Fashion. Music. Love.

I have made my return from a week in sunny Mexico, and if it wasn't for all the people I love in this town I probably would have stayed! That place is amazing, and so laid back. I took a LOT of pictures, some of which will be edited and posted on my Flickr (check it out, I'm not half bad a photographer)... as soon as I can upload them to my computer. Currently, I'm having technological difficulties. I'm taking donations for a new computer... just saying.

Once I do have pictures up, I will devote a post to my love for Mexico, but in the meantime, lets talk a bit about what's been heating up this small Southern Alberta town.

Last night was Lethbridge Fashion Weekend, a small fashion show that was created by my very talented instructor, check her blog, Schizo Style, out here. It featured some of the local designers, but was not as big as it was last year, sadly two designers dropped out, and I didn't get my shatner together in time (or at all) to make my collection. Lack of motivation would do that. I neglected to bring my camera, which is dead from Mexico, but my wonderful colleague, Kat, took lots of pictures for her blog, The Visual Gerbil. Both blogs are much more interesting than mine, as they're probably not high when they write them. Not that I am right now... it's too early.
I digress.

Last week was the Oscars, and despite my lack of movie watching of late, it was fun to attend an Oscars viewing party and watch all the stars in their amazing dresses. My top 3 favourites?

Halle Berry in Marchesa

Photo via weblogsurf.com

Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana

Photo via sawfnews.com

And lastly...

Anne Hathaway in Oscar de la Renta
(one of her many dresses of the evening!)
Photo via celebrityfashiondirectory.com

Also in blogworthy news, next weekend me and my fella are going to go to Medicine Hat to see.... wait for it....

....Drum roll please....

EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL

I'm SO EXCITED I COULD PEE.

Photo via www.medicinehatmedia.com

I'm rather surprised it's playing in Medicine Hat, of all places... last year it was in Calgary, but I was still living in BC, and then when I moved here, it was in Vancouver. So this year, there is no missing it, and thankfully my significant other is just as big of a dork as I and wants to go too. Needless to say, it's going to be ridiculous.

In more exciting news, this summer promises to be a great one for music.
First up, April 1st in Calgary....

THE FLATLINERS!

Photo Via Groundcontrolmag.com

Anybody who knows me knows how much I LOVE this band. Anybody who's read my blog knows how awesome the last time I saw them was (SOOO RAD). They never disappoint, and every time it has been worth the trip - and then some.

Keeping with the Fat Wreck line-up, this coming June we have the self-crowned kings of candor, sultans of slander, Bastions of D.I.Y.....

NOFX

Photo via lastfm.com

Taking off on their first coast-to-coast Canadian tour since the 90's, NOFX will be coming to Alberta, playing dates in both Calgary and Edmonton. Words can't describe how STOKED I am to see NOFX. I've never seen them before, and I've been listening to them for about 10 years. These guys have been doing this since before I was even born. Also touring with NOFX, are lablemates Teenage Bottlerocket (upbeat pop punk), and Old Man Markley (punk rawk bluegrass). If you live in Canada, check out the dates at any of the links I've provided!

Also coming this June, we'll have SLED ISLAND in Calgary. I didn't get the chance to attend last year, but apparently I missed out on a lot of awesome bands, so this year I will definitely be going, especially if any of the local bands go up there.

Wow, with all of these exciting things going on, I have spent about an hour blogging about it and now my coffee is cold! I didn't even get the chance to answer the questions that I was tagged to answer from Kat's blog. Next time!

Live Through, Live Strong, Carry On (& On & On..)

As much as I love clothing/fashion, anyone who knows me know that my true love will always be music. So as such, of course I'm going to blog about music, even if this is supposed to be a "fashion blog".

But I digress!

In a week's time I'm going to be on my way to Edmonton, Alberta, to see two of my most favorite bands play under the same roof. Both of which, have been the topic of my blog in the past: Against Me! and The Flatliners. What's even better, is that a friend of mine is touring with The Flatliners, and has been so kind as to put me on the guestlist. Wow! Guestlist?! How can I say no!?

This will be my fourth time seeing The Flatliners, but my very first time seeing Against Me! To make things even more exciting, some friends from BC are going, and I'll be going with a good friend of mine from school who graduated last year. It will be a huge reunion of people I know that haven't seen in a long time, seeing two of my most loved bands.... it's just something I can't pass up.

So, without further ado, allow me to share with you the latest video by The Flatliners, called "Carry The Banner." Check it out, get their album, and if they're coming to a town near you, go see them!



And while you're at it check out this awesome video of Against Me! featuring Tegan (You'll have to go to YouTube to see the video)

Up the Cuts!

I can’t sleep.
Dry red eyes wide open.
Stare at the white stucco ceiling.
I turn on the TV,
watch music on television.
Have I heard this song before?
Did this already happen?
Derived influence in style of dress.
Similar trends in camera technique and editing.
Sync up the cuts to the bass drum kick.
All the taste makers drinking from the same glass.
Is there anyone thinking what I am?
Is there anyone thinking what I am?

Are you restless like me?

All the insiders rumor over the decline in sales.
All the buzz is happening in the new digital market place.
FBI warning printed on the flipside.
Under penalty of law piracy will be prosecuted.
In MRR someone asks the question,
“With the instant availability of information
and content so easily obtainable
is the culture now a product that’s disposable?”
All the punks still singing the same song.
Is there anyone thinking what I am?
Is there any other alternative?

Are you restless like me?

Here Comes Treble!

