The 25 artists in the show represent a cross-section of background with divergent work. Yet, the work was cohesive and vibrant, perhaps inspired by the common cause of healing, cures and the fortitude of Armstrong. Artists included Rosson Crow, Jules De Balincourt, Shepard Fairey, Futura, Andreas Gursky, KAWS, , Yoshitomo Nara, Catherine Opie , Os Gemeos, José Parlá, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha and Kenny Scharf.
Crow’s bicycle exhibition from the late 1800s was particularly moving. Attendees at the opening clamored to get their pictures taken with this piece. On view through Nov. 21.
Juan Gomez
Columbian-born painter Juan Gomez is showing at the newly-opened Charlie Horse Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Gomez’s work teases the eye, elongated limbs of babies and women presented in backdrops of color.
The exhibit for Gail Buckland’s photographic overview of rockshots opened at the Brooklyn Museum, with rock’s biggest stars caught in the flash bulb. While the stars steal the stage, the emphasis is on the rock photographers that have documented everyone from Elvis to Lil Kim. A small room with imagery devoted to Grace Jones is a particular highlight. But nothing beats a brunette Deborah Harry performing with Blondie at the opening. Guitarist Chris Stein’s photography is also included in the show. On view through January 2010.
Bob Lutz is Detroit’s Clint Eastwood. He’s manly, a sharp shooter, a bit old fashioned, and someone that everyone stops to listen to when he takes over the room. When I’ve been in press conferences, I’ve watched journalists melt under his steady assurances, and giggle at his candor. Of course many have balked at his cries against global warming, but that’s besides the point — Lutz is pure old school Big Three exec, almost a throwback to a different era of product talkers from his fingerprints on the first Chrysler Minivan to the Chevy Volt.
Forbes writer Hannah Elliott covered Bob Lutz at the Monticello Motor Club, an exclusive motor sports club and track outside of New York City. I’m happy to say ex-pat Detroiter Lawrence Ulrich held it down in a CTS-V for a sixth place finish against Lutz who took seventh, but won with his CTS-V proving the point. Only one question, where were the lady drivers in the top ten?
GM vice chairman Bob Lutz threw down the gauntlet to drivers half his age–and if he didn’t beat them all, he got what he came for. [click to continue…]
When searching for the profound, a children’s book comes in hand. Stock full of logic for living life simply, gracefully, with humor and insight, Corduroy, Super Fudge and Shel Silverstein loom in the psyche. In a newly revised primer, Rizzoli introduces 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up, a comprehensive guide for kid’s literature for the ages, edited by scholar Peter Boxall. And no, you don’t have to be a kid to appreciate these selections.
The book is broken into sections designated by age, but these numbers are only the beginning points of entry. Refreshing is re-reading Good Night Moon aloud once in awhile, to remember how a lifelong love affair with literature is formed?
The wonderful magical world of illustrated children’s books is unequaled in the cartoon world – television provides the medium for great mimicry. Spike Jonze has reminded us that in his production of Where the Wild Things Are. While the movie receives rave reviews, it’s an homage to the breadth of material in the short simple read. Where the Wild Things Are remains a perennial favorites. My mothere likes to remind me how I managed to lose an original Maurice Sendak signed copy. Oops.
But what makes 1001 Children’s Books more than a casual stroll through the children’s literature section, is its international scope, and exposure to more obscure works. Each book is reviewed by top-notch author (Judy Blume!) with detailed background information and related books that readers might like. Here is a collection that stands the test of time — a comprehensive list of children’s literature for the ages. Luckily many us of are still working on the growing up part. Coming soon.
Let’s get this part out of the way — the 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD w/Tech is not the most attractive sedan in the luxury segment. I’ll qualify that claim: I tend to favor softer, full designs that inspire. When I think of this new Acura, I think arrow head.
And so, though this is an entry-level luxe sedan, I decided we didn’t go anyplace fancy. My backseat sidekick spread out in comfort as we zipped around the neighborhood, and found that TL had lived up to it’s mantra — a car that runs exceptionally well.
It’s been four and a half years since I tested an Acura TL for my Ladies’ Choice column in Automotive Rhythms. While I really liked driving the Acura, it wasn’t the most lovely of designs. However, I think I still prefer it to the pointy 2009 model design.
