Phenomenon Spring/Summer 2009 Collection

Not sure if I'm big on the Kung-Fu Tuxedo Jacket with matching shorts, but keep a look out for that bow tie necklace. That ish is the hotness. The pieces are now available at choiceisyours.jp.

Wu-Tang Clan + Gabriel Urist

I think its a good deviation from the Wu-wear. May I say it can even be called classy. The earrings are made of 925 silver and of course the earrings feature the iconic Wu-Tang ‘W’. As an extra bonus, the earrings with a special red box. These bad boys are selling for a suggested retail price of ¥10,800 JPY (approximately $121 USD). Pick them up over at essense.

Mr. A + Uffie = Art

Famous Parisian graffiti artist Andre (Monsieur André) makes one of his signature characters, Mr. A, come to life on his wife, Ed Banger recording artist Uffie. Now that what I call bringing art to life!

Dear Deer

After seeing last night's episode of Scrubs, "My Lawyer's In Love", I decided to research this Stephanie Cooch . Turns out her real name is Kate Micucci and seems to be dubbed the Dmitri Martin of Ukulele. I couldn't pass up this highly creative and charming video. Enjoy.

Caroline Smith & the Good Night Sleeps

Not really sure how to describe what I saw the other night, but I think it was one of the best live performances I have seen, period. The band consists of Caroline Smith, Arlen Peiffer, Alex Ramsey, and Jesse Schuster. May I say myself, that this is a fine collection of individuals. Got to chill with them after the show and we enjoyed some college hospitality. The guys are real down to earth and love music . I'm not saying they like their music cause they play it, but they really love music and you feel it while they play. I have three things to say about Caroline: 1) She plays a banjo, big props, 2)watch out Jenny lewis and 3) When she opened her mouth to sing the first song, she melted my heart. I mean damn, her voice is that of an angel. I now realize, that when I came across them two years ago online, I should have paid more attention, because heed my words, this band is SOLID. So enough about the people, you want to hear about the music right? Right! The CD is a quick 40 minutes of alternative acoustic folk bliss that I am am listening to at this very moment for the third time. It is just the "ill na na"(thats some Longbranch lingo for ya'll before you play there on Feb 12). Caroline's commanding voice demands great musical backing, which the band takes care of with ease with acoustic guitars, banjo, keyboards, harmonica, and light drums. It is a shame they did not get an encore, because Caroline can rap! So when you go to see them (you will) make sure to start the damn encore because it is such a treat. Check out their webpage at www.myspace.com/carolinesmithmusic and check out some of their tracks. My personal favorites are "Grizzly Bear" and "Where has Sally Gone?" Keep the good music coming, cause we are listening!

Their record can also be purchased from iTUNES or the following record shops:
The Electric Fetus (Minneapolis)
Treehouse Records (Minneapolis)
Eclipse Records (St. Paul)
Record Breakers (Chicago)

Weekly Under 20

"Knuckle Bear inventor Touma throws down 12 monstrous misfits for Evil Skaters, his first Kidrobot line-up. These 3-inchers ditched their boards for horned heads, big-fists, a ferocious sidekick and 2 hot chases. Sold blind boxed for US$7.99 each." All I have to say is that I have enjoyed it so far. Blind boxes are tricky because usually there is one really awesome figure, and all the others suck, but with Touma's "Evil Skaters" set, they are all pretty cool lookin' characters (except for Nedro, the green one in the back). While at Kidrobot in NYC during the holidays, I had the chance to pick up two boxes and went home with Shaw and Booter (pics below), which I am quite proud to display on my desk. Anyways, you can buy an evil skaters blind box for $7.99 at the Kidrobot near you or you could get yours here. Oh and don't get the case of 20 because then you ruin the fun.

(Shaw)
(Booter)