If you are planning a wedding this spring or summer and are looking for lovely hair accessories for your bridesmaids…consider these flirty fun pieces from Handle and Spout! A headband or a set of three hair pins with handmade flowers of beautiful silk, taffeta, tool and other fine fabrics! Or, if you are in need of something to fulfill your totally cute accessory craving…look no further!!!
Purple Disco Lily Headband $25
Flower Hair Pins $30 (set of three)
I thought, why not feature some independent musicians as well? Indie covers lots of things that I love, and music is something I love. So for your viewing/listening/reading pleasure here is an interview with Greg Bucking of Broken Carousel. They are a local band that my husband and I have seen numerous times! We LOVE their sound, and I wanted to share them with you guys! Here’s the one of my favorite songs:
Please list the name and respective instrument of each band member.
Greg Bucking – guitar, lead vocals, songwriter
Ricardo Rodriguez – bass
Joe Beninati – drums
Jon Huss – keyboards
Pandhora – vocals
How long have you all known each other? How did you meet? I was doing acoustic solo stuff around the city when I decided I really needed to get a band together and I originally found Ricardo on craigslist. He had played with Joe, so after some other attempts at getting a drummer, we eventually got him on board. I had been doing some work with Pandhora on her songs, so when I needed a backing vocalist, I asked her to do it. And I had been playing with Jon in a reggae band called the Alphabet City Street Stars, and I recently got him to come down and play.
When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together? It’s been about two years since Joe, Ricardo, and I got into the studio and started putting down tracks for what became “…your proven alibi”. There was some different people on the CD and on some of the shows as well.
How did the name Broken Carousel come about? I had a song years ago called “Broken Carousel” that I never quite finished. But I always loved that term and knew I was going to use it for something at some point. So a couple of years ago when I was getting the band together, I knew that this was going to be the name of it. As for what it means, I’ll usually ask “What does it mean to you?”.
What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Roots music. Funk, Blues, Soul
Who are your major influences? Music with soul. I love the old Stax and Motown stuff, just about anything out of New Orleans, any of the rock n roll stuff that’s got soul permeating it like the early Allman Brothers where Gregg Allman’s voice has that urgency, or the Stones on Exile on Main Street where they have the girls in the chorus, or when Bob Marley’s got the I-Three’s behind him.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time? I write the songs for the band. There’s no set theme that I intentionally try to push during the song writing process, it’s definitely more of a spontaneous, organic thing. Whatever comes out is what I’ll follow until I’ve got a complete thought on paper. I’ve written a lot of semi personal songs that have a basis in my own personal experience or observations of the world, but I also enjoy the storytelling angle as well. Usually, what comes out is a combination of personal experience mixed with storytelling.
Could you briefly describe the music-making process? I’ll have a song together with the lyrics, melody, and chords and then I’ll bring it to the band. A lot of the time, I’ll have a specific bass line as well. I give the band a general outline, then we play it and see what everyone comes up with for their specific parts. It’s usually pretty apparent if something is going to work with the band or not. There’s times where I have a great song that I’m eager to show the band, and then when we do it, it just doesn’t work. Sometimes, a song is better with just the acoustic guitar and voice. But the ones that do work with the band generally work almost right away.
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together? The more we play, the tighter the music is and the more we instinctively know what the other guys are going to do. You can let go and do your thing knowing full well that the band is going to keep their parts going strong. The most important thing is to make the song work, however that happens.
What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands? Take the music seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Allow yourself to take criticism without taking it personally.
What’s the one question you’re totally sick of being asked? Who’s your favorite band or artist? It’s something that changes from minute to minute, day to day, song to song. I am just physically unable to answer that one.
Which songs do you perform most frequently?
There’s a couple of tunes from the CD that we pretty much do all the time like “Method to the Madness”, “On the Inside”, “Oh Jesus”, and “Till the Morning”. Not surprisingly, these are the ones that we did at the video shoot last summer.
Do you ever play any covers? Yeah, we recorded the ’70s hit “Brother Louie” for the CD. I’d never recorded a cover in the studio before, so this one was a lot of fun and it came out great. We have some others we do sometimes like “People Say” by The Meters, and we’ve been doing “Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was In” that was in the Dude’s trip out scene in “The Big Lebowski”. And once in a while we’ll do a reggae tune like “Get Up Stand Up” or something like that.
