Illustrations by Sam Brewster. He's done work for several publications including Science Fair, Reader's Digest and Bullet Magazine. Brewster employs humorous juxtaposition and an eclectic color pallet. Sometimes social commentary and other times just plain weird, but entirely satisfying. With a trademark style watch out for Brewster's work in future publications and be sure to check out his publishing website Hand of Man Publishing.
What do you do when everything you have is gone? You've divorced your wife, split custody of your kids, bankruptcy is a real possibility and the bank is foreclosing your home. This is the life of Charles Wittenmeier - a down on his luck, middle-aged director who was major player in the TV advertising game through the 90's. For many years Wittenmeier lived a life of luxury in Hollywood, but with the the changing economy of the new millennium, Wittenmeier's career hit a low spot and he moved from Tinseltown to Stumptown with his family. They found their dream home in the Mt. Tabor area and planned to discover happier times. The hard times never ceased for Wittenmeier though and eventually his wife left him. Now the one of a kind home in Mt. Tabor, where he had hoped to reboot his life and career, is a constant symbol of broken dreams. When the bank told Wittenmeier they were foreclosing on his home he decided he wasn't going to let that emptiness be his final memories of that place. Wittenmeier knew he had to do something drastic if he ever wanted salvation. Looking back he says:
"I'm at a time in my life where I've lost everything and I've lost nothing. My goal is to live a life as a positive example for my kids in finally doing what I love. This is an experiment to finish the things I've always wanted to finish, collaborate with people I've always wanted to collaborate with and ultimately gain insight into myself. One day I was sitting in the empty house after my wife moved out and I realized my life has become the Talking Heads song. How did we get here and where do we go? As American's we've been sold a bill of goods, and I've helped sell it."
Together with Jordan Kinley and the rest of the Into The Woods gang, the group has decided to do something with this wonderful home, to make good on that dream to change his life. The house will be seized on May 28th, and so starting May 1st, the group of enterprising folks have joined together to turn the lovely home into a massive work space for musicians, visual artists and writers and document that creative period. The project is appropriately titled "28 Days in May". At the end they hope to produce a coffee table book, an album and a documentary. The group has a Kickstarter page going to raise funds for the project and it also explains the project in much more detail. In addition to purely funding an awesome project and opportunity like this, at Kickstarter you can also find incentives for your level of contribution. With only 3 days to go, the group needs some major donations to reach their $10,000 goal. If you're in the Portland area I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this soon. They plan to have live shows and a constantly rotating crew of creative people coming in and out, as well as some more permanent characters. If you're not, be on the lookout for the end-products which will likely be available sometime this year. Check out this video below or watch it over on the Kickstarter page. Become a fan on Facebook too.
This for my father who was diagnosed with brain cancer this week. If you have parents you love, please give them a call and just have a chat. My dad is a huge jazz fan and still remembers the exact moment he first heard this album in its heyday. Miles Davis will always be one of the greatest musicians off all-time and Kind of Blue is considered by many to be the best jazz album ever, one of the best albums of any genre. His backing personnel on this album may be one of the greatest lineups too - Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Jimmy Cobb and Bill Evans. Anyways, just watch this great live version of "So What" and get your parents on the phone because you never know what can happen.
Hot off the heels of Plastic Beach, Damon Albarn has once again reunited with the horse that got him there - Blur. One of the biggest bands of the late 90's, Blur was one the quintessential indie Brit rock groups. Blur's last production was in 2003 with Think Tank. Since then Albarn has blown up even further with one of the biggest bands of the new millenium - Gorillaz. Blur released the track on April 17th to celebrate Record Store Day. Great guitar work and Albarn's trademark melancholy blend for a nice summer jam. Personally being a little disappointed with Plastic Beach, I'd love to see if this single is a sign of things to come. For now, I guess we'll have to do with this and just reminisce on the old days.
Part happy, part sad, part music video, part fashion, part short film - all beautiful. Starring the gorgeous Lou Doillon, directed by Stephanie Di Giusto. Here's a little number that is sure to entertain. Have a look.
By now Banksy is a pretty well known name amongst people who live in cities, under the age of 30. Whether or not you fit that description, you may not have known that there has been a Banksy film in the works - Exit Through the Gift Shop. Premiering at Sundance 2010, the film features footage of several of the most famous graffiti painters in the world including Space Invader, Andre, Shepard Fairey, and of course, Banksy. There is footage of several of these artists at work and also exclusive up close scenes with the masked man himself. It looks as if there are several twists to the expected, which is exactly what we've come to expect from Banksy and the film only does wonders for furthering the Banksy mythos. One description of the film says "L.A.-based filmmaker Terry Guetta set out to record this secretive world in thrilling detail. For more than eight years he traveled with a backpack through Europe and America. After he met a British street artist known only as Banksy, things took a bizarre turn," while others have added, "The film tells the story of an eccentric shop-keeper-turned-documentary-maker who attempts to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on him."
