i was there || phoenix

Show: Phoenix

Location: Aragon Ballroom

Date: 9.28.13

Favorite Song: "Love Like A Sunset" part one + part two. Listen to that song live + try to tell me it isn't completely chilling + moving. The first time I heard it I was completely mesmerized. I felt exactly the same way when I heard it last night. Honorable mention goes to "Rome."

Memorable Moment: I love a little audience involvement + "wow" factor, so when Thomas Mars climbed to the top of the balcony I had to applaud. I was hoping for him to dive off Steve Aoki style, but no such luck.

Biggest Letdown: The sound was okay, but I'm still not sold on the Aragon. It was a million degrees in there + just too crowded. The music was heard well enough, but I couldn't make sense of anything the band was saying. That didn't matter so much for this show, but I was quite pissed off about this malfunction during LCD Soundsystem's final tour.

This Show: was closure. I saw Phoenix 3 or 4 years ago when they performed at Lollapalooza. If I've learned anything about concerts over the years it is that you can't judge a band on their festival performance. There are just too many variables that mess with the actual music. It's not that their Lolla set years ago wasn't good, I just knew I needed to eventually see them indoors + I'm very happy I did.

i was there || jamie xx

Show: Jamie xx

Location: Smart Bar

Date: 9.26.13

Favorite Song: Jamie did a mix of The xx's "Reconsider" that quite honestly gave me chills. He started his Boiler Room set with this one + it a truly beautiful piece of music. I think that's why I like him so much. Everything he makes is so beautiful it hurts.

Memorable Moment: I'd probably back up a few months for this when the show was first announced. I haven't been that excited for something in a long time.

Biggest Letdown: I've heard many Jamie xx sets + while I enjoyed the performance, it wasn't my favorite set from him. I guess he'll just have to come back + play for me again. And again.

This Show: was quite possibly at the tippy top of my list of DJs I've been wanting to see. I love Jamie xx. I don't know if I've ever listened to a set of music as much as I have listened to his Essential Mix. His Boiler Room play count is getting up there as well. I loved his work with Gil-Scott Heron too. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is but his music calms me + brings me to a good place. I'm happy to have finally crossed that one off the list, but I still hope to see him many more times.

i was there || beacon + shigeto

Show: Shigeto

Beacon

Location: Bottom Lounge

Date: 9.18.13

Favorite Song: Although Beacon didn't put on the best of performances (more on that below), I did really enjoy hearing "Feeling's Gone" live.

Memorable Moment: I didn't really plan to stay for Shigeto's whole set since I'd seen him not too long ago at the House of Blues when he opened for Bonobo but he was really really good. Again. And he does it all on his drum set. Definitely worth sticking around for.

Biggest Letdown: I decided to get last minute tickets because I love all things Ghostly International + I'd been really wanting to see Beacon since a friend introduced me to the music a few months back. Beacon was okay, not horrible just needed some refining.

This Show: Was a nice change from the normal. I haven't been to Bottom Lounge in years + it was nice to mix it up a bit. I need to make it a point to do that once in a while.

i was there || washed out

Show: Washed Out

Location: Metro

Date: 9.13.13

Favorite Song: "Feel It All Around" was definite baby making music, which we all know I love. It was a very close call between that + "Amor Fati." It makes sense though since those are my two favorites from the albums. I think the former stuck with me the most though.

Memorable Moment: There stage was a bit like an arts + craft project gone wrong, but I really liked the whimsy to it. Things like that matter to me.

Biggest Letdown: It was crowded in that venue + I walked through the doors a bit too late. I found a mediocre spot in the balcony, but I would have liked to have been on the floor.

This Show: was not what I expected. I really enjoy listening to Washed Out but I did have a slight fear going into the show that it might be a bit boring to hear live. I was 100% wrong in that assumption. It was lively + exciting + I'm glad I snagged some last minute tickets.

making sense of the nonsensical

I'm going hippy for the holidays. I think. I'm utterly obsessed with Novella Royale's Janis Bells + I want a pair for myself even if I may hardly ever wear them. In those scenarios, Halloween is usually a good option to test the water.

