Pony Girls do it DIRTIER

Megan and I are in the Dirty Mondays video, as we should be. We get down like it's nobody's business. It's a metric fuckton of fun, EVERYONE should come hang out with us next Monday! I might even shower this time! OH SHIT!




The song our buddy Mac cut the video to is called "Hot Lava" by Kudu. Thanks to yours truly for that one...

'stina

There's glass between us. You can't deal with my infinite nature, can you?

I forgot to mention in my last post that tonight is karaoke contest night at Penny Lane in San Marcos. I'm judging, still. If you want to grab a beer or a ludicrously over-sized cocktail for cheapsies and listen to me grumble charming criticisms like "why hasn't someone sewn that guy's mouth shut yet?" or the ever-popular "who told that bitch it would be a good idea to sing?" hit it up! If you are not totally tone-deaf, there is money at stake.

I would also like to dedicate this video to my new favorite camera dude:



'stina

Girl vs. rock

You guys need to calm the fuck down. Sometimes we do stuff besides blog and you need to be okay with that.

We shot the anniversary video and it will be up tomorrow, at the latest. You're in for a bunch of wacky surprises. We have also been rehearsing for the Balboa Celebration of Dance festival. We're performing, as you may have guessed. It is kind of a big deal and last year the funding got cut so shit didn't happen. If you are in or around Balboa, come watch us dance like assholes and support your local artistic community! Or at least stalk your favorite local bloggers! Our piece is in the Casa del Prado theatre on Saturday the 23rd and starts at 5 p.m.

I would also like to make a shout out to my girl Jenny K, she has been having a pretty rough week up in the PDX. Turns out, when you try to take on the rapids for mano-el-mano combat you're probably not gonna win. Get better soon, bb! This is a video of Ryan Adams doing "Come Pick Me Up" on Letterman. This song reminds me of 2 buck chuck and a lot of yelling.



'stina

To Whom It May Concern (my future ex-husbands):

We were playing Rock Band with Stevens Seagalll last night but we had to keep playing on random because the disc would start skipping if we actually tried to choose a song and the results were disastrous. We had to do "Here It Goes Again" by Ok Go. I never really got into the band because they don't have a lot of zazz (besides two members having a mild case of the hot) and I am pretty sure they started getting radio action right when The Hives and The Strokes and The Vines and FUCKING EVERYONE did too and let's be honest here...I like the Swedes. A lot. In high school I wanted to be the 6th member of The (International) Noise Conspiracy. It's true. It's probably because Dennis Lyxzen is so hot he's making me sexist. Y'all might remember him from one of the most influential late 80's/early 90's hardcore punk bands The Refused. No? Well, that's why I'm doing the writing and y'all are doing the reading. Because you suck at knowing way too much about trivial things related to music you like. Sweden deserves a post all by itself. Srsly.

So, OK Go was passed over by me but here's the catch. Mr. Seagall pointed out that not only was there a sequel to Under Siege, but that the "Here It Goes Again" video is one of the best music videos in the history of time, due to the elaborate treadmill choreography. Also, the bassist is lip syncing. Not the singer. Whatever, I'm not gonna split hairs or anything.



Will marry for citizenship,

'stina.

Peter Gabriel never feels unnatural

Spencer Krug is known as the king of lyrical mystique (at least to us...) but you don't have to write about minotaurs shaking their horns at you or riding around on a leopard to befuddle me, apparently.

The original LOLKrug:



Yeah, he does. No, I can't. Homeboy evades questions regarding the meaning of his lyrics like nobody's business.

Back to what I was really supposed to talk about, Vampire Weekend has a new video out for "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and I went to look up the lyrics to make a snarky joke in the title and found myself more befuddled than ever. The lyrics have given me a headache worse than that time I tried to translate Devendra Banhart's "Carmensita" lyrics (I kept telling myself Venezuelan gypsy Spanish is different than SoCal white bitch Spanish), mostly because shit don't make sense. Devendra can wail about shaving his rebellious beard with a sword and three-eyed extra terrestrials all he wants because that's what I expect from his crazy-ass.

