Alice by Jan Svankmajer
March 7 '10
Skip the over-hyped Tim Burton film “Alice in Wonderland.” Watch Czech animator Jan Svankmajer’s 1986 classic version of the story, “Alice.” Mixing live action and stop frame animation, the film is funny, odd and creepy in places. Watch it here
Music To Die For
March 4 '10
Dr. Gil Alterovitz, A Harvard researcher, is working to turn the bleeps and burps of hospital machinery into music. When the body is okay or improving things sound pretty. When stresses in the body occur the music might become more dissonant. Cool futuristic sci-fi stuff. Perhaps when a heart attack occurs the machines could play “We Will Rock You.” Read full article here
BYOC 5 Music Fest-Saturday, March 20
March 3 '10
Poster designed by Libby Mae Russell
We’re gearing up for another great Bring Your Own Chair event. We created the party with ButlerBros because we believe working stiffs like us and their kids needed a proper SXSW experience. It all started four years ago on a stormy SXSW Saturday, with 30 or so of us huddled under Pedernales Lofts gazebo listening to a couple of bands. It’s become a musical free for all, with more than 800 guests last year and great music from all over. Join us. And remember to bring a chair.
The lineup:
12 pm The Jordans Brooklyn
1 pm Lucy and The Popsonics Brasilia
2 pm Natalia Mallo & Sinamantes Sao Paulo
3 pm The Woes NYC
3:45 pm Little Stolen Moments Austin
4 pm Peelander-Z NY
5 pm Jeff The Brotherhood Nashville, TN
Special thanks to sponsors and friends:
Anorak Magazine
February 16 '10
While browsing Domy Books I stumbled across Anorak – a British magazine dedicated to kids art. In British slang an “anorak” is a person obsessive in niche subjects. And in this case the subject is cool art and creative projects. The drawing issue contains a comic strip featuring stuffed animals, how to make a sandwich that looks like the Anorak mascot and a brief history of the pencil. The magazine also showcases drawings from kids around the world. While it is targeted at youngsters, it’s a great browse for anyone interested in illustration and design. Be sure and check out the creators work on the issues page of their website.
Selleck Waterfall Sandwich
February 4 '10
This bit of webphemera just hit my inbox. Pictures of Tom Selleck in waterfalls accompanied by half-eaten sandwiches. So next time you’re in the great outdoors be careful. A pack of highly-trained attack dobermans could be just around the corner. Thanks mac&cheez for sharing.
Tequila Mockingbird label
February 2 '10
While dumpster diving in my hard drive, I rediscovered this tequila label we created a couple of years back for Austin music studio Tequila Mockingbird. I’m a fan of designer Milton Glaser. So I decided to mimic – scratch that – rip off his 1966 poster for Bob Dylan. According to Glaser, the Dylan work was inspired by a silhouette cutout made by Marcel Duchamp and Glaser’s exploration of Islamic painting.
Read an interview with Glaser here
Urgh! A Music War
February 2 '10
Released in 1981 as a feature-length film and companion double lp, Urgh! A Music War contains live performances of some of the more influential bands of the punk and new wave era. In the summer of 1982, the Dallas-Ft Worth PBS affiliate aired the film with a stereo simulcast on its sister-radio station. My older brother and I flipped when we learned of the broadcast. We were well-versed in the catalogs of the more popular new wave acts on the lineup like Devo, The Police and Wall of Voodoo. But we lived in the suburbs and were too young to drive to the good record stores in Dallas.
Our parents left town the night of the broadcast, a rare occasion. To enjoy Urgh! in all of its splendor we cranked up all of the radios throughout the house and tuned to the simulcast. What followed was 2-hours of mind-altering music and performance – Gary Numan powering a tiny electric car while singing “Down In The Park”, Lux Interior of The Cramps swallowing his microphone in what appeared to us to be a nervous breakdown, Klaus Nomi dressed in Kabuki makeup and a deco spacesuit singing falsetto. Too many strange and great moments to recount here. Seeing these bands making music their way was more than an expansion in our musical vocabularies. But more importantly the realization that beyond our narrow borders was a world filled with chaos and surprise worth looking into.
