Hil in the Dig this week: Newport Folk, Ladies Rock and more...

that's l'il ol' me interviewing taylor goldsmith of dawes and mr. john shade at newport folk 2010. photo: jess hodge

today, i ran out, bought a baguette, a hunk of manchego and a chocolate bar, and sat down on my couch with the fan pointed directly at me for a day-long Top Chef marathon. why the laziness/comfort food? after this past weekend, which was filled with the music festival of my dreams, quality time with best friends/partners in crime and some good ol' fashioned late night debauchery, i. am. beat.

it's cool, though, because i spent all day writing yesterday and today. what have i been working on? The Newport Folk Festival Run-Down, Day 1 and Day 2 for the Weekly Dig.

covering newport folk this year was inspiring and enlightening, to say the very least. i saw one of the best live sets of my life courtesy of Dawes. i hung out along the waterfront with Christian Letts of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros after their set that nearly had to be cancelled due to the insane crowd that swarmed the stage. i got to catch up with the Matt the Ice Cream Man and see how his road trippin' series is going.

to single out one moment of the weekend would be tricky. OH WAIT. no, actually, it wouldn't be tricky at all. i got to sit down with my favorite band, the Avett Brothers, and talk about their music and their contribution to the Newport Folk legacy before their set on sunday.

i gush about them in the second day of the Dig's Newport Folk blog writeups, but there's really so much more that could be said for these guys. maybe i'll post the transcript from the interview here eventually. in the meantime, i'll let you look at jess' absolutely phenomenal photographs [PLEASE look at her tumblr, by the way] that she snapped during the interview and the avett brothers set on the fort stage:

scott avett backstage. swoooooon?

seth avett backstage.

this man singing "the ballad of love and hate" brings me to tears, always.

JOE MOTHERLOVIN' KWON ON THE CELLO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

this dude is a four-stringed wailin' wonder.

bob crawford, aka one of the best bass players in existence.

can we talk about seth's hair here, please?

aaaaaand a banjo-gasm from scott avett.

please and thank you.

in addition to my newport fangirly glee, i also have a piece in print making the rounds this week - a lady rock showdown for an upcoming show at the middle east! if you pick up the dig this week, you'll find my feature on women in boston rock in the arts & entertainment section. this was one of the most fun photoshoots i've ever worked with mikey (mad props for such a stellar photo, mr. basu) and hanging out with the girls of this blue heaven, the downbeat 5, the sun lee sun beam, st. helena, do not forsake me oh my darling and naked on rollerskates was great great great. also, can we talk about this photo?

so, folks, that's what i've been up to :) pick up the dig or check it out online, but either way, you'll be reading some stuff of mine!

now, it's off to family dinner at dalí and hopefully a pimm's cup this evening or something. august, how did you show up so fast?

X H

NEWPORT OR BUST (2k10)

a'right, kids! jess and i are awaiting the arrival of mr. ryan and then the lot of us are all roadtripping it down to the happiest place on earth (aka newport, rhode island) for the 51st annual Newport Folk Festival.

i am excited for the following reasons:

1) i am officially interviewing my favorite band of all time.

2) i am going to dance like a crazy person to the sounds of my newest favorite band (dawes) and another tried and true favorite that i'm so stoked to see again (sharon jones and the dap kings).

3) i am going to somehow find a bonfire dance party tomorrow night. this will happen.

4) quality time with partner-in-crime jess hodge and cristina (who will be working the festival on behalf of honest tea! yeeeeah!)

5) peach cream cheese muffins; fried clams.

6) REALLY GOOD MUSIC, YOU GUYS.

i'll be blogging the big show all weekend at WeeklyDig.com and Jess' photos will be up there too, so bookmark it and come along with us for the ride, kids.

see you monday.

X H

the happy list, "tea and blankets on a sunday morning" edition.

well, last night was silly.  there was whiskey.  i'm watching sex and the city reruns from the dependable couch fort and i'm thisclose to ordering new moon ondemand before throwing on rumpled jeans and going to dinner with dan, nick and los before hitting up the beach house show at the paradise tonight.  sunday afternoon, it could be love.

anyways, here's a brief update/latest incarnation of the happy list.

