SF + POPFEST 2011!

Aloha All,

My updates on this blog are completely sporadic and it appears to be becoming something of a Travelogue....with this in mind, I'd like to update y'all on my trip to San Francisco!
Excess began early on this trip with a child-size Ralph Lauren dress that I actually bought in the airport. (It's gorgeous, so please don't hate.)I flew in, touched down, threw my stuff in a small motel and high-tailed it over to the Rickshaw Stop! It was time for SF Popfest, a very unique brand of the UK festival run by Deborah Bard and other lovely people. First on the night was Blackbird Blackbird. I was immediatley blown away by how amazing he was. With only a laptop and a live drummer, he managed to conjure sounds that were at once ethereal and immediate. I loved his set and was dancing like a fiend, which my friend Jake later dubbed as "hilarious." The drinks at the Rickshaw Stop are strong indeed, and it wasn't long til I was feeling like I was on vacation "proper."
Next day we headed to MOMA, where the permanent collection was as lovely as ever. There were also a fiew short video pieces that I thought were amazing. I met up with my folks for Teatro Zinzanni, a cute little circus + dinner act. This cast was made special with the addition of Rebekkah Del Rio, the singer from Lynch film "Mullholland Drive!" She actually sang "Llorando" (a cover of the Roy Orbison song 'Crying') right to our table! Amazing. After that we went to go see Dominant Legs, which features members of the band Girls. They were great and we actually got to meet them after the show, which was lovely. I missed the Motifs, which were apparently the highlight act of the night, but I fully intend to catch them again in the future.
I met up with my friend Glenn's old friends, Teva and Anne Marie, who put me up for the night. In the morning we went to the Alemany Farmer's Market! It was amazing, complete with a woman with an actual 'singing saw', as well as a steel drummer. It was also huge and the fruit selection was amazing. (This reminded me of how much I really need to start going to the KCC Market more often, as I too usually neglect fresh fruit in favor of coffee + muffins.) Super fun! That night I saw Melted Toys, the Mantles and the Undertones at the Rickshaw Stop. Melted Toys were amazing, and their beautiful melodic guitar work left me breathless. The lead singer can really sing as well, and the effects on the vocals only added to the "we are singing in a cave" acoustics! The Mantles were OK, a little blah for what I expected, but the Undertones were amazing. They still sounded as good as ever! I felt very grateful to have caught that show, for who knows when those guys will tour again?
An easy Saturday followed. I went to the De Young and saw more of their permanent collection. I watched "The Room," at the Red Vic, which included hilarious audience particpation, such as throwing spoons when there was a picture of a spoon. I hung out with long-time friend Candace in Oakland and had a great time watching Candy Darling and walking on Lake Merrit. On Sunday it was time to see the Beets, Catwalk, Seapony, and Eternal Summers! I met up with my friend Glenn and had a very spicy Pho dinner before heading to the Hemlock. Sadly we had missed Seapony. Catwalk were quite good. The Beets were somewhat irritating, in terms of a "Moldy Peaches-esque" vibe that somehow only the Moldy Peaches ever really pulled off well. I did like their lights, however, and the banner which read "The Beets: I'd rather watch paint dry." I expect to see more from them in the future. Eternal Summers were amazing. Their lead guitarist can play faster than any woman or man I've ever seen. She shredded and all just gaped in amazement.
For Memorial Day it was back to the East Bay. My girlfriend from high school, Amy and I, hung out in Walnut Creek and watched Labyrinth. It made me realize just how much I miss her, and makes me so glad that we've kept in touch over the years. Mom, Elliot and I had a wonderful dinner and caught up about everything. I can't wait til the days that I'm a wee bit closer to my family again, as I love them dearly.
Tuesday night hanging out with my high school friend Stephanie at the Bean Bag Cafe on Divis, which I still dearly love. Afterwards was Neon Indian and Sleigh Bells! I was totally unprepared for Neon Indian's amazing live set-up, which even included a theramin. It was noise-pop at its best, with most of the music being created completely live as well as the drummer playing to a track. It was gorgeousness and gorgeousity.... excellent show. Sleigh Bells were an interesting live watch, and certainly the loudest act I've ever seen. Up in the front row, Jake and I twisted our earpieces in to attempt to "listen," and this is not something I would do for any band. However, when I saw over 15 miked-up amps on stage, I figured this was a good idea. Alexis Kraus is a gorgeous woman, and her snake-hipped dancing made me as amped-up as the next bro, however the live show overall left something to be desired. For other acts that play similarly, such as Crystal Castles or Glass Candy, I felt that the vocals were better. Alexis seemed to be relying on backing tracks so much that I didn't really feel she was singing, and the guitarist seemed to actually be tuned down a bit. Jake described it as "somewhat metal, somewhat hip-hop, somewhat strip club" and this seemed to described the overall crowd's reaction as well. Still, it has to be said that it wasn't dull! I met up with Nate (GRLFRNDS) and his girlfriend for a pint on Divisadero, which was nice having a touch of Hawaii all the way out in San Francisco.
Last days in the city were with one of my best friends, Brian Darr, known for his amazing film blog hellonfriscobay.blogspot.com. All of you should check it out if interested in movies! Jake, Brian and I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge on our last day there. The weather was beautiful and not as biting cold as it had been. I found myself looking out to Tiburon, and the Marin Headlands, and looking foward to the days that I can cycle out there once again. (I used to cycle to Mount Tamalpais twice a month.) We went to Noc Noc, where I got a pint of actual Snakebite (a drink I used to make back in Edinburgh, what seems like ages ago) and talked about films pretty much for 24 hours straight. We saw "Boom" at the Castro, a Tennessee Williams adaptation that took all the fun out of the dialouge and delivered it through some sort of Qualude-Haze. Everyone involved seemed to be somewhat ashamed to be there, especially the stars Richard Burton and Liz Taylor, who I didn't know had been married twice! Well, the chemistry certainly wasn't apparent from the film :D
All in the all, the trip was so much fun, and the best kind of a vacation for me. I love culture, nature, and friends and this trip had all three. I can't wait til I'm headed back to the West Coast again. Til then, I suppose it's possible I'll update again, but it's dissertation time if I'm ever going to get off the rock!

