As you guys might know I'm working at Epiphany these days. The company is a small but robust team. The last week alone, we produced a few events and each and every time I didn't have a chance to really take pics since I was busy and I also lost my camera. Anyhow I finally had a chance to get a new one (Thx Coltrane), so here's a few pics of the recent TAG event we produced. The air gets kinda hectic and tense before each event but I think we executed rather well. Special thanks to all those in the LA fam that attended, you know who you are. I'm heading to NY morrow to tend to some events we have to take care of here. Word.

For years, I've been saying that they need to get non-NBA players into the dunk contest to make things interesting.  Well, they finally caught my vibe and are allowing four amateurs into the contest this year.  Go to the site and vote for your favorite.  Too bad for the NBA players that The Air Up There, Taurian Fontenette, AKA Mr. 720 is going to embarrass them.  Don't believe me?  Press play.

Common at Wanderlust from David Mongan on Vimeo. What's it like to downward dog all day and rock all night? I have no idea, because I was too busy nursing a mean hangover to do any yoga, but the option was there if I wanted to. Why? Because that's what Wanderlust is--a three-day yoga/music festival meant to bring together two free-thinking, everyone-loving, oft-pretentious worlds in one of the most beautiful places in California: Squaw Valley Ski Resort. How could it not be dope? The festival kicked off Friday night, when I showed up just in time to catch soul princess Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings rock the whole village.  I was a bit leery of how well a 53-year-old singer would do with a young crowd, but she absolutely killed it.  In fact, it may have been my favorite show of the weekend.  She was pulling guys out of the audience to romance on stage and people were catching the holy ghost all over the place.  Sadly, there are no good pictures as my photographer brought his telephoto lens and was WAY too close to get anything from the pit short of an up-nostril shot. My pic: Video I found on youtube: Day 2 - On the Mountain The backdrop could've been worse Any day that starts with bacon, eggs and beer is set up to be a win, and it turned out to be just that.  We headed up the mountain around 2 after waiting for the girls in the group to get their chakras right, just in time to catch the end of Rogue Wave.  Then, it was on to the slower sounds of Gillian Welch and Jenny Lewis, who's not as bad as she was the first time I saw her, before the real show started--Common. Common gettin' loose, courtesy of Derek Bradley Asked to fill in for Michael Franti who suffered a ruptured appendix, Common bumrushed the stage looking like he was fresh off a triple-double in a pair of basketball shorts and Air Yeezy's.  The crowd was decidedly segregated between hipsters and hippies, making Lonnie a controversial choice.  To the hippies, he was a bit too crude, despite censoring his lyrics for the kids in the audience of which there were many.  For the hipsters, he tore it up with the energy of a five-year-old on a pack of Starbursts and really set the mood for Girl Talk later in the evening. I admittedly was skeptical of Girl Talk, because the mash-up thing has been done like crazy.  However, as the show started, I quickly saw why he's so popular--his show goes off!  Say what you will about it being a hipster spring break or him not doing much mixing, but you can't knock his energy.  There aren't many DJ's who get people this hyped. Flying balloons (some filled with money), toilet paper shooting every which way, and the Jesus of Pittsburgh standing on a table in sweatpants and a headband.  I'll admit it--it was hot.  However, the place was way too ruckus to get any photos from the pit, so I have one terrible shot from my point and shoot and a video I stole off Youtube. Terrible--I blame the girl in the blue shirt. Stay tuned for Day 3, including Vinny Chase and The Honey Dudes or Honey Bears, or something like that.

This is a REALLY cool video.  Kid Cudi comes correct with an excellent MV for "Make Her Say" in a fashion that mirrors the playful and fresh demeanor of the song.  Edited split screen in vibrant colors, "Make Her Say" puts a twist on the normal music video shots with a clever interaction between the two halves. The video is divided into three sections for Cudi, Kanye, and Common's verse, each shot in separate environments that are equally posh, yet tastefully minimalistic and visually stimulating.  Cudi comes through very nicely (albeit shortly) in this video with a flair and confidence that is reminiscent of Jamie Foxx.  Weezy's got Drake, but Ye's got the Kid--and he is nice. View the video in Hi-Res: here.  (Trust me--it's worth it.)

It seems as though I've had a bit of a shoe fetish the past couple of days, so when pics of these Pierre Hardy for Gap shoes were released I figured it was just fate telling me to not stand in the way of a good theme. I posted about the Gap's latest attempt at revamping it's all-American style (or lack thereof) a few weeks ago and if the buzz surrounding the newest offerings is any indication, creative head Patrick Robinson is indeed taking things in the right direction. With the amount of attention this round of Pierre Hardy designed footwear is getting already there's no doubt it's going to be a Gap free-for-all across the country when they hit stores in mid-September. Watch your khakis ladies, it's gonna get nasty.

