Celebrating Dolly Parton on 9 to 5 Day 9/25/2026

 Today is 9/25 and we're celebrating the life and legacy of Dolly Parton. 

Dolly Parton's star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
photo by Nikki DeMartini

9 to 5 is of course the movie released on 1980 starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin centered around three working women who team up to overthrow their tyrannical, chauvinistic, sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigot boss. Parton's character, Doralee, a sassy Southern Belle, isn't a far cry from the real Dolly. Her beauty and confidence are judged and misunderstood resulting in being shunned by co-workers because they believe she is sleeping with the boss. She doesn't let that stop her or dim her sparkle though. 

The three empowered working women eliminate their boss's toxic work environment and implement revolutionary, progressive workplace policies, including: equal pay for equal work, flexible, staggered working hours, an on-site employee daycare center and desk decorations to boost morale. By the end of the movie Doralee leaves to become a successful country singer. A clear testamate of sisterhood and girl power, of fighting for something you believe in for the greater good, of selflessness, of perseverance. These are all qualities and contirbutions we saw and got from Dolly Parton throughout her life long career.
The movie was Dolly Parton's feature film acting debut and it's theme song, the hit single "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton herself was released shortly before the movie was. The rhythm and typewriter clacking sound in the beginning of the song were famously created by Dolly tapping her own long acrylic nails together on the set. 

Dolly's stardom started long before her film debut. 

Born into a humble beginning on January 19th, 1946 (shout out to Capricorn ladies) Dolly Rebecca Parton was birthed in a one room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Pittman Center Center in East Tennessee. She was number 4 out of the 12 children Avie Lee Carolina and Robert Lee Parton had. 

When she was little girl, Dolly began singing on local radio and television programs in the East Tennessee area. When she was just 10 years old she appeared on The CAs Walker Show on WIVK Radio and WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee. Three years later at age 13, Dolly recorded the single "Puppy Love" for the Louisiana label, Goldband Records and performed  at the Grand Ol' Orpy for her first time. Ten years after her first appearance, Dolly Parton was officially inducted as a member of  the Grand Ol' Opry. 

Her mom kept all of her children entertained with Smokey Mountain folklore and old world ballads. It's because if this that Dolly would later site her own musical abilities to her mother's influence. Johnny Cash introduced her at her first appearance at the Grand Ol' Opry on July 25th, 1959 and is rumored to have encouraged the young musician to follow her instincts regarding her career. As we all came to know, Dolly took that recommendation and ran with it.   

Mural on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee
photo by Nikki DeMartini

 At age 19 she signed with Monument Recors where she was initially pitched at a bubblegum pop singer. In 1966 she released her first country single "Dumb Blonde" and in 1967 came her first full length solo album, Hello, I'm Dolly. Her 1973 single, the now world famous "Jolene" catapulted her solo career to the height of success. 

Dolly had arrived into her stardom and our hearts. 

Her life long career gave us 49 solo albums from 1967 - 2023 and 18 collabrative albums from 1968 - 2024. Countless musicians have covered her songs over the years, most noteably was Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You" for the movie, The Bodygaurd. 

Music wasn't Dolly's only talent. 

In the 1960's and 1970's she was on the Porter Wagoner Show along with having two short lived variety TV shows of her own: Dolly! from 76 to 77 and Dolly from 87 to 88. Her first leading role in a movie "9 to 5" in 1980 which landed her nominations for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy and a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress. The film's now iconic title track, written & sung by Parton, was nominated  for an Academy Award for Best Song and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. The song earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and the Grammy Award for Best Country Song. 

Her second nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy came in 1982 for her role in the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas while 1984's Rhinestone along side Sylvester Stallone was a box office flop. 

Poster at Ryman Auditorium 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

She appeared in movies like Steel Magnolias, A Smoky Mountain Christmas and Wild Texas Wind to name a few. She also had a slew of TV appearances including but certainly not limited to: PeeWee's Play House, The Beverly Hillbillies, Designing Women, Reba, The Simpson's, an episode of the Magic School Bus and Hannah Montana playing "Aunt Dolly" to her real life goddaughter  Miley Cyrus, who was the star of the show. 

Last year I had a few days off in Nashville and treated myself to a guided tour of the iconic Ryman Auditorium. Once home to the Grand Ol' Opry, the converted church still hosts live concerts there to this day. In 1974 the Grand Ol' Opry  moved venues yet again in Nashville which means Dolly's Opry debut and induction performances both took place at the Ryman. She wasn't the only country music legend who performed there. Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Merl Haggard, Elvis Presley and many more graced the historic Ryman stage. 

Outside of Ryman Auditorium 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Being in the same space where all of those greats had performed gave me goose bumbs. Walking the dressing rooms backstage I couldn't help but think how cool it would be to work a show there. To set dressing rooms in a place like that with all of that history would be a thrill and an immence honor. For me the best part of the tour was two fold:

Ryman Auditorium stage
photo by Nikki DeMartini

1. We got to go on the stage and learned that the first 18 inches of the stage, the lighter colored planks, is wood from the stage of the original Opry. Dolly herself and all of those Country, Blue Grass, Folk music greats could have stood on those same planks.

