Sophisticated and Joey Tacinelli

D.O.P.E. (Drive. Opportunity. Passion. Excellence.)

7.5

As the days of school dwindle down no one is working harder on their craft than freshmen rappers Sophisticated and Joey Tacinelli of St. Johns University. D.O.P.E (Drive. Opportunity. Passion. Excellence) their debut mixtape is a surprising masterpiece draped with impressive lyricism and smooth flows, bringing the talent of both artists to the forefront. Joey Tacinelli, hailing from Connecticut, and Sophisticated, from D.C, have turned their hobby into a serious project worth recognition. Sophisticated’s An Invisable Vison is set to release this coming May and Tacinelli is working on a solo mixtape entitled Freedom Writer.

The 22-track collaboration recorded entirely in an on-campus dorm room is playful yet shows no unawareness of the realities of the modern day struggle. “Freshman Frenzy” is a jazz-like track that pledges to “start a revolution that the rebels envy” and as the horns invade your ears, Sophisticated and Tacinelli take turns with the chorus, “My Mind’s A Weapon And No One Else Will Ever Equip Me/Try To Make An Impression So They’ll Never Forget Me/Yo What Kind of Steez Is This When No One Ever Forgets We? /Timeless Shit, The Type They Recite For Eleven Centuries” solidifying their presence as innovative thinkers.

“Ben Stein” asks you to “open your eyes to an invisible vision” and invites listeners to fall under the spell of these rappers smooth delivery. The beat almost takes you to another world but don’t worry about getting too lost, Tacinelli reassures fans that “he’s been around the galaxy twice” as the chorus comes in and bring us all back down to earth. Tracks like “The Intellectual Crackhouse,” “Invite Only” and “Natural High” start off with audio from movie scenes adding a unique theatrical feel to the mixtape as well as providing a canvas for the lyrics that follow to color.

This rap duo is undeniably gifted in presence and presentation and promises to bless our ears with more collaborations in the near future, which we can assure will be “D.O.P.E.”

-Words by Gyasi Kirtley 

If the words Crossing Brooklyn Ferry were thrown into a friendly conversation, many would think of the timeless Whitman poem that illuminated a common human condition through the guise of a ferry trip. But Aaron and Bryce Dessner’s recent collaboration with the Brooklyn Academy of Music in a three-night independent music festival has birthed a fresh new meaning for that three-word title, this time bringing to mind a communal music experience within the framework of BAM’s century-old Peter Jay Sharp Building.

Over the course of three evenings, the Dessner’s fashioned an audible “tasting menu” that ranged from experimental chamber music to tried-and-true indie rock fixtures. Names like Sharon Van Etten, St. Vincent, and Beirut sparkled off the lineup page like  the McRib on a McDonald’s Menu board. It was an event that promised excitement and novel sounds, but one question remained: How would BAM fare as a venue for a festival like this? How would a location known for avant garde theater and arthouse film deal with a scenario most often relegated to detached outdoor locations, where intoxicated youths are never too far from dropping beers or dropping trou’?

The answer was given as I made my way through the facade of the Lafayette Avenue institution on Thursday evening. A very helpful attendant greeted me in the doorway, directing me to where I could get my neon-red all access band, and when the adhesive tabs were joined and a lineup card placed in my hand, decisions became simple: left door, right door, or escalator? Left for the cinemas, right for the opera house, and escalator for the cafe. A simplicity of choice and overall ease of movement that made attending this festival like being in a six flags for flannel-wearing, NPR-listening adults. Going from performance to performance was as easy as going from room to room in a home, making the only concern whether or not to stop for that next Brooklyn Lager.

I began my immersion into Crossing Brooklyn Ferry with the selection of 9 short films being screened at BAMRose. The program was an interesting blend of narrative, DIY, and experimental filmmaking, and featured the work of some high-profile names such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jonas Mekas, and Tunde Adebimpe of TVOTR. Su Friedrich’s Practice Makes Perfect and Michael Brown’s Mobile Part 4 stood out as the strongest offerings, Friedrich’s being an 11-minute short documentary looking into a West African drumming class at Brooklyn’s I.S. 292. The students in the film glow with youthful charm and enthusiasm for the drums, captivating the audience with their talented playing and humor. Mobile Part 4 on the other hand, screams experimental, being for the most part a visual collision of wooden sticks and string across a black background, with occasional interference by a bearded man. The mystery of what is being created drives the film forward until it is revealed that the mess of sticks and string is actually a mobile being constructed of natural and everyday items.

