The Weekend of Wonderful Sounds

As summer finds itself in full swing, I've seemed to have upped my concert repertoire over the recent months, and rather swiftly, I might add.

I've headed to shows all throughout the city [and a few burbs] that include: Tool, Rhiannon Giddens, Gary Clark Jr., Air, The B-52's, Gorillaz, and Natalie Merchant [Phish is on deck for Sunday]. All of these were fantastic shows. I'm going to delve into a few details about two of them, which is particularly easy because I saw both artists this past weekend.

Gorillaz

I'll take you over to Northerly Island where I saw Gorillaz on Saturday, July 8th. Now this was a band I had been quite enthused with over the past decade and then some. I remember being 18 [yeah, I was late to the party] and running into the Jamba Juice I was working at, only to Zach Braff my co-workers by putting my headphones in their ears and playing 'The Sounder', insisting that they needed to hear it. I remember hearing that for the first time and it being a song I had to listen to over and over.'Ghosttrain' was another favorite at that point in time.

I'm pretty amped on their latest album, as it possess a glorious hype and overall different vibe from their former work. Saying that, Gorillaz always tend to do their own thing and it's rather difficult to compare songs as they vary significantly, as do their albums. Please, let us not forget 'M1 A1' which always enthusiastically scares the hell out of me, but gains a groovy rock ability mid-way. Their concert delivered for new fans and those who have been there since the beginning. They kicked it off with 'Ascension' where I thoroughly lost my shit. There are so many great songs to dance to on Humanz that it really accentuated my hype. I believe I danced the entire concert. You couldn't not.

When they slid gloriously into 'Last Living Souls', it warranted another mind-losing session as I've loved that song for too long not to see it played live. 'Charger' was a serious shock to my system because I didn't even see that coming and it's one of my favorites off the latest. I fell in love with 'Out of Body', which I had heard before, but apparently not thoroughly enough. That was a song that required some righteous grooves. Everything continued to be outstanding all the way until they closed it up with 'Demon Days', which could not have been more appropriate. Such a beautiful song and a great way to send us off. It's always fun being the first U.S. show, we were the fun experiment for the new setlist, which is pretty lovely.

A few things worth mentioning...

It's been a minute and it's time to do something about it.

The look of this blog has transformed, it was time for a change and I'm so glad I finally got around to sprucing this sucker up. I feel like a lot of shows have slipped by that are absolutely worthy of talking about. The truth is, I'm not amped on the idea of drumming up feelings about a show I went to in November.

Not only has there been a decent amount of concert-going over the past 5 months that I've neglected to post about, the amount of phenomenal music I've come across, both new and old, has been overwhelming, and you should probably know more about that.

I want to focus more so on what's going on at the moment; products I've come across that I love, food I cannot get enough of, songs or albums that won't leave my head, and concepts or ideas that mean something to me right now.

There is no theme, there is no style, it's just a vibe that has the ability to change at anytime.

While concert reviews will definitely still be a thing, there needs to be some sort of focus that captures more of what I love and things that I fill my life with on the daily, because it's really all about the little things, yeah?

Let's delve in;

Things I currently cannot get enough of;

That NEW ORLEANS soul.

I took the trip down to New Orleans in late February on a particularly "great weather" weekend. It was my first time going and I had picked the destination. I fell in love, as so many do, with the spirit and soul of that city, the feeling was absolutely spectacular. There is so much more I can say about that trip; the music, the dancing, the mindset. I experienced so many great things during my time spent there and every day I wake up saying "TAKE ME BACK!" I long for that NOLA spirit, hopefully I can head back sooner than later. It is quite the hot spot this year as so many close friends and acquaintances made their way down there over the past couple months. I don't blame them one bit.

But more importantly, let's zone in on something very particular that I took home with me from that trip;

The constant BLOODY MARY cravings.

Current Drink Vibe:

I kicked off the flight on the way to Louisiana with a bloody, ordered one wherever I could during the trip, and of course, I rounded off the trip with bloody sips on the way home. Now I long for the primo experience of sippin' whilst strollin' down Bourbon St.

