Michael Okum is an L.A. based filmmaker and visual artist. His next project, a featurehorror-thriller titled "Expressway to Your Skull" is currently in development.
Michael enjoys the music of the Melvins and Les Baxter...
Film Review
In viewing Kill List recently I couldn’t help but have high expectations going in. After seeing the snazzy trailer, and being subjected to a bit of the hypemachine that is currently surrounding it I thought I was in for a real rare bird – a film that somehow transcended the pitfalls of genre-bending and muddled narrative. But despite what you might hear from many other sources, this one does not live up to the hype. I found fleeting glimpses of quality throughout this murky, slowly paced misfire. Continue reading →
Michael Okum is an L.A. based filmmaker and visual artist. His next project, a featurehorror-thriller titled "Expressway to Your Skull" is currently in development.
Michael enjoys the music of the Melvins and Les Baxter...
An Insider’s Guide to the SBIFF 2012 Sponsored by UGG Australia) “The Arlington Theater is one of the most beautiful movie theaters in the entire world”. This statement was uttered, not only from the mouth of one of the guest moderators at the Virtuosos Awards Event, but from audience members and festival volunteers alike. The Arlington Theater is nothing short of breathtaking – quite simply a film lover’s dream come true and the main hub of events for the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Australian born, Leon spent a pinball upbringing in places such as Switzerland, Rhode Island and Los Angeles. He studied Industrial Design on the mean streets of Detroit and cut his teeth as a professional at Motorola in Chicago, where he attempted to make design a bit more sustainable. Following Motorola Leon worked with clients such as Microsoft, XBox, Dell, Nike, Artemide and Steelcase while at MINIMAL, a small but highly influential design firm in Chicago, and since then has relocated to Australia to pursue an interdisciplinary, international and crucially independent career.
On August 8th 2011, Ray Anderson, ‘radical industrialist’ and chairman and founder of Interface Inc. passed away without the world noticing. Barely two months later, the death of Steve Jobs became an inescapable subject of discussion. Canonized by the mass media, Jobs is referenced as the doyen of visionary leadership and Apple products as the utmost examples of purity and perfection. In truth, Jobs’ legacy represents everything that’s wrong with design, manufacturing, and the global economy. Like the soap in Fight Club, our ignorance is being sold back to us; reconstituted hyperbole elaborately packaged under the auspices of good design. Continue reading →
Rick Heffernan left an Irish design school and moved to a pre-EU Vilnius, Lithuania on the sole basis of running the Baltic's best underground night club. Ever since then he has never looked back and worked full time in all aspects of the music industry including record deals with boutique labels to outdoor Eastern European raves that amassed 30,000 people. Rick learned the ropes of the music industry from Paul Murphy, 80´s London jazz DJ pioneer, many moons ago and worked with such artists as: Grace Jones, Orbital, Nightmares on Wax, et al. Soon after he took on a 3-year management contract with original Studio 54 DJ legend, Nicky Siano.
Thus far Rick lived in San Francisco, Vilnius, Helsinki and flew extensively to most corners of the planet, before anchoring himself in Barcelona’s music industry. He now calls the Catalan capital of Barcelona, more specifically the Gracia District, his home.
Interview with DJ Vidis
*** The Dance music aficionado, DJ Vidis created a unique partnership in the sphere of the burgeoning Lithuanian dance music scene. He teamed up with seasoned producer, Mario Basanov in 2007 to form what is cited as a highly influential production duo whose delivery is a fresh approach to electronic music and the art of video making, with a distantly Baltic vibe. After dropping their debut album, Changed, to critical acclaim across the blogosphere, EM takes some time out to chat with Vidis about their current and upcoming projects. Continue reading →
Michael Okum is an L.A. based filmmaker and visual artist. His next project, a featurehorror-thriller titled "Expressway to Your Skull" is currently in development.
Michael enjoys the music of the Melvins and Les Baxter...
MELANCHOLIA, Lars Von Trier’s new film, is a complex work from a controversial director with a lot on his mind. It’s a genre-bending, allegorical narrative about the end of the world rooted in melodrama and shrouded in mystery at every turn.
