Nanook of New York

Update: Blog Moving

2011-02-14T17:59:00.001-05:00

blogspot sucks - my template, etc...is fucked up. I'm moving over to tumblr.

more soon...

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T17:04:00.003-05:00

Remember to be nice to stupid cupid or he'll be stingy all year long with those arrows. Happy V day my nearest and dearests. BESOS on both cheeks!

Guten Freitag

2011-02-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! It felt like today would never come. Great news: tomorrow's temperatures will rise to 45 degrees! Unbelievable. I can't wait to feel the sun sprinkled on my face.

Above image is my current view and remedy for last night's lingering aches and pains.

XX everyone and have a very lovely weekend.

Let's Think Magically...

2011-02-09T23:07:00.000-05:00

I SAW ETERNITY THE OTHER NIGHT from Alan Jensen on Vimeo.

Baby Bitch(es)

2011-02-09T22:10:00.004-05:00

We celebrated some good news over the weekend. Shannon, my dearest, I love you. Monday night is ours.

Booya!

Winter Comforts

2011-02-08T14:44:00.003-05:00

There are lots of things about winter I enjoy (even this winter) including consistently feeling cozy, down comforters, b-rate horror movie nights at home, fireplaces, complex red wines, plaids, LL Bean boots, soft snow falling, good hair days, lazy weekends and most of all is making homemade soup. I spend the few months every season perfecting each batch. This season's favorites have been vegetable lentil (above), black bean lime cilantro and a cauliflower puree that is to die for. Just sayin'.

Yay soups! and to only 40 more days until spring.

Rip it Up

2011-02-06T16:55:00.002-05:00

Best feel good Sunday song ever. I dare you to try not to dance.

Guten Freitag

2011-02-05T03:18:00.002-05:00

Friday night is Sweet Leaf.

The (my) Train

2011-02-03T20:05:00.002-05:00

Bushwick, Brooklyn
The village idiot, the student, the soul

(Not) the Sartorialist

2011-02-01T14:36:00.001-05:00

So much for sexy sexy or stylin' in these damn shoes. The wintry weather calls for more snow in New York City tonight and all week long. See you all week boots. Oy vey!

Ikat Love

2011-01-31T10:45:00.002-05:00

Anthropologie's new Spring furniture line is featuring the most gorgeous ikat designs. The Mathilde sofa is to die for. The eight-way hand-tied seat construction, luxuriously dizzying design, kiln-dried hardwood frame AND walker finish are just too much for me to handle. Too much!

If the steep, and I mean steep, price tag at $2,698 is a big bite out of your (and my) working stiff budget...you can always buy the adorable throw pillow above for a mere $68 instead. See, you can compromise good design.

Guten Freitag

2011-01-21T20:42:00.000-05:00

Forecast: more snow today and next week. I'm not freaking out about it because I (honestly) love warm cozy Friday nights at home. I'm enjoying a few beeritos, catching up on emails and watching Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti performance on the ol' boob tube. Yup, you read that correctly...AP is big time now.

Enjoy your weekends my dearest friends -- love your guts.

Apartment Swoooon!

2011-01-18T21:52:00.002-05:00

Take a tour of writer Laura Santtini's bold and oh so very! lovely London flat. God, this is apartment is perfectly curated with antique finds, modern surfaces, ethnic rugs, flea market gems, fresh florals and endless dashes of charm sprinkled in every corner. I am so in love with every single thing in the place. This apartment is really tops; seriously it is quite perfect.

View the space here via Living Etc. Enjoy!

Silky Smooooth

2011-01-16T18:17:00.000-05:00

Chew on Toro y Moi's silky smooth new disco-funk jam Still Sound.

Guten Freitag

2011-01-14T23:12:00.010-05:00

Guten Freitag!! Happy three day weekend everyone! Cheers to having Monday off and to Dr. Martin Luther King.

I'll be at the usual volunteer gig tomorrow followed by hanging with my dearest friend Shannon indulging in wholesome deviant behavior.

Sunday is a serious bloody mary session at The Commodore with Shannon (again) and making bad decisions followed by a little soiree in Williamsburg.

Monday is a day filled with (unfortunately) painting my living walls Benjamin Moore Grey Horse. It's the perfect teen temperature thing to do I guess.

Currently enjoying some domestic beers, playing with the free iPhone app Instagram (above photos) and listening to El Guincho's FM Tan Sexy cozily at home. No big Friday out for me tonight.

Enjoy your weekends my dearest friends!! XOXO, V.

Analog Mail

2011-01-13T22:05:00.000-05:00

Montag Series, 2011

The Essentials

2011-01-11T20:47:00.004-05:00

So, the grocery stores were insane tonight -- only the strong could survive at my local Food Bazaar. I decided to bypass the lines, headache, stress, frustration, lost sense of humanity and stick to the essentials at my corner bodega. Yup, I am clearly a single woman living in Brooklyn.

