Happy Turkeyless Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving Kittens!

While I am drinking my morning Cup O' Joe and watching the Macy's Day Parade this Bearkat is getting ready to cook up her Turkey-Less Turkey Day. I am a vegetarian along with my other bearcubbies. Kyle is hardcore. Kyle is Vegan. I repeat. Kyle is hardcore.

A lot of people have a notion that its difficult to do a vegetarian holiday. But its so simple and best of all...unbelievably delicious!

Here is the Veggie Menu for the Day:
Mashed Potatoes
Cashew Nut Roast
Eggplant
Yams

My brother and his boyfriend will be making a tiny baby turkey, but as you can see this is plenty of food! These are so easy to make Dairy/Egg Free for all you Vegans out there. Just substitute the butter for vegan butter and the milk with soy or rice.

Also, I'd like to note that these recipes will also be completely Gluten Free. My brother and I both have Celiacs. It is genetic...so if you have a family member who suffers from this, you might want to get yourself checked out as well. For recipe ideas visit this blog I read all of the time.

Gluten Free Girl

This is my second Thanksgiving away from the norm. The norm being my parents house. I always get a little sentimental when I think of this. I miss the morning fight about my Dad not thawing the Turkey early enough. Always cutting myself peeling the potatoes. My brother and I calming my Mother's anxiety down by dancing around the kitchen.

Anything for a laugh. We are definitely not your normal average family, but everyone's family is insane. Everyone's family drives them mad. But we love them. Go tell them.

Happy Thankgsiving everyone!

Before I go start peeling potatoes...

I'd like to leave you with a playlist for our Turkey Day preparation...

Tac Tac - The Netherfriends
Elephant Gun-Beirut
Bruises-Chairlift
Bright Glittering Gifts- Laura Veirs
Three Little Babies-Joanna Newsom
Uh-Merica-Regina Spektor
It's a Hit-Rilo Kiley
White Winter Hymnal-Fleet Foxes
Buddy Holly-Weezer
A case of you- Joni Mitchel
Midnight Voyage-The Momma's and the Papas
Sprout and the Bean-Joanna Newsom
She's Fantastic-Sondre Lerche
Pot Kettle Black-Wilco
When I was a Young Girl-Fiest
5 Years Time-Noah and the Whale

And this awesome picture...Marley Moran everyone. Vegan Goddess and Wonderful Friend.

Both Sides of the Bay...

.

...the Chesapeake Bay.

I'm at my parents house for the time being. Sorting through my belongings. Selling my car. Buying a new wagon. Booking The Loblolly Boy/Bearkat tour. Playing a few Maryland Shows.
My first was at lovely little Easton Venue Coffee East.
It was a great night. Great crowd. I opened up for this lovely duo. They are hometown favorite and sweet musicians. I love performing and I really love getting to know like minded musicians. Musicians looking for a song.

I have a few other shows lined up be sure to check the myspace for venues and times.

I went to a revival last night.
A Holy Ghost Tent Revival
If you dont know this band. You should.
Not only are they unbelievable they are a group of sweethearts. Patrick, the bass player, was an absolute doll in setting this lil Bearkat up with North Carolina venues (their stomping grounds). Nothin' like southern hospitality. But seriously. Listen to them. Love them.
Buy their album when it comes out. You wont regret it.

And with that being said. I'll leave you with this video. I know this is my "music" blog
BUT...It's cold here in Maryland and other parts of the world. Just a little heart meltin' from mine to yours...you're welcome...


ppps ( i finally learned how to hyperlink ... )

Goodbye, Goodbye California...

A lot has happened in the past week or so... my events will be better represented in list form.

1. Greeted November with a cold chilly smile
2. Obama was elected 44th President of the United States (Thank you America for allowing me to believe in you once again).
3. I emptied out of my storage shed.
4. Tied up a ton of lose ends in California.
5. I packed my Tiny Silver Honda Civic, bought a bike rack and started my journey across the country. 3,000 miles of music, boredom, lonesomeness, anticipation and happiness. I'm a vagabond but my heart is true.
6.Rode a bike in Austin. The hills made me their tiny sad little bitch.
7. Drop bars are lovely, yellow and on my Bike.
8. My nephew is insane. I love him.
9. I took several photographs to document my drive to Maryland. For all of you playing the home edition... please insert The Avett Brothers into your stereo, blast it, sing along while drinking coffee and talking to yourself.

