Category Archives: Musically Inclined

Kick Out the Style, Bring Back the Jam

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I’m so excited that it’s finally Fall, and I can wear sweaters, coats, boots and more importantly: LAYERS!  Although the weather was a bit up and down throughout October, I still wore a sweater to see one of my favorite bands from the 80’s, Tears for Fears.  My sister and I have been waiting for them to tour again, because we just seem to keep missing them.  Thank goodness they decided to end their tour with two dates in the San Diego area, and we were lucky to get tickets to their sold out Saturday October 8th show at Pechanga Theater.

I have been wearing more and more comfortable clothing to concerts because it just makes the night so much easier to handle, especially since I really like to stay standing and dance my heart out!  Overall, this is a very basic outfit consisting of a sweater, leggings and sneakers.  The criss-cross on the sweater meant I didn’t need a necklace, but I still added a few other details to keep my outfit stylish, like a fedora, bold ring and cute purse.  Although comfy, I still like to feel dressed up enough because you never know who you’ll meet…like maybe one of the band members after the show!

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Outfit:  Lush sweater & ring (c/o) from Wysh Boutique (original post here); Girlfriend Collective leggings; Rebecca Minkoff purse; Stan Smith by Adidas with cork soles from Size.co.uk; Lookmatic glasses; Unknown brand fedora

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Yes, that would be me, my sister and Rob, all meeting Curt Smith after the show!  He autographed my records (below).  Unfortunately, we did not get that same chance with Roland Orzabal.  Maybe next time?

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“Head Over Heels”

(Outfit photos by Rholnna Jiao.  All other photos & video by me.  Post title: Lyrics from “Sowing The Seeds of Love” by Tears for Fears)

I’ve Got The (Global) Spirit!

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Oh yes, Depeche Mode have announced the title of their new album AND tour!  Last week, they held a press conference in Milan, Italy and announced that the new album will be entitled Spirit to be released in 2017followed by the Global Spirit Tour next summer.  Currently, only the European dates are available, which I’ve listed below.  I seriously considered going to the London show (tickets are still available for the pitch/general admission), but that would be too difficult to pull off with Dominic still in school.  I’ll just have to wait until the US dates are announced to have my shot at seeing my all-time favorite band live.  Most dates for the European leg have already gone on sale, so cheers to the lot of you who already have tickets!

May 5 – Stockholm, Sweden – Friends Arena
May 7 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
May 9 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis
May 12 – Nice, France – Stade Charles-Ehrmann
May 14- Ljubljana, Slovenia – Dvorana Stožice
May 17 – Athens, Greece – Terra Vibe Park
May 20 – Bratislava, Slovakia – Štadión Pasienky
May 22 – Budapest, Hungary – Groupama Aréna
May 24  – Prague, Czech Republic – Eden Aréna
May 27 – Leipzig, Germany – Festwiese
May 29 – Lille, France – Stade Pierre-Mauroy
May 31 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Telia Parken
June 3 – London, United Kingdom – London Stadium
June 5 – Cologne, Germany  – RheinEnergieStadion
June 9 – Munich, Germany – Olympiastadion
June 11 – Hannover, Germany – HDI Arena
June 18 – Zurich, Switzerland – Letzigrund Stadion
June 20 – Frankfurt, Germany – Commerzbank-Arena
June 22 – Berlin, Germany – Olympiastadion
June 25 – Rome, Italy – Stadio Olimpico
June 27 – Milan, Italy – Stadio San Siro
June 29 – Bologna, Italy – Stadio Rentao Dall’Ara
July 1 – Paris, France – Stade de France
July 4 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany – Veltins-Arena
July 6 – Bilbao, Spain – BBK Live Festival
July 8 – Lisbon, Portugal – NOS Alive Festival
July 13 – St. Petersburg, Russia – SKK
July 15 – Moscow, Russia – Otkritie Arena
July 17 – Minsk, Belarus – Minsk-Arena
July 19 – Kiev, Ukraine – Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex
July 21 – Warsaw, Poland – PGE Narodowy
July 23 – Cluj-Napoca, Romania  – Cluj Arena
(Photo courtesy of Depechemode.com)

KAABOO 2016 Day 2 Recap

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As I mentioned in a previous post (here), Angi and I won single day passes to KAABOO.  Sadly, Angi couldn’t make it due to a work/travel assignment.  Although she tried her hardest to make it happen, alas, it just wasn’t cost effective for her to create time for a break from her out-of-town commitment.  Luckily, my best friend Janice was free and jumped at the chance to see one of her favorite artists live: Lenny Kravitz.  I was anxious to see Gin Blossoms, Collective Soul, Third Eye Blind and Aerosmith, which is already quite the line-up!  For the most part, it is difficult knowing you may not see all of the acts you want to because of the way the shows are scheduled, but because it’s known as “The KAABOO MIX-PERIENCE”, it should be understood that you just have to get to what you can, when you can and you just have to get creative to ensure the best use of your time.

