Let's get this party started RIGHT.

I am not a big party person, but when I do go to parties, I think it would be good to hear some decent music, and I don't mean anything that includes the words "apple bottom jeans". The minute you put on Daft Punk or anything of the sort, people just walk off the dance floor.

Do not get me started on the idiotic dancing either. If only kids knew how absurd they looked, as if they were attacking each other in the most raunchy and grotesque way possible.

Yes, this is me speaking out against the way my generation conducts themselves.
But it's not enough just to speak.
A movement needs to be started.

I think we need to realize what we're doing.

Youth

The concept of youth really intrigues me. Here we are, teenagers. We are in the midst of our youth. We are young, and we are capable. We are still inexperienced with certain things, and we have much to learn still. One day we will lose are youth. We will grow older and wiser. Of course, we can still be youthful in mind.

It's just interesting to me how appearance and age is transient. It won't last forever. Physical beauty is temporary. One day, we are all going to grow old. We won't be teenagers forever. At this age, it feels like we won't actually get any older. We acknowledge things that we want to do or expect in the future, but it seems like high school is forever. It's not.

It's exciting, but at the same time, a bit overwhelming.

Let us enjoy our youth.

From a different angle

My brother and I were discussing Radiohead. I mentioned about my sister's experience when she saw them back in the 90s, and how they faced their backs to the audience out of shyness. My brother offered that maybe they did that on purpose. He is a musician, and when he plays shows, he sometimes wishes he could just face the other musicians on stage rather than the audience. Some musicians can get caught up with what the audience is thinking, rather than be being enveloped in the music 100%. Of course, everyone is different, and maybe Radiohead was shy that time.

He also went on to say that Radiohead creates music for our time. It's like a view into our world in the present, and the future. It is current and consistent. Fresh. Radiohead gets it. That's why so many people like that band. They are able to create music that connects with everyone.

Blogger Arrested

I was going to title this blog post "Arrested Development".

Anyway, a blogger was arrested for leaking songs from the new Guns N' Roses album on his blog. Prosecutors said that the leaking of songs could have resulted in "significant" financial loss for the band.

Interesting.

Bloggers, beware.

Here is the full article:
Blogger Arrested.

The year of festivals.

There are always festivals happening around the world, but it seems that this year a lot of new festivals have surfaced. I was reading Filter Magazine on Monday, and I came across yet another festival. I don't remember the name, but I just thought to myself "Another Festival?".

Music festivals are great and all, but I feel like it's getting to be a bit much now. But, music is always great. Always.

And of course Radiohead headlines most of them in America. I've noticed Justice on a few festival line ups, too. Treasure Island in September-- I passed by Treasure Island in San Francisco, and I'm trying to figure out how they're going to set it all up. I am interested to see how it will turn out. Either way, there will be tons of traffic that weekend on the Bay Bridge. If I am not mistaken there is only one bus that operates to the island. Have fun fellow attendees.

edit:
http://www.treasureislandfestival.com/transportation.php

Radiohead.

reviews/pictures/set list of Radiohead at the Outside Lands Festival.
click here ! ! !

Purify the colors. Purify my mind.

When I went to the Berkeley Art Museum, I came across a very interesting book in their bookstore entitled The Frog Who Croaked Blue by Jamie Ward.

This book explores Syntesthesia, which is a condtion that allows people to experience things in color. It's extremely interesting to me, and I thought it was worth sharing.

book webiste

Example of Synesthesia:
Sound- associating color with a certain sound.
Numbers- associating certain numbers with certain colors.
Words- words triggering a certain taste or color.

This also reminded me of an artist I came across earlier this year, Neil Harbisson, who is colorblind, but due to new technology, he is able to paint and identify color through sound.

http://www.harbisson.com/

In Summation

My experiences in San Francisco were fun and interesting.
I recommed that you check out these places if you ever go;

for music:
-Aquarius Records on Valencia St.
(I think it might be one of my favorite record stores, ever)
-Rasputin Records in Berkeley
-Amoeba (just because)

for books and sundry items:
-Pens and Needles
-Little Otsu
-City Lights Book (North Beach)

for interesting clothing:
-Wasteland Clothing on Haight Street
(even though there is one in L.A., too, and it's basically just like Buffalo Exchange)
-MARS (Berkeley)

for art:
SF MOMA
Pacific Film Archive

Tales of San Francisco: pt. 3

Sunday:
Berkeley!

I don't remember the name of the street that we walked down, but it was near UC Berkeley, and there were tons of cool shops. I went to Rasputin, which is another record shop with basically everything. Their entire bottom floor is dedicated to vinyl.

