- I don't know about you, but I've been a fan of Bob Dylan's most recent works (with the exception of the Christmas album) and am looking forward to his newest. But what does Monkey Picks think?
- Need a primer on '60s soul music? Head on over for the Parka Avenue's second segment!
- For those who can't be there in person, how about a virtual visit to the Stax Museum?
- Looking for a beautiful restaurant to take your date on next time your in Paris? Le Continental has a suggestion that just might wow her (or him)!
- SpyVibe digs into a new Saarinen book coming soon.
- Voice of East Anglia explores typographer Herb Lubalin
- Indochino is opening up a shop in San Francisco. Interested in checking them out, but I'll wait for Made By Hand to go through its experience first.
- Ivy Style hits the Huffington Post!
- How about an awesome collection of soul 'zine covers?
- Action fans... it's coming!
- Ending this with another shot of sweet soul from Derek's Daily 45!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Weekly Blog Roundup: 9/23/2012
Your weekend's just about over and you're not looking forward to starting a new work week. Well, take your mind off it with a selection of great blog posts out right now:
Friday, September 21, 2012
Casual Fridays #5: The Kinks
Working to look sharp for a rare evening out on the town can actually be easy. The tough job is trying to look sharp on a daily, casual basis. Yeah, you might have your Friday night suit at your beck and call, but what does it matter if you spend the rest of your time in target t-shirts and jeans? Every Friday, I'd like to offer up some style inspiration for tightening up your casual look, because let's face it... sometimes you just don't feel like wearing a tie, but still want to keep it sharp.
Alright, this one's for all the scooter Mods out there! You're probably getting ready for a weekend of scooter riding, dressed in a parka covered in enough Mod badges to match the number of lights and mirrors on your scooter. But wait... take some inspiration from this shot of The Kinks, spending a quiet day on a couple of nice, Italian rides:
What's this? You can actually see the great shape and design of their scooters since they're not covered up by a silly amount of Christmas decorations? And they're NOT wearing parkas?
Oh no, The Kinks know how to spend a day in sharp style. Check out Dave's chisel-toe shoes, narrow trousers and suit jacket. Ray's sporting a similar look, as he sits on his scooter, looking sharper than most of today's scooter boys!
But my fave here... Pete Quaife, of course! That's because he's sporting that sweet leather coat instead of a parka! Scooter-riding Mods... it's time to graduate to a 3/4-length leather coat for your weekend rides! (Psst! Here's a suggestion: get on Ebay and look up 'vintage car coat'. You might find something nice that'll set you apart from the rest of the parka army!)
Now, if you're don't plan on riding your scooter this weekend, then just pretend you are as you watch this video, featuring a beautiful 1970s Kinks song reminiscing about the 1960s!
Alright, this one's for all the scooter Mods out there! You're probably getting ready for a weekend of scooter riding, dressed in a parka covered in enough Mod badges to match the number of lights and mirrors on your scooter. But wait... take some inspiration from this shot of The Kinks, spending a quiet day on a couple of nice, Italian rides:
 |
| Taken from the We Are The Mods online radio station page. (BTW, give that show a listen... I think the host has stronger opinons on Mod stuff than I do!) |
Oh no, The Kinks know how to spend a day in sharp style. Check out Dave's chisel-toe shoes, narrow trousers and suit jacket. Ray's sporting a similar look, as he sits on his scooter, looking sharper than most of today's scooter boys!
But my fave here... Pete Quaife, of course! That's because he's sporting that sweet leather coat instead of a parka! Scooter-riding Mods... it's time to graduate to a 3/4-length leather coat for your weekend rides! (Psst! Here's a suggestion: get on Ebay and look up 'vintage car coat'. You might find something nice that'll set you apart from the rest of the parka army!)
Now, if you're don't plan on riding your scooter this weekend, then just pretend you are as you watch this video, featuring a beautiful 1970s Kinks song reminiscing about the 1960s!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Weekly Blog Roundup: 9/14/2012
I've fallen behind on great blog posts out there! But slowly, I'm attempting to catch up. Let's ease back into this with a small selection for you today:
- Let's start off with a post dedicated to the great Geno Washington and his Ram Jam Band.
- My favorite illustrator ever is Aubrey Beardsley, who had a huge effect on design and art in the 1960s.
- A great playlist which reminds me that I need to pick up that Rodriguez CD!
- Time to start getting your pre-orders in for this great new book on original Mods!
