· By Tarleton Walmsley
Maybe it's a book, perhaps it's a tv show or a favorite song. Could be an activity, a special product we carry at the shop, or even a state of mind. Whatever it is, we're digging it in the garden this month:)
I've always loved disco, but lately I have been looooooooving disco on a much deeper level. A level in which I find myself driving to work and am suddenly transported to a stage with thousands of disco balls overhead. I'm in a sequined jumpsuit and everyone's whispering "who's that girl?" to each other as I dance flawlessly to Candi Staton.
Anyway, I digress. My love for disco is real, and this week I've been particularly enraptured with the Universal Togetherness Band, a lesser known group from Chicago. If you click the link above, it'll take you to a short YouTube video about the band which I recommend checking out. The UTB's songs are a joyous celebration for the mind and body. Check out tunes like "Ain't Gonna Cry, " "My Sentiment" or "Once In A Lifetime" for a real pick-me-up.
We Ate the Acid by Joe Roberts
I'm a firm believer that books have the ability to transport us, whether they're filled with words or provide a visual journey. We Ate the Acid is the latter, taking us on an unapologetic, hallucinogenic experience through the work of Joe Roberts. Cosmic imagery, references to pop culture, and colorfully geometric twists and turns abound here. Just a few pages in, and you're off and away into Roberts' trippy world.
Speaking of trippy, I recently discovered the work of sculptor Debra Broz. You might've seen the weedy panda on our Instagram feed earlier this week. Broz takes otherwise unappealing, secondhand objects and ceramic knick knacks and gives them new life as sculptures that provoke curiosity and embrace the unusual. In her own words, "Through my collecting, recycling and reconstruction I reinvent the world, and bring attention, interest and love back to unwanted things." It could be years of working in antiques, but I am absolutely smitten and have added one of Broz's porcelain cats to my wishlist.