MARS is a cool vintage shop. They sell a plethora of interesting clothiong from back in the day.

Blah blah blah cool shops. Progressive people. etc.

We went to the Berkeley Art Museum, but there was only one exhibit open. It was pretty interesting though...images from space. There was a model of the earth, in rotation, and actual U.S. army satelite points, and the noises we heard were from actual interference with the satelite transmissions.

Lunch time. Movie time- Pacific Film Archive at UC Berkely. We saw the Portuguese film "Doomed Love". It was reminicent of Romeo and Juliet in the sense that these two young people were in love, but their families did not get along, and they both end up dead, but not because of suicide. It was four and a half hours long.

So it was almost 8 p.m. when we got out of there. My sister told me about a lot of these neat places in Berkely, but they were closed, so we couldn't visit. Next time I shall.

Monday:
_Cafes.
_The Parrots of Telegraph Hill.
(There are a flock of parrots that live upon Telegraph hill, which is where Coit Tower is. We walked all the way up there, but alas we did not see the parrots, but did hear them. We guessed that it wasn't their time of congregation yet.)
_Ghirardelli Square. (mmm, Berry Sundae)
_A Church with cool architecture.
_The Queen Anne Hotel (that is said to be haunted).
_Japan Town.
_The Presidio.
_Pet cemetery (yes, that is correct)
_West Portal. Polish Food.

I am getting lazy.
I'll write more later.


- - - -

The train ride home went by a lot faster than my train ride up to San Francisco. I met some cool and interesting people yet again. Once you start talking to people, the trip seems to go by a bit faster. It was fun. Not to mention, that there was someone filming for Current TV, there! They asked me and Chris (I met him on the train), if we wanted to be interviewed. It was about politics, but since I am under 18, and my parents were not on board, I couldn't be filmed.

When I got to Los Angeles, some of us were waiting to get another train to Orange County, and there was this older woman who started talking to me. She knew who the Black Keys were, which I thought was cool. Apparently she went to their show a few months back. I think it's great when older people take time to appreciate some of the newer music, and when youngsters take time to appreciate some of the older stuff, too. She told me that she used to visit San Francisco back in the 60s, and that she was a "country hippie". I could tell that she had many great stories to tell.

Tales of San Francisco: pt 2

Friday Afternoon:

After work, my sister and I headed down to Haight street. For those of you that did not pay attention in U.S. History or didn't watch the History Channel documentary on the Hippie Movement, that is where the hub of the hippie movement was. Haight and Ashbury.

Anyway, we walked around. I went to Wasteland and found a cool dress, so I bought it. We also headed to Amoeba Records, where I found a plethora of albums, but I didn't buy anything. Then, we went to this market and bought some snacks for the festival, and then we were off! We took the train, about 30 blocks, and it was crowded, of course. You couldn't move, and people were overflowing out the door.

Finally, we reached Golden Gate Park at 6 p.m. I caught a bit of Manu Chao, Benevento/Russo Duo, The Black Keys (who are really great, and really hold it together well for a two-piece), the very last couple of songs of Beck, and then of course RADIOHEAD. At first, we were in the back, and couldn't see much, but then I got the idea to climb the platform in the middle of the crowd, as did some other people, so I got to actually see Radiohead, and it was nice. The sound went out twice though. The first time it was probably 30 seconds. Then, it also went out during "All I Need", and I was kind of...not too thrilled "NOOOO! NOOOO! I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!" It probably didn't go out for more than 45 seconds, but it seemed like minutes, and anyway, 45 seconds is a good chunk of a song.

Thom Yorke danced around like a child. A girl next to started to cry immediately once she got on the platform and they started to play Videotape. I shan't lie, my eyes watered a bit during the beginning of that song, but no tear drops. Unlike that girl. It was water works, and that is perfectly fine. That's what music does! Oh, the power of music. She was so happy to see Radiohead, you could tell.

People were talking during the performance. This girl behind me got fed up with it, so she decided to tell everyone off who was talking. "I don't know if you know, but Radiohead is playing music...Radiohead...enjoy it and shut up."

Aside from all that, the light show was pretty cool, too. Seeing Radiohead made me happy.

An Observation:
Outside Lands was cool and all, but Coachella is better. The setting was in the middle of the park, which looks like a forest in some ways, but the layout of the festival wasn't the most logical. I will post more later

Saturday:
We went to the Sutro Baths, which was a bath house built in the late 19th century, and later burned down in 1966 and was abandoned. The ruins still remain. There is a cave there, and the story goes that if you light a candle in there, it will fall into the roaring waters of the tide. It's supposed to be haunted. That is one account of the hauntings. But who knows?

