Last month I went to see Scout Niblett live and she played a song that erected ….the hair on my neck. I had never heard it before but it was very distraught with the passion and heart heaviness I fell in love with during her Kidnapped by Neptune era. I have also been interested in band website design to juxtapose the cookie cutter Myspace generation of music so I decided to see what Ms. Niblett’s featured.
Lucky for me it featured TWO versions of that nameless song I was destroyed by last month; (which I now know is called “Nevada”). I was happy to see that the song was represented in two very simple concepts.
The first video was part of the Black Cab Sessions. The idea is simple: the artist gets into a cab in London and they are filmed playing their song in the back seat while the camera films what is going on outside the window…providing a soundtrack to what we view of the city.
I think this video is interesting because it uses spontaneity as it’s set and finds emotions and camera angles that can only be achieved in one take. It is more real as a result. My favorite part of the Scout Niblett take is when she says “Put on your suit / get in my car” and miraculously the camera closes in on a man walking down the street in a suit.
Scout Niblett : “Nevada” : Black Cab Sessions
This one follows Scout Niblett as she walks around the streets of Paris playing “Nevada” through a tiny Marshall amp she has strapped onto herself. It is part of a collection called Take Away Shows which documents artists improvising their own work in a public place. Primarily based in Paris, Take Away Shows also shoots in NYC, SF, Athens and features artists such as Castanets, REM, Stephen Malkmus.
Wow, yet another community art project website with a deceptively simple concept! In fact, it couldn’t be more simple. All participants have to do is:
remove everything from their pockets and/or purse
place contents on a scanner
place face on scanner
scan
The results are often obvious and frequently boring.
HOWEVER, sometimes the image that is created can be abstract and beautiful. Take for instance the first image of the three above. The composition is stunning, and as if by luck of the draw, the color composition of this scanner is quite elegent. To see about 5 million more, check out Face Your Pockets.
Last weekend was awesome! For weeks I had anticipated to see this hot queer mess emerge from their dark lair. Grandpa’s Ghost Stories features Kayla (the Ovulators), Radio Sloan, Jen Agosta, Bob (Swan Island) and Metal Nikki. Needless to say, I was blown away. Grandpa’s Ghost Stories played their first show ever to a (intimate invite only) crowd in their own living room…or rather, the foyer of a fortress complete with a disco ball and mechanical singing skeleton heads. I was lucky enough to get close enough to film part of it:
Yale University art major Aliza Shvarts’ Senior Project has just been banned by the University after a lot of uproar over the last few days. Shvarts repeatedly inseminated herself with sperm from anonymous donors and after becoming pregnant she induced miscarriage by taking abortifacient drugs. I couldn’t figure out exactly how many times she did this, but she claims to have been hard at work at this for the past 9 months. The art project consists of the following:
“a large cube suspended from the ceiling of a room in the gallery of Green Hall. Schvarts will wrap hundreds of feet of plastic sheeting around this cube; lined between layers of the sheeting will be the blood from Schvarts’ self-induced miscarriages mixed with Vaseline in order to prevent the blood from drying and to extend the blood throughout the plastic sheeting. Schvarts will then project recorded videos onto the four sides of the cube. These videos, captured on a VHS camcorder, will show her experiencing miscarriages in her bathrooom tub, she said.”
Sounds like bullshit to me, but Shvarts insists that everything in true, though she never felt the need to consult a doctor about the effects of these repeated abortions – and she hasn’t gone into any detail on exactly what drugs she used except to say that they are legal and herbal. Yale officials are not allowing her to show the project as scheduled for tomorrow unless she states in writing that it’s a hoax. She refuses – if she really did do this she needs to be committed, and she ought to be ashamed for trivializing her constitutional rights. If it is fake (and I’m pretty sure it is) she certainly got a rise out of everyone just like she wanted.
