Maybe I’m just a luddite, but I still treasure the tactile experience that accompanies listening to an album- pulling the vinyl/tape/cd out, pouring over the artwork and liner notes, dropping the needle, flipping the record/tape, etc., etc. I mean look at the packaging for Liars’ new album Sisterworld. It’s beautiful! Don’t you want to hold it?! Expand and collapse it like a slinky?! You can’t put your arms around an mp3!

Seriously though, I’ve come to expect nothing less than amazing when designed by Hand Held Heart.

And Sisterworld is out today!

Angus Andrew/CD packaging photos via Hand Held Heart’s photostream.

Releases like this are why Teenage Teardrops is one of my favorite labels of all time.

STATION FIRE, a full color 8 1/2 X 11 collage zine by Jenna and Cali. 40 pages, limited to 150 copies. Comes with an audio companion cassette compilation which was mostly recorded in one day on the hottest day of the year while the fire raged at its peak. Features exclusive songs from John Clavin, Michael Thornhill, Nick deWitt, David Scott Stone, Lucky Dragons, Infinite Body, Jenna and Cali and more. It is dedicated to the couple from Tujunga, who, though told to evacuate, decided to ride the fire out in their hot tub.

Hot dog! (And please note I’m utilizing the 1940’s interjection, not namedropping the gross-out meat by-product.)

Station Fire is available via the Teardrops Store.

… is a theme that has been (over?) done in fashion for some time now.  While I am not willing to subscribe to many of its incarnations (monkey fur coats?!!! thanks, but I’m not trying to wear the pelts of my distant cousins as outerwear), the aesthetic can be pretty marvelous and unexpected when brought to the realm of home accents.  Case in point:

Based on my experience staring longingly at samples sold in various neighborhood boutiques, I can vouch for their exquisite craftsmanship.  Light one up in your front hallway to make those unwelcome houseguests pee in their pants, or place next to the potpourri in your powder room so they won’t have to.

All images via DL & Company website; select items also available at Mercado in Silver Lake

Filmmaker Lance Bangs profiles Family and other super awesome LA people and places in his short documentary Family Portrait. Watching this makes me so fucking grateful (and proud!) to live in Los Angeles and be a part of such an amazing community. And yes, everyone really is this nice!

Dum Dum Girls’ debut full-length isn’t out until the end of the month, BUT if you act fast, you can grab one of only 400-ish cassettes compiling all their previous material. Yes, a CASSETTE!!! Entitled Blissed Out, it’s available from Art Fag Recordings. Now go! Hurry!

Totally awesome girl gang-esque pic via P-fork.

I really don’t know why I get so excited when Built by Wendy releases a new collection. It’s not like I can afford anything. Still, I can’t help looking/lusting at Wendy Mullin’s creations, and daydreaming about finding large sums of money on the ground. Here are some of my favs from Spring 2010:

All photos by Annabel Mehran via Built by Wendy

I have a zillion Frumpies songs in my head right now, thanks to all the old mixtapes I listened to while cleaning the apartment this afternoon. For the uninitiated, The Frumpies were Tobi, Kathi, and Billy from Bikini Kill + Molly from Bratmobile + (briefly) Michelle Mae from the Makeup. They released a slew of 7″s in the 90’s and a CD comp of all their singles called Frumpie One-Piece. (It has a panda on the cover and makes a totally awesome patch.)

Frumpies forever!

Do you ever hear about the awesome girls rock camps popping up all over the country and think, “Gosh, I wish those were around when I was a kid”? Well check this out!!!

To all Ladies, Women, Mothers, Maidens, Aunties, Godmothers, Grandmothers, and Grrrls…

Register now for Ladies Rock Camp where you get to
-LEARN AN INSTRUMENT
-START A BAND
-WRITE A SONG
-PERFORM LIVE
…all in three days! Food, movies, parties, performances, and other surprises make it a weekend not to be missed. No musical experience is necessary! This is a perfect chance to dust off an old guitar, pick up a microphone for the first time, or add a new drum beat to your repertoire.

Ladies Rock Camp (LRC) is a program of Bay Area Girls Rock Camp, an Oakland-based non-profit with a mission of empowering girls of all backgrounds through music creation and performance. It’s is an unforgettable weekend modeled after our Girls Rock Camp but for women of all ages. LRC is our biggest (and best) fundraiser of the year. All of the proceeds directly support Bay Area Girls Rock Camp’s programs for girls ages 8-18. By coming to LRC, you are supporting the next generation of women and girls while celebrating and empowering your own!

So here are the details:

LADIES ROCK CAMP 2010

Where: Oakland School for the Arts (OSA), housed inside the restored FOX Theater Complex in Oakland’s Uptown District; 530 18th St.; Oakland 94612.

When: April 9-11th, 2010.

For Whom: Women ages 19 – infinity, NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.

How Much: $400, sign up with a friend before International Women’s Day (March 8th) and you both receive $10 off!

To apply or for more information visit: www.bayareagirlsrockcamp.org/pages/lrc.html
LRC gift certificates are also available.

LRC Alumni photo via Bay Area Girls Rock Camp

Holy moly!!! Massive 12 CD-R overview of lady-fronted punk bands ‘77-’89 AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD c/o of Kängnäve. (This is why I heart the internet!!!)

