I am a peacock, afraid of it's beauty....

I am a peacock galloping wild
Bleed heavenly colors
I am a peacock feathered out
So pretty now
Within my cage
Afraid to age
within these walls
afraid to call

Silent, i open my mouth at meal time
from my lair, i am filled with cold air
every song sung quietly
every note so silently

some years later, new feathers set sail
when my colors glitter like hail
treasure towers of gold and green
when my beauty blooms with spring

Record Store Day!

Our album will be available in these record stores April 12! Please be sure to go visit one of these fine establishments and pick yourself up a copy! HAPPY RECORD STORE DAY! (APRIL 17, 2010)

Oz Music 506 14th Street Tuscaloosa Alabama
Hoodlums 6434 S. McClintock Tempe Arizona
Stinkweeds 12 W. Camelback Phoenix Arizona
Zia Records 1940 W. Indian School Road Phoenix Arizona
Amoeba 2455 Telegraph Ave Berkeley California
Amoeba 1855 Haight St. San Francisco, California
Amoeba 6400 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles California
Boo Boo Records 978 Monterey St. San Luis Obispo California
Dimple Records 2433 Arden Way Sacramento California
Fingerprints 4612 E. 2nd Street Long Beach California
Lou's Records 434 N Coast Hwy 10 Encinitas, California
Mad Platter 1223 University Ave; #160 Riverside California
M Theory 915 W Washington St. San Diego California
Mod Lang 6328 Fairmount Ave El Cerrito California
Rasputin 2401 Telegraph Ave. Berkeley California
Rhino Records 235 Yale Avenue Claremont California
Salzer's 5777 Valentine Road Ventura California
Streetlight Records 2350 Market Street San Francisco California
Streetlight Records 980 South Bascom Avenue San Jose California
Streetlight Records 939 Pacific Avenue Santa Cruz California
Independent Records 3030/3020 E. Platte Ave Colorado Springs Colorado
Independent Records 937 East Colfax Avenue Denver Colorado
Twist and Shout 2500-2526 E Colfax Ave Denver Colorado
Johnny's 45 Tokeneke Road Darien Connecticut
Rainbow 54 East Main St. Newark Delaware
Record and Tape Traders 101 Rehoboth Avenue Rehoboth Beach Delaware
Central Square 89 Central Square Seaside Florida
CD Connection 1908 3rd St S Jacksonville Beach Florida
Park Avenue 2916 Corrine Drive Orlando Florida
Radio Active Records 1930 B. East Sunrise Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale Florida
Uncle Sam's 1141 WAshington Ave. Miami Beach Florida
Vinyl Fever 4110 Henderson Blvd Tampa Florida
Criminal Records 1154-A Euclid Ave NE Athens Georgia
Decatur 356 West Ponce de Leon Ave. Decatur Georgia
School Kids 264 E Clayton St Athens Georgia
Record Exchange 1105 W Idaho Boise Idaho
Dave's Records 2604 North Clark Street Chicago Illinois
Sunshine Daydream 2027 E. Euclid Ave. Mt. Prospect Illinois
Indy CD 806 Broad Ripple Ave. Indianapolis Indiana
Landlocked Music 202 N. Walnut St. Bloomington Indiana
LUNA Music 5202 North College Avenue Indianapolis Indiana
Love Garden Sounds 822 Massachusetts St. Lawrence Kansas
CD Central 377 S. Limestone, Lexington Kentucky
Ear X-tacy 1534 Bardstown Rd. Louisville Kentucky
Bull Moose 456 Payne Rd Scarborough Maine
Record & Tape Traders 1100 W. Patrick Street Frederick Maryland
Sound Garden 1616 Thames Street Baltimore Maryland
Aboveground Records 8 Triangle Plz Edgetown Massacusetts
Newbury Comics 332 Newbury Street Boston Massacusetts
Newbury Comics North Market Building Boston Massacusetts
Record Times 27360 Gratiot Ave. Rosevill Michigan
Rock-a-billys 8411 Hall Road Utica Michigan
Electric Fetus 2000 4th Ave. S Minneapolis Minesota
Pop Tunes 1433 Goodman Road West Horn Lake Mississipi
Euclid Records 601 East Lockwood St Louis Missouri
Rockin Rudy's 237 Blaine Street Missoula Montana
Homer's Records 1210 Howard St. Omaha Nebraska
Lakeshore 370 Park Avenue Rochester New York
Looney Tunes 31 Brookvale Ave West Babyylon New York
Record Archive 33 1/3 Rockwood St Rochester New York
The Sound Garden 310 W. Jefferson Street Syracuse New York
Zia Records 4225 S. Eastern Ave. Las Vegas Nevada
Zia Records 4503 W Sahara Av Las Vegas Nevada
Manifest Starmount Shop. Centre6239 South Blvd Charlotte North Carolina
School Kids 2114 Hillsborough Street Raleigh North Carolina
Culture Clash 4020 Secor Rd Toldeo Ohio
Finders Records 128 North Main Street Bowling Green Ohio
Indie Wax 6961 Market S Youngstown Ohio
Magnolia Thunderpussy 155 North High Street Columbus Ohio
Music Saves 15801 Waterloo Road Cleveland Ohio
Shake It 4156 Hamilton Avenue Cincinnati Ohio
Toxic Beauty 220 Xenia Avenue 2nd floor Yellow Springs Ohio
CD World 3215 W 11th Suite B Eugene Oregon
Everyday Music 1313 W. Burnside Portland Oregon
Jackpot Records 203 Southwest 9th Avenue Portland Oregon
Gallery Of Sound Provincial Tower24 South Main St. Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania
Repo Records 538 South Street Philadephia Pennsylvania
Siren Music 25 E State Street 1st Floor Doylestown Pennsylvania
Music Box 160 Thames Street Newport Rhode Island
52.5 Records 591 King's Street Charleston South Carolina
Ear Shot 1418 Laurens Rd. Greenville South Carolina
Manifest Boozer Shopping Centre 1563A Broad River Road Columbia South Carolina
Cat's Music 1569 Union Ave Memphis Tennessee
The Disc Exchange 2615 Chapman Highway Knoxville Tennessee
Grimey's 1604 8th Ave. South Nashville Tennessee
Spin Street #71 3484 Poplar Ave Memphis Tennessee
Cactus Music 2100 Portsmouth Houston Texas
End Of A Ear 2209 South First Street Austin Texas
Good Records 1808 Lower Greenville Ave. Dallas Texas
Waterloo Records 600A North Lamar Austin Texas
Fatfin 208 South 1300 East Salt Lake City Utah
Slow Train 221 E Broadway Salt Lake City Utah
Pure Pop 115 South Winooski Ave. Burlington Vermont
Plan 9 3012 W. Cary Street Richmond Virginia
Plan 9 2410 Ownby Lane Richmond Virginia
Volume CDs 2720 North Mall Drive Virginia Beach Virginia
Easy Street 4559 California Ave Southwest Seattle Washington
Hot Poop 210 E. Main, Walla Walla Washington
Off The Record 901 Summitview Avenue Yakima Washington
Silver Platter 701 5th Ave. N. Seattle Washington
Sonic Boom 2209 NW Market St Seattle Washington
Strictly Discs 1900 Monroe Street Madison Wisconsin

