The Red Witch Blog

Autumn delights

2009-11-09T16:22:00.002+02:00

If there is one extra-special thing about Autumn, it's the color palette. Such amazing colors! All shades of orange, brown, beige, and, of course, RED, hehe :-)

All this myriad of colors around you really makes you forget the cold and damp weather, doesn't it?

So I spent the last few days making jewelry (almost)nonstop. I was inspired by the fall season when I made the set of charm bracelet and earrings, pictured here. I called it 'The Colors Of Autumn'-I thought it was a very suitable name:-) You can go and check it out HERE.

Other jewelry pieces I've recently made:

Egyptian Feeling necklace

Purple Haze bracelet

Black Flower brooch

Alligator beaded brooch

Purple Pearls bracelet

If you want to see these beauties in more detail, please click here.

I'm still in a jewelry making frenzy, so more pieces will come soon! :-)

So, that's how Autumn inspires me - I make jewelry using "warm" colors :-)

How does Autumn inspire you? Do you like this season?

*The Red Witch

Music=Inspiration

2009-10-31T23:56:00.036+02:00

We all know that in order to make music, the musician needs inspiration, because music is an art form.

But how many of us realize that music itself can serve as inspiration to create other art forms, such as paintings, written works, crafts?

When making jewelry, I have often noticed that certain songs make me feel more relaxed, even more creative, if you wish.

Certain music styles put me into 'creative mode', whereas other styles which I normally love to listen to just irritate my ear while I'm making jewelry.

So today I thought I'd share some songs from my 'Inspiration playlist' with you :

Featured songs:

David Bowie - 'A Better Future'
David Bowie - 'I'm Deranged'
Roisin Murphy - 'You Know Me Better'
Roisin Murphy - 'Let Me Know'
Moloko - 'Familiar Feeling'
Billy Idol - 'Flesh For Fantasy'
Chemical Brothers - 'Star Guitar'
Astrud Gilberto - 'Who Needs Forever' (Thievery Corporation Remix)
D'Sound - 'Dancing Into The Moonlight'
Goo Goo Dolls - 'Naked'
Big Country - 'In A Big Country'
Iggy Pop - 'Lust For Life'
Muse - 'Map Of The Problematique'
Interpol - 'Pace Is The Trick'
Thin Lizzy - 'The Boys Are Back In Town'
The Stranglers - 'Golden Brown'
The Stranglers - 'Walk On By'
Nouvelle Vague & Julie Delpy - 'LaLaLa'
Blue Oyster Cult - '(Don't Fear) The Reaper'
CC Adcock & The Lafayette Marquis- 'Bleed 2 Feed'
Reflekt - 'Need To Feel Loved'
Noir Désir - 'Le Vent Nous Portera'
Suzanne Vega - 'Tom's Dinner'
Tears For Fears - 'Goodnight Song'
Cher - 'Walking In Memphis'
Sisters Of Mercy - 'Dominion (Mother Russia)'
The Jam - 'The Eton Rifles'
Thunderball - 'This Girl'
Boozoo Bajou - 'Night Over Manaus'
A-ha - 'Summer Moved On'
A-ha - 'Early Morning'
A-ha - 'Solace'
Julian Plenti - 'Girl On The Sporting News'
The Cure - 'The Reasons Why'
Cabaret Voltaire - 'I Want You'
Kings Of Convenience - 'I'd Rather Dance With You'
Underworld - 'Born Slippy'
Montt Mardié - 'Set Sail Tomorrow'
The Farm - 'Groovy Train'
Stereo MC's - 'Running'
The Killers - 'This Is Your Life'
The Editors - 'Bullets'
Saint Etienne - 'Shower Scene'
Kasabian - 'Vlad The Impaler'
Kaizers Orchestra - 'Container'
Franz Ferdinand - 'Walk Away'
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - 'According To Plan'
Erlend Øye - 'Ghost Trains'
The Zombies - 'Time Of The Season'
Ulver - 'Porn Piece Or The Scars Of Cold Kisses'

These are some of the songs that I listen to while I'm making jewelry.

And now I'm curious to know- what songs do you like to listen to while you're writing/painting/crafting? Is there a music style that you only listen to when you create? How does music inspire you?

*The Red Witch

Why I Blog

2009-10-27T15:26:00.000+02:00

Today Laurie over at Tip Junkie is having a Talk To Me Tuesday and asking us chick bloggers to answer this seemingly simple question- 'Why do you blog?'

I've been a fan of Laurie and her seriously awesome site for quite a while, but since I'm the shy type, today I decided to finally participate in a TJ activity ;-)

3 Reasons Why I Blog

Reason #1. It's fun and creative -

Like many bloggers who are just starting out, at the beginning I also thought blogging was for people who are mostly into creative writing. Not so!

You don't have to be the next Shakespeare to write a blog, and have loads of fun throughout! Writing is a creative process which unleashes our inner muse, sets our ideas free, shapes them and helps us realize them. This makes us feel good! Also, as part of a blogging community, we also feel the joy of meeting new fellow bloggers, interacting with them, learning from them and getting inspiration from them. It's one of life's little 'social pleasures'.

Reason #2. It allows me to voice my opinion

Being a very strongly opinionated person, I always feel the urge to state my opinion on whatever topic interests me - be it political/ social/ cultural -you name it! Having a blog allows me to state my opinion on a topic, argument it, and debate on it with other people. In this sense, a blog is like a giant stage, and you are performing right in the middle of it!

Reason #3. It allows me to present myself and what I do to the world

Nowadays, all businesses, big and small, have blogs on their web pages. This is so for a reason - letting people know a bit about the person behind the business, a little bit about who you are and how you see the world makes them see the 'human' aspect of your business, no matter how big or small it is. This makes the business interaction more... humane. It's no longer just an exchange of money and goods, it's a social exchange, an exchange of ideas.
You all know I make and sell jewelry ;) so, for me, and all the other great artisans and designers out there, blogging is a very important part of the process of presenting ourselves and the art that we make. It helps us build more personal relationships with our customers and find new friends.

Conclusion:

If you are reading this and you are still toying with the idea of starting a blog- don't think too much about it.
Just do it.
What's there to lose anyway?

*The Red Witch

The Red Top 5 :Officially Banned Songs

2009-10-22T03:09:00.000+03:00

Today we're going to talk about songs. Banned songs, to be more precise. Songs which were banned at the time they came out, either because of their sexually suggestive or politically controversial lyrics, to be even more precise.

We aren't going to talk about music videos, because we want to list the 5 most popular songs which were banned because of their controversial content.

Songs have been denied airplay and banned as early as the 1930s, believe it or not. Such is the case of

#5 Love For Sale - written by Cole Porter, originally performed by Kathryn Crawford, from the musical The New Yorker, which premiered on Broadway on Dec 8th 1930

Why was it banned?

The song was banned from radio play because of its lyrics, considered scandalous at the time - it is written from the viewpoint of a prostitute offering all kinds of "love for sale":

Love for sale,
Appetizing young love for sale.
Love that's fresh and still unspoiled,
Love that's only slightly soiled,
Love for sale.
Who will buy?
Who would like to sample my supply?
Who's prepared to pay the price,
For a trip to paradise?
Love for sale
Let the poets pipe of love
in their childish way,
I know every type of love
Better far than they.
If you want the thrill of love,
I've been through the mill of love;
Old love, new love
Every love but true love
Love for sale.

Nowadays we may feel truly astounded that a song which did not contain neither any F words, or the Sh*** word, nor any politically/religiously controversial text, was actually banned from air play -even though it does discuss prostitution, it does so in a very tasteful manner, which is something we cannot say about modern-day lyrics on the same topic ...

As it usually happens with banned songs, this one rose to #5 in US Charts in 1930, and #14 in 1931.

#4 Let's Spend The Night Together - The Rolling Stones (written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, released as a single in 1967)

Why was it banned?

"Let's Spend The Night Together" is among the most famous examples of musical censorship. It was denied air play because of its lyrics which were thought to promote promiscuity:

"Let's spend the night together
Now I need you more than ever
Let's spend the night together now"

On the Ed Sullivan Show The Stones were refused permission to play the song, unless they changed "let's spend the night together" to "let's spend some time together". Mick Jagger agreed, but kept mockingly rolling his eyes at the TV camera every time he sang the altered lyrics.
Shockingly, for their very first live performance in China, in 2006, the Rolling Stones were asked not to perform the song, due to its "suggestive lyrics".

# 3 Relax - written and performed by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, released as a single in 1983

Why was it banned?

