flourished and sprayed with perfume...

photo from lettuce_move's flickr

who: little dragon
where: le poisson rouge, nyc
when: november 28, 2008
set list:
forever
recommendation
new song
turn left
test
new song (sort of prince/777-9311ish)
after the rain
wink (extended)
encore: twice

over the summer one of my homies (he of infamous shoe advice, actually) put me on to this band from sweden. i immediately took to their sound and stayed on the lookout for live dates here in the u.s. imagine how happy i was when i learned they would finally be performing in the area!

some group named moisturizer opened for them and i really wish they hadn't. mainly bc i hate the saxophone (particularly 50s/60s happy days type saxophone riffs...i see you raphael saadiq & i don't likey) and the group was lead by saxophone. no lead vocals (which isn't awful) just lead sax (which is turrible). i had invited a friend to come along and i felt bad she had to suffer through it. however, we passed the time making real housewives of atl jokes and it wasn't so bad.

when little dragon finally hit the stage the crowd went kind of bananas. they opened with "forever" (which sounded great and made me love the song much more) then went into "recommendation" (my favorite so i did my little recommendation dance) and continued from there. despite the sound being a wonky at some points the band did not disappoint. they did two new songs (didn't catch any names) and i had in my notes (yes, i took notes at a concert...geek alert) that one of them sounded a bit princeish - like a perkier 777-9311. they closed the show out with an extended reworking of "wink" (my other favorite). this left the crowd begging for more so they came back and performed "twice."

overall i enjoyed this show a lot and i can't wait for their new stuff. the crowd was very much into them and there were lots of yukimi nagano fans in the house. i just thought it was cool how everyone was dancing and the band seemed appreciative of the love.

stuff i meant to blog about

these are the things i've been meaning to share but i either never got around to it or didn't have a whole post's worth of things to say about it.

i saw janet in concert last month with my cousin and my sister. despite it not being a sold out crowd she put on an AWESOME show and both my sister and cousin had a ball. it was their first time seeing her in concert. i also took them both to their first prince show. my cousin said i was a whore going around poppin' everyone's cherries. lol at her. highlights for me were seeing janet dancing real hard a la american bandstand when she performed young love and when she did the first part of "got til it's gone" over slum village's "hold tight."

i also saw terence blanchard earlier this month. if you don't know he's the trumpeter guy that does the scores for spike lee's movies. they have this show they travel with where he plays his music from those movies with different featured vocalists. for the performance i attended, spike lee introduced the show and the featured vocalists were patti austin, bilal, and raul midon.

can i just say that OMFG patti austin is AMAZING and i'm in love with her? of the two songs she sang, her rendition of make sure you're sure (from the jungle fever sdtrk) had me nearly in tears. her voice is so pure and perfect and effortless. i was really only familiar with her work with quincy jones ("betcha wouldn't hurt me" is my JAM) and i didn't remember her sounding like that. bilal and raul were good too - especially when raul went note for note against terence with his mouth trumpet. that sounds nasty...heh.

i saw an elephant while driving to burlington coat factory.

i also saw a fapmobile when i was leaving party city. i couldn't get a picture of the guy driving it but he was pretty mature.

oh and i got those shoes i wanted. they were on sale plus i had a discount code. i can't wait to wear them. and don't say nothing about my pale, hairy legs.

they are coming

little dragon
november 28 nyc
november 29 dc
december 1 philly

yay!

tag i'm it!

miss lenee tagged me with the following meme:

Rules
1. Put your itunes/music player on shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT
After you’ve answered all of the questions, tag 5 other people and then let them know they’ve been tagged to do the meme themselves!

ok. heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go...

