killerfemme

New Blogging Home

2010-09-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

After four years on Blogger I've decided to decamp my killerfemme blog to WordPress. I've gotten more comfortable using WordPress (I must create like a new WordPress blog a week at work) and I love how easy it is to use and customize. I even imported all of this blog to that one! So you won't miss a moment. So please read and follow me here: killerfemme.wordpress.com

The Thermals! The Books! Tender Trap! Jane and Serge! Oh My!

2010-09-17T10:02:00.000-07:00


By Alison Wonderland

This past summer I've been writing up a storm for Venus Zines website. I've been writing profiles of bands and reviewing a slew of great records. Check out my latest here:
Bassist Kathy Foster, part of the Pacific Northwest rockers The Thermals discusses their new album
Indie pop icon (and Economist!) Amelia Fletcher talks about her latest project, Tender Trap
Quirky experimenters The Books talk about their latest album and moving out of NYC

Plus album reviews of the reissue of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg's Je t'aime... Moi, non plus, and Savoir Adore's In the Wooded Forest.

Nightlife Denizens

2010-09-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Paul with hotdog unicorn headgear and me with Slurpee hat

So if you know me even a little bit you know that i don't go out much. I like to have a good time, sure, but partying until dawn is not my usual m.o. unless, of course, the party is CHERYL. CHERYL started two years ago by a group of stylish people who mostly worked in museums. Its tagline is "the dance party that will ruin your life" and every month features a different theme and a video that can only be described as a piece of art to go along with it. The party has gained momentum and attention and moved to progressively bigger venues. I love the fact that while dressing up is encouraged it's not required and that it attracts a mixed crowd of, well, pretty much everyone who likes weird (but not that weird) arty and really honestly fun and unpretentious parties. This time around the theme was 7-11 and the Village Voice showed up to take pictures. Thanks to my handily constructed Slurpee hat apparently I was quite photogenic. Who knew I would be a nightlife icon for a fleeting second? Check out the rest of the Voice's photos here. I also put photos on my flickr stream.

Casual Evening Boating Attire

2010-07-19T20:42:00.001-07:00

Windswept Boating Outfit
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

It's a well known joke in my family that I don't like boats. It's not my fault, it's just that when I am in a boat larger than a canoe that has a motor I tend to get really sea sick really quickly. Blame it on a childhood spent on them. However, I may have made my peace with boats after a wonderful evening spent aboard the ship Clipper City this past weekend. Our friends Frank and Sandy got married on the boat (by the ship captain, which is something that they can do as a captain!) and invited us to celebrate with them. It was magical to float about New York Harbor as the sun sunk behind Ellis Island and send golden rays glancing off the giant shipping dock cranes in Red Hook. The invitation called for "Casual Evening Boating Attire" and I think I was successful. There are more photos on flickr.

Corita on Youtube!

2010-07-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

It's been ages since I have updated this blog and I am sorry. Corita is playing a show tomorrow (Thursday, July 8) at Fontana's on the Lower East Side, making it almost a year exactly since we played there last! Some really nice person caught our tweest song "The problem with alcohol (is)" on video at our last show during the NYC Popfest. Check it out!

Corita at NYCPopfest 2010!

2010-05-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

I am sure my 18-year-old-self would be jealous of me right now not because I'm about to hammer in the nail on the coffin of my twenties, but because my post-punk band of my dreams Corita is playing a free show on Saturday afternoon, May 22nd as part of the NYCPopfest. As a teenager I loved indie pop as much as I loved punk and post-punk and wished I was part of a cute, cardigan sweater wearing community. We might leave the cardigans at home on Saturday, but we'll for sure coordinate our outfits and wear the spiffy shoes Corita is becoming known for (I hope we are also becoming known for our good songwriting, but we'll see). We play at 3 p.m. at Spike Hill in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Saturday May 22nd and its FREE. We're profiled on the NYCPopfest blog here.

Lali Puna Feature on Venus Zine

2010-05-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

I got to profile German "indietronica" act Lali Puna, of my favorite bands, for Venuszine.com. I spoke with Valerie Trebeljar, Lali Puna's main lady, over on a transatlantic telephone call and I had to control my enthusiasm while speaking to one of my favorite musicians. The feature highlights their latest album Our Inventions. Check out the profile on Venuszine.com here.

More good show pics...

2010-04-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

The nice guys in Cobretti put some good pictures on their blog, including some of Mt. Olympus, who totally f'in shred and are the nicest guys to play with. The let us use all of their equipment, which led me to making an awkward analogy how their band was our band's boyfriend... uh, whatever, but awesome show!

Note that Mike of Mt.Olympus is riffing in the crowd (Aileen is looking on) and Dickie's hair is totally out of this world. He is my guitar hero.

Corita Review!

2010-04-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

Corita got one of our first reviews ever from the wonderful Eve (whose Tumblr blog is called wunderfemme, truly a kindred spirit) after our show on Monday at Death by Audio. Check it out here. Eve also took this nice picture!

Rendez-Vous with the Real French Navy

2010-04-07T18:44:00.001-07:00

French Flag Over Manhattan
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Sometimes living in New York is just surreal. My friend who works for the French consulate invited me to a cocktail reception aboard the helicopter carrier Jeanne D'Arc, a French Navy training ship that was doing its last worldwide tour of duty before being retired.

I wore a pinstriped blazer, black heels (despite being warned in an email not to, because one had to climb many ladders to get to the deck where the reception was, but I knew these would be French people, which meant the women would all be in heels), and carried a handbag I bought at Monoprix for 20 euro, figuring I'd look the part in my own American way. And yes, I hummed the Camera Obscura song all day.

My grandfathers served in the American navy and I had to laugh at myself, me who hates war, living it up aboard a ship (albeit, not an American one). It was pretty great to climb down ladders and through hatches, to drink a coke and avoid that weird, electric blue, menthalated syrup drink that the French love as the sun cast evening rays over Manhattan.

Even if the event was way too crowded and there was no where near enough food or drinks, I wouldn't trade being served hors d'oeuvres by a French sailor for anything. And I still need to procure one of those stripey shirts that they wear...

Art Handling Olympics

2010-03-21T17:54:00.001-07:00

Gold Medal Ceremony
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

I admit it, I didn't watch the winter olympics. However hard I was rooting for Canada to win a gold in hockey, my lack of TV kept me from the games. But one olympics I was sure not to miss was the first, and hopefully not the last, Art Handling Olympics held today at Ramiken Crucible in Manhattan Chinatown. A bunch of teams of art handlers from institutions, companies and galleries competed in activities like packing, delivering, hanging, the "static hold" (holding really heavy art while a "curator" with a fake German accent barked at them), and "the eliminator," which included uncrating, assembling, and recrateing a "work of art."
Before I started working in museums I didn't know what an art handler was, but quickly realized they are the backbone of the arts world, especially here in NYC. Very few run of the mill people really think about how art makes in from the studio to the gallery or auction house to the museum to the wall, but this is what these guys and ladies deal with everyday. Trucks. Heavy stuff. Impatient dealers, gallerists, curators, and registrars.
Being there felt a little bit like being at Duke Riley's piece "Those about to Die, we salute you" that took place at the Queens Museum this past summer. It was an art world event. However, it was also really fun to get together and make fun of ourselves in the art world a little bit and make an invisible community a little more visible. Maybe this is what it felt like when bike messengers started having races. Maybe art handling is going to become the next hip thing? Probably not, because I can't see how it's marketable in the way bikes are, but I was surprised at how many media reps were at the event, so it definitely sparked some curiosity. It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The Feminist Review

2010-03-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

For the past few years I have been reviewing books and albums for the highly useful and informative blog The Feminist Review. My subject matter has ranged from ethereal Brooklyn folk-duo Christy and Emily's new record Superstition, to the book Zubaida's window, an experimental novel about an Iraqi exiled in Berlin. It's a great resource and provides an important service to independent and feminist minded creators of culture. They are looking for donations to keep up and running. So in honor of women's history month I suggest you drop a few bucks their way via their site: http://feministreview.blogspot.com

For archiving sake, I'm also going to list all the reviews I've written (more for my own record than your reading pleasure):
Christy and Emily "Superstition"
Nakatomi Plaza "Ghosts"
The Summer Cats "Songs for Tuesdays"
Oneida "Rated O"
Zubaida's Window by Iqbal Al-Qazwini
Black Male Outsider by Gary Lemons
Lessons in Integration edited by Erica Frankenberg and Gary Orfeld
Pas Chic Chic "Au Contraire"
A is for Accident "Selfish"
Pale Young Gentleman "Black Forest Tra La La"
Dressy Bessy "Holler and Stomp"
The Shondes "The Red Sea"
The Gender Politics of Development by Shirin M. Rai
Cause Co-Motion "It's Time!"
Hawnay Troof "Islands of Ayle"
Bodies of Water "A Certain Feeling"
Juana Molina "Una Dia"
Omar S and Claude Von Stroke
From Bubblegum to Sky "A Soft Kill"
Feminist Coalitions edited by Stephanie Gilmore
Bachelorette "My Electric Family"

Magnetic Fields and Laura Barrett at Town Hall

2010-03-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to report that Venus Zine is back in business, which means that I will now be reviewing shows and writing about music, art and culture for them more regularly. My first review after a long hiatus was the Magnetic Fields' performance at Town Hall on March 10th. It was a very nice and stately show and had the feeling of a reunion of friends who are all in someway connected to the Magnetic Fields. You can read the full review here.

