They have toured with No Doubt, won Pop Album of the year, make mellow grooves and  happen to be very down to earth enlightened guys.   Based in Canada and currently on their way to China and Australia on tour.   I caught up with Jay Malinowski, Eon Sinclair and Sekou Lumumba from Bedouin Soundclash at the US Open and we had a chat before their set.

http://www.bedouinsoundclash.com/splash/

R:  How did you guys meet and start making music together?

J: we came together at different times.   Eon and I met each other 10 years ago,  Sekou joined us about 6 months ago.

R: Did that inject a lot of new energy into your process in terms of how you write lyrics, and create melodies?

E: Yes, for sure.   Different  musicians totally affect the way you get inspired.   With Sekou on board, as a three piece that energy is totally different.

R: Your sound is reggae pop.   Were you all into similar music growing up?

S: A lot of different  influences:  Reggae was very strong, we all pull from that.   Eon being a DJ he brings a lot of that into it.   I love Bad Brains and Fishbone.   But reggae is main base.

R: Favorite song growing up?  Anything special speak to you as  a kid?

E:   I loved the song "Pass the Dutchie"  by Musical Youth.  My family keeps reminding me about it, I'll never live that down.    I was super inspired by it as a kid and also loved to see kids playing music that I liked.   It had a profound effect on the path I decided to take, although I didn't realize it then.

R: What is harmony, not in a literal sense, but in your life, how do you balance touring, business, writing, family and just being at peace?

J: Karl Lagerfeld said, just waking up and life,  for me, to just be present in the moment is enough.   Lagerfeld called it a lightness.  Living well and not being weighed down.

E: Communication and understanding.   Sharing with a person, a song, the environment. I think  feeling that connection is incredible.  Being in that moment.  It is a very special thing.

R: A very profound answer, I love that.   What is a perfect day for you?

S: That is a tough one, when  you wake up and everything falls into place.  Even with this show, we didn't know what to expect but we rolled up, the sun came out and  the crowds started embracing us.   Stuff like that puts me in a great mood, a happy place.



R: What are some of your favorite places to travel and do you have an experience there that you want to share, a way that you connected with the local culture?

J: I love Japan.   It always has a profound impact on our band.   Good or bad, something always happens in Japan.   I think because it is so isolating.   The language barrier enhances that.

R: A bit of that " lost in translation" element?

J: Yes, for sure.   Favorite places, London and The UK is one of my favorites too.   To them music is live or die.   Its not just background, I am who I am because of who I listen too, they love music.   I love Australia too.

R: Similar vibe to this show at the US Open right, surf culture, good vibes?

J: Yeah

R: Is the creative process a gift or can you learn to be creative, it is a journey ?

E: Not creativity in general , but the ability to express it in a universal way is a gift.
Interview and photos by: Reggie Casagrande
reggieworld.com

I took my nine year old daughter thinking it would be fun to see a pop show with her.   A coming of age.   She loves all the Gaga videos, and although a bit racy, I'm thinking oh, its only pop music.   I had Madonna and Pat Benatar right?   Wrong.

  We got there and her warm up band "Semi Precious Weapons" was playing.  Wow, they suck.    In between humping the stage and showcasing his fabulous silver glam boots the self absorbed lead singer kept screaming, "I can't pay my rent, but I'm fucking gorgeous" FUCKERS!!!.   OVER AND OVER AGAIN.    Was this a joke band?    

Well, honey, you are broke cause you can't carry a tune and your music stinks.   GO back to being a stylist.   His outfit was good.

Gaga came on in a spectacular outfit with a great stage show.    Monster Ball was a cross between Escape from New York and the Wizard of Oz.     A steaming Rolls Royce, drag queens in boots, dancers half naked.     This I expected.    Unfortunately, I didn't expect to be called a BITCH, SLUT AND HEAR FUCKING THIS AND FUCKING THAT in between every set or I HOPE "YOU ALL GET LAID TONIGHT".    I get the call to the "little monsters" or community of fans made up from club kids, drag queens, transgenders,  metalheads and "free thinkers".   But hey, lets push equality and freedom, not the lowest common denominator to these kids.     Most of my cool, progressive gay friends whom I consider "free thinkers" were offended.   I was just sad for women.    What happened to impressing with music.   Is a public display of dancer masturbation at a youth concert really necessary? 

