Part II of Interview With "Great Caesar" x

Hello Again!

I'm hoping your week hasn't been too bad? Well, it's

the weekend now anyway so you can just sit back and relax :)

So today as a Friday treat, I have Part II of my 

interview with Great Caesar (in case you missed Part I, 

you can find it here)

Enjoy :D

Interview with Great Caesar Part II

6. In 6 words (one for each of you) describe your music.

Earnest

Vulnerable

Sophisticated

Elegant

Anthemic

Theatrical

7. What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened whilst on stage or before/after a gig? 

One of the most memorable experiences we have was playing a show in an old tavern in Williamstown, MA. Actually, we were playing "Twist and Shout" as made famous by the Beatles, and we tripped a fuse and the power went out, leaving only drums and the horn section audible. But we led the crowd in a sing-along as someone frantically tried to get the power back on.  At the end of the "Ahhhhh, Ahhhh, Ahhhh" section, which builds and builds in intensity, the power suddenly came back on and we came crashing back into the chorus with the full power of the band. I'll never forget that moment as long as I live.

8. Have any of you got strange hobbies/habits? 

Generally we often walk around the apartment singing our own songs, but with all the lyrics replaced with really stupid and/or dirty words. I hope there is never somebody recording us in our off-time as it gets weird, fast.

9. Chips or chocolate?

Depends if we are talking about the American or UK version of "chips."  Actually, either way, 

it's definitely chocolate.

10. And finally, what are your hopes for Great Caesar's future? Can we bet on seeing you in Europe any time soon?

We have big plans for sure. We're working on a full-length album this summer, with extensive touring in the fall. I really hope we can make it over the pond, as we hear you guys are pretty keen on live music :). John and Tom both spent a lot of time over there during college, so I think they're hungering to go back. Or maybe just hungering for some fish&chips. We just gotta get the BBC hip to our music first!

I am very grateful to the band for giving me the 

chance to interview them - thanks again! 

This weekend, I am planning on going to the Norwood Feast

as part of my new places-to-see blog topic,

can't wait!

Have a nice evening,

Poppy x

Top Summer Festivals (UK) 2014

Hey Everyone,

So I thought that since summer is coming up soon

you might be looking at some music 

festivals to go to...

Therefore, I have put together a small collection
 of the top UK festivals to see this summer
(although I am basing this on the blog's music
taste)!

Field Day
Date: 7th-8th June 2014
Location: Victoria Park, London
It may be over 18s only, which is probably
quite a bonus for you adults, but this festival
has a brilliant line-up! The Pixies, Drenge,
Metronomy and Temples are all to bless the
stage and in previous years Beirut and The Vaccines
have headlined too! So, if you enjoy the rock/indie 
music scene then this one is for you.

Bestival

Date: 4th-7th September 2014

Location: Robin Hill, Isle of Wight

Bestival; a festival of music, food and the arts.

Every year this festival comes back with a stronger 

line-up than ever before. Foals, Paloma Faith,

Chvrches and Laura Mvula are set to perform as well

as Public Service Broadcasting (for the more

alternative/electronic musician inside you).

This perky festival is a celebration of all things

fresh and "out-there".

Latitude

Date: 17th-20th July 2014

Location: Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk

Having been to this festival a few times I can honestly

say that it is wonderful! Music, Poetry, Film and Comedy

create a lively, atmospheric vibe. People of all ages

flock to Suffolk annually for entertainment, amazing food 

and beautiful scenery. Named 2nd best festival of 2013,

Latitude gets all the best acts; this year Damon Albarn,

Crystal Fighters, Bombay Bicycle Club and George Ezra

have been announced! 

T in the Park
Date: 11th-13th July 2014
Location: Kinross-Shire, Scotland
Yes, it may be in Scotland but don't let this killer
festival put you off. The fantastic line-up includes:
The Pixies, Imagine dragons, Haim, The Arctic Monkeys,
Bastille and dozens more!! If you want a festival
with a broad music scene then this is perfect! 
A smaller-than-average no-nonsense festival
for the music lover in you, get the tickets
soon or they'll go!

