"I Got Words!" (Not in English)

Mother/Child Reunion – Latest Edition

Three L's

Morning Studies

I Spy

Libby Lee's First Flight: All Systems Itsy-Bitsy.

Naptime Hair Feature

Magnetic Attraction!

As you can clearly sea!

The Two R's: Readin' -n- 'Robics

Some plush Seaside couch time

The Tattoing of the Tattooer

The Tattoing of the Tattooer, a photo by mrtoastey on Flickr.

Co-creators of The Lexington Tattoo Project Kremena Todorova and Kurt Gohde — neither of whom has any previous experience with tattooing — work on the project's lead tattoo artist, Robert Alleyne… with plenty of guidance and faith! Robert's word? "It"

portrait for business mag

Fun portrait for a Lexington business magazine

POSTED ON JANUARY 17, 2013 
BY CELESTE LEWIS

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Saving Rock-n-Roll — for The Kids, Man…

Nobody could understand. They'd never get it. Your friends don't know, and you? You listen to that record, rocking out, alone in the car, or maybe on headphones and every time you think: I wish somebody understood how great this is.

That record (this time) is the self-titled 2000 album by a quartet of wild-eyed ambitious LA kids called Tsar.

I came to Tsar by way of my cousin, who was friends with some of the members. The sticker on my promo copy says: "TSAR exhibit all the qualities of what will rescue rock 'n' roll: Anthemic choruses, blasting riffs and an all-important sense of melodic richness rooted in the tradition of classic British Invasion pop, but no doubt fueled by the brash, free-for-all spirit of early punk."

Yeah, right. How many part-time PR people have tried to frame their friend's band this way?

It was The Year 2000, the dawn of a new millennium, pre-9/11, and thus a pretty good time to be spouting such hyperbole. The thing is, though? Tsar's first record sounds kind of exactly like that — almost heartbreakingly so.. Once, sometime after embracing my immediate love of the album, I was raving to my cousin about its greatness, its ROCKness, and I let slip a personal predilection I'd been smugly hiding: "They're joking, right?" I gushed to him, and was immediately sorry, because — in his pause over the phone — I could hear the sting. "No, I don't think they're joking…" he too quietly replied.

But still — there was some kind of undeniable earnestness captured here. Through the unbridled — I don't know — ROCK of it all, there was this clearly glowing ember of "tryin' to make it." Strugglin. (Sidenote: That was also the name of a band in the small town I grew up in, and to this day I think it was a great name because it's somehow exactly what the rock dream is: Strugglin.)

It's happened this way for years: The itch starts and must be scratched. After a week or so of top-decibel car jamming, the TSAR cd goes back into the collection its appeal waning for a time. But after more than a decade, I can tell you that it always comes back out, the dream re-ignited by something or another in my boring non-rock life. And when it does, that same feeling comes over me again. "I wish somebody got this."

I make up that's silly "it's like" statements in my head and my latest: It's like Rick Springfield convinced Kiss to be the Bay City Rollers. And yes: that's a compliment.

I hope rock-n-roll always needs saving and always has room for saviors like Tsar. Even if people don't realize they're being saved.

— For BCM

Uke Group Portrait for Smiley Pete Publications

One of my favorite portraits in recent memory — partially because I managed to art direct and shoot the portrait … while also being in the portrait (see the remote in my left hand?)

POSTED ON DECEMBER 20, 2012 
BY SARAYA BREWER

David Quisenberry (center) started the Lexingtones Ukulele Group on Facebook to find other interested ukulele players. The group now practices about once a week. PHOTO BY MICK JEFFRIES

Here's the article:
Put Up Your Ukes: meet the Lexingtones Ukulele Group | Chevy Chaser Magazine

Anjali & Maya

Lexingtones Ukulele Group Portrait

Lexingtones Ukulele Group Portrait, a photo by mrtoastey on Flickr.

for Chevy Chaser Magazine.

Alert viewers will notice that I'm remotely firing the frame, after having posed the group and jumped into the frame. (I could have Photoshopped out the remote, but I like it better leaving it in the frame.)

and so it begins… #vampiresanta

Two of My Favorite Moms

Aunt Adelia and MY mom.. both major maternal figures in my life.

Me? I like my water *old*

Introducing…

My new Mainland red cedar Concert ukulele! So thrilled!

All the email addresses I knew in 1989. All six.

A long time ago, before Facebook, before the Web, before America Online (whatever that was), almost nobody had email. Here's the Rolodex (what?!) card on which I kept my friends who had email. This was probably 1989. Exciting times. Remember these addie's, friends? (not tagged: Robin Jones, who first showed me the World Wide Web, and Jamie Tittle who was always ahead of everybody. I can't place the addy in the lower right corner)

I have arrived — albeit a little late as usual but with appropriate aplomb. (With singular gratitude for my friend and colleague Colonel Griffin VanMeter.)

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"The Pirate Sessions: Umpteenth Edition. #libbylee "

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The Instagram Team

Impression Series: The Stevie Wonder (guest impressionist: Lucy)

Shining Through

plenty more at www.libbylee.me

Ginkgo Swirl

I love Ginkgo trees in autumn. I've never before noticed one in mid leaf change... awesome…

Ginkgo Magic

I love Ginkgo trees in autumn. I've never before noticed one in mid leaf change... awesome…

happy 90th bday KY Theatre!!

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"nite, Nola …"

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John & Susan get married, NOLA style… such great times

Royal Coffee #nola #hdr

Napoleon House (with Mario's ghost) #pano

French Quarter #Pano

Treme Church

I could die happy sitting at the carousel bar at the hotel monteleone. happy.

Portal

Comin' Up

The next thing we do is, we celebrate this baby on her 364th day on Spaceship Earth. She's comin' up. #libbylee

#HERAKUT no. 2 #lexky #PRHBTN Lime & 6th! GO SEE IT!

the lexington visit by German muralists Herakut has become the social event of the week. It's amazing that they get any paint up for all the visiting that goes on. :-)

#HERAKUT #lexky #PRHBTN

German muralists Herakut's freshly finished piece at Market & Short in Lexington KY, as a part of the PRHBTN show of street art.

Herakut in #lexky #PRHBTN

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"Aunt Dana on Point( s). Libby Lee: Day 359. #libbylee"

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Herakut at work in #lexky #prhbtn

"Damn everything … but the circus."

Kaydence has a hysterically good time at the Greatest Show on Earth.

Two Wheels! The beginning of a new chapter in mobility!

After a week of home-street practice and the arrival of Little Nutty helmet, we're rollin! (background: the incredible delightful Yepp Mini seat all the way from The Netherlands)

the Daily Ukulele Lesson

the Daily Ukulele Lesson, a photo by mrtoastey on Flickr.

Baby Services

"As an added service — at at no extra charge — I made this pail be completely empty."
Originally uploaded by mrtoastey

Another Moment from the Golden Age of Cell Phone Videography

What's so hilarious about an iPhone app (8mm) that makes crappy, time-worn "home movies?" A lot, it turns out. (Don't forget, Libby Lee fans — most baby content now syndicates directly to her blog, You and Me and Libby Lee)

Impression Series: The Original Musiquarium

Libby Lee at 10 Months

Baby's first off-the-hook music festival (in the VIP section, of course) @forecastle @mmmarchingband

Libby Lee & Daddy: Forecastle Festi 2012. This baby was the REAL rock star.

snack?