Artist of the Week

Martina Nehrling

There are so many wonderful things about summer in Chicago, but it is hard to top the abundance of sunlight streaming through windows, penetrating skin, and filling the eyes of the youth. However, when you are stuck in the office all day it may be difficult to fully enjoy this sunlight. Looking up from my corporate issued monitor, I can see a brief streak of sunlight focused on a small patch of carpet. I look closer, confusing my co-workers greatly, but trying to catch a glimpse at the bright colors of freedom. Wishing I could somehow capture these moments, I return to my cube as cold and pale as a winter storm.

Chicago artist, Martina Nehrling just launched her fourth solo exhibit at Zg Gallery and it is called Through a Purple Patch which begins as an observation of “the dappled sunlight of the Midwestern summer”. Her work not only captures the vivid color of sunlight, but it also alludes to the freedom and wild nature of sunlight. The exhibit runs through July 12th, and is accompanied by a 20 page full-color hard cover book that can be purchased here. Martina received her M.F.A. from the University of Chicago and her B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Recently, Martina was kind enough answer a few of my questions.


Orange Alert (OA): How would you describe your work?
Martina Nehrling (MN): My paintings are largely compositions of accumulated independent brushstrokes in multiple – often bright - colors. I frequently start with a color “field” and sometimes I incorporate poured paint or illusionistic imagery.

OA: I've seen you use words like "cacophony", "auditory", "syncopation" and "rhyming" to describe your work in the past. Do you feel that each color has its own sound or voice?
MN: There is a condition called synesthesia which is a sort of cross-wiring of sensory perception whereby a person might actually perceive sounds in relation to colors or shapes, etc. (Some have said the painter Wassily Kandinsky showed signs of this. In his book Concerning the Spiritual in Art he does ascribe a particular color to each of a variety of musical instruments.) I don’t clinically have synesthesia but, essentially, yes I think each color has its own voice within a piece. It’s something I sense or feel, almost kinesthetically. The nature of a color’s voice in a piece is influenced by the size, shape, frequency of occurrence, etc.; and, the sound of that voice is not fixed from one piece to the next due to the spatial relationships of shape, color contrast, the light/dark pattern – all the elements in the microcosm of a painting.

OA: Another phrase in your Artist Statement refers to listing or stacking events to comment on all that is society. Do you journal or record events in your life in written form before transferring them to canvas? Do you use titles to further catalog these events?
MN: I think you’ve combined a couple ideas from my artist statement. I do think my imagery sometimes operates like sentences or lists (and brushstrokes are often stacked or grouped.) I wouldn’t say I comment on “all that is society” though. A painting is a space or a page on which I take notes, explore, contemplate, celebrate, lament, riot against, or relish the meaning of being here from my perspective.

No I don’t journal. The closest I come to journaling is letter-writing which I do a fair amount of still. Even so I think I have a mistrust of words – in fact, I talk too much just trying to get them right. Consequently, I take the opportunity to give a painting a title very seriously. It’s a function that poses some danger, especially for abstract paintings where the imagery demands a suspension of disbelief from the viewer. This takes an ever-increasing effort in a time where we are inundated with information and visual stimulus. Viewers often look to the title for some explanation. The wrong title can reduce the piece to a one-liner, prompt too-literal an interpretation or otherwise limit the reading of the piece. I seek to strike some “poetic justice” with the title, considering the sounds and connotations of the words as much as meaning. I only occasionally feel I get it spot-on, you know, really jiving the title with the image.

OA: I love the concept of your latest show "Through a Purple Patch". The idea of observing "dappled sunlight" and drawing inspiration from it seems quite warming and freeing as I sit here in a beige cubicle. Can you talk a little about your current exhibit at Zg Gallery?
MN: I’m glad the idea of dappled sunlight suggests warm and free for you. The phrase “Through a Purple Patch” is an old colloquialism that means to experience a period of well being. The title of the show is also the title of a 21 foot long painting featured in the exhibition. I wear my heart on my sleeve when I tell you that it began as homage to Claude Monet. I was moved by his attenuated panoramic painting of water lilies at MoMA. I went back several times to see it and when next I had the opportunity to go to Paris I sought out all the displays of his work and took a side trip to see his home in Giverny. Naturally I respond to the sheer beauty of his work but the distinct brushwork in his later pieces really thrills me and I find the format of the very long panorama especially experiential. As an artist I wanted to work through the process of painting on a similar format. As an admirer I wanted to pay homage by looking to my immediate landscape, a transient moment in a particular place, the simple phenomena of dappled sunlight on the Midwestern neighborhood street in springtime just before the heavy shade of summer. Of course there are other paintings in the show that aren’t about dappled sunlight but “…Purple Patch” set a tenor for a while in the studio that comes through other pieces.

OA: You have been showing your work for nearly ten years in and around Chicago. What are your thoughts on the current gallery scene in Chicago? Is there opportunity for new voices to be heard?
NM: The business of galleries is ever evolving, some close, some more open, but it seems like there is always a contingent of innovative people, often artists themselves, providing venues for new talent as well as unconventional work. These are usually the hippest scenes. I don’t sense a shortage of opportunities for new talent – but if I’m wrong (I have been holed up in the studio lately) then it won’t be long until those that see the need start a new project in the community. People rail against the limits to success in the arts in Chicago and while that is a valid grievance the energy and activity in the art community seems to allow new talent to at least get their feet wet, so to speak.

OA: What's next for Martina Nehrling?
NM: I will be part of the Artist Connects lecture series at the Art Institute in the fall (Saturday, November 1, 2008) where I will be presenting my work in relation to inspiring pieces in the museum's collection on Saturday November 1, 2008. In the meanwhile I will spend some time in the studio enjoying looser objectives post show, but not too loose as I should do some of the businessy-business of researching exhibition opportunities and the like.


Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
NM: My favorite coffee is something my husband makes at home using a cold toddy process. He used to roast coffee for Coffee and Tea Exchange and we still get our coffee from them, usually the French roast by mail order.

