Hey internet!
Our good friend and talented illustrator, Frank Hansen will be at a table selling prints and a small book of his art this weekend at the CTN Expo at the Hyatt across from the Burbank airport.
This Expo is the first annual convention of the Creative Talent Network which is dedicated to animation artists. There will be some incredible artists showing off their work and discussions about animation, self promotion and all sorts of other stuff.
Discounted rates are available to students, active military and professional industry organizations. For more information and to register, please visit www.ctnanimationexpo.com or call, (800) 604-2238 and mention Frank Hansen’s code for a special 10% discount: HANSX09
On Friday the 13th, local singer/songwriter David Innes tempted the day’s unlucky reputation by playing some original material at the Railroad Café on the corner of San Fernando Road and Market Street in Newhall.
With rock-heavy guitar riffs that painted the cafe halls with a dirty punk/blues sound, David jammed out original tunes backed by his own haunting vocals reminiscent of the late Elliot Smith.
If you didn’t know — and I didn’t — Railroad Café likes to have these music nights every few weeks or so. If you can, make it down there one of the next few Fridays, buy some coffee, and soak in the rustic local music scene.
“The idea was to do a seven-inch single and be done with it, but we started writing songs and something happened.” — Jack White
Chemistry between bandmates is something that can’t be contrived. Sure, you can do take, after take, after take, to try and get the right vibe — and most mainstream pop does this — but it’s certainly best when chemistry is an intrinsic part of the group.
According to Mr. White, chemistry like this is what birthed his third band, The Dead Weather, and, subsequently, their album Horehound. Recorded over a period of three weeks at Jack White’s new Third Man Studios, one would expect this album to sound like the good old down-and-dirty pirate blues we’ve come to expect from our good friend Jack — but it’s so much more (and less) than that. Teaming up with Alison Mosshart (The Kills) on vocals, Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) on guitar, and Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs) on bass, Jack White takes a back seat on the drum throne. The Dead Weather have created an emotional mush-pot of blues rock that ranges from angry to sexy — but mostly sexy.
Horehound opens up with the loose, yet surprisingly groovy “60 Feet Tall”, and you can immediately feel the grit and the tension as Mosshart sings “You got my attention / You got it all.” And you have ours, Alison! Moving into the middle of the album, the band continues to successfully mesh heavy guitars with grooving drums and loose bass lines that accent Alison’s breathy, angry melodies. “Hang You From The Heavens”, the second track, is — in my humble opinion — the epitome of the band’s sound: constant guitar feedback dances back and forth with the driving bass and drums while Mosshart’s vocals breathe down your neck. “Cut Like A Buffalo” is the only song on the album written by Jack White himself. Using a distorted, reggae-esque organ; tight, breathy/wheezy vocals (Jack keeps asking himself, “Is that you chokin’?”); and a tight drum and bass groove, the band begins to sound almost like a fuzzed-up, cracked-out Bob Marley.
The closer, “Will There Be Enough Water?”, sounds like it was recorded at a bar in an old cowboy town. Using an out-of-tune piano and an acoustic guitar, Jack and Alison share a mic, and it’s almost enough to put you to sleep. Of course, after having the words “I want to drag you by the hair / and hang you up from the heavens” sung to you just a few tracks beforehand, it’s likely that you’ll be sleeping with one eye open.
All in all, it’s not a White Stripes album, and you shouldn’t expect that from it. Every player in this quartet comes from a band with a very distinct sound, and it’s fascinating to hear how they’ve all played to their strengths to create such a strong work of art. Horehound is absolutely worth your time.
P.S. You should definitely take the time to check out the video for “Treat Me Like Your Mother” by Jonathan Glazer. It’s pretty flippin’ awesome.
On Thursday night, Proxart was at CalArts, checking out “Culture of Anonymity”, which was described as a show that “critiques and documents an extreme within communication”.
The paintings, done by CalArts student Danny Bengston, featured mock lines of text messages, instant messages, and emails, which seemed to suggest that society has become more anonymous as communication technology has become more accessible.
The night also featured music by PANGEA! — a local band that happens to include Bengston on bass. PANGEA! puts on an energetic live performance with fun surf punk that’s guaranteed to make you dance. If you haven’t heard them yet, you should change that by checking out their MySpace.
Some of the greatest albums have proved that heartbreak makes music go ’round. Thao Nguyen’s Know Better Learn Faster is no exception. As an audience, we revel in the pain that birthed Thao’s evolved folk. Coming from the battlegrounds of a real life break up, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down — consisting of Adam Thompson on bass, keys and additional guitar; and Willis Thompson on drums and percussion — compile thirteen cleverly crafted heartbreak songs that evoke contempt for the very concept of everlasting love.
