
Do you like guitars, street art and helping people out? Well, the ABC Trust, which helps vulnerable children and young people in Brazil, and Dazed & Confused have collaborated to bring you an exclusive street art project called A Força da Rua (A Force of the Street). 12 British and Brazilian artists have each customized a Gibson guitar to be sold off on auction. You too can design your own guitar template and have it displayed along with the artists’. →

Light Bar – Austin, TX
Live Review: 3/18/09
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Kicking off a maddening four days of SXSW 2009, Shadow Dancer showcased a loud and aggressive DJ set to a packed house at the Boys Noize Records party at LightBar. Taking advantage of the compact and portable nature of today’s MIDI controllers they managed to grab a hold of the tiniest of knobs and put together a fantastically complex set. →
When I sat down to watch One Night in the City at the electric cinema, I really didn’t know what to expect. The Flatpack film festival had thrown me a cocktail of films of so far with a diverse range of genres and mediums. The only thing I knew about this film was it promised to be a “stop-motion-animated feature-length black comedy horror film.” →
Are you ready for March Madness?
The White House and the President are ready. Yesterday, President Obama released his Presidential picks for the Men’s Basketball NCAA tournament with Andy Katz (ESPN). Of the four local Washington, DC area schools entering the big dance, President Obama chose VCU →

Steve Allen Theater, Los Angeles
Live Review: 3/12/09
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Given that Akron/Family performed at the Steve Allen Theater, an intimate venue that’s part of the Center for Inquiry, an atheist/skeptic group, I found it particularly fitting that what transpired this Thursday night resulted in a wholly religious experience, one that was soul-expanding, if not exactly spiritual. →
Park Chan Wook of Old Boy and the Vengeance trilogy fame (read prior entries, if you are drawing a blank) has just released the first poster (below, which has been restricted from wide release in Korea because of its arguable sexual innuendo ) and the first teaser (above) for his next film, Thirst, or its Korean language title, Bbak-jee or Bat (Note the neat bat poses in the poster).

The Echo – Los Angeles, CA
Live Review: 3/10/09
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Speeding through Los Avenues gang territory at top speed to pick up my photographer, it was absolutely imperative that I make it down to Sunset by a quarter to nine to get an interview with Sleepy Sun before their set at The Echo on Tuesday night. Arriving late at the door & overcome with a sense of impending doom, the bouncer guarding the main entrance provided me peace of mind after informing me that the band was still doing their sound check. →

For the Sweet Sixteen your medicine cabinet was at capacity, but when moisturizer merged with sunscreen, you graduated to the Big Eight. Then you tasted the Final Four when primer promised anti-crease. But now, you’re ready to take the tourney. Luckily, La Bella Donna is equipped to eliminate the madness from March. Their all-in-one Co-Exist Creme Gel is bringing its offense to hydrate, combat damage, fight wrinkles and protect. The VIP, Sodium Hyaluronate , turns up the heat of every bioactive ingredient, vitamin, and anti-oxidant so you can score with a luminous, clarified face. So while everyone else is busying themselves with their brackets, you can drive home all your skins’ needs…in one , clean sweep.
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labelladonna.com
Its coming towards the end of March and DJ Troublemaker has a few treats to drop on you. First is his new mix, a 30 minute workout of uptempo booty shakin’ bass fo’ your face.
Troublemaker would like to thank Zoran Miller at Frank & Jan for the artwork, and Kelly Hibbert at Elysian Masters for the banging mastering job. As always, visit Troublemaker’s official website to download all of his original tracks, mixes, and remixes for free: http://djtroublemaker.com/
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Check out the mix below:
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Youth Group put on a free show at Spaceland on March 16, 2009 to promote their newest album The Night Is Ours. Before the concert, I had a chance to sit down with lead singer Toby Martin and drummer Danny Allen to discuss their fourth album, love for Mexican food, and take on the change in the music industry.
EM: Welcome to America guys. How has L.A. been treating you so far? →