From the cinemas, it was only a short walk to the Howard Gilman Opera House where Sharon Van Etten was gearing up for her set. The singer, whom I had the pleasure of seeing in February, ran through a top-notch selection of tracks from her most recent release, Tramp, filling the in-between time with her playful and uniquely adorable wit. I was even more impressed when she scolded a rude, overly-obnoxious audience member with the words, “Hey, stop giving me shit.” Co-curator of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry and helpful fellow musician to Van Etten, Aaron Dessner, later joined her on stage.

The Walkmen followed up as the headliners of the opening night, performing a high-energy set of tunes from their upcoming May 29th release, Heaven, along with some classics. In their trademark business casual attire, the five-piece indie godfathers had the previously-tame audience jumping out of their seats with driving rhythms and static, ringing guitar riffs. Hamilton Leithauser’s yearning vocals had equal draw whether fronting a full band or riding on top of the mellow timbres of a solo, acoustic guitar, and when I left the theater my ears were blessed with that lingering buzz that one gets from a truly powerful, “knobs up to eleven” kind of performance.

I made an effort to come early Friday evening to get a taste of the happenings in the BAMCafe. I’d never been to the upstairs section and was pleasantly surprised by the mile-high ceilings and the lineup of massive, cathedral-esque round-top windows, creating an oasis of natural light in the late afternoon hours. And as the day turned to evening, its lighted arches and sparse, open spacing gave way to a deluge of inviting fluorescency. Ava Luna started off my listening in the Cafe with their fresh brand of intelligent R&B, blending soul-tinged vocals and grimy basslines with an emphasis on experimental arrangements and use of negative space. Sinkane, the new side project of Yeasayer’s Ahmed Gallab, followed with a lively set of afrocentric pop rock, doused in equal helpings of echo, wah wah, and tropical vibes.

In the Opera house, Tyondai Braxton presented some of the most eccentric dance music I’ve heard up to date; music that from my observation can only be described as “stream-of-consciousness electronica.” Sitting indian-style in front of his midi controller and sampling devices, the brooklyn-based composer/musician seemed endearingly childlike as he layered nondescript, occasionally non-melodious sounds over abstract, oddly-timed rhythms, creating musical palettes that were at times jarring but nonetheless mind-opening. The Antlers followed with a dose of atmospheric and ethereally-reverberated dream pop that seemed to be swimming out to the audience within a flood of blue light.

In an effort to hit every inch of the venue, I chose to sit in the balcony for the Friday headliner, St. Vincent – a decision I regret in hindsight. The stunningly talented performer came out guns blasting, performing high-octane versions of tracks from Actor and Strange Mercy and looking like the product of Barbie’s “under-the-rug” affair with Edward Scissorhands. Her voice, being sweet as silk, was brilliantly contrasted by her “rock through a mechanized meat-grinder” guitar tone and outlandish, almost robotic arrangements. This coupled with her mechanical backwards stutter-step during solos made Annie Clark look like the perfected bionic woman, capturing the best of what is both human and machine. Fritz Lang would be proud.

And I assume that you’re wondering why I regretted sitting in the balcony section? Look below and then put yourself in my shoes. Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the guy behind St. Vincent in the second photo is acting funnily inappropriate.

I did not get to see as much as I would have liked on the final evening of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, and I feel some sadness for missing the likes of Caveman, My Brightest Diamond, and the many other wonderful Saturday acts. But I did have the unique pleasure of watching the phenomenal Beirut close out the three-day show, and I’m not lying when I say that I’ve never seen a more fitting end.

