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ST KILDA FESTIVITIES

Tim Finn Festival Sunday Main Stage 2011. Photographer Matt Irwin.

Roll up, roll up, it’s the wonderful time of year when southside Melbournites come together to celebrate our gritty-come-urban seaside suburb in a week long music and art filled romp. It’s St Kilda Festival time.

The festival culminates this coming weekend on the aptly named Festival Sunday, which this year features an impressive line up across six stages set up in St Kilda hot spots. The dreamy Alpine and World’s End Press will light up the O’Donnell Gardens Stage, and British India, Sneaky Sound System and Miami Horror will be closing out the day on Mainstage, situated on the salty St Kilda foreshore.

If you haven’t scored a ticket or been able to bluff your way to the giddy heights of the Oakley Rooftop party, there’s plenty more to do while you wait for the gigs to start on Festival Sunday. You could get your chakras aligned by Hare Krishnas at theirVedicVillage, or get your Zumba on at the world record attempt on O’Donnell Gardens- fun for the whole family! Either that, or check out the market and food stalls set up along Acland St, and have a few drinks with the local winos in the designated drinking areas.

Got church on Sunday? Not to worry- there’s plenty happening this festival week to keep you and locals like Father Bob happy. Gray street working girls may whisper the promise of something for everyone, but St Kilda festival delivers, with night owls and early risers all catered for. Salsa classes are on tonight at Felix Bar, Funny Bone amateur comedy heats tonight and Wednesday night at the St Kilda RSL, boxing on the beach every morning at 7am, plus live performances at Grocery Bar are just a handful of the activities on offer.

To find out more, visit http://www.stkildafestival.com.au/2012-s2/

View the Festival Sunday musical line up here: http://www.stkildafestival.com.au/2012-s2/contentPage.php?id=217

Or visit Itunes to get the St Kilda Festival iphone app

MEALS ON WHEELS

In the words of Madonna, music makes the people come together. And Beatbox Kitchen, the boombox shaped caravan that has been whizzing around Melbourne blocks for the past year or so, has been making the people come together for damn fine burgers.

It’s most recent weekend outing was fittingly at the Big Day Out festival on Sunday, but by following Beatbox Kitchen on twitter or facebook, you can follow them around Melbourne every night – Pied Piper style!

If you’re not upwardly mobile Beatbox Kitchen is catering for you too- as it has now also set up a permanent shop at Rooftop Bar on Swanston st, serving up the same delicious beef and shroom burgers you find at the van, including the excellent fries and creator Raph Rashid’s special stereo sauce. The rooftop location also serves a a few extra delicacies to nibble on while having a few sips at the bar, or taking in an open air screening. Not since Salt’n’Pepa has hip hop tasted so good.

Check out www.facebook.com/pages/Beatbox-Kitchen/

Or follow twitter.com/beatboxkitchen for locations and times to get your groove on

AS TIME GOES BY

Some days are tranquil, some are dull, and some bleed together in a controversy free calendar. Others are the Big Day Out.

Born off the back of a Violent Femmes/Nirvana tour in the early 90’s, this year marks BDO’s 20th anniversary, and yet is a year to go by without shocks and scandals a plenty.

This year’s tour is barely off the ground and already Soundgarden is pissed with Kanye, crowd safety is being criticised and pictures of the diminished crowd in Auckland have gone viral and heralded the end of BDO in New Zealand.

Even before the tour started there was drama backstage, with tour promoter Ken West splitting ways with partner of 30 years and co-founder of BDO Vivian Lees. BDO has now gone the way of Ugg Boots, and is 51% US owned, with the backers of California’s Lollapalooza brought in to keep BDO alive.

Who knows what fresh scandals the remainder of the tour will bring. What is certain is the lineup, the set times, and the musical prowess heading Melbourne’s way on the Sunday the 29th.

Visit http://bigdayout.com/ for more info, ticket sales and set times, or http://www.bigdayout.com/vault/ for a trip down memory lane.