Do you have a set play list? No. On any given day, I’ll be into different songs and different song orders, though there’s a core of tunes from the CD that we almost always do. But we do USE a set list at the shows, I just write them up usually on the day of the show.
Where have you performed? Broken Carousel has played mostly around the city. We recorded the CD during 2007 and have really only been playing live for the past year or so. Some of the clubs are Galapagos in Williamsburg (when it was in Williamsburg), National Underground in the East Village, and we’re doing a show Friday the 17th in Brooklyn at Hank’s Saloon. I personally have been performing for over 10 years solo and with different bands all over the country. Colleges, summer festivals, clubs. BB Kings, Philly, Fargo North Dakota, Eureka Springs Arkansas, a bunch of other spots. My old band Mother Freedom played at the Van’s Warped Tour at one point.
What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Haven’t found the favorite yet. The nature of the show and the situation is just as important as the venue. When the crowd is cool and the club treats you right is what makes it good. We’ve done a couple of shows that were booked by an outside booker as opposed to the club, and it ends up being a raw deal for the band. There’s a lot of independent club bookers in the city who see it solely as a money thing, there’s no personal relationship, and a disregard for the musicians and the people at the club, so the music scene sometimes suffers as a result.
How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? We’re at myspace.com/brokencarouselmusic and we’re on Facebook, Reverbnation, etc. You can get the CD or download the songs at CDBaby (cdbaby.com/cd/brokencarousel), iTunes (phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=279056473), and all the other ones online. There’s also videos at woozyfly.com/brokencarousel
What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Getting better gigs. I’d love to do some more festivals with the band, get a decent tour together that pays enough to at least allow us to keep it sustainable. Finding that right venue we were talking about before, with a laid back, comfortable vibe from the room, the club, and the crowd.
What’s the ultimate direction for your band? To become a functioning, sustainable working band. Having a solid fan base all over the country, all around the world really. I want people anywhere and everywhere to hear the music and dig it. That would be the ultimate goal I guess. Right now, I’m just hungry to record a new album and get the band out on stage in front of as many people as we can.
Are you seeking fame and fortune? Obviously, those would be nice in that they would enable us to continue to do what we like to do. But I put away the rock star fantasy thing a while ago. I enjoy my privacy and actually have a lot of sympathy for people that get chased around by tabloid reporters and have every aspect of their personal lives put on full display. At least the ones that just want to have their personal life be left alone so they can do their form of art.
What’s the day job and what other interests/hobbies do you have when you’re not playing? Right now, I’m pretty much just doing music, playing guitar for a bunch of different bands in addition to Broken Carousel. I like to ride my bike around Brooklyn, travel everywhere I can, drink beer. But I’ve done all kinds of work: gardening, painting, tutoring high school kids in math and reading. I’m going to try to grow some vegetables this year, we’ll see how that turns out.
If I were to turn on your MP3 player what would I find? Oh man, lots of different things. Right now, I’ve got Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings on the Pandora Radio. Bobby Byrd, Tom Waits, Grant Green, it’s all over the place.
What’s the most bizarre thing to happen while you were on stage? One time I was playing with my old band and we were doing this fast, funky tune we had called “Gotta Get in in Your Shoes”, and at some point, someone took off their shoes and threw them up on the stage. Pretty soon, the whole place was doing it and there was this constant flow of shoes flying around the place. It was all good fun, nobody was being aggressive or anything. That was pretty cool.
Do you have any upcoming shows? Hank’s Saloon ( 46 Third Ave., on the corner of Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, hankssaloon.com) on Friday, April 17th at midnight.
Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD? myspace.com/brokencarouselmusic, brokencarousel.com, cdbaby.com/cd/brokencarousel, iTunes (phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=279056473)
I am sharing these next pieces because lets be honest they are beautiful and delicious…and so Spring!!! (and I am desperately wishing for REAL Spring weather) These tasty looking treats are made by Daisy Daydreams on Etsy and are the epitome of adorable felt food! A prefect gift for Easter or for a little one on their birthday, a keepsake reminder of their first, or second or maybe even their 3rd! Also, don’t miss the sweet felted hair clips!
