Hm? What’s that, Reader? No, no, I didn’t swipe Beyoncé’s iPhone—who do you think I am‽ No, that’s Katie’s phone, all decked out in its new duds—the walnut + brass case from San Francisco-based Native Union.

You may know another of Native Union’s products, the far less fancy-shmancy Pop Phone—the retro handset based on the old-school, 50s-era Bakelite phone receiver that you can plug directly into your modern cell phone to look like you’re half in Mad Men, half out. We were never that impressed with the Pop Phone—we always thought it was a little goofy, even if it was nice to talk into whilst holding half a glass of whiskey—but we’re pretty big fans of this new line of cases.

A successor of their CLIC Wooden cases—pictured to the right and made from solid cherry with an angular band of colored plastic (black, white, green, blue, or orange)—the just-released CLIC Metal ups the already high ante, swapping in a darker walnut wood and bringing in metal accents for that little extra—I’ll say it—bling. Thus the Beyoncé reference. I’m told she likes the bling. I’m told.

As Native Union puts it inside their equally resplendent box for the case: “Breaking away from conventional design, the CLIC Metal combines wood with a slash of brushed metal. Each case is made using hand-polished wood providing a unique individual grain finish.”

I’m assuming that description, if read out loud, would be read by the same guy that does the Jaguar commercials.

All of which brings to bear a frightening new, as-of-yet unforeseen ‘first world’ problem, Reader—what does one do when the upkeep + integrity of one’s protective iPhone case is paramount to the upkeep + integrity of one’s actual iPhone?

Now, Reader, now we know first-hand the woes of our betters.

But seriously—this is a pretty beautiful iPhone case, man. In the immortal words of one Mr. Ferris Bueller: “It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”

As of writing, Native Union doesn’t seem to yet offer these cases online (though you can order their predecessors, the CLIC Wooden) but, A+R in Venice + La Brea have the Metal cases in-store + online.

Below, another shot of the stellar case and…its stellar box. Hm. Maybe Katie should just carry her phone and case around in that…but then what does she put that in so it doesn’t get banged up? ARGH!!!!

A little while back, a longtime friend of ours—Olivia Mancini (above, right)—approached us about doing some work for her band, Astra Via. Now, as many of you may have heard in the past, working with friends can be a tricky affair. But we knew as soon as we were asked, before ever hearing a note of music, that, if it was something Olivia had anything to do with musically, it was going to be well worth being a part of. We didn’t quite realize it was going to be this awesome though.

I’ll ask you to put aside any misgivings you might have knowing that we’re good friends with Olivia and trust us when we say that Astra Via’s new EP, Echo Birds, is truly start-to-finish superb. Unlike the more rock-based music we’ve known Mancini to craft in the past, with creative partner—Jarrett Nicolay—she’s charting brand new territory, wedding electronic-based sounds with guitars and drums and other more traditional analog instrumentation to create beautifully shimmering pop gems.

On the eve of their EP’s release, we wanted to take a moment to talk with Jarrett + Olivia about the band mechanics, how they create songs together, and how they stay engaged in a musical scene that’s shifted so much since they both first started out. We’re also happy to be premiering a favorite track form the EP, “Nobody Knows”, which you can hear if you scroll down this page. You can see the album artwork + watch a video for another track from the EP down there too.

Kindness of Ravens: So, tell us how Astra Via first started. You both seem to have so many other things going on musically, I’m curious as to how you first started collaborating.

Jarrett Nicolay: I think it was our common affinity for the early Beatles catalogue…and also Adam (who drums for Virginia Coalition). A few years ago he had the foresight to acquaint us knowing that we had similar and hopefully complementary musical instincts.

Olivia Mancini: I asked Jarrett out for a drink to ask if he would be in a band with me. I was so nervous, I had two drinks before we even met up for drinks. Guess what? He said yes!

Aw. It was like a musical blind date.  So, is it a situation where one half of the duo is more the song-writer or do you both have or your own songs, as it were, or do you split things pretty evenly in a creative sense?

JN: We find creative ways to balance it. Our goal is to have the most collaborative result possible. So if one of us has written more of a particular song, the other tends to take the lead on the production. It’s not a conscious process though. It’s more Darwinian. Olivia effectively talked me down from a potentially dangerous Boys to Men reference in “The New Fiction”. And for that I’m thankful.

