Rilo Kiley!

So I am a very huge Rilo Kiley fan. I have been for years. They are one of those bands whose songs can literally bring me to tears if I am feeling abnormally emotional for whatever reason. I am incredibly excited for next week, because they have a compilation album coming out called RKives. It is supposed to feature seven unreleased songs. I AM SO EXCITED.

In honor of this event, I have decided to post some of my all-time fave RK songs. Enjoy.

-Rachel

With Arms Outstretched (probably my #1 RK song that I listen to like everyday)

Pictures of Success (bust out the Kleenex)

The Good That Won't Come Out

Hail To Whatever You Found In The Sunlight That Surrounds You

Portions for Foxes

Making Movies/The Noise FM Show

Hey y'all - so I haven't blogged in quite some time and I apologize. JK I'm totally not sorry.

So I went to a show at Township last night and it was pretty awesome. I am a fan of Chicago band The Noise FM and was pretty pumped when I saw they were having a show. I was even more pumped when my friend told me she was a big fan of the band they were playing with: Kansas City's Making Movies.

Now, I am the type of person who needs to be places on time. I am extremely punctual and will have a downright pseudo panic attack if I feel like I am going to be somewhere late. So the event's Facebook page said the show started at 8, so clearly, I showed up at 7:55. I thought it was kind of odd the show was starting so early, but I went with it.

Well I ended up sitting there by myself for a good 10 minutes before my friends showed up, who then berated me  because I am so punctual and forced them to leave the house before 11:00 at night, god forbid. Guys, the show didn't start until 10:00. So yeah, we sat there at the bar drinking PBR for 2 hours before the music began. Whatevs, its all good. #drunk

So I'm not going to lie to you because I am a truly honest person. I wasn't really paying attention to the first band because I was busy playing with the Nudifier app on my iPhone (it's hilarious, please download it), but they were not bad at all. They definitely had a Latin flavor.  After them, the Noise FM played. I first heard this band at a Toys for Tots charity event at Subterranean in Wicker Park. They are an indie-rock, keyboard-y band with some fast dance-y beats. They also sell Boy Meets World erotic fan fiction at their show, which gets a big thumbs up from me. I danced a little and swayed my hips to the beat like a true middle aged white man. They rocked it out though, for sure.

After The Noise FM played, my life was changed.  Making Movies took center stage. I had never heard them, but like I said earlier, my friend likes them alot so I was like, ok ok, this could be good. They were amaze. Making Movies is a very Latin sounding group but they also rocked the fuck out. The dreadlocked singer sang in Spanish, which, quite frankly, made me want to drop my panties a little bit.  Also the bass player was incredibly good looking but that is besides the point (hey boo, wanna hang? holler). The crowd went pretty cray cray for them.  Suddenly I turned into a classically trained salsa dancer. Everyone was just so into  it, it was so much fun listening to them play, although I had absolutely no idea what they were singing about, as I do not speak Spanish. But it didn't even matter. I was feeling the music. They ended their set with a song called Lo Que Quiero, which was a song with audience participation, and everyone was just feeling it. I was a sweaty mess by the end of it. The body heat was just too much.

So overall, both the Noise FM and Making Movies get an A. I am also super stoked about having a new favorite band, Making Movies. You guys rocked.

http://www.thenoisefm.net/
http://www.makingmoviesband.com/

-Rachel

Our new podcast is up! We have a really funny Sex Q&A session, and we interview the man behind Elephant Mixtapes.

Interviews n' Stuff

Hey guys! Rachel here.

 I haven't been blogging or podcasting for very long, but I have already noticed this sense of community within the blog/podcast/online publication group. Off The Grid has more views than I could ever ask for, and a bunch of cool twitter followers (we actually had 100 new followers within just one day!). Not only that, but both DNA Chicago and a student reporter from Columbia College interviewed me today regarding the Elephant Mixtape project. They both found me via internet, since I had blogged about it a couple of different times. Not only is it cool to get our name out there on different online publications, but it's also cool to meet other people in the community via blogging/twitter/random social network. It makes me wish I had started to podcast and blog earlier! 