2. Learning about the woman behind bringing the Ryman Auditorium to life after the then the Union Gospel Tabernacle fell into debt. A legend in her own regard, Lula C Naff served as the General Manager from 1920 - 1955. She was a fiesty bussiness woman who was strongly driven by her vision  which at first didn't include the Grand Ol' Opry. Naff was not a fan of the what she called "hillybilly music" that was taking over Nashville but her sharp sense as a bussiness woman had her change her tune, welcoming the Opry and all it's variety of acts to her venue in 1943 and that's where it stayed for the next 31 years.

Dolly and Lula are two woman that may have been cut from the same cloth: headstrong on getting what they wanted all the while staying true to themselves and their vision. 

Ryman Auditorium 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Dolly was one of a kind.

A southern belle with that sweet Tennessee twang who loved her roots and was proud of where she came from. The big blonde hair, flashy fits, colorful make up and of course her mountainous bust brought judgement but it didn't dim her sparkle. Perseverance in the face of adversity and criticism was nothing new to Dolly Rebecca Parton. Her autobiographical song "Coat of Many Colors" tells the true story of her mom making her a coat out of scraps of cloth because they were too poor to afford to buy a new coat which kids at school made fun of her and her coat of many colors but she kept her head high. She'd later go on to write a children's book of the same name, telling and illustrating the story of staying true to yourself and being proud of it when being bullied by peers. Being different is something to be celebrated not shamed as it often is and sways people to hide what makes them unique. 

She had a great sense of humor about it all, warding off others hate with a smile. 

She blazed trails on her own terms and she had so much love to give. She loved everyone and wanted everyone to feel her love, the right kind of Christian. She wasn't afraid to celebrate herself, opening Dollywood in 1986, a 165-acre theme park co-owned of course by Dolly herself.  Two years later in 1988 she created the Dollywood Foundation as a source of inspiration to the children in her home county to achieve aducational success.

Dolly Parton's outfit on display at Ryman Auditorium
photo by Nikki DeMartini

She launched the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in 1995, a tribute to her dad who couldn't read. Her Imagination Library is a book-gifting program that mails one free, age-appropriate book every month to children from birth until they turn five years old, regardless of their family's income. 

She was an ally for the queer community and didn't hide it. Her advocacy which spanned decades, was rooted in a personal philosophy of unconditional love, acceptance, and a refusal to judge. She co-produced the Academy Award-winning 1989 documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt about the AIDS Memorial Quilt. She wrote and performed "Travelin' Thru" for the transgender-focused film Transamerica, earning herself another Oscar nomination and aslo featured a queer family storyline in her Netflix series Dolly Parton's Heartstrings. 

Ryman Auditorium 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

In 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, funding critical early research that helped develop the Moderna vaccine.

She's donated money to families in need who endured natural distasters over the years. 

Her latest and possibly last venture while she was still an angel on Earth is Cup of Ambition Coffee set to open in Tennessee September 29th, 2026 before being available nation wide. She partnered with the historic, family-owned Community Coffee and their collaboration was built on a mutual appreciation for family, authentic connection, warmth, and a strong, hardworking spirit. 

Dolly kept the terminal illness she had private from the public eye, like her long time marriage to Carl Thomas Dean, so the news of her passing on August 25th came as a surprise. It hit at a time when America is the furthest thing from united. With all of the hate we've been witnessing and living in these days, losing her and all of her love struck a nerve. As we all know, she will always love us. We can all take a a page out of her book for the greater good and to keep her spirit alive. 

We will always love you, Dolly. 

Lost Weekend listening party

 As last weekend wittled down I discovered that Phoebe Bridgers released a new single teasing the release of a new album. Once she had people's attention she annouced listening parties of that upcoming album at plaentariums in various cities all over starting on Monday. Intrigued and in need of blog post material, as well as some inspiring motivation, I happily paid the small fee for a spot at one of those parties.

Lost Weekend album cover 

It was a hot August afternoon in sunny Southern California and traffic was a breeze from Long Beach to Orange Coast College, where I'd be listening to Phoebe's new album under the dome of the campus's planetarium. Who needs The Sphere? 

I had listened to the new single "Lost Boys" a handful of times and liked it. It's upbeat but still has those charismatic pings of sadness weaved throughout it, Miss Bridgers' signature style if you will. As new songs preceedeing a new album usually do, it made me ponder if she'd dance down the same path or veer somewhere new. 

Orange Coast College Planetarium 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

This specific listening party location had multiple time slots for the event, giving everyone wanting to go the chance to go. I got there a few minutes early and got checked in by the friendly student staff  who diligently checked my bag for any and all electronic devices, specifically recording ones.  "We don't want anyone leaking anything". This is not the first time Phoebe Bridgers has done a no phone thing. Her recent $1 show at MSG was also phone free. While I'm sure she didn't want her new album leaked, the whole idea behind no phones allowed (at shows) is an effort to get people to live in the moment. If you've been to concert or live event recently, you understand why. Artists have been banning phones at concerts for years now and the trend is slowly getting more trendy.
With a max capacity of about 120-130, a few seats where still open when they house lights went down and the projected image of Phoebe above us disapeared. It was time to experience a Lost Weekend listening party. 

Before the music and accompaning laser art show started, a voice filled the room around us. It was her, Phoebe Bridgers. I wouldn't have recognized her speaking voice if she hadn't introduced herself. She said hi and welcomed us to the listening party for her new album Lost Weekend, explaining that her "stoner parents" took her to planetariums all the time when she was a kid. She giggled and thanked us before saying  " I love you. K bye". It was a real. It was awkward. It was genuine. It was Phoebe. 

