Artist Profiles: Joel Fennell as Wizard

When I first met Joel I had only recently moved to Brooklyn. I was at a local bar visiting a friend of mine who was working. The DJ was having technical challenges with his equipment and was like "don't worry, my friend is coming to fix it." That friend was Joel. He walked in and pulled out a little flame torch, proceeded to break apart the equipment and use fire to do something magical then put it all back together again and there you have it. Wizard. He was. Then. We've been good friends since and I consider myself very lucky to consider us as such. He is truly an artist and the band he plays with, The Collected Works of Lenin have an intensity and approach to sound I choose to admire and have been honored enough to have a small taste of when playing with Wizard myself. We have jammed a couple of times and I intend to continue to do so. Without a further mention, this is Wizard. and me. hanging out.

A song we began to work on the first time we jammed, here's us playing it:



Lyrics:
Wizard Cat Man. Wizard Cat Man. Do what you can. You're the Wizard Cat Man. I saw you. I saw you. You were over there. You were over there. I saw you. I saw you. You were over there. Over there cause you're the.........

Then we just jammed. With Wizard, the typical interview format is unnecessary. We communicated through sound mostly. If you don't understand, that's ok. It's not what we're saying, it's how we say it.



Check out his band here: The Collected Works of Lenin

Artist Profiles: Crawl Babies

This interview was such a long time coming. It survived multiple disasters. Diseases, almost deaths, evacuations, things like that.

But Artist Profiles is back y'all. And I couldn't be more proud to introduce you to Crawl Babies!

A few moons ago Mythical Legends was doing an open mic and these three guys walked in afterward to play a set. Bug and I thought we would check out a song or two and ended up enjoying it so much we stayed for the whole show. I have kind of been fanning out on them ever since. Phil (guitars, vocals), Clayton (drums) and Jake (guitar) have all known each other and been playing music for a long time, their bond is a true delight to behold indeed.

I kept hoping they would invite me on a summer trip where we would load up our backpacks with canned goods and sodas and hike on rail road tracks and look for dead bodies.

but they didn't.

Hanging out with them in Sunset Park and having a couple beers was pretty cool though. I also would highly recommend you check out their current album Tangles, which I have really been getting into. It's like dreamy summer surf pop, but it cuts deep. Should I dance or kill myself? I don't know..? And the guitars. They do rad things. My favorite song keeps changing (a sign of a good album), right now it's Two Nights in Philadelphia, but it has been Ginger's Gone (I will play lasers on this song. I will.) so I was stoked when they played it for me right there in Clayton's bedroom! Enjoy the show:



Then we sat down and did this. RIP Triceratops'. Seriously? I don't know what that means, but it worries me:



Crawl Babies blog here
Crawl Babies music here

Thanks so much guys! And for my new friend Timmy the silver bird. He lives in my bag and keeps me safe.

Goddess Party

It took me moving to New York to really find some girls that I get down with. And get down we do. Why are we so cliche in so many ways, good ways. 4 bottles of wine later, demolished cheese plate, chocolate dip scraped clean, penis talk still going. I think someone cried?
Then we played Goddess cards! And it was awesome. I remember when I was little and would look through fairy pictures with my friends and we would pick which ones we wanted to be. And we would be them. This was kind of like that, but the cards were destined for us, we chose them blindly. Here's a lesson about some of them.


In order from left to right:
Athena: The olive tree owed to her it's fruit.... (Rosebud, how Greek!)
White Shell Woman: She gave them the animals, she gave them the gift of rain.... (Poppy)
Venus: She was the goddess of chastity, despite the fact that she had many affairs... (D.Dame, you like it)
Themis: The divine voice who first instructed mankind in the rules of order and hospitality... (Miss Melissa, a beyond amazing host)
Amphitrite: Loud moaning mother of fish, seals, and dolphins.. (Bug, you do like animals. A lot.)
Here's a picture going the other way so you can see all our Goddesses. I wanted to write a funny sentence about all of them, but some of the mythical bitches had nothing funny to say on their sites.

Beyond blessed to have these amazing woman in my life. Life's short, have more vagina parties. And the combination of an apple with cheddar cheese dipped in chocolate is pretty fucking delicious. Hay!

Art Party

Farts and Craps went wonderfully! Here, I'll show you:

Food and art....one and the same.
I painted on the newspaper....like the effect
Our three different interpretations of the word FLOAT.
Cheers!

On A Steel Horse I Ride.........