Brace yourselves for the foot of snow tonight!

Jane Campion's A Girl's Own Story

2011-01-09T21:12:00.005-05:00

If you have a few moments click here to view Jane Campion's short A Girl's Own Story. It was made in 1984 but seems much older. The story is so intenesly odd, twisted, honest, uncomfortable, dark, perverse, gentle and slightly fucked up -- very early Campion.

Outer Haze

2011-01-09T18:38:00.002-05:00

Chew on this sound of heavy, melodic, metallic, echoing, complex, rhythmic and dirty haze from San Francisco wonder band Weekend. Perfect for early Sunday evenings...

Digital Leather

2011-01-08T18:17:00.007-05:00

Digital Leather's Not Now from the masterpiece (!!) record Warm Brother on Fat Possum Records. The performance was filmed last year in Texas. Every song on the album was recorded in a one bedroom apartment in Tempe, Arizona. Every song is a gem. They are all a perfect blend of over-blasted sounds from vintage synthesizers, haze, analog drum machines, cheap microphones and the most thoughtful lyrics. God, this album is on constant repeat in my home.

Shawn Foree, the one man band known as Digital Leather, is a true sui generis. Rock on.

Saturday's Sounds

2011-01-08T09:05:00.023-05:00

Enjoying early morning sounds from the Spectrals. I'm currently enjoying Chip A Tooth (Spoil a Smile) and I Ran with Love But I Couldn't Keep Up here. My favorite so far on the record is the cutest little love song Rot with Me.

This album is so very perfect for Saturday mornings and allows you to effortlessly ease into the weekend that awaits.

Served best with coffee.

Wintry Friday

2011-01-07T22:29:00.006-05:00

It snowed again today in New York City and will continue to do so all weekend. I've decided to spend my time doing cozy things like making homemade soup, enjoying yummy wines, digging out old records, organizing magazines, washing linens and giving my crown molding around my windows a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore's Decorator's White paint. I'm doing all the things I say I wish I had time for. Being 'snowed in' is the best time to do them and more. The goal is to not leave Brooklyn until Monday morning. Yay for cozy weekends!! I hope you are enjoying yours.

Currently listening to Mother; what an amazing song and quite possibly the most beautiful and saddest adult 'lullaby'. So sooo tender. Glucklicher Freitag und neues jahr meine liebsten freunde!!

Heavy Metal Pizza

2011-01-07T01:24:00.010-05:00

Went to Patsy's Pizzeria in Chelsea last night for what I believe is THE BEST pizza in New York City. I know we all have our favorites and opinions of who holds the crown for the ultimate pie but this is my winner; hands down. Anyway, I went with my oldest and dearest friend Miss Erin Hogan (20 plus years as BFFs and counting) and as per usual, we polished off waaaay too much shitty pizzaria chianti, sangiovese wines and gossiped over slices.

Aaaah, I heart you Patsy! And Erin.

Photos: (1) ode to THE pie & (2) Erin post second bottle &amp

Not Simply a Chair...

2011-01-04T20:22:00.009-05:00

Admittedly, I am obsessed with chairs. Yes, they serve a basic utilitarian function but they also can dignify a room, a table or a lonely corner. My current obsession is this George Nakashima straight-backed chair. The original 1945 design has found a re-introduction and currently being manufactured by Knoll. I like to call this beauty "Japanese Shaker-style". The joinery alone is phenomenal; a true art form.

At $634 a pop (not including tax, delivery and tip to carry up a four story Brooklyn walk-up), I may never sit in one but hey, I can fantasize.

Dienstag Fotographien

2011-01-04T15:30:00.000-05:00

via Art Raffle

Winter-perfect Cozy Cards

2011-01-04T13:31:00.002-05:00

Anyone that knows me understands how much I adore sending handwritten notes and cards. I send for most occasions - never forgetting a birthday, a milestone, a memory, a thank you, a thinking of you, etc...I love letting my nearest and dearests know how much they mean to me and when I am thinking of them.

Enter "Warm Heads" cards by W + K Studio. The designs range from adorable pom-pom to the tad creepy ski mask to the coziest of caps. They cost $20 for a box set of 8. This has winter-perfect written all over it! Use your local post office more and send handwritten notes; your friends and family will love you more (if that's possible) for it.

Blinky Palermo: Retrospective 1964 - 1977

2011-01-03T15:50:00.002-05:00

Blinky Palermo: Retrospective 1964 - 1977 closes on January 16th at LACMA. Please try to see the national touring show if you have not yet done so. The exhibition provides an in-depth examination of the evolution of Palermo's aesthetic. This is the first retrospective of the work and not to be missed. Next stop: The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC.