I was reading Katherine Dexter’s blog the other day when I happened upon her post about this amazing project. It all got started when Katherine Long (who I coincidentally went to college with) and Hunter Smith were shopping at a western Massachusetts thrift store. A bright red, spandex onesie much like the onese pictured above caught their eye. Apparently wearing the suit makes you feel imbued with superhero powers. They have started a whole online community dedicated to the mystique of the red suit. The project has even garnered attention from the Baltimore Sun and NPR.
The official site features pictures of 132 “wrestlers” giving their best superhero poses much like the ones above. I can’t figure out if they are all wearing the original red suit or if people are out there finding and making their own. Looking at the photos I feel that I must have a suit of my own, even though I’m sure it will look rrediculous on my lanky frame (I can’t pull of tank tops or shorts). To learn more and join the enthusiasm, click the link…
One of my favorite queer Portland bands, Magic Johnson, was recently featured on this new video art project called The Penny Jam.
The genious premise of these projects is really inspiring:
The Penny Jam finds a great Portland band and a quintessential (non-venue) Portland location. They then do really high quality, well edited live videos of the band playing there.
That’s it!
This simple idea is so well executed and so, well, Portland. It makes me feel really proud of my city and my music community here.
Check out this awesome video of Magic Johnson playing at everyone in Portland’s favorite “on the cheap” store, The Dollar Scholar. I know, if you aren’t from Portland it is kind of hard to understand how a dollar store could be a Portland hot spot. But if you lived here, it would truelly take you only moments to recognize it in this video.
…(insert witty comment here. At this moment, I’m too impressed to think of one.)
I’m totally bummed at the moment because I just found out that the two special screenings here in Portland of the film,“Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation”, are both sold out!! Boo!!
I just recently learned about this movie when it was written up in a local paper. Here is the story:
In the summer of 1982, three twelve year old boys living in Mississippi, inspired by their love for their favorite film, set out to create a shot by shot full length recreation of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Filmed entirely with a hand-held video camera, it took the boys seven summers to finish. As a result, the actors in the film jump back and forth in age between scenes (the movie was not filmed in sequential order). At one point Indiana is a child. Moments later he is suddenly 18. The budget for the film was only $5000 (the three boys allowance for the entirety of the 7 years).
The final product (from what I have seen) is simply amazing. However, for some reason it seems that the film makers didn’t realize what a feat they had accomplished. With the exception of one screening in 1989, the film sat on a shelf unwatched for 14 years!
In 2003 a copy of the filmed was leaked. One thing lead to the other, and eventually the film landed in the hands of Steven Spielberg. He invited the (now 30-something) filmmakers to his studio, and gave them the official go ahead to show the film in theaters. All proceeds go to charity. These screenings are very rare. If you miss one, you are not likely to get the chance again anytime soon.
ANYWAY… I’m totally dumb, because it didn’t occur to me the pre-order tickets…. So, the only parts of this movie I have seen are the ones on youtube. Here is the first 10 amazing minutes:
Keith Haring brings the “low” art form of graffiti into the the gallery world.
POSTMODERN
Annie Leibovitz photographs Keith Haring in a hyperbolic, three dimensional, Haring-centric world.
POST-POSTMODERN
Adidas releases limited edition track outfit designed by Jeremy Scott using the art of the now deceased Keith Haring. It bares a striking resemblence to the visual ideas present in the Leibovitz image.
Apparently the information collected from your grocery store’s rewards card can determine which political candidates you’ll recieve mailings or phone calls from. Part of me thinks that this signals an Orwellian crisis in our political system. When candidates can market themselves in such a fine-tuned and precise manner, is there too much money and sophistication in our political system? Perhaps, but this New York Times article on the subject is fascinating nonetheless.
Do you like…
fig newtons, white wine, starbucks? then you probably support Hillary Clinton.
granola, olive oil, and lattes? I bet you’re backing Obama.
bourbon and frozen pizzas? McCain’s your man.