- one of my career goals as an aspiring journalist?  write a story for The Boston Globe.  what happened last tuesday? a feature i wrote ran in the Boston Globe's arts & entertainment section.  as i knew i would be in austin covering SXSW for the Dig anyway, i pitched an article to the Globe's A&E editor and he took my story.  result: a two page 1,000-odd word feature on notable sets by boston talent at SXSW.  the response to the article was so encouraging and overwhelming and to everyone who commented, called, texted, emailed, or simply pressed the thumbs-up "like" button on facebook, thank you.  i'm such a lucky person.  i'm going to post a bunch of my favorite photos snapped by the insatiable jess hodge and mikey basu, who are two of the most talented and professional photographers i've ever had the pleasure of working with, but in the mean time here are two silly ones of me in austin -

there was a cupcake truck.  the girl gave us free cupcakes because we ran across the street and grabbed a red bull for her when she was in need.  red velvet elicits this reaction from me, always.  (also: the chocolate cupcake to the left, covered in cream cheese frosting, was dubbed "the michael jackson." omg.)

this one was snapped by mikey in between shows.  i was sitting down for maybe like 30 seconds throughout our entire time at SXSW and he caught me.

- last night, one of my favorite local bands (and three of my favorite people in general), static of the gods, had a FANTASTIC cd release show at tt's.  it's really something special when you get to know a band, and you follow 'em for a bit, and you become friends, and you write about 'em a couple of times, and they put out a CD that's just absolutely amazing and that you can't wait to burn a copy of for everyone you've ever met.  knowledge machine is such a great album.  if you haven't picked it up yet, do so asap. jen, ben and mike, you guys were so amazing last night!  and thanks for the falafel palace pit stop and the ride home :)

- i made quinoa for the first time last night.  GREAT SUCCESS.  i went grocery shopping at wilson's farm yesterday, as i've been doing for the past month or so, and to say i came home with a bounty of goodness would be fact.  the quinoa, fresh spinach, fresh goat cheese, organic baby brussel sprouts, fresh blackberries, farm fresh milk, farm fresh eggs... foooooodgazm.

- los' birthday is next friday!  there will be funfetti and togas and kickball and people eating funfetti while wearing togas and schooling each other in kickball.  can't friggin' wait.

- i'm so excited about future pieces i'll be working on over the next three months.  there are such exciting things in store.  it's nice to have something to look forward to :)

soooo there you have it.  gotta brew another cup of tea and make some delicious food and watch rpatz be all sparkly and whatnot.

X H


ps:  oh hey!  i launched my website.  sort of.  it's in the "coming soon" stage right now.  major thanks to the lovely jsutt and her design savvy :) - http://www.hilaryjanehughes.com/

Hil in the Dig: The SXSW Preview and 5 Drink Minimum!

in the most recent issue of the Dig, I have two pieces. yayz.  

first: as you all probably know by now, I'm taking off next Wednesday morning for Austin, Texas with the engimatic Jess Hodge by my side.  we're going to be running up and down Congress Street like chickens with our heads cut off in order to ensure that we catch each and every single set we wanna see, but we're gonna do it!  I swear!  if i was able to squeeze 25+ sets into 3 days at CMJ this year, catching every single Boston band showcasing at SXSW will be cake.  (i hope. gulp.) my SXSW preview is here, but be sure to check back on the Dig's website next week for showcase play-by-plays and plenty of Lonestar-induced debauchery.

secondly: cara, managing editor extraordinaire over at the Dig, was kind enough to include me in the Dig's semi-annual nightlife guide, Five Drink Minimum.  this installment of 5DM was centered on hotel bars, so los, mikey and I slinked our way into the sultry clutches of Noir at the Charles Hotel.  Five Drink Minimum, for those who haven't read the guide before, is basically a guide to getting hammered: we, the reporters, must imbibe in five cocktails at the assigned location, and each cocktail is picked out ahead of time (#1 is bartender's choice, #2 reflects the vibe of the surroundings, #3 is stranger's choice, etc. etc...).  this isn't horrifically difficult to do at Noir, as all of the drinks are just as pleasing to the palate as they are potent, soooo basically we got a little rowdy and the phrase "cheating-on-my-wife-ish" may have gotten thrown around a bit.  read all about it here and check out mikey's sick photo above and in the Dig - his is what they chose for the front of the feature :)