OM: Um, Jarrett, that’s “Boyz II Men,” please. We’ll find the right spot for a early ’90s R+B style “Girl…”on the next record.

What‽ I feel robbed as a listener + fan! Now, I know you moved up to NYC from DC, Olivia, where the collaboration originally began. We’ve talked with bands whose members live in different cities before, but, for you all, how do you collaborate creatively from afar? Does it make song-writing tough?

JN: We do a lot of file sharing for sure, but when we are in the studio together we have this geographic sense of immediacy so we tend to get a lot done.

OM: Jarrett is a whiz in the studio. One method we use is me sending him a crap acoustic demo of a new song I recorded in my closet on Garageband through my computer mic. He then sends me back a fully produced version of my same demo which, suddenly, sounds great, and we go from there. I’m really not sure how he does that but I’ll take it. 

That’s awesome. Jarrett—I’ve got a few terribly recorded tracks that I did whilst walking my dog I’m going to send you. I’m expecting amazing results. Now, I wouldn’t call you all an electronic band, necessarily, but many of your songs tend to have a good bit of electronic influences + instrumentation. Olivia, most of the work you’ve done that I’m familiar with—Olivia + the Mates, your work with Ruby Rae, Washington Social Club back in the day—is or was much more traditional in its instrumentation; guitar, drums, bass, et cetera. Same story with Virginia Coalition for you, Jarrett. Was shifting your sound something that took some getting used to for either of you?

JN: Definitely not. I’m super excited by sounds that haven’t been heard before, so in my mind, that’s always a goal. Eventually you run out of options with traditional instruments so you move to a new set of sounds. We still use a ton of guitars and drums, we just try and stretch them out a bit; make them a little unrecognizable. 

OM: And I was eager to try something new. Indeed, Troy, none of the music I’ve been involved with so far has featured an electronic component. But I agree with what Jarrett is saying—Astra Via seeks to blend so that we’re not entirely one way or the other. This record, especially, is heavy on the “sounds”. The next one may not be. For all we know, we may decide to go Renaissance instruments on our third release. 

Ooh—Joanna Newsom style. I like it. What do you think, then, is the best approach to marrying more organic, analog sounds with digital ones?

JN: Polygamy.

OM: Ha ha! Infidelity.

Do you, nylon-stringed guitar, take this Nord Stage 2 to be your loftily wedded…sorry. Who are some inspired/inspiring musicians that you all think do that well?

JN: I love the newish Vampire Weekend record. I was never a huge fan but the new record came out while we were mixing our EP and it gave me a bit of reassurance that we weren’t totally crazy for making the record we had made.

OM: I think Metric has been doing this well for years. Future Islands is another one that comes to mind. 

Oh, yeah—Future Islands is a great example. You win, Olivia! Technically speaking, what do you all use in terms of keyboards or sequencers or software for the instrumentation?

JN: Neither of us are gear heads so it’s always a bit of a challenge. Lot’s of old Casio keyboards. Lots of room mics. Happy accidents aren’t uncommon either. 

OM: And a lot of the sounds on the record, as Jarrett was describing, are effected or re-ordered analog sounds. There’s a percussion part that is actually Jarrett slapping on his belly. Sorry, Jarrett, is that too personal? 

Ew. What keeps you two writing + performing music, either together or individually? I feel like, though it’s easier to get your music ‘out there’ today, it’s so much harder to get noticed in such a much more crowded field and, on top of that, it’s nearly impossible to make a living off of music these days. What keeps you coming back?

JN: It’s like trying to quit sniffing glue. I got the ice in me…. 

OM: Honestly, I think about quitting music a few times a month. It can be frustrating and depressing to try to get people to pay attention to your music in a listening environment that is simply oversaturated. But, as a wise musician friend said to me the other day, music has given me much more than it taketh away. My job is to be content with the idea that I’m producing music and keep working to make it better. It doesn’t matter what happens to it once it’s out in the world, as long as I’m happy with it. 

Very well-put. What do you all think of the DC music scene these days?

JN: We don’t play live anymore so I can’t really say. Olivia would know better….