Drum roll please...

This is where it all began. Driving into Arizona.
Apparently, driving by yourself is a little boring and lonely. Who'da thought.
Pictures while driving = not safe, but fun!

Starting off the next morning drive into Austin, TX. 14 hours to go to...
Excited in my new dress. Feeling Feisty...Leslie Feisty.
(pps. still not safe).
I played a random show with the Loblolly Boy in Austin... we rode bikes.
I went to my first Sock Hop. Everything was worth the drive and then some...



My packed car!
Filled to the brim with randoms: boxes, suitcases, bike handlebars (i'll explain this later), knitting and my ukulele.

Darling Ukulele, I should not play you while driving. It is not safe. It is quite dangerous. However I did. I played you a lot. I drove with my knees. Not safe kids.
Do not do this! Unless your utter sanity and life depends upon it. Mine did.

After driving all night. Stopping at a rest stop for a quick cat nap at 4am. I was finally caffeinated and excited enough to smile. Thats an "only 8 more hours to go!" face.
(25 hours...in 1 1/2 days shhh...dont tell my Mother.)

Hey, I liked my pants. I thought you would too.
Even exhausted you should still keep a certain level of sass.
Hey coffee, how bout you beautiful and tasty.

IM HOME!!!!!

This child in the picture above. Is brilliant, hilarious, charming and sweet.


We have a new kitty! Her name is Picassa. (it was Picasso, until my Mom found lady parts.)

She's darling. She also thinks she's a dog. No Joke. She sleeps, eats and plays with them.

Our black lab (not pictured) treats her like a puppy.

Its the strangest, most hilarious, adorable, weirdest thing I've ever seen.
Picassa is the bees knees.

And...now...the piece de resistance...DROP BARS. Finally. I've been trying to get these damn things on my bike for a good 3 months. I taped them last night. I love her. I also got my wheels "trued" (apparently there are a few more bike terms i need to pick up). I went to the shop to get brake levers that would actually fit on my handlebars. And it just so happens I was blissfully unaware that my wheels looked more like ellipses than they did circles. Ignorance is bliss. Painful thigh burning bliss.
Chelsea, how about you lookin' good.



Thats all kittens. If I haven't seen you in awhile. Or heard from you. Even if I just spoke to you. You can be damn near sure I miss you.

Till then my darlings. happy musicing, safe riding and always be lovely.

After the haunting...the after-math

Halloween is over. It is officially "All Saints Day". Last night was an overall wonderful night full of tricks, treats and friends to greet. I was so impressed with everyone's costumes and really had fun in my own. This Bearkat is really enjoying her time off of tour. Only 3 days left. Makin' it count.

I would write more about Halloween but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Enjoy! I want Pumpkin Pie. XOXO Bearkat
(most of these photos were taken by Jessica Kallam)


Morton Salt (honestly one of my favorite Halloween costumes to date.)


Jessica was Alice (She made this herself. Brilliant girl Jessica Kallam) This costume was and is one of the most adorable costumes I've ever seen. Honestly. I was so impressed when she showed me the beginning stages and definitely blown away to see the whole thing completed. She even had adorable little mushrooms in the pockets, one large and one small. This girl inspires me in so many ways.



Mah new friend JoAnn. Best grapes ever. There are so many hilarious shots of JoAnn sitting down on the couch or a chair and not being able to get back up. Very akin to watchin a woman in her 3rd trimester sit up and down. Although, JoAnn is a tiny little beautiful lady, those grapes made it a difficult costume to move around. She also had about 4 left when we arrived home.

The hosts of the evening! Jesse E. String Katie String and Mark
(Burger King, House of 1,000 corpses, Jump Man) Their party was a huge success and so much fun. They have been celebrating Halloween since October 1st and it was such a treat (no pun intended) to be able to spend the night with them. I'm so happy I was back in time from tour to hang and just have a wonderful time. Also to add, Mark managed to give me the scare of my life when I was out back talking on the phone...we rolled on the ground for a good 5 mins laughing.
I love Halloween.