OA: Do you listen to music while your paint? Who are a few of your favorite while painting and in general?
NM: Unless I’m expressly responding to a piece of music for a painting, I only occasionally listen to music when I paint because it can be so directive. I usually have NPR on and on Saturday night there is a music program, I really enjoy and use as a signal to wind down what ever I’m doing. Sounds square, huh? The program is out of New Orleans, called American Roots, and each show is dedicated to music related to a particular theme, meandering through blues, country, soul, bluegrass and rock ‘n’ roll.

For more information on Martina Nehrling you can visit the Zg Gallery website. Her exhibit at Zg Gallery runs from June 6th to July 12th.

Paint the Town Orange

June 5th, 2008 - New York, NY - Knitting Factory - Haley Bonar, Hayden, & Kelly Rudick
Images and Review by Dominck Mastrangelo

Whenever I go to a show certain songs, hell, even full albums, are opened anew and heard in ways perhaps I wasn't expecting or hadn't really absorbed at first glance. I'd liked what I had heard from Haley Bonar's new record Big Star (Released Today!) but ultimately felt there was something missing. On Thursday, however she did it, Bonar cleared up any shortcomings I may have found with her release.

Now I find myself thinking it's a shame that her sweet and achingly beautiful songs didn't find more of an audience last Thursday at the Knitting Factory. With a voice that sidles up nicely with Neko Case and Mary Lou Lord (with more than a hint of Shawn Colvin as well), Bonar and her backing band for this tour, bassist/guitarist Jacob Hanson and drummer Alan Church, performed a lot of material from the new record and 2006's Lure the Fox.

The title track and "Better Half", both played toward the end of the set, featured hushed vocals to start and building toward the chorus. Hanson's guitar playing provided a spacey texture to "Big Star" (mp3) while Bonar asked plaintively "What happened to you? You used to be punk." on "Better Half".

Songs like "Green Eyed Boy" and "Arms Of Harm" were excellent and earlier material like "Give It Up" and "Daisy Girls" were respectively buoyant and haunting, reminding me a lot of Aimee Mann's work circa Magnolia Soundtrack. There's a very matter of fact sound to Mann's work and I found myself thinking that way about Bonar's set whether she was on the guitar or at the piano. Outside of the solid musicianship and execution, there was very little in the way of banter or anything from Bonar that sought to wind the small but attentive crowd a little closer.

Certainly one could let the songs do all the talking but those kind of tactics were more in line with the headliner, Hayden, who was touring for the first time in four years. The Canadian's confessional, folk-rock songs spanned his catalog to the delight of a rather passionate following that quickly filled the venue between sets.

Opening was Brooklyn's Kelli Rudick who's killer guitar work and intricate finger picking evoked St. Vincent while the series of loops and pedals she used to layer her sound evoked Laura Veirs among others who perform solo with the guitar. Rudick played songs off last year's excellent No One Knows You're Foreign and her upcoming release Stitches.

Upcoming Dates:

Jun 10 Local 506 : Chapel Hill, NC
Jun 12 Varsity Theater : Minneapolis, MN (CD Release Party w/o Hayden)
Jun 17 Plush : Tucson, AZ
Jun 18 The Casbah : San Diego, CA
Jun 20 Troubadour : West Hollywood, CA
Jun 21 Café Du Nord : San Francisco, CA
Jun 23 Aladdin Theater : Portland, OR
Jun 24 Tractor Tavern : Seattle, WA
Jun 28 Schubas : Chicago, IL
Jun 29 The Magic Bag : Ferndale, MI

For more concert photos from Dominick Mastrangelo please visit his flickr page.

New Release Tuesday

Music:

Haley Bonar - Big Star Listen to: Big Star (mp3)

Cool Kids - Bake Sale

The Orb - The Dream (US Release)

Flying Lotus - Los Angeles

KaiserCartel - March Forth

Jean Grae - The Orchestral Files

Hot Chip - One Pure Thought

Joan As Policewoman - To Survive Listen to: To Be Loved (mp3)

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

Styrofoam - A Thousand Words

The Fratellis - Here We Stand

Mermaids - Nightlife

Quitzow - Art College Listen to: Sponsor (It Didn’t Mean A Thing) (mp3)

Setting Sun - Children Of The Wild Listen to: No Devil Me No More (mp3)

My Education - Bad Vibrations Listen to: Arch (mp3)

Adele - 19

Alanis Morissette - Flavors Of Entanglement

DVD:

Be Kind, Rewind

The Bucket List

Jumper

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Orange Spotlight

Aleathia Drehmer Thickets of Mayapple: Letters for Edward (Kendra Steiner Editions, June 2008)

"My eyes become set to the treetops, their black lines/intricate and fierce like pumping arteries that carry/the blood of spring, and I stare off until/my vision goes blind in twilight's grip."

The question has been asked, is print more substantial then on-line publication? The answers and reasoning behind these answers vary, but tonight I say yes. As I sit here holding the tangible debut from one of my favorite poets, who I have read on-line numerous times, her words and metaphors seem to take on a whole new weight. Vivid in their content and quality, each individual letter announcing permanence, existence, a space in a stack or on a shelf. It is nearly a new beginning for a poet that is thought of as established.


A new beginning is also a part of this collection, focusing on nature and the way connections are made. So much of writing is observation and in Thickets... Aleathia pulls life from the smallest movement of the darkest branch of the loneliest tree. This collection is about exiting winter on the surface, but on a deeper level it is about moving beyond an old life and finding joy and warmth in the face of a new love, the love and energy of a child.


There were only 77 copies of Thickets of Mayapple printed, and I am holding copy 24. To order your copy visit the Kendra Steiner Website.

Haley Bonar Big Star (Afternoon Records, June 10th, 2008)

"You dress yourself up/Put on a little bit of make-up/Go out and get a hair cut/And stumble out into the morning/They'll hate you tomorrow when no one buys your single/And when you fall we'll look the other way." from "Big Star"

Big Star is quilt of thoughts, dreams, heartaches, passions, and tears. Just as the letters on the album cover sewn together in different colors and shaped, expressing the heart of Haley Bonar. It is a heart that has been heart, but determined to move forward and become bigger then her surroundings. She always seems to have people in her life wanting her to help them up, to carry them forward, but never allowing her to move. On June 10th, she moves, she stomps, she swings herself free. She become Queen of Everything and I am sure soon she will be a big star.

