilarious music video that you cannot help but laugh out loud too. It is ridiculous without being cheesy, and they manage to gain cool points despite the utter absurdity of this video. Check it out below and SMILE. :)
Second, is the SUNLIGHT! I absolutely LOVE how it is still light outside when I leave the office. It genuinely makes me feel happier and puts me in better spirits. Mmm, I love you, Mr. Sun (yes, that’s his name). Here’s a super awesome song that is basically an ode to Mr. Sun that makes me smile too. It’s called “Sun Hands”, by Local Natives, (who are ridiculously amazing btdubs. My company manages them now and I may or may not have had a little something to do with that, holla!)
Third thing is Huckleberry restaurant in Santa Monica. Some friends and I brunched there this Saturday morning and absolutely loved the place, (plus it was on our list of LA restaurants we wanted to try so we were super excited to check it off). First of all, they have the most ATTRACTIVE staff ever. Like, did they only hire hotties? Because wow, hotties left and right at that place. But, that’s not really why I loved Huckleberry, although it was a delightful plus. It was definitely the delicious food that won all of us over. I had the fried egg sandwich, which consisted of fried egg, (obvi), gruyere cheese, (my fave), applewood smoked bacon, and arugula on toasted sourdough bread. It was messy, due to the egg (see below), but absolutely delicious. We topped off our meal by trying a few items from their bakery. We sampled their maple bacon biscuit, their chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, and their sugar donut holes, all of which were sooo yummy, (and do not fear, we had absolutely no problem finishing all of those items). So moral of the Huckleberry story is, it made us smile due to its delectable fare and eye pleasing staff, and I think it will make YOU smile too.
So, I hope you’re smiling now because I know I am. And I think it’s only fitting that I end this post by saying, “smiling’s my favorite!” Thank you, Buddy the Elf, for that one.
Recently I’ve been thinking about how awesome it would be to have careers as either a food critic or a music supervisor. I’ve decided those are my two dream jobs of the moment. I love my current job, and really hope to continue to grow in my industry, but it’s fun to dream right?! Food critics and music supervisors couldn’t be MORE different, but together they embody my three favorite things—music, food, and writing. I’ve been doing research on both of these careers and have realized that I’m not too qualified for either. But, there are real, tangible things I can do to help my cause. Like continually trying new restaurants and writing about my experiences! I need lots of writing samples, and a very eclectic palate if I were to ever seriously consider being a food critic. For music supervision, continually researching new music is key. I already do LOTS of that, and love it, and will keep doing it! My favorite music supervision company is called Chop Shop and is run by the goddess of music supervision, Alex Patsavas. Chop Shop does supervision for TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Gossip Girl and for movies like Twilight, (best soundtrack ever). Basically, they have great taste in music and are responsible for breaking a number of artists, including The Fray from a Grey’s Anatomy episode a few years back. It’s pretty freakin’ awesome how music placement nowadays plays such an important part in an artist’s success. Sigh. ‘Twould be cool to do that one day.
Now, back to my other fantasy–food critic! My dear friend, Liang, started a google document of 100+ LA restaurants we want to try, Ting-Ting and I are contributors. I’m super excited to start trying them and blogging about them! Food critic, here I come! Get ready for even more posts about food. :) Speaking of food, last night I had dinner at STK. STK is a fancy shmancy, super trendy steakhouse. The ambience was great–very funky and cool, but the food itself was subpar, especially for the extremely high price tag. Their steaks were good (we had the skirt and the filet), but nothing to write home about. Their sides, on the other hand, were delicious. We loved their mac and cheese, green beans, corn pudding, and their garlic truffle fries (mmm, mouth watering). Overall, good food, but their steak is no Mastro’s! I have failed to mention that my ambition to try lots of restaurants and write about them is going to leave me homeless. My measly paycheck cannot begin to support the foodie lifestyle I wish to lead, but one can always try, right?!
