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9 years ago
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Halloween is barely behind us and yet the storefronts and Starbucks cups are already all geared up for Christmas. The holidays are still a solid month away. We still have Thanksgiving and the start of winter to get through. Let’s focus on the present and all the good albums that have come out instead of decking the halls in November. Based on the past month and the beginning of this one, it looks like 2015 is going to close strong. Releases have included Matt Berninger’s new project El Vy as well as relative newcomer Alex G. Here are some of our favorite releases of late:
“Need A Friend” by El Vy
For Fans of: The National, Menomena, MinutemenOff of the band’s debut Return to the Moon, “Need A Friend” is a great example of how The National's Matt Berninger and Ramona Falls/Menomena's Brent Knopf have combined two fairly different sounds together to craft a new, just as good one. Berninger is known for velvety, smoldering vocals set to sweeping instrumentals whereas Knopf is typically springier, stranger and heavier on the synth. El Vy doesn’t sound like either of those things, but it’s already a favorite. Other tracks of the record, like “I’m the Man to Be”, are downright goofy compared than their usual tones, which makes “Need A Friend” a good mid-ground to start from when getting to know the group.
“Josephine” by Frank Turner
For Fans of: Frightened Rabbit, Admiral Fallow
English folk/singer-songwriter Frank Turner has been churning out heart-wrenching, ho[...]
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9 years ago
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I once read that people who see faces in inanimate, non-portrait objects, are neurotic, and the article did not mean that endearingly. If that's true, then children who make animal and human shapes out of clouds (so many) are neurotic. And truthfully, most artists are too. So with that, I will use this post to talk about an artists who plays with this idea in a rather beautiful way, and to tip my hat to those individuals who choose to and are able to view the world in a more fascinating way.
Jane Lafarge Hamill's paintings combine traditional portraiture with modern abstraction. Her works first appear as a slather of saturated, vibrant colors, enhanced by her thick application of paint. However, though appearing haphazard, the way she has manipulated the paint allows for a vague, albeit familiar, image of a human's face to come through. Depending on how she has arranged the lines sometimes the face is in profile, sometimes face front.
What really allows for the portraits to be visualized is not in the revelation of facial features, as they are pretty blurry, but in the way the lines make up the shape of the head - the forehead, jawline, and neck specifically. While this alone makes her painting style unique, what makes her work beautiful is her use of color. Her pieces are not exceptionally large, rather they are on the smaller side, yet they instantly pop out due to the layers of applied color and the vibrancy of the palette.
What is especially contemporary [...]
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9 years ago
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NYC Arts Non Profit Heads West in Support of Local Arts Programs
Convergence: Saturday, November 14th, Studio Maesto, Santa Monica, CA.
On Saturday, November 14th New York City based non-profit Art for Progress (AFP) will host a fundraiser in support of Studio Maesto’s Arts Collective Program in Santa Monica, California. The event will take place at Studio Maesto’s dance and photography studio at 1547 6th Street, Santa Monica, and will feature visual art from three Los Angeles based artists who have exhibited with AFP in the past- Sona Mirzaei, Lichiban and Pablo Damas. The night will also showcase live performances from Barry Komitor (NYC based band Bad Faces), DJ sets from NYC’s Gatto, LA based DJ/Producer Elliot DeHoyos and a myriad of local performance artists. Net proceeds from ticket sales and a percentage of art sales will go to support the studios arts collective program (details below). Tickets ($15) will be available at the door. Tickets include a drink and light fare. Additional beverages will be available for purchase. Studio Maesto, 1547 6th Street, Santa Monica, CA - Hours: 7:30pm – 11:00pm
Over the last 12 years, Art for Progress has produced over 50 major events in NYC, Miami, San Francisco and Washington DC. With a focus on multimedia productions, AFP has garnered valuable press coverage for artists in world renowned publications such as The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily and The Village Voice. While supporting and promoting artists through these[...]
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9 years ago
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Los Angeles-based Knative Clothing, helmed by Ariel Goodman-Weston produces "fully fashioned knitwear" that's not only environmentally conscious, but is also waste conscious.
Fashion-making typically begets a lot of waste---from discarded textiles to water use. Finding a brand that truly tries to incorporate "no-waste" techniques is definitely something worth calling attention to. It's also important to distinguish these fashion labels from fast-fashion brands like H&M that attempt to present themselves as eco-conscious in a dishonest practice referred to as greenwashing.
Brands like Knative Clothing create handmade, durable products. And because of its small size, it doesn't seem to require the same amount of resources as a larger label would need---thereby labels like Knative create less harmful emissions.
Ariel Goodman-Weston
Here are three reasons why you need Knative knitwear in your possession this Fall into Winter.
Fully Fashioned Knit Technique
Ariel Goodman-Weston uses a fascinating form of "fabric sculpting" in order to make her fabulous knitwear. The designer uses "pre-shaped pieces of fabric" in order to limit waste. Typically, a designer cuts shapes from gigantic reams of fabric, which result in many unused pieces getting tossed aside. Knative's strategy of using pre-shaped pieces makes it easier to sculpt the textiles into fun, fashion-forward tops and scarves.
