Friday, April 5, 2013

Rhye keeps it smooth, sexy at Bimbo's | SF Music

      With the audience seated at tables under warm lighting, the mood was set at Bimbo’s on Wednesday night for a very intimate evening with the mysterious Rhye. Canadian producer-vocalist Mike Milosh and Robin Hannibal (of Danish duo Quadron) have turned heads in the indie world with their soulful, jazzy collaboration, and March 2013 album, Woman, mostly inspired by Milosh’s intense connection with his wife. At Rhye's live show, that passionate love felt universal – and palpable – between the audience and the band.
          LA-based DJ Nosaj Thing provided a perfect lead into the show. His thoughtfully arranged collage of samples toured the world from London dubstep to Indian drumming, then came home to artists like Flying Lotus and Dntel, who hail from the same Los Angeles electronic scene as Nosaj. This situated us in the musical environment where Milosh and Hannibal began their collaboration, and provided a mechanical link to the jazzy show that would follow.
      Rhye opened casually, with several slower, moody tracks. The audience was lulled in,  exploring the textures, emphasis, and softer sounds that have developed from the duo's time spent working and touring together. It was all very sensual, with rhythmically stroked cello and violin, mellow drums, and melodic keyboard.
 .... Continue reading on  SFBG | Noise Blog

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Mike Shine's "Flotsam's Harvest" at White Walls

Originally posted by the San Francisco Bay Guardian

     A promise that all our ailments will disappear and our wildest dreams will come true ... for a small price. Or for the price of your soul? Dr. Flotsam and his self-described "crew of carny bastards," sprung from the wild mind of San Francisco artist Mike Shine, ask us the worth of that exchange. The question is scattered through the paintings, performance, and graphic novel of his show, "Flotsam's Harvest," up now through April 6 at White Walls.
     According to the show's press release:
     "'Flotsam’s Harvest' will be a sweeping installation of street art, paintings, films, a medicine show performance and the launching of Shine’s graphic novella. Each aspect of the show will provide different coded tips and hints, offered to help viewers solve the dark 'World Riddle' posed by Friedrich Nietzsche in his book, Thus Spake Zarathustra."
     Intrigued? The opening at White Walls Sat/16 had enough stimulation to dissolve even the hardest anti-consumerist into clapping, grinning, and Irish drinking-song singing. But the mystical "Hell Brew" the medicine show promoted wasn't for sale. Whether it was ploy to sell the art or vice versa is still up for debate.
    Shine's devilish paintings of animals and figures fuse illustration and graffiti styles. Their rustic colors are blockish and thickly lined like cartoons, while the dripping paint, stray marks, collaged tickets, and spray paint give an urban art feel. These hip but simple paintings are enhanced by frames carved with animal figures and hung on walls painted with radiating text that's as inscrutable as gang tags. Similar murals are also painted around in the city with Banksy-esque portraits of the "carny bastards." But despite how cool they are, the artworks were not the selling point for me.
     Shine's opening night performance (similar to those he has done at Outside Lands and SFMOMA), was equally as rich and cryptic. It began in some form of Gaelic or Old English with subtitles on cards and continued with Dr. Flotsam selling his mystical tonic in a thick, comical accent. We all knew the audience volunteer selected to test the brew was a plant (in the form of YouTube dance star takesomecrime): he hobbled on stage but was "cured" after swigging from Dr. Flotsam's flask, and began shuffling to electro swing by Skewiff.
     This wildly entertaining evening can't be isolated as the meat of what Shine has made either, but it began to make sense of what was going on. The sense of irony was ripe when Dr. Flotsam noted that the government doesn't permit medicine shows because they "lie to you." (This sense of danger in the promise was deepened in his disclaimer that you can have your widest dreams come true, if you're willing to part with your soul.)
     A similar theme emerges in the accompanying graphic novel, in which Dr. Flotsam intervenes in the lives of people who have notably impacted history, like the caveman who made fire, Jesus, or the inventor of penicillin. But each one pays a heavy price for the advice they receive. The conflation of good and bad creates a wild sense of anarchy which gives reason for, and holds the key to, the intense and scattered information Shine draws upon for his work.
    In a culture where added dimension in art and immersive stimulation in film are often confused with creative quality, Shine has created a show which uses both to convey his meaning. But after the whole experience puzzling out the riddle, I was left wanting. The entertaining trail of information ended in a simple answer, but opened up a number of new questions: was it about merging the body and soul by processing his art in order to gain a stronger sense of identity? Or about how commodities are sold with flair and gusto, but in their mass production fail to truly appeal to the individual? Or is Shine just trying to fuck with people? Maybe you should take a look at the riddle and figure it out for yourself.
Mike Shine, "Flotsam's Harvest"
Through April 6
White Walls Gallery
886 Geary, SF
www.whitewallssf.com

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Try something new every day.

