Who is she? While the former Lizzy Grant has changed her stage name, appearance (hello plastic) and tune throughout the years she has resurfaced with a great new sound.
"She is one of the most controversial figures in indie, especially as we begin to uncover her past. She was basically a failed mainstream artist who is being 'rebranded' behind major label dollars"
Despite all this, retro's new designated gal pal, Lana Del Rey's songs are absolutely excellent.
Topic: Unrequited Love.
Even though her most recent live performances reflect someone unsure and awkward these ethereally, lo-fi and old school videos below do a good job of hiding that.
I say 'You da bestest'
Lean in for a big kiss
Put his favorite perfume on
Go play a video game
Blue jeans, White shirt
Walked into the room you know you made my eyes burn
It was like, james dean, for sure
People are taking notice, even Odd Future did a remix of one her songs.
As I've gotten older more and more people around me are living for themselves. By that I mean creating their own company/world based on their creativity. I realized I had never imagined myself owning my own business or creating a business that was all my own idea. Not to say that I am not ambitious or have great ideas I just never thought about it.
Recently, that has changed.
I have had a few close friends of mine decide to create their own business from scratch. It is completely inspiring. To be so bold as to come up with the idea, create the website and market it all is so amazing. You have to be one strong person. They have taken the plunge by quiting their jobs (and in this economy, SCARY), maxed out their cc's and/or had investors believe in them. They are ready to lose it all just so they can have it all. Talk about taking risks. Something I think everyone needs to do in their life. Why play it safe?
These people are taking a topic/object/dream that they are so passionate about and creating something for the world to enjoy. This is their legacy. They have envisioned something grand and profitable focused around that said topic. While so many people are talkers or dreamers they are doers. They want to do things their way. Watching them talk about it with that twinkle in their eyes makes me want to do something like that in my life. Who knows in what form, but to be absolutely passionate about a job you created for yourself is worth the risk. Take a jump, or in this case the biggest leap ever in your life and do it. Take a chance, at least one.
Hailing from Bowling Green, KY this alt rock group clearly has figured 'it' out. Whatever 'it' is these days. They have have released two albums (most recently in January) and have been touring. Most recently with Foo Fighters, in fact their drummer had his appendix burst while on tour and Mr. David Grohl filled in for him. How many bands can say that? Just sayin'.
Folk Artist of the Year by the Boston Music Awards in 2010
"She has a strain of the blues coursing through her, an affinity with the troubadours of the past but also a modern indie-girl persona. She doesn’t easily fit one mold. Her artwork is dreamy and childlike yet with a disguised innocence, while on another page of her engaging website we get glimpses inside her notebooks."
Hear that guitar riff? Hear those whiskey soaked vocals? Hear those lyrics?
The beginning has an almost rockabilly feel before the song settles firmly into rock-it-out territory. They are singin’ the blues once again, about another girl that teases and tries your patience, yet you can’t seem to let her go. Makes a lonely boy indeed. Commiserate below.
well i’m so above you
and it’s fine to see
but i came to love you anyway
so you tore my heart out
and i don’t mind bleeding
any old time to keep me waiting
waiting, waiting
Two gentleman and one lady make up this Denver folkish band. Transplanted from Brooklyn and no they aren't hipster.
This short little diddy of a song is absolutely fantastic. I wish it was a little bit longer. The acoustic guitar picking, scratchy vocals, and the heart on your sleeve lyrics just get me. Take a listen. This band rocks.
“When you're 25-ish, you're old enough to know what kind of music you love, regardless of what your last boyfriend or roommate always used to play. You know how to walk in heels, how to tie a necktie, how to give a good toast at a wedding and how to make something for dinner. You don't have to think much about skin care, home ownership or your retirement plan. Your life can look a lot of different ways when you're 25: single, dating, engaged, married. You are working in dream jobs, pay-the-bills jobs and downright horrible jobs. You are young enough to believe that anything is possible, and you are old enough to make that belief a reality.” (puts life in perspective doesn't it?)
I have committed to taking a ballet class every week. I miss it. The sounds of a ballet studio are very distinct. I can hear any piano song and start counting the beats and automatically think oh this would be a great one for adagio or perhaps frappes at the bar. So odd. I know. Even though I hated it growing up for not allowing me to attend football games or sleeping in on the weekends. It taught me what strong work ethic is all about at a young age. Watching a Ballet is something incredibly beautiful. It is magical.