If the little monsters as you call them ever have a chance at a career, gay marriage, or  acceptance into mainstream society, the last thing they need to think is that saying "fuck you bitches and sluts" is good for equality and human rights.  Not to go all feminist here, but that was disappointing.

Maybe Gaga should focus a little more on writing catchy pop tunes and power ballads  and less on promoting Virgin Mobile and her fans sex lives.   I kind of thought she was going to out pop Madonna, but she has a long way to go.   The best thing in the show was the amazing video projections of Gaga dancing and eating a bloody heart.   Stick to videos GAGA, with Nick Knight and Jonas Ackerlund you can make anything look amazing.

Mr. Nick Knight collabs with the queen of pop, the pics are amazing.    HOT.  The amazing rock journalist Lisa Robinson interviews.  

One of my favorite stops in Tokyo is the store Tokyo Hands.   I can get everything under the sun there for arts, crafting, office, notes, camping, outdoor etc.    The amount of choice is mindboggling.     800 of everything in every color.   This was a cool display they had up.   It is the Tokyo version of Target- although I doubt I would ever see merchandising this cool at Target.   These old boomboxes were selling for 500 bucks and up.   Glad I kept mine.

Art and Music. One of my favorite combos.  Psyched for this.     Alt Press gave me my start shooting EMINEM.    They have supported so many artists and musicians along the way.    Should be fun!!!

ALTERNATIVE PRESS MAGAZINE 25TH ANNIVERSARY ART SHOW
Exhibition Dates: July 10 - 24, 2010
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 10, 8 - 11pm
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 12 - 6pm


Merry Karnowsky Gallery is proud to present a group exhibition
of work by iconic artists from the music scene in celebration of
youth-culture magazine Alternative Press' 25th Anniversary.
The exhibition will include original works of art by Tim
Armstrong (Rancid), Jordan Buckley (Every Time I Die), Shepard
Fairey, Joby J. Ford (The Bronx), Black Francis (The Pixies), Colin
Frangicetto (Circa Survive), Camille Rose Garcia, John
Gourley (Portugal. The Man), Anthony Green (Circa Survive),
Shawn Harris (The Matches), Matt "Portland" Hay (Nora), Derek
Hess, Adam Jones (Tool), Marilyn Manson, Shirley Manson
(Garbage), Travie McCoy (Gym Class Heroes), Liz McGrath (Miss
Derringer), Marc "Porter" McKnight (Atreyu), Tara McPherson,
Andy "The Butcher" Mrotek (The Academy Is...), Matt Skiba
(Alkaline Trio), Morgan Slade (Miss Derringer), Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), Pete Wentz
(Fall Out Boy) and more.
Since 1985, Alternative Press has been an important independent voice for music fans looking for
more than the commercial option. What started out as a local fanzine more than 25 years ago
has developed into an internationally distributed magazine covering the contemporary punk
scene. The paintings, drawings, photography and sculpture in the exhibition reflect the diversity
that has appeared in the pages of Alternative Press over the last quarter-century.
"I have been witness to so many changes over the years in the publishing world. A constant has
been the talented artists each year," says publisher Norman Wonderly. "This exhibit showcases
amazing musicians whose talent extends beyond the music stage."
For

Mix-master, music-maker, all-around style-setter.

Location: London, United Kingdom
Profession: Producer, musician
Label: Allido Records
Website: MarkRonson.co.uk
Notables: Here Comes the Fuzz, Version, Record Collection; producing albums for the likes of Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, Ghostface Killah, Kaiser Chiefs, Adele, Estelle, Lily Allen, Sean Paul, and many others

Net generation- you can be a kid and play the Whisky, tour, make records.   How rad is that? Thank you YOUTUBE.  Searching for musical talent, Motown, Seattle, then Atlanta, now it is YOUTUBE.       Nova and I are watching right now.

Is there such a thing as disturbingly beautiful visuals. Yes, emerging director Eric Wareheim creates them for band Health/ We are Water.   Crazy, wierd, scary and pretty.

