7.27.2012

Go See - 'Searching for Sugarman' Now Playing @ The Landmark Theater.


In 1968, two producers went to a downtown Detroit bar to see an unknown recording artist – a charismatic Mexican-American singer/songwriter named Rodriguez who had attracted a local following with his mysterious presence, soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics.

They were immediately bewitched by the singer, and thought they had found a musical folk hero in the purest sense – an artist who reminded them of a Chicano Bob Dylan, perhaps even greater. They had worked with the likes of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, but they believed the album they subsequently produced with Rodriguez – Cold Fact – was the masterpiece of their producing careers.

Despite good reviews, Cold Fact was a commercial disaster and marked the end of Rodriguez’s recording career before it had even started. Rodriguez sank back into obscurity. All that trailed him were stories of his escalating depression, and eventually he fell so far off the music industry’s radar that when it was rumored he had committed suicide, there was no conclusive report of exactly how and why. Of all the stories that circulated about his death, the most sensational – and the most widely accepted – was that Rodriguez had set himself ablaze on stage having delivered these final lyrics: “But thanks for your time, then you can thank me for mine and after that’s said, forget it.” The album’s sales never revived, the label folded and Rodriguez’s music seemed destined for oblivion. 

This was not the end of Rodriguez’s story.

A bootleg recording of Cold Fact somehow found its way to South Africa in the early ‘70s, a time when South Africa was becoming increasingly isolated as the Apartheid regime tightened its grip. Rodriguez’s anti-establishment lyrics and observations as an outsider in urban America felt particularly resonant for a whole generation of disaffected Afrikaners. The album quickly developed an avid following through word-of-mouth among the white liberal youth, with local pressings made. In typical response, the reactionary government banned the record, ensuring no radio play, which only served to further fuel its cult status. The mystery surrounding the artist’s death helped secure Rodriguez’s place in rock legend and Cold Fact quickly became the anthem of the white resistance in Apartheid-era South Africa. Over the next two decades Rodriguez became a household name in the country and Cold Fact went platinum.

Despite his enormous popularity, Rodriguez’s personal life remained a mystery to almost all of his listeners. Various South African journalists and fans tried to uncover the truth about his life, and yet almost nothing was discovered – even about his legendary demise.

When his second album was finally released on CD in South Africa in the mid ‘90s, two white South African fans – “musicologist detective” Craig Bartholemew and record shop owner Stephen “Sugar” Segerman – decided to join forces in an attempt to get to the bottom of the enduring mystery of who Rodriguez was, and how he died. The investigation they embarked on was daunting; they initially found only inconsistencies and dead ends. Taking their cue from Watergate, they finally came up with a strategy to “follow the money,” figuring that if they could trace Cold Fact’s royalties, they might have a chance of uncovering the truth. They looked for clues in the only place available – Rodriguez’s lyrics. A mention of a suburb in Detroit finally led them to track down one of the original producers of Cold Fact, Mike Theodore. This contact uncovered a shocking revelation that in turn set off a wild chain of events that was stranger – and more exhilarating – than they could ever have expected.


Learn More Here...




7.23.2012

At REDCAT - New Original Works Festival July 26, through August 11, 2012.



On July 26, 2012 REDCAT launches its ninth annual New Original Works Festival, a three-week celebration of Los Angeles' vibrant community of artists making work for the stage. Featuring nine new original works and works-in-progress by local dance, theater, music and multimedia artists, this year's festival will be held July 26, 2012 through August 11, 2012 with three distinct programs over three consecutive weekends.

"In the spirit of CalArts, REDCAT's parent institution, They transform their theater each summer into an artist-driven creative laboratory," remarks REDCAT Associate Director George Lugg, who oversees the festival. "Disciplines are challenged and blurred, traditions are re-imagined, and hybrid visions take hold. REDCAT's New Original Works Festival invites artists to take the next step in their artistic exploration and serves as a catalyst for new ideas—while offering audiences an inspiring view of a generation of artists among us."

Since REDCAT's inception, the festival has served as an integral part of REDCAT's mission to support the creation of new performance work by Los Angeles-based artists. Over its eight year history, the program boasts an impressive roster of alumni—including Lars Jan's Early Morning Opera, Kristina Wong, Sheetal Ghandi, Anne LeBaron, Wu Tsang, Michel
Kouakou, Christine Marie & Ensemble, Cloud Eye Control, and Meg Wolfe
—which have gone on to receive national and international presentations and recognition.

This year's lineup promises to be bold with an Obie-Award winner, a recent music school graduate, a raucous theater ensemble, and a TED Fellow among the artists selected. Ranging from puppetry to opera, Khmer dance to pulsating digital music and imagery, the assortment of innovative multidisciplinary work being offered will reward adventurous audiences with three daring and distinctive programs over the three consecutive weeks.


