I'm with the band.

80/35, Des Moines' burgeoning indie-rock music festival, fell upon us this past weekend. Since Parlours were on the bill this year, we had access to all the stage areas with these nifty little passes.

The last time my husband's band performed at 80/35, I was at the hospital down the street giving birth to Ruby! Of all seven years of the festival, that one was the only time we ever missed (but for good reason, I must say).

We brought the kids along on Day 2, mainly to see Daddy play the drums. Ruby felt pretty special getting to wear the band lanyard, as anyone would.

Watching our friends in the Envy Corps perform on the main stage. 

I love that the kids can splash around in these water features while the whole family can listen to some jams.

Here, Sterling is wearing the same Threadless dinosaur onesie that Ruby wore two 80/35's ago. There's just something about it that screams "music festival". The adorable space-themed bibdanna was lovingly sewn by our friend at Graystitch. Keep an eye out for more of where that came from in the coming weeks!

Parlours doing their thang. 

Ruby, so sweetly, remarked that her Daddy was doing a good job while watching him play. Heart melt.

We enjoyed performances from Dawes, Maids, Max Jury, Surfer Blood, Envy Corps, & Dr. Dog this year. The best part of the fest though is the community surrounding it. I could always find of group of friends at every show to hang out with or get some help with the kids. We love 80/35!!

Some 80/35 Highlights...

This is going to be brief. Mainly because I didn't take many photos this year. We didn't even spend much time at the fest, which can be attributed to the fact that I am 9 months pregnant. But still, good times were had. Also, I deserve some kind of "cool mom" award for enduring the heat/ walking around.

For a variety of factors, we decided not to purchase tickets this year. We had every intention of checking out the free stages though. Then, the day before the festival, some friends off-loaded a pair of tickets on us. SCORE.

Ruby stayed with the grandparents on Friday, so Mama & Papa made a date night out of it. We got hot dogs at Hot Shots (2nd time in a week) and enjoyed shows from Yeasayer, Menomena, and David Byrne & St.Vincent.

(Above: Live art by Van Holmgren)

I've been a long time Menomena fan and was surprised to see them playing a free stage. Their "Friend or Foe" album just *might* be in my Top 10 of all time, so I was pumped that they played "Muscle & Flo". 

I was really glad we got to catch the big show on Friday night - David Byrne & St. Vincent. I'm not as familiar with their mutual musical efforts, but I'm a fan of their individual projects. The two of them on stage together felt enigmatic. No need for dazzling visuals here. The minimalist light show with backing brass band set an almost surreal tone and made for one memorable 80/35 performance.

Come Saturday, we only went to ONE SHOW. I know. But it was a good one. Deerhunter on the main stage. Wayde watched up close while I supervised Ruby in the library fountain/ stream. She had so much fun—I wouldn't have had it any other way:)

So, another great festival year & one of my favorite things about living in Des Moines.

P.S. Check out the Here, Pretty Kitty blog—they featured this prego Mama in their 80/35 street style post.

Some Music & Some Art

A couple highlights from the past week...My dear friends, Dena & Maren, had a mini-girls' getaway to Omaha for a She & Him concert!

I saw a couple other pregnant ladies in attendance, but I was definitely the most pregnant of the ones I saw, haha. I think I stood for one song. But still, a good time:)

Future besties, June & Ruby. These girls were such little troopers as we carted them around Des Moines to a rummage sale, thrift store, and a mandatory Tasty Taco stop.

This past weekend was the Des Moines Arts Festival, which is sort of a yearly tradition to visit. Ruby was excited to see all the artist's "colorings".

On a couple occasions, our opinionated little lady would state, "I don't like this picture". Right in front of the artist. So.....sorry about that.

It's been a little quiet here lately due to general life stuff/ pregnancy/ etc, but all is going well. I've got a few more posts coming this week, so watch out for those! xx

The Wishlist

I might as well put it out there. I don't need these things to be happy, but you only turn 30 once, right? Or maybe I'll be turning 29 again...

1. Garland from Confetti Systems. Yes, I would decorate my house with this.

2. The new Home by Novogratz book by Bob & Cortney Novogratz. These folks are living MY dream - a house full of kids (7!) in New York City surrounded by aesthetically pleasing design. Need I say more?

They're releasing a collection of home items with retailer CB2 beginning October 4th. I haven't even seen their offerings and I WANT IT ALL.

3. Hunter Boots. I don't even care what color. Not because they're stylish or practical (by any means), but because it would make me a REAL BLOGGER.

4. Vinyls. You can never go wrong in buying me vinyl (unless it is a band I don't like). Even then, that sweet crackling *accompaniment of an actual record player could make the worst of the worst sound slightly better.