i have so much to do before SXSW it's not even funny.  here's hoping i get all my work done, pack, and steer clear of the green beer in southie on sunday afternoon.  (yes, i will be heading to south boston for the st. paddy's day parade with my girlfriends on sunday.  yes, we're going to a rooftop party and marcy's probably going to wind up doing a backwards and upside-down kegstand this year.  yes, i am ashamed to admit that i'm a little excited about it.)

X H

oh hey! it's hil writing about thick as thieves in the weekly dig.

thick as thieves! from left: kellen, aaron, mike and tyler.  

go see them downstairs at the middle east on 2/27.

in the latest edition of the weekly dig [which hits the streets tomorrow, look for the orange boxes and pick one up!], i had the goofy joy of interviewing a dude in a band i've loved for years who's also become a good friend.  tyler's the singer in thick as thieves, which is undeniably one of my most favorite boston bands.  i've interviewed the guys in thick as thieves once before, and that conversation took place on a particularly sunny saturday afternoon in kellen and tyler's living room over the course of nearly two hours.  this time, i had a last minute opportunity to chat the dudes up and plug their upcoming show with the lights out and cure for static, so i leapt on it and got tyler on the phone and the next thing you know he's talking about djembes and bloody guitars.  my favorite songs by them are "disasterology" and "weak end with no end", and i'm hoping i'll hear both saturday night.

aaanyways, go read all about it.  here's a link to this week's Defend Yourself! with Tyler Littwin of Thick as Thieves.

in other news, my editor totally made my life when he addressed me as "ms. gonzo" in an email.  yes, i'm a huge, huuuge nerd for revealing this.  no, i don't care in the slightest.

Please Kill Me: An Uncensored Oral History of Punk (aka current "CANNOT PUT THIS DOWN" read.)

Please Kill Me... is one of those books that people have been telling me to read for pretty much ever.  "well, you're a music writer!" "you like rock and roll, don't you?" "you like andy warhol/david bowie/the ramones/iggy pop..." yes, i am an aspiring journalist who writes about music.  yes, i can think of no better occupation than chasing around rock stars and musicians hoping to catch a break in boston.  and no, i can't think of any good reason why i haven't torn it apart from the sheer voracity of reading it yet.

but i did.   and this book reminds me of why i work hard, why i sleep less, why i drink more, why i fight louder and harder and dirtier than i ever have before and why i will do whatever it takes to ensure that local talents receive the attention they deserve in a way that'll touch readers and hopefully convince them to pick up a paper on the regular.   i could recite half the quotes in Please Kill Me... because they're all fantastic ["iggy, what're you doing wearing a woman's dress?" "...this is a man's dress", etc], but as cliche as it sounds, i found myself relating to lester bangs more than i'd care to admit by the time i reached the Cast of Characters index on the last pages of the paperback:

"Just for the record, I would like it known by anybody who cares that I don't think life is a perpetual dive.  And even though it's genuinely frightening, I don't think Richard Hell's fascination with death is anything but stupid... And all the Richard Hells are chickenshits who trash the precious gift too blithely, and they deserve to be given to credence, but shocked awake in some violent matter.  Either that or spanked and put to bed." (Lester Bangs, "You Should Never Have Opened That Door", Please Kill Me... pg. 282)

it's painful to read through most of this - to read through the overdoses and the near brushes with death and the record company screw ups and the brutalized relationships and the untimely demises of the people who dreamed up, conceived and shattered one of the most revolutionary movements in modern music.  legs mcneil and gillian mccain did an exceptional job with their edits, because they absolutely document the beginnings of punk in the words of the people who made it happen, and they chronicle the rises and falls of the people who made CBGB's what it was and who were fortunate enough to know what the insides of warhol's factory looked like and who were panicking when pattie smith fell off the stage that night.  there's nothing more disheartening than a writer who manipulates the words of an artist to satiate their own needs for attention, or to use someone else's brilliance for their own personal gain.  legs mcneil and gillian mccain did more than write an incredible book: they restored my faith in my craft which i had lost and they restored my faith in journalism and artistic collaboration and the value of intellectual integrity in one fell swoop.

