Sunday, November 30, 2008

Firs and glitter.

It's the eve of our annual swoop down upon St. Olaf College. This week, armed with floral boombox upon which the dance music will be turned up to 11, the ladies of Bastian+Skoog will make magic happen. We'll spew forth red and aqua delights on the bloody enormous trees just in time for the legendary Christmas Festival. Yes, all you Oles know what we're talkin' 'bout.

If you want to order any flowers Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, don't. Unless you live in Northfield. Wait, even then don't. We'll be up to our eyeballs in firs and glitter.

If you want to see the action, witness the awesome, sparkly, plastic burden which these trees must bear, then check it out in real time on the Hi Mom Cam, which just so happens to be right on top of us. We'll wave once in a while, just in case you're looking.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Dance Party Alert (sleep in on Thursday)


Our pally Jake is doing it again: Transmission @ Club Jager. Come dance with us, Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 10:00pm. Here's the scoop from the horse's mouth:

Hey friends,

As the tagline reads...it is the biggest, busiest and best TRANSMISSION of the year! It's a night where everyone lets it all hang out as most can sleep in the next day and not have to go to work.

www.myspace.com/transmissiondj

If you generally have to skip TRANSMISSION on Wednesday nights due to the work week, this is your chance to come and shake it to the sounds you won't hear at any other club in town...especially the new wave and "alternative dance" songs you loved from high school and college...with a few guilty pleasures mixed in (George Michael anyone?)

It's truly going to be one heck of a night this year with great music prizes to give away and drink specials all night!

There's free parking, and the club is off the beaten path in downtown MPLS so you don't have to deal with all of the drunken folks at the cheesy bars in the heart of downtown.

My only advice is to get down there early to find your spot for the evening as people have lined up outside the doors to get in on previous years, and the club is only so big.

I can't wait to provide the soundtrack & play some early MTV vids you haven't seen since Martha Quinn was a VJ!

Cheers,

Jake

Just a taste of some of the artists you may hear. Just don't spill your drink on the floor and make the movers & shakers slip!

