Perils at Rocks in Your Head

Perils at Rocks in Your Head
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Perils played a really fun show with our "big sister" band Full Tank on Wednesday at Rocks in Your Head record store in Williamsburg. Before the show even started I bought a Pastels CD I have been coveting for 5 years (and it's just as good as when I listened to it in my room when I first moved to Portland, Oregon and was 19 and over the top crazy). From this photo, though Yumi is blocked by Maggie, you can see that Perils prefers to play (or only can afford) Fender squire guitars. And yes, that is the Transformers movie in the background. Many thanks for friends who came out (and those of you who say "I didn't know you played a show" it's because we didn't play any new songs, so I didn't want to wear out our welcome so to speak).

Full Tank at Rocks in Your HEad

Full Tank at Rocks in Your HEad
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Full Tank are always so generous with Perils, inviting us to play shows and posting sweet things about us online. They also rock in a major way. Whenever I am stuck on the train I sing their song "stupid subway won't you go, stupid subway go, go, go!"

Brooklyn Magic Hour

Brooklyn Magic Hour
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

This is one of the reasons I am glad I carry my camera around. I am obcessed by light and sky recently. Every sunny morning I can be heard saying "look at the light, look at the light." The fall seems to lend itself to particularly clear and dramatic light. This is, concidentally, the building where Perils used to practice in.

riffRAG print edition issue 2

riffRAG print edition issue 2
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

This is the fruits of late nights folding, cutting, sticking with transfer adhesive, measuring, sewing... riffRAG issue 2 print edition! With a silkscreened cover by Em Sixteen and original prints and postcards by 6 aritsts, plus comics and articles, I have to say I am really proud of the results. My favorite part is this time around you can take the prints out and hang them on your fridge, in your office, on your wall, wherever... for more information and to order you own copy visit riffrag.org.

Caroline Mak at Bluestockings

Caroline Mak at Bluestockings
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Caroline Mak gives an artist talk at the riffRAG issue 2 launch party where she talks about her pieces, process and love of industrial materials. I like to call her "professor Mak" here. Thanks to Joelle running to the apple store and convincing them to re-open the store to get the necessary cable, the show, power point and all, could go on. I am so indebted to my friends. See more of Caroline's work at riffrag.org and carolinemak.com

Vivian Girls at Bluestockings

Vivian Girls at Bluestockings
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Enid Crow (right) and Vivian Justin (left) play their songs about the smallest pony in the world and other things at the riffRAG launch party. Fun!

Redbeard at Bluestockings

Redbeard at Bluestockings
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

The lovely Sam Miller plays her sad, beautiful, country-style songs under the name "Redbeard" at the riffRAG issue 2 launch party last weekend. Redbeard are so awesome, you should ask Sam to play in your town soon: http://www.myspace.com/redbeardband

Thermoses at City Reliquary

Thermoses at City Reliquary
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

City Reliquary bills itself as "your community museum." Though I have yet to go in, this thermos collection caught my eye tonight. When I first walked by two people were already taking pictures, so not wanting to look like the fool, I waited until I walked by the second time. I love things like this in NYC...

Rose Melberg and Andi

Rose Melberg and Andi
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Rose's new songs are just so beautiful- I feel like she's less "twee" than she used to be and writes sweet, solid, pop songs about living, loving, loss and refinding yourself and love again. At this show Andi joined her singing back up and so did a nice young man playing electric piano. Rose had to borrow a guitar and then fasten the guitar strap with Jennifer's shoe lace. Here is is joking that there better not be a fire, because Jennifer would be out of luck. It makes me feel happy that Rose has been making good music for so long and is still at it... it's pretty cool.

Me and Andi

Me and Andi
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Looking pensive and pleased with our tea cups...

Jennifer and Andi

Jennifer and Andi
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Jennier was my housemate for about 4 months when I first moved to Portland and I admired Andi's old band since I was a tender 17 year old just starting to be obcessed with New Wave. Here they are in Cake Shop enjoying soy hot chocolates (the perfect drink for the new cold weather).

Carolin Mak Installation Floor

Carolin Mak Installation Floor
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Last night I quickly stopped by the opening reception of a show at PS 122 in the East Village to see my former colleague Caroline Mak's installation in their foyer. This photo doesn't reveal the obcessive detail of the piece- paper doilies cut out and pasted on the wall to create vintage looking "wall paper," but I love how her pieces surround you- they create an environment that almost feels living and breathing in a space using industrial and household materials. Caroline is giving an artist talk at the riffRAG launch party next week and I'm totaly excited.

Five Minute Band

Five Minute Band
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Eric- Guitar
Diego- Morrissey like lead singer
Me- Drums, I guess... or maybe we have a drum machine and I play bass...
Tya- not shown, manager, photographer, stylist
Passtime- eating crepes and sitting on trash cans on the Lower East Side... and looking tough

Apron

Apron
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

I don't know really what else to say besides the fact that I actually was cooking, not doing feminist performance art (though one could argue that because we are always performing our genders and because I identify as a feminist the way I move through my days is always feminist performance art... maybe).