i found myself sobbing when people like lester and johnny thunders met their makers and when sid and nancy were reunited in a small jewish cemetery.  sure, it's sad reading about people dying and getting murdered and shooting themselves up until their blood runs black, but i had never had characters taken away so abruptly from me in a book before, and then the shock set in that these people lived and are directly responsible for making me love what i do.  Please Kill Me... makes me want to be a better writer.  Period.

also: this is probably the most emotional book review that's ever existed.  kind of embarrassing, but there you have it.

if you make music, if you write, if you make art, if you love music, if you love reading, if there's a creative bone in your body or a creative thought in your pretty little head.... juuuust read Please Kill Me... and go listen to the New York Dolls or Iggy and the Stooges or something, and be thankful.

CMJ // it's cold // new boots!

what i wouldn't GIVE for a pumpkin muffin and a cappuccino from the biscuit right about now...

anyways, good morning! a few baby updates:

1) along with my cohorts jessie and gab, i'll be heading to new york city next week to cover the tail end of the CMJ Music Marathon. we're going to cover the Boston acts of the festival lineup [The Mieka Canon, Drug Rug, The New Collisions, Aloud, HO-AG to name a few] complete with photo timeline, concert shots, videos [hopefully!] and various critiques/musings. you can find our unscripted indie rock adventure [complete with copious amounts of red velvet cupcakes from buttercup and a run in at the waverley] over at TeaParty Boston.

2) interviews i've done recently for TPB: one with local favorites/Cantab frequenters St. Helena, one with Boston mainstays The Beatings, and one with the latest indie darlings to hit the charts, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. read up on some good listens here, friends.

3) after a particularly stressful day at work yesterday, i took a detour before driving home and stopped at the mall... and walked out with a quarter of my monthly wages gone. yeeeeah i'm gonna eat pasta for two weeks to make up for it. but my new party dress and blouse from anthropologie are gorgeous and these new frye boots are purrrrty:

seriously. i needed them. i keep telling myself this.

anyways. it's 9:02am. that means dayjob work time. tonight: the dodos are playing at the middle east, and i'll be watching from the ramp. if you're going, get there soon as i feel like everyone and their mother wants to snag last minute tickets to this show.

p.s.: dear fall: i thought you were going to stick around for a leeeeeeeeeettle longer to make up for the fact that summer was rainy 99% of the time. do i REALLY have to break out my winter coat two weeks before halloween? seriously? gyahhh. oh well. at least it's hot cider season.

aaaaaaaaand sleep.

well hey there, somerville.

it's sunday. luckily, my body knew i needed some rest, big time, after a most ridiculous two weeks, and i rolled over when i woke up and realized that it was 1:50. pm. i had slept half the day away, and that was exactly what i needed.

why so tired/why the oversleeping? yesterday, teaparty boston helped out with the throwing of harvest fest over at somerville's center for the arts at the armory. we were the official media partner for the event, but our tweeting/live blogging responsibilities were merely tasks compared to the other feats we accomplished that day! i had volunteered myself to joe, the wonderful man in charge and most adorable of local do-gooders, and i wound up emceeing the majority of the event and throwing together the script for the haphazard fashion show that occurred. the event was packed, everyone was happy, the endless supply of artisan beer kept festival-goers happy and the music on hand was pretty swell. it was exhausting, but it was a lovely day.

i actually made it out to tt's for the sidewalk driver cd release which was epiccccccc and i spent the majority of the evening in the pool room with the tpb/motion sick/aloud/future everybody kids. now, i'm scarfing shalimar, getting some writing done and then heading over to river gods for a video premiere party with aloud. and then it's precinct time, some old same old.

aiiiii ai ai. that's an update, though a lame one at that. tomorrow i'm either going to the advanced screening of "where the wild things are" complete with dave eggers q&a or i'm going to see wild light for a tpb feature. not a bad start to the week, huh?

