urban vibes all over...

rock the bells last saturday. walked in late but just in time to check out reflection eternal (talib kweli and hi-tek). my girl aja and i went up on the grass and chilled.

(side note: i realized i'd been at the san manuel amphitheatre before... in mid nineties with my friend josh when we rolled out for a blues traveler/dave matthews band show. always wondered where i was for that show - had no idea!)

and the rest of the show was a blur of one fantastic performance after another. big boi. surprise set by slick rick! the ROOTS, yo! (DOPE SET) then busta... and nas... and damian marley doing a mostly bob marley set... and finally ICE CUBE. seriously when i left i thought it was the best show i'd seen this year so far. Cube slayed it. straight outta compton..

drive back sucked. next year i hope they use a venue that's closer to la. it was in a dumpy town. not a good hotel/motel in the area. too bad. should have been two days. one stage. rza/raekwan, and slum village played on a second side stage area that we never made it to. that sucked.

great show. period.

then thursday night that same week i rolled to meet my girl mel at the lil weezy show at the gibson. it was supposed to start at 715. they started at 645 i heard later. i got there at 8 and by then we'd missed drake, jeremieh and even soldja boy tell'em. wow. i have never heard a rap show starting on time, let alone early...

young jeezy played when we walked in. was a great set, but i didn't even know he was on the bill that night. whatever. so wayne took the stage at 935 p.m....935 p.m people. i was warned by everyone that i'd be lucky if he was under and hour and a half late starting his set. he was PROMPT. and he played til 11. it was the single highest energy leveled concert i've seen yet this year. only other time i'd seen that was the jay z show at the house of blues on sunset last year. THAT was off the hook, and intimate. This was huge and louder than anything i've ever heard. it was over-stimulation at it's finest. ferreal.

check this vid out, yo. turn volume down. it's all reverb.

a milli, lollipop, kush, tie my hands (GORGEOUS SONG), mrs. officer (see above). ended with every girl by the young money crew. it was fantastic. only thing baffled me was what happened with his guitar lessons.... he brought out a red les paul which he didn't touch at all in one song, and the second one he did a few lead licks, but only once. he really didn't seem confident on it at all--good that he tried, i guess.

i wish every show i go to could be as much fun as just those 1 and 1/2 hours. he's so fun to watch and all the tats are intense.

seriously. if you at all like his music, go. it was worth every penny.

get good seats, too. he has a ghetto dance crew. pole dancing and all.

super fun.

hit me on twitter @kristinjuel if you want more 411 on my musical escapades, yo.

peace.

hollywood, out.

k

song of the moment: tie my hands

http://www.dailymotion.com/related/x5my97/video/x8b6f5_lil-wayne-robin-thicke-tie-my-hands_shortfilms

because of twitter i just john mayer's midnight show at the hotel cafe tonight

started out with tweet from john at 10 p.m that he was doing show at hotel cafe

we bounced from ida maria/glasvegas show at fonda music box. got in and chilled. then he took stage at 1215. off at 145. ridiculously intimate set.

so fun. here are some new songs.

yea twitter!

loved it, lindsay! so fun.

so this is what music heaven (and hell) feels like...

back in the swing of things after nearly 3 weeks of music files misplaced and computer hard drive issues.

I have lost so much music now it's disgusting. maybe it was just a sign that i invested too much in all this.

time will tell i guess. sadly i still have to query my own music library before i buy anything anymore to see if it already exists. yikes. i could use some help, so if anyone reading this has archiving ideas, or categorizing ideas, i'd be happy to hear them...

anyway, i have had a crazy month with two erykah badu (love love love her live!) shows (one at the grove of anaheim which is a SICK venue), blues travelersjammed it up again. on two separate occasions both ray lamontagne and adele SLAYED the hollywood bowl,raphael saadiq/santigold also played there and ROCKED the joint (although sadly i was not as impressed with femi kuti as i'd hoped). last monday was mr. hudson showcase at the troubadour. very interesting singer who is working w/kid cudi and kanye. caught 4-5 songs of black eyed peas at avalon, grateful dead at forum, keane at the grove ofanaheim (would have done back to back keane shows with my girl Lindsay but had to represent at the dead show with my sister kimberly for her birthday...).

