My Top 15 New York Bands

After being in New York for 4 months, I took in more concert experiences that most might have in a lifetime. My genuine passion and support for the scene landed me at 47 shows over this short time span and although not all the acts I saw were New York based, this city continues to spawn some of the greatest music to my ears. Here are just a few of the NY bands I discovered that deserve more notoriety, or those I already loved and continue to support. In no particular order:

1) Hull

2) Fashion Week

3) Scowl

4) Batillus

5) Primitive Weapons

6)Alkahest

7)Grudges

8)Psychic Limb

9)Man's Gin

10)Family

11)Natur

12)Sannhet

13)Archon

14)The Communion

15)The Year is One

Refused - No Longer Fucking Dead

It has been 14 years since Swedish hardcore punks, Refused played together, so it was no surprise when the announced a reunion tour, tickets sold out by the time most dialed the first three digits to place their order.  The ones who seemed most surprised by the scramble was the band, whose bewilderment of the contrast to their former poor reception last gig in 1998, preformed to 45 people in a friend’s basement in Harrisonburg, Virginia seemed humbling in the face of waves of admiring hardcore kids.   

Having been described as playing New York City hardcore by Swedish papers and drawn influence from the cities musical styling, regardless of lack of street smarts and their snappy dress in opposition to the tough guy look, it could be said that on this tour, NYC was the place they should be seen.  Playing shows at Terminal 5 on the 22nd (with Cerebral Ballzy) and 23rd (with Ceremony), I was not only fortunate enough to be in town, but managed to snag a ticket from a friend for the 22nd.

Through a pilgrimage what felt like near torrential rains, not to mention standing in line outside Terminal 5 under the stream to gain entry even once Cerebral Ballzy was well underway, it was hard to tell by the end of the first track whether it was rain water or human sweat being swapped through the sandwiched layers of human torsos and pulsating peripheral extremities.  Singer, Dennis Lyxzén was on that night; Dancing and throwing his body around to every corner of the stage.  Making his way out into the crowd at one point brought the energy of to music into the pit with such a convergence that the friction of the moshing and the music may have ignited if you reached up to touch him.  The entire band just lit up the stage with energy.  Guitarist Jon Brännström and guitarist/bassist Kristofer Steen blew up the speakers as David Sandström’s radical drum beats veered the push to shove.  SOIA's Lou Koller even made his way out on stage to help the band out on a track after the band lamented how the once drove several hours to see SOIA and camped out in tents like true die-hards. 

The entire show was short in comparison to your average line-up; only one opener, who started right on time (an unlikely virtue in punk music).  Simple set with a veil of the refused logo draping the stage before the show commenced.  No covers or encores; just a solid set with no pause to re-claim a standing space in the pit.  I became accustomed to my disposition.  Generally suspended on a slant or with my entire body hovering forward, back arched and contorted between the forms of those of different heights. Cheeks pressed between shoulders and pursed out like munchkins, this show was worth every penny.  If Refused is heading to a city near you, get out your life vest or you may just drown in a wave of nostalgic fan, lyrical vocalizations.  Every word, even more prevalent today than the day it was written.  Punk’s not fucking dead and neither is Refused.

Photo by Jonathan McPhail

Originally published on Brooklyn Vegan
Article also published on This is Not a Scene http://www.thisisnotascene.com/2012/refused-terminal-5-new-york-april-23-2012/ 

Haze and Fanatasy: A Critique of Taylor Hayden's "From My Heart To Yours"

It's eery how unconscious it is for a writer/director to allow his work to reflect him like a mirror. Though not exact, Hayden's work seems to take on his mannerism, conversation style and his uncomfortable pauses, which is not always a negative when it comes to establishing a creative identity. As with directors like Todd Solondz and Woody Allen, Hayden seems to find comfort in adapting his art films to what he knows, or rather, exploring what he doesn't about himself. The casting of themselves in similar rolls throughout their filmography is telling of creative boundaries and comfort zones. For those who can identify or find intrigue in what the director has manifested, it can become easy to get hooked.

"From My Heart To Yours" follows along the same artistic style, dark undertones and sporadically as most of his other works I've seen. This one however has made strides in overall acting quality. Most actors in this film, though for the most part untrained, delivered convincing and almost natural performances. Some of the most interesting, as usual, being the two older gentlemen near the beginning of the film giving a touch of philosophical insight and dare I say, biological reference to add a more settling tone. His mother, to my surprise gave the most genuine and believable performance in the entire piece with her tale of a box of kindness. Regardless of whether there was barley any set up as to when or why it became Christmas in the timeline, being dropped there as the viewer, i was somehow unfazed and given the space to connect the stories symbolic relevance to the rest of the plot. The major problem with the casting was Katie Vanity. Though this girl is, bubbly, lovely and full of grandiose emotion as you can see from her performing in the connecting shots with no audio, her scripted sections were flat. For some reason, it's only when she shouts "I'm a hot bitch." that you get a sense of her natural mannerisms. This girl will be a performer one day, that is for sure, but I see it more in a medium where dance and gesture are more of the focal points. Shelby Tilton's character Jessica seemed a little over written at times with literary references and poetic lines. There was nothing in the plot that led me to believe that reciting these things were necessary or fitting for her character, unless she was and English major and I missed that part...