OM: Seems like there are more bands and venues than ever. And, despite Black Cat owner Dante’s recent comments, I think that’s a good thing. 

Who are some bands you’re both listening to a lot lately?

JN: Honestly, probably the Monkees. 

OM: Graham Nash, Jackson Browne…Squeeze, who I hadn’t listened to in a long time. “Up the Junction” is still a favorite song. 

We always like to ask about name origins—where does Astra Via come from?

JN: From the stars…duh. 

What are you, a scientist? So what inspired the title track, “Echo Birds”—it seems like kind of a summing up of the other songs on the album and themes that bind them, right? A musical Cliffs Notes?

JN: I guess it’s a Bollywood/Robot/Sgt. Pepper reprise kinda thing…so cliché. 

OM: Hilarious, Jarrett. Yes, it’s a pastiche of all the songs on the record, manipulated as to sound almost unrecognizable. 

So…musical Cliffs Notes. You’re welcome. Who are the two (very cute) kids in the video for “Fast Forward” (below)? Cool video by the way.

JN: The girl is the daughter of the director, Jeff Nesmith. The boy is a family friend of theirs. Together they win all sorts of cuteness awards…are they too cute? 

Maybe a little too cute….

OM: The kids really helped boost interest in the video. Next time, we’ll have to go with puppies. 

Smart! Olivia—favorite thing about NYC?

OM: Ah, favorite thing about NYC is definitely the walking. I love that I can walk out my door and find anything I need within three blocks. Last week, it was a computer mouse. Yesterday, it was a vintage fall jacket. 

And thing you miss most about DC?

OM: I miss the pretty, the quiet, the comparatively clean. But, of course, I miss the people most. (Tear.)

We feel the same way about LA/NYC right now. Jarrett—favorite thing about DC?

JN: DC Brau. If you haven’t had it yet, it’s superlatively tasty. 

Ooh, I haven’t. Looks awesome though. Both of you have been in ‘the Biz’, as I hear it’s called, for some time now. You have to have some entertaining/funny tour or recording stories between the two of you. Hit a brother up?

JN: I have both peed and barfed off of a stage during a show (not the same show).

Good god.

OM: Troy, my mom is going to read this. We’ll have to talk privately.

Prudent choice, Olivia. Best celebrity sighting of all time?

JN: I was once on a plane with Will Ferrell and the in-flight movie was Old School, starring Will Ferrell. I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant, but I knew something special was occurring. 

OM: The time I ran into Tony Danza on the set of the Carson Daly show. I was saying “Hello, my name is Olivia” as he was saying “Thank you, thank you very much.” We looked at each other, silently acknowledged that the conversation had gone badly, and walked away without another word. 

That’s beautiful. If you were a mythical animal of some sort, you’d be…what?

JN: Probably an Eskimo. 

OM: A mermaid, definitely. Though those shell cups look kind of uncomfortable. 

Hahah. Finally, I notice you list ‘shrooms’ on your Facebook page under influences. Want to expand on that?

JN: “Triple Rainbow”.

Astra Via’s new EP, Echo Birds, will be released tomorrow, but you can pre-order it now via iTunes. You can also listen to + download their debut EP, Folie à Deux, via their band camp page, and listen to (click) and download (right-click) their track, “Nobody Knows” below.

Band photos courtesy of Pick-Up Productions; band illustration by Matt Corrado; album design by…us!

Quick follow-up to our September 5 interview with Kai Clements of the British design duo, Kai + Sunny—the opening was wall-to-wall, with lines spilling out the doors of Subliminal Projects to purchase the limited edition collaborative prints with seminal street artist, Shepard Fairey.

Fairey deejayed the event, spinning tunes as the rest of us perused the pieces…and yes, did some light dancing. Word on the street is that Kai went on to meet P Diddy himself at the show’s after party (proof).

Kai invited us over the night before to get a look at things pre-mob-scene, so we thought we’d post a few shots from our visit.

“Caught by the Nest”—Kai + Sunny’s first solo show on the West Coast—runs until October 5 at Subliminal Projects—1331 W Sunset Blvd. See it while you can. You can read our full interview with Kai from earlier int he month to find out more about the show + the duo’s work.

Okay, you may rightly peg us as vegan nerds for this, Reader, but one thing we were really jazzed about once arriving in Los Angeles was being able to try out the fabled Kite Hill vegan cheese.

