While ferreting out every Ben Folds song I could find on the Web (circa 2008), I discovered yet another amazing talent in the form of Julia Nunes who did this cover of “Gone” while playing the ukulele (yes, that’s right, the ukulele). Over the years I’ve tuned into her YouTube channel (Jaaaaaaa) to hear as much about her “ride” as her music. You see, Julia Nunes is a force of nature. If her music doesn’t get you then her goofy, exuberant personality and infectious smile most certainly will.

Julia has been singing and writing songs since she was 14 and has been publishing videos on YouTube since 2006 where she has amass a large, dedicated fanbase. Including Ben Folds, who upon seeing her videos, asked her to open at four of his shows. She has since performed with many other artists (e.g. Weezer, Ben Kweller, The Bacon Brothers), produced three albums under her own label Rude Butler Records, and most recently appeared on Conan (her television debut) to perform her latest single “Stay Awake” (below).

On June 11th, 2011, Julia launched a Kickstarter page to raise $15,000 for her fourth album Settle Down (due out today). Within 24 hours she had nearly $19,000 and by the time it was over, she had raised $77,888 from 1,685 pledges. As a result, she spent more time in the studio, hired more musicians, and produced several higher quality videos. The three video vignettes below show off her range from playful to sultry.

You can get her latest album here. Last month, Evan Schlansky on American Songwriter did this interview with Julia Nunes. Worth the read.

Now that the New York Fashion Week is behind us I can contribute to the post-show noise if for no other reason then it makes for good SEO.

Admittedly, I’m not much of a fashionista or stylephyle or even a clothes horse but I am something of a music buff (just cruise this site) so this post is less about Prêt-à-Porter (though I do like their wit) and more about the Prêt-à-Porter theme song. No, not the soundtrack to Robert Altman’s 1994 black comedy starring Sophia Loren. I’m talking about “Get the Look” by Pablo Avion that is destined to become the biggest runway runaway hit since Ini Kamoze’s “Here Comes the Hotstepper”. And get this, Pablo is releasing his next two singles on 8-track cartridges! Why? Because he can and it is retro-cool. His musical style is eclectic and sometimes reminiscent of bygone days. This little ditty sounds a bit like a snarky Herman’s Hermits.

Baby, you’re gonna’ get the look
I know I’ll catch you in the center
Before you bait the hook
Baby, you’re gonna’ make it real
I know you’re gonna’ come out angling
No matter what I feel

One day, prêt-à-porter
You’re gonna’ have it, your little way
You’re gonna’ splash it, in West L.A.

‘Cause, you’ve got the look
Just like Antonioni’s Blow Up
But you keep me hangin’ on
Just like some B-film makeup artist, on the run

Baby, you’re gonna’ model right
I know you’re gonna’ come out squawking
You’re gonna’ last all night
Baby, you’re gonna’ rule the scene
I know you’re gonna’ put on purple
To make the queens all scream

One day, prêt-à-porter
You’re gonna’ have it, your little way
You’re gonna’ splash it, in West L.A.

‘Cause, you’ve got the look
Just like Antonioni’s Blow Up
But you keep me hangin’ on
Just like some B-film makeup artist, on the run

Baby, one day I’m gonna’ prove
All the things you had to gain by staying
All the things you’ll lose

One day, prêt-à-porter
I’m gonna’ mack it, I’m gonna make my way
To L.A., I’m gonna’ smash it

‘Cause, you’ve got the look
Just like Antonioni’s Blow Up
But you keep me hangin’ on
Just like some B-film makeup artist, on the run

You’ve got the look
Just like Antonioni’s Blow Up
But you keep me hangin’ on
Just like some B-film makeup artist, on the run

If you’re really interested in the actual runway music from New York Fashion Week, Alyssa Vingan put together this playlist for Maire Claire.

This month’s Cool Tool post goes to FFFFallback, a handy little bookmarklet that lets web designers easily test different fallback fonts for their web-based creations.

To install, simply drag the bookmarklet to your browser’s toolbar (only works for browsers that use WebKit such as Chrome, Safari, and FireFox). To use, simply click the bookmarklet and it will scan the current web page’s CSS for existing Web Fonts and list them on the right side of your browser along with input fields for changing the fonts and font styles (e.g. font-size, color, line-spacing).

FFFFallback was created by two self-proclaimed “professional nerds” Josh Brewer and Mark Christian who eke out a living at a little known company called Twitter. You can download the source code on github.

Looking for Web Fonts to fill out your @font-face tag, start with Google’s open-source fonts (with over 400 fonts). If you don’t mind paying a monthly fee for fonts then try Adobe’s Typekit (with over 700 fonts). There is a free plan under Typekit but you only have access to a “trial library”  (at last count 192 fonts) and requires you to display the Typekit badge.

The first Facebook Marketer Conference will be held in NYC on February 29, 2012, but it is by invitation only. However, if your invite got lost in the mail, you can still catch some of the event real-time on the fMC website, including key presentations from Facebook’s global marketing solution team (i.e. Sheryl Sandberg, Chris Cox, and David Fischer).

One of the hot features to be unveiled at the conference is Facebook Timeline for Brands. Timeline for individuals was introduced at F8 in September as a new profile page format which generates scrapbook-like collages of status updates, photos, and videos spanning user’s entire history on Facebook (watch video below). For brands, it is an opportunity to create a more intimate relationship with the user by “seamlessly” integrating with their daily lives.

Timeline, along with Facebook’s other new feature Gestures, opens up the door to a more meaningful way for brands to interact with consumers. But just like the Photo Tagging Auto-Suggestion of last June it is a slippery slope, raising concerns over privacy and the perception that we are commercializing our most private moments. These things tend to be self-correcting though and can’t honestly fault companies for exploring new avenues of engagement. For now, it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

To say Arnold Schwarzenegger is (was) big in Japan is probably too obvious but the way this guy chows down noodles is kinda kimi warui. Most of these video clips come from Japander.com which defines japander as a western movie star who uses his or her fame to make large sums of money in a short time by advertising products in Japan that they would probably never use. It is surprising just how many big name celebrities do some pretty crappy commercials abroad. Hey, it is all about the Fukuzawas. Fun for us nevertheless.