Musical Monday: Variations on a Theme

Today's post is more about the visuals than the music, but lets all remember to give credit where credit is due . . .


The Supremes




Spike Lee




En Vogue



Destiny's Child

Musical Monday: SBTRKT

Sometimes its nice to visit old friends .  . . even if they're not really all that old.

Pharaohs




Wildfire



IMO


Musical Monday: Harleighblu

Harlieghblu, a very, very recent find from across the pond that I thought I'd pass along.

Play Me



Casanova



Enough Now

Brain Food: David and Goliath

Ever since I sat across the aisle from Malcolm Gladwell at a Mos Def (Yasiin Bey), I have been forever smitten. Having read several of his books and pieces in the New Yorker before that fateful evening I was already a fan of his writing, but seeing that unmistakable profile at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the bias was set.

So in case you missed it, the man behind The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, and so much more, has a new book out this fall David and Goliath. So run to your LOCAL bookstore or neighborhood library and check it out.



Musical Monday: Son Lux

Son Lux's new album Lanterns drops this week and its well work a listen or two . . . in fact you can just leave this one on repeat. This one got me through more than a couple of 12 hour days last week so check it out ASAP:


Lost it to Trying



Easy



Musical Monday: Janet Jackson (Flashback)

A reunion with childhood friends, reminiscing about living room dance parties, and the days when people used to dance  inspired this week's Musical Monday post. . . 

That's the way love goes


 

If




You Want This


On the Road: Chicago

I'm traveling this week spending some time in Chicago and rather than letting another opportunity pass where I could be promoting awesomeness I thought I'd actually make some time to share the love.

So if you're in Chicago this week celebrating your post marathon accomplishments or attending one of the many conferences going on this week here are a few things you can get into:

Chicago Ideas Week 2013
Description: I like ideas, I bet you like ideas to, and I think we all love good ideas especially if they come from the minds of glorious folks like Malcom Gladwell, Dan Savage, Tig Notaro . . . and dozen more. And for those of you out of town check out the live stream and revel in the genius.
Dates: October 14 - October 20
Times: Varies
Price: Varies


Steppenwolf: The Wheel
Description: Joan Allen takes the stage in this new work by Zinnie Harris about what happens to hope and human nature in times of war.
Dates: thru November 10
Times: Varies
Price: $58




The Goodman: Pullman Porter Blues
Description: It’s June of 1937, and the Panama Limited Pullman Train is speeding from Chicago to New Orleans on the night of the Joe Louis/James Braddock world heavyweight championship. Three generations of Sykes men—African American train porters—wrestle with ghosts of the past and dreams for the future as they eagerly await word of the Brown Bomber’s victory. Set to timeless Blues tunes performed by a live, on-stage band, Pullman Porter Blues is a spirited, music-infused ride you won’t soon forget!
Dates: thru October 27th
Times: 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
Price: $15+


Art Institute Chicago
Description: What's not to love about this museum?! Close your eyes and point and your bound to land upon something spectacular so why even question it. . . just go! I personally am looking forward to checking out the Tomatsu, 3:1, and Suzuki exhibits.
Dates: Always
Time: 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Price: $23


Fashion Focus: Chicago Fashion Week
Description: . This citywide celebration of Chicago’s fashion industry includes a variety of runway shows in Millennium Park showcasing the latest trends in menswear, emerging and established designers, shopping events and much more.
Dates: October 15 - October 20
Time: Varies
Price: FREE

Musical Monday: Cults

With a new album Static coming out this week (10/15) who better to feature in this week's Musical Monday than the Cults. If you didn't love their 2011 debut album I can only say . . .  who are you and how did you find this blog?

High Road



Abducted




You know what I mean

Musical Monday: Vienna Teng

Vienna Teng's on the road promoting her latest album Aims and I had the pleasure of catching her show at the Royale here in Beantown. If your unfamiliar with this amazing artist, now's the time to correct the error in your ways. An amazing pianist and vocalist who is just as amazing live as she is on her recorded albums (perhaps even better live) this is an album and a show worth checking out.

Gravity



Vienna Teng @ TedEx Stanford




Level Up

Adventures in the Kitchen: Happy Birthday Stanley

Happy Birthday Stanley!

Stanley, for those of you who have not yet been introduced, is my Boston born and raised sour dough bread starter. This time last year Stanley was nothing more than flour and water. 

Today Stanley is my greatest culinary adventure we've had our ups and downs, but we always seem to rally. Here are a few of our greatest hits. 

Warning the following images may not be suitable for the gluten intolerant . . . 


 
 
 


Musical Monday: Rhapsody

Rhapsody, she's taken it back and keepin' it real. 

Love it!