The Garden Party

Date: 24th-27th July 2014

Location: Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

The Garden Party is a lovely festival with the

best new artists including MO, Wolf Alice,

Big Deal and Foxes. Set in a dreamy indie/hipster

forest setting this festival is artistic and 

magical. A must-see!

I'm hoping this may come into some use for

you festival-scavengers! 

Of course I am aware that I didn't include

Glastonbury or the Isle of Wight festival

but I wanted to give some smaller festivals a 

chance.

Have a magical Friday :D

Poppy Valentine x 

Part I of Interview with "Great Caesar" x

Hi Everyone,

I really am sorry that I have neglected my

blog so much, no excuses!

I just wanted to say a quick well done to Naomi 
the winner of the Barry M nail varnish giveaway!!

I will be doing another giveaway in a few weeks,

so keep a look out.


Today I have for you Part I
of an interview with Great Caesar! A
bit of background info about them for those of you who
have not come across them before: Great Caesar are
a six piece chamber-rock band who currently reside in New
York. Their most recent single is "Don't Ask
Me Why" which can be found here!

Great Caesar Interview Part I

1. Could you please introduce yourselves and your instrument? 

(I say this because its so difficult to track down any info on Great Caesar :D)

John-Michael Parker (vocals, guitar) 

Adam Glaser (bass)

Tom Sikes (trumpet)

Mike Farrell (guitar)

Stephen Chen (saxophones)

2. Where do you call "home"? 

New York City! We've lived here for about 3 years now and love it, despite how dirty and hectic 

it is all the time.

3. How did you think up the name "Great Caesar"? Is there a reason why you chose it? 

It's a line from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar;" Decius says it just before Caesar is murdered by the conspirators.  We've all found something meaningful in that play since reading it in high school, 

and that line has stuck with us over the years. It's pretty unique too, if a little hard to spell.

4. How long have you been a band/known each other? 

Actually, we've played music together since we were teenagers, as most of us are from the same 

hometown in Connecticut. 

5. Where do you find inspiration for your incredible songs - especially "Don't ask me Why"?!

As we continue to grow up and try to make sense of our lives and relationships, those feelings - and reflecting on how those feelings change over time - are a big part of what we write about. With Don't Ask Me Why we wanted to write about having big dreams and taking the leap of faith to realize them. We found inspiration in the film "Moonrise Kingdom," music by Beirut and Arcade Fire, and famous figures like JFK and MLK. And actually, we found a lot of inspiration from the high-school students John-Michael worked with as a mentor who had big dreams of their own. Inspiration is everywhere!

Great Caesar 

I will post the second half for you 
on Friday! 

See you then
Poppy x

Ps. Urban Perks from this point onward will be a
music and places-to-see in London kinda blog. Thanks for the
support :)

My Top 5 Books to Read for All Ages

Hi there, 

In the spirit of World Book Day I thought that I would 

give you a list of my top 5 books to read

this weekend, which is what I usually do if

I have some extra time.

The books I have chosen are suitable from 

13-100+ (although it is a matter of being 

interested in the topic of the book)

Let us begin.....

1.The Book Thief

This book is absolutely

amazing! It is narrated by death and although this 

may sound very daunting it is as light as

a marshmallow! Death follows a girl called Liesel

who lives in Germany at the brink of WWII, who 

is obsessed with books. A beautifully written book

that you'll never forget. On the plus side, the film 

has just been released! 

2.The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

At first, I struggled to connect with this book,

I felt that it wasn't headed anywhere and I didn't

like it very much. But then the plot became clear 

and the message too! Harold Fry is a retired man

who becomes bored with his routine, so when he 

receives a letter from an old friend he sees it as an

opportunity to do something new (and maybe even slightly

heroic!).

3.Paper Towns

Another quoted-filled and quirky story from best 

seller John Green. Everyone may be reading 

The Fault In Our Stars but this is well-worth

the read. Q is a high school student on the verge of 

graduating and after a night of fun-filled pranks

with his next door neighbour (Margo), he finds himself

searching for clues to her disappearance. But the

Margo he is searching for is not the one 

he expected. 

4. On The Road

A story of two men who travel across America

in search of knowledge and experience. Together

they experience the ups and downs of life and

freedom. The wonderful passages show Kerouac's 

love and passion for America. If you want a taste of 

freedom and self understanding, then this is one for you.

