i was there : wicker park fest

"Beast of Burden" - The Rolling Stones

Show: Wicker Park Fest

Porn N Chicken DJs

Flosstradamus

Wild Flag

Waaves

Blitzen Trapper

Location: Wicker Park

Date: 7.23-7.24

Favorite Song: Totally unexpected & I guess that's why I liked it so much, but Wild Flag played "Beast of Burden" as I was leaving the festival. It kind of stopped me in my tracks & I stopped to hear it in its entirety. It was just one of those good vibe songs, you know?

Memorable Moment: The Wavves show was filled with crowd surfers, disco balls & unicorns (balloons), & chicks flashing the crowd from an apartment building overlooking the stage. Who knew Wavves got people so riled up?

Biggest Letdown: I spent most of the festival wandering around & socializing. I probably could have paid a little more attention to the actual music.

This show: still counts.

(via)

i was there : the polish ambassador

 

"Bust A Move" - Polish Ambassador remix

Show: Team Bayside High, Lynx, The Polish Ambassador, DJ Thibault & Zedd

Location: Double Door

Date: 7.23.11

Favorite Song: Typically this is my favorite, but "Bust A Move" was such a hit in that atmosphere, especially the Simian samples.

Memorable Moment: Finally seeing The Polish Ambassador live. He's come through Chicago at least 2 other times in the past few months, but there was always something that came up instead. He did not disappoint & it was super adorable that his mother was there. I can't wait for the next show!

Biggest Letdown: It was & it wasn't. About halfway through DJ Thibault's set when I fell victim to a wicked case of the hiccups. There was no stopping these bad boys, so I left before Zedd came on. I was okay with this decision though; I came to see The Polish Ambassador & that's what I did. I actually don't mind Zedd so much, but I'm getting so over most dub-step. It's everywhere now & while some can pull it off well, many others fail miserably.  I'm sure Zedd put on a great show, but I certainly wasn't crying on my way out of the venue.

This Show: was random & an absolute blast! I'm so happy to be moving to a neighborhood that has so many great music venues & events.

i was there : pitchfork (sunday)

"Lights & Music" - Cut Copy


Show: Pitchfork
Yuck
Kurt Vile & the Violators
Shabazz Palaces
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Superchunk
Deerhunter
Toro y Moi
Cut Copy
TV on the Radio

Location: Union Park

Date: 7.17.11

Favorite Song: "High energy" is probably not the best adjective to describe Pitchfork Music Festival. Luckily, Cut Copy was able to shake that up a bit with their playful set. The crowd was finally starting to dance & were even straight up bouncing during "Lights & Music". I knew Cut Copy would be a game changer. Those guys always put on a great show & Dan Whitford definitely wins the award for the most animated hand gestures.

Memorable Moment: So I went into this weekend not really knowing a ton about a lot of the artists. It was great though because I knew I would walk out of the weekend with some new additions to my iTunes library. One of my favorite performances of the day was Kurt Vile & the Violators. This was a must-see for some of my friends & I was not disappointed. Plus, he is kind of a babe when he's holding that guitar.

Biggest Letdown: Don't get me wrong, TV on the Radio was great, but the set made me a little sad that I never saw 2006 TV on the Radio. This is probably due only to my complete naïvity of the newer albums, but I just have a special place in my heart for Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes & Return to Cookie Mountain.

This Show: Was hot & long, but a total success. There is no other way I would want to spend my weekend in Chicago.

i was there : wild nothing + ducktails

"Summer Holiday" - Wild Nothing


Show: Wild Nothing & Ducktails

Location: Subterranean

Date: 7.15.11

Favorite Song: I went into this show knowing absolutely nothing about the artists, but they ended up being pretty legit. Upon further listening, I really like "Summer Holiday" by Wild Nothing.

Memorable Moment: My first visit to Subterranean! It's such an intimate venue & the views from the balcony are awesome.

Biggest Letdown: $4 cocktails? Not really, but kind of. I was a drunken mess. Enough said.

This Show: Is a little hazy in my memory, but was suited perfectly for my "try new things" mentality.

i was there : pitchfork (friday)

"CMYK" - James Blake


Show: Pitchfork
Tune-yards
Battles
Thurston Moore
Curren$y
Guided By Voices
Das Racist
Neko Case
James Blake
Animal Collective

Location: Union Park

Date: 7.15.11

Favorite Song: Personal highlight of the day was sitting in the shade, eating cheese fries & listening to "CMYK" by James Blake. Magical.

Memorable Moment: Guided By Voices is a sight to see, but you better do it fast! Those dudes are old & I can only assume that they're also injury prone.

Biggest Letdown: I was really looking forward to seeing Animal Collective live for the first time as I assume many others were since they were the headliner. The performance was fine, I guess, but a little lackluster (not including the stage decor) for a Pitchfork headliner. I would love to hear others' thoughts on this one...

