my plans for the rest of 2009

hello all!
there have many questions and confusion regarding my upcoming living situation and travel plans. instead of continuing to answer everyone back directly, as i have been doing, i decided to fire up the 'ol blog once again (about time!). this way, i can direct any people who are interested here. plus it might help me keep my shit together.

anyway, enough set up.

i am going to be in my studio apartment on beautiful marathon street (aka "the peace sign street") in los angeles until the end of april. on the 19th, i am having a shindig here in my soon to be ex apartment for people to come over, grill out, drink beers, and take my shit. i am getting rid of a lot of furniture, mostly because i will not be getting my own place until february or so and i don't want to store a bed i've had for 7 years; time for another! i'll be renting a small storage space for books, art, some kitchen stuff, etc. all else is up for grabs. no prices, just maybe drop a couple bucks in the donation jar (this will go toward new furniture when i return from my travels.) i've lived in this apartment for 3 years and it's served me well. i will not, however, miss hearing every little nuance of my neighbor's life.

may through july i will be living in a house in the highland park area, watching friends' cat while they are overseas doing some shows. it is a great little place: two bedrooms, plenty of sunlight, a pool, a turntable for listenin' to rekkids, and a great cat named harald. so don't cry for me, argentina: it's gonna be a sweet summer.

during this time, i will still be working at little flower and 826LA, plus all the other random jobs i do that are too numerous to name (let's all cross our fingers that i get paid to dress as a crack whore with jack black again, please) in fact, i'll need to work as much as i can as i will not be working for a couple of months.

first couple of weeks of august i will be watching another friend's dog and staying at her place in the jensen's building, steps away from 826.

at the end of august, i head home to georgia to visit home for the first time in over a year. i am very much looking forward to it, and so is my family. i cannot wait to see some friends i haven't seen in ages, and their new houses, pets, and children. i will also go to kentucky to see my grandparents. ah, madisonville. so, so far from l.a.

sept 10th i leave atlanta for denver colorado for my friends patrick and jaime's wedding in lyons. this wedding is going to fucking rule. fun folks in beautiful colorado-it's been too long since i've been to this majestic state. a bunch of friends from georgia will be joining in the trip over.

after the festivities and when all have gone back home, i will ship all of my extra luggage home to los angeles, and hop on a flight to belize with just a backpack. i'll hang out in belize for a little bit, and make my way by land all the way down to costa rica. my friend meredith will be meeting me at a point TBD. we will fly from costa rica to lima, peru, where we will be joined by beth. we will then head to machu picchu. i plan to do the trek up machu picchu on my 30th birthday, october 25th. after that ordeal, we'll retire to some nice resort type place for a few days to revel in our adventurous spirit. then...home? though i really want to try for easter island. so far, all travel there seems expensive, but i am still searching...

when i am in central america, i'll be doing typical backpacker type travel: cheap hostels, camping, changing course last minute. i plan on hammering down the details for machu picchu, though-the exact dates and hotels-so as to invite others who want to join us. i have found that sometimes it takes latching on to other people's plans to get us going on an adventure. i say latch away!!!! if you have some free time at the end of october, why not start looking into flights to peru? just sayin'...

when i return home, i have a few more housesitting gigs, and along with friends letting me stay with them in the small amounts of time i won't be looking after others' homes, i don't need my own place until mid-january/february.

i cannot tell you the feeling of freedom and fear that accompanies the act of sending in an intent to vacate property, turning off gas, electricity, internet....the mind reels. but it makes sense to me. lots of people think it's crazy (namely my family), but when i lay it all out like i just have, most people seem to understand. i am not going gypsy on ya, not getting rid of my wordly possessions in a mad dash for buddism, not trying to make a statement by going off the grid. i just have to wander around from time to time. if i have the means, why not?

i hope to keep up with notes about my plans as they come into focus more, so stay tuned.

much love!!!

what i listened to in 2008

so, here is my version of the "best of" 2008. it's not the best of, though. it's just a list of the albums that came out this year (it goes without saying that listened to a shit-ton of stuff that came out before this year, as well) that i listened to the most. it may or may not be best. but it's mine. 

i'm not really sure if i can rate it; some of it i listened to a whole lot, though, and i will note that. i will also discuss live shows of said bands, if i saw them this year (i saw a lot of live music. again.)

