Kristin Bauer by Lionel Deluy

How cool is this? Kristin Bauer van Straten is writing her own newsletter and we’d like to share it with you.

In this newsletter:

• She talks about the CD that turned her into a stalker is now available in the US (The CD named “Impercepitible Shift in the Light”  is by her now husband Abri van Straten and his band The Lemmings) 
• She speaks out on the slaughtering of horses and how you can help stop it,
• She has designed a gorgeous necklace named “Care a Little More” with Janet Cadsawan. They will donate a percentage of the proceeds to her  animal charities.
• She shares her artwork  – her original paintings are now on notecards that you can buy (and yes, that is her Alexander Skarsgård painting also on a notecard!)
• She shares her holiday wishes/greeting

Kristin's original paintings are now on notecards that you can buy!

You can view all of the merchandise/blogs mentioned here by clicking on each picture, except for Kristin, she’ s not for sale!

You can read and subscribe to her newsletter at the source.

Nominations for the Grammy Awards 2012 were announced yesterday and we are happy to learn that True Blood Soundtrack vol 3 is up for “Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Visual Media” category.

True Blood will go up against Boardwalk Empire: Volume 1, Burlesque,Glee: The Music, Volume 4, and Tangled . The 54rd Annual Grammy Awards airs on CBS on February 12, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Congrats!

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As some of you  know, Todd Lowe, who portrays one of our favorite Bellefleurs, Terry, is also a musician. He plays guitar and does vocals for the Pilbilly Knights – but that’s not all. Todd also participates in The LA Hootenanny, an eclectic group of musicians who perform together every Thursday night at Villains Tavern in Los Angeles.

Founded in 2004, the LA Hootenanny began when a group of Texans bonded together to play Thursday nights at a little Cajun restaurant in Silverlake.

Nodepression.com says of the band: The revolving cast of players finds anywhere from ten to fourteen musicians at a time, crammed onto a tiny stage, playing everything from Johnny Cash to the Pixies to Snoop Dog. Still, despite various musical styles and backgrounds, the Hootenanny has grown to have a homogeneous sound, born partly out of cramped nature of their jam sessions. It may appear from the audience like an uncomfortable set up, but for members of the Hoot, it proves just the opposite.

Todd Lowe on The Hoot:

“I’m all for playing at a place with an upright piano and some kind of southern cuisine. Bringing people in and having that experience, Thursday nights is our thing wherever we’re at.”

So if you’re in the LA area and it happens to be Thursday, git on over to Villains Tavern and check ‘em out.

Read more about The Hoot @  nodepression.com

Alexander Skarsgård, KristinBauer van Straten & Abri van Straten looked smashing at the BlackBook 15th Anniversary party in New York City last night (Sept 7, 2011). Seems like Alex ran into one of his costars from Generation Kill (James Ransone) while there as well. Thanks for finding the pic Jody!

Holy heck! I just realized that’s Frank Sobotka’s son Ziggy from The Wire!

 

NPR radio station KCRW out of Santa Monica, CA had Sam Trammell on as guest DJ today. Sam plays some REM, Husker Du etc. and tells some stories about listening to Tom Waits in Paris.

Listen to the podcast here.

Be sure to go to Interview Magazine’s website where you can listen to each track!

The Dog Days of Summer: Joe Manganiello

The Cure – Burn

Lykke Li - Get Some

Black Stobe – I’m a Man

Iggy Pop – The Passenger

Tegan and Sara – Walking With a Ghost

Fugazi - Waiting Room

Hole – Violet

The Black Keys – Howlin’ For You

Friendly Fires – Paris

DJ Z-Trip – Mash Uptight

The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition

Vampire Weekend – Giving Up the Gun

Moby – Go

Mumford & Sons – White Blank Page

Radiohead – House of Cards

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True Blood – Music From the HBO Series – Volume 3 will be released on September 6th, 5 days before the season 4 finale on September 11th. (Holy moly, there’s only one more month left!). The CD will include the following tracks and there will be an additional Digital Download version that will have even more. Check out a very special rendition of Bad Things at the EW.

1. “Season Of The Witch”  -  Karen Elson featuring Donovan
2. “Me And The Devil” -  Gil Scott-Heron
3. “Te Ni Nee Ni Nu” -  Slim Harpo
4. “She’s Not There” -  Neko Case and Nick Cave
5. “Hitting The Ground”  -  PJ Harvey and Gordon Gano
6. “Spellbound” -  Siouxsie and the Banshees
7. “9 Crimes (Demo)” -  Damien Rice
8.  “Cold Grey Light Of Dawn”  -  Nick Lowe
9. “Hell’s Bells” -  Cary Ann Hearst
10. “Gonna Be A Darkness”  -  Jakob Dylan and Gary Louris
11. “What You Do To Me”  -  BlakRoc
12. “Paradise Circus” -  Massive Attack
13. “And When I Die” -  The Heavy
14. “Bad Things”  -  Jace Everett

Digital Deluxe bonus tracks
15. “Bad Things” – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
16. “She’s Not There” – Dick Isreal And The Soothsayer
17. “She’s Not There” – L’Avventura
18. “She”s Not There” – Paper Pilots

If you’ll remember, Neko Case collaborated with the fantastic Nick Cave on the eponymous “She’s Not There” for episode 1 and she doesn’t disappoint with “I Wish I Was The Moon” on this episode.

