Vlog and You: A Musical Journey

Dudes and dudettes,

Well, it's snowing outside. It's not even Halloween and it's already snowing. I love Wisconsin, but I feel like we need to sit down and have a chat about this.

One advantage of the foul weather: more time for indoor projects! I've been working on a bunch of sweet projects lately and I want to share one of them with you today.

As back story, I'm part of a blog ring called Twenty-Something Bloggers. It's a great place to meet other bloggers, get ideas, and discover new addictions subscriptions for my RSS reader. The site regularly posts events and challenges like blog carnivals, essay contests, and Blog Swap Day. I always half-heartedly intend to participate, but life and procrastination thwart me at every turn.

The most recent of these events was Vlog Day. The word 'vlog' sounds like something you'd catch on Spring Break in Cancun, but it's actually just short for 'video log'. In other words, it's a blog post... on video! So twenty-first century! Next stop: personal jet packs and birthday cards that play Livin' la Vida Loca.

Vlog Day was last Wednesday, but as part of my ongoing theme of Personal Tardiness, I didn't finish mine until last night. It has nothing to do with music, but there is some great music in it. Andrew Bird, Le Tigre, and more!

And so, with limited further ado, I present to you...

Crafts & Cooking: An Ill-Advised Vlog

The New York Times calls Crafts & Cooking: An Ill-Advised Vlog "... an engaging, heartfelt romp through one woman's neighborhood and home. A triumph of the human spirit."

The Chicago Tribune says, "Two emphatic thumbs up! The best [curtain-related] vlog we've seen this year."

Michael Cera writes (probably), "I deeply regret not responding to Laurie's repeated requests to star in her vlog. It's so much better than Juno. Also, I love her."

My mother: "What's a vlog?"

Included within: wacky scene transitions, awkward camera angles, and approximately 900 instances of me nervously fiddling with my bangs. Also? Somewhere in the fourth quarter, I become convinced that I am Michel Gondry and/or stoned out of my mind. SO ARTSY.


PART I




PART II




Watch and discover for yourself why I have neither a home decorating show, a cooking show, nor a boyfriend.

Until next time,
MM

Rock 101: Still a Man's World

Saturday afternoon, some friends and I headed out to Madison Music Foundry for their Second Anniversary Party. Specifically, we were there to see some performances from MMF's Rock Workshop.

The Rock Workshop is an eight-week music program at Madison Music Foundry for middle- and high-school students. During the workshop, the kids form bands, learn songs, play live shows, and even record in a real studio. It's a rare and exciting opportunity for young musicians and I was excited to see what the kids were up to.

First of all, Madison Music Foundry definitely knows how to throw a party. Tasty snacks? Check. Fancy beer keg? Check. A lifetime supply of ear plugs for rock-your-socks-off volume levels? Check, check, check.

And the kids were awesome. There's something about thirteen-year-olds singing Van Halen that just warms my heart. Also, most of these kids had better hair than I do and they were definitely better at playing the drums.

One of the bands, a group tentatively calling themselves Four Pesos, even played a few original tunes. The original songs were some of my favorites of the night-- I swear one of the songs could have come from a Pernice Brothers album. You may or may not consider that a compliment, but I happen to really like that album.

I managed to snag a quick video of one of their Rock Workshop originals:





"All boys," my friend Clare observed at one point, nibbling a pretzel cracker between Ramones covers. It was true: there wasn't a girl in the whole group.

Amy Winehouse notwithstanding, rock and roll is still very much dominated by men. Which is part of why I was so enamored with the documentary Girls Rock! when I had the opportunity to catch it during this year's Wisconsin Film Festival.



Every person in the world should see this movie. It was so much more than cute.

photo courtesy hoodedfang, madison music foundry

At Least My Cough is Productive

A lot has happened since last we spoke: the weather's turned cold, the economy's made a run for the border, and I've had my heart broken no less than three separate times. I may have broken a few myself. It's been a busy month.

But I'm cutting back down to one job, so hopefully my writing will begin taking place at the piano again. Not that I have anything against napkin scribbles and singing into my voicemail at crowded bus stops, but the novelty's wearing thin.


My excuses for the past month are the usual: sick, work, out of town. In reverse order of enthusiasm. My out of town adventure was to Chicago where I visited my dear friend M. Markets, museums, and thrift stores, oh my! To top off the weekend, we rediscovered Regina Spektor in M's colorful, mid-century kitchen while making eggplant-almond enchiladas. They've got them some fancy food in the big city!

But I didn't log in to tell you about eggplant-almond enchiladas (though they were delicious). I'm writing to tell you about a very special and exciting project I've been working on with Glenn Case.

A few months ago, Glenn got some folks together and asked us to collaborate on a tribute album. I'll let Glenn explain in his own words:

Several musicians from thesixtyone have come together to pay tribute to a special guy, and a special band.

Supergrover is a very active listener on thesixtyone, and he's a very funny guy. In May of 2008, he was diagnosed with cancer. Even after the diagnosis, he has maintained a great sense of humor.

Supergrover has described For Squirrels as his "favorite band that no one has heard of." Two founding members of the band died in a car accident along with their tour manager on September 8th, 1995. They might have developed a much larger audience if tragedy hadn't struck so early in the band's career.

Every song [in this tribute] will be a cover version of a song that was originally recorded by For Squirrels.

Supergrover is an awesome dude and has been one of my biggest supporters on thesixtyone, so I was excited and honored to participate. I was assigned a song called "3" from For Squirrels' debut album Baypath Rd.

Glenn recorded the instrumental mix months ago, but due to some eighty-hour work weeks and (let's be honest here) my general love of procrastination, I didn't actually start recording vocals until last week. My recording sessions were maligned by subpar conditions (namely: four housemates, thin walls, and some seriously tenacious postnasal drip) and, as a result, my vocals on this track are all. over. the. place.

But Glenn Case? Is a champ. He saved the day with some sweet harmonies and mix-mastering mojo and the song turned out just dandy. And if you check out the second verse, you'll hear the closest thing to a belt you've ever heard from me. Thin walls be damned!



In other news, I have no other news. But stay tuned! Because I'm making clandestine plans for a Ryan Adams cover. I'm hoping to ask my housemate to supply guitars and lead vocals, though I haven't got up the nerve to ask him yet. My goal: get better at recreating existing songs, in addition to imagining new ones. Yes!

As for today, I'm working a fourteen-hour day and, by mid-morning, I've already single-handedly slaughtered an entire rain forest in the form of 3-ply facial tissue. But the leaves are changing, the sun is shining, and better health is just a cup of tea away. I can feel it.

photo courtesy saulgrayhildenbrand