KINGS OF LEON: The TeaParty Boston Interview. [aka: lil ol' me, jared of KoL and a tape recorder.]

i'm on my couch with some vino and a homemade oreo from city feed and i'm watching the VMAs, and i'm actually super stoked about that. the MJ tribute was pretty great, i love russell brand, and the mood seems to be particularly festive. great start, VMAs, great start.

three words on the tips of everyone's tongues tonight, regarding the VMAs? Kings. Of. Leon. the band is unbelievably huge right now. everyone can sing the chorus to "sex on fire", let's be honest. with a few shots of tequila in me i do a STELLARRR impression of caleb followill's "USE SOMEBODAAAY-AH" hook. rolling stone and spin have featured them on the covers of their magazines and nearly every music critic in the country has touted them as the biggest band in the world right now. am i the biggest fan? not necessarily, but i give credit where credit is due and after seeing caleb, jared, nathan and matthew DECIMATE the gloom that had settled in over the rain-soaked comcast center friday night with their absolutely electrifying set, i can say with absolutely no doubt that they're very, very real and worth a listen.

...also i was there because gab, jessie and i were interviewing them for TeaParty Boston. (slight ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG moment of my life.) gab was the only photographer who was granted access to shoot the show friday night. i somehow wound up backstage in a warm up room with jared, the bass player, and we hung out for something like fifteen minutes. the dude is surprisingly down to earth and humble and excited about the amazing things that he's got going for him. anyways, read the interview in full here, but check out some of gab's pics below:

(also, i gotta say, i really do work with some of the most incredibly talented and lovely women on the planet. gab and jessie, i'm so proud of the both of you and i don't think i tell you that enough.)

quick update: TeaParty Boston, Interviewz, Major FreakOuts and Other Adventures.

HI!

real quick:

1) the weekend preview is up at TeaParty Boston. if you're looking for something to do this weekend in boston, you have EIGHT GAZILLION OPTIONS available including concerts in cambridge, somerville, allston and boston proper, of course. there's also a booze-soaked LEGALIZE CACHACA! march plowing through the south end/back bay and design hive kicks off for the season on sunday. long story short: GET YOUR BUTT OFF THE COUCH AND OUT INTO THE AUTUMN AIR, AMIGOS!

2) i am interviewing the biggest f#%#$%@ band on the planet tonight before their concert at the comcast center. if you've got any pressing questions for the followill brothers, drop me a line and i'll include it in my interview.

3) have i told you lately that i'm lucky? i'm lucky.

my avett brothers fangirldom knows no bounds.

seriously, guys. i'm obsessed. since folk festival 50 i can't stop listening to the second gleam and emotionalism by the avett brothers. also, JOHN HUGHES DIED?! :( anyone down for a breakfast club/pretty in pink/sixteen candles/st elmo's fire/ferris bueller/home alone marathon this weekend? preferably sunday?

anyways. here's an adorable video of the avett brothers all up in the back of their tour bus playing my favorite song of theirs, "will you return". enjoy :D

my morning was weird.

well, i guess it's still going on so "is" weird would be more appropriate, but whatever.

a little update: i am exhausted. i drove up to lake george on thursday afternoon, it took me five hours to get there because i got craaaazy lost, and then i doubled back and drove home in less than 24 hours. made it back to cambridge, picked up jessie, we drove down to rhode island in a torrential downpour and made it to newport in decent time. we got up at 7:30 on saturday and sunday mornings and worked for pretty much 12 straight hours at the newport folk festival [which was an incredible, incredible experience that i'll put into words later] and then we drove back home sunday night and got back here around 9:30. last night, we met up with the love language over at the middle east for their sold out show (!!!) with cursive and i didn't even make it to cursive's set. the love language were amazing, as usual. what a great group of people, too.

