P.S. If you'd like to decorate a gingerbread house but don't want to bother with the baking and mess you can run down to William-Sonoma and buy a whole pre-baked kit here for only $20! Or you can buy a pre-made mansion here, but it will set you back $300!!
 SSLYBY at The Bell House ♥ photo by Dave
Tour Dates
12/12/09 Outland Ballroom Springfield, MO
Discography
01/13/10 Maxine’s Pub Hot Springs, AK 01/23/10 Gallery Sounds Springfield, MO 01/28/10 Schubas Chicago, IL 01/29/10 Courtyard Cafe Champaign, IL 01/30/10 Mojo’s Columbia, MO 01/31/10 Jackpot Lawrence, KS
|
In terms of favorite bands with excessively long names, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin is right up there with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Suburban Kids with Biblical Names. (Fun Fact: There’s a band called Meanwhile Back in Communist Russia that won BBC Radio’s title for worst band name ever. When you think about it, the Soviet Union is a rich source for potentially awful band names, IE: Lenin’s Mausoleum, Khrushchev’s Thaw, The Gulag, etc. etc. etc.)
Anyway.
 SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave
|
They opened with “Pangea,” the jangly first track from their debut album, Broom. However, the jangle did not seem as prevalent live as it does on the album. To borrow a word from Chuck Klosterman’s phrasebook, the songs sounded considerably more “trenchant” compared to their recorded counterparts. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it gave pop-centric tracks like “Oregon Girl” and “Gwyneth” a slight edge. It also allowed them to turn the bittersweet confection that is “Dead Right” into a slow-burning, thumping number.
Singing duties switched between guitarists, John Cardwell and Philip Dickey, and they invited friends on stage to sing and play the occasional tambourine. The audience was peppered with their fellow musicians/friends, such as Jason Anderson and Paul DeGeorge from Harry & the Potters. With such support, it was only natural that an impromptu audience rendition of Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” should happen. (It did. It was short-lived but sweet.)
They ended the show with “Modern Mystery” before returning for a much-welcomed encore. Say what you will about their clunky name or the curse of USSR-related monikers, but overall, it was a perfectly lovely show. Besides, how many Putin-inspired bands have you heard of lately?
Photos by Dave:
SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave
SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave
SSLYBY at The Bell House, Brooklyn (12/7/09) ♥ photo by Dave
12/09/2009 22:35:36 ♥ kateg (
)
♥ sslyby.com
♥ myspace.com/boris
All in all it was a great day. I didn't have to go to work and that's always fantastic.
The first post of(almost) every month meme!
I should has it by Thursday night!!!!
[sent from mobile]
It's been a long time since I've posted. I've mainly been debating over my last post when I'm on Vox. That, and my new job has left me with little free time and then what little I get, I sleep.
What I want to write about is Halloween night... as you can tell by the title.
Now, when I wrote about how great my summer was, I mentioned about how the energy of the whole Rocky Horror experience led me to do something that I wanted to do for a long time. This "thing" was to ask my friend Carly out on a date the next time she was home from school. This next time fell on the weekend of Halloween (for another Rocky Horror showing) so we made plans to have our date on Halloween night.
Now, this next bit will be a bit of a downer so feel free to skip ahead.
Last year, the night before Halloween was the night my mom kicked me out because of the strain I was putting on her marriage. I don't have a fond memory of that Halloween, I was just really depressed and apathetic. It didn't help that the friend I was staying with decided to come home drunk that night and I just locked myself in the back of the apartment and cried while trying to figure everything out. I wound up going to sleep listening to the Rent movie soundtrack. I'm pretty sure that album helped me in ways I can't even count.
DPRESSING BIT OVER
So, this year, I was worried about that night even though I had no reason to expect anything but amazing times. I wound up blowing last year's Halloween away. I had such an amazing night.
It started with me picking Carly up at her house and we went to eat. We went to My Daddy's Cheesecake and got some take-out and then ate it at the park while talking about random things. From there we went back to Carly's house because we forgot the chalk that we were going to use write on the wall by the Mississippi River.
I'm quite proud of this next bit. When we got to the wall, I said we should have a contest on who could make the best graffitti. On the first go, I wrote "That's What She Said!" in really big letters and Carly wrote "Happy Halloween!" with a confused Pac-Man ghost.
Now, the next go was where my "plan" come in. I said that we should try the graffitti again and we did. Carly wrote "It's a Satchel." with one drawn next to it as a reference to The Hangover. I was on the other end of the wall drawing the robot Pintsize (the round, non-iPod one) from the online comic Questionable Content to have him ask her to be my girlfriend. I did this because it seemed like a creative way to ask her and because I was too nervous to ask her to her face. Hell, I was off to the side as she read it.
From here, my girlfriend and I drove around Cape, stopping by the mall and failing to get in because it was closed, and wound up going back to her house to hang out with everybody until Rocky Horror started.
I'm going to tell you the three best things about this Rocky Horror showing.