TAKE. ME. BACK.

From Daisy Duke's on Bourbon St / NOLA Bloody Mary

Now, wherever I go in Chicago, at any hour, if I CAN order a Bloody Mary, I will order a Bloody Mary.

I've even started putting pepper and hot sauce in my orange juice...

Needless to say, the hype is real. This is my go-to drink right now.

Tune-age;

For the mellow moods; Over the past month or so, I've been particularly amped on Four Tet. I'm not new to his music, but the album in reference, Pink, I hadn't heard before, even though it was released in 2011. A close friend was listening to 'Locked' and I had a stellar reaction to it. It was the perfect song to hear at that particular moment, which had then sparked my interest in the rest of the album. It makes beautiful chill/study/creative music.

Flume is another artist who I became rather amped on semi-recently. I use the self-titled album as a go-to for music to put on in the background for almost anything. I cannot wait to take this album into a dance studio. The range is fantastic and I think there's something for everyone on this album. I really enjoy the latest single 'Never Be Like You' ft Kai.

 

Another huge winner for me in recent months has been Sia's latest, This Is Acting. I'm a fan of most things Sia puts her voice on, and this was no different. I definitely recommend giving this album a listen, it has an uplifting, vibrant tone to it mixed with softer jams. A great album for getting ready.

Favorite Tracks: 'Bird Set Free', 'Alive', 'Move Your Body', 'Reaper'

Hey, are you into EL VY yet? You probably should be. Matt Berninger of The National teamed up with Brent Knopf of Menomena to crank out this album. Return To The Moon was released in October and I was lucky enough to see them play The Metro in November. I've been diggin' (and dancing to) their record ever since.

Favorite Tracks: 'I'm The Man To Be', 'No Time To Crank The Sun', 'It's A Game', 'Return To The Moon'.

Good Eats;

TODAY'S BRUNCH: treated myself to some delicious avocado toast & fresh OJ at Mortar & Pestle.

And while I have a picture of it, I might as well talk about it. THIS TOAST. I like avocado's, but I'm not bonkers about them. Most of the time I can handle a few slices here and there, however, they are so ridiculously good for you, it's hard to find a reason not to eat them even if  you're not the biggest fan. After reading some reviews about Mortar & Pestle, I see everyone is raving about this avocado toast. It's delicious AND it has plenty of magnesium?!  Okay, cool. Now I wanted it.

The flavor blend is divine; the green glory is topped with lemon, cumin, chives, sea salt, and aleppo pepper, which pretty much equates perfection. Those people were right. I was right for ordering it. I was craving it so hard yesterday that I felt as though I needed to go back today to relive the delight. And back in I went - that glory was mine. While I only got this today, I ordered more during my last visit. Their menu is excellent and gives me that heavy Portland vibe in the sense that the ingredients are rather simplistic, but they're accentuated in ways that make the dish more unique and flavorful. I highly recommend heading to Mortar & Pestle for brunch. TG

A Dose of Sweet Spirit / The Empty Bottle / Chicago

On Wednesday night, I got a righteous dose of Sweet Spirit.

Here's the story;

A buddy of mine, Robbie, messaged me earlier in the month about this band I needed to check out, along with the link of upcoming tour dates. They were a band from Texas called Sweet Spirit. He had seen them open for Spoon, as they opened on a number of their shows, and he had fallen in love with them. I was informed that Britt Daniel was a big fan of the band and would come out and jam with them during their sets. I love Spoon & I love Britt Daniel. I also trust the hell out of Robbie's musical opinion. I went ahead and purchased the tickets and decided to trust him even further by not even listening to them. He was completely confident that I'd dig the hell out of them. I wanted to walk in without having heard their music and fall in love on the spot. I am normally not that kind of girl. Normally I like to be really familiar with what I'm about to go and see. I even go as far as looking at set-lists ahead of time, which is horrible. I don't know why I cannot seem to go with the element of surprise anymore. I suppose it just depends on the show.