All Saints Day!
The aftermath. At Denny's. I have no bangs. That is a very uncommon occurrence.


Love, Love, Love...Bearkat

Happy Halloweens!

Happy Halloween!

(Please eat a lot of autumnal treats. Pumpkin Cookies. Cider. Caramel Apples.)

Home again Home again...This is Halloween... This is Halloween...

So Bearkat is home!

After a lovely (but short) southwest tour Bearkat (in trio form) is home and relaxing. Nick Sweet the magical trumpeter is vagabonding his little heart out in windy Chicago. God speed our little bear bonnet boy.

So...to recap in a flash. The week long tour contained : Lovely Quakers in Pheonix, Gracious Coffee shops in Tuscon, A Sweet Texas hang with the Loblolly Boy, Blind/Deaf Dogs, Melting the Business man heart in Dallas, Cousin's Weddings, Bearkat Movie Bonding Time, Hot Cocoa, The best coffee i've ever had in my life (Thanks Meshugas!)Kirksville Glory (So many boners you are Kirksville), Car Insanity.

So on Tuesday the 27th, after saying our Goodbye's to Sweets McGee, Kyle and I started our two day drive back to Los Angeles. Kyle is a machine and drove forever on Monday. We stopped in Denver, CO to have some cuddle time with the ever lovely Aaron Roy Hochberg. After setting our alarms for 3:30 a.m....we finally woke up at 6:30 am and heading out again. We made a quick stop at an amazing local coffee shop. I ordered a latte, went to the bathroom and came back to find my coffee cup defaced by the devious Kyle Butz. My cup read "Poop Hounds". No better way to start the drive.

Driving from Denver to LA is tortuous. Denver is Long...Utah is Long...Kyle and I however tend to luck out and completely lose our minds at the same time. We ate more gluten free/vegan bars than should be allowed in one sitting. Kyle flappin' his arms behind him to reach the grocery bags never got old. However, driving did. It really did. We did however come up with this great new saying "Moosin' her Goose". Thanks sexual humor, you never get old. Also thanks to Jeff Mangum, you also never get old.

So... its the eve of Halloween. I'm off to find yellow ribbon to complete my costume. Bearkat will look like this .....

I'm pretty excited about it. I'm going to take an old Oatmeal container and make a large Morton Salt purse out of it. Easier to carry the umbrella.

Happy Halloween My Lovelies! I'll try to Blog more I promise.

Look forward to posts about: Driving Across the Country (to Maryland), Halloween Recap (with pictures!) Selling Bearkat t-shirts online. And more.



PPS.
Oh and I did this when I was back in LA....tip the lip.

Bearkats can haz new shoes.

Portland you are one sexy lady of a city. I have not seen much of the west coast but you are by far the most glorious city I have seen yet. From the co-op, to bike weddings, naked bike rides, Rogue Brewery, Mississippi Pizza (gluten free pizza/beer) you have stolen my heart big P. Please send it back to me on a tandem bicycle.



The first show we had in/around Portland was a house show. Nick's Mom set up a lovely venue at her home We arrived in Portland on the wee hours of the night and then woke up to play a show for some of Nick's oldest friends and family. The setup was a lovely mix of blankets, chairs and grass. The show went well despite our tip jar somehow turning into an icecream trash can. Kyle suggested it was probably someone who had a trashcan moment of panic. Trashcan!?!?!tiny suitcase???!?! But atleast our wallets now smell like yum yum icecream candy.


So after Portland we hit the road and traveled to Seattle, WA. It was gloomy, misty and wonderful. Living in LA for a year will really make you appreciate rainfall and all of its shadowy, murky loveliness. This was another house concert called "New Crompton". Apparently this venue was the "old hang" for a little grungy flannelly shirt wearing band named Nirvana. Perdy neats, perdy neats indeed. Anyway. The show was quant and lovely. We have also become masters of car eating and early morning hangs. As you can see here with kyle's sassy face and yummy vegan eats from a can. You spill it. I'll hurt you.

And also Kyle might be twelve. (My face is twelve).

So after Seattle we headed a bit farther north into Bellingham, WA. Where this Bearkat had to buy herself some new shoes. Apparently, your feet can shrink 1/2 a size.


