Fall has come and gone, but my pastel lipsticks are nowhere to be found. Instead, I’m standing out from the spring break crowd with dark, vampy lips, which give my mouth some major attitude. My inspiration is none other than Lorde, soulful singer and goth lipstick queen. But dark lips come with a number of issues: bleeding out of the lip line and staying on through the night, to name a few. The products and steps below will ensure your pout stays perfect, even if – like Lorde – you’re performing all night long.
1. Pat any translucent powder all over the lips. This will make your lip color pop, as well as help it stay on longer.
2. Apply a purple stain over the lips – it’ll show a bit through the darker lip color and give you the kind of dimensionality Lorde tends to rock. I like Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush.
3. Blot the topmost layer of color off with a tissue, another tactic to ensure staying power.
4. Dot a dark lip product – like OCC Lip Tar in Black Dahlia – on the hand so it will be easy to apply with a lip brush.
5. Use a lip brush to fill in lips with the dark lip color. The OCC product comes with its own mini lip brush.
6. Use the tip of the brush to smooth out any imperfections, especially near the cupid’s bow. Since the lip color pops so much, any errors will be obvious!
7. All finished! Stand back and make sure there are no smudges from afar.
Hailing from Austin, TX rock ‘n’ roll band Quiet Company is definitely not a company to keep quiet about. The five-member group lays out punchy guitar beats with meaningful lyrics that have warranted coverage on NPR’s “All Things Considered” as well as several Austin Music Awards. We were graced with the opportunity to sit down and chat with them at the Chuggin’ Monkey in downtown Austin during SXSW and talk about their biggest successes, the new album coming out, and their love of Game of Thrones.
VM: So 2013 turned out to be quite the year for you guys. What do you guys think was your biggest success of the year?
Tommy Blank: It was the first year we were able to fully dedicate – all of us – to Quiet Company, so we were a full-time band. And we toured, so any one thing really encompasses everything. We were able to spend the full-time amount on rehearsals and writing up songs. I guess we got All Things Considered on NPR too, and that’s a pretty big thing. It was kind of an interesting thing, because it wasn’t all songs, and [it was] based on the topic of our last record and Taylor’s tackling of religion and his perspective.
VM: I saw on your website that you guys have started recording a fourth studio album. Can we expect to hear any thing off of it during SXSW?
Taylor Muse: Yes, I think we are only playing like one old song. Everything else we are playing is new. We are really excited about the new material, and we just got out of the studio Tuesday. We are adding some mixing now, and Tim Palmer is mixing it. He is one of – if not the – best mix engineers in the world for our money, so we are super excited about what we are hearing back. We are really proud of it. It’s our first record we have done with a producer, and we are working with Matt Novesky.
TB: It’s also the first one we have done completely in the studio, and we are using Orb Studios, which the grand opening is actually this Sunday, so we were in there before they actually opened the doors, and it was a really good experience.
VM: What should your fans expect from the new album coming out?
Evan Smoker: They should expect loud, catchy rockin’ guitars and awesome drums from me, the best drummer in the band and super hard punches. It’s going to be a great tour de force of rock ‘n roll greatness.
VM: What has it been like working with Matt Novesky producing?
TM: [Jokingly] Matt is just real human garbage. No, Matt is just a really lovely, amazing person. He is really kind and generous, and he made our recording experience so much fun. He was really all about getting the best version of us, you know, instead of making us into to something else. He helped us to see the making of the album as more about capturing a moment rather than capturing an idea. It was all about capturing a particular performance, something believable, something pure and genuine. Not how we have seen records before, when we were trying to capture the idea of something instead. We recorded it live, which is the first time we have done that, and I would hate to have to go back to recording any other way in any other studio. It was a really great experience, and Kevin Butler was the engineer, and he is fantastic.
TB: Because we had a great producer and an amazing guy like Kevin, we were able to focus on it being a live performance on this record. We were able to just perform and focus on that, instead of all that bullsh*t like miking amps.
VM: You guys recently re-mastered and re-recorded your 2006 album Shine Honesty. what was the inspiration to get back in the studio and give it another shot?
TM: Part of it was bad advice, but that’s the one record we didn’t own since it was on our record label. And they did nothing with it, and so it had been out of print for three years. So really, it was just a way for us to own the record again. We corrected a lot of things, but we were pretty true to the original as far as arrangement goes. It sounds better now, and it ended up being cheaper for us to just do it where we can manufacture new copies whenever we want, as opposed to spending money buying them back from the record label. It wasn’t a big thing for us; [it was] really just to fill that hole in our catalog.
VM:I know we are all dying to know, was the title of the Christmas EP Winter is Coming a Game of Thrones reference or just a coincidence?
TM: Oh yeah, of course.
TB: What’s Game of Thrones?
TM: Tommy doesn’t really watch game of thrones, but the rest of us do. It’s an overt reference; we weren’t really trying to hide it.
VM: Who writes the songs? Is there a common theme or subject that tie them together in any way?
TM: We did Belong, and that record dealt exclusively with the whole religion thing and not having one anymore and all the emotions and stuff that come with that. But we aren’t ever going to talk about that again. Oddly enough, I have always been a big fan of that imagery. To some degree, you can take the boy out of East Texas but you cant take East Texas out of the boy. There is still a lot of very religious imagery on this new record, but there is not a religious thought on it whatsoever. The new record just deals with this past year that we have had, and the overall message of the thing is anything that you love that is worth having, you will have to struggle for to some degree, so it deals with struggle in different aspects.
VM: What is the process you guys go through to make new music? Do you have a routine, or does it vary?
TM: I don’t know, since we have a new band now, we got a band that really wants to be here, so our process may differ from how it was in the past. Bill has only been our keyboard player for about a week. He has gone from being a piano player to a sensation worker. Evan may be the best drummer I have ever met; he’s phenomenal, but we have only had him for maybe a couple of months. We had been struggling to write this record for about a year, but then there was such an energy there with these new guys. We were just plowing through stuff, and everything was so easy.
TB: All the doubt from the writing room that we had been having was gone.
TM: Not to say anything bad about the guys from before; you can’t really control what you like and don’t like. But now we have a group that is a little more like-minded creatively. We all like big guitars and big rock songs, so let’s make big guitars and big rock songs.
VM: Could you give us any hint as to when the new album will be available?
TM: No. Not in the past; it’ll be in the future! We have never shopped a record before, so we aren’t going to do that. And if the right deal comes along, we just have no idea. If we don’t get it picked up or don’t find the right match for us, we will just release it ourselves, and it will probably fail. But we are really hoping it does get picked up. Plus, it is not even done mixing yet; we have done that thing in the past where we set a goal before the record is even done, but this year we finally learned all the lessons we need to learn.
UK alternative punk-ska rapper iTCH has caused quite a stir overseas and is making serious headway over here with US tours with big names such as AWOLNATION and Black Gold. During the magical week that is SXSW, we were able to chat with him at the Chuggin’ Monkey in downtown Austin about his solo career, lyrical inspirations, and his new album coming out on March 26th.
VM: You used to be the front man of the ska-punk band The King Blues; what made you go decide to go solo?
iTCH: After 10 years of doing the same thing and people expecting that of me, I decided to do something a little different. During the early days of that band, there was always a threat of danger, and the police would come shut down the gigs, and it was edgy, and I got off on that danger in a perverse way. After awhile as it got bigger, it just got stale, and I stopped enjoying it as much.
VM: Your Current EPs The Manifestos are different from your old bands sound and instead infused with hip-hop and dance music elements. Why the change?
iTCH: Towards the last two King Blues records, were pretty much a mixture of hip-hop and punk rock but done from a bands perspective. But what I wanted to do with my solo work was take that to the next level. What I have tried to do is mix the lyricism, storytelling, and political background of hip-hop with the anger and energy of punk rock.
VM: I love that title of your 1st EP The Manifesto Part 1: How to F*cking Rule at Life. How did you come up with that; did you just wake up one day and decide that should be the name of the EP?
iTCH: Well, I had this idea of having these manifestos, and I like the idea of it being in this tongue and cheek way, because my background has been lyrical protest music. I like the tongue and cheek aspect and the taking a piss aspect of it being super preachy. It was kind of making fun of myself.
VM: So you signed with Red Bull Records, an independent record label that has had some pretty big names come through, like AWOLNATION and Black Gold. How has the experience of working with the label been?
iTCH: It’s been great. It’s the fourth label I have signed to, so I have been on DIY labels, indie labels, major labels, and I actually feel most at home here, like I have the most support and freedom to do what I want. I was speaking to many different labels, and they were the ones that really got my vision and wanted to bring it to life.