Less than a week after Frankie Goes To Hollywood performed "Relax" at Top Of The Pops(05 Jan 1984), the song reached # 5 in the UK Charts. However, Mike Read, the then BBC Radio 1 disco jockey refused to play the song due to his opinion that the lyrics were sexually explicit. Perhaps he was referring to

"Relax, don't do it, when you want to suck it to it,

Relax, don't do it, when you want to come".

Simultaneously, BBC Radio banned the song from air play, with the exception of a few night-time shows which played it whenever they saw fit.
By 28th January the song had reached # 1 in the UK, despite being denied air play, and banned from Top Of The Pops.
This ban became an embarrassment for BBC Radio, especially given the fact that all commercial radio stations across the country were playing the song. The ban was lifted later in 1984 and featured in the Christmas edition of Top Of The Pops.

# 2 God Save The Queen - written and performed by The Sex Pistols, first released during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977

If I was asked to mention 1 banned song, the first one that springs to mind, is this one. It is also the only song in this Red Top 5, which was not banned because of sexually suggestive/explicit lyrics.

Why was it banned?

The song was banned by the BBC and the Independent Broadcasting Authority which regulated Independent Local Radio, effectively denying it any media exposure. It was also not stocked by some shops.

The song was banned for being anti-monarchist, for its equation of the Queen with a "fascist regime", and for the claim that England had "no future":

"God save the Queen
Her facist regime
They made you a moron
Potential h-bomb

God save the Queen
She ain't no human being
There's no future
In England's dreaming

Don't be told what you want
Don't be told what you need
There's no future, no future
No future for you..."

read the rest of the lyrics here

The band have denied all accusations that they have purposefully issued the single "God Save The Queen" during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee and claim that it was mere coincidence.

On June 7, 1977 - the Jubilee holiday itself - the Sex Pistols attempted to play the song from a boat on the river Thames, outside the Palace of Westminster. After a scuffle, eleven people were arrested when the boat docked, including several members of the band's entourage.

The phrase "no future" became emblematic for the punk rock movement.
The song peaked at #2 in the official UK Singles Chart(used by the BBC), behind Rod Stewart's "I don't want to talk about it", and was kept off #1 for fear that it might cause offense.
However, the song did hit number 1 on the unofficial NME singles chart.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked "God Save the Queen" number 173 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

# 1 Je t'aime...moi non plus[I love you...Me neither] - written by Serge Gainsbourg, performed by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin

Today's #1 is by far the most discussed officially banned song! Serge Gainsbourg's explicit erotic lyrics together with Jane Birkin's erotic whispering caused a great scandal when the song was released as a single in 1969.

Why was it banned?

Because the lyrics are in French, with much effort I managed to find a decent English translation. Here are the first couple of verses:

"I love you I love you Oh yes I love you

Nor do I

Oh my love

Like the wave Irresolute

I go I go and I come Inside you my love I go and I come Inside you my love And then I hold on

I love you I love you Oh Yes I love you

Nor do I

You are the wave And I the naked island You go you go and you come you go and you come inside me my love and then we are one

I love you I love you Oh yes I love you Nor do I

Oh my love

Like the wave irresolute

I go i go and I come Inside you my love I go and I come Inside you my love And then I hold on

(simulated orgasm sounds)

I love I love you my love Inside me my love I love you my love Deep inside me my love And then we are one

... "

By now, I guess you can imagine why this song was banned, haha. Too explicit even for me :-)
Serge Gainsbourg originally recorded it in 1968 with his then girlfriend Brigitte Bardot, who, consequently begged him not to release the recording, as she was married at the time to German businessman Gunter Sachs. Gainsbourg agreed and re-recorded it later that year with his new lover, English actress Jane Birkin.

The song was released in early 1969 and, because of its lyrics, promoting the pleasure of physical love, was immediately banned in radio stations in Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the UK. The Vatican issued a special statement, declaring the song immoral.
Despite all that, the song was a commercial success throughout Europe.
The song has an English version, performed by Nick Cave and Anita Lane.

Serge Gainsbourg about the song:

"I love women as an object, the beautiful women, the mannequins, the models. This is the inner painter in me. I never tell them I love them. Je t'aime... moi non plus (I love you... me neither) expresses erotism overcoming sentimentalism… So many songs about romantic and sentimental love, encounters, discoveries, jealousy, illusions, desillusions, betrayals, remorses, hatred, etc... Then why not devote a song to a sort of love much more current these days: physical love? "Je t'aime" isn't an obscene song, it's very reasonable to me, and fills this gap. Its explanation is that girls say "I love you" during sex, and the man with their ridiculous virility doesn't believe them. They think the girls only say it as a result of enjoyment, of pleasure. I guess I believe the girls, or maybe that's a result of my fear. But that's also an aesthetic step, a search of absoluteness"

Well, this is it for this issue of The Red Top 5!
I have many other ideas for this column, including "top 5 girlie movies", "top 5 weird smells that I kinda like", "top 5 really bad guys in literature" and so many others! They keep popping in my mind, and I do my best to always keep my notebook close, so I can write them all down! If you have any suggestions about this chart, why not contact me or write them in the comment section below?

Oh yeah, and keep listening to banned songs. They usually rock.

See ya soon,

*The Red Witch

Book Review: When children pay for the sins of adults

2009-10-15T01:53:00.000+03:00

„ Children are punished for their parents’ sins – this, to me, is the main idea behind the novel ‘Shadow’ by Karin Alvtegen.

The notorious Swedish writer, author of several other detective novels, and winner of the Glass Key Award(in 2001) and the Palle Rosenkrantz Prize, namely for her novel “Shadow”(in 2007), has already received fame and recognition for her detective stories and this one serves as yet another proof of her remarkable skill for storytelling.

“Shadow” is not an exception from the whodunit genre, but it completes it, and improves it exceptionally by going beyond the borders of the genre and into the psychological thriller genre.

Before you continue reading this review though, let’s get one thing straight: if you are looking for a novel full of drama and suspense, “Shadow” is all of this, and more. But if you are more into whodunits ala Agatha Christie, I suggest that you find something else to read. By this, I mean that “Shadow” is more than just another whodunit. Although initially plotted as one, it deals more with the moral choices which each of us faces at any given moment in our lives, and the consequences of these choices –consequences which outlive us and are passed onto our children, our sins which live on in our offspring.

“Shadow” tells the story of a disrupted family from the writing circles. The father – Axel Ragnerfeld, is a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature for his novel “Shadow”, and founder of numerous foundations and charities. In the beginning of the story he is at a clinic where he waits for his death, as he is very old and very ill. In charge of his legacy is his son Jan-Erik – a failed writer and an alcoholic, who, through alcohol, numerous affairs and constant trips is trying to escape the boredom and coldness of his unsuccessful marriage.

When the body of the family’s maid of over 50 years – Gerda- is discovered, Social Services also find in her freezer some of Axel Ragnerfeld’s novels, signed by him. Social Services employee Marian Folkeson then contacts the Ragnerfeld family hoping that they would help her to organize Gerda’s funeral, since she had no living relatives.

From this moment on all the dusty secrets that were lying dormant in the Ragnerfeld family begin to surface – all the things left unsaid, all the sins that were fast asleep for decades now begin to awaken and prepare to shift their burden onto the sinners’ offspring.

Being a huge fan of whodunits, I have to say that I was very nicely surprised by “Shadow”. What impressed me the most were the lively, realistic and multilayered portraits of all the characters.

They are all ordinary people who are put into unusual situations, disappointed people who are forced to maintain the façade of being happy and prosperous, people who are too proud to reveal their unhappiness, people who scream voicelessly for attention…

Another important topic that the book heavily discusses is the publishing business - the complicated and very often uneasy relationship between authors, agents and publishing houses and the pressure that the publishing houses sometimes exercise on authors to bring them good, readable, valuable content before a certain deadline. If the author is pressured in such a way, usually the effect is quite the opposite of what the publishing house wants to achieve- the author’s inspiration disappears.

What happens when you lose your inspiration? How do you get it back? How can you live according to the high expectations of everyone around you without breaking down? How do you compromise between the topics you want to write about, and the ones which are en vogue and likable by the large masses? To what extent does a novel belong to its author and to what extent does it belong to the people who helped him write it? Is it possible to make the love of your life come back to you if you dedicate an entire novel to her? What is the price of literary fame? Why do our children have to pay for our mistakes?

Reading the novel “Shadow” won’t give you answers to any these questions. No, instead it will show you which way to go, in order to find them yourself.

Grand Opening!

2009-10-05T05:20:00.001+03:00

Hey y'all!

Now, I know I haven't been around for a while, but it was only because I have been a busy, busy bee!