DEAD CONFEDERATE-EP (also, WRECKING BALL)

after seeing these guys open for drive by truckers this summer, i was hooked. their live show was electric, a mix of southern style rock n roll and early nirvana. i got their self titled EP (which they adorned with pictures of cock n balls instead of autographs, at my request) and listened to it over and over on the drive back to l.a. from san diego. 5 songs. over and over. it hits you all 'pretty pretty' then shreds your face off.

'memorial day night' is probably my favorite, even though it is more of the 'pretty pretty' variety, with the almost urgent lyric: and we stood/like we could/be good...

'wrecking ball', the full length album is fucking awesome, but to be fair, the EP was what got me hooked.

VIC CHESNUTT WITH ELF POWER-DARK DEVELOPMENTS

i had never really listened to elf power, an athens based band who is the latest to collaborate with vic, before this album. they mesh flawlessly with chesnutt's songwriting and mournful vocals, though, and i was impressed. you can read my review of the show in the post below! it pretty much sums it up; they used the track listing of this album for their set list.

KINGS OF LEON-BECAUSE OF THE NIGHT

i weirdly feel a little guilty about liking this album. i think it's because i realized at their show that these southern good 'ol boys were now the equivalent of the jonas brothers in the eyes of many swooning teenage girls. they sing about sex and fucking so much though that i can't imagine their parents are happy about this non-disney approved material. they would rather them read about abstinent vampires (by the way, i can't seem to get into this whole "twilight" series. sorry, america) ANYway, i like this album a lot, not as much as their previous albums, but enough to press repeat a few times. 'revelry' has to be my favorite track. though the creepy opener, 'closer' is nice. well, maybe not nice, but you know what i mean. and it's about vampires. i guess vampires are in right now. the single, 'sex on fire', is far from my favorite, and not just because it makes me think of STDs. ok, it seems like i am bashing this album now but take my word, it's damn good. and dirty.

as mentioned before, their show at nokia live was a bit of a spectacle, but with enough whiskey and rowdy friends, one can overcome hordes of sexually frustrated teenagers.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE-NARROW STAIRS

i can honestly say that i have had mean, mean thoughts about death cab for cutie. i don't know, i think it's because "death cab for cutie" seems like such a dumb name for a band. i never listened to them (or postal service) mainly because i assumed they were a dumb band. that was really judgmental on my part, i am admitting to that now. i will, however, say that i still think it's a dumb name.

so when a person with discerning musical tastes gave me this album, i was surprised. still, i listened to it, and the opening track, 'bixby canyon bridge', blew me away. and after the 8 minute instrumental opening to 'i will possess your heart' i felt bad about all the shit talking i did in my brain about death cab. i really like songs about stalkers, and this a crowning jewel on that collection. 

i have since listened to past death cab albums (and some postal service) and realized that there is some good stuff there. it's music for sad people, to be sure, but what is wrong with that?

i was supposed to see death cab for cutie in october, when they opened for neil young at the forum. the show was cancelled due to a strike by forum workers and neil's refusal to cross picket lines. talk about sad people: i was one sad lady when that show was called off.

RAY LAMONTAGNE-GOSSIP IN THE GRAIN

oh, ray lamontagne. your voice, in the words of my friend kristin, is like butter on sandpaper. smooth yet rough. this new album, ray once again showcases his vocal skills along with songwriting that speaks to those of us who are alternately in love and reveling in it and being lonely and reveling in *that*. as with his other albums, ray has some sweet sweet songs about the highs:  'you are the best thing';  the yearning: 'let it be me' and 'a falling through'; and the oh god i am so tormented: 'winter birds'. *favorite* on this one is 'i still care for you'..the haunting harmonies and music just make the lyrics all the better: how to explain/so pristine the pain/kindness made the cut so clean....    shivers....

he was somehow able to command the wiltern to utter quiet at his show in november-you could hear a pin drop between songs. which is not the usual, as the peanut gallery can usually barely stand the silence. he is a joy to watch on stage, stomping passionately as well as standing oh-so-still, you wonder where he will go next.