Faithful readers may remember us mentioning Kite Hill back in June when we interviewed Chef Tal Ronnen, Co-Owner of the new plant-based fine dining hotspot in LA, Crossroads. Ronnen started Kite Hill along with a former cheese-making instructor at Le Cordon Bleu, an ex-Laura Chenel Chèvre cheese-making operations expert, and a Stanford University biochemist. So yes, Kite Hill rolls deep.

As Ronnen told us at the time when asked what makes Kite Hill’s products different from other non-dairy cheeses out there: “Our cheeses are made like traditional cheese. We make the milk, form a curd, press the cheese and age them. Most other nut cheeses are ground up nuts then pressed to look like cheese.” They elaborate on their process on the Kite Hill Web site:

“From the beginning, we were adamant that our process follow the time-honored techniques of traditional artisanal dairy cheese-making. This meant using only a short list of the best ingredients, superior French equipment in our aging rooms, and going through a lengthy and painstaking process of trial and error rather than taking shortcuts. Our products start with our proprietary nut milk, perfected over many months of recipe testing and visits to almond farms throughout the San Joaquin Valley. As there are seasonal fluctuations in the flavors and textures of tree nuts, we custom blend each batch of nut milk for every cheese we make. The nut milk is then pasteurized and inoculated with naturally occurring enzymes and a specially developed lactose-free culture by our team. This mixture is allowed to coagulate slowly to let the curd fully develop the unique flavor and character that will define each cheese. Finally, the curd is distributed by hand into traditional cheese molds and aged.”

How’d they do? Well, to be honest, I personally was not that impressed with their first two products, the Cassucio + the Truffle Dill + Chive. Both are soft cheeses and, while they tasted great, I just couldn’t get over the texture—it essentially struck me as an overdeveloped, trumped up tofu made with tree nuts instead of soy beans. Note that my wife + partner in all things design + culinary totally disagreed—she loved both of them from the start and had us regularly returning to re-up our supply. And they did both grow on me after, say, the seventeenth time we had them.

But a couple of weeks back, Kite Hill announced via their Facebook page that they would be debuting their third product, the White Alder cheese. As they describe it, “White Alder is a soft ripened velvety cheese with a white, fluffy rind. It has a tangy mushroomy flavor profile with a rich, silky texture and pungent aromatics. This cheese is best served straight from the refrigerator and pairs well with white grapes.”

The White Alder is a total game-changer in the vegan food world. They can’t say it, as it’s a proprietary geographical indication (like Champagne or Vidalia), but the White Alder is essentially a vegan, nut-based Brie. And, from what my palette can recall, it’s spot-on. Its soft, earthy rind would have any eater of traditional cheeses fooled and the taste of the soft, gooey cheese inside is pungently authentic, giving off a strong unami taste. If you’re in California, vegan or not, give it a try. I’m betting you’ll love it as much I—and the cows who weren’t factory farmed to make it—do.

Right now, Kite Hill’s products are sold exclusively by Whole Foods and can usually be found along side their not-so-animal-friendly counterparts in the refrigerated cheese section of the store. As you can tell by their locator map, Kite Hill’s currently only available in California—sorry East Coast!

You can also find Kite Hill cheeses on the cheese plate at Ronnen’s restaurant, Crossroads. Again—sorry East Coast!

No word yet as to when to expect their fourth cheese in stores—the exciting, seemingly sliceable Costanoa, a semi-soft cheese encrusted with a crust of paprika + fennel pollen. Hopefully stay tuned for rave reviews of that one.

Well, despite the widening of the year-end window of reminders to buy your limited-run calendars before they’re all gone/we’re all going to die soon, we do enjoy getting an early look at work from some of our favorite artists.

Case in point, the fine, nature-infused, heart-warming papercuts of fellow crow-lover, Ms. Nikki McClure. After becoming fans of her music back in the 90s, both Katie + I got even more into her later endeavors as a visual artist.

According to Buy Olympia, each image that makes up the months of the year on Nikki’s calendar “is an original papercut, cut from a single piece of paper. Nikki features strong images of everyday life, each with a powerful verb that inspires to action. This year’s verbs and phrases: Vibrate, Honor, Delegate, Matter, Lunch, Befriend, Ache, Inhabit, Chance, Save, Agree and Stay.”

