ARTICLES
Advertisement
Sustainable Richmond Tonight at Gallery 5
Sustainable Richmond is a FREE event created to encourage environmental consciousness by promoting the products, services, and programs offered by local eco-friendly organizations and businesses. They will be offering plenty of take-home information, free samples, demonstrations, and many other opportunities to learn about sustainability!
Some participating businesses include Strange's Greenhouse, Virginia Sierra Club, Riverbend Nursery, Live Roof, Green Goat, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Green Duck, Food not Bombs, River City Cleaning, Sprout Market, GreenGardens, Healthy House, The Central Virginia Gardeners Forum and many more!
* Over 300 tomato plants, pots and organic soil have been graciously donated by Strange's Greenhouse. So audience members will be able to pot their own plants and take them home!
Also featuring demonstrations and presentations on:
- Urban Beekeeping
- Rooftop Gardening
- Solar Power installation
- Rain Barrel usage
- Eco-friendly cleaning
- Gardening and cosmetic supplies
- Landscaping
- Composting, green containers, flower pot recycling
This event will be held in conjunction with The James River Green Building Council's presentation of the 2010 “Green Spaces” competition "Stay Space." It will be located in our upstairs gallery. For more info about Stay Space, please visit:
For more information: http://www.jrgbc.org/greenspaces/
New in Carytown: B-Sides Thrift Boutique
B-Sides Thrift Boutique is the most recent installment to Carytown’s ever-evolving collection of fashion and retail shops. The store, which opened last week, boasts a variety of women’s and men’s apparel in a wide array of styles from vintage to modern with plenty in between.
Situated at the eastern edge of Carytown, right across from Capital Coffee and the Byrd Theatre, B-Sides is a cool, laid-back little shop with a casual, informal atmosphere, eclectic soundtrack, and sharp, always helpful staff. It’s a comfortable, easy-going with a good vibe. When you pay the store a visit, you might recognize mother-daughter owners Leslie and Claire Tuite (pronounced “chewt”) from their other enterprise, Robinson Street’s longtime standard restaurant and bar Helen’s. This most recent endeavor was a natural next step for the duo, who both have their own distinct fashion and design senses, and an appreciation for all things stylish.
From flowery summer dresses, to jewelry, to jeans, to a killer selection of punk, hardcore, and graphic tees, as well as swim wear and formal wear, B-Sides has a little bit of something for everyone. The ladies of B-Sides offer store credit and cash for new items every day, as well as alterations on items in the store and any outside items. On top of all this, B-Sides, in partnership with Worthless Junk Records, offers a selection of new and used vinyl.
B-Sides is located at 2925 Cary, and Store hours are 11-7 Monday-Friday and 12-6 Saturday and Sunday, so go in and check out what is already looking to be a welcome addition to one of Richmond’s most unique shopping areas.
M.I.A by Ryan McGinley
Art star shoots hipster superstar. News at 11. Check out theblaaahg.com post about it here.
DAILY RECORDS: The Henry Clay People, Landmine Marathon, & This Or The Apocalypse
The Henry Clay People - Somewhere On The Golden Coast (TBD Records)
Not much new here--these guys mostly remind me of The Hold Steady, but with prettier vocals. But that's not to say they're bad. In fact, they've got some pretty great singalong anthems here. The Henry Clay People put the emphasis on songcraft, and it pays off big time.
Landmine Marathon - Sovereign Descent (Prosthetic Records)
Brutal metallic hardcore with crust influences; this style is usually my jam, especially when produced this well. But Landmine Marathon's songs, most of which stretch past the four-minute mark, overstay their welcome. Their riffs are great, but they play them too many times. They need an editor.
This Or The Apocalypse - Haunt What's Left (Good Fight Music)
I haven't heard a mall-metalcore (think Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine) record that I've liked in at least five years. I thought the style was played out. And yet, I'm all about This Or The Apocalypse. Their production is somewhat robotic, but the songs are undeniable. Who knew?
Lamb Of God's Hourglass Anthology
Has it been 15 years since Lamb Of God got together in Richmond? In that time they have reinvigorated a genre and put our city on their shoulders reppin' us across the globe.
I finally got their new anthology Hourglass in the mail a few days ago and I am stoked! All the best of Lamb Of God in one set which includes 3 discs and this has it all. The Underground Years covers the best of their first band - Burn The Priest, their debut New American Gospel, and the album that blew everyone away, As The Palaces Burn. The Epic Years covers from Ashes Of The Wake to Sacrament to Wrath. The last one has 18 rare cut and stuff never heard before. It was worth the wait. Check it out at www.lamb-of-god.com.
