Wedding White

I’ve been thinking of weddings for a while now. While I’m not planning my own wedding, I do like the idea of getting ideas to for future weddings and ideas for friends who are getting married. Therefore, I was excited when I found this Wedding Concierge website.

This looks quite promising, offering you ideas on where to shop, what kind of dresses look good for certain weddings and it’s definitely a one-place-stop for getting blogs completely devoted to weddings and wedding dresses.

It looks awesome!!

Filed under: Uncategorized, Wedding

Teen Scene – Demi Lovato

I know, I know. I’m a twenty-something woman still involved in the teen scene. I watch teen tv shows like crazy, “Vampire Diaries” anyone? or “Wizards of Waverly Place?” How about “Sunny with a Chance?” Yes, I get many ideas on what to write from watching these shows, finding inspiration for teen speak and how they function. Hence, this blog will throw in a few teen scene moments.

As a recent follower of this, I just found out that Demi Lovato is back on the scene. So thrilled for her. I know how difficult it can be after something as difficult as admitting that you have a problem and have dealt with it. So, here it goes!

Demi Lovato will be back on the air with ABC’s Robin Roberts in a segment that will appear on both GMA and 20/20 since she left for rehab.

She even Tweeted about it, talking about Robin Roberts on her Twitter account and stating: “@RobinRoberts thank you SO much for helping me tell my story today. Today was really special for me.. Thank you.. God bless!”

I personally find it fitting that Robin Roberts, who has gone through some tough stuff herself, should be doing the interview. She’s a very easy person to open up to.

A date hasn’t been set up to air the segment but I will surely be waiting for it.

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Riot This: Vivian Girls

New Jersey/Brooklyn-based Vivian Girls, their name derived from outsider artists Henry Darger’s epic written work “The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion,” have been hitting the punk scene with a veritable rowdy edge. Forget the large Jersey hair, these girls just want to focus on the music, making crowds jump and dance while prophesying their love for Morrissey.

After their self-titled debut sold out in ten days, a coincidentally the same amount of songs on the album, the girls still don’t have hardcore expectations about their follow-up. All these girls have sought out is to rock out and kick some ass. The gods smiled upon me and I was lucky enough to wrangle up an interview with Katy Goodman, bassist extraordinaire, as she drove around New Jersey, sharing ideas and stories of the band’s core audience and their acceptance into the punk/rock scene.

Alma Verdejo: How was it playing 18 shows at SXSW, all on one day?

Katy: Actually it was 17 and it was very tiring. I would not recommend it for everyone and we basically got so many because we said yes to everything. We didn’t really have a lot of time to see shows but we enjoyed seeing The Black Lips, The Intelligence.

I know you guys have never hit Houston before, anything you might expect from us? Any preconceived notions?

I don’t know, to tell the truth. We’ve only been to Dallas (and Austin) and I think it might be like Dallas.

By the way, we hate Dallas. It’s like gang warfare when it comes to cities comparing each other in Texas.

That’s good to know. (laughs)

I know you guys have a new album coming out this year. Is it different from last year’s self-titled album?

This one is mostly about heartbreak and it’s longer, at 37 minutes long as opposed to the last album that was 22 minutes.

How does the songwriting process work out? Do you guys all come up with lyrics?

Actually, Cassie will do the lyrics and it’s mostly about things that happen to her, real things. We also might do songs about things that happen to other people but Cassie will sing them as if they’re about her ’cause it’s really one or two and I don’t think any of them made it onto the album that we just finished recording.

Are there longer songs on the album? I know that the songs on “Vivian Girls” were pretty short and concise.

There are 13 songs on this album, so yeah, it’s longer. Some of the songs are four and a half minutes long. Also, this album is more evolved as our music progressed.

One of my favorite songs is “No” from “Vivian Girls.” Are there songs like this, with one lyric on the album?

No, there aren’t. Not that “No” isn’t a great song, it’s just that there are songs with more than one lyric in them. I feel that “No” is a great song, though.

It’s a great aggressive song that I think taps into girls a lot. Like, girls are seen as just meek things and this song makes it okay to be aggressive and strong. Your songs have also been described as ‘60s songs as opposed to punk songs. How do you react to that?

Well, I think the Ramones are influenced by the ‘60s, so, so are we. I think people are scared of punk bands but that’s what we are. We consider ourselves to be that, our attitude is to play songs and do it fast and do our own thing.

(At shows) if people happen to stand around, then that’s fine, though we definitely play better with people dancing. We have a tight-knit group of friends and if one of them dances, it makes a whole dance party. It only takes on person to make a dance party.

How do people react when they see three aggressive punk girls in a punk band, especially when people want girls to be meek and look cute? This also comes to the media, especially, because of the way that the media portrays female bands, focusing on their looks and not their sound.