CENTRO-MATIC/SOUTH SAN GABRIEL-DUAL HAWKS

yea for centro-matic and their alter ego band south san gabriel!! this double album combines the rockin' tunes of centro-matic with the more mellowed out sings of SSG, and for that i rejoice. the happy nostalgic voice of 'twenty four' is hard not to like. 'two seat gold reserved' is catchy and bold, something you could really belt out if it came on in a bar. on the SSG disc, put on your cozy slippers and sink into 'when the angels will put'. and man do i love the tune 'alabama crusade'...

i was lucky enough to catch both south san gabriel and centro-matic sets at spaceland a few months ago. it was a sit down kinda groove for SSG, then on to the rock n roll stylings of centro-matic. will johnson's voice just does something to me, my friends. let it do something to you.

FLEET FOXES-SUN GIANT EP AND SELF TITLED ALBUM

sigh....fleet foxes. these guys are bringing brain busting vocal harmonies to the masses, and i will follow them like lemmings until they stop. these songs could be played in a renaissance era church, or an out of the way music festival held in the forest in the early sixties, or in my saturn station wagon as it traverses topanga canyon. why so poetic? just the slightest strains of robin pecknold's voice is enough to make even the most straight forward person consider the clouds. this very very very young band has the chops of an entity way older. 'drops in the river' has a definite native american drum beat behind some seriously zen lyrics: days are just drops in the river/to be lost, always....the changes in 'mykonos' are another favorite: i love songs that suddenly become other songs.

i saw fleet foxes at the el rey a couple of months ago and was astounded that they were able to keep up the exact quality of harmonizing live as they do when recorded. which leads me to believe they may be cyborgs. kidding: no robot could have the soul these boys have.

DRIVE BY TRUCKERS-BRIGHTER THAN CREATIONS DARK

yup, the truckers lost jason isbell as a band member. and yup, that was sad, since i think jason isbell is pretty fucking great. but with the addition of athens mainstay john neff, as well as help from spooner oldham,  the truckers made another damn fine album. 

this album is a "grown up" album-with tracks such as 'two daughters and a beautiful wife' and 'daddy needs a drink', a political album-'the righteous path', 'the homefront' and 'that man i shot', along with those story telling songs the truckers are known for-'goode's field road' and 'i'm sorry huston'. it's also the first album where shonna tucker shows of not only her songwriting skills but her vocals-who knew? her song 'purgatory line' gave me chills from the moment i heard it, a song for those of us who found ourselves saying this ain't exactly hell/sure as hell ain't heaven/love you like the dickens/miss you like the devil...perfect.

while there are songs on this album i could do without ('bob' and 'lisa's birthday' mostly) i am happy with "creations dark", and feel that the evolution of this band is apparent. now, i do not mean to say the truckers have gotten better with this album-i actually like most of the past records better-but you can see the huge change from "gangstabilly" to present.  

i saw the truckers a few times this year, and while i miss seeing them rock out in a more fat in your face kinda way, i am never unhappy at one of their shows. the grandstanding, the infamous bottle of jack in attendance at all shows, patterson's sweat: all equal a happy happy lauren.