1. Carly surprised me by taking my hand during it and we held hands pretty much the whole time.
2. My little sister Chrissie was sitting next to me and when Carly was up dancing to Sweet Transvestite, she leaned over and asked me how our date went. I leaned over and told her to ask me later because I was watching my girlfriend dance. She freaked out.
3. My other little sister texted me to ask that same question while Carly was dancing to The Floor Show and I told her that I would tell her the next day because I was watching my girlfriend dance. She freaked out via text message.
After the movie, we went to Denny's but there is no way to describe these events.
At the end of the night, I took Carly home and we stood in her living room hugging, hating the fact that we had to part ways until Christmas. As I turned to leave, she pulled me down and kissed me. I can only say "wow". I'm glad she did that though because I was too afraid that I would make her mad if I tried to kiss her. After we kissed, I left.
I got home and knew that Halloween went from my least favorite holiday to my favorite in one night.
|
|
STATE OF EMERGENCY
billcosby.com
Most people will know Bill Cosby from The Cosby Show or Fat Albert, but did you know that early in his entertainment career, that he released a music album called Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings? He also plays drums and bass... so it shouldn't surprise anyone to know that he's the person behind State of Emergency.
Before we continue, let me be clear in one thing: Bill Cosby does not sing on this album. Most of the singing is done by Jace the Great, with some help from Cedric Miller and Brother Haz. It's not clear on the music writing credits, most of the songs are credited to W.H. Cosby Jr (Bill Cosby), William Patterson, Cedric Miller, Jamal Gary (Jace?) and Hassan McMillan (Brother Haz?).
My favorite song off the album is "Dads Behind the Glass", with its refrain "I wish my daddy was home/tired of sitting here all alone/Mommy's not here she's working two jobs". The song also features samples from Bill Cosby and Friends' performing "Ursalina".
Some of the song's message, I can see Cosby writing. Like the constant "Why?" question, or "In a Perfect World", or "Runnin'". But songs like "Where Did I Go Wrong?", about being a Blood gangster, with being the son of a Muslim, I can't see Cosby writing this... but I can feel it's Brother Haz's contribution to this song.
Even if Cosby have little to do with this album, he's involving and lending his name to the project - and for most people, that's good enough. He believes in the project enough to do talk about it and promote it, and I think that's awesome. Though, I would've pegged him as a Jazz guy, considering his love for jazz music, but it's refreshing to see him working in the hip-hop music industry.
State of Emergency is available now at BillCosby.com. There's a variety of packages, but I recommend getting the CD and book (New York times bestseller Come On People: On the Path from Victims to Victors by Bill Cosby and Alvin F. Poussaint) combo.
powerhousebooks.com
Having spent all of my holiday reading on and off KRS-One's The Gospel of Hip Hop, I came to the conclusion that, like the Holy Bible, understanding of its message does not come overnight... but through years of practice and study.
If you love hip hop and embrace all of its kulture and lifestyle, then I say this is a wonderful book for your library shelf. This 800+ page hardcover, gold embossed cover, words of wisdom, is well worth its price of $24.95. I have bought more expensive books for less content and value, so take it from me, this is a good deal. Plus, I noticed that your order of The Gospel of Hip Hop via Powerhouse Books will come autographed by KRS-One.
So, this book does not necessary require you to read front-to-back, but you can't just skip around either - considering that it makes sense to read "The First Understanding" vs "The Eighteenth Understanding". What KRS One, who, in the book, refers to himself as the teacha, tries and break down some of the components that makes hip hop - in particular: graffiti art, DJ, emcees, b-boy, and free styles.
The book isn't necessary all about the hip hop culture, but also faith, religion, and, most of all, love. Love to stop the violence, and love to help others in need. I'll give you evidence, this past Thanksgiving, KRS-One practiced his teaching by serving meals to thousands of New York's homeless at the Bowery Mission:
My favorite chapter from The Gospel of Hip Hop is the Fourth Understanding: The H-LAW. What the H-LAW is an acronym for Health, Love, Awareness and Wealth. For anyone, a healthy body & mind also translate to peace and positive attitude. There's an interesting bit in the section that describes that not all food is life-giving, that everything edible is not food. What follows Health, Love and Wealth, seems pretty obvious. Love is not lust, while Wealth doesn't always mean riches in the monetary sense. The Awareness part, that seems more like Knowledge. KRS-One gives you an example of a normal person and an electrician, who looks at a room with very different perspective. For instance, the electrician, with his knowledge of wiring knows a little more than the average person.I am participating in The Bowery Mission's Thanksgiving food drive and event because I myself was once homeless, walking these very streets, and spending time with these wonderful people at The Bowery Mission. I depended on them to survive. I am showing up for Thanksgiving this year to not only lend a hand, but hope that I am may inspire others in the Hip Hop community to consider their role towards helping the homeless, and join me by helping those in your community that need help during this holiday season.
