HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

In honor of Galentine's Day, and also, Valentine's Day, here's a Valentine for my singletons. While I don't really have any Valentine's Day rituals, I do like to take time on February 14th to read this veritable single manifesto by Nikki Darling, a super talented music writer from LA. I've discovered it pairs well with a listening of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies," as well.

And if that's not enough, cue up the Valentine's Day mix I made for you last year, dear reader.

MIX TAPE #7: YOU'RE JUST HOPELESS

YOU'RE JUST HOPELESS: A(n) (Anti-) Valentine's Mix

Jean Grae - Get It

The Parting Gifts - Keep Walkin'

Weezer - I Don't Want Your Lovin'

Antwon - Skullkrush

Tenement - City Bus #30

Allergic to Bullshit - I'm Not Ashamed

that dog. - Ms. Wrong

Bouncing Souls - Hopeless Romantic

Lost Weekend - A Bushel & A Peck

Weezer - Waiting on You

Beyonce - Resentment

YOU'RE JUST HOPELESS: A(n) (Anti-) Valentine's Mix from wisdomtooth on 8tracks.

Valentine's Day isn't normally even a subject I touch on, save for the once-a-year-riot-grrrl-bonanza organized by my friends and comrades that has brought me many positive memories. So why You're Just Hopeless? I had been creating a mix in my mind gradually, as I've had a bunch of new must-listen-to's lately. Everyone's favorite hate-to-love/love-to-hate holiday is swiftly approaching, and I realized a theme was emerging in the songs: difficult love, love that doesn't quite work out, nontraditional love.

Rivers' hesitant laugh - or cracked voice - as he sings "I don't want your lovin'..." is a moment I savor every time I hear that song. It's one of those songs where you're likely to tune out whatever lyrics don't apply to you so you can sing the chorus over and over again. The catchiest vocal melody, and so affirming.

I made this really brash mix last year that I never posted, and in the post I divulged a lot about how I think rap music can be the best healer, and how Jean Grae in particular helps me face the fine line between wanting to give up altogether and ruthlessly defending your right to live. I find that in more of her songs than not. Her spin on marriage is great here ("And I'm not going anywhere / cuz me and life is married / and I ain't getting divorced"), making it a real dedication to herself and no one else: self-love, self-as-valentine. On a related note, my V-Day post from last year is a love letter to the the bad-assery of singledom, as said best by a Nikki Darling and Beyonce pairing. B'Day on V-Day just sounds like a good idea.

I had already planned on adding Jean to the mix, but it seemed even more appropriate when I remembered I'm headed to the event she's hosting at WORD tonight, "Just Working On My Breakup." Right in my neighborhood! At one of my favorite bookstores!

As I started putting this mix together I thought it would be funny to bring in some more desperate tunes. Allergic to Bullshit's "I'm Not Ashamed" (a cover) has resonated with me since my late teens, many times over, each while I was helplessly infatuated with someone, of course. Lost Weekend's "A Bushel & A Peck" is about sisterly love from what I hear (wink), which can be a particularly fraught and under-appreciated yet truly special kind of love.

So, here it is, for better or worse. Happy Valentine's Day, y'all.

OLD BANDS, NEW NEWS

Cover art by Amos Pitsch

TWO THINGS OUT OF THE PROVERBIAL BLUE:

1. Cheeky's long-promised (and I thought potentially never to exist) split 7" with everyone's favorite Appleton, WI trio, Tenement, is now available as a co-release from Rally Records and No Breaks Records.

There are only 400 copies available so get your copy here, quick. We recorded this song during the What the Heck sessions back in 2009. I'm happy that we not only get to do a release with Tenement, but with Amos' cover art.

A lower point of 2011 was leaving my latter band, Very Okay. After graduating Sarah Lawrence and beginning an internship at Hyperallergic (while also working two other jobs) I just couldn't fit music into my schedule. Some of us have moved on to new bands, to new cities, and others of us just hope to get a dog (ahem), but people are still kind enough to give us a holler every now and then.

2. One of those people is author Tao Lin, who gave us a shout-out in his interview with friend and music comrade Jeff Rosenstock this week at Vice Magazine. Someone also made us fan art.

Another exciting post I found was from "Leftovers & Reruns" on tumblr, who uploads scans of his record collection. He scanned Cheeky's Choke on a Cheeseburger EP, which I did the art for in 2007.

SWEARIN'

Doodling at work, thinking about my new favorite band, Swearin'.

If you haven't picked up the What a Dump demo [free download] yet, get it quick!

PEN MEETS PICK: SCREAMING FEMALES & DOODLE DRAG

Last month I ventured to Hoboken to check out the Screaming Females & Doodle Drag show. I wrote about it for Hyperallergic, and the piece went live this morning!

When the time came to start the show, Screaming Females squeezed onto the relatively small stage at Maxwell’s, just to the right of a blank sheet on the wall, which served as a projection screen. “We’re Screaming Females!” Paternoster squeaked out, and as the lights went down, she introduced the first artist: Tiffany Cheng, who illustrated the song “Wild,” off of the band’s latest LP,Castle Talk. The work projected onto the sheet ranged from photograph-based and stop-motion animations to felt pen drawings, grotesque and beautiful all at once. The artwork suited the music — dark, jubilant, fun, neurotic — visual and audio codes that we forget to interpret because we’re so busy enjoying it.

read the full article here.

I'm really excited to have something up at Hyperallergic, I am a fan of the work they do. Here are some photo outtakes from the evening.

PHOTO FAVORITES: JANUARY

(Kim Shattuck sings "Rock'n'roll Girl" with Paul Collins' Beat

at Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ, January 29, 2011)

VERY OKAY - SMALL LOUD

I am super excited to announce that Very Okay's first EP, "Small Loud," has finally been released (we recorded it in August 2010) on Quote Unquote records. I designed an 'album cover' and 'insert' for the digital download. The photograph was taken by me in November 2009. Small Loud was recorded & mastered by John Meredith.

>>  GET "SMALL LOUD" HERE.  <<

P.S. - I've gotten some traffic looking for 'Very Okay' so FYI, our blog is here.

DEAD HORSES

Quote Unquote Records posted a new jam from Very Okay's digital release / tape called "Dead Horses" yesterday.

You can stream the song here.

Our friends at Quote Unquote Records will be releasing our first EP, "Small Loud," in digital format, and our friends at Not Tapes Not Bombs Tapes will be releasing it in tape format.

DOODLES

Found these on my sketchpad, which I am working in, designing the new P.S. Eliot LP! Extra points if you recognize either of these lyrics.