BON IVER-FOR EMMA, FOREVER AGO

this is, hands down, my favorite album of the year. it spent the most time rolling around in my ears this year than any album, released this year or any year. from start to finish, there is no song i do not like here, and i can listen to this album multiple times in a row (and have). though it seems to be one of those albums that sneaks up on you, and after a couple of listens, you realize you are hopelessly obsessed.

i first heard bon iver through pandora.com, i think it was 'skinny love'. i remember liking the song. then, while at the outside lands music festival, i was lured to the delicious sounds of justin vernon while wandering the festival grounds. when i got home, it was all over. i was hooked. 

though i love every song on this album, i have a special place in my heart (as most of you who have heard the record, probably) for 're:stacks'. it's sadness is almost happy. and when the line "your love will be/safe with me" is sung, well, let's just say i manage to hold it together...some of the time.

there you have it. good stuff this year. i added some new bands to my repertoire. i figured out, in writing this, that my old favorites produced works that were good but did not make me as happy as past works. but all in all, i am very gracious and jubilant in the fact that music....exists.

have a great holiday, all!

little fucker

i cannot seem to get the phrase "the kid with the aubergine eye" out of my head. sometimes this will happen-a sentence or song lyric gets stuck in my brain like a piece of popcorn in my teeth. i will wake up with it already playing incessantly in my mind.

i got to see the legendary (yes, *legendary*) vic chesnutt at the echoplex in los angeles last night. chesnutt is an athens, ga mainstay and always a pleasure to see live, especially when i am particularly missing home. athens has pretty much claimed vic as a hometown hero, though he is known around the world for his disturbingly dark and funny lyrics, haunting vocals, and musical collaborations with everyone and their brother. currently, he is touring with elf power, who he recently recorded and album with. they used the track listing of 'dark developments', this latest album, for a setlist for their live show (with the exception of a couple of the closing songs). 

chesnutt is an absolute pleasure to experience live. he is so charming and funny, you hardly realize that he just made a fart joke. after announcing that they were playing all songs from the new album, there was halfhearted applause from the audience. to which he replied, "hey, it's ok, 'cause by the time we announce that again at the end they will be *COMING*...."

the band and vic seemed quite at ease with each other and in a very relaxed mood (christina believes laura carter, elf power's multi-instrumental member, may have been napping during part of the show). as usual, the songs, which i had only heard snippets of before this show, were moving, sad, funny, lighthearted, intense, and esoteric all at once. i think i can truly say i've never not liked anything i've heard from chesnutt. he seems to be able to capture emotion that not too many can pull off, finding distinct humor in the major disappointments in life, while not coming off as very bitter, but with a finish that doesn't leave you feeling like cutting yourself. he sings love songs about dirt and blood clots and anthems to erections.  it's pretty, pretty stuff.

the opening track of 'dark disturbances', 'mystery', is a true vic classic, complete with harmonica and some random "la-da-das" sung in a falsetto voice. 'little fucker' is a song he wrote about himself, it seems. 'and how' ("like they used to say in old-timey hollywood!") is a feel good ditty, with some fun backing vocals by the elf power crew. i really liked 'we are mean': in the city is is gray/in the country it is green/in the country we are happy/in the city we are MEAN...

the song 'the bilocating dog' is about a family who thought their dog was in two places at once, which is awesome.

they closed the show with 'independence day', a song off vic's first record recorded 20 years ago. this heart wrenching tune is played often by vic, but i could hear it every time i see him. it is beautiful and can mean so many different things; he even prefaced it by saying it carried much different meaning for himself than it did when he first wrote it.

he had a hard time figuring out what to play for an encore, so he took a request from an audience member and did 'tarragon' before being carried off stage, flapping his arms as if flying.

so yeah, about that sentence: vic was telling stories before most every song, and before the song

"phil the fiddler" (vic was pissed that it's thunder was stolen by 'joe the plumber'.i think his exact words were "lying sack of shit".), he told us about a line in the song: "the kid with the aubergine eye". he was sitting on his porch, smoking, when he heard someone singing jubilantly. he even demonstrated with a childlike "la-la-la-laaaaa". he thought this was nice. he spotted the little guy, about 10, walking down the road singing...with a black eye. which he thought was even nicer. how we all should want to be the boy with the aubergine eye, singing even after getting our asses handed to us.

my hopes that we can all learn to live in a new america

its the day after election day, and i can honestly say i wasn't sure how i was going to feel today. all week, i've been thinking about this election and it's turnout, and its effects on not just this country, but the world.