There is an inherent melancholia in Zach Condon’s voice that nestles so perfectly within the sometimes weeping, sometimes soaring harmonized melodies of his brass accompaniment, spawning a quality and texture that entices nostalgia for a faraway city or place that you’ve actually never even been to. Coupling the brightness of Mariachi and Southwestern ethnic music with the slow-paced, reflectiveness of a funeral dirge, Beirut’s music effectively makes you a patron at a death procession for an entity that you can’t place or even comprehend.

Flooded with this inexplainable musically-inspired emotion, I associated my americanized version of “saudade” with the end of an exciting wave of fresh, live music. But like this often mistranslated Portuguese word, my “saudade” did not come without its necessary sprinkling of happiness; a happiness drawn from seeing a 150-year old New York cultural institution helping and welcoming the Brooklyn independent music scene into maturity, like a parent having that first beer with their growing child.

Words by Jon Mennella

Photo credits to Stephanie Berger, Rebecca Greenfield, and Mike Benigno

Every March, during South By South West, Austin, Texas, undergoes a complete transformation – from a laid back town with a population of 800,000 to a bustling, overcrowded city. This year, it brought an influx of 300,000 extra people. The small downtown gained more advertising and bodies than Times Square. Every bar, store and restaurant became a venue and the usual Tejano polkas and fresh tortillas of my east Austin neighborhood were replaced by electric guitars, thudding bass and rivers of beer.

SXSW began in 1987 as a small independent music festival, showcasing undiscovered acts to industry execs. Over the past few years, however, it has grown in length, size and scope, to include over 12 days, not only music, but a film festival and an ‘interactive’ conference – now its biggest money maker. This year I worked for SXSW, and experienced the mayhem from a slightly different perspective – from behind the registration desk, at the book store, through back passages and loading docks. Despite the months and months of preparation in the lead-up to the event, during those 12 days any concrete plans flew out the window. I missed most things I had hoped to see, but found myself in the middle of several unexpected and amazing situations. Normal changed: doing groceries became an impossibility, but watching Al Gore debate with Sean Parker, spotting Jimmy Dale Gilmore and family at a video-gaming event, seeing Taylor Hanson registering alone, confused by the room’s lack of recognition, or sitting across from Miami Steve while Bruce made history with his keynote speech, were everyday occurrences. Here are some places the week took me…

Jay Z played a limited show at Moody Theatre.
This was my first encounter with the serendipity and luck that comes with being involved in SXSW. The show, at the 2700 capacity Moody Theatre (somewhere between the size of Melbourne’s Regent and Forum theatres), was part of a campaign for American Express, SXSW’s unbranded major credit card sponsor. It was announced a few days in advance and was open only to SXSW platinum or Interactive badge-holders who owned an American Express card. Those who were eligible and wanted to attend had to go through a process of linking their twitter accounts to their credit cards and then line up early in the morning to collect the limited tickets. I am not an Amex holder, for better or for worse, so I’d completely written off being able to go.

15 minutes before the show was scheduled to start, however, I received a call from some co-workers telling me that they had an extra ticket. While I found the unashamedly commercial premise of the show off-putting, the chance to see the world’s biggest hip-hop artist in such an intimate venue seemed like a pretty amazing opportunity. Still chewing a mouthful of food, sweaty and tired from a long day at work, I ran at top speed from the Austin Convention Center to the theatre. I managed to locate my friends, collect my ticket and make my way to the front of the audience within the space of a few minutes.

The show was worth it. He opened with a thunderous version of ’99 problems’ then moved through a well-selected combination of hits and new material – ‘IZZO’, ‘Hard Knock Life’, ‘Heart of the City’ through to ‘Glory’, a dedication to his newborn daughter. The advertising element of the show was subtle – Jay made only one mention of American Express. The main reminder of its purpose was the crowd’s demographic: wealthy, white and male.

Rainn Wilson caused a nerd riot.
I assumed when I scheduled Rainn Wilson (better known as Dwight Schrute from the American version of ‘The Office’) in for a signing at the bookstore during Interactive that he would draw a bit of a crowd. After all, he’s a minor celebrity and his book ‘Soul Pancake’ was a welcome shift from the conference’s ubiquitous themes of ‘How to Get Rich without Trying’, ‘The Ultimate Startup’ and ‘Work 2.0’.