I chose the Bowery Mission because it epitomizes the spirit of true human resources, love, care and compassion. I have stayed at many shelters were you are called "the client" and the administration made you feel like a prisoner in a system. At the Bowery Mission you feel at home. Homelessness is a pandemic, and most people do not realize the severity of the situation. You may be homeless one day yourself. I urge the Hip Hop nation to live up to the true nature of our culture and give.- KRS-One
Again, let me be clear: the understanding of all of The Gospel of Hip Hop's teaching and written words does not come overnight. In some ways, this book will require multiple reading. Below, I leave you with a small teaching from the book, which you can apply in any situation:
Disobedience, stubbornness, suspicion, criticism, fear, doubt and/or arrogance toward your teacher only hinder YOUR learning. We must not unnecessarily criticize each other; we must question and always acknowledge our collective development as a young nation.
THE PEACE
hipfolkinc.com ♥ myspace.com
The impossible to search for The Peace, a band out of Vermont, plays what they bill themselves as "hip hop folk" - a combination of their inspiration of music from Dave Matthews and KRS One. At least that's what they describe themselves, personally, in my opinion, I don't believe The Peace to be hip hop (or even folk). They seem like a jam band, their influence is closer to funk and improvisation progressive rock.
The most hip-hop/rappish song on the album is "Heaven", but based on Bobby Kendes' singing style (which actually sounds so much like Dave Matthews), it's not really a hardcore rap song. I did enjoy hearing Kurt Cobain's name drop in that song. And speaking of name-dropping, there's a ton of that on "Rookie And The Vets".
As their name suggest, this album is about zen, harmony, and peace. Songs like "This Is Life" and "Goin To Yoga" are great theme for the album - but some song like, "Racing The Devil", seems conflicting. The thing I remember about the Devil song is that the f-word is censored.
My favorite song on the album is "Seven", I think mostly because I enjoyed the Spanish and can pick out "siete", "por favor" and "callate". Not sure about the last word, I could've sworn he said 'shut up' in the song.
If you live in New York, The Peace is spending some time there. I know they played a few dates prior to this writing. Their next show is at Arlene's Grocery (which is famously not a grocery store) on December 13th. The Peace's self-titled debut can be bought via hipfolkinc.com. If you don't mind a milder Spin Doctors, you'll enjoy this. If you were looking to Notorious BIG-type, I would avoid.
12/08/2009 21:00:02 ♥ vu (
) ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
So, I went to the mall last week and ended up getting my PSP, which is in pristine condition as promised.
It took me a few hours to figure out how to get games on it, but I was successful! Bought 2 memory sticks for it.
Im happy yay!
I really need to charge my camera. I would have taken a picture of it had I charged it.. but the picture above is basically what it looks like, its even lighter than a ds lite. which is pretty light in itself.
Another reason I need to charge my camera is I might be going out this weekend to visit John in Conn!
It could be a possible photographic opportunity.
Im still thinking it over but Im really thinking of going, its nice to get out and do something different for a change.
Not to mention I havnt been on a road trip in a long time.
He also invited me to hang out with some of his friends from Virginia, idk. I might just hang with him for now.
He told me about some mexican place near his apartment we might try out. Which should be nice, Mexican food is awesome.
I've begun to realize just how much I can be independent, that I can be alone and still be happy. These past few weeks have been good, and I've been really comfortable. I used to live in a world where I thought I needed to be with someone to be happy, but I've started to realize that I can be on my own and still retain the same happiness.
If someone comes along im not going to shy away from it, but im not going after it either, if it happens ok.
But Im at a point in my life where I want to stop jumping from relationship to relationship, I need to just be me for awhile.
In other news im getting a haircut at some point this weekend!
My hair is short but I just want it styled.. definetely thinned out. My hair is too thick.
I've been looking at different types of styles but im going more for the "Asian girl" look.
Kind of the same look except longer and thicker, I want mine really thin though, hair gets thick fast.
This is cute too and might go better for the shorter look.
<3 this without the bangs. She has lips like mine!
Thinking of going to this place called Hairspray on Wickendon in Providence, they seem like a good place that'll be able to do this style. No one local ever does what I want -_-.
Good:
Last night The Learning Channel had several hours of shows about Christmas lights-they had people whose houses and yards are *covered* with Christmas card-and the homeowners have to put up with angry neighbours who don't like all the lights and noise(a lot of these light displays have music to go with them!) and sky high electrician bills to wire everything so they don't blow a fuse(and sometimes they do anyways!) There's a guy down the street from me who I call Clark Griswold because he has a ton of lights on his house. :P
My Groups
-
Things on Tuesday Updated: 1 hour ago
-
The Thinking Woman Updated: 1 hour ago
-
Music = Life Updated: 1 hour ago
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
Links from my Neighborhood
Someone Still Loves You Bor...
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
We Were Promised Jetpacks A...
Formed in Edinburgh in 2003, We Were Promised Jetpacks ta...
george-perez.com celebrates...
Thanks to Ilke for reminding me that today (December 9th)...
I saw this announcement and was very intrigued by it. Bil...
Free download: These New Pu...
Free download: These New Puritans - http://bit.ly/82mmZQ ...