Got an interest in starting or developing a label of your own? Got questions about keeping your label's creative integrity? LAartlab has invited Bobby Hundreds of The Hundreds, Rick Klotz of Freshjive, Lanie Alabanza-Barcena of Hellz Bellz, three of the most innovative and influential street wear designers to come speak and discuss their ideas with us this Thursday, July 30, 2009 from 7 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. They will also be sharing with you their thoughts on what it takes to run a successful and innovative company, as well as how they keep their designs relevant despite the current economy which we all know too well. This event will be an open forum for youth, design students, creative artists and entrepreneurs  so come with lots of thoughts and questions. Admission is free and there will be free giveaways from Hellz Bellz, Freshjive and The Hundreds. Do you need another reason? LAartlab is an all volunteer program which aims to help teens and young adults engage in the LA art scene and California's creative economy by providing hands-on opportunities to produce and host free art events.

Rockstar Energy Drink Brings you X Games Party Avalon - Los Angeles, CA 8/1/09 *** Come out to the Rockstar Energy Drink X Games Party in association with Ford Fiesta! This will be a one time special event and will include a live performance by N*E*R*D and Trouble Andrew.  The event will take place this Saturday from 8 P.M. to 12 A.M. at The Avalon in Hollywood. The event is 21+ and will have a private guestlist which tends to fill up quick, so get your spot right now and RSVP at: www.VaporsMagazine.com/RockstarXGames. Entry will be based on venue capacity which means an RSVP does not necessarily guarantee entry. Basically, it's first come first serve. This is an event you won't want to miss. *** For tickets, log onto: http://www.livenation.com/edp/eventId/410343/

Comic-Con was abuzz with news and teasers from the likes of Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland, and Twilight: New Moon but there was one preview that had many a geek gasping for air and lamenting the slow passage of time.  Disney saw fit to debut its  new Tron Legacy trailer and with all the new technology modern CGI provides backed by Mickey's deep-pocket financing the film portends nostalgic, eye-popping goodness. The trailer teases the audience with a two shots of Jeff Bridges, who reprises his role as hacker/videogame progammer Kevin Bridges.  Most will recognize his face as he watches the course from the curiously lit dining room, but only a few fanboys will recognize a touched up interpretation of his younger face as it's momentarily revealed in the yellow rider's visor before he deals the final blow to the blue.  What could this mean??  Fanatics are in a frenzy. Can Disney properly resurrect one of its most iconic movies from the 80's?  The original Tron was no masterpiece (brush back the rosy memories and rewatch the film), but was a definitely a milestone for CGI work and ended up as one of the most distinct and memorable movies of many of our childhoods.  With Daft Punk also scoring the film the project is definitely something to keep an eye on. View the trailer in hi-def here: Tron Legacy *** *If you've seen this teaser looks familiar it's possible you saw it when it leaked much earlier this year.

The Bear Scored live by Noise pop Maestros, No Age The Silent Movie Theater - Los Angeles, CA 8/30/09 *** L.A.-based, world-renowned experimental noise pop duo No Age will appear live at the Cinefamily to perform their brand-new score for Jean-Jacques Annaud's majestic 1988 film The Bear, a near-wordless cinematic expedition deep into the savagery and tenderness of the animal kingdom. Told from the titular species' point of view, The Bear chronicles the journey of an orphan bear cub and a lone adult bear banding together to avoid two human hunters. Along the way, director Annaud has great fun with the storytelling possibilities from a non-human perspective, including dream sequences and an unforgettable psychdelic mushroom bear trip! With nearly no (human) dialogue, the film easily lends itself to live scoring, and No Age drummer Dean Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall have crafted a shimmering 90-minute set of sonic blasts and delicate textures that perfectly complement the peculiar, touching and altogether unique experience that is The Bear. Image Source: The Seattle Times Courtesy of Creative Commons Buy Tickets: For 8pm show, CLICK HERE.  For 10:30 show, CLICK HERE.

She watched wine-gold swirls unravel themselves down the porcelain drain and thought of Lady Macbeth. She too wanted to be able to wash her hands of things, of stress, of pain, of life's intrusive disappointments eclipsing certain hopes, but she knew it was not that easy. She knew that like the slab of Egyptian musk and amber-scented soap that the trauma of realizing the world was not as she thought it was, was not always as it promised to be would take time to diminish. As it whittled itself down to a whiff of distant memory, she would languish both in the parts as pungent as peaches and those bedecked with blood. The fallout of trauma, she thought, always lingers in surprising ways whether it’s a thin film like the silken lather of a guest-room soap or the rich, undying scent of myrrh.

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http://www.villainess.net/trauma.html