Fecal Face
First off, no, this is not some poo fetish site involving faces, or even poo for that matter. In fact, his is a really cool San Fransisco Art site/blog that features an array of cool articles and photoblogs. Ranging from Free Fridays, which have a theme and call for submissions of original art according to that theme, to interviews with really cool artists from SF and around the US and more. It was on this site that I figured out how to give homemade tattoos, and have been giving and receiving them ever since. I check out the Photo of the Day well, daily. Overall this is a really dope site that you should check out, it is on my daily rotation of sites to check, along with pitchforkmedia, well only their music news (which is first to know on all sorts of music news from touring, to releases, to the goss, and some show pics which are cool) but not their reviews because they are a bunch of music snob cunts.
Back to the point, this is a site you should check out, and for a sampler I will provide the link to one of my favorite articles:
Homemade Tattoos
(thanks Andreas Trolf for this masterpiece)
[Nick Erickson]
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Best Late Night Televison Preformance Ever
From Crackle:
Do you love music? Do you love live music? Are you an asshole? If the answers are: yes, yes, and well the last one doesn't really matter much, then check out this video of Death From Above 1979 preforming on the Conan O'Brien show.
[Nick Erickson]
Getting a Little Freaky Down In P-Town
For all of you who don't know, Portland is fucking awesome. That said, there are a few things that need changing. For one, we have all of these people in our great city that need to be forced to do anything, and are reluctant to go check out a show or band unless there is some hype or they are in right now. Another is the complete and utter lack of constant dance parties. Being someone who loves to get down and dance the night away, this is a complete drag, yet there's a savior on the horizon. A little coalition know as PortlandPlayground (portlandplayground.blogspot.com) has high ambitions to fill that void. Headed by members of a little upstart group know as The White Sirens of Burr (myspace.com/whitesirensofburr) are hoping to collate a collaboration of Portland musicians, artists, writers and give them a space to present their work. As of right now they are small, consisting of five members, yet their ambitions are not reflective of their size. Armed with a set of concert speakers and a wish to dance the night away, this is a force not to be reckoned with. Their goal is to oppose the complacincy we have with our current scene and hope to provide an outlet for musicians to preform in front of audiences and to give people a steady set of dance parties and shows, did I mention these shows are set in warehouses/rented storage spaces/rented moving trucks/dorms/ and any other place that they can break into and plug in. So check out this blog (they even have a link to our own) and keep watching for more news on these up and coming Portlander's
[Nick Erickson]
[Nick Erickson]
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The Google Android
Also called the G1.
This baby is a beaut. But before I go over the good things, let hit the bad.
Activating it. I got in on friday and called to activate it. Everything was go, and they told me 2 to 48 hours for activation. Every other phone Ive had and friends had was about 30 minutes, but whatever, I'm cool.
48 hours later, I call. I get transfered twice before I get to the right place. The person was really nice and patient, but it took her about 10 minutes for her to notice that they didn't update my plan at all. so once they got it updated, she transferred me to another guy, the G1 speciallist.
He talks me through a bunch of different solutions, none of which work. He even has me put my sim card in an old phone to see if the sim card is working. After about an hour of talking through, he says he'll fill out a form to get it replaced. as we start, he notices that since my plan was just changed, it couldnt of activated, and there probably wasnt anything wrong at all. if there was, we would have to wait another 24 hours to see. about an hour later my phone activated it. The best part? my father had called before and they had told him completly different information on how to activate it. T-mobile support, although nice people, could use some fixing.
Now on to the review. This thing is pretty. Its resolution is outstanding and it responds to the touch like an eager girl on ecstacy. But those features are nothing compared to the internet. IT IS FAST. Incredibly. this phone moves faster than the internet on the computer labs, or even my friends alienware. and the direct connection to youtube is pretty nice to.
another thing I feel I should add is that even though it doesn't appear to have the motion sensor thing the i-phone has, it does its not involved in the immediate menu, but it doesn't need to, since the screen will automatically adjust when you open the keyboard. The sensor is there, and so is the programing, it just needs an application for it to be used. Is it the I-phone killer? maybe. When google opens up there global information thing though, you will need one to access it.
price, 180, I think, but I know that for unlimited internet, its 25 dollars, with unlimited text 10 dollars more.
