#silver nova guitar

[frankbankinternational]

Frank 🖤 / My Chemical Romance - WWWY Fest 19/10/2024

📸: Moe Horta for The Noise

[justletmewritepls]

Memories (Tokyo Revengers Mikey x Reader)

Chapter 2

A year later

The weekend arrived with a light breeze, the kind that carried the promise of warmth but also the faint scent of spring just beginning to stir. I found myself wandering the streets of our town, enjoying the solitude and the quiet, my mind drifting between the upcoming performance with my band, Super Nova, and the nagging feeling of unresolved issues with my past. It had been over a year since everything changed, since Keigo’s death, since Mikey and the others started Tokyo Manji, and since I’d lost touch with most of them.

But despite the pain, life had gone on. I had my friends, my band, and new goals. And as I walked through the park near the corner of my street, I felt a sense of peace, almost like the old days.

I wasn’t expecting to see anyone—certainly not him. But there he was, leaning against a tree, his familiar silver hair falling neatly over his forehead. Mitsuya. He was the last person I’d expected to run into today, but as soon as I saw him, a knot of both surprise and comfort settled in my chest.

Mitsuya stood up straight when he saw me, his usual calm smile spreading across his face. But there was something different in his eyes, a softness that wasn’t typical of his usual self. He’d always been kind to me, even when the others were too wrapped up in their own lives. But there was a quiet care in his demeanor that made me feel like he understood more than he let on.

“(Y/n), hey!” Mitsuya greeted me with a gentle wave.

“Hey, Mitsuya,” I replied, the name slipping from my lips like it belonged in the air around us. We hadn’t talked much in recent months—not since everything changed. It felt a bit strange now, but also comforting.

“You’re out here alone?” Mitsuya asked, pushing a hand through his hair as he took a step closer. “I didn’t think I’d run into you today.”

“I was just walking around,” I shrugged, trying to sound casual. “You know, clearing my head. How about you?”

He smiled again, though this time there was a bit of nostalgia in his expression. “Same. Just wanted to get away from everything for a bit.”

We stood in a quiet moment, the kind that sometimes felt heavy but never uncomfortable with him. It wasn’t long before I realized I was looking at him more than I should. Mitsuya had always been easy to talk to. The connection between us felt less like the past, less like the carefree days of our childhood, and more like two people who had been through things neither had expected.

“You’ve been busy, huh?” Mitsuya asked, breaking the silence, his eyes lighting up as he spoke about my band. “I heard Super Nova is playing at an event next month. That’s awesome.”

I couldn’t help but smile, feeling a warmth spread across my chest at his genuine interest. “Yeah, we’ve been working hard on it. It’s a big deal for us. It’s weird how far we’ve come since we started. We've only been practicing for like the last 4 months.” I shrugged, though my heart beat a little faster at the thought of our performance.

“That’s amazing,” he said with admiration in his voice. “I’m sure you’ll do great. I remember when you first picked up the guitar. You were so focused even back then.”

I blushed, the compliment warming me from the inside out. “I guess it’s been a while, huh?”

Mitsuya nodded, his smile softening. “Yeah, a long time. It’s crazy how much things change.” He paused, looking down at his hands for a moment, almost as if deep in thought. “I... I’m really proud of you, (Y/n). You’ve grown a lot.”

My cheeks burned a little, and I didn’t quite know how to respond to that. There was something else in the way he looked at me now, something deeper than I had noticed before. It wasn’t just a friendly admiration—it was something more personal, something unspoken. It made me feel... exposed, in a way, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it.

I shake my head, trying to convince myself that my mind was playing tricks on me because we hadn't really spoken in months. It's just making it up.

“So...” I said, shifting the subject slightly, “How’ve you been? I heard you’ve been busy with Toman stuff. I guess it’s a lot to handle now, huh?”

Mitsuya’s smile faded for a moment, and I saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes, though he quickly masked it with a casual shrug. “Yeah. It’s... complicated. I’m still in Toman. After everything with your brother and Mikey’s brother...” His voice trailed off, and I could see the weight of those memories on his shoulders.

I looked away for a moment, my throat tightening at the mention of Keigo. It still stung, even now. Mitsuya had always been the calm one, the one who took everything in stride, but I could see now that the past had affected him more than I realized.

“I didn’t want things to end the way they did,” he continued, his tone softer now. “But I’m still in Toman because... I want to make sure what happened to your brother and Mikey’s brother never happens again. I want to protect people from going down the same path.”

I felt a lump form in my throat, but I nodded, understanding more than I could put into words. Mitsuya had always cared about the people around him, and his heart was in the right place. But I also knew he carried more than his share of guilt and responsibility on his shoulders.

“I get it,” I said softly, trying to meet his gaze but finding it hard to look him in the eye for too long. “I do. You’ve always been someone who wanted to protect people, even when you didn’t have to.”

He gave me a small, bittersweet smile. “I just wish... things didn’t have to be this way.”

There was a long pause between us, a quiet acknowledgment of the things we couldn’t change. We were both stuck in different places now, both haunted by the past in our own ways. But there was something comforting about being able to talk to him, even if it was only for a brief moment.

“So... what’s next for you?” Mitsuya asked, his voice brightening again as he tried to change the tone. “After the big event with your band, I mean. Got any other plans?”

I smiled, feeling the warmth of the conversation shift to something lighter. “Yeah, I think after that, we’ll keep working on new songs. We only do cover songs at the moment but we’re planning to do some more local shows where we can maybe preform our own thing. Maybe even get a recording deal if we’re lucky.”

“That sounds great,” Mitsuya said with a sincere smile. “I’ll be cheering you on, (Y/n). I know you’ll go far.”

The words felt like a hug.

“Well... thanks, Mitsuya,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the warmth spreading across my cheeks. “I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” he replied softly, his voice carrying a quiet sincerity that made my heart flutter. “Anytime.”

As we parted ways, I felt a strange mix of emotions swirling inside me. Mitsuya had always been a good friend, at least back when we were still friends. But today, there was something else in the way he looked at me, something that felt unspoken but real. I wasn’t sure where it would lead, but for now, I was just grateful for the time we’d spent together, for the brief but meaningful connection we shared.

As I walked away, I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Mitsuya standing there, watching me with a wistful smile. I couldn’t help but smile back, even though I knew neither of us would say the words we both were thinking.

'We understand each other.'

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Hed Kandi: Serve Chilled 3 2001 Downtempo / Bossa Nova / Broken Beat

Man, I am just in such constant awe over how quality these Hedkandi releases always are. I mean, I honestly couldn't tell you what their comps are sounding like these days—and they've been owned by Ministry of Sound since 2006 anyway—but back at the turn of the millennium, when they were on their own as an independent UK-based entity that was mostly specializing in glamorously chill and soulful house music, this label really just could not find a way to ever miss. Every single dispatch just seemed to come with an unwavering commitment to a certain sleek-sounding, contemporary underground, and by the time you were done listening to one of these things, it would always put into perspective just how vast and sonically diverse this whole little-known world that they were sampling from truly was. And it would also leave you scratching your head as to why the American music cognoscenti largely chose to ignore it all too ❓❕

Now, Hedkandi is known especially for its array of house comps, but something else that they've also kept a close and keen eye on since jump is chillout. In fact, the label's second ever release was the initial installment in their Serve Chilled series, and this 2001 third volume from that same series, as had been their standard, is pretty damn exquisite too. This is a double-disc that delivers a bunch of different and luxuriant strains of downtempo, but two types that it really seems to hone in on especially is a British-born vocal kind that features a soft and quiet, often reflective lead female vocal (think Portishead or Massive Attack's "Teardrop," which was fronted by none other than Elisabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins), and the other is just sublimely loungey bossa nova vibes 😌.

So let's get a prime example of each, shall we? For that UK vocal stuff, we have Rae & Christian's beautiful "Not Just Anybody," a quintessentially silky-smooth, submerse-yourself-in-the-bathtub kind of chill pill that features Mark Rae's very own cousin, Kate Rogers, on vocals. Just purely blissful escapism here, and with some wet trumpet between some of Rogers' singing too. An absolutely phenomenal song.

And for the bossa nova, it's hard to pick just one here, but "Jelba," by the UK's Russ Gabriel, is a track that might lull you into a full daze. It takes a little bit of time to start to fully unwind, but eventually it hits some extra sweet spots by combining its highly rhythmic bossa elements with extremely mellow keys and a cycle of things like electric guitar, panned-right acoustic guitar, and a bunch of percussion too. Breezy and pure instrumental joy 😊.

So, yet another terrific offering here from the one and only Hedkandi empire, before it had really managed to grow out all of its own tentacles. A few tracks here and there seem to go for a little bit more of a mass appeal, and as a result, end up missing the mark, but for the vast majority of these two discs, you can really expect nothing short of truly vintage y2k-era Hedkandi greatness 👍.