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
"adore" - prince (live)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"anotherloverholenyohead" - prince (i swear this is on shuffle...i'm cracking up right now)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
ok another prince song came up :(...i'm clicking next again
LOL still prince..."extraloveable" (it was "endorphinemachine" before)
btw i'm skipping the prince stuff from now on otherwise my answers will be all prince

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
"too high" - hugo montenegro

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
"kije's ouija" - the free design (i don't think i've ever listened to this song before)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"don't disturb this groove" - the system

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"cold blooded" - rick james (HA!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
"detroit winter" - ppp feat invincible

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"always on my mind" - brandy (awwwwwwww...sniffle)

WHAT IS 2+2?
"closer" - slum village

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"that girl" - stevie wonder (that's *my* theme song though)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"one lovas" - dwele

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"everybody wants to rule the world" - tears for fears

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"far beyond" - locksmith

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"happy song (tonite)" - blackstreet

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"just like a baby" - sa-ra creative partners

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"let me love you" - lalah hathaway (*does the wop*)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"i love you" - cheri dennis feat jim jones & black rob

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"i'd die without you" - pm dawn (that's kinda sick)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"good love" - daru & reggie b (hubba hubba)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"the smurf" - tyrone brunson (i'm dying yo)

WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS?
"after the worries" - ppp


i'm tagging whoever reads my blog. that means YOU, pal.

i was you

Untitled from Tia T on Vimeo.

(kanye west glow in the dark tour, saturday may 17, 2008, susquehanna bank center, camden, nj)

i was you!

ok so i'm like officially a kanye fan now. i sang, i danced, i threw my hands up in the sky...i even cabbage patched! i will say this was a damn good show. mind you my concert standards are kinda high being a prince fan and all but kanye did his thing. he brings to mind my 8th grade english teacher mrs. reed (who recently passed away unfortunately). she didn't allow anyone of us to get by with our work. we were expected to go the extra mile and work harder to always give our best and that's just what homeboy did.


you can see from the video just how AWESOME our seats were. wooooo! we missed some of lupe's set due to traffic but what i saw was ok.


n.e.r.d was high energy as usual and chris brown came out on stage to dance when they performed "spaz". i still heart pharrell esp since he didn't forget to shout out jersey.


yo, white girls LOVE rihanna. i was in line for a pretzel when her set started so i was watching her on the monitor. my first thought was "damn, when did she get all that ass?" my second thought was "wow, chris brown is hittin' that? these little kids *smh*" when i got back to my seat there was a whole gaggle of seat poachers behind me singing loud and off key. rihanna did her thing though. i wasn't mad at all.

overall good show. would definitely see again.

van hunt at s.o.b.'s

so last night van hunt played a solo set at s.o.b.'s. i never got to see him live his first time around so i wasn't going to miss him this time. the show opened with a woman by the name of shae fiol.


this little white girl almost had me crying like a baby amidst a bunch of strangers when she busted out with "love is stronger than pride"...i'm hardcore though so i held back the tears and sang along with the rest of the crowd. good songs and lovely voice so i'll be checking for her.

next up was van hunt with only a keyboard, a guitar, and a rag on his head. i was a bit apprehensive when i heard he would be playing alone but i think i preferred him that way. he was very personable, cracking jokes and engaging the audience.


songs performed included "if i take you home", "being a girl", "highlights", "hold my hand", "down here in hell...", "character", "dust", "what can i say...", and "hopeless". he did some more too that i can't remember.

all in all i'm glad i went. the crowd was live - there were these two drunk dudes singing their hearts out (to each other?). the dj was good - i've never seen a crowd get LOOSE to "around the way girl" until last night. women? sure...but dudes too? everyone was jamming. (and i'm gonna pretend like someone else decided to play "secret lovers" and "three times a lady" before the show started.) i forgot to bring my camera so i only have these shots from my phone (which would have been much better if mr. broad shoulders hadn't planted himself right in front of me...loser). oh and i saw my party crush! i almost didn't recognize him and was all up in his face like "where do i know this guy from?" i didn't realize it was him until later.

