First of all, remember a long time ago when I wrote about Burda Style? And how awesome I thought they were because they provided open source patterns? Well, yesterday I received an email from them, as I usually do since I am on their mailing list, and I see this lovely pattern:

Unfortunately, you have to purchase it. Now, I’m all for paying for patterns. That’s fine. But when you advertise your company as “Open Source Sewing,” I feel that it is misleading to do so and charge for a pattern. The term “Open Source” derives from the free software movement, so the implications of this term are “FREE.” I mean, $3.50 is a bargain compared to some of the patterns out there for $18.95, but that is besides the point. I just feel a bit disappointed.

In other news, for all of you embroiderers out there, this fine lady (who’s blog is AMAZING, by the way) has uploaded a free embroidery pattern. And it’s super cute! I might actually try it myself… we’ll see what happens.

Moving on. Last night I got home and while going through my junkmail I found an advertisement for THIS. I think god loves me this month. Either that or Elvis Crespo was reading my mind and knew that I have ALWAYS wanted to see him live. SUAVE!

This is seriously the cheesiest music video, probably of all time. You gotta love the costume changes. I like to call it “The many faces of Crespo.”

Lastly, I recently joined Indiepublic. So far I’m digging it. It’s a nice way to network with other independent crafters, artists and designers all over the world. And everyone is super friendly! I spent about an hour on their site the other day and became really inspired and excited about adding more items to my etsy shop. Good stuff.

Alright kiddies! That concludes my Topsy Turvy post. Don’t forget to check out KUCI Nights at the Yost Theater this Thursday! Only $8! It’s a bargain to experience some new music. I’ll also be HERE on Friday. Yay Lykke Li! I’ve never seen her live, nor have I been to the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. Should be fun. I’ll try to take blog-worthy pics for you beauties!

Anyway, we heard that they were playing a show at Slidebar in Fullerton, so of course we went. I had never been to Slidebar before and read some horrible reviews on yelp, so I was expecting to hate the place. My impression of the venue was quite the contrary! Perhaps it had to do with the lineup last night? The crowd was not at all “bros and hos” as reviewers described it to be. The bouncers were fine, the crowd was cool. Everything was A-OK.

Moving on, when we arrived, a young lady by the name of Stacy Clark was playing. It was just her vocals and guitar but we were instantly fans. Her lyrics were relatable and her voice was very original (slightly reminiscent of Sherri DuPree of Eisley). Cathy and I talked to her a bit after the show and purchased her album Apples and Oranges. That was $5 well spent! I think it’s available on iTunes as well. I listened to it on the way to work this morning, and so far my favorite track is Hello Again. It’s one of those songs that makes you feel like it was written about you, or, I guess, about me. I recommend this album. And check out the cover art! So beautifully done.

Next up was our beloved Faded Paper Figures, except the announcer called them “Faded Paper Fingers.” I thought that was funny.

John of Faded Paper Figures posing for the camera!

The band played an amazing set. It’s always a great experience finally seeing a band live that you listen to almost everyday either at work or on the road. It’s like finally meeting a friend you’ve been getting to know online. It’s a nice feeling.

North by North from Tatiana Jimenez on Vimeo.

They played a great show and I hope that they continue making great music and playing together. Also! I recommend their album Dynamo. Available on iTunes (I currently have it on my iPhone. I loooovveee it.)

Aside from the well designed/organized environment, I shall explain why we left pretty early:

1. I’m old, and need my beauty sleep. I overheard someone from the Jakes say to some guy “We’re going on at 9:30,” to which I said to myself “Oh hell no, it’s Tuesday, that’s late.“
2. I felt like I was in an episode of Laguna Beach. I was surrounded by blonde, tanned, and Hurley-clad teens and started getting flashbacks of awkward high school moments. To add to this, these kids were obnoxious. I’m all for young people coming out to support local artists/musicians, but I was sleepy and not having it.
3. There was a teen couple grinding next to me… like… really? Control your hormones, this is not the Boogie, or whatever club the kids are going to these days.
4. The opening band Dolphin City was projecting video onto the wall behind them. That’s cool. I can appreciate that. Except for when the video is of a woman having intercourse, and the camera is focused on her face the whole time. That was a little disturbing and distracting. I had to situate myself so this tall guy’s head could block the sight of her face.

And there you have it.  Oh! But I did get my breakfast burrito, and BELIEVE THE HYPE. It was excellent.