This Show: Was my 3rd festival of the year, but only the first in Chicago for the season. I love Chicago festivals, so it was a good feeling to walk into those gates on the first day.

i was there : derrick carter

Derrick Carter's West Fest set

Show: Derrick Carter

Location: West Fest

Date: 7.10.11

Favorite Song: I might bitch about how often this song has been mixed, but "Rolling in the Deep" is such a fun song. It always ignites a crowd; especially a crowd of drunken hipsters.

Memorable Moment: Being able to see such a renowned & internationally known DJ play a free (well $5 donation) set in his hometown. Very respectable, very impressive.

Biggest Letdown: having to skip out early. Damn school nights...

This Show: Made me proud to live in the city where house music was born. we've definitely fallen a little behind in comparison to European cities, but Chicago still draws & produces great talent. I can't even imagine how devastating it would be for me to move back to St. Louis where very few legit DJs come through.

(via)

i was there : electric forest

Show: Electric Forest

Location: Rothbury, MI

Date: 7.1-7.3

Favorite Song: For once, this wasn't really about the music. Electric Forest had a pretty solid line-up, but even the most ridiculous set couldn't compete with all of the insanity happening off stage

Memorable Moment: During my very first show of Electric Forest it started raining nuggets of marijuana & then within two seconds of that happening a guy with long dreads was dancing around ass naked. Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore...

Biggest Letdown: Realizing that I am, in fact, a bit of a priss. I missed my bed & showering.

This Show: Made me feel like Alice did when she fell down the rabbit hole. Where the hell was I? And who are all of these weirdos? The whole weekend was really sensory overload; there was just so much to see & hear & do. It really was like nothing I have ever experienced before & I'm glad I can cross this one off the bucket list.

Photos from the Electric Forest Facebook page:

 

 

 

a question for the ladies

Summer is here, clothing is to a minimum & I want to know your thoughts on chest hair.

Personally, I love it. Can't get enough of it. (Well I guess that's a bit of a stretch. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing & my sister & I like to refer to it as "monkerific"). Generally speaking though, I find chest hair to be very sexy.

I'm curious to gather other womens' thoughts on the matter because I've been around several bare-chested guys that seem, well, a little insecure about their body hair situations. Too shave or not to shave is typically the dilemma & I for one couldn't be more opposed to the idea. Nothing sounds worse than snuggling up to a sand-papery chest. I guess I should note that I have never actually cozied up next to a shaved chest (that might be a deal breaker), so I don't know for certain if it's awful or not & I'm willing to stand corrected.

So ladies, what's the vote; is chest hair a do or a don't?

Ps. Speaking of dating deal breakers, you should check out this hilarious post from Cup of Jo. The comments are priceless!

sometimes i feel like throwing my hands up in the air

 Florence and The Machine - You've Got the Love (The xx Remix) by taisia 

"You've Got the Love" - Florence & the Machine (The xx Remix)

Talk about a collision of power houses. I've been on some serious The xx binges lately & I'm kind of relying on remixes & some of Jamie xx's collaborations to get me through since I know I can't expect much from the duo in the near future.

(via)

it won't make sense right now

"Call Your Girlfriend" - Robyn

I made the draft for this post a week ago & it dawned on me today that ironically enough,  I've been scaring away guys for exactly a year now. The single life suits me well though; I haven't met anyone else I like more than myself ;)

Oh & by the way guys... please never call a girl to break up with her. It's rude & completely cowardly. Capiche?

(via)

you only want it when you're drunk

"If You Want It" - TV Girl

I love this song oh so much! It has the potential to be my personal anthem.

(via)

a little bird told me : june

Follow: @Pleasurekraft, @atrak, @deadmau5, @paulthenshirley, @jordanferney, @joslyntaylor, @DearAnyone, @ohmyrocknessCHI, @AskDrRuth, @IPSJared, @emilytorockio, @ian_henry_s, @jonpegnato, @TheRealIngrosso, @joannagoddard, @keshasuxx, @electronicrumor, @sharonmontrose, @suziovaldi, @em_wisely & @ChicagoJamScene

shopping cart || coffee table books

Back in the spring I went on a bit of a book buying binge. I posted the first set of purchases here, but those three didn't quite satisfy my cravings. I wanted more, so I got them...

1. Allegra Hicks: An Eye For Design 2. I Love Your Style 3. I Wonder 4. The Selby 5. Wall & Piece 6. Drawing Fashion 

I've actually taken a bit of a hiatus from book buying for the past few months (festival tickets took priority), but here are a few more books that I've got my eyes on...

1. Design*Sponge at Home (already pre-ordered) 2. Amazing Face 3. Frida Kahlo

Also wanted: a fabulous bookshelf to display them all.