We don’t encounter it that much (touring or at shows). People don’t act like they’re shocked by us and sometimes, us being a girl band, is why girls come to the shows. We just might be inspiring to them, this girl band.

What do you like about your crowds or what has been the craziest thing that’s happened in a show?

Well, we don’t have crazy crazy things happen at our shows but I do love that they’re all totally different from each other. Like, at SXSW, we played a lot of showcases. On Tuesday, we played a night house party and it was insane. Kids were crowd surfing. Then on Wednesday, at 1pm, we played a showcase for adults that were drinking coffee, completely different than all these kids. Then, that night, we played a lounge for people drinking martinis; it’s definitely different than the last show.

We also opened up for Sonic Youth once and that was pretty crazy.

Okay, last question: Describe a Vivian Girls show.

Totally. Unique. Experience.

Check out the the Vivian Girls with Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffitti on April 9th at Walter’s on Washington.

Tix are $8 presale and $10 at the door.

Filed under: Music Interviews, Archives, Music, Rock, Vivian Girls

L Studio: Horror-Inspired Fashion

Filed under: Uncategorized, Fashion, Horror, L Studio

Archives: Ghostland Observatory, Shina, South Austin Jug Band Reviews

Originally ran March 2008 in ENVY Magazine, The Music Issue.

GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY
Robotique Majestique
Trashy Moped 2008

Any band describing their sound as “a robot making love to a tree,” definitely inspires some inquiring minds. As unclassified as their sound is, this Austin-based duo is not remotely limited by their music, finding it an extension of their own selves with just a touch of sanity thrown in and that’s exactly what is revealed in their latest studio effort, Robotique Majestique.

Following up their first, quirky-titled album delete.delete.i.eat.meat and Paparazzi Lightning—that left masses dancing whether they liked it or not—they continue to play homage to the likes of Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem with a dash of Donna Summer in “Dancing on My Grave.” The anthem-like single, which has enjoyed successful airplay among indie lovers, splits up the dramatic electro-soul of the album.
The first track, “Untitled,” heralds in their arrival but still leaving the listener ill-prepared for what is about happen. Other notable songs are “HFM,” successfully quoting Le Tigre-like aggressiveness and heavy speed-metal while “No Place for Me” feels like the younger and sweeter sibling of Marilyn Manson. “Holy Ghost White Noise” encapsulates ’80s electropop and freewheeling, remixing Daft Punk personae.

Shina Rae
Just Waiting for This…
Tierra Studios 2008

In an age that female acts such as M.I.A. and Le Tigre, along with Kid Sister, are making waves, it is easy to assume that that is the end of the line. Houston native Shina splashes onto the scene with sharper wit and a downright in-your-face Just Waiting for This…. Her EP on local label, Tierra Studios, Shina samples coyness with boomeranging beats, reggae-infused “Lightning Strikes”—remiscent of No Doubt’s dancehall craze—and intro remixed “Bitch Switch’d” that will quickly find its home in dance clubs with its stuttering beats. “Excuse Me” cites’80s Madonna-crazed music as a heavy influence while copping some attitude towards all the annoying clubgoers.

A cogent effort by Shina, it foreshadows great potential with an adoring glance at New Wave and electro, a switch to women-empowering lyrics without taking itself too seriously. If Nelly Furtado could do Loose, then Shina has carried the torch to dance party must-have.

DOMER
Vaguest Vacation
Howie Doo Music 2008

It would be easy to forget, in a few years, that one of the most influential and talented rappers was a white kid from Detroit, sharpening his speedfast tongue-lashings and talent slipping out of every word he speaks. Unfortunately, Domer isn’t Slim Shady but he does his best to showcase his smart and reflective lyrics and does little to earn the title as rapper. But, he can claim on title that can easily be ridiculed but is quickly upped up an ante by his talented, skewed and jamming songs.

“Family” reads like a radio-friendly song and fills in any Sean Paul void, along with few lingering memories of Smash Mouth’s Steve Harwell. Thankfully, Domer sticks to slow-sweet reggae made for late afternoons, early evenings. “Secret” is deeply set in early’90s hip hop; “The way I see it” befits a place of 1997’s “The Mask” soundtrack with its upbeat, cheerful melodies.

Never taking himself seriously, Domer bounces from deeply family-friendly songs, perfect for small children, to edgier, well-mixed nonoffensive songs for adults. Overall, Domer’s efforts are softly rewarded if on the lookout for a happy album with a slight east coast edge.

South Austin Jug Band
Strange Invitation
Self Released 2008

Bluegrass love has always been in the background of all country artists and even a few country-rock acts like Ryan Adams. In a music scene still parading a love for country music, it’s not surprising to take into consideration one act that has slowly built their way to the top. Garnering attention in Austin, and other national music scenes, South Austin Jug Band—with no relation to truly homemade instruments nor any jug player in the band—storm through and appease the discerning bluegrass-lover’s need for good music.