Non Fiction ft. Raheem DeVaughn




The Drums ft. Heather Victoria, The Soul Council




Believe Me




Imagination

Musical Monday: Quadron

Last week was the week of Quadron, their latest effort Avalanche was on constant rotation as I made my way through another week in the office. . . . really I think it was all about the track Hey Love which found its way into my spreadsheet groove :-) 

Spreadsheets or not, the album is well worth a listen or two, or three  . . . 

Hey Love



Favorite Star



Ex-Factor (Cover)


Pressure


Simili Life

Musical Monday: San Fermin

Thanks to NPR's First Listen this amazing band out of my favorite Borough made it on to the WWoD radar. 

San Fermin's who's self titles album drops tomorrow (September 17, 2013) is surprising and yet everything that it should be. 17 songs of awesomeness worthy of some heavy rotation, so take a listen and enjoy another musical monday: 


Sonsik




Dadalus (What we have)

FALL PREVIEW: Theater

“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
- William Shakespeare


The Machine
September 4 - September 18
Park Avenue Armory (New York) 

The Velocity of Autumn
September 6 - October 20
Arena Stage (Washington DC) 



The Wheel 
September 12 - November 10
Steppenwolf Theater (Chicago)



All the Way
September 13 - October 12
American Repertory Theater (Cambridge, MA) 




Tribes
September 13 - October 12, Speakeasy Stage (Boston, MA) 
October 5 - November 10, Guthrie Theatre (Minneapolis MN) 
December 5 - February 9, Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago, IL) 

Bad Jews
September 19 - December 15
Roundabout Theater (New York) 

Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike
September 20 - October 20 
Berkeley Repertory Theater (Berkeley, CA) 

The Glass Menagerie
September 26 - 
Booth Theatre (New York) 



From September 26
Various



Betrayal
October 1 -
Barrymore Theater (New York)

Grasses of a Thousand Colors
October 7 - November 10
Public Theater (New York)



Midsummer Nights Dream
October 9 - January 12
Theater for a New Audience (New York)

Domesticated 
October 10  -
Lincoln Center Theater (New York)

The Power of Duff
October 11 - November 9 
Huntington Theatre Company (Boston MA) 

Underneath the Lintel 
October 23 - November 17
American Conservatory Theater (San Francisco, CA) 

No Man's Land & Waiting for Godot
October 26 -
Cort Theatre (New York)

From October 31
Various



How I Learned What I Learned
November - December
Signature Theatre (New York) 

All that Fall
November 5 - December 8 
59E59 Theatres

The Humans
November 13 - November 17
Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York) 

The Cocktail Hour
November 15 - December 15
Huntington Theatre Company (Boston, MA) 

Tristan & Yseult
November 22 - January 6
Berkeley Repertory Theater (Berkeley CA) 




Bodycast
December 3 - December 7
Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York) 

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
December 10 - December 22
Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York) 

The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic

December 12 - December 24
Park Avenue Armory (New York) 

A  Piece of Work 

December 18 - December 21
Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York)

Mother Courage and her Children
January 31 - March 9 
Arena Stage (Washington DC) 


“What is that unforgettable line?” 
― Samuel Beckett

FALL PREVIEW: Dance

Labor day was the unofficial end of summer and I was so busy trying to make the most of it that I sadly neglected all of you and WWoD. 

Stay tuned for recaps of my last few adventures in the warm days of summer. 

But we shall not fret over summer's departure. Instead we shall revel in the launch of the Fall/Winter Arts Season. Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing the performances, exhibitions, lectures and events that I'm most looking forward to so check back often as there will be plenty of new adventures on the horizon. 

So lets get started and FALL INTO the world of DANCE

The Metamorphosis, Royal Ballet 
September  17 - September 20th
The Joyce (New York)

Fall for Dance 2013
September 25 - October 5
New York City Center 

Cloud Gate 2
October 2 - October 6
The Joyce (New York) 

A Rite, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company & SITI Company
October 3 - October 5
Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York) 


30th Anniversary Celebration, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
October 7 - October 13
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco, CA) 

Sider, The Forsythe Company
October 9 - October 12
Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York) 


Ligeti Essays & Rave, Armitage Gone! Dance
October 18 - October 20 
ICA Boston (Boston, MA) 

Nederlands Dans Theater 
October 18 - October 29
Dorothy Chandler Pavillion (Los Angeles, CA) 

En Atendant & Cesina, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
October 19 - October 20 
Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York) 



October 25 - November 3
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco CA) 

Alexei Ratmansky's The Tempest, American Ballet Theater
October 30 - November 10
David H. Koch Theater (New York) 

Kylian + Pite, Pacific Northwest Ballet
November 8 - 17

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall (Seattle, WA) 


Sun, Hofesh Shechter Company
November 14 - November 16
Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York)

Play/Pause, Susan Marshall & Company
November 20 - November 23
Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York)

LeeSar the Company
February 8 - February 9
The Joyce (New York) 


Close to Chuck, Boston Ballet
February 20 - March 2
The Boston Opera House (Boston, MA) 

Story/Time, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
February 21 - February 23
ICA Boston (Boston, MA) 

Tao Dance Theater
February 27 - February 28
Shubert Theatre (Boston, MA)


 

Musical Monday: Cold Specks

I came across this musical find courtesy of Fly.

