good things - part one

if you visit this little BBE with any frequency you will a) be happy about the BLK JKS post below, as it was the one that pushed that auto-playing-Soundgarden vid onto the next page (auto playing is just tough. tough times) and b) know that "timeliness in general" and "summaries of times" are something i tend to avoid. (what is this. a blog? i don't know either)

but in the spirit of the wacky year that was 2009
and a ramp up to writing more
and and and

lets try a little something, just some thoughts on the things that i like:
(oh good, nothing's changed.)

*****************************************************
BEST TURN IT AROUND FUN TIME JAM OF THE DECADE

we three: tate, chell, ana

approximately and specifically when the above photo was taken, existed a time called "the winter of discontent", as i retreated to a barely-populated-(by-way-of-still-at-college-friends) and cold, new-feeling Dot. Toronto provided us with a few opportunities to do things like straighten hair, pose in bathrooms, etc... and before we'd head out to do this, i'd always go to Ana's studio. a literal one room event for us to bounce off walls in together. chuch.

some of these times we were fighting the good fight, against the wintery ways: mustering up the positive vibes to head out on the funnest note possible. and what comes then... but some Cee-lo to the rescue, in his art of noise.

"...let the music play
if i could i'd dance my night away
and if you can't seem to find any words to say
make a joyful noise
look around at the world today. "

*you know on second thought it's barely worth writing that
unless you're going to do it phonetically.
i'll trust you to sing along so as to feel the full 'fexavah

i dare you to shake this at yer blues and see what happens.


cee-lo featuring pharrell williams - the art of noise

PREEEMY: BLK JKS - Molalatladi

Back in the whirlwindcalledseptember, we shot South African awesomes BLK JKS here in NYC and now Secretly Canadian has released the vid for your'n'all'eyes alike. but wait - lets backstory-backtrack!... Some time ago, the very talented Nadia Hallgren travelled to Soweto, South Africa to get some mindblowing shots of dudes surfing trains -- and eventually make the doc Sanza-Hanza.

When BLK JKS wanted to use the doc's footage for the project, they contacted Nadia -- who i then met, and we were off on the road to video. my heart is full of love and whelms for all the people who helped this project along the way: the steering, the enabling, the make-happen-ing, the sweating, the carrying, the whittling, the ALL-ing. thank you, thankyou... i'm so pleased.

BLK JKS - Molalatladi
director: chell stephen & nadia hallgren
producer: lisa diebner
Sanza Hanza D.P: nadia hallgren
NYC director of photography: gregg conde
editors: chell stephen & sam winter
glam: MH artistry

**p.s peep it on my site if you prefer: here

i didn't really know

it was like that, cat stevens. thanks for helping to clear things up. this RULES.

I love everything
So don't it make you feel sad
'Cause I'll drink to you, my baby
I'll think to that, I'll think to that

see 1:09, below: the non-live.

Cut on the Bias

image stolen from: a patch of skye

something in the way
something in the middle
of these two songs
(repeats of this week)

what middle?
some violent punch-throwin’ patois-tossin’ rage-meister, but balanced by some sweet and sad Blades of Gay. this song literally made me cry at mercury lounge on Monday night. thanks TEEEEEG-B, your sweaty hugs are always loverly.


nicki minaj - saxon



the gay blades - shake the graves