I could never have planned, though, for the chaos that ensued. A long line began to form more than an hour before Rainn was scheduled to arrive. Soon a crowd of over 300 over-excited fans surrounded the pop-up bookstore, blocking walkways, doorways and escalators. When he finally showed up, he was treated like something between a rockstar and a tabloid celebrity: phone cameras came out, voices were raised and bodies surged forward. Thankfully, within minutes, the SXSW planning team came to my rescue, calling in extra staff support, as well as the Austin Police department.

Rainn took it all in his stride. As I gritted my teeth, asking the 150th person not to ask for a personal photo/video/body part signing, his assistant leant over to tell me, smiling through the mayhem, that this was not an uncommon occurrence. Apparently a crowd in San Francisco had bumrushed a bookstore where he was appearing, almost breaking windows in the process. “The nerds all love him,” she said.

Australians took over

Besides Canada and the UK, Australian musicians had the biggest presence at this year’s SXSW – a testament to the quality of our music scenes. Showcasing acts included Henry Wagons, Lanie Lane, Oh Mercy and Busby Marou.
Jordie Lane was scheduled to play a number of shows, but his visa was denied and he wasn’t allowed into the country – a real shame, because I think this city would love him.

While I didn’t get to see any of the Australian showcases I did manage to organize for writer/promoter/manager/independent record exec Stuart Coupe to sell and sign his book ‘The Promoters’, an entertaining, informative and occasionally hilarious account of touring and promotion in the Australian music scene.

I also went to visit Millie Millgate at the ‘Sounds Australia’ stand at the trade show. In a very ‘Flight of the Conchords’ like move, it was set up directly opposite the New Zealand music stand. When I realized that Kimbra (from NZ) was listed in the Australian music brochure, I made sure to tell the New Zealanders. “Typical!” they said.

Johnny Corndawg and band jammed in a van

Taking a short cut through the Music Gear Expo one day, I stumbled across alt country musician Jonny Corndawg playing a in the mobile recording studio ‘Jaminthevan’. He was accompanied by young Nashville based musicians Joshua Hedley (who used to play with Justin Townes Earle) on fiddle and Spencer Cullum Jr. (a member of Caitlin Rose’s band) on pedal steel.
They recorded a great, short set in the van while an audience of about 10 people, watched through the windows. I’m pretty sure I was the only person who recognized who they were, though. After they finished, I snuck in to say hi, take a quick photo, and then ran off back to work.

Bruce Springsteen inspired with his keynote speech.

Thursday March 15 was Bruce day, and everybody knew it. Just before 12pm, I made my way through the passageways of the convention center to Ballroom D, where Bruce was due to talk. When I arrived least 20 other staff members – including founders, directors and department heads – were milling around the backstage door, all waiting to get a glimpse of The Boss. Authority, hierarchy and composure had given way to admiration and excitement.

When Bruce finally arrived, he was just as anxious, just as human the rest of us, quietly checking over his notes, reading and re-reading. This was the first time he had given a speech like this, and understandably, he was nervous.

A group of us watched from side-stage as Roland Swenson, SXSW director and founder gave a slightly awkward but witty introduction. And at the last minute, we were motioned to take a set of empty seats (left vacant by some unfortunate no-shows) in the front row. Again, by luck and chance, I found myself exactly where I wanted to be.

As Bruce began, his nervousness was evident, his words a little muddled and his movements a bit shaky. Within minutes, however, he eased right into the process. His sentences began to flow with the poetry of his lyrics. They were funny, engaging, humble and insightful.

He took the audience on a tour through his musical influences, starting with Elvis and finishing with Woody Guthrie (whose 100th birthday was being honored at this year’s festival). In doing so, he managed to capture ideas and issues whose universality went above and beyond the bands, songs and personal history that formed the backbone of his talk.

In the hour an a half, Bruce tied together how the music had inspired him, why it was important, and how a festival like SXSW could contribute to musical and cultural progress. “Here we all are tonight in this town together, musicians, young and old, celebrating, each, perhaps in our own way, a sense of freedom that was Woody’s legacy.” The feeling in the room was incredible, as though every person knew that they were witnessing history in the making.