flashback friday

Uploaded by bebo.com/faiguerin

yeah yeah technically it ain't friday yet but whatevs. i can't remember if i was in hs or college when this song came out but i do know we had the cassingle in the house. this song was the joint! (haha) check the overenthusiastic high five around the one-minute mark. shout out to rich for putting this on his jack n jill mix that i finally got around to listening to only years later. i'm out of breath from DAYNCIN'! enjoy.

kanye is insane

lol...how can anyone not love him?

from his blog re: the glow in the dark tour

I can't take it anymore. I have 2 show you guys a model of the stage. This is not a regular show. I tell people, hey, this show is gonna be crazy and they say, "I bet it is!", BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA! People expect me to come with innovative stuff... I'm sure a lot of people expect some neon, lower east side, post everybody dressing like the 80's stuff or maybe the light up jacket from the Grammies, perhaps the robot girl and light spectacle they saw on Youtube from the European run. My friends..... NONE OF THE ABOVE!!! AN ENTIRELY NEW DESIGNED SET!!! ROBOT DESIGNED BY ACCLAIMED ARTIST CHRISTIAN COLON, CREATURE'S BY THE LEGENDARY JIM HENSON'S CREATURE SHOP, LIGHTING BY MARTIN PHILLIPS AND JOHN McGUIRE RESPONSIBLE FOR LAST YEARS FESTIVAL ANNIHILATOR, DAFT PUNK'S PYRAMID, POSSIBLY THE GREATEST LIGHT SHOW OF ALL TIME!! THANKS 2 PAUL, THOMAS AND GUYMAN FOR THE HOOK UP. SIDEBAR, MY SET DOES NOT HAVE A PYRAMID IN IT OR ANYWAY FEEL LIKE A BITE OF DAFT'S SHOW. WE'VE GOT HOLOGRAMS SHOT BY HYPE WILLIAMS!!! SAM SPIELGAL, MIKE DEAN, JEFF BAXTER AND I HAVE SPENT A MONTH AND A HALF RE-ORCHESTRATING EVERY TRACK 2 FOLLOW A NARRATIVE. WE'VE LEARNED TO SURVIVE OFF OF 1 HOUR OF SLEEP A DAY!

this negro broke into all caps. i can see the vein popping in his neck. i almost want to stop being cheap and buy a ticket. especially since i really wanna see n.e.r.d. (but really don't wanna see rihanna or lupe).

love you better

i did something this wknd i didn't think i'd *ever* do - i paid to download music.

*shrieks of horror *

it was so simple and cheap. and i got exactly what i wanted...well almost. see i was looking for a particular version (the jesse rose mix) of jimpster's "love you better" but the mix i ended up getting was a lot different than the one i wanted . in a good way! i think it's the album version and it's so fn sexy i wanna slide across the floor on my belly (centipede!). of course i've been wearing it out since i got it. i still need to get the other mix though.

i also found a song i had forgotten i loved. the fanatix vocal bounce mix of sterling ensemble's "follow me" (not to be confused with aly-us' "follow me"). this is such a fun fun song featuring delouie avant on vocals.

i realize the futility of posting about music without links but like corbin bleu said, deal with it.

all i want is...

ta mara & the seen - affection

a few years back this song could be found on a good number of my personal homemade cds. its very relatable sentiment has made it one of my theme songs. i recall rediscovering the song during my college years while going through a box of tapes at a friend's house. i didn't realize until much later that ta mara & the seen were part of prince's whole mpls funk/rock scene (i believe they were a protege group of jesse johnson) but the guitar on this cut makes that kinda of obvious. i had never in my life seen this video until the other day. it seems to be a different mix from the one i have (it's a bit more sanitized) and is of course weirdly 80s (aquanet, tigers, big hair...oh my!).

best toy ever

i spent my sunday visiting family and playing with my little cousin. boy was she hours of fun! we played chase, hide n seek, read books, and jammed on the best toy ever - the kitty keyboard! it's intended for ages 2+ but michaela won't be two until the summer and she works it fine. the keyboard has several preset drum patterns including a rock one that sounds like prince and a techno one that sounds like nine inch nails. you can adjust the tempo and record too.

my sister recorded michaela singing/drooling on the mic. she got so into it at one point she had her eyes closed and was just singing away. i thought i would die laughing. i showed her how to play "mary had a little lamb" and she almost had it (the first two notes anyway). MUSICAL PRODIGY! lol. the best part was she was asking for me after i left (she calls me gee-ya...hard g...awwwwwww).

i want one of each now.

