You had best believe that you cannot build what I don't need

Rare thunderstorms in LA are ushering me to Britain today. 

My itinerary-- a year in the making-- has me feeling a bit shot out of a cannon, but is entirely my own doing. I haven't been back to Scotland since the day I got on the bus in that last wind down to the end. I had that taste of London on the way back from Africa, and I'll admit I still associate the place with the only thing in my life I've ever felt like I failed at. I cried on the circle in. I have felt and still feel a rough letting go of that place and the life I saw for myself there. 

It becomes more complicated the more entrenched I get in my LA life; the more I love it. 

As I cross over anniversaries and milestones, unremarked upon, the more I am having to redefine myself against the hardline definitions I had of myself earlier in my life. I can say to myself now--- you've been away from New  York as long as you were ever there. Why do you still consider yourself a New Yorker? You don't really miss it, you only miss Europe. But LA... 

I still feel torn about my intent. My intent to live as one or many of the incarnations of myself. 

I'm scared of falling out of my life here by being gone so long. I'm scared of missing an opportunity that I've painstakingly built a foundation for here. 

I'm scared it's still not enough time to be in any of the places I'm going to settle into the rhythm. Scared it's not enough time to catch back that magic of my life there. I'm scared that the way I was there will be at odds with the way I am now and I won't be able to reconcile them. I'm scared my practice will fall off and I won't chant because of time, and mindset, and my friends' hard disbelief in Buddhism. 

But CHVRCHES has got my back. Giving us all a new song to sing me to Scotland. And a new album this September 25 -- Every Open Eye. 

And I'm going to give it my best go to report to whatever readers are left here. I can't guarantee I'll be able to. I can't guarantee I'll have anything or anything worthwhile to say. But if I do, I'll be here. Hope to see you.

Onward. To the East and to the North. To London, Edinburgh, Bamff, Skye, Uist, Geneva, Provence, Lugano and everywhere in between, to Dublin, to Clare and back again. 

Los Angeles, Be Kind

Scott Hutchison lives in LA now. Did you know that? Why does this feel so important? Maybe because I actually think he's the wittiest person alive. Or because, like me, he feels in a kind of limbo between isolated, overcast coastlines and sunny hills. Somewhere between Hollywood and Hollyrood. 

His new project, Owl John-- which he says he hopes will appeal to people "who hate Frightened Rabbit"-- is my favorite album of the year. Of course, I don't hate FR. I would love any project of Scott's.

The last month or so has been testing the seams of the life I've sewn together here. They were always loose stitches and I wasn't sure the center would hold a few of those days. I have asked Los Angeles to be kind. And the world in general. I've felt sad about a lot, in a way I haven't done in a while. As you may have noticed, I haven't been writing much.

Luckily for me (and for you) Scott has been writing for me. 

Get Owl John. It's out now.

PS- Scott, now that you're here, let's be friends. For realz.

Such a villainous grace
Oh I don't know what you've done to your face
Some nights I can't figure out quite where your heart is

Oh Los Angeles, be kind
No more trouble or red lights
I can learn to love you in good time
Oh Los Angeles, be kind

Get on the Boat with Harbor Party

So you’re out on your Yacht again and you’re decked out in your anchor print scarf, boat shoes and khaki shorts.  All your friends are there and it’s a beautiful day but there’s something missing.  Where’s the music?  What soundtrack will get this party started?  Enter Harbor Party: the band committed to bringing the party from the mainland to the ocean.  They play all the songs you want to listen to on your Yacht - The Doobies, the Eagles, Michael McDonald, Loggins and Messina, Hall and Oates.  If it’s yacht worthy, they’ll play it.  And they’ll play it good.

No exaggerations, the highlight of my week, every week, is Tuesday nights at 10PM at Rockwell Table & Stage where my friends put on the let-loosest, good time with Harbor Party, a yacht rock extravaganza. Talk about Throw Back Thursday!

If you're a long time reader of this blog, you may recognize the captain of the yacht rock movement, Mr. Landon Beard. We've worked together on every show I've ever done and hung out all over the world. Love the dude. You may also remember some late night drunken Michael McDonald impersonations on instagram. Basically, he's a natural at the smooth sailing jams defined as yacht rock. 



Yacht Rock: Another name for the adult-contemporary musical movement in the late 1970's and the early 1980's. It was defined mostly by its smooth sound. Popular Yacht Rockers include: Kenny Loggins, the Doobie Brothers, and Steely Dan. — Urban Dictionary definition

It's such a good time, the thing is catching on. In just three weeks, they've gotten featured on California public radio and increased their following from about 10 the first night to a solid 70-100 people. At 10 PM on a TUESDAY. 

