Saying farewell

This is the most to-do I've ever done before moving.  It started at our going-away shindig in mid-April and culminated last night at the Long Branch, one of my favorite non-fussy bars in Austin--and also where I happened to first meet Conner and Dan.  I think Conner summed up how we both feel the best: "I feel like I been et by wild dogs and then pooped off of a cliff." 

The boys want to leave tonight and drive up to Colorado.  We all have our own cars to drive which leaves no opportunity for trading off sleeping/driving stints.  They're experienced in the art of night driving but I'm not.  The best method I know of making sure to stay awake is to load up on Atomic Fireball candy and listen to Spice Girls.  Laugh if you must, but they're peppy enough and I know the words enough to get energized by belting out "Wannabe" or maybe "Spice Up Your Life".

The last time I left for an extended vacation we all got the makings for White Russians and tried to watch The Big Lebowski.  I confess that I've never actually seen the film's ending.  I've tried multiple times but can never make it all the way through...mainly because of getting into the movie a little too well (ie. White Russian drinking games) and typically fall asleep about half way through.  The next day when my flight left I was aching something fierce, and traveling severely hung-over sucks.  When my flight out of Austin was delayed and thus making me miss my connecting flight to London and then Spain, I kind of lost it in a very ungraceful, tear stained way in the teriminal.  It was plain embarrassing.  I'd like to think that had I not been feeling so wretched, I'd have kept it all together a bit better but who knows. 

I sincerely hope none of that happens when we embark tonight with Scary and Posh Spice in tow. 

True Theme Song

I know we're late to the game--by three seasons already--but Conner and I got sucked into watching the first season of the HBO vampire series, True Blood.   I've talked with several people and the consensus seems to be that the southern accents are atrocious and that's what's stopped them from watching it past the first couple episodes.  I quite like the sexy vampire series for the most part, but what absolutely love about it is the opening credits...stunning.  The song also gets easily stuck in my head.

True Blood from Matthew Triolo on Vimeo.

Feeling Anxious

We leave Austin in 2 days.  I seem to have had a minor freak-out session in increments of 2.  At 2 months I worried about where we were going to shower and do laundry.  At 2 weeks I stressed about how we were going to make money and survive on the road for an entire year without killing each other.  Now it's down to 2 days and I'm concerned about being bored.

I usually have multiple jobs, several projects, and lots of social time going on at once.  The hectic lifestyle energizes me instead of feeling overwhelming; being still is something I have to consciously work on.  When Conner and I met up in Greece this past summer after Kat and I had gone on a two month cycling trip through Europe, he was perfectly content to relax all day at the beach.  This was Greece with some of the best beaches ever!  I tried really hard to do the same but I kept getting antsy and requiring that we scale the rocky coastline like goats or hiking up the service road to the top of the island to find--absolutely nothing.  But it was the pure physical activity of it all that kept my sanity in check...which is why we're all bringing our bicycles and I'm bringing running shoes. 

Thanks!

We had our going away/gas money fundraiser last Friday at the United States Art Authority.  It turned out wonderfully and we really couldn't have done it without the help of so many people.  We've got a little shout-out page on the other blog since there are so many great individuals helping us along the way.  Thank you guys!

We had four amazing bands:
*Sour Notes
*Hot Dog Honky Tonk
*Finn Brothers & Co.
*Ich Ni San Chi

And a really gorgeous art auction with pieces by:
*Emily Mitchell
*Malia Moss
*Myrna Zolezzi
*Daniel Johnston

And an interactive lite-bright animation station headed by Scott Brackett.

Gatsby Summer Afternoon

Hello fabulous!

I just read about the annual Gatsby Summer Afternoon festival in San Francisco. Who knew such a thing existed? I would absolutely love to attend this one year. This was the 26th year they've put on this shin-dig; every September 13th.
Via Dandyism.net

Ahh! There is an Art Deco Society of California! How freaking fabulous is that? Oh say no more, my heart has melted.

Animated Lite-Brites

Our friend Scott of Brackett & Co. animated this video out of footage he shot at our going-away party and at home.  Awesome!

The Car In The Works

This is the car that we'll be taking on the road-a 1954 Chevy.  There's a whole back story to this car; it's been in the Finn family for 30 years or so and Conner's going to write up a post with the whole Chevy saga soon.  Conner and Dan's older brother Josh is reworking the whole thing so it won't fall apart on us.  He sent over a couple photos... 

I'm Not With The Band

I’m not in a band.

Nor am I With The Band, although I did finally read the book after tracking the out-of-print book down three states away at the Northeastern University library.  After seeing Pamela Des Barres, original Plaster Caster groupie, interviewed on VH1, I had to read it.  I have also read Peggy Boyd’s Wonderful Tonight about George Harrison and Eric Clapton, Suze Rotolo’s A Freewheeling Time: A Memoir of Greenwhich Village In The Sixties about Bob Dylan, and Marianne Faithful’s Faithful: A Memoir about all of the Rolling Stones.  I got on a kick of reading memoirs by rock star’s ex-girlfriends for a while, until I ran out of them.  The one I really want to read hasn’t been written yet, but one day she will and I’ll be first in line.  Betty Davis will one day write her autobiography about being a total badass in New York City in the 1970’s, being married to Miles Davis, getting divorced on account of an affair with Jimi Hendrix, and then beginning her own controversial career in the funk world.  It’ll be great, once she writes it.

Jazz On A Summer's Day

I'm on a video kick right now...

I love the way Jazz On A Summer's Day was filmed. It looks amazing, beautiful cinematography with a slightly avant-garde way of filming (focusing on a close-up of the patterns on the water, the sails on the ships, etc). I also love how much time they spend filming the crowd. The fashions of 1958 rock my boat--the sunglasses, need I say more?

Jazz On A Summer's Day.

You can watch the whole thing for free here.

I simply adore this movie and have already seen it twice.  This clip of Anita O'Day doing a version of "Sweet Georgia Brown" is my favorite.

Ramona Falls

Ramona Falls "I Say Fever" from Barsuk Records on Vimeo.

Ramona Falls "I Say Fever"

Brent Knof's solo project away from Menomena. Directed by Stefan Nadelman.

Logorama

Logorama from Marc Altshuler - Human Music on Vimeo.

This raw-edged short film opened the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and won the 2010 Academy Award for animated short. 

Send-Off Shindig!

We're throwing a send-off party!
All are invited--the more, the merrier!