We’re hereby requesting all available kind thoughts, prayers, incantations, spell-weaving, positive vibes, and general well-wishing for our cat, Allister McVittes, as he goes into surgery this morning. He’s been with us for 12 years and around for at least 4 years before that and he means the world to us.
We’ll be playing this song on repeat until we get the guy back.
(Sung in the style of the Shaft theme song)
Who’s the gothest candle
anywhere in town?
This one!
Alright, not my best musical analogy. But how goth is this candle‽ Super-goth is the answer.
But/and it’s also awesome. Not only are the black on black aesthetic and the container shape both pretty stellar, but the scent—Gunpowder Green Tea—is excellent.
Hand-poured in Brooklyn, NY by Joya Studio, the finished product’s a collaboration with Nashville-based ceramic artist Sarah Cihat and “features notes of shiso tea leaf, white mint, cape jasmine, calla lily and Sicilian lemon.” So, yeah, a candle you want to eat, but also one that calms the nerves and gets you nice and cozy on those chilly winter nights.
And yes, it does get chilly at night in southern California.
Kind of.
We got the candle at Brooklyn’s Article&—a favorite Cobble Hill boutique of Katie’s. You can order it online from them or directly from Joya, who has quite a nice selection of candles and the like.
Owen seemed to have think that his feet trump mine in this outtake from the Novacas photo shoot we did the other day.
We’ll post more on the new lookbook we did for them soon.
We’re happy to announce yet another collaboration with creative collective Pel (wrote up some other work we did with Pel a while back, including that Web site). This one’s less heavy or serious than our usual work together but, nonetheless, it’s one that’s close to both our hearts and that of Pel principal, Paul Signh.
A while back, Paul ran a music blog named Forgotten Favorite that endeavored to share with the world rediscovered classics (at least ten years old).
Now, so many years later, Pel and raven + crow studio are partnering up to bring Forgotten Favorite back to life.
The site’s namesake is “My Forgotten Favorite”, a song by seminal noise pop band and common favorite between us, Velocity Girl. The song also serves as the inaugural post by Paul. I follow it up with one of my all-time favorite bands, Huggy Bear.
We created the new design and site branding, pulling the color palette directly from the 1991 Slumberland single for “My Forgotten Favorite”.
You can read both write-ups and listen to the songs over at Forgotten Favorite.
Paul + I will be regularly posting new…old songs to the site and employing friends and fellow lovers of music to write up their own forgotten favorites, so stay tuned!
We wrote the band Stolen Jars up when we first heard their intricate, beautifully layered single, “Folded Out”, back last July. The young band’s working on their second full-length now, with a smattering of live dates in the NYC area, and we thought now was as good a time as any to talk with the band before they get all massively popular.
raven + crow: Alright, first thing’s first—where’s the name come from? Why would one steal jars—they’re so cheap!
Cody: When I was first making this music, I wasn’t quite sure where to begin. I found myself going back to all the different artists I had listened to over the years—Elvis Costello, Against Me!, Arcade Fire, Dirty Projectors—and trying to collect the different sounds that had made me love those songs. The first songs I wrote felt like these collections of sounds were manifesting themselves in new ways, as if they were held in small jars opening one at a time, each letting out a new riff. And that’s where the name came from!
Molly: Also, you don’t steal jars for the money-saving opportunities. You do it for the thrill and the street cred.
Good point, Molly. So how did you all form? I get the impression that it started as a solo bedroom pop kind of project for you, Cody, but since has built out both in the studio and with live shows.
Cody: You’re right.
Molly: Yep.
Cody: I originally started writing the music in my bedroom with a crappy USB mic. My friends Magda and John sang with me on the songs for the first album.
Molly: Yeah, Cody contacted me through a friend about singing for live shows in my junior year of high school, along with our friends Elena, Sam and Jonah. We started doing a lot of shows and somewhere along the way Cody asked me to sing on the recordings and it kind of spiraled from there.
Cool, cool. How is it, then, taking something that’s manageable on the small scale, recording songs on your own, and then translating that to a live performance with multiple performers?
Cody: Not easy. But luckily everyone who’s been in the band has been an amazing musician and has really helped to transform the sound of the music for the better. I used to loop a million different guitar parts for every song, which was impossible, but now there is less loop pedal involved. We re-orchestrated the songs in order to combine the huge number of parts into something four instrumentalists can actually play. I was lucky to find three really great musicians to be a part of Stolen Jars when I came to Brown; there’s Tristan Rodman on keys, Will Radin on drums and Greg Nissan on guitar.
Molly: Something that’s definitely been hard to figure out is how to represent the vocals live because, for some reason, we like doing a zillion harmonies all the time. Elena Juliano, who joined at the same time as me, can’t make all the shows but when she’s there it’s a beautiful thing. And Cody more recently has been doing a lot more of the live vocals which has been really exciting and has added a new dimension to how we’re performing I think.
Cody: Whoa.
Molly: What.
Cody: Haha that’s a lot of pressure.
Molly: Whatever.
Tell us about “Folded Out”—it’s such a layered, unique song. How did you all go about writing it?
