Echos and Shadows

GONE PAINTING.....

2006-08-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

It's been fun.....but now, I must return to the laboratory. Click on the brush to proceed to the lab.....

A RARE FIND!!!

2006-08-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

.....from the enigmatic Heiney....

Maple Bar Blues - Heinrich Mahler Orchester

French Rock

2006-07-31T17:22:00.000-07:00

The French have never been taken that seriously when it comes to rock and roll, thanks in large part to suspects like Plastic Bertrand, who is in fact Belgian I believe. In other musical genres they have an excellent reputation (Edith Piaf, Chopin, Francois de Roubaix etc.), but Rock? No. But maybe things have been changing. Just listen to these two groups, Les Thugs, and Noir Desir.
Introduced to Les Thugs via their great cover of one of my favorite Dead Kennedy's songs, Moon Over Marin.
Noir Desir is a much more complicated issue. Came across them as well via a cover song (Nick Cave's Long Time Man), but soon found out through a little research that their lead singer, Bertrand Cantrat, is now doing prison time for murdering his girlfriend, the actress Marie Trintignant.
Disturbing and very tragic, and I feel a bit odd posting their songs, as their sound does embody their name, which translates to Black Desire. But the passion and power of what I've heard of the group is undeniable, so here they are.
For more on the case of Monsieur Cantrat, go here.

I Love You So Les Thugs
Moon Over Marin - Les Thugs
Long Time Man - Noir Desir
Tostaky - Noir Desir

Simple Abstraction

2006-07-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

4 drawings, untitled, each 12" x 9", graphite & charcoal on paper, 2006

Disclaimer: Compositions below are not toe-tapping nor booty-shaking appropriate. No cheese. Not applicable for air-guitar. They are minimal, abstract, and you must bring your own party/imagination to enjoy them. This said just to save time for those looking for more "musical" downloads.

Phylyx - Byzar
3 - Fabrice Planquette
Of Salt and Water - Peter Prautzsch
Schone Hande - Cluster & Eno

On this day in history....

2006-07-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Kennewick Man is the name for the remains of a prehistoric man found on a bank of the Columbia River near Kennewick, Washington, on July 28, 1996. The discovery of Kennewick Man was accidental: a pair of spectators at the yearly hydroplane races found his skull while watching the races.
The remains were initially given to forensic anthropologists, who studied them until it was determined that they were of a man who lived between 5,000 and 9,500 years ago. He was in his 30s or 40s, had a healed broken arm and a healed broken rib, and a 2.2-inch spear point was lodged in his hip (which did not kill him). Prior to detailed scientific analysis, a digital reconstruction of the skull revealed what some called Caucasoid features, although at least one of the early studies concluded the skull was most like the present-day people of New Guinea. Press coverage frequently noted a similarity in appearance to Shakespearean and Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart.
Further research, however, has shown that Kennewick Man is possibly not Caucasian at all. Rather, some researchers now suggest he most closely resembles Polynesian or Ainu peoples. If confirmed, this would lend support to a theory that an important migration route lay along the North Pacific shoreline from Asia to America during a time when inland routes were blocked by ice.
-excerpt from Wikipedia

Primitive - The Cramps
Stranded in the Jungle - David Johansen

Pray For Surf

2006-07-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

Watery Grave - Los Cobras
Rockula - Los Straightjackets
The Eliminator - Dick Dale
Disco-Plank - Laika & The Cosmonauts
Pier Thirteen - The Bomboras

Distant Lands

2006-07-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

...........a little something to cleanse the palette after all that cheese....

Decay Chart - Porter Ricks
Vier - Gas
atmen Sie - Heinrich Mahler Orchester
Lost Sanctum - Lull
To Oval to Cologne - Janek Schaefer

Guilty No. 2: American Cheese, Dutch Cheese, Italian Cheese

2006-07-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, more cheese, this time with a bit of international flavor. The original American processed Velveeta of Van Halen, then, some Dutch Cheese (Gouda?) from a Dutch Van Halen tribute band, wittily named "Fan Halen". Then, to round off the meal, some Italian Cheese (Parmiggiano? No, more like Mozzarella...) from an Italian Van Halen tribute band called The Ice Cream Men....But, shouldn't they really be called The Gelato Men? Bon Appetit!

Aint Talkin' Bout Love - Van Halen
Aint Talkin' Bout Love - Fan Halen
Aint Talkin' Bout Love - The Ice Cream Men

Guilty Pleasures, no. 1

2006-07-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

I can't help it, I like cheese. Here's one of my favorite slices of cheese, along with an odd cover by an even odder-named artist, Pastel Vespa. I really don't know which is worse, but I love them both! Bon Jovi....Pastel Vespa...Camembert!

Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
Livin' On A Prayer - Pastel Vespa

Vintage & Depraved

2006-07-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

Ah, the Lou Reed of the 70's....Drugs, drama, gender confusion. What better ingredients for some great music, and to get over the post-World Cup blues? So here are some songs to start again.