Cold Specks,though I know this is going to sound far less flattering than I intended but Cold Specks is kind of like musical comfort food. A sound that you can turn to and know that everything is once again right with the world. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Blank Maps




Winter Solstice




Hector




A Case for Shame (Moby with Cold Specks) 

Musical Monday: We Were Evergreen

Ridiculous cuteness aka We Were Evergreen. 

For those days when you need an instant dose of happiness. 








Summer in the City: Week 13

It has been a very, very long week and I am so ready for the weekend!

But what to do with all of that unscheduled time?


Everywhere
Description: My secret boyfriend, Tony Leung, once again joins forces with Wong Kar Wai to tell the story of Ip Man the martial arts master behind such greats as Bruce Lee. For those of you who know Ip Man and Ip Man 2 this looks to be even more dramatic, bursting with serious awesomeness.
Location: A movie theater near you 




Boston

Description: Diners can choose from old favorites to the latest culinary hot spots, from nationally known chain restaurants to local chef owned bistros, from Asian or Argentinean fare to French, Italian, tapas and sushi, from the award-winning restaurants of Boston and Cambridge to the gourmet gems in the suburbs north, west and south of the city
Date: now thru  8/3-/2013
Time: Lunch + Dinner
Location: You Decide 
Price: $15.13 - $38.13

Description: Videodrome Discotheque serves up a non-stop mixture of outrageous sound & vision, with a particular emphasis on the Disco, New Wave, Rock, Hi-NRG, & Pop of the late 70s and Early 80s - along with select modern artists (such as Gaga, Kylie, and Scissor Sisters) that fit their vintage aesthetic. 
Date: 8/23/2013
Time: 10:00 PM
Location: Oberon, 2 Arrow Street, Cambridge 
Price: $10

Saint Anthony’s Feast

Description: Begun in 1919, by Italian immigrants from the small town of Montefalcione in Avellino, Saint Anthony’s Feast has become the largest Italian Religious Festival in New England. Named the “Feast of all Feasts” by National Geographic Magazine, this authentic Italian street festival has it all for people of every age: parades, strolling singers, live entertainment, contests and religious services are held daily.
Date: 8/23/2013 – 8/25/2013
Time: Varies throughout the Weekend
Location: North End, Boston  (Endicott, Thacher & North Margin Streets)   
Price: FREE




Description: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN two City Councillors from each side of the Charles join forces to host a fundraiser? An epic throw down in the heart of Harvard Square! Join Leland Cheung (Cambridge) and Tito Jackson (Boston) at the hottest venue in the Metro, The Sinclair, and enjoy the fight for bragging rights amongst 8 of Boston's hottest DJs. With our MC On and On as host, it's time to get down and dirty as these stars go toe-to-toe for the good of Youth on Fire (Cambridge) and Boston's Alliance of GLBT Youth.
Date: 8/24/2013
Time: 8:00 PM Doors, 8:30 PM Show
Location: The Sinclair, 52 Church Street, Cambridge
Price: $20 Advance, $25 Day of Show

Description: Stop five in the 2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series takes us to Boston, Massachusetts. The roof of the ICA Building will be used as an urban cliff where the best high divers in the world will leap into the Boston Harbor.
Date: 8/25/2013
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: ICA Boston, 100 Northern Avenue, Boston
Price: FREE, Reservations Required

Description: This exhibition is a global overview of ways in which the existing infrastructure of cities around the world is being redesigned, repurposed, and reimagined to serve alternate and expanded functions for urban dwellers and visitors. Reprogramming the City celebrates more than 20 examples of imaginative reuse and repurposing of urban infrastructure, from physical objects to the city’s most functional systems and surfaces. Cities represented include London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Boston.
Date: NOW thru 9/29/2013
Time: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM weekdays, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Weekends
Location: Boston Center for Architecture and Design, 290 Congress Street, Boston
Price: $5


New York

Description: True Stories Real People and the Audience is the Judge
Date: 8/22/2013
Time: Doors 7:00 PM, Stories 7:30 PM
Location: Housing Works Bookstore Café, 126 Crosby Street, New York
Price: $16 Advance, $18 Door

