Rock Out With Your Cock Out

When The Hubs and I lived in Boston we had a handful of local bands that we liked and saw quite often. One of my favorites was The Information. I think we saw them at least 10 times in three years. They have some catchy tunes and put on a great live show. They are pretty rad, so you should check them out.

So when The Hubs and I moved to Minneapolis, we wanted to find some local bands that we could enjoy and see on a sorta-regular basis. That has not happened. I think mostly because The Hubs is more of a new wave synth-rock guy and picky about his music, and I tend to like stuff he's not into (can anyone say Leslie and the Lys?) So we don't agree on much when it comes to seeing bands. Although after discussing this with him over breakfast, he reminded me he enjoyed our friend Wes's band The Drags (now called Noble Rot) a lot, so I have to give him credit for that.

Over the past month or so, I've been searching for local bands who have more of a guitar driven sound. Not that I don't like electronic music, but I was sort of getting sick of seeing bands who rely on their Mac instead of instruments to get through the set, you know?

I went to happy hour with a friend and old co-worker on Friday and he was talking about the band he's in and how he'll be playing somewhere on some date (TBD) in January and how he wants me to go. This started the conversation of local bands and how eventually there is No Degrees of Separation between musicians and people who hang out with musicians. One guy played with this band who had a drummer who played with this band and the chick who just brought me my beer was the merch girl for the two bands at one time. And on and on it goes.

Anyway, the point is that I started listening to some local (MN and WI) bands about a month ago and I'm hoping to see them live at some point. The Rockford Mules are really great, and they are playing at The Entry on Friday next week with Chooglin' and The Mighty Mofos (who don't seem to have a Myspace wtf?).

A guy I know? knew? turned me on to Drunk Drivers, who I find myself listening to on repeat these days. It took a while for me to get into them, but now I pretty much recommend them to everyone I talk to. My coworkers are getting tired of hearing Bourbon Legend play on repeat all day long.

Winter seems to keep everyone indoors here in MN, but this year we're trying to get out more and take in more shows. The hardest part for us is getting from our house to the bus when it's -35 degrees (but feels like -75). So, yeah. Please let me know of any other great local bands I should check out in the comments.

No Coast Craft-o-Rama

I just got back from my second trip to the NoCoast Craft-o-Rama at the Midtown Global Market. I seriously suggest braving the snow and cold to get out there and check it out. You've got about 2 hours left so HURRY!

I went briefly yesterday after work. I saw only a tiny section of the place before having to beat it out of there. So I was super happy when my new friend Molly called me this morning and said she had the day off and would I like to go with her. I agreed and we had an awesome time strolling through, looking at all the great crafts for sale. It was a little overwhelming at times because there was so much to see and so many people in there, but it was a great experience nonetheless.

My goal was to go in and purchase as many things as I could for Christmas gifts, but of course, I spent the most money on myself and The Griffin house than anything. Here are some of the things I bought:

My most favorite thing is this poster by Adam Turman. Everyone knows my obsession with cupcakes, so when I saw this poster I HAD to buy it. It'll look lovely in the bedroom where we desperately need art and color.


Then I bought this awesome cigarette case from Ladyrocket, who is based in Chicago. She had so many awesome things at her table that I just could not decide. I kept going back and changing my mind before settling on this case. I don't smoke anymore, but I still couldn't resist.



I started a new medication to shrink the polyps in my nose about a week ago, and now I am finally able to smell things! So I bought a great smelling soy candle from SoyMade Scents that is making my house smell like cinnamon sticks. I love it.

I then found this great booth set up by Giraffe Art & Utility. The woman who makes all those great tile coasters and trivets and magnets teamed up with Adam Turman and made coasters and trivets out of his prints. Oh man, I wanted to buy them all, but I settled on 4 coasters for The Griffins (we haven't a coaster in the house!) and a trivet for my mom.







I think I like the coasters and the trivet the best. I know I said above that I like the poster the best, but hey, a girl can change her mind, right? You should check out their websites if you're into this kind of thing (which I TOTALLY am) for holiday gifts.

And I also purchased a totally adorable necklace for a friend of mine, but I know she reads this blog so I'd like to keep it a secret. But I purchased it from GerriJo, who has the most adorable jewelry I've seen in a while. Like this fishman necklace! I'm sure my friend will love what I got her, so that makes me happy.

So, yeah. If you haven't been there, GO NOW! I did spend way more money than I was planning to, but I'm happy knowing that my dollars and cents went into the pockets of local artists and not some big box manufacturers. You should try it! You'll be amazed at how good you'll feel about your purchases this Holiday season.



after reading through this after posting it, i realized that i say both "totally" and "awesome" way too much. forgive me, dear readers....