I finally took advantage of Community Arts Program's silk-screening workshop. The space is just down the street from me and offers art supplies and lessons to mostly homeless people and crazies from the neighborhood. My cousin's wife (and soon to be baby mama) works there and highly encouraged me to go. I'm really glad I did. After looking through my sketchbook, the instructor, whose name I'm confused on, picked this one. I fixed up the contrast and he walked me through the process. I can't wait to go baaackkkkk. Meet people, figure out my next project, and print some shirts and patches!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Grayed Jade

I dreamt that I found a clothing store with a section devoted to clothes inspired by costumes from the preeminent Vampire romance movie, Let the Right One In. The movie was artfully shot, psychologically twisted and had a balanced amount of heartclutching horror and adorableness. The girl on the right, Eli, wore a lot of grayed jade--one of the pantone people's 'in' colors for spring. I'm probably a little too stoked on this color, which you can see in the kaleidoscoped nail polish and soon-to-be scarf.








 

Friday, January 11, 2013

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Two Oh Oh Thirteen

I'm really happy with my completion of several New Years resolutions from 2012. I interned at the Guardian, woo! I got a position at Volta Press (but didn't really follow through since it was such a small place and I was disappointed to find they didn't actually set type but used polymer plates instead). I read a bunch of the epics, (Ulysses will carry over into my 2013 list though). Didn't take Japanese, but applied for the JET program, and hey, that's a big step! And...I did paint a landscape, but I think it was worth it:


So here goes 2013:

1. Do at least one freelance piece a month.
2. Do at least one serious painting a month.
3. Finish Ulysses.
4. READ THE NEWS ... daily.
5. Start tagging.
6. Take either Japanese or Art.
7. More figure drawing.
8. Make a website.

 I have really positive feelings about this year. I have a new job, plenty of free time, and just scored a spot in a really cool artist co-op in the center of San Francisco. Also, I just got a really sick camera from my whole family this Christmas!! I can't wait to go to shows and start stocking images for paintings. I'm still learning how to use it but here are some shots from the break:
 
 The Christmas Cactus





Lights at the Mission Inn in Riverside





Wednesday, January 2, 2013

"I didn't even die. They didn't even kill me."

- Benny Parrish from Bombay Beach 

I watched two really good documentaries with my family this holiday season. Both of which were about exceptional people and, coincidentally, had really great soundtracks.

Bombay Beach (2011)


      Just looking at this photo makes me happy. Its of one of the staged scenes from Bombay Beach, in which Benny, the adorable ADHD and Bipolar diagnosed boy, tells about his family's stay in prison.
      The musical documentary follows three different stories of families living by the Salton Sea in Bombay Beach, California. The film includes the requisite interviews and raw footage of people going about their lives to make it a documentary, but it also uses the same people as actors in dance/dream sequences set to music. In this case mostly Bob Dylan and Beirut -- two of my favorites : )
      What makes this neo-realistic film work, and not seem contrived for artistic recognition, is that's its actually pretty spontaneous. The film was by a music video director, Amla Ha'rel, who has worked with Beirut in the past, and is now exploring the documentary genre while still using bits of what she already knows.
      This happy coincidence is a treat for film analystists.They could really have a heyday with the movie's juxtaposition of the real and the scripted. (Which my brother did).
      All comments about authenticity in film aside: to me, the effect of this juxtaposition was very cerebral. Though it mostly feels like a view into these stereotyped "white-trash" lives, I kept on getting pulled out of that view as the characters started to responded to the camera and begin performing. This caused me to constantly switch between two versions of the story, one more factual and the other emotional and spiritual.
      I think a lot of people have judgements about places like Bombay Beach. That yeah, they are white trash, or jeez that's a really shitty place to live, or... I don't know, that its somehow a different type of human from the film's target audience?
     The documentary gives you every way to relate to the people though and I think having the ability to connect with these people through music and as performers trying to share something with you makes it that much more sincere.


Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)













    Jiro Ono is a 85 year old sushi artist. His restaurant in the Roppongi district in Tokyo received the highest rating possible (3 stars) from the very selective Michelin Guide, something unheard of for such a small space.
    He is considered a sushi master and the film explores the discipline and devotion it takes to accomplish that.
     I think the most valuable thing I learned, is that which is contained in the title. There is one segment in which Jiro tells how he would dream of sushi every night. He explains that always imagining new and better possibilities allows you to improve constantly and beyond defined limits.
      His approach to his work was intensely serious, he basically forced his sons to follow his footsteps and train in the restaurant, but there was also a bit of fun in it, mostly in his very personal relationship with the sushi. This was reflected wonderfully in the music, a few songs by Max Richter (known in film for his score for Waltz With Bashir) and bunch of Phillip Glass (Koyaanisqatsi).
      One of my favorite scenes in the movie is the tuna auction. I wish I could find a clip for this, but I guess you'll have to watch the movie. Its interesting for the bit on fish being low in Japan because of the growing popularity and mass production of sushi, but mostly I like the symphonic effect of staccato Japanese from the crier at the auction mixed with some awesome African drumming music.
      The rest of the documentary falls together well and  makes very clear the message that if you work hard and love what you do, you will be successful. Or, from a different perspective, it teaches you how to be successful doing what you love.