Cody: We started writing Folded Out in the middle of the night. Molly and I had stayed up making Joseph Cornell-esque boxes. As the night went on, the boxes got better, the music got better. The song came out of that moment. I wrote the music first, short riffs and bits that came to me in 45-second increments over the next few months. Even before adding vocals with Molly, I had to record over a hundred tracks before I felt like the song was whole.
Molly: I remember we couldn’t figure out the harmonies for a really long time, it was so frustrating. Then I was driving in my car and it came on my iPod on shuffle and they just came to me! It was cool. They’re still my favorite harmonies on this album! I think. Actually I can’t decide. But I like them a lot.
Yeah, no, they’re great. And the lyrics of the song seem to follow the theme of the boxes you all were building but then venture out into larger themes. What’s behind the end thoughts on the song “I will not go; let’s be young again; keep your hands close”?
Cody: The whole album came out of leaving home, leaving things behind and remembering. This entire album feels like remembering to me, holding on to whatever or whomever you’ve left behind.
Well, it’s a great track. When can we expect more new material from you all?
Molly: That’s a really good question. I ask it all the time.
Cody: Soon. We haven’t nailed down a release date yet but the album is coming.
Is “Folded Out” indicative of what’s to come sonically?
Cody and Molly: Yeah!
Molly: I feel like the new album has a bit more emotional depth than the first one.
Cody: The songs are all related, but they vary a lot in intensity. I really paid attention to production on this album, trying to make it feel like a whole, and Eli Crews and Jeff Lipton, who mixed and mastered the album, pushed that feeling even further.
Molly: I think there are many songs on this upcoming album that try to create the same shifts in emotion that I feel when I listen to Folded Out, but in different ways.
And what’s that on the cover of the single? A piece of pumice? Some sort of subterranean animal shell?
Cody: It’s a section of this crazy crab shell. Real crazy. Real real crazy.
And the dog + cat drawing on your Facebook page? Where’d that come from?
Cody: Magda drew that one! They were a dog and cat from a dream she had. I think in the dream they were tied together by one leash. It always felt like it fit with the music for some reason. Though the one leash thing is definitely a little creepy.
It’s a cool drawing. Honestly, the dog looks a little upset with the cat, but such Technically speaking, what do you use to record your music in terms of software, et cetera?
Cody: As I said the first album was recorded on a crappy USB mic with Garageband (I hate that program), but the new album was recorded on Logic with an SM57 and some cheap condensers, mostly in my bedroom (I like it there). Also, I worked a bit with Will Radin, who drums in Stolen Jars, in Providence to record some drums and bass guitar.
Yeah, Garageband is so unintuitive, right? I share your sentiment on that software. Ya’ll are based in the NJ-NYC area, yeah? I assume you’re originally from thereabouts?
Cody: Yeah we are both from Montclair. Right now I go to Brown with the rest of the band (except Will who goes to RISD), so we are based out of Providence until I graduate in the Summer, when I go to NYC.
Molly: Well, I actually go to Wesleyan. Cody do you know where I go to school? And Elena goes to NYU which is why she can’t play with us all the time.
Cody: True.
You guys have met before, right? Do you see yourself staying put in the NYC area long term? I saw your description of the band’s music as being about finding a new home. I assume that’s more about spirituality and/or growing up than, say, actually moving.
Cody: Well I graduate soon, but I think I will be in NYC after school. Many of the other members will be nearby as well and we will keep playing shows.
Molly: I feel like the idea of finding home just comes out of this time in our lives. We leave home, go to college, figure out what we want to do… everything is really transitory. Nothing feels that permanent (at least to me). So I think the idea of finding home is more about that feeling than about actual geographical location.
Well-put, Molly. Having just transitioned from New York to LA ourselves, that rings really true, personally. Who are some bands that you all feel like influence the sound of Stolen Jars?
Cody: Definitely a lot of names to name here, but I guess a few would be Dan Deacon, Dirty Projectors, Steve Reich, Elvis Costello and five hundred other artists.
Molly: Amber Coffman is my God.
Nice. I know you all have been playing sporadic shows in the NYC area—any plans to do a larger tour? Maybe hit the west coast and in-between states?
Molly: Touring has been hard to figure out since we are all in school and in so many different ones at that. But hopefully we will be able to get a bigger tour together soon. That’s something I think we all want to do.
Cody: Yeah.
Cool. Thanks so much for talking with us. Can’t wait to hear more from you all.
Molly: It’s been a real pleasure Troy!
Cody: Yes, a real one.
You can purchase Stolen Jars’ first full-length and their single, “Folded Out”, on their band camp page, where you can name your price for either. Brooklyn—they’ll be playing Baby’s All Right this Sunday night with Lazyeyes. Stay tuned for the band’s new LP and some more tour dates.
Though it’s far from native to Southern California, we’ve noticed, since moving to Los Angeles, that eucalyptus can be found far and wide in LA and neighboring vicinities.