Intro/Sweet Jane (live) - Lou Reed
Vicious (live) - Lou Reed
Coney Island Baby - Lou Reed
Kill Your Sons - Lou Reed
I'm Waiting For The Man (live) - Lou Reed

NOTHING MORE TO SAY THAN.............

2006-07-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

.........................................TRAGIC.

A CLASSIC FACE-OFF: FRANCE vs. ITALY

2006-07-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

WELL, THE DAY IS ALMOST HERE. A CLASSIC PAIRING.
Here are a two songs for your consideration:

Contact - Brigitte Bardot
Sensazioni - Gil Evangelisti

....deadlier than either Zidane or Materazzi

Argentina v. Germany

2006-06-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

Well, this should be a good match. Two very different teams. Maybe it comes down to this:

Libertango - Astor Piazolla
or
Tanzmusik - Kraftwerk

An Omnious Ambience

2006-06-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

Well, World Cup fever has taken me over a bit, but here's a set of recent ambient electronic ominousness that I've been enjoying, I always find this type of listening a nice antidote to the hotter weather we've been having here in L.A.

Omnious & Ambient - 82 Mb.

track listing:
1. Bionic Commune - Tetsu Inoue
2. Uiterwaarde - Machinefabriek
3. First Vigil - Zoviet France
4. Infiltration - Moebius/Plank
5. Subconscience Lamentation - Bernard Fevre
6. Set The Controls for The Heart of the Mother (pt. ll) - Pete Namlook & Klaus Schulze
7. tcp d4 8 1-10 announcement irdial - Conet Project
8. Voices of Dead - Lucifer
9. Submarine Fluorescence - Evidence
10. Caecilia - Fennesz
11. The Church - from 28 Days Later soundtrack
12. Emerge - roto visage
13. Psychedelic Brunch, pt. VII - Pete Namlook/Klaus Schulze/Bill Laswell

PATHETIC

2006-06-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I really didn't have my hopes up....And the support for the US team here in America is really shoddy. The local networks didn't even cover it (you wouldn't want the regular viewers to miss their morning program watching a bunch of post-menopausal ladies bitching about their weight and cooing over Brad and Angelina's latest spawn). I watched it on the Mexican tv station. For anyone who did care, here's a couple tunes to wallow in your sadness with.

Loser - Jerry Garcia
Less Than Zero - Elvis Costello

Covers, Get Your Covers....

2006-06-19T00:41:00.000-07:00

Just a quick random selection of some covers. The Grace Jone's cover of She's Lost Control is a favorite.....as Grace really does lose control near the end of the tune. I'd always liked Ms. Jones, and I'm hardly what you'd call a slave to the rhythym, but when I heard her cover of this, well, that sealed it.

She's Lost Control - Grace Jones (Joy Division cover)
Psychotic Reaction - TheCramps (Count Five cover)
Time Won't Let Me - Iggy Pop (The Outsiders' cover)
Submission - Galaxie 500 (Sex Pistols' cover)
Pipeline - Johnny Thunder (The Chantays' cover)
YMCA (Cantonese version) - Lam (Village People cover)
Strutter - TheDonnas (Kiss cover)

The Sound of Sculpture

2006-06-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

Fumigated Sculpture, 2005, Kristi Lippire
vinyl, Styrofoam coolers, wood, Styrofoam tortilla warmer, foam core, Poly-fil, and mini spring clips
90 x 52 x 52 inches

To view more of Kristi Lippire's art, go here.

Pinkillus de Lloquesani: Carnival Music - from Smithsonian Folkways, Mountain Music of Peru, Vol. 2
A Questionable Dementia - Moods In Question 2005
Circus Music - Tizanio Popoli and N.O.R.M.A.

Into the Übergroove

2006-06-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Have been on a real Teutonic kick lately, whether it's Cluster, Kraftwerk, or some of this Germanic Grooviness. Yes, precision engineering is their forte, but they can also get funky when the occasion calls for it.

Es bleibt die Sonne - Gerd Michaelis Chor
Sonnenbrand - Evgeni Kantschev Quintett
Swinging Nordwest - Max Meier-Maletz
And even der Mann im Schwarzen, Johnny Cash, got into the German thing:
Wo Ist Zuhause, Mama - Johnny Cash

So, turn up the volume, and Erhalten Sie unten!

And I don't know if this is the best sauerkraut in the States, but it looks pretty darn GÜT!

Note: YouSendIt wasn't working, so had to use MegaUpload...you know the drill, wait so many seconds, then click the x in top corner of box to get the ad out of the way, then download.

Found Painting...a missing Lucio Fontana?

2006-06-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Probably not....but it's always nice to find some manifestation of the creative impulse, even if it's sitting out by the trash.
For the real Lucio Fontana, go here.

Luminous Void - Carter Scholz, from 8 Pieces

Farewell 666, We'll Miss You

2006-06-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

Sanctum Sanctorum - The Damned
Solomon's Ring - Black Mass
Up Jumped The Devil - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Art & Heat=Fun

2006-06-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

Well, theFirst Annual Culver City Artwalk was by most accounts a glorious success. Despite the heat-wave of that day, hordes of people were out, walking up and down between galleries, stopping for coffee and food at the cafes. Lots of artists and devotees of art, and lots of newcomers, people who were just becoming aware of the gallery scene here.
Having been born in Los Angeles, and lived here for much of it, this is the first time that I really feel encouraged and excited about the art scene here.