We then headed to North Beach, which is sort of like a little Italy. We went to Cafe Trieste and there was a show going on. All these people singing in Italian and playing instruments. It was great fun. City Lights Books is probably now my favorite bookstore. They sell books from local artists, as well as major novels and such. It's a three level shop, that I could spend the entire day in.

China Town was up next. I walked around a bit. Saw the sights.

Oh, and when we got home, we had a jam session, which was fun. I played the drums.

part three....coming up.

Tales of San Francisco: Part One

I am currently sitting in an office at my sister's place of work in San Francisco. In a couple of hours we are going to be heading to the Outside Lands Festival at Golden Gate Park. I am looking forward to seeing Radiohead, along with a few other acts.

It's funny to think that when Radiohead released the song "Creep", my sister was in high school. She saw them perform when they were still relatively unknown, and she said that they were shy and didn't face the audience. Now here I am, 16 years after the release of "Creep", going to see Radiohead with my sister at a music festival with thousands of people.

I arrived in San Francisco Wednesday night at around 11 p.m. It was a 13 hour train ride with beautiful scenic views. The pacific ocean had never looked more beautiful than it did when I passed through Santa Barbara and neighboring coastal towns. The color is so beautifully blue. It doesn't look the same in Newport Beach or Corona Del Mar. The coastal portion of Northern California is beautiful.

I met some people while on the train. Robert from Holland, and Arielle from Oregon. We talked throughout the ride. T'was nice. We stopped in San Jose, and so the three of us got off the train, and then got back on where the sleeping cars were because we wanted to see the "v.i.p." section of the train, where mere coach passengers such as ourselves were not allowed. The food looked delicious too, which I could have eaten, but I chose not to make a dinner reservation. I heard that the Roasted Game Hen was very good. Haha.

So, I got to my sister's apartment and got settled. The next morning we walked/took the bus to her work (for those of you that are not aware, it is impossible to find a decent parking spot around here. You are better off walking or using public transportation. Cars are better suited for drives outside of the city.) On our way to work, we stopped at this quaint little French cafe where we ate croissants. We arrived at work, and I helped sort through some compact discs in the music archive. Blah blah blah...we then walked around to various shops. I loved this little place called Pens and Needles. They sell artwork/books/etc from local artists. We then stopped at this newly opened eating establishment called "Little Star". They have the best deep dish pizza I have ever eaten. I hardly find good pizza. My mom makes the best pizza, but this pizza was a close second. To all the citizens of Chicago, Illinois, I am sorry but the best deep dish pizza will not be found anywhere in Chicago, but instead in San Francisco, California.

Later that night we took the bart (train/subway) to the SF MOMA (museum of modern art) where the Frida Kahlo and Lee Miller exhibits were being displayed. Lee Miller was a photographer for vogue, as well as a model and war correspondant during WWII. She photographed much of the war, and was the first to go into Normandy. I particularly love the photograph of Picasso and her son, Antony.


After seeing wonderful works of art, we stopped at the Coffee Bean where I so gracefully spilled a bit of my Hot Vanilla on my coat. Then, we took the train home.

More stories to come.

Error.

Tokyo Police Club.
Weezer.
Angles and Airwaves.
all on the same tour.

Does this not seem wrong to anyone else?
Weezer? Fine. (still somewhat strange, but Weezer is a classic and acceptable band.)
Angels and Airwaves? Not fine. (at all)

I think it's an odd mix, with TPC on there. It doesn't fit well at all, but it's not my call. I simply voice my opinion.

I enjoy Tokyo Police Club. I prefer their older stuff. I wish I could have gone to their awkward small shows when they first started out two years ago or so. They were great then. I can't get into their new stuff really well.


Every time they are in town, I always miss their show.
I'm lame and only like shows at small venues. I really don't like stadium shows, because I feel as though it's really impersonal, even though you can do a lot with a stadium show.

Anyway, my point is, it's a terribly strange lineup.

The young folks.

I think it's cool when teenagers are exposed to different things (positive things), like different music from different countries, art, cuisine, etc. It's really refreshing to see people my age who care about important things, and do things differently, but in a good way.

I don't think I expressed myself adequately with those words.

I'll try again later.

Plug.

From Riverside:



From Los Angeles:


book these kids.

leaf.

Yesterday I was at my cousin's house, and upon walking in the kitchen, I notice something displayed on the fridge. It is splatter paint. A leaf with splatter paint. I thought that was excellent, and so I photographed it, and I shall be showing you this bit of artwork created by my twelve-year old cousin, Alex.



