KISS! Pinball Machine!!!

When I was a teenager, my dad came home with a truck full of pinball machines that he bought at Pomona Car Swap. There were maybe 15 of them if I remember right. Not all of them worked correctly and needed fixing, but one of the the ones that did work perfectly was KISS! Yes, KISS the band from the 1970s, with the famous lead singer, Gene Simmons and his crazy tongue! Haha! My brother and I spent many many hours sitting on the bar stool, leaning against the game, jumping, stomping our feet, learning every nuance of that game! The moment we were done with dinner and homework, out to the garage we'd go to play KISS! We got so good at it, we could play for hours without having to restart the game. I knew just the right pressure to hit the flipper with in order to knock down the targets, how to get it through the gates at the top, how to get the extra balls. If I was ever good at anything, I was good at the KISS pinball! I had dreams of following Brooke Shields character in Tilt and traveling around to play pinball for a living! Um yeah...just a dream! But, I do take kindly to any opportunity for a good game of pinball and my current favorite is the Elvira one, but that's another story. :)



(I found these photos here: http://www.pinballrebel.com/game/pins/kiss/kiss_pinball.html)

And a clip from TILT:

Bite ME!

I love this bottle opener! Gama-Go is always coming up with the most clever designs for otherwise ordinary household & kitchen items!!! Being that we are just about a month away from Halloween, I thought this would be a good way to start the countdown!



For more info and a chance to own this little bugger for yourself, click here:
http://store.gama-go.com/Bite-Me-Vampire-Tooth-Bottle-Opener-p/la1106.htm

The Time Is NOW!

I've lived in Oakland since February 2008. Before that I lived in Los Angeles and before that in Long Beach. The roots of my current arrival began when I still lived in Camarillo, the small town in Ventura County where I grew up. Almost 20 years later, I have become more involved in the vintage reggae scene than I ever expected to be! Quite often I think about how something really great is happening in the San Francisco/Bay Area with this music and how fortunate I am to be a part of it. I am grateful to people like Adam RevivalSound System for his regular gigs around town and his radio show on Radio Valencia, Wake the Town Radio, for offering the collector selectors in the area and visitors too, an outlet to share these great tunes with appreciative audiences far and wide!

I'm grateful to my boyfriend, Shawn Atkinson, for teaching me so much about these tunes (and sharing his vast knowledge of soul & disco too!), for sharing his records monthly at Wake the Town, (SF's longest running vintage Reggae night!) and for always choosing choice tunes with just the right rhythms, organ bubbles, guitar riffs and vocals that I love!



I'm grateful to Ryan "Mr. Ryha" White for introducing me to everyone in the Bay area scene. Because of that fateful night in April, (just 2 months after I moved here), when I went to check out the first vintage reggae night I would attend in SF, I met Shawn and Adam and many of the other great people here.

To all the rest of the guys in the San Francisco Vintage Reggae Society and to all of the supporters of the scene, BIG UPS!

To Jim Martinez of First Round Promotions, I am eternally grateful to being given the honorable opportunity to create the flyers and posters for his events over the past year. Starting with Roy Ellis "Mr. Symarip" in October 2010, to Mary Love, Dean Parrish, Queen P. & The Delirians, and most recently to Pat Kelly and looking forward to Derrick Harriott NYE...this has been a fantastic ride!



So, with that said, YES! The time is NOW! Let's keep the ball rolling and continue to support our SF Vintage Reggae Society DJs and our promoters at First Round Promotions so we can have more amazing musical experiences in the future!

Cheers to everyone involved, the selectors and the fans alike!

Changes...

Sometimes life has an interesting way of steering me in a direction that I never expected to go, or consider going. Many outside influences seem to be shifting the tides and I'm left with the contemplation of whether to allow myself to be swept up into the flow or not. About a month ago, I found out that the long-term freelance gig I've been working on will be ending. That is happening this Friday. I have something else lined up to start in a week and am excited for the end of the old and the start of something new. However, this change has kinda made me really think about what it is in life that I want to do. The fashion design world can indeed be exciting, but it can also be a very cruel environment that forces you to learn how to keep your head up, even when you want to throw in the towel. Working as a freelancer in SF has certainly been challenging and definitely not as nourishing as I had hoped. So, taking the advice of my mother, I have been doing my best to project what it is in life that I want...and more and more, I picture myself as a shop owner! I die a little inside every day that I have to work for the man. Even though the weekly paycheck is rewarding, working for someone else is not providing me the rewards I need. I come from an independent minded family where I was taught that I can survive financially without having to depend on a 9-5 job. I think I am ready to pursue this path. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Until then...

~ Wherever I Lay My Hat ~

This tune has been spinning around in my head this afternoon, so thought I'd share it with you! Enjoy!

Delano Stewart's version from 1970, produced by Sonia Pottinger (RIP).


