All Photos By Gail
Take a long look at this Sweet Ride: A custom-painted Peace Limousine!
Geoffrey and I spotted this car parked on Greene Street at the corner of Houston, in Soho, NYC. Not only does it display the word Peace painted on both sides, but it also has the slogan“Make Love Not War” painted on the hood. Peace Limo!
Who is Sir Ivan? I think it’s This Guy.
Here’s a stone groove for you body and mind: “Utopia,” the epic new single from German duo Digitalism, and its accompany, mind-expanding video. Directed by Japanese artist Yoshi Sodeoka – famed for his neo-psychedelic work with artists such as Beck and Tame Impala – the talented director takes the viewer on a trippy, kaleidoscopic journey through dreamscapes and nature, bringing the duo’s musical vision to life, while expanding on the identity of their new album Mirage, which is out now.
Sodeoka explains, “When approaching the video for “Utopia” I was drawn to the golden spiral as a representation for infinity, which to me suggests the possibility of an ideal social condition without any limitations on its inhabitants.” Nice.
Mirage reached Number 1 on Hype Machine and Essential New Tunes on BBC Radio 1 within its first week of release, and continues to pave the way for this incredible new collection of work. Digitalism are on the road in the US and Canada in late May/early June. Tour Dates are below. Enjoy!
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
05/24 – Double Door – Chicago, IL
05/25 – Shelter – Detroit, MI
05/26 – The Garrison – Toronto, ON
05/27 – L’Astral – Montreal, QC
05/28 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA
06/01 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
06/03 – El Rey – Los Angeles, CA
All Photos By Gail
I first discovered the decidedly psychedelic work of enigmatic Artist Paul Kolker when Geoffrey and I stumbled upon a previous exhibit, Halftones and Ishidots and just fell in love. I certainly would have taken more/better photos of Shade Paintings…The New Moving Pictures if I hadn’t already been wasted from all the free wine and beers consumed up to that point on that particular evening’s art crawl. In fact, I had a cold beer firmly clutched in my free hand the entire time I was shooting this art. So, good for me.
Look!
In Shade Paintings, the fifty-first of Kolker’s Art as Experiment series of self-curated exhibitions, you will see three light sculptures and fifteen paintings on what Kolker calls memory canvas of woven synthetic fiber hung on a tapestry rod or on remote controlled motorized rollers; the types used in window shade installations or in projector drop down screens. In addition, there is something theatrical about the movement of the shade painting… like a curtain call which serves as an invitation to view the work as performance art.
Here are a trio of the paintings in various stages of receding into their rollers. Everything is on a random timer, so you never know when one of them is going to start moving! This element of the unexpected adds further excitement to the exhibit.
Ishidots Red and Blue
Dripcaustic Memoir Noir
Crossing Tenth Avenue, Solarized
It’s the Highline! I really like this one!
During our visit, a woman walked into the gallery holding a tray of cookies, which she offered to anyone who was game. This one was red velvet with white and dark chocolate chips. Super delicious.
In case you are wondering how an artist can afford to have his own chelsea studio and gallery that exclusively shows his own art, that makes more sense when you know that Paul Kolker is also a Cardiothoracic surgeon. Super handy!
See more Shade Paintings from the exhibit and find out more about Doctor / Artist Paul Kolker at This Link!
Paul Kolker Presents: Shade Paintings…The New Moving Pictures will be on Exhibit Through March 11th, 2016 at the Paul Kolker Collection, Located at 511 West 25th Street (Lower Level) in the Chelsea Gallery District.
Photo By Gail
Hey, here’s a simple, cost-effective and undeniably creative way to liven-up an ordinary, bland blue recycling bin that you might have sitting out back on your patio, or in the basement or garage, or wherever. All you need are hands, a few cans of spray paint and little bit of an aesthetic feel for what colors look good together.
I saw this bin in the backyard of artist Mark Kostabi. I can’t say if Mark actually did the painting, but it pleases me to imagine that he did.
Greetings Glam Rockers! Let us imagine for a few minutes that is it still the early to mid-Seventies, and that the radio airwaves are alive with the sounds of new songs by Queen, ELP and the original band called Alice Cooper. Those were the days. If you remember that time as well as I do, you will agree that there is so much to love about this week’s video clip, “Electric Love” by the new American act, BØRNS, including an androgynous male vocalist, go-go girls in glow-in-the-dark, fringed outfits, flashing neon, psychedelic mandalas and a stone groove that just will not stop kicking ass. Is it possible that BØRNS (AKA Garrett Borns) is the reincarnation of the late Marc Bolan? Yes, yes it is. Watch for the 2-Minute mark, when BØRNS actually transforms into the cover of the T Rex‘s Electric Warrior. I shit you not.
If you dig MGMT and Tame Impala this song will ring your bell a few times. Thanks in abundance to Geoffrey for turning me on to this artist and the accompanying resplendent video. Rock is Dead, They Say. Long Live Rock! Enjoy!
I’m always endlessly delighted when I can find an animated clip for the week’s featured video, because it reminds me fondly of watching my favorite cartoons on weekend mornings as a child (though I admit that this mostly took place on Saturdays). Nostalgia! This week’s video, “Sleepy Dog” is the masterstroke of a band called Wand. Directed by Meghan Tryon and Garrett Davis, the visual odyssey of this adorable little black dog comes on like a reined-in version of a monochromatic R. Crumb-induced hallucination. And since we already know that the dog is sleepy, it is pleasing to imagine that his many otherworldly adventures — which include a visit to an art museum — are, in fact, just a fever dream of sorts. There are also enough creepy, nightmare moments to make this choice appropriate for Halloween, which is just a few days off at this point. Nice.
Aurally, “Sleepy Dog” pays homage to the very best of ’60s garage rock psychedelia. Nothing more need be said. “Sleepy Dog” comes to us from Wand’s latest album, 1000 Days, which was released on September 25th, 2015 Dragcity Records.
Check out Wand’s North American Tour Dates after the jump. Enjoy!
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Caution: Heavy Rock Action Ahead! While I was initially drawn in by this video’s surreal, cut out animation, which reminds me so much of the mind blowing collage art of Fred Tomaselli, it’s the song’s relentless aural ass-kicking that keeps me clicking on the repeat button. With a solid ’70s vibe that cannot be denied, “Nine Lives” from British Rock Powerhouse Turbowolf also adheres to what I’d call “Classic Contemporary” Rock influences to sound something like Monster Magnet meets the original band called Alice Cooper with a T Rex chaser. Eeeexcellent.
According to vocalist Chris Georgiadis.”‘Nine Lives’ is a song about making the most of our limited time; about living with no regrets; about changing our attitudes towards death and about life. It’s a celebration of the known, unknown and everything in between.” The band’s new album, Two Hands, is out on April 6th, 2015 on Spinefarm Records. Like them on the FaceBook at This Link. Enjoy!
Turbowolf: The Band
