Gotham Gal

The Lumineers

We went to see the Lumineers this past week. Definitely one of my favorite bands last year. They are great in concert. What was interesting about the audience is that more than half of the audience was women. When they played their song "Ho-Hey" it was obvious that every woman in the audience knew the lyrics. The chorus goes like this:

I BELONG WITH YOU, YOU BELONG WITH ME YOU’RE MY SWEETHEART I BELONG WITH YOU, YOU BELONG WITH ME YOU’RE MY SWEET

I might be stretching out on a limb here because there is no doubt that every generation has its own set of issues. I am the first to champion more women entrepreneurs and more women at the top but that group of women at the concert want what people have wanted for generations which is someone to be with that they can call their home.

I just finished watching the entire season of Girls and am completely up to date with season 2. A brilliant show on many levels. First of all is brings anyone who isn't their age (early 20's) back to that age but quick. The path of finding yourself in your 20's, the relationships you have, the sex that is a way of connecting but not really connecting, the time in your life where you are really selfish, what is means to be a good friend and a bad friend, the difficulty of just growing up.

As I watched all those women sing out the love ballads that the Lumineers sing about it just made me think about how far we have come yet how things in many ways just the stay the same. There is something to be said for that one on one connection and my guess is there always will be...just saying.

Week/Weekend Wrap-up

What a week.  We are in flood mode but I have gotten over it.  Thank god for the Moon Group.  In all transparency I am a partner in this business but regardless they are my savior.  If you don't believe you can finish a project on  time and on budget then you have never worked with this group.  Not only are they beyond competent, they are a pleasure to work with.  Two of the women I am working with (daily at this point) brought over this incredible basket this week.  Made with loving hands and divine. 

We went to see the Black Keys on Monday night at Webster Hall.  A supposed "secret" concert.  Love that they played in a such a small venue.  Great music.  I love that only two musicians, a drummer and a guitarist, can put out such great music.

Tuesday morning I had the pleasure of having a breakfast of champions with Courtney Boyd Myers.  She wrote up our conversation on The Next Web.  You can read it right here.

Thursday we went out to Brooklyn to have dinner with Kirk Love and his lovely wife at Betto.  Dinner at Betto and then Alabama Shakes at Brooklyn Bowl.  You can listen to the Alabama Shakes on Soundcloud  Their first LP comes out in April.  Brittany Howard, the lead singer, has a set of pipes on her that reminds me of a young Aretha Franklin.  She seriously rocks. 

An epic meal with an amazing group of people at Fedora on Friday night.  Saturday we finally got uptown to the MOMA to see the DeKoonig exhibit.  My favorite span of his work was in the last 40's.  An incredible retrospective that ends on January 9th. 

Glad it is Sunday so I can regroup for the week ahead before taking off for the holidays.

 

 

 

last day at coachella 2011

The last day I went all out and got to the grounds around 330 to see Wiz Khalifa who might have been my favorite performance of the day.  I didn't stand in the crowd like Fred, Josh and his friend did.  I sat on the grass in the VIP section with a nice view and a glass of lemonade.  I was quite happy. 

My friend recommended I take pics of the outfits today.  Unfortunately I did not grab many of the outfits that really looked good.  For the women, there are the cut off-short denim shorts with flowy tops, there are the long flowy hippy dresses, lots of floppy hats and fedoras and boots with shorts. The men are wearing lots of tight shorts and pants with crisp tshirts or plaid button down short-sleeve shirts.  I think of the men as wearing the Mad Men look 2011.  There are also some really bad outfits too.  The fashion show is certainly set here.  I am just going to run through some looks and the days events.  Above is two very badly dressed hippy girls. 

Hanging out on the lawn

The plaid shirt

Really bad outfit and this woman is easily in her late 60s.  They must have just let her out of Woodstock.

A young Woodstock prodigy.

The groovy California look.

Two girls waiting for the taco truck. This is some of the standard looks here.

We had some ice cream.  Ice cream is certainly in these days.  Here you pick your ice cream and your cookies to create your own ice cream sandwich.  They were running low on supplies so creamsickle ice cream and red velvet cookies didn't exactly mix.

This is one of those moments you have to wonder if she looked in the mirror before leaving the house.

I like this.  The open back dress with the boots and the tattoo on her back.

