Watermelon Radish & The Rubettes

Do I hear a new band name? Watermelon radish, when cut into pizza shapes, looks like mini pizza. Sorry to get all cute.com on you, but c'mon people.

Also, in other news, looks like I found the album cover already done for the side project that Terri and I are starting.
Introducing butter tarts everyone. I can't even begin to describe how good they are. I am already trying to figure out how to get these shipped to me in Scandinavia in a couple weeks because I am already fearing the lonliness that will ensue without these. A seriously Canadian treat. Better than poutine? I don't know yet.
Strange old paint combinations- there is a lot of the bright orange brick. Not sure how I feel about it. Will post later. In morse code.Which I'm learning, PS.
Feeling the teal.
Also, sometimes it feels good to not. This has been my theory for a while but lately I'm shifting. I'm glad to report that with every day brings more interest and passion in the same things. The endless pool of emotion just starts new every day. Someone told me I look really innocent last night. Is it because I'm falling for everything all the time? I'm getting control over it, kinda. Wait, I don't want to. Foresight. Foresight. Also recognizing where to put my energy. I want to do a project where I cut silhouettes out of mirror. When you try and see the person behind what he/she reflects back to you and then notice how that makes you feel. So many times I've just really liked the 'me' that was reflected back from someone or a new city. That is hard to admit, but I know you have done this too. You have to take the mirror out of the equation and see who they really are behind the mirror. Toxic stuff.

Another.

I finished another album design. This time for a new artist on Chop Shop/Atlantic called "Anya Marina." Together with awesome photographer Autumn de Wilde, I designed the package to be like a house with a story. Opening the door to see more of her and still maintaining mystery with the old paperback book. Revealing in the very center of the book, her favorite childhood porcelain elf. I had asked her to find something that was very close to her- something from her childhood- and had Autumn take a photo of that. I created a little logo of her yelling through the megaphone that I repeated on every page to create a concrete vibe for her album. Something that could appear later on posters, shirts, singles that would associate her personality with an image. Anya is a rad girl. I've met her parents, almost been hypnotized by her dad's best friend (and met Tom Steinbeck- John Steinbeck's son!), crushed out on life together, ping ponged and jumped rope with, and listened to Anya describe what moves her the most.

big bodies

i was really needing to be close to water. so we went there on l's birthday- to a hidden coast of the lake and walked and walked. something cool happens when you are in the freezing cold and the sun is out.

Was given a book 'The Skin of a Lion'- by Michael Ondaatje - A lot of it takes place in toronto- and i was given a mini tour of certain areas that are featured in the book. like this strange and desolate water power plant. deco echo. i switched to lowercase.
another big body. love at first sight.


trying to break into a bakery. do you see us on the bottom left?
jerome was here in toronto to do some press for his shoes. 'jerome c. rousseau'- we were sitting in on the press meetings- he has such a elegant and powerful way about him. the way he can concisely talk about his work- he paints the perfect picture. his references and inspirations are so clear. his work is a product of his mind.

it never gets old

somehow these little crystal worlds that you see at tourist shops never get old. these little buddies were caught, suspended, mid swim, mid fin, in this tiny glass crystal. what will they think of next? suspending little holographic babies? oh wait. i've seen those too.


i have been really into making this soup. sometimes, when i cook for people, i feel like i am truly seen. i cook, they eat. i have given something to that food that is intangible. celery root, apple, leek soup. fennel and chervil oil (that has lemon zest in it- the fennel tops and chervil are chopped into the oil and let to sit for a few hours), sauteed chestnuts, creme fraiche. one of my moms friends said it was the best soup she had ever tasted. it made me feel real. i cooked it for some friends and a birthday on friday. i think i put too much of myself in it because i couldn't somehow talk to people for a couple hours. whoa, that was awkward.

i like peeping in on this photo that terri took of me during sound check. i can't remember where this was. i wanna say bergen. fog city, people.

Fruit Hunter

So I met a new fave author of mine, Adam Gollner. He wrote 'The Fruit Hunters' which is an incredible and witty story about 'Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession.' I emailed him and then before too long we were in LA at 'the apple pan' eating hamburgers from one of the oldest burger joints in the city. I was in a daze that day and somehow it made the conversation last forever. I believe we covered a lot of things- which also involved a philosophical diagram that he charted out on a napkin. Universality: thesis .............. Particularity: antithesis........... Individuality: synthesis. This spawned from a conversation I had with my friend Eirik in Norway about 'Microscopic Truthfulness.' Saying a lot about something small- instead of saying a little about something big. This is helping my songwriting lately. I highly recommend this book. He is currently working on a book about people on the quest for immortality. This involves hanging in Big Sur talking to people searching for the fountain of youth- and a road trip through Transylvania. Vampires?

this looks like one of those photos where you meet someone you admire and then ask for a photo and then stretch out your arm to take said photo. uh wait, i guess this is how it went down. dag.

apple pan. yummmm. i was really hung up on the cone shaped paper cups.the straw went to the bottom. does this clarify things?

the TO

I guess I mean 'to' as in "I'm going to..." and also 'TO' as in 'Toronto."

Been in the TO for a week. I have lady F as my roomie and it rules (first picture is our place). Been so nice to have that agagin. Been getting ideas and staying focused. Inspired by the new. Not sure what is to come next or during or after except for a couple shows in Scandinavia in a month. Been asked a million times why I chose Toronto during the coldest month. My answer? Why would I come here during the sunny time when I am coming from sunny California? So I chose to come here during the time when it's the most winter-y Toronto. So it's real. Real seasons, something I don't see often. Or I dip into for a moment then scoot back to California.