VM: Your song “Homeless Romantic” has almost 150,000 hits on YouTube; how does that feel?
iTCH: Awesome! Like, weird that that many people would bother watching it. But, obviously it’s really humbling, and it’s a nice feeling.
VM: Last year you teamed up with AWOLNATION for a segment of their tour; how did you guys get along?
iTCH: We definitely got along; it was cool, and it was really fun. It was actually my first tour as a solo artist, so I was definitely finding my feet and figuring out what to do, so it was nice to get to do that with them.
VM: The lyrics of your songs share a common theme of frustration towards politics and the government. Why is that?
iTCH: In the society that we live in, I think that political music is made to be a very confusing thing. And politics is almost a dirty word that seems very boring and dull. My lyrics are very simple, and I believe politics in general are very simple. People try to use big words and strange concepts in order to confuse us and leave the decision-making to them. But what it comes down to is you either believe people are equal, or you don’t and believe there should be very few at the top and the rest of us working and scrambling to keep them up there, or you don’t.
VM: What would you say are your main influences?
iTCH: For me, who I look up to the most is everyone from The Clash through to Public Enemy back to Woody Guthrey, Jimmy Hendrix, John Lennon – artists where it
wasn’t necessarily about how they sounded or what genre they were in.
VM: What can we expect from iTCH in the future?
iTCH: A new album coming out [on March 26th called The Deep End]; I am going to be touring the hell out of it. After this, I am going straight up the west coast, and I will be here until April.
Checking the pages upon pages of lineups the morning of March 12th with coffee in hand, I found it. I found the one party that day not to be missed. It was taking place at the historic Mohawk in downtown Austin. Four amazing female acts played, and they were not there to mess around. Below is a short synopsis of each act.
Unfortunately, I was running behind and arrived late to this rising star’s set (in my defense, no one is ever on time during the chaos that is SXSW). But on the positive side, I did get to listen to the last half from behind a protruding wall partially blocking the overflowing room for which she was playing. The number of people willing to pack into that small room was a good indication of the huge amount of talent this petite blond possesses. Her country twang had an infectious edge reminiscent of the rich voice of Stevie Nix. As her set came to a close, I understood why so much hype surrounded this artist coming into the music week of South by, and she sure lived up to it.
Kelela:
Oh, Kelela. I could listen to this songstress’ lovely layered voice for hours on end. She is impressive pre-recorded but even more so live, her voice boasting such a range from full and rich bass notes to beautiful and airy falsettos. Unfortunately her set overlapped slightly with Lydia’s, so I only truly caught the tail end. The uniqueness of her sound, her breathtaking voice layered on top an eclectic mix of bass, drum, and electronic tones, especially rang out on “Cut 4 Me,” the title track of her 2013 LP.
Her avant-garde sound is difficult to pin point, which could be because of her out of place feelings as second generation Ethiopian Immigrant raised in the states. Yet her music reaps amazing benefits from this situation, breaking the confines of any particular genre.
Charli XCX:
Punk pop princess of the UK Charli XCX was next on the bill at the House of Vans – the performance I had been waiting for all day. Bounding onto the stage, she immediately began strutting around the stage like she owned it, throwing her wild black locks around as she danced. Known for her synthy pop beats with a dark side, the 21-year-old shined on slower track “Black Roses” and fist pumping crowd favorite “SuperLove.”
Not only did she sound fabulous, she looked the part as well donning a lovely vintage plaid dress and stunning the crowd with her intense stare and sassy red lips. She ended her high energy set with an appropriate cover of the famous tune “I Want Candy.” Needless to say, Charli XCX did not disappoint.
Dum Dum Girls:
If you are looking for a powerhouse all female rock band, then go see Dum Dum Girls live. In their 40 minute set, the four-woman group managed to kill all guys rock harder stereotypes. Dee Dee’s voice soared high above the dreamy psychedelic guitars, sounding especially ethereal on tracks “Coming Down” and “Lord Knows.” All four wore all black, fitting for the slight melancholy that melds into their music. Addictive 80s melodies are sprinkled into certain tracks, especially those off their 2014 album Too True such as “Rimbaud Eyes” that captivated the crowd. Although the Dum Dum Girls went last for the females that day at the Mohawk, they certainly weren’t the least.
In case you weren’t dancing your ass off to HAIM’s hit single “If I Could Change Your Mind” already, you definitely will when you listen to Delorean’s remix. Get your groove on, and while you’re on that HAIM high, check out the rest of their debut Days Are Gone.
