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6 years ago
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Art for Progress (AFP) is thrilled and honored to present a night of empowering original music, created for a special evening to benefit AFP’s art education programs. Music for Progress will take place on Friday November 30th at NYC’s quintessential listening room, Rockwood Music Hall (stage 2) and feature psychedelic world-jam group Toubab Krewe, Brooklyn power trio Bad Faces, and 3Bridge Records and Flemcy Music recording artist and DJ, Gatto. Get your tickets [HERE]
Blending American and West African influences into a sound all its own, Toubab Krewe has set "a new standard for fusions of rock 'n' roll and West African music" (Afro pop Worldwide). Since forming in 2005, the magnetic Asheville, NC based quintet has won a diverse and devoted following while performing everywhere from Bonnaroo to the Festival of the Desert in Essakane, Mali. Mixing American rock with the musical traditions the band fell in love with on their travels to Africa, their sound also nods to surf and zydeco. This fusion of sound is what the Village Voice describes as "a futuristic, psychedelic, neo-griot frenzy" and Honest Tune hails as "one of the most innovative voices in music today."
Bad Faces are a Brooklyn power trio as deeply rooted in American traditional music as they are reaching for new stratospheric heights in their improvisational explorations. Led by singer/guitarist Barry Komitor, a fixture in New York's vibrant folk and bluegrass scene, the group has amassed a strong local foll[...]
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6 years ago
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Tina La Porta opens her first solo exhibition, Side Effects in South Florida on September 29th in the FAR Gallery at FATVillage Projects. The presentation is a candid oeuvre on La Porta's encounter with mental illness and her skilled approach to creating a pharmaceutical, candy-like frenzy to the viewer's eye and psyche.
Far Gallery is a long corridor of two walls facing North and South to the main entrance, making the task for any curator or artist challenging to organize works within the space without it becoming predictable. Nonetheless, La Porta and curators Vee Carallo and Leah Brown strategized the area by assembling the wall sculptures in a non-linear format, concentrating on colors, geometric designs within the works and by the story of each prescription pill.
Although La Porta is open about her way of life and how her functionality depends on the suppression her pills provide, she also comments in Indian Summer (2003) on the comfortable accessibility people have to order any prescription online. With its deceiving romantic shades of pink and old rose, Indian Summer 2003 exudes an ill feeling to a morning-after pill, direct from India without any proper instructions or what damaging side effects one is to expect from it.
From La Porta's grueling process to crush each pill, comes the construction of a larger disk or shape resembling a small tablet filled with an array of smaller capsules sprinkled in vibrant colors and delicious enough to want to bite. The scu[...]
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6 years ago
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The art-making process is many different things to each individual. With this in mind, the goal of The Summer Music and Art Program was to facilitate an environment where art can happen as naturally as possible. We wanted participants to bring all their creative expressions to the environment so that they could use them as tools in their arsenal when creating art.
Each week in the visual arts component, the main activity was based on reflection on the work of a visiting master artist. We had visits from musicians, illustrators, graphic artists, and fashion designers, all of whom presented and discussed their work with the students.
In order to create an environment of an open community of artists where everyone learns from one another, we made the studios open to all. Visual artists would visit the music studio and musicians would go to the visual arts studio where sometimes they were the model for the day.
Participants were introduced to new materials that became the catalysts for new problem solving experiences. Students artists were provided the instruction needed to refine their artistic and technical skills.
Week One
We worked from 3-D to 2-D and vice versa while developing a strong visual language that articulates perceived space. We built sculptures and made charcoal drawings of them with tonal values. We also used layering techniques in drawings by creating shapes with different values.
Students artists were impressed with what they were able to[...]
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7 years ago
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It never ceases to amaze me. The abundance of extraordinary talent in the NYC music scene is obvious to anyone who seeks to experience it. Yet, so many people talk as if the scene is terrible and how difficult it is to find quality music at the venues in NYC. I will admit, the Bleeker Street music clubs do leave much to be desired, but one venue, le possion rouge, is certainly doing it the right way. LPR has made a name by bringing in experimental, eclectic and alternative artists over the past 10 years, and this past Saturday night was no exception.