also i caught two fantastic acts that are managed by my dear friend warren wyatt at worldsound.com. first up was Carbon9 at the knitting factory (stacey the lead singer is amazingly talented and the show was very interactive and FUN) and then there was the lovely maui born anuhea jenkins' showcase at the mint. SOO luscious. her album is sweet.

now, i am OFFICIALLY so psyched for months of august and september --for the live music shows that are popping up. just got the tickets for citizen cope at house of blues, so pumped for that. and two minutes ago i got tickets for the killers at the hollywood bowl in september and the black crowes at club nokia in NOVEMBER (Never ever miss them when they come to town, amazing live shows).

that will be spectacular. and there's rock the bells coming up soon with nas and the roots.

the one thing that changed everything for me was when i found out about the beastie boys' adam yauch's cancer battle causing them to cancel ACL and the Hollywood Bowl show (which tragically i purchased tickets for not, once but TWICE, and only realized it when the refund came through. OMG! I so need to chill with the shows asap!)...my heartfelt prayers go out to him as he endures this health scare...

i'll keep you posted...

hollywood, out.

peace,

@kristinjuel

song of the moment: "auditorium" by mos def on his crazy good new album "the ecstatic"

check it out, yo.

http://blip.fm/kristinjuel (last one was this song)

or.... you can check it out as an a capella version of him walking around japan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0q7ws-bAcc&feature=fvw

too much. it's all too much

Michael Jackson died yesterday.

i had never had the chance to see him live. despite all the live concerts i've been to.

i pulled out my first vinyl crate and found Thriller. it's scratchy, but it sounded like the first time i played it.

made me feel sick to my stomach to think it's done.

we had already lost Farrah Fawcett earlier that morning, and i don't think i'll ever forget driving to meetings in Burbank and both my iPhone and my blackberry starting to blow up w/texts.

all i could think of was my Jr and Senior high school friends that were so obsessed with him that they dressed like him and knew all the steps in thriller, beat it, Billie Jean. when off the wall came out it was mesermizing. soul music came through pop-like rock chord progressions. his apollo show with the jackson 5 was long gone then. it was MTV that made him omnipresent, iconic, legendary. how talented he was. how his voice when he sang Ben could bring tears.

i was the one loving bowie in that same way, but really Michael was the most popular singer, bowie was not at that time. i completely appreciated their fanaticism, though. it was amazing, really like how bowie was in the 70's.

but i digress.

eventually, the swirl of the rumours gave way to the sad truths--2:46 pm EMT; cardiac arrest, UCLA hospital, failed to resuscitate.

it really felt surreal. and terribly sad.

passed at 50... with the London shows right around the corner.

the London shows that sold out in MINUTES.

which showed the undying love for this man's talent/music.

in the end, it's what he will be known for, thankfully.

his music and not his eccentric behavior.

i just wish he had had the chance to do those shows, remind us of his talent, and reclaim officially his musical throne.

but that was not to be.

this morning, i can only listen to his music and celebrate his life. i just read john's blog (bluestraveler.com) and it was great perspective. especially from someone who i always worry is on a creatively destructive path. in it he refers to the music. it's the music that will persevere. that made me feel better...

here's to Michael Jackson--who will always be remembered as the true, undisputed King of Pop.

they are moon walking in heaven.

hollywood, out.

k

Song of the moment: obviously an MJ one-- You rock my world.

it's the best video with Marlon Brando and others.

check it out and have your own Michael Jackson moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k0GZaPPkf4

coming up for air--COACHELLA 09!!

so this has been quite the month or so of live music... 

when i last wrote we were off to coachella (COACHELLA 09!!!) for 3 days of chill in the desert with our fav la types. was mesmerized by girltalk... it was the best show there in my humble opinion. 

franz ferdinand and the killers were so great. and the yeah yeah yeahs rocked. 

but the the uber experience for me was public enemy (flav did three running stage dives...climbed the side rafters and then brought out his baby girl... he's 50 years old!!) amazing.

and of course sir paul.  let it be made me stop breathing for a bit. long enough to get teary. it was my coachella moment as kandece said. 

everyone should get to have one. i highly recommend it. 

the art installations were fantastic this y

ear again. 

golf carts were clever. 

leonard cohen was good, but i was too antsy by that point. 

what i will say was that mia was incredibly disappointing to me. again. last year i thought it was okay, but her show was less than i hoped for the main stage. other than that i was enchanted by coachella talent. 

met some cool peeps and cannot wait for COACHELLA 2010! 

next up... the rest of april and may and now june. OMG. too much for this post. will write more this weekend hopefully. 