The title track, “Know Better Learn Faster”, sets the somber tone with the help of Andrew Bird, who lends his fiddling and whistling expertise. Earthy tones speak humble words, yearning for someone to be “better than me”. Her smoky voice provides a perfect balance of dignity and pleading while weaving in and out of upbeat hand claps and that quirky acoustic guitar of hers. By the end, we feel sorry, almost pitiful, for her, wondering how tired she must be from fighting for so long.
Yet the wit and sarcasm of “Fixed It!” is the big fuck you she needed to shout. It comes complete with driving rhythm that riles you up for each “fixed it!”, punctuated with sharp, jabbing beats. The rowdy cheers at the end match the shouting buildup in the beginning as if to present the song as a fight between him and her. We all know who won. It’s this song that reminds you of all the terrible things the last person you loved did to you, making you wonder if it was ever really love at all.
Even though this album is cripplingly sarcastic, Thao and the Get Downs still manage to make you smile. Her flighty beats elate you to a future where you feel the same constant percussive thumps in your heart again. Know Better Learn Faster makes you realize that the contempt you feel for the one who hurt you eventually turns into contempt for the hurt, and not the person. Like any good album, every song reminds you of some pain and makes you wince with her; yet each time you press replay, you feel a little more hopeful in spite of all you’ve heard.
The Little Shop of Horrors? Absolutely! Directed by Roger Corman and starring Jonathan Haze, this old gem is far superior to the many remakes, including the musical adaptation. Not only does it include a cheesy-looking plant that drinks human blood, but the writing is surprisingly good. I think the story is extremely fresh and unique, and one that clearly works for all generations (hence the remakes).
Just to account for the brilliance of this film, one particular scene has always caught my eye. The setting is a dentist’s office, and the comedic hook is an appearance by Jack Nicholson (his film debut). I don’t want to give away too much, but Jack presents a rather creepy stance on dentistry. I will just leave it at that. Go watch the film.
With an appreciation for all things peculiar, Alma Juarez’s point of view is a curious one. With characters from all different backgrounds, she is able to capture a fascinating weight to each of them. No matter what medium she’s using, every character she chooses feels like they have a life outside of the piece. They are people who have a history behind them.
A couple weeks ago I was able to talk with Alma about her work and get a glimpse into the history behind her.
Justin Miyamoto: Hi, Alma! How are you doing today? Did you do anything interesting over the weekend?
Alma Juarez: Hi! I’m doing well. Yeah! I started my weekend by getting free potatoes, then moved on to getting mooned, then seeing Abraham Lincoln hanging out with Scarlett O’Hara and at some point I was surrounded by hippies and zombies, but not at the same time.
In 1927 Blind Willie Johnson signed with Columbia records and recorded around thirty songs from 1927–1930. One of his most emotionally stirring and moving songs, titled “Dark Was The Night” — a “hum and moan” song about the crucifixtion of Jesus — is said to have inspired such great blues masters as Robert Johnson and Skip James.
Therefore, it is only fitting that this song and the artist who wrote it are the inspiration for the 20th compilation album benefiting The Red Hot Organization, an international charity with the purpose of “fighting AIDS through pop culture”.
This compilation features most of the who’s who in the international indie folk and rock music scenes, featuring such acts as The Arcade Fire, The National, and Beirut; collabs of Grizzly Bear working with Feist, among others; and last, but certainly not least, a hauntingly intimate cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Was Young When I Left Home” by Antony (with Bryce Dessner). Basically, if you’re a coffeehouse-going, Bright Eyes-rocking, modern indie folk lover, this is probably the compilation of your dreams.
But the most interesting song among the Cat Powers and My Morning Jackets littered throughout this compilation could be Kronos Quartet’s cover of Blind Willie Johnson’s previously mentioned blues masterpiece. That may be obvious, since it is the name of the compilation, after all. But it is interesting for the fact that Kronos Quartet is able to keep the heavy late 20’s dread of southern depression blues while adding the fear and dread of the modern day depression felt around the world, especially in AIDS-stricken countries. The dissonance and nearly uncomfortable and unpleasant way the quartet performs this song leaves you with a sense of concern, but also, hopefully, with a sense of wanting to do more for your fellow man.
Whether you’re the aforementioned character who loves Iron and Wine (also on the compilation) and all artists of that nature, or if you’d just like to chip in some money for a good cause, Dark Was The Night is what you’re looking for.
Disc 1:
Disc 2:
