As you enter or exit the G Train Station at the corner of Greenpoint and Manhattan Avenues in Brooklyn, depending on which direction you walk from there, and whether or not your face is buried in your phone, it is pretty hard to miss this bold and very Colorful Abstract Mural that covers an entire façade of the apartment building that is also home to the Greenpoint Deli. Wow, it is really breathtaking.
Swedish graffiti artist André (André Saraiva, AKA Monsieur André or Mr. A) revisits a classic Peanuts comic strip scenario as Snoopy interacts with Saraiva’s signature stick-figure doodle, Mr. A, on the wall of a downtown parking lot.
My friend Geoffreyturned me on to Swedish Soul Sensation Erik Hassle, whose fun and (appropriately) soulful dance song, “No Words” is this week’s featured Video Clip! “No Words” is maybe the only upbeat pop song I’ve heard where the singer starts out talking about a bummer subject like a funeral, but it turns out he’s going somewhere with it, so pay attention.
As a pair of sassy young ladies jam out in their jammies while making what appears to be an ambitious breakfast in their tiny kitchen (are they roommates or a couple? Either works for me) Erik appears at their dining table, and the ladies aren’t quite sure if they should, you know, stab him with a large kitchen knife, or just ignore an apparent home invasion and continue to groove. Clearly it is bit of a conundrum.
It isn’t long before they are charmed and seduced by Erik’s sweet dance moves, as he boogies into their kitchen and not only destroys their breakfast in-the-making, but also makes quite a mess of the place. Will they be left to clean up the considerable detritus? No doubt.
But they are likely OK with that, because “No Words” is just that kind of compelling and contagious tune about loving who you want while you can. When Erik sings the lyrical hook, “No one knows what tomorrow holds / All we’ve got is here and now,” he makes this relationship song the flip-side of “The Living Years,” and turns deep regret into a celebration of possibility. Because the only thing that matters is what we do with the “Here and Now.” Heavy.
See Erik Hassle on Tour through the end of April if you can (dates below). Enjoy!
04/19 – Belly Up – Aspen, CO
04/21 – Urban Lounge – Salt Lake, UT
04/23 – Neumos – Seattle, WA
04/24 – Imperial – Vancouver, BC
04/25 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
04/27 – Knitting Factory – Reno, NV
04/29 – The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
04/30 – The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
Story courtesy of The Local Dot SE via a tip from Tracy at Modern Urban Living:
A 21-year-old singer tried to weasel his way out of Sweden’s hefty tax on imported alcohol by claiming that partying and free-flowing booze were occupational requirements for rock ‘n roll stars. “I also drink a great deal more than the average Swede. I’m a singer in a rock band and whisky is a part of it,” the man explained to the county administrative court. Continue reading Swedish Singer Loses Fight For His Right to Party→