It's an extremely simple thing, but I found some inspiration in it.

Lower Green House Emissions, Higher Food Prices

Recently, the U.S. has been producing corn for biofuel. One third of corn production int he United States is used for that purpose. As you may know, Europe has made the change to biofules. They use vegetable oil. Apparently, all this is causing a huge rise in food prices which has pushed 100m people below poverty level.

Brazil, on the other hand, uses sugarcane as a form of fuel, which does not have a dramatic impact. Now, one might ask, "Why don't we all just swich to sugarcane?". There are some very political answers to that question. I don't know if they are true or not, so I won't state them.

So, essentially, governments across Europe, and our own U.S. government are making changes to help the environment, but in return, our human race is affected tremendously in a negative way.


please educate yourself and form your own opinion:

click here

Debate, don't fight.

A Green Sahara

I had heard about this theory before; the Sahara was once a lush green valley.

Just now I came across an article that proves this theory true. They found remains of animals from thousands of years ago that do not inhabit that region anymore. They also found remnants of two ancient civilizations that are believed to have existed 1,000 years apart.

Link: here

I don't know about you, but I think it's interesting to think about the people who lived thousands of years ago. We live in the digital age, the "age of wires". These people lived in a simple way. When we think about how humans first lived, it's sort of a realization that we truly don't as much as we have. But the world is moving forward, faster and faster into the digital abyss. I guess we all have to catch up some time.

Of Montreal

I feel that Of Montreal is a strong band, lyrically.
I enjoy the way in which the words are written.
The analogies and irony, among other fabulous mechanisms of literature used.
that is all.

The Weepies

When it comes to writing lyrics, I think that the Weepies do a fine job.

that's all.

Current TV

I don't often watch television, but when I do, I try to remind myself to watch Current TV. I don't always succeed, but there is something different about Current. A large portion of the material broadcasted on Current is submitted by the viewers. It's a viewer's television channel. It's about getting your own opinions out there, and leaving them up for debate...exposing the world to affairs that aren't as well known, and of course those affairs that are. It's very educational, and it definitely makes you think.

I've come across some wonderful causes through Current.

Today is international Youth Day, and in honor of that, Current broadcasted eight podcasts showcasing what youth (which, according the UN, are individuals between the ages of 15-24) are doing to help make a difference in the world.

One of those podcasts included these musicians who go around to children's hospitals and sing to them, and other artists perform/showcase their own talents as well. It was very moving.

Another youth podcast was of this young guy who started a charity called "Charity Water". He sells bottles of water for $20 each, BUT 100% of the proceeds go towards helping provide clean water to people in Liberia. He raised $500,000 in 5 months, and has helped bring clean water to over 100,000 people. I think that's outstanding.

I will post more about these causes later. (links, names, etc)

current tv link

Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All The Way Out In Bushnell

I love long song titles. The above title was provided by Sufjan Stevens and all his glory.

I've many ideas brewing. Some old ideas have resurfaced with a new twist. But it will take a bit of preparation, much thought, and a very strong sense of direction. I've received much insight from others in the past few days, and I am very appreciative of it.

stay tuned...

Rethink. Reconsider. Remind. Remember.

Sarcasm is a part of my personality. I like sarcasm, most of the time. But there's a certain point where it gets to be a bit much. I've been in situations where I've been made uncomfortable because it was just too much, even though I didn't show it. Maybe I should've said something, but that's neither here, nor there. Or is it? Anyway, sarcasm definitely does offend some people. It has never been my intention to offend someone, and I hope I never have. However, if I ever have, I am sorry for doing so. Sometimes I say things, and I don't realize that it might be taken the wrong way. Other people who are sarcastic don't realize what they say can hurt others, or maybe some do. I'm sure some do.

I suppose I should watch myself a bit more. Some people definitely take sarcasm the wrong way.
That doesn't mean you have to go about changing your entire life, but just be more considerate around other people. You don't know what can offend them.

My Morning Jacket: Black Cab Sessions

I want an omnichord.

Space Cadet.

Helios.

The sun is departing. Night is taking day's place. The sky is almost fully dark. We think the sun is setting into the ocean, but really it's about to greet fellow members of our human race on the other side of the world as they begin their day. It is Sunday somewhere else. The athletes in Beijing are preparing to display their abilities in their chosen sport. Someone is going to church. Someone is eating breakfast. Someone just awoke from a beautiful, or perhaps terrible dream.