Aloha For Now,

Rach

Short Post.

Sometimes I forget what a rich life I've had at 27...and how lucky I am to have so many wonderful friends to share it with. Just sayin'.

"Take One Day At A Time, Everything Else You Can Leave Behind"

Panda Bear's "Take Pills" sounds incessantly good in the summer time...but it's this title line that seems to resonant the most with me right now. Allow me to update you all on this summer's happenings!
After getting back from Toronto, I was instantly thrust into two new jobs: teaching and counseling. I teach at UH Outreach college, and my class is Psy 371: Abnormal Psychology. Honestly, teaching is so much fun. I had an inkling I would like it but I had no idea how truly gratifying it is to help people learn more about their minds. My students are quite brilliant, and have insightful ideas into how to make the field more scientific and less "quack-ish" for all. I hope some of them decide to get their PHDs!
My counseling job is back in the comfortable but interesting field of substance abuse. I work for the BASICS program, which allows me to do two brief interventions sessions with students who get disciplinary actions taken against for the University. These sessions are mainly preventative in nature and allow me to use my newly-gained Motivational Interviewing skills. Hopefully I will be able to count this position for internship, however the PhD on board is retiring in December. I will be sure to monitor all my hours carefully, lest only the first half of the year count!
Glenn and I are currently not speaking for the first time in two and a half years, which is tough for me. Still, the universe has delivered me a gift with a new friend and companion, Jake Aesthete! Check out his sweet electro sounds at http://www.myspace.com/aestheteisimage. I knew the scene was good for something...
And speaking of the scene, my band, the Behaviorists, has been getting more shows as well. Check us out at http://www.myspace.com/thebehaviorists. We already have a mini write-up in the Honolulu Weekly, thanks to our percussionist being on board with them. I am grateful to promotors for having us and to be able to perfect my sound. I've come full circle...from Lepidoptera to Behaviorists, and if this is my last ever project I have to say I am quite proud of it.
The summer progesses apace. Soon, I will start my new practicum with Dr. Marvin Acklin. I sincerely hope I can show him that I can do valid assesments with critical thinking. Wish me luck!!

OH, CANADA!

