preedom pries

Reignbough at dA Center for the Arts

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:49:53 -0400

Reignbough at dA Center for the Arts

small life improvements

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 02:11:23 -0400

I was invited to join a blog today and am very excited about it. The theme is “small life improvements,” in that the blog chronicles the little actions we will take to make our lives better. What’s my first project? Cleaning up my button collection so I’m not digging around for my favorite buttons and I can just go go go

New wallpaper - remake of "Treachery of Images"

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:38:38 -0500

This one is a remake of Rene Magritte’s “The Treachery of Images”. This was made for Booooooom.com’s Art Remake project

Get it at here. Here’s a comparison photo for the uninitiated:

ports o fest photos

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:01:04 -0500

Some of the most wonderful shows I’ve been to took place at Ports o Call, a tiny DIY venue in West Covina, CA. Curated by Jon Barba (aka, Nicole Kidman) and Kevin Greenspon (Bridgetown Records), the music was honest, passionate, young, fun and, most important of all, challenging and exciting.

The space was literally Jon Barba’s bedroom, a shack-like space in the backyard of his parent’s house. Part of the magic for me was that these amazing shows were happening in the middle of nowhere, culturally speaking. The shows were like desperate acts of lonely misfit suburbanites who just wanted something, anything, to happen. And instead of getting into meth or vandalism, they threw shows. It was often mind-bending. (I could explain but I’d be writing for days.) But with all good things, it came to an end. However, last week, a reunion of sorts called “Ports o Fest” took place in Fontana, CA (even more remote, cultural-wise). Excursions into nostalgia can be fraught with disappointment, but I’m really happy to report that some of the same magic that made Ports o Call shows special was present and alive. Click here for the photos:

desktop wallpaper project

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:53:00 -0500

I’m such a stickler when it comes to desktop wallpaper. I switch it out on a regular basis and I’m rarely satisfied with the ones I find online. Even the ones at the excellent Desktop Wallpaper Project at the blog The Fox Is Black leave me wanting. So I thought, why not make some of my own? And that’s what I exactly did and plant to do. My first effort, admittedly, is not that mind-blowing creatively but I’m pretty proud of it. I think it’s funny and works well as a desktop. A thumbnail is immediately below:

The wallpaper features a still of the talented and beautiful Monica Vitti from L’Avventurra, Antonioni’s classic 1960 film. I’m sure I’m breaking some copyright laws, but whatevs! Download wallpaper here. Expect some more in the future. I’ll be asking some talented friends of mine to do some as well. Exciting!

A short documentary about suburban endurance, a love story about...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:58:19 -0500

A short documentary about suburban endurance, a love story about music and an exploration of underground cassette tape culture; the documentary centers on La Puente, California underground record label Bridgetown Records and its impact on the local underground scene. Premiered at Sean Carnage Monday Nights on Oct. 17, 2011 in L.A. and has screened at FMLY dinner and show in Brooklyn, NY and The dA Center for the Arts in Pomona, CA. More screening dates soon

jon barba with kevin greenspon at sean carnage monday nights...

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:01:03 -0400

jon barba with kevin greenspon at sean carnage monday nights anniversary show

the lovely jon barba at sean carnage monday nights 6th year...

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:34:37 -0400

the lovely jon barba at sean carnage monday nights 6th year anniversary

old punk flyers

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:32:57 -0400

sick!

raw footage of job barba (formerly nicole kidman) at sean...

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:14:01 -0400

raw footage of job barba (formerly nicole kidman) at sean carnage’s l.a.’s most talented

A short video I did for OnCentral about the All City Jazz Band,...

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:01:00 -0400

A short video I did for OnCentral about the All City Jazz Band, Los Angeles Unified School District’s big band ensemble. It could be better, but I’m pretty proud of it considering I did it in one day.

Some raw footage of No Paws (No Lions) at Half-off Books in...

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:34:00 -0400

Some raw footage of No Paws (No Lions) at Half-off Books in Whittier. Great show in a huge basement and cool vibes.

The footage is for a very short documentary a friend and I are working on.

