Anastasia Smith: 24, sisterless and searching.
From the category archives:
FATHERS DON’T GET TOO much play here on The Sister Project. But I figured if there ever was a way to celebrate great dads, it should be with the lovely Loretta Lynn, who — let’s face it — is a bastion of womanly wisdom (and a famous daughter to boot). So happy father’s day to all the daughter-raising daddies out there, especially mine.
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OKAY, SO I’VE BEEN meaning to do this post for a while. A very long while. You may remember (back in the infant days of The Sister Project) a little series called Sister Jams (Not Jellies), in which I highlighted all kinds of sibling bands and otherwise sisterly songs. (It was a broad sort of umbrella, really). In any case, that recent post I did about Kathleen Hanna reminded me of how Le Tigre’s “Hot Topic” is a much-needed third wave feminist-y addition to the list. And for nostalgia’s sake, how about we visit some of the old Sister Jams standards? [click to continue…]
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THIS WEEKEND, MY FRIEND Erin’s parents are driving up from New Orleans with 70 pounds of crawfish. We’re all going to contribute our favorite summer side-dishes (I’m bringing the potato salad), get a keg, and have a ruckus outdoor crawfish boil! I’ve never eaten crawdads (have you?), but apparently this kind of neighborhood crustacean boil is a bayou tradition. I think it’s a perfect way to wrap up the semester. And until then, I’ll be practicing my Louisiana Waddle, a la the lovely NOLA native Boswell Sisters.
(I’ll post pictures of the big boil next week…stay tuned!)
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AGAIN. YES, OUR FAVORITE CANADIAN identical twins have a new album. I haven’t listened to it all, but I like what I’ve heard. Above is the video for their new single, Hell. Things I like about it: origami, striped shirts, old TVs, Kitty cutouts, and–of course–the sisterly vibe oozing out of those motel rooms. Interested in more sister music? Check out these past posts on sibling bands and sisterly songs. We also have a mini-directory here. Enjoy!
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IN CELEBRATION OF CATHERINE Deneuve’s birthday (she happens to be one of my all-time favorite French leading ladies), today I’m renting Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, in which Deneuve stars alongside her sister, Françoise Dorléac. The sisters play on screen, musically inclined twins living in the seaside town of Rochefort. Tragically, Françoise was killed in a car accident shortly after the film had finished shooting in 1967, and it always gives me chills seeing Catherine perform with her. Bon Anniversaire Catherine, your strength and talent are ever-inspiring. (More movies all about sisters here. What are you favorites?)
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WATCHING SISTERS MARIA, Lucia and Angella Ahn of Ahn Trio perform (even if it’s just on youtube) gives me the shivers. Their chemistry is palpable and powerful, and probably one of the main reasons that they’ve been asked by countless composers to premiere contemporary classical work. The trio has collaborated with dancers and pop musicians, thriving on dissolving the barriers of musical genre. They have an amazing website, chock-full of photos, recordings and videos. You can also learn more about Ahn Trio in the TSP Sisterpedia.
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I LOVE THIS SONG, not only because the lyrics make such a strong connection between home (or place in general) and our sibling relationships, but also because the line “My brother knows where the best bars are” can sum up about six years of my relationship with T. And this video comes just at the right time, because today is Emmylou Harris’s birthday. (She’s performing a Lucinda Williams song here.)
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MARTHA AND RUFUS WAINWRIGHT are quite possibly my favorite brother-sister musical team. I once had the pleasure of seeing them perform together live, and the experience brought me back to the days when T and I would beat on upturned yogurt containers with sticks whilst singing The Little Drummer Boy. But unlike the Wainwrights, yogurt containers and sticks are actually the extent of my and T’s musical talents.
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N EKO CASE HAS BEEN making music for quite some time now, first as a member of Canadian bands Maow and Cub in the mid-90s, and then later as half of the honky-tonk duo The Corn Sisters. She been playing with The New Pornographers since the late 90s, and still records with them today. As if that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Neko Case has had a substantial solo career since 2001. There’s recently been a lot of buzz around the impending release of her sixth solo album, Middle Cyclone. (The New York Times recently featured a very cool interactive map on their website, charting her past and present music careers, as an accompaniment to an article called Wild Thing.) The song above, Margaret vs. Pauline, is from her 2006 album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and I’ve always thought of it as a song about sisters and their varied fates. If you like what you hear, be sure to check out her latest album, which will be for sale next Tuesday, March 3.
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TOGETHER AT A RECENT WEDDING, T AND ME.
First time here? Here's the idea: The Sister Project is a network of blogs about the many facets of the word sister, and the concept of sisterhood. A sisterhood of sister blogs, you could say. Whatever sister means to you, from identical twin to sister-in-law (or in friendship or in feminism), we’ll make room to listen in about it or express it on TSP. Like the slogan up top on our homepage says, “Don’t you have something to say to your sister?” We've got galleries of art and literature by and about sisters, and a Sisterpedia of sisterly trivia...but now we're getting ahead of ourselves. The quick study: Learn more about TSP, and how to find your way around. And oh—a giant, sisterly welcome.
