[VAR]iable expression » Music

Such a thrilling life I lead

Maria Varmazis — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:57:49 +0000

I took a look around my apartment this evening and realized that a lot of my personal effects really don’t make sense when dashed together:

I am also probably one of the only people under 40 who actually owns a 5-cd changer stereo in addition to an iPod. Oh, and a best of David Bowie LP set. With a knitting Hello Kitty. With Greek pop cds. With feather fascinators. And mountain biking gloves.

I’m confused now.

The real news is this baby:

My new Janome sewing machine! I sold my trusty Singer on craigslist to someone who needed it more than I, and upgraded to a machine that’s a lot more heavy-duty and can work with the weird projects I’ve been making lately. Seriously seeing this on my doorstep was the highlight of my Friday.

VAMPS in NYC

Maria Varmazis — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:21:04 +0000

Japan Nite 2009

Maria Varmazis — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:18:05 +0000

detroit7

Omodaka

Japan Nite rocks TT’s—and yea, I was there

Maria Varmazis — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:52:06 +0000

Had an absolutely fantastic time on Monday. It was Saint Patrick’s Day in Boston, but I didn’t have a sip of green beer. Instead, I was at TT and the Bears in Cambridge at Japan Nite, a tour of the Japanese artists from this year’s SXSW Festival.

It was PACKED to capacity. Most people were there as hardcore fans, but there were a lot of stragglers that wandered in, curious about the weird variety of acts–a ukelele duo, garage rock, reggae-inspired punk.

My absolute favorite group of the night was garage rockers Detroit7. Totally high energy throughout their set, Detroit7 tore up the stage. I think they only played a half hour but they were all completely drenched in sweat by the end of it. Intense, intense, intense! Needless to say when they finished I ran over to their merch table and bought their album “Great Romantic,” which I’ve been listening to non-stop for several days now. Keep an eye on these guys, I think they’re only going to get bigger and better.

The band in the header photo? That’s Scandal, four Osaka schoolgirls with a penchant for pop-rock. They have a lot of musical talent, that’s for sure. Too bad a lot of the rather sketchy guys up front didn’t really care.

As always, I have pics up on my flickr account. SXSW Japan Nite @ TT Bears photo set is here.

The tunes that get you moving

Maria Varmazis — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:03:17 +0000

Really, this is what the internet was made for: asking an audience of total strangers their opinion on some trivial matter.

I need a new workout mix. Since Daft Punk came out with their “Discovery” album, basically I’ve been bopping to the same tunes: oodles of electronica and somewhat-dated club music. It’s getting stale. (Ian Van Dahl is soooo passé.)

Visitors, I want your suggestions. I don’t care how anonymous you are, I see you out there, and I want to know which songs get you to stay on the ski machine for an extra fifteen minutes.

A few requests before the deluge:

1) No Journey. Seriously. (All I can think of when I hear anything by Journey is the karaoke episode of “Family Guy.”)
2) Needs to be fast-paced!
3) No Japanese pop or rock. I’ve got that area covered—if it’s good, I’ve already heard it, haha. I need stuff in English or other languages.

OK, let me hear those suggestions. Go nuts! It can be with or without vocals, electronic, folksy, in any language, any meter. (But not any tempo!)

[This post shamelessly made in lieu of thought-provoking content.]