Valentine's Day Part 2 - For Her

isn't this sweet? if you'd like to be locked inside her heart-shaped box, this is the perfect gift to give her this valentine's day.

$18 at Urban Outfitters.

xxoo,

julie

Enjoy free music from Apollo Run!

Apollo Run is an NYC-based band that has a fantastic sound that can't be described by someone as non-musical as I am. So here's what someone much better at describing music said about them:

A sample from Future Sounds:

Led by the genre-hopping intensity of multi-instrumentalist (guitar, piano and trumpet) John McGrew, the band’s sound falls somewhere between a stripped down, recession-era form of Queen or Muse, (sans all the cosmic (and keyboard-y) spiritual references) or even Beirut, with McGrew and (professionally-trained) bassist Jeff Kerestes at the helm dripping with the swagger of stars from the arena rock days, as drummer Graham Fisk rolled right along as every song proved an encore-worthy thrill with jumping, screaming, swaying, instrument hugging, table-dancing and a set-closing a cappella stomp-along. A sweaty, saloon-rocking gospel jam along if I’ve ever seen it. – Matt Draper

The full feature: http://futuresounds.blogspot.com/2010/01/caught-live-apollo-run.html

Valentine's Day is Bearing Down on You!

i thought it might be wise to do a series of posts of gift ideas for your uber-hip girl or guy. so today i'm starting with guys. not as difficult to buy for as you might think!

isn't this an incredible ring? created in LA by DJ and artist Han Cholo, along with silversmith Guillaume Pajolec, Han Cholo jewelry combines quality with street culture and is worn by everyone from hip hop artists to hollywood celebs. this lightweight sterling silver-plated brass ring is engraved with all the details of an old-school turntable. so if your guy likes to debate the pros and cons of analog versus digital sound (mine certainly does) this might be just the gift!

Exclusively available online at http://www.urbanoutfitters.com

something for the girls next!

ciao,
julie

my fave band of all time is the cure. (my profile pic was taken at the most recent cure show i caught, which happened to be the first cure show my son ever saw with me - AWESOME NIGHT IN JULIE'S LIFE!)

so for the hip item of the day, check out this cure poster. it's an 11" x 22" hand made silkscreen print, hand signed and numbered by the artist, billy perkins. part of a limited edition of only 155. available at Poster Cabaret.

ciao,

julie

vintage clothes for the new year

isn't this dress adorable? if you're heading to the islands to take a tropical break from the cold winter, consider this fabulous 1950s eyelet and pale lavender gem. from SmallEarthVintage found this morning on etsy.

later...with jools holland

if you're british, you know all about "later... with jools holland."

a british music television show hosted by Jools Holland, the show's been running without a break since 1992 and is a part of BBC2's late-night line-up, usually airing around 11PM. each episode features a mixture of both established and new musical artists, from solo performers to bands and larger ensembles.

the show is currently broadcast in america on Ovation (check that cable line-up!) although the ovation broadcasts sometimes leave out several performances - and even one or two performers entirely - to fit enough commercials into the one-hour timeslot. the show is also shown in australia on the max channel and ABC2.

according to the episode listing on the wikipedia entry for the show, this morning ovation (on my local comcast network in philadelphia) is airing shows from february 2008. i just caught vampire weekend, and the episode just before included MGMT.

here's a vid for you from each of those two uber-hip bands.

enjoy!

julie

what i didn't get for christmas...

no, i didn't get these yummy shoes for christmas, perhaps because i never laid eyes on them until today. in fact, i saw them for the first time just minutes ago, and had to hurry on over here to post a picture.

they're from botkier's fall 2009 collection. the style name is "molly" and the color is "black cherry" in patent leather.

black cherry... what a perfect color for patent leather shoes.

ah well. christmas may be over, but there's always a new reason to buy shoes.

like it's monday. that's always a good reason.

ciao,

julie