A single turquoise green line stretched across the ceiling as a voice with lots of distortion brought us into the Lost Weekend. It gave a sense of being talked to from an unknown diety the way it surrounded us, engulfing our sense of sight and sound. It wasn't exactly a song being sung, nor a poem being read but something in between. The green line bouncing, bending, explanding and shrinking as each word was delivered.
Heavy with a cinematic feel, it ended with the album title projected over us. It hit like an intro and it worked: I wanted to hear more and was excited for the rest of the planetarium listening experience. 

The first single "Lost Boys" is the second song on the album. Giving us a touch of familiarity as we enter further into the Lost Weekend. 

The third song emphasizes on guitar, in a strumming fashion rather riffs and it's tempo is considerably slower than "Lost Boys". As I sat there listening and watching images morph from something into another a heavy feeling weighed on me unexpectedly and out of nowhere. It was heavy like a heartache. I know Phoebe's music is deep but there was something more lingering beneath the sad girl lyrics...what was it? Would it be found in the Lost Weekend? 

The fourth song came off like she was telling us a story. All songs tell a story, some more clearly than others. This is one of the ones that's clearly more storytelling than others. It carries an underlineing industerial beat met with an orchestral break while the songstress bares her vulnerability and humility. That seemed to be a theme of the album, vulnerability and humility. What was she working through?

Song five picks back up a bit and I remember liking it, a lot. I don't remember what it was about or what instruments stood out if any. I only remember liking it and scribbling that down and nothing else about it. A sign of being in the moment. 

Last time we heard from Phoebe was a couple years ago with the triumpant return of boygenius. There was a failed engagement tangled somewhere in there, was that it? 

Each song had its own specific laser art show that went along with it. Some were reminiscent of spirograph art with designs and or drawings spinning or morphing into a different shape or image. Some were little blinking, glowing orbs that would twinkle and orbit above our heads. Some were glowing drawings of birds, ducks, balls rolling around with contstanly changing landscapes. It gave the music life in a way I hadn't experienced before. It was different and it was neat. 

The thing I like most about listening to Phoebe Bridgers' music is the menagerie of instruments that back her hauntingly romantic singing. From guitar, percussion, violin and piano, there are moments it sounds like she has a whole symphony behind her. It's not a big over the top production though, at least it doesn't feel like it.

Somewhere in the middle or maybe more toward the end of the album, an audio clip played. It was a voicemail Phoebe's dad had left for her. He was just calling to check in and say hi "I know you're busy out there being a rockstar", he said before saying I love you and fading into the next song. It made me think of my Dad and how life on the road is busy. It can sweep you up and divide you into two: road you and off the road you.  It tugged on my heartstrings, perhaps because I'm a daddy's girl. 

As Phoebe Bridgers' albums do, so to does this new one eb and flow from slow to more upbeat tempos. It's kind of all over the place yet it's calm and collected at the same time. Somehow Lost Weekend feels more melancholy than her other albums. Is that just a sign of the times?

The glaring sun welcomed us back outside as our listening party exited as the next one filtered in.  Walking to my car I overheard two friends chatting about the listening party and the album when one of them said "I forgot her Dad died".
That was it. That was the thing deep down under the surface.
That was the heartache. 
Phoebe Bridgers lost her Dad in January 2023. It was only a couple months before the release of the now critically acclaimed, Grammy Award winning boygenius album, record and subsequent tour following its release. This is her grieving that loss. Imagine such a happy, celebratory, exciting time on the excruciating heels of the gaping loss of a loved one. I would feel lost navigating that, too. Crashing back to earth into a different reality than what you’ve known after a riding that high then left trying to figure it out: life, death, yourself. 

To me Lost Weekend serves as a sort of open letter from Phoebe to her dad.  Maybe I'll feel differently when I listen to it in full again after it is officially released on Friday. 

September 15th is the first show of the Lost Weekend tour, bringing the indy queen all over North America before the final two shows over Halloweeen weekend. She's hitting the road with Alex G and no phones will be allowed at any of the shows. Get ready to be in the moment and enjoy, "Lost Weekend". 

Lavender Flan Cupcake from San & Wolves in Long Beach

 Back in Febuary it came to my attention that the vegan Filipino bakery not far from where I live, San & Wolves, was going to have a cupcake for one day only. This wasn't just any cupcake either. This was a Lavender Flan Cupcake. 

Lavender has been a popular flavor for a little while now and I've had, and reviewed, a lavender cupcake or two but this was the first time I had ever even heard of or seen a flan cupcake. Not only is flan delicious, it holds a special place in my heart because if an inside joke and shared love of it with one of my best friends. I made sure that the next day I would get one of those Lavender Flan Cupcakes and I did. 

With it's healthy helping of pretty lavender colored frosting and a fresh piece of lavender cradling a silver doller sized piece of flan, this is one of the prettiest cupcakes I've ever seen. And at eight dollars a pop, it's one of the most expensive cupcakes I've ever bought. 