Highlights:

CD1:

Fac 15 - "Stay With Me Til Dawn (Kumharas Sunset)" Chris Coco - "Gemini" Urban Dwellers - "Le Croisic (Chris Coco's Silver Stars mix)" Illumination - "Somewhere Out There" Organic Audio - "Always the Sun" Badmarsh & Shri - "Day by Day" Rae & Christian feat. Kate Rogers - "Not Just Anybody" Aware - "No Belongings" Ski Oakenfull feat. Nina Madhoo - "On My Way" FUG - "Ready for Us"

CD2:

Zimpala - "To the Bass" Los Ladrones - "La séptima ola" S-Tone Inc. - "Arejar" The Menheads - "Barabeu" Cantoma - "Pandajaro" Racoon feat. Rose Max - "Sensaçao" Russ Gabriel - "Jelba" Chichi Peralta - "Un día más (Matty's II Deep Allstar mix)" Butterfinger - "Wanna Go Somewhere and Chill?" Atjazz - "Harmony" Afro-Mystik - "Infinite Rhythm"

[mywifeleftme]

150: Luiz Carlos Vinhas // O som psicodélico de L.C.V.

O som psicodélico de L.C.V. Luiz Carlos Vinhas 1968, CBS (Bandcamp)

This album is so fucking good, ay ay ay. Pianist Luiz Carlos Vinhas was a founding member of the bossa nova movement who played with the instrumental trio Bossa Três; as a sideman for Jorge Ben and many others; and released a handful of solo records, of which his ’64 debut Novas Estruturas (New Structures) is the most acclaimed—though it’s sadly as desperately rare as the rest of his catalogue. A fine album in its own right, Novas Estruturas is laid back bossa jazz that will class up any joint lucky enough for it to be played in, but 1968’s O som psicodélico de L.C.V. (The Psychedelic Sound of L.C.V.) is on a different level. In the four years since his debut, Vinhas has clearly drawn influence from the burgeoning Tropicália movement. If L.C.V.’s not quite as deliciously off-meds as Gilberto Gil or Tom Zé’s releases from the same year, it’s at least their equal in colour and pure festive pleasure.

The trio of Vinhas originals on the A-side testify to the album’s carnivalesque range: on “Tanganica” (possibly named for a province in the Congo) simulated birdcalls scream around a twanging electric guitar, samba percussion, and a series of stirring trumpet solos; on the militant “Yê-Melê” (which Sérgio Mendes would cover the following year), the music switches between pounding Afro-Cuban piano and strafing organ runs, while a chorus of female vocalists and a group of trumpeters take turns riling up the audience; “Zize-Baio” (Google Translate shrugs its shoulders at me) is pure pop, with a rising instrumental hook that continues to build pleasure until the song cuts just over two minutes in and you feel a little ruffled it’s over so soon. But life goes on, and Vinhas’s band throw everything at you: a stunning rendition of Horace Silver’s “Song to My Father,” a trio of inventive medleys on the B-side that find time for Ary Barroso and “Chatanooga Choo-Choo” alike, the attack of pure mania that is the motormouthed “O Dialogo” (another Vinhas original), and on and on.

Only reissued for the first time in 2020 by Mad About Records, my copy is a weird bootleg that appears to be from ’68 and is identical to the hyper-rare original release, aside from differently coloured labels on the disc itself. Considering the price of bossa nova original pressings, I feel lucky to have it, and though I’m no expert in the genre, it’s hard to imagine this ever falling from its high perch among my favourites.

150/365

[moochilatv]

John Calvin presents: Sturgeon Moon

Chill music, for a morning days

The fingerstyle guitar, bossa nova percussion, and loungy organ of heartland-rocker John Calvin’s new single “Sturgeon Moon” brings a carefree spirit to this song that embraces the freedom of New York City living. His poetic lyrics take nothing for granted while embracing a beautiful day, moving through trains, or sitting at a cafe sipping on coffee and wine.

RIYL: Father John Misty, Cass McCombs, Bill Callahan, Khruangbin, Kevin Morby, Springsteen, Jeff Tweedy

New LP Greener Fields & Fairer Seas (out Jan. 24) is a bold statement that no matter how bad things get, a silver lining always follows. Poetic lyrics weave through a rich tapestry of folk (and occasionally overdriven) guitars, organs, orchestral strings and gospel backing vocals, reminding us to pay attention to the world around us and to choose kindness in our daily lives. It’s an album that delves into the horrors of the pandemic years, while projecting hope through building a family, fatherhood and Texas. This is an album about growing up.

Stream Sturgeon Moon:

John Calvin - Greener Fields & Fairer Seas LP (out Jan. 24)

Americana heartland-rocker John Calvin’s new LP Greener Fields & Fairer Seas (out Jan. 24) is an antidote to the world’s ills. It’s a bold statement that no matter how bad things get, a silver lining always follows. Poetic lyrics weave through a rich tapestry of folk (and occasionally overdriven) guitars, organs, orchestral strings and gospel backing vocals, reminding us to pay attention to the world around us and to choose kindness in our daily lives. It’s an album that delves into the horrors of the pandemic years, while projecting hope through building a family, fatherhood and Texas. This is an album about growing up.

The tongue-in-cheek irony of the title Greener Fields & Fairer Seas isn’t lost on Calvin. “I have a wonderful life, wife and kids,” says Calvin. “I have a lot to be thankful for, but there’s always something more to strive for. Stumbling from bar to bar in my past life was fun, but having people in my life who believe in me inspires me to be a better person.”

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Written while Calvin was in the throes of COVID in the early days of the 2020 pandemic, the album kicks off with the uplifting “Rest of My Roads.” Piano and organ peek out before building into its cacophonous orchestral chorus. Eric DeFade’s wailing saxophone solo cuts through the maelstrom in this song about coming to terms with one’s mortality. It has the musical complexity and emotional resonance of The Band while utilizing the loud-quiet-loud ebb and flow of the Pixies. The uncertainty of the time is lyrically emphasized in the well-worn metaphor of, “We’re sowing those seeds / Just to watch ‘em grow.”

“I was shivering and sweating,” says Calvin. “I was looking out the window at the leaves and the shadows they were casting. It was a strange, Pink Floyd, psychedelic experience. The grocery stores were out of food and paper. I was eating the same Campbell’s soup every night, until I just stopped eating. People were dying and we didn’t know what was going to happen. It was scary knowing that my kids were relying on me for their safety. I made a promise to myself and my family to not take things for granted.”

The Tom Petty meets Wilco sincerity of “I Can Make Your Heart Mine” emphasizes being the best parent you can possibly be, while attempting to minimize inherited trauma. “What I can’t leave behind / I’ll have to carry on / But I can make your heart mine / I can hold you close and let you go,” Calvin sings as his honest vocals trade off with bass, drums and Rhodes organ in this stripped-bare song of empathy. A phantom guitar is implied through its beautiful, Chick Corea-eque melancholic vibe that crescendos with cinematic strings.

“It’s important to see things from a child’s perspective,” says Calvin. “I use empathy to help my children grow. Your wins will be my wins. Your losses are my losses. You’re worthy of that. We make mistakes and that’s okay. Be accepting of what you can’t control. Listening to the case they’re making will get you 90% there. If you did your job right, your kid will be able to walk away as a mostly unscathed adult.”

The acoustic “Hazel or Blue” is an ode to Calvin’s late grandmother and the family mythology that she passed along. Calvin’s finger-picked guitar dances with the pedal steel as DeFade’s ethereal flute flitters and fades in and out of existence. “The kids in our family either had hazel or blue eyes,” says Calvin, “and the story went you had to worry about the kids with blue eyes.” It’s a song about not making the same mistakes as your parents, or passing them on to your own children.

The pedal steel-centric and geologic “Austin Chalk” ruminates on our oldest human mythology, the flood, while feeling just as timeless. The Austin Chalk is a massive and ancient outcropping of limestone that travels, like Calvin’s troubadourian guitar strums, from Dallas, to Austin, to San Antonio. The bed of underground rock would cause flooding from the Trinity River in certain areas of South Dallas, which have always been separated by racial and economic lines. Lush green spaces intermingled with poverty. The song lives in a mellow Khruangbin-esque drizzle before exploding like a thunderclap on the chorus, all while evoking wet ground previously tread in Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Texas Flood.”

“I was sitting on my patio playing that rolling intro on my J-50 when it started to rain,” says Calvin. “I’d play louder to keep up with the noise of the storm, then quiet down when there was a lull. Then out of nowhere, someone yelled, ‘Hey, we got a flood on our hands!’ I started thinking about the 4.5 billion year-old Earth versus the 200,000 years us humans have had. Our short time on this planet was a big orienting principle. We’re only here for the blink of an eye.”

Similarly, the wondrous post-grunge song “Gravity” takes on the weight of the world and the crushing inescapability of time. “All the heroes are ground to dust / Just to pave the street / As we waltz along endlessly / To a tune we call time,” he sings.

The plaintive "Saint Innocent" is about coping with the loss of his wife’s best friend. The title is taken from a pinot noir they’d all drink together, while winking at its religious implications. It ruminates on dealing with loss in unhealthy ways. Calvin’s grief can be felt through his primal vocals and impassioned guitar work. Pete Freeman’s furious pedal steel wails and Kelsey Jumper’s sorrowful backing vocals carry the emotional resonance of Joe Cocker’s “With A Little Help From My Friends.”

“Ellen and my wife were peas in a pod,” says Calvin. “We thought we’d spend our lives with her. She’d do firework shows professionally around Michigan. She loved it. She’d have a beer and just watch the fireworks. She was one of those people who just wanted to bring you something lovely and unexpected. Her love and dedication to fireworks was great. I sing, ‘paint those starry skies for me,’ and every time I see fireworks I still think about her.”