Here is an excerpt of the "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" lyrics, the ones that drive me nuts:

Is your bed made?
Is your sweater on?
Do you want to fuck?
Like you know I do
Like you know I do

This feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel too
Feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel

Can you stay up to see the dawn?
In the colors of Benetton

First of all, who fucks with a sweater on? Where are these dudes from again? They met at Columbia University, yeah? Oh yeah, that's right, the boat shoe band. That explains a little bit, like the luxury brand name dropping that takes place in the first line of the song and again with the Benetton. God I am sick of seersucker. I really like their music but I am pretty mad about their lyrics sucking. I guess not everyone can be Spencer Krug. The other thing I am pissed about is the video sucking. It's directed by the same dude that did the "Oxford Comma" video, Richard Ayoade. The only video I like is "A-Punk" and I don't know if he did that one. I don't really know if I like him as a director. I know he's a big fancy-ass English comedian but I don't like his frames. I have a right not to, Okay?! The concept for the "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" video is stupid, goth girl catches the singer with some slut in a Laura Ashley dress and takes him out in the woods and zaps his soul and POOF! Vampire weekend turns into The Cure. I know it's supposed to be a joke but literally, THE ONLY redeeming thing about this video is how hot these dudes are when they're goth. I'm also protesting Richard Ayoade directing any more Vampire Weekend videos because he doesn't give the keyboard player enough screen time. He's the hottest dude in this piece and we never see him. I vote they hire Hype Williams and get that sexy piece of man meat keyboardist in one of those "Mo' Money Mo' Problems" red shiny sweatsuits ASAP.

Anyways, the video:



I have to go figure out how to break into a Country Club now so Megan and I can rehearse the Krug ballet. If I don't post for a couple of days it's probably because I got arrested.

dangerous on trizack, leave your ass blizzack,

'stina.

Rugs are Oriental, people are not

I have a half-breed friend (she's half Chinese and half honkey) that once told me her Chinese mother told her eyeliner or something made her look "Oriental." That must suck. My mom just tells me that God invented whiskey to keep the Irish from ruling the earth. I don't know what she's talking about, she's usually drunk. That's why I call her the slurricaine.

Anyways, Megan and I are going to see Thao with The Get Down Stay Down at The Casbah tonight, Sharpies in hand waiting to sign titties. Megan has previously stated that signing tittes would make her uncomfortable so I guess just ask me. Miss. Beatrix Dynamite is in town but is a little under the weather so she won't be making it tonight. Send get better vibes her way!

Thao is pretty cool, we'd hang out with her. The "Swimming Pools" video is cool too:

Ya Snela Ayhle!

So I am pretty seriously disappointed in this season's reality TV characters. Daniel Feld on Project Runway is kind of hot, but there is definitely no Daniel Vosovic/Jeffrey Sebelia/Christian Siriano. Bish, pls. I am also not seriously invested in So You Think You Can Dance this season.

This was one of my favorite pieces from last season, Lacey and Pasha's hip-hop thingy choreographed by Dave Scott to the Junior Boys' "In the Morning" (also the song that I used in my audition for SMC. HOORAY DROPPING OUT LOTS OF COLLEGES!)



Back to Project Runway, Christian was kind of my fav. because everything he makes is fierce and kind of Victorian. EVERY DAY IS VICTORIAN DAY, BITCH! If I was a designer, I would have Trentemøller make my runway song. Actually, I would probably pull a Santino and make my own song. But either way, this is a video technically by Royksopp called "What Else Is There?" but the vocals are by that Swedish slut from The Knife, Karin Dreijer Andersson. The fnasken in the video is not Karin, though, it is some Norwegian cum dumpster named Marianne Schroder. And the version of the song in the video is the remix by Trentemøller. Sooooo, yeah...



Satan be with you,

'stina

You don't have to be such an asshole all the time

So I am sick as shit and I don't know what it is. I almost think it is allergies but I also think it might be the Avian Krugfluenza Spencer shook on us a week ago at Wolf Parade.

I have been laying around on my couch spraying fake chloraseptic spray down my gullet in a filthy American Apparel v-neck and cut off sweatpants that perfectly accentuate my unshaven legs watching A&E's "Intervention" and trying to pick up dudes on the internet all day. It's been rough.

I am about to chomp a half a blister pack of benadryl and go to work, but I wanted to post these two videos by The Virgins and this one other video by Chromeo because, uhh, like, they're good or whatever. I had to stop listening to NWA on my way to work because I guess I'm like a walking HR case or something so I switched to "Rich Girls" and "Bonafied Lovin' ." Now, I can just pretend like I am going out to some swanky club in the 70's instead of pretending I am on my way to a gunfight in Compton.

"Rich Girls" by The Virgins:



"Bonafied Lovin'" by Chromeo:



'stina

You're so hot you're making me sexist. Bitch.

I don't have a grip of time for complaining today, unfortunately for y'all. I know that's your favorite part to read. My trivial complaints about Costco (still Price Club).

So, in lieu of "so and so cut me off on the freeway," or "I'm a white upper-middle class trust fund bitch and my life is hard," I'm going to do a quick News Flash.