Pulp, Stereolab, Interpol, Charlatans, House of Love, La’s, Beatles, Ocean Blue, Velocity Girl, Ladytron, Roxy Music, Ramones, Buzzcocks, Stereophonics, Broadcast, Nick Drake, Lightning Seeds, Bertrand Burgalat, Zombies, David Bowie, Who, Small Faces, Ivy, Magazine, Wire, Gang of Four, Curve, Rapture, Manic Street Preachers, St. Etienne, Teenage Fanclub, Suede, Blur, Wedding Present, Cinerama, Fall, Electronic, New Order, English Beat, Specials, Astronaut Wife, Rolling Stones, Searchers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kitchens of Distinction, Unrest, Farm, Wannadies, Strokes, Hives, Jellyfish, Ian Dury, Lene Lovich, Ultra Vivid Scene, Medicine, Lush, Altered Images, Yardbirds, World Party, Byrds, Posies, Darling Buds, Echo and the Bunnymen, Smiths, Sleeper, Gorillaz, Badly Drawn Boy, Elastica, Placebo, Tourists, Moose, Divine Comedy, Komeda, Magnetic Fields, T.Rex, Radiohead, Supergrass, Oasis, Super Furry Animals, Ash, Space, Autumns, Cocteau Twins, U2, Jam, EBTG, Dubstar, James, Sugarcubes, Pale Saints, My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets, Gomez, Air, Bis, Joy Division , Depeche Mode, White Stripes, Ok Go, Dandy Warhols, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Future Bible Heroes, Apples In Stereo, Fountains of Wayne, Psychedelic Furs, Happy Mondays, Madness, Belle and Sebastian, My Favorite, Human League, Bill Nelson, Birthday Party, Howard Devoto, Material Issue, Japan, Menswear, Them, Kraftwerk, Clinic, Clash, Velvet Underground, Fischerspooner, Blondie, Beta Band, Ultravox, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Madness, Rialto, Jake Rudh, Modern English, Jesus and Mary Chain, Big Star, Cardigans, Catatonia, Libertines, Babybird, Kinks, Squeeze, Komeda, Gene, Peaches, Sex Pistols, Chapterhouse, Liars, Placebo, Cibo Matto, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Cure, Close Lobsters, Laptop, Beach Boys, Chills, Teardrop Explodes, Robert Fripp, April March, Hooverphonic, Serge Gainsbourg, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Morrissey, Le Tigre, Yo La Tango, Duran Duran, Spoon, John Foxx, A Certain Ratio, Wall of Voodoo, Nina Hagen, Hot Hot Heat, Gary Numan, X, XTC, Echobelly, Faint, Cornershop, Cast, Red House Painters, Talking Heads, Barry Gesmo Experience, Status Quo, Boo Radleys, Spiritualized, Paul Weller, Idle Hands, Sundays, Mercury Rev, Snowpony, His Name Is Alive, 12 Rods, International Noise Conspiracy, Shadow Box, My Vitriol, Teenage Fanclub, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Ray Wonder, Grays, Hang Ups, Magnolias, Husker Du, Matthew jay, Wire Train, Cardigans, I Monster, Redd Kross, Linoleum, Ropers, Spongetones, Wedding Present, Lyres, April Showers, Emitt Rhodes, Felt, Helen Love, Bertrand Burgalat, Taxi Girl, Aislers Set, Catherine Wheel, Tahiti 80, Hot, Creation, Dandy Warhols, Doves, Donovan, Stooges, James Taylor Quartet, Panthers, Starsailor, Straglers, Jan, OMD, Magnetic Fields, Shoestrings, Pink Floyd, Free Design, Electrlane, Jacques Dutronc, Plimsouls, Primal Scream, Riverside, Shack, Embrace, Start, Talk Talk, Dodgy, Icicle Works, Barcelona, Martina, MC 5, Auteurs, Club 8, Birthday Party, Salad, Mansun, Yardbirds, Icicle Works, Von Bondies, Sahara Hotnights, Felt, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Selecter, Chameleons, Hellacopters, Runaways, Cramps, Ocean Colour Scene, Psychic TV, A Certain Ratio, Donnas, French Kicks, Cinnamon, Devo, Silver Sun, Tindersticks, Momochrome Set, Durutti Column, Squeeze, Clean, Adorable, Ocean Blue, Death By Chocolate, Dauerfisch, Monograph, Verve, Gentle Waves, Flamin Groovies, Gene, Datsuns, Go-Betweens, Pretenders, Built To Spill, Quasi, Ladybug Transistor, Essex Green, Falling Joys, Flatmates, Ultra Vivid Scene, Jason Falkner, Muse, Venini, Sea and Cake, Electric Soft Parade, Spearmint, Bettie Serveert, Noonday Underground, Sloan, Four Corners, Radio 4, VHS or Beta, Monaco, France Gall, Turtles, Czerkinsky, Momus, Etienne Charry, Blue Aeroplanes, Jazz Butchers, Pale Fountains, Marine Girls, Mazzy Star, Lightning Seeds, Mellow, Lunar 9, Cranes, Aztec Camera, Adorable, and just about any other modern rock band from the 60's - today (does that even make sense?)

And of course a healthy dose of Steely Dan, Little River Band, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Boz Skaggs and/or Hall & Oates. No, I'm not kidding.

7th Annual B+S Halloween Extravaganza



Believe it or not, our skeleton Paige was the ONLY one who came to our party as Sarah Palin (note, this was a post party shot and she had lost her six pack by this point...).
As always, but perhaps more than usual, we had a rockin' good time. The (already blood red) studio was dressed to the nines, complete with the Terrarium of Terror (we are florists, after all). The cooler was tricked out (and apparently there were some "tricks" going on in the cooler) to serve as our walk-in bar. DJ Jake Rudh was upstairs spinnin' our guilty pleasures. Sheela from Miel y Leche made us amazing cupcakes (with sugar skulls, no less). And lots and lots of kissing was going on in the photobooth. If you want to see it in all of its glory, here are the links:
Halloween 2008, More Halloween 2008, Even More Halloween 2008, OMG There's MORE Halloween 2008, Intoxication Setting In: Halloween 2008, Wrappin Up Halloween 2008.

Thanks Metro Mag, we'll try to sound less dumb moving forward...


Lovely to find an unexpected mention of us in the December 2008 Metro Magazine's Ultimate, Expert-Recommended Party Resource Guide. Much to our horror, here is what it said:

Bastian Skoog—Hand-picked blooms from owners Liz Bastian, who holds a BS in biology and has done graduate work in plant pathology, and Heidi Skoog, who has experience in all media from pottery to paper, set this floral-design studio apart. 310 N. 2nd St., Mpls.; 612.333.6450.

To our double horror we soon discovered that the ninnies who wrote this were none other than ourselves -- it was taken directly off our our website. Ugh.

At least we were in good company -- many of our favorite peeps were included: Jake Rudh, Corazon, Give My Regards To, Fabulous Catering, Create Catering, Chow Girls, MartinPatrick3, The Soap Factory and Yum.