2009 Pygmalion Music Festival Primer – Day 1 September 27, 2009

[To give a little background for those of you who may not have already heard my 3-day-long description of all that is the Pygmalion Music Festival (named for the Slowdive album of the same name, according to Wikipedia) already….]

Wednesday, September 16^th, was the official start of the 2009 Pygmalion Music Festival here in our twin cities.  The festival takes place in 14 different venues around Champaign-Urbana and goes on for 4 days.  Yes, that’s right, 4 whole days of musical multitudes everywhere you look!  In past years, the majority of the bands have been local.  However this year, Seth Fein, the man behind the melodic curtain, has pulled a talent pool that is pretty far-reaching in addition to our own set of local loves.  How many groups are there this year, you may ask?  Well, let me tell you.  There are not 5, not 20, not even just 50….no, there are 102 acts being performed within our lovely little Midwestern towns!  This is my yearly Bliss-Week to say the least.  No work, lots of groovy tunes, and the chance to find a new musical amore.

Of course, the Pygmalion experience would just not be the same without my mah’velous co-concert-goer, Ms. E.  We have been attending the festival since the first year it started (2005).  Not only do we generally share the same tastes in musical selections, but she is also one of the most fabulous resources for musical tidbits and has a magical ability to create “personal space” in cramped crowds, a skill more helpful than one may first realize at places such as Canopy Club.

As mentioned in my previous post, Day 1 of Pygmalion is the easiest on the decision-making neurons in the brain.  There is only one show the first night of the festival, and this year started out with some old favorites.  Wednesday’s venue was the Canopy Club, not my favorite locale by any means, but it has a large stage and some good dance floor boogey-room at least.  This was also the only night that the boys were allowed to join in on the festivities, so our group was a little larger.  The official lineup started with Common Loon and then Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band; however, we missed those two.  So our 2009 personal Pygmalion experience started with Owen…

Owen is actually Mike Kinsella of Chicago.  He played in a few different groups before deciding to try and make it on his own.  Wednesday’s performance at Canopy Club was unique in that it was the first time he played with a band in C-U as Owen.  Previously his live sets were acoustic, and, while that works nicely with his lyrically-driven tunes, there was also an edge to his music that made one almost uncomfortable to be in the room.  In comparing his solo performances to Wednesday night’s inclusion of a keyboardist, bassist, electric guitarist, and violinist, I must say that the band definitely “softens” his sound.  The accompaniments took the “angry man” feel out of the music a little bit and really let you listen in.  It worked beautifully.  The crowd size was pretty good.  And while there was not a lot of bouncing around the room, the audience was definitely tuned-in.  Instead of feeling like you were being “sung at”, it felt as if you were part of the experience.

After a quick setup (kudos to Canopy for kicking it a up a notch this year with being on time), the next band on the playbill, Japandroids, took the stage.  Japandroids are a duo from Vancouver, Canada.  Prior to their performance, I knew nothing of their music styling other than that there was a bit of excitement in the press about their upcoming presence.  Having since heard their tenacious tunes, I can fairly say that, while it is not really my favorite type of music, their show was interesting in its own way.  The duo plays only the drums and an electric, but they somehow made the large(r) Canopy stage look small.  Their sound was that big.  The lead guitarist was quite a rocker…legs spread, heavy head-banging, skinny jeans and all.  Boy, could he wail.  The drummer really kept the beats going and the two seemed to be having fun on stage, playing off of each other as well as interacting with the crowd.  And the crowd loved it.  Unfortunately for the people who hit the floor, this performance also allowed me to witness the most unsuccessful attempt of crowd surfing….ever.  There was a very enthusiastic group of young men who were determined to keep trying to surf, but that determination wasn’t enough to keep them afloat.  From my vantage point on the balcony, it looked like little ants sinking into quicksand.

With ears slightly ringing our quartet awaited the locally-loved Headlights.  To give credit where credit is due, the Headlights are one of the bands that initially pulled me into the local music scene.  Their bouncy infectious beats made me remember how much fun pop music can be when I was neck-deep in listening to pensive, slow, and often depressive indie music.  Since that first experience, at the Canopy Club as well, they have continued to be perfectly pleasing during their live performances.  And this show was especially anticipated as it was their new third cd’s, Wildlife, pre-release.