Lenny Kaye signed books

As soon as I knew that Lenny Kaye was going to be attending SXSW I’d hoped to get him on board for a book signing. He was on a panel about the Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame and at a festival that celebrates independent music, art and liberal thought, I couldn’t think of many people more appropriate.

At first he was reluctant, because one previous year, he’d arrived to sign books at SXSW to find no books there at all for him to sign. This time I made sure to have the Waylon Jennings autobiography he’d co-authored (a great, surprising combination). He also agreed to bring some copies of his book ‘The Power of the Croon’ .

Come the scheduled time, no one besides Lenny and I showed up. How could it be that a video-game creator, or indeed a television actor, could draw hundreds of people and yet no one wanted to meet Lenny Kaye?

Luckily, I did. I stepped out from work mode, bought a book, and chatted (read: I gushed) about his music, Waylon, books. “I got him at a really great time,” Lenny said of the time he’d spent with Waylon. The book was published in 1998. Apparently Waylon hadn’t known anything of Lenny’s musical past when they began the collaboration – instead it was a slow process of revelation. One day Lenny arrived to find him listening to Radio Ethiopia – “What do you think of this record?” Waylon asked.

Justin Townes Earle debuted his new album with a full band.

Justin Townes had already played an early morning show by the time I saw him play an acoustic set at 12pm on Sat 17th. Understandably, he seemed worn out. He played a short selection of songs from his new album ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About me Now’, going through the motions roughly, and almost reluctantly. His playing was not up to its usual standard, and he had trouble remembering the lyrics to ‘Unfortunately Anna’.

Despite these glitches, the new songs are wonderful – honest, moving and well developed. ‘Am I that Lonely Tonight’ is perfectly heartbreaking. Even at his worst Justin’s musicianship is phenomenal – his singing seems to get richer every tour, and his aggressive but intricate fingerpicking guitar is able to fill the room without any other instrumental backing.

In the evening, he played a showcase at Stubbs. It was the second time ever that he had played with a full band, he said, and it showed. He seemed out of his element, lacking his usual enthusiasm and bravado. While his performance was unpolished, having to re-start some songs after beginning in the wrong key, the band was in fine form. It included Amanda Shires on fiddle and Paul Neihaus from Calexico on guitar and pedal steel. The full instrumentation worked to support his new soul-inspired songs and to add a new dimension to his older tracks – in particular a high-energy version of ‘Black Eyed Suzy’.

By Sunday morning, the chaos was over. As I made my way over to the Continental for Alejandro Escovedo’s famous 13 hour end-of- SXSW show, the streets of downtown were empty. The calm after the storm. I got a stamp for the show and stayed on South Congress Avenue for a few hours, watching as people ate tacos, drank margaritas and nursed hang-overs. The air was heavy with melancholy relief. The city had weathered a pretty amazing storm and had come out the other side relatively unscathed.
Needless to say, I crashed and went home before Alejandro came on. Lenny Kaye played too. Hopefully I’ll make it next year…

words by Corinna Burford

It would be hard to imagine sensitivity on this issue. Whenever technology gets involved in a certain practice, the hand skilled labourers always get sensitive. It happened with factory workers, artists, know-it-alls and horse carriage drivers, but technology is now saving lives, which can’t be bad. In 2009, New York Methodist Hospital performed their first robot-assisted surgery – and haven’t looked back. They have begun to enlist the aid of these soulless creatures for more applications and to treat more conditions than ever before.

Anthony Tortolani, M.D., chairman of surgery at the NYM, fully supports the use of machines in these procedures. With Richard Lazzaro, M.D., chief of thoracic surgery, the two of them spoke of the increasing benefits of the change.

With the use of robotic surgery, surgeons manage much less pain for the patients, as well as a large decrease in the scarring and the amount of time the patients take to recover from the episodes.

The Da Vinci robotic surgical system is the one to thank. With only a small incision, a 3D image of the area in need of work is taken. Then, a surgical procedure is managed on just the target section, with minimal disruption to the unaffected tissue. At the moment, the robotic surgical system is being used in such specialty areas as thoracic surgery, urology, surgical oncology, gynecology and bariatric surgery.

