NEW SITE

As of May, 2019, all of my music blogs will be posted at Edenshour.wordpress.com. Every post from this site can be navigated more easily there.

I'm working on getting my new website up. For now, the landing page is erinskipper.wordpress.com

The Light That Seeks You

Grief is a powerful teacher. A painful, yet powerful, teacher. I am grateful for the lessons, even if they have been immensely difficult. 

I took a 5 month break from work to process and grieve. During that time, this song came to me one morning as I closed my eyes to meditate. Gushing Cloud helped me produce it.

I am not sure if it's for Tim, or for me, or for you. Maybe all of the above. Taking some time to be extra good to myself today and every day moving forward. I hope you'll do the same and be extra loving in your thoughts and actions toward Tim, his friends and family, and most importantly, yourself.

With love,

Erin

Live Love!

A year ago, my life was very different. It was heading a certain direction. I thought I knew what that direction was, and I had a plan. I was about to turn 40 and I had been working deeply on myself the previous 4 years and planned on writing about my experiences with meditation and working to overcome trauma and addictions in the ongoing quest for inner peace.

Everything changed a year ago.

Everything.

April 20th, 2018, I was hit with news that shattered me to the very depth of my being.  I am not going to talk about that news: why it hit me so hard, and what had happened just before it, or what happened after. I probably won't talk about it publicly again for a long time, if ever. Especially not without cooperation and communication with others involved. But it impacted me in a way that it will inform my entire life experiences moving forward. For better or worse. Hopefully for much better in the long run.

I did write more in depth about what I was going through personally the few years leading up to it, and maybe I'll share that someday too.

This past year has been the most difficult year of my life. I didn't sleep for more than 2 hours a night for almost 6 months after April 20th, 2018. And then I took 5 months off work to get rest and recover and.... grieve the loss of someone with whom I shared a deep connection, someone so special, who effected me profoundly.

Being rested and not having to rely on adrenaline and cortisol to function is not just ideal, it's crucial to real, lasting happiness and health. Balance between rest and activity is key for most things in nature, including human existence.

 

The first night that I slept more than 2 hours last May, I was so deliriously relieved that I made the following incredibly silly video using all of the gifts people had given me for my birthday.

When I made this, it wasn't to share. I was just making it to send my friend in messenger so I was shooting vertically. 

And now.... to bed I go, to get some deep rest. 

10 Years Later

This blog is where I post about whatever music I am passionate about, but it originally started as a way to document my weekly radio show, Eden's Hour, which I did from 2007-2009 on KRUU FM.

I stopped doing the regular shows in 2009 while I was working with David Lynch Foundation on a few big events, including the Change Begins Within concert at Radio City Music Hall in NYC, and the last David Lynch Weekend at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, IA. Shortly after that conference I ended up moving to Los Angeles where I have been teaching TM for a few years.

It's crazy how quickly and slowly time goes by. An entire decade just went by in a flash.

I recently found all of the recordings from the in studio shows from 2008 and I wanted to share some highlights of those as well as some fun interviews I did with great folks like EZRA REICH (now of Room8).

The following in-studio performances on Eden's Hour were all recorded at my friend Bill Wolford's Vivid Sound recording studio in West Seattle. I will be adding more recordings and updates on the artists here:

Karl Blau

Jason Webley

Solvents

40 years immature

Thanks to some of my favorite people for playing at my 40th birthday party!!

 I love you Phil (aka The Venus in Scorpio), Belly Belt, and Green Screen Downtown!

...and thanks to my bestie Sarah for surprising me by flying in from NYC!

Dreaming of A White Lodge Christmas

Last week I was in North Bend and Snoqualmie, WA for Twin Peaks Festival. I was camping near Snoqualmie Falls, complete with owls in the trees above my tent! It was a perfectly nerdy dream come true. Even though I grew up there, to be there with fellow fans, cast, and crew was incredibly special. Especially swimming below the falls with old and new pals. Rainbow included!🌈😍

Nothing could touch the magic of those moments, but I have tried!!!! I have at least attempted to create this scene in my living room before and Jherek Bischoff's dreamy, bass-heavy Twin Peaks's Badalamenti-inspired album Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire Walk With Me was the perfect companion.

Below is my apartment transformed into PEAKSMAS! (aka #PEAKSVILLE) for my holiday parties this past winter. I had to do something with all of the crafts I'd made during season 3. They had taken over every square inch of my home. I had shared pics of my progress with TP's Executive Producer, Sabrina Sutherland, who I think jokingly(?) suggested that I just keep them up. Which at the time I thought was totally absurd. But then this happened..... 😂😂😍😜

Plus this little bonus for your stocking... 12 Days of Christmas sung by the Twin Peaks cast. With a video edited by Mary Hutter whose Twin Peaks themed home decor includes some furniture/props from the original set!

Rebuilding... Everything

After a few years of curating a carefully selected music catalog for my radio show and personal collection, I had about 60,000 songs in my hard drives and iPod. A lot of the music in my collection was from friends of mine or fans of David Lynch who submitted music through the David Lynch Foundation social media which I used to manage. Many of those artists ended up becoming casual acquaintances or close friends. The music itself became a huge part of my life. I was pretty certain that if I lost my music collection I would be devastated.

