I'm now back in the States interning for 107.7 The End. This year was so unbelievably full of beautiful experiences. So much friendship, music, laughter, love. I have a busy summer in Seattle and final year at Whitman ahead of me, and will throw myself into them - but there's no question, Berlin kept my heart when I left. Until I return - here are my memories.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Shirt von Audiolith
Given my head-over-heels obsession with Bilder mit Katze, it was clear that I was going to need to buy the shirt from Audiolith. What I was not expecting, was that this shirt is actually magic. After getting turned away from Berghain twice with a friend, I went home and put the shirt on, came back alone, and got in. Past Sven no less! I went harder than ever before, obviously, and came home around 1 PM, after my body could just not channel the amazing music any longer. Collapsed and napped. Later that day I went for a Spaziergang with my roomie, still wearing the shirt, to take some photos of my favorite part of Berlin - the area around the Oberbaumbrücke. She snapped a polaroid of me on the bridge, and then we ambled along the edge of the Spree, where a guy chilling called after me, "mit den schönen großen Buchstaben!!" Needless to say, I was ecstatic.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Bilder mit Katze
After weeks, I am still so in love with this video. Possibly my favorite music video of all time. It touches upon a quintessential zeitgeist of my generation, the generation that grew up between the party life and the hipster art documentation of that party life, between concerts and Facebook and Tumblr, the love for the old and the new, Polaroids and fashion and music, where the girl or boy you love is also in some sense the band you love is the shirt you buy at a merch table. Life imitating art, life molding itself to produce art, to the point when there can be no life without art, and art is life's prime mover.
Also, the discovery of this video motivated me to look up Frittenbude and see if they had tour dates, which led to my discovery of Hurricane Festival, which I will now be attending, my second to last weekend in DE! (SO STOKED.) Artists I'm looking forward to seeing - You Me At Six, Jupiter Jones, Arcade Fire, Sick Puppies, All Time Low, Gogol Bordello, I Blame Coco, My Chemical Romance, Frittenbude, Bright Eyes, Selig, Band of Horses, Flogging Molly, The Wombats, Arctic Monkeys, Clueso, Foo Fighters. In other words like half the lineup. Best looking festival ever! Update: Festival was incredible! Weather sucked, but the amazing music made up for it. Photos here.
Here is the glorious video, and my English translation of the lyrics.
It was a balmy night
you still know it just
as if it was yesterday
you were a bit stoked
and had drunken before
vodka with your friends
you roamed through the night
at nine you all slipped inside
you were the greatest fans
of Torsun and the guys
and in the first row knew really all the songs
but also the opening band were good
what pleased you even more
there was this girl there
she was special, had style
you spoke to her, said playfully "Hey Cat,
haven't seen you before"
"Hey Tomcat I'm here for Bratze"
she found the lyrics great
and the two guys funny
you wanted to buy her something but then had just the fifty
that was supposed to suffice for the next twenty days
you brought her a drink, but
she said, "Pity,
I'd love that shirt, that's there by Lars to buy
the black yellow there, the nice shirt from Audiolith,"
but she was sadly broke
had from her last money
bought the ticket today
so you picked it up and were her hero
you've then danced until she went home
and you stayed back with the guys, that hung around on the couch
You buy the woman you love
a shirt from Audiolith
that she constantly wears
because there's nothing out there
like this shirt from Audiolith
with the nice large letters
You buy the woman you love
a shirt from Audiolith
that she constantly wears
because there's nothing out there
like this shirt from Audiolith
with the nice large letters
On morning the next day already
you were so worked up
you called her and almost put it down again
cause first her father answered
but he was extremely friendly
then you've talked a long time
and noticed, that there's stuff there
that you have in common
you soon met up
you were immediately a pair
and both also open for everything
you went to every party and to many concerts
demos or festivals, the life was beyond intense
main thing Audiolith, you've celebrated everything
and she wore always this shirt, it suited her excellently
you've ridden many trains
it was always a whirlwind
and once in the regional train you met Frittenbude
they invited you, have taken you with to the concert
you both danced through the night, simply didn't go home
so it went a few years
you loved each other so
and all the more hurt when suddenly there was nothing more
and also the favorite shirt
it was suddenly gone
there were many tears
your love was like two swans
or at least similar, because you were extremely injured
didn't want to see her anymore
you stayed
and she had to go
"Hi Tomcat it's me
well you never come to the phone
I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to Berlin now,
to the fashion school
I already have an apartment, at Kotti