So while the identity of Banksy is certainly never revealed, nor any rumors confirmed, it's not even clear whether in the end Banksy may have actually directed it or not. John Cooper, Sundance Festival Director, said "Sundance has shown films by unknown artists, but never an anonymous one." Oh Banksy, you sly motherfucker. The world can only wait to see what you do next.
Exit Through the Gift Shop is currently premiering at several US locations over the course of this month and next, but unfortunately there is no showing in Portland. Lame! So if you want to, go ahead and tease yourself with this trailer like I did and eagerly wait to see the full feature somewhere, somehow. You'll be the first to know if I find out.
“In my work I attempt to visualize the imperceptible geologic process by compacting millions of years into a single moment. Rocks bend and grow. Entire mountains crumble in an instant. And the environmental damage that human kind has left in their wake has long since healed. I’m drawn to how geologic processes (erosion, orogeny, etc) relate to our institutions (financial, governmental, etc). I strive to present an era that defies human intervention in the landscape. An optimistic view of the natural world, post human presence.” — Adam Friedman
This is why college is stupid. I feel like this is a great example of 90% of my classmates and/or professors. Without getting too lofty over a short animation, I think it concisely illustrates the subversively toxic progression of credentialism in our society. Funny, but kind of sad in that context. That being said this video is pretty entertaining for all its brevity. Have a look.
James Murphy is becoming a well-known name these days, on and off the internet. Co-founder of DFA Records and frontman of LCD Soundsystem. The latter is is releasing their 3rd album, This is Happening, May 18th. Until that time NPR, yes National Public Radio - who by the way have made huge strides in their online entertainment section in the last year or so if you hadn't noticed (yay public radio!), is streaming the entirety of This is Happening from their entertainment section until that date. The album in it's entirety is much better than the uninteresting, 90's throwback single "Drunk Girls" and the accompanying half baked music video directed by the pandemonious Spike Jonze. Although, Murphy and LCD make up for it with "Dance Yrself Clean", the rightful single and a song I haven't gotten out of my head for a few days. Composed and explosive, highly dynamic and cohesive sound - the funky auxillary drums and low key, melancholic lyrics float along to a dreamy synth that bridges the gap between lo-fi-ish, downtempo and the sudden eruption of electronic noise where Murphy lets the vocals ride. Conveniently the first song on the album, listen to it below along with the whole release. The album which continues LCD's blend of rock and electro, is at once streamlined and still surprisingly buoyant. Murphy, 40, who just contributed some tracks to Noah Baumbach's Greenberg, a film about conviction and aging, is certainly the embodiment of those themes. I'm looking forward to the new album which will definitely be out in full force when LCD Soundsystem plays Sasquatch on Sunday, May 30th, and at the Roseland on May 29th here in Portland.
Track Listing - 1. "Dance Yrself Clean" 2. "Drunk Girls" 3. "One Touch" 4. "All I Want" 5. "I Can Change" 6. "You Wanted a Hit" 7. "Pow Pow" 8. "Somebody's Calling Me" 9. "Home"
Tim Burton certainly has his die hard fans, die hard haters. I'd say I'm somewhere in the middle. I think he's certainly an auteur of sorts and this first short film of his Vincent proves just that. It's clear that his trademark dark, whimsical style has been there from the beginning. I actually like this short quite a bit, like some of his other early stuff, which proves what I've said lately. That being, I think he's gotten a little too big budget for his own good. With the budget to do whatever he wants, he ironically just continues doing the same thing. A smaller budget would force some much needed ingenuity out of him. Anyways, check this early work out and see if you agree.
Cardboard or Bread? 100% Ghetto Blasta. Design by Sein.
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Well maybe you don't have to bump this jam below, but definitely get a jive on with this hot track from The Strange Boys. "Be Brave" is so conventional and straightforward it's fresh. A solid riff, a groovy horn section and an infectious chorus make this track one of the funnest cuts on the interwaves right now. More on The Strange Boys later. For now just work on figuring what the hell ever happened to simple, solid jams like this.
Anyone who hasn't checked out the Seattle-based label Hardly Art certainly should. With bands like The Dutchess & The Duke and Le Loup, they are certainly holding it down for the Northwest along with plethora of other solid labels round these parts. If you haven't checked either of the above acts, go now, but if you have or just don't care what my nappy head has to say then I urge you to check out this track - Ichthus Hop by Talbot Tagora (also on Hardly Art if you didn't put that together.) Off their latest LP Lessons in the Woods or a City, this off key thrash pop is sure to get your nappy head bobbing wildly along. Ah look, I just insulted us both! Now we're even. As long as we stay united here in the great Northwest. And if you're not from the Northwest, well... that sucks.