Their latest album, Strange Invitation, is another self-released indulgence into bluegrass, a bit Irish/folksy solos—six of the 12 songs are mostly musical—and much needed praise for a dying breed. But with this band, it’s hard to believe that bluegrass could suffer a downturn in fate.

A self-described country Jack Johnson-like band, they bring a bit of twang and heartbreaking yet upbeat vocals in “Come to me,” following it with some homespun advice in “Falls so fast.” Down country violins accentuate the Irish/folk lilt in the song, even if the band never once admits they are paying home to Ireland. Toe-tapping intro to “Trek of Beandip Perkins”—the first completely musical song—finally brings about the one thing that bluegrass was always good at, telling stories through instrumentals. Overall, the country boys are still country whether they like it or not.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Houston Local Band: Wild Moccasins

Originally ran October 2008 in ENVY Magazine.

SLITHER & STRIKE

WORDS ALMA VERDEJO

WILD MOCCASSINS HAVE BEEN MAKING A SPLASH FOR THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS WITH THEIR ENERGETIC SHOWS AND WORD-OF-MOUTH BUZZ IN HOUSTON’S UNDERGROUND SCENE. CONSISTING OF FIVE MEMBERS—MOST BARELY OUT OF THEIR TEENS—THEY QUOTE WEEZER’S BLUE ALBUM AND THE BEACH BOYS’ PET SOUNDS AS INSPIRATIONS FOR THEIR MUSIC.

Twenty-year-old lead singer Cody Swann and 19-year-old Zahira Gutierrez were the original members of the band, determined to actually sing together before realizing that their sound would benefit from other members. “We realized that we could include other people, kind of expand the sound that we wanted to make,” explains Swann, with 21-year-old Andrew Ortiz (the drummer) being recruited through mutual friends. Nick Cody, 22, soon followed, and the band jokes that Andrew Lee actually “stalked them” to get into the band.

According to Ortiz, Lee would show up at shows and hang back to try to get a connection with the band. Sure enough, it won him a spot in the band—and even sparked a fan club among his friends for his colorful fashion sense.

Their name, Wild Moccassins, is actually collaboration between Gutierrez and Swann, who both liked the phonetic sound of the words. “They actually don’t mean anything; we just liked the name,” admits Gutierrez. “We didn’t meet and we were all wearing moccassins or something like that.” As the only girl in the band, Gutierrez admits that the band is like her family; the guys are brothers whom she can count on, and the chemistry is undeniable between the members. It’s impressive to see that Cody even jokes that he pulls her hair when they disagree, since they are also a couple but don’t let that interfere with the band.

Disagreements are, actually, few and far between for the members. “We all have something to bring about to the music,” explains Ortiz. “We all bring in a viewpoint that we all can agree on.” Swann is the songwriter, breeding a sound that has been described as power pop, swirling many comparisons to young, up-and-coming bands like Young Mammals and Something Fierce—which the band quotes as infl uences—though they don’t want to be compared to a fl ash-in-the pan because of their relative youth. “We know we’re young, but it doesn’t matter,” Gutierrez says.

Instead, they want people to feel the rush and energy of their live shows on the album, with Gutierrez further adding, “If we went to a show and the band wasn’t moving, it wouldn’t want to make me move, either. So we do our best to put on a show that people like. And if they don’t get that from the album, we will personally go to their house and play a show there.”

Check out the Wild Moccassins October 5 at The Mink.

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Dallas Local Band, October 2008: Holocaust for Humanity

Originally ran October 2008 in ENVY Magazine.

Hot Flames
WORDS ALMA VERDEJO

THE HOLOCAUST HUMANITY HAS USED NATIONAL ARCHIVES FOOTAGE, PAINFULLY TRUE LYRICS AND WAR TORN LIFE AS BACKGROUNDS TO THEIR MUSIC. THEY HAVE DELVED INTO SUBJECT MATTER AS DARK AS MUSHROOM CLOUD EXPLOSIONS, DISCUSSED THE ROSENBERGS’ ADMITTANCE AT BEING SPIES AND REALIZED THAT REALITY IS WORSE THAN REAL LIFE.

Started by vocalist/synths Nathan Hewitt and his friends, John Mrugala, who plays synthesizers, and drummer Riggz Wade, they began seeking out outlets for their creative forces. “We’re all great buddies,” explains Hewitt. “And that’s the thing—Riggz the drummer and I, we just became good friends a couple of years ago. We have stuff in common, and we had a friendship before we had the band, and that’s what helped.”

Their music is packed with a Halloween scary vibe, which is heavily accented by their usage of multimedia. “What I did was I wrote the ‘National Archives,’” says Hewitt, “and I just gathered a lot of random video from various places, like a lot of nuclear test footage and war footage. It’s almost all war footage and put that all together. And you know, it’s scary in its own way—it’s scary in real life, better than Halloween—but it still works.”

While their video choices will surely freak some people out, there’s also that nagging realization that their name is often going to be misinterpreted as something disrespectful and mean-spirited. “I don’t know,” says Hewitt.
“The name of our band, it comes about that we tried to use the word holocaust in the biblical sense of like an offering consumed by fi re—which is what that actually means—and it’s really no association, with like, the Holocaust.”

They’ve also acknowlegdged that while their sound might not attract a lot of people, their music is something they strive to work to cast some kind of commentary on the world. “We try to do something more meaningful than
writing about our dads or being upset about something trivial like that,” concedes Hewitt. “We try to write about world issues.” As world issues are definitely hard to comprehend, it all comes full circle.

For more on Holocaust Humanity, see holocausthumanity.com.

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Archives: Whispertown 2000 Review; Kristine Mills: Playing with the Big Boys Review

Music Reviews:
Originally ran October 2008 in ENVY Magazine.

The Whispertown 2000
Swim
Acony Records

Swim is an endless acoustic folksy, sometimes pop-centric party with almost cartoonish voices. Almost, that is. The second album from Whispertown 2000, entitled Swim, is a conjecture of both whiny voices and quirky lyrics with Southern lovin’ and bluegrass tinklings. A bit reminiscent of Beatles-esque subject matter on “103” with country undertones is the epitome of the band’s brand of acoustics and lighthearted melodies.
They pick up on the country sentiment in “The Old Times,” complementing their catchy lyrics, possibly even reviving this album of sameness. Nagler’s vocal prowess is showcased in “Atlantis,” a surprisingly unsappy love song reminiscent of Regina Spekter.

This album is far from perfect, but the band fi nally catches up with a great song in “From the Start/ Jamboree,” the perfect blend of bluegrass and countrifi ed southern soul music. A surprisingly rockin’ out, angry ballad appears at the end, capping off an album that could’ve shared some more of the last four songs than the fi rst seven. Overall, the catchy lyrics populating this album make it the perfect new guilty pleasure for people all around. The musical sound transcends the whole album—as if learning a new guitar chord would’ve been a chore—but it’s also the perfect new adition for any of those loyal folks who fell head over heels for the
Juno sountrack. —Alma Verdejo

Kristine Mills
Playing with the Big Boys – Live!

Self-released

Kristine Mills has delved into the one thing that most musicians are afraid to do: sing real live, honest-to-goodness, proper jazz. This live album, recorded at Houston’s Cezanne, kicks it off with the sensual-tone of “I Love Paris.” Granted, it’s probably not for the too casual listener—or heavy metal enthusiast—but Mills’s voice is refreshing, smooth and just as tasty as a smooth cognac that the listener, or audience member at the Cezanne, would be tasting with their friends. Her take on classics like “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “They Can’t Take that Away from Me” showcase the ease with which she’s able to bring to life old classics with a new twist. Her effortless repertoire with the musicians bring a nice, lilty tone to the album, making it an airy, light-hearted and ideal album for jazz newbies, and Houstonians in general.
—AV

Filed under: Uncategorized, Folk, Folk Rock, Houston, Jazz, Kristine Mills, Reviews, Whispertown 2000

2010 Coachella Lineup Announced

Okay, the time is here for Coachella’s lineup and can I say something? I’m heavily impressed. So impressed that I will definitely make the trek out to Indio again this year, especially after preparing for this since last year’s Coachella.

Jay-Z is a great surprise as well as Indie pioneers and gods, Pavement. I’ve had the luck of interviewing the lead singer of Pavement, Stephen Malkmus, and know that his humor and demeanor are a definite plus with the band and their sound. Muse, which is about time they got to headline something in the U.S., is another major addition while I’m still confused with Gorillaz. I don’t know if I’ve been out of the look for so long but these guys haven’t released anything in a while. We’ll see what happens with them.

While I’m a veteran of SXSW, ACL and FUN FUN FUN FUN Fest in Texas, I have never really ventured outside into California until now.

So, go and read below to your heart’s content.

Coachella

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“Alice in Wonderland” Track Listing

Another reason to anticipate the “Alice in Wonderland” movie has come and it’s quite interesting. I’m unsure as to whether or not to be impressed but a highlight is Kerli, who I was lucky enough to interview a while ago and can say that she’s definitely a good addition. Her music contains the whimsical and yet dark quality that I’m sure Tim Burton would be proud of.

Check out

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