New Food Blog, 2 Cooks in the Kicthen!

2009-12-07T21:58:00.001-08:00

The Spread (labled)
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

I've decided to spread the blogging love and have started a collaborative food blog with my favorite chef SMH. We started our blog, 2 Cooks in the Kitchen, to be a collective project to share our love of cooking, eating and outer borough culinary exploration with our friends in New York City and the rest of the world. We hope to be the blog to visit if you are looking for the perfect market in Brooklyn, an ideal summertime vegan desert, are looking for the perfect thing to do with that strange vegetable you got from your farm share, or just enjoy reading about cooking and eating. We're just getting started and welcome your feedback, ideas, and comments.

In addition, we'll be serving sandwiches at the Desk Set's Biblioball on Friday, December 11th. It's a fundraiser for Literacy for Incarcerated Teens and also promises to be a lot of fun. Read the entry about it for details!

Hope you'll join me on Wordpress and continue to follow me on blogger!

Appalachian Trail Metro North Stop

2009-11-09T22:31:00.001-08:00

Waiting... for the train that will never come
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Thanks to SMH and other friends the weekends have been full of adventure that is accessible via public transit. We finally explored the section of the Appalachian trail accessible via Metro North (though we had to take a bus from South East due to weekend track work) and it was lovely. I am always so surprised at the idyllic landscapes accessible to NYC. I am beginning to understand the Hudson River school painters and their obsession with the landscape upstate. We had a lovely temperate day, got started down by a herd of cattle and had the Pawling Nature Reserve to ourselves! As a child I hiked the AT frequently during the summers in Maine and New Hampshire and it was pretty amazing to see another segment of it and imagine that I could keep going to Maine... or Georgia.

Leaving Berlin Ostbahnhof 2006

2009-11-09T22:26:00.001-08:00

Leaving Berlin Ostbahnhof 2006
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

I am feeling quite nostalgic today for Berlin and thinking about the fall of the Berlin wall 20 years ago (when I was a mere wee thing). In honor of that I finally re-made and posted a short video clip I took in 2006 as my night train pulled out of Berlin Ostbahnhof bound for Paris (a very slow ride to Paris, I might add). The trip goes through central Berlin, past many important landmarks, and would not have been possible when the city was divided.

Moving House

2009-10-24T12:03:00.001-07:00

Sunset Expanded
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

As most of you know, I recently moved three blocks away from my apartment of five years to my own place in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. This is a view from my fire escape I snapped while I was supposed to be doing homework (the day after I moved I also started my Masters in Public Administration at Baruch College, part-time, yes, I still work too). It's a low, slow process of settling in, but I'm enjoying it and have a penchant for collecting affordable, mid-century modern furniture. There's an ever growing set on flickr documenting the apartment's progress from gutted to liveable to move in to being decorated.

My last Venus Zine Review

2009-10-24T11:10:00.001-07:00

Sadly, Venus Zine is going to stop doing live reviews. At least for now. Before they stopped though I got the chance to see Matthew Sweet (you know, that power pop guy from the 1990's) with Susanna Hoffs (from the Bangles!) perform a series of cover songs at City Winery. City Winery is a new venue run by the guy who runs the Knitting Factory. It is definitely for adults who grew up in the scruffy downtown scene and now want a chance to sit down and relax when they see a show with a nice dinner or glass of wine (of course, this makes the ticket prices higher too). I enjoyed the experience, but was glad I didn't have to pay $25 for it! Here's the review with more about the music.

Those About to Die Salute You

2009-08-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

There are few times working as a museum educator and public programmer that I get to feel like an art world star. Usually I'm the one behind the scenes, checking the logistics and making sure everything goes off without a hitch. This week I, along with some of my colleagues, got a chance to be the stars of the show for a change.

When Peter called me and asked me to be involved in something after work on the 13th I agreed, not really sure what he was asking me to do. Little did I know, I had committed myself to taking part in the "art party of the summer," Duke Riley's project "Those About to Die Salute You," the culmination of his residency at the Queens Museum of Art. Duke constructed boats for teams from 5 Museums in the city (Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, el Museo del Barrio, Snug Harbor Cultural Center?) out of reeds that grow in Flushing Meadows Corona Park and fashioned a project based on a Naumacia, a Roman battle in the flooded colosseum, held especially during times of hunger and strife. How fitting, I thought. Little did I know what I was in for.

Despite arriving early and being briefed on the rules, both participants and spectators were given copious amounts of free alcohol and the event began to feel a little more like a bacchanal and less like a scripted Roman battle. I was nervous when we got on our boat and were pushed out into the pool, only to have drunken visitors lobbing rotten tomatoes at our heads and kids ran around in the pool. This was not a family program, people and hey, we were supposed to be the spectacle, not them!

Everything that happened after that was a blur, but I do remember the Queens Museum team illegally boarding and capsizing our boat and me scrambling aboard their boat while beefy guys tried to throw me off. Heck no was I going to let that happen. I couldn't help but remember my great-grandfather, Captain Patrick, who saved his family by lashing them to the mast of his sinking clipper ship. While the Queens Museum celebrated victory, a climbed up their boat and flipped them (and the crowd) the bird. It probably only lasted 5 seconds, but it was an eternity in my mind.

I climbed out of the pool to find myself bleeding. My wounds got a lot of play and made me a rock star at work today, though my head was still pounding from tomato impact.

See the whole story unfold on the Brooklyn Museum's flickr stream. Gothamist also did a pretty good write up (and took great photos). The New York Times' City Room Blog also has a pretty good write up.

Mud Jacuzzi at All Points We(s)t

2009-08-14T20:14:00.001-07:00

Dominick and I took on our biggest challenge yet, covering the three day All Points West music festival, held in Liberty State Park in New Jersey. While covering music festivals is daunting anyway, this one was made more so because of two days of rain (and lightening) that turned the festival grounds into one big mud pit that smelled like a cow farm. Dominick was a super sport and even wrote some up some of the show to cover while I had to work. Read our review and see the pictures for Venus zine here.
After you've soaked in the music coverage, let me point out this: I was miserable, and I got in for free! I have no idea why people who live in or near NYC would pay so much for a muddy music festival when they can see most of the bands who played in NYC fairly regularly and for that much money they can even sit down!

I think that if All Points West is to be successful with a New York audience they need to really give people an added value to their ticket. It's not enough to book top acts in a city that's saturated with them. Here's my suggestions to make All Points West better:

Put it in the city proper. How about Flushing Meadows/Corona Park? At least it's not Jersey and you can get there by bike!

If it must be in Liberty State Park, how about providing a FREE ferry service from lower Manhattan, instead of asking concert goers to shell out an additional $25 or suffer on the light rail to path to subway.

Set up the stages so that sound from different bands doesn't bleed together.

Value your journalists! The press tent felt like a refugee camp at times, the ground was soaking wet like the rest of the festival grounds, and sometimes we weren't even allowed to walk on a path behind some bleachers to get there. When I first got to the festival no one told me where the press tent was and most staff members didn't even know there was one.
You can see more (amateurish) photos on my flickr stream.

