happy holidays/new year + so many photos!!!

happy holidays everyone!!! we're so excited for the new year... i think '0-HATE is going to be our best year yet!!!!

we've just been enjoying some time off at home. it's so hot here in la, it's ridiculous. i love it.




tennessee's birthday was on the 17th, so we had a party at our favorite mexican restaurant. it was DENIM themed, so everyone wore denim and everyone at the restaurant thought we were crazy. it was really fun though, lots of people showed up and tennessee got really nice gifts. i made cupcakes!






our friend THE COBRASNAKE just posted TONS OF PHOTOS from our london trip, and some from tennessee's birthday. check them out!!!!!

http://thecobrasnake.com/partyphotos/onahike/index.html
http://thecobrasnake.com/partyphotos/withthelike/index.html



we also have a FACEBOOK page now, so if you're on that, we should be friends.... there's not much up right now but we'll put more up later.

www.facebook.com/thelike



happy happy happy



love,
charlotte

12:11 AM - 12 Comments - 27 Kudos - Add Comment

Youth’s Bio

The Like .Indie Beat postpunk harmony Combo, formed 2001 , sept 15th …ominously only five days after 9/11…. under the perma- powder blue LA .sky,
two were 15 and one 16,three girls, two guitars one mission…world domination!
Fast forward 6 years….over 400 gigs, dozens of songs ,one début album recorded and more than full cannon of new hear-wrenching, life affirming anthems for the lost generation documenting loss, betrayal and unrequited love in the 21st century.
These girls take no prisoners, West Hollywood's own midwich cuckoos ….time wasters or breadheads need not apply.
Allow me to introduce the band
Ice Vixen, anti-hero Charlotte Froom , shoegazing black widow bass lines and dark warm tones reducing your spine to jelly .
Tennessee Thomas hits the hep-cat groove with a lazy shuffle not heard since Tony Sheridan's beat combo years ,maybe she was born nostalgic but she has an Alice in Wonderland quality mixed with a Southern Californian laid back confidence, combined with a razor sharp understated black humor characterizing her performance with a unique signature.
This band is serious to the obsessive! The bands beguiling and Femme Fatal lead singer, guitarist and songwriter, Z, displays a rare insight into the human condition, revealing a maturity and wisdom as a writer way beyond her years. Fearless questions, diving deep into the emotional underworlds that surround all our hopes ,desires and fears , retrieving rare jewels of honesty and perception, articulately presented on a lush velvet bed of epic, aural panoramic indulgence …tempered and steeled by the modern realities and challenges of life on and off the road, drug addiction, narcisstic self obsession….. stomach ulcers!
The Like are Paragons of Classical grace and decadence…. psychedelic pocket symphonies for the urban grind…three and half minuites of pure heaven! Zs fearless melody's and storytelling narrative combined with the bands natural gift for harmony and counterpoint create a powerful medicine for the harsh and brutal times we are now living in.
. The songs combine romantic vision and a cathartic release of repressed emotions and naked honesty. They possess an incredibly high criteria in the philosophy and execution of their production values combining the vision of Spector /George Martin and the vulnerability of Nico and the Velvet Underground. When they walk into a room together they have the arrogant nonchalance of a virtuoso poet/boxer, afraid of no one and ready to tell the world where to get off ,ready or not.
They carry the last remains of a once great cultural dynasty. They epitomize the Dionysian Ideal, Slaying Apollonian rules and regulations in their wake. They are the Eternal Orphic voice. Celebrating the agony of the soul, articulating and defining the dichotomies of duality, life, death, love, hate …these are their colors, flesh and bone, false pride, betrayal this is the fabric of their mini universes they paint create with each song. Attacking the bland,mediocraty of mass marketed, celebrity oriented plastic, banal pop. Tiny emotional arrows of burning gold, striking deep into the hearts of the cynical, over stimulated, desensitized music consumer. A small flame of independence in an ocean of karaoke ,fake fame wannabees ,.these are true Artists ,unafraid to swim against the tide of fashionistas fickle demands .driven only by and for their passion for the music and bands and Artists that have fuelled their struggle and inspired their own quest for truth.
Music doesn't lie and this band have no interest in being original, their truth lies in being authentic. Authentic not only to their sources of inspiration but also to who they are, where they come from and more importantly where they are going!
This what makes them a truly contemporary band with no pretensions or illusions to the facile fame factory of pop entertainment.
Rock n Roll has always provided artists with a an opportunity for re-invention and the Like have reappropriated female iconography from the last 40 years worth of Bette Noir Lolita's, chewed it up and spat it out in to our smug, post modern, sophisticated faces!
Find them in a hotel corridor in Shepherds Bush at 5 in the morning drinking gin and tonics with Amy Winehouse, listening obsessively to the Shirelles . Like a feral street gang climbing out of the ruins of Rodeo drive after the Apocalypse has kicked in, don't mess!
BE AFRAID ! BE VERY AFRAID !

