Summer/Sunday Sounds...

El Guincho's newest forthcoming album Pop Negro releases this fall. It is genius. Pure magic. The sound is afrobeat, rock and roll, dub and tropicalia expertly mixed with lots of sampling tossed in at just the right moments. This record does not disappoint. If you haven't heard 2008's Alegranza! yet you are totally blowing it.

You can download Bombay and FM Tan Sexy (my new favorite tune; just try to hear it and not dance - impossible) now on his site. Enjoy!!

White Wash

I never ever get tired of white. It's the perfect canvas for every room and space. It's the color that transforms and evolves with your style. It will always dignify your belongings and the best part is upkeep is simple - add another coat.

Image via Maison & Demeure.

It happened! It happened!

The heat wave lifted in New York City; tonight we wore light sweaters.

Aaaaaah, relief has arrived. Thank God.

Update: I knew I spoke too soon. It's still hot as hell.

Toro Y Moi

I love Toro Y Moi's new video for "Low Shoulder". It's uber campy and mirrors scenes from the 1975 cult classic film Race with the Devil starring Peter Fonda. It is a cinematic tour-de-force (!!) about two couples vacationing in an RV from Texas to Colorado that are terrorized by a band of satanic worshippers after they witness a murder. It's best when viewed on a VCR.

Um, a classic.

Good Design

Egg Collective is a small company and now on-line shop with designers/owners from Brooklyn, Rhode Island and Helsinki. Image above is from a project on their beautiful site called Mirror Mirror. It's a hand-crafted oversized mirror made from walnut and 24 karat gold leaf.

Can you say gorgeous? Beyond gorgeous.

Volvo 240GL

Brooklyn (Bushwick!) style...

Sunday Sounds...

Summer Camp - Ghost Train (viral) from Paddy Power on Vimeo.

What a weekend. Epic. So so lush and lo-fi all wrapped into one. Very Rebel Rebel. This week is detox. Dearest friends, please be good to me and not tempt me to have a drink with you; I must rest.

I'm winding down enjoying the rainy evening listening to Summer Camp. They are an electro-poppy and dreamy doo-woopy boy girl secret duo playing intimate hazy gems.

Enjoy what is left of your weekends. XO, NoNY.

Fast Food...

Brooklyn style...

Joy Division

This is quite possibly one of the most perfect songs ever...Enjoy, I am.

Religion

Brooklyn style...

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Phoebe!! My niece is one year old today. ONE!!

Big kisses to my favorite peach!! XOXO, Aunt Weezy.

Sunday Sounds...

SUMMER CAMP - Round the Moon from Paddy Power on Vimeo.

Enjoy the brand new clip for the soaring, synth-driven first single from Summer Camp's forthcoming EP, Young. The (in my opinion) 4 star album comes out next month on Moshi Moshi records.

Have a great Sunday everyone; I'm heading downtown in a bit for a late lunch and catching the later screening of Colony, a documentary about the unexplained phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (Come on people! Didn't you know the honeybees are dying?) at the IFC Center on West 3rd.

Chow Chow, V.

Update: The film was fascinating. The rain, however, sucked.

Part Deux...

My mistress...

Tonight, we celebrate...

Tonight was an evening celebrated at Patsy's Pizzaria (the best in all of NYC if you didn't know) with myself and one of my oldest and dearest friends - Erin Hogan. We've been the closest friends for over 20 years now. Shit, writing that makes me (us) feel beyond old...I honestly can't believe it has been that long. Time flew by...

Anyway, her sister is getting married soon (congratulations Meg!!) and we caught up on our own happenings over some heavy metal pizza!!

It was a perfect night in Chelsea, XOXO, V.

Update: I'm never drinking wine again. Ever.

Cranberry Orange Vodka Spills...

I Never Ever Thought...

I would on-line date. EVER. EVER. EVER. The topic of conversation with close friends recently has been consumed by the free web dating service Okcupid and how the singles in our crew have dabbled in it, are currently on it or have some really funny/fucked up dating stories from it.

Soooo, tonight I uploaded my profile. I had incredible trepidation and anxiety "going there" for so long and feeling like what is wrong with me if I have to on-line date in a city of almost 9 million people!! I asked a very dear friend (who wants to remain anonymous) that recently uploaded their profile a few weeks ago and has had some relatively normal correspondence with (what seem to be) unmarried men and nobody on a sex offender list. I emailed her this afternoon asking the simple question: Is it weird? Her response is below, which is golden by the way...

"And yes there has been one cute guy that's contacted me but it's still weird. Everyone I know who's on it says it takes time. Be prepared, if you join, there are tons of dogs. But isn't that the same in real life? It's all about odds, I guess. I think it's worth it. If nothing more than for a distraction. And you'll potentially get a date/good story out of it."

So, if anything guys, my on-line (antithesis of organic) dating experience, if nothing else, will be great fodder for the blog. Stay tuned...

Must quickly add: I've already been 'winked' at by a guy named Bacon Playboy and another person that likes my hair. Oh, boy - this isn't going to last long...

Graceland

I just returned from a day of volunteering, parade watching and getting my hair cut at Graceland in Williamsburg. The salon is located at 677 Lorimer Street (between Frost and Withers) off the L to Lorimer/Metropolitan Avenue stop. One of my favorite things about the salon and tattoo parlor is the decor - a take on Elvis meets ultra baroque meets 1950's kitsch. You can also relax knowing you will get the best cut in your life and do so while listening to vinyl records the entire time.