I want to also express wholeheartedly that I had a phenomenal time.  This was my second festival ever (my first was The Rewind Festival, post here), and it was amazing!  I’ve read some negative reviews this year because of what happened after The Chainsmokers set was completed.  Apparently, due to noise ordinances, the “Encore” portion was scheduled to take place indoors.  Because of the limited accommodations, many of the people who wanted to see Ludacris followed by Steve Aoki couldn’t get in, and a near riot happened.  I also read that a lot of people couldn’t get in to see Sarah Silverman as a part of their “Humor Me” comedy club.  I remember the line was pretty insane as we were leaving the Aerosmith show.  Because we chose to make the most of this experience by purchasing a parking pass and arriving incredibly early (12:30 pm), we enjoyed a leisurely tour of KAABOO prior to it becoming crazed and crowded.  We also decided that Aerosmith would be the last act we would see before heading home, where we took the back-way and completely avoided any traffic.  This is why we were so surprised to hear about how insane the night had become just after we left.

Overall, the food was wonderful, the mix of artists was fantastic because I don’t think I would have ever been able to see any of the bands I did in such a short amount of time, and for us, everything went without a hitch.  There was plenty of areas to chill out between the shows, and I liked the “Hydration Stations” throughout to provide much-needed water at an outdoor event, along with several areas to charge any portable communication device (phones and tablets).  I had gone to the San Diego County Fair earlier this year, and the Del Mar Racetrack was completely transformed into a hip alternate universe, which I’m sure was the whole point!  I would love to attend KAABOO again next year, and maybe upgrade myself to the VIP experience.

To make the most of documenting my experience, I broke up this post into three parts:  The Food, The Music, and Everything Else.  I hope you enjoy my recap!

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THE FOOD

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I should have taken pictures of the inside of “Posh Nosh” because not only were there seated areas with tables, but comfy cushions to really get that lounge experience.  Arriving early in the day allowed us time to walk around and get to know all of the food choices.

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Of the food inside “Posh Nosh”, we opted for one of my favorite restaurants, Sausage & Meat.  I’m not the biggest fan of slaw, but add bacon to it and I’m sold!  This was the “2 Eggs, 3 Balls, Slaw” combo meal and it was definitely the heartiness we needed before tackling the day.

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Outside of “Posh Nosh”, there are many places to grab a bite to eat.  After seeing the Gin Blossoms and during Third Eye Blind, we decided on the Lob Mac at Wicked Maine Lobster.  I swear, that’s an entire lobster tail in there!  It was better than I can describe, so shall I say it was wicked good?!

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I ended my KAABOO food experience with a Cinnamon Toast Crunch milkshake from The Milk Bar.  Not only was it absolutely delicious, the crew was so much fun!


THE MUSIC

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GIN BLOSSOMS

I have always wanted to see Gin Blossoms because one of my all time favorite songs is “Hey Jealousy”.  By sheer coincidence of scheduling, they were moved to Saturday and I feel that the universe was aligned for this moment, and it was everything I hoped it would be.  “Til I Hear It From You” and “Found Out About You” were also great live, and they are a fun band to watch.  Check off another one from my concert bucket list!

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THIRD EYE BLIND

I think the picture above should give an indication of just how crowded it got right around 4pm.  As we ate our Lob Mac, we enjoyed the many hits of Third Eye Blind.  I think this picture was taken during “Never Let You Go”, and I was so happy that I also got to hear “Jumper” and “Semi-Charmed Life” live.