Musically, this album is uncomplicated alt-country affair. At times it stomps and at others it gently blows a message across. The constant in all of this is Haley's gorgeous twang and real life stories. At the age of 24 she has managed to live enough to expound meaning and finding universal connection in her experiences. Big Star is her fourth album, and one that finds her struggling with the next step both musically and romantically. Be it fame or love, destiny or desire, they all can all involve fear at sum point.

Green Eyed Boy/Arms of Harm/Little Maiden Gin/Big Star (mp3)/Mayday/Better Half/Something Great/Queen of Everything/Highway 16/Along/Tiger Boy

Orange Alert's Music Minute

If you hadn't noticed one of the more mysterious bands just got a little more mysterious. Seattle's Molly Shannon Molly Shannon has disappeared! Their myspace deleted, their website now a strange and distorted montage of someone's old home movies, and no one knows what happened. Well almost no one, because last week, I received an e-mail from Joe Martin their trusty PR Guy.

"Hi Jason, How have you been? This is Joe Martin with Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon. Recently you may have noticed that ms,ms's website and myspace page have gone blank. No we didn't forget to pay our hosting bill, this act was intentional.

Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon is going to disappear for the next couple of months. The compositional powers at the helm of this ship are placing their complete focus into the creation of the next album. Before the group disappears, we wanted to leave people with a gift. Anyone can now download Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon's entire first album: You think yr the Doctor, I think I'm the Sheriff for FREE at Seattle Subsonic"

I've mentioned their debut album before, and it is really unusual and quite remarkable. An eerie lo-fi adventure into the darkest forest and strangest lands on imaginable. I suggest you download it today before it disappears as well!

It is hot and sticky right now in Chicago and in New York. There is no better time to roll down the windows and blast a few bangers! This past weeks featured musician Bell has offered up her top ten summer bangers. Enjoy!




She actually gave me ten songs, but I could not find an mp3 of Ryan Power "Mind Parasite", but it should be the 10th song on this playlist.

Recorded at Chicago's Stray Dog Recording Co., this is the second release from the duo Remote Control Frequencies, R-Rock and LG. Combing improvised sample-based free rock and hip-hop, Tempus, is a mysterous journey into space. The mystery only builds as you read this strange post on the Secret Life of Sound website: The CD will debut to select members of the media and college radio, but this mysterious record’s release to iTunes and other digital distribution services appears to have been delayed by an uncleared sample. The band is hesitant to discuss specifics until the matter is resolved.”Initially I was outraged,” commented the band’s rapper/instrumentalist R-Rock “but then I thought to myself ‘Hey, this does kind of buy us some time to finish up the ‘Black Box’ component of the album with the alternate cover and the bonus tracks’.” This mysterious ‘Second Disk’ is rumored to include some of the best material from Tempus that didn’t make it into the official release, as well as a great number of alternate versions of “Insomnia” featuring Sharkula. ”Boom bap boom boom boom bap,” added drummer LG.

Well, even though this fantastic album is not offically being released yet, you can still stream it here.

Just as hot summer days are for bangers, chilled summers night as meant for funky downtempo hip hop. Chicago's Radius delivers the perfect mix of Chicago love and chilled beat on Neighborhood Suicide. Each track is named after a different part of the city and in the liner notes he tells the stories behind each choice. This album is both beautiful, heart-felt and full of tight beats.

Radius explains it here:

"So, I decided to make an album for Chicago, and all the elements that make it up, personally the neighborhoods. And to really make it from me, I decided to relate it to neighborhoods I for the most part lived in, frequently visited or just really enjoyed. Chicago is a high competitive city, where u are supported and can come up, but you always have to leave, you cant get stuck here, because as a whole we are disconnected and segregated and a large part of that has to do with our neighborhood and overall city layout and the elements within, including the CTA trains. So with the combination of my personal feelings as an artist and also as my regular self I felt the feeling of dying or suicide. I didn't want to really kill myself, but I knew the feeling. I chose to present that in my music, in this album. So a journey through Chicago, but also within me, u see it from the eyes of South Chicagoan but from a view from all over the city, because I lived in at least eight neighborhoods…”

Listen to: Englewood (Necessary Growth) (mp3)

On the heels of Lovers Prayers, Ida has prepared My Fair, My Dark EP to be released by Polyvinyl on August 5th. Seven songs that stand on their own yet shine some refracted light on the goings on at the barn where Ida was simultaneously working on both Lovers Prayers and an as-yet-unreleased album with the legendary Michael Hurley. These are some of the songs that the band was playing when they thought the tape machines were turned off, loose around the edges but sealed with a kiss. This EP compiles two unreleased originals, alongside covers of songs by Anne Briggs, John & Beverley Martyn, Dolly Parton, and David Schickele. On "Late Blues," recorded during one of Ida's performances at The Midnight Ramble, they were joined by the mighty Levon Helm himself. Produced by Warn Defever of His Name Is Alive, art by Tara Jane O'neil.

Listen to: Road to Ruin (mp3)


This week the Annuals announced the coolest contest ever! For each show in each city, fans can enter to win a pair of tickets to the band’s show, in addition to other exciting goodies such as passes to the local zoo or aquarium, an animal adoption at the local zoo, copies of Wet Zoo and more! Tour dates and prize details are below. Rules and regulations for the contest can be found on the Canvasback Music website.

You can enter the contest here, and below are a list of the cities and zoo's.