What better way to procrastinate then to list my 5 favorite websites at the moment

Thu, 19 May 2011 01:13:15 -0400

1. Urbane Menswear

There’s not a lot of cool fashion blogs for men out there and too many of them are just, well, too “fashiony.” Urbane Menswear keeps it grounded with its picks—eclectic, manly and contemporary, pulling the best from around the web. A one-stop shop for inspiration.

2. BOOOOOOOM!

Seven “O’s” — that’s how awesome artist Jeff Hamada’s art blog is. He curates a site full of art, design, film, music, photo, and miscellaneous junk. I’m don’t check the site everyday, but rather, come back when I feel like discovering new artists or photographers or seeing the latest, greatest video circulating around the web. He’s also got this cool thing where he invites readers to participate in projects. The latest is called Cover Song Archive a “collection of songs you know, by people you don’t.”

3. everyday i show

I have to admit that I have no idea what this site actually is or how i came across it. It’s a photo site on LiveJournal (who the hell uses LiveJournal?) that collects all types of photographs: documentary, fashion, street, historical, contemporary, mostly black and white and all of it beautiful. I’ve seen photographs on here that have almost made me cry.

4. Lunchtime Laughter on The World’s Best Ever

This one’s a page from a bigger site called The World’s Best Ever. It’s a sort of aggregator of funny. Original sketches, viral videos, webepisodes and all kinds of random shit. One of my favorites is something called “Drunk History.” Look it up.

5. Magtastic Blogsplosion

A serious and insightful look into the art of the magazine. Writer and editor Andrew Losowsky looks at developments in the magazine industry — the design, content and direction of monthly publications. He also curates an “independent magazine club” where subscribers get a magazine plus goodies every two months. Viva la print!

The Shining at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Wed, 18 May 2011 01:23:00 -0400

How cool would it be to see Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic The Shining at an equally creepy cemetery? Well, you can find out this Saturday when Cinespia screens it at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery! I’m hoping to make it, but I probably won’t because my professors don’t want me to have fun.

Out today! I made a small contribution to this benefit album put...

Tue, 17 May 2011 11:02:00 -0400

Out today! I made a small contribution to this benefit album put out by Matt Sharp and The Rentals. I’ll be more specific once I get my hands on the record.

“This album was originally recorded as part of Songs About Time, a photography, film, and music project that brought together a large group of accomplished artists who devoted themselves for 365 continuous days to create what the Germans call Gesamtkunstwerk—a total work of art. Originally titled “Tokyo Blues,” the album is a collection of eighteen original scores that were composed for the films of Songs About Time.”

Local story filed for KPCC

Wed, 11 May 2011 18:55:07 -0400

Local story filed for KPCC

Standing in front of Margaret Kilgallen’s mural at MOCA....

Tue, 10 May 2011 01:07:16 -0400

Standing in front of Margaret Kilgallen’s mural at MOCA. Her lines were imperfect and so lovely for it. (If you don’t know who Kilgallen is, she was married to Barry McGee who sadly died in 2001 . If you don’t know who Barry McGee is, I don’t know what to tell you.)

Navigating L.A.

Fri, 06 May 2011 18:24:37 -0400

Friend Nicole is showing art at Studio for Southern California History in Chinatown, 977 North Hill Street, Los Angeles from 6-10 p.m. I actually don’t know what they’re showing, but should be a good time.

Rethink the food label

Tue, 03 May 2011 16:23:52 -0400

News21 in collaboration with Good Magazine wants you to rethink the food label.More info here and here.

Rethink the food label from News21 Berkeley 2011 on Vimeo.

Osama Bin Laden is dead

Mon, 02 May 2011 18:28:00 -0400

I was going to write something about Lykke Li’s new video for “Sadness is a Blessing” which seems really silly in light that Osama Bin Laden was killed yesterday. But I don’t really have any thoughts on the subject; I just felt some hesitation about it. But then my dear friend Jackie put up a great quote on Facebook that pretty much summed up how I feel. She posted:

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.” - Martin Luther King

I obviously have no sympathies for Bin Laden, but I don’t feel like celebrating his death either and can barely sympathize with those that are. It seems so redundant. So, instead of dwelling, I’ll go back to trying to listen to songs from Lykke Li’s new album. I’m trying to decide whether I should go out and buy it or not.

Lykke Li - Sadness is a Blessing (Director Tarik Saleh) from Lykke Li on Vimeo.