Tag Archives: Berkeley

Original Mondays: Ability

Ability

I remember you’d stare, or at least I’d think I’d see you sneer even if you were looking

at the ground.

I swear I’d see you stare from all the way over there even if turns out there was

no one around.

I’d breathe in the glares/Sideways glances/As my family ruins your dinner/We’re not romantic.

Two little pretty prefect people, evidently hyper aware: With their eyes wonder:

“What’s that retard doing with crumbs in her hair?”

While Rebecca Eats.

She just wants a coke but ma rarely lets her have it.

Tries to make milk and OJ a regular habit.

While Regular people can’t grasp it.

“That kid is throwing a fit at this restaurant!”

“Some spoiled North Berkeley daughter gets whatever she wants.”

But that, this is not.

6 Brothers and sisters/ All with perfect genes but my mom got the special mixture.

Once she got the ultra sound it painted a special picture.

Shortened life expectancy/”Limited” Intelligence.

With a gift to turn the boys around her into better men.

And the girls into better women.

And the capacidad to make inspiration a daily thought.

She thinks: “I’ma stay on this basketball court all afternoon, Cold or Hot.”

500 shots.

500 misses/A few touch the net/ No one listens/ To what she Says.

Soooo she prefers to watch musicals while I learn my 5th grade play’s five lines.

Used to yell at her for singing only to marvel later her ability to memorize.

Cats the musical in it’s entirety.

West Side Story from beginning to end.

She’d put in the VHS/ Head upstairs to her bed/ Sing the chronicles of Sharks and Jets.

Reflection and Response

-P

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Original Mondays: Pay

This track came about from the Berkeley Sessions that V, Megan, and I had back over New Years. Cue banjo, Synth sounds from Massive, Reason 5 drums, some electric guitar work, Ableton mixing via this new crazy Akai Apc 40, Megan and my vocals and you have “Pay.” I’ll be debuting the track live at an upcoming show at Andy’s Bar in Madrid this Wednesday.

The lyrics came from two sessions. My first verse was recorded a few days before we did any work with Megan. However Megan, V, and I went out for some food at Lilly’s, the famous North Berkeley Chinese food spot and we discussed family and how sometimes at the beginning of our twenties we can think we’re ready for huge responsibilities. The lyrics I recorded during the previous session deal with age- it was almost serendipitous that we had that conversation at lunch. We later touched on these ideas in the chorus.

 

“I don’t ever wanna pay for aging that is just something that I don’t do. And I don’t ever wanna laugh for ages, I just wanna hold you.”

“Pay for aging, not enough. Insane we make things, let’s live for once.”

 

Megan

 

Pete

 

Reflection and Response

-P

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Solitude Live Looping Berkeley Video

Happy Monday! Today we take it back to Berkeley (Rose and California for those that know) and bring you a video of me doing the new version of “Solitude,” on the Novation Launchpad running through my old Fender guitar amp. Vicken set up the iPhone camera and we gave it one shot. Word to Claudia for the soulful vocals and lyrics recorded in Buenos Aires!  Those of you that made it out to the show at Wurlitzer were able to see this in action. I hope you feel it!

Reflection and Response

-P

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Original Mondays: Tools of the Trade Rose Street Sessions

I hope everybody had a dope holiday season. Here in Madrid I’m without internet at home and hella places are closed because it’s El Día de los Reyes Magos. Props to Ojála (where I also did some mastering of Cold Bed) for being open and having good ass Wifi. Also shout out to “Message From Ancient Days,” the textbook my pops used to teach to 8th graders in Alameda, which serves as a great stand for the Novation Launchpad I was using. This New Years Megan, V, and I reunited for the first time as a group in over a year. Whenever we meet I try and get a session in with Megan (see He’s Your Guy Acoustic) who has a dope and unique voice. V snapped some Tools of the Trade pics while we worked. The forthcoming track features some new instrumentation I haven’t had the chance to really explore in a while such as banjo and electric guitar. Look out for the track coming up on the LIFESTYLE Original Monday Series!