i am truly happy, elated, at the country's decision. i sympathize with those who did not vote for and do not support obama: i sympathize because it is how i have felt for the last 8 years. feeling like you will not be represented in the way you want to be. the way you deserve to be. feeling like your voice will not be heard. that sums up how i feel under our current administration. i only hope that if you are feeling let down now, our new president will not disappoint and you can give our new leaders a chance.

because my biggest fear is that those who did not vote for obama will not give him a chance to step up to the plate.

i will admit that i grew bitter about our current leader, but not without giving all of them a chance to redeem themselves. they did not. after bush was re-elected, hell yes i was upset-this after 4 years of being disappointed. amidst cries of "he's our leader-you must follow him even if you didn't vote for him!", i grew angry. why are my sentiments considered anti-american? because i don't agree with the president? as far as i'm concerned, speaking your mind and standing up for your beliefs, and wanting to be fair and just but respectful of others way of life if it does not disrupt yours, that's the most american thing there is! so, please, keep standing up for your beliefs; let your voice be heard, but please, before you rebel and make a concrete decision about how to feel about america's next president: give barack obama and joe biden a chance. listen to what mccain said: reach across the isles and let's work together to make this country a better, more productive, tolerant place to live.

if you do not want an america that celebrates diversity, i implore you to sit down with just you and your moral compass and do some serious soul searching.

do i think obama and biden have a magic wand and will make everything better with waving of said wand? absolutely not. don't be ridiculous. i am tired of people saying that obama hypnotized the public with the promise of hope. isn't that what we as a people need? hope for a better future? hope that the rights we have now will stay intact? since when is hope such a bad thing? i was so happy to hear mccain acknowledge the fact that obama installed a sense of hope in the people, and was respectful of that.

let's just all be respectful of each other, shall we?

much love

birds of a feather

the great circle of life. we have all witnessed it's presence in a grand scheme or a small sense at one time or another.

i recently was residing at a beautiful home in lincoln heights los angeles called skyfarm. skyfarm has many animal residences, and i was keeping them while the family who usually tended them were away. amongst the menagerie are a few chickens. one of these chickens, cecil, got the mother bug real bad and became broody, sitting on her eggs though they were not fertilized.

one morning i received a mysterious text message from ilse, mistress of skyfarm-something about an egg stolen from the shakers, to be placed under the chicken. i will admit i was confused. turns out, meeno, ilse and their lovely children spotted a heirloom turkey egg while visiting a shaker farm, and scooped it up. they then fedex'ed it to me so that i could put it under the chicken and we would all cross our fingers and wait.

i got the package and took it to skyfarm, already serious yet giddy about the task at hand. ilse texted me instructions: "fluff the straw into a nice bed away from the door and lay her gently upon the beast. you can take the other eggs in the morning but no turkey omlettes yet. and don't forget the sacred egg sitting mantra. it must be hummed cooingly through the morning glories."

with utter stoicism, i donned gloves and boots, determined to safely deliver the egg as well as avoid the spastic advances of the resident rooster. i stole into the pen, gently removed the other eggs out from under our gal, and placed the egg, which had traveled by plane all the way from massachusetts, under her. no pressure. ok, i could now officially add 'animal husbandry' to my resume.

for the days that followed, i brought the chicken food and water, greens and watermelon, because she wouldn't move. i also had to be the asshole who took away all other eggs and made sure the turkey egg stayed.

i'll be the first to admit it: i did not think this thing would bear life. who knows if it was fertilized in the first place? then the flight over-certainly it couldn't endure such extreme pressure and temperature change. would the mama chicken stick with her duty or abandon all hope? not to mention any of the other variables involved. but we all stuck it out because we have inevitably seen how life can spring from what seems to be nothing at all.

the family returned from massachusetts and i moved on to yet another house sitting gig. the new place also had chickens, as well as two cats, two bunnies, and a puppy. the chickens and bunnies would roam free range style in the backyard while the puppy stayed in the front yard, divided by a couple of fences. the puppy, used to being run around by two kids, got restless enough to figure out he could scale the fences if he really wanted to.