Just check out the track listing for Disk 1 to get an idea of how epic this is:

1. Blutsturz – Schweigen (Demo) (Germany, 198?)
2. Penetration – Money Talks (England, 1977)
3. Pyhäkoulu – Painajainen (Finland, 1986)
4. VulpeSS – Me Gusta Ser Una Zorra (Spain, 1983)
5. The Comes – Panic (Japan, 1984)
6. Suicide Squad – New Kids Army (Australia, 1980)
7. Rivolta Dell’Odio – Altari Del Terrore (Italy, 1984)
8. Sick Things – Anti-Social Disease (England, 1977)
9. Accident (a.k.a Accidents) – True Detective (USA, 1979)
10. Dishrags – I Don’t Love You (Canada, 1979)
11. Último Resorte – Hogar, Dulce Hogar (Demo) (Spain, 1981)
12. The Fastbacks – Someone Else’s Room (USA, 1981)
13. Anorexia – Rapist In The Park (England, 1980)
14. Phobia – Pretend You’re Not Crazy (USA, 1978)
15. Androids Of Mu – Bored Housewives (England, 1981)
16. Sort Sol (With Lydia Lunch) – Boy-Girl (Denmark/USA, 1983)
17. Tappi Tikarrass – Skrid (Iceland, 1984)
18. Flowers – After Dark (Scotland, 1979)
19. The Rentals – I Got A Crush On You (USA, 1979)
20. Pariapunk – Double Face (France, 1987)
21. Amsterdamned – Traditie Amme Balle (Netherlands, 1982)
22. Dr. Zeke – Vild I Skogen (Sweden, 1979)
23. The Lewd – Magnetic Heart (USA, 1982)
24. Au Pairs – Kerb Crawler (England, 1980)
25. Mo-Dettes – White Mice (USA/Switzerland/England, 1979)
26. Stripes – Weekend Love (Germany, 1980)
27. Violators – The Fugitive (England, 1980)

I am clearing room on my computer as we speak.

Kleenex image via last.fm

Not only did I find out about this cool website Pawesome today, I discovered the totally rad work of Amelia Santiago. This amazing Portland, OR based lady makes “Fine Art Needle Felted Pet Portraits of your Dog or Cat Sculpted in Wool.” (She also does horses and rabbits.)

Note to everyone: Walrus and Potato have birthdays in April!

Images via Amelia Makes Art.

Living in Oakland I got really into European magazines, thanks mainly to the awesome selection at Issues. One of my favs (which I can actually find around here) is Paris, LA, started by Dorothée Perret, a former directer of Purple mag. What I love about Paris, LA is its breath of subject matter- music, literature, art, design, photography, fashion. And it’s intelligent without being pretentious.

Published bi-annually, but le blog is updated on the daily.

Issue #3 image via Paris, LA.

Kathleen Hanna talks role modeling, archiving, and feminist leadership. Awesome!

I’ve been reading A LOT of Raymond Chandler recently- as of tonight I’m on novel number six. And while Dashiell Hammett is the more celebrated author of hard-boiled detective stories, Chandler deftly captures the character of 1930s and 1940s Los Angeles, which is what keeps bringing me back for more.

At his best, he reminds me of Didion:

“There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.”

And that’s pretty much the highest praise I can give.

1940 photo of Raymond Chandler via The Guardian.

Not to get all Dear Diary, but we (the Sweetheart Society ladyz) actually went out this weekend. Like out out. Three times! And no bars were involved! (Cuz getting drunk and watching bros and trust fund hipsters ogle each other is LAME. And depressing.)

Friday we saw Tom Ford’s stunning and meticulous film A Single Man. Every little detail from camera angles to lighting, to killer mid-century furniture and that gorgeous angora sweater was sheer perfection. And the plot was not too shabby either. Go see this, please.

Then on Saturday we headed over to Family to see No Age play with Mike Watt and Tim Kerr. That’s right, No Age jamn with MIKE WATT. Epic.

And finally, (drumroll please…) we saw Weekend play last night at the Echo. Oh. My. God(dess). Now, I like a lot of bands. There are bands I respect, bands that are fun to see, bands that are endearing, etc. But bands that make me feel fucking ALIVE are far and few between. It has been years since I’ve been at a show and experienced that rare transcendent and ephemeral feeling of my heart about to burst, the I-cannot-believe-I-am-experiencing-something-this-amazing feeling, the everything-is-actually-okay-and-there-is-nowhere-else-on-earth-I-would-rather-be-at-this-moment feeling. Weekend were that fucking good.

And their 10″ rules too.

Weekend images via MyFace.

I used to be a total merch-whore. I couldn’t go to a show and not buy a shirt/tote/pin/sticker/whatever the hell was for sale. Thankfully, though, my compulsive need to advertise band allegiance has ceased. (But I do now have quite an extensive band-tee pajama collection!) Today, however, a dear friend asked for assistance in tracking down a Sonic Youth Goo shirt, and well, let’s just say the floodgates have re-opened. I mean look at some of the rad stuff I stumbled across!!!

Sonic Youth always has the best merch! Sigh. Good thing I have no money these days.

All pics via the veritable merch emporium which is Kung Fu Nation.