Megan

Pete

Reflection and Response

-P

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Song One

Song One is a track I wrote 6 or 7 years ago. At the time I was experimenting with new chords. I re-recorded it two weeks ago (end of July) at the camp I was working in Robledo de Fenar, León, España. I then mixed and mastered it today (August 13th) in León Capital. It was a dope process to look back at this old track and revisit the arrangement. Sometimes we change old tracks based on new experiences, but this recording is more or less the same tune that I wrote back in my parents house in Berkeley in when the guitar was still so new.

 

-Reflection and Response.

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Feature: Caity Ballister

The LIFESTYLE Collective grows. Caity Ballister is a visual artist whose pieces vary in material, presentation, and theme. This year she finished her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley. With multiple gallery shows, she has already shown a growing output of work with a personal touch and unique style. Caity shares with us some of her perspective on Reflection and Response and the process behind one of her featured pieces, You can’t go back. We thank Caity for adding her voice to the ongoing dialogue at the LIFESTYLE!

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

CB: I was born in Altadena, CA, a little neighborhood above Los Angeles.We’re at the foot of some big mountains with a view of downtown and sometimes we can see the ocean glimmering gold. Right now I feel very fortunate to be living in Berkeley, CA in a house with friends. We call it the Cuckoo’s nest.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

CB: Reflection and Response is the natural reaction to stimuli- it’s what makes us human but I don’t know… cats seem to reflect and respond to things too…So maybe it’s being alive. I find it hard to turn my head off. Walking around, sitting down, eating a popsicle… I’m constantly reflecting on various aspects of the experience.. the meanings embedded in actions, words, gestures, materials. I reflect super hard when something surprises me or when I feel something—friendships, love, heartbreak, fear, hope…these are all things or emotions that motivate me to act.. I guess that’s where the response part comes in. I consider all kinds of production in order to explore feelings or concepts to be art. So even the typewritten love letter I composed in high school for a crush… that was a work of art.

How does your installation You can’t go back fit in with that definition?

CB: This installation was a response to my experience of going back home, to my parents home, on my most recent trip. I found a lot of conflict and tension there from issues left unaddressed and fermenting under the surface. Simultaneously, there seemed to be a pretty fervent effort and desire on both my mother and father’s parts to make it seem like everything was great, to try to make me happy and feel at home.

As I was drifting to sleep that first night back at home, an image floated into my head. It was a dresser covered in a hand-sewn garment, almost like a tea cozy. The fabric was covering completely, stitching close the drawers. I knew in my drowsy delirium that I had to make this piece, that it was exactly symbolic of the complicated dynamics of the home I came back to. Real issues and basic comfort made inaccessible and home life made non functional despite painstaking efforts.

In addition to the dresser, this installation includes two other objects: a gold prismacolor colored pencil and the paper wrapper from an eraser. The pencil fell while I was in my studio and I was able to pull out the lead from within. I’m fascinated with uncovering, looking beneath the surface, analyzing and seeing how things work. I like undoing, breaking down into parts. I needed to take off the wrapper in order to use more of the fresh part of the eraser so I peeled it off, undoing the glue and exposing a surprisingly long length of paper that had been used to wrap around and around the rubber. Undoing the paper had both freed the tool inside and also introduced a new piece into the world.

What else have you been working on recently?

CB: I have been really loving making videos. I like using the camera to observe little moments of wonder and surprise that I come across. I’m going to film blueberries blossoming at my fingertips.

Who or what inspires you?

CB: When I was younger I came across the blog of a man named Saleem Reshamwala. He was documenting his experiences as a Japanese-American living and teaching English in Japan. He made videos, took pictures, wrote poems…all directly relating to the community around him. He also got people to participate with him and that kind of collaboration was really exciting. He’s kind a creative genius, an idea factory. I don’t really read his blog anymore, but he is always somewhere between the back and the front of my mind, inspiring me to love, engage with, record, and make something that celebrates the ordinary things in everyday life. http://kidethnic.com/ .

More recent inspirations, or at least artists I’ve found a connection with, are David Ireland, Doris Salcedo, Jonathan Richman, Olivia Crawford.

Is there anything else you would like the Collective to know?

CB: caityballister.virb.com

Shout out to…?

CB: I want to thank the Lifestyle for featuring me and for creating this space. Also thanks to G’Pa Z, Kyle the Immediator of Media, the Cuckoo’s Nest, all my friends and teachers and everyone I’ve ever known.