And because it’s been awhile, here’s a picture of my handsome Hoagster. Cool photo effects thanks to the iPhone app, hipstamatic. How un-hipster of me to download an app with such a title?!
“Hipster Hoagie”
And you know I can’t end a post without some fun music! So here’s a fun track called “Alley Cats” by Hot Chip. I really like their entire album, “One Life Stand”, which was just released this past February. Check it out!
It’s March! How is it already March?! I feel like it was just yesterday that I started this blog and it’s been a whole 5 months! Crazy! So, a few things I’d like to share with you all today. Here it goes.
1. Mercantile, the restaurant. My favorite foodie buddies, Laura, Alex, and Ting-Ting, and I tried another delicious restaurant this week called, The Mercantile. It’s technically a gourmet market and wine bar but boasts a mouth-watering dinner menu too. We used our Blackboard Eats discount* so we had to choose from a prix fixe menu. We got the ricotta gnudi with English peas, mushrooms and parmesan, and the smoked trout rillettes with beets and horseradish aioli. Omgeee, they were both absolutely delectable. For dessert, they served us homemade ice creams that were basically mini scoops of heaven. My favorite flavor had to be what Ting-Ting ordered which I believe was a chocolate, nutella, banana? Ya, um, ridic. So, go to Mercantile and indulge in yummy wines and even yummier foods.
And a photo, courtesy of Ting-Ting. My beautiful friends, Laura and Alex posing with their gnocchi.
*If you haven’t signed up for Blackboard Eats, you must! It gives you great discounts at eateries in the LA area, (sometimes up to 40% off of your meal)! I believe they now have a NY chapter, and are working on a SF one.
2. The Grilled Cheese Truck. Ok, this whole food truck craze is probably just a fad but I am LOVING it. Today, I enjoyed the Grilled Cheese Truck for the second time. Dear lord, their “the works” sandwich, which is pulled pork and macaroni and cheese IN a sandwich, is pure sandwich BLISS (see below). Mmmm…Plus their tomato soup and tater tots are damned good too. Find out if the truck is near you on their Twitter. Also, find out where ALL LA food trucks are at any given time here: Find LA Food Trucks.
3. Chocolate Tiny Teddies. Basically, they are like teddy grahams, but the Australian version, and SO MUCH BETTER. They are only sold in Australia though, so good luck getting them here. I didn’t know they existed until my Aussie coworker, Katrina, got them in a care package from Australia. She had me try them, and I fell in love. She also had me try vegemite. Let me tell you, that shit is SICK. STAY AWAY.
I love VEGAS! Even when I lose $300+ gambling at the craps table. Even when I stay up until 7:30am every night/morning, and lose most of the next day sleeping in. Even when I’m so hung over from all of the alcohol consumption, that all I can do is eat unlimited slices of Sbarro’s Pizza. Even when my legs are insanely sore from the hours of dancing with creeper guys at overcrowded, sweaty clubs. Even when my iPhone is stolen from me, and extortion is used in order for me to get it back. Even when cabbies charge me obscene amounts of money to take me to aforementioned extortionist to retrieve aforementioned stolen phone. Ahhh, Vegas. That was my experience last weekend. For realsies. But let me tell you, despite these “minor” setbacks I loved ALMOST every minute of it. And guess what? I’m going back in June!
What was on display in our room. Note the See’s candies…classy
And because I love to give you a lil music in each of my posts, here’s our favorite preparty song of the trip: “Shark in the Water” by V.V. Brown. Now who says I don’t have an eclectic taste in music!
BUGGER! I’ve done it again. I’ve abandoned you, my dear blog. I promise you I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I think about you daily. Seriously. I think about how much I suck at life for not giving you love. But I’m back. Giving you my sweet tender, love, and care…for now. I think the problem is that I always want to blog about something substantial. Like, a TOPIC. Not just my raves and rants, even though I have those all of the time. So here it goes. I’m changing my blog style. I am going to post more, even if it means the post is only one sentence long. Who the eff cares, right? Mmm, I feel better already.