Get on the boat with me. I promise you, it is not possible to have more fun on a Tuesday night.

Get $5 tix online or show up at the door!

(While you're at it, snag yourself some tix to our other Rockwell events-- Haviland! Comedy Night! Jagged Little Pill!)

Palm Springs Wedding - Kade & James Teaser Pic

photo by Cortney Wilson

Bring Me Your Mugs Friday Links

The word Mugs will always make me think of one of my childhood best friends, Margaret "Mugs" Gillespie. I gave her that nickname. Not 100% sure why, but it really seemed to suit her, and she is still often called that today. It's a great nickname, which is a great art. Enough tangential thinking though. I bring up Mugs because in a great coup of psychological marketing (at least for people like me) Intelligentsia has thought to give St Vincent her own coffee.

It's 22 dollars.  I definitely still bought it. (Jesus Saves. I Spend.) It's delicious and bright... (Orange marmalade, brown sugar, lime zest....) because Annie Clark is a goddess who is incapable of making a misstep. The title is a reference to her song "Bring Me Your Loves." Which I and the good people of Intelligentsia clearly do.

They also sell her album on vinyl there. If I didn't already own the record (on vinyl) I'd have bought that too.

More with the links though! And happy Friday!

- Speaking of coffee, apparently the best latte in America is in my neighborhood. I shall report back.

- Andrew Keenan-Bolger as a hobo clown. How are you so wonderful always? Also, how are you 29 already, sweet pal?

- People who don't want to be right (factually.) Boy am I NOT one of these people.

- Fox Cancels "I Wanna Marry Harry." Maybe there is hope for America.

- Guys, donate to Reading Rainbow. Because books are good and I don't want us to be so stupid.

- Portugal. Yum.

- This isn't what I'd do with 36 hours in Edinburgh, but I support any activities there.

- The honey moon and Friday the 13th.

#spark #muse #etc

Yesterday, I was moonlighting as a music video art director for uber-pal, Haviland on her upcoming single "Muse." In case you missed it, she released a fierce/catchy/inspired dance album called Spark a lil bit ago. I'm a privileged bitch, so it's been on my ipod for about a year now (at least pieces of it) but now it's available on itunes and whatnot. 

For the video, she wanted to keep it simple and easy to do. Just the idea of a modern muse. We used water (because we had it) and lights and Hav's natural je ne sais quoi. 

Haviland had been raving about the photographer who did her most recent set of headshots, Elliot London, and I was excited a finally got to meet him on this shoot. I quickly learned he's just my kind of creative dude: casual, innovative, and creative as hell. Just jimmy-rig it until it works. That's my motto. And the stuff he got was SO beautiful! Doesn't Hav look so preeeeety? I can't wait to see how it turns out!!

I can't really tell you how proud I am of her for this album and all the work she put into it. She's a mover!

Get Muse on her album here!

Bonus Vid! 

**Disclaimer: Boss the Chihuahua isn't actually in the video. His fee was too high. So he just supervised. 

Fire & the Romance on Alt 98.7

This Sunday will be the mash up of two of my favorite things... and none of them will be the Oscars, so sorry about that. Nope, I'm talking about two of my oldest friends from opposite coasts and sides of my life gettin together to broadcast some new music. 

Dion Roy, one of my oldest friends in NYC (you might remember when I spoke at his and Aly's wedding in Aug 2012) has a new music project, Fire and the Romance. It's a pretty huge and ambitious departure from his previous (and super successful, I might add) efforts in the singer/songwriter genre. And I gotta say, I am loving the results!

He and Pete (of subway friend fame and awesome photog skillz) made this baller video for the first single, "Way Down Below." 

And NOW, THIS SUNDAY, Dion will pair up with one of my oldest friends from the Vegas days and my current LA partner in mischief and mayhem, Kade, to premiere "Way Down Below" on Kade's New Music Discovery Show on ALT 98.7, LA's Alternative (aka the only radio station I listen to.) 

It's at 7PM Pacific time. So make sure you tune in during the boring speeches and endless awards. 

Tune in on Sunday, support Kade and Dion and check out all the offerings from the King Of Tacos, Dion Roy aka Fire and the Romance. Tweet the guys (@fireandthemusic @alt987fm @kadeshow) when you hear “Way Down Below” for a chance to win a ONE of a kind hand-pressed Vinyl of the song!

Music Monday - The Other Guys - St Andrean Skies

Favorites The Other Guys perform the original commission by Oscar Foxley for St Andrews 600th Anniversary, "St Andrean Skies." 