Time for a vacation update. With the first summer RA-ship winding to a close and the second about to begin, I figured I would take some time to spend with friends off the island. I chose the lovely but perhaps rather unusual city of Toronto as a vacation destination for two reasons: 1. The North by Northeast Music Festival was there, and 2. My best friend, Poornima, was also there. Poorn and I go back a really long time...six years ago we met in Edinburgh and solidified a friendship based on carbohydrates, beer, and bands. We've visited each other in various locations around the world, but now that she has a solid home and job in Toronto I figured it was time to see the place.
When I arrived, I was greeted by a beautiful thirty-story building, similar to our nice ones in Waikiki or Punahou. Only difference is, this pimped-out pad had a gorgeous view of the entire city as well as a pool on the roof! (True Hackers-style "the pool on the roof must have a leak.") On Day 1 we went to Anthropologie and spent too much on clothes (although my orange dress was worth every penny), and that night we had an amazing show: The Meligrove Band playing live from the CN Tower! We went up to the very top and looked down through the glass floors. I was petrified, but Poorn's presence calmed me enough to take some decent pictures. We also saw a free-jazz show from a band called Swyves, which were wonderful. Honolulu definitily needs some more free-jazz.
The next day I saw beautiful art at the AGO, which included pieces by the Group of Seven, as well as an exhibition on "The Space," an excellent Toronto artists' collective. The next big show for me was definitly the Besnard Lakes. They were beautiful, blissed-out psych rock, reminiscent of Spacemen 3 on a good day. Yet their lead singer hit high falsetto notes that J. Spaceman could never even dream of achieving. They played two encores and left the crowd baying for more. Definitly my favorite small show of the festival.
The next day I went to Kensington Market and saw the hipsters roaming in their natural habitat. The Chocolate Addict and the Chile's Empanada place were the highlights of this neighborhood.The next night was a bit of a low point with Japandroids and Wavves. I have to say that I enjoyed Wavves quite a bit, but it was less about the music for me and more about Nathan Williams' ridiculous stage props (cardboard aliens that breathed smoke) and onstage banter that reminded me of San Diego days: "Yeah, let's all get squirrely, brah!" I suppose you have to be from the Whale's Vagina to get it. Having gone to UCSD, I was quite amused. Poorn, however, kicked me repeatedly for making her attend. Japandroids were just boring as all get-out. Like a second rate version of the far superior Hella, they tried to make a two man set work, and failed completely. The mics hooked up to the amps just didn't do it for me. However, it was possibly a bad show for them and I wouldn't mind seeing them if they ever came to Honolulu. The night improved late on as I caught Portland's Glass Candy. They really know how to work a room and I found their disco beats catchy and fun. A band I'll certainly play more of on my radio show.
The next day we headed out for a special treat : the Toronto Island Festival. Despite having a beer line that lasted for nearly three hours, I have to say that this was the best outdoors show I had seen since T in the Park. We started with Timber Timbre, a Toronto folk band that I genuinely loved. I fully expect to buy this record and play the hell out of it on my show. Next we saw Beach House, who delivered an almost too-perfect set: glissandos and vocal tics just like on the record. Still, the sound was beautiful as it carried across the giant field on a 82 degree day in the North. Broken Social Scene truly amazed me. I've never seen them live before, and their set was hugely inspriring and actually left me in tears. "Texaco Bitches" was the highlight of the set for me, and is actually much more fun to listen to away from the U.S.A! They also brought Feist up on stage, as well as Emily Haynes from Metric (best legs in indie rock, five years and counting!) They seemed to truly love what they did and they made a believer out of me. Last in the night was Pavement, as the sun finally set. Poorn and I danced like fools to "Range Life" (square-dance style), "Rattled by the Rush," "Trigger Cut," "Cut Your Hair," "Sirens of the Slipstream," "Date with Ikea," "Stereo," and so many others! Malkmus truly owned vocally, and the band seemed to be playing better than ever. The tambourinist actually gave me goose bumps with how well he played! Our ears got blown out, but it truly was a perfect ending to a perfect day. Pavement is a band I truly thought I would never see live, and I'm glad that they reformed to make all of us indie kids happy as clams this years.
However, the day wasn't over yet for me. Poorn went home to sleep, I changed into a dress I bought at Anthro, and headed out to see another act I've loved from childhood: Quintron and Miss Pussycat. They were actually the main reason that I wanted to go to NXNE! I saw them at the Garrisson, where I met a couple of nice artist types. The venue seemed like one of the better ones in Toronto, and it was small and packed to the gills when the husband-and-wife duo from Lousiana took the stage. Qiuintron's set-up is truly remarkable: A car-grill covering the Hammond Organ, the Drum Buddy (which he built) set up to the left, and Miss Pussy-cat's mikes and props to the right. They played the most AMAZING set: jumping right into the crowd "Festival-style" for "Swamp-Buggy Badass," and "Witch in the Club" had the whole place jumping. My favorite, however, was the spaced out "Dream Captains," which had me dancing as funky as I could with the lights blazing off my back. It was a blissed out moment, and perhaps the highlight of the festival for me.
The next day was all about recovery, and Poorn and I had an amazing veggie sandwhich at the Black Camel (she had two!), and went hiking in Toronto's trails. We saw an old abandoned brick factory called the Brickworks, which apparently people still play shows in! We listened to birds call and even went through an old cemetary. I accidentally washed my feet in a hose that was meant for the dead, which had Poorn groaning with rage. I eventually made it up to her. A truly Rachael moment. For our last night we had nachos and beer at Sneaky Dees, and reminisced about old times. It was just like we were back at Favorit in Edinburgh. It made me realize how valuable her friendship has been to me for all these years. I am truly blessed to have a friend like her.
As I left on the plane I picked up some maple leaf and moose souveniers for family and friends. I thought about all of the beautiful art, architecture, and culture that I had imbibed here in Canada. It truly is a wonderful place, and one I want to see more of in the future. I can see that my Canadian friends in the UH Psych Program are correct: Canada= WIN.