June 4 - Phoenix, AZ at Modified
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Modified show & an animal sponsorship for the Phoenix Zoo
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 5 - San Diego, CA at Beauty Bar
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Beauty Bar show & an animal adoption at the San Diego Zoo
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 6 - Los Angeles, CA at the Natural History Museum
Three grand prize winners will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ show at the Natural History Museum & a Natural History Museum gift bag
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 7 - San Francisco, CA at Cafe DuNord
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Café DuNord show & a pair of tickets to the Aquarium of the Bay
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 9 - Portland, OR at Holocene
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Holocene show & an animal adoption at the Oregon Coast Aquarium
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 10 - Seattle, WA at Neumo's
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Neumo’s show & an animal adoption at the Woodland Park Zoo
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 13 - Minneapolis, MN at Varsity Theater
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Varsity Theater show & a pair of tickets to Underwater Adventures Aquarium
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 14 - Chicago, IL at Empty Bottle
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Empty Bottle show & a pair of tickets to Shedd Aquarium
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 16 - Toronto, ONT at Drake Hotel
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Drake Hotel show & an animal adoption at the Toronto Zoo
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 18 - Brooklyn, NY at Union Pool
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Union Pool show & a pair of tickets to Central Park Zoo
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 19 - Arlington, VA at Iota
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Iota show & an animal adoption at the National Zoo
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 20 - Philadelphia, PA at Millcreek Tavern
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ Millcreek Tavern show & a pair of tickets to Adventure Aquarium Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo
June 21 - Carrboro, NC at ArtsCenter
One grand prize winner will receive:
One pair of tickets to Annuals’ ArtsCenter show & a year-long ArtsCenter membership
Two runners up will receive a copy of Wet Zoo

Listen to: Sore (mp3)


The Peel Back: Plug Drum 'N' Bass for Papa (Nothing Records, September 1997)

I can't remember which magazine it was but I can remember clipping out the little album review and putting it in my wallet. I don't know if it was they the review wrote it or the cover or title or my fascination with dnb sounds, but I had to have this album. At the time I was not familiar with Luke Vibert's previous work as Wagon Christ, and that he had been a figure in electronic music since the early ninties. All I knew is that it was a sample driven, beat crazy, double disc, madness!

I saved up for months and finally asked the local record store to order a copy for me. After waiting another week, I finally ripped open the cellophane and threw in disc one. Dark and mysterous manipulated vocals, "without beats I would never get up", applause... it feels like you are in a lab and the scientist is about to cooked up something deadly and heart pounding. The drums hit and jump and scitter around, and then everything stops... silence... drum n' bass takes over. The beakers boil-over and a beast is born.

Me and Mr. Jones (mp3)/Drum N Bass for Papa/Cut/Feelings/I Freak Techniques/The Life of the Mind/Subtle (In Your Face)/Delicious Vibert/DBC/Maker of All

Paint the Town Orange

May 31st, 2008 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY - Langhorne Slim
Images by Dominick Mastrangelo

Listen to: Rebel Side of Heaven (mp3)

June 7 – T.T. The Bear’s — Cambridge, MA
June 17 – La Divian Orange — Montreal, QB
June 18 – The Horseshoe – Toronto, ONT
June 19 – Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH
June 20 - Pike Room @ Crofoot - Pontiac, MI
June 21 - Ruby Tuesday - Columbus, OH
June 22 – Off Broadway- St. Louis, MO
June 24 – The Aquarium (Dempsey’s Upstairs) - Fargo, ND+
June 26 - Sled Island Music Festival – Calgary, AB
July 3 - High Sierra Fest - Quincy, CA
July 4 - High Sierra Fest - Quincy, CA

For more concert photos from Dominick Mastrangelo please visit his flickr page.

The Watch List

Listening:
1. The Hood Internet: DJs STV SLV and ABX are bootleggers who have decided to mash-up Chicago. Combining some of Chicago's hipest (Kid Sister, Walter Meego, Yea Big & Static, etc) this duo have released one of the best free albums of the year. Listen to: Watch My Big Feet Jump (mp3)
2. The Uglysuit: From hip-hop to dream-pop, Uglysuit la's and moans their way through wonderfully gentle melodies. They will be playing at The Hideout on June 14th. Listen to: Chicago (mp3)
3. The Z-Mo Trio: Beautiful piano-driven sleepy pop from this MN duo. Zachary Miles Ojeda write passionate and heart-felt ballads that combine jazz and pop. Listen to: Nighttime (mp3)

Reading:
1. "Backup" by Scott Miles: Action-packed!
2. "Buying a Beeer in Cairo" by Andrew Madigan: A long one, but well worth it.
3. Two Poems by Adam Deutsch: From the perfectly named Caffeine Destiny Journal.
4. "The Driver" by A.J. Kaufmann: There is always room for a 22 yr old Polish poet. I am loving Word Slaw, btw.
5. "Broken: March 18, 2008" by Ken Baumann: Kool-Aid, ipods, meth, and more!

6. "Clinton Lake Blues" by Jared Ward: Friendship story with a Beggars Banquet reference.
7. "A Collection of Bad Poems": featuring Tao Lin, Blake Butler, Alex Burford, and more.

Wishing:
1. Poems-For-All: Similar to the broadsides that the GPP are printing and smuggling, Poems-For-All is more of a local operation located in Sacramento. They print tiny little booklets with one or two poems and contact info. They then scatter them around town. Very cool, and they will send you a handful for $1
2. "Black / White" by Megan Dorian: Megan is one of the artist on Freshly Dipped, and I really enjoy her work. $240
3. Gravity Rainbow/Mason & Dixon by Shane Jones & Chris Killen: You have to be on top of your game to get limited edition hand printed free chapbooks!
4. Robert Hardgrave Messenger Bag: This is a Timbuk2/Threadless project only 200 were printed. $150

Getting:
1. Blanket Issue #10: Blanket's in summer are not always good, but you really need this one.
2. Podiobooks: I just signed up this week, and can not believe the wealth of great lit record and stored here. What are great way to find your next favorite writer.

Watching:
1. The Fairline Parkway "Westward Bound"
2. Fever Marlene "We Are All Colors" (live/acoustic)
3. Cooming Soon from Grey Noise Records, Life is Easy, a documentary of DIY music.

Band of the Week

Bell

"Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known." ~ Oscar Wilde

Why do you create something? What purpose does it serve? I just found out that there is a documentary being filmed on the local DIY music community. Whenever I remotely question the motives behind art I look to this community. At the heart of this music is an undeniable joy. The reason you create is because it makes you smile. You sing a song because it makes you dance or cry or shake or laugh, and you write because this is the story that you want read and share. You do this regardless of fame or fortune, you do this because this is who you are. The promise of a label aids in your ability to share your story, to dance with more friends, to reach more people with what will always be your individual expression.

Brooklyn's Olga Bell released her debut ep earlier this year, and, though only six songs, it represent who she is. Just as her background would suggest, living in both Moscow and Alaska before moving to New York, her music is eclectic and intensely enjoyable. Slightly electronic, her voice cuts through the beautiful instrumentation alerting the world that she has something to share. On a track like "Brown Bear", she lures you in with a gentle tones, and then reveals the reality of it all with a lie like "it's hard to carry on". I am glad she has carried on thus far, and I look forward to hearing much more from Bell.