I'd say about 15 minutes ago, I mentioned to my brother that I really enjoy this time of day. It's very nostalgic. He agreed. There's something about the colors in the sky, and the peace that manifests at this time of the day that is so wonderul. It makes me feel "infinite" at times. I think it is my favorite time of the day. It brings me back.

I love infinite moments. But I think that is worth another post entirely.

What's your favorite time of day? How does the painted sky make you feel?

p.s. Listening to Panda Bear is really great at this time of the day/night.

advertisement.

Last night at around 11:30, I got this idea to make a mini video about avant noise. I was bored, and not very sleepy, so I put my ideas to work. It's pretty lame, but oh well.

It has to be viewed this small so the letters won't expand and look as pixelated.

Chicago!

I keep forgetting to post about my adventures in Chicago this past June. Specifically, I want to talk about the Art Insitute, and how I came across some great artists.

First up, is Amadeo de Souza Cardoso. His painting, "The Leap of the Rabbit" really caught my attention. Cardoso is from Portugal, and I thought it was great to see a Portuguese artist at the Institute, since I myself am of Portuguese descent.

I think his use of colors are so beautiful. It's, I think, one of my favorite paintings.



Next up, is Duane Michals. He is a photographer, and his series of 8 photos, collectively known as "The Bogeyman" really caught my eye. I think he has a brilliant way of capturing these images, and the idea behind it is quite creative. It's a child's nightmare, brought to life.



I couldn't find the full series of the 8 photos that were large enough for viewing. The only one a found was here, but you can't see much. The closest I came, was a series of 6 photos that are large enough for viewing. Even though two photos are missing, you can at least get the gist of it by clicking here

Which way?

Be prepared for a rant, because I've got a few points to make.
I really dislike it when people are completely ignorant about artists (this goes for all areas in art). Artists are always misunderstood, and as has been the case in the past, are not appreciated until they're gone, or at least not until a good while after they've done what they've done. Suddenly a trend picks up, and what they've done becomes praised by the masses over night. I'm straying from my main point.

There are so many honest creators out there, who just want to do what they love, but it seems that more honest you get, the more criticism you obtain. While, those pseudo "artists" are getting recoginition by the bucket loads, for displaying/performing the very "art" (excuse me, CRAP would be a better word) that they themselves did not create. Meaning, they had to hire people to do it all for them. But worst of all, they're in it just for the money. This is seen most commonly in the mainstream media.

I've also found myself wondering a lot about record labels, and the music industry in general. I hear terrible things about the corporate world. And these days, so many young artists have that DIY ethic. I really support and admire that. So, I ask myself the question "Do I really want to enter the music industry? Do I really want to start a record label?". I find myself with mixed answers.

YES- I want to make a difference. I want to help the musicians out there who have something great to show. I want to make a difference.

NO- I support the DIY ethic, free from a label's help. I don't ever want to associate with the corporate world of the music industry. Major labels disgust me.

But what about the indie labels? I'm all for that. The small labels.

I think I have a lot to learn still.

ALSO, a friend of mine brought this to my attention the other day:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war

Late of the Pier: Castle Donington's Finest.

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, here.
On Monday, I was in the Virgin Megastore, frantically searching for Late Of The Pier's "Fantasy Black Channel". I finally realized, that it wasn't available in stores yet. At least not in the US, and the official date for release is August 11th. I was bummed at the recollection of this information. And I had just received a late of the pier newsletter that morning...
yeah...
Of course, you can probably find it somewhere on the internet for free...

So, I'm going to blabber on about these 4 English lads for a bit.
I came across them about 5 months ago, through the internet, of course. Where else? When I first saw the video for "Focker" I thought they were crazy in the greatest way possible. After that, though, I didn't think to look much further. I viewed a few videos here and there, but it didn't go any further. Until finally, I just sat there, listening to "Space and the Woods" over and over. And it's now the most played track of all time in my music library. Ha.
This is such a pointless post, but not really. Good publicity for the band, not that anyone reads this. Somewhere between the nonsensical, unorganized writing, I am trying to say that, fellow reader(s), Late Of The Pier are something special. Keep your eye out.

I could go on, terribly explaining what I find so charming about these 4 fellows, but I figure you should find out for yourself. Once you've discovered a band that needs to microwave a drum stick in order to play properly, you know you've gotten a hold of something brilliant.

plug plug plug:
http://www.lateofthepier.com/
http://www.myspace.com/lateofthepier/

big idea.

simply because I don't know what else to post, or I do, but I'm waiting until the appropriate time.

a friend of mine sent me this about two months ago.
enjoy.


Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo