Laid Back, We'll Give You Laid Back

I went to the Hot Chip concert on Sunday at the Wiltern, and I'm happy to say it ranked high on the list of fun concert experiences. We waited in line to get onto the floor, and ended up being in the front row, literally pressed against the stage. It was a pretty awesome experience. Everyone in the audience was singing along, and dancing. It was a really fun environment.
The opening band was a little iffy, IO Echo. They have some good reviews online, but it was a really strange combination (IO is creepy goth-ish punk rock, and Hot Chip is dreamy sounding electronica). There were several strange moments, but Hot Chip more than made up for it. They put on a really fun show, and I definitely would love to see them again!
Since I was so close, I figured I might as well document the occasion! Here are just a few...


(The guy on the right was my favorite. He was SO into everything he was doing, which varied from that keyboard thing to maracas!)


They had really cool lights, which made picture taking fun. Even strobe lights (my favorite!) but those are hard to photograph.

Next up on my concert list (I've decided to try to go OUT out in LA more, so this is part of my effort) is Silver Jews at the Echoplex on Friday. Should be fun!

List-making is my favorite hobby

After the flurry of activity surrounding the first week of school (I just finally unpacked yesterday, and I've been back for over a week) I'm finally starting to get settled in. I did my first homework assignment tonight, and my room's neat and clean, and I'm checking things off on my giant to-do list I have going, so I decided it was the appropriate time for a blog post! I've missed it, actually, in this past week.
So to ease me back into Blog (that's its name), here's a list of things I'm excited about for the next month or two.

-my birthday (that goes at the top of the list because I'll FINALLY be 21 in less than 6 weeks)
-Girl Talk concert October 24th (it gets second place because I'm really excited for it and I'm listening to the new album now)
in no particular order:
-getting a new bike (mine was stolen, and I decided that instead of getting another cruiser, I'd build my own bike at the Bicycle Kitchen. I'll let you know how that goes...)
-my new tote bag arriving in the mail (I designed my own at LL Bean and I think it'll turn out really well!
-continuing to go to the gym. I've been really good about it for the past few weeks, and I feel so much better for it!
-fall tv: Gossip Girl (season premiere tonight was so fun!), THE OFFICE SEEPTEMBER 25TH, 30 Rock
-fall fashions. I'll expand on that more in later posts I'm sure, but it's always nice to have a change in seasons (I know I know, it's LA and there are no real seasons, but it'll still dip below 70, which is pretty chilly for me)
-the Fred Segal fall sale. I'm not sure exactly when it is, but it's usually sometime at the end of September, and the deals are really ridiculous. I've never been, but I've heard it's fantastic. And super crowded!
-sunny/beach days even though it's September. By far the best part about LA, I'd say.

I think that's about it. Oh, and being able to post more on Blog. So keep reading, please! As a reward for sticking with me through this self-indulgent post, here's my FAVORITE PICTURE EVER. It literally brings tears to my eyes, it's so cute.

Rock the Bells

This past Saturday was Rock The Bells, a hip hop concert out in San Bernardino, at the Glen Helen Amphitheater (read: outside in stifling heat and direct sunlight for almost 12 hours). The concert is a California-based annual festival that only recently when national. The festival unites Hip Hop and R&B singers, and basically is a pretty big deal. This year, the lineup had A Tribe Called Quest headlining, with Nas, Mos Def, Redman and Method Man, The Pharcyde, De La Soul, Immortal Technique, and many others as well. The secondary stage also had acts, including The Cool Kids and Spank Rock. Oh, and the special guests were The Black Eyed Peas. So... it was pretty awesome.
In addition to the music, the whole scene was very diverse. There were people of all ages and races. There were certainly lots of younger people who looked very into hip hop, but there were also a good number of nerds, hipsters, and of course plenty of white trash (it is the valley, after all).
I went with Lauren and some friends of hers from work, and we brought a blanket to sit on in the grassy area above the amphitheater. Between sets I decided to take pictures of the fashion choices people had made, because there were some really crazy ones surrounding us. Enjoy!

This first picture is pretty typical of the "white trash" contingent there. I really think that if she just got shorts a size or two bigger, there wouldn't be an issue here. But as it stands now, and with her belly shirt, it's really not so good.



This next guy was spotted at The Cool Kids, which was basically hipster central. His shirt is by Johnny Cupcakes which is not really the brand you'd expect to see someone wearing at a hip hop concert. But then again he was also wearing teal Nike hightops, so he obviously wasn't your average concert-goer.



