Block Party!

Santa Barbara had a little block party last weekend, thanks to the New Noise Festival. They closed off Arlington and set up a stage right smack in the middle of the street. Howlin' Woods was playing when I got there and hot damn,  it was a whole lot of fun. 

Dear Santa Barbara: 

More block parties please. 

Thank you,

Meghan

Gardens & Villa

Cara Robbins/ Brooks Institute

The hottest thing in Santa Barbara right now, other than the burning itch of my poison oak, is a band called Gardens & Villa. Their sexy little glam synth-pop asses have created quite buzz around town, and they put on a hell of a show last week at Soho. 

Check out this video of their song Orange Blossom, which is playing on repeat here at Blog Headquarters:

Yes, the singer Chris is playing the flute.

You can buy their 7" EP here or at The French Press if you're in Santa Barbara. Up until recently, keyboardist Adam would have been making your skinny decaf latte, but he's on the other side of the bar now, as it were. You can still catch band members milling around in there and awkwardly stare at them and deliberate about whether or not you should tell them that you're their biggest fan, you know, if you're lucky. Not that that happened to me today.

Check out their Myspace page for tour details, and go see them before they get too big. And be sure to thank Aunt Meggy when you get bragging rights amongst your friends about discovering them. 

Warbler Records and Goods

Just when I thought I might vomit if I saw another hot mom in designer sunglasses climbing into a Range Rover, Santa Barbara got a visit from the Hip Fairy. Can I get a praise Jesus?

Kurt Legler and Leigh Van Der Werff (sometimes I am compelled to repeat her last name out loud with various accents) have opened up shop at 131 East de la Guerra, in downtown Santa Barbara, and they have given us Warbler Records & Goods.  Can you hear meeeeee I said PRAISE JEEEEESUUUUUS. We've been listening to Solomon Burke, sorry.

I think there might be one other record store in town, but there are always pubescent boys with piercings and unwashed hair milling around in there, and I'm really just not vibing out on their energy.

Do you know where I do vibe out on the energy? Warbler. Do you know why? Because Kurt and Leigh have created a beautifully designed space that, coupled with their friendliness and complete lack of record-snob condescension, invites you in and holds you there like the warm, soft womb of The Mother Goddess. Sorry i'm reading The Mists of Avalon.

I am telling you. Andrew and I stopped in one morning when we were walking back from Farmer's Market just to check it out, and now it's a regular stop on the Saturday Morning Schedule. We don't even have a record player yet, but it's just really fun to hang out there. And don't get me started, (don't even get me started) on their dog Edgar. 

Leigh and Kurt have amassed an excellent variety of new and used records, cds and record players which constantly grows. They also carry letterpress stationary, jewelry,  t-shirts-- all sorts of other great gifty stuff. Just in time for the holidays! Shop local, duh.

The Grand Opening Celebration is this Saturday, Nov. 13 from 4-7, featuring the band  Watercolor Paintings, guest DJ's and drinks... and of course I'll be there,  so you should be too.

Thank you Kurt and Leigh for bringing a little flavor to town. We hope you like it here because we need you. See you Saturday!

Kurt, Leigh and Edgar. 

Finding Rock Here: The Mother Hips

When I was a meek, dorky 9th grader, I used to sit in Dr. Littlefield's class (desks in a circle of course, this is California) and stare at Keith Nietupski. I don't know what it was about him-- it wasn't that I had a crush, necessarily, it was more that I thought he was cool, and clearly he thought he was cool, and I really wanted him to think I was cool, but he didn't. He frequently wore a shirt that said "The Mother Hips" on it, and I didn't know what that was, but I would always kind of nod my head knowingly and say "yeah, the Mother Hips", to which he would give me that blank high-school-boy look that meant "I can't even muster the enthusiasm to look at you disdainfully, but if I could, I would be looking at you disdainfully right now" and then would walk away.

I don't know why I remembered Keith and his shirt through the years, but it set off a chain of events that has a lot of meaning in my life, and I thank him for that.