Lavender Flan Cupcake from San & Wolves in Long Beach
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The frosting and the cake both have a freshness that you can taste which always elevates the yumminess of any baked good. The flavor of the vanilla cake was subtle while the cake itself was a perfect ratio of moist and cakey. The flavor of the lavender buttercream frosting was also subtle and the buttercream itself was think and creamy and rich, as a good buttercream frosting should be. The icing on top of the icing on the cake was the real treat. Flan. Flan, fliggity flan.
Though I do wish there was more of the signature carmelized sugar that coats the top of traditional flan, it was tasty none the less. Over all this wasn't an overwhelmingly favorful or sweet cupcake yet it still statisfied my sweet-tooth. And I never would have guessed that was 100% vegan. 

San & Wolves is a locally owned bakery that bakes everything in house, from scratch, daily. They don't have cupcakes regularly so I was happy to pay a little more for this one of a kind cupcake and I''m always happy to support local businesses. 

Lavender Flan Cupcake from San & Wolves in Long Beach
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I waited to post this review in honor of my best friend's birthday which was a couple days ago. She's not in Long Beach so she didn't get to try the Lavender Flan Cupcake from San & Wolves but I told her about it every step of the way: from discovering it's limited time offering to my consumption of it. 

Now we can relive that time I found a flan cupcake and celebrate her and all of the sweetness she brings to life.

The Bride! & Fever Ray

 Maggie Gyenllhaal's first major studio feature, The Bride! hit theaters on March 6th, a couple days before International Women's Day. Following 2021's critically acclaimed, The Lost Daughter, The Bride! isn't Maggie's first double winner as both screenplay writer and director. Fittingly released over the weekend of the day which falls on the day that celebrates women every where, the eerie, reimangined verison of The Bride of Frankenstein is a story of a feminist uprise of female independence, written and directed by a woman no less. It's cinematic and stylistic. A bit cynical, a little bit gruesome, somewhat spooky with an overall rawness that confronts the constraints of patriarchy realism that have haunted women for forever. 

Supporting the dying art of seeing a movie in the theater by taking myself out on a date to a matinee screening of The Bride! was a delightful treat. In a year's time we got a second helping of a fine gentleman portraying the role of Frankenstein's monster, this time by a long time favorite Christian Bale. The monster, or creature, in Guillermo del Torro's Frankenstein was played by an unrecognizable Jacob Elordi, a performance which garnered the hot young Aussie an Academy Award nomination. At the time of seeing The Bride! I wasn't familiar with the lead actress Jessie Buckley, who later won the Oscar for best actress for her role in Hamnet. I was blown away by her remarkable performance as the split personality of Bride who was as crass as she was sassy. 

I had heard that Fever Ray,  Karin Drejer's spin off solo project of the experimental synth-pop Swedish duo The Knife, had new music featured in the new movie. Sure enough, in February, Fever Ray released two original songs for the soundtrack, "The Lake" and "Wrong Flower". Karin's unique vocals and a creepy cadance similair to that heard from The Knife match the asthetic of The Bride! to a T. Not only did Fever Ray offer two new songs for the movie but Karin also has a cameo appearance in it, performing "The Lake" live in a nightclub scene, which I thought was a fun tie in. Again, their stage persona and general presentation as Fever Ray lend itself swimmingly to the style seen on screen. 

Hauntingly romantic in their own regard, The Bride! and Fever Ray are a testamate to standing to true to who you are regardless of what or who other people want you to be. 

The two new Fever Ray songs can be found on The Bride! soundtrack as well as on their 4 song EP, The Lake/Wrong Flower which features original versions plus cinematic versions of both songs. 

There's buzz swirling that Fever Ray is set to re-release their 2009 self titled debut album on white vinyl sometime soon. Maybe we'll be saying here comes Fever Ray for a second time this year. 

Harry Styles Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. Listening Party @ Fingerprints in LBC 3/6/2026

Fingerprints Music in Long Beach, CA was one of many indie record stores that hosted a listening party in celebration of the release Harry Styles' fourth album, Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally. I happened to be on-line when the annoucement was made and snagged myself a spot at the RSVP only event on the night of the album drop date, March 6th. 

In January, the early release of "Aperture" gave us a preview of the direction Harry's new tunes are heading. If the name of the album wasn't indication enough, Harry Styles is dancing down a new path, disco dancing to be exact. The brit disclosed that he was heavily inspired by dancing to LCD Sound System when he saw them live in Madrid and London, along with being part of the crowd for a Radiohead show in Berlin. The, Together, Together tour annoucement in support of KATTDO came before January was over. Mirroring his 2022 Love On Tour tour, the Together, Together tour consists of residencies at venues with the longest stint being a 30 show night run at the famous Madison Square Garden in New York City starting in August. 

Layering on more and more excitement of the release, the album itself and the tour, publicity swirled around the new album as it drew nearer, giving us a little more insight into it and it's maker. Mr. Styles took a breather from the fast lane of fame in order to slow down and love living life. It's a lesson to be learned in the fast paced, information drenched, capitalistic world we live in.  Are you living or merely surviving day in and day out? Being in his early thirties, this is a query Harry has tapped into about ten years before I did and I can affirm it's a lesson that's never too late to tap into. Runner's World reported that Mr. Styles picked up running during this down time. Running is a great way to get out of your head, release stress, stay in shape for when it's time to get back to it and is another thing me & Harry have in common (wink wink). 

