Friday, September 17, 2010

Linkin Park: A Thousand Suns Review... NYC Show Recap... and the reveal of the LP Quilts

are you are wondering how did i combine music & quilting ?
anyone who read my interview in Quilter's Home knows that I've met Linkin Park and do a lot of my sewing to their music.  Below is a 3 part post.

1. A Thousand Suns Review
2. NYC Show Recap
3. The Quilts!


A Thousand Suns Review



I've been a Linkin Park fan for 10 years and I've never been more proud to call myself a fan than right now.

Linkin Park's fourth studio album "A Thousand Suns" was released this past Tuesday the 14th.  It is truly and album intended to be listened to start to finish.  The album has set off a firestorm of positive, negative and mixed reviews.

LP's first album "Hybrid Theory" was released 10 years ago on October 24, 2000
LP's second album "Meteora" was released March 25, 2003
LP's third album "Minutes to Midnight" was released on May 15, 2007

Ten years is a long time.  People change, they grow, they develop.  My art and my quilts have changed over time, so it is only natural for others to change and grow with their art.  It would have been easy for LP to put out a commercial album with guaranteed sales and sound like they did in 2000.  Instead they challenged themselves to take it further.  I thank them for taking that risk.

This album doesn't sound like anything I've heard before.  It's hard to classify into a category and I'm OK with that.  It's political & scientific and pushes you to think about the world around you.

Track 11 has a recording of Martin Luther King Jr.'s voice.  I get chills every time I hear it.  Over the track his voice changes to become digital and this line is repeated: "cannot be reconciled when there is no justice involved."

Here are a few lyrics from Track 5 "When they come for me"
'Cause even a blueprint is a gift and a curse
'Cause once you got a theory of how the thing works
Everybody wants the next thing to be just like the first
And I'm not a robot
I'm not a monkey
I will not dance even if the beat's funky

I love music.  I own over 200 CDs.  Yes CDs, not just digital music.  With many of them there are usually a few songs I want to skip.  That isn't the case with "A Thousand Suns."  It's clear that it was created as an album and not a collection of a few singles and a bunch of B level songs.  In four days I've listened to it start to finish over 15 times.  Each time I hear a few new things and appreciate the album even more.

You can listen to the entire album as one long track on myspace.  Listen to it for yourself and develop your own opinion of it.

*note*
I have never written a review of an album, but I have also never felt so compelled to express my opinion about a collection of music.  Take it or leave it, but this album is passionate, original and most importantly authentic.


reviews worth reading
review rinse repeat
artist direct
sputnik music
the music network


NYC Show Recap {and photos!}

On Tuesday I went to NYC to see Linkin Park perform at the Best Buy Theater for 2,100 people in their only US show this year.  I went to NYC with Apryl.  Apryl and I met in 2004 at a show and since have gone to show after show together.  She is an amazing friend and I'm very lucky to have her in my tribe.

One of the great things about being a dedicated fan & meeting other dedicated fans is you begin to form a family.  In addition to Apryl I have been to many of these shows with Sal, Billy, & Mark.  You would have to see us all to really understand the relationships.  I met a lot of new "family" members in NYC this weekend... Kelly - Cindy - Ana - Jim - Julian - Raquel {and i love you all!}

julie & apryl over the years
{ a few of the many shows we have gone to together }
2004 - LP show in camden
2004 -nyc book signing
2006 - Fort Minor show in DC
2007 - LP show in camden {with ash!}
2008 - LP show in camden
2010 - LP show in NYC on 9.14.2010 {with sal & billy}

photos
{ all photos belong to julie or apryl }

nyc

chatting with mark, lp's videographer before the show

my attempt at getting the crowd to cheer while mark filmed them
{ rocking my i shoot raw shirt }

the crowd

the setlist

billy - julie - apryl - sal
{ up front in the pit }





























there wasn't a bad seat or place to stand
this was the view from the back



The Quilts!

I mentioned these in my interview in Quilter's Home, but I have never shown them all.  Back in 2003 I won a Meet & Greet pass from the Linkin Park Underground.  I went back and forth for days about what to bring to the show to have signed.  At some point a lightbulb went off and I decided to make a quilt.  I had only been quilting for about a year, but it felt like the right thing to do.  I digitized their logos and images and made embroidery files.  Then using my mom's embroidery machine I made 13 embroideries.  I then pieced them together into a 24" x 24" quilt top and brought it to the show.  The band signed it and made lots of positive comments.  It even got me the opportunity to film a clip for their website.


In 2004 I was lucky enough to get a second pass to meet them.  I knew right away that I wanted to make a second quilt.  At the time I was in college and was taking a silkscreen course.  I decided to make screens from some of their logos and graphics and print them on various black and white fabrics.  Then I cut them out & appliquéd them onto a red background.  Since I worked this show as a part of the LP Street Team I was one of the last people to meet them that day.  The band thanked us for our hard work promoting the show and Mike even wrote "thanks!" in the center of the quilt.


