Jack White, Jimmy Page, and that bloke from U2

Soooo excited about this.
Just watched my music geek go nuts. Documentary 'It might get loud'.
(which includes Jack White making a guitar using a block of wood and a coke bottle)

70's Graphics and Ice Skating

With an old friends visit came a trip to the ice rink, and a trip down memory lane. I loved the ice rink in my early youth, and I was amazed to see it hadn't changed a bit. Even down to the 'Kiosk' sign above, and the selling of 'Disco' and 'Skips' crisps.

Also found behind the main staircase was this piece of graff, which I found quite charming.

Random Love - Klaus Kinski

The first in an occasional series of random finds.

I have big love for Klaus Kinski - I just wish I could give big air and ride a half pipe - oh well. It would sit very nicely next to my Futura deck though.

And it's only €65 from Alllikestore.com

Will Barras - Green Day tour

A big shout out for Will Barras, who will be one of the artist featured on Green Day's roving art gallery tour. I've reposted this from Eelus' blog as it's a pretty interesting music/art crossover (press-release info below).

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GREEN DAY’S UPCOMING U.S. TOUR TO FEATURE A ROVING GALLERY SHOW OF INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS AT EACH VENUE

ARTISTS SUCH AS RON ENGLISH, THE LONDON POLICE, AND C215 CREATED WORK INSPIRED BY EACH TRACK ON BAND’S LATEST ALBUM 21ST CENTURY BREAKDOWN

DATELINE - Burbank, CA - Green Day have a special treat in store for fans attending their U.S. tour this summer. A roving art gallery will be set up at each venue to display work by a collection of eclectic artists from around the world, each of whom has been asked to create an original piece inspired by a track on Green Day’s new album 21st Century Breakdown.

The show is curated by New York-based stencil artist and die-hard punk-rock fan Logan Hicks, whose portraits of band members Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool, and Mike Dirnt will also be on display. A passionate art and music lover, Hicks has assembled an impressive group of noted artists - including world-renowned New York-based painter Ron English, Amsterdam-based street artists The London Police, French stencil artist C215, and British illustrator Will Barras - to show the connection between music and art.

“I chose artists whom I felt had a similar visual approach to art as Green Day does to its music,” Hicks says. “Although most of the artists represented are well-established in their careers, they embrace the same emotional rawness with their art, which speaks from the heart and swings with the fist. Their subject matter is struggle and injustice-they shoot from the hip and their art is their weapon.”

“We are really excited to be touring with this incredible show,” says Armstrong. “Seeing the pieces that our new album has inspired is very exciting. Many of the artists Logan has chosen show their work on the street, and we feel a strong connection to that type of creative expression. We think the fans coming out to see us on the road will love it.”

Graffiti Gravestones - Sickboy

This sorta rocks my world, not sure why.
From Sickboy's blog.

Here's more of an explanation about his work from Bristol Graffiti blog.

Synesthesia by Terri Timely

I'm loving the network of recommendations by Twitterfolk - here's one by graff artist Fake. Strange but awesome.

Synesthesia from Terri Timely on Vimeo.

Glos-tonbury - Golden Lion (last summer)

Looking through last years photos I found some which I'd forgotton to blog about at the time (it's the Bristol disease ;), of a very happy day last year - and gives me a longing for all things sunny and summery.



Mr Jago and 2keen
2keen
Lokey & FLX

Mr Jago

The Dead Weather - Forum

Jack White's new band - dirty sounding, blues rock - in love.

Peaches - Shop Girl for the day

I'm going to London this week and not on Saturday - grrr grrr.

How I'd love to see this.

Stanley Donwood - Weapon of Choice

Kudos to the Weapon of Choice gallery for getting a bit of an interesting name artist. Stanley Donwood is Radiohead's resident artist.  From July 10 - August 9 - St Michaels Hill, Bristol.

I'm a particular fan of the Thom Yorke 'The Eraser' cover, which is a linocut and a stock image.  

Graffiti Stencil - Making and Doing

A couple of videos have popped up on the t'internet in the last couple of days about how graff artists work, or the process they use. The Boxi one is quite wonderful, and the divine Obey boy Sheperd Fairey is just.....



Boxi - To Die For (the story behind it is here)

Shepard Fairey from Arkitip on Vimeo.

Weapon of Choice - Exhibition

Really loving this guys work - Julian Kimmings (much better in the flesh).

And there's some interesting pieces up in the new exhibition at Weapon of Choice - St Michaels Hill, Bristol. Really liked Dirty30 and Nikill's work.

