Shameless Plays Favorites: 2006

Here it is, folks. Our 2006 year in review. Have a wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous, and SUPER FUN 2007!

Andie's Top 10 CDs of 2006:
10. Stadium Arcadium [Red Hot Chili Peppers] - yes, I still love 'em. So?
9. Slow Motion Addict [Carina Round]
8. Waterloo to Anywhere [Dirty Pretty Things]
7. Taking the Long Way [Dixie Chicks] - okay, so I really dislike country. But these girls have talent and GUTS. And they're proof that not every southerner is a Bush-loving redneck. I support that.
6. Broken Boy Soldiers [The Raconteurs]
5. Robbers & Cowards [Cold War Kids]
4. Channelizing Paradise [Los Super Elegantes]
3. St. Elsewhere [Gnarls Barkley]
2. The Information [Beck]
1. Return to Cookie Mountain [TV on the Radio]

Siria's Top 10 CDs of 2006:
10. Fundamental [Pet Shop Boys]
9. Born in the UK [Badly Drawn Boy]
8. Let's Get Out of This Country [Camera Obscura]
7. A Hundred Miles Off [The Walkmen]
6. The Crane Wife [The Decemberists]
5. Wolfmother [Wolfmother]
4. You in Reverse [Built to Spill]
3. How We Operate [Gomez]
2. Return to Cookie Mountain [TV on the Radio]
1. I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass [Yo La Tengo] (**this one wins andie's vote for best title)

Andie's Top 10 live performances of 2006:
10. Chissum Worthington @ The Old Town Pub
9. Flaming Lips @ SXSW
(this wasn't a traditional performance, but rather a fascinating presentation of the making of At War With the Mystics)
8. Camp Freddy @ The Avalon
7. Los Super Elegantes @ Safari Sam's
6. Sia @ SXSW
5. Supergrass @ The Avalon
4. Art Brut @ SXSW
3. Radiohead @ the Greek Theatre
2. Gnarls Barkley @ Coachella
1. Beck @ The Wiltern

Siria's Top 10 live performances of 2006:
10. Porterville @ Key Club (Kiss or Kill)
9. Shifter @ Little Pedros
8. The Lashes @ Spaceland
7. Joan Jett @ Key Club Morongo
6. The Sounds @ Avalon (Kenneth Cole Private Party)
5. The Cramps @ Sunset Junction
4. BloodSugar @ Safari Sams (Kiss or Kill)
3. The Adicts @ Key Club
2. Brand New @ Bamboozle
1. The Buzzcocks @ Henry Fonda Theater

Andie's Top 10 anything 2006:
10. Planter's Trail Mix (Nut & Chocolate) - the perfect late night fuel
9. Rudy's Barbershop
8. my black sling-back cork wedge heels from Target. That's right. Totally hot and comfortable, not to mention cheap.
7. Boca Chica - awesome Brazilian?-influenced restaurant in NYC
6. my cell phone - the LG "eNV" - puts your Sidekicks and Blackberries to shame!
5. Healing Hands Wellness Center - a little slice of bliss in Larchmont Village
4. Pretty Vacant jewelry by Michelle Ponce (if anyone has a web URL for this, I'd love to get it!)
3. Dexter [Showtime]
2. Paxilback Video [the Gray Kid f.Daniel Stessen]
1. MacBooks - this thing is my crack!

Siria's Top 10 anything 2006:
10. Top New Arrival - The Swedish brand clothing store H&M that had people lining up the night before outside of it's Southern California debut in Pasadena, a Beverly Center location is also now open
9. Top Patio in LA - El Cid
8. Top Astrology Site - AstrologyZone.com although not a devoted horoscope reader, I have been reading my monthly forecast penned by Susan Miller for years
7. Top Musical ReMake/Rip-off - PaxilBack Video - The Gray Kid featuring Daniel Stessen - 2006's underground runaway hit
6. Top Air Freshener - CostPlus World Market Room Refresher in Lavender Vanilla for those of us easily nauseated by powerful scents
5. Top Late Night Eatery - Cactus Taqueria Their tacos always hit the spot after a late night of partying
4. Top Life Saver - The MySpace Birthday Reminder function... Never forget any of your 2000 friends' birthdays again
3. Top New Music Site - Pandora
2. Top Mani/Pedi/Waxing Destination - Gloss NailSpa in Silverlake
1. Top Non-Guilty Pleasure - Sephora Indulgences - Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Hair & Body Wash - Smells so yummy you'd swear it was edible!

Andie coulda' done without ________________ in 2006:
10. egocentric frontmen (is that redundant?)
9. Mel Gibson's drunk-driving, anti-semitic antics
8. David Lynch and a cow (yep, together) shutting down Hollywood Boulevard
7. so many stylists and racks of clothing
6. student loan payments
5. Steve Wynn putting his elbow through A FREAKIN' PICASSO!
4. show patrons paying more attention to their Sidekicks and Blackberries than to the performers [note: you're not that important/popular]
3. Myspace sluts - there are just way too many to link here... and I'm not even talking about the most obvious ones!
2. Fergie - her humps - and tunes - are most definitely Fergilicious... and I don't mean that as a compliment.
1. people in creative industries not understanding things like licensing and copyright

Siria coulda' done without ________________ in 2006:
10. The Closing of Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. - Little by little Hollywood is being stripped of its history
9. Mergers - Seems like every week a new merger was announced
8. American Music Awards - Should get the Biggest Trainwreck of the Year award - who the heck were half the nominees
7. Michael Richards Not so funny Stand Up Routine
6. Paris Hilton - Paris (Warner Bros./WEA) The Heiress' debut and hopefully last album
5. KFED - Wierd Al probably summed it up for all of us
4. The Britney Flashings - No MORE please!!!
3. "Fire Crotch" - The end all be all of third grade insults intended for Lindsey Lohan from Brandon Davis
2. Shirley Phelps-Roper - When it comes to Religion it's never pretty is it?
1. GENE SIMMONS

Shameless Loves: Anne Taintor

Tainted love? Not quite. More like …”Vintage Revisited” … That is the statement made by witty Harvard graduate Anne Taintor about her line of products ranging from cosmetic bags, notepads, luggage tags and file folders to messenger bags featuring artwork from authentic vintage advertisements from the 1930’s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. Very reminiscent of Pleasantville, each of the products feature cheeky statements such as “I can’t be good all the time” or “she liked imaginary men best of all.”