Jef With One F of the Houston Press said it better than I could this morning:

“I Wish I Was the Moon” is a cut from Case’s 2002 album Blacklisted, a title that some speculate may have originated from Case being barred from the Grand Old Opry after removing her shirt onstage while in the throes of heatstroke. The sometime New Pornographers songstress fully embraces what she calls country noir and we have been referring to as Southern Gothic.

Neko Case

It’s the most interesting thing in music right now, this continuing resurgence of dark-tinged country and folk music. Case cited Angelo Badalamenti as a big influence while working on Blacklisted, and if there is a more dominant voice in the world of music that is both angelic and terrifying, then we haven’t heard it.

“I Wish I was the Moon” is the kind of song that lives in two worlds. It frees you, and it binds you. It’s both pyre and forge. It is something beyond acceptance on any one plane.

In True Blood, it’s not just that some many of the characters have double lives that is the cause of much of the angst. It’s that those lives are constantly at war with each other. It’s not good versus evil, it’s I versus I. Neko Case serves as the perfect entrance music to that battle, invoking love and despair with every note.

As we said, it’s rare to just sit back and enjoy a moment of beauty in this show, even if that beautiful picture is framed in gilded pain. Thank you, Ms. Case, for giving us that moment.

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Todd Lowe was on hand for Kristen Bauer Van Straten’s charity event for The Amanda Foundation (rescuing dogs and cats since 1976) and tore the absolute ROOF off Molly Malone’s when he and local favorites L.A. Hootenanny rounded out the night with a foot-stomping good time that included a southern fried version of Heart of Glass and what I’m guessing was a German rendition of Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?”.

The guy is both a bonafide rockstar and a southern gent in every sense of the term. As I arrived nearly an hour early (never underestimate L.A. traffic, I always say); it was just myself, Todd and a few of the event coordinators. Todd stepped off the empty stage and made an effort to walk to the back of the room where I was setting up, extended his hand and said “Hi, I’m Todd.”; and I saw him do the same with the sound guy…which proved to me once again that there ARE still some good people in L.A.

So while I had a few moments, I asked him a couple questions!

CL – How did you get involved with tonight’s event?

TL – Kristin asked me. This is the second True Blood associated event that we’ve played; my first we played…Gary Calamar (music director, True Blood) had a show at the Echoplex called “Out For Blood” and we opened for Jace Everett and John Doe. That was with another band I play with called “Pillbilly Knights” (currently on hiatus) and we have a record out; one of our songs is getting a little bit of radio play on some of the satellite stations. Since two of the guys have had babies and the show has taken up a lot of time so the tour we had planned has gone on the backburner and we’ll get back to it. The bass player from PK is playing with us tonight.

CL – Now that your storyline with Arlene is growing, it seems like we’re seeing a lot more of Terry emotionally lately.

TL – Well, Terry has found some normalcy in his life, which is what he wants more than anything. Everything that he saw in the war; the tumultuous tempest that goes on in his head with his PTSD. Now that he has a focus on a good life with a good woman (Terry sees her NO other way) and a family that he’s moved into; this is the best blessing that could ever be for him. He lives a domestic life; he is a caretaker and a bit of a breadwinner. Now, he’s got a good job (well, a solid job) and who knows if he might not have some stuff going on on the side to make a little bit more money.

It’s been great as an actor to grow into that and see “Oh, they’re giving me a little bit more, there’s some stuff I can play other than just enigmatic and damaged; I can be supporting and loving and protective.” It’s been nice and I hope it keeps going!

CL – Okay, I GOTTA ask about the nudity and especially the orgy scenes from Season 2…how the hell did you get through those with a straight face?

TL – Well, there’s no eroticism to them at all – especially on that orgy stuff. It was 38 degrees in a canyon in Calabasas and if anything, we were “humping” together to keep warm. Hahaha!

CL – A lot of my girl and gay friends find Terry so endearing because no matter what Arlene does or says, he still loves her. Even when cousin Andy’s mean to Terry, he accepts and loves Andy all the same. So…how many marriage proposals do you get from season to season?

TL – Not as much as I’d like, haha! That’s good information to hear and hopefully if I do get into shape there’ll be a reveal…but the fan response is always nice! It’s always flattering when someone comes up to you and tells you they enjoy your work and I take the time to talk to people for a second. I feel blessed to be in this.

CL – Who did you talk to when researching effects of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)?

TL – I’ve talked to a few soldiers and I have some relatives that I’ve drawn off of. The interesting thing about Terry is that in the books he’s written as a Vietnam veteran and in our show, we made him from the Iraqi War. With the Vietnam veterans, there was a draft; so there was a little bit more pathos that comes with somebody who was drafted and had to go over there against their will, whereas people in the Iraqi War were enlisted men and CHOSE to enlist (enlisted men and women). I’m not saying it’s a tougher experience either way but I think Charlaine Harris wrote him as almost this sad vet, “will work for food” kind of guy, and the writing staff and me have made him a little stronger than that; he’s empowered.