You can’t go back

-Reflection and Response

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Shake This Maze Pre Release Post

Shake This Maze is a compilation of tracks I made from 2009-2012. The recording of the album was done by me in Seattle, Washington, Berkeley, California, Oregon, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Madrid, Spain. The songs feature talent from most of those places who each add their own flavor to the tracks on which they appear. The title is taken from the chorus of a track off the album, entitled “Shake This Maze.”

V and I are putting out this album 100% independently. V has provided original handcrafted artwork and branding. From the logo to distribution, recording to shipping, this album comes from the LIFESTYLE collective’s international network.

We’re finishing the last touches on the CD and will be proud to bring you the final version very soon!!! Thanks for the support!!

Reflection and Response.

-P

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Feature: Vatche Donikian

the LIFESTYLE Feature Series moves us into February with a look at Reflection and Response in the artwork of Vatche Donikian, creator of Restless and Determined Clothing!! We are PROUD to present Vatche, comin up in the game with undeniable creativity, drive, and talent. From growing up in Oakland and Berkeley and now studying in Irvine, CA, Vatche has relentlessly worked at his craft and developed his unique artistic approach. He recently launched his independent clothing brand, Restless and Determined, which is already off to a solid start and pushing forward to big things! It’s been a truly inspiring process for both P and V to witness throughout the years – don’t sleep on this grounded RR artist!

Peep the Reflection and Response interview followed by photos of his dope T-shirt and crewneck designs!

Reflection and Response means to express yourself to the fullest extent, however you choose to do that.

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

VD: I was born in Oakland, but we moved to Berkeley when I was around 5. Bay Area born and raised, but I’m currently going to school at UC Irvine.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

VD: To me, Reflection and Response means to express yourself to the fullest extent, however you choose to do that. Everybody is different from the way they are brought up and the experiences they have, so you just have to get that out there and be who you are. Sometimes I just sit there and listen to music and feel motivated, so I just pull out pencil and paper or pull up my computer and put in work. Reflecting and Responding, by the way stuff makes u feel and react.

How does Restless and Determined Clothing fit in with that definition?

VD: Well with Restless and Determined Clothing, that’s exactly what I do. I make the designs off what I’m feeling, like the Heart Beats. Music is a big part of my life, makes my heart pump. So I’m just expressing myself with designs that others can relate to also. I’m not doing anything but being me. I’m restless and I’m determined, I won’t stop until I’m satisfied with what I’ve done.

What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?

VD: Recently I’ve been working on just getting my stuff out there, like more designs, and I’m always trying to improve too. I’ve started printing on crewneck sweatshirts and girls v-necks also. For now I’m just trying do this stuff and keep expanding the company base.

Who or what inspires you?

VD: A lot of my music inspires me. Rappers like iamsu!, Kendrick Lamar, Dom Kennedy, and Erk tha Jerk really motivate me to make the best designs possible and really get a lot of things done. It’s motivational and inspirational to me; it helps me stay on the grind. Anybody that knows me knows I get lost in my music and those artists just really get my thoughts flowing.

Is there anything else you would like the Collective to know?

VD: Man, I just hope everyone can see through my artwork that I really put my all into this stuff. I really am Restless and Determined, and that’s never gonna change. I’m on the grind 24/7, even if I’m not physically creating a design, I think of them in my head and thinking of ways that I can get even better. I also want to say thanks to everyone that supports me, and those who give me feedback. It really makes me want to go that much harder.

Shout out to…?

VD: Shout out to my big brother Vicken for having my back through everything, and really getting me into art from such a young age. Also shout out to my girlfriend for helping me out with everything, especially all this shirt stuff, she helps me with designs and does some of the lettering also. And to my homie Diego, we use to make shirts back in the day since 2008. And a big thanks all my fam and friends and to everybody who bought a shirt, spread the word or even just took the time to look at the pictures.

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/restlessdeterminedclothing and follow us on Twitter @RDC_Shirts.

Check out our site and web store at: http://restlessdeterminedclothing.webs.com/.

Heart Beats T-shirts

The Determined (L) & Heart Beats (R) Crewnecks

The Collection

Tools of the Trade

Restless and Determined

Reflection and Response.