YARN BOMBING: Interview with the Knitorious M.E.G.
Yarn bombing, yarnbombing, graffiti knitting or yarnstorming is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint or chalk. While other forms of graffiti may be expressive, decorative, territorial, socio-political commentary, advertising or vandalism, yarn bombing is almost exclusively about reclaiming and personalizing sterile or cold public places. via wikipedia
The Knitorious M.E.G. of the K1-D2 crew in Richmond, Virginia answers my pesky questions.
YarnBomb: How did you get into knit graffiti?
M.E.G.: My father passed away few months after we’d learned to knit and formed K1-D2 [Knit 1, Drink 2]. As a tribute, the other members secretly teamed up and knit a lovely prayer flag piece for my porch. Not too long after this, one of our members underwent a serious surgery and so we all chipped in to make a tree cozy for a little cherry tree in her new yard (inspired by Carol Hummel’s library tree). After that, there was no stopping us – quickly making yarnbombs for happier and more random occasions.
I often do solo pieces since I’ve never been one to play well with others. So being in K1-D2 is good medicine for me like that…and I have enjoyed our collaborative work a lot. This collection of ladies is definitely some of Richmond’s finest.
DAILY RECORDS : Thou & Flying Lotus
Thou – Baton Rouge, You Have Much To Answer For (Robotic Empire)
There are albums in which the understanding of a single, unifying element is the key to grasping the totality of the music contained therein – a sort of Rosetta Stone which helps give some insight into the artist’s creative process and can render the arcane relatable. When listening to the newest release from Baton Rouge doom metal outfit Thou, the final song – a distended cover of Nirvana’s “Sifting” – serves that purpose well. Not that Thou sounds like Nirvana per se, but there are analogs in the aesthetics of each band – a sluggish punk-infused rawness, a strangled sense of melody – which carry over from the latter to the former.
Of course, most listeners likely would not immediately notice the Nirvana influence – the comparison relates more to a creative approach, and musically rings truest primarily during the queasy dissonance of “By Every Hand Betrayed”– sonically, the record is far more allied with a handful of the more memorable doom metal acts of the past twenty years or so. Vocally, the most readily apparent comparison is to their fellow Louisianians in Eyehategod, a harsh death rasp that is unfalteringly caustic. Musically, the band veers towards the minor-key gloom of Burning Witch or Samothrace but, on songs like “Out Of The Mouth Of A Fool,” manages to intersperse spacey psychedelic passages which would not be out of place on recent Boris albums, an effective means of breaking up the monolithic darkness.
Despite the album’s lumbering pace, however, there is a sense of energy contained in the songs which belie their tempo (which varies from plodding to trudging depending on the song), a fierce anger directed towards an apathetic and exploitative world, a stance more closely aligned with the band’s punk origins than the largely apolitical doom metal scene. The lyrics are bleak, often reading like T.S. Eliot by way of Discharge, but not without a guarded sense of hope. “Decimation may be our only saving grace,” howls singer Brian Funcke “or will we stand eternal?” There is a lyrical subtlety on this album as well, at least, compared to previous releases – whereas earlier albums had featured the bluntness of songs like “Smoke Pigs,” Thou’s newest album relies less on didactic extremes than it does on ruminations on late capitalist spiritual annihilation. Their approach is reminiscent of many ‘90s hardcore bands like Ire or His Hero Is Gone, who understood the power of a slow tempo to emphasize the world-weariness in their gloomy sound – a glacial pace conveys desolation extremely effectively.
Thou’s newest release is a challenging album, and not just in the standard record review sense of the word “challenging.” It is uneasy listening, to be sure, but it is no more or less than a reflection of the world as seen through the eyes of the frustrated and the aware. There is no escapism, no niceties – only four extended meditations on desolation, oppression, and the redemptive, cathartic power of well-focused anger. by Graham Scala
Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma (Warp Records)
It must be pretty cool being Flying Lotus. I mean, he made a name for himself on Adult Swim of all places making the bumper music between some of our fave new school cartoons, then promptly moved in to take over the underground beat scene with the abstract ease of a seasoned vet. I can’t lie, I got up on FlyLo a bit late by some people’s standards and became a fan just before his first full length Los Angeles was released on Warp Records in 2008. Since that album dropped I’ve been attached to every artist and release on his Brainfeeder label hoping to get a taste of what his next full length would have in store. Nothing really prepared me for the masterpiece that dropped on May 3rd, 2010. Yeah I gave it away: I LOVE this album and I’m about to tell you why.