I spent most of my summer on holiday in Hungary, and most of September setting up my jewelry business.

Yes, it has finally come to that, and I am so happy I finally decided to put my jewelry pieces out there for the world to see!

Speaking of which, I have some really, really BIG news! My first website is finally complete! It's called Red Witch Crafts Handmade Jewelry and you can go to http://red-witch-crafts.weebly.com to check it out! It also has a store which is fully functional and features all of my latest jewelry pieces!
I also finally managed to complete my store at ArtFire.com. A double celebration!

To mark this very special occasion, I have decided to throw my own,very first GIVEAWAY!
Yes, you heard me. Giveaway!
I will be running it from October 5th till October 12th.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

1.Anyone can enter the giveaway.

2.Just go to my Store, take a look at my charm bracelets,

3. then leave a comment under this entry, or on the blog at my website,

4. in your comment, tell me which of the charm bracelets you saw at the store is your favorite, and what do you like about it!

5.Submit your comment!

6. The winner will be drawn at random from all submitted comments on October 13th and announced on the same day HERE and on my website.

7. And if you are the winner, you will win your very own Red Witch Crafts custom-made charm bracelet!

8. You don't have to buy anything from my Store to enter the giveaway!

I can't wait to read your comments! Wow, this is so exciting!

* The Red Witch

P.S. I'm also still running Indie Friday - my column on indie music. So, if you have any suggestions about indie artists I should introduce here, why don't you leave your suggestions here? ;-)

The Red Top 5: The silliest magazines for women*

2009-07-18T20:07:00.003+03:00

Yesterday I first tried myself at macramé and I didn't have time for an Indie Friday entry. But to make up for that, I have something really special coming up for next week's Indie Friday!
Well today is the day I'm finally writing the first entry from The Red Top 5 column! In short, it's an improvised, unpretentious chart on various topics, reflecting only my personal opinion(So if you don't like it, just don't comment. Haters aren't welcome here.)

For the topic of my first Red Top 5 Chart I chose something which really annoys me. It's one of those tiny, eeky, annoying little bugs existing in the life of every woman coming from an advanced, civilized society.It's staring at you from the TV, from the newsstand, begging you to buy it(because then, and only then will you get a "unique" handbag as gift!).It's the archenemy of every woman's self-esteem. It's...a magazine for women.

Have you ever noticed the pictures of gorgeous women in men's magazines? Yes, well, it's kinda natural, isn't it... But the pictures of even more gorgeous women in women's magazines? Or the "shopping" columns? (Please, get over yourselves, sisters! "Shopping" is NOT an existing word in Bulgarian language! It's just plain stupid to use it instead of the Bulgarian word. No, it's not trendy, it's stupid.)

Several trees have been sacrificed for the making of about 40 glossy pages, whose content is roughly divided in : 50% ads, 20% gossip, 25% "shopping advice", 5% "articles" on fashion, dieting, broken heart...oh yes, and let's not forget the horoscope, and the various kinds of fortune telling: from coffee residue, tea leaves, tarot cards, chopsticks, runes(?!)...wow it seems like all these magazines have hired pro fortune tellers!

Well I think I made it pretty clear why I don't read women's magazines.

Without further ado, here is The Red Top 5 Of Silliest Magazines For Women:

#5 "Kosa i Krasota [In English: Hair And Beauty]"

This magazine is at the bottom of the chart because it occasionally publishes articles which are well written, and not about fashion, style, cosmetics etc. So it has deserved the prestigious #5 position.

#4 EVA

If you're lucky, except from the regular gossip, beauty and shopping columns you may find something worth reading (not a big chance for that though).

#3 ELLE

Defining itself as a magazine which focuses mainly on fashion and style, ELLE is completely incompetent and superficial about all other topics it writes about. In the new Bulgarian issue: Should we wear a bra or not?
Read at your own risk! :р

#2 "The Woman Today"

On the unfortunate second place in our little contest today is a magazine which is a total classic in the genre of Bulgarian women's magazines- "The Woman Today" [Bulgarian: "Jenata Dnes"]. "The oldest Bulgarian magazine", as it proudly proclaims itself to be, is, indeed really old. Too old to be interesting to any one any more. You can't expect anything else than the "regular" columns( health, beauty, shopping guide, gossip, etc).

#1 "Cosmopolitan"

The absolute winner of the first Red Top 5 Chart is the Bulgarian issue of the magazine, famous for being written for women who cannot think for themselves - Cosmopolitan.

Looking through the pages of its issues, one gets the feeling that this magazine is written for women who, apparently,
-can't dress well (don't worry, ladies, Cosmo shopping guide comes to the rescue!);
-can't do a blow-job;
-don't know what a blow-job is;
-don't know how to satisfy their partner(s) in bed;
-don't know how to find and keep a guy;
-don't know what to do when they get a stomachache;
-still can't get over their small breasts;
-like to look at pictures of pretty models(done with professional equipment,make-up and lightning and then edited and retouched in Photoshop) and feel sorry for themselves for not looking like them;
-are looking for a wallpaper of a half naked guy for their desktop;
-are looking for a place to spend over a 1000$ for a pair of tights and a belt(Cosmo helps best here!);
-are searching for yet another diet, that will weaken their body and make them hate it even more;
-have some time to kill while waiting in line at the beauty salon/the plastic surgeon's office.

Fortunately, I don't fit into any of the above mentioned categories:), but I am sincerely very sorry for all the lost female souls who spend their money to read this..crap.

But I don't want this entry to have a pessimistic ending, so here's what: for all of you ladies out there, here is a real, divinely talented woman (who doesn't look at all like a Cosmopolitan cover girl and that doesn't make her any less unique and amazing):

Meet PJ Harvey.

*The Red Witch

* This article deals entirely with women's magazines, published and circulating in Bulgaria.

To Vidin and back

2009-07-14T11:40:00.003+03:00

After the morning cup of tea(I am really more of a coffee person, but having a sore throat tea seems to be the better choice now...), the breakfast and several episodes of The Penguins Of Madagascar it is high time I wrote about the weekend we spent in Vidin.

We started out on Saturday morning. I won't go on describing the bad state of the roads, the road signs hidden amongst huge bushes, and how we missed the right turn several times because we couldn't see the sign... A lot has been said on the state of roads in Bulgaria, and a lot more will be said, until some people remember to get their job done...

We decided to visit the Magura cave, before we go to Vidin. We almost got lost on the way, because of a sign saying "Magura cave" but placed on the wrong turn. We got lucky we found someone to ask for directions.
Despite the cool weather and the rain there were at least two or three buses full of tourists and lots of people.

Having decided to visit the cave when we were already on the road, I had to walk inside the cave on high heels. It was wet, uneven and very slippery(doh, it's a cave!). But I'd like to say that though I was with high heels, I never once fell down ;р (which maybe is due to the fact that I was hanging onto either my brother, or his friend, Fori, almost throughout the entire way, for which I am very grateful.)
I won't talk much about the cave itself, because the pictures say enough. It is very beautiful inside.

After we got out of the cave, we got on something resembling a hybrid between a train, tractor and steam-roller which was supposed to take us back to the entrance of the cave.

Well, we survived the rain and the bad service and took off to Vidin, because we were really cold and hungry.

It was getting dark when we arrived so the first thing we had to do was to look for a place to stay for the night. Now I should mention the wonderful folks at Zora hotel, who gave us a great big apartment and top quality service at a really decent price. If you ever go to Vidin and don't have a place to stay, I highly recommend this hotel.

Vidin is a very beautiful town. Frankly, I was very nicely surprised, because I didn't expect to like it that much...

Here is my attempt at art photography ;-) (I think it turned out really nice) :

Here we are on the Danube river bank ;-)

You can't leave Vidin without having visited the famous Baba Vida fortress. And that is exactly what we did on Sunday, before leaving for Sofia:

After having had lunch at a great boat-restaurant,we left for Sofia. Actually we wanted to visit Belogradchik on the way back, but we had some car troubles and decided to do it some other time.
All in all, despite the bad weather and the horrible cough(that I still have), I had an awesome time!

I can't wait to travel again.

*The Red Witch

Indie Friday : JERIHON

2009-07-11T01:42:00.002+03:00

After a long, rainy, boring and tiresome day I can finally rest for a while and tell you about some really interesting stuff that has been going on with me these days...

First of all, I am really excited that for the very first time I am going to present a BULGARIAN BAND in this week's Indie Friday! ;-) They are called JERIHON and they are very cool.