Tmobile did something good :O
Illl tell you more next week, when I get more use to the pretty thing.
This baby is a beaut. But before I go over the good things, let hit the bad.
Activating it. I got in on friday and called to activate it. Everything was go, and they told me 2 to 48 hours for activation. Every other phone Ive had and friends had was about 30 minutes, but whatever, I'm cool.
48 hours later, I call. I get transfered twice before I get to the right place. The person was really nice and patient, but it took her about 10 minutes for her to notice that they didn't update my plan at all. so once they got it updated, she transferred me to another guy, the G1 speciallist.
He talks me through a bunch of different solutions, none of which work. He even has me put my sim card in an old phone to see if the sim card is working. After about an hour of talking through, he says he'll fill out a form to get it replaced. as we start, he notices that since my plan was just changed, it couldnt of activated, and there probably wasnt anything wrong at all. if there was, we would have to wait another 24 hours to see. about an hour later my phone activated it. The best part? my father had called before and they had told him completly different information on how to activate it. T-mobile support, although nice people, could use some fixing.
Now on to the review. This thing is pretty. Its resolution is outstanding and it responds to the touch like an eager girl on ecstacy. But those features are nothing compared to the internet. IT IS FAST. Incredibly. this phone moves faster than the internet on the computer labs, or even my friends alienware. and the direct connection to youtube is pretty nice to.
another thing I feel I should add is that even though it doesn't appear to have the motion sensor thing the i-phone has, it does its not involved in the immediate menu, but it doesn't need to, since the screen will automatically adjust when you open the keyboard. The sensor is there, and so is the programing, it just needs an application for it to be used. Is it the I-phone killer? maybe. When google opens up there global information thing though, you will need one to access it.
price, 180, I think, but I know that for unlimited internet, its 25 dollars, with unlimited text 10 dollars more.
Tmobile did something good :O
Illl tell you more next week, when I get more use to the pretty thing.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
WIN YEASAYER TICKETS!
while you're getting over that major bangover from the doom show on thursday why not win some tickets to YEASAYER this friday? tune into Blow-Up from 2 - 3 pm PST for a chance to win!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Represent yr hip hop
Back in October many of you rocked to the Blue Scholars in Stamm. Besides the Seattle natives a Portland/LC collaboration blew the stage: MC Says, MC Empyr, and MC O performing real tracks off their album "In Peace".
As well as an interview in the recent zine (if you haven't picked one up, swing by KLC in Templeton to nab a copy!), we also have video footage of the show care of your buddies at KLC TV. Check it out below:
BRONZE AGE ASSHOLES
KADJA
Mercutio WITHOUT ERROR
Keep your ear to the ground to catch other great shows approaching on the horizon.
Luv,
SpecSocWrite
As well as an interview in the recent zine (if you haven't picked one up, swing by KLC in Templeton to nab a copy!), we also have video footage of the show care of your buddies at KLC TV. Check it out below:
BRONZE AGE ASSHOLES
KADJA
Mercutio WITHOUT ERROR
Keep your ear to the ground to catch other great shows approaching on the horizon.
Luv,
SpecSocWrite
Wicked Show This Thursday on Campus!
Thursday November 13, 2008!
Acre, Ecomorti, John Krausbauer and Brown of Tecumseh, Taryn Tomasello and LC's own Brocaine will be playing on Thursday Nov. 20th in Council Chambers and Templeton Student Center. The show starts at 6:30. This concert is FREE, so you have no excuses to miss this. Get there and get your brain straight faded.
Anarchy in the UK,
KLC Promotions
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Two stores...
Everyday Music
Located about 2 blocks down from Powel's bookstore, this place is truly a Godsend. They have a massive collection of pretty much everything. It's about 3/4 the size of the bon, and filled with nothing but music.
In CD's, they've got all your normal stuff you expect, pop rock, reggae, and all that, but this place also has an expansive collection of Jazz, blues, and world. and not tiny selections either, they truly have a decent collection.
However, the best part of Everday Music is the record selection. They have tons of vinyl. Its not the best organized, but its well made up for its 5o cent bargain selection, which is really big. nor is all of it christmas music, but the who, cat stevens, grateful dead, the eagles, and tons of classic rock. The only problem is that all of it is "as is"
A really great place.