Directed by Eric Wareheim
Director of Photography Matt Lloyd
Visual Effects by Fatalfarm
Special Effects by Synapse FX
Edited by Luke Lynch
Post Colorist/ Finishing Editor: Daniel Haworth
Styling by Amanny Ahmad
Produced by The Funk Brothers, Ariel Adler
Copyright Lovepump United / City Slang, 2010

HEALTH "We are Water" from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo.

Long before the runaways there was Suzie Quatro.   She was huge in Germany where grew up, maybe that's why I still love her so.     I was thinking about her again style-wise, she was ahead of her time.   The original purveyor of the shag hair cut and tight fitted leather outfits.   She rocked!!  Americans may know her from Happy Days with the Fonz, she was like the female version.  Badass to the nth degree.

A little Kinks to get the day going.   On my ipod.

I can't believe it, I just wrote a blog about his new movie opening in May.   So sad to see him go, he was such an inspiration.  He once said, "Stealing things is a glorious occupation, particularly in the art world."  Well, he may have stolen ideas but he definately left his mark.  Goodbye to a street , pop  and music culture legend.    Malcolm McLaren died yesterday of cancer. (photo by Jean-Francois Carly)

Maybe it was Easter or something.  Was feeling in the mood for this.

Jim shot just about everyone in rock there was to shoot with his iconic style.  A Leica user, he was like the Cartier-Bresson of the music business.   Capturing jazz greats, the Stones, Beatles, Dylon, Johnny Cash, Janis, Hendrix he will be remembered as the 20th Century's most remarkable photojournalist.     He always got the shot.  

Check out his site to view his amazing work.   marshall photo  

Here is a passage from his site.   It is with sadness that we formally announce what the world now knows: Jim passed away on March 24 in New York City. As all who knew him can attest, Jim was one of a kind. It is no exaggeration to say that we will never see another quite like him. If you crossed the gonzo-nature of Hunter S. Thompson with the instinct of a Henri Cartier-Bresson, you might come close. Jim was an artist, with an artist's eye, temperament, and pride. Although Jim could be among the most difficult of men, we who knew, loved, worked, and fought with him can tell you that he also had a heart as big as a house. Jim loved life, and his life was his work, his art, and his many friends--both famous, and those he met at the corner café.

And yet in this time of sadness, his images bring joy. That's ultimately what Jim was after--to share the excitement and pleasure he felt in the heat of the moment, one guy with a Leica (or three!) strapped around his neck, simply doing what he loved the most.

My dream dinner guest would be Malcolm McLaren.  Always been fascinated by him and his performance, art, Svengali and shameless self-promotion.   He once said, if I can't appropriate I can't make work.  Well, not something to be proud of, but I think in the 64 years he has been around he has more than left his mark.
 

He is back on the art scene again with a film of pillaged montages comprised of an archive he found twenty years ago in Paris-by accident.    Paris-Capital of the 21st Century.   A master manipulator and recontextualizer his  film remakes old advertising footage with panning, pastiche, juxtaposing collage, digital manipulation and musical scores.   McClaren also provides a steamy seductive voice over.  (I love when he talks on his Paris CD, so creepy it is grand)   I can't wait to see it.

Maybe this is what Broadway needs to get out of a rut.  (Opens April 20th)  A little rock n roll is always good therapy.  Get's people out and in the theaters.   I'm so excited these guys are still around making great music, pushing people's buttons, making us think.   Love them and they haven't aged a day in ten years.   Rock n roll keeps you young!
rolling stone

Green Day's "American Idiot" Starts Broadway Run March 2010

1/5/10, 4:11 pm EST

Photo: Shearer/WireImage

The stage musical version of Green Day's American Idiot will begin its run at Broadway's St. James Theatre starting with preview performances on March 24th, the producers of the musical announced today. As Rolling Stone previously reported, American Idiot -- directed by Spring Awakening's Michael Mayer and featuring songs culled from Green Day's Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown -- enjoyed eight sold-out weeks at the Berkeley Rep in California before announcing plans to cross coasts to Broadway in 2010. The show's official New York opening night is April 20th.

My morning run wouldn't be the same without a little Hair of the Dog by Nazareth.    Big looks, big hair and tight jeans. no stylist...that's what groupies were for.   