Recently, Bell was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): Your debut ep was self-released. Are you looking for a label?

Olga Bell (OB): I'm trying to go about this the way I worked Junior High dances: perfectly happy doing the running man by myself, or with a few friends; if someone walked over and asked me to dance, especially if it was someone hot, I was very happy for some of that as well--and sometimes the dancing lead to an enthralling relationship of holding hands during lunch and recess, etc. etc. The point was to keep moving. In your opinion, with all of the outlets available and the ability to sell you music on-line, is a label really necessary? I believe that a good group of people working together as a 'label' would amount to much more than distribution figures. Ideally (should this be in all caps?) they are a launchpad, some kind of reliable moral and financial support system; a big watering can to help an artist explore, flourish, grow, change colors.

OA: You were recently featured on a tribute album put together by Stereogum. Has "new media" (i.e. blogs, myspace, youtube) had a major effect on the success of your ep? Basically, do you think blogs effect sales?

OB: I don't find myself thinking about sales very often. Most blogs give away mp3s, which I suppose doesn't help sales at all. But then something magical happens: people pick up the free song, if they like what they hear they ideally (IDEALLY!) buy the record, a little $$ goes back to the artist, who fills their belly, get a little more free time, and maybe buys some new toys with which to make a new song, which gets converted to mp3, uploaded and given away to the blogs! Thus, with protection, and assurance, we all stay happily in bed together.

OA: Speaking of that tribute album, you have drawn several comparison to Bjork in different reviews. What are your thoughts on being compared to her when on your ep you cover a lot more ground musically then those comparison would elude to? Who are some of you other musical influences?

OB: I love Bjork, and I've always felt very close to her harmonic language and emotional palette. But I have oodles of other influences. Most deeply-rooted and consistent are my study of classical music, the piano, environments in Alaska and Russia, the people who populated and shaped those worlds in which I grew up. Nearer to the surface and more dynamic is everything I'm seeing and hearing on a daily basis. New York is so rich in this way - - food, bands, bums, rushing, waiting, elation, depression. Just these high-speed smorgasbords of things to feel.

OA: What is the atmosphere in the New York music scene like?

OB: It's amazing. See above. Is it more competitive or cooperative? I feel that it's both, in equal measure. That mix seems to make people very productive, and prolific, which keeps everyone else interested.

OA: Are there plans to tour this summer?

OB: Ah, I'd love to skip around all over the country, especially while the sun is in season. Hopefully I'll hit the road in some confluent way by August.

OA: What's next for Bell?

OB: Sleep! ... then some running around, some experimenting, some recording of experiments, lots of collaborating, dancing, thumping, love, fresh produce, etc.

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee?

OB: Occasionally.

OA: If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?

OB: El Beit! It's down the block and around the corner from where I live in Williamsburg. I'll drink whatever they give me, usually something with a beautiful leafy design in the foam.

OA: What was the last great book you read?

OB: I just finished The Picture of Dorian Gray, and it was soooo good. I don't know how Oscar Wilde does it, but every other sentence he writes is a perfect little aphorism. The preface is just a list of his claims about life and art, just Oscar, laying it all down. My favorites are towards the end of the list: "All art is at once surface and symbol. When critics disagree, the artist is in accord with himself. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless."

For more information on Bell please visit her website, and to buy her ep for $5 go here. Image above by Alix Winsby.

Paint the Town Orange

May 29th, 2008 - Union Hall - Brooklyn, NY - Headlights and The Submarines

Images by Dominick Mastrangelo

Honeysuckle Weeks was released on May 13, 2008 through Nettwerk Records. For more of The Submarines tour dates visit their myspace.

Headlights are from Illinois and they released their second album Some Racing, Some Stopping back in February.

For more concert photos from Dominick Mastrangelo please visit his flickr page.

Reader Meet Author

Zach Plague (Dodson)

When setting out to write the goal should be to create something that is unique to you, something that represents all that you enjoy about the written word. The story must be solid and well-written, but the overall presentation must also be an extension of who you are as a writer. Unfortunately, the writer can quickly lose control over cover decisions and layout choices depending on who is publishing their work. The cover of a book gives the reader its first and last look at what the general feel of a book will be, and the layout and typeface are vital to the overall appeal of the book. Regardless of content, the book must be visually appealing, and no one knows this better then the Creative Director of Featherproof Books, Zach Dodson.

Zach himself is a hybrid designer/writer, and his position with Featherproof has given him the unique opportunity to control both sides of his debut novel, Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring (to be released August 1st). The result is a hybrid typo/graphic novel that is as artistically stunning as it is well-written. Taking a look at the hierarchy of the art world, and following chase for the “gray book” Boring... is a unique and beautiful debut. Aside from his work with Featherproof, Zach has also designed album covers for Flameshovel Records and other magazines and t-shirts through his work with Bleached Whale Design. No matter the format or project, Zach brings an eye and attitude that is all his own.

Recently, Zach was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): Your debut novel, boring boring boring boring boring boring boring, is being released by Featherproof Books on Aug. 1st. It is clear that this novel has an exciting title, but what can you tell us about your book?
Zach Plague (ZP): The title is quite a mouthful, and maybe something of a bait. The funny thing is that the name came up about 2 – 3 years into working on the book, when I was about halfway through writing it. At that time the book had a lot more of these mundane scenes, where nothing much happened, and sort of empty characters just stood around in empty rooms. As I got into it more, and things started to happen to these characters, and as other people read the book, and suggested that these scenes maybe really were boring, and not in a funny way, a lot of them ended up on the cutting room floor. And so now the title makes less sense than it once did. But the name stuck.

OA: Boring... seems to tie together both your talent as a writer and your talent as a graphic designer. Did your experience with Bleached Whale Design play a role in putting together this novel?
ZP: Definitely. I do view the novel as a sort of merger of the two activities. Or a train wreck, maybe. When I was working on it, though, the two things were very divorced form each other. I wanted the writing to stand on its own, without the crutch of the design. So I spent the most time writing, revising, and re-revising. And when I felt it could stand on its own, then I dragged it into the design programs and started to mess it all up. There were a lot of interesting compromises that came about. Being both the writer and the designer afforded some strange liberties. If I wanted a certain scene to fit on a certain page for aesthetic reasons, but it was too long, I could just start cutting sentences out. Which I did. When you're designing someone else's book, that's not really an option.