5. Birdsong

It 1910 and Stephen Wraysford has arrived in Amiens to 

stay with the extravagant Azaire family. Unexpectedly he falls for Isabelle, the unhappily married wife of Mr. Azaire but

WWI arises and causes their relationship to end. 

The story follows their separate lives throughout and after

the war. But will they ever find each other? 

I hope you find one to your liking! 

Love,

Poppy Valentine x

Awesome Idea #6

Hello All,

Have you had a good week so far? 

(I know I have!)

So today I wanted to show you another Awesome

Idea, I saw this and just thought it was 

very cool and extremely clever:

I think its very clever of the designer

to incorporate the idea of imperfections 

into a piece of simple design. 

Usually, design is very clean, smart and elegant, 

so I thought that this was a great twist on 

that perception. 

This weekend, I'm finally going to the photography

exhibition at the Natural History Museum!

Plus, I might be hitting Brick Lane again - which would 

be awesome! It means I can show you this 

beautifully hidden gem on Brick Lane.

All will be unveiled...

Love always,

Poppy Valentine x

If I Could Pick Any Song...

It would be....

She's Got You High by Mumm-Ra

(also featured in the film 500 Days of Summer)

I love his soft, raw voice and the repeating harmonies

that soar throughout the track. The lyrics are 

genius. Sounds a lot like The Beatles (at the

end) in terms of harmonies and tune, but also has a 

underlying hint of The Kooks. Perfect.

I'm very excited to tell you that within the next

few posts I will have an interview with Great Caesar 

for you (I uploaded their song on the last "If 

I Could Pick Any Song..." post)!

If you don't know them already check out 

their song "Don't Ask Me Why" - it's one to watch. 

Love always, 

Poppy Valentine x

New Look Mini-Spree

Afternoon Everyone,

I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long I have

been so busy with homework and I haven't had 
my laptop to post from! 

I wanted to post a video of a tour of my room
but the format isn't compatible with blogger,
so I won't be able to! :(

However, I did just go on a mini-spree and
bought a series of items I'm very happy with!
(All from New Look) 

 

White Boxy Shirt £14.99

Black Gingham Skirt £9.99

Round Frame Sunglasses £4.99

Black Tie Dye crop top £12.99

Star Product: 

Blush Rose Garland £3.99

I love the Rose Garland because it's so easy to wear 

yet it looks effortlessly hippie-like. You

can buy them in a variation of styles, colours and sizes

so they're perfect for everyone and every outfit. 

I would encourage you to purchase one if you're hitting 

the festivals this spring/summer! ;)

Have a lazy Sunday! 

Poppy Valentine x

Rock Challenge 2014

Evening Everyone!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in ages, I have been

rehearsing and performing for Rock Challenge

theses past few days and I've had so much work to catch 

up on!

Forgive me?? 

I have a video coming up this weekend, so

watch out for posts! 

Love,

Poppy Valentine x

Awesome Idea #5

Hi Everyone,

I know Sundays can be depressing, so I 

thought I would sprinkle a little bit of 

awesomeness into your day. 

It's like the 80s!

I know it's only one little idea but I hope

it brightens your day just a teensey bit!?

Oh and just a quick question - if you have

any advice or ideas on upcycling old furniture

please comment in the box below, I'd love to 

have a chat! 

Have a Happy Monday,

Poppy x

Redecorating (again!)

Hey Everyone, 

Just wanted to show you some pictures of my room.

I was redecorating yesterday (my version of therapy)

by adding some pictures and rearranging my stuff.

I bought some lovely mini prayer flags and stuck them

between to adjacent walls to create a cosy little atmosphere

in the corner where my desk is.

I also stuck some 7" vinyl in a 3x3 group on the

wall to add some colour and texture - it looks so cool!

Finally, the quote I created from pages of Q music

magazine. The quote is from a song that I posted 

on my blog a few days ago ("Don't ask me Why"

by Great Caesar). 

If you have any cool ideas or pictures of your

DIY decorating - feel free to comment below :)

Have a happy thursday,

Poppy Valentine xx