Just arrived in Memphis, which is looking like a place we'll really love..more on that later. We left Milwaukee (Rosebud and I) and pulled into Iowa yesterday to stay a night with my grandmother, who is 88 years old. She was cheeky, honest, bold, and vulnerable in a truly beautiful way. She shared many stories with us about her past and mine, much which I have never known and I was truly struck by the significance of it. Grandparents are.....us, our past, and so worth talking to. Here is what resulted from my 8 Question interview with Mary Weisnewski:


1. Describe America in One Word?
Grandma: Home

2. If you Could Change One Thing About America What Would It be?
Grandma: I would like to see the attitude of our government being more compassionate to other countries. It's not the people, it's the rulers of the countries that get us in all this trouble.

3. What's your favorite food?
Grandma: Not peas.

4. Who is a Hero in your life?
Grandma: My husband. To have gone through the things that he did and still be a compassionate person. He was so good with you grandchildren. So patient.

5. What is the biggest stress you have in your life?
Grandma: Finances. It's not what I'm having to live on, it's how to deal with it when I can hardly add or subtract.

6. If you could be any animal what would it be?
Grandma: A pussycat.

7. What is your favorite thing about yourself?
Grandma: Daring to do something and willing to take a chance.

8. What "words of wisdom" do you have to pass on?
Grandma: Go with the flow. Accept what you cannot change.

I am truly inspired by her independence and courage, the trip was a real blessing.
And we ate fried catfish with tartar sauce and drank chardonnay, it was awesome.

Here are some pictures of Rosebud and I's drive from Iowa to Memphis. Very blue they are. We cannot wait to see you all and hear from you...........more to come. Love to you all, the trip is proving to be just what it needs to.

Je Mapelle Stori...now the story of Poppy Sunshine and the Road Trip Warriors

With the wind below her heels and her hair let down, she embarks onto the open highway. It's been a long time since she's seen many a friend and family, leaving Brooklyn (aka home) to eventually roll into Seattle (aka home) at a date only the road can determine. These pages are now to become the diaries of a journey she has been waiting her whole life for.....only now realizing this, she hopes to share this adventure with you. Picking up fellow Road Warriors along the way, they are on a mission. Spreading a gospel of peace, freedom, and good times............she is Miss Poppy Sunshine, defender of the working man and drinking. She fights for love.

Stay Tuned for the stories ahead......


The Big 8 Questions!!!!

This journey is all about making connections with those that I encounter. That being said, I have come up with a series of 8 questions to ask all whose presence I am graced with. It is only fitting then that Miss Poppy Sunshine herself.....(me) answer those same questions and introduce them to you underneath her (my) own feelings; so here goes:
1. Describe America in One Word?
PS: Young

2. If you Could Change One Thing About America What Would It be?
PS: It's ability to take care of its people

3. What's your favorite food?
PS: Apples

4. Who is a Hero in your life?
PS: The working man. Farmers, families, parents, nerds. People getting by.

5. What is the biggest stress you have in your life?
PS: That too many people don't understand what it's really about. And then I have to serve them Iced-Teas.

6. If you could be any animal what would it be?
PS: An Ocelot.

7. What is your favorite thing about yourself?
PS: That I have the ability to bring people together and I always wear my heart on my sleeve.

8. What "words of wisdom" do you have to pass on?
PS: Peace, Love, and rock n' roll baby.

8 Questions! New York goodbye from a lovely friend.

This is Melissa. 31 years old, currently a bartender in New York City, here's what she has to say:

1. Describe America in One Word?
M: Conflicted

2. If you Could Change One Thing About America What Would It be?
M: The Health Care System. It's ridiculous that we do not take care of each other, and that the structure is so focused on big business.

3. What's your favorite food?
M: Sushi. . .for breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And snack.

4. Who is a Hero in your life?
M: The Early Suffragists. I can't believe that our right to vote was granted so recently.

5. What is the biggest stress you have in your life?
M: Figuring out how to bridge my various interests to create one super duper career.

6. If you could be any animal what would it be?
M: A Zebra.

7. What is your favorite thing about yourself?
M: That I really try not to settle, even when it's the easier option. I make a conscious effort to pursue what makes me happy. There are too many miserable people in the world bringing others down. I don't believe that you are ever "too old" or "too busy" to do what you love.

8. What "words of wisdom" do you have to pass on?
M: Laugh a little too loud. I'd rather be sitting at the fun table then watching the fun table. Also, work hard. The rewards will be greater and the laughter will be sweeter.

First of all, if you knew Melissa you'd know that she is worth taking advice from and that the zebra is the perfect animal for her....(electric pony anyone??)

Love Love Love!

And with that......Poppy Sunshine bids adieu to New York and hello to the other places. Join me on this guide friends, we help each other get there the whole way through.