Cursive was one of the first indie math-punk/whatever bands I got into back in the day when Saddle Creek/Vagrant/Deep Elm were my main source for band discovery. Apparently these dudes are still around- sans original drummer (he left because he felt his life calling was really taking care of Whippets) and are recording a new album. I didn't say shit was gonna be epic, I just said they were recording. They did Daytrotter a couple months ago because Daytrotter is the new Jenkem and everybody's doin' it.

I like low-budget videos and I like this song:



The other "news" I have is about a local band that sucks less than a lot of local bands, but mostly they just have a really fierce case of the hot. Megan and I accidentally saw War Stories at this 30+ hipster bar downtown because we were going to some assbag's art show and they turned out to be kind of awesome. We decided they were all just sitting around one day and one of them was all like "hey so we are all REALLY hot, we should make a band or something" and that's how War Stories came to be. I'm just kidding, I'm sure they're talented musicians or something like that. At any rate, they are apparently releasing an album but haven't released a lot of information regarding it yet other than a CD release show at the Casbah on August 18th. You can bet your ass we will be there, heckling away.

Official video for "Lion:"




treating men like objects and objects like men since '99,

'stina

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

July is finally upon us. I don't know why I said "finally," it's not like I'm waiting for anything. *coughwolfparadeatcane'sonthe20thcough* July also holds Bastille Day, Julius Caesar's birthday and that one day that nobody landed on the moon. Oh and American Independence Day. What if this year it was like that Will Smith movie?



BITCH, WHAT THAT SMELL LIKE?! God that would suck. So on Friday (the 4th of July), if the planet doesn't get EXPLODED by oh, say, 9:30? Come to the Beauty Bar San Diego with us and see Emery Byrd. It'll be fun.

The real reason I am posting today is this month doesn't have any special stuff going on in it (e.g., Black History Month, My Birthday Month, Breast Cancer Month, Halloween, etc.) so I feel like we need to give July some Zazz. Some Zazz, via theremin.

The theremin is one of the earliest electronic instruments as well as the first instrument played without being touched. It's an electrophone with two metal antennas.

Leon Theremin, the inventor (duh):



The loop antenna controls the volume and the stick antenna controls the pitch. The theremin has been used in countless b-movie soundtracks, resulting in its sound being identified as "creepy," despite the fact that unbeknownst to most, it has a place in modern/popular music. Here are a few examples:

Hadji Bakara of Wolf Parade playing a theremin live on "Same Ghost Every Night"




The Pixies' "Velouria"




M83's "Don't Save us From the Flames"




Oh, and a cat playing a theremin



Theremins are the coolest thing ever and I want someone to build me one. FANCLUB GO!!!


'stina.

y so srs?

I just know that you all will appreciate this... oh, i mean... I hAEv A FEEELInG TAht U AL WiL LiEK tHiS ...

Tuff Jelly Ghost Bones

The Unicorns were a Canadian band that got pissed at each other after a couple of rough tours and broke up. Dudes went on to be in other bands that I don't like as much, like Islands and Th' Corn Gangg. The latter was a foray into hip-hop, YIKES.

The Unicorns were a little dark, kinda funky and rocked an analog synth like it was going out of style. Well, I guess it kind of did? Shit.

I pretty much blew my entire load with that last post, so I'm just going to cut to the videos now. Just remember, you only need two minutes 'cause I'm so intense. Two minutes in heaven is better than one minute in heaven.


Jellybones:




Tuff Ghost:



nothing clever today,

'stina.

chinese new wave...

need i say more?



♥,
beatrix

p.s. - you guys should come up to visit me soon!

FREAKY OUTTIE

Yeah, I just made a Home Movies joke. Whatever. Go look it up, episode 308-Guitarmageddon.

Anyways, there is this band I have seriously been losing my shit over for a couple weeks now. They have described themselves as "post-apocalyptic Vaudevillian punk" and I agree. I would also throw in post-prog-math WHATEVER, mostly because there are no adequate adjectives for this band.



Genres aside, 31Knots will make you want to rip your skin off and flail about in a bath of your own blood. The songs are beautifully constructed and they are nothing short of enthralling live. As I previously mentioned, we stumbled upon this precious northwestern commodity (way more valuable than buffalo meat on the Oregon trail!) at UCSD's Che Forest Sewage Collective. We showed up late (thanks for being full of traffic, I-5...) to see Joan of Arc and I was sold the moment I heard 31Knots' front man, Joe Haege (donning a crappy Satan mask), howl "hey you," from the first non-sampled line of "Sanctify" (from their 2007 Polyvinyl release "The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere"). Haege, sans Satan mask, swiftly snaked his way into the middle of the crowd in his Pee-Wee Hermanized Southern preacher-man suit, mic in hand and commanded the attention of the entire room. All eight of us. No, I think there were more people. Maybe 14. Regardless, I would really love to see these dudes shred it at the Casbah and I'm not just saying that because the Casbah has Arrogant Bastard. MAKE IT HAPPEN, SAN DIEGO!