The gentle and touching “She Might Be a Song" is also about Ellen, and her succumbing to cancer. Calvin’s lyrical imagery and metaphors of cells dividing, ultraviolet light and “a summer dress of lead” is heartbreaking. Its threadbare intimacy is an alchemical portal into Calvin’s soul, like he’s whispering psychedelic secret truths to each of us listeners individually. It's incredibly personal yet we all have to deal with the universality of death. It’s tragic and touching, all while feeling like we’re absorbing ancient wisdom in his anguish.

The washed out and trippy "High is My Favorite Height" comes from an off-handed quip from Calvin’s son when he was five years old and staring out of a car window at Texas overpasses shooting into the sky. It’s about seeing things from unique perspectives and opening your mind to the world around you. It calls to the listener to embrace childlike innocence and wonder through its mind-bending space echo. “It took the purple one to rein me in / And the green to settle down again,” Calvin sings, reminiscent of the Hunter S. Thompson Fear and Loathing quote “[we had] a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, laughers, screamers…”

Calvin attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and his song “Our Souls Have Broken Chains” is about Heather Heyer who was fatally injured during the white supremist Unite the Right rally there. It’s a song of frustration at injustice that rolls in like a thunderstorm. The musical tension echoes the fear we all feel from the people who deem us different from them, enemies — people who might kill us because of that feeling. The pandemic years brought these feelings to the forefront through unnecessary violent deaths. George Floyd. Trayvon Martin. Freddie Gray. The song explodes in swirling strings and a near-screaming outro. Calvin's demand for respect and kindness is like screaming into the void — into a wind that refuses to carry his words to those who need to hear them most.

“I thought that we could come together as a country and hold people accountable,” says Calvin, “that we could change the system. A woman doing the right thing. She's just protesting. We all should have a right to protest, and she gets run down by an idiot in a Charger. It just broke my heart. We need to stop that primal instinct to think of another person as ‘other,’ to the point that you’d kill them. As a people, we need to find ways to defuse that powder keg.”

“Ode to Denis Johnson” is a love letter to the author, perhaps most known for the short story collection Jesus’ Son. Like the author, this song is fun and harrowing, particularly with it’s opening line of “Kill yourself / In the company of strangers.” It’s California gothic meets Velvet Underground New York skeeze.

“He’s this Raymond Carver type character,” says Calvin. “I was raised Catholic, and his views on Catholicism resonated. The church is for people who’ve made mistakes and are trying to deal with them. People who aren’t visible to the rest of society. Whose trials and tribulations are close to the ideals of Catholicism. The meek inheriting the earth. The Beatitudes, Sermon on the Mount is much more in line with the type of people that Jesus hung out with. It’s about being kind and understanding to the people among us who are struggling most. Denis Johnson got that and turned it into awesome books. There's also an undercurrent of self sacrifice in Dennis Johnson that’s less healthy. There’s a religious theory that says Jesus was God so he could’ve saved himself. It’s a perspective that can’t be gained by living a simple life.”

The fingerstyle guitar, bossa nova percussion, and loungy organ of “Sturgeon Moon” brings a carefree spirit to this song that embraces the freedom of New York City living. His poetic lyrics take nothing for granted while embracing a beautiful day, moving through trains, or sitting at a cafe sipping on coffee and wine. The ‘60s chunky-pop, Phil Spector wall of sound “Garden State Variety” swirls and swoons as a poignant and soulful love-at-first-sight song.

Album closer “Shenandoah” is a traditional folk song that Calvin performs with sludgy, overdriven guitars and a four-on-the-floor dirge of percussion. Imagine Springsteen, Pete Seegar and Pearl Jam on a camping trip, singing this around a fire with amps up to eleven. This is an album that’s captured a specific time and place in America, and “Shenandoah” is the perfect sendoff in the vein of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.”

Calvin’s story begins two generations ago with his finger-picking grandfather’s Gibson J-50 named Jumbo. He passed away when Calvin was eight years old and it sat unplayed in an attic. Years later, his step-grandmother found out he was playing guitar and bequeathed Jumbo to him. Jumbo and Calvin forged a relationship that has culminated in this new album.

“Jumbo isn’t set up right,” says Calvin, “but I love its sound. I always kept this guitar near me, and it always got played. It has this Neil Young mid-range, and I learned as many of his songs as I could. I was writing songs on this guitar my whole life, but it wasn’t until I got laid off in 2008 that I got serious about it.”

Calvin grew up a military brat, and continues a nomadic lifestyle where the only constant of home is his heirloom guitar Jumbo. Born at Fort Benning, Georgia, Calvin moved nearly every two years of his childhood: up and down the East Coast, to South Korea, to Germany, to living near the Pentagon for high school. He attended UVA in Charlottesville. From there he spent four Burning-Man-attending years in San Francisco and Oakland before settling down in New York City where he met his wife and started his family. Work moved him and his family to Dallas where he put out his debut album Masquerade Monday (2018), and wrote the lion’s share of Greener Fields & Fairer Seas. Now Calvin’s started a new South Florida life with his family in Boca Raton.

Very much a New York City album, the songs that made up Masquerade Monday dealt with frustration and loss — the emotional transition of losing his job and the stability that provided, and the loss of a long-term relationship before he met his wife. This primal scream of an album is epitomized in the vivid imagery of songs like “Beautiful & Wasted,” about cautiously watching the cocaine decline of a friend during his more wild NYC days, and the dark, Nick Cave-esque, finger-picked “Run,” which feels like a nightmare where you’re being chased by a faceless entity — where you know that there’s respite ahead, as long as you don’t stop moving.

“I felt like everything was falling apart at that time in my life,” says Calvin. “I was walking with a limp. It had taken a physical toll. I had a friend in Pittsburgh who offered to record the album for me, and that was the first time I worked with Nate Campisi. He heard things in my songs and brought in additional musicians to build this really full sound. It was that experience that inspired me to musically keep going.”

Working with Campisi inspired new songs in Calvin. He loved the recording process and wanted to work with the same people for the next album. Where Masquerade Monday had a loose, hangout feel with yawning tempos, Calvin wanted to do it again with more precision. For years, he’d grab his J-50 and fly from Miami to Pittsburgh every couple of months.

“To carry-on my guitar,” says Calvin, “I had to practically become a paralegal to wrestle with the gate agent every time. I’d stay walking distance to the studio. We did two weeks with drummer Pat Coyle to lock in the base elements. Every subsequent trip was to refine and record the other musicians. I did that for three years. I believe in allowing a song to be organic. To breathe. To allow the song to be human. Embracing flaws as features.”

The time spent to craft this record was well worth it. This is an audiophile’s album. Calvin and Campisi emphasize instruments in specific moments, building complexity and depth in its production and arrangements. It’s an engaging listening experience reminiscent of Tom Waits’ Mule Variations or Leonard Cohen’s early work. Where Masquerade Monday was about loss, Greener Fields & Fairer Seas is about better times now and in the future.

TRACK LIST:

Rest of My Roads

I Can Make Your Heart Mine

Austin Chalk

Gravity

Saint Innocent

She Might Be a Song

Sturgeon Moon

Garden State Variety

High is My Favorite Height

Hazel or Blue

Our Souls Have Broken Chains

Ode to Denis Johnson

Shenandoah

"SAINT INNOCENT" SONG CREDITS:

John Calvin: vocals, acoustic guitar

Pete Freeman: pedal steel

Pat Coyle: drums, percussion

Greg DeCarolis: bass, Hammond organ

Kelsey Jumper: backing vocals

ALBUM CREDITS:

All songs written by John Calvin except “Shenandoah”

Produced by Nate Campisi

John Calvin: acoustic guitar, vocals

Greg DeCarolis: guitar, bass, piano, Hammond organ, Rhodes, glockenspiel

Pat Coyle: drums, percussion, backing vocals

Kelsey Jumper: backing vocals

Eric DeFade: sax, flute, brass arrangements

Robert Matchett: trombone

Joe Herndon: trumpet

James Hart: pedal steel

Pete Freeman: pedal steel

David Bernabo: brass and string arrangements, Rhodes

Nadine Sherman: cello

Sandro Leal-Santiesteban: violin

Ashley Freeburn: violin

Jason Hohn: viola

Ricardo Cortés: art & art direction

John Fusco: photography

Recorded and mixed by Nate Campisi at Mr Smalls Recording Studio, Pittsburgh, PA

Mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Burbank, CA

[songofsilentechoes]

Clearly there was no better place to start Nova's Holiday Gift Giving Campaign than here! So with a confident strut, the goathorse got right on it, and started tracking the girls to give them Mom's gifts.

For Noelle there was a device filled with pearls, that when it identified whistling, would move them up and down like a wave.

For Trinity there was a new guitar, which had a design that was strikingly similar to Svarna's rock and lava like skin.

For Jingle Cait got some of the arcade cabinets which she enjoyed to play and put it in her room.

For Wicht there was a tiny replica map of Hyrule for her to put up in one of the lamps.

For Lyric it was a tiny Brass shark, which would spray her favorite fragance.

And for Silver it was small black gold desk toy of a spider, standing on top of Zaun.

Each girl gets a happy holidays card, some goathorse licks to their hands, and optional snuggles before he leaves.

