Rock the Doc- a shameless plug

If you've ever lamented at the loss of your local record store, then check out the latest from up and coming documentary film-maker Brendan Toller: I Need That Record! The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store

I had the privilege of attending elementary through high school with Brendan and got to see his first documentary about Mr. Record, who happened to be our physics teacher and a legend unto himself. Brendan's dry sense of humor and keen wit were rampant throughout. As long as I've known him, music has been an integral part of Brendan's life. It doesn't surprise me that he has taken a critical look at the demise of the independent record store.

So check out the official website for the trailer and latest news. And help support this documentary and its film-maker as it makes the rounds in film festivals and screenings throughout the country.

Official website:

http://www.ineedthatrecord.com/

P.S. Sorry Brendan, but I still hate the Beatles (and the Rolling Stones will always be my first and greatest love)

Equus

I took a walk up
to the horses on the hill--
forgetting they were gone.

They were old horses,
even when I was a child.

The edge of the sky was
tinged a half-hearted pink,
And the birds did not bother
to fly before me.

Underneath the gentle hum
of the power lines I stood--

Remembering
the black snake
from a summer
when the horses were still alive.




Equus (summer)
sketchbook page
6 x 10"
gouache and stenciling on vintage paper with hand-stitching
copyright Kate Castelli 2008

Soundtrack

Viva la Vida by Coldplay has become my soundtrack to summer.

And every time I listen to it, I think of that day driving around Boston with you.

We all fly too close sometimes

Icarus Abides
from the Carte Postale Series
approx. 5 x 7"
block-printing, etching, and hand-stitching on vintage paper.

of course copyright Kate Castelli 2008

Gaudeamus igitur iuvenes dum sumus

Songs of a summer I hope to someday look back on and laugh. Someday.

1. Do You Love Me Now? -The Breeders
2. More for Me -Tegan and Sara
3. She Sells Sanctuary -The Cult
4. Death and All of His Friends -Coldplay
5. That Green Gentlemen (Things Have Changed) -Panic at the Disco
6. A Widow's Toast -Neko Case
7. I Almost Killed You -Billy Bragg
8. You Got the Silver -The Rolling Stones
9. Long Walk Home- Bruce Springsteen
10. Helplessly Hoping -Crosby, Stills, and Nash
11. This Time Tomorrow -The Kinks
12. Moonlight Mile -The Rolling Stones
13. Yellow -Coldplay
14. Paper Planes - M.I.A
15. Everything in Its Right Place -Radiohead

Gazing

A doodle of the assorted vessels that grace the front windowsill in my studio.

I think studios should be messy and chaotic. I am slightly suspicious of a neat and orderly studio. My studio is an external representation of my current state of mind.

I love looking at photographs of Picasso's studio at La Californie. It was inhabited by a curious dachshund named Lump, a collection of broken chairs that followed him from his early days in Paris, and a lifetime of artifacts and objects that intrigued him.

I have plenty of objects that are intriguing and without explanation: a skull named Agatha, an ancient Bingo card I stole the first day of college, stones and pebbles from 3 continents, things that find their way to me, and things I simply must have because they are wonderful.

I often find myself just sitting and gazing out the window. Desiring to be elsewhere.