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COLLECTIVE SOUL

Truth be told, I’m a novice when it comes to Collective Soul.  That did not stop me from wanting to see them, so this is where Janice and I split-up.  She wanted to catch all of Lenny Kravitz’s show, and I got to witness live the only two Collective Soul songs I know: “Shine” and “Better Now”.  I’m infinitely glad I did, and my hubby was a bit jealous that I caught their show.  “Shine” is even better live!

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LENNY KRAVITZ

Even after arriving a little late, I still got to catch songs like “Are You Gonna Go My Way”, “Fly Away” and “American Woman”.  Great set!

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AEROSMITH

It’s not often you get to witness greatness, and one should acknowledge when that happens.  Aerosmith are rock legends, and it had been over a year since they played live.  There are moments where you need to make a choice, and although The Chainsmokers are wonderful in their own right, there was just no contest when it came closing out KAABOO for us.  “Walk This Way” was worth the price of admission alone, and everything was icing on the cake.  I am truly not worthy.

Janice and I roamed around KAABOO prior to it getting uber-crowded, and took advantage of everything they had to offer in terms of sampling food, photo ops and areas to chill.  One of our favorites was an area called “Indulgences”.  Inside, they offered spa services, retail mini-boutiques, and places to relax and not only recharge your body, but your phone as well!  Between shows, we stayed there to cool off and hydrate.  During a gap after seeing Third Eye Blind and before seeing Collective Soul, I went back on my own before joining Janice at Lenny Kravitz.
 
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There were several areas for fun photo opportunities.  No one ever accused us of being shy!
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 Outside of the music, prominent everywhere was the art.  This was one of my favorites by artist Lauren YS called “Feed Your Head”, which was her take on “Alice in Wonderland”.  Simply breathtaking, especially due to its sheer size.
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 Another favorite rest area outside of “Indulgences” was the Cox Live Lounge.  There was a non-alcohol refreshment bar, plenty of seats and a place to charge up our phones.  We made our mark on their Gigablast mural.
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Our final stop was at the FM 949 booth.  I wanted to capture a picture of us with a KAABOO sign, and after signing the banner, we closed out our night.
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Many, many thanks to Discover SD and Delicious Buzz for the opportunity to win passes to attend KAABOO.  Until next year!

Fashionably Late: Catching Up on 2016 Events!

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I know I’ve been very laxed when it comes to my blogging lately, and I apologize!  My son has been away at his grandparents in Las Vegas for the last two weeks, so I have to confess that I’ve been catching up on some much-needed sleep.  But now to get caught up on my blogging, I’m posting about events that I missed over the last few months.  I’ll also be putting up my concert catch up posts and I think I’ll be all caught and ready to put up my newest posts about recent events and product reviews!


DANCE DANCE RESOLUTION – 1/31/16

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My husband and I were invited by Delicious Buzz to attend the “Dance Dance Resolution” event presented by the international travel company Gogobot San Diego and a local non-profit organization, The Seany Foundation.  It was held at The Rancho Santa Fe Motor Club & Storage and although it was quite the storm outside, it was a fun night of food, drinks, dance battles and pug kisses by Chole (with her mommy Heather of The Stylish Bisou).


THE BEAT CLOTHING SPRING FASHION SHOW – 2/21/16

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Back in February, The Beat Clothing stylist Astrid Montalvo invited me to check out her fashion show in Carlsbad.  Unfortunately due to some scheduling issues, my niece, Mei-Lin and I missed the actual fashion show, but I got to photograph some of the lovely models afterwards, and Mei snapped a picture of me with Astrid!


LATINO FILM FEST FASHION SHOW AT FASHION VALLEY – 3/18/16

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Bloggers were invited to attend Fashion Valley’s 2nd annual “Celebration of Fashion” runway show for the 23rd annual San Diego Latino Film Festival.  The event was emceed by Paola Hernández-Jiao and Abelardo Rodriguez and featured men’s and women’s fashion.  My favorite was the fringed skirt by Scotch & Soda, featured in the video above.  Look at that swing!


BERRY BEST CHOCOLATE FEST – 3/19/16

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My mother-in-law had a booth for Bathologie, one of her direct sales companies at The Berry Best Chocolate Fest at Liberty Station, so I took that opportunity to hang out with my son and enjoy the festivities.  Rather than all of the wonderful chocolate, Dominic decided he actually loved the Belgian waffles from the Marcel Waffle Truck.  I wholeheartedly agree!