Opportunus Gladiators Eleanor quod Mary Jane

2009-08-11T19:10:00.001-07:00

Opportunus Gladiators Eleanor quod Mary Jane
Originally uploaded by Brooklyn Museum

I am really looking forward to the Duke Riley organized naval battle on Thursday in the World's Fair reflecting pool in flushing meadows Corona park in Queens. I love how the artist is basing this project off of the fact that the Romans staged these kind of battles in a flooded colosseum during times of extreme hunger to amuse the pleebs. How fitting for the recession! I hear it will be the summer's ultimate art party, so please join us (in a toga) at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 13th. For more information, please read Will Cary's excellent blog entry here: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/community/blogosphere/bloggers/2009/08/11/the-heat-is-on-2/

Covering the 9th Annual Siren Fest!

2009-07-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect beach day last Saturday and Dominick and I spent it at Coney Island covering Siren Fest. We were thankful for the shade of the VIP tent and the free drinks, as well as the close views of the bands. Highlights included Frightened Rabbit, The Ravonettes, Built to Spill, Grand Duchy,and in a strange way, Thee Oh Sees. Please check out my review for Venus Zine here and Dominick's lovely photos.

Swedes! Norwegians!

2009-06-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

At the end of last month I got to check out two newer bands from Scandinavia, the ever fertile (if frozen) land of indie pop. Those Dancing Days and I Was a King both played at Union Hall and both were great. Those Dancing Days were a fantastic discovery and will surely be the next girly Swedish pop sensation (with a good amount of young punk attitude thrown in) due to their catchy melodies and high energy live show. You can check out my review for Venus Zine (and photos, though those are nothing to brag about) here. I Was a King sounded so much like American, mid-1990's Chapel Hill-style indie rock that I felt like I was in high school all over again. They probably were too then. Check out my review for Venus Zine here. Thanks!

NYC Popfest on the Brooklyn Vegan

2009-05-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

The lovely Dominick Mastrangelo covered the NYC Popfest for the Brooklyn Vegan last weekend and I helped him out by contributing words for night 3 at the Bell House featuring the Eux Autres, The Secret History, and The Radio Dept. among others. It was a good show, but I was so tired my review came off as pretty blase, especially considering I had to get up very early the next morning. I love shows and bands, but I am realizing that I need to go to less of them. I feel a little bit famous getting to contribute some words to NYC's most notorious music blog and have already generated some snarky comments. Awesome! Please check out my review (and Dominick's lovely photos) here.

Tag, You're It!

2009-05-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

I like a workplace that's fun as well as intellectually stimulating and it's always nice when I get tapped on the shoulder to participate in one of our ever expanding and innovative online community projects. This one centers on one of my favorite objects in the collection, the space lander bicycle, and demonstrates how one can "tag" objects in our collection online through the "Tag! You're it" game on the Museum's website. Enjoy!

Central Europe Spring 2009!

2009-04-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

LJ and I had been talking about a trip to Central Europe since 2003 or thereabouts. Half of her family is from Hungary and we were interested to explore that country and since we were over there, why not the countries around it? Our list expanded and shrank as we planned, but when we finally decided to go for real we settled on visiting Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Berlin.

We just got back last week and it was a truly life changing trip. Not in any grant way, but spending 2 weeks wandering cities filled with so much history and architecture just put me in a completely different mental state. It made me feel more like who I am. I feel more positive and better able to see the bigger picture in the world. While travel is eye opening, it's also very internal. It meant I got to indulge in my favorite things: walking around looking at cities, riding public transit, drinking coffee, observing, and having adventures big and small, and I got to do it all with some of my favorite people in this world. You can see the adventures (and read the descriptions) on flickr here and look at the photos as a set to see them more artfully arranged.

Camera Obscura French Navy Video

2009-03-31T07:48:00.000-07:00

Dominick shared this video with me. Not only is it my current favorite pop song, but it's also my life between 2006 and 2008 in pop video version. Enjoy!

Recent Reviews

2009-03-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

I've been going to some great shows lately and Dominick has been taking some great photos! Just this week we saw Camera Obscura at the Bell House and they were breath taking. They were much better than the last time I saw them in New York at the South Street Seaport. They've really grown as a band and their new album "My Maudlin Career" illustrates this very nicely. Check out my review and Dominick's photos here.
We also saw the French Kicks not too long ago and you can read that review here.

Article about Aiko on Venuszine.com

2009-03-29T13:37:00.001-07:00

Earlier in January I wrote this article profiling the amazing street artist Aiko for Venuszine.com. I really enjoy talking to Aiko about her artistic vision, experiences, and projects. I always emerge from our conversations with new insights about living and working as a visionary and brave artist in a very male-dominated field. Please check out the article and let me know what you think!

Corita's Myspace!

2009-03-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

As most of you may know, I'm in a wonderful post-punk, indie rock band called Corita with my friends Nick, Marisha and Aileen. We finally have a Myspace page to show for our efforts with three songs, a video and some photos. So please visit us here: www.myspace.com/coritanyc and while I know Myspace is a bit passe, please do add us as a friend so that you can keep up with us, hear more songs as we record them and come to a show when we finally do play out!

Brooklyn Museum vs. MoMA

2009-02-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

Now, I say to each their own and I enjoy visiting the MoMA, though I am not sure how I feel about their invasion of the Atlantic Pacific subway stop. I would say "it's better than advertising," but it IS advertising. However, this article from the Brooklyn Paper made me laugh, because officially even though the Brooklyn Museum is like "Hey, we're cool with it," the journalist and the people interviewed are like "Brooklyn is better! Back of MoMA!" I like the idea of the Brooklyn Museum plastering Times Square with reproductions of their works of art though...

Cheryl "Thanks for Ruining My Prom, Thanks for Ruining My Life"

2009-02-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

Oh, I am so excited, another Cheryl and another Cheryl video! See you next Thursday!

Reflection for the New Year

2009-01-02T15:10:00.000-08:00

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I rarely write very personally here. However, today I got some news that really struck me and I felt I wanted to share some thoughts. A friend reposted this very thoughtful post from feministing.com about the recent, untimely death of young feminist Emma Bee Bernstein. I met Emma only briefly when she came to the Museum to speak on a panel about different generational approaches to feminism. She was working on a book called GIRLDrive, which will be coming out soon, about young feminists of all kinds all over the United States. She shared her reflections about the state of feminism and her relationship to it, some comments which are included in the feministing post. Though I only met her once, I was moved by her artistic vision, her drive, and her ability to move through generations- to connect to both adults and young people and inspire those she met. I am saddened by the death of this young woman like myself who didn't make it, who was surrounded by art, community, politics, friends, and family. Though I can only speculate, I hope she has found a place more peaceful. I suppose this is cliche to say, but this put my own emotional ups and downs and dark moods in perspective and made me feel lucky for the community of friends, activists, artists, and family that surround me. Sometimes these things don't feel like enough, but I want to say hold on, reach out, love. Time is too short and all who we know and the lives we touch are too precious. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Emma Bee Bernstein.

December Reviews

2009-01-02T15:07:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are over (!) and 2009 has begun (!!), I thought I would share my last two reviews of 2008: Bon Iver and Ingrid Michaelson, both at Town Hall. The Bon Iver show was one of the best shows I've seen in 2008 and Ingrid Michaelson wasn't bad either, but her voice and the screeching of her fans did tend to wear on me. Dominick did a great job of taking photos under challenging conditions, so please do take a look!

Love is All Review

2008-12-10T23:19:00.000-08:00

I'd been hearing a lot of buzz about the Swedish group Love is All for the past few years and I was excited to check them out when they opened for Of Montreal in October. I was even more excited when I got the chance to review them properly when they were headlining at the Bowery Ballroom this past Sunday. Dominick and I were talking about our top five shows of 2008 and Love is All's set are definitely on my list. They are legendary for bringing an intense amount of enthusiastic energy to their live performances and this one was no exception, even though it clocked in at just over 40 minutes! You can read my full review for Venus Zine and my thoughts about the Crystal Stilt's opening set here and see more of Dominick's lovely photographs.

Corita "False Maria" Video!

2008-12-10T23:10:00.001-08:00

For the past few months I have been playing guitar and singing in a new new band called Corita (for the artist and former nun Corita Kent) with my new and old friends Nick (drums), Marisha (guitar and vocals), and Aileen (bass and vocals). I am so excited to share the video of our song "False Maria" with you all. Marisha filmed this and her husband James recorded us for her school project, so exciting! More from us soon, but for now, enjoy!
False Maria

NaNoWriMo Victory!