"Winning a bike race"

"Winning a bike race"
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

I tried to hoist my bike over my head in jubilition, but I didn't quite get there. The badage on my hand is from tripping on the sidewalk after watching a Shoalin Kung-Fu documentary. Lesson: don't try to imitate Kung-Fu masters while skipping down the uneven, sloping sidwalk in the dark.

LJ "winning a bike race"

LJ "winning a bike race"
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

LJ looks like the totaly awesome tough girl she is after I instructed her to act like she was "winning a bike race."

Under the Verazzano

Under the Verazzano
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Robert Moses was a complete asshole, there's no question, but seen from below (or anywhere, really) the Verazzano Narrows bridge is a pretty awesome feat of architecture. Whenever I've crossed it I always get short of breath because I'm up so high. This was taken from a bike path around the edges of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. It's places like this that always remind me how huge NYC is and how many different kinds of places are within the city.

Last Summer Days in Sunset Park

Last Summer Days in Sunset Park
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Taking advantage of all the sun I can to read (or do "pushups for my brain" as I said to Lauren) before the weather gets to cold and I have to retreat into Gorilla coffee for hours.

Awesome Noguchi Sculptures

Awesome Noguchi Sculptures
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

These sculptures were also some of my favorites in a completely different way then Noguchi's rougher more "natural" stones that were in the sculpture garden. They almost remind me of the characters in Miro's paintings. They have so much character and life and feeling in them.

Inside Noguchi Museum

Inside Noguchi Museum
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Again, a really nice space. And a stone ring, how crazy is that?

Noguchi Fountain

Noguchi Fountain
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Last weekend my parents came for a visit and we went to the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, Queens. This is an awesome little museum tucked in a semi-industrial zone. It's where Noguchi used to work and he planned the garden (I believe...). It's really reflective to be there. This was one of my favorite pieces (my mom's too)... I love how the water forms the thinned skim on the stone and reflects the trees and sky. I like how it combins the hard corners of stone with the deep, calming qualities of running water.

Long Island City Warehouses

Long Island City Warehouses
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Since I love industrial spaces and muted colors, this seemed perfect.

Punky Red

Punky Red
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

I've noticed that I must follow in my mother's footsteps, wanting to take pictures of plants (she's a landscape architecht and avid gardener). However, I just loved that this flower's name was "Punky Red." It reminds me of dying my hair pink when I was 18 or so (which was actually this kind of color) with Manic Panic and then it coming off on my pillow and shirt collar.

CBA Bookpresses

CBA Bookpresses
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Book presses at the Center for Book Arts. Seeing so many bookmakers I used to work with, or at least rub elbows with, and being at CBA, where I took a class 5 (!) years ago, it made me itch to begin to make things again. Sure it's true I just spent most of last night cutting down paper for the print edition of riffRAG, but I love the process of making something by hand. It's centering, peaceful and satisfying (well, when it's not annoying and a bit stressful).

Found in Translation Opening

Found in Translation Opening
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Curator Marshall Weber (center in Booklyn t-shirt) explaining some of the long books hanging on the walls to interested artists and visitors.

Booklyn Show Detail

Booklyn Show Detail
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Detail of two of the books in Found in Translation.

Found in Translation Opening

Found in Translation Opening
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Booklyn (www.booklyn.org), the Brooklyn-based book artists alliance I used to intern for organized this fantastic show at Center for Book Arts (www.centerforbookarts.org) which opened last Friday. Exploring the idea and art and translation of languages, book forms, genders, nationalities, identities, this is a great show.

CSS

CSS (5465)
Originally uploaded by acb.

Since I have come out from under my rock and started seeing bands live again, I went to see Ladytron play last week. CSS (or Cansei de Ser Sexy), a dancy, punky band composed of mostly ladies from Brasil, opened up for them. Though this photo is not by me and shows them playing in London, not NYC, I think it shows some of them nicely, though it doesn't capture their completely FOTR fashion sense (that's Fashion of the Ridiculous) or the fact that they are about 20 years old and having a ton of fun up there and as a result, are a ton of fun to watch.

The Shondes at Sin-e

The Shondes at Sin-e
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

I've been really slow to blog the photos I've posted, but the other week I went to see my friends The Shondes play at Sin-e. Just back from a summer US tour, they sounded awesome... really tight, incredibly gripping melodies and harmonies and just plain good dancy rock with a refreshing political message. Being radical, Jewish queers who are passionately pro-Palestine and anti-occupation is no small thing and it made me realize how much I appreciate the presence of these people and their thought and action in my life. Louisa (bass) and Eli (violin) are pictured in this picture, but not Brannigan (guitar) or Temim (drums)... Hopefully they will be playing again soon in NYC... in the meantime check out www.shondes.com.