Culver City has most of the elements necessary for a serious art neighborhood: it's geographically small so one can walk between galleries and cafes, it's centrally located within the LA area (just a few miles from the beach, a few miles from downtown), no traffic congestion, freeway close, parking is still relatively headache free, good restaurants and cafes, and the Culver City Redevelopment Agency is really supportive and behind this relatively new scene. They really got it together with the gallery owners and other business people to make the artwalk very organized, they even had people from the city walking around with brochures and maps. They got Sony Pictures Entertainment to co-sponsor the walk, put up new banners, cleaned the sidewalks, had three different jazz combos from the Henry Mancini Institute situated around in the area.....

I think one of the reasons all was such a success is that Culver City is its own incorporated city within Los Angeles. If the city of LA wanted to get behind something like this, the bureaucracy of their departments would have bogged down in committee meetings and stuff. Too many people, too many ideas. With Culver City, there were just a few people making the decisions, and they met with many of the gallery and local business owners to find out what they needed and wanted. That was key, and something I would find hard to imagine the City of LA proper doing. The old Less is More, Small is Beautiful theory at work. Maybe the whole of LA should be broken up into smaller cities, making everything more manageable. Anyway, I am admittedly biased, but Culver City gets an "A"!

elf prefix-L.A. (live) - The Fall

Funny Worlds

2006-06-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Drink a cup of coffee, listen to this song. You'll feel better. I guarantee it.

Seltsame Gegend - Cluster (from the album Curiosum, 1981)

NOW.....

2006-06-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

...more than ever we need this kind of an artist. In this age of Pop Tarts and five minute tv committee idols....I saw Patti Smith in the 90's at a small club called The Roxy....she was in her fifties. She was a mom. Recently widowed. She opened with a poem, that built into a song, that quickly morphed into a firestorm of sound that had people pressed against the back walls. You could see the look in people's eyes, some might have come for a bit of nostalgia, but they were brought down directly into the moment, to their knees. She closed the show by bringing her 17 year old son out to play guitar on a cover of "Smoke On The Water." It was High Mass in a little club on Sunset Blvd.

Privilige (Set Me Free) - Patti Smith Group
We Three - Patti Smith Group

Joan of Arc

2006-05-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the anniversary of Joan of Arc's death, burned at the stake 573 years ago. A visionary, lunatic, sex symbol, soldier. But in the end, a saint. These are for her.

Vow - Garbage
Puro Teatro - La Lupe
Retard Girl - Hole
Pissing In A River - Patti Smith

First Annual ARTWALK Culver City

2006-05-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 3, 2006 from 12:00 Noon to 8PM, the Culver City Cultural Affairs Division will present the first annual ARTWALK Culver City. This free, self-guided tour of thirty local art galleries and exhibition spaces is sponsored by the Culver City Redevelopment Agency and Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Platinum Sponsorship to the City of Culver City. ARTWALK Culver City is intended to introduce a wider audience to the newest art scene on the Westside of Los Angeles which includes twenty spaces in Culver City and ten spaces along its Los Angeles border.
Participating art venues include:

Anna Helwing Gallery

Bandini Art

Billy Shire Fine Arts

BLK/MKT Gallery

BLUM & POE

Cherry and Martin

Corey Helford Gallery

d.e.n. contemporary

Fresh Paint Art Advisors

George Billis Gallery LA

Harvey Levine Gallery

Hedi Khorsand Gallery

The Lab 101 Gallery

LAXART

LightBox

Lizabeth Oliveria Gallery

MODAA

The Museum of Jurassic Technology

OVERTONES Gallery

Q.E.D.

SANDRONI.REY

Scion Installation LA

sixspace

Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects

Taylor De Cordoba

walter maciel gallery

Western Project

.

This event will especially celebrate the Culver City Art District, a cluster of galleries exhibiting emerging and established artists, which has formed in the area bordered by Washington Boulevard in Culver City and La Cienega
Boulevard in Los Angeles.

So, get off the computer on Saturday (if you're here in L.A.), get outside and see some art! There are a few galleries that are outside the map shown above, notably Western Projects, and Cherry Martin, but for a better picture of the map, go here, which is a site set up by the fine folks at BLK/MKT Gallery.
And Caryn Coleman, gallery owner of sixspace who also produces the finest blog on the Los Angeles art scene, called art blogging l.a. also put a guide on-line to the Culver City Gallery district here.
And with this much to take in, you're gonna need some serious coffee and sugar. I would reccomend one of these

and this

from the wonderful Argentinian bakery Grand Casino, at 3826 Main Street, downtown Culver City. Great sandwiches and Argentinian pastries, good espresso, lovely people, you can't go wrong in this place.
And for more on Culver City in general, go here.
And there's also a nice little site here about this great part of L.A.

And finally, a little tune from the orignial art-rock nerds themselves:

Artists Only - Talking Heads