- Wanna get a quick primer on some different types of soul music out there? Here ya go!
- The Chemosphere House!
- What you get when designers take on classic record covers!
- My pal has decided to become a jock. I don't know how I feel about that.
- Whoo boy! Where would good jazz be without Charlie Parker?
- Now let's end this post with a slice of sweet, mellow soul.
Casual Fridays #4: George Harrison
Working to look sharp for a rare evening out on the town can actually be easy. The tough job is trying to look sharp on a daily, casual basis. Yeah, you might have your Friday night suit at your beck and call, but what does it matter if you spend the rest of your time in target t-shirts and jeans? Every Friday, I'd like to offer up some style inspiration for tightening up your casual look, because let's face it... sometimes you just don't feel like wearing a tie, but still want to keep it sharp.
After a rough week at work, it's time to slow things down for the weekend. So, let's start it off with this nice, kick-back photo of my favorite Beatle, George Harrison:
Harrison's just bustin' a slow hang in a sharp roll-neck sweater, thinly-striped (or are they corduroy?) trousers, and a beautiful 4-button (?) coat... all the ingredients for a crisp, casual look.
The best piece here, though, is the turtleneck sweater with the ribbed neck and bottom. The neck is not overdone with so much material that he's barely able to lift his head out from it. He's got room to breathe! And the material of the sweater doesn't look too heavy so he can wear this in pretty moderate weather without sweating on the inside. I love me a good roll neck, but haven't had much luck finding them in the past. Seems things have change now, thanks to companies like John Smedley and Art Gallery!
And George seems to keep his patterns limited only to his trousers (assuming they're not corduroy), which provides a nice break from the solid light-coloring of the sweater and the dark of the jacket. I wish I had a color photo handy, just to see what color those trousers are and how they work with the rest of the outfit. Awesome balance, overall though, of color and pattern, I'm sure!
All right now, let's end this post and start the weekend with my most favorite Beatles song ever... written by George Harrison!
After a rough week at work, it's time to slow things down for the weekend. So, let's start it off with this nice, kick-back photo of my favorite Beatle, George Harrison:
 |
| From the mikl-em's combine blog. |
Harrison's just bustin' a slow hang in a sharp roll-neck sweater, thinly-striped (or are they corduroy?) trousers, and a beautiful 4-button (?) coat... all the ingredients for a crisp, casual look.
The best piece here, though, is the turtleneck sweater with the ribbed neck and bottom. The neck is not overdone with so much material that he's barely able to lift his head out from it. He's got room to breathe! And the material of the sweater doesn't look too heavy so he can wear this in pretty moderate weather without sweating on the inside. I love me a good roll neck, but haven't had much luck finding them in the past. Seems things have change now, thanks to companies like John Smedley and Art Gallery!
And George seems to keep his patterns limited only to his trousers (assuming they're not corduroy), which provides a nice break from the solid light-coloring of the sweater and the dark of the jacket. I wish I had a color photo handy, just to see what color those trousers are and how they work with the rest of the outfit. Awesome balance, overall though, of color and pattern, I'm sure!
All right now, let's end this post and start the weekend with my most favorite Beatles song ever... written by George Harrison!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Casual Fridays #3: Sonny Stitt
Working to look sharp for a rare evening out on the town can
actually be easy. The tough job is trying to look sharp on a daily,
casual basis. Yeah, you might have your Friday night suit at your beck
and call, but what does it matter if you spend the rest of your time in
target t-shirts and jeans? Every Friday, I'd like to offer up some style
inspiration for tightening up your casual look, because let's face
it... sometimes you just don't feel like wearing a tie, but still want
to keep it sharp.
Jazz saxaphonist Sonny Stitt showing you how to keep it on the down-low in this photo from 1961:
It's all in the details, from the swank wristwatch, pinkie ring (!), madras-looking shirt with done-up button-down collar, soft cardigan, and all topped off with a sharp short-brimmed fedora. This image just shows one of the best ways to lay out a look of relaxed cool. Nothing uptight or stiff going on here.
This photo, though, brings up an oft-debated topic: should the top button of a shirt be done-up if no tie is worn? Personally, I keep it unbuttoned, but damn! Stitt still looks slick with all the buttons closed!
For years, I thought I kept to the idea of always keeping the top button loose when not wearing a tie. But lately, I've been looking at photos of myself from the 2000s (after I became aware of this tip) and in most of those photos I have my top button buttoned... with no tie! I don't know what I was thinking, but at the same time, it doesn't look too bad. I guess it's one of those things best left to personal preference.
