Saturday, October 31, 2009

Why are you so far away from me


This is going to be a long post because I have so much to say, but it won't be as long as I'd like it to be because I won't say everything I want to. Where do I start. This is Weezer's first big show in Los Angeles in what seems like years. I'm not counting the Forum or Long Beach or secret shows as official LA shows. The last time I saw Weezer was 4 years ago at the Long Beach Arena when Hot Hot Heat opened and Foo Fighters co-headlined with the band. I went for two consecutive nights in that massive floor section. The first day, the guard in the front had to take scoop me out after Weezer's set because I was drenched in sweat, shivering, and was suffering from being crushed on all sides, I then proceeded to walk away towards the side and collapsed on the floor.

Well, fast-forward 4 years, it's October 24, 2009 and Weezer plays the Hollywood Palladium. How excited I was! Over a year ago, randomly, I bought glow bracelets at a craft store and said to myself, "These are for the next time I go to a Weezer show." And it came true. I was front row, but way to the side, with no complaints. Especially since Rivers came all the way over to our side several times. And now I finally have photographs of Weezer to add to my rock photography library. So happy. They opened with "Hash Pipe". The flow of the show was great. You could tell that the band really enjoyed playing for us, too. Of course, the show was sold out and the fans were very happy. I freaked out when they played my favorite "Why Bother" from Pinkerton, I danced so hard that one of my glow bracelets flew off. Funny. They sang "Photograph", I freaked out again, and then they went into a cover of "Song 2". I just truly had a really good time and felt so happy. There was a moment during "Island in the Sun" where I kind of teared up and felt this weird bittersweetness. That song is special to me. Weezer is special to me. Their music was a big part in helping me get through the early stage of my dog eat dog world cut throat industry career. Anyways, back to the show. Sara Bareilles made an appearance to duet during "If You Want Me To", and I, in all honesty, was kind of annoyed. Maybe it was jealousy or what not, but I didn't like it. I like the song, though. Chamillionaire came out during the new track "Can't Stop Partying", and surprisingly added a nice touch to the song. Okay, but here goes. The thing is, if you are like me and you listen to Weezer and indie rock, you have no idea who Sara Bareilles and Chamillionaire are. I think most of the people around me were the same way. We were slightly confused and didn't know who they were. I mean, I know their songs because of mainstream airplay, but I don't know their names or faces. Weezer's encore set consisted of the Kids/Poker Face medley. When they started playing "Buddy Holly" and I realized it was the last song of the night, and how special and magical everything was, I literally got goosebumps. Seriously, I had the best time and I've been to many rock shows but only a band like Weezer can make me feel this way. It was definitely an epic show I will remember for a long time.
Weezer's new album "Raditude" to be released this Tuesday November 3, 2009.
















We saw Butch Walker on our way out. I love his work. Such a cool guy.

A beautiful perfect night in Hollywood.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Youngest Indie presents "Hedi Boys"


Finally! Here it is! I had so much fun making this one. It took a long time because I really wanted to make it special. Making the play-doh boys were fun. Shooting the scenes were the hardest part, but I am happy with the outcome. This time around I played around with lighting and had better sets. I have memories of painting the brick wall this past summer before going out to the Getty Center. I spent a lot of my weekends working on this project. Thanks to my sister who bought me a tripod for my camera. The editing process got me super excited. I really hope you like it.

**Big thanks to the websites that linked my video!!
Fashionista
FashionMagazine
Hedi Slimane Japan FanPage's Blog
BrandBanzai even posted some of the fashion show pictures.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Hedi Boys: A tribute to Hedi Slimane


Finally I am finished with my next play-doh film! Two years ago, when I started rediscovering the possibilities of play-doh and someone told me I should make fashion figures, I knew that I wanted to do a rock boys theme as a follow up to my JCDC girls film. I also knew that it had to be a tribute to the amazing Hedi Slimane and all his contributions to this fantastic and exciting men's fashion scene. The very look he created that influenced so many. During his days at Dior Homme were most exciting for me. I couldn't wait to see the next collection. Even now, I enjoy his beautiful stylish photography. Besides having a demanding full time job keeping me from working on this, there was another bit of a problem. I couldn't find black colored play-doh. And I needed a lot of it. I couldn't even find it online. I printed and selected looks from the Spring 2006 show, my favorite collection. Then it was earlier this year in the winter that I drove around to toy stores, and amazingly enough, I found individual cans of white, peach pink, and, yes, black. It was amazing because I had tried looking for it at the same stores before, and they didn't have it. Anyways, I stocked up and went to work right away I was so excited. I was done with the figures by Spring/Summer and spent the summer working on props and painting sets. I also finally got a mini tripod. Can you believe I used to make my stop motion without a tripod? So difficult and the quality lacked. But this time around, I focused on areas of improvement and was very ambitious in creating a great rock video. Finally, I was able to execute what had been stuck inside my head for years. I hope you enjoy it. The video will premiere this Thursday night! Come back on Thursday!







Saturday, October 17, 2009

See yourself, your image in the eyes of someone else


The Horrors at the Glasshouse in Pomona. I almost didn't make it to this show. I've been really exhausted from work. I wasn't feeling too well. But I said to myself, if the Horrors are in town, you should definitely go. It's not that often that you can catch an amazing band. And since I like them so much, I drove 35 miles to Pomona. It was closer to me than Costa Mesa, so why not. I got there just as Japanese Motors were finishing their last song. I had never been to the Glasshouse before, but my friend told me it's smaller than the El Rey, so that was the deal breaker for me. Three Horrors shows in three nights. It was one of the best weeks of my life. The Horrors are way up there and easily one of my favorite bands. They remind me of how much I love music. Truly love music. They're on a world tour, so if you haven't seen them already, mark your calendars. If you don't have their new album yet, purchase one asap. Epic.










Tuesday, October 13, 2009

If you don't remember, you will remember soon


But if you wait
I will take your hand
and you'll understand

The Horrors at the El Rey October 1, 2009 was a bit of a deja vu. We saw them two years ago there. That was a great show. This was an amazing show. Except for some annoying parts like the obnoxious guy in front of me who kept throwing things towards the stage and really tried his best to annoy the crap out of me, which he really did and I had to mentally tell myself not to let this dude get to me, and then later the security guard that kept telling me to stop taking pictures, and I wasn't sure what was bothering Faris, maybe the sound system or something. Besides all that, it was another awesome live performance and I was just happy to be able to see them again. "Do You Remember" is a great song. Sometimes when I'm listening to it on my iPod at work, it makes me want to cry.