The Headlights hit the stage, all smiles and bearing balloons, which were quickly bouncing here and there around the large crowd.  The group started out with 3 members but now has officially become a quartet (Erin Fein on keyboard and vocals, Tristan Wraight on guitar and vocals, Brett Sanderson on drums, and now Nick Sanborn, who won my heart by looking like Happy Snoopy while rocking it out on bass.)  And all 4 members mesh well when performing.  They played some new tunes, but the old stand-byes are what got the real response from the crowd.  About 2/3 of the way through the show, they invited fans to join them on stage for “Cherry Tulips”.  [And someone present was nice enough to tape this fan-inclusion…if you’d like to see a couple of the songs that were recorded live, click here.]  This is where the energy really picked up.  And it kept going.  While playing some of their “oldies”, the energy became palpable and the stage was vibrantly alive.  A few songs later, the Headlights announced that they had a new song to “share their feelings”, but didn’t want to kick everyone off stage.  So they played another more upbeat oldie and kept the party going.  Good choice.

From the first time I saw them, I’ve thought that the Headlights have a great gift at reading the audience and modifying what works and what won’t at each show.  Wednesday night was a perfect example of that.  However, as their more recent albums, Wildlife included, have become more introspective, I wonder if they may lose some of that connection with their fans at live shows.  When playing the slower, more somber songs, it somehow lacks a little of that “pop” that makes them so great.  But they still have the smiles, the banter, and look of just having fun.  Hopefully there is a happy medium that will let them continue to grow while still keeping that certain something.

As for our own quartet, we were bounced-out and ready to head back after a thoroughly satisfying first night.  At previous Pygmalions, the Headlights have often played on the final evening, but this year proved they are the perfect performers to get the festival going.

Psyching up for Pygmalion Music Festival September 16, 2009

I have been a bit absent from the blogging world lately.  I admit this.  There are the usual culprits for this lack of pleasing posts.  Work, being sick for 2 weeks, blah, blah, blah.  But the real reason would have to be that I haven’t been inspired by anything enough to blog about it.  Well, never fear.  That has definitely changed, as today  marks the beginning of the 2009 Pygmalion Music Festival!!!!!

In the next 4 days, I will be soaking up all the musical goodies that this, my favorite festival ever, has to offer.  Tonight, after the traditional pre-Pygmalion preparations (hat shopping, the journey to get the festival wristbands with the Glorious Ms. E, attempting to stay up late the night before so that I don’t immediately crash the night of the first show…) I will be reveling in the first sounds of the festival.  Tonight is an easy choice as there is only one venue, tomorrow, well tomorrow the hard decisions begin.  Will my festival friend and I choose My Brightest Diamond?  Or will Company of Thieves win out?  The answers await.  And I’m sure you will all be hearing about them in much more detail than you could ever want.

But now, I’ve gotta go shake my booty ’til I just can’t shake no more!

Ravishing Recipes – Pancakes July 29, 2009

Oh, how one’s outlook on life can be reborn in an instant!  Pancakes.  Specifically, homemade pancakes, have recently updated my life-view.  I’ve always loved pancakes and absolutely adore when other people make me homemade ones, but for some reason I now cannot fathom, I never made them from scratch (other than German Apple Pancakes, but I consider them to be more in the baking realm).  Initially Bisquick was my silver dollar medium.  Then I progressed to the Krusteaz Buttermilk variety.  And they were good…or so I thought at the time.  In fact, they were one of my favorite breakfast choices.  But I would often to go out to breakfast just to get pancakes that were better than my own.  I have no idea why it never occurred to me to make the doughy delights from scratch.  The only thing I can come up with (and trust me, I’ve spent far more time than is natural pondering this lately) is that I have a long standing hatred of buttermilk; so of course the said pancake-making staple was never in my fridge.  But then (and God Bless Good Housekeeping!) I discovered that you don’t need buttermilk…you can use plain yogurt and milk instead!  My life is forever changed.  I will never use box mixes again!

This new revelation has made my breakfast experience so much better that I wanted to share the recipe with all of you on the small chance that you too have been living in a box and never tried these delectable dough puffs on your own.  They are so easy to make and can infinitely improve one’s outlook at 6:30am in the morning…especially on a Monday.

(Recipe modified from Cooks Illustrated, The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook, & Me.  You can substitute 2 cups buttermilk for the 1 ½ cups yogurt & ½ cup milk, if you would like…but let’s pretend I didn’t mention that.)