It seems quite shocking, to hear this has been happening for almost three years. A common reaction is that it might be quite disconcerting that it is no longer a human being slicing and thrashing, carefully aware of the very real potential of pain, and bodily effect possible, but instead the matte, attractively designed limbs of the Da Vinci system are up to the elbows. However, with the use of the robot, the surgeon peers through a magnifying lens, to enlarge the troubled area, the maintenance of the bloodied skin and excess matter obstructing the view is much better taken care of, and on top of this the surgeon operates small futuristic joysticks that control the tools of healing. Another grand step forward in the maintenance of our aching, breaking bodies, until one day, when our torn hearts can finally be solved by a blue orb of light and a humming sound.

Words from Fans of the Da Vinci

Maurice Sendak, praised author of the much adored children’s story, Where the Wild Things Are, passed away yesterday due to complications from a recent stroke. He was 83 years old.

Although Max’s “Wild Rumpus” was his most well-known publication, Sendak penned a number of children’s classics throughout his lifelong career, including In The Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, and most recently, September 2011′s Bumble-Ardy, a picture book which spent five weeks on the New York Times Children’s Best Seller List.

But for those who’ve never come to know it or have simply forgotten its charm in the austerity of adulthood, Where The Wild Things Are spoke for the mischievous child in all of us. Being sent to our rooms as youngsters, we may have taken this book off the shelf to build a world away from the pains of scolding, to imagine a place where we could conquer the affections of terribly-toothed, yellow-eyed beasts, and to eventually, when we were ready, rediscover the love of our parents.

If your story goes anything like mine, Where the Wild Things Are has probably collected a heap of dust in a faraway corner of your home. But I highly suggest that you take a moment to revisit this imaginative tale, to be swept away in the innocent inebriation of youthful rebelliousness, to be scared a little by the gnashing teeth and roaring roars of the “Wild Things.”

Watch the video adaptation below, and if you can, share it with a youngster in your own family. It is the least you can do to honor a man, who with a beautifully simple story, taught children to be adults and reminded adults, if only for a moment, what it was like to be a child.

Words by Jon Mennella

The future is upon us. The prayers of trekkies and males everywhere are in the process of being answered by a Deity of some construct, as ambitious engineers work tirelessly in the heat of the Mojave Desert, California, toward the New Space movement. Members and supporters of the movement believe that the next stage of space exploration will be led independently, or mostly, of the government’s tight grasp on space travel up until now. A new generation of entrepreneurs that will do something great, but it’s hard to think that it will be void of fault or repercussion in some way. However there is no point speculating, especially pessimistically.

About 90 miles north of Los Angeles is the Mojave Desert, with a sign hosting the entry passage to the town describing it as the “Gateway to Space”. As the sight for the launch of the first privately piloted spacecraft, half a dozen similarly focussed groups have clustered in the town. The source of excitement this month is the plan by SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, to send cargo into orbit, no humans as of yet, to the International Space Station. Although it was paid for by NASA, who is trying to keep on the good looks of these voracious go getters, SpaceX’s Dragon Capsule, hitching along with their Falcon 9 rocket, will be the first purely commercial supply ship to make the trip. The launch is scheduled for May 19.

It seems the reality of intergalactic travel, community, residence and most of all exploration is becoming more and more realistic. The groundwork pushed by films such as Star Wars and The Chronicles of Riddick could not be replaced, but the business is not cheap. Two of the main companies focusing on this independent ascension are fronted by billionaires: Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic, and Stratolaunch, wonderfully titled by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Some of the other companies are not as fortunate to be so healthily supplied, such as Masten Space System, based in a workshop from the Mojave WWII days. Masten does fabricate rockets, but its specialty lies in software. They invented the technology for a rocket to be able to vertically launch, hover and land again safely. Made up of merely around 15 employees, Masten engineers continuously fly their reusable rockets and conduct engine tests, several times a week.