I was able to go without listening, with bubbling curiosity for weeks, until HOURS BEFORE THE SHOW. I CRACKED. I could not resist. I needed to know what was about to go down. I put on Cokomo and fell in love instantly. Check out Bandcamp for their EP, and donate some extra money, would ya? I went from excited to stoked and continued to play them until it was time to head over for the show, which was over at The Empty Bottle. This is a great little spot to go and check out artists that are rolling through Chicago for the first couple trips through and/or get exposed to new music of both local artists and those on tour.

SHOWTIME:
We got there early and were able to see the two bands that went on ahead of them (there were four bands playing that night); Skip Church, which had this really incredible raw sound that made me think they were on the brink of something real good. The Mad Doctors were there reppin' Brooklyn and throwing around sound (and toilet paper), and third was Sweet Spirit, and sweet it was.

Now, I like to be hospitable for artists I love, along with those rolling through Chicago early on. This was a tasty combo of both. They were here back in April at The Burlington, but unfortunately was completely off my radar. I am glad I was able to catch them on this tour, while it's still nice and intimate. Next time they come through, I doubt that will be the case. I decided to bring them some boxes of cookies from my work. I figured I'd likely be able to leave them somewhere that they would be able to get them or pick them up, but then I realized it would also be a possibility to actually just hand them off to them. I wanted to make sure that they got some of that sweetness back and had some good to enjoy on the road. Luckily, the plan went off without a hitch and it was totally worth carting them around all night. I was able to hand them to Sabrina during their setup, which resulted in a quick, yet nice exchange. I didn't want to hold them up during their time to get prepared, but they sat on stage through the duration of the show and she even came back over to make sure I got a picture of them with her boots (they were some pretty rad boots).

   

They kicked up the set up with 'Poor' which is such a great starter jam, gets you right into the thick of the groove. The dancing started immediately. The kind of music that just kind of takes you and moves you. The stage presence is fantastic, definitely engaging and full force. Sabrina has a wonderful way of entertaining the crowd and taking command of the environment. Her vocals are right at home on the stage and they hold a unique sound. She belts out fantastic lyrics whilst dancing and throwing her body around in wonderful ways. The rest of the band compliments everything so well, they have a rather large group, and they all work together so well. There was this phenomenal energy that really takes you in. The crowd was definitely feeling that momentum and others joined in the fun of making their bodies move about.

Mid-set she says from the stage she gives me a shout-out from the stage and notes the cookies and gives a shout-out to the Bakery. It was a lovely moment and totally unexpected, since she had already thanked me and had chatted briefly. Hell yeah.

Highlights for sure included 'Chained & Tied'. 'If You Wanna', & 'Take Me To A Party'. It was such an enjoyable experience from beginning to end. I had such a great time and really absorbed everything that was being thrown down musically. I was lucky enough to snag their set-list, which was HANDWRITTEN! Oh, the glory!

We also bought a fair share of merch; a tshirt, 10" EP, & their 7" single with Britt Daniel (!!!), and we were more than happy to give our money to that band. I ended up going back and trying to get a picture with Sabrina and she was more than happy to comply. It was the cherry on top of a rockin' night and it was all exactly what I needed.

All in all, it was a great show that left me ridin' high. My ears were ringing and my brain was shaken about, rattled up by righteous tunes. I am so thankful that Robbie got at me and told me to check them out. I look forward to seeing where they go from here. They have such an awesome support base and I know that they have some real solid ability. Cannot wait to see them next time they swing through.

Their tour has pretty much wrapped, however, keep and open eye and ear to what is going on with this band. They will be well worth your time and energy! Here's to 'em! 

THANK YOU FOR ROCKING MY FACE OFF, SWEET SPIRIT! COME BACK SOON!

-T

[REVIEW] The Musical Journey: Joan Armatrading

Last Wednesday night, the musical glory was all mine.

I saw THE Joan Armatrading at City Winery. It was the first show of her three scheduled for Chicago. I believe it was her 197th show of this tour. Also, THIS TOUR IS INSANE. I doubt I will ever see a concert shirt like this again.

The anticipation for this show was incredible since I had bought my ticket so far in advance. I never thought that would happen. I remember tweeting;

tessa ♫ ‏@Tessa_SMASH  Dec 6

@93XRT can we please rally for a Joan Armatrading concert??

12:27 PM - 6 Dec 2014 · Details

I had NO CLUE she was on tour. I assumed she would remain on my artist bucket-list and that I would never have the glory of seeing her perform live. When I decided to see if this was a possibility and then saw that she was actually on tour, I lost it a little (okay, a lot) and frantically looked up tour dates. However, her Chicago shows in April had already been sold out and I could not afford what they were going for from other sources. I also expressed this anxiousness via twitter (yeah, I know) and was informed by Ryan Arnold (THANK YOU!) over at XRT that she would indeed be coming back to City Winery in October. Assurance was mine and I realized that this could actually happen. I snagged the ticket when they went on sale and let the excitement build. I had planned to go solo to this show for a multitude of reasons, which really just consists of the fact that no one I knew had really ever heard of her or wanted to spend the money to do so, but also, I figured it was something I needed to do on my own. I knew it was going to be an emotional night and wanted to just soak it all up without any distractions. 

Six months later, the time had come. October was just getting into gear and the 7th rolled around as quickly as I had wanted it to. I was absolutely over the moon for this show. I had been excited for plenty of other shows and artists before, each one holds their own bit of magic and unique talent. This felt different. I never thought this would happen. I had grown up with her music and then came back to it at a later age and re-connected with it. The songs that were once words and melodies became entangled with meaning and emotion. I needed to see her play those songs live before me. I needed to have that musical closure, the pleasure of seeing it happen.

If you haven't noticed, shows mean A LOT to me. For some people, it's just something they do. For me, it's some serious shit. I want to experience the hell out of that band. I want to dance, I want to feel the vibe of the crowd, and capture the energy in the room. I want to dress according to artist and venue. It's a lot of preparation, mentally and emotionally. So while I'm already rather giddy about shows in general, having a bucket-list show is something I can't necessarily put into words, but here's me trying.

I had never been to City Winery before this event. I had no idea what to anticipate or really where or how I'd be sitting. First of all, I don't like sitting at shows. It's just...sad. Initially, I had purchased a ticket near the back of the venue so I COULD dance. I thought "Perfect, this way, I will only disturb this back group of people!" I arrive and find that the seating is extremely close together, like, airplane style. I was squeezed in there pretty good and knew that this would simply not be my thing. I immediately asked where I could stand or if there was some sort of "groove spot" because dancing, or, well, moving, would not be happening in that seat. She pointed me to an area and I decided to check it out (don't worry, I ordered wine first). It was the most ideal space; tons of room, groovy lighting, and high-top chairs lined along the sides. It was also way closer and had a killer view of the stage. I decided this would be my spot for the show. I had gotten there much too early, it started later than I anticipated, but that's my own fault for not actually looking. When it's Joan Armatrading, you don't have time to read, you just find out a date and a location, and you just show up there. I had two glasses of wine, a fantastic staff, and a lovely crowd of people to keep me company in between sets.

The opener, Kristina Train, was quite fitting for Joan Armatrading. I love when opening bands blow me away. It's such an unexpected feeling, because you're pretty much just there to be there, and then you walk away getting wrapped up in a new artist. Satisfying feeling for sure. That girl was great.

It was requested that no photography took place, and I figured I'd respect that. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the actual concert, but I'm glad didn't have my phone out. I've learned to leave that to the professionals and to just enjoy the experience as it is. Take it in as it's happening.

Once the opener left the stage, Joan's guitars were polished, and the lights were dimmed, the show was ready to start. Joan took the stage to the sound of worthy applause and I dropped to my knees in excitement. That's just some of the random occurrences that will happen for me at a show ("I'm up here!", "I'm down here!", "I'm crying!", "I'm dancing!"). She was about to strum and sing her way into magic.

I had been sincerely hoping that she'd come out and play 'All The Way From America'. It's just the perfect intro song and what I always imagined she'd open with. AND SHE DID. It was absolutely what I had wanted. It reminds me of when I listened to it as a kid, a musical comfort for sure.

