Raphael Saadiq- C'mon!

Recently heard about Raphael Saadiq, a great R&B artist on the scene. Hit beats are fresh and his style is reminiscent of his 1960s roots.

Check him out

Wiki says, "Raphael Saadiq (born Charles Ray Wiggins in Oakland, California; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum groupTony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone,D'Angelo, Mary J. Blige, and John Legend. He and D'Angelo were occasional members of The Ummah, a music production collective, composed of members Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, and the late Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla) of the Detroit-based group Slum Village.

Saadiq's critically acclaimed album, The Way I See It, released on September 16, 2008, featuring artists Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone and Jay-Z, received three Grammy Award Nominations and was voted Best Album on iTunes of 2008. His fourth studio album,Stone Rollin', was released on March 25, 2011.^[1] For the album, Saadiq worked with steel guitarist Robert Randolph; former Earth, Wind & Fire keyboardist Larry Dunn; Swedish/Japanese indie rock songstress Yukimi Nagano (of Little Dragon fame); plus hip hop newcomer Taura Stinson.^[2]"

Comedy, Music and Travel... three of my favorite things.

I subscribe to AFAR Magazine, a great modern travel magazine that hits on low-medium and high profile travel around the globe. Each issue brings about new discovery and the extended desire to GET OUT THERE...


This month the 'Spin the Globe' article hit home with an excerpt from one of my SNL favorites, Jorma Taccone (Lonely Island... I'm On A Boat)


Check out http://www.afar.com/posts/p-for-every-issue-of-afar-we-spin-the-globe-and-send-a-writer-to-a-random-destination?spt=SL&kme=Visits+Short+Link for more...

An all time favorite...

Let Them Eat Cake!

Seriously, I LOVE cake... I love all sweet treats. Say what you want about fat kids and Italians but really, cake comes in so many magnificent forms that there has got to be a cake for everyone out there.


I am not normally a TV junkie but the more pregnant I become, the less active I find myself. With six weeks to go, I have been doing a lot of couch surfing. This weekend I must have watched 20 episodes of Cake Boss. The reality cake show based in Hobokin, New Jersey.


These people are cake experts and besides creating some of the most elaborate works of art I have ever seen using cake as a medium, their recipes are unique.


My favorite from the Tulips, Taxes and Take it Easy episode... The Brown Derby!

This cake is made as follows... Fresh strawberries and bananas, and succulent peach slices fill this delicious two-layer chocolate cake. It's adorned with vanilla whipped topping, chocolate cake crumbs, and a dusting of powdered sugar for a dramatic finish.

But the above picture is not the Cake Boss' creation. He actually made a life size Accountant Cake!

One of the coolest cakes I saw yesterday was the Flower Show cake, from the same episode. This cake was to be showcased with several varieties of flowers, all made from sugar!

I want some CAKE!!

Art in Unexpected Places...

I love it when you walk into a store or a coffee shop and get hit with art. Like you were not expecting it and BAM! there it is.


My favorite little coffee shop here in Galveston is MOD Cafe. They have a real family vibe and are extremely community oriented. The baristas are great and the atmosphere is cozy. MOD normally has art on the walls from  a different artist each time I go in. I never know when it changes or rotates, I just get hit with the new stuff. 


Here is what I saw last week!

I didn't catch the artist's name or info (too bad) but know you can check out MOD's website or call and get more information!


I love the use of pastels, it reminds me of Carter T's work. BEAUTIFUL!


MOD Coffeehouse
Galveston, TX
http://www.modcoffeehouse.com/

Paul Stamets on 6 ways mushrooms can save the world!

Some may say that this is not art or music based, but loving your world and enhancing your life is an art!


Enjoy...


Paul Stamets believes that mushrooms can save our lives, restore our ecosystems and transform other worlds.

Entrepreneurial mycologist Paul Stamets seeks to rescue the study of mushrooms from forest gourmets and psychedelic warlords. The focus of Stamets' research is the Northwest's native fungal genome, mycelium, but along the way he has filed 22 patents for mushroom-related technologies, including pesticidal fungi that trick insects into eating them, and mushrooms that can break down the neurotoxins used in nerve gas.

There are cosmic implications as well. Stamets believes we could terraform other worlds in our galaxy by sowing a mix of fungal spores and other seeds to create an ecological footprint on a new planet.

"Once you’ve heard 'renaissance mycologist' Paul Stamets talk about mushrooms, you'll never look at the world -- not to mention your backyard -- in the same way again."

Linda Baker, Salon.com

Birth Art - Birthing From Within

As many of you know, I am pregnant... Birth Art is new to me and a very interesting concept. I think I will try!!

"One kind of learning comes from books. But the learning necessary for you to participate  completely in your birth must come from you. In making birth art or journaling, just bringing an image to light can be surprisingly revealing (and sometimes healing). Listening to it speak to you can tell you even more. Dreams, reverie and art all carry messages from the unconscious…

An active, gentle exploration process not only brings overlooked resources and strengths to conscious awareness, but identifies obstacles and inhibitions that might prevent you from using them.

Birth art doesn't have to be pretty, colorful or carefully planned. It is as raw, honest and spontaneous as birth itself. 

It is important to notice how you approach making art, because it is a metaphor for how you approach doing things in your life, especially things you are unfamiliar with, such as birthing. Do you say, "I don't know how to do this!" and hesitate, or give up altogether (leaving it up to "the professionals")? Do you find yourself comparing yourself and competing with others? Or can you be curious and say, "Let's see what I can do!"?

Your art, like your labor, doesn't have to be perfect. Just give it your best effort. "

Excerpted from the book, Birthing  From  Within

Handsome Boy Modeling School -- That's Right!

I absolutely LOVE these guys.. they make me smile!

Handsome Boy Modeling School

Biography; from Pandora

Handsome Boy Modeling School was a teaming of quirky super-producers Prince Paul (best-known for his work with De la Soul and Stetsasonic) and Dan "The Automator" Nakamura (fresh off his underground success with Kool Keith's Dr. Octagon album). Taking their name from an episode of the cult Chris Elliott sitcom Get a Life (which was sampled several times on their album), Pauland Dan adopted the über-stylish alter egos of Chest Rockwell and Nathaniel Merriweather, respectively. Their debut album, So...How's Your Girl?, was a loose concept record packed with guest stars: rappers Del tha Funkee Homosapien, J-Live, and El-P; members of Cibo Matto,Brand Nubian, and the Beastie Boys; star turntablists likeDJ Shadow, DJ Quest, and Kid Koala; electronica artists like Moloko's Roisin Murphy and Atari Teenage Riot's Alec Empire; and even Saturday Night Live's Father Guido Sarducci. So...How's Your Girl? was released on Tommy Boy in the fall of 1999 to mostly favorable reviews, and the opening track, "Rock n' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)," was licensed for a TV ad campaign. Nakamura subsequently moved on to a host of other highly conceptual projects, including Deltron 3030, Gorillaz, and Lovage. The duo returned to record-store shelves in 2004 with White People, their first album for Elektra. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

Sorry kids, no tour dates scheduled. Give them a Google to find out more!!

Enjoy

This first one is more mellow- a remix of Jack Johnson's, Breakdown

And for all of you Hip- Hop fans- a little more funk an original featuring Del The Funky Homosapien, The World's Gone Mad