(but i will say that i saw erykah badu last night and she's even better than she's ever been live. new look, same confidence and astounding performance. i'll be at the friday la show too. will report in afterwards...) 

song of the moment coming out of coachella:  set it off by girltalk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrd7sO9G2yQ

check it out yo.

k

first week back from lent...

before it was all said and done..

saturday night hit ari hest and hana pestle at the hotel cafe. always good to see ari, thad and doug. and they were really on that night.

then had taste of real music industry showcases...

tuesday went to see white lies at hollywood forever's maseoleum - super good UK based band. playing at coachella. 

then it was just plain over the top rocknroll...

last night met up with little stevie van zandt at the bruce springsteen show. what a fun group. 

they are super chill for people that were just about to rock thousands.

and now it's the piece de resistance...

awwww yea --

- tomorrow a.m it's over the freeways and thru the woods...it's off to coachella we go. 

we are heading out early but planning on chilling in the afternoons so we're not killing ourselves in the baking sun.

hollywood, out. 

k

song of the moment: make you crazy by brett dennen 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F58TfYHqLak

musical a.d.d.

david bowie found me in 1980 when i was at my mom's university's library. and i've never loved anyone more.

musically, of course.

he was on a cover of a rolling stone magazine from the late seventies. his face was haunting. after memorizing the article, i went to listen to any of his songs on the vinyl that the library had. when my mother picked me up after her class, i was dizzy from the personas: ziggy stardust, the thin white duke, aladdin sane...

i begged her to take me to record store to buy his first album from 1969, hunky dory. i knew i'd be forever lost in his musical grasp and i wanted to start from the beginning.

the next big influence was later that year (not nearly as impactful, but still worth noting), when i was turned onto led zeppelin, janis joplin, and jimi hendricks.  even in later years, they would provide a soundtrack for my later years at the great Pocono Mountain High School.

but even during that time, my musical tastes were peppered with black uhuru, run dmc and public enemy (911 is a joke was my favorite vinyl hip hop single and the soundtrack for "breakin'" was all that mattered to me). 

then i got to nyu, right after my mom's passing, and i was off to the hip-opera, starting with mary j. blige in 1989.  her collaborations were fly and her voice astounding. i liked monie love, and queen latifah but mary was FRESH. the 90s were epic years for r&b/hip hop (in my humble opinion) with notorious big, jay z, dre's chronic, snoop, ja and wyclef (who produced great songs for everyone)... 

but the aught decade (which is almost over!) has felt light for hip hop until recently. i felt like it was propped up by luda and fabulous. 

it got kinda angry and boring, but t.i. is helping to bring it back a little... and his collaborations  are wicked. combining artists on one song i really believe is the best approach -- it's like co-branding.

all that to say that from the beginning i was always a bit ecceletic in my musical taste, and it felt more like the swing of a pendulum to me at times... acoustic -- rock -- hip hop -- r&b.

then in the late summer/early fall of '07 my tastes in music changed, yet again.

i think it could be specifically due to two albums in particular: john mayer's continuum and jack johnson's sleep through static. both of them brought acoustic guitar front and center -both really made an impression on me in their simplicity. i loved it and it made me pick up my own guitar again with a passion like i haven't had since college. 

after that, i really only listened to music that i could figure out the chord progressions and sit down and play myself. it meant a radical departure for me from r&b and hip hop which up til then had been center stage on my ipod--with the exception of the prerequisite david bowie, black crowes or blues traveler songs which were always loaded in. 

i will always be that girl... jam band's rock.

but it was weird for me and anyone who knew my monthly playlists--the balance of power on the lists went way acoustically based. or alternative-oriented. it also apexed somewhat with coachella and mile high music festivals last summer. 