This here youtube video is a live recording from some show I wasn't at that for the most part maintains the audio integrity of "Sanctify:"



31Knots really uses technology to their advantage- samples are obviously present yet their presence does not take away from their live performance. Recording-wise, the samples add a pleasing, quirky yet serious depth. They also use good old-fashioned musicianship to their advantage, bassist/sweater connoisseur Jay Winebrenner and drummer/engineer Jay Pellicci throw down their share, contributing both to the balance of the live show and powerfully supporting the chaos that lies in the recordings. Lyrically, Haege brings a delightful amount of snark with the storytelling, which is undeniably a breath of fresh air from the sad-bastard crap the kids are into these days.

I managed to procure the "Polemics" EP as well as "The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere" at my local record store (I'm not saying which one, I don't need any of you night prowlers coming up to me asking me for autographs) and am very pleased with both acquisitions. "Polemics" is aesthetically pleasing despite the fact that it won't play in my car (life is rough, obviously) and is an overall good album. "The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere" is definitely the mind-blower for me and "Compass Commands" from the upcoming Aug. 19 Polyvinyl release "Worried Well" is more than promising.


"Hit List Shakes (The Inconvenience Of You)" is another standout track (you know, aside from "Sanctify") on "The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere"- though lacking a traditional discernible "breakdown," I feel like the song picks itself up at around 3:48 to serve you your own pretentious ass on a tarnished silver platter. The volume definitely needs to be up to 11 for the last half of this song. Which reminds me, does anyone want to hire a now 3/4ths deaf audio engineer? HAH just kidding! This is officially the second post I have made a joke in! I digress. Going all the way back to the beginning of the album, one will find "Beauty." No, seriously, that's the name of the song. it's a good'un. Here's the video:




existentially yours,

'stina.

You gotta love livin', baby, 'cause dyin' is a pain in the ass

Last night I saw Frank Sinatra, Jr. with the San Diego Symphony at the Moonlight Ampitheatre. It was some sort of fund raising shenanigan that I admittedly paid very little attention to but the Guido in me snatched up my free tickets right quick in hopes of getting a small taste of history. I was pleased to find out the orchestra received the original Nelson Riddle orchestrations under lock and key and were instructed to return them immediately after the concert series ended.

Sinatra, Jr.'s career rides not only on sounding like his father, but BEING his father and there's a reason Jr. has a career. There were moments in which I could close my eyes and let his (father's) classically sultry voice envelop me and transport me to a smoky night club that was filled with slightly-cocked fedoras clutching gin and tonics when they were not rock-stepping around crimson-lipped perfect coifs.

So here are a couple of my favorite Frank, Sr. clips I scrounged up on the internet.

With Gene Kelly in one of my favorite talkies "Anchors Aweigh."


With Grace Kelly in "High Society." Go ahead and ruffle my finger-waves, Frank. OH WE ARE SUCH FOOLS! Seriously, why can't every dude I know take a lesson from Frank? Romance is NOT superman-ing a ho.


And of course, "Come Fly With Me."



off to use my feminine wiles,

'stina.

like a teenager in town

Confession time: I know Wolf Parade's new album came out like last week or the week before or something (I am losing track of time because I am mostly unemployed) but back in May I heard that a certain Paul Peterson had gotten a hold of it early. Once I knew that somebody else had it, and that somebody else was Paul Peterson, I could not rest until I had illegally downloaded it early (I pre-ordered a hard copy too, okay, GET OFF MY BACK). So I've had extra time to think about At Mount Zoomer and yet the most intelligent thing I can say about it has to do with my favorite song, "California Dreamer". Behold, Wolf Parade live:



Please note the Krug's Brett Michaels-esque bandana and at 2:22 I believe his Krugly knee is revealed. He appears to be wearing shants (not shorts not pants). Fetch me my smelling salts!