What I did enjoy about the new Acura was it’s nifty clutch. Ohh, the response! Here was an easy breezy manual transmission with a sturdy shifter that revved with considerable joy. The TL remains a car that is a stimulating drive, a study in well-calibrated systems. The 3.7-liter V-6 is respectably equipped with 305 eager horses and the SH-AWD display indicates where the weight is distributed. It also passed the requisite mama test, with plenty of storage space for strollers and junk unhindered. Acura tender lover, hold the grille.
Sound without words is a powerful medium for a message. In this case it happens to be a call to listen to culture.
Sound, motion and fashion meet in a cross-pollinated collaboration between the new collection from Sportmax, Sebastien Agneessens of Formavision and dancer Jodi Melnick on Nov. 12, built around a display of audio grandeur. “Each speaker corresponds to a specific instrument, and they all play together as an orchestra,” Agneessens explains.
This will be the second installment after the success of the first in a series of performances at the Sportmax store, which was built upon the music of Agneessens and Kyle Fischer, founder of End Up Records and former Rainer Maria guitarist.
To create the intended effect for the performance, sound samples from indigenous cultures, such as descendants of slaves in the Mississippi Delta to Scottish tweed workers (provided by the Associate for Cultural Equity) are blended with contemporary tracks by artists Andrew Vladeck and Caithlin De Marrais under Seb Lyon and Fischer’s arrangements. The remixes are projected through six oblong speakers made of replicated zebrawood, which is an endangered species native to the Congo.
Agneessens runs Formavision, a curatorial design studio that dreams up art projects for global brands such as Marithe Francois Girbaud. Agneessens is also French-born musician who has recently released a record as Seb Leon.
In his upcoming follow up performance with dancer Melnick, two artists will interpret these themes of global culture and consciousness with the component of movement added. Melnick, a former Twyla Tharp company member, is a two-time Bessie winner whose work has been presented across New York City.
Christophe Georges, President & COO for Bentley Motors, Inc., hosted a preview of the new Bentley flagship last week at the Altman Building in Manhattan.
Bentley wrote on the invitation,”Engineered and hand-crafted in Crewe, the new Bentley Mulsanne delivers the world’s most exclusive driving experience, and revives the grand British tradition of motoring through the fusion of extremes – supreme power and splendid grace. We are proud to offer you a unique opportunity to experience in person this pinnacle of British craftsmanship, technology and style.”
Does the Mulsanne measure up? This just in from Forbes on Bentley’s New Luxury Car.
The $300,000 Mulsanne is displacing the Arnage as Bentley’s premier sedan, a risky move in today’s auto market, reads the Forbes headline by reporter Hannah Elliott.
‘Tis the season for testy teenage vampiredom. Round these parts, we’re more partial to the True Blood craze, but perhaps the werewolves will entice us to indulge in The Twilight Saga. The otherworldly lore continues with the New Moon Movie in theaters Nov. 20. Volvo spins their own wheel for winners of the contest What Drives Edward, which launches Nov. 1.
Twilight fans test their knowledge with an interactive game to win a Volvo XC60, which is incidentally vampire Edward Cullen’s ride of choice, played by Robert Pattinson. The site also features trailers from the film, photos of the New Moon cast and New Moon wallpapers.
Under the cover of midnight, and a little rain I made my way to Joe’s Pub in Manhattan to catch Via Tania. The setting was intimate, and very well suited for her music.
A handful of people cozied up to her slow and haunting harmonies. Her songs are sometimes playful, sometimes a little sinister, and have stayed with me even after the rain clouds have faded.
Ed. note: We caught up with Via Tania after the show. Here’s what she has to say:
GT: How have your experiences in the US shaped the way you write and hear music? Did Texan producer Craig Ross influence you to work in a different manner?
VT: I have only really lived in Chicago, but spent time in a few places here and there. There are so many Australian musicians and bands always wanting to come to the US, because it’s a good place to grow musically. And it’s a good place to be for a while to learn new things and get out of a very small industry. Things are changing there and there are moments of real musical brilliance and I think that comes from it becoming a more diverse place culturally. I think being here helped me just raise the bar, and I don’t think you need to get out to move on and evolve, that had more to do with my personal life.