Kogi truck was there daily.  Here is their short rib burrito.  Pretty damn good.

Boots and a short skirt

More boots and shorts

Tattoo central but you get the idea of the floppy hat.  It is the resurrection of the Carly Simon look. 

Lots of converse sneakers

Once again I made my way to the very front to watch the last two bands.  Honestly at 5'3" if I am not front row hanging over the fence, I can't see a damn thing.  My knees are still killing me from standing for so long.  Here are the Strokes.  I have seen them many times and my first time might have been the best.  A true NYC band, gritty and loud and they always come drunk to the party.

Kanye came in singing "can we get much higher" as he flew in over the crowds.

He gave quite a show with a large floor for him to dance on with ballerinas and a few other goodies.  He is really quite the man, what else can I say. 

We walked back after the long night, hopped the fence with our ladder still intact on the other side and back to the house to sleep for just a few hours before catching our flights back to NYC.  Coachella is an impressive music festival. 

 

saturday at coachella

The heat is really crazy.  You need to keep seriously hydrated.  The kids went back and forth to the festival earlier in the day but we opted for the later time period.  We got to the festival around 630 and started off with a little something to eat.  The lines were pretty long even in the VIP area.  I'd love to know how many 3 day VIP passes they sold. 

Here is the caramelized onion mushroom pizza.  Good but not great.  We lounged on the grass, ate our pizza and listened to Broken Social Scene. 


Next out was Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes.  I am a huge fan.  We went backstage but honestly except for the fact that it is not crowded the viewing isn't so great.  You are behind the stage so you really can't see the performances and because the speakers are pointing towards the audience, you can't hear that great either.  Here is my view.  We decided this was not the way to see the rest of the shows for the evening.

Mumford and Sons came out after Bright Eyes and we went up front and a little off to the side where it wasn't ridiculously crowded.  Although people were smashed trying to get into the area we were standing in.  You have to show your different wrist bands which lets the security know where you have access.  Mumford and Sons were fantastic.  Their voices, their songs...love.

Animal Collective was the next out.  We basically stood at the Coachella stage the whole time.  I like Animal Collective but don't love them.  I found my way back to the VIP area and hung out with Josh, Emily and their friends and Fred stayed front and center at the stage.  I saw Jessica back there too.  The texting situation is sub-par because their are so many people on their phones the entire network slows down so it isn't so seamless finding people. 

Arcade Fire was the band of the night coming on at 1120 and playing until 1am.  I had left Fred back in the front where we saw Mumford and Sons.  Josh and his friend finagled their way in there during Animal Collective.  Once Arcade Fire started I decided to get up there too.  Not so easy.  I had to smush myself through a throng of people trying to get past security.  Claustrophic would be the proper definition here.  Then once I got in I had to push my way by weaving and bobbing through the tight crowd all the way to the front.  People don't really love when people push them out of the way to get closer to the front.  I know, it is something I used to do when I was much younger and have not done in years but for some reason I felt compelled last night.  My last bob and weave was where Jessica was standing and when she saw me she laughed out loud.  I ended up spending the entire concert, off center, standing in the front row.  It was pretty damn awesome.  Arcade Fire is so good and they are so appreciative of their fans which puts them even higher up in my book.

They launched the balloons during their last song ( prior to their 3 song encore ), Wake Up, which is one of my faves.

Long day.  On the way back we took our new short cut where there is a ladder against a wall that goes into the development we are staying in.  We all hauled ourselves over the wall and to the ladder on the otherside.  A worthy shortcut taking about 20 minutes off our walk home.

 

The Decemberists

I have always been a fan of the Decemberists and their lastest record, the King Is Dead, is fantastic.  Serious air time at the Wilsons house.  We were invited to see them last night, last minute, at The Beacon.  Not a huge fan of the Beacon. 

The music was great, his voice is spectactular...and he is funny which makes for an engaging concert.  Although we had great seats, here is what happens when huge people stand in front of me.  For a shorty, it is really difficult to see.  This drives me insane. 

 

Top 10 Music List of 2010

At one point it was Top 10 records, then it became Top 10 CDs and now it has to be Top Ten Music List because all our music is totally digital.  I am pretty sure we have not bought a physical CD this entire year.  Doesn’t mean we aren’t paying the artists because we are through Amazon or other locations but in pure download form.