I think I've got the curves to pull them off. I think I'd even wear them to music fests + such, but really I don't need them. I just want them. The hard part will be deciding on a pattern. Or do I just go all black? I'm leaning towards the pair on the right.

digitaria || mystic flow

Have you guys heard about the Lee2 event at Spy Bar on October 19th? Lee Foss + Lee Curtiss will be putting on quite a show. Naturally this news made me want to give Lee Foss' Essential Mix from a year ago another listen. This was one of the stand out songs from that mix.

Early bird tickets to the show are only $10 at the moment.

holy other || touch

fort romeau || trust me

Mike Greene aka Fort Romeau is part of the Ghostly lineup + once again convinces me that everything Ghostly touches is golden. Although Greene is London-born, he has plenty of Chicago house influences. I also really like this quote:

"Art is about connecting with people, + although it might sound a bit high-minded with regards to simple electronic music, fundamentally, that's the goal." - FR

i was there || couchapalooza

Show: Lollapalooza from my couch
Icona Pop
Crystal Castles
Queens of the Stone Age
Band of Horses
The National
Postal Service
Vampire Weekend
The Cure

Location: Bucktown

Date: 8.2.13-8.4.13

Favorite Song: The Cure's "Love Song" probably topped the list for me. These old guys may look a little scary but they sound fantastic. During the set I even commented on how it's crazy that so much of you changes as you get older, but your voice can still sound nearly identical. Mind blowing stuff right there.

Memorable Moment: Postal Service has such a nostalgic place in my heart + seeing their second to last show was something special. I've never actually seen them perform live before but spent hours upon end listening to them in high school. They sounded pretty fantastic too.

Biggest Letdown: As a long time Crystal Castles fan I was not at all feeling Alice Glass' blonde hair. I also thought that I might like Queens of the Stone Age a bit more than I actually did. They just didn't really do anything for me.

This Show: Live streaming the festival from the comfort of your own home was not a bad option at all. The main reason I sod my Lollapalooza ticket was because the lineup wasn't enticing enough to walk around for hours + hours in questionable weather. I went the after show only route, but it was nice to see a few additional acts on screen.

curated || jessica stewart

I don't typically like having my photo taken, so the thought of having a portrait done of myself is even more frightening. If I was ever to commission a "selfie" then Jessica Stewart would most certainly be my artist of choice.

"Using pencil, paint + pastel she draws ships, homes, animals among all other sorts of symbolic objects to represent a bond, a freedom or maybe an escape from their current situation."

snapshots || august

 

apartment details | pool party in the burbs | ikea 2014 | i'm going to have a niece! | gifts from my mom's suitcase | couchapalooza

i was there || alt-j

Show: Alt-J

Location: Lincoln Hall

Date: 8.4.13

Favorite Song: Breathe in. {INHALES}. Exhale. {EXHALES}. "Bloodflood" forever. Our at least until they come out with a new album

Memorable Moment: It was cool to get there early + snag a spot in the balcony. Although I did feel a bit like a jerk for not offering this up to someone that had been walking around at Lollapalooza all weekend

Biggest Letdown: This show just didn't compare to their show at the Metro + it had so much much potential. Yuu'd think my favorite venue + my favorite band would be able to pull it together, but no such luck. As much as I think these things don't really matter in the grand scheme of things, Alt-J really needed their lighting.

This Show: Alright boys. Time to make a new album already. You've performed in Chicago four times since the Spring + we need more cowbell songs. And let's go easy on the interludes next time.

i was there || frightened rabbit

Show: Frightened Rabbit

Location: Park West

Date: 8.3.13

Favorite Song: I've probably listed these before, but I'll never tire of "Old Old Fashioned" + "My Backwards Walk". As far as new songs go, I was also a fany of "Holy".