Ingredients:

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

2 TBSP Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Baking Soda

1 ½ Cups Plain Yogurt

½ Cup Milk + a few tablespoons (if necessary)

2 Large Eggs

3 TBSP Butter (melted and slightly cooled…and yes, the cooling does make a difference…the batter may curdle otherwise)

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda).  Make a well in the middle of the mixture.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, eggs and butter.  Pour the wet ingredients into the well in the large bowl.  Gently stir until combined.  If batter is too dry, add a few more TBSP of milk.  Batter will be lumpy but don’t over-mix.  Allow batter to sit for 10 minutes.  Use a ¼ cup measure to portion batter onto a skillet.  Flip pancakes when bubbles start to surface on the top.  Cook until 2^nd side is browned.  Voila’! 

More Moxie Please July 29, 2009

After finally finding some recipes for the ever-elusive Torta Della Nonna, I have been unable to successfully reconstruct the sublime sensation I remember tasting in Italia.  And every time that I’ve served a piece of one of my attempts  to someone, I have preempted plattering with, “but this is nothing like what it should taste like”.  Upon reflection, I’ve realized I do this a lot…pretty much with anything I serve.  Well no more.  Next time, I’m plopping that pastry down on a plate and serving it with only a smile.    I’m going to try and channel a certain sibling of mine who often said, when she would prepare her infamous mac n’ cheese (or, if I remember correctly, anything else) while babysitting, “If you don’t like it, don’t eat it.”

[Truth be told, no creation I concoct will ever taste the same as that delicate piece of heaven served under the Tuscan sun.  It could have been plain ole puddin' pie at the time, but the romance in my mind remembers it tasting like little honey clouds.]

I must give credit where credit is due, as it was while reading, My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme, that I fully grasped how often I apologize for the food I make (amongst other things).  And although I’m not sure I’ll ever have 1/2 the moxie of Julia, I think this is a good goal to aspire to in life as well.  It’s not just “No apologies”…it’s “I am who I am, take it or leave it”.

(Originally posted July 17, 2009…post disappeared…not sure why…still figuring out this blogging thing as I go along.)

Mah’velous Music – Pink Martini June 30, 2009

Photo by Adam Levey

Almost immediately after posting about the Picture Perfect day, I felt a twinge of guilt.  No, this was not due to the number of hours I had spent on Hulu, but rather, I felt that a mere mention of Pink Martini was almost as bad as saying, “Audrey Hepburn is a pretty neat lady”.  I mean really, it just doesn’t cut it.  Luckily this is easily rectified and I will now attempt to give their gloriousness its due.

Some bands you have probably heard ‘around’ and not even realized it.  Pink Martini was one such band for me.  Their (slightly) eerie version of one of my all-time favorite songs, “Que Sera Sera,” has been in multiple movies.   “Ojala” and “Sympathiqué” have both rolled around a couple local cafés.  However, at the time I had no idea that these glorious melodies were all the children of the mini-orchestra, Pink Martini.  I knew a couple of their songs but had never fully immersed myself in their wide-ranging repertoire.  Now I have, and, in case you couldn’t tell, I think you should too

The eclectic group currently has 3 albums available: Sympathiqué, Hang on Little Tomato, & Hey Eugene!.  And all 3 selections include a wide array of French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Arabic and more.  It is exactly this mix that provides what the founder of Pink Martini, pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale, wished for, “My hope is that we’re creating music which can be turned up or down, and played on almost any occasion, from background music of a love affair to vacuuming around the house.”

Founded in 1994 with only 4 members, Pink Martini initially started out playing political fundraisers for progressive causes (the environment, affordable housing, and public broadcasting).  The Portland band quickly grew and now includes 12 multi-talented members.  China Forbes is the main vocalist of the ‘little orchestra’ and she effortlessly eases her sweet and sultry voice from one language to another.  Many of the members, including Forbes, have side projects of their own.  With piano, trombone, trumpet, bass, cello, violin, congas, drums and more, this is quite the multi-faceted troupe!