Most Unexpected

Following the hurricane that is sxsw, we drove 13 hours to get costa mesa for our show Monday. It's almost too predictable that what you predict rarely happens. For instance, I made plans to see Washed Out, Pomegranates, and The xx at sxsw. Instead I saw Choir of Young Believers, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and the Globes. I didn't think I'd get to see the Walkmen at all and yet I saw them twice! It's hard to share what exactly it is that makes the Walkmen such a perfect band to me and the guys. They just fit my being, my mindset, my language.

So we thought we'd drive 13 hours from albquerque to costa mesa to play a thin monday night show. Instead, some of our favorite fans were all there, and the place was completely packed. We sold out of all our merch and we met some wonderful people.

You think you've got your music all figured out and yet you change parts completely mid tour.

You think you played the show of your life, and you get a shite review. You think you played the most mediocre show ever and you get a touchingly glowing review.

In conclusion, I think the trick and beauty to all of this is to..just enjoy the ride. :)

for now, i will get some rest and catch up on my zzz's.

xo ann

Valentine's Day

Spent Valentine's day tracking some vocals in our practice space. The baffle boards are in the shape of a heart and they are red. The songs I chose to track are about sleeping alone at night and love for statues. I'd say that was a pretty romantic Valentine's Day. x ann

Best of 2009 lists

It's nice to see that we made a little impression on 2009. Thank you to everyone that included us in their wonderful lists, please continue to send them my way. 2010 means more new music we've been working on between tours. And It's headed your way, beloved friend/fan/comrade because without you, they are just songs floating in our heads. xo ann

Strangeglue

Echo Blog

Almost Four Stars

The Pop Cop

The Music Ninja

Mixtapes for Hookers

Reflectism

Stranger Dance

2010 so far....

2010...so far...