maybe one will hear from each other
ciaoi"
The shirt from Audiolith
was like the woman you love
suddenly vanished and you
alone at home, it remained
nothing to you but without pause these Audiolith songs
and pictures with Cat
The shirt from Audiolith
was like the woman you love
suddenly vanished and you
alone at home, it remained
nothing to you but without pause these Audiolith songs
and pictures with Cat
The years went by
you became always older
the girls came, stayed, went, flowers wilted
you saved a bit of money, for a new couch
dismantled the old one and what suddenly turned up
way back in the corner
you didn't believe it
there lay this shirt, this one shirt from Audiolith
you think back on the moments of your youth
the time was super, only you two and the music
you throw the machine on
type her name in
have found her right away in a network, can it be
that's really her, no
you're suddenly very confused
take a photo of the shirt, not of you
and send it to her
Also, the discovery of this video motivated me to look up Frittenbude and see if they had tour dates, which led to my discovery of Hurricane Festival, which I will now be attending, my second to last weekend in DE! (SO STOKED.) Artists I'm looking forward to seeing - You Me At Six, Jupiter Jones, Arcade Fire, Sick Puppies, All Time Low, Gogol Bordello, I Blame Coco, My Chemical Romance, Frittenbude, Bright Eyes, Selig, Band of Horses, Flogging Molly, The Wombats, Arctic Monkeys, Clueso, Foo Fighters. In other words like half the lineup. Best looking festival ever! Update: Festival was incredible! Weather sucked, but the amazing music made up for it. Photos here.
Here is the glorious video, and my English translation of the lyrics.
It was a balmy night
you still know it just
as if it was yesterday
you were a bit stoked
and had drunken before
vodka with your friends
you roamed through the night
at nine you all slipped inside
you were the greatest fans
of Torsun and the guys
and in the first row knew really all the songs
but also the opening band were good
what pleased you even more
there was this girl there
she was special, had style
you spoke to her, said playfully "Hey Cat,
haven't seen you before"
"Hey Tomcat I'm here for Bratze"
she found the lyrics great
and the two guys funny
you wanted to buy her something but then had just the fifty
that was supposed to suffice for the next twenty days
you brought her a drink, but
she said, "Pity,
I'd love that shirt, that's there by Lars to buy
the black yellow there, the nice shirt from Audiolith,"
but she was sadly broke
had from her last money
bought the ticket today
so you picked it up and were her hero
you've then danced until she went home
and you stayed back with the guys, that hung around on the couch
You buy the woman you love
a shirt from Audiolith
that she constantly wears
because there's nothing out there
like this shirt from Audiolith
with the nice large letters
You buy the woman you love
a shirt from Audiolith
that she constantly wears
because there's nothing out there
like this shirt from Audiolith
with the nice large letters
On morning the next day already
you were so worked up
you called her and almost put it down again
cause first her father answered
but he was extremely friendly
then you've talked a long time
and noticed, that there's stuff there
that you have in common
you soon met up
you were immediately a pair
and both also open for everything
you went to every party and to many concerts
demos or festivals, the life was beyond intense
main thing Audiolith, you've celebrated everything
and she wore always this shirt, it suited her excellently
you've ridden many trains
it was always a whirlwind
and once in the regional train you met Frittenbude
they invited you, have taken you with to the concert
you both danced through the night, simply didn't go home
so it went a few years
you loved each other so
and all the more hurt when suddenly there was nothing more
and also the favorite shirt
it was suddenly gone
there were many tears
your love was like two swans
or at least similar, because you were extremely injured
didn't want to see her anymore
you stayed
and she had to go
"Hi Tomcat it's me
well you never come to the phone
I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to Berlin now,
to the fashion school
I already have an apartment, at Kotti
maybe one will hear from each other
ciaoi"
The shirt from Audiolith
was like the woman you love
suddenly vanished and you
alone at home, it remained
nothing to you but without pause these Audiolith songs
and pictures with Cat
The shirt from Audiolith
was like the woman you love
suddenly vanished and you
alone at home, it remained
nothing to you but without pause these Audiolith songs
and pictures with Cat
The years went by
you became always older
the girls came, stayed, went, flowers wilted
you saved a bit of money, for a new couch
dismantled the old one and what suddenly turned up
way back in the corner
you didn't believe it
there lay this shirt, this one shirt from Audiolith
you think back on the moments of your youth
the time was super, only you two and the music
you throw the machine on
type her name in
have found her right away in a network, can it be
that's really her, no
you're suddenly very confused
take a photo of the shirt, not of you
and send it to her
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Dreh den Swag auf!