Noelle seems perplexed by the device, until the cheerful goathorse neighs a little, causing it to react. She hums a little and sees it move. She tears up and gives him a warm hug.

Trinity is surprised, also with how he can carry the guitar. She takes it and smirks, strumming it a little. Maybe a slight tuning later. "How the hell do you two know what she looks like?" She asks, not really expecting an answer as she scritches behind his ears.

Jingle's eyes sparkle when she sees the arcane dancing game. She isn't sure how it was snuck into her room, since she usually keeps such a good eye on the house, but it's there and looks like such fun! She scoops Nova up and spins him around in a hug!

The fairy was surprised Caitlyn and Nova were able to secure a map of Hyrule at all. Perhaps they involved someone else. Still, it made her nostalgic. She set it up in one of her favorite lanterns for sleeping to remember her home lands. She gives the stellacorn a little kiss on the forehead.

Lyric, used to serving House Kiramman, seems surprised by the gift, more than the others. The automaton wasn't really expecting anything or acknowledgement, but here it was. Her olfactory receptors found the fragrance agreeable, and her avatar would seem so pleasing wearing it, wouldn't she? She gently pats Nova in thanks.

Silver was surprised by the gift as well, but she recognized Kiramman's script. "Spoiling me, are we, Kiramman? You really do enjoy flirting with dangerous people." She turns her eyes downward to the little beast. "And you...you've done your job well, little one." She says, almost purring. Reaching down, she scratches him behind his ears with her sharp fingers before taking a cookie from a plate on her desk. "Just payment, for services rendered."

[amberwild420]

one step back, two steps forward (pt. 16)

masterlist

miraculous team upgrade

Multiple footsteps were heard as they landed on the Eiffel tower. Ladybug, Ryuu and Python looked at the newest addition.

 Her silver hair glistened in the moonlight as the ear on top of her head twitched towards every little sound. Her overall costume was a combination of black, grey and white as well as looked practical. A grey tail lazily wagged behind her.

 (I don't know who is the artist but a thumbs up to you. you really are great, proud of you. you decreased my struggle by half.)

Ladybug smiled towards her as she introduced them all before leading them towards a deserted warehouse.

 Today we have two issues we need to discuss urgently.

 Ladybug turned serious as soon as they set foot in the warehouse. The three turned towards their leader, ladybug looked straight at the new addition before opening her mouth.

 The first step of stronger bond is to trust your team and have faith that they will keep their secret. So we will be revealing our identities to each other or rather to the new miraculous hero.

 Ryuu and python flinched at the remark before shouting in sync.

 Ladybug you can’t do this!

 She just got here, you can’t just show our identities to her just like that.

 Ryuu flared up before glaring at the wolf. Ladybug just shook her head before smiling apologetically.

 She already guessed out.

 What?

They looked at the wolf who smirked at them before leaning against the wall.

 That’s right. I already guessed it. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots. Isn’t that true…….Marinette.

 Ryuu and python looked between the two girls, surprised at the development of events. Ladybug sighed before she called off her transformation. Seeing that the others also called off their transformation.

 Luka and Kagami sighed before smiling at the holder of wolf miraculous. Kaylan smiled before letting herself led to a corner. It has an old sofa and a few things to make it a ‘base’.

 You guys need a better glamor. I can make a few adjustments to your miraculous.

 You still didn’t tell us how you recognized us.

 That was partially my fault.

 Ladybug admitted before Kaylan cut her off.

 Actually it wasn’t your fault at all. I knew it for a long time.

Her eyes glowed before all of them were in the air, floating like there was no gravity at all. A few exclamation remarks later, they all sat in their spots.

  That explains why you felt a little extraordinary to my Kwami.

 Luka strung on the guitar before looking at the said girl. Before she could say anything, Nova, the white blob rushed forwards before started gushing.

 Of course he would. Sass knows a talent when he sees one. My pup is extremely gifted. She can use magic. Not just anyone, it is definitely superior one. Well…..inferior to mine of course…………….

 Kaylan waved her hand before the little stool on the side started moving and barked before jumping towards the Kwami who squeaked and floated around trying to get away from it. Others laughed at the comical scene before turning towards Kaylan.

 Though it might look like I’m talking big, but I want you guys to put your trust on me that I will be loyal to you. It will be a huge risk but……I am ready to take an oath if necessary.

 There was a pin drop silence making Kaylan nervous. A magician’s oath is one of the sacred oaths. Something that cannot be broken until death. The Kwami that were floating around stilled for a minute. Even they knew the importance of such an oath.

 There’s no need.    Marinette said with a smile before exchanging looks with the other two. Luka and Kagami looked relaxed, making her relax too.       We already knew you would be a valuable asset to the team. I just didn’t tell them about our reveal. Sorry you have to reveal you powers too.

 Marinette apologized making them smirk.

 We knew!           Of course they knew.

 Luka and Kagami admitted while Kaylan remarked sarcastically making Marinette smile nervously.

 Since we are all here will all the secrets out, I think we can move to our other objective of today.

 Marinette turned serious again. This time, it was grave seriousness. It was like they were going to discuss the life and death matter. And her next words proved it.

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 We need to take back the miraculous of black cat.

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[frankbankinternational]

Frank / My Chemical Romance @ WWWY 19/10/2024

📸: elizabeth.wiltshire

[juukyu]

Pact Coffee Project

Details About the Brand

Target Audience Pact has two main audiences; independent coffee shops the customers of those coffee shops. Coffee is a very broad market, but it is very popular with university students and working adults, typically around the 25 – 35 age range.

Initial Thoughts Most of the cafés that stock Pact coffee will advertise that they are doing so by putting bags of it in the window of their shop or having bags out on display within the shop. The bags themselves are very plain, just a brown bag with the details of the coffee on the front. I think that adding some artwork to the bags would catch people’s eyes and lead to more sales of the product. Based on the intended audience of the coffee, the designs should be playful and relaxed but still carry a sense of maturity; I don’t want them to come off as childish.

Market Research

Pact’s Current Packaging

Pact’s current packaging is plain and simple; the front tells you which blend it is and the back gives information on which farmers grew the coffee and various other coffee related info. The packaging is fine for returning customers who know that they like the taste, but I don’t think any first-time buyers would pick this instead of any other bag of coffee based on the packaging alone.

The Packaging of Other Coffee Brands I popped around to my local shops to have a look at other coffee brands packaging. I myself am not exactly a fan of coffee, so I feel this was a good exercise as I don’t know the difference between any of the coffee brands, or if some have better reputations than others, so I can only make my decision based off of the packaging. Here is what I found:

Taylors of Harrogate Coffee

Clippers Coffee

What drew me to these 2 brands was that they have something visually interesting on them, but without it feeling overwhelming. They stick out from the rest of the coffee brands, which normally use silver or brown colour palettes, and instead choose to be colourful and eye catching. They convey a calm mood with the imagery that they use, which I think is an important factor as coffee is often drunk in the morning, a time when not much is happening and people are getting ready for their day.

Concept Stage

Initial Concepts

Concept 1 The concept for this would be do have a clear ellipse in the middle of the bag, with a farmer’s face vectored over it, but with the skin tone being coffee beans.

Concept 2 When the coffee is grown in the fields, it tends to be planted in a wavy hedge formation. I would either have a clear section on a paper bag, or have a recyclable plastic bag, either of which would feature some of those hedges, either drawn or vectored, with the negative space in which the coffee beans would be shown acting as the colour of the ground.

Concept 3 Create some colourful standalone artwork related in both colour and theme to countries that Pact sources their coffee from. This artwork could then be used both on packaging and on POS items such as aprons, posters etc.

Concept Mock-ups:

Further Research

I decided to dive deeper into the roots of coffee and where Pact was getting it from. This turned out to be mainly Brazil and Columbia. I chose to focus on Brazil since it was the number one location that Pact is sourcing from. I’m a musician, and I believe that music is a great reflection of a country’s culture, so I looked to the Brazilian music scene for inspiration.

Concept 1: Unity

The first genre I looked into was Samba. It was the firs thting that came to my mind when I thought of music from Brazil. The genre is heavily focused on working in unison with others. Most of the melodies are made up of acapella choirs, and the drum beats are typically played by multiple people at the same time, creating a huge atmosphere from sound that wouldn’t be possible without such a large group of people. This concept would have a focus on community, and themes of dancing/happiness. This Samba style is associated with vivid colours, so I would play into that aspect of the aesthetic.

Concept 2: Bossa Nova

Bossa Nova was the next genre I looked to. The genre originated from Brazil and also was perfected there. It’s a mix of Samba and Jazz elements which make for a very pleasant, and slightly more grown-up/mature vibe. I think this vibe is suitable for Pact coffee, given that it’s an expensive brand that, realistically, only people with disposable income buy. A lot of people into coffee enough to spend big bucks on coffee beans will most likely also have expensive equipment to go along with it, so this concept would focus on creating a design that can look premium, expensive and elegant next to all that expensive coffee-ware. The main colour palette that comes to my mind is Gold/Black.

Concept 3: Bond

For this concept, I equired with my Brazilian friend about how much coffee is cosumed in Brazil. He asked his parents and they replied “as much as water”. This concept would focus on the fact that Pact is a link between the coffee lovers of Brazil and the coffee lovers of England. Pact would be visualised as the intermediary.

