judging by covers

I totally judge books by their covers. The cover is the shell of objecthood for the book. When you crack open a hard-bound work, reading becomes not only an intellectual endeavor, but a palpable physical experience as well. I appreciate publishers that give/allow special consideration to the physical/visual aspect of their books. To hold a beautiful thing in your hands is one of the little joys in life.

My love for beautiful books was awakened from its nap when I found this little gem last week:

 It's from an anthology series published in the 70s--the textured gold paper cover is right on for the era.

Here's another book from my humble collection.  This one is a bit older, printed in 1911.  The cover features a letterpress design on traditional book cloth.

Here's another old guy.  I'm not sure when it was printed, but the novel was copyrighted in 1899.  The cover is laminated with wood!  Is it weird to cat-call at a book?  I just did.

Anyone else have some fancy covers lying around?

glass music

I'm totally digging on this album from Glass Ghost (Brooklyn!). I dig the bizarre narrative lyrics, which is a writing approach that is usually a hard sell for me. But they are just the right kind of quirky, with just the right kind of homemade beats behind them. Don't let the word 'beats' throw you off, though--the overall feel is pretty low-key. Oh, and a really cool thing about this album is that each track features a number of musical contributors--the fab Sharon Van Etten being among them. So rad. I love a good, friendly collaboration.


If I had to throw some "sounds like"s out there, I'd say this has tinges of Bjork, Animal Collective, Air, and Sunny Day Real Estate.

Fave tracks are: "Violence," "Divisions," and "Time Saving Trick."

Over and out.

Come one, come all!

Nikka Costa April 9, 2010, originally uploaded by The Roxy Theatre.

I'll be singing back-up for Jason Diaz this Friday @ the Roxy. The last show was such a blast. Come out and kick off your weekend!

fun times in rehearsal

Jason Diaz Band, originally uploaded by Secret Ultra M.

I may or may not have personally told you, but I am one third of a Motown-inspired vocal trio. We are called The Paperbacks, and we will be singing backup for Jason Diaz and his band at his next few shows. We just got out of rehearsal, and we had a blast all by ourselves--but we want *you* to have a blast with us, this Thursday at the Viper Room and next Friday at the Roxy.

4/1 at the Viper Room we'll be opening for Jonathan Tyler + the Northern Lights; 4/9 at the Roxy we'll be opening for Nikka Costa. Both our sets at 8 PM.

Cheers!

Aaron is a Church DJ...

Last Sunday was Palm Sunday--the commemoration of Christ's dramatic return to Jerusalem in his final days before crucifixion. For my church, it was also the first Sunday holding two services (which we will be providing henceforth). I was asked to photograph the occasion--specifically, to document the intermingling of people coming and going between services.

I arrived to find Aaron Ballard, member of The Parson Redheads and owner of Ballard's Artwork Framing, spinning some major, smile-inducing, old-time gospel music.





I went up to chat with Aaron, and he asked if I wanted to see an album his Father and Grandmother recorded. I made him hold it up for this snap: (his Father is hidden by the glare, his Grandmother is on the lower left.)



What an amazing family legacy, no?? Needless to say, it was super sweet to learn that little tidbit about my amigo and his fam. Also, he said he'll be DJ'ing more during the between-service slot in the future, so come on over and hang out. Next week would be perfect, in fact--it will be Easter! The best service of the year! I'll be singing in the choir during both the 9:30 and 11:15 services. It's Ecclesia Hollywood, right on Hollywood Boulevard in the thick of it. Location and parking/metro info can be found here.



Cheers!

succulent design

succulent design, originally uploaded by Secret Ultra M.

I painted a pot to provide a fancy home for this handsome "Indian Corn Cob" cactus, who was to be a birthday gift.