Memorable Moment: I love when Scott Hutchison comes out + does his solo thing. And I love when he talks. This band alone could convince me to make a trip to Scotland.

Biggest Letdown: I haven't quite gotten into the new songs as much as some of the older ones. They're still good, just not as near + dear to my heart.

This Show: was fun to see at a new venue with new Frightened Rabbit newbies. I never see shows at Park West, but it is a great, intimate venue. You can get there early + get nice + cozy in a seat or you can show up a bit later + there still won't be a bad spot on the dance floor. I like that.

i was there || disclosure + sbtrkt

Show: Disclosure + SBTRKT

Location: The Mid

Date: 8.2.13

Favorite Song: Starting the night off with "When A Fire Starts To Burn" was exactly what I was hoping for.

Memorable Moment: Of all the shows this week I was most excited to see Disclosure. It's pretty awesome to see such young guys do their thing + rise to fame. They deserve every bit of it. What they're creating is on a different level.

Biggest Letdown: I wanted to see a live album set much more than I wanted to hear a DJ set. I got to hear a bunch of stuff from the album + the DJ set was a good one. Their album is just so. damn. good.

This Show: was my one "rager" of Lollapalooza weekend. It's crazy how much my taste in music has evolved over the years. I used to be at The Mid every weekend, but now I can't really stand the lines + lack of a dance floor. I loved this club when it first opened, but now they have such an emphasis on private tables + bottle service. That's not how I want to be enjoying my shows. I want to be out on the dance floor with my fellow music lovers. I wish they would pull that out for some of the sold out shows.

kings of leon || dancing on my own

schoolboy q || hands on the wheel

in with the old, out with the new

All of the coolest home design bloggers are doing it. Buying old houses that is.

My favorite of the homes is Daniel + Max's Victorian home in the Hudson River Valley. Daniel's documenting the renovations on his blog Manhattan Nest. This house evokes both fear + excitement.

Fear, because it really is in pretty awful shape. Excitement, because one room in + Daniel + Max have done a phenomenal job with a once terrifying kitchen. And for only $1,000 at that.

I've always been a hands on learner + I'm incredibly jealous of this endeavor. I want a dilapidated house of my own to transform into a masterpiece. I want to learn + makes a million mistakes along the way. I want to finish all of the renovations in probably 40 years time + feel a sense of satisfaction.

Really though, these guys are miracle workers + for now I just anxiously await the reveal of the next room.

i was there || flume

Show: Flume

Tokimonsta

Location: Metro

Date: 9.4.13

Favorite Song: I stayed for about half of the set, but "Insane" for sure.

Memorable Moment: The stars aligned when I won free tickets to a show I had been wanting to see for a while. Not the best show I've seen, but I would have regretted not going. Also, kudos to the kaleidoscopic backgrounds. I love a good visual counterpart.

Biggest Letdown: There were several things wrong with this show, but I think they could all be easily fixed. Flume at the Metro on a Wednesday was not a good idea. I think the experience could have increased tenfold if the show was at an appropriate venue on the weekend. Secondly, I felt like Flume tried to read the crowd too much + as a result the bros in the crowd made the music suffer. There were one too many drops in what could otherwise be perfectly beautiful songs.

This Show: Made me want to fast forward about 5 years or so to a time when Flume is a bit more mature. He's got skill for sure, but seeing live made me realize he hasn't fully reached his potential yet. I'd love to see him doing live band sets in the future as well.

bedroom update

My West Elm dressers arrived this weekend + they look very nice. I probably could have done a better job with styling this picture, but I'll share more once I get the final pieces. These pieces were a little on the pricey side but they look so nice, are unique, plus I got almost $300 worth of West Elm design dollars in return.

The apartment is really starting to come along aside from a new bed + frame which will probably have to wait until I move again. Next, I'll probably focus on creating a dining area, but other than that it's just finishing touches. I absolutely love my home + that matters to me so much when I get to come home for the day.

gold panda || we work nights

Gold Panda is playing the Metro on 10/5. This will be a good one.