clairetoomey’s Neighborhood

Sometimes my husband and I like to get really buzzed and then go buy stuff. Mostly "stuff" is candy and over priced coffee, but this past Sunday we got a little more polluted than normal -- so of course -- he got some interesting things at Target we did not need: Wolverine toothbrush, Grave Digger toy car, and not pictured, a copy of GnR "Appetite for Destruction". Target is dangerous when you're buzzed because everything sounds like a good/fun idea to buy.

We also got some fun generic brands you can always turn to in a recession...

Delicare: it don't clean nothin' but it smells good. King of Shaves: makes my legs bleed but it smells good. BreathRx: I guess it sorta works. CVS Nail Polish Remover: works eventually, but smells like hell for hours afterward. But dammit, I bought 'em so I'll use 'em!

Gimme a V! Gimme an O! Gimme an X! What's that spell? VOX!

What better way to tell the world how much you love Vox than to announce it on Facebook? That's right: Vox now has an official Facebook page! Become a fan of Vox.com on Facebook and let your friends know what you really care about: staying connected with friends and family through blog posts, photos, videos and comments.

Once you're a fan, you can also add photos and videos to the page, write on the wall, and connect with other Voxers in ways you may not have previously. Plus, it's a great opportunity to let people know about your Vox blog, or start discussion topics. To become a fan, just visit the official Vox.com Facebook page and click the "Become a Fan" button in the upper right hand corner.

Once you've joined, why not post a response to the current discussion topic? Just post a link (and a brief description, if you'd like) to what you consider one of your all-time best Vox posts.

What are you waiting for? Become a Vox.com fan on Facebook today!

Helloo,

Yep, I dissappeared for a while. I'm in the process of moving both office and home at the moment, I think I'm a glutton for punishment.

Someone else is organising storage space around the office so I've had to be very creative with stuff under my desk. I never liked putting my feet under the desk anyway.

High Street Kensington seems like a nice enough place, lots of shops and the like. Plenty of eateries which is all I care about.

My new work phone scares me as it resembles a car dashboard with satnav. Luckily I don't use the landline very often, only to accept calls and I think I've worked that out. Hopefully.

The new house I've moved to is a mouse-infested dive, poorly mainted and a bit smelly but I love it as it's in the centre of Camden and I can know get anyway in a short amount of time. I'm in the process of making it proper nice, painting, disinfecting etc etc.

Music-wise there's been so much going on I can't really keep track of what I've done. Caught up with The Chapman Family last week. They'd just finished recording a Radio1 session at Maida Vale. Momentum is really building for them now and I need to decide on what my stance is as regards what they're doing. I think it's fantastic and love what I see live, but I wonder if it's too left of centre for a major?

It's an annoying fact but worth considering, if I love a band for whatever reason I have to think of they're capacity to generate revenue. 40k units for a major wouldn't be considered a hit but if a smaller label shifted that amount it would be considered a big success by them.

Currently I like what they've got recorded as I know how it turns out live, so I have a pre conception when listening to their music. However, someone who knows nothing about the band, having a listen may not win them over as it could be a bit inaccessable. Saying that, I've heard some new mixes of existing material which I hope will edge them further towards the mainstream.

I came accross Cats and Cats and Cats last week through the myspace page (soon to be developed and intergrated into the existing platform). I always like listening to something a bit different in the way of 'band-based' music. Ie, not something that sounds like a low-calorie Libertines or 8bit Killers. The first act that springs to mind on listening to is 70's prog-rockers The Nice, except they don't have an organ, or Keith Emmerson. But apart from that, they're very similar...?....:-s

I think it's Ben George's vocal that feeds that idea into my head. I like the fact they can create a large, grandiose sound without cliche reverb and bizarre extended intro's. A very English-upbeat Sigur Ros or Arcade Fire perhaps? Hypnotic layers of melody and the relentless stopstart drums from Doug Jenkins make for quite emmersive and engaging tracks. I'm really interested to see what they're like live. Once I get a night going again maybe I can get a booking out of them.

Other than that all is pretty good in the world over here. Let me know what's happening with you.

Hope all is well with you.

IB

I'm not really crazy about any of these except "Pirate Queen", I'm one of those people that paints better than she draws oddly. Also started getting back into the swing of fashion illustrations, that comes pretty easy I guess, and am debating about taking up gouache -- since I hate watercolor -- but have been told it is equally annoying and difficult at times.

My uncle recently made a website for some of the paintings my grandma did in her later years, most while living in near us in Laguna. So I guess in a way she lives on www.helenkalvin.com. The first image there is of my old Balinese cat Sasha (best cat ever!...Sorry Milkshake)

My other grandmother did a lot of ceramics too (wish I had kept some), so I guess it sort of runs in the family.