But, let's see the news block first:

1. My newest jewelry creations now have pictures in FLICKR in the RedWitch Crafts Jewelry Spring/Summer 2009 photo album. Please stop by to look at them and comment;-)

2. This weekend I'm off to Belogradchik/Vidin/somewhere around this area with my brother and some friends. Bye bye, dirty big city;-) Of course, afterwards I will post lots of pictures as proof of how awesome it was:р I have already packed the few things that I plan to take with me and I really can't wait to go...will have to wait for tomorrow morning though.

3. MADE IN SWEDEN:)
If you have read some of my previous entries,then you are quite aware of my love for Scandinavia and all things Scandinavian( especially literature, cinema and design!), so this last piece of news won't come as a big surprise.
Several months ago, on Youtube I saw a wonderful Swedish short film, called 'Skeletons In The Closet', and presented by the famous FutureShorts. This short movie is a truly impressive piece, and I was very nicely surprised when I opened Youtube today, and saw that it was featured on the front page, along with other "frightful shorts" -

Go ahead and watch it! I assure you it'll worth all 10 minutes you will spend watching it;-)

And now, moving on to Indie Friday! :-)

On Tuesday night I attended a concert of a band named Jerihon in the new sleek Sofia Live Club, and now I can honestly say: "Bulgarian rock music is NOT dead!" In general I am extremely skeptical when it comes to new Bulgarian bands, and especially new Bulgarian rock bands,(well, they aren't that new, but they are new to me),and since I am a music snob, in the beginning of the show, my expectations for it weren't that high. But after the first 2 performances I was intrigued, and by the end of the show's first half, I was dancing and jumping like crazy, along with almost everyone else in the club. We heard remarkably good covers of songs by KISS, Cream, Guns N Roses, The Rembrandts, Pink Floyd, but the more interesting thing was that for the first time the band presented their own song material, and not bad material at all! They managed to make a great show, and their new debut album is coming out in Bulgaria this fall! Finally, some fresh blood on the Bulgarian rock music scene!

Here is a little info about the band:

Name: JERIHON
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Genre: hard rock, alternative
Members: Martina Baldzieva(violine, vocals), Stoyan Bozov (guitar, vocals), Boris Samarinov(bass guitar, vocals) and Mihail Russev(drums, vocals)
Where can you find them on the WWW: they have an official page, and also a profile in Facebook.

The Story [in short]

In this entry, unlike in previous Indie Friday entries, the story will indeed, be in short ;)
In short, all four members have participated in different projects before forming JERIHON, but together they have the ability to play in a very avant-guarde and passionate way the music which inspires them- 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s rock music.
Jerihon are hardly a year old but have already played in numerous clubs across the country and are well-known on the underground scene. But now we wait for them to com out of the shadows and present us a NEW, FRESH, AWESOME BULGARIAN ROCK ALBUM!

THE MUSIC

Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N Roses cover, @Sofia Live Club)

Whiskey In The Jar (Metallica cover, @Sofia Live Club)

These videos document Jerihon's concert at Sofia Live Club on 09.07.2009. I sincerely apologize for their poor video quality, but this was really all I could find on the WWW. There is more audio and video on their official web page ;-)

Well, this is it.I'm going to bed to get some sleep before the big road trip tomorrow! :-)
And to all of you out there-have a great weekend, no matter where you are!
And don't forget to give JERIHON a listen ;-)

*The Red Witch

Indie Friday :FRANZ FERDINAND

2009-07-03T19:33:00.003+03:00

It has been too long since I last wrote an entry for Indie Friday, so today I decided I should make up for that. It has been raining in Sofia for the past month, and to bring some sunshine in, this Friday I decided I needed a HUGE dose of indie rock...with Franz Ferdinand!

Name: Franz Ferdinand
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Genre: indie rock, alternative,post-punk revival
Band members:Alex Kapranos (vocals, guitar), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Nick McCarthy(rhythm guitar, keyboard, backing vocals) and Paul Thompshon (percussions, drums, backing vocals)
Where can you find them on the WWW: Their official website is http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/, they also have profiles in Myspace and Last.fm
Sounds like: fresh, energizing indie rock:-)

The Name

The name of the band originally came from a racehorse, called Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which the boys saw at a race in 2001. They admit they mainly liked the sound of it, the alliteration, although they also admit their interest in the figure of the Austrian Archduke. The single Take Me Out from their debut album contains a B-side, entitled 'All For You Sophia'. The song is related to the story of the murder of the Archduke and his wife, who's name actually was Sophie, not Sophia(the boys chose to replace it with "Sophia", to give the song a better ring)

The Story [In short]

All band members play in different bands during the nineties (The Karelia, Yummy Fur, 10p Invaders, Embryo). Alex Kapranos and Paul Thompson both played in Yummi Fur and subsequently teamed up to write songs. Around the same time Kapranos started teaching his friend Bob Hardy how to play the bass guitar. Later on Kapranos met Nick McCarthy.

In May 2003 Franz Ferdinand signed a contract with independent record label Domino Records and released an ЕР, entitled Darts Of Pleasure, which entered under #43 in the UK charts.
Soon afterwards, the boys head to Malmo, Sweden, to record their first album. They work with Tore Johansson, producer of The Cardigans. Their self-titled album Franz Ferdinand, comes out in the early 2004 and tops #3 in the UK Album Chart; it receives excellent reviews by the critics, who compare the band to bands like Duran Duran, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Roxy Music etc. The album receives the Mercury Prize.
During the most part of 2005 the boys are in the studio, recording their second album You Could Have It So Much Better, in which they try to broaden the musical range they play. The album is released in October 2005. It receives mixed, but rather favorable reviews, and enters #1 in the UK and #8 in the US.

Franz Ferdinand's third album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
is recorded in Glasgow. The album was officially out on January 27th this year even though the work on it began as early as the summer of 2007. For it Alex Kapranos says "it's a bit more assured and a bit friendlier to the dance floor"

Surprisingly enough, the first single from 'Tonight:Franz Ferdinand' Ulysses, reached higher positions in the music charts in Spain and Japan, rather than the UK and the US. The second single though, entitled No You Girls had a smashing success.
The Third Single from Tonight:Franz Ferdinand will be officially out in just a few days- on July 6th! :-) The song is called Can't Stop Feeling.

In February this year Franz Ferdinand were announced to be the first major band playing at this year's Glastonbury Festival, which took place from June 25th to June 28th.

A compilation containing dub versions of the songs from 'Tonight:Franz Ferdinand', entitled Blood:Franz Ferdinand came out on June 1st.

THE MUSIC

'Take Me Out'- the band's first single.

'Walk Away'- from the album 'You Could Have It So Much Better'. Definitely one of my fave tunes! :-)

'The Fallen', live Top Of The Pops 2006

'Ulysses' - the first single from 'Tonight:Franz Ferdinand'

'No You Girls', second single from the band's newest album.

Well, this is it. Just as I am finishing writing this entry the sun showed from the clouds just for a little bit, just to remind me it will set very soon... I really hope that in the next few days we here in Sofia will finally have proper sunny summer weather... Meanwhile I am cheering myself up by listening to some Franz Ferdinand tracks :-) You should try it too ;-).

* The Red Witch

So, what's new?

2009-05-23T21:44:00.005+03:00

Hello there!

It has been quite a while, hasn't it? I have been meaning to write here for some time now, but, frankly, I was a bit afraid. A long time has passed since my latest entry and I felt I had lost my ability to write well. Whether I did lose it or not,is for you to decide.
OK, enough with the sentimental bulls***t!This entry's purpose is NOT to be sentimental, although I may not be able to help myself at times(but you'll forgive me, won't you?)

This entry's main purpose is to answer the question 'What's new?'
So, to do that, I should continue telling the story from where I stopped, e.g.what happened after I quit my job.
Well...chronologically speaking...
Several days afterward I packed my bags and boarded the train to Pécs(Hungary), to spend Easter with the most amazing person in the whole world-my boyfriend, of course :-)

Pécs is a wonderful town. Small, colorful and trim, it is like a little girl who is standing in front of a mirror, dressed in here mama's clothes...

Everything is in full blossom, the streets are covered with flowers...This year there are extra-many beautiful tulips.

There is no need to admit that I had the most wonderful time, and, when I arrived at Sofia Train Station 10 days later, I felt like the loneliest girl in the world...It is always so hard to leave...

Well, for sure I didn't have a lot of time to feel down in the dumps thanks to the many errands I had to run...to finalize my resignation, and study, study, study! And what did I do? I started making jewelry :p
When I have a jewelry piece idea in my head, already sketched and colored;when my tools are in front of me, and it's like they are begging me to take them...I can't help myself.

You can see my newest jewelry collection here! :-)

Besides making jewelry I have also begun experimenting with decoupage.(découpage) . Visit the link if you want to find out more about this type of craft, but in short it is the art of decorating furniture and household objects with paper.
I had been meaning to try it for a long time, so I sat at PC, read some info about it, and started decoupaging...
My first decoupage project was completed 2 months ago, and adequately named "The Decoupage Project" (not a particularly original name, I know, but I liked the sound of it...) . I decorated the inner side of my huge closet door.I will show you the end result in a separate entry:-)
So, after I got back home from Hungary(where I bought some AWESOME beads, by the way!!!), I sat down and decorated two boxes.One of them is decoupaged with two types of light blue fabric,which aren't sewn together( I used duct tape, because I suck at sawing and I really didn't want to ruin the wonderful fabric :p), and the other box is decoupaged with paper. More info and pictures of my decoupage projects are coming up in a future blog entry! :-)

I can't help thinking that this whole period of time, since I got back from Hungary less than a month ago is marked by my 'School VS Job' dilemma.Don't get me wrong, I DID try doing both at the same time and it's just not working for me. Usually one of them is 'a victim' of the other,in my case it's school. I'm not as fond of my major as I once was, in fact, I have started to doubt whether this is what I am really meant to do...Plus I need to earn some money...So I am more and more inclined to take some time off, find myself a proper job, start earning some money and think what major would make me truly interested, and happy, because I can't just stay with my high school diploma. The sad thing is that jewelry making IS what really makes me happy, and what I want to develop into a serious profession, but that's not possible, at least for the time being..
I guess in these cases one usually says "We'll wait and see"...

I have terribly neglected this blog, and I solemnly promise to write in it more often from now on. I have a lot of ideas on new blog columns, they are written down in my awesome new yellow notebook(thank you for this wonderful gift,A. :-)) and are just waiting to be put into action. I am really excited about that!
The Indie Friday column will also be present every Friday, as usual. If you have stumbled upon a cool indie artist/band, drop me a line and I'd be happy to review them in Indie Friday:-)
The first entry from The Red Top 5 column will appear tomorrow! So stay tuned;-)

Enjoy your Saturday night(and remember to drink responsibly!),

*The Red Witch

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Now playing: Saint Etienne - Kiss and Make Up
via FoxyTunes

A spring surprise

2009-03-29T17:05:00.002+03:00

Yesterday I was sitting in front of the PC and wasting precious minutes of my life in Facebook.Then, for a second, I got distracted, and looked through the window. The view isn't very pretty, you know-there is an old apartment building across the street in which reside my two most faithful viewers,the,hm,voyeurs from floors 6 and 7, that is..And then, there is the nice Chinese restaurant, and more old apartment buildings-remnants of socialist times...
And then, I see this:

Oh, what a spring surprise! I hurry to find the camera and take a picture of my discovery before the wind has blown it away.
Now I'm looking at the pictures I took yesterday, and I'm still wondering what this is.Is it a T-shirt or a pair of underpants?

What do you think?

P.S. My awesome spring discovery stayed in its original place all day yesterday, but a couple of hours ago finally continued its course five floors down toward the untidy green patch in front of my apartment building. I felt too lazy to go downstairs and see what kind of lingerie it actually was.

The Red Top 5

2009-03-18T01:17:00.003+02:00

Lately I have noticed that every newspaper, every magazine, every popular TV/radio show has a daily/weekly "top (insert number here)column"
Such columns come in handy when you need to fill a blank spot with something short and funny. Sometimes not really informative.Most times not really funny.
Since it seems like everyone has their own "top 5", I thought,'Maybe I should have my own top 5 as well! Why not share my preferences with the rest of the world?'
Thus the Red Top 5 was born.
It is called the RED Top 5 for a reason - everything inside this blog is red. Or at least with a slight shade of red. If red is not among the colors you like, it is time for you to stop reading further on, because here this color is going to be mentioned many times. :-)
Let's get back to the Red Top 5.
I have read many similar columns and I while writing my own "Red Top 5" articles I will try to avoid their usual simple style, characterized by the use of many cynical and dramatic expressions, which are meant to sound "funny".
But I don't think I will always be able to avoid using such expressions, and for this I would like to give my apologies in advance.
The Red Top 5 is going to be a weekly column covering all kinds of topics.
I really hope you will find it interesting and funny, and I would be happy if you share your opinions in the comment box below:-)
The First RED TOP 5's topic is...ta-da-da-daaaaam!

THE RED TOP 5: SILLIEST/GLOSSIEST WOMEN'S MAGAZINES

I have always despised magazines,whose basic target group is women from 15 to 55; which use tones of valuable wood for glossy paper,and on it- 99% photos and ads,and 1% silly articles, and thus I decided to talk a bit about this in my first Red Top 5 Column.
Coming really soon.

*The Red Witch

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Now playing: PJ Harvey - Down By The Water
via FoxyTunes

Long time,no see!

2009-03-15T22:12:00.003+02:00

Aloha to all of you in the World Wide Web!

Long time,no see!
The truth is that I really wanted to write regularly in this blog, but, as trivial as it sounds, I didn't have the time.
During these last months I was mainly a student(the result: two failed exams...but I'm positive about retaking them in September!),and a working girl- I got a part-time job- this reduced my free time to an amount below the absolute minimum. I didn't have any time to go out with friends, my social life was almost gone.I didn't have time to make jewelry and write this blog (which, frankly, made me sadder than the lack of social life. I don't mind spending my free time by myself.)
Oh, and speaking about the blog... I had a lot of ideas about starting different weekly columns in this blog,they came and they left, but I didn't write them down. Now I feel really sorry for not having done that, because now I can't remember a single one. But I remember there were one or two good ones which were worth writing down... Oh, well..it's not so bad. At least now I feel like I'm starting over. It's spring, the season when new life begins, and so many things are starting over.
I hope to breathe new life and ideas into this blog,in unison with the season.
To all of you out there who have visited this blog in the past two months hoping to see a new entry I can just say 'I AM REALLY SORRY!'

The Red Witch Diaries has awakened from its winter sleep.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T04:35:00.001+02:00

Wishing all my relatives,friends,colleagues and readers a warm,cozy Christmas, filled with love!

The Bible, but not as you know it*

2008-11-28T00:40:00.002+02:00

Most people think of the Bible as a densely printed book with no pictures, but a version of the scripture that resembles a glossy coffee table magazine aims to change that. It's part of a wave of radical presentations of the Bible, including a manga version and a Lego gospel. But how do Christians feel about these attempts to spread the word?

It's the kind of magazine you might find in a doctor's waiting room next to Cosmopolitan or Reader's Digest. On the front is a pale face heavy with mascara. A flick through throws up striking images: urban flooding, a Nigerian abattoir, a girl eating noodles, a pooch in a limo.

It's only when and if you get round to reading the text that the incongruity strikes you: "Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven." What kind of problem page is this?

Bible Illuminated is the latest attempt to bring the Bible into the modern world. In the format of a 300-page glossy magazine, it contains the whole text of the New Testament in a popular translation, with no chapter or verse numbers.

The images are by turns beautiful, violent, oblique and provocative - much like the book itself.

The text "She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus" is illustrated with a veiled Muslim. One verse has a photo of a pair of knickers draped over high-heeled shoes, sending you back to the passage to find out what it's really about.

The person behind this remarketing of holy writings is Dag Soederberg, a Swedish businessman. And contrary to expectations, he is not a Christian hoping to convert anyone. "I'm not on a mission from God," he explains. "I'm not particularly religious. I'm not telling anyone they should believe."

What he sees in the Bible is a profitable chance for people to look again at their world. "We are all affected by it," he says. "Morals are based on it, rightly or wrongly, government, laws. I'm saying to people: this is your history, read it.

"It's the most sold book in the world, but the least known. I want to take it off the shelves and put it on the coffee table."

It's the kind of thing that might provoke tuts and headshaking in the pews, one imagines. "Some people will feel it's dumbing down," says David Ashford of the Bible Society, an organisation that exists to "make the Bible heard". "How can it be the Bible when it's got Angelina Jolie in it?"

He, however, welcomes it with open arms. "You have to understand that what we think of as the traditional serious-looking leather-bound Bible is actually a relatively new format. In the Middle Ages, picture books - with people in contemporary dress - were the way most people read the Bible.

"At first the Bible was a collection of scrolls, then illustrated handwritten volumes. When printing was invented they were produced in Latin with pictures. Later they were published in plain closely printed text, in the common language, to get them into as many people's hands as cheaply as possible."

