Browsing Tag

Nicole Atkins

Music

Interview: Nicole Atkins on her new album, Slow Phaser, and what it’s like to be Springsteen-approved

For some magical reason, one of my favorite musicians, Nicole Atkins, did an interview with me for my blog.

As some of you may know, I’ve gushed about her before with a blog post titled “Lady Crush of the Day: Nicole Atkins.”

I guess that post didn’t scare her away (or she hasn’t seen it yet), and she was kind enough to talk with me about her brand new spankin’ album, Slow Phaser.

Slow Phaser is fucking awesome.

And I as I told Nicole is our email exchange, I’m not one to use superlatives. It truly is a work of art that just keeps knocking your socks off, song after song. How can album inspired by Peter Gabriel, Ennio Morricone, Morphine and King Crimson not be? Slow Phaser is a delicious stew of musical genres from the past four decades; it’s guaranteed to blow your mind.

You can get a sneak peek of the full album over at Paste right now. Listen from the beginning to end; every song is magical, but if I had to pick three or four (which is difficult): (more…)

January 31, 2014 by hipstercrite

Music, Pop Culture

Lady Crush of the Day: Nicole Atkins

Sad fact: I typically don’t gravitate towards female singers. Their voices often sound too perfect- too clean– and in the great words of David Byrne, “The better the singer’s voice is, the harder it is to believe what they’re saying.”

Only the ladies with stories to tell in their voice and lyrics such as Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks, or the ones who challenge gender norms such as Annie Lennox and Patti Smith, or the ones who are just as gritty as they are beautiful such as Deborah Harry and Chrissie Hynde are of interest to me. As for the the Gwen Stefanis, the Beyonces and the Taylor Swifts: I will not argue their talent, but their music does absolutely nothing for me.

To me it is all pop drivel.

It has been a very long time since I had a contemporary female music idol.

I wasn’t very familiar with Nicole Atkins’s music until recently. Why? I’m not sure, other than that I’m really bad at checking out new music (side note: Nicole Atkins is not new new; her first full-length (more…)

March 19, 2013 by hipstercrite

Austin, Music, Pop Culture

Nothing Says Halloween Like a Karate Rock Band Wearing Prosthetic Limbs

My boyfriend has a band.

They’re called The Karate Kids.

They sing about the Karate Kid movies including the ill-advised remake starring Will Smith’s son.

They wear prosthetic limbs and perform each of their songs in the kicking crane position.

If this doesn’t sell you on them already, check out some of their songs. Side note- my boyfriend can’t sing. I will never tell him this and I hope you don’t either. It is a fact that he already knows and he doesn’t care. This is what I love about him: the determination to never give up and keep creating. Since he can’t sing, he ends up sounding like a cool higher-pitched Lou Reed/Leonard Cohen-hybrid.

Nicole Atkins (see below) played in the band for a few shows. Sissy Spacek likes them, and Bill Murray told them that he would go to one of their shows, but in truth, HE LIED and didn’t show up.

The Karate Kids are playing Halloween Night 9:15PM at East Austin’s non-douchey, two-steppin’ hipster hangout, The White Horse.

Details are here.

Hope (more…)

October 30, 2012 by hipstercrite

Fashion/Design

What I Wore Today: Crocs

Shirt: Gap cami with bra built in, 1998 which means padding in bra has turned lumpy therefore my boobs look lumpy, $.05
Pants: Alternative Apparel Eco-Heather Long Pant, excellent at giving camel toe, $38
Shoes: Carlie Mary Jane Crocs, from fashion mecca Banff, Canada, $40

Notes: Awhile back, I tried making my hair ombre style. I didn’t know that there was a name for it, so I kept telling people that I wanted to make my hair look like that of Nicole Atkins’. I’m not sure I succeeded in this attempt. I’m afraid my hair looks green.

What I’m Doing Today: Trying to wash the green out of my hair.

Mood: Cranky

April 26, 2012 by hipstercrite