OA: In your opinion, what is the secret behind creating a cover that is both artistic and visible to the average reader? What do you look for when you browse the shelves at The Book Cellar or Quimby's?
ZP: Well, I don't think I ever necessarily go hunting for books that are 'well designed'. They just jump out at you naturally, and that's true whether you're a designer or not. A problem with a lot of big house publishers is the realm of the cover has been co-opted by the marketing departments of these companies. And when that happens, the cover becomes a mini billboard for the book, on the shelf. That usually doesn't yield very good covers. It might help sell books, that I don't know. But I like to think of the cover as another artistic part, or maybe extension, of a book. The primary thing I think about when designing a cover is whether or not it's true to the book. Covers that capture the mood and content of an entire story in one image are the most successful covers. So that's what I try and focus on when doing any of the featherproof covers. The cover for boring boring… is a wrap-around, with cut off text, and the full title and name doesn't appear on the front, but a barcode does. In short, it never would've gotten past a marketing department. But I would be more excited to see it on the shelves of Quimby's or The Book Cellar, than, say, Barnes and Nobles.

OA: Your work with the branding of Featherproof and the clean yet artistic look of all of their products seems to have played a major role in their success. How did you first get involved with Featherproof?
ZP: Well, I guess I got involved by creating it. Heh. The press was started 3 years ago by my friend Jonathan Messinger and I. It was born of a lunch time conversation, over falafel, about the strange world of publishing, and the great Chicago writing that's happening right now, and how to get that work out there. It was a good match because I know how to draw pictures, and he can spell. So we declared ourselves Art Director and Editor-in-Chief, and started making books.

OA: What are your thoughts on all of the excitement here in Chicago surrounding the literary scene? Events, readings, festivals (Pilcrow), new writers... there is definitely something happening.
ZP: I like so much of what's happening here right now. The literary energy in Chicago was definitely one of the sparks for featherproof, and also, the fuel that keeps it going. The reading scene is really vibrant here, and there is some great work happening. When we started featherproof there weren't too many outlets for publishing, but the past few years have seen a lot of great journals and presses and websites launch. And I'm excited for the Pilcrow Lit Fest. There's just a very supportive atmosphere. If you want to start your own thing, there are people who want to check it out. Curiosity is a fantastic thing, and it's great to have so many curious and creative people in one place.

OA: What's next for Zach Plague?
ZP: Oh, I'll probably kill him off, and go back to being Zach Dodson, which is my real name. I'm already working on the design of new publications, and I'd like to write another one, but I need a little break before I jump back into that. Even when it's boring, writing is never easy.

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
ZP: Yes. I'm a recent addict. So new, in fact, that only recently my girlfriend alerted me to the fact that there are qualitative differences between different types of coffee. So I was buying the cheap stuff before, but she put a stop to that. We now get our coffee from our favorite brunch spot, The Flying Saucer. They grind it up for us, and put it in a giant ziplock doggie bag, to take home.

OA: What type of music do you enjoy listen to, and who are a few of your favorites?
ZP: It makes me feel old, but I have found myself listening to the same old records I've always liked, in the past few years. A lot of folk music, some indie rock. A new band that I am really excited about is The End of The World. They're from New York. And really sexy.

For more information on Zach Plague please visit his website.

Artist of the Week

Escape76

It’s the typical story. A boy attends high school, but is unable to find clothes he likes, so he starts to make his own. He begins to print his own shirt and make his own hats, and soon his friends are wearing his designs and creating a buzz. This doesn’t sound typical to you? Well, the designs and the story of Escape76 are anything but typical. After high school and college he is not satisfied with the 9 to 5, and decides to start making clothing again. Enlisting the talents of some of the best artist in the business Formula Werks is born. His inventiveness and dedication to the underground artist continues to grow.

Beginning with Formula Werks (clothing and design) and then expanding into Freshly Dipped (unique artwork), Chicagoan Escape76 is firmly planted in the community and taking every opportunity to help the artists he is associated with. He provides multiple opportunities for artist to be seen and appreciated. Aside from this work, he also maintains a powerful and pointed portfolio filled with images of wartime, violence and anger. So whether it is through his clothing or his painting, Escape76 looks to make a statement and expand the thought process of the community.

Recently, Escape76 was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.



Orange Alert (OA): Where did the idea for Formula Werks come from, and have you been happy with its success?
Escape76 (E76): I suppose my original clothing experience came from junior high and high school, when I would make hats and shirts and sell them in the halls or to classmates or whatever. Back in 2003, I was visiting MBA schools, taking the GMAT, all that nonsense, and I started messing around making handmade notebooks and sketchbooks with my designs on them. I was also making T-shirts for myself. I have no idea why I was doing it. I just felt like doing something creative. I started putting Formula Werks on the different products. I wasn’t even selling them, just making them for myself or giving them to my friends. I still wasn’t sure I wanted to go to grad school, being that I’d probably just end up back at some big company, making money for someone else. People started asking about the shirts and I was literally like, “You know what? Screw it, let’s do this.” So, while I was still at my day job, I started Formula Werks as a real entity. I was really interested in the true operations of how to get clothing made, all that, whatever. After reading and studying and talking to people all over the globe, I ended up realizing that I actually had learned multitudes of information that was crucial to what we were doing. So there it went…a couple of years later, I left my day job and it’s been 2.5 years of only doing Formula and a bit of freelance work or artwork.

After that ramble…Am I happy with its success? No. I am happy with its reception and how far we’ve come…but as soon as you’re satisfied and you have nothing to accomplish, why do it? As soon as I’m fully satisfied, I’ll have to find something else to do. I love working and I don’t really think I can ever stop haha. We’ll be here for a long time to come and we’ll always be working to be better and better and do better and better things with our products.