now, for the first time, i went almost all hip hop/rap/r&b on my march playlist, but what's noticable is that there's a real skew to the past. (check out my newest tech indulgence: blip.fm/kristinjuel)

i suppose that's the point. ebb and flow of music mirrors the times in our lives. as i design music and health initiatives for the healthcare company i work with, i am really impressed at how each one of us have our own soundtrack for our lives.

so in the meanwhile, perhaps i can live through all of you - send me your fav songs so i can hear them...

and check out my newest tech/music indulgence: blip.fm/kristinjuel to see how i build my station to show just how much of musical a.d.d. i might have...

mwah. 

hollywood, out.

k

 

song of the moment: day n' nite by kid cudi  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z50o6qmb2w

who's up for a musical playdate?

motivation /  just got back from several days in guadalajara and tlaquepaque. primarily went for the tequila train excursion-- which really was a showcase opportunity for Herradura -- not in a bad way, it was actually very clever of them to have created a way to generate interest in visiting their factory. the best part was the ten or so of the third generation mariachis that are the entertainment for the day. remarkable. casa herradura actually provides housing for the descendants of their own family as well as those that have worked there for generations. that's quite impressive. 

but i digress.

music was omnipresent in tlaquepaque. all day/all night there was someone playing or singing a song. every restaurant, every park, every plaza, everywhere.  it was very inspiring...

which is why the MOST fun i had these past few days was the inadvertent exploration for musical instruments. I started by looking for an acoustic classical guitar, or even a violin (WHAT?).  but i have several guitars now and I don't know how to play the violin, so i went for things that could be fun for social gatherings. 

what i found was that they make very very clever musical items -- they use shells of nuts and coconuts just as much as they use bells, string and bamboo. i loved the sounds of the rain sticks and tambourine-like instruments that actually held seeds and sound like the ocean when you slowly rock them back and forth. 

i spent LESS than 100 dollars on bags and bags of fun things (excellent dollar exchange for pesos now)--and these beauties made it through customs with me, no problem.

all the while, i was very excited to think about coming back to LA and finding ways to include these peculiar little items in my life. 

then when i got up this morning, it felt like it was Christmas or my birthday. went out to unpack the newly acquired toys. as i did, i looked at them and realized i must have been out of body on this quest. like i was sucked in by the musical overtones of these tiny mexican towns!  and to think i was SOBER (no, i didn't shop after the tequila train).

...and what's more amazing is that even sober i believed i had THAT life. 

you know that life. 

the one where randomly -- and often -- friends come over for a spell. and of course song breaks out. they grab an instrument from the basket on the living room table, or one of the guitars... 

melody begins to waft through the apartment... and life feels really full. 

just one problem--i don't have that life. 

i don't know those people anymore. my daily life isn't full of musically-oriented friends, or even acquaintances. i know some of my neighbors play but seems like life doesn't facilitate getting together after all. i even know some professional musicians here in la, and they are wicked talented. but so far they haven't come over to fulfill my musical fantasy (i say this with a knowing wink to those that are reading this).

backstory /  i grew up playing some instrument. in fourth grade started guitar (still play), in 5th grade went hysterical to impress my parents that i would commit to the french horn (played for 7 years--i know i know band geek), in 8th grade i began playing mellophone in the marching band (yes, that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger). and even a little piano when i was really little (wish i'd kept that up). 

during twenties, i was the girl that brought the cd's to parties and basically made people move. it was the best feeling. i loved it almost as much as i loved to go see live shows. you name it in nyc in the late 80s/early 90s i saw it. beastie boys, red hot chili peppers, blues traveler, grateful dead, deelite with lady miss kier (loved her), henry rollins, david byrne, spin doctors, holmes brothers, joan osborne, the hooters and so on. i really just went to wetlands, nightengales, under acme, and cbgbs/umfug. there were others but those where the mainstays.

then, when i moved back to nyc in the late 90s, i learned how to spin. i even knew several other dj's, singers, songwriters, even poets/spoken word artists. since then, life has caused us to drift apart--mostly 'cause i moved back to la. in fact, in my old apt on 28th we had turntables set up in the front and the back. although truthfully, i didn't really play guitar as much during those years, mostly just spun. but everyone threw down when they came by for dinners. it was rich and full and lovely. that was the best part of living there then. but life is better now in many respects, just not musically. 