(a toddler and a keyboard)

flashback friday

lillo thomas "i'm in love"

anyone who knows me knows how much i LOVE 80s r&b. but most ppl probably don't know the special place i have in heart for lillo thomas. this cut is from 1987 and is one of my favorites. the video is so 80s - the makeup, the hair, the snake, and all the lightskinned ppl. lightskinned ppl ruled the 80s.
in addition to his solo material, lillo's voice can be heard on the works of other great 80s r&b artists like evelyn "champagne" king, melba moore, freddie jackson, and r&b genius (GENIUS i say!) kashif. enough of me babbling...enjoy the video.

so fresh...

photo courtesy of derreck's cell phone

what: ben westbeech live at cielo
when: wednesday, december 12, 2007
band:
ben westbeech, vocals
yuval gabay, drums
marc rapson, keys
benji muscat, bass
gus pirelli, samples
setlist:
(in no particular order and i may be missing a couple of songs)
so good today intro
dance with me (including "dance to the drummer's beat" break)
get silly
nautilus
gotta keep on
so good today (album version)
so good today (osunlade mix)
hang around
get closer

last wednesday night i had the pleasure of attending ben westbeech's first stateside show and BOY WAS IT GOOD! the show was to celebrate red bull on the move's 1 yr anniversary as well as part of louie vega & kevin hedge's weekly roots party so everyone was definitely there to dance (i think i spotted ball commentator extraordinaire selvyn mizrahi). after 4 hours of dancing and resolving of some technical difficulties, ben finally took to the stage around 2am.

i made the mistake of standing directly in front of the stage, which was fine when i could see ben side-stage dancing to the roots remixes of sunshine anderson's "force of nature" and the dreamgirls cast's "we are a family" but quite problematic when he was onstage as i had nothing but a fantastic view of his crotch (his shoes were very nice, no scuff marks or anything). i spent most of the evening with my head tilted back and doing this weird little clap two-step.*

he performed for about an hour and did a lot of songs from his album with some other stuff thrown in for good measure. his four-piece band was tight, especially the drummer. i know my mouth was agape in amazement a couple of times while he was playing. he was so good i had to compliment him on my way out the door.

all in all i was very pleased with the show and i'd be surprised if he didn't win over a gang of new fans with that performance. i'm ready to be his one-woman u.s. street team. redbullonthemove.com should have some footage up later this week so i'll try to link it.

* i don't know why i insist on standing at the front during live shows. i don't think i'm the kind of fan ppl want in the front because i'm too busy trying to take everything in and enjoy the experience to dance (on beat). i'll even close my eyes sometimes. i hope my face isn't showing in any of the footage.

from the moment i saw you i knew...

donald's blog + don newkirk + "sweat you" = the black flames

this was one of my favorite videos in high school and it still jams. i saw those dudes perform at the big easter egg hunt at eastside park back in the day. i think they were from newark or irvington or something like that. i would give my right pinky toe for that cassette tape (it can't be on cd, can it?). i had a crush on don newkirk back then too.

he's coming! he's coming!

dennis ferrer* too? i will be in the house.
i might need to switch around some vacation days.