OA: Is there anything you would have done differently, looking back over the last five years?
E76: Overall, I don’t think so. I cut my teeth for quite a few years in the music industry, so I learned all about who my friends are, who I should avoid, and all about failure and all that. That was a massive learning experience for me, and it helped me look at things in a different way whenever I have approached projects since then. I think the only thing I’d probably change would be to figure out a way to add some hours to the days. 24 is totally not enough, no matter what anyone says. Can I get an extra 12? At least like, 6 more? That’d be fresh. Seriously though…wait, that was serious. But yeah, I’m super happy to be working with the artists, friends, and partners we have. I love how we all have different styles, we all design or paint, and have a vision that’s a bit non-traditional to how most people seem to work within their confines of whatever they learned in school.



OA: Where Formula Werks deals with clothing, Freshly Dipped focuses on the sale of works of art and prints. You started this site last year, what has the feedback from the artists been like? Have sales met your expectations?
E76: The whole reason we started Freshly Dipped was to provide an outlet for artists. It’s not really there to be a money maker; the commissions are small and really just cover the cost of running the site. I have all of these friends and coworkers and acquaintances who produce amazing artwork. Whenever I would go to buy art, it would be, “Let me see what’s in my studio,” or “I don’t even know what I have available.” I’d spend so much time just making calls, emailing people, checking MySpace, looking at Flickr accounts, throwing text messages around – just to find out what’s out there, if it’s available, how much it is, and then trying to buy a piece after that was all said and done. It felt like a freakin’ rat race just to get a canvas to hang on my wall. Artists everywhere have artwork that’s not currently in a show or on display somewhere, yet no one sees it with the exception of a random photo on Flickr or MySpace or a personal website. So you end up being this communications director, hopping around trying to find out what you can get. I was like, eff all that, we need a central location where artists can put up whatever they want. And that’s how Freshly Dipped was born. Artists seem to like it; it’s easy on them, and as long as they promote the fact that they have work there, they sell stuff. We do promote the site through our other projects, but there is definitely a level of proactive behavior that is required to sell your own products. As far as sales go, I’d say the same thing about Formula Werks: You can always do better, no matter how well things are going.

OA: When was it that graffiti moved from the streets to galleries? Do you think anything has been lost in the transition?
E76: I’m probably not qualified to make statements regarding graffiti. I’m a fan, I’m not a writer and I was never really a part of that culture outside of appreciating the movement and knowing people who did it. If I had to guess, I’d say that it started moving really heavily into the gallery arena around five years ago. Sure, you had people doing it before that, but the masses didn’t seem to take notice and jump on this amazing subculture until fairly recently. I would actually say that nothing has been lost in transition. What might be lost – or what might not have ever existed – is the understanding of graffiti and its culture by your “average” art fan or gallery patron. In my view, people really need to read about and study and be interested in the artwork that they’re spending money on or talking about in different forums of life. A classic example is how everyone who’s not “hardcore” into the street art movement thinks that every stencil they see is a Banksy piece. And sure, the guy is a legend and tons of people owe him tons of respect and dues. But it’s like, people see that Brad Pitt buys a Banksy, and next thing you know, everyone is a Banksy fan. People don’t even take the time to read interviews with him or anything about his history as an artist. So you see other great artists like Nick Walker (or dozens other I could throw out there) doing their thing and making a lot of money and getting a lot of respect…but when they throw up a new piece on the street, 90% of the population thinks it’s Banksy. People need to get their learn on, for real. People see Blek le Rat and they’re like, “Who’s this old guy, trying to be like Banksy?” Get the fuck outta here with that. Seriously? Dude is the pioneer of this stencil-related street art game; a role model for people like Banksy, and some asshole is over there asking what the hell Blek is doing? That pisses me off to no end. Can you tell I’m getting angry? To sum it up, though, I really do not think that any artists are sacrificing themselves or their “realness” by doing gallery shows, making money off what they love. If you don’t want to make money off your art, fine. Then don’t. But to sit outside of shows yelling, or go on the Internet talking shit, that just makes you a whiny bitch. Do your thing, let other people do theirs. If we were all the same, life would be ridiculously boring. The thing that gets lost is the history and awesome story about where this culture came from and where it’s going. People should seriously just read, pay attention, and focus. Whatever happened to the days back when you were interested in something and you’d look it up, read about it, and educate yourself? It’s way more valuable to own a piece of someone’s artwork and know about them and their culture and where they came from than to just walk into a gallery, drop 20 G’s on a canvas, and then brag to your friends about your new canvas while you sip on some bullshit vintage red. Life is too chaotic, people are all A.D.D. now, no one knows what the hell is going on and no one knows anything anymore. So damn aggravating! Just read something. Seriously. Talk to an artist. Get to know people and their work. Love them for who they are and from where they came, not because you saw that some celebrity bought their canvas. You will be rewarded for your true interest, I can tell you that much.

OA: Your personal work definitely takes aim at specific targets. What it is that drives you to make such strong statement while others paint flowers and aliens?
E76: I’m passionate and I’m bitter. That’s probably the combination that leads me to vent through painting. I have no problem with people who might paint things that some may think are less intense. It’s just what I like to do, though. Imagery that makes people seriously question how completely fucked up this world is – that’s what gets me going. I never force it; I paint whatever comes to my head, usually out of frustration about something I’ve seen, heard, or read. It might be a culmination of something over months, or something that just pissed me off one day. I can’t say, though, that I have any sort of a master plan or anything like that. It is what it is, and I hope, even if people don’t enjoy it, that it makes them think.

OA: What's next for Escape76?
E76: Work, work, and more work. Maybe some bitterness with a smile here and there. Travel, painting, and making some really ill clothing. My shameless promos today are: Check out all the guys involved with Formula Werks; they’re some of the best artists in the world. And check us out online at http://www.formulawerks.com/ and http://www.freshlydipped.com/. Word is bondage.

Bonus Questions:

OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
E76: All day, every day. I go through a 10-cup pot every day, for the most part. Because I drink so much coffee and rarely leave my work space, I almost exclusively brew it at home. I can’t get it very often, but Lion Coffee is by far my favorite. It’s from Hawaii and if it were illegal, I’d sell all my possessions and my body to get some of it. It’s my crack. As for a favorite coffee spot…I’m going way out on a limb and saying anything in Europe. Paris, specifically. I’m so mad that they banned smoking in France. That’s a sure sign of the apocalypse. Sitting at a café in Paris, chain smoking, is by far one of the best pastimes a person can have.

