This month, the Winter Music Conference in Miami celebrated its 25th anniversary, and it’s safe to say things have come quite a long way — and maybe not so long — since its inception in 1985. But there’s been some speculation about the WMC in the past few years: is it relevant? Or has it devolved from the trend-setting, groundbreaking event thousands of people flock to every year, to something insipid and boring?
Sugarpill Cosmetics. Let’s stop and let that name sink in for a second. Delicious, no?
There are so many wonderful makeup companies. I have been a MAC Cosmetics devotee since I was 14 years old, and rarely deviate from their products. Sometimes, though, you want something brighter…sparklier. More intense. For most of us, this means wandering around Sephora in a perfume-induced coma, gawking at sparkly eye pencils and wondering if turquoise glitter is really something we can pull off.
Sugarpill, though, is incredible. It is honestly going to be HUGE. I’ve been watching the reviews as they roll in, and everyone is astounded by the quality of the product, the attention to detail in the packaging and the generous quantities of product. The colors really are staggeringly bright, they wear like nothing else and best of all, you’re supporting an amazing person. Amy has been selling online for years and her track record is off the charts.
A few days ago she sent me a package, filled to the brim with pressed and loose eye shadows, and everything I’ve tried so far has far exceeded my expectations. My favorites? Dollipop is a super-saturated piping hot pink and Lumi is a loose dust worthy of any snow queen.
I’ve been waiting for Sugarpill to launch for what seems like forever, and I was dying to know more about what had gone into the making of the line. I fired off some questions, and here’s what came back…
“What is music?” is a question that seems to be on the mind (or meme) of a lot of people lately. Last year’s best selling book This Is You Brain On Music took a scientific shot at explaining the phenomenon of rhythm, tone and timbre while indie documentary The Heart Is A Drum Machine takes a far more anecdotal approach to the question. In fact, anecdotal is what defines this film (released on DVD last week), which culls together 70-plus minutes of interview footage with an eclectic assortment of music practitioners and enthusiasts that range from Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist John Frusciante and actress-turned-rocker Julliette Lewis to comedy team Tim and Eric and scientist Ann Druyan.
This week’s Moody Mondays feature comes from San Francisco Noisemakers Tempo No Tempo.
Mood: Sinister
Today’s bloggin best…
- LCD Soundsystem yanked a YouTube leak, then posted up a YouTube leak. YouTube
- That Jimi Hendrix porno is coming out in May. NME
- Slices follows Carl Craig and his orchestra. The Daily Swarm
- Phish in 3D will blow your mind. Prefix
- Kid 606 out-cusses Steve Albini. Limewire
- The Purple One is having all sorts of problems with green. AOL
- The Fray cover Kanye West. Hypetrak
- While Kanye appears on “The Cleveland Show.” SOHH
Ah, Emo’s on an Austin afternoon. The conglomeration of hipsters, the ridiculous name and the sort of street bazaar layout of the place always make me feel a little trepidatious. However, the mood on Friday was instantly put into perspective when I came across a group of maybe nine guys all posing for a photo together with several people snapping shots of them – was this some kind of fraternal organization? Maybe they were semi-famous? As it turned out, they were total strangers who all happened to be wearing plaid shirts. “Badass shirt, dude!” I heard one joke to another. They laughed and bantered to each other, “You’re a stylish motherfucker too!”
The normal rule for those living in Austin these days is, there’s no need to go out of your way to see the hundreds of the local bands playing. However, when the psyche instrumental group Octopus Project is putting on the HEXADECAGON, a limited run special event that involves eight channels of audio and eight more of video, blended together into a psyche concoction so powerful it sent the Project out hustling a corporate sponsor for the first time. Two shows only, free, all ages, all freaks welcome. You bet Austin turned out for this one.
Glass Candy turned out a dance freak fantastique set at the Mad Decent Carniville Friday night. The whirl of neon and bright, festive lights flashing in the background synched naturally with the hard buzz of the electronics as the band kicked off their set. The electro-disco music Glass Candy cranks out reminds me of neon black light posters of Lamborghinis. Ida No and Johnny Jewel know how to make you throw down. We caught up with Jewel for a quick Q&A as he hauled equipment off stage.
It’s often debated whether a person’s genes or surroundings decide their outcome in life, but in the case of young producer Araab Muzik, the music has always been part and parcel of his DNA.
“ I started making beats when I was 10. I was playing the drums when I was only 3-yrs-old and I learnt the piano soon after that,” he begins. “My mother is a singer as well – she has two albums out herself – so I’ve definitely been blessed with the gift of music since birth.”
If you’ve been paying any attention during the festival in Austin you know bands flock from around the world to play as many shows as they can fit in between eating and drinking free food and beer. But for a handful of local bands, Austin presents a unique opportunity. Daniels and Animals, an Austin band, have been playing shows together for just six moths and took full advantage of the impromptu venues and multitudes of crowds waiting to hear good music. These boys played at a foosball club, for cryin’ out loud.