A huge fan of  2022's Harry's House, the new single wasn't love at first listen for me, however, that didn't deter my excitment to hear the new album. Honestly though, I was a little apprehensive of this dance club album I kept hearing and seeing about but "Aperture" grew on me so I was more curious than apprehensive.
I cheated before the listening party last Friday night since the album had already dropped. It's no wonder "Aperture" is the first single and track number one. The catchy, dancey song is a great introduction to the rest of the album.
The title of the second track, "American Girls" made me think of the lyric from the Rolling Stones' song "Some Girls": "American girls, they're pretty funny". Harry's song is nothing the Stones' song but it is sweet with softly sung lyrics that harmonize swimmingly with the melody that rhythmically builds up to a dance floor worthy slow jam. 

The name of the third track, "Ready, Steady, Go!" took me back to my party days when the Paul Oakenfold song, "Ready Steady Go" was part of the regular soundtrack. Oh what a difference a couple of commas and an exclamation mark make. This song had me dancing immediately and knew it was my favorite song off of the album before it ended. The up tempo beat matches his up tempo vocals that mix with a sparkly hook that blasts off into a mesmerizing beat drop, crashing into distorted vocals and incesant chorus. Harry further seduces with titilating lyrics that tease at a playful naughtiness and it's all so, so good. 

Chasing the high after "Ready, Steady, Go!" had me wondering where the dance club album was. Sure, KATTDO carries more of an electro feel, some might say a disco feel, than we're used to from Harry but it didn't intice a dance party anymore than his last album did. Something that did stand out is this the introspectiveness that seeps into interconectedness. This is Harry's self discovery of the most sought after answer to the age old question, what is the meaning of life? 

The question really is, what is the meaning of your own life and the answer is simple really. The meaning of your life is to live your life. To love the life you're living while becoming the the best version of yourself and to spread love. We're all here trying to figure life out. It may sound silly but we're all trying to figure out who we are and what we bring to this party we're all at. This looks different for everyone and just because it looks different doesn't mean it's wrong. Live and let live. 

When you're on the path to loving the life you're living while continuiously becoming the best verison of yourself it's difficult being on the sidelines of those who are not. This is a theme heard through out the album which epscially stood out to me in the poignant lyrics of "Are you Listening Yet?" and "The Waiting Game". While we should all take finding our purpose and joys in this life seriously, that doesn't mean not having unadulternated fun while doing it. That's life, baby. And while you're at it, listen to music that moves you and dance your way through life, it is theraputic after all. 

Track ten "Dance No More" revved up the the engine to get back to the dance floor. With it's deep baratone bass plucking and brief acapela beat boxing, Prince came to mind as soon as this song started. Harry's vocals hit a high octave over that deep bass line and menagerie of instruments and synths leading to a funkadelic good time that goes one way then veers another way before charasmatically bringing it back.  Harry isn't wrong when the song says "we want to dance with all of our friends" because this song makes you want to grab your friends and get down wherever you are. 

Now it was time to see what a listening party is all about and perhaps get other takes on KATTDO.

 

 The Bixby Knolls neighborhood in LBC holds a block party style event every first Friday of every month were small businesses and various artists and crafters do a sort of pop up or special sale, giveaway, etc. to bring the community out and together, so I went a little early to check that out. After strolling a bit, I ended up at Fingerprints about 45 minutes before the event started and was shocked at the line that stretched outside of the record store and down the sidewalk. After confirming with the last person in line, a gal in a Love on Tour sweatshirt, that it was the line for the Harry Styles listening party, I hopped in line behind her. She was very friendly and we started chit chatting about music while the line kept growing behind us. Soon enough another gal in line us joined the convo and there we were, three Harry Styles fans at a Kiss All The Time. Disco, Ocassionally listening party solo but now together (together) swapping fangirl stories. Did these girls had stories! Easily at least 18 years older than them, I got a kick out of  listening to them gab about shows they've been to, shows they couldn't get tickets to, shows they want to go to and the artists they love. When they mentioned Niall I had to ask who he was and if he was from...what's the name of the boy band Harry was in? Ah, yes, One Direction, they both reminded me. Both of them recounted exactly where they were when they heard of the untimely passing of Liam Payne, another member of One Direction. They were as crushed by the news as one of my co-workers was, to whom I replied I didn't know who that was when she mournfully shared the news with me when it happened. What can I say? This adult fangirl heart belongs to Harry Styles and only Harry. Can you blame me? I was in my mid twenties to early thirties during the height of One Direction fandom, listening to the likes of Crystal Castles, Die Antwoord, M.I.A, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Dead Weather and Sleigh Bells not teeny bopper boy bands.

We talked about the Together, Together tour dates, all three of us agreeing we wished some of his 30 shows at Madison Square Garden, which are his only shows in the states, were here in California. The girls said they couldn't afford the travel and lodging cost on top of the price of tickets while I hestitantly shared I was wishing on a star to hopefully work those shows, somehow, some way. Come on universe, work your magic!

They also talked about their record collections which was refreshing to hear rather than reading about how the younger generations are reviving analog things like buying physical music instead of streaming it. One of the girls had four Harry Styles tribute tattoos and a place holder for a fifth. Oh youth! Their enthusastic passion for the music they love reminded me why I love doing what I do for work. It also made the time go by. No different than most concerts, Fingerprints was a little behind schedule with the line moving inside around 7:20. There was a table of swag at the entrance where everyone got to choose either a poster, a pin or sticker and everyone got a kiss mark temporary tattoo. Once everyone was inside, the music started around 7:30ish. I was delighted to find myself with the girls I stood with in line because I wanted to see what they thought of the album. 

