Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Every two years, the Chinese American Citizens Alliance sponsors an art competition for grades K-12. This year’s contest, which asked students across the country to submit art that reflects Chinese zodiac animal that represents them, was co-sponsored by the Chinese American Museum. It was the latter that invited me to be a judge. My favorite piece showed a tiger dreaming about his birthday. Very realistic and surreal. All pieces were 18″ x 24″, and ranged from crayons and watercolors to inks and collage. There were a few oils on canvas. The subject matter ranged wildly, with elementary-school students going out of their minds depicting animals that not only co-exist in their own fantastic universe but put on fashion shows and clean up toxic waste as well. Wouldn’t the pastel rendering of a horse in space look great airbrushed on the side of a ’70s van? Sadly, there was some evidence that creativity becomes stifled as the age brackets become older, but there were always enough well-executed submissions to make judging interesting. The five jurors represented CACA and CAM, and included members of the Pueblo and the mayor of South Pasadena. It was interesting to hear everyone’s point of view, and I wasn’t afraid to call otherwise popular pieces corny. The ones shown here are some of my favorites, and many of them went on to win. Although the winners were determined over the weekend, their names remained anonymous and won’t be unveiled until a banquet takes place later this month. Or is it next month? I’m sure that CAM or CACA will provide the details soon, and the two grand prize winners and top three finishers in each categories will receive scholarships adding up to 3,400 bucks. In the meantime, I gotta get Eloise ready to enter when she enters kindergarten! The Chinese American Citzens Alliance lodge itself is a hidden and cool vintage gem in L.A.’s Chinatown, but what happened to the little to-go kitchen on the other side of the alley? You know, the one that still served big dan tats…
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May 04, 2011 – Yuck / Tame Impala @ Lincoln Hall, Chicago When my friend Rhea told me she had an extra ticket (thanks Rhea!) to the sold out Tame Impala show, i‘ll admit I ran to my laptop to try and find out who they were. But once I saw that Yuck was opening for them I didn’t care who they were and said yes. I’ve been digging Yuck’s self titled debut album since it came out at the end of Feb and was hoping to catch them live at Pitchfork Music Festival this summer. London based, Yuck features Daniel Blumberg, Max Bloom (both formerly played in Cajun Dance Party) along with bassist Mariko Doi and drummer Jonny Rogoff and captures the frayed noise and hooky, guitar-driven melodies of the late 80’s early 90’s rock of bands like Dinosaur Jr., Jesus and Mary Chain, and Sonic Youth. The comparisons are easy to make but with the live set I saw, their sound easily stood on it’s own. Having toured with Modest Mouse, Dum Dum Girls and Teenage Fanclub, on stage they were confident, poised and assured from the start with the blistering Holing Out to the sonic epic guitar droning set closer Rubber, look for them to be headlining soon! [youtube]Kz7vyrFhFE8[/youtube] Not ever hearing Tame Impala I asked a few people in the audience what they sounded like. The most common response that I got was “Beatles-eque” – 70’s psychedelic with John Lennon-like vocals. Maybe that’s the impression you get on record, but live I barely heard hints of it, maybe it was the mix, but for me it was more of a groove driven trip-hoppy feel. Not that it was bad, but more so not what I was expecting. This four-piece band from Australia, features Kevin Parker (lead guitar and vocals), Dominic Simper (guitar), Nick Allbrook (bass) and Jay Watson (drums) and have built a huge fan base around the world playing outdoor festivals and stadium shows with bands like Muse, The Black Keys, and MGMT. Live, the rhythm section of the band was amazing. The thick fat bass lines along with the tempo driven drumming kept me going, along with the youthful energy of the crowd who were totally into it. The vocals were cold and mechincal feeling, not the hints of “John Lennon” that I was promised, but overall a fun time, and the band seemed to deliver to anyone who was in the know. To me, the Stone Roses would be my ultimate psychedelic stoner band, but Tame Impala could be the one for the cooler, younger skinny jean crowd. [youtube]zfcHq0hhFWg[/youtube] If you get the chance, check out both worthy bands – Yuck in a small club would be amazing and Tame Impala in an outdoor festival is where I think they would really shine, plus the crowd could really participate with their party style of rock, oh and where mood enhancers might be more available…
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Filmmaker Jennifer Phang (photo: Shameel Arafin) JENNIFER PHANG blew people away at Sundance with her 2008 feature debut HALF-LIFE, and was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. (If you haven’t seen the film, it is now streaming on Netflix. For you New Yorkers it will be at the Anthology Film Archive May 11 ). She’s also a really good friend of mine, but we feigned some professional distance for the following interview in which we talked about production vs. promotion, the Tokyo International Film Festival, and her new projects LOOK FOR WATER and CRAZY BEATS STRONG EVERY TIME (directed by Moon Molson). ***** me: So, I first met you at SFIAAFF where HALF-LIFE had somewhat of a “coming home” screening in 2009, but you guys had already been all over the world with the film by that point. Which part of a filmmaker’s life do you enjoy more? the long process of putting a movie together, or the (sometimes) even longer process of getting it out there and engaging an audience? Jennifer Phang: I think the great thing about filmmaking is that you rarely have time to get bored of any part of the process. Each step relieves us from the last step. But I think I’m most happy in the creation phase. Working with other talents and being able to marvel at their creativity is something that can feel really “pure.” And I think everyone wants to feel that as much as possible in their lives. I think we’re all searching for the freedom to be creative and honest about our perspectives and visions. How about you? me: It’s hard to say. Whenever I’m promoting a film, I get really impatient to get back to the creative work. But whenever I’m shooting or editing, I just can’t wait to get to the end. JP: Well maybe your impatience is what makes you so prolific … me: Just purely out of curiosity, what was your experience at the Tokyo International Film Festival like? JP: Tokyo International was pretty much the most glamorous festival I played at. Where to begin… I got to meet my childhood idol director Nikita Mikhalkov who directed “Burnt by the Sun.” I praised him and he gave me a cheek kiss of appreciation. Also sat down for drinks with Jon Voight. me: Haha! Of “Anaconda” fame? Nice! JP: Very nice. He did an impression of Toshiro Mifune in SEVEN SAMURAI at one of the receptions. me: Whoa… JP: Yeah…right? I also got to talk a lot with Cesar Charlone (DP of CITY OF GOD) who was a fan of the HALF-LIFE, thank goodness. me: Wow, not exactly lightweights. I’m impressed. If I was in the same room as either of those guys I would sip my Diet Coke, and mind my business. I’m a coward. JP: No, you’d find a way to charm the pants off of them. Overall the...
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Corin Tucker with Sara Lund at The Satellite
The Satellite was shockingly uncrowded on Thursday night, but Corin Tucker’s new group proceeded to rip it apart anyway. Just like the Crazy Band (ex-Mika Miko) ripped up newspapers and scattered crumpled bits all over the stage as if it were a giant hamster cage beforehand–although I arrived only in time to watch the group and its friends clean up the carnage.
Corin Tucker Band at the Satellite (May 5, 2011)
While it would be easy to compare the gig to any of the great Sleater-Kinney shows I’ve attended, seeing the band for the first time reminded me most of “solo” Paul Weller. Although their music isn’t super similar, she and the ex-leader of The Jam and The Style Council left hugely influential and amazing bands and proceeded to play subtler but just as intense and powerful music. Even moreso, while fans of the old band may go out to see its ex-singer do his or her thing, they will be blown away by the new unit’s intelligent chops and tightness.