i had to find this out the hard way.

picking up puppy-mangled chicken parts and putting them into a trash bag on a hot summer day is a quick way to find oneself considering vegetarianism. the thing is, the puppy didn't want to eat the chicken or anything; it just wanted to PLAY! with gruesome results.

i have to say i was very sad to lose a bird on my watch. the most i had ever lost on a housesitting gig was a fish, and even that was a bummer. i felt bad for the chicken-bad for the puppy, who i yelled at, bad for the family i'd have to break the news to. i felt responsible. i couldn't just let it go, but the fact is: nature isn't always pretty.

soon after this incident, i received a text from skyfarm: "you are now the proud godmother of a bouncing baby turkey!"

after all that traveling up in the frigid hold of a plane. after the transfer to a new poultry mom. after my amateur farm girl upkeep. after all this: life happened. the fact is: sometimes nature is pretty.

go here to see pictures of the turkey chick, mr. giles corey, and to read meeno's account of the egg situation.

826LA's Fall-Time Yuk Fest!

do you enjoy laughing, or the laughter of others?

do you want to support the future writers of america? do you want children to be happy?

do you want to be "seen" in a hollywood setting?

do i have a show for you!? (the answer is yes, i do have a show for you.)

826LA provides free drop in tutoring as well as holds workshops that actually get children excited about writing and expressing themselves creatively. proceeds from this hilarious event go to the organization. 

the lineup:

tim & eric

janeane garafolo

patton oswalt

jimmy pardo

bill burr

al madrigal

and 

bob moore, who has dogs who walk on tightropes. that alone should have you excited to come to this show.

plus other special guests

when: wednesday, sept. 10th 2008

9pm (doors at 8)

at the avalon in hollywood

1735 vine st. (between hollywood and yucca)

hollywood, ca

18 and over

click HERE for tickets.

tickets are $25-$35

VIP tickets $75 (includes gift bag!)

premium table seats are $250-$5000

can't wait to see you there. feel free to pass this along to your friends. 

i had a dream there were clouds in my coffee

anyone who knows me knows that i enjoy coffee. i recently decided i needed to cut back on the caffeine, for various reasons. especially since i began working once more as a barista in a pasadena cafe. that espresso machine calls to me, tells me to make just one more shot, til before you know it, i have consumed 7. in an hour and a half. 

in my neighborhood, known as 'virgil village', but i just tell people that it's "silverlake, los feliz-ish", there is a place that is supposed to have the best coffee in l.a. i erroneously thought it was a scooter shop, considering it's....a scooter shop. that also has coffee. i didn't know about the coffee part until i was schooled one night on the way to the smogcutter. i think my los angeles card was almost revoked. anyway. i now know that choke serves coffee. 

since i have finally moved back into my apartment, after a summer of traveling and house sitting, i decided this morning to try choke out before going to work. i was not surprised to see an acquaintance from the smogcutter exiting as i entered. it's that close (how did this place escape me?!). i was instantly in love with the place. it smelled like a mechanic's, which i like for some reason. though i do not think i will ever own a scooter, i think i might like to take one for a ride sometime. there are all kinds of mysterious parts around the place. and pinball machines. sweet. a very handsome barista on crutches made me an americano, and it was one of the most delicious things i've ever tasted. good god, what are they putting in this coffee? needless to say, i have found my new coffee spot. and for 2 bucks, you can bet that i'll be there every morning i'm not at the cafe, pulling my own espresso shots.

i am quite lucky to have so many great coffee places near me, as well as the place i work. unless i am driving around the jungle of los angeles, i don't have to visit one of the corporate giant coffee stores. why settle for one of their watery, burnt bean concoctions when i can get an espresso at intelligencia? or check out all the ironic facial hair while sipping on a latte at the downbeat? or, of course, toast the patrons i serve at the little flower cafe in pasadena after making them a (hopefully) perfect drink?

i sure picked the wrong day to quit mainlining caffeine.