Calling all cyborgs, Stepford wives & alien girls… Whoever thought these three very distinct breeds would ever share a secret shopping spot?
Well, they do. Artifice Clothing, an online boutique based out of Toronto, Canada, surely has those markets cornered.
Gala Darling, a New Zealand girl with candy-coloured hair, left the corporate world behind forever at age 23 to pursue her love of publishing. Her website, www.galadarling.com, is a seamless & fabulous mix of fashion, lifestyle advice & tips on how to live magically. An international nomad & playgirl, she delights in writing from any city that pleases her (though she considers New York City home). She loves dressing up, kissing, dancing, & really big shoes.
If you have no idea who the Supersuckers are, then I feel sorry for you. Sorry because you have not yet experienced the (self-proclaimed) greatest rock-n-roll band in the world! If you have heard of them then, I’m jealous of you. Jealous because…well, let’s just say if the Supersuckers had a spread in Tiger Beat, they’d be plastered all over my bedroom wall.
The Supersuckers have almost a cult following of die-hard fans. You just don’t kinda sorta like the Supersuckers…you fucking LOVE the Supersuckers. Their sound is honest-to-goodness American rock-n-roll: unpretentious, tongue-in-cheek and sacrilegious. Their songs have an anthem-like quality to them, with raking guitar intros that make you jump up and down waiting for the rest of the band to kick in. Their songs are about fucked-up relationships, getting fucked up and not giving a fuck. They draw upon an archetypal rock sound to make their music: from the Ramones to Thin Lizzy to Social Distortion.
Soul Sister, Street Soldier, Groove Goddess, Funk Empress, Esoteric Thespian- all these tags and many more apply when you’re referring to the always regal, Ms. Erykah Badu. All through her career, from the amazing soul swirl of “On & On” featured on Baduizm – her stunning debut LP- to, her triumphant resurgence with last year’s New Amerykah Part One, she continues to stand alone in a field filled with endless numbers of musical clones. She effortlessly channels the spirit of greats like Nina Simone and Billie Holiday and siphons it so soulfully through funk, hip-hop, jazz and rock to create a sound that’s uniquely hers. On a fine afternoon in late June, ChinaShop was granted some special one-on-one time with Ms. Badu where she fielded questions about her life, music, community outreach and the songs currently in heavy rotation on her I-pod.
Badu’s Soulful Alchemy:
The first topic of discussion is her new album that drops later this year. This is her second album in two years, and that’s a rarity in itself.
EB: It’s a continuation of [last year’s] record. I recorded it all at the same time – and just split it into two projects. This new one, Amerykah Part 2, is the right brain counterpart to the first one whereas last year’s was the left brain expression of where I am right now. This new project is for the emotional man and Part 1 was for the thinking man.
She goes on to explain the meaning behind the phrase, “Return of the Ankh” added into the title of the upcoming project –[the Ankh being the ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic character that symbolizes eternal life.]
EB: It’s a rebirth of consciousness for us all,” she intones, “for the slaves and for the slave masters alike. It’s the beginning of a new thought process, a healing for our planet. That’s what I see in my mind right now. I’ve felt it for a while now, and as I grew more into adulthood I felt it more. I feel people are moving towards a state of more physical, mental and spiritual health.
One would think Erika would be feeling immense amounts of pressure dropping a fresh project after last year’s critically-lauded opus. Perhaps all the adulation for Amerykah Part 1 was because the fans hadn’t heard from her in so long, or maybe it was the buzz generated by interest in her personal life (even in her musical absence, the rumor mills were going strong about her May-December romance with rapper Jay Electronica). Regardless of what the underlying factors were, it’s a fact that damn near everyone loved her new stuff. Amerykah’s first single “Honey,” produced by 9th Wonder , was lovingly embraced, and music reviewers and journalists from both high and low brow publications sang the praises of Erykah’s return. When it came time to rank the top releases of 2008, influential DJs and radio personalities (including the UK’s well-revered Gilles Peterson) placed it at the very top of their lists. So yeah, there must have been some anxiety on her end …
Ume (pronounced ooo-may) has built a reputation as one of indie rock’s most electrifying bands. With their new critically acclaimed and self-released Sunshower EP and recent breakout performances at SXSW and Fun Fun Fun Fest, Ume has launched into the international spotlight DIY-style. They are set to spend the summer touring, including stops at Toronto’s NXNE Festival, WOXY Lounge, and Athens’ Athfest.
