Soundtrack: Haim

A constant on the soundtrack playing in the Heist studio lately is Haim, a three sister plus drummer rock band out of Los Angeles. Somewhere between 70's era Fleetwood Mac and Heart and 90's era Debbie Gibson and even some Fiona Apple-esque vocals (not to mention, hair), these girls are really doing something interesting. I can't wait for their full length album to be released.

My favorite song, which has probably played 10 times today already is "Don't Save Me"-

And to see their full set from Glastonbury-

4th

Have a happy and safe 4th of July, everyone! 

Today we're going to be barbecuing and rehearsing for the next ANR show which is happening tomorrow July 5th. If you're in Miami, we're playing at Bardot at 11:00 PM so stop by if you're nearby!

Tigers on a Gold Leash

Have you heard of Lorde yet? She's a 16 year old singer/schoolgirl from Auckland, New Zealand who evidently sold out her show the other night in 73 seconds flat. And I can't stop listening to her. Check out her Love Club EP and its addicting song "Royals" (below) which recently debuted on the New Zealand charts at number 1.

Have a happy weekend everyone!

ANR

A few weeks ago my friends, ANR, asked me to sing backup vocals for them at one of their upcoming shows. Now if you're a long-time reader of this blog then you know I'm pretty much obsessed with them. I mean they even inspired one of my collections. What you may not know is that I've always wanted to be a backup singer. Nope, not a lead singer. A BACKUP singer. I think it started with Guns N' Roses but that's a different story.

So obviously I said yes. And I probably had one of the most fun nights...no make that weeks...ever. As a solo classical pianist all my life and throughout undergrad (I have a Bachelors of Music degree from the University of Miami), I hardly ever have the chance to play with other musicians, let alone super-awesome-crazy-talented friends of mine.

So what's next? Recording backup vocals for their upcoming album and we already have another gig in the works! That's right, guys...backup singer dreams coming true before your very eyes!

Photos by Jesse Meadows

A Year of Solitude Pays Off


It's Around You


Stay Kids

Flip Side

Hi friends! Just a quick heads up that I will be out of town for the weekend so any orders placed between Thursday and Sunday will be processed and shipped next week.

In the meantime, enjoy the Wild Belle video above. I'm kind of obsessed with them right now.

xo

Suburban Love

 

...and she's a Florida girl. Gotta love it.

Look out Hollywood Here I Come

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon Father John Misty but it's exactly what I need when I'm working in the studio. Something mellow enough that I can listen to it while concentrating on small details. Or more likely, figuring out why my sewing machine is acting up again. You'd be surprised how much music affects my tolerance for such things.

Anyway, upon further research I've learned Father John Misty is actually J. Tillman, aka the former drummer of Fleet Foxes. Ah, this makes sense.

Well Funtimes in Babylon is probably one of the most beautiful songs I've heard in a while and I thought I'd share this beautiful live video shot in Paris. Those lights could make anything magical.

Down on Life

Another fairly recent discovery in my music world is Elliphant. I was pretty much obsessed with this song from first listen but this video really takes it to another level.

Oh Land

Am I late to the game on Oh Land? Maybe this is old news to you, but if not...this album is pretty great and I've been listening to it a lot in the studio.

The Shooting Gallery Collection

Today's listings in the Etsy Boutique are the first from the Heist Shooting Gallery collection! These pieces were designed to look like they were shot up, but what I think is really cool about them is how they actually kind of look like lace at a distance.

Today's listings:

1. Shooting Gallery - Extra Long Necklace

2. Shooting Gallery - Extra Long Triple Necklace

Keep checking back because more from this series will be posted throughout the week!

Want to know the inspiration behind the Shooting Gallery collection? Just check out the video below by my buddies from ANR:

The Wild Honey Pie Presents: ANR - Holes (Buzzsessions NY) from The Wild Honey Pie on Vimeo.

PS-Have you joined our FREE GIVEAWAY yet?! Hop on over and enter immediately!!

Dinosaur Feathers

Family Waves by Dinosaur Feathers from Big Ugly Yellow Couch on Vimeo.

It's no secret that I'm a huge sucker for some good vocal harmonies, so it's no surprise that when I heard Dinosaur Feathers open up for Peter, Bjørn and John, I was immediately hooked. Please see the above for a good example. I'm obsessed. Enjoy!

A Day With Peter, Bjørn and John

As some of you may know, my great friends own the Ms. Cheezious food truck here in Miami. When they asked me to work the truck this past Friday for a special event with Peter, Bjørn and John, of course I was thrilled. I am a fan after all!

They showed up and enjoyed some sandwiches and they were all very lovely to us and the fans that showed up to eat and chat with them at the truck.

We snapped some pictures with them before they headed out and they were kind enough to add us to the list for their show that night.

The show was amazing, of course. And on my way out the door, they invited me to go have a few post-show beers with them at a nearby restaurant. I joined them and had an amazingly great time having some beers and great conversation (especially with Bjørn, whom I bonded with over our shared Scandinavian heritage).

All in all, it was a great day and unique experience. I highly recommend you go check them out when they come to your town!

Never Forget

Mi Casa, Su Casa

Scenes from the Studio:

1. A display of finished jewelry 2. Inspirational wall art 3. Stacks of components waiting to be finished 4. Jewelry bench supplies 5. Photo props on display 6. Loose stones

And now for the soundtrack! I made you a little mix of what I'm currently listening to in the studio via Spotify. Listen to the playlist HERE!

Beginning to End

There are very few albums that are so amazing that I can listen to it from beginning to end without needing to skip a not-so-great track. So when an album comes along that does just that, of course I get excited. I get even more excited when the band in question happens to be my great friends (and fellow University of Miami, School of Music alums), ANR.

You MUST check out their album "Stay Kids" ASAP. Pay particular attention to my favorite song on the album, "A Year of Solitude Pays Off." Those vocals...wow.

Get the album on iTunes.

And here, a great live video of another one of my faves "Endless Fields of Mercury"

ANR / THE ENDLESS FIELD OF MERCURY / PUBLIC ASSEMBLY from Giovanni P Autran on Vimeo.

Back in the Saddle

As a little continuation of my last post, some more pictures! This time these pictures are of some of my new copper pieces that are in the works (and some really dirty hands):

And below, some pictures I've been snapping:

 1. Day and Night

 2. Hanging in the studio

 3. A trip to one of my favorite places, the Florida Everglades.

Patti and Robert

I am currently in the middle of devouring Patti Smith's "Just Kids," and loving every second of it. Everything about it is amazingly inspirational and I highly suggest you give it a read. I found this interview but I haven't read it yet as I'm currently in the middle of the book and I want to enjoy it without any shortcuts. Anyways, I'm sure it's a great article and I fully intend to read it after I finish the book!

Oh and uh...hello there Robert!