Image: Blinky Palermo, Untitled, 1964, oil on canvas, Collection Stroher, Darmstadt, Germany. Photo: Jens Ziehe, Berlin

Manchukuo

2011-01-02T23:04:00.002-05:00

Visit Manchukuo from Sunset Television on Vimeo.

Another reason to plan a staycation. Here's to the full work week ahead!

This is my first post of 2011.

Wednesday Images

2010-12-29T17:25:00.003-05:00

via National Geographic Daily. Can you say amazing amazing amazing?

Hanging out and listening to Avi Buffalo's What's In It For? on Sub Pop Records. The mellow upbeat tunes match my current view of a pink and orange sunset. It's truly a magical moment...

Happy Wednesday everyone and stay warm in New York City my lovelies -- snuggle up.

Merry Merry Merry

2010-12-26T21:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays from me to you from them to us. Enjoy the sounds from Gorilla vs. Bear December 2010 mix.

Merry Merry to all of my very favorites!!

Χαρούμενα Χριστούγεννα

2010-12-25T15:02:00.000-05:00

Season's Greetings from Florida! XO, NoNY.

December Playlist

2010-12-24T21:34:00.001-05:00

Brought to you by TOURIST Magazine. Listen to the 15 songs here.

Réveillon de Noël

2010-12-24T14:05:00.001-05:00

Monster Rally is about to release a new 12" collection of sample-based psych-pop beats which sound much like a combination of Tahitian balmy lazy Bollywood ocean exotica waves of melodic perfection.

Coral is a collection of old and new songs that apparently sample everything from "African highlife to Bahamian Calypso" and you can get a taste of the goodness here. The album which is pressed on an opaque sea foam green vinyl (just when you thought the best couldn't get better) comes out January 11 on Gold Robot.

Don't slack; the run is limited to 250 copies.

Happy Holidays Part Deux...

2010-12-24T00:11:00.004-05:00

Happy Holidays part deux! Images above are randoms selected from a month long string of nights in beautiful Brooklyn, a twelve days of Christmas of sorts...) from all of us to all of you...We celebrated December in style, the best style -- New York City style.

XOXO, Happy Holidays part deux!

Happy Holidays!!

2010-12-23T21:32:00.010-05:00

Happy Holidays my nearest and dearest!! Images above are from Meg Allan Cole's annual (and very famous) fab holiday party in Williamsburg, mia madre telling her children 'like it is', my holiday tree in my teeny tiny co-op apartment, yours truly at (yet) another (post) holiday party in Brooklyn the night before our annual French Family Floridian vacation.

Besos on everyone!! I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season and I look forward to the New Year!! XO, NoNY.

On Holiday...

2010-12-22T20:16:00.003-05:00

I am officially (but continuously working and being 'connected' to the museum, naturally) on holiday in Florida. I'd like to give a quick thanks to the JetBlue staff this morning that expedited my wait in line and performed miracles on my behalf. Seriously, I can't believe I made the flight. Merci! Merci! Merci! JetBlue!

Let the warm temperatures, ocean, family, wine and cable tv (slightly joking but I'm pretty excited to catch up on shitty reality television whilst here) commence, officially.

Happy Holidays to my lovelies! XO, NoNY.

Images via drenchrome.

TinyVices

2010-12-19T17:12:00.002-05:00

Images by Guy Martin from his Cossacks series and Boru O'Brien O'Connell. Both photographers are featured on tinyvices, an online and image gallery that exhibits the talented works of contemporary artists.

Enjoy your Sunday! I'm making homemade vegetable lentil (THE best) soup, doing laundry, waiting for the furniture mover, browsing photography sites and so very thankful the 'blizzard' that was supposed to hit was all talk. Okay, now get cozy and enjoy your early evening - XX, NoNY

LP Cover Lover

2010-12-17T11:03:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite sites on the interweb is LP Cover Lover. The site is dedicated to 'the weird and wonderful world of record covers from the golden age of LPs'. Some of the latest gems are Sunny Sounds with Ann Marie & Jackie, Back Door Daddy (please click on the link for your own viewing pleasure) and The Simmons The Touch of God. You can seriously invest hours on the site.

Happy Friday everyone! It's a weekend of many many holiday parties, last minute gift shopping, wrapping, laughing and enjoying a cocktail (or few). I'll be at MoMA all day tomorrow making my parents proud and getting ready for my annual French Family Floridian Holiday vacation. Yes and Yes. My thoughts are also with the Hanrahan Family. Matteo, I love you and sending kisses in the sky...

Besos to my nearest and dearest, NoNY.