Pink Martini immediately took off in France with the release of Sympathiqué, but the US has since wised up and embraced them wholeheartedly as well.  It’s easy to understand why they would be so popular abroad as their tunes carry the universality of emotion with the multiplicity of languages.  As they self-declare in their influences, “Think Breakfast at Tiffany’s meets the United Nation”…ahhh, pure bliss!  And they are o-so danceable.  Whether you are swaying to and fro in the kitchen to “Hang on Little Tomato” or full-on sashaying to “Ojala”, their beats give the day a bit more ‘Laa’.

In case you are really stubborn and need more convincing to try out some of these lovely little ditties, I shall leave you with this:  I was recently extolling the many virtues of Pink Martini to a friend.  He had never heard a note of their music but could not have looked more bored or disinterested while I was recapping the fabulousness that is this group.  However, once I played a mere minute of one of their songs, he was hooked.  And said person, who NEVER publicly admits his opinion may be even slightly off, actually acknowledged the misstep of his initial impression!

[If I knew how to legally stream music via this blog, I would do so now so that you may also hear the enticing melodies of this mini-orchestra and be forever swept into their sweet musical mai tai...however THIS will have to suffice for now.]

Picture Perfect June 29, 2009

Today was a picture perfect day…both inside and out.  [So for once, I actually took a picture.]

I’ve since determined that taking a random Monday off of work is thoroughly good for the soul.  And because I have the time and the mind to do so, I thought I would share my personal recipe for a perfect day with you all.

Starting the day off with dishes can seem like a chore, but add some Pink Martini and you’ve got a full-fledged morning boogey-fest [if you don’t know who Pink Martini is (the band, not the drink), you can, and should check them out here].  Follow that with a wandering walk in the morning sun with the bestest Golden Retriever ever and you’re in heaven.

Since no one (at least I fervently hope no one) likes having no clean underwear for the week, add in some laundry, with The 1900’s playing on your iPod (here’s The 1900’s ) and you’re officially being productive…on a vacation day!  Of course the fact that the laundry room is empty since it is Monday at 10am vastly helps…as do the groovy tunes.

While waiting for said laundry to finish up drying, you take an internet voyage through some blogs you have been meaning to catch up on and even unearth a couple new interesting ones ( Eggbeater & Smitten Kitchen).  As the internet is a vast collection of paths to new discoveries, you further learn about the situation surrounding the famous Monterey Market and Bill Fujimoto.  It looks like Bill has officially left the market, but you can find out more about the impressive history at “Eat at Bill’s” (Available for full-viewing here).

Next step is the library.  Not only does your new locale love have a book you have requested sitting in a room just waiting for you  (Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer) , but they also have a fairly new movie calling out to you from the shelf (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist).  [I mean really, the word “playlist” is in the title…the inevitability of me wanting to see that movie is about as high as it was for “Love is a Mix Tape” being on my must-read list…and that one turned out well.]

Once you get back home, throw in a little ironing and meringue-making and you’ve had a decidedly successful and productive day of respite.

At this point, it is perfectly pleasing to turn yourself over to the time warp that is Hulu.  For me, this meant watching more episodes than I want to admit of The Riches.  I still can’t decide if I really like the series, but the free availability of so many episodes and seasons made it irresistible.

So now it is nearing a time that I should consider getting ready for bed and I face my biggest conundrum of the day, “Go to bed really early or watch a couple more episodes?”

If only every day was this easy…

The Intricacies of iTunes June 18, 2009

iStock/Michael Fernahl

All innocence is lost.  iTunes has betrayed me.

I don’t remember the day I realized the truth about Santa, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy…heck, even the day I came to comprehend that Arms Dealers don’t use hugs as currency.  But some things, some things leave such an imprint on one’s brain that you can never, ever forget when you heard them.

iTunes is now (and apparently has been) charging $1.29 for some songs!!!!

Have you recovered yet?  Yes, you read the line above correctly.  iTunes has been, initially according to my source and since confirmed with my own eyes, charging $1.29 for select songs in their collection for quite some time now.

How did I not find out this betrayal sooner, you ask?  Well, as are most intensely connected relationships, it’s complicated.