RECORD STORE DAY 2016 – 4/16/16

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 I spent Record Store Day this year at Record City in Hillcrest with my friend Rob and blogger friend Laura of Laura Neuzeth.  This was probably the most organized RSD I had ever been to, and I think I found a new spot for every RSD from now on!  The trick is to get there incredibly early (I got there by 5:30 am and there were still people there before me) to ensure you get your choice of what you want.  They didn’t have everything that I wanted from “The List” (post about it here), but I did come away with an awesome haul!


SPRING FLING EVENT AT GO GIRL SPA – 4/23/16

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Also back in April, I attended the “Spring Fling Event” at Girl on the Go, a night spa in the Golden Hill area.  I enjoyed the free cocktails, hanging out for a bit with Tatum from Love Tatum, and then I purchased a little something from Style on the Go.  Of course, since the Marcel Waffle Truck made an appearance, I had to bring something home for Dominic!

Investing in Pre-Owned Luxury

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I have never been afraid to own something second-hand, especially if it’s been well maintained.  Not only do I shop at secondhand and vintage clothing stores, but furniture stores as well.  I have a desk that I adore that I purchased at an antique shop when I was doing up my bedroom in “shabby chic”.

When it comes to clothing, shoes, purses and accessories, I used to solely purchase pre-owned from eBay.  Lately, I have found myself really enjoying shopping from consignment or pre-owned luxury shops, both mortar & brick as well as online.  Before, I was simply looking for vintage items for the aesthetic feel, but now I’m looking specifically for gently used and well-kept high-end products.  One of my first pre-owned luxury items was Manolo Blahnik shoes from eBay.  For Christmas, my husband bought me the entire “Sex and the City” series.  During my maternity leave with our son Dominic, I binge-watched the entire thing and immediately fell in love with Carrie Bradshaw’s style, because I was hitting that same age range as they were at the start of the series (“nearly 40”).

What I loved about Carrie Bradshaw’s style was the way Patricia Field used luxury items in everyday dressing. She had Carrie in cargo pants and casual tee with Manolo’s and a Fendi baguette while grabbing coffee.  My style goal was to be that effortless.  It only really looked that way if you had the actual luxury items in the outfit.  In the years of trying to accomplish this, but with a bit of 80’s edge, I realized that I needed to step out of my mall habit and start to look at pieces to invest in.  But with the job I had at that moment in time, it wasn’t so easy to pull off.  My husband helped by buying me my first real Louis Vuitton purse for my 40th birthday (the Palermo PM below), but I was still feeling like a poser, getting it only half right in many instances.

Louis Vuitton Palmero PM CollageMy first true luxury item, when it was new back in 2010 (the leather has become more patinaed since then).  Thank you to my loving hubby for giving it to me for my 40th birthday!

With patience and improved income, I finally feel like I can do the “high/low” mix of luxury, vintage and everyday properly, according to my style and taste.  I’m researching pieces to invest in that will still look great over time, and will hold their value.  One of my first investment pieces was an Hermès scarf from Portero, which was in pristine condition (top picture).  It was a smaller scarf, so now I’m on the lookout for a larger piece that I can use as a shawl.

After getting invited to several events for Designer-Vault, I knew I needed to own Chanel.  My first Chanel purchase from Designer-Vault was a lovely necklace.  I knew I had to get something that would be classic, but still keep within my rocker-chic edge, so I chose a gun-metal color that still had the interlocking C’s.  I then made a few more purchases, including the cassette tape necklace (I wore on this blog post), all pictured below.

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Chanel Cassette Tape Necklace Designer Vault

I purchased my first official Chanel purse from Portero (pictured below).  I know it’s not a coveted classic flap with the chain link straps, but it still looks amazing and has the quilting and interlocking C’s I was looking for.  I’m currently using as my main purse due to its practical size and shape.  It is in amazing condition, and I couldn’t be happier with my first Chanel purse.  While in Last Vegas last month, I tried my best Eva Chen with it (with my new Zara platform espadrilles)!

My Best Eva Chen with Chanel CollageMy most recent purchases have been in the luxury shoe line from The Real Real.  I was amazed at the condition of both of these shoes.  I wore the Chanel maryjane style flats in a recent outfit post, and I’ll be wearing those adorable Christian Louboutins in an upcoming one!

