Giant Robot Store and GR2 News – Tagged "MW"– Page 31 – GiantRobotStore

a river changes course · abigail harm · ayako fujitani · duc nguyen · eugene suen · isaac chung · kalyanee mam · Music · MW · News · Reviews Cinema · rolling stones · staples center · stateless · tetsuo kuramochi · the sound of crickets at night · May 06, 2013

Reviews: The Rolling Stones at Staples/The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival at the DGA

Still can’t believe my friend Cate invited me to watch The Rolling Stones kick off their current tour at Staples Center last Friday. Still can’t believe how great they are live. Like the blues musicians they grew up idolizing, The Stones have become not only timeless but ageless masters… Yes, to kick off the evening they had the UCLA marching band play “Satisfaction” following a video montage of musicians, filmmakers, and fans sharing their devotion to Their Satanic Majesties; there were guest appearances by Gwen Stefani and Keith Urban; and the CSULB choir sang a chillingly beautiful intro “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” to make it a special night. But really it’s all about their enormously heavy catalog of songs. Everyone from The New York Dolls to Aerosmith has tried in their own way to channel The Stones’ primal, evil grooves but The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band remains just that. Everyone talks about how Mick and Keef have survived with style but Ronnie and Charlie are effortlessly on point and cool…

laapff · MW · News · Reviews Cinema · visual communications · May 03, 2013

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival begins!

Just got back from the opening night of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The featured flick was the Los Angeles premiere of Linsanity, a real crowd-pleaser of an underdog story that we’re all familiar with, but for a guy like me who doesn’t get out much the highlight was seeing friends. Clockwise from top right are Eric from GR, Working Man/Perfect Time/SGV skateboarding homie John Lee, Patrick from NFS, and Eugenia Yuan, who appears in the movie Chink on Saturday night. Also saw my pal Kristina Wong decked out in a bridal gown and met Judy Lei from the Asian American International Film Festival, who is going to bring the Animal Style skate program that I put together to New York City this summer. More on that later. First comes Los Angeles… Have I ever mentioned that my friend Anderson Le (Visual Communications’ Artistic Director) recruited me to be on the programming committee this year? Part of my duties include introducing films and filmmakers as well as conducting Q&As after screenings. These are the four that I’ll be handling, and it would be cool if you came by to check them out and say hi. Saturday, May 4 (Director’s Guild of America on Sunset) 12:15 – A River Changes Course. Winner of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary. 2:45 – Stateless. Like a spelling bee movie on steroids, Duc Nguyen tells the story of Vietnamese War refugees who never made it to America, settled illegally in the Philippines, and are preparing to interview with U.S. State Department officials when the immigration department decides to open new cases. 7:15 – Abigail Harm. Director Lee Isaac Chung does a remarkable job of crafting a compact but open-ended fable that can be as deep as you want it to be. As sad as you want it to be. And as fantastic as you want it to be. But gorgeously and masterfully executed in any case. Thursday, May 9 (CGV Cinemas in Koreatown) 7:00 - The Sound of Crickets at Night. Displacement from home, broken family, loss of identity, and eroding tradition are only some of the themes that are presented dreamily yet effectively in this modest and skillful film from the Marshall Islands. Seeya then. Support independent film! Support film festivals!

80/90 · arkitip · cara mullio · case study house · edward killingsworth · imprint culture lab · j. grant brittain · jennifer volland · long beach work in progress · metz · mrs. magician · Music · MW · News · Reviews Books · troubadour · white lung · May 01, 2013

Show review: METZ, White Lung, and Mrs. Magician at The Troubadour (w/ bonus publication reviews)

I love seeing bands start from scratch, evolve, and get over. But it ain’t so bad to catch them when they’re ripe and ready for world domination, either. Such was the case at the Troubadour on Monday night when METZ and White Lung took the stage, coming all the way from the Great White North.