My general attitude, though, is that if I don't have a tie on, I'll keep my collar loose... unless I'm wearing a tab-collar. But, take note on Sonny Stitt here... I guess it's all in the attitude because he still looks relaxed and smooth despite being buttoned up to the top!
Now sit back and let a man do what he does best:
Jazz saxaphonist Sonny Stitt showing you how to keep it on the down-low in this photo from 1961:
 |
| From The Impossible Cool blog. |
This photo, though, brings up an oft-debated topic: should the top button of a shirt be done-up if no tie is worn? Personally, I keep it unbuttoned, but damn! Stitt still looks slick with all the buttons closed!
For years, I thought I kept to the idea of always keeping the top button loose when not wearing a tie. But lately, I've been looking at photos of myself from the 2000s (after I became aware of this tip) and in most of those photos I have my top button buttoned... with no tie! I don't know what I was thinking, but at the same time, it doesn't look too bad. I guess it's one of those things best left to personal preference.
My general attitude, though, is that if I don't have a tie on, I'll keep my collar loose... unless I'm wearing a tab-collar. But, take note on Sonny Stitt here... I guess it's all in the attitude because he still looks relaxed and smooth despite being buttoned up to the top!
Now sit back and let a man do what he does best:
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Top 10 Stone Cold Soul Grooves
Hello friends! Well, it's been a while, huh? Yeah, sorry about that... side projects, side trips, and a day job have made it a little more difficult to sit down and think up moddy things to write about. Well, today, I'm taking the easy way out... with a Top 10 song list!
I'm a huge fan of soul music, especially the type that gets you off your feet. But man, I'm an equal fan of the mellow sounds, especially when I'm at home with the lights dim and a nice drink in my hand. Now, I've mentioned before my Top 10 mellow songs, more in a folk/country vein, but let's get into the slow soul grooves.
The following list is definitely not complete and there's a lot missing (i.e., Curtis Mayfield, The Temptations, Aretha), but I just wanted to get into what I was digging on today with a mix of old AND new soul sounds. So, relax, take a load off, and if you're able to, grab a glass of wine and mellow down easy as I present to you my Top 10 Stone Cold Soul Grooves (in no particular order, of course):
1. The Superlatives - I Don't Know How (To Say I Love You) - Listen, when my wife first moved in with me, she brought a lot of things into my life: love, companionship, help with washing the dishes... and this amazing 45! As soon as she first stepped through that door and dumped her record boxes onto the floor, I dropped her suitcase, accidentally pushed her to the side, and delved into those boxes. And this song was the cream of that crop!
2. Solomon Burke - Fast Train - It's well known that Solomon Burke has a solid catalogue of amazing soul songs from the 1960s. But have you explored his work in the 2000s? Oh man, this song (written by Van Morrison!) is a strong example of an old soul moving his sound forward. Slow, sparse, with a steady build up, this songs hits just right. The rest of this album (Don't Give Up On Me) is highly worth checking out as well. Hey, if it's good enough for The O.C.'s Peter Gallagher, then it's good enough for you!
3. The Spinners - Bad, Bad Weather - Aw man... do I even need to write anything about this one? Come on... how can you beat a line like "now my little room reminds me of Londontown, when the evening sun goes down, and it's cold and misty and oh so foggy and it's hard to find my way around"?
4. Candi Staton - You Don't Have Far To Go - Another example of a 1960s soul star doing what she does best TODAY. That nice, steady, building beat is in full force on this song with great back-up vocals and strong horns. Can we all just forget that 1980s over-production on soul songs ever happened? Too many soul stars fell victim to that back then, but now, mistakes have been learned!
5. Darondo - True - Uh huh, oh yeah... sometimes, you just need a little funk with your mellow groove. And it don't get much funkier than this Oaktown soul man's track. If you have that glass of wine in your hand, whatever you do DON'T get up and walk around! Otherwise, your hips might start shakin' and your back might be movin', and you just might spill that drink all over the place!
6. Nick Lowe - Homewrecker - Yup, I'm including Nick Lowe on this list. Nick Lowe has written some amazing music over the years, but his greatest song, 'What's So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding', was featured on The Bodyguard soundtrack. Big deal, right? Well, the money he received from those royalties enabled him to not have to worry about selling hits again, instead concentrating on just making good music on his own terms. And songs like this are the result of that.