You can see some of the artwork below and order the calendar via Buy Olympia. Inquiring minds can also check out an interview we did with Nikki back in January of 2011 (apologies for the inconsistent format).

New York’s AVAN LAVA describes themselves as the city’s “freshest Super-Pop act to come out since Madonna.” Some might be a little taken aback by such high self-praise—or the reintroduction of the term ‘fresh’—but one listen to the band’s music proves they’re not all talk.

Their songs pull in 90’s-era dance music and R+B influences while updating the sound with memorable pop hooks, sing-along-style choruses, and their own brand of what strikes this fan as sincere musical exuberance. Add to that live shows that feature confetti guns, choreographed dance sequences, and crowd-surfing in an inflatable boat and you’ve got something pretty special. One might even indeed say, something ‘fresh’.

We wrote the band up this past July when they first caught our ear, featuring their excellent song, “Feels Good”.

With a big show tonight opening up for seminal DJ/performer Shit Robot, we decided to take a little time out to speak with singer Tom ‘TC’ Hennes (center, thoughtful above) about the band’s influences, their near-legendary live shows, and how the band empowered him to more publicly declare his sexuality as a gay man in New York City.

Kindness of Ravens: First off, thanks for taking some time to talk with us. We’re really big fans of Flex Fantasy—such a great record. Was it as much fun to record as it is to listen to?

Tom ‘TC’ Hennes: It was a blast! And it was really unexpected. We went up to Vermont in the winter, totally unsure of what we wanted to make, and we just went crazy and wrote and recorded nonstop for a week. Most of the EP was created in that short time.

Oh, that totally makes it all the more impressive. And you all self-released that, right?

Yes.

That’s excellent. Now, how did AVAN LAVA start? It sounds like most of you have been in the NYC electronic music scene for a while now—was it something that just evolved from a friendship or was it more calculated than that?

Le Chev and Ian had been touring with Fischerspooner for awhile and knew they wanted to collaborate. At that time, I was performing in an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set to the music of Jeff Buckley. Ian saw it and hit me up. I came into the studio shortly after and started singing on some tracks. Ian ended up going on an international tour with Blue Man Group and Le Chev and I wrote the first EP, Vapors, in a haunted church basement. 

Man. You’ve got all the makings of an epic New York tale there—old-school electronic cred, Blue Man Group, Shakespeare set to Buckley, haunted church basements…. Do you ever worry about the band’s sound coming off as derivative to some people? Dance music from the 80’s + 90’s seems like a clear influence on AVAN LAVA’s sound, but I could see it being tricky introducing enough…’new’ to make sure you’re not just doing something that was done before.

We definitely love all types of music and are inspired by many artists, but I believe our sound is authentic and hopefully refreshing to listeners. If you listen to both EPs, I think it’s clear that we’re always evolving. The full-length record is gonna blow some people’s minds. It’s really different for us. 

Oh, that’s exciting—really can’t wait to hear it. We really love your video for “Sisters”. Where did that narrative come from?

Our good friends, Dan Gutt and Wes Auburn, approached us with a treatment for “Sisters”. We read it and knew immediately that they totally understood the song and that we had to make the video. It didn’t hurt that the video was set in Puerto Rico and we all got to live on the beach for a week.

Yeah, sign me up. Speaking of “Sisters”, we like to pull out a single line of lyrics and ask musicians to explain them to us. “With every hand we fold, a drifting fate, is it too late?”—can you break that down a little for us?

For me that lyric is talking about an old love that never feels over. And the longer you are without that person and the more romantic experiences you have with other people, the further you drift away from that person and that love. Eventually you can move on from anything. My soulmate in college completely disowned me because it was too complicated. I still miss her and feel like our story isn’t over. But I can now go a full 24 hours without thinking of her. 

That’s lovely, about the lyrics I mean. You recently penned a really nice article for Huffington Post about how the band helped you come out. Can you expand on that? Was it just a matter of suddenly having this public point of expression through playing live shows and then having to come to terms more seriously with yourself as a gay man?