Jazz. Flying Lotus (born Steve Ellison) is the nephew of Alice Coltrane and John Coltrane. This cat has jazz vibes running through his blood and it becomes more evident than ever on Cossmogramma. This album feels more like an extension of the experimental jazz interpretations that both John and Alice experimented with later in their careers but FlyLo has managed to merge that aesthetic with the modern progressive beat production movement which is where his popular foundation is most firm. The space horns and free jazz drums of “Arkestry” would fit in comfortably played after John Coltrane’s “Om” , while the vocal/piano/string arrangement of “Mmmhmm” could easily be used as part of the score to a 70s Sun Ra blaxploitation flick. The lead single “Do the Astral Plane” is a 4 on the floor uptempo groove that is a good representation of the album as a whole and Thom Yorke’s low key cameo on “…And the World Laughs With You” is just one of many quality vocal performances spiced throughout this primarily instrumental album.
Cosmogramma will definitely turn a few ears up when you put it on at a party. If that’s not your scene then put it on and surprise yourself. There’s a lot in this album from the free jazz/dubstep blends of “Recoiled” to the galactic space funk of “Nose Art” so take your time to enjoy this audio soundtrack in it’s entirety. It’s worth the 42 minutes. Trust me. by Mikemetic
The Art of Not Giving a F *** (or at least seeming like you don’t...)
Go ahead. Match the color of your belt with that of your shoes. Button-up your cuffs. Make sure your tie knot is perfectly symmetrical; perfectly centered; and the tip of your tie perfectly reaches the middle of your belt buckle. And while you’re at it, make sure your shoes are perfectly strapped-up/laced-up too. With all the work you put into making sure you look absolutely flawless, you just may have achieved the opposite. Sure, you may end up looking like one of the models in an Esquire. But therein lies the problem. You look like you are supposed to - the way people expect a well dressed person to look. At that point, the clothes are wearing you - not the other way around. And that should never be the case.
My Top 5 Dennis Hopper Performances
So how do we say goodbye to the multi-talented and totally unforgettable Dennis Hopper? Flower power and the open-minded embrace of the 60s are long gone, and now there’s one less icon from that generation to remind us of what could have been. Yet Dennis survived and thrived in the decades that followed, and the man who wrote Easy Rider never failed to find opportunities to write, direct, and act, where he provided us with a legacy of performances that are decidedly unique. Beyond all that, though he was certainly a fine thespian and a very creative soul, it wasn’t just his artistic prowess that registered, but his personality. Some stars cultivate a persona, while others reach the top simply by being themselves on whatever stage presents itself. I would surely count the illustrious Mr. Hopper among the latter.
Whether he was playing a hero or a villain, and whether he was cast in a prominent role or a bit part, Dennis Hopper had a presence that always resonated. There was a certain candor in the way he approached even his most sincere roles that made it seem as if he was winking at the audience in some way. He didn’t take his craft lightly, and he didn’t devalue his parts or the films he toiled on, I don’t mean to suggest that, yet there was no mystery as to who the wizard was. No matter the part, there could be no doubt when Dennis was in charge of Oz, for no curtain could ever hope to conceal his unmistakable charm.
He was an actor who played terrific villains in films like Blue Velvet and Speed, a wild card who just made shit up for his part in Apocalypse Now, and a fellow who could be counted upon for a stirring performance in touching films like Hoosiers as well as total clunkers like Waterworld. He was a tireless worker, and he is credited with better than two hundred roles in films and television shows of varying quality and budget.
Here was a guy who once said “You want to hear about insanity? I was found running naked through the jungles in Mexico. At the Mexico City airport, I decided I was in the middle of a movie and walked out on the wing on takeoff. My body . . . my liver . . . okay, my brain . . . went.” He was equally well known for abusing drugs and alcohol and creating chaos on set, to such an extent that former friends like Peter Fonda referred to him as a “fascist” when he was working on a picture.
Later on Hopper became an outspoken Republican, readily admitting that he voted for both George Bush and the intellectual powerhouse we have come to know as W. This was a man who remained unpredictable at every turn and whose life was always marked by a devotion to his craft and a tumultuous personal life. He was criticized for roles he took (I imagine King Koopa from Super Mario Bros. sits at the top of that list) and roles he declined (Taxi Driver) but he was always busy, working right up to his demise on Saturday, May 29 at the age of 74.
I can think of no better way to pay tribute to this stellar actor, yet even as I present my Top 5 Dennis Hopper Performances, I feel it necessary to note that I always liked him just as much for his vibrant personality as I did for his electric performances. Dennis Hopper, you will be sorely missed.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
