GIRLS at the Swedish American Music Hall=FABULOUS

So last Friday was my lucky day:  I bought a sweet my-size bike (with a kryptonite lock) for $30, went to lunch with a good friend, spent the entire afternoon at the De Young Museum, reading and drinking coffee (and later beer) at the Bean Bag Cafe, and THEN, my boss gave me her guest list tickets to see GIRLS at the Swedish American Music Hall last Friday.

The door person definitely gave me a hard time, but we still got in.  The Swedish American Music Hall is the kind of place you want to eat meatballs in, or at least that is how I felt.  Just sit down on picnic tables and have that kind of hearty, homemade meal.  It is like a community center where you expect to see a recital, not a band perform.

 

The performance was super intimate, like we had walked into someone else’s living room, where a bunch of friends (who happen to all play instruments) were having a communal jam.  This saved the melodrama from being too ridiculous, that and also the fact that Christopher Owens IS melodrama, and who wouldn’t be if he/she were raised in a cult?

I couldn’t help but look on his myspace for an ‘about me’ that could really illustrate this, and look I found it:

Confused, frustrated, manic, depressed, head like a hole, black as your soul, i’d rather die then give you control.

But really, although his lyrics, voice, and the way he kind of folded his body over and into his guitar on poignant chords all made me want to hold some one’s hand or throw up or be depressed, they sounded fantastic.

so give them a listen!!!

Substance

Laura

Lust For Life

Broken Dreams Club

BUY THE ALBUM

GIRLS on myspace

Fashion Fun at the Fort Mason Center

On Sunday I went to  THREAD San Francisco at the Fort Mason Center.  My friend and I were supposed to go together, but he had a change of plans, so I hopped on the 22 and made my way out on a beautiful sunny day (well, after the clouds cleared).  When I arrived there was a little fashion show going on.  There were tons of exhibitors– independent designers of clothing, jewelry and other accessories.

I was mostly into the jewelry as most of the clothing was either too DIY or literally had Forever Twenty One (or some other similar brand) tags.  There were some nice lines, but nothing really that interesting.
As for jewelery, I thought Gabriel Colaluca’s pieces were pretty stellar, particularly his hand-crafted bracelets made form spoons.  You can purchase his work at SFGallery123.

I found these tees designed by mother-daughter duo Two Martini Minimum to be super cute and wearable.

I loved the feather accessories by Sweet Evie.

And my favorite pieces were by Adrienne Lee Wiley for her line Frolick Jewelry.  You can buy her pieces at Covet (391 Arguello Blvd. @ Clement St., in the Inner Richmond).  I couldn’t help myself and bought a couple pieces from her.

All of the designers and artists I talked to were really inspiring.  It was great to support their work and get a glimpse of what is out there.  Overall, besides the notables that I just posted, I was pretty underwhelmed, which is kind of good because it means there is still a lot of room for new designers.

Oh I cannot wait to get my sewing machine out here!!!

I am kind of fascinated by crosswalks

my new bike

once I clean off the rust and give her a tune up, she will be even more fabulous

so great

done

Gut Feelings by Colby Claycomb

want to see this and the rest of the exhibit?

RAW
An Exhibition of new Bay Area sculpture and installtion, curated by local artist and curator John K. Melvin.

Exhibition Dates: November 11 – December 5, 2009
New Gallery Hours: Wednesdays – Saturdays, 2-6 pm (or by appointment)

showing at

ROOT DIVISION GALLERY
3175 17th Street (at S. Van Ness)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.863.766

sf wanderings

on my way to the library

on my way to Zeitgeist

on my way home

on my way to eat potato naan

on the F

still on the F

watching chess

watching the f

buy this shirt

RIDE A BIKE,

then buy a shirt

http://www.etsy.com/shop/happyland2007

random gallery visits

On my wanderings back from Noe Valley (my soon to be home!) I decided to do some gallery visits.  I actually had a route all planned, but due to my tendency to wander (in the wrong direction) I ended up at two galleries not even on my list.

