Jeff Lynne's ELO at the Fonda Theatre, Hollywood

 This was one of the most unforgettable shows!

It's me!  I was just a little closer to the stage by show time.

This picture was taken (not by me) about 2 hours before the show.

I feel so lucky...

~♥Carmen♥~

Jeff Lynne's ELO

I can't believe I'm going to see Jeff Lynne's ELO 

at the Fonda Theatre in less than two weeks!

Can't wait...

~‚‚‚♫Carmen♫~

The Man Who Stole a Leopard

I love this song.

So ethereal and haunting.

I ventured out...

Last Saturday we saw The Damned at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.

 We arrived early enough to secure balcony seats.

 I love going to 1920's art deco venues.

 The Damned rocked!

 Dave Vanian was the best he's ever been.

Loved the look!  Incredible voice.

I wore my vintage 1980's classic clothes leather pointy-toed gothic boots.

I believe I hadn't worn them for 20 years.

Anyway, they played the old punk songs.

However, my favorite of the evening was "Eloise."

I'm more of a Phantasmagoria-era fan...

I'm so glad we saw them - definitely worth it.

~♥Carmen♥~

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty

If you like fairy tales and the Gothic aesthetic,

check this out.

I wanted to see this live in the theater, but

I was able to watch it on PBS last night.

You can watch the full video online here.

I loved the costumes.

The dancing and makeup was fanciful, too.

I think I need a set of fairy wings...

Have a great weekend!

Carmen

Adam Ant Show Outfits: Part 5 (and a video)

The Adam Ant Show at Club Nokia was last night!

See those earplugs?  Glad I brought them... it was loud!
But on to the outfits...

 

 

 

 We took these pictures before the show.
You get a picture of the final idea.
 The show itself was so much fun! :-)
I love all those songs - reminds me of the 80's...
He played a lot of the B-sides (remember vinyl?):
Beat My Guest
Zerox Machine
Whip In My Valise
Car Trouble
PLUS, the big hits:
Antmusic
Stand and Deliver
Strip
Goody Two Shoes
Desperate But Not Serious
AND, lots from the new album.
 

Here's the video for Cool Zombie.
I really like the "look" of this video.

Now, you might be asking...
Did anyone else in the audience dress up?
Well, not really.
I was pretty disappointed by that.
For me, dressing up is one of the most fun parts of going out...
We had so much fun, though! :-)

Off to make some cookies...
Have a fantastic week.

Carmen

Absinthe Cigar Box Guitar

I made it (with some help)!

 

I styled the box, stained and finished the neck and fashioned the knobs.

My husband installed the electronics, tuners and strings.

 

I wanted an old world feel...

Like you found this instrument in the bows of an old pirate ship,

docking in a New Orleans bayou circa 1890.

(Don't tell me there weren't pirates then...)

 

 This is truly a guitar of the world.

There are parts from Turkey, Hong Kong, and Honduras.

This is my first attempt at making a guitar and I'm very pleased with the results!

So is my husband, as he gets to keep it.

Plus, it sounds GREAT!!!

I'm going to make another one.

Of course it's going to be unique.

One of a kind.

I'm also planning a Cabernet guitar... see a theme here?

For this one, I used:

Escudero Double Maduro Sancho Panza wooden cigar box,

Henriod absinthe spoons,

Swarovski olivine crystals,

Danddukes77 four string pre-fretted maple guitar neck

with Sapele Epiphone style headstock,

Wilkinson Vintage Style tuners,

Twin bar black neck hot rail pickup,

handmade 4 string bridge,

large volume and tone knobs covered with embossed PaperClay,

bronze box corners,

Ernie Ball strings,

old absinthe art,

black, gold, and green paint and pencils,

and Mod Podge.

The inspiration for this project came about from

Sir Paul McCartney's performance with

Nirvana at the 121212 Concert for Sandy Relief.

 Of course, where Paul McCartney is involved - my husband MUST follow suit.

Because now it's cool.

Paul's is a Baratto Cigfiddle with Resonator.

A beauty.

The Daddy Mojo Resonator models aren't too shabby, either.

But, they are built to order and take a few months.

These are really fun to make!

I bought a couple books for research:

Cigar Box Guitars: The Ultimate DIY Guide for the

Makers and Players of the Handmade Music Revolution

One Man's Trash: A History of the Cigar Box Guitar

Of course, my husband has already built several six string electric

guitars so he knew the nuts and bolts already.

I was clueless but learned a lot.

Keep strummin' and creatin'...

Carmen

Giddy with excitement!

I'm going to see Adam Ant and The Good,

The Mad and The Lovely Posse this July!!! 

  

After many years, Adam Ant released

"Adam Ant is the BlueBlack Hussar Marrying the Gunner's Daughter"

album this year!

Of course, I bought it and it's like the last 30 years never happened.

 It's classic Adam Ant!

I've only ever seen him perform live once.

It was in 1993 at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA.

All I can say is that Adam Ant is a spectacular showman!

It was so much fun.

So, now I'm totally excited to see him again - after 20 years!!!