WEEK 1  July 26, 27 & 28
POOR DOG GROUP: THE MURDER BALLAD
OPERA POVERA: TO VALERIE SOLANAS AND MARILYN MONROE IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR DESPERATION
SUSAN SIMPSON: EXHIBIT A


WEEK 2
 August 2, 3 & 4
NICK+JAMES: LAKE
JINKU KIM: UNTITLED
PRUMSODUN OK: OF LAND AND SKY


WEEK 3
  August 9, 10 & 11
EMILY MAST: B!RDBRA!N
MELANIE RIOS: LA TRIBU
HEATHER WOODBURY: AS THE GLOBE WARMS

More info on here...

Note: All three works presented each night.

7.17.2012

at CINEFAMILY - One Night Only! LCD Soundsystem's "Shut Up And Play The Hits" concert film.


When LCD Soundsystem announced they were “… retiring from the game. Gettin’ out. Movin’ on” online last year following one last show at Madison Square Gardens, fans clamored for tickets to their coveted farewell. Shut Up and Play The Hits follows LCD frontman James Murphy through this journey of letting go, and serves as a memoir of a particular moment in the band’s lifespan, a reflection on the end.

Directors Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern’s experience in creating music documentaries and videos was evident in the vibrant cinematography in the scenes of the live show. The birds eye camera which shot fans scuffling around in the standing space directly in front of the stage, and the other cinematographers, including Spike Lee, placed at natural points on stage and in the crowd, gave the illusion of being at the show. The pulsing keyboard chorus of “Dance Yrself Clean” caused impromptu seat dancing across the theatre and these few but powerful snippets of the live show, created an emotional tone throughout film.

The live clips are interspersed with a narration interview with American writer and essayist Chuck Klosterman, shot at New York hot spot The Spotted Pig, the week leading up to the big show. The interview deconstructs the idea of Murphy as the “rock star”, exploring the bands high and low lights, discussing his roots as a musician, and the bands journey to fame. “I was 38 and I decided to make a record; I blinked and I was 41.”

Moments of identification with emotional crowd members, often crying, motion toward what any LCD fan felt when they announced the band would be no more. Murphy is shown dragging himself around his apartment the morning after the show, staring at his bulldog and generally seeming to scream “now what?” between scenes of normalcy making coffee and trimming his patchy greyish beard.

The strongest parts of the film, in true documentary form, are quite unexpected. Perhaps the most candid of all comes when Murphy bursts into tears with his back turned to the camera amongst the band’s equipment in a storage space the day after the show. Another moment captured a final dinner the day after the show at Williamsburg hot spot Marlow & Sons with the exhausted but happy band celebrating the last ten years shared together. Candid moments during the live show were marked by a particularly red-faced sobbing fan, Panda suited devotees clutching their hearts long after the lights had gone up at MSG, and Arcade Fire joining LCD onstage for “North American Scum.”

Shut Up and Play the Hits is a heartfelt love letter to LCD Soundsystem fans as well as an interesting character study of the genius that is James Murphy, who also produced and did all the sound mixing for the film. Though it might have been nice to have a surface dive into the other band members’ perspectives during this milestone in their band history, the directors explained in a live Q&A following one of the screenings, that their aim was not to make a film about the bands history, choosing to capture what Murphy suggested was a naturally poignant moment for the band.

Dirs. Dylan Southern & Will Lovelace, 2011, HD presentation, 105 min.


7.10.2012

Venice Beach Biennial 11AM - SUNSET Jul 13, 2012 @ Venice Beach














Friday, July 13, 11am-Sunset
Saturday, July 14, 11am-Sunset
Sunday, July 15, 11am-6pm


The Venice Beach Biennial (VBB), a weekend event that makes tongue-in-cheek reference to the “real” Venice Biennale in Italy, will treat the famed Venice Beach boardwalk, Ocean Front Walk, as an outdoor exhibition venue. Over the course of the weekend over 50 fine artists will set up vending stands alongside veteran boardwalk artists, exhibiting new bodies of work, collaborating with the veterans on new projects, displaying site-specific sculptures or installations, and presenting live performances. Directed by Hammer curator Ali Subotnick.

The famed Ocean Front Walk is a promenade along Venice Beach with a rich history and undeniably funky atmosphere—and it’s also an ideal, if unconventional, location for a large-scale interdisciplinary outdoor exhibition. The boardwalk is officially recognized as a “Free Speech and Expression Zone” and there is a regulated system, which aims to allow performers, entertainers, and free expressionists to exhibit and sell their own original and constitutionally protected merchandise, in over 200 spaces marked along the beach side of the boardwalk. A recent city ordinance has fine-tuned the definition of “art” and nominal works that are permitted in the vending spaces, which has brought back many artists that had previously been driven out by commercial vendors.