I'm really digging how the instruments in this song sound like the Doors and then suddenly instead of Jim Morrison's low, booming voice you get Spencer Krug's je ne sais quoi. Incongruous yet apt, I say, and a testament to his stature as a songwriter and performer that the comparison doesn't fall flat or make him look like an ass. It stands, both ironic and true as well as really fun to listen to at top volume in the car with the windows down, yesssss. This song is the reason I can't sit and listen to that album all the way through because it keeps ending up on repeat. True story.

all in a ball

At first blush the title of the Thao with the Get Down Stay Down album We Brave Bee Stings and All might strike you as ironic and clever or impossibly twee, but, like, have you ever SEEN the movie My Girl? I cried like a bitch in that movie. I cried like a bitch for twenty minutes after the credits ended. FYI: I happen to be a really tough broad. I don't even cry when I lose at scrabble, if only because that never happens.

The point is, bee stings are serious business and so is Thao Nguyen. When she sings the words, "I have seen fear and convenience, I have never glimpsed romance" or when she repeats the refrain from the same song (fear and convenience) "did he hurt you in a new way?" the sweetness of her delivery belies the sadness/wistfulness that lingers even in more ostensibly upbeat numbers and mingles with wry humor in songs such as "Bag of Hammers" and "Swimming Pools". Speaking of "Swimming Pools":



See what I mean?

The album closes with a sweet cover of Smokey Robinson's "You've Really Got a Hold On Me". Homegirl has a sexy voice and she's not afraid to use it. And when that song ends and you release your kitty from your deathgrip slowdance of eternal love (when I say "you" I'm talking about "me"), the cd will turn around and reward you with another listen to "Beat (Health, Life and Fire)", another stand out track.

To sum up: sweet indie pop, slight country influence but nothing annoying, lyrics that are both witty and heartfelt, a refreshing summer treat "like a lick of ice cream".

if virgins are still chaste

I don't know if you've heard of the black cab sessions, so I thought I would just take this opportunity to inform you that they're pretty sweet. Simple idea: a band gets in a cab and plays a song. The videos are a little washed out and wobbly but they have an intimate vibe and beautiful music and that makes it all better. The latest video was Fleet Foxes, and Spoon and Scout Niblett have videos up too. There are a few groups on there that I'm less jazzed about coughdeathcabforcutiecough, but nothing will make me less than ecstatic about the Sunset Rubdown video in which they perform the new song "You Go On Ahead".



My feelings for Spencer Krug are drifting gently into scary-fangirl-knitting-you-a-pair-of-mittens territory so I will keep my remarks brief.

I love it.

I'm a wolf

Last night 'Stina and I attempted to see Sea Wolf at the Casbah. They fucked up man. They got big enough to sell out the Casbah. Just kidding, we're not that snobby. Well, not all the time. So how about a video followed by a hypothetical concert review? Sounds good to me too.



I'm guessing their show is a lot like this but with more of us struggling to see past the tall people who always insist on standing in the front and never ever offer us piggyback rides. I'm guessing that they are foxier in person and we would have been pretty excited about that because objectifying dudes is fun.

We would have gotten really excited about the jealous girlfriends because we're going through a phase where we get really excited about synthesizers and whispery femme vocals and Stina would find some cool technical shit to say. I'm really digging on their song "Roboxulla" right about now.

Patrick Park also played, you can sample them here at their myspace. Pretty similar to Sea Wolf. "Here We Are" stands out to me because I like finger picking. That's what she said.

I was on DD (designated driver, not boob) duty, and let's face it, I was in a shitty mood yesterday, so I probably would have bitched a lot about my feet hurting and made snarky comments. I'm guessing one of us would have had an unpleasant run-in with an acquaintance or worse.

And all of these things would have been preferable to what actually happened: we drove back to north county, rescued our friend Devin from the cougar den and I got in a total bitch fight because some peroxide blonde chick jostled me and spilled my cocktail all over my arm and then talked shit on me to her boyfriend like seriously, one foot away from me. Then I spent the rest of the night being a sad sack, my only saving grace being the snap decision that I was not in fact drunk enough to text. Bad times.

dammit girl.

hello, pony girls and boys... beatrix here... i'm here to contribute to the video of the week thing 'stina and megan have going on... mine is by MGMT and it's called "electric feel"... this song has been my JAM for like... 6 months now... I'll actually drive for a good half hour in my car with this song on repeat... it has all the appeal of prince's "i want to be your lover", but they look like the Lost Boys in Hook and apparently they stole the bears from that weird thing at disneyland... enjoy!

check out the video here

♥,
beatrix

p.s. - my wikipedia search of "Lost Boys" also showed me a graphic novel called "Lost Girls" which is a sexually explicit book about alice in wonderland, wendy from peter pan and dorothy from oz who all meet up as adults in 1913 to talk about their sexual escapades as children... Why do i secretly want to read this book?