 There’s a new kid in town- and she is just what the north west corner of the CBD has been waiting for. Meet Patricia, your new favourite hole in the wall and purveyor of fine coffee. The (brain) child of Bowen Holden, Patricia has one simple motivation – to serve you up high quality caffeine. Holden has distilled the coffee shop formula into an experience that, like the coffee he serves, is deliciously uncomplicated. When you step up to the beautiful marble bar to order there are three options – black, white and filter coffee. You will not find a caramel frappacino in sight. Similarly you won’t find any coffee shop hangers on – it is standing room only at Patricia, though there is space for you to nibble one of their delicious pastries while you peruse the daily broadsheets, which are pinned to one wall.     Patricia has claimed some prime real estate in what was a lawyers office under Movida Terrazza, off Bourke Street, next to the Supreme Court. The staff are friendly and relaxed, and the décor, including a neon sign on the ceiling and beautiful retro styled tiles, is so cool you’ll want to introduce Patricia to all your office buddies and claim the cudos of knowing her first. Patricia is open 7 – 4 weekdays. Get on down and meet your new coffee crush. To read more about Patricia, click here: http://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/food-and-drink/article/its-black-and-white-patricia And to see more, click here: http://patriciacoffee.tumblr.com/

 There’s a new kid in town- and she is just what the north west corner of the CBD has been waiting for. Meet Patricia, your new favourite hole in the wall and purveyor of fine coffee.

The (brain) child of Bowen Holden, Patricia has one simple motivation – to serve you up high quality caffeine. Holden has distilled the coffee shop formula into an experience that, like the coffee he serves, is deliciously uncomplicated.

When you step up to the beautiful marble bar to order there are three options – black, white and filter coffee. You will not find a caramel frappacino in sight. Similarly you won’t find any coffee shop hangers on – it is standing room only at Patricia, though there is space for you to nibble one of their delicious pastries while you peruse the daily broadsheets, which are pinned to one wall.    

Patricia has claimed some prime real estate in what was a lawyers office under Movida Terrazza, off Bourke Street, next to the Supreme Court. The staff are friendly and relaxed, and the décor, including a neon sign on the ceiling and beautiful retro styled tiles, is so cool you’ll want to introduce Patricia to all your office buddies and claim the cudos of knowing her first.

Patricia is open 7 – 4 weekdays. Get on down and meet your new coffee crush.

To read more about Patricia, click here: http://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/food-and-drink/article/its-black-and-white-patricia

And to see more, click here: http://patriciacoffee.tumblr.com/

PARIS JE’TAIME The city that never sleeps may have Wall St, but if you play the stock market now is the time to invest in Air France- gay Paree’s stock is about to sky rocket thanks to Woody Allen’s new film, Midnight in Paris.   Mr Allen had turned the whimsical charm he usually reserves for the big apple on the beautiful city of love, the delightful set on which visitors Gil (Owen Wilson) and his fiancee Inez (Rachel McAdams) play out the frisson in their relationship, brought about by Gil’s wish to stay in Paris to realise his novel writing dream. A glimpse at the film poster prepares your for the armchair travel that this movie does so well- Van Gogh is there, the Seine glimmers in the background, and a glimpse at the cast reveals that France’s first lady (and recent mother of the dauphine!) will be one of your tourguides.  While New York streets are currently occupied, through Woody Allen’s lense Paris has never looked so charming- it’s stock is definitely up. For Melbourne session times click here: http://my247.com.au/melbourne/cinemas/Midnight-in-Paris.22492  

PARIS JE’TAIME

The city that never sleeps may have Wall St, but if you play the stock market now is the time to invest in Air France- gay Paree’s stock is about to sky rocket thanks to Woody Allen’s new film, Midnight in Paris.  

Mr Allen had turned the whimsical charm he usually reserves for the big apple on the beautiful city of love, the delightful set on which visitors Gil (Owen Wilson) and his fiancee Inez (Rachel McAdams) play out the frisson in their relationship, brought about by Gil’s wish to stay in Paris to realise his novel writing dream.

