i should have seen the signs

I know arrows are trendy + all these days, but I swear that my love is somehow deeper than 1/12th (estimate) of the people around me. Then it occurred to me, it is my Sagittarius lineage that makes me more deserving of these highly coveted pointy objects. It all makes sense now...

It's official. This is now the only thing I like about having a December birthday.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

working towards perfection

I have professed my admiration for Joslyn from Simple Lovely before, but that admiration has turned to full on obsession after seeing photos of her home in Rue's Texas issue. Her home is the definition of good taste & styling.

I can only dream to one day have a home as perfect. I just keep telling myself that something like this doesn't just happen over night.

i was there : band of horses + my morning jacket

Show: Band of Horses + My Morning Jacket

Location: Jay Pritzker Pavillion

Date: 8.22.12

Favorite Song: I heard a good combination of long time favorites from both Band of Horses + My Morning Jacket, but it was those less expected one's that particularly stood out for me. I consider myself more of an "old school" MMJ fan, so having "Circuital" as one of my favorites of the night was a bit of a shocker, but in retrospect it shouldn't be. That song is great + even more perfect live. "Rocketman" was a nice surprise as well.

Memorable Moment: Enjoying amazing music outdoors on a beautiful night in the most perfect city in the world. Doesn't get much better than that.

Biggest Letdown: As wonderful as the lawn at Jay Pritzker Pavillion is, Jim James of My Morning Jacket really is meant to be seen. He comes to life on stage + I missed that with this show. This was also my first time seeing Band of Horses live + although they were good, I guess I was expecting a little bit more. The vocals didn't start off very solid, but that improved through the end of the set. I also wish they could have played a bit longer.

This Show: Was a perfect night with two bands I have loved for quite some time. Sometimes those shows that you can just sit + chill out at really are the best.

bliss

"Oro y Sangre" - John Talabot

"Barcelona house producer John Talabot has a knack for capturing the very specific kind of bliss associated with dancing on Mediterranean beaches at the height of summer."

(via)

never never land

Let's talk about Peter Pan collars.

They have me a bit dumbfounded lately. I'm not against this trend by any means & I find the sweater above from J Crew to be adorable. What I can't get on board with are these ridiculous Peter Pan collar necklaces. Has anyone ever pulled this look off well? So far, I'm not impressed with what I have seen.

Maybe, just maybe, I could settle for this option...

(via here & here)

holy decision making

I'm really trying to grasp how all of you Chicagoans are managing to stay so calm when there is a storm of amazing musicians about to pass through this fine city in the next few months. I, on the other hand, am starting to freak out a bit. Every week there seems to be announcement after announcement of new shows that I feel I absolutely have to attend. Reality (aka my bank account) is creeping up with me though & I now am facing the fact that I'm going to have to get a bit choosy. Who wants to help me decide?

Chicago Concert Calendar

North Coast Music Festival -- 8.31-9.2 (Union Park)*

Maya Jane Coles --  9.2 (Transit)
Alabama Shakes -- 9.11 (Subterranian)

Pete Tong --  9.12 (Paris Club)

Hideout Block Party --  9.14-9.15 (The Hideout)

Purity Ring --  9.19 (Lincoln Hall)*

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti --  9.21 (Metro)

The Weeknd --  9.21 (Congress Theater)

Bloc Party -- 9.21 (Riviera Theater)

Sleigh Bells --  9.28 (Metro)

John Talabot --  9.28 (Smart Bar)

Frightened Rabbit --  10.11 (Lincoln Hall)*

The xx  --  10.13 (Congress Theater)*

Lindstrom --  10.13 (Smart Bar)

Miike Snow --  10.17 (Congress Theater)

Grimes --  10.23 (Metro)*

Justice --  10.24 (Congress Theater)

Bloody Beetroots -- 10.26 (Congress Theater)

Crystal Castles --  11.2 (Congress Theater)

Squarepusher --  11.3 (Metro)*

Matthew Dear --  11.6 (Lincoln Hall)

Dan Deacon --  11.7 (Lincoln Hall)

Japandroids -- 12.13 (Metro)

Simian Mobile Disco -- 12.15 (Bottom Lounge)

I already have my tickets for North Coast, Purity Ring, Frightened Rabbit, The xx, Miike Snow, Grimes, & Squarepusher.  John Talabot, Lindstrom, Justice, Matthew Dear, & Simian Mobile Disco all fall in the highly likely category, I just haven't bought tickets yet. I really want to go to the rest, but at this point I think I should play it by ear. Should anyone out there really wants to check out any of these shows then I'm sure you can twist my arm & get me to go.