2008-11-27T20:37:00.001-08:00

I've kept it quiet for some and talked endlessly about it with others, but this month I was a proud participant in National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for short. I've been cheered on all month by my housemate Lauren, friend and neighbor Keight (both past NaNoWriMo winners) and pen-pal Rob (a participant this time), my co-workers Lyndsey, Alisa, and Jerimiah, and was given the courage to push on by my family in the last stretches while my parents bragged to my grandmother, "Eleanor's writing a novel." Yes, it is true. I did it and it's done. The novel has no title. I don't know the genre. I hope it is literary fiction, but it may just be chick-lit. In any event, it is over 50,000 words long (51,156 to be exact) and it exists. It centers around a young, American 20-something named Hannah who moves to Paris after college to prove she's not sublimating her dreams and all that follows. Will it ever see the light of day after this month? I have no idea, but it's done! I think it's an experience ever writer, even those like me who don't usually write fiction, should go through. It imposed a creative discipline on me and showed me that I can get up at 7 a.m. to write. It made me look for all the possible opportunities in the day to write, and I got to create a whole reality based on, but not exactly like, the one I live in and the things I have experienced. I can't wait to do it again, but I think I only have one novel in me and this was it.

Blitzen Trapper, yay! Iron and Wine, snore.

2008-11-21T15:54:00.001-08:00

On a freezing cold Monday I walked half-way across Manhattan to see Blitzen Trapper and Iron and Wine play at the cavernous Terminal Five. I had not heard of Blitzen Trapper before, though they hail from Portland, Oregon, a city close to my heart. For anyone who loves classic rock from the 1970's, murder ballads and American roots music, they are a compelling new band. They were opening for Iron and Wine, who, while he certainly writes novelistic lyrics, is not that interesting. I honestly don't see what the big deal is, and besides, it turned into a big, sickening swoon fest for the couples in the audience. To read what else I have to say and to see Crissy Lush's photos, check out my review here on Venuszine.com!

I Love Mondo!

2008-11-16T15:40:00.000-08:00

My new favorite thing to do the first and third Friday of every month is go to Mondo at Don Hill's. Admittedly, Don Hill's is a lame bar, but Mondo is an awesome indie rock dance party where they play the best, most danceable songs. They play all the songs I secretly wish I could dance to when I listen to them on my iPod on my morning commute. They also recently played at First Saturday and I loved it (as evidenced by the totally dorky photo here that Dominick took). Dominick shot their set at the Brooklyn Museum and also shot the party last week at Mondo and they are some of the best night life photo's I've ever seen, but of course, I'm biased.

New Favorite Blog

2008-11-09T20:53:00.001-08:00

R. bookmarked a his favorite blog for me and I really appreciate it! Bikesnob NYC! So hilarious! So much writing, how does this guy have time to make all his charts and graphs that comment on the state of the world, or at least the state of cycling, all through bike-related nerdiness. I especially like the post about Velibs in Paris and the Great Hipster Silk Route.

Uh Huh Her at Irving Plaza

2008-11-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

The other week Dominick and I went to see Uh Uh Her at Irving Plaza. I personally do not like the name (though I do like the PJ Harvey album they are named for), but the crowd there was really into them and their shiny outfits. They didn't seem to be phased by the radio-ready quality of the set either. You can read my review here and see more of Dominick's super slick pictures.

Creating Space and Community: Riot Grrrl and Visual Art Article

2008-10-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

Following up on a long time personal interest and involvement, I interviewed four artists: Stella Marrs, Nikki McClure, Becca Albee and Amy Yao, about their art making process and, many years later, their thoughts about how Riot Grrrl (all of whom touched or were touched by this movement in some way) related to their art making. I'm so happy how this story came together and you can check it out here on Venuszine.com. The image above is an installation by Becca Albee. Many thanks!

Abe Vigoda and Telepathe Review

2008-10-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to see Abe Vigoda and Telepathe open for Diplo at my least favorite New York City venue, Webster Hall. I hear its a New York City landmark, but I cannot stand the fake "Egyptian" decoration. Go figure this would make a museum educator crazy. When I first saw these bands together over the summer at South Street Seaport I swore they were both like 18 years old, as there was gangly limbs and youthful noodling everywhere. Imagine my surprise when I heard one of the ladies in Telepathe is 32! Could have fooled me. Anyway, both bands were engaging in completely different ways and you can read my review here. I really love Telepathe's circular, loopy drones. They are kind of the band version of the film Celine et Julie Vont En Bateau. Despite my curiosity and being a fan of his recorded work, I skipped out early when Diplo came on, as it was a little too house music for me and since he put his DJ booth on the floor, I couldn't even see him twiddling the knobs.

Blogged on the Zine Library Blog!

2008-10-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

Jenna, my favorite blue haired zine librarian, was recently donated my old zines for the Barnard Zine Library collection. She put up a recipe for vegan chocolate chip cookies which I published in Indulgence #6. Yum! The thing that she didn't say was that the recipe is from the Canadian label Endearing Records (who are amazingly still around!) mailing email list. I must have received that recipe in 1998? I suppose I've made it my own now, but credit where credit is due.

Department of Eagles and Of Montreal Reviews

2008-10-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

October is rocktastic so far, with two show reviews in the past week and two more to go in the upcoming weeks. Last Monday Dominick and I saw the debut full band performance of Department of Eagles, which is one-half of (and sounds a lot like) Grizzly Bear. You can check out that review here (and see more of Dominick's lovely photos like the one I used here). Friday brought some fairly tedious glam rock from Of Montreal, whose set included bringing a live horse on stage. After that, where can you go, really? You can check out the review here and see Natasha's totally fab photos.

Indulgence #10

2008-10-13T09:10:00.001-07:00

Indulgence #10
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

After four years I made a new issue of Indulgence! True to form, this one is essays about my life, but I've shifted from political analysis to personal introspection, framed by places I've lived or visited. There are three essays about Paris, Portland, and Brooklyn, and the cover is printed on the Print Gocco and it is hand bound. Of course. I never staple. If you would like to receive one in the mail, please paypal me $3 to killerfemme (at) yahoo.com. I'd also trade for your zine/art proroject or a really good letter. Thanks!

A fun place to work!

2008-10-07T08:52:00.001-07:00

Nirvana!
Originally uploaded by luluinnyc

Our First Saturday went off without a hitch and here's the photo to prove it! I ran up to join this Nirvana dance party several moments later, but fortunately, I seem to have avoided infamy for now. There's also a great video of this on the Brooklyn Museum's flickr photo stream.

Dressy Bessy at Arlene's Grocery

2008-09-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

It had been a few years since I listened to Dressy Bessy, but I always enjoyed their sweetly catchy songs that packed a punch sass. When the chance to review them live at Arlene's Grocery came up, I jumped at it and despite the late night it was well worth it! Their sound, while still rooted in 1960's pop, has evolved over the years and I like it! You can check out my review (and Dominick's great photos) on Venuszine here.

Vivian Girls Review

2008-09-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

I had to throw my hat in the indie-rock hype ring that is the Vivian Girls (not the same Vivian Girls that played the riffrag issue #2 launch party a few years ago for those of you who follow that). No, these Vivian Girls (named for outsider-artist Henry Darger's heroines) have been around for a year or so and have already opened for Sonic Youth! While I don't quite see why so much hype, though they are a good band, especially for fans of Black Tambourine and Talulah Gosh, you can read my review of their show at Death By Audio (ok, one of their many shows at Death By Audio) here.

Flight of the Conchords at BPL!

2008-09-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

So super-librarian Andi let me in on the scoop via the Brooklyn Public Library's blog about the filming of a new episode at the Flight of the Conchords at the Williamsburg branch. Two of my favorite things in one! I can't wait to see the new season...

Sarah Palin a Foe to Museums

2008-09-06T10:45:00.001-07:00

I know the blogosphere has been all abuzz about Sarah Palin, so I thought I'd through my hat into the ring and share a little bit of my feelings about that vomitous "Caribou Barbie." My friend Wassan, a museum curator, shared this article "Sarah Palin: No Military Experience, But Has Fought Museums" with me from Artinfo about Sarah Palin firing museum and library staff despite a budget surplus. Now, there are very few things that make me more angry than limiting people's access to information via public institutions like museums and libraries. Read up, people, and (while I still remain skeptical about mainstream politics) vote wisely.