A glimpse at the film poster prepares your for the armchair travel that this movie does so well- Van Gogh is there, the Seine glimmers in the background, and a glimpse at the cast reveals that France’s first lady (and recent mother of the dauphine!) will be one of your tourguides. 

While New York streets are currently occupied, through Woody Allen’s lense Paris has never looked so charming- it’s stock is definitely up.

For Melbourne session times click here: http://my247.com.au/melbourne/cinemas/Midnight-in-Paris.22492

 

(Source: newsweek-paris-france)

THRILL THE WORLD

Before Lady Gaga had her monsters, before Lady Gaga was even born, there was the evil of the thriller, and Michael Jackson’s zombies with some seriously smooth moves. And now you can learn the steps to a little bit of pop cluture history by being a part of Thrill the World, a charity event in which you LEARN THE THRILLER DANCE. Sha-mon!

Be part of a global phenomenon by attending special Thriller classes run by Anna’s Go Go Academy, every Thursday in October (starting Oct 6th) at 8pm, at

The Victoria Hotel
380 Victoria Street, Brunswick,

Thriller class costs $5, profits will be donated to charity.

Then on Sunday October 30th 2011 at 1pm (not so close to midnight, so nothing evil is lurking in the dark), be part of a global uprising of zombies who perform the dance in flash mobs around the world.

To find out more about TTW, view the instructional videos or watch other TTW events, click here www.thrilltheworld.com

DEAR DIARY

 

When I was an angst ridden pre-teen with many a short lived crush, my pink plastic diary was my favourite confidant. Unlike friends it never blabbed, was always sympathetic and kept secret every glitter pen filled page I wrote.

Maybe Terry Richardson isn’t as private as I was at 9, or more likely, he is happy wear his crushes on his (tattooed) sleeves, because there is nothing secret about Terry’s Diary, the Tumblr blog famed celebrity snapper Terry Richardson uses as a photo journal. 

  Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux… up on the roof #3

A voyeur’s delight, Terry cronicles his every international move in pictures, snapping celebs, models, delicious meals, signs, scenescapes and cool t shirts in equal measure. He even throws in some outtakes from studio sessions and snaps from behind the velvet rope at exclusive events to mix things up.

I Heart NY

In the words of Rod Stewart, who Terry no doubt knows well, every picture tells a story, don’t it?  

Take a peek at Terry’s diary here:  http://www.terrysdiary.com/

PARTY IN THE PARK

Forget the picnic rug, croquet set and cucumber sandwiches, it’s not that kind of park party. Instead, it’s the kind with a pretty amazing guest list, including Lykke Li, Santigold, Diplo and Kimbra. Yes folks, it’s Parklife time in Melbourne, from midday tomorrow.

Get your day all mapped out by clicking here http://www.parklife.com.au/, or downloading the wonderful Parklife app from itunes, which has an interactive map and alerts to make sure you are front and centre for your favourite act.

GET BACK TO NATURE ….above the city, at the temporary community garden on the walkway between Myer and Melbourne Central in Melbourne’s CBD.

GET BACK TO NATURE

….above the city, at the temporary community garden on the walkway between Myer and Melbourne Central in Melbourne’s CBD.

(Source: 86images)

THE IMPOSSIBLE COOL

Satchmo, Newmann, Sinatra, Saint Laurent, both Hepburns, Brando and Davis Jr. Some people have it in spades. That unatainable, effortless, impossible cool that, coincidentially, stops you cold and makes your teeth ache when you see it.  

The wonderful people at http://theimpossiblecool.tumblr.com/ can spot it a mile, and decades away, and in their beautiful blog, collate stunning images of style icons and mavericks of days past for your viewing pleasure.

The stark simplicity of the blog is the perfect background to let the photographic subjects inner cool shine through- and makes it clear that good style is not about clothes, but attitude. As The Impossible Cool’s creator, Sean Sullivan, quotes on his twitter account -“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn.” - Gore Vidal

The Impossible Cool fits the bill.  

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