Rent This It Rules – Shotgun Stories
January 29 '10
Jeff Nichols is an Austin-based filmmaker whose 2007 debut tells the tale of feuding Arkansas half brothers after the death of their father. Mike Shannon, who recently supported in Revolutionary Road, plays the lead. It’s an unpredictable and original film. It’s beautifully shot by Adam Stone and scored by Jeff’s brother Ben, the front-man in the band Lucero. The dialogue is smart and frequently funny. Roger Ebert liked the film so much that he invited Nichols to 2008 Ebertfest to accompany Paul Schrader and Ang Lee on a panel. Ebert said “For me, Shotgun Stories is the great discovery of this year’s festival.”
If you love lesser-known works of any kind – films, books, artists, music – share them with the people you know. Because news travels fast these days. And if we don’t we could all very well be devoured by a rabid pack of Beverly Hills chihauhaus. Official poster by pals TheButlerBros.
Add it to your Netflix Queue here
Artist Roman Signer
January 26 '10
While researching a job I stumbled upon the works of Swiss artist Roman Signer. Signer, 72, creates action scultpures – collisions, explosions and the projection of objects into space. Watch one of his experiments here.
Logorama
January 26 '10
The short film Logorama was created by the French design/directing collective H5. Four years in the making, the 17-minute animated short features no fewer than 2,000 logotypes borrowed from corporate brands abroad. Taking a break from his day job poisoning people, Ronald McDonald apparently creates some hearty mischief in the film. Learn more about the film at Creativity.
Other Music
January 25 '10
Other Music is a Greenwich Village record store offering a broad selection of rare and unusual music. They also have the regular bands, too. The store recently added an online digital section, which is a great way to discover old, new and interesting music. Sign up for their new releases e-mail and you’re a click away from an auditory schmorgisborg.
Rent This It Rules – Goliath
January 24 '10
The Zellner Bros film “Goliath” was an Official Selection at 2008 Sundance Film Fest. Dave Zellner wrote it, directed and plays the lead. Brother Nathan produces this time and stars as well. It’s the story of a man down on his luck – he’s amidst a divorce, his job sucks and he loses his only remaining companion – his beloved cat Goliath. With the Zellners at the helm pain is funny. The film is original and full of strange surprises. Rent it. Enjoy it. Tell your friends.
Add it to your Netflix Queue here
Rent This It Rules – Guatemalan Handshake
January 22 '10
Filmmaker Todd Rohal recently relocated from New York to Austin. In 2006, his film “Guatemalan Handshake” won the Special Jury Prize at Slamdance Film Fest. We screened it at a Shiny AV Club gathering a few months back. The movie is funny as hell, tender, strange and smart. Everyone who came to the screening agreed it was something special and new. Please rent this and share it with people you know.
Add it to your Netflix Queue here
Nature and technology can be friends
January 22 '10
French Artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot created this installation at The Barbican Art Gallery in London. The work features a flock of finches frolicking on electric guitars and other musical instruments. Thanks Nick Smith for sharing.
Want some crap?
January 22 '10
The Pump restaurant in NY is “making it easy for people to eat well.” This viral clip, directed by studio Dark Igloo, is an irreverent mix of short films showing how gross most fast food really is. We’re fans of smart, bold advertising made on meager budgets. Cool people with cool ideas making cool things for cool brands. Thanks motionographer.
The Sculpture of John Borofsky
January 22 '10
“Walking to the Sky” is an 80 ft tall sculpture residing in the Nasher Sculpture Garden in Dallas. According to Borofsky, 68, the work was inspired by a story his father told him as a child. In the tale, the two of them would travel to the sky and visit a great Giant, sharing ways that people needed help back on earth.