So, I'm not even a guy but I found myself thinking, 'just take off your top or something to make it more interesting.' The rave/club dance scenes in cages felt way longer than necessary. Perhaps had that section of the soundtrack (which was excellent by the way for the rest of the film!) been more pulsating and bassy as a rave would be, it may have not seemed as lengthy but I doubt it.

Points of interest:

-Taylor's demonstration of his impeccable editing skills and music synchronicity was evident, particularly in a performance scene by Katie where she struts around in overdrive with captions of her masked face a pink shutter shades.

-The line "When we don't know who to hate, we hate ourselves." was probably the most intriguing and thought provoking of the entire film. Within the context of the piece, it worked but I think it'd be interesting to see it explored on a grander scale in itself.


This film was admirable in its production and shows the progress of an artist trying to make his visions come alive. All Hayden need now is to make friends with a make-up artist so we can see some actual shots of gore :)

May 2011 Artist of the Month - Yann Travaille

Yann Travaille is a Tattoo artist from Montreal Quebec, currently based at 4411 Notre Damn Ouest. He's made a name for himself through his unique scribble style tattoos. Though resembling something out of the side of a high school notebook, his linear work is nothing but precise and premeditated, making his work truly unique. All I can say is wow when I see a piece of his. The geometric shapes and gestural curves hug his clients bodies and enchant them with playful character. I hope to one day be tattooed by this creative artist.

See more of his work at: http://www.yourmeatismine.com/index.php

A Pseudo Show by Andre Martel

No money, no art, no show
A pseudo show by Andre Martel

The artist does not wish to invite anyone to a show that
will evidently not take place since, due to a complete
lack of financing, mediums and resources, no works were
created for this event. No location or gallery space,
and no dates and opening hours will be required for a
public which ultimately does not exist and for an even
more precarious market.
 
As well, the artist has no desire to thank any institution,
organization or person for their un-manifested support but
would prefer to acknowledge all those who express contempt
for the arts in general and who do not support artists.
Without them, this show that will not take place would
not have been possible.
 
They were unknowingly, after all, the true inspiration for
this little virtual invitation.

This simulated cultural information message was produced
by ? Critical Mass ?.
 
Please do not RSVP

March Artist Of The Month 2011 - Friedensreich Hundertwasser

Born Friedrich Stowasser, he started using the name Hundertwasser to sign his work during the three months he spent at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna after WWII.

Over the course of his career, Hundertwasser worked in painting and architecture as well as applied arts such as creating flags, coins, clothing, stamps and posters. His most famous flag is the Koru flag which was proposed as a secondary flag for New Zealand. Its motif was based on the Maori pattern of a curling fern and spiraling white space around it is reference to Aotearoa meaning Land of the Long White Cloud. This was the Maori name for the Island.

In architecture, Hundertwasser had quite the unique ideals surrounding his designs. He approached each space almost as he would his paintings. He wanted his buildings to be beautiful and stand out in their urban environment. He felt that having a window was a right, giving each citizen air and light as well as the ecological impact of helping with heating, maintaining lower costs. The "window right" included the ability to be able to take a long paintbrush and paint everything within arms reach. This thus identifies the locations inhabitants also distinguishing them from those enslaved by the common standard of boring facades. The beauty he desired for his spaces extended into the incorporation of vegetation such as trees and plants to the rooftops, staggered planes and even interiors of his structures.
He created the design for one of his most famous buildings (an apartment block in Vienna) free. He believed that his input into the creation of something beautiful was worth the investment in order to "prevent something ugly from going up in its place". He describes these views in his "Mouldiness Manifesto against Rationalism in Architecture".

He was also the creator of Transautomatism, a painting style involving aspects of surrealism and relying on what the viewer saw. As Hundertwasser saw straight lines as 'godless and immoral', he used spirals, drops and wave lines painted in vibrant colours as defining aspects of his style.

Want to learn more?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedensreich_Hundertwasser#Artistic_style_and_themes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transautomatism

A Village he designed in Vienna http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHvQX_05QWM

January, I had a break but February is twice as good \m/

The February 2011 artist of the month, Peter Beste is a photographer from Texas, now situated in New York City. As someone who seems to be passionate about music, he's documented various scenes such as his well know work on the Huston Rap scene and The Black Metal scene in Norway (a subject after my own heart).

I have quite a great deal or respect for the way Beste goes about capturing his subject. With the example of his work on the black metal scene, he spent over 7 months in Norway living alongside his subjects. He wanted to truly encompass what black metal was, not only through the stereotyped images of corpse paint and dark forests, but how it blends into everyday life there as well. He's managed to capture some of the most beautiful and haunting images I've ever seen while also illuminating the beauty of Norway in contrast. This is a pretty sincere complement considering my taste in photography tends to be few and far between.

He stated in an interview: "I think it's important to show the different sides of these people, because they obviously aren't all bad and satanists. Black metal is far more complex than that, and so are my subjects."

If you want to see more, check out:
http://www.peterbeste.com/home/
http://bestephoto.tumblr.com/