unless it's what i bring to the table--either by playing it myself (i still play guitar every day) or even just getting tickets for live shows, which i see 2-3 live shows a week still mostly at the roxy, troubadour, hotel cafe or the music box. but have given up buying tickets--not going to shows--for lent. story for another time maybe.

inspiration / all this made me realize that there's a real opportunity here. 

it's the reason i chose to write about the current musical connection vacancy i have. it started a couple years ago when i realized not alot of people i know find time to go to live shows. but if i bought the tickets they'd go. it sufficed for a while, but now the mexico trip exposed a deeper layer of vacancy, yet.

i know there's got to be that harmonic or melodic, fun-spirit in the people i know here. and i am committed to finding out who's open to tilting that ocean sounding tambourine along side someone on the rain stick or shell bells. and i just know some djs here (you know who you are...) can help me provide the back beat on my 1200s. i'd even like to get one of those erykah badu roland hand percussion machine (handsonic15 super cool, check it out). 

in the end, it seems that my mexico influenced musical basket is full of hope- and i don't mean for someone else's living room. i look at it and think one day it will be displayed in all it's glory, this basket of musical joy i created.  i am aware of the networking challenge it will require for me to help it reach it's potential. this might actually be the best challenge yet--to start a musical network in my own neighborhood. 

and, at the very least, i have a basket of fun for my 5 year old nephew when he comes to visit next time... 

hollywood, out. 

k

song of the moment: live your life by t.i. and rihanna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io735sjM230

the reveal

motivation /every day i think about the types of things that i can do to be more successful, more energetic, more fun, more loving, kinder and more thoughtful. 

every day i find myself searching for more. it makes me feel overwhelmingly ungrateful for what i do have. 

this cycle happens -i cannot stress this enough-- all day long, every day. 

back story /don't get me wrong, i love my life. i am happy and relatively healthy. in good mind, body and spirit. and yet, there's an undeniable nagging that i am not doing/achieving/living life to the best of my abilities. even though, most think i do too much. i feel i am capable of more. 

so when i sat down to write i thought i should begin my stream of consciousness by admitting i struggle with these sometimes very confusing thoughts constantly. 

inspiration/things that inspire me along the way to try even harder are:

-my mother's dreams, or what i believed they would be if she were alive

-music

-my immediate family and long-term friends (like family) who are the foundation of my life

-my ego which drives me to never want to rely on someone to do something for me 

the first one has been a life-long challenge for me to gain perspective around. the last one is the one that makes me play guitar and fly planes. 

evidently i am both melancholic and competitive. 

ha. all i know is i do tend to switch it up often. it's proven particularly challenging with flying. it's really a dedication of time that i find myself only having in bursts. guitar i can play all the time. but flying is harder that i thought it would be. 

in between what i believe were the dreams of my mother (live in italy, speak italian, have fun, be free of commitments, enjoy life, travel, live love and dance to music all the time) and my ego are two fundamentals about me. 

music is omnipresent. it's transcends space and time for me. it's all i really need. if i went deaf (which is starting to worry me after years of dj'ing at parties and being at concerts) i believe i would have a hard time with living a full life. 

my family and friends are also proud achievements in my humble opinion. i love them and know they love me. it's a great feeling. no kids, but that's by design.

caveat/so now that you know about the basics about me, if you didn't already, hopefully you won't judge my random thoughts as i divulge them...

and i really believe this is more for me then anyone else, as an exercise in writing again. it's a discipline i've lost over the years. i want it back. 

oh and to keep my own brand integrity (funny i haven't mentioned my work until now -- that's a welcome change), i will end always with the song of the moment to enhance the experience. you can choose to hear it or not. it's all good.

here's to the lucid moments of my life finally having a home. and for the less lucid moments that need a place to squat for a bit on their path...

hollywood, out.

k

song of the moment: melt my heart to stone by adele (at the carson daly show taping i attended recently, too!) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkvX1t3VQfQ