Over the years, I have found myself just going with the flow of what everyone is listening to in the house.  I used to be the music maven but not I admit, I am now basically the follower in the house.  With last.fm it is pretty easy as well as seeing what is in the Sonos queue in the morning. 

These aren’t really in any specific order.  My list isn't so different from Fred's.  No surprises there although he actually remembers the names where I need the queue.  Never have been good at names.  I stopped my music list on my blog because it is always changing and I never kept it up.  I will just stick with the top 10 at the end of the year.  Here goes. 

The National, High Violet.  I have always loved the National.  I might have played this continuously for weeks on end when it first came out. 

Kings of Leon, Come Around Sundown.  This might have been my other obsessive album this year.  Couldn't get enough.  Have always been a fan of KOL but I felt like in this particular album they really grew. 

The Suburbs, Arcade Fire.  You can't help but love this band.  They are just brilliant.

Sir Lucious Big Foot, Big Boi.  I really got into hip hop this year.  This was an instant classic in our house.

Teen Dream, Beach House.  Dreamy music.  I didn't love them as much live but I love them anyway.

Down By the Way, Angus and Julia Stone.  Fred played this for me one morning and said I'd like it.  I have been stuck on it every since.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasty, Kayne West.  What can I say?  One listen and I was hooked. 

The Lady Killer, Cee-Lo Green.  Masterful R & B, soul and funk all mixed into one. 

Brothers, Black Keys.  Heavy rotation in the Wilson house

Gorilla Manor, Local Natives.  Really got into them after ACL.  Looking for more from this band.

That's the list.  Not that different than Fred's.  I also love when Josh makes me a mix in the morning.  More one hits from a variety of artists.  Have to say I do love that song Black and Yellow by Wiz Kahlifa which I thank both Josh and Emily to turning me on to.  Even got into Drake for a bit.  What can I say?

Looking forward to some new tunes in 2011. 

 

thanksgiving weekend

we were supposed to go to los angeles for thanskgiving to be with my brother and his family.  things didn't turn out that way. instead they had to come to us.  it has been a whirlwind the past few weeks for a variety of personal reasons and getting through the day has been an achievement. my niece made this turkey to celebrate the day. 

wednesday evening the gang came over for dinner and we picked up fried chicken from hill country.  really juicy and seriously crispy skin.  didn't love it.  what can i say?  if i am going to have fried chicken i want it just perfect. the sides are small so if you are thinking of a group, order lots of larges. 

thursday was a day of cooking.  began with the stuffing.  it is all about the stuffing, isn't it?  my stuffing is pretty basic and i believe the family would kill me if i ever made something different. 

4 sweet onions chopped, 3 heads of celery ( stalks chopped ), 1 stick of unsalted butter.  melt the butter in a large pan and toss in the onions and celery and saute until soft.  two loaves of challah and two loaves of Arnolds white bread.  toasted in the broiler.  cut into cubes.  mix together the sauteed onions and celery with the bread.  also toss in warm chicken stock, about 2 cups.  also six eggs beaten.  the liquid part ( chicken stock and eggs ) should be added slowly as you don't want the stuffing to get too soft.  Might use less chicken stock one year and more the following.  season with salt and pepper.  if you have too much and it doesn't all fit in the bird, put the rest in a casserole dish and bake at 350 until warm. 

dinner was good and every stuffed themselves silly like all good people do on thanskgiving.  so american.  sides were pan fried brussels sprouts and roasted slices of peeled acorn squash with pumpkin oil drizzled over the top and some pumpkin seeds and pomegranite seeds tossed on top for good measure.  i made gravy too and it actually came out good.  never been great at making gravy.  decided it is all about the roux. the cranberry pear chutney is there too. 

friday morning i was dead to the world.  i think the last few weeks finally took its toll.  i could not move from the couch and watched three movies and never got out of my pajamas.  saturday i finally mustered up the energy to take a shower mid-day and went out with emily up to barneys for a little retail therapy.  loved the windows.  ina garten is really one of my all time favorites.

went to see tiny furniture in the evening with fred.  an interesting slice of life film.  first time movie maker, leah dunham.  won many film festival awards.  a young woman comes home after graduating from college and we watch her try to figure out her life while navigating the world of living under your parents roof again.  not an easy time.  we walked over to jeffreys grocery for dinner.  the place was hopping.  everything was delicious but the banana bread pudding was a killer.  we were going to go out to park slope to see ben kweller play but i honestly didn't think i could make it.  i do love ben.  next time.