A little Repo Man trivia/  Here are the lyrics to the brilliant and funny Jonathan Richman song.  The Burning Sensations actually covered the song for the Alex Cox classic.


Pablo Picasso

Well some people try to pick up girls
And get called assholes
This never happened to Pablo Picasso
He could walk down your street
And girls could not resist his stare and
So Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole

Well the girls would turn the color
Of the avacado when he would drive
Down their street in his El Dorado
He could walk down you street
And girls could not resist his stare
Pablo Picasso never got called an asshole
Not like you
Alright

Well he was only 5'3"
But girls could not resist his stare
Pablo Picasso never got called an asshole
Not in New York

Oh well be not schmuck, be not abnoxious,
Be not bellbottom bummer or asshole
Remember the story of Pablo Picasso
He could walk down your street
And girls could not resist his stare
Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole
Alright this is it

Some people try to pick up girls
And they get called an asshole
This never happened to Pablo Picasso
He could walk down your street
And girls could not resist his stare and so
Pablo Picasso was never called

"Pablo Picasso" was written by Jonathan Richman for his proto punk group The Modern Lovers in 1972.

Joan Jett wrote Cherry Bomb for Cherie Currie and the rest as they say is history.    The most bad-ass band of the late seventies chick bands is the Runaways.   Get ready to see the Hollywood version as they get immortalized by Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart on the big screen.



Joan would hang out at Rodney Bingenheimer's disco on Sunset in her platform shoes, tight jumpsuits and aviator sunglasses.  She was instrumental in creating the unisex glam rock style.     Singer/songwriter/guitarist  started out writing and performing at 15 and has become a cultural icon.   Joan wrote songs and produced 5 albums with the Runaways from 1975-79.   She also produced The Germs' first and only album GI and was a big influence in the Los Angeles early punk scene.     Joan found most of her success with her own band the Blackhearts and is still recording and performing.   I love Rock N' Roll is still one of my favorite songs.   A pioneer for women in music,  fashion  and pop culture, Joan remains an icon to this day. 

On rainy days like this I just put on some Roy Ayers.    A little Sunshine will lift anyone's spirits.Unfortunately there isn't a great video available, but this is close to it.    All Roy Ayer's songs are amazing.

Die Antwoord is the bomb.  Check out this bizarre Capetown, South African band.  Representing the sounds of the Zuid Afrikaanse streets. (their ghetto)  The styling and high production value is off tha hook- "mongrel-like" as they call themselves.    They are going to be huge.  Ninja, Yo-Landi Visser and DJ hi-tek make funky fresh beats.

Sade is back.   She's been gone too long.   Beautiful and relevant as ever.    

It is hard to ignore the power of the last few years rise in Tween stars.    Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers,  Harry Potter and crew, Selena Gomez etc.   I guess I also have to watch it all now that I have an eight year old going on 13 in her mind.    The newest sensation is 15 year old Justin Bieber who came up as a ceWEBrity on Youtube and garnered a huge following.    4 hit singles later the kid can't go to a mall without being malled.  

Jay Z is always a visionary. Elegant, cool, understated, talented and smart he's a wonderful rap role model.   Blending art and pop culture his new Sam Brown directed video references some of the biggest art moments of the last decade.   Simple, luxuriously visual, b/w and edgy he makes a powerful statement.   I'm curious to see if other rappers follow his lead. 

  "On to the Next One" -- is produced by Swizz Beatz.   On Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 .

Love the OFFICE. Here is a cheeky viral video.    "I'm a male primadonna but I still kind of want cha."  Some of the best writing on TV.     Hilarious.  "Mister Understood" ...because no one understands me.    I guess if there is ever another writer's strike those clever writers can earn their wage writing rap songs with a pop crossover appeal.

