2/8 with Steve Gunn, Zachary Cale - Matchless Bar Brooklyn, NY
2/12 Unitarian Meeting House Amherst, MA
2/13 Jack Rose Memorial Concert - Latvian Society of Philadelphia Philly, PA
2/14 Issue Project Room Brooklyn, NY
2/15 The Market Hotel Brooklyn, NY
(photos by Gerard Malanga)
Patti Smith chronicles her 22 year friendship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe in the new memoir Just Kids. In my development as a creative person Patti Smith has been a huge influence and inspiration. These remembrances of her early days in NYC, the music and poetry scene and her romance with Mapplethorpe are sure to satisfy my nostalgia for a time that that I didn’t live through but feel so connected to…
Listen to Patti Smith on Fresh Air talking about her career and unique relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe.
The Winter ‘09 issue of Fretboard Journal has a terrific interview between Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and guitarist Michael Chapman. For the past few years I’ve been producing a short documentary called Sea of Wine about Michael Chapman’s music and his life on Wrytree Farm with his wife Andru. Michael will be coming to the US to perform at the Jack Rose Memorial Concert in Philadelphia February 13th and playing some additional dates on the East Coast.
We lost a great man and dear friend the other day, musician Jack Rose passed away last Saturday. At thirty-eight he was too young to go. Jack was a passionate, inspired artist and a real hoot to hang hang out with. I am thankful I was able to call him my friend. Rest easy Jack.
Here’s the latest episode of VBS’s Soft Focus series shot at ATP music festival featuring King Buzzo of the Melvins. I was editor for all eight episodes of the Soft Focus: UK series two years ago so when VBS’s in house editor left for tour they called me in to lend a hand finishing up the ATP edits. The Buzz interview needed to be edited down by at least half so tons of fantastic material didn’t make the cut. Such as Buzz talking about learning to play guitar at 18, growing up in an isolated hellhole, his loathing of opera music & composers (posers), his love of John Huston’s work ethic and films, his graphic designer wife, as well as lots of other little goodies. But this final cut will not disappoint.
The above image is an extraordinary gift about a dozen of my pals pitched in on to buy me for me birthday. Inspired in part by the legendary Lelila’s Hair Art Museum in Independence, MO this work was discovered and purchased at New York City’s own Obscura Antiques & Oddities.
Hair art was a common practice during Victorian times. It was a means to record family histories, given as an intimate gift between loved ones as well as a way to memorialize the dead. Most families constructed their own pieces hiring a jeweler to add only the final touches. These beautiful crafted works come in a variety of designs and constructions from hair flowers and wreaths to braided bracelets and brooches.
The Jesus Lizard played a ferocious show last Tuesday night at Irving Plaza in NYC. I hadn’t seen them live since ‘93 or ‘94 in Boston and they were just as amazing and intense. Somehow Shanin, Shah & Zach from Ex Models and I wound up drinking beers with David Yow and Sims after the show. Good times indeed. I would LOVE to go to the New Year’s show in Chi-town… you never know…
My art school pal artist David Crawford died unexpectedly last week. I hadn’t spoken to David in over a year, last I knew he was in Sweden working on his PhD. in Digital Represention. David was a wonderful talent and a thoughtful friend, he will surely be missed by many. I am saddened that I didn’t get to reconnect with him in person in recent years. Check out some of David’s excellent experimental work on Turbulence.org and Stopmotionstudies.net.