anyways, my tuesday night is going to consist of watching "the life aquatic with steve zissou" in bed with a salad [who am i kidding i'll probably order shalimar] and my laptop and i will start plowing through the first half of the newport folk fest transcripts. before i start work for the day, though, i wanted to share with all of you the two notable sights i spotted this morning while walking to work.
first off: shepard fairey. fairey got a slap on the wrist for various installations he's done in the city since his exhibit opened at the ICA and he's supposed to notify BPD of when he'll be in town AND he's not allowed to have "tagging materials - such as stickers or paste" on him when he does come to Boston. so, yeah, imagine my [pleasant] surprise when i woke up, showered, ran out my front door and literally walked into this in the parking lot behind my building:


i like shepard fairey, i'll admit it. i like his style, his collages and the murals he's done. maybe he's a douchebag in real life, maybe not, but i dig his work. i'm just bummed that i missed him painting it, that would've been sick.

secondly: after getting off the train this morning at my office, i walked through the parking lot by the commuter rail station and passed this:


please note the "please do not leave anything outside of the box" memo written across the front of the box. 987213987198273 happy meal toys? for the american red cross? really? what the hell? i literally stopped and stared at this pile of technicolor plastic for ten whole minutes before shuffling off to my cubicle shaking my head the whole way.

haha seriously. and all of this happened before 8:30 am. wow.

TeaParty Boston at Newport Folk Festival 50, Lake George and more! EEEEEEP!!!!

image via cute overload.

i am happier than this happy bunny becaaaaause

a) on a whim, i took the last two days of this week off, and i'm going to be driving up to lake george tomorrow afternoon for two days of bliss in the wilderness of upstate new york with my absolute favorite new yorkers who have not seen in FOR EV ER. lake? beerz? best friends? SIGN ME UP.

b) on friday night, jessie and i are hopping in the car and leaving cambridge for newport, rhode island because TEAPARTY BOSTON IS COVERING THE NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL. it's the festival's 50th anniversary and anyone who follows american folk/rock/indie music knows that THIS IS A BIG DEAL. our press credentials were approved yesterday so we're going to be seeing some of our ABSOLUTE FAVORITE BANDS [the avett brothers! the low anthem! the decemberists! iron & wine! elvis perkins in dearland! deer tick! ben kweller! EEEEE!!!!!!] and writing about it so that you guys can live vicariously through us for a bit. we'll be live blogging/tweeting the shows, too, so keep a look out.

in other news: works good, apartment's good, and boston fiiiinally decided it was summertime. i have never been so happy to sweat profusely in my LIFE.

TeaParty Boston Update: Interviews, Photos, Silly Flashy Headshots and more.

hello friiiiiiiiiiends!

i know i said i wouldn't be updating, but i figured i'd give you the rundown on what's currently posted over at TeaParty Boston for your reading pleasure.

since the end of april, jessie, gab and i have been running around this city like chickens with our heads cut off interviewing, shooting, chatting with and going to see the best bands coming through town and hailing from the bean itself. between the paradise rock club, precinct and every single venue in between we've covered a lot of ground, and you can now find all of these interviews that we've been backlogging since this brainchild came to fruition a few months ago.

interviews currently up on TeaParty Boston:

-Frosty Pines: Steve, Andy and Conan, formerly of Boston indie powerhouse Baker, have reformed as a rock trio and will be playing TT the Bear's Place on July 23rd.

-The Antlers: Jessie and I had the pleasure of chatting up these Brooklynites as they were stopping through town on their way back to the burrough after their whirlwind national tour.

-Magic Magic: Probably one of my favorite Boston acts out there and definitely an act to watch. That, and these guys are hysterical.

-Taxpayer: Another one of my favorite local acts, and definitely one of the most fun interviews/shows we've ever done for TPB. Their album, Don't Steal My Night Vision, is currently playing on repeat on my iTunes.

-Thick as Thieves: Definitely my band crush. I. LOVE. THEIR. MUSIC. SO. MUCH. I stumbled across their last album while writing for Chicks with Guns last summer and I haven't stopped listening to them since.

-Au Revoir Simone: Okay Jessie looooves these keyboard-wielding ladies and it's no wonder why, seeing as they're adorable and their music is just as appealing as their personalities.

-The Luxury: Jessie and I were BLOWN AWAY by these guys at their CD Release party last week. Seriously, people. They're going to explode and you heard it here first.