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Hermes Leather Cuff The Real RealFinally, I found this fantastic Hermès leather cuff bracelet, also on The Real Real.  It fits right in with my style because it’s silver and it matched up so well with my Depeche Mode leather wrap bracelet and Jeffery Campbell shoes that I posted recently on Instagram.

My Tips on Finding The Right Luxury Item

I thought I would close out this post with just a few tips on what I do to ensure I find the right pre-owned luxury item for my budget.  Hope this helps you and happy shopping!

  1. Know your budget:  I have realized in my shopping sprees that I just can’t afford an Hermès Kelly or Birkin purse, so I stick to anything that is in decent condition, usually under $1000.  Also, many of these luxury consignment sites have Affirm, which means you can pay for your favorite item over time.
  2. Do the research:  I can’t emphasize this enough!  Purchasing from luxury consignment sites like Portero, Designer-Vault and The Real Real are your best bets for finding authentic high-end items as they have professionals on staff who can attest to their product’s authenticity.  But if you do purchase from eBay or any other auction style site, make sure you know how to differentiate a real from a fake.  I’ve made that mistake with mid-price items before, so I’m very particular to know what I’m looking for in a higher end item.  This means knowing which items have serial numbers, holographic tags and even checking stitching, patterns, and styles.  I only purchase from sellers with at least 98% rating and who provide extensive pictures.  If I can find “New With Tags”, even better!
  3. Be patient:  It takes time to find that luxury item that is not only amazing, but fits into your style and your budget.  I would hesitate buying something just to own it.  That pink fluffy Chanel purse may not be worth it if you’re never going to carry it.  Take your time, search different sites and even go to a brick and mortar store.  There are lots of them out there, and it may be better for those of you who would rather have the item in hand rather than pictures online.

Catching Up With Any Second Now!

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Is it June already?  Time is flying, and I know my posts have been trimmed down to once a week, but I promise it’s with good reason!  Trying to balance my personal life and work life has been a bit challenging lately, only because I’m still getting used to this new higher profile job that I started last October.  It’s wonderful knowing that working all of these years in Customer Service has led up to this point, but I didn’t realize how all consuming it would be.  I’m now a Senior Manager of Customer Service at a different lab, and I work hours I never thought I would.  Luckily, I love my new job and it actually allows me more freedom to work from home to accommodate appointments and activities I can do with my son, husband and mom.  But it does mean sometimes working late into the night, after everyone in my household has gone to sleep.  Those nights where I used to work on my blog have become nights where I’m ready for bed!

So I’m playing catch up right now (hence the Depeche Mode photo edit), finding time to put together posts of past fashion related events, product reviews and all of the wonderful concerts I’ve been to in the past year.  Just to give you an idea of what I haven’t posted about yet, here’s all of the concerts I’ve been to since my last couple of concert posts (which was Martin Gore and Duran Duran), including upcoming concerts until September of this year.

(Edited 12/2/16 to add all the shows I attended in 2016!)

July 2015:  Imagine Dragons, Spandau Ballet

August 2015:  Echo & The Bunnymen

October 2015:  ABC/Wang Chung

March 2016:  She Wants Revenge

April 2016:  Peter Murphy

May 2016:  Modern English, The Cure

July 2016:  Sting & Peter Gabriel, Barenaked Ladies with OMD & Howard Jones

August 2016:  Duran Duran with Chic, Rick Astley

September 2016:  Chromeo, Blonde, Kraftwerk, KAABOO

October 2016: Tears for Fears, Prophets of Rage, KONGOS with The Joy Formidable

November 2016: Peter Hook & The Light

I’m putting together a blog schedule to map out and plan my posts accordingly.  In the meantime, I’m still here and blogging, so hopefully you’re still out there and reading!  Cheers and have a great weekend!

Festival of my Dreams!

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Coachella marks the beginning of “Festival Season”, and I know I’ve seen the fashion inspiration pretty much everywhere!  I’ve thought about this for quite sometime: what would my dream festival be?  Who would be in my line-up?  I actually have made several lists in my head before, and they almost always turn out to be some kind of Rewind Festival, to which I’ve already gone to (my first post about it here, and my actual experience here).  But I know my tastes go beyond the 80s, and with some inspiration from TickPick, I thought about how much fun would it be to include not just my favorites, but those of my husband and son, plus make it fun for all of my friends and family to attend.  Honestly, my list ended up being 30 artists long, but I’ve narrowed it down to what I think became an eclectic mix of 10 artists, which is a combination of favorite acts, spanning several genres.  My top three are intentional, based on my all time favorite band, a band my husband is just chomping at the bit to see, and our son’s favorite band.  The rest is in no particular order, but includes some wants.  If I could turn back time, my list would have included David Bowie and Prince, but alas, that is not to be.  But how simply awesome is the graphic created by TickPick (who, by the way, is a great resource if you’re interested in finding Concert tickets, NFL tickets and more)?!  It almost makes me want to contact someone, anyone, to actually make my Fauxchella happen!