When I was on a decluttering kick, I downsized and gave some of my backup hard drives with all of my music to a few people who I thought would appreciate it, thinking I still had 2 backups. It turns out I didn't. Some anomaly when backing up my laptop had wiped out my main music collection. I hadn't even noticed. I still had all of it on my iPod and thought it was on the hard drive, so I didn't worry about it.

Two years ago, I was organizing my dad's memorial service, which we didn't call a memorial service. We didn't know what to call it. The Skippers aren't a traditional family by anyone's standards. Let's just say it was a party in my late dad's honor. I put together a slideshow and, of course, a long playlist which included some of his favorites: Taj Mahal, Janis Joplin, Bo Diddley, The Beatles, and Donovan (whom I was able to introduce him to once or twice at DLF events).

Everything went off without a hitch. It was emotional, but perfect in many ways. The playlist which had been running off my iPod all day was seamless.

It wasn't until a couple days later that I realized that my iPod had been completely wiped out. All 60,000 songs were gone. I didn't think it was a problem until I flew back to LA and tried to reload it that I realized my hard drive was empty too. This had been my absolute worst fear. But to be honest, when it actually happened I couldn't give a f**k, because you know... my dad had just died after a year of a rapid decline that was very traumatic for everyone involved. And his mom was in hospice at the same time as him so she followed a few weeks later. I have lost a lot of friends to overdoses and accidents over the years, but I wasn't prepared for the intensity of grief that would consume me in the coming months. Nothing else really mattered. 

I couldn't be bothered to grieve the loss of my music collection for one second. I was still in shock. After about 18 months I think I finally got around to importing the cds I held on to during my decluttering phase. These were all cds given to me for my radio show and included a lot of rare recordings of phenomenal Pacific Northwest bands and shows which I treasured. I've moved over 30 times in my life so collecting bulky items like books and vinyl has never made sense to me, but I am glad I held on to these cds.
 
Grief is a strange beast. It can swallow you whole if you're not careful. Nothing in the world lasts forever, but it's easy to get attached to the illusion that things will always continue the way they are, good or bad. And then BOOM! Sh*t changes. Again.

I'm grateful for my meditation, music, and friends who have been a constant source of relief, humor, and support during the last couple years. I turned 40 in April and was thinking I was at my wits end and couldn't handle any more grief or grief-related stress and was looking forward to entering my 40s with a lighter load. I wasn't expecting the first few months to be the most difficult yet, but have hope that this too, will change. If nothing else, I will have learned a lot and have gained a bit of compassion along the way.

Musically, THIS PLAYLIST has been my main soundtrack for late 2017, early 2018...

With some highlights from Belly Belt,  Schaffer the Darklord, Kabuto The Python, Coolzey, and Snailmate.

So Much TO DO

Current mood: EXISTENTIAL CRISIS

💓💦💓

So Much To Do by Ferbus

EARTH, WIND, AND THE FIREMAN: A yrev, very TWIN PEAKS summer!

Like a lot of TWIN PEAKS fans, I had been eagerly awaiting its return in 2017. However, I hadn't been waiting 25 years. Even though I grew up minutes from North Bend and Snoqualmie, where the fictional town of Twin Peaks is based, the first time I saw the series was in 2006. And yet I was immediately entrenched in the lore and lure of the mysterious Pacific Northwest town and its oddball inhabitants. I thought it was the best television show I had ever seen and was equally baffled and intrigued by the ending of season 2. I can't imaging being left hanging for 25 + years to find out what Special Agent Dale Cooper had been up to all this time.

When I watched in 2006 I was managing social media accounts for some of the cast (like Richard Beymer), as well as the David Lynch Foundation's so I had constant interaction with the fan community. Admittedly, the passion for David and his work is contagious. I already thought he was amazing for his enthusiasm and desire to help others through the Transcendental Meditation Program. But the online discussions and constant interaction with people who loved David's art work helped me appreciate the layered textures of his work on a whole new level.

Naturally, I was ecstatic when season 3 was announced in 2014. Some of the cast and crew have been colleagues, clients, and close friends of mine. To see them all come together again to work their magic under the guidance of David's brilliant mind? I was completely on board. And I had no idea what to expect. 25 years had gone by. Inter-dimensional activity aside, time was sure to have taken its toll on some of the residents of TWIN PEAKS and some crucial characters could no longer be an integral part of the story since the actors who portrayed them had passed. Or so I thought.

As the release date of season 3 drew near, TWIN PEAKS fever had officially set in. I was gearing up for what was going to be a special summer. I had no idea what was coming. Not just in the show, but the overall experience of sharing the viewings, theories, and memes with thousands of fans online, and most unexpectedly, the TWIN PEAKS SINGLES GROUP ON FACEBOOK, and in person via the SoCal Twin Peaks Fans Facebook group. AND OMG THE MEMES HAHA!!! (This is my meme page if you wanna see the ridiculous stuff I came up with these past few months).

I fully entered the vortex in early May when my best friends came with me for a TP themed birthday getaway. We stayed in a cabin that could have been run by Ben Horne himself and the weather was perfectly suited for all of our cosplay photo adventures: see here!

The day we got back from our trip, I began a re-watch of seasons 1 and 2. Actually, my cat and I watched it and with some further analysis and reflection after seeing the whole series to date, she made a "reaction video". For the record, @CAT_VON_DAISY loves it and thinks that part 18 of season 3 is a perfect "cat"alyst for more stories to be told ;)

As the ads for the new season promised: "It is Happening Again!". The mystery and magic of TWIN PEAKS had been fully awakened at this point.