1:48 AM - 11 Comments - 17 Kudos - Add Comment

more fireworks and funny hats + video!

so the last day in the studio we gave youth, timmy, and clive some parting gifts. we didn't realize it but we got them all funny hats.

youth got an arrow through the head (it's hard working with us sometimes)



timmy got a pizza express hat (he loves pizza express)



and clive got a worker's hat with ear defenders (perfect for recording, and hanging out with us)



we also got them chocolates and gold medals and other stupid things




we made more gunpowder and fireworks






dan gave us a special gift: the tina turner 80's lifesize cutout i'd been eying for a while.

group photo!




we took tina back to our hotel with us. we want to bring her to la but she won't fit in my suitcase.




here is a special video for you!
tennessee, youth, and i are dancing to "that one millionth part" in the studio!
z is sleeping
check it out!




love,
charlotte

6:00 AM - 13 Comments - 26 Kudos - Add Comment

LAST DAY IN THE STUDIO!!!!

today is our last day in the studio.
i'm sad.


this week was fun though..........

we recorded "cross my heart" and "the three fools"


we went a little crazy with "the three fools"

youth and timmy both sang





tennessee and i did some screaming



i played banjo!




we had lots of visitors. it was cornetto day




youth got a little too comfortable.
first he took off one shoe



then the next day he came in wearing crocs




z found a tv channel with hours and hours of footage of models



she loved it








and......



we made fireworks!!!!!


the supplies



here we are grinding the charcoal to make gunpowder





things got a bit messy





strontium makes them turn red



watching nme tv and making fireworks



here's the first one



and the second, which lasted for about 2 minutes




we bought everyone gifts, which we will be distributing later on today......

we'll post more later

maybe even a funny video, we'll see......



love,
charlotte

5:07 AM - 20 Comments - 36 Kudos - Add Comment

mushrooms and rave squirrels

Hello there "blogsters," it's Tennessee here (the drummer).... We've had another shockingly productive week in the studio... personally I think it's sounding excellent--

On Monday we recorded "A Little at a time" and our friend Valentine came to visit. We had pizza for dinner- Youth thought it was appropriate to cut his using scissors






Tuesday we did "Stick to your guns" and Dan's Nespresso order finally arrived. We were all very excited to try the capriccio and arpeggio blends...




Wednesday we tackled "Way Back When" and finally got the sky tv Dan promised us- this included NME TV... WOW




Thursday we worked on "Don't make a Sound" otherwise known as "Shh shh shh".... It sounds like a potential James Bond theme. Does anyone know what the next film is going to be called? We also celebrated Thanksgiving with the team. Dan's Dad Terry took us out to a lovely Italian for spicy pasta- no turkey for us... Terry wrote "What's love got to do with it" and told us some great stories about Tina (Turner)... Thanks Terry.


Today while Z was working on some guitar overdubs Charlotte and I went on a walk around Richmond/down memory lane (I lived in the area until I moved to LA when I was 14)







We passed my old school



Then we wandered around Richmond Park in search of some deer... we stumbled upon these cartoon mushrooms





Then we walked down Richmond Hill and befriended some squirrels







This is Rave Squirrel







........ Happy Thanksgiving to all the yanks- Thanks for visiting the blog.

12:51 AM - 26 Comments - 41 Kudos - Add Comment

FIREWORKS!!!

thursday we recorded "hazy shade of hate" and convinced clive to bring in his fireworks that he'd made.

friday we did "release me"
it's the live one we have on our myspace page

after i finished tracking my bass clive went downstairs to get his supplies





here he is looking for a good place to set them off so he doesn't set the studio on fire



he took all necessary safety precautions




the first one was "THE FOUNTAIN"








the second was "THE ROMAN CANDLE"






the third was "THE ROCKET"

clive has only had a 30% success rate with this one so we were all surprised when it worked out so well





i was having some trouble with the camera but it turned out kind of cool




timmy took some photos of us with a long exposure












then we went out to dinner and timmy did more magic tricks....



now it's so cold i never want to leave the hotel/studio
tennessee has a cold and z thinks she's getting it as well
we're working on "a little at a time"


wish us luck....


love,
charlotte

8:20 AM - 16 Comments - 27 Kudos - Add Comment

fall fashion, coffee, and motorcycles

monday was a sad day because timmy was gone. but it was ok because david came in to replace him. dan came in to keep us company and talk about coffee.
see he bought this fancy espresso machine and milk frother/heater which we've all become obsessed with. there are like 20 different types of coffee in different colored pods which have these ridiculous descriptions about their biscuit and cereal notes and their strength (on a scale from 1-10) which we all pretend to understand but we never really notice the difference. anyway here's dan and tennessee with the beloved nespresso pods



and dan doing his american/gay impression




david has a motorcycle. yeah, he's that cool.