I must admit that I have seen these images being toted around in the last couple of years and although I found them interesting enough, I hadn’t really paid them any mind until recently stumbling upon a site that carried some items from the collection while surfing the web in search of the perfect invitation for a friend’s baby shower.

The New Mexico based Miss Taintor’s products have been featured in Newsweek as well as countless other daily publications such as The Chicago Tribune and can often be found in specialty shops. After taking a look at all of these nostalgia inducing pieces, I quickly became enamored with the ID cases and Compacts which, had I discovered them prior to the gift giving season, would’ve made perfect little gifts for some of my favorite gal pals! The official website for these products even has a section that features some of the original models featured on the artwork, aptly referred to as “Taintorettes.” Imagine that! The Grandma you baked cookies with as a child, taking on a devil may care attitude a la Katharine Hepburn’s infamous line of “Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then,” would fit right in with the saucy one-liners featured on these items.

All of the products are reasonably priced, ranging from $4.25 to $38.00, and although they can be found on various websites I recommend visiting the official website: www.AnneTaintor.com.

Shameless Plays: Between Earth and Sky [The Colour]

I was introduced to this band by one of my girlfriends a couple of years ago and became an instant fan. I wish I could say that it was because I was so deeply touched by their music, but truth be told I couldn't take my eyes off of the lead singer. He looks and moves just like any footage I've ever seen of Jim Morrison (insert girly *sigh* here). We went to as many of their shows as we could, and I never recalled a song. And it didn't matter. I mean, if it was not good, I would have noticed right away and been thoroughly annoyed, swearing off ever seeing them again.

Okay, that's not the most glowing endorsement, I know, but they came to my attention again recently as the buzz built over their February 2007 release and I decided to give them a more critical listen. Maybe because I went to see them with my boyfriend this time instead of "one of the girls." Whatever the reason, I'm glad it came to be, because I found the songs from their new release to be far more memorable than I recalled. I had read that they were something along the lines of The Cure, but watching them last month brought to mind rootsier, more blues-influenced, American-style rock. Their songs had not so much a dancey, new-wavey jerk, but rather a sexy groove.

Check out a couple of tracks to see what I mean:

~ Save Yourself mp3
~ Devil's Got a Holda Me mp3

Shameless Mourns: James Brown

I had hoped to simply log on to wish you all a Merry Christmas - I hope you don't find that politically incorrect or exclusionary. Rather, I intend it to be inclusionary - however I just learned of the recent death of an amazingly talented and inspiring man. So in addition to celebrating family, friends, good food, faith (if that's your thing), take a moment to remember:

James Brown
1933 - 2006

Learn more about him at GodfatherOfSoul.com and buy one of his CDs in his honor. We especially enjoy James Brown's Funky Christmas

Free Thom Yorke Remix Downloads

THOM YORKE REMIXES AVAILABLE FREE TO DOWNLOAD ON WWW.THEERASER.NET FOR SEVEN DAYS FROM MONDAY DEC 11.

Thom Yorke posted a note on his website today that remixes of two tracks from his album "The Eraser" would be available for free download on the site - www.theeraser.net. The tracks will be available for one week only from Monday December 11.

The two remixes are:

"The Clock" remixed by Surgeon

"Analyse" remixed by Various.

Thom intimated that these could be just the first tracks to be remixed from the album although no further details were available on any future remixes at this stage.

Thom's full blog reads:

"For anyone who has heard The Eraser, there are some remixes coming.

Yes.

I got excited. I've been listening through. I mean. There's some freaky shit.

They may start appearing soon. Gradually. Briefly. Just a taste. And then gone.

On www.theeraser.net.
First there is Surgeon's Rmx of The Clock.
This was the one that made me think, we got to start getting these out
I was chuffed he wanted to do it as think he is a MASTER.
He has turned it into something really hard. And disco.
Well what i call disco anyhow.
It made me very proud.

I hope it gets played in a club somewhere.
Not that i get out much nowadays.

Peace to us all during the festive season.

Thm
X"

The Decemberists vs. Colbert vs. The Decemberists?

Watch The Colbert Report on Comedy Central this week to see if he ever hits that note.

Sessions Series about to launch!

For Immediate Release - Shameless Entertainment will re-launch in January 2007 with a new website as well as its affordable information packed monthly music industry seminars known as the “Sessions Series,” which will focus on a different topic each month geared towards the independent artist/musician trying to make it in today’s ever changing music industry. The series will be kicked off on Saturday January 27th at El Cid with the “Management Session.” This first installment will cover all aspects of music management from obtaining management, to the importance of having a manager, and the way the role of a manager has evolved throughout recent years. Each session will be immediately followed by a networking happy hour which will feature drink and appetizer specials and allow session attendees to converse about the information they have been presented with as well as interact with panel members. Submissions for consideration as a panel member are still being accepted for review and can be submitted to sessions@shamelessla.com. For more information regarding the “Sessions Series” or Shameless Entertainment please visit www.shamelessla.com or myspace.com/thesessionsseries. Please direct all inquiries or questions to Siria Contreras (siria@shamelessla.com) or Andrea LaBarge (andie@shamelessla.com).