I couldn't imagine watching the new episodes alone so I had a bunch of friends over for a viewing party on May 21st. The cherry pie and donuts were laid out. The coffee was hot and there was no fish in our percolator so it was safe to drink. I had transformed my office into the red room and we sat eagerly awaiting the new content completely unaware of what was about to unfold. While the first 2 episodes introduced us to new characters, new locations, and new stories, we savored every moment.

[WARNING: SEASON 3 SPOILERS AHEAD]

To satiate our desire to know what had become of Dale Cooper all these years, there was a short scene of Cooper in the red room (or black lodge?) with Laura Palmer. As this pivotal and nostalgic scene aired, something unpredictable and magical happened to add to the ambience. 3 fire trucks had stopped outside and their red lights were flooding our viewing party, making it feel like the red room was spilling out of the TV and into the entire building. It was so beautiful. It made the first night an unforgettable experience and was a premonition of many more happy accidents and perfect viewing party experiences.

You can see a clip of that moment in this awesome video Kenneth Thomas edited of all of our viewing parties this season:

What wasn't captured in the video above was us sitting on the edge of our chairs in the most penetratingly beautiful and terrifying hour of entertainment ever. Part 8. The hour that changed it all. It shook me to my core. Level: OBSESSED!!!!!

After Part 8, I was completely inspired and spent nearly every spare moment I had making props and decorations for our future viewing parties, especially the finale which you can see in the video above. Jennifer Koochof and I went all out with the decor for the party. Maybe we even went overboard! Hahaha... but it was worth it. It was a night those who attended will not soon forget. Not just because of the perfect art of the show itself, but also because we had another unforgettable serendipitous moment while watching Part 17 that involved yet again... Firemen. This time it wasn't just local fire trucks, it was actual fire and THE FIREMAN.

We held our finale party in Tujunga, CA, which was host to the largest wildfire in LA County history that weekend. Our viewing location was just clear of the fire and upwind from it, so while we could see the smoke, we weren't in danger and were able to breathe. The party would prevail! But another element was a potential threat. Our party started at 5pm and we were going to start with the viewing at 8pm. There was a big storm predicted for 6pm. We'd spent 2 days setting up decorations and there was electrical gear all over the yard. Our nerves were a little on edge lol. Right on cue, as I was securing the final paper decorations on one of the photo booth backdrops, I felt it. Intense winds rushing all around me, and rain drops falling on my head. I yelled "IT'S RAINING" and we scrambled to get the electronics covered and the food tables sheltered. The storm came and went in less than 20 minutes. THE PARTY WOULD PREVAIL!

Over the next few hours there was zero sign that any storm had just washed through the area. There was no more wind and the warm air was perfect for an outdoor viewing. As we settled into Part 17, we were hyper focused on the screen and in a moment so chilling I still get full body shivers every time I think about it... Carel Struycken's character (who had officially been revealed to be THE FIREMAN by the green garden-gloved Freddie) came on screen as Mr C had found his way to the white lodge. With one whooshing swoop of THE FIREMAN's hand across the screen, we heard not only an [intense whoosh] from the show itself... but a super intense whoosh of wind came billowing in and shook all of the trees in the yard and the screen we were watching the episode on. It was the most insane special effect ever!!!! Seriously. If there had been a crew at the party whose sole job was to create the perfect wind effect, they wouldn't have been able to accomplish it. Every attendee at the party squealed and squirmed in their seats for the next few minutes. It was beyond!

It was one of those moments where the entirety of the TWIN PEAKS and special quality David Lynch brings to his art is summed up in perfect synchronicity. One of the moments I see the profound depth of David's vision, intended or not. As someone whose conscious awareness is so in tune with the field of Being, his art work effects even those of us viewing it and allows us to experience the perfection that is at play. All in one of the most surreal and bizarre and disturbingly beautiful shows we have ever witnessed. One of many moments. But one I will never forget.

To be honest, I have no idea what to make of the season finale. I am still processing it and will be for weeks afterward, like I was with Part 8. And I am not 100% certain of the significance of THE FIREMAN character. With the completely unpredictable nature of TWIN PEAKS, who can ever really be certain about anything?

But, being a meditator and Vedic Science geek and having a background in Vedic (Indian mythology), I see the silent gaps in the series i.e. the awkward yet adorable slow conversations, the long sweeping scenes, the endless driving in silence down dark roads to unknown territory... all as moments of silence in which we can tap into that unbounded awareness where literally anything is possible.

I see THE FIREMAN as a Vishnu like character. One who preserves the good, protects, and brings balance to the world when evil unleashed. In this case the evil rakshasas are BOB and whatever else JOWDAY has spread through her seed over the desert. Vishnu is infinite and all pervasive so the balancing effect will be everywhere it is needed and yet the story of TWIN PEAKS is filled with flawed characters, some of whom may be seeking liberation, or enlightenment, and find themselves in and endless cycle. Literally infinite as symbolized by the ominous figure 8 which appeared in a later part of the season! ∞ ... Since the story was left open ended, we may never know if Cooper/Richard/Linda/Carrie/Laura will move through their own personal hell, their own "black lodge", to heal their trauma and move beyond it to the "white lodge", the point of being free and capable of enjoying their version of "enlightenment" or a peaceful existence as close to it as possible.