Jackpot Records.
1 block from powels in the opposite direction, Jackpot is much better organized. It's also about the size of maggie's though. And, even worse, it's really expensive. finding any vinyl below 8 dollars is impossible here, and some of them are reacing 40 dollars. as much as I like music, I can't justify myself on a 20 dollar album, unless its pretty rare.
That said, they do have some pretty rare stuff. First printing beatles and black sabbath can be found. Even some stuff that you wouldn't expect to find anywhere, Like Warren Zevon, or Flogging Molly. It may be a bit pricy but sometimes you got to shell out for the good stuff.
A nice place, but not as good as Everyday. Hit this place 2nd.
Located about 2 blocks down from Powel's bookstore, this place is truly a Godsend. They have a massive collection of pretty much everything. It's about 3/4 the size of the bon, and filled with nothing but music.
In CD's, they've got all your normal stuff you expect, pop rock, reggae, and all that, but this place also has an expansive collection of Jazz, blues, and world. and not tiny selections either, they truly have a decent collection.
However, the best part of Everday Music is the record selection. They have tons of vinyl. Its not the best organized, but its well made up for its 5o cent bargain selection, which is really big. nor is all of it christmas music, but the who, cat stevens, grateful dead, the eagles, and tons of classic rock. The only problem is that all of it is "as is"
A really great place.
Jackpot Records.
1 block from powels in the opposite direction, Jackpot is much better organized. It's also about the size of maggie's though. And, even worse, it's really expensive. finding any vinyl below 8 dollars is impossible here, and some of them are reacing 40 dollars. as much as I like music, I can't justify myself on a 20 dollar album, unless its pretty rare.
That said, they do have some pretty rare stuff. First printing beatles and black sabbath can be found. Even some stuff that you wouldn't expect to find anywhere, Like Warren Zevon, or Flogging Molly. It may be a bit pricy but sometimes you got to shell out for the good stuff.
A nice place, but not as good as Everyday. Hit this place 2nd.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Keep murderin'
Who: Brainstorm, Cars & Trains, Ghosts & Mysteries, Hello Electric, and Silence Dogood
What: Rock'n'wastoid show
When: Friday, Nov. 7th at 8:00pm
Where: The Philosophy Mansion (3635 NE 6th AVE)
Why: Plenty of reasons that won't be posted here for fear of a government crackdown
- SpecSocWrite
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Joycean Composition in R Kelly's "Sex Weed"
Not since Joyce’s Ulysses has an author bestowed as much abundance and unity to his metaphors as R Kelly bestows upon the extended metaphor of his song “Sex Weed” from the third installment of his Twelve Play series, the fourth of which comes out this fall. In the “Ithaca” chapter of Ulysses Joyce presents the idea that a truly successful metaphor consists of “obverse meditations of involution increasingly less vast,” in that he replaces the essence of one thing with that of another, and vice versa, thinks about it, and then looks at things more carefully to see what it means for one thing to be, at the same time, something else. What occurs in this concept of a metaphor is that reality1 (i.e. the blood of Stephen Daedalus and Leopold Bloom) and reality2 (i.e. the universe) are described simultaneously in a single moment (“the universe of human serum constellated with red and white bodies, themselves universes of void space constellated with other bodies”), which thus makes the reality of the text (the consolidation of reality1 with reality2) an amorphous ambiguity that could be called “the protagonists’ blood” while being considered “the universe,” or the other way around or any combination of the two.
The hallucinogenic experience heavily informs this mode of thinking, and indeed Daedalus’ state in the chapter is the product of drinking a lot of absinthe and losing his grasp on typical conceptions of reality, and, in the case of Kelly, one half of the “obverse meditations of involution increasingly less vast” of “Sex Weed” is marijuana, a substance that has far more psychoactive properties than it did when it, paired with LSD, was the cornerstone of traditional psychedelic music. “Sex Weed” is not smoking weed and then having sex, nor is it having sex and then smoking weed, nor is it having sex while smoking weed, nor smoking weed while having sex—all of these, in some way, would put the two concepts in some form of hierarchy. Instead, through its Joycean word play, the metaphor succeeds in uniting the psychedelic experience with the sexual experience to the point that simply smoking pot is “Sex Weed” and romancing a lady when sober is also “Sex Weed.”