so of course tennessee got on it



and set off the alarm immediately




and we recorded "i can see it in your eyes"

tuesday timmy came back and we did "i thought it would be mine"

and yesterday we worked on "vera"
and fashion

over the weekend we made necklaces out of tennessee's very recently removed wisdom teeth















and yesterday everyone tried on my heart shaped sunglasses


here's z



tennessee



me



youth



timmy



clive



dan



david



our mascot roger who came to visit




and of course joel couldn't resist putting them on, too!!!








also our crazy sound man stopped by to say hi. he's on tour with the enemy right now but they're playing in london tonight

here he is from ages ago. he'll hate me for this








anyway gotta get back to work
clive made some fireworks so we'll be setting them off this week
and taking photos of course

oh also, we figured out how to print on toilet paper. what do you guys think we should print on it??




love,
charlotte

4:47 AM - 21 Comments - 36 Kudos - Add Comment

end of the week

thursday we recorded "that one millionth part"


friday we did "valentine"
it's about our friend valentine. you know, the one who dressed as dead kurt cobain for halloween. she hasn't heard it yet but she's stoked.

then we decided to leave the studio for the first time....... ever.
we all went to a pub down the road for a drink.



this is youth



this is dan, the studio manager. he loves a nice glass of rose but will settle for a pinot grigio.



and this is timmy and clive. timmy didn't get to bring his computer friend unfortunately.



we all pulled out our best party tricks.








that's youth's foot. he has webbed toes.



timmy wowed us all with his magic tricks. he's amazing! he's in the magic circle and everything. he also does parties. no kids parties though. so if you want him to perform at your bachelorette party or whatever he's the man.

you can't really take photos of magic. but you can take photos of the card that timmy asked me to write my name on and made appear out of nowhere a bunch of times. i obviously wrote joel.





the weekend was pretty uneventful. all our friends are in the hospital. seriously.

apparently we have a new tea boy coming in next week. we'll keep you updated.



love,
charlotte

3:32 PM - 11 Comments - 15 Kudos - Add Comment

first days in the studio!

so we started recording on monday in richmond. it's so beautiful here. we need to go to the park to see the deer and to the lake to feed the swans when we have a minute.







this is the main recording room in the studio



everything is sounding AMAZING! youth is producing, clive is at the desk, and timmy is on the computer.


the first day we did "murder of crow" and tennessee banged the drums so hard she bled






the second day we did "in the end"

we came in around 11, and everyone was here except our tea boy/runner, joel.
we waited and waited.

around noon he quit via text.

he spent a year in engineering school only to spend one day in the studio with the like and quit music forever. he said the music industry wasn't for him.

now, i know we can be scary sometimes, and annoying a lot of the time, but we really didn't do anything!! i mean, in the hour that we were in the studio before we knew that he quit and were sitting around waiting for him we started talking about all the horrible things we could do to him. not horrible, but just the type of hazing you need once in a while. we were going to send him on one completely useless task a day. he was very timid, so we thought maybe making him go buy us tampons and really big bras or something. but we didn't even have time!!

when he was here, he told us that it was his 20th birthday the day before. so we bought him a cake and made him a card.





dan, the manager of the studio, wrote on the back. tennessee crossed out her name and wrote in mine.




so then when he didn't show up, we decided to burn his card and eat his cake. we staged a photoshoot outside with the sign for the studio which hasn't been put up yet












the aftermath








i wonder why he left



so now we're tea boy-less.

does anyone knows anyone who wants to be our little tea boy in richmond? get some experience in the studio and hang out with us?

duties:
make tea
don't get in the way
don't be annoying
deal with me being annoying

no experience necessary.


god, even the tea boy leaves me.....



so today we're working on "alone at last"
it's great
everything is great
all we've been doing is talking about joel.


joel, i'm sorry if you're reading this. but somehow i don't think you are.



love,
charlotte

6:26 AM - 35 Comments - 58 Kudos - Add Comment

halloween!!!

halloween was amazing. tennessee dressed as a lamb



i was a roadkill



and z was...... lolita.






we looked insane





we met up with our friend kapil and gave him some tears of blood






then we met up with valentine, who was a dead kurt cobain. here she/he is collapsed in the tube




thorunn was a dead icelandic wednesday addams. the fake blood dyed her hair pink for a few days






we had a big room party last night, which was amazing. i'll post about it when i go through all the photos. we leave london to go to richmond on sunday. start recording on monday. WE'RE SO EXCITED!!!!



love,
charlotte

8:05 AM - 30 Comments - 50 Kudos - Add Comment