“Beautiful Felt Food Cake” $5.50
“Pretty Little Elephant Felt Hair Clip” $2.40
“Set of 3 Beautiful Felt Food Cakes-Perfect for Easter!” $16.50
If you’re a lover of all things 80’s then there’s a show for you in NYC this weekend and next! Wanna sing along with your favorite 80’s songs?? Win prizes?? And tune into cartoon medleys from your favorite nostalgic Saturday morning toons? Then you should definitely stop by the Duplex either tonight or next saturday for some 80’s fun! Here is all the info…sorry for the late notice! I’d call in advance if I were you…8)
Because you can never get enough Journey…
| Host: | |
| Type: | |
| Network: |
Global
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| First Night: |
Saturday, March 14, 2009 at 10:00pm
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| Second Night: |
Friday, March 20, 2009 at 9:30pm
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| Location: |
The Duplex – Upstairs Cabaret Theater
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| Street: |
61 Christopher Street at 7th Ave. South
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| City/Town: |
New York, NY
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Live karaoke with the Eternally Bueller band as they perform 80s girl pop songs made famous by the likes of Tiffany, Madonna, Debby Gibson, Cyndi Lauper, and more. Channel your inner TV fanatic with cartoon theme and sitcom theme medleys! Win prizes! Allison Cipris opens the evening with a solo acoustic set.
All previous 80s shows have sold out. Get your tickets NOW!
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Eternally Bueller: The 80s Live Karaoke Cabaret
Two nights only
Sat. 3/14 – 10:00pm*
Fri. 3/20 – 9:30pm*
The Duplex – Upstairs Cabaret Theater
61 Christopher St., NYC
21+
$10 in advance (http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=ETE0) + two drink minimum
$15 at the door + two drink minimum
Opening Act: Allison Cirpris (http://www.allisoncipris.com/)
Featuring:
Bass: John Violago
Drums: Joe Beninati, Jr.
Guitars: David Linaburg
Piano/vocals: Danny Katz
Vocals: Rachel Beninati
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* Shows start promptly at designated time. Get to venue 30 minutes before for best seating.
Ok, I geeked out over these necklaces when I saw them so I had to share them. They are glass Tetris necklaces by Urban Fusions…I know…they’re awesome. I can hardly contain myself!!! Go look, there are many game pieces to choose from! Pick your favorite shape!
I just saw these on the Etsy home page and I had to share! Aside from loving the witty name for the shop, Locket 2 You has some sweet modern pieces for you to adorn your neck with! I am partial to the fishies for some reason, but also loved the soft baby blue airplane and I was digging the Kiwi too! Check out the shop for more designs, and also their sister shop Button Envy if you’re looking for some Asian Flavour…8)
I own a few of her pieces, and I am smitten with a few more. So, I thought I would share them with all of you! Beyond cute, and so well done SugarElf’s little friends are surely the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day!
I wanted to clarify something that was brought to my attention in this past post…in my excitement I read it wrong…the flowers come already colored…beautifully I might add………..! A fantastic and eco-conscious way to give flowers this season for Valentine’s Day!!! I truly apologize for the confusion!!
Hoopla is a fun and upbeat giftee company out of Boston, MA! They carry hilarious, funky and recycled items for any gift you can imagine! I was however in awe of one particular item that would be PERFECT for Valentine’s Day…the Forever Bouquet. It’s a PAPER bouquet that your loved one colors and then put together for you! How sweet is that? Someone coloring your own custom flowers for you? Please check this out, I thought it was such a fresh and FUN idea!
Seriously? How cool is this…flowers that your significant other can have FOREVER…from you…personalized and evertything? Too cute…I’d be totally tickled to get these from the hubby…OH HUBBY…ARE YOU READING TODAY???
Not only do I love the great lines and the feel of the clothing from Heidi and Seek, but I am taken with her eco-conscious creedo about her pieces. She uses reclaimed materials to create her edgy clothing in order to prevent damage to the environment! What could be better…stylin’ duds…that don’t harm our planet? Check out her Etsy shop as well as her portfolio on her site!
(All images and designs are property of Heidi and Seek.)