Is there one artist that you can listen to over and over and you have been listening to them for years? Patty Griffin has been one of my favorite singers since high school. Unfortunately, I have never seen her. Our paths have only crossed once and I missed her session. Tragic. Her song, Heavenly Day, is simply ah-maaazing. Her songs feel like you just stepped into a very private moment. It almost makes you feel uncomfortable when you are listening to them as if we are being read out loud her diary. Every word, every melody just resonates.
Oh heavenly day, all the clouds blew away
Got no trouble today with anyone
The smile on your face I live only to see
It's enough for me, baby, it's enough for me
Oh, heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day
She has a few albums out and has a folkish vibe to her. Her songs are quite therapeutic. They deal with self sacrifice, heartache, love, loss and allows you to go to places you wouldn't necessarily want too when dealing with all of that. A lot of her songs have been covered by big name artists such as the Dixie Chicks, Emmylou Harris, Bette Midler and yes even Jessica Simpson (remember that song Let Him Fly? yeah that wasn't hers). Another song that tugs at my heart is called Forgiveness. It exudes rawness and purity and vulnerability. She hurts. She heals. She is human.
Open your eyes, boy, we made it through the night
Let's take a walk on the bridge
Right over this mess
Don't need to tell me a thing, baby
We've already confessed
And I raised my voice to the air
And we were blessed
Everybody needs a little forgiveness
Everyone does need forgiveness. It only hurts yourself if you don't.
No seriously. Santa, please please please I have been a good girl this year. But really a $600 globe, who am I kidding? But boy is it purdy.
I have always been one to be nomadic and spontaneous so I have had a love of globes for a long while. That is the Sagittarius in me. And if you really know me, then you know my little obsession with mariposa's which is why I fell in <3 with this object.
One day I will just throw two darts at a map and meet in the middle and see where it takes me. To me, that is my kind of adventure. I'll figure it along the way. When I was younger I was a lot more fear less about traveling. I've traveled to Morocco on a whim, sky dived over the swiss alps, slept in a park in Pamplona during San Fermin (yes, I ran) and even decided to travel to Barcelona with two random boys I met on an airplane solo. (Sorry Mom & Dad!) I don't know if the 26 yr old V would do that now. Must get that back. Must.
For those who want to surprise me you can buy it here. (they also have ones inspired by trees, superman, and where the wild things are etc..)
On Sunday I ran a 5K with my dear friend D. It was all the way in Pasadena and I hadn't been there in quite some time because I was pleasantly surprised of how beautiful it is over there. I made a mental note to go out there and 'hang' more often. The Race for the Rescues race was held at the Rose Bowl and it was to benefit 10 non-profit, no-kill, animal welfare organizations. While I don't own any animals (does a few succulents count?) I grew up with them my entire life. So when D asked me to help support and run I said sure! There were sponsored tents after the race and I ended up winning a spa doggy day for D's pup. Mr. P will have one fun day getting a blueberry facial. Lucky dog! I had a lot of fun wondering from booth to booth and might have even got my face painted..
Ever since I graduated I have signed up for quite a few races: The Santa Monica 5000, Venice Christmas Run, ThunderCloud's Turkey Trot and the Zilker Holiday Tree Run just to name a few. I never was a talented runner by any means but I really enjoy the way you can just lose yourself. I consider myself more the tortoise than the hare but I finish the race. I am usually a 9-10 minute a mile girl currently. I will improve. I find that I have better times running outside than when I do on a treadmill. It is difficult for me to run outside in LA with all the smog that I inhale while running I just avoid busy streets (hard in LA, let me tell ya!) I will be running in a Turkey Trot in Seattle (hopefully with my lovely sister!) that I am super excited for. I added a mileage widget to the site to monitor my running as I plan on running a half marathon sometime soon and want get my mileage up before it. So I will be adding my miles and times. Improving each time.
Race!
my little sister and I with our kitty Princess. I am rockin' that side pony tail like it is no ones business. thanks mom.
The first lyric made my ears stand straight up, "California isn’t home, but it’s all I’ve got right now." I have spent 4 years here and I struggle with calling it home versus calling Texas home. Perhaps I have two homes now.
The song is about living in a bunch of different places which is something I can relate too. Erin Austin's (the lead singer) candy soaked vocals add such a great dimension to this song that I instantly played it on repeat all day. It has a old 60's vibe to it that I just want to eat up. There are hints of Regina Spektor and Zooey Dechanel sprinkled through the albums' sound which is probably why I am such a huge fan.The singer is from Tulsa but wrote much of the album in SF and recorded it in Texas with a guy from Midlake (check them out too!). I hope you all love it as much as I do.
You can feel it in your soul. No really. Old Habits by Hot Bodies in Motion.