And Motown's own, Marvin Gaye, performing the original from 1963.

Junkculture: Moments in Time

I think JunkCulture is my new favorite blog/webiste! So many things that inspire me! Take a look at this amazingly clever idea using tiny models and pocket watches!


Junkculture: Moments in Time: Artist Dominic Wilcox created a series of one-off, customised sculptures,using a collection of vintage watches and model figures. By attachi...

Shuka!

HUGE Oakland Record Swap

Seems to me that the Bay Area has no shortage of things to do this weekend and specifically Saturday! Start the day off right at the Oakland Record Swap being held at Pizzaiolo on Telegraph in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland. Some great vendors will be there offering some choice vinyl! I hope to make it over to see what treasures I can take home with me! Records is kinda like a drug...once you start buying and seriously collecting, you can never have enough! Haha! Anyway, here's the Facebook invite link: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136463039783458

And here's the flyer:


***************AND...don't forget to tune in to Wake The Town Radio, 87.9FM from 6-8pm to hear a very special show with a very special guest, Pat Kelly! Host Adam Revivalsound Selector also welcomes special guest DJ's from SF Vintage Reggae Society, DJ Shawn Atkinson and Mr. Ryha! This is going to be a show to remember!

And this is just the warm-up for Saturday night's party at the Rockit Room where Pat Kelly will be performing with supporting bands The Revivers and The Titan Ups and guest selectors Sure Shot, Adam Revivalsound Selector & Mr. Ryha. Be there!!!

Put Your Weight On It-Fillimore Street Soul Rebellion

Fillmore Street Soul Rebellion getting down with Rudy Ray Moore! Ohhhhh YEAH!

PAT KELLY - Reggae Legend in SF this Saturday Night!

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=218440458175624

First Round Promotions in association with Wake The Town Radio present...

For the first time ever in San Francisco, Jamaican Rocksteady & Reggae legend and vocalist of The Techniques:

Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly will be supported by SoCal's very own organ heavy Reggae & Rocksteady band:
The Revivers
Plus, we're also proud to announce the addition of local SF heroes:
The Titan Ups

Also, SF Vintage Reggae Society DJs:
Mr. Ryha (Rhythm Injection Sound)
Sureshot (Scandal!)
Adam (Revival Sound System/Wake The Town Radio)

Doors open @ 9pm
21 & up w/ID

406 Clement St.
San Francisco, CA. 94118
(415) 387-6343

Tickets available $15 at the door

***********Also, get warmed up with Wake The Town Radio, 87.9 or radiovalencia.com from 6-8pm Saturday night with...drum roll please!...

Very special in-studio guest... Jamaican Rocksteady & Reggae legend, vocalist of The Techniques:

Pat Kelly

Live interview w/Pat Kelly. Saturday's radio show will be hosted by Adam (revival sound), Mr. Ryha (Rhythm Injection Sound) and DJ Shawn Atkinson (Wake the Town @ Mad Dog in the Fog). HAVE QUESTIONS FOR PAT KELLY? call the studio @ (415) 875-9051

"Wake The Town"

2 Hours of JA Oldies w/your host Adam from Revival Sound System on 87.9 FM in SF or online at:

www.radiovalencia.fm

Every Saturday evening 6PM-8PM

Junkculture: Beyond Perspective

What a beautiful photo! To me, this looks like hundreds of little french knots on cloth! Lovely!

Junkculture: Beyond Perspective: Hungarian-born artist Adam Magyar creates these amazing composite images of city squares bustling with crowds, by taking individual shots of...

Lego Volkswagen T1 Kombi Camper Van ~ AMAZINGNESS!!!

As a lifelong VW fan (by reason of association)I found this to be a pretty amazing creation! How crazy that Lego would even care about this classic vehicle and go through all of the innovations in their little cubes, necessary to create this fun model! The video included here is of the designer giving insight into the problems and solutions needed to get the curves and details. How fun is that?!!!

Thanks to the Fox Is Black blog, I have discovered this! http://thefoxisblack.com/2011/08/25/lego-volkswagen-t1-camper-van/

For additional info and the ability to buy (official release Oct. 1), go to the official Lego site: http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Volkswagen-T1-Camper-Van-10220

Air Guitar Nation trailer

Watched this today. Much more entertaining than I was expecting...HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

1960s Powder Compact offered by H is for Home!

Okay, how cute is this?! Click the link below to see additional views and to get more info on the product and ordering abilities! I love H is for Home shop and should one day I find myself with lots of money and space for really cool objects from the mid 20th century, I will be adding many of their offerings into my cart!
http://www.hisforhome.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=3176&DepartmentID=2

The Beginning of the End - Funky Nassau - Long Full

It's been a while since I posted here. Life has sort of been consuming me! Thought I would get back into the blogging grove with one of my all-time favorite tunes! Funky Nassau by The Beginning of the End! Hope you enjoy!