Death threats! Obsessive fans! Stalkers! It’s all in a days work for this month’s cover stars – Finnish rock gods Nightwish. Rock Sound heads south to Mexico to find hear how they cope with it all. Read our exclusive world tour report this month.

 

FREE WITH THIS ISSUE

* 8 COLLECTORS ART PRINTS – Featuring: Jared Leto, Ian Watkins, Hayley Williams, Tarja Turunen, Pete Wentz, Ville Valo, Lyn-Z (MSI) and Cristina Scabbia

* SOUNDCHECK CD – 15 essential selections from this month’s issue.

 

ALSO THIS MONTH: Slipknot talk about new record ‘All Hope Is Gone’, Bullet For My Valentine tackle your questions, Daron Malakian fills us in on his new band Scars On Broadway, we get up-close-and-personal with new Welsh wonders Kids In Glass Houses and take a look back at 20 years of Sub Pop. Plus interviews with: Mastodon, Hawthorne Heights, Underoath, Soulfly, The Subways, Bowling For Soup, Funeral For A Friend, Capricorns, Conor Oberst, The Hold Steady and much, much more.

 

EXPOSURE: 22 bands you need to hear, incl: Alesana, Apse, Harvey Milk, Racebannon, Vessels, Withered, Rinoa and more.

 

REVIEWS: Over 150 releases reviewed and rated, incl: The Hold Steady, Mouth Of The Architect, Beck, Capricorns, Killing The Dream, Jay Reatard, Working For A Nuclear Free City and more. Plus the all the latest live action, incl: Download festival, NASS festival, Linkin Park, Rival Schools and more.

 

SOUNDCHECK CD: Featuring 15 choice cuts from bands featured in this month’s issue, incl: Soulfly, We Are The Ocean, Racebannon, Withered, Capricorns, Alesana and more. 

To check out clips from this month’s featured tracks, click here: http://www.rocksound.tv/soundcheck

 

Rock Sound – new music first – out now at WH Smith and all good stockists.

http://www.rocksound.tv

 

Although we typically post on Team Vox to let you know about things that are going on with Vox (to, uh, state the obvious), once in a while, we like to let you know about other cool things that are happening around the blogosphere. And we think the idea of four hilarious mommy bloggers traveling across the U.S. on their way to the BlogHer '08 conference - all the while blogging and video blogging the journey - is one trip you will not want to miss.

Four adventurous bloggers from the Silicon Valley Moms Group were selected to participate in the Summer Road Trip '08 and blog about their travels, hotel stays, media appearances, time away from their families, and life on the road. Six Apart helped them partner up with General Motors, who provided the blogging mommies with a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV to help make their journey comfy, safe, and a little more green.

In case you're not familiar with them, SV Moms is a group of over 200 bloggers who showcase the ups, downs, outrages, struggles, victories, and everyday humor of motherhood. There are currently nine regional and demographically tailored sites that give mothers from D.C., New Jersey, the Deep South, Rocky Mountains, L.A., and Silicon Valley a powerful voice and sense of camaraderie across the country. Whether you're a mother, a child, or just a person who enjoys a good blog, you'll really love reading the words of these amazing women.

The moms buckled into their Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV on July 11th and even got an encouraging message from Katie Couric to kick things off! They are currently somewhere in the middle of America making their way to San Francisco where they'll attend an SV Moms Group Party, as well as BlogHer '08.

You do not want to miss these entertaining and irreverent bloggers -- or their spontaneous contest giveaways! -- as they blog from the road. Experience the journey at MomRoadTrip.com.

And let us know about your summer road trip - or plane/boat/bus trip - in the comments! (I like to live vicariously.)

~daisy

It's so hard to write this and yet I feel it must be done.

Please note, I do come by every once in awhile, but for the most part I'm not "with you". I've neglected you. I've found someone else and sort of moved on. It happened quicker than I expected.. I'm now focused on someone else and MMA HotStuff has consumed my blogging life.

I've loved you from the start. You have given me an outlet to document the randomness that happens in ones life and a way to reflect. While you have never let me down, I've let us down.

I love how you and my Vox friends have sent me messages wondering what has happened to me, It breaks my heart to give you the "it's not you it's me speech".

I'll continue to check in, but as far as me and my Voxing, it's at an end.

Painting in oil on clayboard kind of sucks (way too absorbent), but somehow I managed to do this 18x24" piece in three days. Wish I had more accurate photos, but I think this is pretty close, and they'll have a nice silver frame around them soon. I'll be showing this at Garvey Gallery in late August.