This is of course, my interpretation, and my thoughts on it change constantly as I read theories and see things from different points of view. I've used the word "perfect" in this blog a few times. And I really feel season 3 was perfect? Was it what I expected? No! It was so much more. I had no pre-conceived notions of what it should be and I was not expecting anything or anticipating any story or character to be presented in the way they had in the first 2 seasons. So there was nothing to disappoint me. It was just a beautiful ride that we got to experience individually and collectively. It is fascinating to see so many interpretations of the same show we all saw. For every viewer, there is a unique interpretation. Each viewer is their own rishi (or seer), one might say dreamer, seeing the world according to his or her consciousness. As they say "the world is as we are".

And wow bob wow... TWIN PEAKS is a wild, wild world!

THANK YOU DAVID LYNCH, MARK FROST, SABRINA SUTHERLAND, AND EVERYONE INVOLVED IN BRINGING US THIS GREAT GIFT OF SEASON 3! BIG THANKS TO SHOWTIME FOR SUPPORTING TWIN PEAKS ACCORDING TO THE VISION OF ITS CREATORS! KEEP IT COMING!!! ;)

The Roadhouse Presents....

When the new TWIN PEAKS was announced in 2014, I made a list of Seattle area bands I thought would be a good fit for season 3 to share with DKL. The full list is here. None of those bands basked in the glowing light of a blinking Bang Bang Bar sign, but I wouldn't have anticipated that James Hurley would either. And of all the dreamy scenes in season 3 of TWIN PEAKS, James Hurley's epic performance at the Roadhouse was one of the most shocking... and dreamy, up to that point anyway ;)

But then again... did it really happen? Is any of it real? Is it all a dream? Are you real? Am I real? I DON'T EVEN KNOW!!! I AM SO CONFUSED!!!

What I do know is that we had some pretty special moments at the viewing parties this season. Mid way through season 3, I had made a flashing Bang Bang Bar sign so we could feel like we were right there during the performances. It's all in the details! Haha. And everyone bringing their lighters for the re-watch of Part 13 was no exception. SoCal TWIN PEAKS Fans are the best!!!!!

My Boyfriend Randy Marsh Brings Me All My Food

My Boyfriend Brings Me All My Food is one of my favorite Belly Belt songs and it didn't have a music video... so I fan girled out and made one! Lol! What can I say? I love Belly Belt and my boo, South Park's Randy Marsh! And of course, my cat, Daisy :)

Introducing Karl Blau

It's no secret I am a huge Karl Blau fan. Tucker Martine has produced Introducing Karl Blau, for anyone who has not yet fallen in love with Blau's voice and musical sensibilities. It's an album of country cover songs with Karl on vocals and it's a dreamboat! Listen below and pick it up at Raven Marching Band or Bella Union.

Narcissism Never Sounded So Good

I can't get enough of this Santigold song...



    Plus the lyrics for Can't Get Enough Of Myself because I couldn't find an accurate version anywhere online.  

 

Lavender Mirror - Come To Your Wild Senses

LAVENDER MIRROR

My Love for these two runs deep. 

Allow them to transport you to another dimension.

While you're in their dimension, take a slight detour into the land of Lovers, where Kerby used to reside - Lovers Videos

Coolzey - A Renaissance Man After My Heart

Coolzey (w/ me above) and Belly Belt both albums out this month. Each contributed in their own special ways to the other's projects.

They are my Valentine's Day couple mega crush. Naturally I also have a crush on all the Coolzey's Coolsay collaborators: Soce the Elemental Wizard, Schaffer the Darklord, and Schaffer's sidekick magician Nelson Lugo.

Coolzey's talents cover a broad scope. He's one of the few people I know who can seamlessly weave between genres so convincingly and without a hitch. In one of his shows you will feel like you've just seen at least 5 different bands each play a couple great songs. He raps, rocks, croons, and can even slay AC/DC's Back In Black in a manner that Brian Johnson would be damned proud of. I was lucky to witness this feat last weekend at our friend's birthday party where I'd been overly ambitious in adding Back In Black to the playlist in hopes of popping my karaoke cherry. Fortunately Coolzey stepped in and if I had closed my eyes I would have thought Angus Young was standing next to him thrashing his head, it was THAT good!

RapReviews.com has a great writeup on Coolzey's album Coolsay which was released Feb 3rd and as of now can be purchased on Bandcamp for a mere $7!

You can also listen to the whole album below. Track #3 Sleight of Hand is some hot s**t!!!!! There's even a Doug Henning reference in it... which you KNOW I love!

A FEW MORE COOLZEY GEMS FROM THE ARCHIVES...


Coolzey - Put Me Away from Public School Records on Vimeo.

Celebrate Bangers' Release February 21st!

Belly Belt (Kate Feldmann) has one of the bestest boyfriend songs ever...
just in time for Valentine's Day :)

Belly Belt's album Bangers releases this week on Public School Records.