chad tim tim · chhom nimol · dengue fever · edward killingsworth · Food · imprint · imprint culture lab · jack grisham · jeffstaple · joe escalante · jonathan gold · justin reynolds · long beach · long beach work in progress · martin wong · Music · MW · News · paul kwon · ricki bedenbaugh · ricki the dude · skateboarding · the vandals · tsol · zac holtzman · Apr 30, 2013

Long Beach: Work in Progress really happened

Holy crap! Long Beach: Work in Progress really happened. The scenario seemed too good to be true: Come up with panels to illustrate and demonstrate the underrated heritage and upside of a city that I’ve been digging since I was a teenager. Crashing culture, colliding communities, and the power of subcultures–I’m all over that. Above you can see Long Beach skaters/activists Chad Tim Tim, Justin Reynolds, Paul Kwon, Dallas Rockvam, and Levi Brown with Pulitzer Prize winning food writer Jonathan Gold. The event took place in the historic Edison Theatre, which was built in 1917 as the Nippon Pool Room and went through phases as a sporting goods store, foot clinic, and beauty salon. Most recently it was home to CSULB’s theatre troupe but has been shuttered for five years until it was opened by the city just for Friday’s event. Keynote speaker John Jay (W+K Garage) spoke on the the creative crisis–how the need for creativity is at an all-time high in business, the arts, and society in general. His manifesto was followed by authors Cara Mullio and Jennifer Volland’s very cool study on local Case Study House architect Edward Killingsworth. (Yes, I bought a copy of their brand-new Hennessey+Ingalls book on Killingsworth and had them sign it.) Jonathan Gold’s seemingly stream-of-consciousness-yet-completely-in-control ruminations on things he likes to eat in Long Beach (framed by recollections of sailors at The Pike, a roller-coaster decapitation, and bad metal shows at Fender’s) was so good it almost made me cry, and was followed by an otherworldly panel on Long Beach music moderated by my friend and member of The Vandals Joe Escalante. Somehow, he was able to balance the early hardcore punk stories of his longtime colleague Jack Grisham from T.S.O.L. with peeks into Little Cambodia via Dengue Fever’s Zac Holtzman and Chhom Nimol (who played an acoustic preview of a brand new song). Is that a mash-up of subcultures or what. The final panel was about the importance of skateboarding to Long Beach culture and its future with Justin, Chad, Ricki The Dude Bedenbaugh, and Paul. Of course, it ripped and generated a ton of responses. The long day was capped by a round table discussion handled by jeffstaple and words from District 2 Councilperson Suja Lowenthal. Very legit to get seals of approval from a king of street culture and a city respresentative. And so awesome to witness my worlds colliding right in front of my eyes, with Jack and Joe (above, left) from years of going to punk shows to Tanya, Julia, and Renzei (above, right) from my current efforts to help the team build Long Beach (and everywhere else) through culture labs and backers in business. Keep an eye out for more photos and even a video to be leaked in the near future… But until then I think the message of Long Beach: Work in Progress can be applied to anyone’s hometown. Look for what’s cool about it, and then seek to understand, grow, mix, and share...

bad relition · best coast · bob mould · ian mackaye · Music · MW · News · record store day · shine a little light · the evens · the vex · tsol · Apr 24, 2013

Show review: The Evens at The Vex; New music: Bad Religion, T.S.O.L., Best Coast, Bob Mould

Last week’s Evens gig at The Vex was great. As the progressively heavier sound of their albums implies, the live show has become more rocking as Ian Mackaye and Amy Farina’s musical partnership rolls along. What once may have been called “stripped down” or “simpler” in comparison to the members’ previous, more “punk” bands is now just plain raw with all the energy of the aforementioned, more plugged-in projects. Yes, the married duo from D.C. encourages singalongs these days but their vibe is fully charged and anything but folky. With as much anger and insight as ever, now tempered by humor and parenthood, Ian sits but just barely as he plays his baritone guitar. A substitute for Fugazi? Not exactly but they’re playing vital songs that are honest, meaningful, powerful, and sometimes even lovely.