So, ironically, Soederberg's attempt to popularise the Bible by getting away from its traditional format is exactly what the people who created that format were doing.

If you're looking for an alternative way into the Bible, there's no shortage of versions to choose from. Here are some of the more unusual:

1. The Jesus Loves Porn Stars Bible

This arresting title is the work of the XXXChurch, an organisation that on the one hand helps people addicted to porn, while on the other hand taking the gospel into the porn industry. They print this Bible to give out free at porn shows and industry conventions, distributing over 15,000 in 2007.

2. The Manga Bible

The British Christian Ajin-bayo Akinsiku, known as Siku, tells the whole story in the form of a graphic novel. Cain says to Abel, "Whassup, bro?" Noah loads animals onto the ark, saying, "That's 11,344 animals? Arggh! I've lost count again. I'm going to have to start from scratch!" Christ strides out of the desert like a Marvel superhero.

It skimps on some of the less bloodthirsty episodes like the sermon on the mount, but Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is a fan, liking the way it conveys "the shock and freshness of the Bible".

3. The Bible in Cockney

The rhyming slang version of the Bible was written by Mike Coles, an RE teacher in Stepney, and started life as stories he told to his classes. In it, Jesus feeds "five thousand geezers" with "five loaves of Uncle Fred and two Lillian Gish". The Lord's Prayer morphs from "For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory" to "You're the Boss, God, and will be for ever, innit?"

This one got the seal of approval of Rowan Williams's predecessor George Carey, who grew up in London's East End, so must have known what he was rabbit and porking about.

4. The Brick Testament

This less-than-reverent online version by Brendan Powell Smith tells stories from the Bible using Lego. It started life in 2001 with stories from Genesis and today contains 391 stories with 4,214 illustrations. Though it is sometimes satirical or tongue-in-cheek, it is often used by churches and Sunday schools, and it's one of the versions that the Bible Society has welcomed as connecting people with the Bible in a new way.

5. Inspired By… The Bible Experience

And for the iPod generation, you can get the whole thing on your MP3 player, read and performed by a Hollywood cast, including Forest Whitaker as Moses, Cuba Gooding Jr as Jonah, and a possibly typecast Samuel L Jackson as God.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this new wave of Bibles is how sympathetic the church is to people messing about with its sacred scriptures, whether in wording or binding, no doubt reasoning that there can be some good in anything that gets people hearing its stories.

But how successful these versions are at doing that is another question. The makers of the Bible Illuminated claim it has increased sales of Bibles by 50% in Sweden - though we are not told over what timescale. A version that could achieve such figures in the UK would be one of the most surprising Bibles yet.

This is an article written by Stephen Tomkins for the BBC News Magazine which I find really interesting.
As a traditionalist,and an orthodox christian,I believe these "modern versions" of the Bible won't have big success in spreading the word to more people.Personally,I prefer the "classic" version :p Why?'Cause it's meant for the format to be serious-looking and respectful-just as much as the content inside.I don't think a "porn version" or an "illuminated" version would reach more people because of the "alternative" way the Bible is presented.As for the iPod version-I don't mind it.After all,we live in the age of technology.So I think some of the more tech-oriented christians will get into it.
What about other sacred books?What about the Koran,for instance?Would you agree to a "modern",more "glossy" version of the Koran?
What do you think about the article,boys and girls? :P

*Article and pictures courtesy of BBC News Magazine

Indie Friday : IMOGEN HEAP

2008-11-22T17:23:00.003+02:00

Yeah,yeah,I know..There wasn't an Indie Friday column for last Friday-well,if there is anyone out there who is reading this column-I am deeply sorry.You can blame Sofia University.I had lots of things to do at university,and the truth is,I hardly got any time to sleep,let alone write in this blog.If I should describe last week in one word it would be "sleep".Sleep,sleep,sleep!It was all I was craving for.To get some hours of nice long sleep.Well,I did that this week-I overslept three consecutive days and missed lots of lectures at university:/
Since I write Indie Friday mainly for my own pleasure I still hope that someone someday will read this column and get interested in the music I am presenting here.Because it's all about the Music.
And speaking of music-until now I presented only indie rock artists on Indie Friday.Since I wouldn't want to ignore my favorite indie POP artists/bands,I decided that it was only natural that this Friday I should write a bit on indie pop.
The first name that I'd like to introduce you to is Imogen Heap.And before you scroll down to see the info about it,here are a few hints:A 30 years old white female,London,multi-instrumentalist, electronic,synthpop,ambient.

Here is the basic info which comes to fill you in:
Name:Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap
Location:London
Genre:electronic,ambient,electropop
Plays:piano,keyboard,cello,clarinet,guitar,drums,as well as the more exotic array mbira and hang.
Members:she is the only member :Р
Where can you find her on the Internet? Her official website is http://www.imogenheap.com/,you can also find her in Myspace and Last.Fm
Sounds like: very nice pop music that is highly influenced by electronica;high-pitched but very pleasant voice.The use of many different instruments makes Imogen's music multilayered and very interesting.There are some common conceptual features between her music and the music of Moloko's ex lead singer Roisin Murphy.Her lyrics are very good.In short: Imogen is a poetess with guitar/keyboards/piano + a bunch of other instruments!
Associated acts: Frou Frou.Frou Frou is a duo in which Imogen participates alongside Guy Sigsworth.The result of this collaboration is a single album entitled-Details(2002)which I highly recommend to you.

Imogen's story

Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap was born on December 9th 1977 in Rumford,London to an art therapist mother and a construction rock retailer father.Her parents divorce when she is 12.At 13 she starts writing her own songs.She is soon sent to a boarding school where she has a clash with her music teacher.As a form of punishment she has to learn herself sampling and sequencing.She is soon a student in the infamous "BRIT School Of Performing Arts & Technology" in Surrey.There she meets her manager Mark Wood.After a highly successful performance at a concert in Hyde Park in 1996 she manages to impress the critics.Her debut album,entitled iMegaphone(an anagram of "Imogen Heap") comes out in 1998,when Imogen is 21.The critics love it and compare her tracks to the style of P.J. Harvey,Kate Bush and Annie Lennox.Promotion for the album includes a tour in the States and performances in the UK. But the label Almo Sounds,with which she has signed a contract cuts off the budget claiming her songs don't have the potential to become hits.Imogen drops out of the label.Then follows an extremely successful collaboration with the electronic artist/producer Guy Sigsworth-Frou Frou(2002-2003) and the only record this duo has made,entitled Details(2002) increases Imogen's popularity.In 2003 Imogen announces on her official website that she has begun recording a new album which she herself will record,master and publish.She sets herself a deadline of one year to finish the project and re-mortgages her flat to rent a studio and buy instruments.Through her official blog she keeps her fans up-to-date on the project's progress,even seeking their help to write lyrics for the song Daylight Robbery.The record,entitled Speak For Yourself comes out in 2005.Due to bad experience with labels in the past,Imogen decides to start her own label(Megaphonic Records),through which she publishes the record.A fact which adds up to the huge success of the record is that several songs from it are featured in the sitcom the O.C..Soon come many performances at concerts and TV shows and several Grammy nominations in 2005 and 2006.

This year Imogen contributed to the charity album Songs For Tibet:The Art Of Peace which aims to support Tibet,Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso and to underline the human rights situation in Tibet.

These days the talented Londoner is working on her third album which is to be in stores this December.The first single from it,Not now,but soon is already available to the fans through her official website and Myspace page.
Imogen has offered music and vocals to many other artists,her songs have been part of advertisements,movie soundtracks and sitcoms.
And last,but not least,she is very notable for her clothing style.The gal has a terrific fashion sense(just look at the outfit she wore for the Grammy ceremony in 2007! :-) )

The Music

Come Here,Boy -a single from her debut album iMegaphonic

Must Be Dreaming -a Frou Frou single from the album Details(2002)(a fave song of mine! :) )

It's Good To Be In Love - another single from Details :-)

Good Night And Go -a single from Speak For Yourself(2005)

and for dessert:a fan video of Not Now,But Soon -the first single from Imogen's third upcoming album :-)

I really hope that the magnificent music this charming lady makes has touched something inside you.She really has a lot to give to Music.

See you next Friday in Indie Friday!

Wear warmer clothes and love each other more-the winter is coming.