Thanks! Well I had already sort of formally come out, but the band made me feel really empowered as an entertainer and as a gay person so I wanted to proudly declare it. And then I wanted to make sure that it didn’t define the band, because it’s more than that. 

Have you gotten much feedback from people on that article? I’m sure there are some people out there who see it as a responsibility to use your band or art or whatever to affect social change.

I received a lot of positive feedback. I think the biggest way to affect social change is by not letting sexuality define the music. I’m in a band that writes about experiences anyone can have. 

That’s a great way to put it. Wait, so did you really have to come out to your parents three times?

Yes. Maybe more.

Oh, parents. So, being in the marketing/branding business, we’re always interested in band names—what does AVAN LAVA mean and what’s the story behind the name?

The band name means whatever you want it to mean. It’s so meaningless that you’re forced to create your own meaning. It almost feels like we were given the name, like born with it. 

I like that. How would you describe AVAN LAVA’s live shows to someone who hasn’t attended them before?

It honestly feels like church. I’m not religious, but this shit feels holy. The show is an all inclusive experience rooted in love. We just want to be with you. 

Hah. Well, for once, I can’t wait to go to church. What’s your favorite song to play live?

“It’s Never Over”—everyone knows the words and that beat never gets old. It never feels forced. People go nuts. 

Excellent. Are you all excited about playing at the Echoplex with Shit Robot?

Hell Yea!!! We love Shit Robot. We’re obsessed with LA. Check Yo Ponytail is the best party and we know it’s gonna be good vibes. We’ve got plenty of surprises in store (plus NEW songs) for Los Angeles. 

Well we’re excited to be there! You mentioned your full-length—are you recording that already then?

We’re 2/3 of the way done with the full length. We’ll be playing brand new songs from it at the LA show. I also have a track coming out this month with these Dutch producers KELJET. Oliver Nelson also did a remix of the song that sounds tight! Excited. 

Oh, we’ll keep an eye out for that. Who are you listening to lately that you feel like is really inspiring you, creatively?

Disclosure. The production on their latest record is so sick. Also cannot stop listening to “Flatline” by Mutya Keisha Siobhan, produced by Dev Hynes. It’s a perfect pop tune!! 

Oh, Dev Hynes—yeah, we saw him open up for Phoenix as Blood Orange. Great stuff. Best show you’ve ever attended yourself?

Radiohead. I saw them last year with my mom and had to carry her home. Worth it. 

Hah. Favorite thing about NYC?

Because we all take trains or walk or bike everywhere, you always run into friends. Just yesterday I ran into three old friends. I feel like the community here is amazing, and eventually you end up hanging out with or collaborating with so many artists who are based here in NYC. I feel like that isn’t possible in most cities.

Ah, now you’ve got me missing NYC. To counter that, favorite thing about LA?

TACOS! 

HUZZAH!

Angelenos, you can catch AVAN LAVA with Shit Robot, Larry Gus, and Goddollars tonight at Check Yo Ponytail at the Echoplex (as of writing, there are still some tickets left).

You can give this week’s featured song—”Sisters”—a listen below. Then listen to their song, “Feels Good”, and watch the above-mentioned video for “Sisters” in our July write-up. Keep an eye out for the band’s debut full-length in 2014. In the meantime, you can visit the band’s SoundCloud page to hear more and purchase their EPs Flex Fantasy + Vapors over at iTunes.

Ten years ago today.
All my love, Katie.

Photo – Sheppard Ferguson

For many of us, whether we like it or not, our professional careers often seep into our everyday lives. It makes sense—you have a background in a given specialty, train yourself in it, and then have that trade dominate your thinking for 40 or so hours in a week, it understandably and—some would say—rightly changes how you view things outside of those designated work hours.

We’re no different, Reader. Case in point—it is really tough for us, as consumers, to support via commerce companies that put a poorly designed product out there on store shelves. Call us snobby if you like, but, in my mind, it’s more a matter of pride in the work we do + value in it—if a client isn’t going to take their brand seriously, why should I take their product seriously or think that they care about what they’re producing.

Clearly this isn’t always the case—I know there’s many an old-school crafter out there who stands by the theory that it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside, it’s what’s inside that counts, and I get that. They’re mostly right. But I also think that it’s important to tell consumers who you are and what you’re offering them away; ideally with some beautifully designed packaging/labeling.