October 30, 2009-January 31, 2010    Brooklyn Museum Info
Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing, 5th Floor

Who Shot Rock & Roll is the first major museum exhibition on rock and roll to put photographers in the foreground, acknowledging their creative and collaborative role in the history of rock music. From its earliest days, rock and roll was captured in photographs that personalized, and frequently eroticized, the musicians, creating a visual identity for the genre. The photographers were handmaidens to the rock-and-roll revolution, and their images communicate the social and cultural transformations that rock has fostered since the1950s. The exhibition is in six sections: rare and revealing images taken behind the scenes; tender snapshots of young musicians at the beginnings of their careers; exhilarating photographs of live performances that display the energy, passion, style, and sex appeal of the band on stage; powerful images of the crowds and fans that are often evocative of historic paintings; portraits revealing the soul and creativity, rather than the surface and celebrity, of the musicians; and conceptual images and album covers highlighting the collaborative efforts between the image makers and the musicians

Grunge memories.  Author and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore wrote a brilliant essay to preface Michael's new book Grunge.   His intimate portraits of street and youth culture from the early nineties are captured with intimacy and authenticity.    Featuring some of the most iconic bands of the Sub Pop era.  If you love music and photography.   Smells like Teen Spirit all over again.   (All photographs from Grunge by Michael Lavine)  abramsbooks site

The fabulous designer Benjamin Noriega-Ortez designed the equally fabulous Lenny Kravitz's Soho pad.    Now that is some serious daylight.

I never thought I would see this.    Fashionista pop star (who I read recently is completely broke from her shopping addiction)  worked as a day trader raising money at Canter Fitzgerald.   

The event was for Mercy House, a charity that supports young women and families in the South Bronx.Demure and buttoned up in YSL Ms. Gaga made quite a few big trades and maintained her cool on the trading floor.   Will Wall Street become more fabulous??  They  certainly can afford it these days with the Dow up  up up and away.  GO GIRL!!

Don Letts is a legend you need to know.  He's also a streetwear afficionado and all around lovely guy.   Born in London in 1956,  Don directed, THE PUNK ROCK MOVIE, 1978-  probably the best documentary I have ever seen on the UK punk rock movement.    He is also an amazing DJ and musician (Big Audio Dynamite).    The man who pretty much single handedly brought punk and reggae music together.   He was An inspiration to the CLash, Sex Pistols, Chrissie Hyne, Patti Smith, Bob Marley, and Debbie Harry.


a




Don also went on the direct videos for Franz Ferdinand, George Clinton, Elvis COstello, the CLash and more.   

Review of Don's book:
As a first-generation British-born black, Don Letts quickly learned to assimilate aspects of Jamaican culture into inner-city urban London life. Leaving school, he gravitated to Chelsea's King's Road, inhabiting the fashion world alongside Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren

As resident DJ at the fledgling punk club The Roxy, Letts pumped a roots-reggae soundtrack to a predominantly white audience that included members of The Clash and the Sex Pistols, forging a link between the two clashing cultures.

A chance meeting provided him with a Super-8 movie camera, the result of which was released as The Punk Movie and set Letts on a career of influential videos featuring Sex Pistols, Pil, the Slits, The Clash, Bob Marley, and even the -platinum-selling Musical Youth. His feature films include Dancehall Queen, the Grammy Award-winning Westway to the World-his documentary on The Clash-and Clash on Broadway. He has recently directed feature documentaries for the BBC on Sun Ra and Gil Scott-Heron.

Alongside The Clash's Mick Jones in Big Audio Dynamite, Letts pioneered dance culture and sampling techniques, hanging out with Africa Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and the cream of the New York City hip-hop scene.

Admired by Fellini, a friend of Bob Marley and John Lydon, and a documentarian of The Clash, Don Letts has never pigeonholed himself. This book is a firsthand account, told in Letts' own words-it's highly visual, revelatory, irreverent, entertaining, and staunchly individual. (amazon.)

Since his first movie, The Punk Rock Movie (1978) Letts has expanded doing documentaries and music videos for multiple bands. But it wasn't till 1997, he traveled to his family's native Jamaica to direct his first feature film, Dancehall Queen. ^[4] While filming a history of punk in 2001 Don was in New York when the Sept 11 2001 terrorist attacks occurred.^[1] His film Westway to the World won a Grammy award in 2003. source: Wikipedia

 She's hot and spicy and still rocks.   Joan Jett made being 15 from the valley and wearing lingerie on stage so punk.    She also penned Cherry Bomb for lead singer Cherrie Curry.  check her out in Elle's music issue shot by the awesome Dusan Reljin .    I'm thrilled that they are shooting the Runaways movie with Kristen Stewart as Joan and Dakota Fanning as Cherrie.    (hope these ingenues can do these rockers justice) 

Ok, when I think of a night of relaxation on slumber ganster Suge Knight doesn't immediately come to mind.   Directors must have a lot of free time to come up with this crazy shit.   Thank you bc it is hilarious.  Not for the kiddies.