I was never a fresher, or an undergrad at St Andrews at all, but I remember those first few lit-on-fire days there. The wind whipped up every possibility I'd ever considered for myself. I remember my friends, knocking on my door, calling me out from within myself, to new places. I remember frolicking on steep hillside slopes with my hair blowing everywhere, my wellies sinking in the sand, beneath a huge Northern moon and ripped open, flood lit, St Andrean skies. Even at midnight. Even in Autumn. You could see everything. And nothing.

I often wonder if I'll ever have a year as happy as that. But the seeds of that time continue to crop up every day. Even here in Los Angeles. 

What I'd give to relive the days spent 'neath those St Andrean skies...

Throw Back Thursday - High School Reunion

I didn't go to my high school reunion. It wasn't a deliberate snub. I had just moved to Scotland a few weeks beforehand, and it seemed like a pretty superfluous trip back. The pictures and stories were enough. (My favorite was Big Wang offering to kill Mike for Emily... and Wang's wife, nodding her support for the plan.) Plus, the age of social media pretty much mitigates that mixture of curiosity and velleity about peripheral classmates. 

The funny thing about that, and about my entire attitude about my childhood in Vegas, the people I grew up with, etc, is that as little credit as I gave them, as much distance as I've often tried to put between myself and them, they're still the people that require the least amount of explanation from me. The comfort level is intensely cosy. 

Last night was a kind of representative high school reunion for me in a more important way. Only a few of the key players were there actually. They were good ones though. And the build up was full of many more: from Emily, to a phone call from Brandon (on his way to state execution, natch!) to some digging in my high school boxes. More than that, I was reunited with the way I felt when I was seventeen or eighteen. Thanks to these friends, for sure. But also because we were at Jimmy Eat World. As Petie and I screamed lyrics at each other, I remembered how hopeful I felt then and I felt it again. 

Oh, our youthful loves. They die hard, don't they?

Schneider-Studio Photography

Just when I think it's impossible for me to have another talented photographer friend.... way to go, Eric Schneider! He's been building up to Schneider-Studio for a few years now and I'm so happy he's got his own studio now for whisky-fueled late night photo sess-- I mean, his moving, meaningful, professional work. Or both! 

Check him out! I love that he mentions his golden doodles in his bio. I have personally met them and I can assure you, they are both sweet and dumb. And cuddly!

ERIC SCHNEIDER
ERIC {at} SCHNEIDER-STUDIO {dot} COM
+1.323.333.2747
LA|NY

Music Monday - Nicholas & Alexandra

Did you notice we had a new logo? It's pretty, right? Thanks much to Heather Weiss for being amazing. Also amazing, recently, I found these two recordings of "Love Will Stay" posted on youtube. 

One, we knew about the performance-- by our fabulous friend Stephanie Gibson last summer. But I didn't know anyone had filmed it!

And the other wins the award for youngest person to sing this 11 o'clock number. Adorable Olivia singing a super vulnerable rendition at her school singing competition. Full-on broken heart people! 

Enjoy! Dena and I are off to check out some real estate with Brie in Santa Monica and cruise Abbot Kinney before our dinner at THE BAZAAR TONIGHT!! AHHHHH!!

Celebrating McC

Last week, we had a massive two-day celebration of McC's 30th. Her whole family was in town and we feasted at Eveleigh (can you say #chickensalmonsteak?!?) where I successfully ran the gauntlet between tequila, wine and bourbon. We also bobbed and weaved through samplings of chicken, salmon, AND steak-- as well as jalapeno peppers, radishes, salads and potatoes. AND. Donuts AND Cookies. 

If we've learned nothing in our 30+ years, McC, I think we can all agree it's this: More is more. 
(Well, and wait & see, please don't murder me and SIGH.)

Thanks for driving that point (and all those points, actually) home, Eveleigh. I could have eaten those donuts until I died from a diabetic insulin spike. 

We continued the next night in our own fire pit enclave of The Roof at Hotel Wilshire with one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. No one even threw McC in the pool! Let's do this every year!

Vinessa Shaw for International Committee of Artists For Peace

For the past few days I've been editing footage of the beautiful memorial services for sweet Muzzy. Sharing the grief and joyful remembrances of my dear friends' mother/grandmother has been an honor. The Damante/Shaw family has been such an important part of my life, my faith, and my belief in myself. 

And so I feel like it's appropriate to share this wonderful video of Vinessa Shaw discussing overcoming her obstacles around belief in herself for ICAPeace. Founded by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter & Patrick Duffy, the organization uses artistic influence for the purposes of peace and applies principles of Buddhism to art. 

