The RunniKine: Champions of Booty Funk

It’s no secret that I have a wealth of hard working and supremely talented artists and musicians in my tribe. How I wound up with such an incredible group of creatives as my friends is beyond me, but I did, and boy am I grateful things shook out this way. The gentleman that make up The RunniKine are some of the most dedicated musicians and kind hearted humans you’ll ever cross paths with.  Will Trask lays down ever so danceable drum beats, Jon McCartan holds down the low end on the bass, and Eric Luba simply slays the keys. Together they make really, really nice noise, guaranteed to make your booty shake. When they aren’t playing music, you can usually find them playing video games and eating hot wings. When they are playing music, it’s something so funky, joyful, and real that you can’t help but dance. All of their sets are improvisational, meaning nothing is planned in advance and everything is done spontaneously, in the moment. No two shows are ever the same, and these guys seriously bring the funk. As a vehement supporter of the “no plan plan”, and the huge revival we’re seeing in funk music, I’m a big fan of what the RunniKine is doing. Get out and see these guys play. Your dancing shoes will thank you.

Catch the RunniKine this Saturday night 5/21/16 at the Lazy Dog in Boulder for the official Upslope Get Down after party. Prepare for a damn good time.

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Jaden Carlson

 

The first time I met Jaden was in 2013. I was 24 and had just returned home to Colorado from a long year living in Honduras. She was 12, and her band was using the rehearsal space in a dingy South Boulder basement that belonged to some of my musician friends. There were always people coming, and going, and crashing, and jamming, and hanging out at that wild, music filled house. Jaden was one of them, and so was I. I showed up one day after her rehearsal for one reason or another and was introduced to her and her mother Kelly. Over the past few years I’ve had the privilege of getting to know her as not only an astonishingly talented musician, but also an incredibly creative and downright hilarious young woman. She’s 15 now, and is continuously evolving and improving as an artist. I’m constantly in awe of the way she is always unapologetically herself. I see her growth, and even some of my own in the images we made together recently and I can’t help but smile. What a wild world it is, and oh how the time flies by. Cheers to you Jaden, I’m so glad our paths crossed in this life.

A Poem With Pictures, For You.

I went out yesterday to look at the trees

and noticed that they look back at me.

I looked a bit closer so I could see

Just who it was staring back at me…

_DSC9968A surprised someone

_DSC9977An Alien

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One who gravely disapproves

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One with many scars that still smiled

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One With Brown Eyes

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One With A Toothy Grin

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An Elephant

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…and a cyclops Unicorn.

 

How would you like to go and see

Who you can find in the trees with me?

 

Toddlers and Tiaras…

Life in the Minerva Preschool has been a dizzying whirlwind of preparations for the 2013 Summer Fashion Show the last few weeks. The little ones have been studying their colors and practicing their model walks in order to make the big event as perfect as it can be. As such, my day-to-day life has been filled to the brim with sheer cuteness–check these kiddos out: D

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Prepas

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JI certainly have a long list of complaints about this absurd, though adorable, little activity. Why are we instilling the “importance” of being attractive into toddlers? What are we teaching them by having a fashion show be the most important activity of an entire partial? Aren’t there more important things we could be doing with the 20+ minutes a day we spend preparing for this modeling extravaganza? Shouldn’t we be teaching them that they’re all smart and beautiful exactly as they are? In spite of my objections and aggravation (we’ve been forced to do weekend and after school practices…it’s gotten a bit ridiculous and I’m ready for it to be over) I recognize that it’s fairly important to the administration for whatever reason, and the kids really seem to enjoy it. So, I bite my tongue and laugh… it’s hard to be angry when you see these excited little faces smiling back at you.