In addition to catching babies, flipping pancakes, and bossing awesome, Nilie has somehow managed to team up with Britt Govea of (((folkYEAH!))) to produce a record called Be Yourself, a tribute to her papa's first solo LP Songs for Beginners, from 1971. A group of admiring young artists, including Bonnie Prince Billy, Robin Pecknold (of Fleet Foxes), Brendan Benson (of The Raconteurs), Vetiver, Alela Diane, Sleepy Sun, Mariee Sioux & Greg Weeks (from Espers), Port O Brien with The Papercuts, The Moore Brothers, and Nile herself, cover the record start to finish.

Please join us for an advance listening party at the shop on Saturday, May 22nd. With any luck, you might just have the opportunity to meet Joel Bernstein face to face.

After darkness falls tomorrow night ((Friday)), Lila Roo and Norah Hoover will be performing their witchy circus in the shop windows. I urge you to lurk on by and stay a while.

Fruit Salad Quilt will feature ceramic plates, hand painted books, and quilts from Rebekah Miles. Rebekah hails from five generations of farmers and artists in Carpinteria, California, whose legacy inspires her to improvise her own handwork with materials from the past. The show's title is taken from the name of one of the three quilts included, which Rebekah stitches by hand using intuitive patterns and fabrics from her grandma's vintage collection. Rebekah builds the ceramic plates by hand and paints them with pre-19th century bird illustrations using mason stains. And the books are a collection from her dream library, which she covers with one-of-a-kind painted jackets.

Please join us on Friday, May 14th for a wild apple juice fueled party in celebration of the show, from 6 to 9 pm. The show will run through the end of June.

Thanks to Nancy Neil for her photographs of Rebekah's work.

The sun seems here to stay and so the official changing of the wardrobe guard is upon us. If only I didn't abhor everything I own while at the same time feel unwilling to pass things down to an anonymous drop box. Must be time for another grand SWAP MEET PARTY! From 6 to 8 pm, Thursday night, bring on down all your has-beens and take home some ah-has.

The first item I'll be offering up is this photograph from the first year I moved to California. I've been holding on to it in my photo library all this time, though I've long forgotten (or never knew?) this fella's name or his story. I've decided to spring clean him from my hard drive, but not before sharing his shiny Lorax spirit with others who might appreciate it as I have. And now there's a little bit more space in my life and a little more joy in yours.

It seems that Tomo's astounding Japanese curry has outgrown its home kitchen environs. And if ever there was such a man doing curry, we are such a shop to do party!

Please join us on Saturday, April 17th for the 8th installment of Tomo's Kick-Ass Curry Spectacular.

BYOBeer, which seems to go best. And your $5 donation will be heartily appreciated.