Ariel Goodman-Weston/PHOTOGRAPHED BY THOMAS SLACK
No Waste
Go[...]
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9 years ago
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As its title implies, Alice Rohrwacher’s captivating new film The Wonders is infused with a sense of discovery and marvel. Set in the Tuscan countryside, this atmospheric, closely observed narrative centers around the hardscrabble life of a bee-keeping family, as experienced mainly through oldest daughter Gelsomina (Maria Alexandra Lungu). On the brink of adolescence, the girl is torn between the insular existence of her hard-headed father and the pull of the outside world. The latter appears in the form of a seductive reality show called Countryside Wonders and the arrival of a silent, troubled boy who is taken in by the family.
While the film isn’t autobiographical, Rohrwacher grew up in this part of Italy, worked in honey production, and is of Italian-German descent, like her onscreen family. Her familiarity with this milieu is obvious, especially in realistic scenes of bee handling – which include alarmingly dense swarms around real hives -- and honey-making. The apiary details of The Wonders are fascinating enough, but then there’s the roughly beautiful Tuscan countryside and the family itself: Idealistic, bad-tempered Wolfgang (Sam Louwyck) and exasperated, affectionate Angelica (Alba Rohrwacher, Alice’s sister) are the parents; sensitive, determined Gelsomina, comical but vulnerable Marinella (Agnese Graziani), and two uninhibited little girls who frolic half-naked like gleeful colts, are the kids. There’s also their longtime lodger Coco (Sabine Timoteo), a scra[...]
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9 years ago
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Hosted by nonprofit Art for Progress and Brooklyn Fashion Week, the event will take place at Habana Outpost during Brooklyn Fashion Week on Friday, October 23rd from 7-11pm. The event will serve as a fundraiser for Denim Day, which serves to raise awareness of campus sexual assault worldwide.
The $10 cover charge includes live DJ’s, a free margarita and a fashion show. We are asking all participants to wear denim jeans during the event to represent the Denim Day cause. AFP's DJ Gatto and Brett from Boundless will be dropping the beats!
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9 years ago
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CMJ 2015 is in full swing. The festival takes its name from the College Media Journal, which was started by Robert Haber in 1978. Haber’s publication was aimed at college radio programmers and their audiences, a crowd which is still well represented at each year’s festival. This year the CMJ speaker schedule includes talks and workshops on the radio resumes, interviews and the history of student-run radio as well as the CMJ College Radio Awards.
As much as the five day, non-stop marathon still honors its history in college radio, it also delves into the live scene. Well over a thousand bands with varying levels of exposure play venues all over New York. From the basement-like space of Cake Shop to the expansive Brooklyn Bowl, artists gather to play their best and celebrate music. This year’s line-up includes bands of every genre and size. Seeing all of them is infeasible, but here are about dozen acts that you can’t miss.
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Glass Animals
Genre: Indie Rock
Set Time:
Thu, October 15, 8:00 PM
@ Terminal 5
Listen To: "Black Mambo"
Girls with Brown Hair
Genre: Indie Rock/Comedy
Set Time:
Thu, October 15, 8:06 PM > 8:16 PM
@ The Unicorn
Listen To: "Dad Rap"
Panda Bear
Genre: Experimental
Set time:
Thu, October 15, 9:00 PM
@ Bowery Ballroom
Listen To: “Boys Latin” off of Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
The Maccabees
Genre: Indie Rock
Set Time:
Thu, October 15, 11:00 PM > 11:45 PM
@ Me[...]
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9 years ago
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Womenswear designer LaQuan Smith is a juggernaut in the fashion world. He's making a name for himself, displaying a daring looks that reflect a "refined approach to classic tailoring"
He can even make tweed look cool! "I found these awesome, incredible, sick tweeds from Italy and I wanted to experiment with them," he tells Fashionista.
Find out what three most important things you need to know about LaQuan Smith right now.
His Fabulous Designs Are Inspired By Bold Women (And Powerhouse Celebs)
From Kim Kardashian wearing a yellow ochre sweater dress, or Rihanna wearing a long, mesh frock, LaQuan Smith's designs are in your daily news feed whether you like it or not.
"I think that’s the world we live in today — everything is truly driven by celebrities, social media, the 'popular' girls of the world, and the influence they have on the world, especially women and young girls," Smith tells Refinery 29.
"And, despite what anyone might think about these celebrities, or about the Kardashians, they are truly influential in our society right now." He continues: "Whatever they do and wear, their fan base is genuinely interested." Smith adds "and I think that, at least for the LaQuan Smith brand and clientele, that they buy things from us because it feels authentic to them — it doesn’t feel forced, or like I’m trying to fit in. They buy it because they genuinely like it."
He Battled Cancer At 17, All While Embarking On A Fashion Career
The Queens-n[...]