The question is - what do I wear?

Time to break out the dandyhighwaymen clothes...

Billowy blouses, tall boots...

Oh, I can't wait!
At first, I wasn't going to go because all the balcony seats were sold out.
Only pit tickets left...
Oh well... I'll make it through it.

Michael Franks at The Canyon

I had the good fortune to see on of my most favorite musical artists, Michael Franks, play at The Canyon in Agoura Hills last night.

The Canyon - Where Music Meets the Soul.

It took us about an hour to drive from home to the venue, but then

we had a fun, relaxing three hours of drinks and dinner.

We met some interesting and entertaining people sitting at our table.

We compared our Michael Franks concert history.

One man saw him play Moscow in the early 90's!

One lady saw him play in the 70's on his "Sleeping Gypsy" tour!

 Well, I was playing with dolls during the 70's.

Wait, I still play with dolls...

...that's besides the point.

This was only my second time seeing Michael Franks play live.

I saw him play Anthology in San Diego in 2009.

This show was awesome!!!

I wouldn't have expected anything less.

Besides the songwriter and man himself, the instrumentation and musicianship make Michael Franks shows delightful.  There's the upright bass, drums, saxophone, flute, clarinet, piano/keyboards, and various gourd percussion instruments.

However, this show featured Veronica Nunn (she's on the left in a blur)!

I've been wanting to see her perform with Michael Franks.

She has a beautiful voice and makes it possible for him to perform such a wider variety of his songs (which are duets).

My favorite song of the evening was "Tell Me All About It" (Passionfruit).

You may know it from Natalie Cole covering it.

It was really beautiful.

Other songs played were (in no particular order):

Baseball (One Bad Habit)

Eggplant (The Art of Tea)
In The Eye of The Storm (Sleeping Gypsy)

Jive (The Art of Tea)

The Lady Wants To Know (Sleeping Gypsy)

Long Slow Distance (Blue Pacific)

Monk's New Tune (Dragonfly Summer)

Monkey See-Monkey Do (The Art of Tea)

Now Love Has No End (Barefoot On the Beach)

Now That the Summer's Here (Time Together)

Popsicle Toes (The Art of Tea)

Rainy Night in Tokyo (Passionfruit)
Sunday Morning Here With You (Passionfruit)

When Sly Calls (Passionfruit)

I'm sure there were more but I can't think of them right now.

Thank you, Michael Franks and band!!!

You were spectacular!

 p.s.  What makes smooth jazz smooth?

Flashback! Haircut 100

First of all, let's just get something out of the way.

I'm flashing back to 30 years ago!

How did it happen?

I don't know.

Please just forget about that as you travel back in time.

Back in the early 80's I'd come home from school and watch Richard Blade on MV3, a show aired locally in southern California that featured new wave artists, videos, and dancing.  Richard Blade was also a DJ for KROQ, my hometown (Pasadena, CA) radio station.

If you're a fellow So-Cal'er, you might remember this bumper sticker.

MV3 opened my eyes to the new wave and new romantic music genres.

The music videos captivated and created a lasting impression for me.

It also got me started in record and memorabilia collecting.

One of my (still) favorite bands was Haircut 100 (with Nick Heyward).

Who could resist this cute smile?

The Debut LP/Magazine Issue 8/9 (December 1984)

The Haircut One Hundred Catalogue (front and back covers)

Haircut 100 Not a Trace of Brylcreem (front and back covers)

    

I really started collecting records beginning in the summer of 1984.

Heavily into Duran Duran, I got to go on a two-week school tour of Europe (thanks, Dad) where I proceeded to purchase every 12" single I could get my hands on.

This built a lot of arm strength as I had to carry this vinyl in my suitcase.

However, I was in heaven!  You just couldn't find this stuff (easily) in the states.

Haircut 100 was way over by 1984, but the memories never left me.

Don't tell me you didn't sing along to "Love Plus One" or "Favorite Shirts."

You know you did.

Love Plus One 7" Single 45 RPM (Marine Boy B-Side)

A Kingsize Stereo Forty Five Cut (Fantastic Day with Ski Club of Great Britain B-Side)

Pelican Dance Special Promotional Issue

(King Size and Lemon Fire Brigade on the A-Side)

(Baked Bean and Calling Captain Autumn on the B-Side)

Nobody's Fool 7" Single (October is Orange B-Side)

And, last but not least...

Flexipop! Issue No 17 with Marine Boy flexi-disc

So, maybe I've brought back a few memories?

I only wish I had a record player!

There are some B-Sides that I haven't been able to find on CD.

One of these days I'll get a turntable...

Feel free to put these on and have a fantastic summer day!

Off to go walking... happy Caturday!!!

P.S.  I just had a very obscure memory of the very early 80's.  There was a store in Pasadena on Fair Oaks Avenue I'd pass by on my way home from school.  They sold "dark stuff" and I was too afraid to go inside.  It was called 1313 Mockingbird Lane.  I don't think it remained in business too long.  I wonder if anyone else remembers this?