Development/Mock-Ups

I ended up developing the bossa nova concept. I chose to take inspiration from classical guitars, since they are the most commonly used instruments in the Bossa Nova genre, and contribute heavily to its signature sound. The sound holes typically have intricate patterns around them, which I wanted to emulate for my design. Here are some examples:

I used these as a visual reference when making my design. I wanted the design to look elegant and premium, so I used a gold colour scheme. Here’s what I came up with:

Here are some mockups using the design:

After taking in feeback for the design, I shrunk the logo in the middle and added colour the the pattern. I chose to use the colour palette of the Brazilian flag given that Brazil is the country that this graphic is representing. Here is the final Brazil design:

From this design I also made a pattern to be used on coffee cups:

Here’s some mockups of the designs:

Applying the Musical Theme to other Countries

I decided to take the theme of taking inspiration from a countries traditional music and apply it to another country, this time Columbia. Pact sources coffee from Columbia almost as much as Brazil, so I wanted to include the country as an example to show that the concept of this design process can be applied to more than just Brazil.

Research and Development/Mockups

One of Columbia’s most popular traditional music genres is Vallenato. The main instrument of the genre is the accordion, which I did attempt to make a design for, but it just wasn’t working, so I decided to look further into the genre. I found that almost every picture and video of the genre being played featured at least one person wearing a Vueltiao hat. These hats are an important part of Columbian culture and also synonymous with the Vallenato genre. Here are some examples of the hat:

Using these hats as inspiration, I made a piece of artwork in Photoshop as a proof of concept that this idea can be applied to multiple countries. Here is what I came up with:

I would’ve liked to have done more work to this idea but I ran out of time towards the end of the project. I still included it as a proof of concept as I mentioned above.

Summary

The final design overall for the whole project that I am most happy with is the refined guitar design:

I learnt a lot throughout this project; mainly ways to generate ideas that I hadn’t tried before. I found that throwing myself into the world of the source material of a project really helps me to come up with ideas I can say that I’m happy with. Fr this project, it was diving into the Bossanova genre, something I hadn’t really done before, and I ended up with a good design and also some songs from that genre that I’m still listening to now.

[silverlake-rp]

The following characters have just joined Silver Lake! Please go over the checklist, make sure everything is in order, and send in your account in under 48 hours.

Myra Torres [ Summer Bishil, Radio Host ]

Ricky Winston [ Charlie Hunnam, Mechanic ]

Daejung Moon [ Kim Taehyung, Music photographer ]

Alexander Baldwin [ Ben Barnes, Private Investigator ] 

Nova Fitzpatrick [ Robert Sheehan, Forensic Pathologist ]

[ MYRA TORRES. 30. CISFEMALE. SHE/HER] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 16 YEARS ] and are originally from [ PHOENIX ARIZONA ]. They are a [ RADIO HOST ] and in their downtime love [ TO SHOP ] and [ TAKE LONG BATHS ]. They look a lot like [ SUMMER BISHIL ] and live [ OASIS APTS ]. (ooc: Soph, 25, she/her, est, )  

[ RICKY WINSTON. 32. MALE. HE/HIS ] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 10 YEARS ] and are originally from [ SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA ]. They are a [ MECHANIC ] and in their downtime love [ RIDING HIS BIKE ] and [ HAVING A FEW DRINKS ]. They look a lot like [ CHARLIE HUNNAM ] and live [ ON REDCLIFF ST ]. (ooc: lea, 26, she/her, cet)

[ DAEJUNG MOON. 25. CIS MAN. HE/HIM] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 6 YEARS ] and are originally from [ SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA ]. They are a [ MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHER ] and in their downtime love [ LISTENING TO ALTERNATIVE MUSIC OUT LOUD ] and [ HAVING GUITAR JAM SESSIONS BY HIMSELF IN HIS ROOM ]. They look a lot like [ KIM TAEHYUNG ] and live [ ON SILVERWOOD TERRACE ]. ( c, 25, she/her, cst )

[ ALEXANDER ‘ALEX’ BALDWIN. 34. CIS-MALE. HE/HIM] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 4 MONTHS ] and are originally from [ NEW YORK ]. They are a [ PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR ] and in their downtime love [ COOKING OUTRAGEOUS MEALS ] and [ RIDING MOTORCYCLES ]. They look a lot like [ BEN BARNES ] and live [ ON REDCLIFF ST ]. (ooc: B, 26, SHE/HER, EST)

[ NOVA FITZPATRICK. 33. MALE. HE/HIM] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 2 YEARS ] and are originally from [ LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK ]. They are a [ FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST ] and in their downtime love [ SPENDING TIME WITH HIS DAUGHTER ] and [ BAKING]. They look a lot like [ ROBERT SHEEHAN ] and live [ IN OASIS APTS ]. (effie, 30, she/her, est,)

[songofsilentechoes]

"Happy Valentines Day!" She presents each of the girls with their own cupcakes.

For Noelle she somehow made translucent toppings, mixed with some adoration and love from her home realm, with little angel wings on the edges.

Trinity's were punk cupcakes, black and red, and with anarchy symbols, or guitars, or sugar spikes.

And for Jingle she made circus versions, of course, explosions of colors, and the best part was the little rope bridge between two of them with a tiny sugar Nova.

BONUS: Silver got some very expensive looking silver and purple cupcakes, that if she were to bite on, would notice the frosting had tiny sugar spiders with crowns on their heads.

Noelle seems happy to receive the cupcakes and she gives Caitlyn a kiss on the cheek. She would have to do something nice for her for this gesture.

"Oh sweet! There a holiday or something today?" Trinity asks as she picks up one of the cupcakes. "Or is this you just spoiling us again?" She says with her mouth full. She swallows her bite. "Either way, thanks Cait."

She might play her a song later, in private.

Jingle squeals with glee when she sees the cupcakes, immediately hugging Caitlyn tightly. She takes one cupcake and squats down to admire the one with the sugar Nova, which she begins to play with.

---

Silver sat at her desk, allowing herself a coy smile. "That woman...she always talks about how dangerous it is for her to fraternize about and how she's always working...but somehow finds time to come all the way down to Zaun to give me cupcakes that only she could have made."

She picks one up and licks a dollop of frosting from a fingertip. "And she knows me well. Better than most. I wonder if that compromises my security...or strengthens it. Well...no matter. It's Heartseekers, after all. A gift from an admirer is hardly uncalled for."

The woman thinks for a time before she buzzes an intercom. "...prepare a delivery. The finest bottle of wine and a box of chocolates to be sent to the Kiramman residence. ...I don't care if the shops are running low on stock, you know what you need to do. No signature, just my seal. They will know what it means."

[firebirdtransam68]

I Am Looking For More OP Blogs On Tumblr

I have been noticing that whenever I follow a Tumblr user (most of them are rebloggers), they disappear from my Following count (either they deactivated their account, or blocked me; but mostly their account gets deactivated).  Most Tumblr users want more followers; I want more blogs to follow, especially OP (original post) blogs.

I am not saying there should be no rebloggers (in fact, I encourage reblogging); it is that there are so many users that only/mostly reblog other users’ posts; I want to follow more OP users because I have a big thing for originality, creativity, and individuality.  Rebloggers tend to agree on what the OP (or other reblogger) says, and whenever I go to the tagged or search section/s, only the OP posts are apparent, and no rebloggers with their own creative tags (unless I go to their blog and search whatever keyword/tag they designate some of their posts with).

Yes, I reblog other users’ posts, myself, but I tend to add my own thoughts and tags whenever I do so; and since my reblogs are not in the tagged or search sections, these posts are not mine, since I am not the OP.  Even some OP users have reblogged posts of their own, as well (but they usually do not go overboard with them, and they usually have an equal amount of reblogs as well as original posts).  Because I promote creativity, talent and individuality, I do not reblog as much as most OP users.

I am looking for more OP blogs for me to follow (or to follow me so I can follow them) that are currently active and not defunct or dormant.  And whatever the OP user posts on their blog is their primary content.  Here are some content I am looking for:

Transformers

- Transformers Generation One

    * The Transformers (1984-1987)

    * The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

    * Transformers anime and OVAs

- Transformers: Robotmasters (2004-2005)

- Transformers: Unicron Trilogy

    * Micron Legend

    * Superlink

    * Galaxy Force

    * Linkage

    * Armada

    * Energon

    * Dreamwave

- Bumblebee (2018) and other Knightformers media

- G1 callbacks in all Transformers media (besides G1, itself)

- Underrated characters

- Alt-modes

- Different planets

- Sub vs. dub comparisons

- Fan characters

    * Autobots

    * Decepticons

    * Microns/Mini-cons

    * Junkions

    * Planets

    * Vehicles

    * Other robots

    * Other extraterrestrials

    * Humans

Sonic The Hedgehog

- Classic games (1991-1997)

- Adventure games/merchandise (1998-2006)

- Sonic X

    * Sonic X (sub)

    * Characters

    * Soundtracks

    * Stock footage

- Sonic OVA

- Sonic, Shadow, and Silver (and sometimes Scourge)

- Terios The Hedgehog

- Underrated characters

- Zones/areas/habitats

- Different planets

- Sub vs. dub comparisons

- Fan characters

    * Hedgehogs (male, female, intersex, non-binary, other, etc.)