First stop, Art Zone 461 Gallery which is currently showing William Wolff ‘A Printmaker’s Odyssey’ (Oct 24-Nov 29) and Six Centuries of Printmaking ‘Part I: 1500s to 1700s’.

Bill & Toni Brown (double portrait) ,1976, color woodcut, 15 1/2” x 22 1/2”

I was super excited that they were showing a printmaker! And all woodcuts!  The Six Centuries of Printmaking exhibit was okay–nice pieces but no didactics, which just bugs me be.  Lots of cool info. on printmaking on display and plenty of actual double-sided matrices for Wolff’s woodcuts (and for sale), which was super awesome.

My thoughts/Notables:

~Two Figures

~Angee Flying with Laurel: one-color maroon angel that I loved

~Bill & Tony Brown: (above) 2-color yellow and black; the faces remind me of the the press part of a mood ring

~City: geometric shape randomness of city, earth and sky

~Il Capitano: bandana mask and jagged grin, two black gloved hands excusing his obvious recent cause of mischief

~The Red Roof: 6-color fun

~Caliban (with arms raised): red profile facing upward with arms raised against unstoppable gravity

~Embracing Couple (in red): swirls of intertwined unconditional love -or- unspoken pain

~Amantes Series: Embrace 1: brown and black 2-color, kissing couple legs and arms heaved up in a passionate ‘embrace’

My favorite:

~Amantes Series: Lovers Embrace: serene blue and gray/black perfect expression of intimacy

Don’t miss the pieces above the front entryway office cubicle over the window!

Art Zone 461 Gallery

461 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94103

Wed-Sun 12-6pm

Then I ducked into the Jack Hanley Gallery where Bjorn Copeland is showing (Nov 7 – Dec 5).

Dolphin Cycle, 2009 found object assembly 24 x 11 x 6

My thoughts/Notables:

~reconstructed ‘For Sale’ -ish signs and posters

~garage sale constructions

~recycling and fruit

~record player: Caspar head, wax gorilla, bottlecap sculpture and black & white cube design on toilet paper roll all spinning in silent harmony

~fabric collage and record and lady bug = BLAH

~ fried egg, multi-colored birth control, and covered penis

~Pabst Blue Ribbon de/reconstructed vinyl collage

~sculpture pushed by record player contraption

~(above) piñata animal, shampoo centipede, yarn vase (for grass) and orgasmic mountain (+orange)

 

This excerpt (from the press release) explains a lot

The sculptures and works on paper included in the exhibit are the products of accumulated, found
detritus and debris, collected over the last few years along the artist’s route to his studio.  By
surrounding himself with large amounts of stimuli (trash), Copeland creates a studio environment
for filtering and soaking up information.  Decisions that were made by the original designer of the,
now discarded, products or product packaging that he collects, become the starting point for
Copeland’s assemblages and collages.  These works, in turn, begin to inform and dictate the
outcome of the next pieces he produces.  With one idea based on the last, an alternate version of
the environment that the work was drawn from is presented.

Jack Hanley Gallery

395 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94103

*someone please make a wikipedia page for William Wolff and Bjorn Copeland because I cannot find one for either, and that is odd.

i live here sf

nice blog :

i live here sf

 

(thanks Oscar)

first day back

drive drive drive

how am I STILL over the weight limit?

last time for paradise bakery

plane ride=wooden roller coaster, but slower and better views

bart bart bart

no fog yay!

sunny and almost hot

passed by Fruitvale, excited for vintage/garage sale in warehouse–when is that again?

in the city= ladie’s brunch (Thanks Nina and Oscar!)

super sweet tourist views from the roof (Lombard st., gg bridge, alcatraz, towers, etc.)

yummy home-made scones

bus/muni (how nice is public transportation?!)

looking at room in a house to sublet (can you beat $500/mo. in sf?!)

I love people from Mexico city!

forgetting to eat dinner

drinks at the makeout room/getting out of paying a cover

making out at the makeout room

walk walk walk

ring ring ring let me in!

watching Bridget Jone’s Diary

sleep