CL – Speaking of Miss Charlaine, how has she reacted to your interpretation of Terry?

TL – The first time I met her, we were shooting season 1 on location outside of Shreveport (Louisiana)…it was the scene where Andy and I were on a boat and a naked Sam runs by and I’ve said “I’ve done that before”. She was in a make-up chair next to me and was getting ready to do this interview, and I said “Hi, I’m Todd. I bet you don’t know who I’m playing.” and she said “Oh, no, dear. Help me out.” I said “Well, I’m about 25-30 years younger than what you wrote, but I’m playing Terry Bellefleur” and she hadn’t known that and she said “Oh, okay” – I didn’t know how she felt about it but since then she’s come up to me and grabbed my hands and said “We all love you and you’re doing a wonderful job with the character!” and it’s nice to get that kind of blessing from the writer of the source material.

CL – Some directors will sometimes do a ‘Freaky Friday’ type of rehearsal where they’ll say “switch roles”…if that happened in an episode; who would you want to play?

TL – Well, Jason Stackhouse seems like a pretty fun role to play and Lafayette would be a lot of fun; he gets to do so much! I couldn’t do it NEAR as well as he (Nelsan Ellis) does and I don’t even want to infringe on the job that everyone else does but the funnest parts I think would be Jason or Lafayette.

CL – Why the hell does Terry let Mikey (the kid) play with that nasty old doll?

TL – (laughs) Well, it’s sturdy and that was my line – “Well, he can’t tear this thing up” and he kinda looks past those kind of things. And y’know, boys will be boys; yeah the thing looks dirty and it’s old and charming…but I think mostly because it’s sturdy and he can’t really tear the head off it.

Ready for some serious rockstar moments that helped raise nearly $5000 for The Amanda Foundation?! Check THESE out!!

The aforementioned German version of “Where Is My Mind?”:

AND…

For more info about L.A. Hootenanny, you can like them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lahootenanny) and follow them on Twitter (https://twitter.com/lahootenanny)

For more on Pillbilly Knights, you can pick up their album on CD Baby and like their Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=102313243844

For more about The Amanda Foundation, go to their official website (http://www.amandafoundation.org) and you can also follow them on Twitter (https://twitter.com/amandafnd)

Last Thursday night at Molly Malone’s in Los Angeles, True Blood star Kristin Bauer Van Straten (a.k.a. “Pam”) hosted a charity event benefiting The Amanda Foundation (rescuing dogs and cats since 1976) and featured musical guests Abri Van Straten (husband of Kristin), Chris Pierce (fiance of Tara Buck a.k.a. “Ginger”), and L.A. Hootenanny (Todd Lowe a.k.a. “Terry” is a member).

The night went a little something like this…

Abri Van Straten took the stage first and eased me into the night of music that was to come. Gotta say, I’d not heard of him before that night and he certainly won me over; I can TOTALLY see how Kristin fell in love with this guy. He’s such an amazing singer/songwriter that when he got to a song about rainbows, the room went from rowdy to pin drop quiet …he’s THAT good.

Here he is singing the song he wrote about Kristin, titled “Monet”

And because I’m in a giving mood…here he is singing “Wild Flower”

In between sets, the adorable duo of Kristin Bauer Van Straten and Tara Buck took the stage to raffle off goodies that included signed True Blood memorabilia and fun cd box sets by Sinatra and Bob Marley!

Turning up the heat on the stage was Tara Buck’s fiance, Chris Pierce…holy BALLS, y’all. He busted out some soulful blues and when he did his rendition of “I Put a Spell on You” he did that shiz RIGHT…unfortunately I had to clear space on my iPhone and couldn’t get his set but I think this picture sums up how hot it was.

And after a final raffle and photo ops with Van Straten, Lowe, Buck AND other True Blood stars in attendance like Jim Parrack (Hoyt), Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica) and Mariana Klaveno (Lorena); the dance floor began to fill up fast in anticipation of a band I’d never heard of and (now that I’ve seen them live) will never forget: L.A. Hootenanny. Todd Lowe and crew reminded me that GOOD live music is still alive and well in Los Angeles…not to mention that his enthusiasm and smile made the crowd clap their hands, stomp their feet, and grin from ear to ear; myself included!

Look at this face and TELL me you wouldn’t have a good time with this dude around.

Here’s the crew in action singing a cover of Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?” in German!

I mean, L.A. Hootenanny had the crowd hootin and a’hollerin! It was AMAZING!!!

When the smoke cleared, nearly $5000.00 had been raised for The Amanda Foundation and although I chickened out getting pics or saying hello to them (I could kick myself for not saying hi to Jim Parrack, heh heh); I DID ask for one picture with the woman who organized it all…

Miss Kristin!

Thanks again for an AMAZING night!!!

For more information, check out the following:

The Amanda Foundation- official website | Twitter

Chris Pierce – official website | Twitter

Abri Van Straten – official website

Kristin Bauer Van Straten – official website | Twitter

Tara Buck – Twitter

L.A. Hootenanny – Facebook | Twitter