If you are familiar with Von Trier’s past work and especially his major works like Dogville, Antichrist and Breaking the Waves you already know that with each successive film he intends to provoke some sort of extreme reaction from the viewer and Melancholia is no exception. If you are new to Von Trier this film may be one of his most accessible. It’s certainly is one of the most visually ravishing and multi-layered of his career. Continue reading →
Mark Villegas is a 90's era b-boy whose windmills include feet slamming on ground. He is also a Culture and Theory graduate student at the University of California at Irvine. When not reading poorly written theory texts or uprocking, he shoots guerilla-style documentary films highlighting Filipino and Filipino American popular culture. You can check him out at Hip Hop Lives: http://filamfunk.blogspot.com/
“I’m a-I’m a Filipino til I die, til I die,” the “bad” voice repeats as Genius Ears of Paro Paro Beats steps away from the controls and stomps hard at the front of the stage. He dangles his arms and head at the lull of the beat and flexes his neck at the snare in a krump gesture. Children unclasp tiny grips on mothers to commence dance floor bouncing. Continue reading →
The Orchestre Poly-Rythmo can best be described as musical godfathers of the West African nation of Benin, where successive generations of musicians have been inspired by the sounds of funk and vodoun (voodoo) music which first emerged from the homes of young men living in 1960s Cotonou, the economic capital of the country. Continue reading →
Sarah is a Los Angeles bred humanitarian who acquired a penchant for writing early on. Her work has been featured in Vapors and POOLTRADE SHOW magazine. She attends CSUN Graduate School of Journalism, where she is creating a radio documentary about police brutality.
It was 1964. Lagos, Nigeria was a densely populated metropolis, giving birth to a wide range of African music. This was before the civil war, when the city was experiencing an influx of new residents who introduced music that differed in style and purpose. As various cultural groups gathered, an environment marked by new instruments, patterns of movement and cadences melded together. Externally, African music varies in ideological and social perspective, as well as in harmony and instrumentation. Continue reading →
Rick Heffernan left an Irish design school and moved to a pre-EU Vilnius, Lithuania on the sole basis of running the Baltic's best underground night club. Ever since then he has never looked back and worked full time in all aspects of the music industry including record deals with boutique labels to outdoor Eastern European raves that amassed 30,000 people. Rick learned the ropes of the music industry from Paul Murphy, 80´s London jazz DJ pioneer, many moons ago and worked with such artists as: Grace Jones, Orbital, Nightmares on Wax, et al. Soon after he took on a 3-year management contract with original Studio 54 DJ legend, Nicky Siano.
Thus far Rick lived in San Francisco, Vilnius, Helsinki and flew extensively to most corners of the planet, before anchoring himself in Barcelona’s music industry. He now calls the Catalan capital of Barcelona, more specifically the Gracia District, his home.
An interview with John O’Connor
*** John Blek and the Rats are brought up on a healthy dose of country ballads and American folk roots mixed with the deep Irish countryside. The Irish four piece is showing Europe that not all new bands have to be skinny jeans, ray-bans and haircuts. With tracks that sound way past their years and arrangements far more interesting than a lot of what’s currently on offer in Europe, it will be exciting to see how the future unfolds for them. Continue reading →
An interview with Jiji Panda
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In China, the national symbol is not a dragon, a Ming dynasty urn, or a red star, but a cute animal- the giant panda. Infamous worldwide for their generally docile nature and overwhelming cuteness, pandas have even been sent to other countries from China as big greeting cards of peace, a practice the media termed “Panda Diplomacy.” As of this article, they are still listed as an endangered species. However, a new species of panda is breeding successfully, in fashion and cute goods sites all over the world, and he doesn’t eat bamboo and loaf around, smiling. Continue reading →
Ethan Holtzman moved to Topanga Canyon when he was two years old. During his childhood years, he caught blue-belly lizards and foraged for edible fungi. He grew up singing folk songs with his family around the potbelly stove, the sole source of heat. Eventually he bought an accordion and studied under the late master, Milton Mann. He currently plays a Farfisa in the band, Dengue Fever, and tours the world.
Interview with Os Mutantes
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It was in 1966 in Sao Paulo, Brazil where visionary brothers Sergio Dias and Arnaldo Baptista teamed up with singer, Rita Lee, to form the seminal band, Os Mutantes. The results were an astounding and pleasurable sonic blend of psychedelic rock and Tropicalia.