Anyways, here is the link to our shoutout on DNA Chicago: DNA Chicago: Elephant Mixtape Project

 I will post the Columbia article as soon as its up.

Let's Talk About Sex

Hey y'all...

So for our next podcast, we are trying something a little different/awesome.

We are going to bring in a special, surprise guest to talk sex. But we need your help.

Off The Grid is looking for people who need sex, love and relationship advice, or just have general questions about those topics. We want to have fun with this, so the more ridiculous the questions, the better.

You can remain anonymous if you're ashamed of those burning questions you have googled in the wee hours of the morning. It's OK...we've all been there.

Send your questions to:

chicago.off.the.grid@gmail.com

We love you.

Porn Ban?

So, um, this is kind of awkward. Iceland wants to ban internet porn. Whats up with that? I thought the internet is the world wide web of whatever the fuck you want it to be. Here's the article:

Iceland Porn Ban

Podcast #2

Our new Podcast is posted!! Check it out here:

Off The Grid #2


We're talking about a lot of cool stuff, and we have a great interview with the director of the Heidelberg Project.

If I were you, I would totally listen to this podcast and enjoy it. A lot.

-Rachel 

Woman Dies From Drinking Too Much Coca Cola

We all have our "things" right? Well this woman's "thing" killed her.  She apparently drank about 2 gallons of Coca Cola every day! Can you imagine drinking that much of anything???  Check out the article:

Woman Dies From Drinking Coca Cola

The Heidelberg Project

Something I have taken interest in within the past year or so is the City of Detroit and how artists are working to uplift the city.  What was once a community rich in culture and industry, is now a struggling city filled with thousands of abandoned homes.  One group in particular is putting in a huge effort to turn the city around and turn abandoned homes into art: The Heidelberg Project.

The Heidelberg Project is an outdoor art project in Detroit, Michigan. It  was created in 1986 by artist Tyree Guyton and his grandfather Sam Mackey ("Grandpa Sam") as an outdoor art environment in the McDougall-Hunt neighborhood on the city's east side, just north of the city's historically African-American Black Bottom area. The Heidelberg Project is, in part, a political protest at Tyree Guyon's childhood neighborhood began to deteriorate after the 1967 riots. Guyon described coming back to Heidelberg Street after serving in the Army; he was astonished to see that the surrounding neighborhood looked as if "a bomb went off." (source: Wikipedia)


Words don't do justice to the Heidelberg Project. Take a look at some of the photos.

source: statementsinfashion.net

source: woodlandshoppersparadise.blogspot.com

source: hookedonhouses.net

source: monkeypuzzleblog.com

We interviewed Jenenne Whitfield, Executive Director of the Heidelberg Project.  She gave a  very inspiring interview about the city of Detroit and why art is so important in communities. 

Check out the full interview on our podcast!

The Heidelberg Project: Official Website

Craigslist Joe

So I was browsing Netflix a couple of weeks ago looking for a documentary to cover on our podcast. Up until a couple of weeks ago I had been really into watching docs with super heavy topics, and I wanted to lighten up the mood a bit. That's when "Craigslist Joe" caught my eye.

official trailer for "Craigslist Joe"

The movie follows a guy, appropriately named "Joe," as he travels the country, with the goal of living off the website Craigslist for a month. So he gives up mostly everything - and embarks on his journey with only a cell phone, laptop computer, toothbrush, and the clothes on his back. No money, no means of transportation, no nothing. 

The movie is really inspiring in that it shows you first hand that there are good, generous people out there in the world. Joe meets some incredibly giving people on the adventure.  Through browsing Craigslist ads, he gets free rides all around the country and even ends up in Chicago (where he stays with a dominatrix woman. Way to represent, Chicago!), and his hometown, Arlington Heights. He spends the night at the homes of people who are generous enough to open their doors to him. He experiences cultural exchanges that he might otherwise never experience, if he wasn't making this movie. I think this is the whole point of the movie.  To show people that in a world of war, chaos, financial burden, illness and crime, there really are people out there who are helpful, trusting, generous, and generally good. 

