Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
By now Michael Nhat has gotten off a plane, retrieved his two pieces of luggage, and found his way to an apartment in a sketchy part of Philadelphia where he is wondering what the heck happens next. I didn't make it to his last L.A. show, but I did manage to meet up with the indie rapper from Iowa yesterday to catch up before he split town. There are a lot of reasons for someone to leave a city as large and multi-faceted as Los Angeles, but being bored isn't usually one of them. When you've found your audience, which is also your social circle, and neither grow, even a big city can become claustrophobic, he explained. Nhat's stint in L.A. was prolific. He played a ton of house parties, galleries, and storefronts, and seemed to be constantly releasing new music and videos. And with a handful of demos and three full releases, his latest cassette pairs his humble-but-sharp thoughts with seriously bombastic bass. (I especially like the song about the girl on the Green Line.) He was able to find fans who could help him make non-cheesy videos, which usually featured attractive, interesting women, but never hooked up with anyone that could get him bigger shows, better recording budgets, or expanded distro. That might not happen in Philly but at least he won't be bored. He told me that the neighborhood he's moving into is known for robbery and rape. Nhat will return to L.A. in a few months to celebrate his fourth release in two years, pick up some more belongings, and also tie up unfinished projects including directing and starring in a short video providing the soundtrack to a full-length film. One video project will include ann all-Asian cast. He might not have roots, but he does thinks about race, and his honest thoughts and handmade music are worth hearing. Since he sold all his gear and is starting over in his new town, his next lo-fi, handmade sounds will depend on what he can find in thrift shops and Craigslist. Go back to the full-on interview in GR66 and then check out his music, videos, and updates here.
Continue reading
Two new releases by friends with music… On my first and only pilgrimage to the indie rock capital of the world, Olympia, WA, I saw and was blown away by IQU (then ICU) playing one of its first shows and became friends with the trio, which used my house as a crash pad on its earliest tours. From there, I became a fan of stand-up bassist Aaron's next band Old Time Relijun, which slept on my floor a couple more times. The first review is of that group's singer's solo project, in which he sings swamp rock from another dimension in Indonesian. The second review involves Thao Nguyen, who I met and interviewed for Giant Robot way back in 2006, when she was a solo artist who still used her last name. I've seen her numerous times since then and I even asked her to contribute a string of articles to the magazine, but that's already ancient history. Since then, she released a second LP with her combo, the Get Down Stay Down, collaborated with the Portland Cello Project, and has a band-new release with her pal Mirah. Whew. It's nice to be able to keep up with people through their music, and even better when I get the releases a couple of weeks before they hit the shelves. Be sure to check these out when they do. Arrington De Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Singa, Suara Naga Straying even further away from the sweaty, psychedelic, blues-informed direction forged by his primary band, Old Time Relijun, De Dionyso's tweaked solo project/Indonesian music experiment just keeps getting weirder and heavier, and its second installment will give nightmares to globe-trotting, camera-toting National Geographic members. Does Indonesian folk music feature blown-out bass, detuned guitar riffs, and vague references to fringy '80s music? Probably not like this. “Baru Limunan” recalls the primitive rawness of an In The Flat Field-era Bauhaus song, “Perawan Berawan” steals dark basslines from late Beat Happening, and the schizophrenic vocals of “Aku Di Penjara” can only be compared to the theatrical Euro rap of Falco. Although the bulk of the singing is in De Dionyso's abrasive-yet-theatrical throat-singing style, it turns out that all of the ethnomusicology isn't just related to the swamps of Java or Sumatra. It's challenging but not completely unaccesible to those about to rock. [K Records] <br /> Thao & Mirah, Self-Titled Thao and Mirah seemed to be on awesome, parallel paths–the former going from solo standout to fronting the excellent Get Down Stay Down for Kill Rock Stars and the latter recording enough noteworthy solo releases for K Records to justify a remix album with labelmates covering her songs. So when their universes collided, it was a big deal–like Superman meeting Spider Man in a treasury edition, or even Godzilla and King Kong duking it out the big screen. The music they play together is nothing like their solo stuff; instead of merely mashing up their respective styles or tip-toeing around each other's areas of expertise, they experiment,...
Continue reading
That's Esther Pearl Watson! She's been attending Cal Arts in Valencia although she's plenty established as an artist. This is a show of her recent works that was up for just a few days on campus. You can tell that her work is coming in some new directions and I'll venture to guess school allows for this. I'd like to hear the criticism sessions she has to go through about her work. I'm sure some get it, and some don't, but that's is how you get better and grow. While some of us think we're doing it all just perfect, some of the others keep wanting to learn.
Continue reading
[nggallery id=29] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Group Art Show Game Over IV at GRSF, March 4, 2011 – March 30, 2011 Reception: Friday, March 4, 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm GRSF 618 Shrader Street San Francisco, CA 94117 gr-sf.com 415-876-4773 Giant Robot is proud to present Game Over IV, a group show that pays homage to the continuous evolution of videogames and their massive influence on popular culture. The impact and inspiration of videogames will be represented through a wide assortment of styles and genres provided by top artists in the fields of illustration, painting, sewing, indie comics, and videogames. Contributors are scheduled to include the following: Lala Albert Esao Andrews Nick Arciaga Andrice Arp Jesse Balmer Sasha Barr Niv Bavarsky Eric Broers Aaron Brown Jeffrey Brown Jude Buffum David Chung Farel Dalrymple Enfu Ines Estrada Jesse Fillingham Cam Floyd Matt Furie Nick Gazin Mark Giglio Peter Hamlin Paul Hornschemeier David Horvath Martin Hsu Rama Hughes Levon Jihanian Kinuko Chris Kuzma Patrick Kyle Ginette Lapalme Little Friends of Printmaking Kiyoshi Nakazawa Mare Odomo Physical Fiction Ferris Plock Silvio Porretta Jarrett Quon Jesse Reklaw Rob Sato Cory Schmitz Dave Stolte Superbrothers Daria Tessler Jeremy Tinder Chris Ward Steven Weissman Leslie Winchester Calvin Wong Jeni Yang Lawrence Yang Derek Yu Also Added: Hilary Florido, James Chong, Mark Ingram Giant Robot was born as a Los Angeles-based magazine about Asian, Asian-American, and new hybrid culture in 1994, but has evolved into a full-service pop culture provider with shops and galleries in Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as an online equivalent. A reception featuring many of the artists will be held from 6:30 – 10:00 on Friday, March 4. For more information about the show, GRSF, or Giant Robot magazine, please contact: Eric Nakamura Giant Robot Owner/Publisher eric@giantrobot.com (310) 479-7311 ###
Continue reading
This is James Jean's work for his upcoming exhibition at Martha Otero Gallery on Fairfax in Los Angeles. While hanging commences and just about finishes, his exhibition will run from March 12 – April 30, 2011. It's quite a long run and the works will surely impress you in person. The pages that look like drawings are actually prints from his sketchbook. Sketchbook drawings? Yes, mere sketches. Some of the grand painted works are actually borrowed from their respective owners and some are ready for the sale. I've seen some of these in progress but never saw the exact final. It's three rooms of space there's plenty of art. The wallpaper done by Trapeze Editions look great too. I thought James painted it by hand. One thing that's great about the development of James Jean which I'm sure a lot of you probably won't know, is that he's gone away from an illustrative style to more abstract works, but now, it's slowly coming back to being a mix of both. The layer upon layer of work make his works deeper in meaning and feeling. He's pushing the edges.
Continue reading