Saw the most inspiring performance of the year by the Swedish band 'Wildbirds & Peacedrums' (Miriam pictured with me)
I thought they were vessels- portals- for something bigger. And married? How is this done?
They are connected. Come visit.

Hardships!

I want to take a moment this afternoon to mention my dear friend Jenny Wilson. Her music is really important to me as are her lyrics and overall outlook on making art. She is a very significant musician to me. I so admire people that can record, play, write, produce, an entire album on their own. This takes a lot of courage and focus... Her music has also been important because it's her songs that brought my attention to Sweden and is the reason why I ended up meeting Karl-Jonas, who helped me record in Sweden and who has been such a great help for 'Rubies'.

The first time I met Jenny, I liked her. Her sister Sara, too. Somehow, I feel like they are my long long sisters.

Jenny asked me to sing on her new album, 'Hardships!' due out in February. I was thrilled to record and perform last June with her.... Listen for my spoken whispers- as I remind her of her strength. I love how her songs blend a little R & B in with her folk/pop sensibility. The background vocals are meticulously stacked, reminiscent of old gospel tunes. You must listen to her unique voice. It's what I love about good voices. Full of character and you can hear HER in her voice. She's not sounding like someone else telling the stories. I am in the room with her while I listen to the songs. There is a lot of restraint in her songs as well. The silence is as important as the sound. I can't wait to listen to the whole album. Jenny, I know you have it in you.

If you're brown, stick around.

So I was luckily able to spend some of this new year down in Mexico. It never ceases to both baffle and thrill me to be in a super hot enviro when folks east and north or experiences the bone chilling cold. D and A are down at the Mexico house until March...enjoying the long hours and the distance before heading to Paris. Also, the big questions. The stuff. Ponder the stuff. We chilled, cooked, danced, made a video for a track I'm working on with the swedish group 'the sweptaways'(thanks dudes!), figured it out, got brown, rode waves, jammed in the studio, played a crumar synthesizer, read books, remembered recent memories, smelled the sweet sandy air, and fell in love with everything again.

I'm on a 2 week countdown in Santa Barbara now. Reeling from Obama's speech. Glad to be in an American for the first time in years. Waiting for my February stint in Toronto. Waiting for San Francisco next weekend for recording 2 songs. I am tired of waiting. Rubies album comes out in the states May 19! Finally gonna tour the Usa. Stoked.

Boom box always babysits
Golden sunset light. Me, Adrian, Mary.
Every night I just wanna go out, get out of my head. Every day I dont want to get up, get out of my bed. Every night I want to play out. And every day I want to do ooh ooh oh oh But tonight I just want to stay in And be with you. (you must know this song?)
Alicia and Luis (the sweet folks that take care of the house) with my sis Danielle and her husband Adrian
The music studio... that we had hot, tequila infused jams in.
Whitest gear alive.

Video stills from the video that we made on the beach at night. We made it for free! Thanks flashlight. Thanks illegal lazer pen-that-graham-brought-back-from-china.



Still chillin'. Side of the road- got a flat tire.



This is what it looked like before I left for Mexico. Christmas morning in Santa Barbara. Rainbow reminders.

Puzzle pieces.

I can't remember who decided to write our set list on a banana. I don't think I was there for that...So I'm pretty dang thankful to Dena for taking this picture.

Another Dena shot. From a restaurant in Zurich, Switzerland. How could our meal be bad?
So there are things I know and things I don't know. This is what I know. Light reflected off objects to create shapes upon other objects is just plain terrific. This little buddy wanted to come home with me but I couldn't figure out how to get him to stay in my pocket.I was very aware.
Kim Hiorthoy makes cool images and photos. We became friends in Berlin and we talked about stuff while eating heavy german food. He specifially said something while I took this, 'are you going to put this on your blog?.' Boom, dude.
This wall painting was enormous. Brussels.
These golden scissors were also enormous. Feel free to just put any thing on a building. Brussels, feel free. I took a lot of photos in Brussels. A lot to see.
Paris perspectives and light.
Yeah, that's my head.
Paris peeps. Dena's video projections were repeated on the wall at this venue. It ruled. My dear friend Ed is in the crowd. I can see him and it feels good. The guy in the white shirt reaching up to me was being wierd later. He kept getting really close to me while I was singing. By no means should this stop you from getting close. It was just him. I promise. I call these guys 'PSI' - Personal space invaders. Am I mean?
Russia smiles.
On the train from Oslo to Bergen, Noway.
Gonzales with a foomp. Train from Paris to Zurich.
I wanna meet who did this.
Anthony Seck, making a documentary on the music and art surrounding Feist's world. Mary, Leslie, and I did a short segment talking about it all...in front of the mural I made for her album cover. So stoked it's still there...I also cooked a huge feast the night before and cooked fish that I had never heard of... The ladies were sick so I stepped up.
Coolest radio staion ever. Munich.

Coolest dress ever. Berlin. The plan was to buy this.
Donald Trump hairdo on a stuffed lion. Please laugh at this.
Nicolas, Terri, Maschat. Hotstuffssss.
Daniel Nentwig as our guest keyboard player. He played his moog liberation and liberated us. I think he wants to be in our band.
Flashy merchandise. We made new sweatshirts and I forgot to get one. Darn.
Cool 7" wall. We were learning 'can't help it' by Michael Jackson that same day in the van. Awesome.
Again, there is so much to tell you.