Other fun videos include Steven Sater & Wayne Shorter talking about how awesome women are. 

In addition to always being amazed by Vinessa's beauty, humble nature, determination, etc, I'm glad that this video reminded me how fierce her fur suit was in Eyes Wide Shut. Get it, girl!

A Surrogate Trip to Italy By Way of the Getty Villa

One of the first fun activities Brie and I got up to on the coast was a trip to Malibu's Getty Villa. It was like a quick trip to a small coastal Italian village. In fact, if you ever miss Italy, you should make the trip out to Malibu. And while there's not actually all that much to see in the way of interesting antiquities, tickets to the Getty Villa are free and there's some truly epic jewelry. That alone is worth the effort of the trip. I wouldn't have minded bringing a good book and parking on one of the benches for a few hours with huge shades and a sunhat.

Monday Music - Pompeii - Bastille

Greetings from Santa Monica! I'm writing to you from 12 stories in the air overlooking the Coast to the North and Santa Monica pier in the distance. Despite the June gloom, it feels more like summer here. Perhaps because I've got some company. 

Reconnecting with one of my favorite childhood friends after 20 years has been pretty amazing. We frequently revert to childlike glee and laugh like hyenas about pretty much nothing. We meet up at her house many days and swim laps in her Olympic sized pool. 

Now that I'm back into swimming laps like when I was a teenager and dancing around like a spazzy kid, the quest for summer songs becomes even more important. I used to keep myself busy while swimming the mile in high school by singing songs in my head under water. Now, they have underwater listeners to help with that. But I've still been jamming out to this song in my head while I swim. 

London-based Bastille has blown up over in Europe, but I'm hoping this energetic business gets a fair shake here too. It's a pretty good kickstart to the week. Enjoy! Hope you have a great Monday!

Washed Out - Parascosm - August

Summer just feels lacking if there's not a Washed Out record. I'm sad we'll have to wait until Summer's almost over to have this new one, Paracosm. 

I grew up spending summers with the Sextons and the Greenes in Perry. Blair, Ernie's now wife, and her family are responsible for some of my favorite childhood memories. Her grandmother, Billie, is almost as important to my juvenile education as my own grandmother.  

I'm happy for this little teaser video, but wish we could have a little more to go on. A single perhaps? Either way, we know Ernie's experimenting with a lot more instruments. Fifty, from what I'm told. Maybe I'll write and ask for an advance copy...winkwink. Let the summer begin! I think I'm going to blast some "Amor Fati" on my way down PCH to Pacific Palisades today. Pool Party!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Tigerlily is THREE

Happy third birthday to my favorite human, the one and only Miss Tigerlily. No one on Earth makes me as happy, as easily as this crazy girl. I was with her on her actual BIRTH day, and I'm wishing we could hang out an invite some fictional characters to a tea party on military time today. But alas, duty calls. Rain check, Tigs! Hope your costume for the day is extra wacky!

Like The Ceiling Can't Hold Us - Pete & Suzie's Wedding

As you may have gathered, I've been to many, many weddings. MANY. Between 2003 and 2005, I went to 26 weddings in 24 months. And the hits just kept coming as I got older. But this little shindig was one of the loveliest and most packed with adorable details of any that I've attended. And one of the only weddings where I didn't have to travel! What a fun night! 

Food trucks, local jams, streamers and swirly straws, personalized chalkboard mason jar drinking glass labels and a venue with killer ambience. (I don't just mean the perfect LA sunset lighting and exposed brick. This was hardcore LA at its finest. I'm talking hoopties with floor-pounding bass rolling by during the vows.) All this, plus the most unbelievably statuesque bride, and what you had was and unforgettable night. The actual manifestation of the coolest Pinterest board, only better because it had my friends. 

Pete & Suz, I love you guys! I was so honored to be there celebrating young and life-long love! 

I'm gonna dance to this & this today and remember how fun Saturday night was. And all my people say Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah.... like the ceiling can't hold us. 

Wedding!

Let's get Pete & Suzie married!

Pete & Suz's Wedding Weekend Links!

All my NY friends are in town for Pete and Suzie's wedding. So exciting showing them lots of my favorite things about LA and enjoying the sunshine. Here are your links!

- Have you seen Pete's awesome photography website? He's amazing. 
- Spanish pronunciations of LA neighborhoods are making a comeback?
- This is why I didn't stay in NYC when I came back to the US.
- Also, Patti Smith says NYC has closed its doors to artists. Kinda agree. 
- The medium model for writers. All about living medium.
- These kinds of articles never get old to me.

- Finally, Alexander Skarsgard. You're welcome.