Banksy Bro-Ha-Ha

Preview (Friday)
Ian Brown
Sean Pertwee - actor
Mr Glastonbury - Michael Eavis, giving an autograph (?)
Peter Blake - who has a permanent piece of work in the museum.
Queues - an hour before opening (Saturday)
Press coverage
And we got to shake the hand of the Mayor of Bristol going in. Strange morning indeed.

Well as rumoured earlier and reported, said Banksy exhibition arrived on Saturday.

"Banksy vs Bristol Museum" is an amazing feat of putting an exhibition up in a couple of days, which few people appeared to know about - with so much of his work to see (new and old). And so many people are going to see it, especially as it's on for 3 months - and it's free! (apparently subsidised by the man himself).

The whole event was an interesting study in 'media', 'celebrity' and playing the game. And I fear this is an end to some of Banksy's old-school credibility by being so populist. It's definitely the end of something, something I can't put my finger on. But for me, I had a lot of fun piecing together snippets of info, using Twitter to it's full capacity (thanks Twitter buddy), and running around in my lunchtime looking for clues, especially ending up in a museum (a la Scooby Doo).

The preview was PR'd to the max - promoted by the Evening Post as 'celeb filled'. Carol Vorderman, Sean Pertwee, Justin Lee Collins, Michael Eavis, Meg Matthews, that bloke off of River Cottage. The more credible guests were Ian Brown, Peter Blake, Damien Hirst and Massive Attack, and some of the original Bristol Graffitti names - most of the guests lived locally - so a strange mix.

I love the fact it's in Bristol Museum, as I grew up a couple of streets away from it, and if you grew up in Bristol you were definitely dragged around it as a child, (although I was never a great fan of the stuffed animals, and the museum smell - especially the ugly huge fish which was next to Alfred the Gorilla and the Dodo).
And a nice touch that Banksy incorporated was the Gyspy caravan (with the eviction notice, and the Guantanamo pilot in the plane in the main hall), which are all original museum artifacts from my childhood memory.

There will be kids being dragged to this museum on a field trip, like I was (and presumeably Banksy too), but this time they will love the humour, be inspired or at least have fun, and take away some happy memories - and that in itself is quite a powerful thing.

My new favourite blog - Goths in hot weather

Goths in hot weather blog - sometimes you can love the blogosphere.

Thanks Everett True

Banksy - Summer Exhibition Location ?

This is looking like a strong contender for the Banksy Exhibition

Bristol Museum (top of Park Street) - Rumour has it that the preview is Friday 12th and it starts Saturday 13th June
(thanks to Bristolurbanart for the tip).

*update* from a sneaky pic I've just seen, it's looking like it's a retrospective.

Spotted Cow Show - Tonight

And still the graff goes on.

Hopefully get to post my UPfest pix in the next couple of days.

Still waiting on an update for the Banksy exhib - my theory is it's in Weston! Spray them donkeys up!

Why didn't I think of that - grrr

From the ever cool, CoolHuntingblog.

Designed by Don't Feed The Swedes to be shown at the up and coming Berlin Design festival.  So jealous, grrrr.

And incidentally, Bristol seems to have turned into Graffworld, with Stokes Croft being at the epicenter (artwork changing daily mainly thanks to the PRSC).  This weekend we'll see Upfest turning heads at the Tobacco Factory, Dave Whittle opening night tonight, at Friend & Co, Weapon of Choice 2nd exhibition starting next weekend, the Spotted Cow (pub) evening of graff in the garden on 11 June, and a rumoured Banksy exhibition called 'Homecoming' heading this way. 

(And not forgetting the Bearpit this Saturday).

Graham Coxon - Thekla

I saw Graham Coxon at the Electric Picnic a couple of years ago, playing one of the smaller tents, and he rocked the tent that day. He's such a shy, quiet and geeky guy, and very endearing, it takes you by surprise when he plays his punk-pop tribute guitar riffs like 'freakin out' or 'standing on my own again'.

There are some great tracks on his albums 'Happiness in Magazines' (an album title named after my life I reckon) and 'Love Travels at Illegal Speeds', so his new album 'Spinning Top', was another surprise - a full acoustic album, and a tour to promote it where he only played the album. Unfortunately we weren't told this, so I think I wasn't the only person who wasn't a little disappointed not to hear anything from his earlier albums. But as usual Graham won us over, with his guitar playing, rambling quiet banter and smiles. And after having a little chat with one of his crew, the promise of another solo tour in November where he's going to mix it up!