The apostrophe to the “Girl [who has] got that Sex Weed” begins as a fairly simple metaphor: he wants “to hit it all the time” because “it” is “sex so good that it gets [him] high,” using the ambiguity of the idiom “hit it” to begin the destruction of the segregation of Sex from Weed. Double entendres characterize the song as a whole, addressing the girl as “Mary Jane” at the end, for example, though the exceptions give the most interesting moments. The use of a simile seems ridiculous in the face of Kelly’s level of figurative language, yet we have two at the beginning of both verses as though we need to be reminded of the simplicity of his project: “How did yo[ur] sex make me feel this way / Like I been smokin’ purple haze?” and “Girl it’s like a dime bag of [hy]dro[ponic marijuana] / The way you movin that cush real slow.” The latter simile seems silly because “cush” is another way of saying weed, so of course it would be “like a dime bag of dro,” because it IS. But of course “cush” means something else here. The motif is reversed in the line “Sex give me the munchies / And now I wanna eat it up oh,” because “Sex” is understood to be Weed, and “the munchies” are the not to be understood to be anything other than the desire to do something explicitly sexual.
The dependence upon “Sex Weed” comes up in the second verse, that Kelly is “a bud head when it comes to [the girl with the Sex Weed] / Cuz Can't nobody drop it baby / Bounce it baby, stroke it quite the way [she does].” He wants her like a drug, yet at the same time, unlike a drug, nobody can create the effects that she does. What therefore is at stake is not the immediate physical sensation, but what, a step further down the causal line, what that sensation causes, for the a psychedelic does not take its user away from the world into the senses, but rather overwhelms its user with the world by liberating the capacities of the senses. Sex, then, is therefore is a process of instigating mind-blowing experiences in another person while they reciprocate, as symbolized by "do[ing] a shotgun." "Sex Weed" is the beginning of a greater experience that becomes the beginning of a psychological dependence—“Girl I’m addicted to everything / That you do to me / Your sex got me open baby.” “Open” can mean simply “high,” “hazy,” “silly,” “flying,” “buzzing,” or “about to explode,” as he has stated, but can also mean readiness for it to all happen again, as the singer first politely requests towards the song’s end—“Let me hit that in the coupe / Girl, let me hit that in the jeep / Girl let me hit that at the crib / Girl keep bringing me that heat”—with a kind of urgency and appreciation of an adolescent hot boxing his parents’ Camry for the first time or smooching a girl for the first time in the backseat, or both. Kelly insists on the legitiamcy and thoroughness of his metaphor, that it's too heady to pin down and explain, by descriptions of his own befuddlement in the face of his dependence on "Sex Weed," that it's "about to explode [his] brain," that it's "about to drive [him] insane," and that he's "about to go up in smoke / because [her] Sex Weed ain't no joke." One cannot ultimately put either the psychedelic nor sexual experience into words, which would be to explain these contradictions in a joke that allows us to move past it; one can merely construct a text to parallel how inexplicable it is, as Kelly has done, to make "Sex Weed" the song something that'll make the listeners go up in smoke as they listen to in the coupe, the jeep, or the crib, hitting the Sex Weed. Which only makes sense if we read the apostrophe literally as Kelly addressing us, his listening audience, describing how wonderful it is to be on his side of the listening experience, getting "blowed" by the fact that so many people understand the significance of desegregating Sex and Weed, and always wanting more.
The hallucinogenic experience heavily informs this mode of thinking, and indeed Daedalus’ state in the chapter is the product of drinking a lot of absinthe and losing his grasp on typical conceptions of reality, and, in the case of Kelly, one half of the “obverse meditations of involution increasingly less vast” of “Sex Weed” is marijuana, a substance that has far more psychoactive properties than it did when it, paired with LSD, was the cornerstone of traditional psychedelic music. “Sex Weed” is not smoking weed and then having sex, nor is it having sex and then smoking weed, nor is it having sex while smoking weed, nor smoking weed while having sex—all of these, in some way, would put the two concepts in some form of hierarchy. Instead, through its Joycean word play, the metaphor succeeds in uniting the psychedelic experience with the sexual experience to the point that simply smoking pot is “Sex Weed” and romancing a lady when sober is also “Sex Weed.”