The Best List: 2010

2010-12-16T22:30:00.006-05:00

So, here's the list, according to Gorilla vs. Bear, for the year's best of 2010. AND this is their list for best albums of the year. I have to disagree with Beach House in the top spot beating out Ariel Pink but whatevs. It's only me and my humble opinion that believes AP's album is so much more diverse, complex, thoughtful, poetic and deserving of the top spot.

So strange to say goodbye to a decade. Enjoy the tunes, records, videos and your memories of the year that (oh, soooo) quickly flew by. Seriously, where the fuck did it go? I'm still wondering where summer went.

My personal favorites include Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's Round and Round (!!) and Kurt Vile's Ocean City from the (absolute genius) Square Shells EP on Matador. It was an amazing year for music; thank you for the records and live gigs!

Here's to 2011 bringing us health, prosperity and all the things you wish it to offer.

Love you all and THANK YOU for making this a great year for oh, so so so many reasons. XO, NoNY.

Journal 8

2010-12-15T23:40:00.000-05:00

via (genius) artist Ty Williams

blog & buy

Interior Design Decals

2010-12-14T15:31:00.001-05:00

This is the perfect solution for New York City apartment living: headboard decals from Blik for $40.00!! I just purchased the 'Olivia' frame in the dark grey for my home. It's light, quick, easy and no commitments are needed here. What a great design idea and solution to schlep.

Yes! to good design.

Dear Dave Magazine

2010-12-12T13:39:00.005-05:00

Dear Dave Magazine is a tri-annual publication of photography and writing that features original idiosyncratic work by mostly unknown artists. Each issue is a gem that awaits your amazement for the hidden talent inside. A year subscription is only $34. Dear Dave is such a nice gift to anyone who appreciates art this holiday season. Just sayin'.

Sunday Sounds...

2010-12-12T13:10:00.001-05:00

I hope you all had lovely weekends! I'm enjoying the cold rainy Sunday with a little NPR, the NYT, Italian espresso and minimal wave by the Evenings. Listen to their song Still Young and new North Dorm EP here.

Stay cozy on this cold day. I'm actually bummed I have to leave and go to a holiday party downtown later this evening. I'd rather be home making soup all day, honest.

Coma Summer

2010-12-08T21:50:00.004-05:00

San Francisco post-punk outfit Weekend released their debut full-length record, Sports, in November. I've been listening to Coma Summer a lot lately on the old ipod when walking around the city.

White noise; das ist gut.

Tourist Magazine

2010-12-05T22:26:00.003-05:00

Fashion/Visual Diary: No Hope, Nor Fear & Heavy Deeds

via Tourist Magazine, photography by Grace & Lauren

Sunday Morning Views...

2010-12-05T11:16:00.002-05:00

Brooklyn style...

Here is some Croatian Gold to enjoy with your am coffee or whatever it is you drink on Sunday. Cheers, NoNY.

I wish I had a pizza and a bottle of wine...

2010-12-04T11:22:00.001-05:00

Perfect Saturday sounds while I flip through magazines and get ready to go to my volunteer shift at MoMA all day. I love you Saturday. Enjoy yours!

Romance

2010-12-03T23:40:00.001-05:00

Bushwick style...

Happy weekends everyone!! XO, NoNY

Can I Quickly Say...

2010-12-03T22:46:00.002-05:00

Frank Zappa's Lemme Me Take You to the Beach is brilliant.

Brooklyn Home Tour

2010-12-02T22:47:00.001-05:00

Emma & Mike's Brooklyn Home Tour from David Land on Vimeo.

Michael Fusco and Emma Straub have resided in Lefferts Garden for one year now. They run a design studio out of their brownstone creating record covers, concert posters among other cool things via their company M + E. Design*Sponge featured their quintessential Brooklyn home two weeks ago and I thought I'd share with all of you if you haven't seen it already. Wow, a tree house in New York City?! That is really something special; it's truly inspiring.

Oh, and I have their headboard fabric in my own home! Ikea has the least expensive and beautifully designed textiles you can purchase by the yard. Now you know.

Christmas Tree

2010-12-02T21:25:00.004-05:00

New York City style...

So, it's December (can you believe it?) and I got into the spirit tonight by purchasing my holiday tree at Whole Foods in Union Square. Let me just say picking up a 3 foot tree in prime commuting hours and lugging it on the subway was a real treat. Yeah, she got a little beat up but with some pretty white lights and ornaments it'll all be fine. Oh, and as per usual, WF was a nightmare. Seriously, when is it not your Dante's Inferno?

Happy (albeit kind of early) Holidays!

Haze

2010-12-01T17:02:00.000-05:00

via denchrome, the dreamcrusher blog.

Blind Spot Conversations 01

2010-12-01T16:12:00.001-05:00

Blind Spot Conversations: Corin Hewitt with Jason Fulford from Blind Spot on Vimeo.

