EM: Occupation and Position.
Commercial illustrator, fine artist, and comics artist/writer.

EM:  What neighborhood do you closely identify with?  What makes your community so unique?
I wouldn’t say I really identify with any specific neighborhood or group. I’ve always been inspired by random things and events, and most of what I do just comes out of my head. I think online social networking has changed things a lot as far as communities go. →

Rwandan Children Born of Rape by Jonathan Torgovnik
United Nations Headquarters – New York, NY
4/7/09
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Coinciding with the publication of the Aperture book of the same title and the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, Aperture Gallery is proud to present Intended Consequences: Rwandan Children Born of Rape, photographs and interviews by Jonathan Torgovnik. →

Chinoiseries (2008)
Bo Bun Records
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Check out this Vietnamese hip hop track, titled: “I Wanna Go Back” from off the album, Chinoiseries on Bo Bun Records (2008). Onra, a French Vietnamese DJ, beatmaker and world traveler visited Vietnam, the land of his grandparents, and collected around 30 vinyls. He took these records to his house, made some cool beats that eventually became this compilation of Vietnamese hip hop. He donates a portion of the money made from this record to “La Goutte d’ Eau” association which helps underprivileged families and children in the orphanages of Vietnam.

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For more info on this DJ and his upcoming projects visit his myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/onra

The Echo – Los Angeles, CA
Live Review: 03/20/09
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The second unabashedly biased tale in this rambling, erratic, yet somehow ravishing saga… Welcome to the ride.

It is not possible for me to properly recount the tale of Four Tet with a non-partisan tenor, as I’ve held his music in high regard long before the opportunity to see him live at the Echoplex. The following interpretation is extremely subjective. →

Croatian-born Damir Doma presents a unique suede sneaker made from aged calf leather and cork wedge. The sneaker contains the minimum amount of seams to produce a comfortable sock-like fit. Each pair comes with black cord and leather laces. The heel pull on each shoe is a signature of Doma’s footwear. →

KELLY TOWLES’ SOLO ART SHOW
Pool Trade Show – Los Angeles, CA
4/4/09
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Rapscallions, hoodlums, and pugilistic ruffians.  Sneak Thief, a solo art show by Washington, DC-based street artist Kelly Towles, portrays imagery of social and emotional deviants at Loop Space, provided by Pool Trade Show.  Sneak Thief opens on Saturday, April 4th. →

Like your shoes to be more like pieces of art than a simple sartorial statement? These high-tops from Raf Simons are made from monochrome canvas with a stitch finish. Black stitching covers the toe and recedes into intricate patterns toward the heel. The shoes have off-white vulcanized rubber soles and single/double velcro straps. Since the embroidery is delicate, treat it like you would any piece of art—with care. →

The second annual LOS ANGELES ART WEEKEND, taking place April 2 through April 5, 2009 is a four-day event highlighting the city’s foremost in cultural offerings and the vast array of creative talent working in art, architecture, design and performance. You are invited to sign up to participate in special events happening throughout the weekend to discover or reacquaint yourself with L.A.’s rich cultural landscape. →

Small independent U.K. label Porte Monnaie makes handcrafted leather wallets with a unique minimalist bent. Each wallet is made from paper-thin, high-density polyethylene and colored with all-natural dyes, making it recyclable. The centrally focused fold-out coin pocket also makes this a very unique product. Available in chalk, classic white, classic black and black-and-white. →

Origami Vinyl in Echo Park
By Joshua Lurie

Why would anybody open a vinyl record shop in 2009? To hear Neil Schield tell it, “A lot of people seem to be introducing themselves to physical, tangible records.” People are also buying records at higher rates as downloads plateau and CD sales plummet. “It just seems like everything’s fit in the right place right now,” says Schield. He better hope so, because when Origami Vinyl opens in Echo Park on April 3, he’s gambling his future on the past.

When we met last week to discuss Origami Vinyl, Schield was earnest, talking about a desire to open a record store since high school. He also made →