-The Low Anthem: I'm really pissed that I missed this show, but these guys are amazing and Jessie snapped some sick pictures of their show at the Brattle.

-Thao with the Get Down Stay Down: Our first big interview! I love Thao. Everyone loves Thao. We hope you love our interview with Thao.

-Rock Plaza Central: Chris Eaton is such an upstanding chap and chatting him up about Rock Plaza Central's music, origami caterpillars and punching Scott Speedman was a delight.

soooo yeah. i've been busy, can you tell?

xx hil

no words, except for "thank you."

thank you.

something cheery to brighten your rainy tuesday [edit: wednesday. fail.]

this unrelenting rainy nastiness has GOT TO QUIT. this week has been AWFUL so far [edit: i'm over it, the whole thing. no need to spread the negativity.]

so to make myself feel better and to hopefully spread some joy this morning:
i give you baby kevin in a clown suit.

it toootally worked and made you laugh at your desk, didn't it.

thanks/sorry kev. and plz find those yellow chucks in your size [now.]

in other news: the band formerly known as "baker" is wonderful and TPB had the privilege of catching up with them at shay's last night, so good. the somerville jazz and blues festival is tomorrow at the armory and you should totally go. saturday is going to be FANTASTIC as TPB will be downstairs at the middle east covering taxpayer, thick as thieves, the good north, the information and barnicle. and sunday is lake street dive.

c'mon, wednesday. just make it 5:15 so i can catch my train home, go to dali or punjabi dhaba with preston for a long anticipated lady date, and then passsss out so that thursday can be here already. i heard a rumor that the sun is supposed to come out tomorrow. i'll believe it when i see it.

the happy list, "i'm up way too early on a saturday morning and i love it!" edition.

1) the whole wheat special scones and the cappuccinos over at the biscuit. they change on a daily basis, but today it's a whole wheat brown sugar peach scone and i can think of nothing better for breakfast... especially on an overcast, dreary morning like today. i thought i'd be beating the crowd by getting here around 9 and i was sorely mistaken - there's a line around the block and most of the tables are full. [and, oh hey! i wrote a blurb on this very scone this week over at 3 Buck Bites. you can find the expression of my undying love and affection for this breakfast pastry here.]

2) paychecks... because i'm finally getting one again. after 4 months going without, your darling hil can finally look at her ATM receipts again because she has found a JOB. it's at a great company with great people and the only hang-up is that the commute is a biiiitch.it's kind of funny, because after i got the "real" job offer i was offered a bartending gig at bukowski, which would've kiiiind of been a dream come true... but yeah. i went with the desk job and now have a cubicle. but hey, whatever man, i'm employed. i'd be lying if i said i didn't slightly miss my funemployment a bit, but it's so, so, so so so so nice to be productive and have "real" responsibilities again. and oh yeah. being able to pay rent is pretty sweet, too, especially because this means i can sign my lease again and stay in my lovely little apartment :)

3) jessie's moving to this side of the river this weekend! j-rog is making the move to inman square from allston. this means that all of my best friends now live within a 15 minute drive of my apartment. well, except for marcy. marcy's still over in the land of yuppies, toddlers who wear more expensive shoes than i do and the best kosher brunches known to man [aka: brookline.]

4) in 6 days a bunch of my friends and i are heading up to my aunt's lakehouse and I. AM. SO. EX. CI. TED. a weekend full of barbeques, night swimming, bonfires, nearly forgotten '50s style diners and barnyard antique fairs? sign. me. up. the place is on long lake and is about an hour outside of portland, and i haven't been up there in about three summers or so. to say i'm looking forward to it would be understatement of the year. hopefully we won't burn down the place/get hit by a moose/OD on s'mores, and keep your fingers crossed that we don't have any of this weather while we're up there.

