On Saturday night I saw the Handsome Furs at the Blind Pig with someregular partners in crime and additional brave compatriots. After a delicious homemade dinner of fish stew and wine, we trundled downtown and got a pitcher* in the 8 Ball, then headed upstairs in time to see the second opening band, Child Bite (think: tenor-sax-wielding bastard child of Man Man, Les Savy Fav, and the hardcore band of your choice).
Handsome Furs are a husband-and-wife duo from Montreal. He plays guitar and sings, and she pushes buttons and wears amazingly absurd outfits. They were incredibly energetic and excellent performers.
Their most recent video, for a song on their new album, Face Control, has zombies and making out:
*The conversation when the $4.75 pitcher of beer was brought to the table went something like this: Jane: What did you get? Jessica: Very cheap beer. Jane: But what kind? Me: OLD STYLE. Jane: … Matt: It doesn’t need a name. It has an adjective.
Update: I am reminded by Une Petite Friponnerie’s post-show post of one of the other conversational highlights of the evening. The Handsome Furs rolled into Ann Arbor on St. Patrick’s Day Observed, and at the beginning of the main set, vocalist/guitarist Dan Boeckner described what they’d seen as “Mad Max meets American Pie.” Having passed some underdressed, green-bedecked undergrads on my way to dinner, I can imagine that the carnage was alarming.
This weekend I helped a friend work on clearing out a house that belonged to a recently deceased relative. My sorting powers came to good use. As a reward, I received three cardboard boxes full of vintage sewing notions, mostly from the late 1950s through early 1970s.
Thanks to a friend with even better OCD than me, I’ve started absorbing some of the items into my own collection. But, I’m also very happy to be spreading items around with crafty friends, and some of the ways that the items have been stored make me very loath to deconstruct the ones I keep. Many items are in contact-paper-covered cigar boxes and tiny bags, or the original packaging.
There’s something delightful in seeing into how someone collected, stored, used (or didn’t use) items in their daily lives.
As a fan of basement apartments (see 3 of the 5 places I’ve lived since I moved to The Deuce), and a fan of all things Cat and Girl related, I would like to share this delightful video showcasing the talents of The Basement Apartments, and Mr. Chen in particular for his video/animation skillz.
I recently received a painting by Mr. Chen as an early birthday present, and had a brief but delightful email exchange with Dorothy Gambrell about it. I really can’t stop gushing about these people. They are everything that’s right about making stuff.
Video snapped up from Clayton Cubitt’s tumblog, Constant Siege (often NSFW). If you’re not familiar with Cubitt’s work, he is a fantastic photographer/filmographer.
Hi. This blog is by Devon Persing. She mostly writes about work (information science and publishing), food, and crafts. You can write to her, if you'd like. You can also follow her on twitter or check out things she saves on delicious.
