The rowing machines were arranged in three rows, and we were told that we’re a team of boats.  I’m not sure I understood the analogy.  I might have been like a captain or something because the teacher put me up front.  That was lucky – I would have picked the back, and I would have been able to ID the girl who was grunting anytime we were told to push with medium power.  I’m better off not knowing who she is so I won’t feel uncomfortable if I run into her at the gym.

Also, he gave us visualizations throughout the class.  They were mostly about teamwork and being in boats.  I don’t get into those at all because I really like being indoors.  If I had to pretend I’m out in nature, I’d be pretty annoyed at the sun and distracted thinking about whether or not my sunscreen has been compromised.  I love being in controlled, air conditioned environments.  Maybe they should tell us to imagine other, more lush rooms with better lighting.  I should think about a Renzo Piano-designed gym next time I spin.

The rowing machines were super good, though.  Pulling the lever rotates blades inside a container of water, which makes the sound of water being rowed.  That was the best part of the class.

Here’s the playlist from the last rowing class I will ever take:

Lenny Kravitz – “American Woman”

Coldplay – “Clocks”

U2 – “Beautiful Day”

Sting – “Desert Rose”

Creed – “Higher”

Foo Fighters – “My Hero”

David Cook – “Billie Jean”

Seal – “Crazy”

I’m missing two tracks: another rawk cover that I forgot and a nu metal song I couldn’t sort out.

I loved the hair and makeup, too.  The look highlighted the ease in the clothes and looks fresh against both massive Hollywood extensions and tough, half-shaved styles.  So I tried it myself this weekend, which felt weird because I used to do that at 14-15.  Yeah, so the other angle is that my waves started feeling a bit dated, and I needed something new.  I mean, I’ve had that same style for two years.  The two years before those, I moved 12 times.  I’m not one to take the same road home, let alone see the same thing in the mirror once I get there.

It was actually easier to go straight/messy than make those undone, irregular waves.  Kind of like I knew what I was doing.  Took me a weekend to realize that it felt like I’ve done it before because I’ve done it before, circa The American EP.  Here’s the EP’s cover juxtaposed with a model from the presentation:

Not sure where to go from here.  If I sort out a way to stay messy/clean straight and work out six times a week and not blow dry six times a week, I owe it to humanity to report it.

Here’s a song from The American EP:

From – “Mean to Stay”

But I dunno that people wear them now. They seem too obvious, like cupcake tattoos or name dropping obscure bands to intimidate people who don’t read blogs. We wanna wear clothes. We don’t want to look like we’re trying to curate music festivals in our T-shirt shelves.

I mean, everyone’s onto hipsters. The bored attitude, the self-righteousness, the hypocrisy – they’ve all been jokes for so long that even douches are over it. You could well have a Ke$ha fan call you on a Pitchfork rant. It’s beyond undesirable to be mistaken for a hipster or someone who just discovered hipster jokes.

Concert Ts still get bought, I think. Maybe people buy them if they wanna support independent music, since nobody pays for CDs anymore. That’s fair but doesn’t mean the shirts get worn.

Here are some concert T-shirts that might say what I just wrote. They’re made from existing concert Ts, so we’ve got a limited edition, re-use, waste rescue, found art series. They’re not a blatant statement about music/your taste in music. They’re from concerts you might not have been to. They’re from bands you might like/dislike. They’re one of a kind/mass manufactured. They’re meant to be worn/stored. They support/rape the arts.

Regardless, they’re From’s first shirts, and they look good.

See more at the shop.

Last night, two From songs were featured on How I Met Your Mother.  YAY!!!

“Tell Me Why” was in the first bar scene, and “One Spring Away” was at a flashback fantasy scene showing what the previous tenant at Ted and Marshall’s apartment was like.  It’s so cute.  Even though I’m kind of biased, I have to say that the song is a super good match for the scene.

A less excited person might feel a bit overshadowed by the Ratatat video ft that bird – mine has a bird too!  (You have to watch the clip to get this tenuous reference).  But it’s all good.

Get “One Spring Away” on iTunes or Amazon

Get “Tell Me Why” on iTunes or Amazon

Stream the episode on CBS

She’s a relative of S.Y. Agnon, grew up in Israel till age 10, and loves Israeli culture. So why does the musician Roni Brunn actually live in Beverly Hills? Because it’s necessary to have someone to protect us in the U.S.

"It's hard to shift to a different scale once you're used to living in a big American city." Roni Brunn

Brunn continues in his legacy, but in English. S.Y. Agnon, the great uncle of Brunn, with Nelly Sachs at the Nobel prize ceremony.

One of the songs of Roni Brunn, lead singer of the band From, is called “American Girl.”  Indeed, Brunn is nowadays American by any measure and a resident of Beverly Hills.  But as would suit someone who grew up in Israel till age 10 and who boasts a familial tie to S.Y. Agnon, her great uncle, Brunn declares that she’s very attached to Israeli culture and doesn’t forget to express gratitude to the country that granted her, as she says, an amazing childhood.