Blind Spot has announced a new video series featuring artists in conversation. This is the inaugural conversation with Corin Hewitt and Jason Fulford. Each video runs about 10 - 15 minutes. I am really looking forward to future episodes. Blind Spot Issue 42 is now on newsstands (or reached your mailbox).

I came to dance...

2010-12-01T15:45:00.002-05:00

This is a great video for your Wednesday middle of the week slump from Robyn, Dancehall Queen.

"I got them hypnotized, got another shout out on the mic...boom, boom, boom!"

Last Supper

2010-11-30T23:29:00.006-05:00

Sooooo, Cecelia is in Art Basel, Miami doing her thing and I had the pleasure of hanging with her dad this evening at Pastis. We wish she was there with us but we had such a wonderful time catching up and talking about political science (my minor, what what), Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent and New York City history. Great night, y'all.

Cece - we missed you desperately but had the best time as well. I love you my dear and here is to you and me in sunny California in our near futures!! Good luck in Miami. We missed Lisa tonight!

Iannis Xenakis at MOCA

2010-11-29T22:50:00.000-05:00

Iannis Xenakis: Composer, Architect, Visionary is currently on view at MOCA Pacific Design Center. The show was originally organized by The Drawing Center (one of my absolute favorite places in New York City; I go at least twice a month) and was co-curated by Sharon Kanach and Carey Lovelace. I've been reading a lot about John Cage and Iannis Xenakis' innovations recently and their relationship with music composition and architecture. Xenakis also worked alongside the revolutionary modern pioneer Le Corbusier among many others in his thriving career.

The exhibition includes original works on paper, conceptual renderings, listening stations, rarely seen musical scores and samplings of innovative graphic design and notation. Show runs through February 4, 2011 and is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with essays by Ivan Hewitt (!!), Carey Lovelace and Sharon Kanach. If you didn't see it in New York do so in Los Angeles. It's really something else.

Ratatat's Neckbrace

2010-11-28T18:59:00.005-05:00

View Ratatat's new video Neckbrace here. Video directed by band member Evan Mast. What is it with Ratatat and birds? Great beats, hypnotizing video, good times...

Happy Sunday!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T23:07:00.001-05:00

Pumpkin pies & little Indians

Guten Mittwoch!

2010-11-24T20:15:00.016-05:00

Guten Mittwoch (basically the working stiff's Friday) my dearest friends! Shannon, Tierney, Adam, et al and I met at (where else but) Union Pool last night for a few 2 for $5 domestic canned beers and a small gathering to bid adieu to our Brooklyn family for the long weekend. We gave thanks for our health, friendships, Blinky Palermo, family, Brooklyn (!!), Tuesday nights out and most importantly for voodoo beer taps. Oh, and I thanked Monster Rally for a great new Color Sky 7" that just released. The track Champagne is smothered in awesomeness. More on that soon...

Happy Thanksgiving eve!! I do hope you are whooping it up somewhere, anywhere with your nearest and dearests. XOXO, V.

Currently listening to White Ring's Roses- a haunted melodic lullaby; quite simply, a perfect sound.

Update: Shannon says I resemble the voodoo tap. I say she's a liar.

Ariel Pink's Round & Round Video

2010-11-22T22:31:00.002-05:00

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round & Round from Delo Creative on Vimeo.

Admittedly this is some weird shit. But, hey that's why we love Ariel Pink...isn't it? Enjoy the video and superb song Round & Round, one of my favorite tunes of 2010.

Michal Chelbin at M+B

2010-11-22T21:38:00.003-05:00

M+B gallery in Los Angeles is currently exhibiting The Black Eye, an exhibition of color photographs by Tel Aviv based artist Michal Chelbin. The work recalls classical images of athletes while highlighting emotional intimacy staged behind monochrome backgrounds and lush landscapes. At a quick glance, the figures are reminiscent of Diane Arbus' work but also differ in many ways. Unlike Arbus, these images are neither nostalgic nor candid. Fiction and documentary talents collide in Chelbin's work. They are truly spectacular.

The show runs until December 4th.

Guten Freitag!!

2010-11-19T13:51:00.000-05:00

Guten Freitag dearest friends! Enjoy your weekend. I'm celebrating Cecelia's curatorial talents and viewing her show Tussie Mussie at Silvershed tonight. There is a reading by Todd Colby, music by Sammy Miller & the Congregation (great name), hors d'oeuvres tray passed and most importantly, the backroom bar is hosted by Cafe Select.

Saturday is the usual volunteer sesh at MoMA. Go see the abstract expressionism show if you haven't yet. It takes up the entire fourth floor. Seeing Tyvek in the evening...Fun Fun!

Sunday is the best kind of day - completely open and free of obligations (for now). Have the loveliest weekends everyone! XO, Nanook.