How does my schedule compare to yours? Any other great upcoming shows that I missed?

paint it black

missing out

"Kiara" - Bonobo

Was anyone at the Bonobo show at The Mid on Friday? I unfortunately missed out, but I'm sure it was a good one.

totally

"Household Goods" - Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

TEED's Essential Mix is up at BBC Radio 1 this week, so enjoy it while you can. I've given it a couple listens over the weekend & must say that's it's a perfect mix of house & disco. It even contained music from Scuba & Koreless' "Lost In Tokyo". This guy is pretty damn talented.

Listen here.

appreciation

Scan the list of the people I follow on Twitter & you'll find that about 90% fall into the "music minded" category & this is precisely why Twitter has become my social media poison of choice over the years. I love the content that others have to share, especially when it relates to music, bonus points if it's new-to-me music. I can probably credit most of this to Lollapalooza, but music really was in the air the past few weeks. I got some truly amazing music recos from a few people that are deserving of a few extra follows.

"Dark Star" - Polica (via @MarisaVictoria)

"Dsy Chn" - Scuba (via @defilirs)

I can't seem to get enough of Polica & Scuba these days. Unfortunately, I missed both sets at both Lollapalooza & Smart Bar, but I certainly won't let that happen again.

I also want to throw out a very general, but well-deserving "thank you" to all of my Twitter "friends" out there that maybe read my blog, but also to those creators/sharers of content & music. You make my life that much more enriched.

(via)

bedtime stories

I was really struggling with the direction of my bedroom a couple weeks back, but some magical revelation has occurred & I now (more-or-less) know the route I want to take. I even bit the bullet & bought one of the first major pieces.

Funny thing is, I'm not changing things up all too much from my current set-up. 

Call me boring, but I like my base to be pretty plain & then add a little personality with the finishing touches. I have my heart set on owning a perfect kantha quilt & pull it all together with matching sheets (I'm thinking light stripes). Every kantha quilt is so unique & I'm really dead-set on finding the perfect one, so this process might take longer than I would like.

Here are a few  quilts that I kind of love with my slate duvet:

I have a few other non-linen plans as well, so more on that to come!

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blood + guts + glitter

I have never been one to get too interested in the Olympics, but who doesn't love a great leotard? My vote for best dressed would have to go to Brazil's synchronized swimmers Lara Teixeira & Nayara Figueira & their awesome organ ensembles. Please note the brain swim caps as well.

(via) 

i was there : lollapalooza (sunday)

Show: Lollapalooza (Sunday)

Sigur Rós

Big Gigantic

Florence & the Machine

Miike Snow

Kaskade

Justice

Location: Grant Park

Date: 8.5.12

Favorite Song: Florence & the Machine killed it. I didn't catch her whole set, but what I saw was very entertaining & boy, did she bring in the crowds. I wish I had been a little bit closer to the stage, especially during songs like "Shake It Out" & "Dog Days Are Over" because the crowd was going nuts. I really hope she makes her way back to Chicago again soon.

Memorable Moment: People often talk about having an emotional connection with music & for me Sigur Rós would be the epitome of that. Too many great memories & moments of complete peacefulness come to mind when I think of their music. I was even at a wedding once when the bride walked down the aisle to "Hoppipolla." I'm all about being an original, but I'm fairly certain I'm going to steal this idea, except use "( ) 6" (after the 6:30 mark) as my song of choice. There are certainly things that I would have wanted to see differently with this set (like the time, location, etc), but I am so happy I finally got to see them perform.

Biggest Letdown: This is more of an overall letdown for the whole weekend, but I really hated being at the festival with zero phone signal (thanks AT&T). Lollapalooza is huge, ginormous even. And that is both the physical size & the number of performances. I obviously want to be in the company of my friends, but their is bound to be conflicts. When it comes to live music, I get my way. Festivals are about the only thing I'm actually decisive on & there were definitely times I wanted to sneak away to see performances, but didn't out of fear of losing my friends for the day.

This Show: This whole weekend really made me feel like a festival nomad. I just want to spend my weekend wandering around from stage to stage with no sense of commitment. There are certainly the sets I want to see from start to finish, but to me, the purpose of festivals is to get a little taste of everything. Majority of these artists make their way back to Chicago in the months following Lollapalooza, so I go into these festivals wanting to get a preview of the music to help me decide if it's really worth if for me to go to a solo show as well. I think Lollapalooza did this to a certain extent. For example, I'm not sure I would actually shell out & go to a Florence & the Machine concert if I hadn't gotten a feel for her Lollapalooza set. On the other hand, I've already seen many of these artists prior to Lollapalooza weekend, so that whole "preview" aspect wasn't as relevant.

i was there : lollapalooza (saturday)

Show: Lollapalooza (Saturday)

Skream & Benga

Calvin Harris

Orchard Lounge

Avicii

Location: Grant Park

Date: 8.4.12

Favorite Song: Avicii opening with "Levels" was, in my opinion, a smart start to the set. Everyone was able to ignore the big, creepy head for a moment & really get into the music. After a long day two, this is what many came to see. I've seen enough Avicii over the years, so I didn't really feel the need to stick around for the whole set, but it was pretty unreal to see just how huge that song has gotten over the past year & how much that enormous crowd at Lollapalooza was loving it.