I've resisted the mass appeal of Mumford & Sons for as long as I could possibly handle, but their new single "I Will Wait" just completely won me over. Don't tell anybody. And I can't say that I could listen to this album from start to finish, but I am *slowly* warming up to this bluegrass jazz.

Also, Sucre's A Minor Bird turned out to be a pleasant musical surprise. The singer, Stacy King, is also one of the Eisley girls and I like their stuff enough. Sucre might actually be better though. Have a listen and tell me what you think.

I would also be happy to accept Instax film, diptyque candles, and giftcards to J.Crew or Madewell. Though I'm hesitant to invest a lot of money in my wardrobe when I don't know how much longer it'll be before Baby #2. And I'm not hinting at anything. But I AM turning 30, you know. The clock is ticking...xx

Parlours CD Release Party!

Parlours celebrated the release of their first full length album, All is Here, with a packed out CD release party at Wooly's Friday night. Fresh from their West Coast tour, the band finally got to share the new tunes with family & friends in their hometown.

The good news is you don't have to wait until their next show to buy the album either - All is Here is now available on iTunes HERE.

Thanks for bearing with me on the Parlours postings. I share these updates about the band because it is a big part of our lives.

I don't know what the future holds for Parlours, but it's an exciting time for the band and I truly think they put out a great album. It's been on repeat in my car since I opened it and I am only falling more in love with the songs. Seriously, go buy it and tell me what you think of it...xx

Parlours West Coast Tour!

Parlours hit the road this morning for their West Coast tour in support of their new album, All is Here. If you're in the vicinity of one of their shows, you should check 'em out!

8/16 – Denver, CO @ The Hi Dive w/ Red Fox Run
8/17 – Provo, UT @ Velour Music Gallery w/ Timmy the Teeth
8/18 – Nampa, ID @ Flying M Garage w/ Uinitah
8/19 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile w/ Elk & Boar, Whitney Ballent & The Intimates
8/20 – Portland, OR @ Mount Tabor House
8/21 – Sacramento, CA @ Bows and Arrows
8/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Viper Room w/ Kingsley
8/24 – Scottsdale, AZ @ The Rogue Bar
8/25 – Grand Junction, CO @ The Mesa Theatre Lounge

I may be slightly biased, but I have been listening to the new album on repeat and it is so SO good!! Also, I am so proud of my Hubby for the excellent job he did on the CD package and poster design. The man has got skills to pay the bills (literally)! Also, he's a pretty good drummer;)

This week with him away is going to be pretty crazy, but we are so looking forward to catching up with the band in CALIFORNIA next week!! Any prayers for me travelling alone with a 1 year old would be appreciated...xx

An Evening with Jack White

It's been a long time since I hit the road for a concert, but a carload of us made the trek to Omaha to see JACK WHITE play some songs this week!!

The show sold out (naturally), but I was fortunate enough to know enough Vault Members who helped get me in on the pre-sale. If there was one big show I was going to see this year, this was going to be it!!

This was actually my third time seeing the "Third Man" live. The first was with The White Stripes at the Big Day Out in Auckland, NZ. The second was at Lollapalooza with The Raconteurs. And each time has been completely memorable.

The show on Monday played like a best of his best collaborations from "Cut Like a Buffalo" to "Broken Boy Soldiers" to "Seven Nation Army", not to mention songs from his solo record, Blunderbuss.

We weren't technically supposed to take photos, but I couldn't resist. There's just something about having your own documentation of any event. This was my perspective of the show, and it was a great one at that.

My biggest regret was not purchasing a commemorative silk-screened poster for his Omaha performance. There was a stack of them while I was still making it through the merch line. I did leave with this pretty little "Freedom at 21" 7 inch though.

I just love the whole aesthetic of a Jack White experience. The intentionality of the color schemes, the air of mystery, the homages to yester-years, all rolled up into one amazing rock & roll show...xx

EIGHTY THIRTY-FIVE, BABY!!

Last year during the 80/35 Music Festival, I was in the hospital having a baby. This year, I got to enjoy it with my beautiful daughter (& husband)! Despite the heat, we all had a great time:) 

There were some challenges with taking a one year old along, but it helped that there were so many spots to refill our water cups and relax in the shade. It also helped that Ruby is such a good-natured little girl and is developing a love for music. She was boppin' her little head and clapping whenever she could. TOO CUTE.

I think it's safe to declare the Avett Brothers show as Ruby's 1st big concert (before she fell asleep). And it was a worthy one, at that! I hadn't listened to a lot of their music before, but I left feeling like I experienced something pretty special.

80/35, Day 2. More bands, more heat to endure...

Leslie & The Ly's.

 

Death Cab for Cutie closed out the festival. It's pretty great to see a band you can associate so many memories with under your own familiar skyline.

Thanks for another great year, 80/35!! xx