Hippie According to Le Petit Robert

2008-08-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

Looking for a word in Le Nouveau Petit Robert I stumbled across the definition of Hippie: Adepte (generalment jeune) d'un mouvement des anees 1970, fonde sur le refus de la societe de consommation et des valeurs sociales et morals traditionnelles. baba, beatnik
(Follower (generally young) of a movement from the 1970's, founded by those who refused traditional values, morals and a society based on consumption).
I don't know why this struck me as so funny. (They don't mention anything about hemp, dreadlocks or patchouli, strange).

A summer week in provence

2008-08-30T08:12:00.001-07:00

Roussillon Arch
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

We met my family in Avignon and spent a week exploring Provence. I knew this area has been totally hyped, but I completely understood why. It is stunning- limestone hills, scraggly bushes, vineyards and olive trees everywhere you look. We ate local goat cheese and the famed melons de cavaillion, which were perfectly juicy and sweet. When I saw the quality of the light and the sunsets, as well as the perfect, sunbaked old stones, I could see why plein aire painters went ga ga for this region. My mom and I want to go back and plan a bike trip on back road to lunch in small towns. It's seriously the good life. You can see way more pictures on my flickr stream.

Paris first, before the rest...

2008-08-30T08:08:00.001-07:00

Belleville
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

In July my family went on a huge trip to the South of France, where I had never been. Before joining them, I flew to Paris and spent a jetlagged day and evening there before getting on the TGV with Gael to go to Avignon. Of course our city wanderings took us to Belleville, a neighborhood that has excited and intrigued me since I first set foot in it. To me it seems more "real," more gritty, less perfect (shall we say, because it's more working class) than the sparkling neighborhoods of central and western Paris. I'm not the only one who thinks this though, as Belleville is gentrifying rapidly, especially the street in this picture.

Bodies of Water for Venuszine

2008-08-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

In between all my travels and Brooklyn fun this summer, I managed to review the Bodies of Water show (which you can read here) at Mercury Lounge for venuszine.com. I really enjoy the opportunity to go to a show and really think about it critically, as well as enjoy it as a spectator. Please check it out! I'll be writing more on my travels in just a moment...

Book Review: Riot Grrrl

2008-08-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now! by Nadine Monem

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
Like the contributors to this book remind their readers, there is no official historian of Riot Grrrl and no one way to tell the story. While I appreciated the authors' interest in personal voice, I felt that like so many other books that have tried to document an underground phenomenon (I'm thinking of "A Girl's Guide to Taking Over the World" here), this book did not live up to its potential. I appreciated the British perspective, as I learned a lot about British bands and Grrrl culture I only had heard a little about. However, sometimes the essays were too personal. For example, one author repeatedly quoted her own writing as a source. Other chapters tended towards the long-winded sentences of an undergraduate essay. Throughout the book there were large historical gaps: writers tended to skip the years from 1995 to 2000. The story seemed to read,"There was Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear, then they broke up, Sleater-Kinney didn't really matter, then there was Lady Fest and the Gossip, who are the ultimate Riot Grrrl band." For me (and this is MY personal experience), the mid-to-late 1990's and early 2000's were a hive of Riot-Grrrl activity in the United States, including zines, Yo-Yo-A-Go-Go, the Bay Area Girl Convention, and the explosion of zine related gatherings, Rock Camp for Girls, and yes, Ladyfest. These things are barely, if at all, mentioned in the book.

Overall, the book suffered from sloppy copy editing and lack of fact checking. Zine and film names were misspelled, and typos such as "on" for "of" seemed like a rash throughout the text. It seemed like the authors of different chapters did not consult with each other or read each other's work. As a result, the same story of Kathleen Hanna and the beginnings of Riot Grrrl were repeated throughout.

It's true that no one book will do Riot Grrrl justice, but I had hopes that when there was an opportunity for part of the story to be told it would be done so with greater accuracy, clarity, and thus pack a greater historical and literary punch.

View all my reviews.

My Bloody Valentine Reviews and more...

2008-07-15T19:24:00.001-07:00

Since coming home from my whirlwind trip to London, Glasgow and Edinburgh I've been writing up a storm. The trip to Glasgow originally involved from buying tickets to see My Bloody Valentine there and then planning everything else. The UK was fantastic, but so fantastically expensive we could barely afford to eat beans and rice. Thankfully, the band was great and you can read the review I wrote for Venus here. Shortly after arriving back at home I went to see the Watson Twins at Music Hall of Williamsburg and wrote another review here. Whew! See more images on my flickr stream.

Flat White, Soho, London

2008-07-05T09:17:00.001-07:00

Flat White at Flat White
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Fueling my need for coffee, this was my first stop in London. The staff were super nice and they were even playing My Bloody Valentine when I walked in. Keight had recommended it and I was thankful for a good, independent coffee shop to visit in Starbucks land (I think there's even more Starbucks in London than in NYC!). In case you were wondering what a Flat White is, Keight looked it up:

"i had to look it up...

a flat white and a latte is almost exactly the same thing, generally same 1/3 espresso to 2/3 milk ratio, but a flat white doesn't include much of the foamy milk at the top (either it's held back or mixed in with the rest of the milk, descriptions conflict on this detail). hence the "flat."

as some dude stated on the coffeesnob forum:

"So if a flat white is a latte without 10mm of 'more aerated' textured milk in it, what it a long black with a dash of milk?

Lets face it, most cafes would not produce a discernably different product if you asked for both, other that being served in a glass and a cup.

... it's a subtle distinction."
Thanks Keight!

Baby J Update

2008-07-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are so happy for Erin and Daniel, they've created a blog for new son Isaac Seth. Oh, so great. You can follow the details of his life here: http://isaac.jurnove.net/

Summer Reading: The Night Watch

2008-07-05T08:05:00.001-07:00

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I found this on the remainder table at St. Marks Books and picked up because I am always searching for a good novel. I know it's a piece of period fiction, but I really enjoyed this book. I think Sarah Waters captures the mood and atmosphere of London during the Blitz and right after WWII really well. Her characters are engaging and intriguing and I am still thinking about them after finishing the book. Usually I find books that go backwards in time frustrating, but it works for this novel (which starts in 1948 and finishes in 1941) because it turns the reader into a detective, assembling clues about the characters past and leading to some "ah ha!" moments. This is a great read while traveling, and I just happened to be in London while I read it.

View all my reviews.

Welcome Baby J! Goodbye Jennifer K!

2008-06-26T21:49:00.001-07:00

Jennifer and Erin (and Baby J!)
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Yesterday, while I was on my way to the Ladytron show, Baby J aka Isaac Seth, was born to parents Erin and Daniel! So exciting. Here is Erin about a month ago at my birthday party (drinking Sorrel juice) with Jennifer K, who is sadly about to head back to Austin after a few months of too-short tenure in NYC. Congratulations Erin and Daniel! We'll miss you Jennifer!

Ladytron @ Terminal Five

2008-06-26T21:46:00.001-07:00

Ladytron @ Terminal Five
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

While I'm not 100% sure that their live show adds to my appreciation of their albums, I loved seeing Ladytron live again on tour supporting their new album. While the vocals definitely benefit from album production and the sound seemed to worsen throughout the show, I am a sucker for their dark, high energy synth pop complete with deadpan delivery. At the end of the show after "Destroy everything you touch" there was explosion of confetti which showered the crowd. For a band so cold it was quite a burst of exuberance.

The Carrots at the Cake Shop!

2008-06-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

My review of the Carrots set at the wonderful Corduroy dance party (R.I.P.) has been posted on venuszine.com. Please check it out here.
I should be posting some of my photos of the show on flickr very soon.

The Face of 27!