*The Red Witch

Stereo MC's LIVE in Sofia -11.11.2008

2008-11-14T14:46:00.002+02:00

You should have come to Festival Hall in Sofia last night to hear the amazing STEREO MCs!You really should have been there.Because it was a TOTAL BLAST!They shook it up really hard with songs from their latest album DOUBLE BUBBLE,as well as classic hits like CONNECTED,STEP IT UP,DEEP DOWN AND DIRTY,ELEVATE MY MIND,GROUND LEVEL,RUNNING and many more super groovy beats!
Luckily me and my friend Kety made it to the concert.And we've managed to take some pictures to show you just how AWESOME it really was!
In terms of organisation everything was tip-top.The crowd entered the hall at precisely 19:25 Sofia time.Kety and I were among the first ones to enter the hall=>WE WERE IN THE VERY VERY FRONT ROW! :-)
Here's a bunch of pics we took before the concert began:-)

It's unbelievable how only 20 minutes after this picture was taken,the hall was filled huge crowds...

Kety and I gladly posing before the concert has begun :-)

Hooded Kety :-)

The supporting band(too bad I didn't get their name) began playing at about 20:00.What can I say about them?They were playing pretty strange underground instrumental trip-hop,but I for one enjoyed their music.The lead singer was quite a character,with very interesting view on stage presence.A sort of a clown,but a FUNNY one.
Here are some pictures of their performance:

The crowd liked them,but you could feel that everyone in the hall thought the same thing "Come on now,get it over with,so that Stereo MC's can get on the stage!"
In an answer to our prayers,they got on the stage at 21:10.
And the rest,my dear boys and girls,is,as they say,history.History,told in pictures(and 3 very good quality videos,for which I thank users from zazz.bg).

Well,that's all,folks.It was certainly one of the best concerts I have ever been to.

End of story.

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Now playing: STEREO MC'S - Running
via FoxyTunes

Indie Friday : THE KILLERS

2008-10-27T00:33:00.005+02:00

Once again it's time for my Indie Friday blog column!

I have spent a dull and exhausting week,filled with plenty of small things which more or less affected my good mood.But having created a music column in which to write about one of the greatest things in life-MUSIC,I have created my own way of relaxing and setting all the small daily problems aside.This column is like a placebo to me.

Okay,enough with the sentimental introduction!Let's move on to the subject-today's indie band which I have decided to present to you,is yet another one of my most fave bands.Even if it falls under the category of indie bands,it has achieved wide commercial success both in the States and in Europe.The music which The Killers make is mostly dynamic,cheerful rock which can wake you up in the morning,no matter how deeply you sleep, and make you shake it on the dance floor.

Band name: The Killers
Location: Las Vegas
Genre: indie/alternative rock,post-punk revival
Members: Brandon Flowers(vocals,keyboard),Dave Keunig(backing vocals,guitar),Mark Stoermer(backing vocals,bass guitar),Ronnie Vanucci Jr.(drums,percussion)
Where can you find them on the Internet? Their official website is http://thekillersmusic.com,they can also be found on Myspace
Sounds like: very cheerful,very energetic,very melodic.Very catchy lyrics,such as the lyrics to When You Were Young,Uncle Jonny,Glamorous Indie Rock&Roll and my most fave one - Believe Me,Natalie.
When it comes to the mood of the lyrics,The Killers' songs are so much more different than Interpol's.(If you remember,Interpol was the first indie band to be presented on Indie Friday.)The Killers' lyrics are much more lively and cheerful.

The Story[in short]:

For The Killers the big break-through came quickly.Brandon Flowers quits his previous band Blush Response(synthpop) and answers an ad which Dave Keunig has posted in The Sun.Then they attract the other members and start playing at various Las Vegas clubs.They get noticed by a Warner producer who recommends them to the London indie label Lizard King Records-from then on begins their way to fame.Their debut studio album,entitledHot Fuss(2004)has tremendous success.Their second album,Sam's Town(2006)however,receives mixed reviews despite Brandon Flowers' public statement that "this is going to be one of the best albums in the last 20 years".
Their compilation album,entitled Sawdust comes out in November 2007.It contains b-sides,rarities,new material and two cover songs,one of which covers "Romeo and Juliet"-a great song by Dire Straits.An exceptionally good cover,in my opinion.
So far the band have been featured as themselves in the widely popular teen sitcom the O.C.,two of their songs are in the official soundtrack of the series;lead singer Brandon Flowers has had confrontations with the bands The Bravery and Fall Out Boy (who are signed to the same label-Island Def Jam Music Group);and the guys are currently in the studio working on their third album,entitled Day&Age.

The MUSIC

I'm moving on to the most important part of every Indie Friday entry-the MUSIC :-)

This is the video to Mr Brightside-a single from their debut album Hot Fuss(2004) :-)

A LIVE version of Glamorous Indie Rock&Roll :-)

And this is a very nice fan video of Believe Me,Natalie -my most fave song by The Killers.

I hope you have enjoyed the music which these wonderful guys from Las Vegas make.I will be happy if you express your opinion on the band,their music,and what you like or don't like about my Indie Friday column in the comment section below.

Have a crazy Friday night!

*The Red Witch

*this is a translation of an entry from theredwitchdiaries.blogspot.com which was originally written on October 24th 2008

Porn and mourning?

2008-10-26T23:28:00.004+02:00

I assume you are a little shocked by the title.I spent quite some time wandering what title to give to this posting and it seems like this is the most suitable title,even if it is shocking.
So here is what provoked me to write the following posting.
While I was checking my mailbox today,among the bills,yet another supermarket catalog and yet another annoying SPAM letter from "Reader's Digest"(I will explain why this publishing house is so fucking annoying me some other time)I came across the most disgusting brochure I had ever laid eyes on,which advertised...a funeral home.In fact,the advert was so ridiculous,that,for I moment I thought it was a sick joke made by some retard with lots of free time on their hands.But..no.It looked way too serious to be a joke.It was made up of two cards.Now,before you ask,'Why is that brochure so scandalous?',let me show you how the first card looked like:

No,this is not an optical illusion.What you see now is a fantastic fairy landscape.In front of it you see a naked girl.Really naked.And what you see in the upper right corner of the picture is the kind face of an old man who looks lustfully at the naked girl.This,apparently,is a depiction of...God.In the lower right corner of the picture is the logo of the funeral home,which,as I learned from the leaflet,is called "Sofia"
It gets even worse when you turn over the card and read what is says on the back:
(it is in Bulgarian,but I will translate the most vulgar excerpts later on)

The absurdity continues:

Well,I don't know how you would react if you were in my shoes,but THIS was way too much for me.I got furious-for a reason.
Not to mention that I do not wish to receive in my mailbox leaflets telling me that there is someone who can take extra care in organizing My Last Journey-yes,we are all mortals,but,hey,admit it-no one wants to think about their death,as inevitable as it is...
On the back of the vulgar leaflet with the naked girl it says :"This information does not concern you but it can be useful to you to help others".-that is correct-IT DOES NOT CONCERN ME.As far as I remember,I haven't subscribed to receive brochures from FUNERAL HOMES.I doubt anyone has.And even if i WERE concerned,(which I am definitely NOT),I wouldn't turn to your services even if you were the LAST funeral home on Earth!Frankly,with your vulgar and inadequate way of "advertising",I can't see how anyone would want to seek your services.

It is cheeky,tasteless and irrespectable for a firm which has taken on such services to show a naked girl...and God on one and the same brochure.(?!?!
A firm,which,through the essence of its services,should pay some,at least seeming,respectto christian values.
It is absolutely preposterous for me to look at the "hot" picture and on the back of it read things like"There is never a good time for a birth and a death","In a day of pain and grief,in a hospital or at your home,you can trust us at all times and tell us the Sad News ",and the most ridiculous sentence of all-"At all times we try to help and give our best to organize the last send-off of the Man with dignity and respect".

What dignity?What respect?

I think that all commentary on the above excerpts is needless.

Since one of the business cards was signed by some Ventzislav Palamarov,I will address him in an (in)direct way hoping that he knows how to work with Internet and that maybe there is a small chance that he will come across this posting-Mr Palamarov,are you an IDIOT?Or just another crafty peasant who has decided to put some fresh female flesh in the otherwise "dull"(?!?!) funeral home brochure?
It is impertinent.It is ridiculous.And I am not sure whether it is very legal.I don't know,Mr Palamarov.Even if your kind of advertising is juridically legal in our country(Bulgaria) it is morally illegal..Yes,but it is someone else's job to straighten this problem out.My job is to tell you that I do not wish to receive any more of your "brochures".Period.

If you have read this posting so far and are still interested in the services of funeral home "Sofia",my dear reader,you can contact them 24-7 via phone: 02/925 01 74.