Yonatan Gat performed in support of his new album, "Universalists" which was recently released on Joyful Noise Recordings. He played three different sets, and we were fortunate to catch the last two which were truly epic. The long transplanted New Yorker showed off his masterful guitar skills, (The Village Voice named him "Best Guitarist in New York, 2013.") shredding through an eclectic mix of ethnic sounds with merely a vocal, but it didn't discourage fans in attendance as they marveled at his guitar playing skills. I was also impressed with his band as they were on point throughout the set, and as the sound changed, their energy was consistent and at a high level throughout. Gat's sound is clearly focused on guitar, but I couldn't help but watch his drummer relentlessly pounding on the skins and his evident passion for the music. This brings to mind the most anticipated part of the evening for me and apparently man[...]
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7 years ago
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Toronto's Broken Social Scene closed out the band's first tour in many years last night at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey. The show which lasted around 2 hours and spanned their vast music catalogue, highlighted the strengths of a band that clearly loves playing together. The beauty in what they do comes through in how they seamlessly work through songs that range from indie rock, ska, experimental jazzy numbers and even punk, but there are no limitations. They can also do the heavier, guitar driven classic jam as well. Although the band's studio productions are at a high level, they are one of those bands that you have to see live. With as many as 9 or 10 players on stage (including a horn section), it could be quite challenging to replicate some of their intricate productions, but they were 100% in sync throughout the show with a consistent energy and enthusiasm that shined throughout their performance.
One of the highlights of the evening was the first live performance of "Mouth Guards of the Apocalypse" from their latest album "Hug of Thunder" which was released with very positive reviews in July, 2017. This pretty much set the tone for an upbeat, joyous crowd that appreciated getting to see a band of this caliber at the Wellmont Theatre. The band admitted that they didn't know what to expect, but were very pleased with the venue and crowd. I have to say it was a pleasure to see how much the band was enjoying the moment.
Personal highlight[...]
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7 years ago
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Dear Fabian, welcome to Art For Progress. As a contemporary artist based in Northern Germany, North Friesland. What is the focus of your art?
Hi Nerea, thanks for inviting me to this interview. I am delighted to contribute to Art for Progress. I am a sculptor focused on the human figure in the widest meaning. I try to find ways for contemporary depiction of the diverse spectrum of human expressions.
Having studied Fine Art Sculpture in Vienna, where modelling the human body has a long tradition – the so called “Wiener Schule,” I further worked in this direction in London, where I did my masters. I started to introduce new materials, inflatables and other ephemeral objects, as base bodies for my figurative constructions. When depicting an entire human figure, at some point you always need to decide whether or how much you show its gender. If you disregard it – partially or completely – you enter the world in-between genders. For the last five years in particular, I have been focusing on “Liquid Gender” and the liquidity of gender aspects in general.
I have noted that you chose the term “Liquid Gender” as a name for your recent exhibition in Barcelona. Can you please explain this choice.
“Liquid Gender” was indeed the title of the 2016 solo show, curated by Caterina Tomeo, at the end of a five-week residency at Espronceda (Centre for Art and Culture) in Barcelona. The central piece was a 2-channel video installation around my large-scale MENINA bronze series: A v[...]
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7 years ago
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It's funny when you mention bands from the past (around for over 15 years) to people, and how they typically react. You'll hear things like, are they still around. I haven't heard that name in 20 years. And then when you tell them that you're actually going to see the band, they give you a weird look like, why would you do that.
So, let me explain quite simply. Just like in any profession, with experience comes expertise and the mastering of ones craft. G Love & Special Sauce have been playing together for nearly 25 years and their experience shines through in their live performances.
With their own style of funky, blues hip hop, the band always delivers a good time, and on this night it was no different. The trio delivered a non stop soundtrack of hits that kept bodies moving throughout the night- I-76, Milk and Cereal, Baby's Got Sauce, Blues Music and Who's Got the Weed.
Let's be clear, G Love's no slouch on guitar, Jimi Jazz tears up the string bass and houseman always delivers the goods. The band is tight, tight, tight.
For the $30 ticket price, you really can't ask for more.
Here's some upcoming dates:
February 2nd - House of Blues, Boston
February 3rd - The Fillmore, Philadelphia
February 8th - Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale
More dates...
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