    * Hedgehybrids (like a peahedge (hedgehog x peafowl), for instance)

    * Birds

    * Reptiles

    * Recently discovered species

    * Fantastical creatures

    * Other extraterrestrials

    * Robots, machines, cyborgs, and vehicles

    * Villains (male, female, intersex, non-binary, other, etc.)

    * Humans

Spore

- Creatures

- Early Creatures

- Flora

- Cells (actually microbes)

- Vehicles

- Buildings

- UFOs (actually spaceships)

- Planets

- City Music

- Objects (including different color Spice, rocks and minerals, weapons, etc.)

- Landscapes

- Advancements (including moveable tails for creatures, doors for vehicles and buildings, and other planetary features)

- Gameplays

- Screenshots

- Your own creations

Movies

- Top Gun (1986)

- The Final Countdown (1980)

- 1980′s Sci-fi and fantasy films

- Stealth (2005)

TV Shows

- Knight Rider (1982-1986)

- Voltron: Defender Of The Universe (1984-1986)

- Any sci-fi/fantasy/science fantasy shows (including 1980′s shows)

Videogames And Computer Games

- Sins Of A Solar Empire

- Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution

- FlOw (2006)

- Osmos (2009)

- Space Dragon (3lb Games)

- Age Of Empires (1997-2018)

- Nomad (1993-present)

- The Saint Of The Braves Baan Gaan

- Any classic arcade games (1970′s to 1990′s) from most popular to most underrated

Anime And OVAs

- Beast King Golion

- Armored Fleet Dairugger XV

- Lightspeed Electroid Albegas

- Future Robot Deltaneous

- Star Musketeer Bismark

- Super Dimension Fortress Macross

- Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross

- Genesis Climber Mospeada

- Dai-Guard

- Brave Fighters

    * Brave Fighter Exkaiser

    * Brave Fighter Of Sun Fighbird

    * Brave Fighter Of Legend Da-Garn

- Brave Express Might Gaine

- Brave Police J-Decker

- Brave Of Gold Goldran

- Brave Command Dagwon

- GaoGaiGar

- Betterman

- Robot Romance Trilogy

    * Super-Electromagnetic Robot Combattler V

    * Super-Electromagnetic Machine Voltes V

    * Brave Leader Daimos

- Space Runaway Ideon

- Blue Comet SPT Layzner

- Raideen

    * Raideen The Brave

    * Raideen The Superior

- Sukeban Deka (OVA)

- Starship Troopers (OVA)

- Queen Millenia

Books And Novels

- Dragonriders Of Pern series

- Literary Brat Pack

    * Bright Lights, Big City (1984)

- The Space Trilogy

- The Red Mars Trilogy

- Sci-fi books about/featuring dragons

- Robert Heinlein fans

- Space books

- Bird books

- Giant robot/Mecha books

- Books about different dimensions

- Books about time travel

- Action-packed suspense novels

Music

- 1980′s

    * Electropop

    * Music videos

    * Instruments (synthesizers, guitars, drum machines, etc.)

    * Currently deceased musicians

    * “Flashdance” style

    * J-Pop/J-Rock/city pop

    * Lesser-known songs

    * International

    * Experimental

    * Soundtracks

- Film/TV/videogame score/soundtracks

- Transformers music

- Sonic The Hedgehog music

- Musical instruments

Fan media

- Transformers

- Sonic The Hedgehog

- Spore

- Voltron (1984-1985)

- Knight Rider (1982-1986)

- Brave Saga

- Crossovers

    * Transformers x Sonic The Hedgehog

    * Transformers x Spore

    * Transformers x Brave Saga

    * Transformers x Voltron

    * Transformers x Knight Rider

    * Sonic x Spore

    * Sonic x Voltron

    * Sonic x Brave Saga

    * Sonic x Knight Rider

    * Spore x Voltron

    * Transformers x Yu-Gi-Oh!

    * Brave Saga x Yu-Gi-Oh!

    * Spore x Dragonriders Of Pern

    * Sonic x Dragonriders Of Pern

    * Transformers x Dragonriders Of Pern

    * GoBots x Transformers

    * Gundam x Transformers

    * Transformers x Sonic x Yu-Gi-Oh!

    * Transformers G1 x Transformers Unicron Trilogy

    * 4Kids shows x Transformers Unicron Trilogy

    * Top Gun (1986) x The Final Countdown (1980)

Liveblogging/Review/Rewatching/Screenshotting

- The Transformers (1984-1987)

- The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

- Transformers: Headmasters

- Transformers: Victory

- Transformers OVAs

    * Transformers: Scramble City

    * Transformers: Zone

- Transformers: Car Robots

- Transformers: Micron Legend

- Transformers: Superlink

- Transformers: Galaxy Force

- Bayformers films (2007-2017)

- Bumblebee (2018)

- AOSTH (especially the episode “Zoobotnik”)

- Sonic SatAM

- Sonic OVA (sub)

- Sonic X (sub)

- Beast King Golion

- Armored Fleet Dairugger XV

- Lightspeed Electroid Albegas

- Future Robot Deltaneous

- Star Musketeer Bismark

- Voltron: Defender Of The Universe (1984-1985)

- Voltron: Fleet Of Doom (1986)

- Saber Rider And The Star Sheriffs (1987-1988)

- Super Dimension Fortress Macross

- Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross

- Genesis Climber Mospeada

- Robotech (1982-1984)

- Brave Fighters

    * Brave Fighter Exkaiser

    * Brave Fighter Of Sun Fighbird

    * Brave Fighter Of Legend Da-Garn

- Brave Police J-Decker

- GaoGaiGar

- Dai-Guard

- Any Raideen series

- Knight Rider (1982-1986)

- Knight Rider 2000 (1991)

- Top Gun (1986)

- The Final Countdown (1980)

- Stealth (2005)

- Challenge Of The GoBots (1984-1985)

- Fan videos

Artwork

- Landscapes

    * Planetary landscapes

    * Nature

    * Cities and towns (featuring cars and other vehicles)

    * Futuristic landscapes

    * Space

    * Alien landscapes

    * 1980′s style landscapes

    * Memphis style landscapes

    * Technological landscapes

    * Room/hallway landscapes

- Cars (1965-1990)

- Fighter jets

- Birds

- Rocks and minerals

- Memphis patterns and other 1980′s and 1990′s style patterns

- Retro 1970′s, 1980′s, 1990′s aesthetic (including airbrush techniques)

- Images made by Microsoft Office PowerPoint shape tool

- Mecha robots

- Fonts and font art

- Space/universe related artwork

Miscellaneous

- Cars

    * Pontiac Firebird Trans Ams (including 1982)

    * Chevrolet Camaros (including 1982)

    * Supercars and sports cars from 1955-2004

    * Plymouth Roadrunners

    * Custom 1980′s sports cars (custom paint job, car costumes, accessories, etc.)

    * Dodge Challengers

    * Striped cars

    * Flying cars

- Planes

    * F-14 Tomcats

    * F-15 Eagles

    * F-16 Fighting Falcons

    * A-10 Warthogs

    * F-22 Raptors

    * F-35 VTOL fighter jets

    * Custom planes (including custom fighter jets)

- Seamless patterns

- Retro 1980′s themes

    * Synthwave

    * Retrowave

    * Vaporwave

    * Airbrush techniques

    * Fonts

    * Car paint jobs

    * Chrome (not Google Chrome; actual chrome gradients)

- Bird species of the world

- Space

    * Planets (including those outside our solar system)

    * Stars

    * Moons

    * Star systems

    * Nebulae

    * Galaxies

    * Asteroids and meteors

    * Comets

    * Clusters

    * Novae

    * Black holes

    * Recent discoveries

- OS

    * Microsoft DOS

    * Microsoft Windows 1.0

    * Microsoft Windows 3.1

    * Microsoft Windows 95

    * Microsoft Windows NT

    * Microsoft Windows 98

    * Microsoft Windows 2000

    * Microsoft Windows ME

    * Microsoft Windows XP

    * Microsoft Windows retro OS styles

    * Ubuntu Linux

    * Amiga OS

    * Underrated OS

- Old technologies

- Ask memes (usually for fandom related topics)

If anyone already has posts like any of these, feel free to follow me so I can check out your content (I usually follow back if the content a user contains satisfies me, but sometimes I choose not to; spam users, on the other hand...).  For those who have not logged in to Tumblr (and have content you chose to base your future blog as), please do so; the more creative individuals in the site (if not the whole Internet), the better.

That is all I will say for now.  Until I find such content that is ongoing for the 2020′s, I will explore what is available so far.  I am certain other users might have similar needs and desires like I do, as well.

This is FirebirdTransAm68 signing out.