Who would you pick for your ultimate festival?  Let me know in the comments, and here’s why I chose my top 10.  Cheers!

Depeche Mode:  That was a given (too many posts about them on this blog, but see my review of their Delta Machine Tour here).  If their line up could include Dave, Martin, Andy along with Alan and Vince, I think I would just have to drop the mic.

Red Hot Chili Peppers:  A band that my husband absolutely wants to see, sometime in this lifetime.

Imagine Dragons:  Our son’s favorite band.  He knows their lyrics better than we do, and don’t even question him about which song is on which album.  He schooled me once, and it was embarrasing…did I mention he’s seven?  We took him to see them last year, and it solidified his fandom.

Metallica:  Another of my hubby’s favorite. He’s seen them live previously, but would not mind seeing them again.

Duran Duran:  They were my first favorite British band, until Depeche Mode stole that title from them.  But I still adore them and they produce great music to this day, and are fantastic live (post here).

Bruno Mars:  He is a spectacular entertainer and musician.  My husband and I saw him two years ago (review here), and it was so good.

Snoop Dogg:  Because I just want to see him. Do I need a reason?

Q-Tip:  I cannot believe I’ve never seen A Tribe Called Quest in concert (but I did a post about them here).  Now that Phife Dog has passed, I know I will never have that chance.  But Q-Tip has done some solo work, so I hope I get to see him someday.

Maroon 5:  I have been watching Maroon 5 for years because they opened for Guster and John Mayer before heading out on their own.  I then went to see a headlining tour with my best friend once a few years ago, and I think she would enjoy meeting them, especially Adam.  I have met them before (picture here), this was ages ago.

Chromeo:  I thought about a DJ to round out my line-up, and then I realized that Chormeo both DJ as well as perform their own songs!  My husband and I have seen them before (post here), and we would see them again in a heartbeat.

Dear Prince: Nothing Compares 2 U

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How can this be?  How can another musical icon’s time end so soon?  I feel like I just got over David Bowie’s untimely passing, and now Prince.  The sting of someone so influential and so unique is definitely something I’m feeling on a level I never thought I’d feel.  Is it because this is yet another missed opportunity to see a musical great live?  Is it because Prince was merely 57 years old and performed a show just last week?  It’s all so overwhelming and confusing, and scary at the same time.  There is a growing list of icons leaving Planet Earth in 2016, and it’s only April.

Prince was like Bowie: A controversial musical genius and fashion icon.  He did what he wanted (including changing his name to a symbol), and fans loved every minute of it.  Prince’s music crossed genres in so many ways from R&B to pop to rock.  All in all, most will agree: his music was just plain good.  An early Prince memory was a bus ride home from Disneyland when I was in the 8th grade, singing songs from the radio.  One song we went back to over and over was “Little Red Corvette”.  I wasn’t truly aware of what it all meant, I just knew it was a great song.

Since I’m still trying to process the news, I’ll just post about how Prince influenced my fledgling dreams of being a rock star when I was a teen:

I wrote a couple of songs when I was in junior high and high school.  I fancied myself to be like Depeche Mode, making the keyboard my instrument of choice. My first one was a Casio, which I chose as a Christmas present.  I would set up a mock recording studio in the privacy of my bedroom with a tape deck and a microphone.  I finished my first recorded song and presented it live in one of my English classes my senior year.  I recall being scared out of my wits because I was not only performing live in front of my friends, but I was putting my creative soul out there for judgement.  It went very well, and my friends were so supportive.