Maybe also as a result of this childhood, Brunn is graced with a supremely creative mind. Primarily, she’s the founder and singer of the indie band From, whose two songs will soon be featured on the season finale of “How I Met Your Mother.”  She’s now working on a new EP with the band.  Apart from that, on her resume are an economics degree from Harvard, a handbag line that was featured in Vogue magazine, the development of websites fom Ringo Starr and Justin Timberlake, and many more creative activities.

So, unsurprisingly, Brunn doesn’t see herself leaving her many endeavors in the city of angels, even though she’d definitely be glad to visit her birthplace.  “When my parents decided to move to the U.S., I was devastated, but it’s hard to shift to a different scale once you’re used to living in a big American city,” she says to Walla! Culture.  “Besides, with all due respect to Twitter, you can’t compare indie musicians’ chances at exposure when they live in Israel to the opportunities they might have in the US.  Plus it’s very hard for me to deal with the sun and humidity in Israel, and there isn’t enough parking.”

"I get lots of chances to refute ridiculous assumptions about Israel." Roni Brunn with the band From

Why go back to Israel when you can stay in the US and build him a website. Justin Timberlake

But even if you don’t see Brunn in the next Birthright Israel, she definitely sees herself as a representative of the country.  “To some extent, it’s good that Israeli natives like me live abroad, so that there’s someone to refute the ridiculous assumptions about the country, and I get to do a lot of that,” she recounts.  When she spent time in Stockholm, her national identity played a role in her daily life, and she found herself dealing with more than a bit of hostility from those around her.  It didn’t stop her from reading books in Hebrew while riding the subways.

Besides reading Hebrew literature, Brunn also follows the Israeli indie music scene: “I was proud that Israel sent the more bands to SXSW this year than the UK and Sweden.”

I was photographed for a book whose proceeds will benefit Red Cross efforts in Haiti.  Photographer Scott Nathan shot some celebrities in attendance, and we (omg, what?) also wrote messages for the book.  I was proud to participate but was not prepared with anything that meaningful to write.  I did, however, have orange lipstick on, which is at least as inspiring as a written expression of hope.

Here I am getting touched up by a stylist from Juan Florentino:

Lights, gray seamless, action:

I learned about the P.S. I Love You Foundation, which organizes educational outreach programs for at-risk kids.  Looks like a really great organization that makes it easy to get involved.  They work with schools, sure, but they also put on pizza & ice cream socials and surf lessons at the beach.

The company that makes soap for Fresh presented its private label soaps, under the La Belle Vie brand.  They’re made in France and smell amazing:

They’re also a lot cheaper than Fresh.  I still love Fresh, though, no use talking me out of that habit, at least till I find out who makes their brown sugar scrubs.

Pure Heat brought its hair styling tools made from 50% recycled materials.  That line seems great for white people with hair that just needs drying, the hair that responds well to Kiehl’s grooming creme and tips you see in fashion magazines.  My Mediterranean hair demands full force, full heat pro blow drying that only the Elchim 2001 can deliver.  I’m excited to try their brushes, though; I was told they can hold up to my blow dryer without melting.

On the way out, I was asked to pose with a car.  I hope the pics ended up tasteful.  The car was pretty big.  I was standing by the tire, not the hood, so I think it’s all right.  I don’t know that it’s appropriate to do product shots for objects I am/am not endorsing.  One might be better than the other, not sure which.  I was not promoting the car but was okay with the event the car company supported.  Should probably draw this line ‘with a bolder stroke’ or else I risk diluting my JPGs’ resonance.

It’s about time I see some evidence of lookalikes roaming around, because one in 10 people I meet claims to know someone who “looks exactly” like me, and she “sounds like you, too.”  That sentiment was really hard to take when I was growing up since I’ve considered myself very opinionated and specific – how can anyone duplicate that?  And what for?  But I’ve come to realize that I’m also a thin, pale blond, and we do all look alike.

A cliché that did turn out to be true: people ask you who you’re wearing all the time.  It makes sense since they’re reporting about clothes, but it’s still weird for me to name labels.

Also weird: a crowd of photographers shooting me.  One came, and then there was a group of them, click click click flash flash.  Some girl looked at me like, “WTF are you,” and I was all, “I dunno, k?”  I felt like a freshman.

Sarah and Dahlia of Chic are so smart + positive, and they have a great eye.  Check out Chic Intuition if you havn’t yet!

Now we’re working on new material, which feels great.  I wrote a lot of songs over break, and I think they’re some of my best work.  Polishing this stuff for recording makes me really excited about the overall direction.  Can’t wait to get back in the studio with Paul.  Stay tuned!

Lots to read, so take your time to get to our piece on page 27.  You’ll read about how we’ve grown and get some details on upcoming releases.  I loved reading that we look more dressed up/classy than other bands out there.  Also check out what I wrote about Alexander McQueen’s spring 2010 collection on page 25.  It was really fun for me to write that bit, and I’m so grateful to Willis for having me on board.

Looking forward to more issues!

Links: V&V, Vinyl and Vodka