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9 years ago
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There are many different ways that people diagnosed with a terminal illness cope with the devastating situation. For filmmaker Alex Sichel, best known for 1997's All Over Me, the obvious response was to create a film about it. A Woman Like Me, directed by Sichel and Elizabeth Giamatti, is a hybrid documentary that includes scenes of Alex’s illness and exploration of various treatments, along with a fictional narrative that parallels her own story. This latter film-within-a-film stars a luminous Lili Taylor as a New York-based filmmaker named Anna who is also dealing with breast cancer, but whose upbeat attitude and positive outcome contrasts with Alex’s experience. A compelling composite, A Woman Like Me is an honest, moving portrayal of a vibrant personality managing a terrible health crisis with creativity, humor and grit.
Early in the film Alex tells us that making a movie “is my way of understanding what’s going on.” While she sometimes wonders if the stress of filmmaking is the best way to use her time (her mother is strongly against it), it’s clear that she has to do this. The goal for Alex, who identifies as Buddhist, is to face death without fear; making A Woman Like Me is part of her process to achieve that, while also holding on to some hope.
A Woman Like Me, unlike other “meta” films with complicated storylines, is fairly simple and chronological: We see Alex working on character development with the cast of her fictional movie in between visits to tradi[...]
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9 years ago
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On October 1, Olivier Rousteing's exotically ritzy looks for Balmain were on full display as the fashion house presented clothes for Spring 2016 Paris Fashion Week.
Set at Paris’s Hotel Intercontinental, the star-studded event drew notables like Diplo, Jada Pinkett Smith, and of course members of the Kardashian clan.
And while we shouldn't care about whether or not Kris Jenner and her brood were in attendance, it's important to pay attention to the 29-year-old designer.
Since taking over Christophe Decarnin's creative director position at Balmain in 2011, Rousteing has been killing it in the fashion world.
Let's look at three reasons why Balmain is a huge force that is changing fashion history forever.
Reason #1: Camel
Olivier Rousteing displayed a wide array of colors, however it was "camel" that proved to be the biggest standout. Supermodel Caroline Ribeiro kicked off the October 1 showcase, wearing a caramel-colored suede jacket and matching cigarette pants.
Reason # 2: Cut-Outs, Lattice, Ruffles and Sheers
The overall style of the season's collection featured cinched waists, oversized belts, and "statement-making" necklaces. Rousteing has fashioned designs that effectively meld strong looks with soft ones. This is evident in the "body-baring" lattice skirts and tops, as well as romantic ruffles.
Reason #3: High-Waisted Briefs
Yas! Any reason to wear large, comfortable underclothes is perfectly fine with me. The daring style helps to transform[...]
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9 years ago
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To celebrate the release of their first release on Fueled by Ramen Records, The Front Bottoms played Brooklyn’s Rough Trade. Entry to the show was granted with purchase of the album, Back On Top, and came with a signing after the show. The formula is one Rough Trade is a) known for and b) built for. The combined record store/concert space has the stage in the back and the floor space within the shop itself to accommodate both events.
Before the show fans, most of whom were hugging a recently purchased vinyl of Back On Top, lined up along the wall of the store, chattering excitedly about the record. It was a fairly young crowd, some members bragging about how they had cut class to line up early. The guy handing out 21+ wristbands didn’t have much to do. Despite the age difference, one thing was clear. Everyone was there for the band.
Not that only die hards are capable of showing up to an early show on a weekday evening. Everyone is and was welcome. It wasn’t the show that collected passersby or casual listeners. Partially because Rough Trade is tucked somewhat away from the rest of Williamsburg and partially because the nature of the show attracted the more “serious” fans. The majority of the crowd accumulating in Rough Trade really, really liked the band. That’s why they showed to the concert/signing, not just the band’s gig later in the month at Irving Plaza. In fact, many talked about going to both shows. Some even buzzed about seeing the band earlier in the summ[...]
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9 years ago
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It’s fair to say that most people – even those who came of age during the late 1960s and 1970s -- probably have no idea how influential National Lampoon magazine was (and still is) to American comedy. Douglas Tirola’s entertaining new documentary Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead is a sort of primer for anyone who equates the Lampoon name mainly with a disparate assortment of increasingly juvenile movies.
The fast-paced film uses lively animation and tons of vintage graphics, including iconic magazine covers, to illustrate the publication’s history, told via snippets of interviews with those who were involved with the magazine firsthand (Anne Beatts, P.J. O’Rourke) or consider it crucial to their development, comedic and otherwise (Judd Apatow, John Goodman, Billy Bob Thornton). The main focus is (understandably) National Lampoon’s heyday, from birth in the late 1960s through decline in the 1980s, with emphasis on the various characters who shaped it, especially founding editors Doug Kenney and Henry Beard, and chairman/CEO Matty Simmons.
In the mid-1960s, the satirical student-run Harvard Lampoon (first published in 1876) fell under the stewardship of charismatic, unstable Kenney and serious, organized Beard, the dynamic duo who would go on to co-found National Lampoon in 1970. Among the film’s many enlightening bits of information is the fact that a popular parody of Mademoiselle magazine was responsible for broadening the college Lampoon’s subscription base, enabling i[...]
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