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Flute Beats

The LIFESTYLE has been a place of collaborations. One of my favorite projects has been recording over the years with my cousin Rachel Ballister. Rachel has played flute for years and when my family would go to Los Angeles (Lomita!) to visit them, I’d bring out the laptop and we’d get something together.

Flute Beat 1:

Here I sample Rachel doing some warm ups from her classical book. This was our first callabo from 3 or 4 years ago.

Lomito Burrito

This track started as a chord progression I came up with on the guitar and Rachel and I worked in her melody, which she wrote. Then myself, her, and her sister Sarah all recorded a hand clap. At the very end we got a little off and you can hear Sarah saying “Sorry!” on the record.

Xylophone:
This track was a collaboration through time and space. I recorded a zylaphone part at a church in Seattle where the homie Clarke had a practice space set up. Then on a family vacation in LA I asked Rachel if she wanted to play on the track. Her part really helped out the verse. I finished up the track in Spain in September 2011. The sample at the end is part of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You. The sample appears around 0: 50 in the Whitney track.

Reflection and Response

-P

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Feature: The Know Nothings

It’s Feature time again here at the LIFESTYLE!!!! We are proud to present The Know Nothings, an acoustic duo made up of the homies Andrea Woodard and David Adams from our hometown of Berkeley, CA. The group is making moves in the Bay and continues to write and record great original music. We are extremely excited to showcase their new tune Sweet Pea.

(Original art by Max Nelson)

Check out the track and get to know more about the Know Nothings with an exclusive interview.

Sweet Pea

Leading off with some basics, where are you from? And where are you at?

DA: Berkeley, then Santa Cruz, then Oakland, now Berkeley, soon Oakland.

AW: Local girl born in SF and raised in Berkeley. Now living in San Francisco.

What does Reflection and Response mean to you?

DA: Think then talk… preferably more thinking than talking.

AW: It means to take that extra moment, extra time, to stop and to think about what something means to  you. Then to take those emotions and understandings you have reached and actively react to them.

How does ‘Sweet Pea’ fit in with that definition?

DA: I don’t know how to answer this question. Am I addressing this song as a response to life and experience, or am I addressing the potential to reflect and respond to this song? In the first case, I think all songs and all art, are ways of pinning down and making concrete, our otherwise mercurial reflections on the state of our lives and the world as a whole.

AW: I am not quite sure if you mean one of our pieces or a piece of art for example. But in keeping with the theme of our interview as a band I will go ahead and pick the egotistical response :). The best I can do is equate it to our song writing process. While I credit David with almost all of our awesome lyrics, there are of course some collaborative efforts. It is tempting to make something just rhyme or to put in fillers,  but we take a step back, think about what we are trying to express or say through the song, or even that one line, and then react to that and put it in words. Corny? Little bit I guess.

What else have you been working on recently? What are you looking to work on next?

DA: We are just working on recording songs one by one, and mastering the recording process, which is for sure an uphill battle.

AW: Bandwise, working on writing more songs and looking to perform more. Lifewise, working on living the city life with great friends, and looking to work for my nursing degree.

Who or what inspires you?

DA: I get inspired by slow motion football highlights played with classical music in the background.

AW: I would have to say my bandmate David. He has an unwavering dedication to pursuing something that is important to him, no matter what (for example performing and playing music). I would also have  to say that generally speaking the friends and family in my life inspire me, and not necessarily direct though what they do, but by exhibiting incredible support in everything. It keeps me pursuing the best for  me, whether that is finding an awesome music playing hobby, or furthering my career and life ambitions.

Is there anything else you would like the Collective to know?

DA: Come to our next gig at the Firehouse Art Collective Gallery North on Oct 14th at 7 P.M.

AW: That graduating college seemed like the most daunting, unappealing prospect, and it’s been so fun to  discover that this part of our lives is just as fun in different (and sometimes similar ways). I’m having a blast with everything and reconnecting to old friends!

Shout out to…?

DA: Peter and Vicken for following their dreams and putting this together. I remember when Vicken and  I forced some middle school kids into a rap battle, then hid in his dad’s car when the kids ran to their parents. And I remember Peter throwing his skateboard on the ground vowing never to skate again, over  and over and over again.

AW: All of our awesome friends and family for supporting us instead of laughing at us (it was a crapshoot).

Check the group out on Facebook and Soundcloud.

Reflection and Response

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