The only complaint I have is that I really would have liked to see the moments where he was having trouble and the moments, if there were any, that he had any sort of negative, emotional breakdowns.  There were a couple moments in the movie where Joe was having problems finding places to stay, but it always turned out positively.  Where are all the moments of homesickness, frustration and stress that I feel anyone would go through during a time like this? Joe, is there a blooper or behind-the-scenes reel we can watch? It would have made the movie seem more real if we got to see this kind of stuff, too. And where were the creepers? I usually associate Craigslist with a)The Craigslist Killer, b)creepers in general or c)people trying to find sex.  Although I have to admit, I actually sold my car to a guy from Craigslist and it was a good experience overall and he definitely did not turn my skin into a lampshade. 

So long story short: Craigslist Joe is a pretty good movie! It's inspiring and feel-good.  It's an easy watch, and at the same time, is entertaining and really makes you think. 

 Craigslist Joe Official Website

-Rachel

Elephant Mixtape: Follow Up

I wanted to share the list of songs that were on the Elephant Mixtape I found (if you don't know what I'm talking about please refer to my previous blog).

Side A (elephant mix)
1. Megan Roberts - I Could Sit Here All Day
2. Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol
3. Tim Rose - I Knew These Two People
4. Apollo Smile - Let's Smile
5. Jimmy McCracklin - Let's Do It (The Chicken Scratch)
6. John Martyn - Don't Want to Know
7. Unknown (written by Cole Porter) - My Heart Belongs to Daddy
8. Louise Huebner - The emotional Bondage Spell
9. Odetta - Sail Away Ladies
10. Nektar - Recycle/Cybernetic Consumption
11. Butterbeans & Susie - Elevator Papa, Switchboard mama
12. Dschinn - Rock N Roll Dschinny
13. Jack Bonus - Aye Que Lyn

Side B
1. B-Movies - Moles
2. Francis Lai - Spring Time Ballet
3. The Ambassadors - Gary, Indiana
4. Theo Bikel - I hear the Laughter
5. Colyn Davies - The Hearse Song
6. Leona Anderson - Rats in my Room
7. Country Funk - Apart of Me
8. New Elecktrik - Lust of Berlin
9. Tom Cora - Cruelty and Memory
10. Cozmic Corridors - Dark Path
11. Mike Batt - Zero Zero
12. Elsa Lanchester - At the Drive In
13. Skreem - Winner Takes All
14. Third World War - Teddy Teeth Goes Sailing

Okay, so, I wasn't really into alot of this music. The songs are very obscure and not stuff I would normally listen to. There were a few songs I liked: "Moles," "Apart of me" and a few others. A lot of it was instrumental or just really really old. There was an instrumental one on here that Portishead clearly sampled so that was kind of cool to hear.

So, I struggled making my mix because I got rid of 99% of my cds last summer. I have a few stragglers though, so I had to use those. I don't normally repeat artists so much on mixes, but I had to do that alot here (good artists though!!!! although I put Chief Keef on there just to be an asshole)

Side A (my mix)

1.  Freak These Tales - Murs
2. Percussion Gun - White Rabbits
3. Sure Shot - Beastie Boys
4. Elephant Woman - Blonde Redhead
5. Clique - Kanye West, Jay-z, Big Sean
6. Tonight, Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
7. Soco Amaretto Lime - Brand New
8. Free or Dead - Atmosphere
9. Don't Like - Chief Keef ft. Kanye West & others
10. You're All I've Got Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
11. Biz Markie & Beastie Boys - Benny & The Jets

Side B

1. Cold - Kanye West
2. Misery is a Butterfly - Blonde Redhead
3. Bad Man - Murs
4. Meladori Magpie - Smashing Pumpkins
5. Eli - Caribou
6. The Shower Scene - Brand New
7. They Done Wrong - White Rabbits
8. Alive - Beastie Boys
9. 4:30a.m - Atmosphere
10.  Adjust - Atmosphere
11. 33 - Smashing Pumpkins
12. Egg Man - Beastie Boys
13. High Plains Drifter - Beastie Boys (cuts off in middle of song, boo)