The fans up front closest to the PA system got the party going as soon as "Aperture" hit the speakers, dancing and visably enjoying themselves. I thought the energy would fade after the first three songs since they're more up tempo than the ones that follow but that same ectactic energy kept subtly trickeling around the room which was filled mostly with girls. I was one of the eldest in the bunch but as far as I could tell I might have been one of the only ladies, if not the only lady in my age bracket who wasn't accompaning their daughter or son or what have you.  One of  my friends from line hadn't listened to the ablum yet, checking her phone to get the name of each song as it played. Her interest peaked when track seven, "Season 2 Weight Loss" started, quietly stating that it reminded her of "Cinema" from Harry's House and that she liked it. To my surprise people screamed and clapped at the end of it. Come to think of it, people clapped at the end of every song which made me and my friends from line giggle. 

The next song, "Coming Up Roses", slows down considerably and I was surprised yet again when people took out their phones, flashlight on, waving them in the air the same way people do at concerts now instead of holding up flaming lighters. Hearing track nine, "Pop" at the listening party struck a Harry's House cord with me that hadn't happened while I listened on my own. Was it "Cinema" that it reminded me of, the same song "Season 2 Weight Loss" reminded the girl from line of? Then came track ten, the "Prince song." The girls from line started moving and shaking  more than they had to the rest of the album and we all nodded in agreement that we liked the song. When the next song started one girl visably deflated, stating "Well the party's over" which made me laugh. It is an aburpt transition flying high to "Dance No More" then diving straight down into "Paint By Numbers". The last and final song "Carla's Song" brings things back up a bit with a welcomed shimmery synth and keys bumb that lifts you higher and higher. By the smiles on people's faces around the room everyone was happy to be there and we were all having a good time. Some might say we were living our best lives at a silly little album listening party. It is the little things in life that make it grand. 

After the party I read that fans were stipulating if "Painting By Numbers" is a song about Harry's break up with ex Olivia Wilde. I had to re-listen to the song because when I heard it I thought that the song might be about Harry's ex bandmate, Liam who as mentioned above tragically passed away. Wilde and Styles broke up before Love on Tour went to Mexico in 2022 when Harry was 28. Fans sited that "Painting By Numbers" has the lyric "Holding the American children whose hearts you break. Was it a tragedy when you told her I'm not even thirty three?" tying it back to their break up, however, Liam was only 32 years old when he died. Painitng by numbers suggests following instructions for a desired outcome. As the song states "It's a lifetime of learning to paint by numbers and watching the colors run" which I interpret as following all of the quote un quote rules and doing what you’re told to have the life you think you want but...that's not how life works. That's why you need to live on your own terms and enjoy it, really enjoy it, all of it, while you can. The good, the bad, the ugly and to be loving regardless. That's what Harry explores throughout this album and I think it was inspired by the heart breaking passing of his peer because there's nothing like somone else's death to make you think about your own life. Now, "Coming Up Roses", that song I can see being about his break up with Olivia Wilde. 

Going to the listening party of Harry's latest release made it clear that it doesn't matter what kind of album he puts out, his fans are going to love whatever he does. And that probably goes for alot of artists. Harry's House holds a special spot in my music loving heart but I can, will and do get down to some Kiss All The Time. Disco, Ocasionally. songs and I'm willing to bet you will too if you haven't already. 

Love without Borders

On this Presidents' Day, we're taking a look back to a little over a week ago when Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime show consumed the country. Whether you watched the game, just the performance, MAGA's counter act to it or missed it entirely but were inidated with highlights of it on the internet, there was and still is no escaping it and it's over all message of inclusionary love.
There are different cultures across this nation, that's what makes America, America. We may be different, in a multitude of ways, from our neighbors but ultimately we are all human so really we are all the same at our core.

Acceptance is love.

Embracing differences is love.

Love is love. 

Bad Bunny and his team boldy put this on display on stage as well as off with a huge billboard stating: "The only thing more powerful that hate is love." Ringing to the tune of the MLK quote: "Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that".
As one of the country's great Presidents, FDR, once said, "the only thing to fear is fear itself" and Bad Bunny did not back down in the face of political fear mongering propaganda. He did not cower in fear and submission like we've witnessed so many men do. Bad Bunny stepped up to the challenge to truly unite the nation as the current administration continues to force division and diversion which is the least patriotic thing a person can do. 

This review is taking us outside of the box of traditional cupcakesas as we explore treats from different cultures. If you love food, we have something in common and what's not to love about trying new things. Variety is the spice of life. 

Cheezy Ensaymada from San and Wolves in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

A little while back I got wind that a Filipino bakery was opening up shop in Long Beach and I could not wait to try their Filipino baked goods! Once San and Wolves opened I perused their menu online before going and found that I was not familiar with a lot of the selections. This did not deter me, rather it increased my excitement. I love a food adventure and discovering new foods from different places and cultures.