Cuts are about $75 plus tip and tattoos are $200 an hour. To make an appointment call (718) 384-7677. Josh (in the photo above) is my favorite; he cuts a perfect shag mullet and the nicest guy. Ever.

Iced Coffees & Bells Beach

Today was another Saturday spent at the beach, Bells Beach or as Shannon and I like to call it, The Brooklyn Riviera. As usual, we had the best time soaking up the sun, gossiping, enjoying our impromptu picnic and swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. It takes six subways to get there back and forth (L to the A to the S, then reverse) but worth every minute of the one hour commute. We are still trying to figure out how and WHY we continue to sit next the craziest people ever on the train. Seriously, we are magnets for the kooks; it's really something else.

Also, thanks to the really nice Italian man that gave us the tanning oil today. It did the trick; I fried.

Here's to Saturdays on the beach and mellow evenings at home! I'm listening to the new EP North Doom by the Evenings from Charlottesville, Virginia. You can download it for free here.

(1) Shannon & I enjoying iced coffees in Billyburg before Bells Beach

(2) Beach chariot

(3) Bells Beach, Beach 90th Street Howard stop, S train

GUTEN FREITAG!!

Happy Friday everyone! I swear I had every intention of staying in tonight and enjoying a mellow evening at home but Shannon landed a drrrrrream job today and we are toasting to her tonight!! Mwah and Mwah, I am so very proud and happy for you dear. I TOLD you. So, I'm heading out in a few minutes to meet the usual suspects and celebrate.

Tomorrow is a day spent at the Brooklyn Riviera with my beach buddy (Shannon, again). It's been our Saturday routine for weeks now and what I look forward to the most all week. We are tanning and swimming all day if anyone wants to join.

Sunday I'll be volunteering at MoMA again (two Sundays in a row now) and stop by from noon to 4pm if you want a private tour (or tag along for my public one) of the new Matisse exhibit. I'd love to see any of you...

Photo above was taken today in Chelsea on my (iced) coffee break. Um, I thought if it was that kind of party...the dick goes in the mashed potatoes, NOT the chicken.

Enjoy your weekends - kisses, V.

Manson Family Dance Party

Seriously, today was THE hottest day in New York City in recorded history. I ran out of the office early and raced over to my dear friend's back patio in the West Village to tap into the Rockies in an (very successful) attempt to deal with the insane blanket of heat that covered our city today. Holy shit, if you don't live here and are reading this - be grateful. It is insanely hot. For REAL hot. Unbelievable, actually.

The night started out with the Manson Family, me channeling Squeaky Fromme and a dance party with the best Eurythmics song (well, they only have one good song).

All this and home before 12:00am - perfect.

For the City of New York...

NYC street artist JC2 has created the most incredible collage murals and outdoor installations that are surfacing everywhere in Chelsea and lower Manhattan lately. The one above is directly across the street from my office. It's in the Army of One series that also features the Diane Arbus image Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, 1962 (see a few posts down).

The main focal point in the recent work is the "Bride of War" which is an (obvious) metaphor for the mothers of soldiers, casualties and the Florence Nightingales in the world. The murals are some of the best I have ever seen. They are stunning enough to stop even the busiest New Yorkers to take a minute, stare, awe and even snap images. I watch it from my window all day long.

Thank you JC2 for sharing your talent and keeping lower Manhattan's public art some of the best in the world. See more of JC2's work here and here.

The Train

[1] Sweet tea and blue hair - hollah!

[2] Hubba Hubba

[3] Turrets = cray cray

Arcade Fire pay tribute to Jay Reatard

Arcade Fire played last night at the Mann Center in Philadelphia and turned an entire stadium-ready audience into a harmony-laden tribute to musical genius Jay Reatard by covering his song Oh It's Such A Shame.

Arcade Fire's version of the, sadly - now classic, punk song has a different melodic take, much slower and softer, but very fitting for the occasion nonetheless. Jay's original tune is about ten times the amp speed.

Jay Reatard - thank you for sharing your songs with us.

Due to Debauchery...

Debauchery in a bathroom on a Monday evening? Nope. Never. Ever.

Here's to the week ahead....

XOXO, V.

Fast Food

Brooklyn style...

Pictures by Women at MoMA

If you happen to visit MoMA anytime soon don't miss the small exhibition (200 works) on the third floor (next to Bruce Nauman's DAYS) Pictures by Women: A History of Modern Photography. The show is stellar and exhibited in a thoughtful chronological order. Artists included are Roni Horn, Helen Levitt, Yoko Ono, Diane Arbus, and Imogen Cunningham, among many more.

Images above are Cindy Sherman, Untitled #92, 1981 and Valie Export, Action Pants: Genital Panic, 1969

Take my advice and do not attempt to go on a Sunday in the summer if you are coming from Brooklyn. It took me nearly two hours to get there today due to construction and the other typical MTA mishaps that continue to cripple the subways on the weekends. I had to take the M at Myrtle/Wyckoff to the J at Myrtle to the N at Canal Street to the Q at Times Square/42nd Street to the E to 53rd and 5th Avenue to MoMA, finally. It was very aggravating. Oh, and I almost forgot - it was also raining.

Anyway, go see the show and enjoy what is left of Sunday...