Thursday...

2010-11-18T22:54:00.003-05:00

I met my accountant (and friend, of course) Adam for dinner (and much needed wine) in Manhattan for our semi annual feast at a (a chain, oh my god!!) restaurant this evening. We (he) ate, drank, laughed, gossiped, talked about refinancing, my taxes and found out where the obese people in the city feast.

Photo 1: Yay for endless breadsticks!! Photo 2: The Godfather (of geriatric pasta)! Photo 3: Drink up, buttercup.

We missed you Dan.

L Train...

2010-11-18T17:34:00.003-05:00

Lookin' good girl...lookin' GOOD!

Here we go again...

2010-11-16T23:00:00.002-05:00

YES.

The History of Stop Motion

2010-11-15T20:47:00.000-05:00

I love stop motion from chloe fleury on Vimeo.

Above is a quick history of stop motion in stop motion, of course. Warning: this is very cute.

Blum & Poe

2010-11-15T19:58:00.008-05:00

Hey Los Angeles, don't miss the Noritoshi Hirakawa's Returning of the Sun opening at Blum & Poe on November 20, 2010 and runs until January 22, 2011. The opening reception is November 19th. Cheers!

The show is hanging in the gallery's second floor space. I promise this exhibition will not disappoint.

CORN DONG

2010-11-15T12:43:00.004-05:00

Here's to (meh) Mondays and corn dongs. Weekends why do you go by so quickly? Always. Maybe a little Millie Small and Sugar Dandy will make the day more upbeat?! If she can't add some brightness I don't know what will.

Enjoy the start of your week!

Dead Gaze

2010-11-14T12:15:00.006-05:00

In the past year there have been interesting sounds coming out of the great state of Mississippi. My favorite from the current batch is the psych-gazer band Dead Gaze. God, trust me when I say this: they are amazing, amazing (think Nathan Williams meets Robert Pollard meets God Ween Satan with a lot of haze).

Come on, taste it.

Sunday's Sight & Sounds

2010-11-14T10:44:00.002-05:00

BLACKBIRD BLACKBIRD / BLIND from Alan Jensen on Vimeo.

This one is from them to him to me to you to us. Enjoy San Francisco-based band Blackbird Blackbird's celestial song Blind. It's pretty much straight forward perfection for your Sunday listening pleasure.

Enjoy the rest of your lovely weekend...

AM

2010-11-13T18:52:00.000-05:00

NEON INDIAN-(AM) from Alan Jensen on Vimeo.

Perfect AM sound & vision. Done.

Octopus Project

2010-11-13T01:26:00.002-05:00

Hallucinists from Wiley Wiggins on Vimeo.

Super dreamy hypnotic video and sounds from the Octopus Project's song Hallucinists. Dream on and do whatever it is you all do...

Happy Freitag!

2010-11-12T10:49:00.003-05:00

Happy Freitag everyone!! What a crazy week that will be followed by a very mellow weekend. I plan to be in Brooklyn for the majority of it minus a dental appointment tomorrow morning in Chelsea. Aaaaack!

Here's to home improvement weekends and wine in the comfort of our teeny tiny apartments! I'm also including a little song from The Sandwitches for your enjoyment that has been in my head all morning. Now it can be in yours.

Have a very lovely weekend! Cheers & mwah and mwah, NoNY.

Monopoly

2010-11-11T17:18:00.002-05:00

West 22nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenue

Wednesday Night in NYC...

2010-11-10T23:49:00.005-05:00

The current brisk weather (it snowed on Monday morning in NYC already) and fear of what we know is in our very near future has already taken a toll on what has been our regular gang's Friday night happy hour and summer nights out in Brooklyn. We definitely do not have patio temperatures and friends are already going into hibernation. I, admittedly, have not been an exception to the current trend - minus tonight.

I met BFF Shannon and Adam for a few 'harmless' beers, good tunes and great laughs. I kept mentioning how horrific our summer was (in terms of inferno caldera temperatures) but am already eating my words. I'll take the heat over the bitter cold any and every day.

Winter, I beg of you, please be gentle. We also listened to Nena's 99 Red Balloons tonight and a ton of Devo. Kinda funny, kinda perfect. Thank you Wednesday night. We needed you...

Record Deals...

2010-11-10T12:42:00.003-05:00

The Legendary Invisible Men
Dionysus Records
Vinyl LP
$10.95

This record enters fuzz and exits frenzy. Buy it. Tidbit: half of the band are from The Bamboras. Yes, The Bamboras!!