The Kill's Alison Mosshart and Jack White collab with a new record.     A new supergroup is created, Jack seems to be good at that.   Their stage chemistry, sultry vocals and a Nashville pitstop made the record"Horehound". out now.   Love the sound and look of this group.

I love Beth Ditto's style.  An incredible talent with a voice to die for.    She doesn't worry about her size and rocks fabulous outfits on stage.    Just goes to prove that style and confidence go a long way.     (Karl Lagerfeld is a fan!!)

Gwen looks awesome here. Hard to believe she just had two kids.   Carter Smith turns out the goods one more time with beautiful light, composition and great styling by Joe Zee.  In this months ELLE.

The amazing Grace "Slave to the Rhythm" Jones is on tour this summer.    She is playing the Hollywood Bowl in August.    I practically camped out for tickets, but I think some may still be around.     Totally worth the wait to see this legend, disco diva and art collaborator.

The fabulous Kills played on Friday night to a packed house.   THe Horrors were the warm up band.     Pretty hot.

I don't think punk rock could get any hotter than Diane Lane in Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains.   Stains info  If you like music and style watch this.

Just out on DVD, rent it from netflex.   Stars a young Laura Dern alongside Steve Jones from the Pistols, a dapper Paul Simonon of the Clash and Tubes singer Fee Waybill.  


Diane stars in this influencial cult classic released in 1981 as the leader of a chick punk band.    They can't play but have huge style and go on tour with a sex pistols like band.     After a TV reporter picks up on them they develop a huge following and have little wannabees at all their concerts and appearances.  Fishnets and red bobby socks never looked so sexy.
Directed by music legend and producer Lou Adler.  (yes, you know his entitled son Cisco from Us Weekly) I see a fashion story in the making here.    The art direction, styling and hair and makeup are truly Amaaaaazzzzing.

I love this new British band the Horrors.    A garage rock band sound.   A band that actually writes their own music and doesn't need a stylist to have some presence.   I love lead singer Faris Badwan's energy.  Think James Bond meets Robert Smith.  They came out in 2005 but remained pretty low key.     Expect a music invasion and Rolling Stone cover soon.   "She is the New Thing" video below.    "Who Can Say" is beautifully shot- reminds me of Joy Division and Jesus and the Mary Chain.  On tour now.      COOL stuff.

Saw Adventureland yesterday.  Loved it.     A lot of really high waisted pants, bad hairdues and Lou Reed love in this film.  Written and directed by Greg Mottola.  Kristin Stewart from Twilight stars as the love interest, but the supporting cast steals the show.   I think a lot of young stars will be lauched here.  If you liked Fast Times or Reality Bites, check it out. 

  A comedy set in the summer of 1987 and centered around a recent college grad (Eisenberg) who takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.   (IMdb)

The brainchild of Italien video artist, Francesco Vezzoli.   Exiled visionary director of Repulsion, The Pianist (academy award) and Rosemary's Baby fame is slated to direct a faux perfume ad with actresses Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams.   Roman Polanski's wife Sharon Tate was bludgeoned by Charles Manson in the seventies. (see Helter Skelter). This image was shot at his wedding to Sharon Tate. (pregnant when she was murdered)
  Roman then proceeded to sleep with a teenager a few years later, got indicted for statutory rape and has been living in Europe ever since 1978.  
The perfume's working name is "greed"  and the beautiful (endorsement shy) actresses will be duking it out for the perfume.    Good vs. Evil personified.   Funded in part by Gagosian gallery to debut in February in Rome.      All for art's sake.   I have not seen it yet, but knowing Polanski's eye, Vezzoli's vision and the production value I'm sure it will be stunning and very press worthy, hence this post.