White Walls Gallery is pleased to present Oceanic Awareness Collaboration’s first annual traveling benefit art auction, Art on the Move. OAC is starting a series of annual road shows beginning this year in the fog city, San Francisco, and they have partnered with White Walls Gallery to bring SF’s largest charitable group show to life.
When it comes to the melding of music and design, few have cultivated a more intriguing and appealing aesthetic than San Francisco artist Scott Hansen. As Tycho, the songs he composes are lush, deeply emotive pieces that shimmer and buzz with analog warmth; the soundtrack to a long drive up the coast at sunset. As ISO50, his bold, colorful design exudes a simple sophistication that’s both classic and futuristic. See him live—as we were able to this summer, backed by a new band setup—and you’re in for a complete sensory takeover. An unfortunate leak caused Ghostly International to bump up Tycho’s latest LP release by a month, which means Dive is now available for purchase from the label’s online store.
We got Scott on the line to talk about the new album, his artwork, and how both halves paint a picture of who he is at the core. We’re also giving away one of his amazing t-shirts to one lucky ChinaShopper. All you have to do is Like us on Facebook and post your best sunset or sunrise camera phone photo to our Wall, or follow us on Twitter and TwitPic your shot. Just use the hashtag #tychosun so we know to look for you. We’ll be taking submissions until midnight PST on Monday, October 31.
Picture the motley imagination of Where The Wild Things Are mixed with the quixotic, avant garde world of Fischerspooner. Throw in the patience and immersion of a method actor. Then strip it all down and build it back up using a boutique, DIY aesthetic. This, in a nutshell, is how NewVillager have approached their craft. Are they artists? Yes, and not just in the musical sense. Ben Bromley and Ross Simonini—along with a cast of characters spread between San Francisco, Brooklyn, and all points in between—are just as keen on creating elaborate art installations as they are three-minute tunes. Are they musicians? Totally, yet their record is chock-a-block with big hooks and indie pop melody. Nothing is over your head, yet the band talks, almost reverentially, about a “mythology” they adhere to; something intrinsically connected to the way in which they form new creative ideas.
It’s pretty amazing what some artists use as their canvas; Ann Weber is no exception. The San Francisco-based sculptor takes cardboard and transforms it into a realm of love and relationships. Using only cardboard, staples, and shellac, she creates her own characters, each with a very unique identity.
Weber’s work can currently be seen at the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum in an exhibit titled, “Love and Other Audacities.” Walking into the exhibit, you are greeted with colossal cardboard sculptures, which are both architecturally dynamic and sensuous. Weber takes you into the land of her cardboard forms, each with their own crucial role within the exhibition.
Without spelling out the fact that Los Angeles concert audiences can be smug, which I might have just accidentally done, I’ll admit that we can be a tough crowd. In our defense, we’re spoiled; there is just so much good music around that it can be tricky to impress us enough to uncross our arms and let loose at a show.
Every now and then, a band will roll through town, however, that makes us throw all inhibitions out the window and rock out; that makes us show off our best dance moves, throw out energetic fist pumps, and convinces us that we will lose face if we go home without participating in the mosh pit or attempting to crowd surf. For many, this band is Alkaline Trio.
Since it opened up in 2000, Los Angeles’ Hotel Café has been a hotbed of singer/songwriter activity, routinely turning out quality shows for audiences of no more than 200 people. With a super intimate floor plan, great lighting and sound, and $9 glasses of Knob Creek, it’s one of my favorite venues in the city, and like Largo or Spaceland (R.I.P.), one of the few spots that curates consistently amazing lineups. Last Friday night the Making Friends Tour rolled in, featuring a trio of West Coast talent in Jenny O (LA), Holcombe Waller (SF) and Barcelona (Seattle). Since I got there early enough to cop one of the few candlelit tables—complete with waitress service—you know the Knob Creek was flowing.
Summer is known for short shorts, windows down, overpriced ice cream stands and of course, Summer Music Festivals. Whether you are a fan of Dirrrty South Hip Hop, East Coast Ragers, West Coast Dubstep or any of the other awesome styles in the middle let’s face it, summer’s the perfect time to sample all the different flavors. To help you and your friends in your quest for the perfect summer festival we’ve broken down a few of our favorite summer festival’s with line ups and locations that are sure to please the music lover’s soul.
Two weeks ago it was time for San Francicso’s comics convention, WonderCon – and what’s a giant, gleeful nerd-out without its afterparties? The party selection was plentiful this year, but, as always, time is the enemy. Decisions had to be made, and one of my choices for after-con-fun-time was the Burlesque reception at San Francisco’s brand-new Artifact Gallery. A choice I shan’t regret, despite getting lost walking to and from the party. These things happen, and I am grateful to the kindly hobo who helped us find our way home.
Despite its clandestine location in what is pretty much an alleyway (make that a nice alleyway, aka Jessie Street, near 5th and 6th street in San Francisco), Mezzanine has been enjoying immense popularity in the club scene as well as a reputation for being one of the most musically diverse clubs in the Bay Area but also one of the most affordable: lots of alcohol, a $2 coat check and a criminally cheap VIP section. It’s a little hard to find in the sprawling metropolis of ‘Frisco but now that this article’s out, you have no excuse. And after cultivating a close working relationship with Red Bull Music Academy, as well as embracing the latest and most groundbreaking in the ever-evolving world of electronica music, Mezzanine has hosted the RBMA twice already and, with the help of stalwarts Major Lazer, has some huge shows planned.
With our Magnetic Fields coverage turning out to be a bust, we scoured the streets of San Francisco on a particularly gloomy Monday afternoon for a worthy replacement. I’d already seen some of the sights, so we searched for weirder ways to occupy the time. The mission: turn any rocks over that we could, and hopefully unearth whatever interesting, unusual and weird creatures Frisco had to offer. Despite it being a Monday, we got a little lucky after digging around all day.