[frankbankinternational]

Frank - WWWY Fest 19/10/2024

📸: thepeytonmott

[553butterfly553]

Lost in Purgatory – Reiji x OC

Character's Descriptions

Adryn Rei is a 23-year-old American woman who moved to Japan a few years back to follow her best friends, Eclipse Oracle and Nova Oracle. Both Oracles were adopted by a Korean/Japanese man which led to them all moving to Korea to start at his Korean entertainment company. That led them to move to Japan with him when he decided to start up an entertainment company in Japan as well. So, Adryn is a Japanese and Korean idol. Adryn has always been a huge fan of Asian idols but when she came across Reiji, she instantly became a fan of him, which led her to being a fan of QUARTET NIGHT as well. Adryn was once in a band back in America, which led to her playing the guitar and making her own music. She loves songs with stories to them. Adryn has dyed red hair that reaches just above her shoulders and is parted off to one side, the ends of her hair curl upwards, some towards her neck and some outwards. Her eyes are naturally green, but she wears golden-colored prescription contacts that glow in the dark. Adryn usually wears tank tops of red or blue with black pants that are mostly tight with a pair of normal black shoes. Adryn wears 2 necklaces of different lengths. One is from a voodoo shop and holds some sage and musk within it. The other is an opal. She has both of her ears pierced with 2 earrings on each lobe. The bottom earrings are dangles with 6 stones of all different colors. The top earrings are circular blue opals. She also has her upper right cartilage pierced and that earring is a silver cuff with swirly designs. Her nose is pierced on the right side with a blue metallic circular ring there. She wears 2 rings on her left middle finger, one where you'd normally place a ring, which is a blue opal with little white opals around it. The other ring is just above the middle knuckle which is an emerald. On her right hand, she has a 3-headed brass snake ring on her ring finger. Adryn wears 2 rubber bracelets on her left wrist, one is blue and has sea creatures on it and it says JAWESOME. While the other one is black and says MOTHMAN. On her right wrist, there is a lapis lazuli bracelet. She also wears a toe ring on her second toes, the left one is black while the right one is green. ~ Eclipse Oracle is a 23-year-old American woman who moved to Korea at first to live with her adopted father. She'd brought Adryn and Nova with her, of course, since they'd follow her anywhere anyway. She is the current girlfriend of a Korean idol named Taemin. They met when Eclipse was an idol just starting out in Korea. They'd continued to date even after Eclipse moved to Japan with her father, best friend, and sister. Eclipse is also an artist and loves to draw and sketch various things. Mostly herself and Taemin though. She is also a composer of music when she wants to be. Eclipse has straight dyed pale pink hair that goes down nearly to her butt. She has normal bangs that reach her eyebrows. Her eyes are naturally blue, but she wears silver contacts that glow under black light. She usually wears all black with hints of purple and silver, but her main outfit is a black lace corset with a black leather skirt that is short in the front and long in the back. She also wears lacy stockings and a pair of leather lace-up high heeled boots. She wears a lot of jewelry. She wears 8 necklaces that are a variety of stones. Purple sapphires, regular sapphires, and purple labradorite are some of them. She also has a Jonghyun memorial necklace and one choker. She wears 4 bracelets on each wrist that are also a variety of the same stones, with the addition of red jasper. Unless she's going somewhere special, then it's 7 on each wrist. She also wears 3 rings on each hand that are the same mix of gemstones, among others. Unless she's going somewhere special again, that means she'd have 7 on each hand as well. Her ears are pierced with the only earrings being dangles that have the triple moon goddess symbol on them with angel wings attached to it. ~ Nova Oracle is a 21-year-old American woman who moved to Korea at first with Eclipse and Adryn. She has always loved singing and being the center of attention, so she was made into an idol fairly quickly. She has been doing extremely well as an idol as well. She is also an artist like her sister, but she does mostly paintings of landscapes. She is very friendly and makes friends with anyone who is even remotely a good person, but that doesn't mean she is friends with just anyone. She is also a composer like her sister and best friends. She loves to write upbeat music that have a great emotional story to them. Nova has dyed pale purple hair that goes down to her shoulders and is wavy. She also has normal slightly wavy bangs. Her eyes are naturally a pale blue and she absolutely adores them. Nova usually wears a T-shirt that is normally blue or pink, with dark blue or black tight pants. She usually wears normal black shoes with that. Nova wears one necklace that is a sterling silver locket with pictures of her sister and mother inside. She wears one bracelet that is pink and blue sapphires on her left wrist. She has her ears pierced and the only piercing is dangles that are pink sapphires. She wears 2 rings, one of each middle finger. They are both blue sapphires. She has a nose ring that is on her right side and it's a metallic pink circle ring. ~ Shiori Sato is a 22-year-old Japanese woman who has always lived in Japan. She comes from a mildly rich family that has paid her way into being an idol due to her overwhelming want to be an idol. She has always been passionate about singing and entertaining people, but her personality could be worked on. With the richness, comes her snobby personality and her general thought that she is better than everyone else, even though there are people out there richer than she is. Shiori's hair is dyed blonde and is straight and down to the middle of her back. She does not have bangs. She usually wears dresses that go just above her knees, they are usually black or red. She also wears high heels with all her outfits, even on rainy days. She has one necklace that is a broken heart pendant. It is dark red in color. She has one bracelet on each wrist that are rubber. One is colored green and the other is dark red. She has her ears pierced and they are just garnet studs. She also wears a garnet ring on her right ring finger. She isn't one to wear a lot of jewelry.

[nuclearblastuk]

BEAST IN BLACK | UNLEASH OFFICIAL 'CRY OUT FOR A HERO' LIVE MUSIC VIDEO IN SUPPORT OF MASSIVE END-OF-YEAR GIG AT HELSINKI'S ICE HALL ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13TH

International heavy metal group BEAST IN BLACK have just completed the second leg of their European tour in support of their sophomore album 'From      Hell With Love.' To round off this enormously successful year, which includes the release of the aforementioned record on February 8 via Nuclear Blast Records as well as countless sold-out gigs across the globe, the band are pleased to announced that they will play Helsinki, Finland's Ice Hall on Friday,      December 13 ("Beast In Black Friday"). Support comes from none other than      Finnish metal monsters LORDI. To whet the appetite of fans until then, BEAST IN BLACK are proud to unveil the official live music video for the opening track of their latest hit album, 'Cry Out For A Hero.' Watch the video, which was produced by DUST IN MIND guitarist Damien Dausch, over on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCJooj3hdzQ

      Bassist Mate Molnar states, "During our recent 'From Hell With Love' tour, Damien of DUST IN MIND came to us and offered to record our show in Strasbourg in order to make a live video out of it. The result he sent to us was way above our expectations. His video truly shows the real power of the BEAST IN BLACK live performances!"

If you haven't purchased the album yet, you can do so here: http://www.beastinblack.com/fhwl.html            BEAST IN BLACK live:            2019:            13.12. FIN Helsinki - Helsingin Jäähalli (w/ LORDI)            2020:            w/ NIGHTWISH      26.05. RUS St. Petersburg - A2 Green Concert      27.05. RUS Moscow - Crocus City Hall      29.05. UA Kiev - Stereo Plaza      31.05. BY Minsk - Falcon Club            10.06. A Nickelsdorf - Nova Rock      11.06. PL Kraków - Mystic Festival      26.06. E Madrid - Rock The Night Festival      27.06. I Verona - Rock The Castle      07.07. H Dunaújváros - Rockmaraton      11.07. CZ Vizovice - Masters of Rock      17.07. NL Eindhoven - Dynamo Metalfest      01.08. D Wacken - Wacken Open Air *SOLD OUT*      12.09. USA Atlanta, GA - ProgPower USA *SOLD OUT*            'North American      Dominion 2020'      w/ HAMMERFALL,      EDGE OF PARADISE      14.09. USA West Palm Beach, FL - The Kelsey Theater      15.09. USA Tampa, FL - The Orpheum      16.09. USA Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade      18.09. USA San Antonio, TX - The Rock Box      19.09. USA Dallas, TX - Trees      20.09. USA Houston, TX - Scout Bar      22.09. USA Mesa, AZ - Club Red      23.09. USA Anaheim, CA - City National Grove      24.09. USA Oakland, CA - Metro Operahouse      25.09. USA Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre      26.09. USA Seattle, WA - El Corazón      27.09. CDN Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre      29.09. CDN Calgary, AB - Dickens      30.09. CDN Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room      02.10. USA Salt Lake City, UT - Liquid Joe's      03.10. USA Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre      05.10. USA Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze      06.10. USA Racine, WI - Route 20      07.10. USA Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall      08.10. USA Westland, MI - The Token Lounge      09.10. USA Cincinnati, OH - Riverfront Live      10.10. USA Cleveland, OH - The Agora Ballroom      11.10. CDN Toronto, ON - Mod Club Theatre      12.10. CDN Montréal, QC - Théâtre Corona      13.10. CDN Québec, QC - Impérial Bell      15.10. USA Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance Theater      16.10. USA Worcester, MA - Palladium      17.10. USA New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre      18.10. USA Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts      19.10. USA Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore            More on 'From      Hell With Love':      'From Hell With      Love' OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8qWbowzwZU      'Sweet True      Lies' OFFICIAL VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4waVZXKE0GU      'Die By The      Blade' OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3bWR_aLlas      'Cry Out For A      Hero' DRUM PLAYTHROUGH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewgw_n3WzD8            'From Hell With Love' - Track Listing:      01. Cry Out For A      Hero      02. From Hell With Love      03. Sweet True Lies      04. Repentless      05. Die By The Blade      06. Oceandeep      07. Unlimited Sin      08. True Believer      09. This Is War      10. Heart Of Steel      11. No Surrender      Bonus Tracks      (DIGI and 2LP only!)      12. Killed By Death (MOTÖRHEAD Cover)      13. No Easy Way Out (ROBERT TEPPER Cover)       The album was once again recorded in Anton's own Sound Request Studio, and true to the motto "Never change a winning team", the cover artwork was created by Roman Ismailov who worked on'Berserker' as well as the first record Kabanen wrote under the banner of BATTLE BEAST, 'Steel' (2012). 'From Hell With Love' delivers      everything that made fans love Anton's work in the first place.      A slew of fast-paced tracks like the opener 'Cry Out For A Hero' and 'Repentless and      one of the band's specialties, mid-tempo smashers that 'This Is War' and 'Unlimited Sin',      hymnic songs 'only BEAST IN BLACK can      deliver are back and represented on the new disc by the lead single 'Sweet True Lies' and      the album's title track. There's one thing that all of these tracks have      in common - each and every song catches the listener with irresistible      melodies, taking residence in the listener's mind from the moment they hear it.            BEAST IN BLACK is:      Yannis Papadopoulos | vocals      Mate Molnar | bass      Atte Palokangas | drums      Kasperi Heikkinen | guitars      Anton Kabanen | guitars, vocals       

 www.beastinblack.com       www.facebook.com/beastinblackofficial       www.twitter.com/bib_band       www.instagram.com/bib_band       www.youtube.com/beastinblack      www.nuclearblast.de/beastinblack