Craig influenced my music in the way producers like to, haha. It was all good though. It was a similar manner to how I like to work, more of a cozy situation, small studio, nothing black in there, all color and light. The atmosphere in a record gets soaked in to so much of the sound. and maybe the second most important factor to making a record ( the music being the first). from Via Tania interview
M-3 on M-5, I-696, I-75, M53, M-14, I-94, The Lodge Freeway, Michigan Ave., Woodward Ave., 12 Mile Road. Jefferson Ave. I spent some serious seat time in the 2009 BMW M3 in Michigan last week traversing the entirety of the metro region. Big large open, uncrowded roads afford the perfect American version of Autobahn. It makes you understand why car magazines stay put in Detroit and Ann Arbor, where you can actually drive most of the time, (minus a short rush hour and summer construction) unhindered by the traffic nightmares of other driving metropolises. They complain about potholes in Michigan, but there no where as treacherous as the FDR in New York City.
I’m the unashamed backer of all things Detroit, from muscle cars to Vernor’s to Smokey Robinson, vying for American cars, but that’s not to say that I don’t advocate driving an M-3. In fact, if you live in Michigan and are prospering enough to drive an M3 convertible these days, chances are you can probably afford a Chevy Camaro, too. (My test model was priced at $79,170)
Some BMW car purists have come down upon the M3 convertible, scoffing at the beastly version of the 3-series. As Automobile tech editor Don Sherman writes:
When I see the M – for magic – badge, I expect a clenched fist ready to hammer the road into submission. I want a ripped engine note, racy suspension tension, and a blood-thirsty bearing. None of that is present in this car, which reinforces my worst fear – that BMW is softening its most enjoyable products.
This sect believes that the under-performing convertible is sacrilege to this performance oriented badge. Phewy, I say. What’s in a name after all?
In fact, I would argue that the M3, with it’s formidable power is the perfect mesh of speed with sass. There’s nothing like the pure essence of performance in the open air. Not that there was that much open air in Michigan during October. I mostly cruised windows up, and the hardtop cuts a clean unassuming line without telltale gaps.
The M3 convertible reminds that this car is intended for the art of driving, with cup holders tucked in the glove box and storage spaces added like an after thought. In fact, my version, felt fresh out of Germany, ash trays and all.
The interior was neat and sophisticated, wrapped in the right places with tasteful leather.
Onto the business of driving — the M dual-clutch automatic gearshift lever definitely takes some getting used to, and is prone to driver stumbles even after several days on the road. Occasionally, I punched into neutral when I got too fancy and free with the shifter and I second-guess myself on reverse. The shifter is spunky, but it seems as if it’s still evolving, as most auto sticks do in comparison to the satisfaction of shifting manually. (Call me old fashioned.) Once I got the hang of the driving protocol, the 414-hp V-8 M was a vigorous performer.
So who is the BMW M3 convertible? I’d say this is not intended for the average M3 driver. It’s an M3 taster with olfactory additions found in the open air. Ideally, it seems appropriate for summer trips to Martha Vineyard and South Hampton, or visiting wineries in Napa Valley. Bu then again, my mother had a lot of questions about the M3 Convertible. By the end of the trip, she was a fan from the passenger side, in awe of all the tightly wound wunder-machine.
Sharp shooter Priscilla Vazquez was on the scene for Daptone Records CMJ showing in part III of her 2009 CMJ coverage for Gotryke.
Daptone Records presented their CMJ showcase last Friday at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. They handed out copies of their latest compilation Daptone Gold, featuring 23 tracks by great talents such as Naomi Shelton, Lee Fields and The Dap-Kings. Soul and R&B tunes played as the first band set up.
The Budos Band walked on stage, each member wearing a skeletal Halloween mask to celebrate the upcoming festivities. Sax, keyboard, congas and an electric guitar were all used to get the crowd dancing.
Their funk sounds later gave way to the smoother, more soulful sounds of The Menahan Street Band. Charles Bradley and Lee Fields shared the stage with the them. Both men gave impressive performances, letting me know they felt every word they sang.
I had listened to the next act, Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens, before but nothing compared to seeing them live. Naomi Shelton’s energy was contagious.
The lineup: The Budos Band
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