Horse friend (carousel version)

Horse friend
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Chris and Emily's wedding also featured the historic Carousel at Lighthouse Point, which is a "piece of American folk art" according to their website. I have been fascinated with carousels (or really, anything to do with horses, living or carved from wood) since I was a very little girl. The reception features carousel rides which LJ, myself and the other (former) zine kids who were there enjoyed very much. Each horse had it's own name, our favorite being "Fancy Prancy." More photos on flickr!

Chirs and Emily's Wedding

Table Setting
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Last weekend LJ and I traveled to New Haven, CT for the wedding of our friends Chris and Emily. Emily makes beautiful books and zines and Chris is a musician and producer. The table setting here feature the combination of their collection genius- electronic animals! Yes, anmials fused with vacuum tubes in beautifully letterpress printed packaging. Congratulations Chris and Emily, may your relationship continue to bring you (and your friends and family) hope, inspiration and companionship for many years to come!

Family

Family
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

I got really terrible news last week and while it's not like me to be posting about things like this, my parents called me to say that Thea, the terrier I am holding in my arms in this picture from December, died an untimely death. All my life animals have been really important to me and they have taught me a lot about listening, feeling and observing. They can be patient and they are willed by their own nature. They teach respect and have made me humble, reminding me there are always things I will never know, even about those I am closest to. Maybe someone says "Oh, she was just a dog," but in my mind, animals are souls with personalities who have roles to play in this world and we forge important relationships with them. My mom pointed out how Thea had brought so many people together, from my grandmother to friends who stopped by our house from time to time, made them laugh and made them feel good. She was an important companion to my parents and to me when I was in Maine. She will be sadly missed.

Electrelane Rock It To The Moon at Irving Plaza

Electrelane Rock It To The Moon at Irving Plaza
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

First of all, I love this picture because you can see the whole band. What I love about Electrelane is that they write amazing songs which they count and play perfectly, while barely expending any obvious effort to do so. It's as if they feel each change instintively. Mia Clarke touches her guitar and it sends off squalls of feedback. It's hypnotizing watching each note fall perfectly into place. While I was transfixed by their Irving Plaza show, it didn't feel quite as high every as when I saw them in Paris. They are such a confident band though, they don't fail to rock and it's great because when you look at them together, they do not make the kind of music one might stereotypically expect. However, perhaps one can not say that music made by a group of four ladies could have any stereotypical sound. I think the history of women making music, and especially rock and punk, shows that quite clearly. On a personal note, the lyrics to their song "To The East" resonate quite a bit lately, "If you said these words, I'd come to you, where you are, it's too hard to be apart..."

Electrelane's Mia Clarke Shreds

Electrelane's Mia Clarke Shreds
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Because seeing Electrelane once is definetly not enough, I had to go catch them again at Irving Plaza last week. Here is Mia Clarke playing her guitar and amp and drummer Emma Gaze. There are way more photos on flickr and I think they turned out better than the Paris ones because I basically glued myself to the stage for the evening!

Posing on a Post-Bike

Posing on Pascale's Post-Bike
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

My last full day in Paris was May 1st and with a national holiday came a perfect day for a picnic. We took the RER into the 93 and walked along the Marne river until we came to this pratically empty lawn bordering an old hospital. It was the perfect place for a picnic away from the crowds and heat of the city. P. transported tons of good eats on his retirned from the post office bike, which seems like one of the more useful city bikes I have seen.
The day also included marches and rallies that were most definetly anti-Sarkozy in tone, so I would say that perhaps those are warm ups for what will and must come in the next 5 years. My condolences to France for being stuck with (as my sister said) "a little Napoleon," I know how it feels...
For more pictures see my flickr page at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/killerfemme

Small Village in the 20eme

Small Village in the 20eme
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

I never get sick of walking around Paris. In the past week and a half I can't even tell you how many kilometers, much less miles, I trekked in shoes that were hardly made for standing, much less city walking. There's always something new to see and I love learning about how cities unfold and fit together. This trip took me to some new neighborhoods, such as this small corner of the 20th arrondisement, which looks like a small village in the French countryside. Many thanks to G. to showing me this place and many others and putting up with me when I wanted to go back to some of my favorite places (like the Canal St. Martin).

Electrelane at La Cigale

Electrelane at La Cigale
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

and here's the rest of the band...

Electrelane at La Cigale

Electrelane at La Cigale
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

We also got to see Electrelane at La Cigale, another incredible show. I'm looking forward to their show in NYC next week. This four lady band rocks, with each song building, ebbing and flowing in a really powerful way. As with the time I saw them 2 years ago, they are an extremely "togther" band, each song falls together perfectly. The crowd LOVED them and 2 gay dudes totaly started a mosh pit, something I was glad I was not a part of. I thought there might be a kind of riot when the club would not let Electrelane come on for a second encore. I was suprised that they didn't play more songs from their new album "No Shouts, No Calls," which is one of my favorite new albums of late.

Mouvelle Vague at the Rex

Mouvelle Vague at the Rex
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Seeing Nouvelle Vague was exciting and strange. They were not quite as bossa nova as we expected, but they did put on a fantastic show. Being the New Order and Joy Division fanatic that I am, of course I felt vindicated hearing their versions of "Blue Monday" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart." I have noticed that cell phones have replaced lighters as lighted things to wave during rock ballads, which is pretty funny. I also found it strange that Nouvelle Vague has been covering super-mainstream 80's songs and songs that are not at all from the 80's (like Os Mutantes "Baby"). G. and I came up with a list of bands they could cover, like: Television, Orange Juice, Talking Heads, Ramones, Gang of Four, it could go on...

Outiside Mamie

Outiside Mamie
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

Walking around Paris holds no end to small treasures, including this vintage store, Mamie. It is packed from basement to attic with vintage shoes, accessories and clothes. It is kind of like going through 10 pack-rat granmother's attics all crammed into one tiny store.

Opera Garnier Ceiling

Opera Garnier Ceiling
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

A highlight of my trip was seeing two operas, one at the classical opera house, and one at the newer Opera Bastille. Close to the ceiling we were able to observe the beautiful paintings on the ceiling. The opera itself, L'Allergro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, with choreography by Robyn Orlin, was a lot to take in at once (dancing, singing, music, subtitles and video), but was extremely powerful. Orlin's use of video and technology in the set, modern costumes, and comments on the discrephancy between rich and poor nations and the gap between those who hold power and those who don't, drew some boo's from the audience. At first I was skeptical of her project, but I find myself still considering it and wish I could see it again.

April in Paris

Sunglasses and Pyramids
Originally uploaded by killerfemme.

So here I am, among the tourists gasping "just like the Da Vinci Code!' dragging G. to see the Praxiteles exhibit at the Louvre on the first day of my recent visit to Paris. Leaving (at that point) cloudy, rainy, cold NYC for summer-like Paris was a much needed vacation. I found the Praxitele exhibit interesting, especially because only one of the sculptures might have been carved by him. So one could say that the show really examines his influence in classical sculpture. Knowing about nothing about classical art, I found this premise for a show quite interesting. However, my eyes soon became bleary from reading so much text and gave up simply to sketch a sculpture of a woman's torso. I think that in this kind of closer examination of the artwork was where I was able to appreciate it as an art object as opposed to an idea, and I preferred the objects. Much more satisfying was our trip to the contemporary art museum in the suburbs, MAC/VAL later in the week.