OA: Do you listen to music while you paint? Who are a few of your favorites while painting and in general?
E76: Sometimes I do, other times it’s just silent. I keep my iPod on shuffle, all the time. I listen to everything, so you won’t really find me fiending for anything specific. Right now on my iPod: Gogol Bordello, the Ramones, the Misfits, some mixes by my guy Ryebread (Chicago guy, he makes some of the best mixes, period), a bunch of old Wu-Tang, the first P.O.S. album, the soundtrack from that UK TV show “Life on Mars,” and, um, a ton of other stuff. It runs the gamut, no question.

For more infomation on Escape76 please visit his website, and check out Formula Werks and Freshly Dipped.

New Release Tuesday

Music:

The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing Listen to: Great Dj (mp3)

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Remote Control Frequencies - Tempus

Jaguar Love - Jaguar Love Ep Listen to: Bats Over the Pacific Ocean (mp3)

Stars Like Fleas - The Ken Burns Effect Listen to: I Was Only Dancing (mp3)

Kaskade - Strobelight Seduction Listen to: Move For Me (stream)

From Bubblegum to Sky - A Soft Kill Listen to: Even The Sunbeams (mp3)

Ladytron - Velocifero

Ed Harcourt - The Beautiful Lie (US Release) Listen to: Revolution of the Heart (mp3)

The M's - Real Close Ones Listen to: Don't Be Late (mp3)

Shearwater - Rook Listen to: Rooks (mp3)

The Futureheads - This Is Not The World (Downloads here)

Little Pieces - Little Pieces

Weezer - Weezer

DVD:

Semi-Pro (Single-Disc R-Rated Edition)

Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - From Hollywood to the Heartland

Meet the Spartans (Unrated Pit-of-Death Edition)

The Eye

The Orange Spotlight

Kyle Simonsen Wing'd (Blood Pudding Press, Feb. 2008)

"full with milk like a poet with pretense" from "canyons flood"

When I am reading a poem I occasionally think of where the poet might have been when he/she wrote this particular poem. I picture a nondescript individual sitting in a cafe or riding the train or scribbling on a post-it note in a cubicle or sitting on park bench, this is an experience unique to poetry. In fiction, the writer is more removed and the focus is shifted to the characters. The poem, whether it is or not, comes across as a more personal expression or a small slice of character or experience.

With that said reading through the work of Kyle Simonsen, in his first collection Wing'd, I cannot image the world he creates. He writes about the everyday, but mixes in vivid imagery of protruding ribs, monkeys, robotic women, the hunt, and the poetic machine. It is a poetic fantasy mixed with and rooted in reality. This is not to mention the wonderful and strange cover of a cat licking a heart by Cat Rocketship. Kyle may start out in a cafe, but so how he ends up in some distant land or pseudo-land or on another planet completely. This collection is an adventure in langauge, and gives you the sensation of a cat licking your heart.


Languis Fractured (Plug Research, May 6th, 2008)

As the first beautiful weekend of the year slowly fades into a gentle June Chicago night, and I try to avoid street lights and building on a family walk, faint and jaunty melodies drift through my mind. The breeze is soft but comforting and the voices float like dreams, painting stars and spirit on the horizon. Half awake, half in dream state wandering with ears plugged and mind adrift. All of this could only mean one thing... I just started to play the latest release from the Los Angeles dream-pop group Languis.

Alejandro Cohen, John Girgus, Stephen Swesey, & Marcos Chloca have been making music for ten years, and in that time they have released a slew of great records, studied levitation, sampled humus kebab, had a van full equipment stolen (who hasn't), and have consistently lived in a time 20 in the past. Fractured is a grand collections of lush compositions, muted beats, synth washed soundscapes, and harmonized vocals. It is a dream land built for a warm summer's night.

Listen to: I Just Want To See Some Rain (mp3)

Orange Alert's Music Minute

On June 30th, the French label KUSKUS will release the latest single from Vivek Shraya's 2007 release If We're Not Talking. The single will consist of the title track from the album along with two floor shaking remixes from Rodion and Ben Mono. You can stream the Rodoin mix at his myspace page.

Also check out the finished video for "Power" produced by Dinosaur Factory Studios.

Announced this past week, the F Yeah Tour will kick of on June 17th and run through July 13th. This tour will perform 28 shows in 28 days, and will feature some of the best talent around. Matt & Kim, Circle Jerks, Dillinger Four, The Death Set, Monotonix, Dan Deacon and more.

F*%! Yeah Fest is an annual music/comedy/art festival held in Los Angeles at the end of each summer curated by 22 year old Sean Carlson and Keith Morris from The Circle Jerks & Black Flag. This year will be the fifth installment and it will take place in an outdoor setting in downtown LA on August 30th & 31st and will now be known as F Yeah Fest. It's been Carlson's goal for some time now to take the festival on the road, bringing the spirit of the festival to other cities, and now for the first time that dream has become a reality with the first annual F YEAH TOUR '08, featuring many bands and comedians that have become staples / favorites at the festival. The Fest will be touring in a 44 passenger '92 Bluebird Bus. The only goal for this tour is to have fun.

For the specific line-ups and venues please visit the f yeah site.

The Elleoner, Campbell, S2K and the Blue-Eyed Devil are Heroes of Popular Wars, and they are going to play three shows this month with another Orange Alert favorite Cyanide Valentine.

June 11th M Room in Philly
June 13th Don Pedro in Brooklyn
June 14th PA's Lounge in Somerville, MA

Listen to: Goodbye (mp3)

You can also download their free ep, Revolution of the Hips, at their website.

Last year I loved the Flying Lotus debut ep, it was a sonic adventure back through time and into an era of where the producer drove the sound of hip-hop. His beats were clean and complex, and gave us something to look forward to. Signing with Warp records, he is now ready to release first full-length, Los Angeles, on June 20th.

To celebrate the release of Positive Thinking! by Rae Davies, Exponential Records has released Rae's remix of Flying Lotus' "Tea Leaf Dancer" from the Reset Ep.

Listen to: Tea Leaf Dancer (Rae Davies Remix) (mp3)