Keith

He remains bracingly frank about his romantic appeal ("the most beautiful women in the world are attracted to ugliness-as long as you've got a good tongue. Heh heh") and keen to endorse his favorite firearm ("a .38 Smith & Wesson Airweight revolver-that's the fucking gun. No safety on it.") - Keith Richards from a Vanity Fair Article

 rock and roll

 classic

always

fierce

 primal love

Keep It Simple

Then again, maybe in the end, Eva's straightforward, "What's the big deal? Just go for it" approach is best. Eva is the seven-year-old daughter of a marvelous colleague...and she advises us to keep it simple: "If you see a boy you like, you just grab him and drag him along." - magazine unknown, 20-something

An Apology

It was like, "What don't you fucking understand? I'm APOLOGIZING! Yeah. Right"-Christian Bale from a magazine after his on-set blow-up. Circa 20-something

Soul Searching

 We custom made t-shirts for this band when their belongings were stolen in San Francisco.

Contemplative rock + roll

I understand that all I need to do is be the body of rock + roll. Rock + roll has limitless opportunities, access to limitless resources, limitless possibilities.  Limitless creativity, limitless ideas, limitless ways to live in wild abundance.  But it does not have a body, does not have the fingers to type on a keyboard, does not have a voice to make the call, does not have a body to dress.  Rock + roll does not have a truck to drive the miles or ears to hear its own music.  But I do.  The rest is pure rock + roll. 

Vintage Video Friday

The early 2000's were a special time in Country Music. CMT still played videos. Kenny Chesney had just discovered puka shells while cutting the sleeves off of all of his t-shirts. And I was living some groupie dreams.

Times has changed. CMT has some of the worst programming known to man. My groupie dreams didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped. But Kenny still refuses to wear sleeves and I take that as a sign that good things are on the horizon.   xoxo, MJ

What is Contemplative Rock + Roll?

Kat here.  The full working title is What is Contemplative Rock + Roll?: One Woman's Search to Figure Out What In the Hell She's Talking About.

I am a prophet of contemplative rock + roll.  According to Merriam Webster, a prophet is “one who utters divinely inspired revelations...one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight.”  It’s not me, though, it’s the rock + roll working through me. 

I have known that my life’s work is to carry out a rock + roll campaign and I’ve meditated on what that could possibly mean.  In the last two years, it has become the specific crossroads where spiritual contemplation and rock + roll meet. 

I am coming to understand that I cannot wait any longer to start pursing this more actively and publicly than I have been.  I think I thought I had to understand it before I started sharing it, but when approaching mysticism, that’s probably not an effective technique.  

Contemplative rock + roll is life-saving, not life taking.  It’s not the rock + roll of sex, drugs and rock + roll, it’s not the killing kind.  Some people are on to this, but I don’t think anyone’s really talking about it - at least not with me.  I don’t think anyone’s brought the contemplation element into it as much as it is in my visions.  

Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers stood on the stage of Gruene Hall a couple years ago and told a story I wish I had bootlegged about how rock + roll was the thing that kept him from turning up dead of self-destruction.  The line I remember, paraphrased, is, “And every day that I wake up, rock + roll saves my life again.”

That’s a good enough place to start this discussion. 

Kat's Image Icon - Doyle Bramhall II

 

 This fine specimen is the object of my longest standing, most massive crush.  I fell in love with him in after seeing his Austin City Limits performance in 2000.  The following summer, I made my big brother drag me all over Manhattan to every record store he knew until we found Doyle's out-of-print first album.

For those of you who don't already know: Doyle Bramhall II (born 24 December 1968) is an American singer and guitarist. Known for his work in Arc Angels, he has also toured with Roger Waters; he has played as guitarist and vocalist in his band Smokestack and was also the second guitarist in Eric Clapton's band from 2004 to 2009.

Doyle will rejoin Clapton's band in 2013 for a series of concerts in the United States and Europe between 14 March and 19 June culminating the fourth Crossroads Guitar Festival at New York's Madison Square Garden in 12 and 13 in April. 12 and 13 April.

What can you possibly do with hair this pretty?

Put it in a dude-headband!!

Here's the performance when I lost my heart forever (which I was only able to see on a scratchy VHS copy after it had already aired):

Kat's Style Icons: Duane Allman

All of the Allman Brothers Band and their friends, really.  I have so much to say about the style of this era; not just the style, but what I find so magical about it.  For the time being, we'll just bask in the following images.

Nudie, nudie, nudie!  This may seem like an odd lead in to a post on style, as style typically implies 'clothing.'  However, style, as I will be referring to it, is so much more.  It's the sights, the sounds, the context and timing, the attitude.  

Context.  Though possible, I find it hard for anyone to look horrible if he is in front of a huge amount of music equipment outside a legendary venue.  The Fillmore East, 1970.

Style icon: Holly Hobbie

I love how this particular outfit works equally well in 1970 and 2012. And I think the guitar strap looks particularly cool. 

Look!  The Allman Brothers were on Instagram!

Barry Oakley and Duane Allman.  Model basics with a 'wow' accessory.  I just love Barry's necklace. 

Flashin' a little bosom!

I like my music stripped down.

Model basics again.  Keep the clothing fitted well.  Almost always, it will be successful. 

Beautiful hair.  Just beautiful.

I believe sweaters like this should only be worn if they are pulled up to expose the midriff.  In fact, this is how I wear all my sweaters.

What I love about this is how ludicrous Duane's bright tie dyed teeshirt is, but because the shirt's color matches his coloring, it totally works.  Also helpful - the shirt is well fitting.  This is easily my favorite example of tie dye success.  

I can only speculate about what this shirt was like in color.

I can't say I condone these pants AT ALL; however, I'm glad that Duane at least had the decency to pair them with a basic black top.  Sometimes, particular pieces can be a bit of a style risk.  In cases like this, it's not so much "style" as "damage control."  I love you, Duane!