Kate Banazi - Featurette

We recently purchased this Palm Heart print from Kate Banazi aka alyoisiusspyker and it's so awesome in person that we had to share a bit more of her work here.







Visit her etsy shop alyoisiusspyker
See more works from her portfolio

New Ben Pederson Video(s)

The ostensible battle in Ben Pederson’s new video appears to be a pretext for dealing with ideas of war, peace, chemical mind expansion and the visual language of dissent. The psychedelic style of the video is also one of its subjects. Like many of Pederson’s other videos it is ironic without being cynical, and funny without being a joke. “Battle” represents an exciting current of thought among artists who take the counter-cultural movements and icons of the past seriously, but are not so interested in nostalgia. Pederson’s work has a place at the very end of a long Romantic tradition. He has a special gift for giving ubiquitous pop culture subjects unexpected contexts and disquieting facets. It all ends up going in the bong.

Pederson and I used to laugh a lot about this place called Lidz. Lidz is a store in some shopping malls that sells hats-- lids, get it? But with a “z.” Lidz! Ben dedicated the video to me, which really flatters me to no end.

Bi-Mon Sci-Fi Con

I know it will be tough for you to believe, but I wasn't always the super cool, style maven that I am today. In fact, when I was in elementary and middle school I was into comic books in a big way. My tastes were pretty pedestrian: X-Men, Batman, Spiderman, but I was certainly enthusiastic.




Today, Bees and I went to the Fanaticon (!) in downtown Asheville, partly to reconnect with my geeky past, and partly to have something to do on such a nice day. Fanaticon is the first comic book convention I've been to in approximately 20 years. The scene has really grown up (irony intended).



There were Storm Troopers, Ewoks, Batmen, Spidermen, zombies, girls in corsets, and Ghostbusters to beat the band. I really enjoy seeing people who are aggressively into a particular interest or way of life getting a chance to fully be themselves and immerse themselves in their passion without any fear at all of reprisal from the "straights."



Being in the Fanaticon, terms like "nerd" and "geek" kind of lose their meanings, or at least their power. Our purchases amounted to 10 bucks worth of horror comics from the Bronze Age, or the 1970's, for those of you not down with the lingo. We had a blast. A laser blast! Excelsior!



More photos to come!

Hands Plus Land

Joseph Diliberti as photographed by Allen J Schaben for the LA Times

Joseph Diliberti isn't like most Rastafarian ex-Marine Vietnam veterans that you meet. He has some rather compelling ideas regarding housing and simple living. I found out about him and his amazing digs on the LA Times website. Check out the audio slideshow, and bail on your mortgage.

Danny Heller - Palm Springs Exhibition

Last summer, we posted a feature about the paintings of Danny Heller. The essay is published on the back cover of the exhibition catalogue of Heller’s 2010 solo exhibition at Terrence Rogers Fine Art in Palm Springs, California.



Heller’s paintings in the Palm Springs exhibition, Heller’s third solo show with the Terrence Rogers Gallery, depict Mid-Century Modern suburban architecture and furnishings of Southern California. This group of paintings is Heller’s most complex and alluring.



Many of these new paintings feature hard-edged shadows that bisect the compositions. The effect is similar to that of the formal shadows of film noir. As in many noir films of the late 1940’s, Heller’s Palm Springs paintings suffuse scenes of Southern California opulence with paranoia and secrecy.

Stills from He Walked By Night (1948)

Some paintings depict scenes at dusk or at night. The visual language is that of drama, suspense, and fear. Heller’s Palm Springs paintings have roots that reach more aspects and attitudes of Mid-Century Southern California than the subject matter immediately suggests.




See the paintings here:
Danny Heller Art

Or on the Terrence Rogers site.

Phish on Phriday-- photos by Justin Horne

These are recent photos by Brooklyn-based Justin Horne. He sent them to me the day I finished watching the “Phish: Live in Brooklyn” DVD’s.

“Song I Heard the Ocean Sing,” which opened the first Brooklyn 2004 show, particularly reminds me living in NYC-- but in a good way! This combination of “Waves > Song I Heard the Ocean Sing > David Bowie” from Knoxville 2009 seems appropriate today.



I didn’t see the two Brooklyn shows when they happened in 2004, but Justin Horne did. He has a supernatural level of luck when it comes to getting good tickets (frequently miracles) to sold out shows, like the Brooklyn shows.



Like Mr. Wizard or MacGyver, Horne makes disproportionately cool things happen with what seem like small gestures. Natural principles are corralled and focused by simple means. Horne combines a strong color sense with minimal techniques to make a variety of formal works that deal with chance, transition and transformation.



See more at JustinHorne.com

Let’s Make the Water Turn Jimmy Carl Black

Bees and I just watched the fascinating and scholarly documentary “Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention in the 1960’s,” and we were both struck by the endearing character of drummer Jimmy Carl Black (“the Indian of the group”). It really broke my heart when nearly 40 years after the fact Black expresses his pride over having been a Mother and his confusion over the demise of the group.