Several years ago, whenever it was that I jumped onto the MySpace bandwagon (probably around the time it started getting unpopular... was great for finding new music), I was browsing Canadian punk bands, and discovered The Flatliners.
Hailing from Toronto, these guys are younger than I am. All it took was hearing "Do or Die", and I was hooked. I loved everything about them. The bass lines, the guitars, the lyrics, the drums, and the voice of frontman Chris Cresswell are smooth and rough at the same time. I spent nearly the entire summer listening to them, traveling 4 hours to Vancouver at least 3 times to see them play live. I was always mesmerized, and would stand at the front singing and dancing, loving every minute of it.Not long after I discovered them, The Flatliners gave me another reason to love them, by getting signed onto Fat Wreck Chords, owned by punk rock vet Fat Mike. When they released their second album, "The Great Awake" in 2007, I was at first surprised by the drift from a more ska sound, but soon enough I was cranking it in my car daily.

My three faves:
This Respirator - About life on the road, which makes sense, because these guys are fuckin' driven. They have been touring practically non-stop since I discovered them, all over Canada, the US, Europe, and Japan.

Eulogy - This song evokes so much emotion inside me, partially because it's played with so much raw emotion and energy. This reminds me of friends I have lost, and I have celebrated life and mourned its loss to this song. I plan on having its lyrics tattooed on me, "You will always be remembered, you will be celebrated". I can't begin to put into words how this song makes me feel, and no band has ever done that. The video to this song was filmed in Vancouver, BC the day after I saw them play with The Peacocks, The St. Alvia Cartel and The Toasters.

Mastering The World's Smallest Violin - I love this song so much that people tell me when they hear it, they think of me. I like that they brought back the ska influence. There is always one part that is sung, "You've got that look again in your eyes", and the way it's sung just gets me. SO GOOD.And the boys are at it again, April 13th they released their newest album, "Cavalcade." And let me say, I don't even know these guys, and I'm proud of them. All in their 20's and with a third album release under their belt, these guys have shown growth and mastery of their talent, musically and lyrically. I had ordered Calvacade before it was released, but it was backordered, so I eventually caved and downloaded the album. And it's so good, I'm still going to buy it, it's that good. I already have favorites:

Carry The Banner: "Live through, live strong, carry on and on and on." The repeated chorus chants a positive anthem that blows your face off.

Bleed: Fast and catchy. I loved the beginning, and when it picked up I felt my face blow off again.

Here Comes Treble: This song slays. If you want your face blown off in the best way possible, listen to this one. Lyrically, it shows the sacrifices made in pursuit of their music careers. Musically, if you didn't catch it the first time, it fuckin' slays. I can't wait to see what a jaded fuck you've become, and I definitely can't wait to see this one live.

He Was a Jazzman: Once again, to my pleasure, they went back to their ska roots on this one. Talking about death, is a heavy topic, especially for someone as young as these guys, but they execute it (no pun intended) it amazingly.

Filthy Habits: Originally released on their Cynics EP, this might be hands down my favorite track on the album. I think I've listened to it at least 100 times in the last week. I'm actually listening to it right now. It has the same energy as "Carry the Banner" and "Here Comes Treble". Haven't you heard cynics never recover?

Liver Alone: "I force these feet to MOOoOoOVE!!." It's infectious. And this song makes MY feet want to move. Another song I look forward to seeing live, and jumping around to like a wind up toy.

There are so many awesome tracks on Cavalcade I couldn't begin to talk about all of them. The only thing you can do now is check out their MySpace (See the link at the top), buy their record, and then see them for yourself.
The best thing about these guys, is that they are super nice. And unless they have become total assholes, I doubt that has changed. Super approachable, and extremely appreciative of the people who care about their music, there are few bands I could think of as deserving of success as The Flatliners.

So there you have it, but don't take my lengthy word for it, get on it and check them the fuck out!

(All pictures courtesy of myself, so if you're gonna use them give credit where credit's due!)

Soundtrack to Brocade

Working on a pretty elaborate and totally rad Haute Couture Textiles design... one of these days I'll start posting pics of my work...
But! It's been a while since I posted, and since I have nothing else better to talk about (plus I'm mostly trying to finish this damn thing so I can go to bed!), I figured I will provide you with tonight's playlist!

1) Tom Gabel - Harsh Realms
2) Tom Gabel - Random Hearts
3) Tom Gabel - I Can't See You, But I Know You're There
4) Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Mirai no Kakera
5) The Flatliners- These Words Are Bullets
6) Memoirs of A Geisha Soundtrack - The Chairman's Waltz
7) None More Black- Majestic
8) Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Cheated Hearts
9) Danzig- Sistinas
10) The Cheats- Springheeled Jack
11) The Flatliners- Mastering The World's Smallest Violin
12) SoundCity Hooligans- 1984
13) David Bowie- Let's Dance
14) Talking Heads- Psycho Killer
15) NOFX- Leave It Alone
16) Angel City Outcasts - Ten After Midnight

And Yay! I'm Finished my rendering! And it's only 10 after midnight! That's really strange that also happens to be the last song I listened to! Now it's time to do the write up and call it a night!
Bed sounds great right now.

Music always inspires me, and it's also my favorite when I'm working and totally in a zone, and I have a good background noise going. This band is AWESOME. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy and creative. They have so many good songs, but this one actually has a music video to go with it.


Finally have my first assignment to actually make a garment! I will be making a skirt. Working with 5 other classmates I have to take inspiration from different pattern trends. The fun part is, all our skirts are going to be different, but as in a line, there will be cohesive elements. It's exciting, but very intimidating! Doing my research, adjectives that come to mind are: "Bold", "Young", "Bright", "Fearless". Lots of florals, geometrics, and abstract/psychedelic patterns. Should be fun! Check out this fun design by Vivienne Westwood:
This chick just looks bad ass!