A phenomenon that I apparently missed - last summer, Germany and Austria were swept away by the rapping, ah, talents of a certain "Money Boy." His revolutionary Denglish-packed DIY rap "Dreh den Swag auf" (Turn the swag up) was so amazingly terrible that over 6.6 million people felt the need to watch it.
In any case, certain glorious phrases like "schaue kurz in den Spiegel, sag whaddup" (glance in the mirror, say what up) have passed into mainstream German pop culture, and probably every inhabitant of Germany under the age of 30 now knows the English word "swag."
What interests me more, is this far superior indie version of the song. Much like Hayley Williams of Paramore, Ethan Luck of Resilient K, and Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory went and made a semi-legit and fairly decent pop-punk song out of Autotune the News and Antoine Dodson's infamous "Bed Intruder," German indie rockers Untertagen went and made a totally sick music video for their reimagined rock version of "Dreh den Swag auf." Like Ke$ha meets hipsters meets Deutschland. Love it.
Update: as of April 26, we saw these guys in concert! Awesome show at the Waschhaus in Potsdam, bought their CD afterwards, took a photo with them and snagged the setlist.
In any case, certain glorious phrases like "schaue kurz in den Spiegel, sag whaddup" (glance in the mirror, say what up) have passed into mainstream German pop culture, and probably every inhabitant of Germany under the age of 30 now knows the English word "swag."
What interests me more, is this far superior indie version of the song. Much like Hayley Williams of Paramore, Ethan Luck of Resilient K, and Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory went and made a semi-legit and fairly decent pop-punk song out of Autotune the News and Antoine Dodson's infamous "Bed Intruder," German indie rockers Untertagen went and made a totally sick music video for their reimagined rock version of "Dreh den Swag auf." Like Ke$ha meets hipsters meets Deutschland. Love it.
Update: as of April 26, we saw these guys in concert! Awesome show at the Waschhaus in Potsdam, bought their CD afterwards, took a photo with them and snagged the setlist.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Tokyo nostalgia!
New photo from the December 15 Tokio Hotel showcase, courtesy of Universal Japan. I'm the US flag on the right!
Almost two months to the day! Such beautiful memories. <33
Almost two months to the day! Such beautiful memories. <33
Klee "Wie weit"
What song is simultaneously stimulating, relaxing, and focusing enough to help you cram for (and totally own) an Arabic final? That's right, this one. Prepare to have the paths of your mind wayyyy unwound.
If you're feeling the vibe, you can buy the track at Mediamarkt!
xx DJ Nena
Update: Got to see the band perform a few songs up close and live for a TV recording session on May 25! They were doing a show for ZDF neoMusic and I answered an audience casting call. Weird experience! TV audiences are highly coached and the show itself was just goofy, but the band's performance was amazing. Suzie has an incredibly beautiful voice.
Saw the band outside after the recording and thanked Suzie for the great performance. She was so sweet and grasped my hand before scuttling off to the band taxi. Cool experience! The show should air on June 19.
If you're feeling the vibe, you can buy the track at Mediamarkt!
xx DJ Nena
Update: Got to see the band perform a few songs up close and live for a TV recording session on May 25! They were doing a show for ZDF neoMusic and I answered an audience casting call. Weird experience! TV audiences are highly coached and the show itself was just goofy, but the band's performance was amazing. Suzie has an incredibly beautiful voice.
Saw the band outside after the recording and thanked Suzie for the great performance. She was so sweet and grasped my hand before scuttling off to the band taxi. Cool experience! The show should air on June 19.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Interview with Herrenmagazin
Got to see awesome German indie band Herrenmagazin in concert on January 27, and was lucky enough to be able to do an interview with them for Frequency Magazine before the show. I'll post the link to the full article as soon as it's through the redaction!
For photos from the concert, check out my album here.
The band's music is available on German and US iTunes - grab yourself some of it! They are fantastic.
Edit: Article over on Frequency here.
For photos from the concert, check out my album here.
The band's music is available on German and US iTunes - grab yourself some of it! They are fantastic.
Edit: Article over on Frequency here.
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