And yes, this extends, for us, to the purchasing of libations. We have many wines or beers or liquors that we know we like, regardless of labeling, but, when choosing a new, unknown one, more often than not we go by the look of the bottle and what they say, if anything, about their product—the story they tell. It’s important to us and we think it should be important to them.

By way of example, we give you two birds of a feather, as it were—Eel River‘s Raven’s Eye organic imperial stout from Scoita, California + a Spanish rosé from winery pablo claro. Both are well-designed and animal-friendly, no less.

What’s that? You didn’t know beers + wines could not be animal-friendly? Alright, well, don’t freak out, but often manufacturers use things like egg or fish byproduct in the processing or filtration. I know—ew, right? Luckily, back in 2002 or so, two booze-loving vegan Canadians started Barnivore, an online, user-supported directory of beers, wines, and liquor with information on their varying degrees of animal-friendliness. As they put it:

“Brewmasters, winemakers, and distillers may include animal ingredients in their products directly, or they might use them in the processing and filtration. When making the product, dairy, honey, and other things (including, in one case, a whole chicken dropped in the tank) are ingredients in the final recipe. When filtering the drinks prior to bottling, companies can use things like isinglass (from fish bladder,) gelatin, egg whites, and sea shells, among other things. These products grab onto the impurities and make it easier to catch them in the filters, though there are many animal-free alternatives in use. These ingredients don’t usually show up on the label, so the only way to find out is to ask.”

Co-founders Jason + Angela don’t take the daunting/impossible task of asking every single manufacturer of beer, wine, and liquor on themselves though; they instead inform users on how best to reach out to companies to find out whether or not their products are animal-friendly. For instance, with Eel River’s entry on Barnivore, you can see that two separate users contacted the company and you can view the company’s response yourself—”We do not use any animal based products in our beer at all.

And Spanish winery pablo claro was actual checked by us a while back (because we liked their label). It’s easy.

So, next time you’re wondering, “Hmmmm, does this beer have fish bladder in it?”, just search for the company/product on Barnivore and, if you don’t find what you’re looking for, reach out to them yourselves—here’s how.

Cheers, Reader!

Maybe you’ve seen the chatter online or heard tell via your local independent radio station or even seen the many posters that have sprung up around town lately, but it’s no huge secret—the Arcade Fire is back.

They’ve recently announced a new album—out at the end of next month—and just released the album’s title track, “Reflektor”. The biggest news is likely the song itself—the James Murphy (DFA Records/LCD Soundsystem) produced disco feel and upbeat, un-Springsteen style promise new things for a band that, with such notable success already, could easily satisfy the market by sticking to the book they wrote with their most recent commercial hits, The Suburbs + Neon Bible.

Also of note though—one of two videos they created for the song, written, directed, and produced by Vincent Morisset and billed as “an interactive short film.” Vincent, pictured to the right with one of the film’s stars, explains further on the site for the film, writing that it “explores the themes in Arcade Fire’s ‘Reflektor’ through two devices simultaneously: the computer and smartphone/tablet. Filmed in Haiti, where the band’s singer Régine Chassagne was raised, the story follows a young woman who travels between her world an our own.”

The project, created in partnership with Google, is only functional via Google’s Web browser, Chrome (clever), and allows users to interact with the video and how it’s viewed by waving a smart phone or tablet at a computer’s camera, thus enabling control of some of the effects in the video and displaying of ‘secret’ messages. As you can see below, you can also star—along with your cat, if you like—in the video. You can view a full list of the various 2D + 3D Web technologies here.

All of this is pretty crazy town on its own, but those bells + whistles take on a new light with the lyrics to the song itself. Lines like “We’re so connected, but are we even friends?” beg the listener to question our dual lives online…while asking you to get online and wave your phone around in front of your computer.

Cleverer minds than mine own are put to task on this subkject over at The Atlantic. But, regardless of what we should or should not break free from (you’re still reading this in front of your computer, right?), do yourself a favor and check the video out. If nothing else, it’s very, very cool.

Oh, there’s a second video for the song too that’s black + white and features the band in bobble heads. In case you’re feeling particularly low-tech today or just hankering to see a mandatory 30 second Clearasil^® commercial beforehand.