It is definately creepy and a little alarming to think that somewhere out there people analyze what you buy to predict all sorts of things about you, but it seems a little different when it encroaches on the political system rather than just determining what catalogs show up in your mailbox.
It isn’t just Presidential campaigns where this sort of consumer data is used either, several congressional and gubernatorial candidates such as Washington Governor Christine Gregoire have found success with the method.
To some extent you can’t blame the politicos for capitalizing on this technique, it seems obvious that having a ford truck-driving, domestic beer-swilling, pizza-hut eating white guy on your mailing list isn’t the best use of funds for a progressive democrat. With this information readily available, who can blame campaigns for using it?
And… If you haven’t seen it yet, you simply must check out this amazing footage of Hillary swilling beer and Crown Royal Whiskey at an Indiana bar during a campaign stop. You know this shit was well thought out, nothing this rich happens by accident. This was possibly the best campaign decision she’s made in months. I think it would have been a better choice for her to take a shot of Kentucky Bourbon. Crown Royal is universally understood to be old person whiskey, but I suppose it’s much better than a single-malt scotch.
“With Jonas Samson’s high-tech light-emitting wallpaper it’s possible to use a two-dimentional flat surface as light source instead of a 3D object. As long as the wallpaper is turned ‘off’, it is indistinguishable as a source of light. Instead, it is just what it appears to be: wallpaper.”
It doesn’t seem like the safest thing in the world, but apparently there is a significant demand for anal bleaching products. I blame the internet for this one, since I doubt anyone would have bought such a product over the counter from a drug store. Apparently over time pooping can actually discolor the skin around your anus, yuck! That is just not pretty, fortunately it’s not a problem for me, but according to this website, “you can prevent anal staining by being cautious in the bathroom. We suggest using a moist wipe after every bowel movement. This will ensure the area stays clean and stain free.”
Hear what some people have to say about how anal bleaching has changed their life:
I was reluctant at first but was suprised at the “clean” feeling just knowing that my anus is now fit for public viewing. I can whip my trousers down anytime and no longer have to worry about the “big brown eye” I recommend that everyone should bleach their anus – Frank
Thank god I found anal bleaching when I did. My bum hole was a real bad colour due to over 30 years of use. Now that my anus has been bleached, it’s like I have a new arsehole all ready to go again! – Walphie
I know some of you people have this problem, and fortunately I’m here to help. I found a place where you can purchase a 2.5 oz. tub of an anal bleaching cream for only $9.99 (plus S+H). A lot of products sell for a whole lot more than that. If you’re interested (and I know you are) click the link!
(from left to right: Matthew White (drums), Eric Mellor (bass), Jada Pierce (guitar/vocals), Lou Thomas (guitar/vocals)
CHORES are fun. Or at least the band, Chores, attempts to transform the mediocre aspects of everyday life into a elated indie rock sound that will hopefully make your day a little easier. Portland, Oregon brought the four members together from various pinpoints of the States. Chores have an eclectic sound that ranges from working class jam band to art rock funk nostalgic to Television or Yo La Tengo. The past year has been quite successful as they self released a 5 song EP, Life Is Hard, have gained a noteworthy collection of local press clips, ventured out of lush Oregon into California and most importantly, have inspired people to dance! Lucky for us, Chores hasn’t let all the excitement inflate their ego and spent a great deal of time providing tragic answers to tragic questions.
You all have moved to Portland, Oregon from other regions of the United States. What brought you to the fair city of roses?
Lou: I moved here for a dream of cheap rent and good busses.
Jada: When I was a college kid in Indiana, my friend found an arial-view poster of Portland hidden in an apartment she moved into. We both thought it was some kind of message, that we had to be there someday. Now I’m here and she’s working on a funny farm making instruments in Eugene. It also helped when a friend of mine who ran for office on the Socialist ticket here gave me a politically-inspired tour of the place during my first visit seven years ago.
Eric: I moved here for a lady and the slightly misguided notion that I could be a freelance film and video editor.