2008-05-28T21:32:00.001-07:00

The Face of 27!
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Last year my birthday did not turn out as well as I hoped, and so this year I left nothing to chance. With the help of my friends I planned the "perfect Brooklyn day" on my actual birthday, May 26. This followed Lauren and my 7th annual co-organized birthday party on the 24th, which was a picnic in prospect park. The "perfect Brooklyn day" started with bagels in Emily's backyard in Fort Greene, proceeded to a bike ride to Coney Island via Prospect Park and Ocean Parkway, and ended with tacos at Tacos Matamoros in Sunset Park. Highlights of the day included Andi's bright pink bike helmet; finding Beer Island, which is a vacant lot filled with sand and a beer shack behind the board walk at Coney Island; eating tons of guacamole; finishing the day covered in bike grease and sand. I chronicled it all in a set on flickr (which you can get to by clicking on the title of this photo) and there's an article on Eater about Beer Island where they compare it to Water Taxi Beach here: http://eater.com/archives/2008/05/beach_wars_ther.php
I disagree with them, because I think Beer Island rules in a MTV spring break kind of way.

I Clicked!

2008-05-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

I just spent the day evaluating photographs for the Brooklyn Museum's "crowd curated" exhibition Click! I heard a rumor they are keeping it open for evaluators over the holiday weekend, so Click! away people...

The Old Haunts at Cake Shop

2008-05-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

This week I went to see the Old Haunts play at Cake Shop and reviewed the show for Venuszine.com. You can read the review here:
http://www.venuszine.com/articles/music/live_reviews/3230/The_Old_Haunts_bring_Northwest_punk_to_NYC

Best Text Message Ever

2008-05-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today I got this text message from my old friend and housemate Katy who I haven't seen or talked to in way too long:
"At long beach gay pride. They don't have queers here. Just a few gays and lesbians. We miss you. Heart laurel and katy"
(Hope those ladies don't mind that I shared it with the world)

I love spring!

2008-04-27T19:07:00.001-07:00

not at all posed
Originally uploaded by keight

Another photo stolen from Keight...

New Hair

2008-04-27T19:06:00.001-07:00

eleanor @ miriam
Originally uploaded by keight

This is stolen from Keight's flickr stream, showing my new pink hair which has faded a lot and is not so new anymore. We were brunching with our old skool zine friend Sandi. Thanks for the picture Keight!

Making It Together vs WACK

2008-04-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

In the past week I (finally) went to see the related, but very different, shows featuring feminist art from the 1970's and 80's, WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution at PS 1 and "Making It Together" at the Bronx Museum. While WACK! is a and sprawling show taking up two floors of PS1's rabbit warrens of galleries, Making It Together occupies a small, pink room of the Bronx Museum's North Building. WACK! has been heavily critiqued since it's opening in LA last spring and I don't want to regurgitate those critiques here. My main beef with the show was this: if I came in knowing nothing about feminism or feminist art, I certainly would not leave with any clear idea about what it was, is, or could be. The show feels static and dried out. There are very few wall labels or didactics that discuss who the artists were or the context in which the art was produced. While PS 1 and the LA MOCA had many public programs exploring these themes, there is no evidence of them in the galleries. WACK!'s installation at PS1 has sucked the energy, anger, messiness, collaboration and hope out of feminist art. It is very white and looks, well, very 1970's. While it was fantastic to see some works in person, the "why" was completely ignored and I left feeling like I might of well have just stayed home and read the catalogue.

By contrast "Making It Together," curated by Carey Lovelace, explores the moment where feminist artists collaborated to create no only art, but social change. Of course they featured Heresies, Womanhouse, and the founding of galleries such as A.I.R. They also included collectives I did not know about such as Spiderwoman Theatre, the Waitresses (shown here marching), and Judy Baca's large community mural project in downtown L.A. Each section of the show included a clearly written wall label (in both English and Spanish) and the catalogue was a free, takeaway, so you could take it with you in case you didn't want to spend your whole time in the gallery reading. While the collective projects features were still overwhelmingly white, the Bronx Museum show did a much better job of contextualizing feminism and feminist art. It showed women responding to pertinent issues of the day (sexism, the wage gap, war, violence against women, racism, poverty, the roles given to women in society, etc...) with creativity, rage and humor. It begs the question what is being done now to continue this legacy. A little bit of an answer is given by the large mural that you see when you enter the museum collectively painted by women graffiti artists including Lady Pink and Too Fly, and behind this, selections from the museums' permanent collection including work by Adrian Piper, Ana Mendieta, Tania Brugera and Carrie May Weems. The Bronx Museum has done what WACK! did not, which is emphasize that feminism is a living breathing entity, and it, like revolution, must be rooted in community, collaboration and exchange.

Aiko Nakagawa at Joshua Liner Gallery

2008-04-17T19:14:00.001-07:00

Art work by Aiko Nakagawa
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Aiko Nakgawa is an artist about town (I suppose quite literally, since she is a street artist as well as making works of fine art like the one pictured here). Sometimes I wonder when she has time to paint, especially as she has been having so many awesome shows lately. I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of the group show she is part of, "Locked and Loaded" at the Joshua Liner Gallery in Chelsea. This is the gallery's inaugural show and includes work by other artists such as Crash One, Shawn Barber, Kenji Hirata, Jessica Joslin, and Tomokazu Matsuyama. Much of the work in the show was too slick for my tastes (I think Aiko Ishigawa, a new writer friend, called it the "Juxtapoz style" in reference to the magazine). I was quite taken, however, by the acrylic painting "3Rip Horse" by Tomokazu Matsuyama, the delicate yet creepy sculptural constructions of Jessica Joslin, and of course, Aiko's work. I love how her large canvases look like work that has been put up on the street and had layers of wheatpasted fliers and other artwork put up over it. Her paintings and stencil work has texture that keeps you engaged in looking, while their graphic boldness immediately catches the eye.

Serial Meditations at Nurture Art

2008-04-01T20:24:00.001-07:00

Serial Meditations at Nurture Art
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Nurture Art is one of my favorite galleries, and yet it has been over two years since I have been there. On Friday I attended the opening of "Serial Meditations" at the new Nurture Art space at the edge of the Williamsburg/Bushwick industrial area. This show was curated by Melissa Messina and Amy Brandt and includes the artists Ju Young, Ban, Judith Braun, Janice Caswell, Richard Garrison, Bridget Lewis, Rita MacDonald, David Pierce, Patrick Schmidt, Tina Schneider and Eliza Stamps. I first met Melissa and Amy in the context of the Brooklyn Museum's show Global Feminisms, which they both worked on. In contrast to that very in your face, political show, Serial Mediations, as its name implies, is quiet. Most of the pieces are black and white, monochromatic or use color in a very subtle manner. Looking at the work has a calming effect and while they often simply use lines and shapes, I felt like I could continue looking at the works and seeing more in them. This was certainly true of Richard Garrison's spirograph drawing, which created a thick, black line on creme colored paper. By repeating overlapping circles with a ball point pen Garrison created a texture and depth to the image that almost looked like it was produced by an etching. In contrast, Birdget Lewis' piece of delicate strings of glue suspended from with silver pins is as much about the shadow it creates on the wall and it's interaction with the light than the actual object itself. In its tranquility this show is very exciting because instead of leaving feeling nothing, despite the minimal nature of the work, I felt revitalized.
I also posted this on the riffrag blog.

Aiko and Lady Pink at Ad Hoc Gallery

2008-03-26T20:13:00.001-07:00

Ad Hoc Aiko Installation
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

I wrote a review of the "Brick Ladies of NYC" show at Ad Hoc gallery on the riffrag.org blog. The show features individual and collaborative work from Aiko and Lady Pink. You can read the review here:
http://www.riffrag.org/blog/blog.html
There's also more photos on flickr (and thanks to G for lending me his camera!).

Myths from Outer Space by Marcus Romero

2008-03-09T20:31:00.001-07:00

On Friday evening I braved the wind driven rain and the G train for a trip to Long Island City to see Marcus Romero's new work showing at The Space Gallery. Marcus paints fantastic starscapes and landscapes, which are alternatively based on science and science fiction. If they were less delicately worked I could almost imagine them adorning the cover of a sci-fi paperback. What is evident from looking at the show, which contains both small pieces a few inches across as well as those covering entire walls, is that Marcus is a painter. By that I mean to say that he loves and is comfortable with working with paint as a medium, applying it in layers and reworking his paintings until they have a luminous, almost lacquered quality. The Space Gallery was crowded with artists, friends and well-wishers. For me, who is regularly caught saying that I hate contemporary art, it is always refreshing to see a small gallery mount efforts that really support artists and the work that they create.