That question may be easy to answer for someone who does not regularly peruse the glorious musical selections available through the iTunes medium.  I, however, do not fall into that category…at all.  I have a bona fide, deep relationship with iTunes.  In fact, some of my (human) friends have actually described it as an “addiction”.  [I say they are just jealous, but that is a story for another time.]  I choose to see it as a love affair that is limited only by my iPod capacity and my monthly budget for tunes.  Time is not even an issue as it ceases to exist while I stare into my beloved’s lines of songs and hear his sweet whisperings of cello intermixed with the lightest of piano melodies.  But I digress.  The point is I have not been neglecting my sweetheart at all in the past months.  We have been regularly conversing.  I tell him the name of a band I want to find out more about.  He gives me 5 more recommendations of bands he has especially researched for my own enjoyment.  This is what he does all day.  He spends his day searching for magnificent melodies that will tickle my ear buds and bring us closer together.

Or so I thought.

But no.  Apparently Mr. iTunes spends his days with countless others.  Whispering in their ears and luring them with new sounds he thinks they may like.  I knew that he had other friends, but I never would have imagined they could hold one quarter of the depth of our relationship.

Until now.

How did I not find out about this $1.29 insanity sooner?  Well (and here’s a scary high school flashback) I’m not “popular” enough.  Apparently the music I listen to is not deemed worthy enough of a 30% increase in price.  I assumed Girl in a Coma and Rachael Yamagata may not be in the “cool” crowd.  But Iron & Wine didn’t even make the list.  Iron & Wine!

This means iTunes has been cheating on me with enough people to make my musical selections (and those of the many people I “educate” as to what they should be listening to) obsolete.

As I see it, I have 2 options.  I can either:  break up with him completely, wipe my iPod and switch to…ok, so that is not a possibility…I can’t even finish typing the words.

So I have one option.  I can choose to think that iTunes was really just looking out for my best interests.  He knew that Mr. Man was going to be hounding him for more money soon and chose to save me and me alone.  He knew that our relationship was strong enough to withstand raising prices on music I don’t listen to.  That is why he left my groovy beats alone!  He was protecting me!  He doesn’t care about those Beyonce fans or the Miley Cyrus mania.  He only used them to save us!

In fact, my investigative search for pricing came back to prove exactly this fact.  I was hard pressed to find 3 songs from my entire collection that are currently more than the glorious 99¢ rate.  And my musical man recently came back with a multitude of selections I may enjoy that were ALL still 99¢.

After much contemplation and a manic mix of mood swings concerning the topic, I’ve decided to forgive him.  I’ve also realized I must live in an slightly alternate universe as I truly believed that many of my favorite bands were rather well-known…apparently not so much the case.  This just proves that I need to step it up a notch with “educating” the world on the beauty that is available out there…as of now at least….for only 99¢ a pop.

It’s Totally in the Timing April 24, 2009

iStock/Rob Broek

I know many people who complain about Daylight Savings Time changes; however, I’m beginning to believe we are all living in different time zones, within our lives, no matter what the official clocks say.  At 8am on any given Monday, five different people in the same location are most likely at five different points in their lives…with five different needs and five different realities.  So what happens when the ideal solution lands on your doorstep but the timing just isn’t right?

Well it just stinks…that’s what.

Say you work at a job that you like, but another employment opportunity presents itself.  This new venture would let you move to a state you prefer, includes a pay raise and would let you bring your dog to the office.  You’d jump at it, right?  Maybe not.  Because you also just bought a house, enrolled your child in kindergarten, and won a seat on the City Council.  You’re now invested in your current community and the ability to up-and-go isn’t as appealing as it would have been 3 years ago.  Does that make the actual opportunity any different?  No.  But it makes the choice a lot less rosy than it once would have been.

So why can’t the right options land in the right lap at the right time?  I’m sure those fully-embracing adulthood would say, “That’s just life”.  I’m not there yet.  So instead, I’m choosing to think that it’s options.  That life presents soooo many options that we just need to pick and choose what will work best for us at any given moment.  But that is where human error gets in the way.  Because learning to pick what is best for you is not necessarily the same as picking what you want.  Maybe that is the adulthood part…or maybe not.  But it’s definitely the hardest part.

However, the realization of time zoning can provide very helpful insight into the “grass is always greener” phenomenon.  When comparing your life to someone else; remember that they may be living in a completely different time zone.  What looks ideal from afar may not actually be the best bet for you.  And that person probably pines for some part of your reality anyways.  That’s how the whole thing works.

Timing matters.  A lot.  It’s not all in your hands, but having a clear view of what you want can help.  And taking the time to look around, you may see more options on the horizon than you first realized.  Maybe they don’t seem ideal at first, but at second glance, you may find that they are more in tune with your timing than you thought.