Here’s a super cool 1968 instrumental version of “Let’s Make the Water Turn Black” from the German television show Beat Club. I’ve seen a video of them playing this, but I can’t find it anywhere. That’s a shame because while the band plays, Motorhead Sherwood makes a big, messy sandwich onstage while laconically shaking a tambourine. Pretty funny, I thought.



Just so you don’t feel cheated, here’s a nice video of the Mothers doing their inimitable thing in 1968, this time from French television. If you’re a M.O.I. fan you’ve likely seen this, but here goes for the uninitiated…Things to note: Bunk Gardner teasing “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” at the beginning, Zappa’s unique conducting of the band, Jimmy Carl Black holding it all together, and the sheer mind-blowing synergy of the band. The main musical theme here seems to be based on “Sleeping in a Jar.” But, heck, I won’t pretend to know what’s going on. If there are any music theory nerds, (or any other nerds), out there who care to chime in-- I’d love it. I like to learn.

“Keep an Eye on Summer”

I’m getting mighty tired of winter.
I’ve got the southern California blues again. Some Danny Heller paintings and this strange video certainly help scratch the itch.

Phish on Phriday

Last week we featured some tunes from 10-16-1994, and this week we’ve got more Fall Tour ’94 stuff for you.



From 11-4 in Syracuse, here’s Curtain>Mike’s>Simple>Mike’s>Tela>Weekapaug from the second set. I’m a big fan of Tela, and I think it’s rad to hear it in the middle of this group of songs. Go Page!

Phish on Phriday

Here we go with the first installment of our new and cleverly titled weekly feature in which we’ll provide some Phish tunes to get the weekend moving in the right direction.

And what better a way to kick the whole thing off than with some selections from my first Phish show: 10-16-1994, Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, TN. It’s a great show replete with relative rarities. My ticket stub is a real sign of the times. In the first place it really is a stub, because someone tore the ticket in half with their hands,(as opposed to scanning it with a laser), and in the second place the ticket itself cost $18.50. Crazy.



Rift and Horn start the show with style. Not rare but still fresh.

Rift, Horn - Phish - 1994-10-16

Also from set one is TMWSIY>Alvenu Malkenu>TMWSIY, which certainly surprised me. I won’t be holding my breath until I hear another one of these.

TMWSIY>Alvenu Malkenu>TMWSIY - Phish - 1994-10-16

Check out how quiet and respectful we in the audience are during the delicate opening of the second set Fluffhead.

Fluffhead - Phish - 1994-10-16

I also won’t be holding my breath until I get another encore like this: Highway to Hell and Harpua.

Highway to Hell, Harpua - Phish - 1994-10-16

Maybe next we’ll get into some more Fall ’94 jams.

Blue Hawaii

None of this actually has anything to do with Hawaii, but it sure does seem like a nice place. In my imagination the weather there is always nice and there are no hassles. I've heard it's expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Leela Ford

Jen yuson

linocut boy

diction

Get It While You Can

It's about a month until summer is officially over, but I can feel fall already. Maybe it's the altitude.

Bret Pendlebury

willbryant

NestUSA

TRADEMARK

Sacred Geometry

brandi strickland

the wheatfield

nate duval

strawberry people

High Desert, Part II

maxpinckers

The desert is a natural extension of the inner silence of the body. If humanity's language, technology, and buildings are an extension of its constructive faculties, the desert alone is an extension of its capacity for absence, the ideal schema of humanity's disappearance. - Jean Baudrillard, America

disdis

monkey infez

xflickrx

feaverish

Amused

Written by Chuck Barris of "The Gong Show" fame, "Palisades Park" was the inspiration for today's group.

bomobob

Roadside

Amusement Parks U.S.A. - The Beach Boys

stevesobczuk

An amusement park of the past
Originally uploaded by Hidemasa!

Roller Coaster - 13th Floor Elevators

Now I've Gone Away

As Trees recently noted, we are living in a 'post-Stamos' era. Anyone over 25 will surely remember Jesse and the Rippers and their soulless cover of "Forever" by The Beach Boys. Unfortunately, for many, seeing the song performed on Full House may have been their first exposure to what is arguably one of the best Beach Boys songs not written by Brian Wilson. I don't blame Stamos especially. If given the chance it would be hard to say no to performing with any Beach Boys incarnation. Let's just say we forgive and truly, finally, forget.

Vivienne Strauss

Inmost Light

NuNuveau

Tina Crespo

It Never Rains in Southern California

Trees and I have a bit of a thing for the West Coast, and I guess today the beach is more on my mind than usual. I think these images capture some of the calm tranquility of my fantasy California.

It Never Rains In Southern California - Albert Hammond

bright new things

meganziiSLGdesigns

Mariah Gale