*i don't like most of his songs but if he plays "how do i let go" i will lose my mind.

i love you still

the sole highlight of last night's vma awards was stuart zender playing with mark ronson. i'll add a picture later if i can find one. that man is too fine. fine fine fine.

i stole this from lenee

List 10 musical artists that you like:

1. prince
2. janet
3. jamiroquai
4. ben westbeech
5. tevin campbell
6. darien brockington
7. stevie wonder
8. a tribe called quest
9. robin thicke
10. kelis

What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
come around

What is your favourite album of 8?
low end theory

What is your favorite lyric of 5?
“cuz I’m the t to the e to the v to the i to the n, baby…what’s up?”

What are your three of your favorite songs by 7?
that girl, boogie on reggae woman, creepin’

What are your favorite three songs by 2?
if, you want this, slow love

What are your three favorite songs by 10?
in the morning, living proof, scared money

What is your favorite album by 1?
parade

How did you get into 4?
luis baro played his song “so good today (osunlade mix)” to death on his xm radio show

What are your three favorite songs by 3?
mr. moon, butterfly, blow your mind

What is a good memory concerning 2?
catching her velvet rope tour on my birthday with two good friends

Is there a song by 8 that makes you emotional?
no

What are your three favorite songs of 1?
anotherloverholenyohead, in a large room with no light, sexual suicide

What is your favorite song of the 9 artist?
hmm…i’m gonna say brand new jones

1. Of all the bands & artists in your collection, which one do you have the most of?
prince

2. What was the last song you listened to?
feels so real by steve arrington

3. What's in your CD player right now?
justified

4. What is your favorite instrument?
bass guitar

5. Who's your favorite local band?
umm…

6. What was the last concert you attended?
the brooklyn hip hop festival

7. What was the greatest concert you've ever been to?
this is hard…the prince rock n roll hall of fame aftershow was pretty darn sweet. he did insatiable and i was so close to the stage but i didn’t want to get too close because i knew my mouth was hanging open. but also seeing n.e.r.d. in central park was sweet too mostly because of the energy of the crowd and the sincerity and appreciation of the performers.

8. What's the worst band you've ever seen in concert?
princess superstar

9. What band do you love musically but hate the members of?
sheesh i dunno

10. What is the most musically involved you have ever been?
i used to have a wonderful voice and sang in many a school showcase. i sound like crap now but i do play the cowbell fervently.

11. What show are you looking forward to?
mint condition. i must remember to purchase my tickets.

12. What is your favourite band shirt?
a jamiroquai tee from the travelling without moving tour

13. What musician would you like to hang out with for a day?
prince, derrrrr…in the studio all day to see him create

14. What musician would you like to be in love with you for a day?
pharrell

15. What was your last musical "phase" before you wizened up?
i don’t really do musical phases.

16. Sabbath or solo Ozzy?
mtv ozzy

17. Did you know that filling out this survey makes you a music geek?
sure

18. What was the greatest decade for music?
the 80s, son.

19. What is your favorite movie soundtrack?
mo’ money

20. What would you be without music?
sad

where were you when i needed you...

...last week?

i won't be bored for a long, long time.
my harry potter books finally arrived from amazon (super saver shipping sucks...say that five times fast). and rich posted a link to this wonderful 90s r&b blog. although i am all about the 80s r&b and dance music (will i ever sit down and write my kashif essay?), the 90s represent my definitive years and r&b was still a big part of that. this is so much goodness.

so, go forth and read!

a faint scent of pineapple

is hovering stagnant in my office. why? because my fruit cup spilled inside my purse...my vacuum sealed fruit cup. *sucks teeth* all the contents of my purse are scattered across my desk while my purse airs out. it probably needs to be sponged down but i don't have a sponge. i have to do something to it or else my favorite everyday target (the t is silent) bag will forever be pineapple scented and crusty on the inside.

i'd like to take this time to mention that i'm so mad at gym class heroes for blaspheming the sanctity of jermaine stewart's pro-abstinence anthem, "we don't have to take our clothes off" ((by the by, this would be a great place to insert jermaine's video but my job is not having that. maybe this will be a placeholder for later)) with their twisted rendition. as if these kids weren't fast enough already.

heart him

truly i do.