While Brooklyn-based Boogie Boarder don’t demand to be taken seriously themselves, their crunchy, catchy, lo-fi surf rock does. With a unique sound that recalls the the power and technical prowess of your favorite Load Records acts with a more inviting, whimsical pop bent, Boogie Boarder describes their style as “the beast-lord avatar of a two-minute pop song”. The band will be releasing their second album “Pizza Hero” this summer on the Famous Class label/art-collective (Darlings, Snakes Say Hisss!) and they will be touring with their labelmates later this summer, as well as making a stop at Wham City’s Whartscape 2009 Festival.
So far all the information on the band has been cryptic, but here they are in their own words…
I have an obsession with Southern Rock. I have only told very close friends about this, as admitting to rocking out to some Foghat gets you no RAB points. (That’s Rockabilly points to you squares)
Southern Rock gets a bad rap because some people associate it with the mouth-breathing, red-neck good-ole-boys that blast it outta their tape decks. For me, it takes me back to when I was growing up in the early 70s in Southwestern PA. When coolness was defined by my sister’s full length embroidered jean jacket and my brother’s long hair and aviator sunglasses. When a walking through the woods led you to bombed out lean-tos where kids smoked drugs and carved “Lynyrd Skynyrd” into tree trunks. Dude. And, all it takes is some sweet guitar pickin’ and the high hat to take me back to a carefree summer…
Admittedly, you can get sick of the oldies station and their usual rotation of Southern Rock. There really aren’t any contemporary bands playing in the style of our Dixie brethren. And, then, like the glint of sunshine off an Old English pull-tab, enter Good Man Down.
I caught up with bass player Kevin Baldes after their set at the Hootenanny:
I have a secret to admit…I don’t like the Horrorpops. When given the task of reviewing their set at the Hootenanny, I did my best impersonation of a 4 year old boy forced to go clothes shopping with mom. But, I have to qualify my statement. On the road trip down to the ‘nanny, I listened to a few tracks, just to get primed. Heavy upright slap bass, poppy drums, ska influences, and a strong but youthful vibrato, occasionally dropping to a whisper or rising to command. Then it hit me: Patricia Day is the psychobilly Gwen Stefani!
I like Gwen Stefani. I like rockabilly. I used to be way-goth. I like girl-fronted bands. Therefore, I *have* to like the Horrorpops. And, according to the Horrorpops’ rules, my only answer must be, “Hell YEAH!”
Undeniably, The Reverend Horton Heat, aka Jim Heath, is the biggest, baddest, grittiest, greasiest, greatest rocker that ever piled his hair up and pounded the drinks down. Without question, for all of his outlandish antics, blistering stage performances and legendary musical prowess, the one thing The Rev always gets asked about is the story behind his unusual and rather clerical moniker. “Well, there used to be this guy who ran this place in Deep Ellum, Texas who used to call me Horton- my last name is Heath,” says The Rev. “Anyway, this guy hired me and right before the show he goes, ‘Your stage name should be Reverend Horton Heat! Your music is like gospel’… and I thought it was pretty ridiculous. So I’m up there playing and after the first few songs, people are saying, ‘Yeah, Reverend!’ What’s really funny is that this guy gave up the bar business, and actually became a preacher! Now he comes to our shows and says, ‘Jim, you really should drop this whole Reverend thing.’”- (taken from their website).
Joshua Davis started his fascination with computers around 1995. He started playing with the programming components, pushing the envelope of what they were designed for and generating inventive ways to be creative. Based on his ability to see what’s possible, he became a unique and inspiring entity, artist, designer, technologist. Although he produces intricate prints, and exhibits his work all over the world, his true art is the process. Its when he shares the ability to play inside that process that the true nature of his art is experienced.