*this is a translation of an entry from theredwitchdiaries.blogspot.com which was originally written on October 23rd 2008

Indie Friday : INTERPOL*

2008-10-18T22:12:00.003+03:00

As promised in my previous blog entry in each "Indie Friday'" column I will present an indie artist/band.
I didn't give it much thought as to which the first band presented here should be-of course,it had to be my most fave indie band.Тhe guys who opened me up to this kind of music.The band with the scary name: INTERPOL.

Band name : INTERPOL
Location : NY City
Genre : indie/alternative rock ;post-punk revival
Members :Paul Banks(vocals,bass guitar),Daniel Kessler(guitar,backing vocals),Carlos Dengler(bass guitar),Sam Fogarino(drums).
Where can you find them on the Internet? :Their official website is http://interpolnyc.com ,they can be also found on Myspace

Sounds like:like..hmmm.Melancholic rock with overwhelming bass guitar solos.Lots of drums involved.Interpol have both very cheerful and rhythmic songs and songs which make you weep like a little child.Their music is mostly melancholic.Most of their songs have amazingly good lyrics (which are mostly the work of their lead singer Paul Banks).

The Story

It is basically not an unusual story..A bunch of NY University students gather to play music just for the sake of it(1997-1998).Things get serious and the dudes start self-publishing their demos up until 2001.
The Big Breakthrough - Turn On The Bright Lights-2002.This is the album which puts them among today's most successful indie bands.Next come Antics(2004) and Our Love To Admire(2007).
Interpol today-the critics admire them,they have huge fan bases both in Europe and the USA,they have achieved serious commercial success and are currently on tour in Europe promoting Our Love To Admire.
This is the band's story in a few sentences.Since I have disliked history ever since high school,I am going to stop here.If you'd like to know the detailed story,you can click HERE :-)

Why "INTERPOL" ?

The name comes from a joke which Banks' classmates quite often used to tease him with-"Paul,Paul,Interpol" :-).Before deciding on this name the band have considered names like The French Letters and Las Armas.But the strongest reason for which the band picked "Interpol" for its name is,that,according to lead singer Paul Banks, "We'd like to be perceived as an impersonal, mysterious organization such as Interpol.But principally it's because the name sounds cool."

The Music

"Obstacle 1"-a single from their debut album Turn On The Bright Lights.It is interesting to know that in this album there is another song called "Obstacle 2" :P

"Public Pervert"-a song from their second album,Antics,which,alas,didn't come out as a single.This one is perhaps among my all-time favorite songs..

"No 'I' In Threesome" or,in other words,a flirty ode devoted to the threesome :Р .The song is from Interpol's latest album entitled Our Love To Admire,which came out last year.

Listen to the music and judge for yourselves whether or not it fits your taste.
I'd be more than happy if you share what you like or don't like.I'm also looking forward to receiving suggestions for which artists/bands to feature in "Indie Friday" :-)
Have an awesome Friday night!Party hard! :-)

*The Red Witch

*this is a translation of an entry from theredwitchdiaries.blogspot.com which was originally written on October 17th 2008

INDIE Friday*

2008-10-18T21:35:00.006+03:00

As some of you may know,my fave kind of music is INDIE.If you don't know what that is,to put it briefly,"indie" is an abbreviation which stands for "independent music" which is a type of music relating to artists/bands who take a personal,do-it-yourself approach in the process of recording and publishing their music.You could say they are the antonym of commercial/mainstream artists.(Although there is a number of indie artists/bands who have achieved great commercial success-but this is a topic for another blog entry).If you'd like to learn more about it,there is a great article on indie music on Wikipedia ...
The new column that I am launching,which I have called "INDIE Friday" (because it will come out every Friday :p)will be all about the indie movement in music,introducing some of my fave indie bands,new albums,interesting interviews,etc Through this weekly column I hope to bring some popularity to this kind of music,which is ,alas,not so well-known in my home country Bulgaria.There is indeed A PLETHORA OF extremely talented indie artists/bands which I am sure you will like :-)

So the first band which I am going to present to you in "Indie Friday" is called...

TO BE CONTINUED ...

* this is a translation of an entry from theredwitchdiaries.blogspot.com which was originally written on October 17th 2008

A FREE Day*

2008-10-18T21:04:00.005+03:00

One day without lectures...without the cold lecture rooms of Sofia University...without hearing Swedish all the time...Pure bliss.
Not that I didn't have any lectures in the morning...I did,and it was on Swedish,hahah :Р But I was so sleepy in the morning.The alarm clock on my cell phone rang,I told it to piss off,and I slept until noon..wow,that hadn't happened to me in quite a long time! :-))
The pure pleasure of drinking coffee without having to hurry is one of the things which make life so wonderful...
So what did I do during my day off?Well,I made some jewelry,that's what I did.I made a pair of ear-rings(Here's a photo of it,I'm expecting some feedback :P)I fixed some jewelry pieces,and I took on the boring task of uploading the pictures of my jewelry pieces on my website- http://zoom.bg/witchcrafts .A task that took up most of my day off.
And although I did a lot of work today (and I still have a lot to do,so I guess I won't sleep much tonight...again)this day was still MINE,free,a wonderful,warm,perfect October day...It was perfect because I didn't have any deadlines;because I was working ALONE,without being interrupted by insignificant people/things;because I felt I had all the time in the world.
So you could say my day was pretty creative.And how was yours?
I hope it was at least as good as mine. :-)

*The Red Witch

*this is a translation of an entry from theredwitchdiaries.blogspot.com which was originally written on October 15th 2008

First Entry*

2008-10-18T20:30:00.004+03:00

So,I finally managed to steal some time to write the first entry to the baby-blog,whose mom I happen to be.
I hate writing first entries.So instead I'm going to split this entry into two major stories:1)3 things you don't know about me and 2) 3 points on the content of this blog.
Onto point 1).

3 things you don't know about me:

1.I was not named Venus after the planet(contrary to popular belief),but the Roman goddess of beauty Venus.I believe I have the most pretty name and am often told so by others,hehe :-)
2.I adore what I'm studying at university,namely Scandinavian Studies.If I have to describe my major briefly-well,it is philology.You learn Swedish and Norwegian or Danish,literature and history of the region,culture and traditions and other super cool things :P The students are normally prepared for translators,linguists,philologists etc.Since I have always adored literature and I have always known I want to translate from these languages I feel very well in this major.:-)
Besides Bulgarian,I also speak English,French and Swedish. :-)

3.I make jewelry...mmmmm...one of my most fave things to do!I got really into it two years ago and I haven't stopped ever since.Each of my pieces has a unique design.Out of the pieces I make some I keep for myself and the rest I either sell or give to friends.

What is there going to be in this blog?

1.There will be a lot on jewelry,I will post pictures of the pieces I have made.I hope to receive constructive criticism from you.I am deliberately emphasizing on the word "constructive"-comments,containing insults,vulgar language,spam,or such which have no bearing to the topic will be deleted right away.They shouldn't waste my time,nor yours.
2.Besides jewelry I am going to write my own "redwitchy" thoughts on Life,The Universe and Everything Else(I'm sorry,Douglas Adams,but this phrase was so suitable I couldn't help but copy it :P).I am going to write on topics relating to literature,art photography,indie music,interior design and decoration...and..whatever else there is in my pretty redheaded head.I hope you find it interesting here...
3.If you wish to take a look at some of my jewelry pieces,you can find them here -http://zoom.bg/witchcrafts :-)

I don't want to be too wordy,I think what I've written is enough for a first entry.
See you soon on the pages of my Red Witch Diaries :-)

*The Red Witch

* this is a translation of an entry from theredwitchdiaries.blogspot.com which was originally written on October 14th 2008

About The Red Witch

2008-10-13T00:57:00.001+03:00

Well, this is me.
My name is Venera. The Red Witch is a nickname I got some time ago. I guess it has something to do with my hair color...er..and temper :)
I am 22.
I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.
I make jewelry. I started doing it about 3 years ago, and I can't stop. It's amazing.
I am completely self-taught. I have learned everything I know through books. I haven't taken any special classes, and it makes me proud, in a way.
I also like writing, that's why I have a blog.
I like taking pictures of windows, flowers and jewelry pieces. Oh yeah, and people too.
I like listening to indie, indie rock mostly. You can check my music profile at Last.Fm.
I like browsing through interior design & decoration sites.
I like reading books, lots of them. The more, the better.
I speak Bulgarian (mother tongue), English, French, Swedish and a bit of Norwegian. Crazy, I know.
I don't like stupid people and traffic jams. Then again, who does?

Links

2008-10-03T01:33:00.003+03:00

My Jewelry Gallery at Flickr

My Jewelry Store at ArtFire

2008-10-03T01:28:00.002+03:00

Fill out my Wufoo form!