In my first few years of college, I wrote many songs, but recorded only one demo.  I wrote a song called “Destiny’s Arms”, which was a duet ballad.  It was inspired by “The Arms of Orion” by Prince from the 1989 Batman soundtrack, also a duet with Sheena Easton.  I love the idea love prevailing above all, no matter where, when, time or space.  I recorded “Destiny’s Arms” with one of my former teachers in his mini-home studio over the period of about a month.  I even sent the demo tape and lyrics to be copyrighted at the Library of Congress.  I never sent my demo anywhere, but in hindsight, I wish I had sent it to Prince.  I don’t know if he would have ever responded, since it was a basic little love song.  But I wish I had sent it just so he knew that a 19-year-old kid in San Diego found inspiration from one of his works of art.

Farewell dear Prince, rest in peace.

In the heart of a sleepless moon
I’ll be with you forever
This is my destiny
‘Till my life is through

The Arms of Orion by Prince

(Top image from my personal collection)

Record Store Day 2016 Is This Weekend!

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Can you believe it’s that time of year again?  Record Store Day is upon us on April 16th, and I’ve made my choices for what I want (see below from The List).  I’m still thinking about whether or not to go to more than one location, but I guess I’ll decide when the day comes.

Let me know if you’re doing Record Store Day and what you’re looking forward to in the comments below!


RSD EXCLUSIVE RELEASE

 

A-Ha

Hits South America

Format: 12″ Vinyl

David Bowie

I Dig Everything – The Pye Singles 1966

Format: 12″ Vinyl

The Man Who Sold The World

Format: 12″ Picture Disc

TVC15

Format: 7″ Picture Disc

Buzzcocks

More Product in a Different Compilation: Best of the United Artists Recordings

Format: 2 x LP

Death Cab For Cutie

“Tractor Rape Chain”/”Black Sun”

Format: 7″ Vinyl

Deftones

B-Sides & Rarities

Format: 2 x LP

Carl Douglas

“Kung Fu Fighting”

Format: 7″ Vinyl

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Rage Hard

Format: 12″ Colored Vinyl

Madonna

Like A Virgin & Other Hits

Format: 12″ Colored Vinyl

The Monkees

“Saturday’s Child”/”You Just May Be The One”

Format: 7″ Picture Disc

Sex Pistols

Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols

Format: 12″ Picture Disc

Simple Minds

Big Music Tour 2015

Format: 2 x LP

Soundtrack

Star Wars: The Force Awakens “March of the Resistance b/w Rey’s Theme” (Millennium Falcon)

Format: 10″ Picture Disc

Joe Strummer

Gangsterville: IMPORT

Format: 12″ Vinyl

Talking Heads/Echosmith

“This Must Be The Place”

Format: 7″ Vinyl

Various Artists

Disney Favorite Songs

Format: LP

Various Artists

Judgment Night (Soundtrack)

Format: LP

 


RSD LIMITED RUN / REGIONAL FOCUS RELEASE

 

Hello Kitty

Hello World

Format: 12″ Picture Disc


‘RSD FIRST’ RELEASE

 

Ramones

“Judy Is A Punk”

Format: 7″ Vinyl

Moto Mania

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I have been on the hunt for a classic moto jacket for the better part of a year now.  I didn’t want anything fancy, just a simple moto jacket like the ones Depeche Mode used to wear (check out Alan Wilder’s in the picture below).  I had a great faux leather one (post here and here), but my search began after it started to wear in the shoulder area.  I was deciding between a more affordable faux leather one and a real leather one, but I didn’t want to keep replacing the faux one due to possible wear.  Imagine my delight when my husband surprised me at Christmas with this wonderful, absolutely classic real leather moto jacket by BCBGeneration.  I searched for months to find what he found in one evening, simply by chance.  But it’s definitely no accident that my husband’s years in retail have helped in finding exactly what I wanted!

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Check out Alan Wilder’s jacket; classic, no? (Photo courtesy of The Place)

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I’ve always loved black paired with navy blue.  It’s almost monochromatic, but with just a slight bit of contrast.

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Outfit: BCBGenerations Moto Jacket (no longer available); Forever 21 houndstooth sweater; Madewell jeans; Naughty Monkey suede boots; Warby Parker “Simone” glasses in Blue Coral; Tahari scarf; Beret from Paris; Love Tatum Rings; “Adelaide” crossbody purse c/o Kipling (Fashion Valley)

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Thank you SO much to Kayde and the fantastic folks at Kipling in Fashion Valley for my lovely Christmas present!

(Outfit photos by Deon Chen)