The apostrophe to the “Girl [who has] got that Sex Weed” begins as a fairly simple metaphor: he wants “to hit it all the time” because “it” is “sex so good that it gets [him] high,” using the ambiguity of the idiom “hit it” to begin the destruction of the segregation of Sex from Weed. Double entendres characterize the song as a whole, addressing the girl as “Mary Jane” at the end, for example, though the exceptions give the most interesting moments. The use of a simile seems ridiculous in the face of Kelly’s level of figurative language, yet we have two at the beginning of both verses as though we need to be reminded of the simplicity of his project: “How did yo[ur] sex make me feel this way / Like I been smokin’ purple haze?” and “Girl it’s like a dime bag of [hy]dro[ponic marijuana] / The way you movin that cush real slow.” The latter simile seems silly because “cush” is another way of saying weed, so of course it would be “like a dime bag of dro,” because it IS. But of course “cush” means something else here. The motif is reversed in the line “Sex give me the munchies / And now I wanna eat it up oh,” because “Sex” is understood to be Weed, and “the munchies” are the not to be understood to be anything other than the desire to do something explicitly sexual.
The dependence upon “Sex Weed” comes up in the second verse, that Kelly is “a bud head when it comes to [the girl with the Sex Weed] / Cuz Can't nobody drop it baby / Bounce it baby, stroke it quite the way [she does].” He wants her like a drug, yet at the same time, unlike a drug, nobody can create the effects that she does. What therefore is at stake is not the immediate physical sensation, but what, a step further down the causal line, what that sensation causes, for the a psychedelic does not take its user away from the world into the senses, but rather overwhelms its user with the world by liberating the capacities of the senses. Sex, then, is therefore is a process of instigating mind-blowing experiences in another person while they reciprocate, as symbolized by "do[ing] a shotgun." "Sex Weed" is the beginning of a greater experience that becomes the beginning of a psychological dependence—“Girl I’m addicted to everything / That you do to me / Your sex got me open baby.” “Open” can mean simply “high,” “hazy,” “silly,” “flying,” “buzzing,” or “about to explode,” as he has stated, but can also mean readiness for it to all happen again, as the singer first politely requests towards the song’s end—“Let me hit that in the coupe / Girl, let me hit that in the jeep / Girl let me hit that at the crib / Girl keep bringing me that heat”—with a kind of urgency and appreciation of an adolescent hot boxing his parents’ Camry for the first time or smooching a girl for the first time in the backseat, or both. Kelly insists on the legitiamcy and thoroughness of his metaphor, that it's too heady to pin down and explain, by descriptions of his own befuddlement in the face of his dependence on "Sex Weed," that it's "about to explode [his] brain," that it's "about to drive [him] insane," and that he's "about to go up in smoke / because [her] Sex Weed ain't no joke." One cannot ultimately put either the psychedelic nor sexual experience into words, which would be to explain these contradictions in a joke that allows us to move past it; one can merely construct a text to parallel how inexplicable it is, as Kelly has done, to make "Sex Weed" the song something that'll make the listeners go up in smoke as they listen to in the coupe, the jeep, or the crib, hitting the Sex Weed. Which only makes sense if we read the apostrophe literally as Kelly addressing us, his listening audience, describing how wonderful it is to be on his side of the listening experience, getting "blowed" by the fact that so many people understand the significance of desegregating Sex and Weed, and always wanting more.
Artist Profile: DjH2
www.myspace.com/djh2
Sometime in the summer of 2007 I was stumbling around electronic artists on MySpace (yes, MySpace) and happened upon this diamond in the ruff. Straight out of Harlem, DjH2 has fat beats on par with every big name producer I have encountered. Upon hearing a few of his tracks, I set out on a desperate search to download anything and everything I could of him. Yet low and behold, he was not signed to any label, or anything of that nature. He had few mixtapes up to download, and so I took what I could get. I was amazed by the talent and quality of the tracks available for download, and amazingly enough, over a year later he is still a regular in my rotation. Any time I want to relax, or listen to some smooth beats, DjH2 is first to be put on. When posed with the task to list my top 5 chillist beats, DjH2 held the number one spot. His MySpace www.myspace.com/djh2 is regularly updated with fresh new beats, and the occasional free EP’s for download. Also to my great excitement, he has an album ElevatorMusik available for purchase, as well as two others, TalkingWalls and Poison Punch Socials, which will be available soon. So when you want some music for the soul, hit up his page and prepare to be taken on a ride.