Description: Lulzcruza is an electronic folk duo at the junction of the hypermodern and the ancient. Their music weaves together hypnotic female singing, South American instruments, found sound objects, field recordings, and electronic manipulation. The result is a cross-genre, world-esque music unfolding with mesmerizing vocals, aquatic textures and up-tempo, handcrafted South American rhythms.
Date: 8/22/2013
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center
Price: FREE

Description: Head to Harlem for the Studio Museum’s Uptown Fridays! Uptown Fridays is a series of summer parties at the Studio Museum in Harlem that places attendees in direct dialogue with current exhibitions. This installment, titled Body Language, will feature an opening set by Sol Nova and a closing set by Venus X of the popular GHE20 G0TH1K parties. Abbe Schriber, curator of Body Language, hosts.
Date: 8/23/2013
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Studio Museum Harlem, 144 West 125th Street, New York
Price: $11

Description: Spend your Saturday night with the man himself.
Date: 8/24/2013
Time: 10:00 PM
Location: Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn
Price: $10

Description: CLASSIC ALERT! For those craving the true roots of Rap, “Wild Style” captured the hard core South Bronx scene at its births.  This 1983 film stars a pantheon of Hip-Hop pioneers, including: DJ Grand Master Flash, Grand Master Caz and The Cold Crush Brothers, and The Rock Steady Crew.  “Wild Style” also showcases the works of legendary subway artists, Lee Quinones and Sandra Pink Fabara.  “Wild Style” follows the outlaw artists through the train yards to the rap/break-dance clubs.  
Date: 8/26/2013
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: East River Park at the FDR Drive Entrance at Cherry Street
Price: FREE


Description: This acclaimed series of world premiere one-act plays from some of the country's top playwrights returns for a seventh season! 
Date: NOW thru 8/31/2013
Time: Varies
Location: 59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th Street, New York
Price: $25


Washington, DC

Description: DC eaters will be able to enjoy the best that the region has to offer at incredible rates; three-course, prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus are priced at $20.13 and $35.13, respectively. Diners can also explore Chilean wines at participating Restaurant Week locations and vote for their favorite winery and restaurant at TASTECHILE2013.com. The prize: a Chilean wine dinner for 10 at the winner's favorite participating restaurant, courtesy of Wines of Chile.
Date: NOW thru 8/21/2013
Time: Lunch + Dinner
Location: You Decide
Price: $20.13 + 35.13

Description: The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Free For All is a much-loved Washington tradition, offering free performances of a Shakespearean classic to the general public. STC is thrilled to kick off our 27th season with Much Ado About Nothing.
Date: NOW thru 9/1/2013
Time: Varies
Location: Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW, Washington DC
Price: FREE

Description: Each August through October, the Maryland Renaissance Festival recreates a 16th century English village with crafts, food, live performances on 8 stages, a jousting arena and lots of games. The Maryland Renaissance Festival is a fun family event held in Anne Arundel County, about 30 miles from Washington, DC.At the Maryland Renaissance Festival you can see a fire-eater, watch jousting in full armor, marvel at jugglers and magicians, and listen to music and choral groups. Enjoy a variety of fare from 42 food outlets. Shop at more than 130 craft shops for stained glass, sculptures, jewelry, pottery, wood-butchery, leather-work, inlay, clothing, and glass-blown creations. Delight your children with free pony rides, a maze, archery, a play area and dozens of games.
Date: NOW thru 10/20/2013
Time: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM 
Location: 1821 Crownsville Road, Annapolis, MD
Price: $17+

Description: zydeco, cajun, and Louisiana funk
Date: NOW thru 10/20/2013
Time: 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM  
Location: National Gallery Sculpture Garden, 401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington DC
Price: FREE

Description: The 2nd Annual National Harbor Dragon Boat Races are being held this summer, celebrating Asian culture and bringing a family-fun event to the Washington DC area. Dragon boat racing is an important part of the Chinese traditional culture, dating back more than 2,300 years. With its location along the Potomac River and convenient access to downtown Washington, National Harbor is a perfect location for this event
Date: 8/24/2013
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM  
Location: National Harbor Waterfront
Price: FREE

Description The ensemble presents The Best of Craigslist, taking 37 separate posts to adapt for the stage using puppets, punches, ukuleles, and a bedazzled loin cloth for a night that ranges from the hysterical to the tragic to the just plain weird. This performance contains mature content.
Date: 8/26/2013
Time: Tickets will be distributed in the States Gallery at approximately 5:30 p.m., up to 2 tickets per person.
Location: Kennedy Center for the Performing Art, 2700 F Street NW, Washington Dc
Price: FREE