"Baby-makin' mammal funk, laced with old-school blues roots---Hot Bodies acknowledges the dangers in putting this much sexy into one sound. The melodies are soulful and catchy enough to put that iconic smile on Stevie Wonder's face while the music would make Stevie Ray Vaughan tip his hat." - per their website
Hats off to that description. Not only does their sound reverberate through me but this is why I think they rock:
A. the lead singer is a murse that loves PBR (who doesn't love a man who can take of you and enjoys some quality beer)
B. they are Seattle boys (my sister says they are rad, I won't disagree)
I am diggin' it.
As this is the first song I am blogging about I wanted it to reflect my current sound obsession: blues-esq, funk, indie, feet stompin', whiskey drinking music and all of this preferably in a some barn. Don't ask why.
I want to be ambitious in that I want to add a favorite song of the day but it might be a weekly thing or even a monthly thing depending on my schedule. I also have added a music widget that includes the latest and greatest of my playlists. It will vary. I promise you that.
A native of the glorious city of Austin. I love it there so much that every time I get off the plane, I basically RUN off the plane. Yup, I'm one of those. I was home a few weeks back for a music festival called Austin City Limits. W.O.W. There hasn't been a music fest that has matched it ever (that includes coachella, osl, wakarusa just to name a few) but perhaps I am biased. Whatever. Anyways, so I met a couple of my highschool friends out there and had the most lovely time. There is nothing like going home (for a week!) and spending time with your family and friends who have known you your entire life. It replenished my soul. Something that was much needed. It was the ten year anniversary and I got to spend it with my best friend miss k.k who I actually went with exactly t-e-n years ago.
A few bands that were especially magical were awolnation (thank you c.h.), bomba estereo, ryan bingham, telekensis, the head and the heart, young the giant (it was raining during their set - epic), empire of the sun, kanye (um he had ballerinas on stage with him, need I even say more?), foster the people, my morning jacket, the cave singers,pretty lights, alexander, manu chao, fleet foxes, and broken social scene. I was in my element.
To top off the weekend, one of my nearest and dearest k.w.drove from the Big D to see me and spend Sunday with me at the fest. You are the bestest. My parents always love having you over at the house. All in all, one of the best weekends of 2011. Hands down. I feel beyond blessed for everything I experienced. Christmas can't come soon enough!
momma torres and kw at hula hut at the lake
austin is crawlin' with these now. see a trend jayhawks?
kanye with the ballerinas
swinging the day away at zilker park.
I want this tat, thinking bigger though.
oh the hilarity of this.
Austin Hippies. Who needs shoes?
young the giant.
westlake the best lake. i don't know if i should be embarrassed or not .
e.a and k.k. love us.
hs buds.
my morning jacket
310 is LA. I wonder if someone actually packed that in their suitcase.
fav tree at zilker
nothing beats the open sky in texas.
my lovely little friends. WHS '03
Texas thanks for reminding me you should always drink a beer with a koozie. Don't worry, I'll bring it to California.
and if I was forced to eat queso daily, I would be ok with that..
What am I doing? How do I do this? I have toyed around with the idea of starting a blog or perhaps a scrapbook (I know so 2000's) since the big move to Los Angeles from Austin,Texas (by the way of Lawrence, KS). I wish I had done it sooner. Anyhoo. Here I am.
Recently my life has felt a bit overwhelming. I have found myself caring about insignificant things and being tad bit self consumed instead of enjoying and focusing on the simple beauties that God has given the world. I have realized that I must cherish every second I spend with family and friends and let them know how much I appreciate them. Something I feel I don't do enough. I am incredibly grateful for everyone who has taught me a lesson, given me a hug, wiped away my tears and helped me when I've fallen flat on my ass (figuratively and literally) without judging me. I am who I am because of y'all. Gracias!
This year has been incredibly hard but so wonderful at the same time. I've loved with my whole heart and had it shattered. I picked myself up and said at least I experienced something that made me feel alive. I have learned a lot about myself (the good and the bad) and who I want to be. I have realized that I need to stick up for myself more, not listen to others but my own instincts and to stop caring about what others think. I'm a work in progress, but a happy one. Thank you 26. Perhaps you are my lucky #? I will be 27 next month and if this year was such a pivotal year I can't even imagine what next year will hold. I hope to fill this little blog full of enlightening little gifts of wisdom, pictures and music for my readers as well as my adventures along the way. (Readers!?! pshhhh) I will share what inspires and motivates me in this wondrous world. I hope you all enjoy the little glittersof life that I am going to share.
v.
Here goes nothing, flying by the seat of my pants.