VBB takes artists accustomed to showing in galleries and museums out of their comfort zone, and encourages them to consider their work in a new context. The veteran boardwalk artists will play an active role in this weekend event, and all artists will be working under the same conditions and regulations. Artists may also collaborate with shop owners and restaurateurs to present site-specific projects, interventions, murals, and wall projects.

This exhibition will instigate new connections and dialogue between disparate artistic communities and audiences that could potentially sustain itself and deepen over time. Projects will be presented on the boardwalk proper as well as in the Recreation and Parks area near Windward Plaza (adjacent to Muscle Beach and the Graffiti Wall).
Projects in formation include:

• Ceramicist Matthias Merkel Hess will show handmade ceramic versions of items often sold on the boardwalk and everyday objects, such as sunglasses, towels and six-pack rings.
Evan Holloway with Julian Valdivieso will present a performance collaboration with the bodybuilders at famed Muscle Beach.
Barbara Kruger poses existential questions in the form of stickers adhered to the ground.
Cara Earl will sell miniature sculptures inspired by popular Mexican saint figurines, which she has created in the guise of the world’s most wanted terrorists.
Nick Herman turns to the tradition of scouring the sand with metal detectors and plans to display his treasures in a vending space.
Jason Meadows is constructing a two-headed bicycle, a bit like a push-me pull-you, two bikes sharing one front wheel.
Carter Mull will set up a photo booth on the boardwalk in which visitors may have their photo taken in the manner of obituary photographs.
Drew Heitzler and Sam Sharit will debut a new video animation in an Ocean Front Walk tattoo parlor.
Jennifer Rochlin will present ceramic tiles inserted into recesses on the facade of the public restrooms.
Veteran boardwalk artists include:
Arthure Moore’s best-selling painting, Funky Pussy, features a cat giving “the finger,” and is the main identity for VBB. Moore also makes “funky” paintings of iconic figures such as the Mona Lisa and Muhhamed.
Albert Culbertson and Indira Burgos make paintings and boxes with imagery burned into wood using a magnifying glass and sunlight.
RA Superstar shows vibrant paintings mixing abstract expressionism and Pop Art.
Giles Williams creates inventive sculptures using palm fronds.
Flewnt makes mixed media assemblages using found metal, wood and other everyday material.
Vlada Stanisavlevic a.k.a. Danny Z produces lifelike portraits in airbrush as well as surreal landscapes populated by imaginary creatures.
Mr. TV presents a vaudevillian, satirical performance viewed through an open-air TV set.
Winston the Portraitist draws exquisite charcoal portraits in under ten minutes.
* = Boardwalk artists
**= Artists that are also in Made in L.A. 2012
Lisa Anne Auerbach
& Robby Herbst
Loretta Ayeroff
Alex Becerra
Chelsea Beck
& Kurt Mueller
Ben Brunnemer
with José Claustro*
Edgar Bryan
Jedediah Caesar
Timothy Caldwell*
Matt Chambers
Claude Collins-Stracensky
Liz Craft
Rip Cronk*
Albert Culbertson
& Indira Burgos*
Nathan Danilowicz
Dave Deany
Doh*
Cara Faye Earl
Ernesto*
Mark X Farina
Marc Fichou
Finishing School
with Devon Tsuno
Flewnt*
Eve Fowler
Abel Galindo*
John Geary
Scott Grieger
Katie Grinnan
Mark Grotjahn
Mark Hagen**
& Scott Benzel**
Heartbeat of Venice feat.
the Venice Beach Drum Orchestra*
Drew Heitzler & Sam Sharit
Nick Herman
Roger Herman
Matthias Merkel Hess
Kenyatta A. C. Hinkle**
Evan Holloway with
Julian Valdivieso

ADMISSION
Free

LOCATION
Ocean Front Walk
The Venice Beach Biennial is made possible by the Teiger Foundation.

Learn More Here...


Ikoh*
Charles Irvin
Alex Israel
Adam Janes
Louis Jean-Paul*
Barbara Kruger
Joel Kyack
& Michael Decker
La.Marche*
Nery Gabriel Lemus**
Chris Lipomi
Burton Machen
Lauren Marsolier
Anna Mayer
Jason Meadows
Brenda Michele*
Jean Joseph Monfort*
Pentti Monkkonen
Arthure Moore*
Mr. TV*
Carter Mull
Derek Mulliner*
Brian Mylius
Artist Niciforos*
Renée Petropoulos
RA Superstar*
Sheila Richburg*
Jennifer Rochlin
Ry Rocklen**
Salty Shakespeare
Mark Self*
Alexis Smith
Gary Soszynski*
SKY (Stacey Kai Young)*
Vlada Stanisavlevic
a.k.a. Danny Z*
James Scotty Todd*
Monique Van Genderen & Kate Brown
Venice Beach Pothead*
Erika Vogt**
Giles Williams*
Winston the Portraitist*
Brenna Youngblood**
& Eamon Ore-Giron