We’ve been personal fans of the tree/plant ever since that scene in season 1 of Lost when Sun helps Jack treat Shannon’s acute asthma by grinding up eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus oil has long had various practical uses, from acting as a solvent to a deodorizer to an insect repellent to an antiseptic. But initial research—and some empirical evidence from non-western cultures—shows the oil may also help to break down mucous in airways, allowing for easier breathing for sufferers of asthma.
Katie’s had asthma her whole life. When we were back in Brooklyn, the winters were especially tough, with both the frigid air outside and the reduced air quality indoors due to traditional steam radiators and (we think) the layers of lead paint on them. In addition to buying commercial eucalyptus oil at supplement stores, another thing we liked to do to stave off asthma attacks and, generally, promote better breathing, was to buy some freshly cut eucalyptus from the farmers’ market or flower shops, bundle it in twine, and hang it in our shower under the shower head. The resulting steam from a hot shower allows the oils to be released and, as an added bonus, gives off a pleasant scene to start your day.
Now that we’ve relocated to Los Angeles, we’ve noticed the tree—native to Australia—growing abundantly around town, evidently largely due to the efforts of famed tobacco tycoon, state forester from 1886-1888, and eucalyptus-lover Abbott Kinney. Better known as the developer of Venice, Kinney also championed the many potential uses of the plant in his time—chief among them, landscaping to shield from high winds and abundant erosion.
The tree enjoyed a massive boom in LA-area planting when projections were made about the fast-growing tree as a source of timber in hardwood-short times. Though the wood turned out to be unsuitable for that purpose (it evidently grows brittle, cracking and twisting as it dries), we’ll take the more medicinal and decorative aspects of the plant as welcome ones in our daily lives. Makes for some nice impromptu photos too.
Read LA writer Nathan Masters’ article “Who Eucalyptized Southern California” to find out more about eucalyptus’ history in Los Angeles. Below, from Masters’ article, “Two men demonstrate the girth of a 25-year-old eucalytpus tree on the L. J. Rose ranch in Rosemead, circa 1900.”, photo courtesy Title Insurance and Trust / C.C. Pierce Photography Collection, USC Libraries.
Touching back on a post we did this past October on the versatility + virtues of employing dried beans in your cooking, another good use for them—homemade iron skillet nachos, man.
Just get your favorite brand of tortilla chips and, in an iron skillet or other heavy cookwear, layer your cookable, non-fresh toppings throughout, to ensure even distribution (as opposed to just topping them). Here we used our cooked, mashed kidney beans, seasoned as mentioned in that initial post and a homemade cashew cheese—Isa’s got a good recipe, but we tend to just soak a cup of raw cashews overnight and then blend with some salt, a little nutritional yeast, and a clove or two of garlic, adding a little more seasoning to taste, but keeping it simple.
Then, if you’ve got a bottom-loading gas broiler, like we do, set the oven to broil and wait for it to pre-heat, then carefully open the broiler drawer and throw the skillet in under the broiler. Watch it really carefully checking the nachos often—it’ll only take a minute or two for them to cook well under that much direct heat. And watch the smoke—we have to close our bedroom door (next to the kitchen) to make sure the smoke alarm doesn’t go off when we do this. If you don’t have the ability to put the nachos directly under the fire, you can just broil them in the main oven compartment, again watching them closely.
Then carefully remove when you’re satisfied with the browning/blackening on the top and add you fresh ingredients—here we used a quick pickle red cabbage (slice up some red cabbage and cover in apple cider, white, or rice vinegar, mixing up every now and then and letting sit for at least ten minutes), sliced scallions, and a local salsa (Heidi’s, I think).
Serve and enjoy!
Two years ago today, we made the uncharacteristically impulsive move to bring one Mr. Owen Hamilton III on-board at the already close-knit raven + crow studio, seen here in a photo from our old Brooklyn studio. This photo actually went on to be a part of a New York real estate company’s rebranding campaign, marking Hamilton’s first big ‘win’ for the studio.
Hamilton’s gone on to win accolades from both close coworkers who’ve known him from the start to strangers he meets on the street, unabashedly assaulting them with his unflagging positivity and, often, giant paws.
Here’s wishing Owen many years to come serving as raven + crow studio’s star employee and charismatic figurehead. Bully for you, sir! Bully for you.
Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful passage into the new year tonight. Stay safe, stay happy, and try to remember to appreciate what you have and what’s to come.
Love you guys.
It’s been nearly two-and-a-half years since Frank Ocean broke onto the music scene with his game-changing, Grammy award-winning studio debut, Channel ORANGE.
Now, Ocean’s breaking a relatively long stretch of silence with “Memrise”, a strikingly beautiful, lo-fi atmospheric snippet of music that has us excited for what’s to come in 2015.
According to Pitchfork:
“The title of Frank Ocean’s next album hasn’t yet been announced, but some details have emerged: Ocean is in the studio with Hit-Boy (“Niggas in Paris”, Drake, Nicki Minaj) and Rodney Jerkins (Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Destiny’s Child), according to Billboard. Back in June, Hit-Boy shared a snippet of “No Such Thing As Black Jesus”, a Nas song featuring Ocean’s vocals.”
You can listen to “Memrise” via Ocean’s Tumblr page below.
And keep it coming, Frank.
Keep it coming.