In 2006 Mike hit the road with Fort Minor after releasing "The Rising Tied" on November 22, 2005.  Apryl and I headed down to DC to see the last show of the tour.  I decided to make a third quilt for the occasion.  I cut the logo from red and appliquéd it onto black.  I also did some creative thread work to create the "cracks" in the logo.


On Tuesday I decided last minute to take a bella solids charm pack and a sharpie with me to the show.  I had my "family" members sign squares for me.  The plan is to put all of these together to make my fourth LP inspired quilt.


-Julie
p.s. giveaway winner will be announced soon here!

15 comments:

Angela {fussycut} said...

I totally enjoyed reading your post. I was a huge linkin park fan when I was in college. I loved them before they were big and continued for years. I got away from them the last few years but now I totally have to look up their new stuff. I saw them once at Penn state back in the day and they were awesome. Love me some Chester! :)

mascanlon said...

Don't you love having such an eclectic life? Its important to our creativity and oh so much more energizing. I easily own 200 Cds (can't even compete with my son who has over 1000. I'm pretty varied in my style so I'll check them out.Thanks for such an interesting post.

Dresden Quilter said...

What a great post! I love the idea of quilting and music being put together. They are very lucky to have you as a fan.

Jonathan said...

Love all the pictures Julie! I've been a fan of LP since before they were "big" too. Even my 7 year old is a fan ☺ He especially loves 'What I've done' since it was on the Transformers movie,but he sings along with all their songs :-)
I didn't even know there was a new album though so I'll have to pick it up this weekend.

Love your idea of the quilts, they are awesome!

Emily said...

I didn't figure you for a hard rocking Linkin Park type... :)

Unknown said...

i love this julie, you are so cute and i'm enjoying checking out the site. much love xoxo

~Michelle~ said...

So... LP was here in LA on Tuesday, and did "Breakfast with Linkin Park" with the world famous KROQ... I didn't attend, but I listened to the live broadcast on my way into work that morning. And seriously, LP sounds almost the same live as on the album, it was pretty crazy! I'm not the super fan that you are, but I was very impressed by their musicality w/the live performance - I bet it's even better in a huge concert venue! I'm becoming more of a fan :) Oh, and PS - the quilts are great!

Unknown said...

Great post Julie. The review was great and I appreciate the shout-out to me and Jim. It was great to meet you and Apryl. I had a great time. Hopefully we'll meet up again at another show. I'll be sure to keep in touch.

Anonymous said...

Loved reading your post. Great pictures too! Seeing all the quilts together brings back such fond memories of when each one was created! Great job, fun to read music & quilts together:)

Terriaw said...

Long live LP!!! Aw man, how lucky to get to see their only US show for this year! I can't wait to see their US tour dates for next year. I love love love their new CD, and have listened to it over and over this week too. I love the messages, the tone and the new beats. Much more techno sounding than their previous nu-metal/rock-rap sounds, which I loved too. Great shot where Mike looks like he's looking right at the camera! Lots of great shots of Chester too - woohoo! lml

dolores said...

That's so cool to be able to meet and greet with a favorite band, especially one that gets your creativity going!:)

Me, I'm a dada, Fiction Plane, Bruce Springsteen, Matchbox 20, Kings of Leon stitcher!;)

I don't have as many CDs as you but I did have that many albums....our two kids are slowly divesting me of my collection and I love that they want them!!:)

Looking forward to seeing your 4th LP inspired quilt!;)

KarrieLyne said...

Loved this post! I always am intrigued by others insights into music and artists because it can be interpreted in so many ways!

Like you, I LOVE this album! A lot!

I also love the hawt sweaty pix you got..LOL!

Oh, by the way...regarding photo 2006...and you call ME a dork? ;)

<3

Bry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bry said...

Knowing how much you love LP made me want to share with you! I saw them in Houston, TX tonight for the very last stop on the Thousand Suns tour and the show was so SO amazing! They were supposed to come about a week or more ago but Chester was sick so we became the last stop. They pulled out every stop and I screamed myself hoarse (which wasn't so hard since I have had a cold for the last month).

I often quilt to music too and they hold a huge chunk of my quilting play lists! I love your LP quilts, and since music is such a huge part of my life (when leaving for work if I forget my phone at home I *might* go back for it, but if I leave my ipod I *have* to go back for it!) I am thinking I definitely need some quilts for myself that are inspired by my favorite music acts!

Thanks for sharing so much about your love of LP! It's so great to see others who get just as obsessed with the things that you love!

**edited to fix 2 super annoying spelling mistakes! LOL!

Austin Feathers said...

Just thought I'd tell you, the phrase is "cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love" instead of "cannot be reconciled when theres no justice involved". I was confused and thought it was the latter at first, then learned that its actually a quote from an MLK speech. The more you know!!
Cool post!