Memorable Moment: In my daze of not knowing who was playing when I managed to stumble upon Orchard Lounge's set, which I was hoping to see all along. The crowd was pretty sparse, but that only made me feel that much better about myself for knowing that this was a set worth checking out. Orchard Lounge, which hails from the lovely city of Chicago, has played with some major names in the electronic scene, so it was pretty awesome to see them get their own spot in the Lollapalooza lineup just before Avicii. Although it was small, this set was definitely a dance party.

Biggest Letdown: The colossal downpour really put a damper on things (pun intended). I got a bit of a late start on the day, so they pretty much began booting people from the park as soon as I got there. On the plus side, I managed to stay dry & snag a spot at the bar, but the storm & delays really killed my schedule. When I finally got back into the park I had no idea who was still playing & when. I turned into a bit of a grouch as a result & even missed Santigold who I was really dying to see. Also, I feel the need to point out that Skream & Benga was awful. What they were doing on stage was just noise, not music.

This Show: Day two was definitely my biggest letdown of the weekend & that was due mostly to the storm that passed through Grant Park. It really just threw off my whole planned schedule & I missed some artists I was hoping to see (like Alabama Shakes, Temper Trap, & Bloc Party). There just really wasn't much to brag about from this day & I feel so bad for the people that only had a Saturday pass.

i was there : lollapalooza (friday)

Show: Lollapalooza (Friday)

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Tame Impala

Metric

Madeon

SBTRKT

Passion Pit

Nero

M83

Black Keys

Bassnectar

Location: Grant Park

Date: 8.3.12

Favorite Song: I've been pretty obsessed with Passion Pit's "Constant Conversations," especially after reading this article from Pitchfork. It's a pretty intense song when you really listen to it, so seeing it live was awesome. I was also thrilled to finally be seeing Metric live. Really, all of the songs from Synthetica were pretty great, but nothing can top "Help! I'm Alive." As for my Perry's choice of the day, I'd have to vote for Madeon's "Pop Culture." That kid is pretty impressive.

Memorable Moment: Nothing quite beats the feeling of walking into Lollapalooza that first day. This festival is massive. If you live in Chicago, there is no way that you're going to avoid this festival one way or the other. There's just so much anticipation going into the weekend, that it's kind of a relief when you actually make it in.

Biggest Letdown: I wish I had gotten their a little bit earlier to see more of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, because I did love what I saw of the set. I completely missed The Shins, which was definitely a bummer. I've always kind of loved The Shins, but have yet to see them live. I do love M83, but every show I've seen since the first at Lincoln Hall has been a bit of a decline. Again, I think there are many artists that just aren't meant to perform outdoors & in the daylight.

This Show: Day one was filled with really amazing performances, but I couldn't help feeling like I wanted something more. Something new. I probably could make this happen if I planned my schedule for earlier in the day, but unlike say Pitchfork, you just don't get that shiny & new feeling with the artists. Lollapalooza is meant to bring in 100,000 people each day so in all fairness they need to go the popular route. I just think there is going to be a point when Lollapalooza may not be worth it for me anymore.

skills

"Red Moon" - The Walkmen

Last Monday, while in recovery mode from Lollapalooza, my boyfriend & I decided it was finally time to start watching Breaking Bad. I'm just at the start of season 2, but I must say I'm already very much hooked on Jesse & Walt.

I also love this show because it made me feel really great about myself (& not because I've avoided slinging meth). I was watching an episode & heard a song a kind of really loved. There was something familiar to it though. I don't recall ever hearing "Red Moon" by The Walkmen before, but I just knew it had to be The Walkmen. One Google search later & I confirmed I was right.

I really love listening (& I mean really listening) to music, so moments like this make me so happy that I have a special skill set of sorts. And everyone should have something in their lives that makes them feel this way. So whether you're accurately identifying good music or cooking the purest meth out there, I hope every has some personal skill that they're proud of.

a little bird told me : july

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You should follow: @CHIRPRadio, @MattSebek, @sweden, @ohmyrocknessCHI, @Gramatik, @idillionaire, @redeyechicago, @abearatemyparen, @Bourdain, @ultragrrrl, @DhaniJones, @zwalkk, @dialogueinc, @AndrewWK, @PreschoolGems, @_sarahwilson_, @DiscoDemons, @creamteam, @emilytorockio, @harvilla, @kleinenberg, @TheIlluminati, @JimmieBernardin, @CARISSAROSSI, @michaelroche, @dcurtis, @bluthquotes