sunday came sooner than i'd like.  finished the book, the writing circle by corrine demas.  hated the ending and wanted to much more from the book- alas.  see the sweet tea in the background.  we became addicted to the stuff after austin city limits.

last and certainly not least.  i am feeling semi-normal again and because i was home so much i got to spend a lot of time with ollie this weekend.  i think he really appreciated the company. 

ready for monday. 

a day in austin before the festival

We opted to spend some time in Austin yesterday before getting out to the festival.  Lots of bands we wanted to see but we have seen so many of them that getting out there later just seemed like the better thing to do.  Fred and I got up and went to Halycon for breakfast.  Good food and really good coffee.  Think we might return for breakfast there today. 

Then we made our way up South Congress until we found a space and parked.  Our first outing had to be at Allen's.  Not sure you could find a store like Allen's anywhere else but Texas.  Filled with Stetsons and boots.  Josh and Max tried on some hats.  This might be my favorite picture of the entire trip. 

Our next stop next door was the costume shop.  You can rent or buy.  They take their costumes really seriously here.  Very organized and loaded to the gills.  Emily got a princess costume for Halloween, tiara and gloves...the whole works.  Josh tried on a gorilla costume which was hilarious but no pics.  Totally get it.  People would just run around and try on stuff while their friends took pictures. At this point Josh, Max and Fred went back to the hotel to watch some football while the girls marched onward.

Next to that is a store called Unusual Objects.  You could easily spend hours in here.  A mixture of, well, unusual objects.  25 vendors who have come together under one roof.  Vintage and funky.  We loved this store.  This guy was hanging out in front of the store making jewelry.  Been here since 1976.

We went across the street to check out the flea market that also had a few food trucks.  Food trucks are huge here.  The Mighty Cone was also out at the fair grounds. 

We all split one cone.  Hot and crunchy shrimp and avacado cone.  Deep fried and crispy piece of shrimp and avacado rolled up in a tortilla with cole slaw and a spicy sauce on top.  Yum. 

Continued onward and stopped by Cutie Pie.  Loved how designed their truck.  Small pies. 

Luckily we got to taste and didn't need to purchase a whole one.  Buttermilk was really good but the mixed berry was amazing.

The Candy Shop is like something from out of another era.  The smell of chocolate and candies hits you the minute you open the door.  There have a lot of candies in there that are from years ago that are not easy to find. 

Down the block is Fran's Burgers.  Talk about stepping back in time. 

We split a cheeseburger.  Good fast food basically.

These adorable girls were selling lemonade for Haiti along with rocks that are carved in Haiti to raise money.  Had to support their cause.

The street is filled with parking lots that have more food buses and flea market wares. 

Amy's is the ice cream to get when you are in Austin.  It reminds me of Steve's in Boston.  The original mix-in with homemade ice cream.

We had a small cup of Mexican vanilla mixed with strawberries.  Wow.

Last two shops were Turqoise Door.  And Blackmail.  This sign in the store might easily be hanging out in my closet at home.

Out to the festival.  A bottle of wine to enjoy the last show.  I love how they sell this.  We sat on the lawn and just listened to the closing show of Norah Jones.  We saw the Flaming Lips, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros earlier in the day.  I would have done the National for my last show but Emily and Lizzie wanted to chill to Norah.  I've seen the National a few times so I went with them. 

It was a great way to end the 3 days at ACL. 

 

Austin City Limits - Day 1

We flew into Austin yesterday morning.  Instead of doing go the hotel when we landed, we drove to Lockhart Texas...land of BBQ.  There are literally 4-5 barbeque places there.  We did attempt to pace ourselves but after two, we all rolled back to Austin. 

We began with Black's.  Oldest family owned BBQ place in the state.  85 years and running.  They serve up some amazing bbq from a smoker that has been around for 85 years.  It is an impressive place and we even got the backroom tour. 

You begin in line almost like a school cafeteria.  Sides are abundant.  Since I was working on pacing myself I only went with cole slaw and pickles but managed to try everyone else's sides when we sat down.  Really good cole slaw.

I picked up some brisket and baby back ribs.  The brisket was unbelievable.  Falling apart and full of flavor.  The baby backs were good too but the brisket ruled.