Color changing
Show planning
Song sculpting
Mic testing
Word making
Reverbing
Moonlighting
Highlighting
Lowlighting
Re-decorating
Re-inventing
Re-discovering
Inspiring

Happy Holidays

I had the most delicious date, basil, and goat cheese snacks at a holiday party last night, and I felt so happy to be in the company of good friends and family eating these delectable treats. The holidays are always like that, happy or really sad, always one extreme or the other, never balanced and neutral.
Well, we hope you spent the holidays with those you love and found the holidays to be on the happier end of the spectrum. And we are sooo looking forward to a beautiful and magical 2010! Yes, we've sorta been holed up in our bedrooms and practice space scheming and dreaming. But when 2010 hits, we'll be ready.

Here is a link to a video from our last UK tour in October thanks to the lovely Mick Scholefield :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Ka8X4O8J8

Hope this make you happy too. :)

XO LLF

The Mission

Yesterday, I took a friend of ours that we met at a video shoot, for a tour of the lovely neighborhood we call home: the Mission. It's easy to get used to your surroundings and all the little shops, curiosities, and creature comforts it provides. Walking around with Liza made me realize just how beautiful and magical our neighborhood really is. We have five amazing coffee shops within a few blocks from eachother, two corner stores where the people are really nice and the sandwiches are utter and pure TLC, tons of worthwhile bars, an indie video store, two pizza shops, a frozen yogurt haven, a pirate store, taxidermy shop, and I'm sure I'm forgetting loads more. I can't imagine any other place like this that I would want to call home. Oh, and to top it off, you can buy avocados for 50 cents, and a bag full of fresh fruit and veggies for under 10 bucks. Love!

Books

Winter has crept in again and I wasn't even ready for Fall yet. I've been reading a lot of poetry lately. It helps me see the world differently and changes my creative expression. I've been dancing by myself in my room a lot lately too.

Books
It is when we are near the end of a book that we enjoy it.
Guests who we anxiously expect often fail to come.
So the world runs always contrary to our wishes
How rarely in a hundred years do we open our hearts!

On a heist

For halloween this year, we played the most fantastic party at Bottom of the Hill and dressed as bank robbers on a heist. We threw play money into the crowd and gave out money sugar cookies so I guess we were sort of like the Robinhood of bank robbers. It was one of the best parties we've ever played.

CMJ!

we're playing a few shows:

Oct. 22
show time 9:15pm -
Death By Audio
49 S. 2nd Street
Brooklyn, New York 11226

Oct. 23
Friday,9pm
Shea Stadium/All Ages
20 Meadow Street
Brooklyn, New York 11206

Oct. 24
Saturday-
show time 3:00pm
Spike Hill
184 & 186 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11211

Oct. 24
Saturday
show time11:45 pm
Cake Shop
152 Ludlow Street
New York, New York 10002

Homesick at home.

We've been too busy, too busy loving the UK, it's people, history, culture, and food. Our last show in London was the perfect ending to a beautiful three weeks spent travelling across the kingdom. I felt truly at one with the audience and felt safe and completely libertated on stage, which doesn't usually happen all at once like that. Maybe it was watching that depressing yet inspiring documentary on the metal band Anvil the night before that gave me a renewed sense of appreciation and love for what we do. In either case, it was a good last show in the UK and it felt spectacular. Also, on our last show day in London, we did an in studio at XFM and the engineer was kind enough to play us all of our favorite bands that had come into the studio before us. It was so humbling and amazing to be able to listen to all these insanely gorgeous live tracks.

I have a bright picture in my head of places like Cardiff, Brighton, York, Southhampton, Birmingham...I have a newfound appreciation for all things salmon and prawns and mayonnaise, Superdrug, Primark, and castles. I've learned that "you okay" pretty much means "how are you". And it's cool to say Cheers! after everything pretty much anything. But I still haven't figured out when someone is going to reach in to kiss me on the cheek versus hug me 'cause this is different with every british person we meet.

xo ann

Southampton

Last night we played one of our last few shows in a big but little city called Southampton. It's typical that all the cities shut down by 6pm so most of the time when we're finished with soundcheck, we are seeing the city in it's quietest moments. Walking through Southampton was a lot like New York City at night, there was a beautiful park and streets lined with shops. The venue we played was just plain rad. So many bands had played here - Radiohead, The Libertines, British Seapower, Coldplay....there were old fliers dating all the way back to 1996! The first question the venue staff asked us when we arrived was how spicy we wanted our pasta. Really? Cooking for us and asking us about spice factor? Yes please!!! To top it off, sound was spot on, everyone there was friendly , and we even got to hang out after the show was over and have a few drinks while dave geeked out on drums with the sound guy. Pretty much the entire bar was open to us including candies which I indulged in. There is no greater pleasure than this.