She continued to play all of my favorite songs, especially 'Love & Affection', 'The Weakness In Me', & 'Down To Zero', with the exception of 'Prove Yourself''. It was a killer set and it consisted of her doing it all herself. I would have loved to have seen her with a band, but it was nice seeing her up on stage, cranking it out solo. As expected, I cried, I danced, and I sang along. 'Down To Zero' was the one that tugged at my emotions the hardest. I was not expecting that, which made it even better, cathartic even. The range of emotions this show took me on was just as I expected. I'll refer to it as the emotional slap"I was in complete awe the whole time. I could not grasp the fact that it was happening, but I am so glad that it did.

Set-list chocked full of stellar tunes. I was so happy she played 'Rosie' and 'Drop The Pilot' back-to-back. That was a righteous little groove session. We all sang along to 'Willow' for the closer and it was a beautiful experience from beginning to end. Her fans are lovely people and I had some marvelous encounters. I always meet the best people at shows and it's an experience I am grateful for; great conversations about music and life, which for some, is one of the same.

I do have to say, that this time, unfortunately, I did NOT get the set-list. I was caught up in conversation with an awesome woman who stood next to me during the show and missed the chance. And so it goes... There was only one set-list and it belonged to Joan. The guy who got it was just as into the set-list game as I was and beat me to it. While it would have been the cherry on top, it was easy to be happy for him, for I knew how much it had meant to him. I even went to the sound check booth before the show started to see if they had one available and if they'd put it aside for after the show. No such luck. Oh the downfalls of technology (as I write an ONLINE blog)...

Once everything had fully wrapped, my t-shirt was purchased, and the building had cleared, I decided it would be worth it to stay after and try to meet her. I had gotten lucky at shows before and met some of my absolute favorite musicians by doing this. I went out by the tour buses to discover, luckily, that there were a few other people waiting already. I really didn't want to wait that out by myself, but figured that no one there would be into it. I believe I was the youngest one there. People literally came up to me after the show and thanked me for being there and for dancing (my pleasure, folks). I waited amongst some really rad people for a solid 90 minutes with no such luck. She seriously snuck out of that building stealth-style. There were so few of us, so it was a bummer that there wasn't a quick hello or a meet n' greet, but I completely understand that some artists are simply not into that vibe at all. While I understand it, I still wanted it to happen. I do not regret the time waiting one bit. The people I shared that time with made it so much fun. I love the bonds that come from the shared love of music and shows and hearing about show experiences from other enthusiasts.

A top-notch occurrence! At this point, it's like, "Who do I see now?!". I have seen so many musical artists that I never thought I'd get to see live and now I'm just filling in spaces. Trying to see any show and add on to the long lists of artists I've seen. Here's to the next wave of show excitement!

ON DECK;
Oct 21. Sweet Spirit @ Empty Bottle
Nov 20. James Bay @ The Riv
Jan 22. Vance Joy @ The Riv

-T

[lifestyle]: Turning 25, Alt-J, Good Eats.

There are two facts ahead of us:

One: I am now twenty five years old.

Two: It has been entirely too long since I've blogged about anything worth a tinge of meaning.

So after that sliver of honesty, I can also say that life has gotten tremendously busy. I'm working constantly, escape to the city any chance I get, and still get to see my local pals throughout the week. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm moving forward and striving for something. I'm doing what everyone has told me to do and what I finally feel ready for, and that is to "work my ass off and get out". It'll be fun, but for now, I'm constantly tired and trying my hardest to make the fun happen despite my schedule. Being busy is real, real good for me though. I thoroughly enjoy working and I seem to be learning a lot from both jobs. I would really like to establish myself somewhere though, work for something I truly believe in. I have the key in my hand, all I have to find is the lock.

I've managed to get out a good deal and live the good life and a lot has happened since I've last blogged about my lifestyle; Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, MY BIRTHDAY!, a new job, splendid encounters, different outings, and top notch restaurants. As usual, I'll splash around a few pictures of the past two months;

of course, there needs to be a focus on wardrobe here;
[here's what I've been sporting around in]

As usual, some wild patterns and fabulous colors found their way onto my body.

