Tag Archive | Psychedelic

Eye On Design: Peter Max Sneakers Circa 1968

Jul17

Peter Max Sneakers
All Photos By Gail

These Summer Of Love-era sneakers were designed by artist Peter Max, who is best known for his trippy, colorful and psychedelic designs of the 1960s and ’70s. As craft became a form of cultural commentary, wearable art was used as a symbol of the counterculture’s personal and political allegiances.

Peter Max Sneakers

These sneakers had an original sale price of $3.97, and can now be found on auction sites such as eBay selling for, on average, about $600 per pair. The back of the sneaker has a grinning red  mouth across it, part of which can be seen in the above photo.

Peter Max Sneakers

Photographed as Part of the Exhibit Minimalism / Maximalism, on Through November 16, 2019 at the Museum at FIT in Manhattan .

Peter Max Sneakers

 

Psychedelic Mural at City-As-School

Aug31

Psychedelic Mural
Photo By Gail

I walked by the City-As-School alternative High School in lower Manhattan on the way to visit a friend in an adjacent office building, but had to stop and investigate the array of colorful, abstract walls murals decorating the school’s courtyard entry. This one, which shows an upside down elephant, a cat, and a dancing girl  amid a rather psychedelic background, is my favorite. I could not find the artist’s name on the mural or anywhere in the interwebs, so please leave any clues you might have as to his, or her, identity in the comments!

City-As-School is Located at 16 Clarkson St. (West of Varick) in New York City.

Video Clip of The Week: Cheena, “Lost My Way”

Nov13



If you’ve spent most of this past week sobbing hysterically and digging deep to find a reason not to slit your wrists, having lost all faith in 50% of humanity, then you might  be ready to surrender your abused senses to a video that takes zero effort to appreciate, because it is rendered via the highly accessible medium of Claymation — just like Gumby! Yay! In the wildly engaging (and acid hangover-friendly) video for “Lost My Way” from NYC Garage Rock quintet, Cheena, we follow the psychedelic urban adventures of a tiny yellow pooch who looks quite like Mr. Bill’s dog Spot. Guest stars include a gang of mischievous serpents, a helpful cactus, and a ghost. Oh Boy!

Aurally, “Lost My Way” is mildly spooky, classic 60s-era fuzz-tone punk. What’s not to like?  “Lost My Way” can be found lurking on Cheena’s debut album, Spend The Night With, which was released in August on Sacred Bones Records. Enjoy!

Cheena Band
Cheena: The Band!

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Video Clip of The Week: Dinowalrus, “Falling to the Periphery”

Oct2



Sunday is the second best day to nurse an Acid Hangover, amiright? Just after the release of their fourth studio album Fairweather, synth-psych stalwarts Dinowalrus have debuted their trippy video for standout track “Falling to the Periphery”, and it is pretty darn groovy. The color-saturated visuals are the perfect match for the electronic echoes, making for a video that could easily be mistaken for something filmed in the late 80s-early 90s.

Although heavily dosed with electronics, Fairweather contrasts the dystopian industrial arpeggiators of their previous albums with a warm, timeless palette of organs, looped breakbeats, and radio-ready vocals — including the occasional psychedelic flourish of reversed guitars and exploding delay trails. As a result, the music moves forward by looking back, bringing to mind the work of contemporaries like Jagwar Ma, Tame Impala and Deerhunter, while also incorporating some of the more exciting and psychedelic pop sounds of the early ’90s Creation Records back catalog with aesthetic nods to The House of Love, Primal Scream and Ride. Enjoy!

Dinowalrus

Peace Sign Limousine

Jun7

Peace Limo
All Photos By Gail

Take a long look at this Sweet Ride: A custom-painted Peace Limousine!

Peace Limo

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!

Peace Limo Front

Who is Sir Ivan? I think it’s This Guy.

Video Clip of The Week: Digitalism, “Utopia”

May22

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

Digitalism Utopia

Paul Kolker Presents: Shade Paintings…The New Moving Pictures!

Dec31

Ishidot Shade
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.

Shades In Action

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
Ishidots Red and Blue

Dripcaustic Memoir Noir
Dripcaustic Memoir Noir

Crossing Tenth Avenue Solarized
Crossing Tenth Avenue, Solarized

It’s the Highline! I really like this one!

Screen and Cookie

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.

Two Ishidot Shades

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.

DIY Psychedelic Recycling Bin

Nov18

Pyschedelic Recycling Bin
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, who works for Total Waste Disposal WA. I can’t say if Mark actually did the painting, but it pleases me to imagine that he did.

Video Clip of The Week: BØRNS,”Electric Love”

Oct25



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!

Borns Electric Love

Video Clip of The Week: Wand, “Sleepy Dog”

Oct18

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.

Wand Sleepy Dog Still

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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