Order at https://publicschoolrecords.bandcamp.com/album/bangers

She also puts on a ridiculously fun show and will be touring the Southwest - Details HERE

XOXO

The Curious Mystery of La Luz

Shana Cleveland has put out a lot of great music and art over the years, both as a solo artist and as part of a myriad of bands. I loved catching The Curious Mystery play when I was living in Seattle and was bummed that La Luz formed after I left. Although I have no excuse to not see them live. They do tour, and unlike a lot of my favorite Seattle artists, they actually play shows in LA! Sadly, I haven't made any of them yet.

I love their videos though. This one has that great Twin Peaks vibe, having been shot in the same region and all ;)

LA LUZ

MORE LA LUZ VIDEOS:

 La Luz - Brainwash

And of course, there's always these beauties. Both of the Curious Mystery music videos below were made by my good friends at Sospun Wespunwest:

Karl Blau - Uh, I Can't Get Your Lovin'

It is fair to say Karl Blau is so prolific that it is not easy for even a die hard Blauliever to keep up with it all. The nice thing about this is that I'm always discovering "new" Karl Blau music. And occasionally it is actually new. Like the album Maherican Dream which came out this fall.

Right away I fell in love with Seaweed Tea, You're In The Garden, and You Shampoo'd His Beard, but I'm still exploring the entire album and enjoying its riches.

And then there is Songles, another album which I seem to have completely missed when it came out, but it's got some great songs. I am particularly loving Blue As My Name & Uh, I Can't Get Your Lovin'  

Damien Jurado Brings It Home

About a year ago a friend of mine gave me some VIP tickets to see Moby at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. While I was standing outside checking in I saw Damien Jurado walk out to talk to the will call table. I was surprised to see him in LA. Hollywood Blvd doesn't seem a likely place for a Damien Jurado spotting. I've seen him perform several times in person. In fact I saw him just this past month at the Bootleg Theater. The time before that was in Seattle. I was living in the White Center neighborhood and he played up the street at Full Tilt Ice Cream with his brother Drake as Hoquiam:


I hadn't read much about Moby's latest album so I didn't realize that he had pulled in folks like Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees), Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips), and Damien to collaborate on several of the songs. Upon seeing him, my curiosity and anticipation for the show grew immensely. But I was also a little stumped. 
How the hell would Moby work guys like Mark Lanegan and Damien Jurado into his set? 
I knew Damien was capable of painfully haunting songs and ethereal duets. When Sub Pop released Badlands - A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska in 2000, their head honcho JP had given me a copy and I listened to the Damien Jurado and Rosie Thomas cover of Wages of Sin constantly while I was on a year long retreat deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. It was a perfect soundtrack. 
When Moby brought Damien out I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, and yet I was still completely baffled as to what was about to happen. 

Whatever it was going to be, they had my full attention. 
As soon as Damien sung his first note "IS THIS THE SAME DAMIEN JURADO????" was the only thing running through my mind. If you heard an extra beat, it was my jaw hitting the balcony floor. 
I'd never heard him sing quite like it. He's soulful, but this was from another realm. The whole song is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. He is bringing a heightened depth (oxymoron anyone?) and energy that I can only compare to the God/Goddess that is Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons. And that is about the highest musical compliment that I can give to anyone. 
This song has been on my mind a lot lately. I had surgery recently and spent a few weeks in bed, high on pain medications and for those 3 weeks Almost Home by Moby/Damien Jurado was the only song I could listen to. I am sober so I'm not suggesting that you need to take narcotics to appreciate it. It is a standalone brilliant work of art. However, I will put it this way, it's a great companion piece to something like the Strangler's Golden Brown.
I know it's been out a year now and you may even already own the album Innocents that it was released on, but in case not, give your ears over to this gem for the next 6 minutes:

Vex Ruffin

Just realized I had posted a while back about the Free Vex Ruffin EP Eulogy, but I never got around to posting the link to his self-titled full length album.

The album is pretty perfect in my book:
Vex Ruffin - Vex Ruffin
http://www.stonesthrow.com/store/album/vex/vex-ruffin

Maybe It's A Safety Measure - Bubble Butt For Life!

When my friend and neighbor told me she was working on a Sea Punk scene for a new video I listened with fascination, realized I was too old and perhaps too purist in my definition of "punk" to appreciate such nonsense trends, and then forgot about it.

A few months later someone posted Major Lazer's Bubble Butt (feat Bruno Mars) video and without irony it became one of my top 5 favorite music videos of all time - a fact I've gotten a lot of s*** for over the past year, so you can save your breath ;). But yeah, it's right up there at the top of my list with Jonathan Narducci's video for Dreamers' Appaloosa. 

When I saw the Sea Punk scene in the beginning I realized it was real. Sea Punk was real and my crotchety old gutter punk-rooted self would just have to accept it. And then it hit me like a booty slap to the face - this Eric Wareheim directed video was the video that my neighbor had been the Production Designer for. I was stoked because it meant I got to geek out and ask her lots of questions.  It turns out that some questions are better left unanswered.

So I'll just continue to enjoy it and be ok with asking myself... "WHY?!?!?!?!?!?"





Eric's music videos are all so good. This one also deserves a shoutout. Because Beach House and Ray Wise. C'mon!

Dolomites - Japan Years Volume: One

This is an album that has blared over my speakers more than any other Dolomites album, however it hasn't always been so easy to obtain. I was pleased to see an email this week that the the Dolomites - Japan Years Volume: One is now available on Bandcamp.

http://thedolomites.bandcamp.com/album/japan-years-volume-one








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Failed Future

This Master Musicians of Bukkake = masterpiece! I've had many days where I put it on repeat for hours. Maybe it had something to do with us losing an hour of sunlight, but today was one of those days where this played all day.