Matthew: I grew up in Houston, was living in NYC, and first visited Portland for a job. I fell in love with the character of the city and the beauty of the surrounding areas. I was fast becoming a New Yorker with a chip on my shoulder and didn’t want that to happen.
Chores has excellent chemistry on-stage. This musical excitement translates well to your record, Life is Hard. How was this record written + recorded? Was it totally collaborative or was there any sort of leadership throughout the writing process? How was the recording released?
Lou: The on-stage chemistry comes from the fact that we’re all good friends and are on stage primarily because that’s what we do to have fun. I also think that if the band is having a good time on stage the audience can see that, and that good feeling is contagious. It can turn into a feedback loop and just keep growing too.
Jada: I think we all are equally committed to the music emotionally. I know that for me, at least, our music is also very political. I think Lou and I as front people relate in that way, so that probably helps with the chemistry onstage as well.
Lou: We write and arrange collaboratively. Sometimes someone will present an almost finished song, or a part, and then we all mess with it and change it as a band until it starts to feel like Chores song. With the recording, Sam “Humans” Schauer of Modernstate (and Plants) was definitely in charge and did a really good job of capturing our live feeling.
Jada: I think it’s very rare that someone brings in a song that’s completely done; in fact I know I can count on one hand, without thumbs, how many times that’s been the case. And even the few times that has happened, we’ve all re-written the idea. Our music comes from the communal experience of our different minds and ears working together. I take pride in that because it’s an indescribable experience of compromise, but it’s certainly something that’s only possible through the medium of music played in the moment.
I embrace music as an opportunity to take art back to its purest form. – Jada Pierce
Chores play “New New Deal” live April 3rd at Backspace (Portland, OR)
Eric: We’re really into- it’s not exactly jamming, but we often play a part over and over again to see where it goes. For me, through repetition, I start to hear the different ways the parts interlock and then can modify my bass parts accordingly. The album was completely and totally self-released. CD Baby was instrumental in getting the music out to the digital services and playing shows has helped as well. We learned a lot during the whole process.
This next question is all about words! Why the name Chores? Why the name ‘Life is Hard’? Are there notes of sarcasm or should we take the title seriously? Your lyrics seem to be pretty down to earth and tell the tale of the average working class. How do you all write the lyrics?. Are your lyrics derived from real life or do you incorporate your own imaginations?
Lou: The truth is most often spoken in jest. I think there is a way to laugh at yourself and still be honest and completely serious. And goddamnit, life is hard a lot of the time. A lot of the time it feels like the day is taken up but just getting stupid shit done, like chores. When we formed this band and were coming up with a name we had all just moved here and were trying to figure out what the hell we were doing in our late twenties. Was it time to give up on your dreams and just work at your job?
Jada: Chores, they’re what the working class, the middle class, do all of the time. For better or worse we’re married to work. Growing up with the middle class, Midwest work ethic, I have to equate my art with work in order to feel justified doing it. Also, I think there’s a sad beauty in that work ethic, the sad beauty of the mundane.
Eric: At the time the band formed, Lou and Jada and I were struggling with the sort of mundane bullshit that seems to permeate “adult” life and we were wondering how our hopes and dreams had managed to lead us to this point. The name Chores speaks to the mundane realities that we and the rest of the working world have to deal with. “Life is Hard” comes from that same place and is kind of a rebuke to feeling sorry for yourself because you have to deal with all the same bullshit that everyone else does.
Lou: Lyrics tend to be written by either Jada or I, but maybe that will change. We all come from working class backgrounds. My grandfather was a bus driver, my mom worked at the Pepsi plant in Baltimore, and I work at a coffee-shop, so I am writing from that perspective.