Ok, so today, my post is going to be random things that I want to share with you from the beginning of this delightful New Year. Here it goes, in list style.
1. I’ve made lots of new friends and I love it. I have also rekindled some old friendships and it’s awesome. I really am so blessed to have a large, eclectic group of very good friends. Damnnn, I’m lucky.
2. Coachella! Have you SEEN that lineup? Omgomgomg, I am so ridiculously excited to go this year. I’m most excited for: The xx, Passion Pit, Florence & The Machine, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Yeasayer, Local Natives, The Temper Trap, White Rabbits, THOM YORKE, Julian Casablancas…ok, that’s a lot…and there are really so many more that tickle my fancy. For the complete lineup, click here: http://coachella.com/event/lineup
3. AOC wine bar! I ate there with Laura, Alex, and Ting a couple of weeks back and loved this delicious tapas-style restaurant. We even had a fun celebrity sighting (Leo D’Caprio!). If you go, please order their arroz negro with squid and saffron aioli. Holy crap, it’s like crack. Careful though, it can turn your mouth/teeth BLACK (apparently it’s the squid dye they use to color the rice black! Ya, I ain’t kidding).
4. Alberta Cross is a band I work with on both the management (Red Light Management) and label end (ATO Records). They are really starting to blow up on the indie/alt rock scene and I highly suggest you check them out. They recently played a John Varvatos Grammy Party that I got to go to (‘twas pretty awesome), and they absolutely mesmerized their audience, which consisted entirely of famous people. Pretty sweet. John Varvatos has taken a huge liking to the band and even used their entire record from start to finish for his Fall/Winter fashion show in Milan. Baller. Check it out below.
5. “Cosmic Love” by Florence & The Machine. Love it to pieces. Enjoy.
Alright, that’s it for today. Stay tuned for more frequent updates!
On Sunday, December 13th, I, Brooke Ashley Kayland, completed my first half marathon! I can’t believe I actually DID it. I’m not gonna pretend that I didn’t almost bail on the sucker a few times. There were a couple of weeks where I missed my big training run. (They were held every Saturday morning at 8am, so yes, maybe drinking Friday nights had something to do with the missed runs…umm, who am I kidding, drinking had EVERYTHING to do with the missed runs.) There was a week or two where I didn’t even get in a run at all. Then there was the week I was sick, and the couple of weeks my ankles were really hurting. I nearly convinced myself to give up, but my awesome support team kept me motivated. The days leading up to the run, my “coaches,” Jose and Aylan, had complete faith in me and in my ability to complete this halfie. So I went for it. I went for it, EVEN with the knowledge that there was a 40% chance of showers the day of our race! Running in the rain?! I could barely run in perfect weather, let alone in the RAIN! Lucky for me, race day was beautiful. The sky was clear, the air was crisp; it couldn’t have been a better day to go for a run.
Our race was in Oxnard, and it began inland and ended along the beach, with beautiful views of the ocean. It was a fairly flat, pleasant run…until about mile 11, (of 13.1 miles). I’m not gonna lie, those last couple of miles got pretty tough. It was mostly because my fancy Nike Plus on my iPod was a little bit off and had told me I had completed the half marathon about 1.5 miles from the finish line. So mentally, I was STOKED to be nearly done, (but where was the finish line?!), then I heard a woman cheering me on say, “Only about 2 miles to go!” WOW, that was like a punch to the chest. I wanted to yell back, “Lady, I’m DONE! My iPod says I’ve ran a half marathon!” Instead, I realized, there was no finish line in sight, this woman must be right, and my iPod is screwy. I accepted the fact I had almost 2 miles to go and kept running. It was definitely hard, but knowing I had already gone over 11 miles and that I was about to finish a half freakin’ MARATHON kept my little legs moving. Then I started to see the finish line. Goosebumps popped up on my arms and tears started welling in my eyes, (seriously). I was filled with all sorts of emotions—relief, happiness, excitement, but mostly pride. Then I saw my team! Jose, Aylan, Matt, and Bill who had finished before me, were at the finish line cheering me on. It was such a special moment giving them high fives as I crossed the finish line! I had done it! Finished the damned thing in 2 hours and 28 minutes! Not a bad time, really. I kept a steady pace of about an 11 minute mile. Not fast by any means, but I finished, which was all that mattered. So now my running buddies want me to train for the full LA marathon in March. I’m already halfway there, right?! I’ll keep you posted on what I decide to do.