It may not seem like the best idea to wear coins around your waist and evil eyes around your neck – gypsy much? – but I beg to differ. Problem is, some of these spring runway trends can be oh-so-pricey. Welcome to Vinyl’s fashion-forward, fun, and best of all, affordable take on spring’s accessories trends. I’ve got a low cost handbag for all you hippie chicks and a wallet-friendly belt for every glamazon, and everything in between.
Let’s move from head to toe: first you’ll need a pair of sexy, face-flattering shades. Let 70s screen stars like Diane Keaton and Lauren Hutton inspire you as you choose large-and-in-charge aviators with lenses that’ll turn the world around you a shade of sepia. You could go the pricey 3.1 Philip Lim route…
3.1 Philip Lim
or you could snag this $56 pair from Fab.com. I’m all for the latter.
Fab.com
Now that you’ve saved a little cash, it’s time to give the neck some attention. If you’re a bit of a girly girl, slip on a floral scarf, ascot style. Forever 21 has dozens of flirty styles that I adore, and that are much more affordable at under $10 than scarves by Marc Jacobs and other big name designers.
Forever 21Marc Jacobs
Not about to don some prissy flowers? Opt for my personal favorite jewelry trend of the moment, the evil eye. The symbol’s said to ward off evil spirits – maybe that’s why Kenzo’s evil eye collection got so much praise. For a cheaper, subtler alternative, hit up this Urban Outfitters string necklace. It’ll only cost you $16.
KenzoUrban Outfitters
And what’s more important to your overall look than your handbag? It seems the seventies struck again at the likes of Dries Van Noten and Celine, where dramatic fringe draped nearly to the floor. I prefer this $99 H&M clutch. Because the fringe is already so dramatic, the cream color of the bag is ideal. Stash your lipstick and keys, and prepare to step out in style.
From the waist down, it’s all about figure flattery.
CelineH&M
Find inspiration in Dolce & Gabbana’s thick gold belts to dramatically whittle your waist. I found a $48 option at Anthropologie that still maintains the theatrics.
Dolce & GabbanaAnthropologie
And undoubtedly you’re looking for mile-long legs – who isn’t? Enter the mule, spring’s favorite shoe; they’ll make your gams go on for days! Alexander Wang has some sexy scaled ones, but similar Jeffrey Campbell mules exist for hundreds of dollars less – $90, to be exact.
Alexander WangJeffrey Campbell
Whether you wear the above all at once or one at a time is up to you. Onward, trendy lady!
I received a vinyl copy of The Mike Benign Compulsion’s third album, Here’s How it Works. The record is a timeless medium and is slowly recovering. The cover of The Mike Benign Compulsion’s album is minimal. It is clean and completely white except for the title and a bald man standing on the right side. He’s watching you pull the record out; I think his face emotes something like approval. The record is as clean as the cover, but black. I’ve never seen a new record, most of the time they are used and deeply grooved. This one is smooth and classy, much like Mike Benign’s persona.
Benign’s recent release of the video for “Haley Daley” (check it out below) shares a similar style. The members are presented in front of a white canvas wearing mostly black, except for the Mike Benign’s fun-colored burgundy pants. I guess it’s true you that should never judge a book – or a record – by its cover. I thought The Mike Benign Compulsion would feature soft rock or something close to classical. I was wrong, and I’m sorry.
The album opens with “Mrs. Kean”, and I feel shallow. How could I have been so quick to judge? The Mike Benign Compulsion is way more lively than classical; in fact, they have a more pop-rock sound, which makes sense considering the members are pop-rock veterans from The Woolridge Brothers, The Yell Leaders, Blue in the Face, Arms & Legs & Feet, and Dorian Gray. At times, especially in “Haley Daley,” the harmonization has a Beach Boys feel.
Let’s talk about Haley. She follows “Mrs. Keane” and “You Say It’s Over” with a bubbly and poppy attitude. I know immediately that this is the song that will inevitably get stuck in my head. Benign’s melodic voices pairs nicely with the rhythmic, quick guitar strums, as he sings, “I’ve got a feeling you’re gonna crumble Haley Daley.” Then there are slower songs, similar to a lullaby, like “Bay Window”. The Mike Benign Compulsion doesn’t have to do much to change their tempo. They show that a band doesn’t have to be “experimental” to be talented.