In other news, a few weeks ago I googled “Project Runway” to see if Lifetime has updated it’s site with new contestant information for the Season 6 premiere on August 20th. To my dismay, they had not. A Lifetime site didn’t even show up in the search results (I looked through page 5), until today. Their SEO department needs to get on top of optimizing Project Runway… as of today, the Lifetime site shows up on the 3rd page of the google results. No bueno, Lifetime. BravoTV still comes up at the number one spot.  Blogging Project Runway wrote a nice memo a month ago regarding some issues that they had, which is a good read, and they make some excellent points. I know, as a HUGE fan of the show, I like to read some show teasers before the new season airs. So far, they don’t have much to offer. Although, their site is nice to look at…

AND I’m excited about Models of the Runway, a show that will air at 11pm right after our beloved PR, giving the viewers a glimpse into the world of the PR models. Unfortunately, there is no link where I can read more about this on their site. Lame! I guess I will just have to be patient. Hopefully Lifetime understands how important this show is to its fans and will be either equally or more awesome than Bravo. Only time will tell…

So, last night we decided to head to beautiful downtown Santa Ana for dinner and a show. Meli suggested that we stop into The Crosby for a drink, and this place was great.

There’s no sign outside, so unless you have been there before, or accidentally stumble upon it, you might just never be aware of its existence. The place was not crowded at all, and was artsy (with the decor, and the patrons), but in a non-pretentious way. Everyone was really friendly, and good vibes were present.

We then walked over to the Yost Theater where KUCI Nights was being held. On the way there Meli gave us a brief history lesson as we took in the beautiful architecture of downtown Santa Ana. Apparently, the Yost theater used to screen Spanish speaking films from the 1940s up to the day it closed in 1985. It has recently reopened, and I’m really glad it has. The space is a nice escape from the modernity of the majority of Orange County. The ceiling is intricately designed, the chairs recline… it’s really the little things that count.

We showed up during Death to Anders‘ set. Sitting there in the still quite empty auditorium/theater, I thought to myself… Hmmm, I feel like I’m listening to a college radio station. And then quietly laughed at my own thought.

Unfortunately, I was not impressed. Fortunately, those reclining seats came in handy. Death to Anders were ok, perhaps just not my cup of tea. The singer’s voice was reminiscent of Stan Ridgway of Wall of Voodoo. And the lyrics just did not resonate with me… “I’m the dollar, you’re the whore”…. No.

In between sets, the afro clad DJ spun disco and dance music… and I quietly wished that we could just dance to that all night.

Next up was The Shys. Already their presence was more captivating than the first band… just with the first few seconds of their first song. They embody everything I imagine an “indie rock” band to be. Clean cut, smart lyrics and uptempo/friendly. Their set was fun. Do I call myself a fan? Not really. But I would want to see them again.

The last band that we stayed to see was Castledoor… and I’m so happy that we did! They were my favorite band of the evening. They had a very colorful and happy-go-lucky presence; they were such characters. I loved their music and I loved watching them play. They look like a group of friends who are just hanging out, playing music, and having a really great time. My favorite song was “Fifth Tambourine,” which was essentially about dreaming of being a part of your favorite band.

I thought the show was a great idea for an otherwise dull Thursday night, and I hope to attend more KUCI Nights’ shows.

]]> http://artsblog.tatianajimenez.com/music/i-feel-like-im-listening-to-a-college-radio-station/feed/ 2 http://artsblog.tatianajimenez.com/contemporary-art/uptown-underground-oc/ http://artsblog.tatianajimenez.com/contemporary-art/uptown-underground-oc/#comments Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:04:07 +0000 tatiana http://artsblog.tatianajimenez.com/?p=111

I heard about this public installation through a friend. It sounded intriguing… outdoor video installation about dancing, and a DJ providing the soundtrack.

So a bunch of us went, and 5 out of 6 were not disappointed. I was one of the 5. This piece was displayed outside of Segerstrom Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California. We parked (we found a way to park without paying… don’t tell anyone), walked over and I was surprised to see so many people. And bleachers! Like a classy football game. ) It was really cool to see so many people gather to view such a beautiful installation.

The piece was titled Slow Dancing by David Michalek and the video was projected onto the side of the building. The visuals in junction with the masterful mixing of KCRW’s DJ Jason Bentley made for a wonderful treat for the eyes and ears. And my hot chocolate was pretty good too.

I haven’t been this fascinated by the human body since I went to see the Body Worlds exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago 4 years ago. It was fascinating to watch the tiny ripples move across the dancers’ clothing like water.