Ube, a purple yam native to the Pillipines, was introduced to the US market a few years ago and is everywhere now. It's a predominate flavor at San and Wolves, from cookies and coffee cake to cinnamon buns, the unique bakery offers varied Ube options. I do enjoy a good Ube treat but I wanted to try something more tradional and less white washed. Adopted by the Philipines with origins in Spain where ensaymadas are a spiral shaped pastry made from rich, yeasted dough made from lard for flakiness, rolled and coiled into a snail-like shape and dusted with powered sugar, the Filipino version is a broche bun topped butter and cheddar cheese. 

A sweet bread of broche, butter and cheese? Say less. 

Biting into that fresh, fluffy, chewy bun with its buttery goodness melting in my mouth accentuated by the whisper of sharp cheddar was like taking a bite out of heaven. Is there anything better than buttered bread and cheese? I'll wait. 

Cheezy Ensaymada from San and Wolves in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I have gone back to San and Wolves for their Cheezy Ensaymada alone and will continue to do so. It is delicous, statifying both sweet and savory cravings in one fell swoop. 

Cheezy Esaymada from San and Wolves in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Next up on this short but sweet food tour is another trip to Gusto Bread, also in Long Beach. On February 13th and 14th, the artisanal panaderia had a Valentine's Day special: a pair of San Chocolatin cakes. In Spanish, chocolatin is the masculin term for a small chocolate bar, candy bar or piece of chocolate. In this case it is a small, dark chocolate cake. San translates to Saint and oh. My. God. These little cakes, which are presented as cupcakes in cupcake wrappers and all, are dipped in a ganache using Ecuadorian cacao. Topped with chocolate sprinkles, they also bore small rose petals in celebration of Valentine's Day.  

San Chocolatin from Gusto Bread in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

My heavens, does the San Chocolatin pack it in. Not dense with moistness, though they are in no way dry, but dense with robust richness.  And when I say these cakes are dense I mean they are thick, as in damn, She THICC. The cake itself doesn't look like it'd be very chocolatey but it doesn't have to look chocolatey because eating it speaks for itself. This is one chocolatey, chocolate cake. 

San Chocolatin from Gusto Bread in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

If you've ever read one of my reviews of chocolate cake you know I am not easily pleased by it. This one though, this one es muy bueno. In place of typical frosting is the shell of ganche over the top of the little cake adds to the overall chocolatiness while offering a slight texture juxaposition. Gusto's San Chocolatin isn't to sweet but is just sweet enough as a yummy dessert or coffee pairing. 

San Chocolatin from Gusto Bread in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Both San and Wolves and Gusto Bread are small, local businesses. Both bake everything from scratch using high quality ingredients. The San Chocolatin from Gusto Bread was only available for a limited time but the Cheezy Ensaymada from San and Wolves is available every day they're open for business, so long as they're not sold-out of them. 

When I was a kid I remember being taught that America is a melting pot, meaning it's full of all sorts of different people. That different people and their different cultural backgrounds and beliefs were welcomed here. 
How lucky we are to be able to have the option to try foods from around the globe right here in the States. It's a luxury the United States wouldn't have if it wasn't for immigrants, people that came here for a better life while in turn making all of our lives better. 

Spread love, not hate. 

Try something new. 

Support small, local businesses. 

In the wake of the dismantling of American democracy, supporting and uplifting each other unites us and all of our differences. That's what it means to be an American and that is something to be proud of. 

Hate is nothing to be proud of. It is a wound that needs to be healed. It is ignorance of a lesson that needs to be learned. There's a fine line between love and hate. Choose the side of love. Love is an action word that must be practiced because it doesn't always come easy. Work at it. Not just for yourself because when you give it, you get it. Love transcends, connecting us all and that's a beautiful thing. It's not something to be scared of like some people want us to believe. 

SPRINTS @ The Roxy 2/10/2026

SPRINTS at The Roxy 2/10/2026 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Last month upon shazaming a energetic garage punk song a friend of mine in Oakland was listening to when I was in town, she inadvertantly introduced me to SPRINTS. Garage rock and punk driven with a female at the helm, I dug them right away. I was envious she was  going to their show at The Chapel in SF on February 11th, one week after I was set to head home. Listening to their 2025 album, All This For Nothing, sounded like they'd be a good time live, so I looked up their tour schedule to see if they had a show I would be able to catch which brought me to my first show at The Roxy Theater in LA and it happened to be the night before their show in SF. I was pumped! 

The Roxy Theatre was a lot smaller than expected which made me even more excited because seeing a band like SPRINTS at intimate venue is what show going dreams are made of. Openers Um, Jennifer?, from New York, had some loyal fans in the growing crowd who sang just about every word of just about every song as they gleefully bounced around through out the set. These fans paved the way for what was to come with their unapologetically dynamic energy while mumurs circulated that a couple of those elated Um, Jennifer? fans were members of The Linda Lindas. 

SPRINTS at The Roxy 2/10/2026 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Black velvet curtains dropped to hide the stage during the short change over and when they lifted the headlining band was taking the stage. 

Donning a  pair of loose fitting black leather shorts, a black Adidas track jacket and orange lensed shades singer Karla Chubb was giving fellow Irish singer, Bono while the boys on either side of her, Sam McCann on bass and Zac Stephenson on guitar, wore simple blacks, setting the atmosphere to hip and cool one. With a budding anticipation saturating the room, it was a steadfast start with "Something's Gonna Happen" into "Decartes" from their 2025 album,  All That Is Over. 