This was mostly hostess attire that I wore to work, luckily I have jobs where I can finally dress up

and wear normal clothes versus a uniform. Uniforms bog me down, man.

 Valentine's Day at Spiaggia Cafe!

Dan took me out for a fantastic Valentine's Day dinner. Of course,
it was absolutely amazing in every sense of the word. I love both
parts of that restaurant and am very lucky I've gotten to go to both
a handful of times.

V-day noms; Spiaggia cannoli's and cookies I made for Dan

featuring red chocolate chips!

Don't listen to these artists? START.

My nephew was born at the start of February. Lil' Charles!

That now makes for two nieces and two nephews.

MUSE!

It was great to meet twitter pal Dana (on the far left) in person at the concert!
A celebratory shot was in order!

I don't know why I was being so awkward about Muse being my first show of the year.

I like Muse a lot and all, but big venue shows, or the idea of big venue shows tends to rub

me the wrong way. However, I had an amazing time at this one, which was right over at The United Center.

They opened with one of my favourite songs off the latest album, 'The 2nd Law: Unsustainable', cranked

out the other great tunes you would anticipate, and of course, played the older jams that I was hoping for. I danced my face off the whole show (what else is new?). We didn't have the best seats, but they were almost ideal in the sense that the huge block of seats next to us was not for sale, so we had a ton
of open room around us. It was a very engaging show and I'm so glad I went and saw them on this tour.
Since this album is so much different than their previous albums, I wonder what it would have been like to have seen them on tour in the past. To be honest, I'm just glad I got to see this one.

AND THEN TWO DAYS LATER I WENT BACK TO BLONDE;

I went to my salon to get it done and I absolutely love it. This is the first time in a long, long

while that I've gotten highlights. I wanted to brighten it up, but make it an easy and natural

looking transition. I actually want to go more blonde because there is still a large amount

of red in it and since it's my natural color, it looks best with my skin coloring, etc.

Anywho, it was the perfect time for a change up.

I talked my mom into building a snowman because we actually got a sizable snowfall.
He was definitely the snazziest in the neighborhood with his cucumber eyes,
construction paper mouth, and hood snapped off from an old coat.

Here's me with two of my favourite things; a Portillo's beef sandwich and one of my best

girlfriends, Erin on St. Patrick's Day at her family's "I'm Irish!" singing society party.

March was really a fantastic month, and this is only halfway in.

So let's delve into the festivities that took place surrounding my birthday last month. It was quite an occasion and celebrated in the best way. Some of my birthdays have been exceptionally lame in the past and for the past two years, I've tried to make something happen so that I'm not moping about the fact that I'm not doing something fabulous. Last year was awesome; I spent an awesome night on the town (in unseasonably 80º weather) and then had a party a few days later with a large group of my friends. I wanted this year to be just as awesome, if not better. Oh, in case you didn't realize, I'm kind of a birthday snob. I just want them the day to go exceptionally smoothly and have one day I do something more out of the ordinary, one day where I can call the shots and spread my birthday perk with everyone I encounter. Well that happened, 25 was absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, so many of my closest friends have moved out of state in the past year. I believe 5+ friends have moved out of state or three or more hours away and it's only going to keep happening as I get older. I knew that having a "party" probably wouldn't be much of a turnout, so I went with the whole fabulous/low key route instead shared with my nearest and dearest.

I was so excited when these printed out that morning!

Getting Alt-J tickets handed to me was absolutely amazing. I squealed and squirmed,
and social networked the hell out of these. I was in absolute glory knowing that I was
going to see Alt-J. Finally.

SKATING IN THE SKY HAD SOME PRETTY AWESOME SPONSORS!

WOW. This whole experience was awesome. Let me tell you right now though,

that was not real ice. It was more like a plastic coated in a skate-able oil, which

made it damn near impossible to do anything. On a perfect day like March 22nd was,

there was nothing to complain about. I just glided around the best I could and enjoyed

the view from the top. It was absolutely glorious. The best part was, Dan and I were the

only ones on the "ice" which made it all that much more enjoyable. Lucky for us, my

birthday was on a Friday this year, so we had the day clear of a big crowds. I am so lucky

that we got to do something like this on such a marvelous day.