Las Robertas

2010-11-10T00:39:00.006-05:00

V for You from Cry Out Loud EP

Kim Gordon on Dan Graham

2010-11-09T21:41:00.021-05:00

Dia has an ongoing lecture series called Artists on Artists. It's an informal talk given in the Chelsea office space on the fifth floor one Monday evening per month. Last night's artists were Kim Gordon and Dan Graham, the genius conceptual artist, art critic and theorist. The tiny crowd of approximately 50 guests had the rare opportunity to hear Gordon talk about Graham's influence early in her career as a struggling artist in New York City. She shared great stories including working as a framer for the infamous Larry Gagosian, her love of astrology and going to punk shows in Los Angeles in the early 1980s. Graham was once her neighbor and 30 plus years later they remain close friends that continue to inspire one another.

Gordon performed an amazing solo piece that began with feedback, then sliding her guitar on the amps, walls and eventually ended up rolling around all on the floor. This happened about three feet away from me. Last night was so special and a very very rare treat for everyone lucky enough to be there.

Last night will always remain one of great ones in my memory bank. Thank you Kim and Dan.

Photos: badassness, Thurston Moore and the gear

Performa Party

2010-11-08T21:08:00.007-05:00

Admittedly, I am the queen of hooking things up for friends and myself. I have managed to live in the most expensive city on a teeny budget and get into shows, films, museums, lectures, openings and some of the best parties of the year (almost always) on the complimentary list. It is simply called Brooklyn Hustle. I also have great friends that I thank daily for extending these 'gifts' to me. Thanks guys!

Enter Saturday night...I was offered four seats to the Peforma Red Party Annual Gala & Silent Auction. It's one of the best parties supporting the arts in New York City. The night was hosted by Alan Cumming, graced with Anne Hathaway and had walls adorned with red cotton candy. The end of the night was a slight blur but well worth Sunday's aches and pains.

Shannon blogged about the night too on her site New York New Home. More in the New York Times Fashion & Style section.

Dynasty: Catfights, Caviar and Hair

2010-11-03T23:04:00.007-04:00

Don't judge. I am obsessed with the prime time television soap opera Dynasty. The plot revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family residing in (the most glamorous city of all) Denver, Colorado. It was produced by the late great Aaron Spelling and aired from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. Those were eight glorious years filled with catfights, caviar, gold lamet headbands and over-the-top shoulder pads.

Yes, I have watched every season, every single episode and every amazing haircut. Fallon Carrington Colby (4th photo down) is my fashion idol guru and absolute favorite character on the series. I remember watching Dynasty as a kid living in Scotland and really thinking Americans must be the most glamorous bunch of people. Boy, we sure are.

Enjoy some of the hairdos.

Reunion Union

2010-11-03T22:25:00.005-04:00

Last night was a small reunion with old coworkers at Union Pool. Aaaw, I miss working with you guys! We laughed, partied, caught up, gossiped, listened to Ariel Pink and got pretty drunk. I even took a cab home. I know, unheard of. Oy vey today...

Dan, I owe you ten bucks.

New York City General Elections 2010

2010-11-02T12:39:00.008-04:00

Vote for your New York City General Election candidates today. Come on, make us proud.

William Eggleston For Now

2010-10-31T22:26:00.015-04:00

Memphis native William Eggleston has long been noted as a pioneer in photography - color photography to be exact. This is a big year for the artist with a show currently hanging at LACMA and his new book spanning four decades of work, William Eggleston For Now, by Twin Palms Press recently published. The book is 144 pages with 87 four-color plate, 12 x 14 images. Each and every image is superb.

The best thing about Eggleston's work is how it is all so unassuming and the 'awe' he is able to create from fragments of ordinary and untouched reality. There is also something else that always lies under the pigment that creates a sense of unease. Eggleston's unmanipulated images ask the question: what is next? It's the vulnerability and the unknown he always seems to capture that really resonates with me. I can easily find myself lost for hours.

Image: William Eggleston, Preface to Election Eve, 1977

Jeffrey Deitch loves calling LA home...

2010-10-31T21:19:00.003-04:00

Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) director Jeffrey Deitch provides an exclusive tour of his new home. The former New York dealer discusses some of the works in his house as well as the layout and what it means to live in Hollywood. The Los Feliz house was the former residence of Cary Grant and now plays home to a selection of modern works by Tim Noble and Sue Webster, Aaron Young and Andy Warhol among others.

via Nowness.

Disorder...

2010-10-30T01:36:00.017-04:00

You got the spirit? We (I) do. Thank you Joy Division. Guten Nacht.

"...lights are flashing, cars are crashing getting frequent now..."

The Weekend!!

2010-10-29T16:42:00.006-04:00

Happy Halloween weekend everyone!! I truly can not wait for 'yabba dabba do' time and meet up with friends at Daddy's on Graham Avenue ($3 cocktails, $2 draft beers and $1 soy hot dogs with potato chips, of course) for a much needed happy hour.

