If I Could, I Would..

What I would be wearing if I didn't have a gimp foot. Summer should be frothy and happy- don't they make you happy? The shoes I found on Ebay at a more than reasonable price..and the dress, I found on second markdown at Anthropologie. It is actually still possible to find some amazing pieces there.

Dress- Tracy Reese

Shoes- Miu Miu

Meme Cassette Tape

I was surprised to see this local artist on the lineup at the recent followup to last year's Memphis Hates You Fest, which took place at the Hi-Tone over the weekend. Drew Ryan who is a familiar face to many in the Memphis music scene has embarked on a new experimental project under the name Meme. How would I describe the sound? I have no words other than its an aural experience. Let it be known that this $5 cassette is probably my favorite purchase i've made in the past few weeks. Each track weaves into the next but all in all the listener is drawn into a cavernous abyss of beats and low dirges. Here are some photos of the cassette, which was put together by Drew himself and i've also posted a video beneath for the song "Bunny Boy" directed by Brandon Pearce. You can find more about Meme at Drew's label website Tape Deco.

A Short Hiatus

Sorry guys for the brief hiatus. I'm currently temporarily handicapped with a broken foot, and Gavin's been extremely busy working on his music venture. Check him out, Cities Aviv HERE. Honestly, I never really understood the difference between "good" hiphop and just bad rap, until recently. Not to be extremely cheesy or pretentious, but Gavin has really helped me broaden my musical taste, including learning to appreciate good, intellectual hiphop (not that all music needs to be "intellectual.").  However, that being said, most of our exposure to rap, unfortunately, seems to be what we hear on the radio- Lil' Wayne(?), Drake..etc (honestly, I had to google even these two to be able to write about them, pathetic, huh?), and for the most part, all you hear is foul/vulgar language about the objectification of women or even worse, almost incomprehensible and unintellible noise about nothing united with beats that are quintessentially "southern" with the "ts-ts-ts-ts." Sorry for the rant. Good rap, on other hand, (in my humble opinion), appropriates samples from old soul songs or have beats that are complex and leave your brain feeling almost overwhelmed! It's awesome! A really great example is Madlib on Stones Throw Records from L.A. Seriously, check him out. I recently purchased a record Miles Away by Madlib, under one of his many aliases, The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz and Percussion Ensemble as a thank-you present for one of my professors, who is undeniably one of the biggest jazz-snobs out there, and he loved it! All of this was a really round-about way for me to say that Gavin's music is up there with many of these other rappers that he always goes on and on about and looks up to such as: Jay Electronica from New Orleans, Strong Arm Steady, MF Doom..(even if he is too humble to admit so). Unlike most of the crass radio rappers, Gavin, or Cities Aviv has writing that is infused with subtle word play, punning, and metaphoric language- truly music that makes one think and requires time to process, possibly even a thorough second-listening. Definitely check him out at his myspace and stay in tuned for a potential show in late June or early July as well as the release of his own album, Dead Days.

Resort-ing to Prada

Prada Candy Stripe Mary-Janes

If you're a size 37.5 satisfy your sweet tooth get them before they're gone!

New drop in the store #2

Just upped a pair of Unisex Vintage Sunglasses in the store.

The original frame case was discovered in a beyone repairable condition so I swapped it out with a better one from my own collection. Check them out as well the freshly upped Vintage Snapbacks.

All three are deadstock with the tags still attached so grab them while you can. Here are the 2 other hats also featured.

Visit the store through the link above or slide in through here, and if you haven't heard the "Pirate Radio" mixtape then check it out. Aural stimulation...

SEA FOAM and FLORALS

New Arrivals:

Essie Sea Foam nail polish: available at A Foreign Collective

Three of my favorite turquoise pieces.

Silk Primavera Dress

Role Playing

1/2 of the curaturial duo: Noelle Smith 

One of the best shows I've seen in a loong time: Last Friday night, April 16th, student show, curated by Noelle Smith and Maggie Exner, both Art Majors at Rhodes College in their final year, entitled "Role Play." The group show at 314 S. Main featured works from Brannan Denney, Adam Farmer, and Mary Carmack. I loved the French salon-style organizing of the paintings, drawings, and installations, all with such a tactile quality. Having taken Hamlett Dobbin's collaborative drawing class with these two ladies, I'm assuming that's where they got their inspiration for the wonderful collaborative painting setup at the center of the gallery? Job well done, ladies!