7. Donny Hathaway & June Conquest - I Thank You - Donny Hathaway put out one of my most favorite live soul albums, Live, back in 1972. But dig on this punchy number with June Conquest from a couple of years earlier. Once featured on the Derek's Daily 45 blog and for good reason... pure Chi-Town sweet soul!
8. Laura Lee - Dirty Man - Just a powerful song about a strong woman ridding herself of a cheatin' man. A strong Muscle Shoals backing help bring out the grit behind Laura Lee's voice as she kicks this fellow out onto the curb. Ladies, hopefully it doesn't happen to you, but if you are ever wronged, just take some inspiration from this song.
9. Sugar Billy - Super Duper Love - One of my most favorite soul songs, EVER. Slinking guitar licks, funky drumming, blasting organ, rolling horns, and Sugar Billy's unabashed declaration of love kill me every time I hear this. This is the kind of guy Laura Lee needs after that last song! Both parts are here for your pleasure.
10. Eli Reed - Am I Wasting My Time? - Another newer soul track, this time from young soul man, Eli Reed. A strong voice with great instrumental backing shine through on this one.
BONUS TRACK: 11. Lorraine Ellison - Stay With Me Baby - Okay, I had to throw this one in there! I ain't even gonna talk about it. Let it speak for itself. (And afterward, compare it to the Terry Reid version to keep the awesome moving!)
Alright, that's it for today. Hope these songs hit the spot for you!
I'm a huge fan of soul music, especially the type that gets you off your feet. But man, I'm an equal fan of the mellow sounds, especially when I'm at home with the lights dim and a nice drink in my hand. Now, I've mentioned before my Top 10 mellow songs, more in a folk/country vein, but let's get into the slow soul grooves.
The following list is definitely not complete and there's a lot missing (i.e., Curtis Mayfield, The Temptations, Aretha), but I just wanted to get into what I was digging on today with a mix of old AND new soul sounds. So, relax, take a load off, and if you're able to, grab a glass of wine and mellow down easy as I present to you my Top 10 Stone Cold Soul Grooves (in no particular order, of course):
1. The Superlatives - I Don't Know How (To Say I Love You) - Listen, when my wife first moved in with me, she brought a lot of things into my life: love, companionship, help with washing the dishes... and this amazing 45! As soon as she first stepped through that door and dumped her record boxes onto the floor, I dropped her suitcase, accidentally pushed her to the side, and delved into those boxes. And this song was the cream of that crop!
2. Solomon Burke - Fast Train - It's well known that Solomon Burke has a solid catalogue of amazing soul songs from the 1960s. But have you explored his work in the 2000s? Oh man, this song (written by Van Morrison!) is a strong example of an old soul moving his sound forward. Slow, sparse, with a steady build up, this songs hits just right. The rest of this album (Don't Give Up On Me) is highly worth checking out as well. Hey, if it's good enough for The O.C.'s Peter Gallagher, then it's good enough for you!
3. The Spinners - Bad, Bad Weather - Aw man... do I even need to write anything about this one? Come on... how can you beat a line like "now my little room reminds me of Londontown, when the evening sun goes down, and it's cold and misty and oh so foggy and it's hard to find my way around"?
4. Candi Staton - You Don't Have Far To Go - Another example of a 1960s soul star doing what she does best TODAY. That nice, steady, building beat is in full force on this song with great back-up vocals and strong horns. Can we all just forget that 1980s over-production on soul songs ever happened? Too many soul stars fell victim to that back then, but now, mistakes have been learned!
5. Darondo - True - Uh huh, oh yeah... sometimes, you just need a little funk with your mellow groove. And it don't get much funkier than this Oaktown soul man's track. If you have that glass of wine in your hand, whatever you do DON'T get up and walk around! Otherwise, your hips might start shakin' and your back might be movin', and you just might spill that drink all over the place!
6. Nick Lowe - Homewrecker - Yup, I'm including Nick Lowe on this list. Nick Lowe has written some amazing music over the years, but his greatest song, 'What's So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding', was featured on The Bodyguard soundtrack. Big deal, right? Well, the money he received from those royalties enabled him to not have to worry about selling hits again, instead concentrating on just making good music on his own terms. And songs like this are the result of that.
7. Donny Hathaway & June Conquest - I Thank You - Donny Hathaway put out one of my most favorite live soul albums, Live, back in 1972. But dig on this punchy number with June Conquest from a couple of years earlier. Once featured on the Derek's Daily 45 blog and for good reason... pure Chi-Town sweet soul!