Of course, I cannot talk about the OC Fair without mentioning that my roommate, the amazing KENDRA, won 1st place in the memorabilia contest! You go girl! I’m such a proud roomie. As the description says (photo to be added later), she has collected over 100 Vivien Leigh items. That’s a lot of old stuff… and a lot of hard earned cash spent on that old stuff. Homegirl is going to be able to fill a museum soon. We should start charging when people come over to visit.

In other news, in addition to my ongoing attempts to finish reading the legendary Harry Potter series (I’m still on book 5), I am reading Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants by Jill Soloway

At first, when reading through her 3 introductions, I got kind of annoyed with her cocky tone. A friend of mine got me this book for my birthday via my amazon wish list. I think I added it to my wish list because at the time I was really into reading as much feminist-y stuff as possible. I think the beginning of the book frustrated me because I felt like Jill was one of those feminists who give feminists a bad name, in my opinion. They think they know everything, and they think everyone who disagrees with them are inferior. Which, you know, is kind of lame. BUT. I continued reading and soon realized that I am actually really liking this book. It reminds me of Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. So if you liked that book, you’d most likely enjoy this one. Anyway, I have about 50 pages to go. Oh, I’m on Goodreads, and highly recommend it if you like to keep track of what you’ve read, and/or like to see what your friends are reading.

In other news, my roommate and I went to the Long Beach Antique Market on Sunday and boy oh boy was it hot!

I don’t know why… but I assumed it would be indoors so I didn’t wear any sunblock. Needless to say my skin is pretty mad at me today. BUT I found a lot of great deals. I was surprised by the wide variety of goodies the Antique Market vendors had to offer. From vintage clothing to old comic books and action figures. There was something for everyone. My favorite find of the day was a Paul de Longpre framed print for only $5. Yeow Yeow. All in all good times were had.

Anyhoo, it’s been a while since I’ve last updated, so here’s a little visual update:

Patchwork – Indie Arts & Crafts Festival
Where?
The Road Less Traveled & Harvey’s Lots
2202 1/2 North Main St.
Santa Ana, CA 92706
(the corner of Buffalo & Main St. right off the 5 freeway)

When?
Sunday, May 4th, 11am-5pm

How Much?
The event is free, but be prepared to spend that moola. Independent artists & crafters need your support!

I STILL don’t get it.
According to the website…
Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts Fair celebrates local handmade goods, transforming Buffalo street in Santa Ana’s museum district into a hub for emerging artists to showcase their items. Complete with live music, delicious food from local resturants and over 50 vendors, Patchwork is an event like no other in Orange County.

It sounds like this is going to be a great event. I can’t wait.

Other than the junk food, I always love the contests. Mainly, the quilting contest. One day I will enter in it, but for now I will just continue admiring. Also! Added bonus… some amazing person embroidered a picture of none other than Elizabeth I.

One contest I was very confused by was what seemed to be a “stuff” contest. Really. Display after glass display of themed stuff. Beach Boys stuff, Elvis stuff, a collection of Heinz cans?! My first thought was, ‘oh! They’re installations of some sort. Ready-made art! I get it…’ but no. I don’t think it was that complicated. So Kendra and I decided that we will enter in this “stuff” contest next year. She is probably the biggest collector (at least that I know) of Vivien Leigh memorabilia. And I am a moderate collector of Lucille Ball memorabilia. We’ll see what happens. It’s on!

We then headed over to the photo and painting exhibit, where we continued to be amazed and inspired. This piece was probably my favorite. It also reminded me that I need to do laundry.

The last adventure that we embarked on was the animal section. I am not a big fan of farm animals because, well, they smell. But I did see a cute bunny. That was neat. That area was mostly just sad. I know the animals are probably taken care of considerably well (especially since I saw a few PETA signs here and there), but their cages were so tiny. Main complaint: Why the hell did it cost $1 to see the giant horse? And more importantly, why was said giant horse in the smallest tent imaginable, with barely any sunlight? I mean, yeah, that was a huge friggin horse. Wow. But, after being in the tent for 10 seconds I started feeling really bad for this horse, and so did the 7 other people in the tent. Kendra wanted to bring it home with us, but I told her that it wouldn’t even fit in our living room. Ultimately this horse made me think of the following scene from the critically acclaimed film, Follow That Bird (1985):
Big Bird: Say, there’s a lady named Miss Finch who’s chasing me. Do you mind if I hide in your fun fair?
Sam Sleaze: Why, no, not at all. We have the perfect place for you to hide. Right here in our hiding cage.
Sid Sleaze: You’ll be safe here.
Sam Sleaze: Yeah, real safe.
Big Bird: Gee, thanks. Oh, gee, I sure am a lucky bird.

Are you crying yet?