1/2 size smaller. Still all the sass. I'm embarrassed I added these shoes to this blog.

OOoook.
Thats all I have for now. More updates on Bellingham. Creepy German towns on the way to Twisp. "The Band House". 2 am drives. Bozeman Montana. Yellow Stone. 2 hours of sleep. Bovine crossings. Driving to Minnesota. The Mangan Clan. Minneapolis shows.

Bearkats do not care for rotten pears. Not in here. And not in there. Bearkats do not like the pears that rot. Not a bit. No, No. Not. Not.

Day Six. Throat Fire.

This entry is coming from the backseat of tiny silver, my Honda civic we are using as transportation on the first leg. I’m currently watching Kyle and Nick “dance it out” as some would say. I-5 is terrifying.

Now down to business. No one has blogged since our Soquel show. We should probably catch up. We have had some wonderful experiences in the last few days. Car sleeping and an impromptu house performance in Davis seem to stand out in this brain of mine.

First things first: Car Sleeping. There is an art to this that we have not yet discovered. Kyle made a woman out of my steering wheel by straddling her Indian style. Classy. Nick propped his ribs up with a can of beans. Trombone cases make wonderful pillows.

By morning we were recharged and headed north to Davis, California. Our Sacramento show had been cancelled, so with no plan, Nick called an old friend who graciously offered us his home for the night. He and his roommates managed to organize an impromptu house performance. The evening started off with a few local musicians throwing down on some bluegrass tunes. Bearkat joined in. Nick Sweet is one glorious bluegrass trumpeteer. The upright and I were reunited. It was a good feeling. A warm and slightly fumbling feeling, but good nonetheless. Following the bluegrass, we played a 45 min Bearkat set. Everyone was so receptive and met us with open ears and hearts. It was beautiful. Nothing will ever be able to beat the feeling of a captivated audience. Needless to say we slept like babies that night. It might have been the whiskey in our blood but I’d like to think it was the warmth of the people. Thank you Davis for showing so much Bearkat love and for having more bicycles than cars.

My throat has started to heal: Honey. Silence. Iced Water. Whiskey.

-Katy (stay tuned kittens).

An Introduction

After waiting for several months, the tour is here. We're headed up the coast and couch surfing to the best of our abilities.

To those of you wondering what's been going on, here's a recap of the last few months:

Back in 2007, Katy and Bootz began recording music at the studio of Yuval Ron. We tracked for songs and were feeling good about it. Then came 2008, when I, Kyle(Bootz), jaunted back to Boston to finish up school. While I was gone, Katy became Bearkat, and the album took on a life of its own. With the help of Frank Charlton, Martin Cooke, and a myriad of guest performers, the tracks piled up. Some time passed, and I headed back to LA with my banjo, trombone, and accordion.

We finished the album, recruited a third band member, and booked a tour.

To anyone interested, the album will be available in just a few more days, or as soon as we get the box of rock back from the CD press.

We're happily on day 3 of our maiden tour.

Night one gave us your standard Los Angeles friend-rock show at Tangier. A good way to start, indeed.

Night two brought us to Mai's Cafe in Ventura, CA. We played with the beautifuls of Judy Valencerina, Jeremy Kaufman, and Paul Starling. We drank Alaskan Amber, sang standards of the 70's and 80's at a Denny's, and gratefully accepted the hospitality of Judy.

Night three led us to Soquel, CA right around Santa Cruz. The Ugly Mug Cafe is known for their active open mic night, which we were happy to crash with two sets of Bearkat. After an altercation involving a homeless man and a man with a large three eyed kitten button(mesmerizing in all of its horrifying beauty), we offered up a mellow, ukulele and brass driven counterpoint. After all of this, we gladly accepted an invitation to food and couches back at Danjo Dan's house. There was campfire, guitar, banjos, music, and generaly merry making going on. Our first visit to Soquel was a great experience. Its the kind of city you hope exists after living in Los Angeles for so long. A small town filled with nice people who are just happy and relaxed(minus the angry book throwing homeless man).

Today we keep heading up the coast, looking forward to the day off to help sickly Katy recover.

We'll all be trying to post here periodically. And I'll try not to let my writing get to boring. I'm a banjo player damnit.