He is Hank. She is Cupcakes. A Brooklyn based, Israeli import, Hank & Cupcakes has garnered a generous fan base thanks to their charismatic, and engaging live shows. They are a highly energetic electro/pop duo, which sounds like neither pop nor electronic music. Their songs are both minimal and fascinating (a feat not easily accomplished). Hank & Cupcake don’t use synthesizers, and apart from the few pedals Hank uses, they really are just a drum and bass twosome.
A bit punk rock in the way they attack their instruments, their live performance carries an energy that must be near impossible to reproduce in the studio. As a unit they feed off the crowd, as much as the crowd feeds off them, for the dancing going on would have been worthy of The Ed Sullivan Show. It has been said before, but can possibly not be overstated how energetic these two are. Cupcakes exudes personality playing the drums and singing, all the while dancing to her own beats. Hank doesn’t just follow suit with the bass, but actually executes the double task of a full performance and a well-played show.
New Roots album How I Got Over out now for 7.99 on Amazon! Feelin’ this track and vid “Dear God 2.0″ more than some of the others (even though evasive talent Blu is on “The Day”), but overall the album doesn’t disappoint. Who’s going to the Roots Jam tonight or the Prospect Park show on the 11th?
Second, just want to echo Fader’s statement about this new single from (Diddy), Ricky ROSS! and Nicki Minaj. Though Diddy doesn’t impress on the mic, props to the arrangement of this remix collaboration. Been missing Ross, whose flow is always braggadociously funny, and as for Minaj, the rainbow bright space-bot steez suits her theatrical rap-attacks perfectly. Enjoy!
There aren’t really any words for this this wildcat I, er, spotted today while riding through Grand Army Plaza. When I asked if I could take her picture, this lady acted all nonchalant and asked my why. Because you look beautiful. And because the animal print trend really needs to step its game up. Shouts to my grandma too.
British gallerist Steve Lazarides likes to shake things up a bit. It’s one reason he rented out an 8,000 square-foot space in Los Angeles for an art assault, hosting four different shows in the space. LA native David Choe kicked thing off in April, showing his work in his hometown after a six-year absence. This week Eurotrash opens featuring the work of JR from Paris, Vhils from Lisbon, Conor Harrington from Cork, Ireland and Antony Micallef of London, on view until June 27.
“I’ve done group shows in the past. I want to narrow it down and do personal shows I really like,” Lazarides said. “These people have taken a completely different path. They’ve never gone on a traditional art root. They’re all maverick in their own way. They fit together as a group.”
Lazarides built his reputation selling Banksy’s work. Lazarides continues to feature the work of non-traditional artists, attaching himself to the outsider art movement, with a contemporary urbane twist. Though he has permanent exhibition spaces in London and Newcastle, he has hosted sell-out American gallery shows in the past. He organized Banksy’s 2006 Barely Legal show in Los Angeles , Antony Micallef’s Impure Idols in Los Angeles in 2007 and the Outsiders 2008 group show in New York.
“I like art to be approachable. I don’t want anyone to come to any of our galleries and feel intimidated. I’m trying to make some thing more populist by not putting it in a white space, having staff that’s friendly, making the opening like a party,” he said. “I’m trying to attract like minded people.”
For Eurotrash that attitude is young, politically-mind and rebellious. Though he has built his reputation on the street art movement, his vision is broader for his stable of artists. “I think people are using a street as a canvas like Mark Jenkins. They’ve evolved the movement. I’m looking at people whose work interests me like a taxidermists. Somehow they fit together in one stable. That’s why the outside thing fits. They’re not all street, they’re not all urban.They fall outside of the traditional realm of the gallery world.”
Next, up will be an installation of Jonathan Yeo’s pornographic portraits opening July 9, and the solo exhibition of British artist Jay Jay Burridge opening Aug. 13.
David Bailey’s 40 year career behind the lens is captured in the quaint 4×6 book “Look,” published by Phaidon Press Inc and in stores this month. The cover depicts Bailey’s son Sacha. Over 40 years, Bailey photographed celebrities and family member alike in intimate moments, capturing a range of emotions. Portraits of Johny Depp and Jack Nicholson capture the coolness of the iconic actors. A portrait of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski depicts a hauting sense of innocence. Whereas, Bailey doesn’t shy away from personal moments, including a shot of his wife (Catherine Deneuve) giving birth. Bailey is adept at photographing artists including Andy Warhol, Julian Schabel and a nude Damien Hirst with the exposed flesh of a cow. Definitely, worth a long, hard look.
This Saturday a dear friend of mine is throwing a great benefit for the rural Kenyan community of Sereolipi. There will be delicious Senegalese food, an amazing reggae-bluegrass band, beautiful photographs of the Sereolipi people, and handmade Kenyan crafts; all in support of The Thorn Tree Project, an organization dedicated to the education of these North Kenyan youth. $10 suggested donation. Details below.
UNEXPECTED BRILLIANCE:
The Colors & Hues Under the Thorn Trees of Ndonyo Wasin
Elizabeth Brown Eagle & Liz Titone
Photography Exhibit and Benefit in Support of The Thorn Tree Project
I’ll be bartending at this event (hosted by my roommate and dance master Natasha), in which a bunch of free-spirits get wild on the dance floor after consuming large amounts of (free) raw chocolate, kombucha and wine. Meanwhile, a very talented DJ (big ups to the homey Dhundeeee!) spins afro treats, soul power and other high energy dance music. Come one, come all - proceeds go to urban-AIDS charity Housing Works, and you even get a gift for later - a week of free yoga at Yogaworks!