Check out this pretty rad skate video from Liam Mitchell and the talented film collective Salazar. Not the "phattest trickz", but still a beautifully captured concept for a genre that's been rehashed for decades now. Also featuring some fun old school vibes from The Seeds, Kula Shaker and Generationals. Which is great because it saves me the trouble of having to blog Generationals seperately. Listen for the last song in this video, "When They Fight, They Fight", or check it out on their myspace because it's one of my favorite cuts right now. Ah hell, I'll just throw it up after the video. You have no excuses now!
This track kind of blew up recently and for good reason. So you may have heard it already, but I do love this music video which you may not have seen. Also, Caribou's new album Swimjust dropped on 4/20. Something of a new direction for Caribou, who I previously loved for the electro psych-rock vibes of "Melody Days" off Andorra (2007). That track is still available for listen on the MySpace. With "Odessa" and Swim though, Caribou has struck out in a new direction. Eschewing the 60's and 70's sounds of Andorra in favor of something more modern, the vocals in "Odessa" hark on Chromeo, but the melody and instrumentation never tries for that disco vibe. Nonetheless, "Odessa" is running away with the prize for the dirtiest dance beat of the summer. This album establishes Dan Snaith (Caribou) as a true heavyweight in the electronic scene, proving that he can probably do just about anything. Anyways, check out the video and pick up the new album.
A short film that I've admired for a long time. It's a favorite of mine for those occasional "youtube throwdowns" if you know what I mean. Certainly one of the most inventive stop-motion shorts I've ever seen. Check out Spaghetti Western by PES. With a trademark whimsical style, PES received an Honorable Mention in Short Film at Sundance 09 for this offering. Find out why below.
For all readers in PDX (assuredly most of you) come get down this Saturday (April 24th) to stylings of Soap Collectors, Spesus Christ, Adventures! With Might andYour Canvas. Soap Collectors is releasing their new album at this show and it's sure to be awesome. Formerly known as the Funky Church (2456 SE Tamarack), this space is incredible. Looks like a church, rocks like a house basement. Spesus Christ has been featured on this blog before. They have some new content out since then available over the interwebs or at the show. They're are a great local band and the others are equally great and local. So come one, come all for Saturday Mass.
Let me preface this post with NSFW, but you probably already figured that out. Alva Bernadine is completely unapologetic for his sexually charged, surrealist photography that is anything but tame. Flamboyant imagery and striking composition combine in his latest book Gratuitous Sex and Violence: My Favorites. A pretty blatant title, the photography is uncomfortably humorous and is sure to keep your eyes wide shut as you make your way through it. Bernadine sums his work up best when he says:
“I take the theatricality of surrealism, the elegance of classical haute couture photography, the narrative of reportage and the refinements of advertising photography and mix them all into a ‘Bernadinian cocktail’ — a radical photographic synthesis.”
What may seem over the top to some has certainly brought Bernadine some prominent work. Over his 25 year career he has shot for Vogue, GQ and Elle. Personally I think it's great stuff though, so cringe, laugh and hopefully enjoy.
A growing favorite of mine check out Jonathan Boulet. Coming out of Australia, this flowering new artist has been making some waves in the blogosphere lately. At 21 years old, he's caught the eye of several prominent blogs with the cut, "A Community Service Announcement". As the single of the self-titled debut on Modular Records (label for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolfmother and Chromeo to name a few), it's a super poppy, riff driven anthem that is nothing short of infectiously catchy and upbeat. Hopefully this guy will get over to the states soon and we can bounce around in real time to this young blood. I was kind of surprised he didn't get picked up for any summer festivals. Also check out "Continue Calling", a track that appropriately sounds like it was made during a debauchery-laden late night basement jam session.
Adolescence, love, absurdity - things we can all relate too. Which is why this short film from Gastón Rothschild is so entertaining and heartfelt. It seems Rothschild hasn't made much else yet, but I look forward to his future work. Check out this beautiful little Argentinian piece to see what I mean.
Spring is in the air and that's always inspiration for change. So with that, I'm trying to exercise more, be more tidy around the house, be more responsible and most importantly - write more. Expect to see some more content on here in the coming days and weeks. I've been talking to some friends about becoming contributors so that certainly increase the volume and diversity of content. I changed the blog layout and color scheme drastically for something a litle more fresh and lightweight. In the meantime here is a jam from Real Estate that hopefully gets you warmed up a little bit. With the release of their lovely new self-titled LP on Woodsist Records, Real Estate is playing the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago this summer. Expect to hear a lot more about these guys later this year.
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