[tsgaustintexas]

2019 Holiday Gift Guide

The 2019 Holiday Gift Guide is here! We’ve SCOUTED high and low for unique gift ideas to create ten lists of our favorite LOCAL finds! All of the items featured below are either designed, made or sold by independent businesses in Austin. The holiday season is the most important time of year to support small businesses, so spread the local love by sharing this gift guide with friends and family! And don’t forget to check out our 2018 +  2017 +  2016 + 2015 guides for even more great ideas - shopping local never goes out of style…  We hope this list will help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. 

As always, don’t forget to tell them that THE SCOUT GUIDE SENT YOU! 

xo - Leigh Ann 

For Her

Freya Panama Hat from Hearth & Soul | $220 

7 For All Mankind Fringe Wrap from Domain NORTHSIDE | $425

Gold Dust Vinyl from Liz James Designs | $55+, make sure to check out all the options! 

Easy Rider Jacket from Understated Leather | $495

The Carryall from Tecovas |  $475 now $245 

Michelle Mules from Fortress of Inca | $250 (multiple colors available) 

Molly Haertle Art’s “Sandy,” 12x16” oil on panel | $290

Custom Beaded Clutch - use your monogram or add a fun phrase - from Estilo | $180+

Slim Aarons Coffee Table Book from SPARROW INTERIORS | $60, take 30% off starting Friday! 

Fur Bomber Jacket from ESTILO | $265

For Him

The Austin Cowboy Boot from Tecovas | $695 

Quilted Leather Jacket from Estilo Mens | $798 

Zilker Belt’s Antone’s Belt | $109

Fly Reel Case from Sparrow Interiors + Gifts | $185 

Cuff Link Studs Set from CASSANDRA COLLECTIONS | $400+

True Grit ½ Zip Pullover from Hearth & Soul | $135 

Yeti Hopper Backflip from Olivia Shoppe | $339.99 

Palo Santo Beard + Face Oil from Loot Finer Goods | $40

Growler Tote from Hearth & Soul | $44

Stratoliner Fedora from Domain NORTHSIDE’s Stag Provisions | $190

For Little Ones

Star Chalk Set from Hearth & Soul  | $32

Barbarossa Pirate Ship from Olivia Shoppe | $85 

Farmers Market Play Shop from Alexa James Baby | $120

Kid’s Three String Guitar from Picket Fences | $80 

Woodie Toy Cars from Olivia Shoppe | $35+

Model Roadster from Alexa James Baby | $190 

Mini Lightbox from Picket Fences | $24 

Melamine Plates from Grace Charles Design Studio | $22

Easy Rider Leather Jacket for boys + girls from Understated Leather | $180 

Alphabet Kingdom by Starla Michelle | $15.39

For the Home

Brass Vase from PAGE HOME DESIGN | $25+ each VASES

Gunmetal Bar Cart from HEARTH & SOUL | $815

“Sometimes It’s a Whisper” from Meredith Pardue’s Flower Bomb Series | 60" x 48", Price available upon request, please make sure to view all of works 

Wood Chargers from Sparrow Interiors + Gifts | $54

Crystal Glassware from Sparrow Interiors + Gifts | $128 for a set of four

Maple + Rope Wall Hanging from Loot Finer Goods | $35

Alpaca Throw from A Custom House | $445, check out their other colors! 

B Shawn Cox “Vaquerios” from Walden Art Agency | $1100 (24” x 24”) 

Tiger Print Pillows from LIZ JAMES | $75 each 

Brass Catchall from Austin Design House | $74  

Geranium + Rose Candle from Slow North | $34 

Something Sparkly 

Black Bonnie Floral Earrings from Cassandra Collections | $210+ 

Tie One On Earrings from Elizabeth Volk Designs | $48

Yellow Gold Straight Diamond Bar Necklace Korman Fine Jewelry | $575

Hazel Bracelet from Liz James Designs | $209

Millicent Adjustable Bracelet in Rose Gold from Kendra Scott | $425  

Dainty Necklace with Writing Stone from Elisha Marie Jewelry | $140 

Cane Earrings in Silver from Rahya Jewelry Design | $123.20

Rose Cut Diamond Hexagon Eternity Band in Yellow Gold from Dowry | $1,600

Nova Lyra Bangle in 14K Gold from Domain NORTHSIDE’S Limbo | $99

Riri Collar from Estilo Boutique | $125 

For Four-Legged Friends

Paws By The Lake at Lake Austin Spa | Worth It

Enamel Food + Water Bowls from Hearth & Soul | $16

Dog + Cat Noiseless Holiday Crackers from Paper Place | $10

Pet Collar Charm handmade by Liz James Designs | $20 

Holiday Bandanas from Paper Place | $15 

Squeaky Beverage Toys from Hearth & Soul | $15.95+

ACL Dog Collar from Zilker Belts | $59+ 

Rattan Dog Bed with Cushion from A Custom House | $195 Medium, $245 Large

Custom Bandana from Understated Leather | $25

For your Hostess 

"Putting the Pieces Back Together II” by Erin Donahue Tice Fine Art | $125 (4x6”)

Garden Jar with Cilantro from Slow North | $20 

The Southerner’s Handbook from Liz James Designs | $20

Recipe Tin from Paper Place | $115 

Madeleine Gift Box from Fluff Meringues & More | $11.75

Fraser Fir Wreath from Gracious Garlands | $29+ 

Bud Vases from A CUSTOM HOUSE | $32 each

Potted Olive Tree from Page Home Design | $36

Truffle Salt from HEARTH & SOUL | $28

August Morgan Cocktail Napkins from Olivia Shoppe | $40 for a set of four 

Stocking Stuffers

Sugarfina x Tito’s Vodka Martini Olive Almonds from Domain NORTHSIDE | $8.95

Mimosa Society Sew-On Patch from Paper Place | $9 

Magic Rainbow Fire Sticks from Paper Place | $21.90 for a set of 3

Starry-Eyed Travel Mask from Understated Leather | $40

Coloring Austin Coffee Table Book by Avery Price | $32

Nourishing Body Cream from Fine Healing Goods | $55 

Jonathan Van Ness Prayer Candle by Illumin Idol | $15

Bridesmaids Partaaaay Mug from Olivia Shoppe | $18.95

Christian LaCroix Playing Cards from Paper Place | $35 

Double S’More Kit from Fluff Meringues & More | $9.50

Baggu Reusable Bag from Olivia Shoppe | $12

Unicorn Headband from Picket Fences | $8 

For Pampering

Pilates class at The Peach House | $40/class, new members receive 3 classes for $99

A luxe mani + pedi from LACQUER | Manicures start at $63

Drybar Membership at Domain NORTHSIDE | $80 

Leonor Greyl Body + Face Oil from Haute House Lash & Beauty Bar | $59

Rose Quartz Facial Roller from Slow North | $34 

Personal training with PE Fitness | $90/hour for 1, $75/hour per student for 2, $60/hour per student for 3

Lemon Wellness Drops from FINE HEALING GOODS | $75 

Gift card for skin rejuvenation from REJUVENATE | Inquire for pricing

Skin+ Starter Kit from Austin Skin Plus | $290  

Relaxation at Lake Austin Spa | Holiday packages start at  $260

For the Person Who Has Everything

THE HEADSHOT HAPPY HOUR with four friends, shot by Paige Newton | $125 per person

Private cooking classes with La Pera | $300 / 3 hour session, class selection includes Pasta, Empanadas, Sous Vide Cooking, Basic Knife Skills, or a Custom Curriculum

Peloton - choose between the bike or the treadmill at DOMAIN NORTHSIDE | pricing varies

One-on-One Workshop with HOUSE OF MARGOT BLAIR | $595+

A game-changing backyard makeover with LAWNPOP for the hostess in your life | Inquire for pricing

A dinner party hosted by THE AUSTIN ARTISAN at your home | Inquire for pricing :

The Wayback Holiday Package | $500, includes a 2-night stay at The Wayback + cheese board + bottle of select Texas wine

Donate on your loved one’s behalf with In Lieu