HOLY CRAP! The Smashing Pumpkins have gotten it together enough to do one show, next Tuesday, July 27th at the Metro Chicago. You read right. Smashing Pumpkin. Live. In the flesh. One day only.
The Smashing Pumpkins are headlining a benefit gig for Madina Lake bassist, Matthew Leone, who was brutally beaten and hospitalized. Like many Americans, Matthew has zero health insurance and has accrued insane medical bills as a result.
I'm showing my age and getting all nostalgic for some old female synthpop of the nineteen eighties and although these bands might seem like a big fat joke at this moment in time, they still held an important place in music history...no matter how small a place, a place non the less.
1st up: Straight outta Scotland, Strawberry Switchblade covering Dolly Parton's 'Jolene'. Please note* my tits prick like a schoolgirl when I hear The Sister's of Mercy wreaking havoc & covering this same title.
2nd: We've Got A Fuzzbox And We're Gonna Use It aka Fuzzbox (shortened their name to for US releases) of Birmingham, England. Like many other 80s post-punk, psycho-fuzz bands (Dr And The Medics, Transvision Vamp, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, etc)...a Cyndi Lauper video gone bad, way bad, but hella fun!
3rd: Caterwaul. I know, I know. Caterwaul isn't electro synthpop...in anyway what so ever, but found heavy rotation on my playlist (cassette tapes) never the less...along with other really strong female vocal bands ofthe same era: Cocteau Twins, everything on 4AD Records, everything on Nettwerk Records (before the 90s screwed that label up), etc.
NYC. Back in '03-'04. The Soho sidewalks, yes, sidewalks, were covered with "sniper-scope" stylized, stencil tags. I, like everybody else that paid attention to the stencils, just assumed that these were typical cut cardboard stencils that were hit with a can of D.O.T. (Dept of Transportation) yellow spray paint. Wrong. The stencils were anything but typical and they were the creations of one hell of a mad scientist...Bob Partington.
Among other things, Bob builds machines that create art. His sidewalk tagging machine was one such devise, cleverly hidden in the guts of a briefcase. How? When set down on any surface, a trigger at the base of the briefcase activates a solenoid device, which in turn releases Bob's tag. Totally stealth. Totally sweet.
Want to see more of the craziness that comes out of Bob's workshop? Well then, check out his site HERE
Cecil Touchon's collages make great sense of the abstract through the manipulation of typeface, old advertisements, geometric shapes & color...or lack there of.
"Other: The Artwork of Troy Lovegates is a book of photographs showcasing the artist’s work and experiences along the way. From oil stick characters on the side of trains, wheat pasted posters, large scale murals and snapshot photographs..."
If you're on a budget, Anteism also offers a softbound edition of 900 copies for 13-bucks. Anteism stocks an awesome collection of other books & zines in their shop...get some!
The Art Institute of Chicago will be exhibiting selected works (nearly 300 photographs, over 3 decades of works) of one of the most important photographers of all time, Henri Cartier-Bresson. The Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century exhibition runs from July 25th-October 3rd.
"Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) is one of the most original, accomplished, and influential figures in the history of photography. His celebrated work of the early 1930s helped to define the artistic potential of modern photography; a decade later, after surviving three years as a prisoner of war, Cartier-Bresson emerged from World War II determined to document a world in the midst of profound change. He did so in 1947 when he joined Robert Capa and others to found the Magnum photo agency, an organization that allowed photojournalists to reach broad audiences through such publications as Life and Paris Match, while still retaining independence and control over their work..."
Additional museum info & directions can be found HERE
Lord, fianlly! After many, many drawn out months of wading through record label BS, the Danger Mouse and late-great Mark 'Sparklehorse' Linkous collaborative project has finally hit the streets.
This de facto tribute album titled Dark Night Of The Soul pairs up Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse and Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse (who sadly, at age 46, put a bullet in his chest March 6th of this year). The duo had worked diligently with many indie greats and legends alike last year, to include: The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Black Francis (The Pixies), Iggy Pop, David Lynch, James Mercer (The Shins/Broken Bells), Nina Persson (The Cardigans), Suzanne Vega, Vic Chesnutt and David Lynch (yes, Director & Producer, David Lynch).
The 'fan' video below features the vocals of Mr David Lynch. Enjoy.
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