Josh got the beef rib which was different.  Falling off the bone.  Had a chance to try the chicken and regular pork ribs too.  You really can not go wrong.  BTW, Black's ships all over the country. 

This is where the food goes before they serve it out to the customers.  That man is the third generation of Blacks.

This is the wood board for chopping up the meat.  Been in the family for 50 years.  It is no longer a flat surface.

This is where they smoke the food.  A huge smoker with the handmade sausages carefully hanging on the side.

Underneath is where the wood is put for fire.  Runs 24/7. 


Special wood that has been aged for about a year.  Top notch BBQ. 

We then drove the 3 minutes over to Kreuz.  A new joint compared to Blacks.  The building they are in was stablished 1999.  A large dining hall where they only serve spoons and knives.

There is one dining room and one smoker room where you buy your meat.  The smoker room is huge.  Similar smokers compared to Blacks just more and newer. 

We had sausages, brisket and prime rib.  Brisket was much better at Black's but the prime rib was really good.  Something that I never thought of smoking.  Excellent sausages.  Germany style.  We sat next to a family that looked like it had bought a side of beef and they got a loaf of white bread and just went to town.  Classic.

Back to Austin and over to the festival.  We have back stage passes.  It isn't so easy.  You get to the back area of the stage way in advance and they let 30-50 people up on the side areas of the stage.  Not a slam dunk by any stretch of the imagination.  Personally at this point of my life standing in a crowd with thousands of people is just not my thing.  Luckily I got up on the stage for Spoon.

I got up there for the Strokes too.  This shot gives you can idea of what my birds eye view is.  The people across from me are looking at me. 

Back to the hotel for a quick change and out to dins.  Nothing there to write about.  More on Austin later.

 

 

L'Shana Tova

Today marks the Jewish New Year.  La Shana Tova means for a good year.  Certainly sitting in shul is not an entertaining activity but for some very odd reason as I get older I actually enjoy the experience.  It is comforting and familiar.  A ritual.  My kids want to kill themselves but I felt the exact same way at their age. 

Our incredibly liberal temple is always entertaining and for some reason today reached new heights.  We arrived late and grabbed a few seats in the back.  Our friend, who blows the shofar every year and is one of the founders of the temple, asked me if I had a blackberry she could borrow.  I gave her mine.  It turned out that she was having a moment where she wasn't quite sure that she remembered the order of sounds.  A total senior moment and I loved that she ran to the back of the temple to check on line.  Loved the whole exchange.

Then the entire congregation listened to a recording of Leonard Cohen singing Tower of Song.  Our rabbi discussed the importance of community.  Different communities that exist, how it isn't always easy to bring something to the community and what exactly do you bring to it.  He felt that the song represented how Cohen who was raised in a orthodox community in Montreal was part of the Tower of Song community.  He had to pay his rent yet still figure out how to be part of the experience.  Conversation was abundant and mostly challenging but certainly made for an interesting service.  Ending this part of the service with the cantor singing Leonard Cohen's song Hallelujah was classic. 

We had lunch with four other couples who we know from other communities including the temple.  All and all it was a very communal day.  So to everyone, L'Shana Tova!

TOWER OF SONG

Well my friends are gone and my hair is gray
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I'm just paying my rent every day in the tower of song

I said to Hank Williams, "How lonely does it get?"
Hank Williams hasn't answered yet
But I hear him coughing all night long
Oh, a hundred floors above me in the tower of song

I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice
And twenty-seven angels from the great beyond
They tied me to this table right here in the tower of song

So you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll
I'm very sorry, baby, doesn't look like me at all
I'm standing by the window where the light is strong
Ah they don't let a woman kill you not in the tower of song

Now you can say that I've grown bitter but of this you may be sure
The rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor
And there's a mighty judgment coming, but I may be wrong
You see, you hear these funny voices in the tower of song

I see you standing on the other side
I don't know how the river got so wide
I loved you baby, way back when
And all the bridges are burning that we might have crossed
But I feel so close to everything that we lost
We'll never, we'll never have to lose it again

Now I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'll be back
They're moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track
But you'll be hearing from me baby, long after I'm gone
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window in the tower of song

Yeah, my friends are gone and my head is gray
I ache in the places where I used to play
And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on
I'm just paying my rent every day in the tower of son