Onto the evening...

I threw on an outfit that I liked and had a classy feel, but also had a good amount of spunk thrown

into the mix. We went to The Bedford and we had both never been. I love when we can both

experience a new restaurant together and this was the perfect pick for the night. I felt so happy

and energized that night and just kind of wanted to spread that vibe. The thing about Dan and I

is that we have a lot of fun when we're out and I think the people we encounter like us together as well.

It's always a great experience no matter what we decide to do. We had a really great little spot and our drinks were outstanding, along with the service. It was just fun to look around and soak up the environment.

I ordered the mushroom gnocchi which was phenomenal, but should have had more gnocchi in there for sure. I felt like I basically had mushrooms with a few carbs thrown in, but it did have the 90 minute egg

shown beautifully there in the center, so I really can't bitch.

 

I LOVE CHARCUTERIE! I loved it here and I really dig it over at Rootstock!
Pate is one thing I crave on a monthly basis. It's just so delicious and when
it's paired well with amazing jams and cheeses...it sends me over the moon. 

Me and Dan at Bar Deville!
I finally had a Saturday off and wanted to enjoy an awesome night out. We
drank a fine amount, danced through the night, and encountered some rad
people. It was the perfect end to one hell of a day.

I am so revved that Erin was able to make it out for my birthday.
I really wanted to be in the city, and dance and have a great time
with people I loved and cared about, and I got to do just that.
She ended up running into a large group of pals that we sort of
merged with.

me mid-groove at Bar Deville. This was a really good place to go. When we had
arrived, the back lounge where the DJ was bumpin' was nearly empty. We grabbed
a seat right by the booth (in the best spot in the house) and waited for things to fill up.
There was another girl there who was having a birthday shindig, so we shared the upper floor
and enjoyed the celebration together. I would definitely go back here to groove out + drink.

 

um...obviously. Right guys?

Ahhhh. I love this point on the drive in. Yet so close, yet still time for a few
more tunes and a cigarette.


ALT - J
▲

I was so excited for this show. I have fallen in love with Alt-J over the past year

and have recommended them to a lot of people. An Awesome Wave is a beautiful

album and I strongly suggest you give it a listen. 'Tessellate' is one of my favourite songs

on it, but they all seem to have been my favourite at one time or another.

'Fitzpleasure' was the song that initially hooked me into their music and the meaning

behind it is extremely dark, but dancing to it live with the crowd felt exceptionally right.

It was just as good live as it sounds recorded and I'm still so elated that I got to see them

in their first Chicago headlining show. I cannot wait to see them again at Lollapalooza. I hope

more people recognize them, because they seriously deserve it. They played through their

whole album and included a new song that made me excited for the next one they deliver.

I MET GUS! Outside the metro, it's kind of impossible not to run
into the artist afterward since the tour bus has to park out in front.
Gus took the role on of speaking to the crowd during the show and
he kind of did some crowd control/greeting after the show. He was
such a wonderful guy and they seemed so revved for what they have.
I love when band members are totally cool about meeting fans and
treat it like a casual encounter. It's just nice to be able to thank your
favourite musicians for what they do and for the difference they make
in your life. What a phenomenal night.

Ah. It was such a glorious week of weather. We went over to Star Lounge

to get our Dark Matter fix and the patio was finally open to enjoy. We got we got

to sit in short sleeves for some time to soak up the sunshine and it's

 always pretty righteous when you can do that in March in Chicago.

Dark Matter models, obviously.

nails/accessories from the past few weeks.

I am my hair.

Here are the two scarves I've made recently. My little Etsy shop is starting

to get bigger and I love coming up with new projects and ideas. You guys

should check it out! If you have any ideas, send 'em my way :)

Crochet Beat

I survived the coldest months and as the weather continues to warm up, I hope life just gets

even more pleasant and enjoyable than it already is. Here's to what's ahead in the warm months!

 T