Update City!

It's finals week.... so I thought I'd procrastinate with you, my adoring public. But seriously, these last few weeks have been pretty intense. I've been winding down my time at Hawaii State Hospital, and I know I will miss it immensely. I have had so many life-changing clinical experiences that it is impossible to go into them all. One of them sticks out though: Ku'aloa beach with my clients, paddling and repeating in a steady mantra "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10...switch!" We all went out in a canoe, nearly all the way to Hat Island! It was a gorgeous moment and one that I will remember forever.

This summer brings new challenges, and also some leisure time to look forward to. In June I will go to Toronto for my birthday to visit Porn (Poornima), who I haven't seen for nearly two years. Toronto Island Fest is the ultimate destination: to bask in the glow of Pavement and Beach House!When I come back I will have 1. A new practicum 2. A GA-ship 3. A Teaching Job. This summer is going to be INSANELY busy. But I know I can handle it.

In other good news, I was elected KTUH's Rock Director! Yay! This is my first radio staff position, and I know it is going to be a lot of fun.

See you all after finals,

Rachael

It Was A Strange Time in My Life....

More things have happened since last updates! Wow, almost too many to count. In terms of my work at Hawaii State Hospital, it has been an amazing experience for me. I have met such wonderful people, my boss has been compared to an 'angel' by more than one person, and my friend James listens to my show every week. The clients are even more incredible. I have the best rapport with a Native Hawaiian gentleman with a mild learning disability and possible Schizophreniform Disorder. All we do is tell stories all day, like about Pele and jumping into the volcano on Maui! He calls himself "Hawaiian Superman." We pull taro together down in the lo'i, which is hard work but incredibly rewarding.

School is hectic as usual, and next week I have to start child assesment. I have no doubt it will be difficult, but I also have faith in myself as a caring person who most will trust and speak to.

I have had about 10 billion DJ gigs all over town, most of them paid! This is a pleasant change for the 'working for drinks' ethics I used to see in San Diego and Edinburgh. I'm quite pleased with how this aspect of my life is working out. I do need to work more on my music, however. My friend Tracy and I are currently reworking the lyrics to 'Running In Circles,' so we'll see how that goes. I also feel that I should be trying to play live, even with old material. I would love to contribute something to the small but burgeoning indie music scene here in Oahu. Just writing that sounds super patronizing, but the truth is I really do love it!

My personal life has been a bit of a mess. Ever since Glenn broke up with me it seems I've been trying to fill this void that he's left by dating people that are, frankly, beneath me. I think I'm finally pau with that now. I want to actually try to be single (first time in four years). I think it will allow me to really take stock of who I am and what I want, instead of focusing on someone else. This time I'm really going to try to take it one solitary day at a time.

The final blessing in this has been my friends. I have made so many new friends here in Oahu. It seems I am never without something to do. Only last week I jumped into the cove next to China Walls with an old friend and two new ones, the sun dancing off our backs (and burning us to a crisp.) Directly after this I went to Kareoke with some different people, and the next day I had a beach party with someone else. The amount of friends I have made makes me feel truly loved, and in fact was sorely lacking in my life in San Francisco.

So the old cliches of "up and downs", and "never a dull moment" fairly accurately describes this year thus far. I will endeavour to balance it all a bit better in the coming months.

Aloha For Now,

Rach

New and Improved Psychology Position!

Aloha,

A lot has happened since this psych-in-training last spoke. I moved out of my old house, got an adorable kit-eh, and said goodbye to my ex. As one door closes another opens; I got an amazing job at Hawaii State Hospital.
At the Aloha Garden, we work on Hawaiian cultural values such as Lokahi, Kuleana, and Laulima. We try to present these values in ourselves and model them to the clients. We work in the recovery model to allow clients to grow and change. Our therapy is very different than traditional Western methods because we work alongside the clients in the garden as we weed, water, and cook. We have Occupational Therapists that come down to the garden to run classes. The clients themselves behave very differently than on the units. Many of them note 'The garden is the reason I chose to be at the hospital instead of in jail.' Hearing this makes me realize how effective the therapy is. My supervisor is doing a follow-up study in the community to see if the Aloha Garden improves the recidivism rate for previous offenders... I certainly believe that she will come up with some good numbers.

Aloha For Now,

Rachael