I do pull a lot of my lyrics from real life, but I think that peoples fantasies are part of reality, and that to capture a “real” feeling, you got to combine the reality with the fantasies that allow people to make it through the everyday. – Lou Thomas
A good example is the Velvet Underground’s “Rock and Roll” where it’s a very realistic observation of someone listening to the radio, but its the rock and roll that “saves” them, which is pure fantasy. When Lou Reed sings “and it was alright” you just know that it’s not, nothing is alright, Jenny’s life still sucks, and that’s what makes it a powerful line. Rock and Roll can’t save your life, but it sure feels like it can, and it’s that tension and transcendence that makes art so powerful.
Jada: My lyrics ultimately come from a desire to bridge the gap between reality and the imagination; I love surrealism, but I’m married to reality. I’m a realist with an imagination—my lyrics come from that truth. I tend to not like cliché, which probably makes me a terrible lyricist. I went to grad school for an MFA in poetry, but I definitely see the act of writing lyrics as something completely separate from the act of writing a poem. I can write a damn fine poem; I’m still not convinced I can write good lyrics to a song though.
In your bio you have stated that you are a band without pretensions. Why do you feel it is important to note? What type of person do you hope to appeal to? Do you think there are too many artistic facades in indie rock music?
Jada: As an artist I think it’s pretentious to ignore the world around you when you create. If you want to write about birds and flowers, and there’s a homeless woman standing outside gathering discarded beer bottles from your trash, then dammit, that bird better be singing the ugly sound of the empty beer bottle, opened and whistling in the cold wind of her neglected hand. I love, value, and tend to my imagination, but no more than I would the people who occupy this same space and time with me. I like irony as much as the next gal, but to risk sentimentality takes real guts.
Lou: “What type of person do you hope to appeal to” is an uneasy question for me. I tend to like people and hope they’ll like our music, but I don’t really expect them to, even my friends, and then here’s the Marxist axiom, “I wouldn’t want to belong to any organization that would accept me as a member”.
Jada: I hope to appeal to anyone who understands.
Matthew: We’re not a band that’s about to die of ennui. As uninteresting as this may sound, I want to appeal to the people that like our music. I listened to an interview with David Lynch who responded to the question “how do you make your films?” He said that he stays true to his vision of what the film should be. And most importantly he doesn’t second guess the audience. People are finicky and if you start a film (or album) that takes a year to produce, you aren’t going to know how the audience’s tastes will change over the course of that year. So we play music we love to play and hope that it resonates with the folks that are listening.
Eric: It’s a marketing ploy. We actually have tons of pretensions that we keep chained to a radiator in the basement.
To me, your music is an interesting marriage between avant-guard artrock and a rowdy jam band. What influences you musically? How would you classify your own sound?
Eric: I think that’s the best description of us that I’ve heard so far. I mean, when you look at the kinds of stuff we’re all into, either as individuals or as a whole, they all seep to the surface of the music we end up making. I think it’s safe to say that Matthew and I both have an affinity for moodier, spacier and highly produced stuff like My Bloody Valentine whereas Jada and Lou come from more folk-influenced background. That’s a totally generalized statement of which 20% to 80% may not be true.
Jada: That’s the best description of our music I’ve ever heard. I was strongly influenced by Throwing Muses in my formative years. It’s just dumb luck that Kristin Hersh happens to live here now. I really like New Wave punk sounds on the guitar combined with “committed vocals.” I’m borrowing that last term from a review of our own EP; I like that term though. I learned to play music listening to folk songs, but I learned to feel music listening to rock-n-roll.
Matthew: Seriously though, that has to be one of the most concise descriptions of our music. For me I would say that Yo La Tengo is a pretty big influence, just in thematic terms. I don’t think we sound like YLT, but their music is very diverse, like ours.
What is the best thing about rock n roll? Care to tell us about what is next for Chores?.
Lou: We’re recording soon and hopefully will have a full length out by the end of the year. The best thing about rock and roll is that it can save you.
Eric: Rock ‘n roll is like a caged beast, angry and sweaty and hungry for more, more, MORE! Kind of like that girl that Billy Idol sings about. Anyway, it’s that hunger that I like best.
