Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Matt Furie cover story and FREE VIDEOGAME featuring his artwork
FILM
HK filmmaker Daniel Wu vs. airsoft kingpins RedWolf
MUSIC
Indie rockers turned free jazz freaks Kite Operations
INTERVIEW
Len Higa of Oni Motorworks
Chevy Ray Johnson is FlashPunk
ART
Award-winning illustrator and comic book artist Jillian Tamaki at Comic-Con
ENTERTAINMENT
Old-school Chinese martial-arts actor Bruce Leung
New-sc...
After running the article on Sandy Vu from Dum Dum Girls in Giant Robot 68, which might still be on some stands, I posted a show review that got reposted via Facebook and blog by a local clothing company called AI FOR AI. A flurry of FB friending and emails turned into coffee in Echo Park, and it turns out that Carol and Elizabeth Ai (right and left, in pic by Jiro Schneider, above) not only make cool clothes for awesome bands (bonus DDG pics below) but they are also knowledgable about GR and share some mutual friends with me. Now the sisters can be your friends, too. New Yorkers, look for Carol during Fashion Week! GR: Your distribution is quite selective at this time, so running into people wearing AI FOR AI must not happen very often. What do you do when you see someone in your designs? Gush? Play it cool? C: I’ve seen it twice now since we made our first delivery last year. We’ve only shipped two seasons that have been on display so it’s pretty awesome. I didn’t say anything to the cute ladies I saw in our clothes but I did do a little somersault in my heart! E: I have not had the chance to witness such glory but I don’t go out very much. I’m pretty much a recluse unless it’s work related, happy hour related or a good friend’s birthday. GR: To me, seeing your gear on Dum Dum Girls and Bethany
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I don't get to hit two shows in one night very often. I recall seeing The Cult on the Electric tour at the Long Beach Sports Arena with Guns 'n' Roses opening and then driving to the Scream club for an after-hours Jane's Addiction gig. At the time, they were three of the hottest bands in the universe–for me, at least. I'm not sure if seeing The Hard-Ons in the afternoon at Rhino and then at the Anti-Club with the Chemical People that night counts, but that was pretty cool. And years later, I saw Heavenly play a lunchtime college gig followed by an evening club show. Also amazing, and also a long time ago. On Saturday night it happened again, afforded by forgetters playing an early show at The Echo. Doors opened at 6:00, and we got there just in time to catch the last song and a half by the openers, Dangers. The local band had a punky sound with tasteful keyboards and dramatic vocals, but more like American Standard than The Damned, with bonus points for the singer wearing an old Butthole Surfers shirt. Too bad we didn't see more of them, but it turns out the keyboardist works in the same office as my wife so we'll probably catch them again. Next up were Street Eaters, Bay Area tourmates with the Brooklyn-based forgetters. The duo was awesome and because my crew was right in front, we absorbed their full power. Megan March and Johnny Geek reveal their Gilman St. roots with
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The Sawtelle Dog and Cat Adoption is also in it's third year! We'll keep this going and maybe do it more often. Why not right? We had a few cats and some dogs, but did you know this shelter has rabbits, birds, and turtles too? It's not hard to find, and it's very close to the shops on Sawtelle. The folks are the nicest ever and do care about each animal they bring. The cool thing is that it's one animal at a time. There's not a sense of quantity of adoptions, but the fact that people are looking and caring. We've had some luck every year and this year was no different. The triumph is below. Isaac! In the shelter for 4 months. He got adopted. More on that below!
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The Year of the Rabbit… This is the third Asian Zodiac event at Giant Robot 2 and Rabbits are perfect, preceding next year's Dragon! As Kat Rivera, friend of GR stated, there's no changing dates of the Asian Zodiac…” unlike the Western. The walls were filled with art galore. Great pieces by great artists and for those who continue to participate, we thank you. This show has taken on a great form, as the attendance was great, especially by artists and their friends. I can't be more stoked on it, and it's festive as well.
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