Feeding us some playful banter admist saying what's up to LA, the front lady ditched the small synthasizer beside her for a guitar before trading the track jacket and shades for a more comfortable cut up SUM 41 t-shirt. SPRINTS were warmed up and ready to rock even harder and now it was time to get the room to rock with them. 

SPRINTS at The Roxy 2/10/2026 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

SPRINTS at The Roxy 2/10/2026 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Building up steam "Feast" their 2024 single was the first song of the night not from their sophomore album followed by "Beg". Their comfort on stage became increasingly visible, infectiously summoning the crowd to rock with them. The continous playful banter from Chubb made her and the band more and more likeable. As the show went on she joked about not being able to work on her tan in rainy California. She also shared  it wasn't lost on them how much of an honor and a privilage it was for them to be able to do what they were doing for a living, thanking all of us for coming to their show and for all of our support. She also highlighted that they didn't take playing an iconic venue like the Roxy Theatre on LA's Sunset Blvd for granted. 

 

Noticing a Palestinian and Trans flag that were draped over amps on stage during the opener's set were still present while SPRINTS played had me wondering if that was intentional or not. As if reading my mind Chubb took time to decate "Literary Mind" to a community very important to them, the precious queer community. 
The queer community is a precious one. It's a community that unabashedly flaunts it like it is and loves unconditionally without limits. They couragiously go against the grain of confirmity, living authentically while letting haters be haters. In essence the queer community are punks only more colorful. Love and let love and rock on. That's exactly what SPRINTS do and did after lifting up and bringing the LA crowd together a little more. 

SPRINTS at The Roxy 2/10/2026 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

SPRINTS at The Roxy 2/10/2026 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Gainging momentum as they played had Chubb climbing on top of speakers in front of the stage and harmonizing with Stephensen more who was getting more interactive with the crowd himself. The whole band was interacting with each other more as the show went on, too. All of this seemingly amplified the fun everyone at The Roxy was having. Pausing the show right before "Pieces", Chubb instructed fans to start a circle pit, encouraging us to encourage others to join in the chaos. Between that and the hyper active shrill inducing "Need", Chubb was in the crowd moshing in the thick of it when she made her way back to bar to order a drink then climbed on the top of the bar, directing everyone to put their hands up because she had to ask us a question:
"WHO
TOOK
THE
BOMP?!"
at which point she dived into sea of fans who caught her as she crowd surfed back to stage singing their punked up version of Le Tigre's "Deceptacon". It was the most fun I can remember having at a live show in a long time. 

From the stage to the crowd, the whole room was alive with feverent joy, singing and dancing along with SPRINTS as they knocked their cover of this hit out. 

SPRINTS at The Roxy 2/10/2026 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Before ending on a high note, Chubb brought us back down to Earth ackowledging that the times we are living through have been tough for so many people, especially women and minorities. Urging people to take care of themselves, rest and hold each other up so we can get through this, she told us that the album they're on tour for was made and released in the face of dark and uncertain times. Rather than ignore the darkness they faced it and created through it to bring some light to an otherwise hopeless time. 

SPRINTS at The Roxy 2/10/2026 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

She reminded us that what the world is experiencing right now is the fault of billionaires, not to let them distract us from what they're doing and that the only way to combat what is happening is for people, us, to make noise and make noise that matters. While the crowd cheered her and the hope she was spreadng on, SPRINTS closed the show with dark and moody "Desire" before calling it a night with "Little Fix". 

It felt good to be at a show where the band is real with fans without sugar coating the atrocities surrounding us as if everything is fine and bussiness is as usual when it's not. It didn't put a damper on the show, it made it better and so much more punk. SPRINTS gives people space to be angry about the world we are currently living in and mosh, thrash, scream it out with like minded people at their live shows. That's what we were all there for.

SPRINTS at The Roxy 2/10/2026 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The next night SPRINTS sold-out The Chapel in SF. Around 10:30 that night I got a text from my friend exclaiming, "OMFG! SPRINTS are amazing! I went into the pit." I was not surprised by this at all because one, SPRINTS are amazing and secondly, my friend is a little firecracker so of course she went in the pit. When I asked her further about the show she told me it was one of the best shows she's seen. "US crowds are usually lame and boring (she's a Bay Area transplant from Mexico City) but this was super engaging. It was full of queer, trans people enjoying themselves. Girls were crazy in the pit. It felt like the real community of SF". 

SPRINTS at The Roxy 2/10/2026 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

SPRINTS did it again, obviously, because they rock. 

Music is art, art is resistance and it's what we need more of now more than ever. SPRINTS is here not only to deliver but to endure these days with us. 

The last show of their US leg of their tour is on Valentine's Day night in Seattle. They'll keep spreading the good word and good times while fighting the good fight on stages across Europe in March and early April. Here's hoping it's not too long before they run it back to the States. 

SPRINTS at The Roxy Theater 2/10/2026
set-list: 

1. Somethings Gonna Happen
2. Descartes
3. Feast 
4. Beg 
5. Shadow of a Doubt 
6. Coming Alive 
7. Literary Mind
8. Heavy 
9. Up and Comer 
10. Pieces
11. Need 
12. Deceptacon
13. Desire 
14. Little Fix