Paris, Again

2008-03-03T19:49:00.001-08:00

Afternoon, Pere Lachaise
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

I don’t need anything special in Paris. I could be completely happy doing nothing more than walking around, drinking coffee, and reading the newspaper. I don’t mind the perpetually grey skies. They enhance the atmosphere created by the narrow cobblestone streets, the tin roofs and red chimneys of the Haussman era apartment buildings, corner cafes with their sidewalk seating and the murky, contained mirrored waters of the Canal St. Martin. There's more photos on flickr.

Mmmm! Yeggie Tagine

2008-03-03T19:48:00.001-08:00

Mmmm! Yeggie Tagine
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

I want to give a huge shout out to the restaurant Le Berber, located at 62 Rue Crozatier in the 12eme arrondissement. It can be surprisingly challenging to find North African restaurants with vegetarian options and sometimes those that have them are often really expensive and not very good. Not so with this one! Not only are they reasonably priced, but they made us vegetarian tagine, even though it was not on the menu and the mixture of piping hot vegetables, dried fruits and spices in the tagine let me know that it was as fresh as could be.

Gainsbar, Gent

2008-03-03T19:42:00.001-08:00

The gang
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

In lieu of singing kareoke at a disreputable student joint, Wim and Annelies took us to Gainsbar. Related to my other favorite bar in Gent, Pink Flamingoes, if only by the kitchy decor, this tiny bar is devoted to Serge Gainsbourg. It also seems to have a fair amount of Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet represented in its decorations, but somehow it all works together. From the twelve-year-old Charlotte Gainsbourg sulking over the door from her album cover of "Charlotte Forever" to the "yeh yeh" cocktail, this is the work of someone with vision. It's also probably the only bar in Belgium where you can't order beer, but no matter, the specialty drinks and decent wine is good enough.

Gent Again

2008-03-03T18:10:00.001-08:00

Gent Canal
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Two hours on the Thaly's rail and another hour on the commuter train (because we took the local train that goes by Aalst, despite Wim often warning us that it "leaves first and gets there last, remember the story of the tortoise and the hare?") landed us in lovely Gent, Belgium. Gent also goes by Ghent or Gand, depending what language you are speaking (Flemish and French, respectively). In Belgium it matters very much what language you speak. For a little country with so much history the divisions between language groups and geographic areas can get pretty intense. However, one could say the same about Brooklyn. I described Gent to my friends in the US as similar to a cool college town, but with canals, a castle from the middle ages, a transfixing number of cobblestone allies and an important place in art history.

Unexpected Paris

2008-03-03T17:58:00.001-08:00

Bibliotheque Chaptal Interior
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

I've been reading a book about travel writing and one thing that the author stresses that is important for travel writers is to be open to the unexpected and be willing to investigate. I felt this advice boded well for me when, thinking I would write some cute piece on "romantic Paris," I tried to go to the Musee de la Vie Romantique, but it was closed during the installation of their new exhibition. However, I found something even better on the Rue Chaptal, near the museum. There was a small impasse coming off the street and I noticed the sign said "Bibliotheque." Noting there was a garden, I decided to go in, because I love the gardens and courtyards in Paris hidden behind outer, street facing walls. I was not disappointed in the least. This, comfortable, renovated library with futuristic looking chairs, computers and newspapers available for browsing is snugly located in an 18th century hotel particular. They've kept the details like the fireplace, frescoed ceiling and moldings intact, and reading Le Monde in such a salon-like setting felt like a truly unique Paris experiences.

NYC Grassroots Media Conference

2008-02-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

I will be participating in the NYC Grassroots Media Conference on March 2nd with my colleagues talking about connecting teaching strategies for visual literacy and media literacy. I'm really looking forward to this conference and hope those in the NYC area will make it! If there's nerdy media, art and museum educators coming to the conference, I hope you'll make it to our workshop!

"Void" at Magnan Emrich Contemporary

2008-02-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

I've also decided to start writing more on the riffRAG blog. As an attempt, I wrote a review of Monica Paez and Nicolas Consuegra's excellent show "void" there. Please check it out here! (http://www.riffrag.org/blog/blog.html)

My Favorite Pastime

2008-02-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

While I enjoy waking up to NPR's morning addition or the BBC world service (I also used to fall asleep to the BBC when I lived in Oregon) I have a favorite new radio show: Fair Game with host Faith Salie. A mixture of political commentary, sketch comedy, interviews and musical performances, all pulled together by Faith's valley girl voice had me first saying, "This is NPR? I just can't believe it!" While Terry Gross she is not (thankfully), Faith is an upbeat and critical host. I now I find myself looking forward to each weekday evening between 8 and 9 when I can cook dinner and listen to Fair Game. My favorite segment? Bathed in Glory, which highlights really hideous things people do, like run over a 17 year old and then sue the deceased boy's family for damages to the car. Last night I even found myself in the kitchen after I had finished dinner (and the dishes). I realized I was engaging in a very old fashioned pastime: sitting around, listening to the radio. If you love WNYC as much as I do, today is the last day of their fund drive, so donate if you can (I am guilty of not donating this time, but next time! I swear!).

Guide to New French Slang

2008-02-15T14:19:00.000-08:00

The other night G. gave me a special French test, part of in concerning gastronomie and the other concerning verlan and argot, aka French slang. Needless to say, I did o.k., but not great. However, I found a helpful site that explains new verlan, which is incredibly grammatical, to use thick headed English speakers. My favorite part is that it's not the spelling of the words that are reversed, but the syllables.

Scene From a Movie

2008-02-10T19:19:00.001-08:00

it's easy in New York to imagine that you are living in a movie. Tonight was no exception. Freezing wind and squalling snow caused us to dash into the Fort Hamilton Parkway subway stop, only to wait on the plant form as tumbleweeds rolled by on the unused center express track and the "N" was no where to be found. The station was complete with a deserted feeling, graffiti and a chainlink fence above rattling in the wind. I'm not sure what happens next, but probably something sinister.

Blogging Resolve

2008-02-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

Part of my hopes and goals for 2008 is to write more. I realized I'm in danger of becoming one of those artists who never does the thing that they really want to do (writing in my case) because they are too busy earning their rent money or getting lost in daily distractions. During a phone call with Elissa today she talked about working on her writing while being a public school teacher. They key is to start small, to "use what you have" as Elissa says. Like this blog. So I've decided to rekindle my posting focus and let this blog and the small stories I share about my life as writing warm up. I'm also reading "The Anti 9 to 5 Guide," which is also inspiring me to get off my duff and start writing. So, if you have any suggestions about being a writer AND working a full time job not at all related to writing, please send them my way.

Paris Via Velib

2008-01-06T10:33:00.001-08:00

Velib and Notre Dame
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

After spending the quietest new years ever (laundry), on new years day we took a bike ride through eastern Paris, ending up at Notre Dame and then the Jadrin de Tuilleries. I love seeing Paris at the pace of a bike, it's a great way to get to know the city and see how it all fits together. Velib is Paris' new bike rental program where the bikes are everywhere. It's not as straightforward as it should be to rent a bike (I couldn't have done it because I have a US bank card without the chip that European bank cards have) and you have to go through several seemingly redundant steps, but once you get the bike, it's pretty damn cool. And people really use them! I also feel like Paris has done a lot to become more bike friendly and I feel safer there than in NYC, but maybe this is just being naive.

Barcelona Beaches

2008-01-06T09:51:00.001-08:00

Barcelona Beaches
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

One great thing about Barcelona was the weather! I loved sitting outside in cafes in December and walking on the beach looking at the Mediterranean.

Barcelona from Park Guell

2008-01-06T09:48:00.001-08:00

Barcelona from Park Guell
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

As an escape from the tourist clogged streets we went to Gaudi's Park Guell, which is probably the only thing I really liked that we saw by him. It was relaxing, a breath of fresh air, and I could actually feel the architecture, landscape design and nature in dialogue with each other. Plus, it afforded a wonderful view of the city and the sea in "magic hour" light. You can see the electric company building and the Sagrada Familia (a Gaudi creation I was "unimpressed" with, or rather, was impressed with its ugliness).