Saturday is a full day at MoMA volunteering followed by a halloween party in the beautiful and quaint Brooklyn enclave known as Bushwick. I'm dressing up as a little Indian.

Happy Halloween and Friday!! Above image is from the Bowery on Monday night. It brought back some really great memories of growing up in paradise. Ooooh Hawaii, sigh...

Carolina

2010-10-27T22:44:00.005-04:00

Rinse and Repeat...GIRLS Carolina is absolute perfection. This is true music magic. The San Francisco based band has a new six-song EP Broken Dreams Club that releases on November 22. You can pre-order it here. The new record is amazing, trust me.

Pair it with some yummy wine, bare feet, friends and you'll find yourself having a nice little evening at home. Appreciez!

Update: sign me up for the Broken Dreams Club.

Matador Records Hooks You Up

2010-10-26T13:27:00.003-04:00

Again, MatadorRecords is hooking you up with a sale. Simply enter Halloween20 when you check out and you get 20% off your total.

Thank you Matador!

Montag Sabbath...

2010-10-25T23:17:00.018-04:00

Monday night, Sabbath. Perfect.

Ich bin ein...

2010-10-22T20:38:00.007-04:00

...sterngaffer, dunkles pferd und bohmisch rhapsodie. Guten Freitag freunds!!

Enjoy your weekends dearest friends, XO NoNY.

Saturday's Pumpkins

2010-10-21T21:22:00.010-04:00

We had such a wholesome Saturday (until about 10pm) filled with corn mazes (I couldn't partake due to volunteer shift) and pumpkin carving. Again, thank you Sara for hosting us and making such a lovely dinner. Everyone carved a pumpkin and enjoyed the vintage Coca Cola machine that is now filled with PBR. What a great retrofit.

Saturday was a perfect October day.

NYC Swagger, Sartorialist Style...

2010-10-21T21:06:00.002-04:00

I don't know what is more Manhattan chic - her great sense of style or the Mister Softee truck?

Via The Sartorialist

Happy Birthday

2010-10-21T12:38:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday Dizzy! Thank you for making your magic.

THE RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH

2010-10-21T00:07:00.005-04:00

Above is an excerpt from New York 1's gubernatorial debate on October 18, 2010. Candidate Jimmy McMillan explains his platform for new party The Rent is too Damn High.

God, I just fell in love with New York City again.

Gourds

2010-10-20T22:22:00.004-04:00

On my walk home tonight I stopped by my local grocery store and picked up the usual suspects and ingredients to make vegetable lentil soup - my absolute favorite thing to eat. Ever. I also picked up these beautiful gourds.

They are currently sitting on my dining table and making the space feel very 'October'. Message me if you have any recipes you'd think I'd enjoy using these guys.

Kurt Vile Free Download

2010-10-20T12:01:00.005-04:00

You can download Kurt Vile's new 7" In My Time via the good folks over at Matador Records. The record releases on November 9th. Vile's US tour starts today in North Carolina and ends in where else but Brooklyn(!!) on December 3rd.

Vile is genius, believe it. Enjoy.

CMJ LES Tuesday Night

2010-10-19T23:57:00.013-04:00

CMJ, College Music Journal, showcase has arrived in New York City. Stay tuned to the week's reviews...

Shannon and I went to support a friend's band play this evening and found ourselves on the Lower East Side after a very long day of work. We rocked, we laughed, we had a great time (and all before 12:00am, thank you newly routed M train!!).

We began at The Delancey and ended up at St. Jerome's. Tuesday night, whatevs y'all.

Intermission

2010-10-17T11:43:00.007-04:00

Some of the best, worst, strange, absurd, beautiful, bizarre and amazing things happen on the subway. This weekend was no exception.

Mariachi, anyone?

Guten Freitag

2010-10-15T12:13:00.006-04:00

Happy Friday my dearest friends! Fall has officially arrived with the help from the Nor'easter that hit last night and will continue to linger all weekend. It's cold today! I'm celebrating the weekend with a mellow evening consisting of wine, records and sitting Indian style tonight (yay!), volunteering at MoMA all day tomorrow (stop by and say hello if you are in Manhattan) and then Sunday will be Farmer's Market, cooking, sharing, laughing and being lazy for once in a long time. I may paint my hallway trim but I have a feeling that may not happen.

Photo above is from last Saturday night at the Bushwick Country Club. It's such a fancy place, trust me. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!! XO, Nanny.

The Cosmos, Humans & Animals

2010-10-14T21:52:00.005-04:00

EL GUINCHO | Bombay from MGdM | Marc Gómez del Moral on Vimeo.

Check out El Guincho's new brilliant video for Bombay. This is video of the year. It's really something else. Who doesn't love, ahem, sparklers?

Cheers y'all and I hope this added a little magic to the dreary rainy night. XO, Nanook.