London so far...

Beautiful weather here, every neighborhood we chance upon there is sun, pubs, and english sausages. Good times. Today we did an instore at Pure Groove, one of the coolest record shops I've been to in a long while. Was planning a big night out tonight having a day off finally, but the hour long ride into Hackney and our lack of rest until tonight barred us from leaving our comfortable abode here. We met a really cool band last night called Bodies of Water and were keen to hang out with them so it's a shame we stayed in. But, Mick has a copy of Samuel Beckett's complete works and I've begun reading a play called Play which is quite good and humanistic in it's portrayal of a man, one girlfriend (i think), and one lover. The guys are watching a movie in the other room, ahhhh. Staying inside was a good decision.
x ann

Manchester

Hmm, where to begin. Manchester is a city of greatness, there are cool shops, people, and places to eat everywhere in the Northern end of town where we stayed. We had two proper full english breakfasts! The place we stayed in was a pimp ass (sorry no other way to describe it) apartment right next to a supermarket and in walking distance of the fun. We played a show to people who'd even come all the way from Spain and Atlanta, Georgia to see us in Manchester. I will never forget that, and I hope that we can continue to grow with those that have followed us and supported us so much. I have so much love for them. After the show we went to a rocknroll bar called Big Hands with our labelmates The Answering Machine and Mick. Late night fun at it's finest. Had my first drink of tour, southern comfort and lemonade, so delicious and refreshing, kind of a girl drink I suppose. :) xo ann

Cambridge, Bristol, and Nottingham

Wow! Our first show in Cambridge came with chocolates, fruits, veggies, and an amazing dinner. Everyone was so nice! Last night, we played in Bristol where there was a guy who'd been to 250 shows last year and just been to a festival and was still at our show front row and center dancing. Kudos to him! The owner of the club gave us homemade Lemoncello (did I spell it correctly?) in exchange for our album. I wish you all could have tried this amazing drink, holy! After the show, we went back to the hotel and ran into a band called Detroit Social Club and had a drink with them in the lobby. Super sweet guys, they taught us what to say when we play in Newcastle, where they are from. Hmmm, but I can't seem to remember it now. Now we are sitting at the Bodega in Nottingham getting ready for show numero three here in the lovely UK. We've been totally spoiled so far, well fed, new friends, and awesome venues. :)

Longest trip, thanks United

Our day of travel began at 9:30am.

9:30am - picked up by good friend and taken to airport.
10:30am - mean United lady #1 threatened that we wouldn't be able to take our guitars on the plane, thanks mean United lady #1.
12:00pm - board plane and sit for one hour because there is complications with the door
1:00pm - told that plane cannot fly so we have to switch to a different plane, thanks United.
3:00pm- board United plane #2, served prison food and told there will be no movies on the flight, oh thanks so much United.
5:00pm - encounter more mean United stewardess ladies on board the plane, who roll their eyes when we ask for drinks, thanks again.
2am - arrive at London Heathrow.

At least they gave us appreciation vouchers?

Summary Part Two

Just back from a week with Bad Veins and Division Day, and we:

1_Learned how to play beer pong,
2_Won a match of band tennis
3_Learned how to say underwear in French (thanks Aaron!)
4_Made some new friends for life
5_Took lots of pictures
6_Went bird watching on Lake Shasta

Now off to the UK where we will:

1_Play lots of shows
2_Visit Castles
3_Eat at least five full english breakfasts
4_Eat confectionary bars
5_Make new friends
6_Take lots of pictures

Turtle the Tortoise

Just as we were about to step in the van to make the trek back to SF from LA, a woman yells out, "Hey, is this your turtle?" And there was this little guy racing across the street towards us as if we were long lost family. He came really close and just lingered near us so we brought out seven snap peas and a carrot for him. He seemed a little shy at first and then after he realized what was handed to him, he was in hog heaven! He ate everything patiently with such determination and joy! It felt so good to know we were bringing such happiness to little tortoise. He kept eating and eating and when we were out of snap peas, he just wanted to hang out with us in the grass. It was so hard not to take him home but San Francisco is too cold for a little desert tortoise. Hope to see you again little guy.

US and UK Tourdates!

We're so excited to be on the road again! Please check our myspace for a complete list of dates, we'll be hitting the west coast of the US before we head over to the UK to play a bunch of dates. XOXO