5) i picked up the latest Rolling Stone and nearly squealed when i saw the cover. frankly, i don't care that lady gaga's on there wearing bubbles and looking like herself. (i can't stand gaga, in case you were wondering. if she and katy perry were to be thrown into the boxing ring i would 110% gun for perry and i have no doubt that i'd walk out of that match a rich woman.) i was super excited because david lachappelle shot the cover and i love his work. he's the man responsible for that britney spears cover with the teletubby that everyone freaked about, and he shot pretty much every other fantastical, imaginative image that's graced the cover of the magazine for the past 15 years or so. maybe it's a sign that rolling stone is gonna make a comeback? maybe? c'mahn, jann.

6) talks with mariska hargitay and christopher meloni were successful and law & order: svu will see an 11th season. the fact that i am adding this to a happy list at all makes me hate myself a little bit but i cannot deny my inexplicable obsession with that tv show.

7) things are actually happening with tea party boston. i don't want to say too much too soon, but we're going to be bringing you exclusive, intimate interviews, some of the silliest/coolest photos you've ever seen and quirky features you won't find anywhere else right out of the gate. if you're sick of your arts & entertainment scene in boston going unnoticed, we're going to fix that, so keep an eye on us. [and we have business cards now. i guess that really makes us legit.]

8) i just realized that since i'm at the biscuit i can pick up a fresh loaf of homemade multigrain bread instead of spending $7.99 at shaw's for the iggy's pullman's loaf. one check off the grocery list, sweeeet. [and yes. i get that excited about bread.]

9) this is shaping up to be a summer chock full o' fantastic concerts. in the next two months, i'm going to be seeing passion pit, thick as thieves [edit: i met them. they're adorable. i want to be best friends with this band and you should too because they are great.] the harlem shakes, magic magic, the low anthem, lake street dive, taxpayer, casiotone for the painfully alone, mcalister drive, and obviously, the sea monsters. i live within a stone's throw of the lizard lounge, the middle east, tt the bear's place, precinct, toad, and the paradise rock club: could a pop culture/all-things-music junky be any luckier?

10) i also realized that this summer has the potential to be the best summer yet, i think. i was walking down beacon street to the biscuit this morning and passed a house that has a sprawling rose bush crawling up its front walls and porch banisters. these roses were bright red, vibrant, and unapologetically open, and when this massive grin spread over my sleepy face i took these flowers to be some kind of omen that there's only beauty ahead, however fleeting it may be, and that it's so important to recognize good when you've got it going for you. that rosebush was the best wake up call a person could ever get.

happy saturday, guys. go out and spend the day hanging out with your favorite people and doing what you love. that's exactly what i'll be doing.

au revoir simone, you are so adorable.

tonight was TPB's first double-header and i spent the night bouncing back and forth between downstairs at the middle east and tt the bear's to see kayo dot and au revoir simone.  this is also after i danced amongst broken champagne flutes and beautiful people to the lo-fi hedonistic beats of bodega girls.  i promise i'll post more on the bands later at tea party boston, but 'til then...

we're taking this shit viral, i'm exhausted, and i feel like a woman on the verge.

¡coming soon!

so, we're onto something big, kids.

http://www.teapartyboston.com/

keep it on the refresh for the next couple of weeks, as our official launch is approaching and we want to make sure you get in on the local music exclusives/late night dance floor photo shoots/gilly impressions.

[these photos were snapped by gab at the magic magic/hallelujah the hills show at the middle east friday night.  both bands were phenomenal, go check them out immediately.]

hil's exclusive interview with the love language at chicks with guns!

about a month ago, jessie, kevin, christoph, steve and myself ran on over to tt the bear's for a rowdy evening of some good old fashioned garage rock fun.  we were lucky enough to chat up some members of the band while we were there, seeing as tt's is one of the smallest venues, um, ever, and jessie was able to snap some gorgeous photos.  i wrote it all up in an exclusive q+a with stu mcclamb, the love language's ring leader, and you can find the interview here at chicks with guns magazine.

in the meantime, here are the shots posted in the article of jessie's for your viewing pleasure.  i think these pictures came out so well.  well done, darling!

the brothers mcclamb: stu mcclamb to the left, jordan mcclamb to the right.

keyboardist/every hipster boy's dream date, missy thangs.

the whole gang onstage at tt the bear's place, 23 April 2009.

so who's going to see holy fuck with kevin and i at tt's? anyone?