If it weren't for his shirt, I would not have seen the band's name in the paper, grabbed some of my college friends at UCSB and then stood on a chair at Soho in 2003 with my mouth agape at the magical rock power that was unfolding in front of me. They sounded like this:

A few years later after moving back to Santa Barbara,  I wouldn't have gone to see Tim Bluhm play solo at the same venue and been deeply affected by his voice and his songs.  I bought  his album California Way, and I don't really have words for the way that it moved and inspired me. All I can say is I still get that weird tight feeling in my chest, like my heart is actually aching, every time I put the album on and hear the opening lines "Steinbeck's eden is dry and dusty..."

If Keith hadn't worn that shirt, I never would have learned about The High Sierra Singer-Songwriter trip, where Tim  and Steve Poltz take ten or so people to the wilderness for four days and hang out and write songs. That trip changed my life in ways too numerous to list here. But it looked like this:

I came back from that trip so inspired that I recorded an album! Please buy it.

I made very good friends on the trip. And then I made more good friends because of the trip.

I also got to know  Ms. Nicki Bluhm, who is now my favorite singer. She is the real deal, and she inspires me to get my shit together. I want to be just like her. She and her band the Gramblers are coming out with a new album soon, and I'm counting down the days. Their song Jetplane gets stuck in my head and I never mind at all.  I will watch this video 100 times a day until the album is released.

So if you want your life to change too, come to Soho tonight and see The Mother Hips play. Or, The Whale opens. I'll be in the front, come find me.

My Imaginary Road Trip

This has been the coldest, grayest Santa Barbara summer I have ever known. I would love nothing more

than to throw my ennui to the wind and fog and drive my imaginary 1966 Thunderbird convertible to the desert to warm my bones and lift my spirits. But I have this yob, see, and while I would love nothing more than to shirk social mores and say "F.U.!" to being a  productive member of society, I really like to eat food and buy things, and to do that I need money, and to get money I need the yob. So I'm going to take us on a Full On Imaginary Desert Road Trip!


First things first, we have to make sure we look good, so lets get some killer Desert Road Trip threads from Sarah at Magnolia Family Vintage.

This poncho will look perfect on you.

I've been dying to get this romper.

We can take turns sharing this radical southwestern themed sweater!

 Are you ready to go? Hit play for some tunes, and let's ride!

We'll get to  Joshua Tree just in time for Sunset!

We can pull  into  Room 8 and channel the spirit of Gram Parsons

The Innkeepers Margo and Yvo will make sure we have a groovy time.

We'll roll out of bed and wander over to the Beatnik Cafe.  Sin City is playing on the jukebox! What does it mean?! Do you think he heard us from the other realm?

We can spend the day thrifting 
(photo Joel Carranza)

or checking out the crochet museum
(Joel Carranza)

or doing an impromptu photo shoot

We can hang out with this cute couple in their sick Westy!
(Photo: Kirsten Ellis)

It's been a long day of desert fun. Let's head to Pappy and Harriets for a beer and see who's playing tonight. Oh man, we lucked out! It's Dead Rock West, and they're playing my favorite song!

Next we'll  go to Tucson to visit Nick and January. I miss them.

We can shop here

and we can stalk Neko Case because she bought something from my company and I have her address now. Don't tell anyone!

 

God she's cool.

This is the best Imaginary Road Trip EVER! The open road makes me feel so FREE! This is what life is supposed to feel like.  I think we need to talk.

Oh my god, you're RIGHT! How could I forget that Leslie and the Badgers are coming to Muddy Waters on Sunday?

(Asa Gilmore)

Okay, well I guess we don't have to pull a Thelma and Louise after all. Let's turn this boat around and head west Friends! Thanks for coming along, and see you at Muddy Waters on Sunday, August 15 for Leslie and the Badgers.

Lets rest up after such a long trip. Sweet butterfly dreams! 
(Photo Jaqueline Rivera)




You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.  ~Mark Twain