Jada: The best thing about rock-n-roll is that it can be everything, every emotion—sad, happy, sincere, ironic, angry, sarcastic, etc. It’s universal because it can carry every one of those emotions through its sound.
Matthew: The best thing about rock and roll (and music in general) is that it is a way to escape from everyday life. Rock and roll, in particular, provides visceral and immediate experience, uncluttered by theory or strict formalism. It’s instant gratification! (note to editors: maybe this is a bit pretentious. I won’t be sad if my answer is edited out)
Jada: I can’t wait to record our next album. The material is ready; we just all need some sugar mama to come pay for it all…get us the time off work. You know anyone like that?
1.) As regular readers of this blog know, Cydwoq makes maybe my favorite shoes ever. Their styles are modern day interpretations of classic “old world” themes.
I love the dye process they use, which involves only vegetable based dyes, and results in what a co-worker of mine affectionately refers to as “zombie skin”. Anyway, they just recently debuted several new styles, and if any of you rich Gaycondo superfans want to buy me this pair ($285) in a size 46 that would be fantastic!
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2.) Remeber the other day? When I said that the “gayest thing ever” was a video of Edith Beale dancing edited together with the song “Hung Up” by Madonna? Well, I rescind.
BACKSTORY….
A few months ago, I turned 25 and had a bit of a quarter-life reevaluation, which of course ended in me deciding that I must start exercising a.s.a.p….
Then, in a completely unrelated event, Paul and I decided to take a vacation to Las Vegas.
Which means I have to wear a swim suit.
In about 2 weeks!
Well, I have been doing a lot of sit ups to prepare. I was starting to feel like my workout had plateaued (I promise, even after saying that last sentence, I am not a douche bag), so I wanted to find a way to add resistance. It turns out that the only heavy “free weight” type thing I own is books (see? not a douche…), and the heaviest of them is Taschen’s “Fashion” which is a 15 lb behemoth! The two book, hard cover, 12 inch wide, 600+ page set is a fucking AMAZING collection of images from the Kyoto Costume Institute. If you are interested in fashion or design, it is a must read.
So, yeah. I hold these books behind my head and work on my abs….
And that’s the gayest thing ever.
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3.) Speaking of our trip to Las Vegas….
We have never been to Las Vegas together before! Have you? Comment on what we should do on the cheap while we are there….
For the first time in ages the Oregon primary may actually count for something, and as a result we’ve been visited by the whole Clinton family over the course of the last few weeks. I really find Chelsea Clinton to be a sympathetic figure, I can’t imagine how crazy it must have been to grow up in the White House. Remember how everyone in the media shamelessly made fun of her back in the day? Couldn’t anyone give her a break? She was in her awkward stage, we all had one! I feel like many gay people can identify with that, as most of us were made fun of and harassed more than average.
Chelsea was in Portland this weekend campaigning for her mom and before leaving town she stopped by the Red Dress Party, a wild fundraiser for local queer youth and AIDS charities. 2,000 people were in attendance, most of them gay men in drag. Chelsea cut short her earlier engagements to make it to the party. It’s rumored that after leaving she rode the MAX train to the airport for a flight to Pennsylvania for more campaigning.
Dude, we really just chopped off our hair for our stupid-ass video!
Perhaps it’s my (young) age, but I never knew that Juliana Hatfield had this whole other band prior to her 15 minutes around the time of “Reality Bites” and “My So Called Life”. My overall feelings about her music are pretty ambivalent, but I was stoked to find this gem. It’s a pretty mediocre song instrumentally, but I suppose it’s catchy enough. It’s a great video, but the way they dance makes me want to slap them! Also, I am pretty sure the whole crayon thing around 2:03 is an LSD reference. Check it out!
to learn more about Juliana Hatfield, check out my previous post about her. It features another excellent video.
also, I’d like to insert audio commentary into music videos for future posts, does anyone know how this is done? we have a microphone, any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
gaycondo 