Also in this area, we spotted some intensely dressed indie kids, such as this girl in her shorts-with-suspenders, scarf tube top, yellow crocheted beret, gold high tops, and purple backpack. And then there was her friend, who was basically an ad for Urban Outfitters.





There were also some girls who looked like they were getting a little more dressed up, still in shorts, but with vests, expensive purses, and lots of hairspray. This girl added cowboy boots to her ensemble (and keep in mind that it was over 95 degrees). The second girl chose flip flops, but added a fedora. Six of one, half dozen of the other?





Back to the main area, the style was a little more laid back. There were still girls a little dressed up, like these 3 girls (who seem to be posing for my camera!), but there were also girls more laid back, like this one in classic concert attire: racerback tank, cut offs, and Nikes.





Finally, it just wouldn't be right if I didn't share these last two with you. There were a lot of displays of body art at the festival, including quite the number of tramp stamps, but there were also some cooler tattoos, like this man with the full back Obey tattoo (picture coming soon). Bringing it back full circle to the first picture showcasing back fat, however, is this woman. In her defense, she didn't stop dancing the whole time; she certainly had spirit. I just wish she'd thought to put a shirt on.



And as long as I'm making you look at that picture of the woman without her shirt, it's only fair that I give you some guys without their shirts. They might be a little easier on the eyes though.

excitement!

I just bought my ticket to see Girl Talk at the Henry Fonda on Friday, October 24th and I'm SO EXCITED!!!!! E's coming too, as are several others.

COME WITH US!!!!

It's going to be the greatest concert/dance party ever. To accompany the greatest month ever (I'm turning 21, amongst other exciting events).

ALSO: here's the link to buy the CD. You enter your own amount, anywhere from $0.00 to... well, anything I guess.

Fall '08 Concert Guide

Here's a list of some concerts in LA this fall that I'm interested in, and a bit of a description about each of them. It looks like it'll be a fun semester!

Kicking off the school year with a good ole' street fair: Sunset Junction! Headliners are Broken Social Scene, Cold War Kids, !!!, and The Black Keys. It's the weekend of August 23rd, right before school starts, and it's in Silver Lake, so it's bound to be an indie-hip good time!

In a very different vein, Radiohead is going to be in Los Angeles, at the Hollywood Bowl, part of that same weekend, Sunday night and Monday night. It could be a once in a lifetime experience. It should be a really great concert, and the setting is idyllic. It pretty much doesn't get better than the Hollywood Bowl on a warm summer night, with a picnic and a bottle of wine.

Ratatat, one of my favorite groups, will be performing at the Henry Fonda September 9th and 10th. Putting on their peppy instrumental/electronic music always lifts my spirits. And they'll probably have a lot of material from their new CD, which is a bit of a slower, more subtle sound than their previous stuff, but still great.

If you're more into indie hip hop, Aesop Rock is going to be at the Troubador from Sept 13th to 15th. Known for his unorthodox rap style, he'll definitely put on a fun show!

Even though he's a Scientologist, I can't help loving Beck. He has so many good albums, and keeps putting out good work! He's going to be at the Hollywood Bowl on September 20th, with Spoon.

Hot Chip, another electronic group, is going to be performing at the Wiltern September 21st and 22nd. I'm not a huge fan of concerts indoors at big venues like the Wiltern, but I'd make an exception for Hot Chip.

The Hollywood Bowl is really doing a good job of booking fun concerts this summer. They'll continue their streak with Ozomatli and several others, including Michael Franti, September 21st and 22nd.

Silver Jews are a really fun group (started by the people who went on to form Pavement), and they're going to be at the Echoplex September 26th.

Stars, the indie-pop sensations, are going to be at The Avalon on October 1st. I'm not a their most rabid fan, but they are pretty catchy!

The Greek Theatre is another fantastic outdoor venue in Los Angeles, and on October 4th, The Swell Season and Iron & Wine will be playing there.

The crown jewel of this list, Girl Talk, is going to be in Los Angeles again in late October. I missed them the last time they were in town, but it's not going to happen again! They're at the Henry Fonda, the 24th and 25th, and I will be there.

Finally, something in our 'hood, we have VHS or Beta. I think they're pretty good, and I do really like the name! They'll be playing at the Shrine, November 22nd.

So that's that. It all looks good to me! See you there? For more info, check out last.fm.