SulaFest 2011 proved to be an exciting mix of modern Indian culture, with ingredients including a variety of music, wine, chocolate, and of course, goat cheese. Just a bumpy 4-hour car ride from Mumbai, the festival took place at the Sula vineyards in the otherwise quiet city of Nashik. First to take the stage was the band “Tough on Tobacco.” Their pop and reggae tunes with a positive message gave a chill backdrop for concertgoers to eat, drink and be merry.
I got an email for a chance at a last minute interview with Kids in the Hall at a recording studio in Santa Monica a couple days ago. Last minute interviews aren’t uncommon, but in the hurry to work out the scheduling and what not, I believe there was born a typo…it should have read Kidz in the Hall. Which I now know as Naledge and Double-0, a black Ivy league educated hip-hop duo.
Breakfast is fun, especially when it’s served in the form of a cartoon. If you enjoy animated pieces of lightly charred bread put into sticky situations, then make sure to check out the work of Mr. Toast.
Dan Goodsell is the imaginative mind behind Mr. Toast and his cast of mischievous sidekicks: Mr. Glue, Joe The Egg, Shaky Bacon, Clem Lemon, etc. The cartoon guru recently visited Culver City’s Royal/T to host a drawing class. Fans of all ages had the chance to sit down with the comic mastermind and learn the secrets to sketching some of his most popular characters. A variety of Mr. Toast artwork and paraphernalia was also available for purchase in the pop up shop.
If there’s one thing you can say about today’s youth gone wild, it’s that even rapturous weather can’t deter them from a LOUD rock concert.
No doubt many Angelenos elected to observe Friday night’s torrential downpours from the safety of their home — but it wasn’t nearly enough to deter expounding legions of Innerpartysystem fans, who braved the rain and stood in a 2-block line outside the Wiltern to see the electro-rock act. Pendulum might have been the headliner, but anyone could see IPS’ fans were the more rabid of the two.
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This week…Forever the Sickest Kids release their self-titled follow-up to The Weekend: Friday, already making the girls swoon; more importantly the Dropkick Murphys are back with their blend of folk-inspired punk rock, yeahhh; another goofily-named band called Everyone Dies in Utah releases Seeing Clearly, garnering a bit more praise as they were the unsung heroes of last year’s Warped Tour. Finally, Oasis’ Liam Gallagher drops his new one with Beady Eye, Different Gear, Still Speeding.
Forever The Sickest Kids - Forever The Sickest Kids
Rural Alberta – Advantage Departing
Beady Eye [Oasis' Liam Gallagher, Gem Archer, and Andy Bell] - Different Gear, Still Speeding
Everyone Dies In Utah - Seeing Clearly
Go Radio - Lucky Street
Eisley – The Valley
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Papercuts - Fading Parade
Linda Eder – Now
Those Dancing Days - Daydreamers And Nightmares
Vanity Theft - Get What You Came For
Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer
Davila 666 - Tan Bajo
Those Dancing Days - Daydreamers And Nightmares
Vanity Theft – Get What You Came For
Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
Alexander [Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros] - Alexander
Dropkick Murphys - Going Out In Style
DeVotchKa - 100 Lovers
Not to be terse or anything, but let’s skip the formalities and just get straight to the part where I say the new Stateless album, Matilda, is one of the best albums of the year. On “Assassins,” decomposing chimes inlayed with hand-played Arabic percussion give the feel of a possessed children’s music box before the whole song explodes into a half-time, hard rock headbanger. “Miles To Go” is a post-rock ballad that gives Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” a run for its money, and don’t even get me started on “I’m On Fire.” Just pay special attention at the eight-minute mark of the Matilda Mini-Mix (after the jump). You’ll smell what I’m cooking.
The fact is, Chris James, Stateless’ lead singer, is a visionary composer whose grasp of soul music, electronica, rock and classical themes is relatively unparalleled. He also knows how to surround himself with players that squeeze every last ounce of inspiration out of any given tune. On Matilda, he teamed up with producer Damian Taylor (Björk, U.N.K.L.E.), whose programming DNA as kidkanevil provides a titanium-like skeleton on which the flesh of the album is wrapped around. I hooked up with James to find out a bit more about the collaboration, his friendship with DJ Shadow, and the stories that reveal themselves throughout the album’s 50 minutes.
Vans is no stranger to awesome collabs, but they’ve gone one better with their latest. Longtime Vans-fan and multitalented musician Santigold teamed up with the brand to put her own personal spin on the Tosha Hi. With black perforated leather, removable faux-gold chain accents (wrap ‘em around your wrist if you’re not feeling them on your shoe), interchangeable gold laces, and the sweet bonus of a custom SG gold pin created by jewelry designer Jules Kim of Bijules, they’re a tough-chick twist on a unisex silhouette.
Guess it was only a matter of time before the brain behind oxygen-sniffing sociopath Frank Booth, painting with ants, and professional furniture crafting made some (more) music. David Lynch has released a deluxe vinyl edition of both Good Day Today and I Know, new albums which feature both original tracks as well as remixes by Underworld, Sasha, Jon Hopkins, and others. And the video is one of the strangest and most haunting you’ll ever see.
Straying from the subwoofers and flickering halogen bulbs of his soundtracks, Lynch seems to have taken a cue from longtime accomplice/composer Angelo Badalamenti and actually gone melodic on us. The video is as trippy as the song, and Lynch fans wouldn’t expect anything less.