Category Archive

music

Why you should try busking: Yes, even you!

Earlier this year, I took a singer-songwriter course at a local cultural institute, to improve my songwriting. Our tutor encouraged us to play in public as much as possible. Go to open mics, play family parties, play for your friends until they beg you to stop, and also: busk. I’m not here to give you busking tips though; I haven’t got nearly enough experience for that yet. I just want to explain to you why busking is AWESOME, and why you should consider doing it if you play an instrument (or have other performance skills).

6 ways I found time for my favorite hobby again after having a kid

I knew before my kid was born that I would get less sleep and have less free time after having a baby. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to lose my creativity for a while. It felt like losing a piece of my soul. During what we’ve since dubbed the Era of No Sleep, I was exhausted. What energy I had went almost entirely towards caring for my family. I connected with friends and took breaks, but I did not drum, dance, or engage in any of the myriad of crafts I’ve always loved dabbling in.

This is what happens when Radiohead fans have a party for their two-year-old

Sebastian’s parents love music, and it was so fun seeing that influence in his wonderful personality. Our friends brought their pug Kong, which was a big hit with everyone, and Sebastian got to end the whole shindig with a little dance in the kiddie pool wearing his red chucks!

Naomi & Casey: From punk rock wedding to rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle

Since we were married, we’ve been playing in rock ‘n’ roll bands, recording rock ‘n’ roll bands, taking lots of pictures, playing with our bulldog, Doodah, changing our hair color, getting tattoos, fixing motorcycles and liking each other a little bit more each year.

Should I stay close to home the last few weeks of my pregnancy?

There’s a gig that me and my husband want to go to about a week before my due date next year. The show is in a city that’s about an hour away from us where we live and two hours away from the hospital I’m supposed to be attending to give birth.

A David Bowie and owl-themed bedroom for a kid named Bowie

When my husband and I first found out our second child was a girl we immediately said her name should be Bowie Irene. Of course her nursery should be decorated with pictures of the man himself.

20 minute dance party: how our family exercises together

A few weeks ago my husband and I were trying to figure out how to watusi, so we turned to this video on YouTube. It turns out Michael Ivy is a dedicated dance instructor who has a whole list of instructional dance videos. We eyed the list, deduced that playing it in its entirety would take about 20 minutes, and asked our four-year-old if he wanted to dance with us.

Throw this party: Top secret crime scene 30th birthday

Last year you may remember the Mystery Science Theater 3000 birthday party I threw my partner Andy. This is when I began planning his 30th. I wanted to have the party before one of Andy’s shows because many of his family and friends have not seen him perform before. His band is called CoverUp which leads one to think of conspiracy theories and government investigations so I used this to lead my theme.