Reminiscent of old school beats, and heavy jazz influences, H2 is one of the most talented Dj/producer/beat makers of our generation. Long overdue for big success, his intricate working of obscure (Star Trek radio show vinyl) and oldschool breakbeats and samples lets his immense talent shine. He touches down on the soul of earlier eras and creates something completely new and his own, all the while paying tribute towards those he samples from. This underground producer is one that should not be missed and is a must have in any hip-hop/soul/funk/jazz/blues aficionados music library.
[Nick Erickson]
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Nightmare or utopic future?
Interplanetary Revolution
Saturday October 25th, was the annual Revolution party - this year hosted at Plan B. On the bill were both of p-town's only Russkie bands: Mirumir! and Chervona; as well as Niayh and a hectic set by Golden Greats
Arriving late, one was presented with a devilish scene. The dark misty night, pierced by cries of joy or pain, was juxtaposed with a packed darkly flashing room. It was a circus. What it might have looked like if the 1917 revolution had taken place in a cramp basement with a hodgepodge of 20th century misfits getting drunk to celebrate the end of time. Explosions of glitter and melting faces, trapped between concentric loops of gyrating soviet hips, sip that 22 out of your bag because you shouldn't drink whatever these people have been. A free speech stage in the back lot, sporadic piles of bicycles and heaps of broken youth, while someone's sad mumbles of the futility of our supposedly democratic system were washed away by the chanting of the red-painted Obama youth brigade. A confusion of elements, Halloween a week too soon? Mario with sad drooping whiskers bent over a mechanical music monster, perused by Hunter Thompson in board shorts and safari cap, while a chair fight broke out over the last of the cold left-over socialist french fries. sensory overl
oad
So swig it fast, try to ska-dance, and get the hell out of there while you've got your wits about you. Tom Waits, heckling and jeering, the Master of Events, his waxen face almost brushing the stage lights as he beats those lousy derevniks in their striped shirts. beats and beats them with his howls and curses; oh so painful - as they strike up another rollicking tune.
Back outside, lit cigarettes, and nervous shuffling. What's 5$ when you have the whole future ahead of you?
Lurve,
SpecSocWrite
Saturday October 25th, was the annual Revolution party - this year hosted at Plan B. On the bill were both of p-town's only Russkie bands: Mirumir! and Chervona; as well as Niayh and a hectic set by Golden Greats
Arriving late, one was presented with a devilish scene. The dark misty night, pierced by cries of joy or pain, was juxtaposed with a packed darkly flashing room. It was a circus. What it might have looked like if the 1917 revolution had taken place in a cramp basement with a hodgepodge of 20th century misfits getting drunk to celebrate the end of time. Explosions of glitter and melting faces, trapped between concentric loops of gyrating soviet hips, sip that 22 out of your bag because you shouldn't drink whatever these people have been. A free speech stage in the back lot, sporadic piles of bicycles and heaps of broken youth, while someone's sad mumbles of the futility of our supposedly democratic system were washed away by the chanting of the red-painted Obama youth brigade. A confusion of elements, Halloween a week too soon? Mario with sad drooping whiskers bent over a mechanical music monster, perused by Hunter Thompson in board shorts and safari cap, while a chair fight broke out over the last of the cold left-over socialist french fries. sensory overl
oadSo swig it fast, try to ska-dance, and get the hell out of there while you've got your wits about you. Tom Waits, heckling and jeering, the Master of Events, his waxen face almost brushing the stage lights as he beats those lousy derevniks in their striped shirts. beats and beats them with his howls and curses; oh so painful - as they strike up another rollicking tune.
Back outside, lit cigarettes, and nervous shuffling. What's 5$ when you have the whole future ahead of you?
Lurve,
SpecSocWrite
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