8. Laura Lee - Dirty Man - Just a powerful song about a strong woman ridding herself of a cheatin' man. A strong Muscle Shoals backing help bring out the grit behind Laura Lee's voice as she kicks this fellow out onto the curb. Ladies, hopefully it doesn't happen to you, but if you are ever wronged, just take some inspiration from this song.
9. Sugar Billy - Super Duper Love - One of my most favorite soul songs, EVER. Slinking guitar licks, funky drumming, blasting organ, rolling horns, and Sugar Billy's unabashed declaration of love kill me every time I hear this. This is the kind of guy Laura Lee needs after that last song! Both parts are here for your pleasure.
10. Eli Reed - Am I Wasting My Time? - Another newer soul track, this time from young soul man, Eli Reed. A strong voice with great instrumental backing shine through on this one.
BONUS TRACK: 11. Lorraine Ellison - Stay With Me Baby - Okay, I had to throw this one in there! I ain't even gonna talk about it. Let it speak for itself. (And afterward, compare it to the Terry Reid version to keep the awesome moving!)
Alright, that's it for today. Hope these songs hit the spot for you!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Casual Fridays #2: The Rolling Stones
Working to look sharp for a rare evening out on the town can actually be easy. The tough job is trying to look sharp on a daily, casual basis. Yeah, you might have your Friday night suit at your beck and call, but what does it matter if you spend the rest of your time in target t-shirts and jeans? Every Friday, I'd like to offer up some style inspiration for tightening up your casual look, because let's face it... sometimes you just don't feel like wearing a tie, but still want to keep it sharp.
Ah yes... finally, the clouds have come back to San Francisco after a week's worth of too much sun! In honor of this, let's get into some nice casual stylings for a cool, crisp day. Check out this great shot of The Rolling Stones, skirting a fine line between casual and formal:
This is my type of casual Friday wear! With the exception of Charlie Watts, looking dapped-out in long coat and tie, everyone else is playing it mellow with no neck wear. But, look at those tab-collar shirts all done up!
(Okay, side note: I made a total Mod fashion faux-pas a couple of weeks back. I wore a tab-collar shirt to dinner but thanks to the heavy San Diego humidity, I left the tab and top button undone. Didn't want to get that collar all dirty before putting on a tie for the evening, y'know? Well, I saw the photos afterwards and learned something valuable: TAB-COLLARS SHOULD ALWAYS BEEN DONE UP, EVEN WITHOUT A TIE! Otherwise, you're just looking sloppy.)
Anyways, what this photo shows is that you can totally rock a suit jacket, slim trousers, and a nice dress shirt and still look good without going the extra distance with a tie, pocket square, etc. No athletic wear here... no polo shirts... no desert boots, but still a relaxed casual cool look, especially during cool weather.
Of course, the final touch on their clothing choices: the leather coats... especially Brian Jones's 3/4-length! Today's Mod enthusiasts should take note: leather coats trump parkas every time!
Okay, let's end the post and start the weekend off with another great photo from this session:
Ah yes... finally, the clouds have come back to San Francisco after a week's worth of too much sun! In honor of this, let's get into some nice casual stylings for a cool, crisp day. Check out this great shot of The Rolling Stones, skirting a fine line between casual and formal:
 |
| From Time Is On Our Side. |
(Okay, side note: I made a total Mod fashion faux-pas a couple of weeks back. I wore a tab-collar shirt to dinner but thanks to the heavy San Diego humidity, I left the tab and top button undone. Didn't want to get that collar all dirty before putting on a tie for the evening, y'know? Well, I saw the photos afterwards and learned something valuable: TAB-COLLARS SHOULD ALWAYS BEEN DONE UP, EVEN WITHOUT A TIE! Otherwise, you're just looking sloppy.)
Anyways, what this photo shows is that you can totally rock a suit jacket, slim trousers, and a nice dress shirt and still look good without going the extra distance with a tie, pocket square, etc. No athletic wear here... no polo shirts... no desert boots, but still a relaxed casual cool look, especially during cool weather.
Of course, the final touch on their clothing choices: the leather coats... especially Brian Jones's 3/4-length! Today's Mod enthusiasts should take note: leather coats trump parkas every time!
Okay, let's end the post and start the weekend off with another great photo from this session:
 |
| From The Worley Gig. |
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