MACBA, Barcelona

2008-01-06T09:46:00.001-08:00

Inside MACBA
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Though the phrase I uttered most often in Barcelona was "unimpressed" (with Modernisme, with the tourists, with the rude bartenders...), I did like the MACBA and the CCCB (Center for Contemporary Culture, Barcelona). The CCCB especially had interesting and provacative exhibitis on Apartheid in South African and it's ramifications for racism worldwide and on the end of Franco's rule in Spain. Both the exhibits at the CCCB mixed politics, history and art in a way that I have never seen in an American museum (probably because they can't get funding to do so) and I found that really exciting.

Holidays in Europe

2008-01-06T09:43:00.001-08:00

Decorations near Bastille
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

For the first time ever I didn't go to Maine for the holidays, but headed further afeild to Paris (and later Barcelona). It was a fantastic mix of walking around, taking in the sights and just hanging out. Like ever American who has ever been there, Paris never fails to move and inspire me with its city charm. I forget how much I love it and then when I come back I get so excited!

My Trip to France (as interpreted by Flight of the Conchords)

2008-01-05T12:59:00.001-08:00

In case anyone was wondering how my recent European sejour went...

Schmapp Berlin!

2007-11-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

I am so proud that I photo I took in Gorlitzer park in Berlin in summer 2006 is included in the new schmapp guide to Berlin. I'd never heard of these interactive map cityguides, but they seem like I really good idea. Rest assured I'll be checking them out for the cities I plan to visit in the next year... Barcelona and Glasgow! See my contribution to the Berlin schmapp here:

Sufjan Stevens and the BQE

2007-11-04T07:45:00.000-08:00

On Friday evening I went with my friends to BAM to see Sufjan Stevens perform The BQE, which is a new work that BAM comissioned celebrating Robert Moses' unlikely monument to automobile culture and "ubran renewal." With three film screens, dancers with glowing hula hoops and a full orchestra, it was a stunning piece. It reminded me of the ballet I saw in Paris by Robyn Orlin, who also incorporated film into her work in a very dynamic way. The performance made me think about how I relate to Brooklyn visually--what are the sights I see everyday as I move around the city that are actually monuments (or ruins) or a certain kind? The blue gorilla near 9th street and the Gowanus canal? The bright yellow storage warehouse on Atlantic Ave? Sunset Park's numerous industrial buildings and dentention center? Dumbo and Williamsburg's new high rise condos? The other effect the piece had on me was it lead me to reflect on a relationship I was in several years ago with someone who lived in Queens. I never thought about it like this before, but our relationship was so much about the BQE. There was always traffic, rough pavement, and construction at unlikely times. I learned very quickly that the BQE was not a road to be trusted; expressway often meant anything but. I knew so many sights in Sufjan's film from that time in my life- the bridges, the Queens cemetaries, the Manhattan skyline as seen from Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I'm glad it's been memorialized and analyzed in someway. It made me realize my trips on the BQE are probably my fondest memories from those days.

Fall at Coney Island

2007-11-04T07:31:00.001-08:00

Double Shadow
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

G. semi-suprised me with a visit this fall. In honor of the outer boroughs we also took an off-season trip to Coney Island. The beach was way cleaner than in the summer and the water warm enough to wade.

Trip to the Queens County Farm Museum

2007-11-04T07:30:00.001-08:00

The perfect pumpkin
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Last weekend, in honor of all things Halloween, Andi organized a trip to the Queens County Farm Museum. It was really far away (it's practically in Nassau county), but once we got there I felt like I had been transported back to Maine and the Cumberland County Fair. There were sad looking animals in small pens, a cord maze (it was too crowded to go) and a pumpkin patch where you could pick out your own pumpkin, which we did. I'm glad that there is a place that is trying to teach city people about farming, but I wish the farm was a little less hokey in a way. We had fun though and next year I want to go back when it's less crowded and try the amazing maize maze!

LJ reading at ABC No Rio

2007-11-04T07:26:00.001-08:00

LJ reading at ABC No Rio
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Several weeks ago (time is going too fast!) there was a zine reading at ABC No Rio as part of their "Art of Zines" show. It was pretty awesome to hear some old school zinesters like LJ and Elissa Nelson read. I thought about how not only had I started reading their zines about 10 years ago, but how amazing it is that we have become friends. There has been a small amount of zine activity around the city lately (I taught a workshop and attended a reading at Think Coffee the week previous) and I find that so interesting and important. Even though I'm not always sure what the power of zines are in the digital age, I know they have power. Seeing all the zines also motivated me to finally finish a new one. It's going to be about art (big suprise) and especially about art I hate (nothing like a good rant for a zine, right?).

Control

2007-10-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Walking home in October rain I have the sound in my headphones turned up loud. This is the music of fall, of confusion, of heartbreak. Six years ago Tya and I published a fanzine together called "Twenty Years Too Late." It was a New Order and Joy Division fanzine, twenty years too late. Looking back on it, it became more of a personal zine, less of a fanzine. For me that zine is all about being twenty years old and moving to New York City, the city of my dreams that turned out to be harsher than I was prepared for. This was especially true becasue I moved here two weeks before September 11th. That zine is also about finding a voice after Septmber 11th. It seemed like the way I found to deal with the immense tragedy was to immerse myself in the music of Joy Division, which is, in so many ways, the music of urban decay.
It was fitting then that tonight Tya and I went together to see Control at Film Forum. It was beautifully shot by Anton Corbijn, the photographer who took many of the iconic photographs of Joy Division. What was so visually stunning about the film was how often he recreated those iconic photographs--I could pick out many from the posters that adorned my walls for so many years. I liked the movie, of course, I liked that at the end I could report with confidence, "That's Gillian Gilbert with Steven Morris, soon she will join the band and they will become New Order." But Manchester music trivia aside, the film gripped me. Certainly, the ending is melodramatic, what else can a rockstar's suicide be? The movie is based on Deborah Curtis' memoir "Touching From a Distance." The film portrays Deborah as dowdy but strong, practical and determined in the face of emotional turmoil. At the end I'm still not sure how the director wanted us to feel about her, but she had my utmost respect. I came away feeling less about Ian Curtis. Certainly, it does not seem like a film about a real person, but still about the idea and myth of Ian Curtis.
And of course I couldn't resist the temptation to listen to Joy Division on my way home ("Unknown Pleasures," "Closer" is still too hard for me to listen to casually). I realized again how much my relationship with this band is really about my relationship to where I was emotionally six years ago. Just how the fanzine turned into a personal zine, I realize Joy Division's music is highly personal. That's why they have staying power and why this film can draw so many peolple twenty years too late. Joy Division are a highly personal band.

...Let's Go Where We're Happy

2007-10-04T20:50:00.001-07:00

Flowers for Eternity
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Jennifer and I spend a lovely, sunny Sunday strolling about historic Green-Wood cemetary, a mere 20 blocks from my home! I made a set on flickr called "Cemetary Gates." I realized I always compare Green-Wood to Pere La Chaise in Paris. This is probably wrong, as Brooklyn is not Paris and Paris is not Brooklyn. However, I feel like I need to have some kind of reminder of Paris in my days. Nevertheless, Green-Wood shines in its own right and I want to write a longer essay on it one of these days.

Lucksmiths: Tali and Marky

2007-10-04T20:46:00.001-07:00

Lucksmiths: Tali and Marky
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Jennifer and I went to see the Lucksmiths at the Knitting Factory last Friday. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew it would be a good show. Those boys from Austrailia more than exceeded my expectations. They are a good, solid band who get better with every tour, something I didn't expect. I don't know how they manage to improve on their catchy pop songs, but they manage to ech time I see them. They are also very nice people and remembered hanging out with me when I was 19 and living in Portland, Oregon and we stayed in the same house for a month (that house was just as much mine as theirs, even if I was paying rent). In someways seeing them made me feel like I was 19 and living in the pacific northwest again, but in all the good ways: enthusiasm, energy, creativity. Marky told me I "hadn't changed" since then, but he meant that in a good way too (I hope). Come back soon luckies!

Lucky NYC Moments

2007-10-04T20:42:00.001-07:00

NYC Rainbow
Originally uploaded by killerfemme

Sometimes there are just some lucky moments in NYC. I think I am more suprised at "acts of nature" here because even though nature is all around us (hello, islands) we are also isolated from it by brick and concrete. Thus, sudden downpours, snowstorms and more pleasent things like sunsets and rainbows make a large, unexpected impression on me.