The Brazilian music movement occurred in the early sixties, starting from a visual arts installation, but quickly branched out to include all aspects of Brazil’s rich cultural scene. Its philosophies are based on antropofagia or the cultural and musical cannibalism of all societies, generously absorbing influences from all genres and concocting a unique syncretic blend of art, music and film. Continue reading →
An interview with Hank Willis Thomas
*** Hank Willis Thomas’ cousin Songha was the model older brother—talented and charming, he won many academic and athletic honors before almost finishing up a degree in communications to pursue a career in broadcasting. At age 27, his life ended outside a Philadelphia nightclub, where two men held Songha and two friends at gunpoint. Songha had not resisted. He lay prone on the icy floor when one of the gunman, after having taken some money and jewelry, shot him in the back of the head. For the Willis family, Songha’s death, however painful and senseless, was not without meaning. Hank thought about the circumstances of his cousin’s murder—who else but a black male would end another black male’s life over some jewelry? Continue reading →
Where Literature Coincides with Art
The Hammer Museum – Santa Monica, CA
3/4 thru 3/6/12
East L.A.’s favorite bookstore/lending library, Libros Schmibros, is back at the Hammer Museum with a free monthly book club led by co-directors David Kipen and Colleen Jaurretche. Convenings will focus on books related to the museum’s exhibitions and programs. Continue reading →
Two Days of Extreme Music and Winter Sports Vail Valley Resort – Avon, Colorado
3/2 thru 3/2/12
Taking place in Colorado’s renowned Vail Valley on March 2-4th, 2012, SnowBall Festival is quickly setting the standard for a unique festival experience. Festival goers can enjoy all the perks of a world class ski resort, while being treated to performances by a wide variety of top notch musical artists. This is one of the most exciting festivals to emerge in recent years, and will make for some great press opportunities. Continue reading →
BONNAROO: WHAT, WHICH, THIS, THAT, THE OTHER
The first official book about the country’s premier summer music and arts festival contains over 400 photos covering all 10 years of Bonnaroo, featuring shots taken by some of the best shooters working in music today, including Danny Clinch, C. Taylor Crothers, Jeff Kravitz, and Ryan Mastro, among others. It also highlights numerous personal anecdotes from fans, the festival producers, various staff, and some of the top musicians and comedians who have performed there. Continue reading →
Trouble in Paradise: Music and Los Angeles 1945-1975 The GRAMMY Museum – LA, CA
2/22 thru 4/3/12
As part of the exciting statewide Pacific Standard Time Initiative, this pictorial exhibition explores the pop music scenes of Los Angeles, and their related culture, politics, and popular art, during the years of 1945-1975.
In addition to a wide-range of iconic images from the period, the exhibit will also feature a cross-section of ephemera (album art, handbills, concert posters, etc.), music, and filmed interviews with key figures of the scene. The exhibition, co-curated by GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Robert Santelli and USC Professor Josh Kun, zeroes in on the tensions between alluring myths of Southern California paradise and the realities of social struggle that characterized the years following WWII. Continue reading →
Os Gemeos’ First Solo Exhibition in Los AngelesPRISM Gallery – LA, CA
February 25 – March 24, 2012
PRISM is pleased to present Miss You, an exhibition of new paintings and sculptures within an immersive installation by famed Brazilian street artists and twin brothers, Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo.
The artists play with quixotic notions of magical realism. Their visual tableaux explores the quotidien sublimated into dreams, sentiments, surrealism, realizations, relationships, love, hate and their intrinsic curiosity to question everything around them. Continue reading →
Harry Smith’s Heaven And Earth Magic w/ Live Score by Flying Lotus The Cinefamily – LA, CA
2/28/12
Cinefamily brings you two screenings of Harry Smith’s classic triumph of experimental animation: one with its original soundtrack, and another re-scored live by Flying Lotus (of Warp Records)!
Reprising an unforgettable show commissioned for the Ann Arbor Film Festival, L.A.’s own Flying Lotus joins Animation Breakdown for a unique screening of animator/folk music archivist/string figure enthusiast/culture hound extraordinaire Harry Smith’s 66-minute animated collage film, Heaven and Earth Magic. Continue reading →
ENJOY FUTURE ROOTS RADIO AS A FREE IPHONE APP! Yes…The free dublab iPhone App is currently available! Now the world can listen to dublab’s future roots radio on the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch! To download this audio enlightenment tool search “dublab” in the iTunes App store or click here. More information to follow from the dublab camp.
The Library on Fire is an indie rock band firmly entrenched in the Brooklyn music scene with their band name taken from a poem by Rene Char.
Listening to their new album, Works on Paper, brings to mind early nineties indie noise pop, Modern Lovers and Pavement, and visuals of manic panic hair, 16-holed Docs and Lollapalooza. Melodic crunchy guitar pop wail on songs like “Basquiat” and “Burn it Down.” Other times, they riff off moody and contemplative on songs like “Hypnos on Fire” and “Jewels in Yr Eyes.” Continue reading →