OK. Confession. Failed Future wasn't the only song on heavy rotation in the Skipper household today. It was in alternation with Taylor Swift's Shake It Off . Yes, I am just as confused about that as you (and my neighbors) probably are.

yOya

Alex Pfender of yOya playing a show in my living room, 2011 

yOya have a new EP coming out this summer on New Professor Music, an LA based record label. A small sampling of what's to come - I'll Be The Fire:






And my all time favorite yOya track, which also has fire in the title. Hmmmmm.....

Cyndi Lauper Filling The Hole In My Heart

Yacht

Maybe it's just that most of this video was shot at my local haunts, but this is exactly what life in Los Angeles is really like...





and I love it...

Dreamers

Jonathon Narducci has directed some fantastic videos for Megan & Robbie's bands: Dreamers and We Are The World (read more).  

Appaloosa was released this past summer when I was leisurely doing yoga, meditating, and swimming in the idyllic small town Midwestern ponds. That imagery is still in my mind whenever I listen to it, but damn, I still love watching this video.

Gettin' On The Bus

I kept seeing Regan Farquhar around my neighborhood and then by chance caught his Physical Forms set when he opened for some friends of mine who were passing through Los Angeles. It was the first show after my move to SoCal that gave me some hope for the local scene. The noise making gloves didn't hurt! I still continue to see him around but unfortunately have missed his recent Busdriver shows with Aesop Rock so I'm just sitting on my front porch soaking up some sunshine and perusing the internets enjoying some of my favorite tracks of his work...





Another slightly unrelated gem is Aesop Rock & Kimya Dawson's recent video for their new band the Uncluded which features my good friends' bright and super sassy red-headed daughter, some tear-jerking verses, and a menagerie of some of the cutest internet-famous animals.

Ruffin' It

Did you know you can download Vex Ruffin's EP Eulogoy for FREE? It's true. I did it a year ago and have since listened to it a few thousand times. Go to Stones Throw to get yours.

Fix The System With The Broken Down Rhythm

Been listening non-stop to Arrington De Dionyso's latest project Malaikat Dan Singa since they played LA on their current tour. Got two albums: Suara Naga (produced by Karl Blau) & Open The Crown. Track #2 I Create In The Broken System on repeat, but do catch them live near you to fully appreciate Arrington's otherworldly vocals and the sexy bass(ist).

Sharp

I waited so long. Too long. And have been denying myself some serious pleasure all this wasted time.

And to add salt to the wounds of my wasted time is the fact that the only reason I hesitated to pick up the album Deep Cuts by The Knife is that I just didn't believe that it would live up to my satisfaction with their song HEARTBEATS and Karin's side project Fever Ray. But I was wrong. So very very wrong.

A few weeks ago I popped into Amoeba Hollywood on my way to see We Are The World & yOya perform up the street and finally caved into temptation and picked up Deep Cuts and Silent Shout so I wouldn't be an idiot who was so excited that they have a new album coming out soon, but I'd never really given their older releases a proper listen. Due to computer issues I hadn't been able to import Silent Shout until this week and it's okay, but it's kind of "meh" in comparison to Deep Cuts in which the brother/sister duo Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreije have created a timeless and beautiful album full of some serious fucking JAMS like GOT 2 LET U and HANDY MAN.

I can't find an official video for GOT 2 LET U, but this works:

A Moving Meditation

One thing I have been doing a lot of in LA is driving. Driving to, from and during work... often in traffic. It's par for the course.

Angeleno Patrick Grossi aka Active Child has made the ride so much sweeter with his Curtis Lane EP (featuring I'm In Your Church At Night)..

We Are The World

Slightly obsessed with Los Angeles based We Are The World who at first glance appear to be a glossier version of one of my favorite live Seattle bands, Master Musicians of Bukkake (pictured at a 2008 Nuemos show), but the similarities are only skin deep.

I almost skimmed right over this We Are The World Video until I noticed that it was made by some Fairfield peeps. Well made... and more importantly, well played:

Life's Too Short - An Understated Understatement

Recently while holed up with the flu I got a chance to... do absolutely nothing. It was kind of magnificent looking back upon it, even though I was miserable at the time. I did however use my bed-ridden glory days to watch a few classics streaming on Netflix including John Waters' Hairspray and Cry Baby. Of course I really wanted to watch Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble but neither can be viewed instantly.

While in my half-sleep sickly stupor I suppose it didn't really matter what I watched because I was likely to fall doze out during the movie anyway. And I almost did while watching Hairspray... that was until I heard the minimalist yet soulful song that shot me out of bed to find out more about the song that was pulling at my heart strings:



Some bands carry performing decades beyond their expiration date while others disappear into oblivion far too soon. The Lafayettes seem to be one of those that would've done good on the world if they'd stuck around a little longer, but I've had a hard time finding much about them online except for some of the videos like the one above (read: lazy blogger in a hot sauna-like room trying to wrap up this post so she can go for a swim). The instrumentals are beautifully underplayed and the vocals are brilliant.

They kind of remind me of the Animals' Eric Burdon and his raspy, but incredibly sexy delivery in his understated delivery in House of the Rising Sun, a classic in my book which still holds strong even though I've recently come across this video which kind of shattered the dark mysterious air this song has held in my imagination for years. But I also find it incredibly entertaining:

Still Looking Forward to Tune-Yards

One thing about Los Angeles that I am still getting used to is how many friggin people there are. Every time I go to a show or outdoor cinema I expect that a few hundred people may show up and I anticipate a little line... but my northwest sensibilities underestimate the sheer masses that inevitably make an appearance. This and the fact that it can sometimes take almost an hour to drive a few short miles has caused me to miss a few bands' performances. The latter was my lame excuse for missing Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley's Evelyn Evelyn set.

But every thorn has its rose and sometimes the vast sea of people only adds to the experience like the thousands of enthusiastic people who shared my delight in the outdoor screenings of Purple Rain and Easy Rider at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The ambiance was worth waiting in line for over an hour to get in damnit!

The combination of long lines and my lack of knowledge about Hollywood venues has unfortunately caused me to miss not one but TWO performances by an artist I have been obsessed with since the first time Kimya Dawson posted the following video of Merrill Garbus (aka tUnE-yArDs) playing at Troubadour:



I missed her once when I showed up tardy to her LA show in January, but that was cool because Lindsay (from LAKE) was touring with her so I got to chat with her for a bit. But I missed her again when I attempted to see her open for Buena Vista Social Club and Goldfrapp at the Hollywood Bowl.

Lesson learned though. When a show at the Hollywood bowl says it's going to start at 7pm... they mean they're going to start at 7pm!!! And instead of running around trying to grab a bite to eat beforehand, I will bring a picnic and enjoy it in the serene setting of this fantastic amphitheater like every other attendee.

Aw well. Fortunately there are loads of great youtube videos ranging from backyard recordings of her signature lo-fi style to finely tuned in-studio performances like the below from her record label 4AD:



Next time I won't be late!

2009 Musical Crush & Sounds of the Savory Northwest

Having spent the winter months working and playing in sunny sunny SoCal, where I have decided to relocate to, I never got around to doing a re-cap of this year's highlights. Instead of creating a long list, I will stick to the one album that stands out the most in my 2009 retrospection. Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle by Bill Callahan (aka Smog). The first time I heard a song from Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle, I was driving home from the grocery store and Rococo Zephyr came on. I instantly fell in love. The Cello. The gaps of silence. The vocals. The lyrics. The entire emotion of the song... was pretty much perfect in my book. I had to pull over so I could hear the entire song before I got home. I had no idea who was singing and at first I thought it might be a Karl Blau song, but I looked up the playlist on KEXP to find out who it was and the very next day I picked up the album at Easy Street Records a block away from my office. I have listened to the entire album through and through hundreds of times and have yet to find fault with it. Bill has a feeling reminiscent of Townes Van Zandt. Perhaps it's his voice which is somewhat similar, or the purity of song and composition... I'm not sure. But if you were already a Smog fan you probably agree that whatever the formula is, it's working.

There have been many songs and albums that I've come across this past year, a few of which I have already written about in this blog and some which I may write about soon... or maybe I won't.

I am feeling a sense of sadness, excitement, and closure about leaving Seattle and heading to LA for personal and professional reasons. I wrote a bit about the things that I will miss about the savory Northwest in my DLF.TV blog, but the thing about the Seattle area that really gets me, besides the views of Mt. Rainier, the water, the nature, the people, etc etc... is the music scene.

I have gotten to know a lot of local artists because of doing this Eden's Hour show, and I am so grateful for that. So much good music coming out of the Seattle area (including Olympia, Anacortes, and Bellingham) these days. And Portland for that matter.

This is my Portland playlist, which admittedly is short because I don't live in Portland and am therefore not as familiar with the local scene, and I've thrown in some Oly based artists because there kinda in between SEA & PDX. I should really create an Oly list..... saving this project for a rainy day.

Below is a playlist of a few of Seattle artists I really like:

New Blog for DLF.TV

I have a new blog! It's a staff blog for David Lynch Foundation Television.

Amy, Heather, Bobby and I all have blogs that will be up on the site directory soon. I will continue posting some musical highlights from my radio show here and on the new blog (which is more focused on DLF activity)

erinskipper.wordpress.com



xoxo

Free Dolomites Download!

Dig on some GLOBAL MONSTER GYPSY MUZIK! Stefanko is in New York working on his latest Dolomites album MONSTER MACHINE in Balkan Beat Box's recording studio. The album won't be available until March, but he's made this masterpiece track available for FREE DOWNLOAD!

MY FINAL COUNTDOWN... the original hit on VENUS in the year 388. almost 1600 years later a band named EUROPE decided to make it a hit on EARTH....

Updates

Click HERE for the 10/17/09 Playlist

Click HERE for the 10/24/09 Playlist

Click HERE for the 10/31/09 Playlist

Summer Wasn't That Long Ago... Part 2

A few months ago I headed over to 20/20 Cycle to see a couple Seattle sweethearts perform. Sweet Potatoes and Shenandoah Davis played two beautiful and time warping sets (I mean that in a really good way!).

Playing between them was someone I had never heard of before, but who would unexpectedly take over my ipod for the next few months. Zoe Boekbinder (pic by Beth Hommel) was in town from San Francisco to promote her new album Artichoke Perfume. At the time I was unfamiliar with her other project, Vermillion Lies, with sister Kim Boekbinder so I had no idea what I was in for. Her awkwardness and occasional mistakes were probably given to the fact that this was her first show of the tour, but it didn't matter. It only added to her charm and was quickly overlooked as soon as she started singing. Even with just her guitar and looping vocals she was able to completely captivate the audience. Backed by a full band and featuring songs like Wooden Spoon & Adventures of Turtle and Seahorse (video below), Artichoke Perfume quickly became the most frequently played album in my playlist. And it's been worth every second.



A final word about some of the great new tunes shared on the 10/10 Eden's Hour show ...Kaz Nomura aka PWRFL Power has recently launched his record label, Half Yogurt, with great albums by Dennis Driscoll, Shenandoah Davis, Spencer Moody, Cap Lori and many others who are touring Kaz's homeland Japan. Check out his blog for details.

Summer Wasn't That Long Ago... Part 1

It has been a while ....so where to begin?

I recently spent a couple months in Fairfield, Iowa, home to both KRUU FM & DLF.TV so I was able to do a few live shows in the radio station. First of all, I thought I was only going to be visiting for two weeks and needless to say, the trip was extended so I will be adding a lot of bulk here all of a sudden.

My first choice for the October 10th show was to play song from a few of my favorite new albums I picked up at K Records' annual campout at Helsing Junction, an organic farm just south of Olympia. Let's Build A Roof is the latest album by LAKE (pictured right by Sarah Cass). Now, I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous after Ashley and Eli from LAKE dropped me off at my Seattle home and I popped in their new CD ...and no, it wasn't because we shared ghost stories all the way home.

I was nervous to hear their new album because I love its predecessor Oh, The Places We'll Go so much that I could hardly imagine them creating a better record. But I think they did just that. LBAR is a slightly darker and velvety rich album that manages to maintain the catchy pop hooks that drew me into their world in the first place. Golden.

Also contributing on production to LAKE's album is the super talented Karl Blau. Karl has been featured on Eden's Hour many times before so regular listeners and readers (all two of you) will be familiar with him and my love for everything that Karl Blau touches! Fortunately, Karl has a production foot in the door several northwest bands and he has been continuing to expand his personal musical repertoire. Zebra is his latest endeavor, heavily influenced by African music (album cover by Kevin Noonan). Karl has explored and developed new sounds with this album that are funky, bass-heavy, earthy, and totally his own.

And just in case you haven't heard Karl's in-studio performance on Eden's Hour ...allow yourself this one little aural pleasure right here right now.

UPDATE: Karl's music video for Dark Sedan (feat LAKE) debuted on Pitchfork.

Check it...




Click HERE for the 10/10/09 Playlist

Temporary Downtime

Taking a temporary hiatus from the regular weekly shows on KRUUFM.com & Radio23.org to focus on work related projects and DLF.TV

Check back soon for updates on specials and new air times!

xoxo

Eden's Hour -Chris Jordan Feature

It was only hours after I returned to Seattle that I was on my way to do another Eden's Hour Radio interview with celebrated environmental artist Chris Jordan (Interview aired on 04/25). Chris Jordan has been featured in galleries, museums and science centers around the world. One of his more recognizable series, Running The Numbers I, focused solely on American consumerism, but the impact and significance of his work is relevant to every person in every country as his photo series boldly display statistics illustrating the impact that we have on our environment, both collectively and individually.

One piece from his latest series, Running The Numbers II is Shark Teeth, a 64x94" photoshopped work based on a watercolor painting by Sarah Waller. The photo is comprised of 270,000 shark teeth (see detail below) representing the estimated number of sharks killed around the world each day for their fins.




Whether it's documenting the amounts of garbage that is amassed in a given period of time or displaying sociological issues, Chris' work takes a no holds barred look at difficult concepts to grasp and makes them tangible for each viewer. Check out his website for a detailed look at his incredible body of work.

Click HERE for the complete 04/25/09 playlist

Click HERE for the complete 05/02/09 playlist

Click HERE for the complete 05/09/09 playlist

Eden's Hour Is Catching Up

Been a while since I've posted on here. We had a whirlwind of a good time in NYC for the Change Begins Withing benefit concert and then I had a whirlwind of work to catch up when I got back to Seattle. The concert was amazing! You can see some of the highlights below and several interviews with the artists at http://dlf.tv/category/change-begins-within/



I stayed in NYC for almost a week after the concert to conduct some interviews for DLF TV with fabulous people like Ezra Reich, Laura Dawn (Moby's vocalist and Creative Director for MoveOn.org), Ali Stephens (Elite model), and John Hagelin (Quantum Physicist and President of the David Lynch Foundation). These interviews will be posted to DLF TV soon.

Notes From New York -Shepard Fairey Poster & Webcasts

Woo! Things are going well here in New York. My host, Jeff Simmons, of Radio23 is great and he's taught me all sorts of technological tricks that I look forward to applying to my show. But for now I am focused on the big night coming up this Saturday. I can't believe that after so many months of working with the David Lynch Foundation on this benefit concert that it is almost here. And just in time ...Shepard Fairey's poster design for the April 4th Change Begins Within benefit is in!






UPDATE:
You can purchase a signed print of this poster & the t-shirt at DLF TV

Between now and May 31st you can also enter to win the print!