Way For Art

The Moody Blues' Justin Hayward talks about life on the road

Thursday, 22 July 2010 07:19 - Author: Pangsiyan

Is the Moody Blues' Justin Hayward ells it, life on the road certainly has :hanged for the British band that once Jrove itself across America in a station vagon and a U-Haul truck full of gui-ars and amps.

Driving themselves from coast to coast in '68, they picked up gigs at small :lubs along the way. Staying in small motels, at the residences of gracious6 ans, or "wherever we found ourselves at that particular moment," the vtoody Blues started out like hundreds of other bands hitting the road in \merica for the first time. Nearly 40 years and dozens of albums later, the jand has become legendary7 for their concert performances worldwide. Al-hough their music has retained its ethereal and majestic spirit,8 life on the •oad has changed since those early days with the U-Haul.

'The qualities of the hotels have changed, that's for sure," says Hayward who ilong with the two other remaining longtime members of the influential sand¡ªJohn Lodge and Graeme Edge (flautist9 Ray Thomas departed after the !003 tour ended)¡ªhas been currently touring North America and Canada iince May with the Moodys. "It's better now," he adds without hesitation. 'People always say 'don't you want to go back and play all the little clubs again and that kind of stuff? ' But, what's the point of being a Moody Blue if

you can't do it nicely with some style10?"

The band's nerve center" , Hayward, Lodge and Edge (all around 60 y« old) , still hit the road ¡ª in style ¡ª about four times a year. Being on the re so often, don't they get tired of traveling and being away from home? "I dc mind," says Hayward who lives with his wife in the south of France. '"V just have to accept that touring is sort of 80 percent boredom , 20 percent fr; tic12 activity. I like the frantic activity stuff. "

For the band's tours these days, Hayward says they usually try to perform nights continuously ¡ª usually in different cities ¡ª and then take a day off. you're 6,000 miles from home, you had better play nightly really," says He ward. "On the days off I'm just sort of wandering around, looking for a me ie. " Although Hayward says the last flick he took in, Shrek 2, was "OK,' he would prefer to be up there performing on stage every night, even if i songs that were written over 20 years ago for the most part.

The Moodys don't play a show, however, without a certain song that me tions the word "satin." In fact, Hayward is sure that the band has play< Nights in White Satin at every gig the band has played since 1967. So, ho does the song stay fresh? Has the meaning changed for its songwriter?

6 Qualities To Look For In Wedding Photographers

Tuesday, 20 July 2010 09:22 - Author: Gen Wright

When the time comes for your special day, you don't want to trust it to just anyone. Your wedding will hopefully be the only one that you ever experience. It is designed to last a lifetime, and that is a big responsibility to assign, especially when you are unsure of the photographers ability. Before you commit to a costly package that will not do your ceremony justice, you need to investigate the following qualities of your wedding hire to the fullest extent possible:

State of the art equipment. You might rethink your decision to hire the village standby if he hasn't even kept up with the times. Digital photography has made it easier for photographers to start their own business, but it is a sign of professionalism the quality camera that a photographer uses. Also, the technology has advanced well beyond 6 megapixels, and it's important that you match the quality to the price. There is nothing particularly wrong with 6, but make sure you're not paying for 12.

A good business reputation. Any photo guy worth his salt is going to have a string of clients, who will speak on his behalf. If the website-and yes, all professionals should have one-does not have testimonials, that is a bad sign. Furthermore, if you ask around your community, and you can't find a single person, who has heard of him after a reasonable amount of effort, avoid!

Years in service. The total amount of years someone is in business does not necessarily a good service make, but when taken in conjunction with these other factors, it will tell you something about the quality of work you are paying for. Likewise, a short amount of time in business doesn't mean that you're getting sub-par quality. It is a factor to keep in mind when negotiating a price, however.

Experience specific to weddings. All the years of photography experience in the world will not guarantee good results if the person shooting the photos has no wedding experience. Five years of wedding experience is better than 20 of general practice.

Modern Haiku Poems

Tuesday, 13 July 2010 09:53 - Author: Cystic Acne

Haiku poems have a long Japanese tradition. It can be dated to centuries ago, so what makes haiku poems so relevant to the post modern area? How come haiku poems are still relevant to our time?

The most common topic of the haiku poems is nature. As a human kind we are a big part of nature and it will always be like that. Therefore nature poems will always be actual for us and people will always have fun and big joy to read short poems regarding the beautiful landscapes that surrounds them.

However if the haiku poems will not adapt to the area we live in right now they might be vanished from our awareness and be only a part of the history – written long ago. But the end of haiku poems is yet to come, mainly because the format of those poems. It seems that the set of rules that make a poem a haiku can be adapt to other topics. So while we take the haiku poems from their original contests but keep the format the same we basically transform them to other kind of haiku poems.

Chanel inspired - Make a DIY silk poppy camellia flower pin

Sunday, 20 June 2010 09:31 - Author: Samantha Baldwin

Make a hand-made silk poppy pin inspired by Chanel's spring collection Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld kicked up some hay this spring with his tweedy, lacy spring collection revolving around a barnyard theme.

One accessory that popped up consistently in the Spring 2010 collection was the poppy - poppy pins, poppy dresses, even poppy embellished clogs. (See slideshow below for examples.) Camellias have been associated with Chanel since the 1960s, but the hot orange, black and white poppies of this year's collection have a distinctly modern touch.

To make your own poppy accessories, you could simply buy a silk poppy from a craft store and glue a pin to the back. Style blogger Kelly Framel (a.ka. The Glamourai) used pre-made but embellished silk flowers to decorate a basket in the style of Chanel.

However, if, like me, you have a hard time finding a large silk poppy, you can channel legendary French feather and decorative flower maker Lemarié and make your own.

Materials needed are:

* a small piece of red, black or white silk or similar fabric. (I used silk hankerchiefs from my local thrift store Baltic Bazaar, 141 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn. Or you could try the lingerie area of your local thrift store for another recycling option.)
* a small piece of black felt or velvet
* another small piece of felt that is the same color as your flower
* heavy black thread
* heavy spray starch
* needle and thread
* fabric glue
* thin piece of plastic, which can be cut from a takeout container or similar packaging.
* pin backings

Download my template for the poppy petal, center and back.

Cut a piece of plastic about three inches long and about a half inch wide. Wind the heavy thread around the plastic and spray on both sides with starch until damp. Allow to dry.