Mishka is a diminutive of “Mikhail”, can be translated to “Little Bear” in Russian and happens to be the name of a streetwear company you should know about, especially if you like graphic art and cartoon eyeballs. Launched in 2003 by Ukranian expat Mikhail Bortnik and self-proclaimed toy nerd Greg Rivera, what began as a T-shirt line has grown into a lifestyle brand with shops in NYC, Tokyo and now in LA’s Echo Park neighborhood.
Dead Sara has been busy since we spoke with them last year. The female-fronted four piece has been packing in venues, exponentially growing their fanbase, and just finished recording their highly anticipated new album. Dead Sara was recently selected to be featured artist on this year’s Warped Tour and has been enjoying success on popular rock radio stations throughout the country.
We recently caught up with vocalist Emily Armstrong who explained that 2012 is shaping up to be the band’s best year yet.
Check out our conversation with Emily as she discusses being a female vocalist in a male dominated rock world, items in her tour survival kit, and the band almost being named Masturbation Salvation:
Stepping into Flounce, a quaint vintage shop situated on a dog-and-pedestrian-heavy stretch of Echo Park Boulevard, is like ducking into an wondrous attic.
Though Kanye West’s notorious bum rushing of the VMA stage in 2009 will go down in the pantheon of bizarre award show moments, it still plays second fiddle to the granddaddy of all podium-jackings. Next month marks the 14-year anniversary of O.D.B.’s proclamation to a stunned Shawn Colvin and an international Grammy contingent that, regardless of how you saw it, Wu-Tang was the best. Let me repeat that. Fourteen years ago this happened, and the full-length that lost the Best Rap Album award (to Puffy no less) was Wu-Tang Forever, far from their best work. But who’s laughing now? Who’s managed to singlehandedly keep the spirit of posse cut alive in an era of me-first rappers who myopically extol the virtues of popping bottles and not much else? The Wu. That’s who.
Anything Talib Kweli does deserves attention. When Jay-Z and 50 Cent deem you their “favorite rapper,” you know you’re doing something right. The hip-hopping all star’s latest endeavor, Idle Warship, is a collaboration with vocalist extraordinaire, Res. After working together on Talib’s extensive catalog of studio releases, the two got together to experiment with new sounds.
Talib and Res took the stage at Amoeba Music in Hollywood on Wednesday, verifying to the crowd that venturing past their musical comfort zones was a glorious decision on both of their parts. The duo, backed by a full live band, performed songs off their recent release, Habits of The Heart. Talib took a moment to thank the crowd for supporting both of their solo careers over the years and explained that his goal for Idle Warship is to “create something new and entertaining but to have fun at the same time.”
The duo entertained shoppers with compelling lyrics such as “Check 1, 2. We are live. Back it up like a hard drive.” In the midst of an energetic stage show, Res debuted her brand new flip cam. Talib playfully accused her of being “about 3 years behind the times” while she proudly aimed it at the audience and fellow on stage musicians throughout various points in the performance (we were standing in the front row and are totally ending up on You Tube).
Check out our interview with Idle Warship after the jump:
The Hive Gallery recently launched a joint art show featuring the renowned Renee Lawter and her talented husband Jeff Lawter. The show, “Broken Dreams and Fairy Wings,” focuses on living in a world of environmental imbalances and man-made destruction. In addition to the gallery being the first major collaboration between the husband and wife duo, it features the couple’s first collaborative painting, “Broken.” Individual works include Renee’s vintage framed watercolors, which incorporate her trademark cuddly monsters, while Jeff’s ink and dyes on wood portray powerful messages and call out injustices.
ChinaShop recently sat down with the artistic couple to discuss the challenge of combining their very different styles and plans for future art shows together.
It’s not easy to organize a flash mob in a city as notoriously spread out as Los Angeles, which makes the annual international No Pants Metro Ride Day the perfect occasion to rally in the name of fun and public confusion. The requirements: no pants, no explanations.
When Ann Closs-Farley put together Forbidden Fashion: A Collection of Criminal Couture, she issued a challenged to her fellow Los Angeles designers. Instead of assembling the typical pricey and extremely designer pieces common to any runway show, she demanded a different set of criteria be met: Everything had to be created from “found, recycled or stolen materials.”
When the lights dimmed for the series of shows, models bearing everything from comic book accessorized suits to dresses made of playing cards and Dixie cups took to the catwalk with ease. The shows were a success, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats and occasionally bringing them to laughter. Following the production, ChinaShop sat down with Closs-Farley to discuss her vision for the show, unusual ensembles, and what goes through her head while models walk the runway.
A few years back, a Brooklyn artist who goes by the moniker Molly Crabapple, decided art school was not cool and dropped out. And lucky for us she did. Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article and dammit I wouldn’t have had the chance to shoot Samion, le nude muse for this installment of the Los Angeles chapter’s Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School. Fittingly, this kickoff for a new year of the bi-monthly pop-up figure-drawing cabaret for artists and art lovers was held at the Titmouse Inc. animation compound in Hollywood, home to all things awesome and strange.
If your car is in the front yard, and you’re sleeping with your clothes on, then you know what I’m talking about when I say its time to get LIT.
Although they may be known for being their own worst enemies, the guys from Lit have teamed up with the notorious Producer/Singer/Songwriter Butch Walker to complete their latest opus, as yet untitled. I dropped in on the boys at Walker’s studio in Santa Monica to have a listen and catch up.