Here’s the cute little medal I got for finishing :)
Andddd this was my pump up song during the run, “Night by Night” by Chromeo
Get ready…I’m about to rock your world. But first I have to apologize for being MIA again. It’s been far too long since I’ve blogged. I promise in the New Year I’m gonna be way better. Way more committed to you, my loyal blog readers. So how exactly am I going to rock your world, you ask?! Well it’s my Top Ten Albums of 2009 list! You aren’t as excited as I am? Well whatever, be prepared to have your mind blown and world rocked by this year’s awesome music anyway! :)
So, let’s start from number 10 and work our way down to my favorite album of the year. I’ll also post one of my favorite tracks off of each album. Hooray!
10. xx by The xx
This very young band’s debut album is all about minimal instrumentation, heavy bass, and lots of sex-themed lyrics. I love it. Turn it up LOUD, chill out, and enjoy.
“Crystalized”
9. It’s Frightening by The White Rabbits
It’s Frightening deserves every bit to be on EVERYONE’S top 10 this year! It’s indie rock with mass-market appeal. It’s dark, and brooding, and percussion based. If you like music, you’ll like this album. Plus, they are on TBD (aka I work with them, sorta), holla!
“Percussion Gun”
8. Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective
This band is crazy, awesome weird, and so it this album. It’s got great dance, electronic beats, but is also SOULFUL. Let’s just say, “I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls.”
“My Girls”
7. Fantasies by Metric
Love this electro-pop group’s latest album. EVERY song on the album is good and has a great chorus. Plus, their sound is very dreamy, and sends me to another world that only yummy music can. Double plus, most of the songs make me want to dance.
“Help I’m Alive”
6. Two Suns by Bat for Lashes
Oh how I love Natasha! Yes, we may work with her, but this album is really an excellent one. Two Suns is characterized by ghostly vocals, pulsing dance beats, and heartfelt lyrics. It’s pretty magical.
“Daniel”
5. Miike Snow by Miike Snow
Lots of great hooks and great beats on this album! Every song makes me want to dance my booty off for days and days. Plus they put on a SWEET live show. LOVE.
“Animal”
4. Conditions by The Temper Trap
Love the falsetto voice of lead singer, Dougy Mandagi, (and his name is DOUGY, ha!). It’s so unique that this band really couldn’t go wrong. Mix in radio friendly, catchy tunes and you’ve got one sweet album. Oh and they’re Australian. That’s hot.
“Love Lost”
3. Manners by Passion Pit
I love electro-pop music, and this album is just that! It’s danceable, happy, catchy, and who couldn’t love the insanely unique voice of Michael Angelakos?!
“Moth’s Wings”
2. Everything Is New by Jack Penate
LOVE LOVE LOVE this album. I categorize it as an amazing dance pop album, (new genre?!). It has very cool, culturally diverse inspired rhythms that you can’t help but NEED to dance to. It’s optimistic, it’s beautiful, and I just loveeee it/Jack.
“Be the One”
1. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
This is a GREAT album and my FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR! I won’t be surprised if I see this album top many people’s best of 2009 lists. It is radio friendly, appeals to anyone and everyone, is deliciously pop, and has catchy lyrics to boot. It’s sold a crapload too.
1901
So there it is, guys and gals, my Top Ten of 2009! Also, can I just say how much I love music? I mean, I really, really, really love it and am so very glad it’s a part of my life. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it!
6. I went to a Brown Bag Party recently and it was a TRIP. Don’t know what that is? Well, I have two words for you–sex toys. Yowza!