It is coming to a time when space travel will have to be looked at as something more than cool. Earth is in dire straits. An article in The Guardian, a British newspaper, warns how if humans continue to use resources at the rate we currently do, Earth will have to be abandoned in 40 years:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/jul/07/research.waste?fb=native&CMP=FBCNETTXT9038

It is a bit reassuring that this is being taken into account. Ideally we would all scold ourselves in the mirror, just one big one, and then we would all give up our automobiles, get over television and eat steaks until we can’t move, but this seems a little implausible. At some point, Earth will have to be moved on from, to some sort of other livable environment. What we’re looking for is proximity to transport, schools, hospital, local shops and restaurants and ideally a park, or garden.

The honest self-motivation of the New Space movement has taken it toward a true positivity, to really creating something good and exciting. We will just wait until the NY Times writes about it for it to get enough exposure to be exploited. However great things are being strived toward. Firestar Technologies’ main product is an alternative fuel for the rockets, which currently use a very toxic substance. The use of the Mojave Desert as well has opened the space and created a community for like minded people to really push the potential of the human race, without hesitation or regulation or sour competition. It is this true positivity, this genuine hope and drive for man that is the backbone holding up the sickly sack of malicious strength that illustrates ambition today. Our problems have not been solved, environmentally, psychologically or prematurely, but maybe one day soon, we’ll have another whole new planet to realise and hide from our mistakes as supposedly intelligent animals.

Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”, one of the world’s most recognisable images, sold Wednesday for a huge $120 million, breaking the record for the sale of an individual piece of art, previously held by Picasso and his “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust”. The auction was held at Sotheby’s auction house in New York City, and purchased by an anonymous spend thrift.

Munch’s “The Scream” is hard not to recognise, it’s been appropriated and recycled countless times, including in the Hollywood horrors by the same name, that used that famously distraught face.

Although Munch is of Norwegian origin, “The Scream” is a staple of the German Expressionist movement, characterised by its anguish and personal trauma depicted in the expression and colours. A poem he wrote describes his inspiration for the piece, this poem was also hand painted onto the frame of the work sold on Wednesday.

“I was walking along a path with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.”

Sorry stuff, however I’m not one to tell people how to spend their money. As the focus of four separate art thefts though, the buyer might be wise not to hang above the mantle.

Grimes Announces 8/9 NYC Show With Wild Nothing At Hudson River Park’s River Rocks Series At Pier 84

Upcoming Tour Dates

06/16 – Make Music Pasadena – Pasadena, CA
07/11 – Ottawa Blues Fest – Ottawa, ON
07/12 – Festival D’Ete – Quebec City, QC
07/14 – Pitchfork Music Fest- Chicago, IL
07/21 – Capitol Hill Block Party – Seattle, WA
08/09 – Hudson River Park’s River Rocks Series on Pier 84 – New York City, NY*

*with Wild Nothing

UK Electronic duo Simian Mobile Disco are unveil the video for “Put Your Hands Together” from their forthcoming album Unpatterns, scheduled to release on May 15.

The track can be found both on Unpatterns and as part of the package for the “Seraphim” single, available here: www.smarturl.it/seraphim.

Simian Mobile Disco will return to North America for DJ dates in support of the album release. See tour routing below.

North American Tour Dates
May 23 Washington, DC – U Hall
May 24 Philadelphia, PA – Snacks @ Voyeur
May 25 New York, NY – Webster Hall
May 26 Montreal, QC – Lamouche
May 28 Quebec City, QC – Le Cercle
May 30 St. John, NB – Tonic Nightclub
May 31 Denver, CO – Cervantes
Jun 01 Los Angeles, CA – Avalon Hollywood
Jun 02 San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine
Jul 12 Pattersonville, NY – Indian Lookout Club
Jul 13 Chicago, IL – The Mid
Jul 14 Mariaville, NY – Camp Bisco

Pre-order Unpatterns here: http://shop.wichita-recordings.com/PreOrder.aspx

Six-piece Danish band Alcoholic Faith Mission is currently in the midst of a North American tour with You Won’t. They are scheduled to play one New York show at Glasslands in Brooklyn tomorrow night (4/27), just in time for the release of their latest album, Ask Me This, on May 1.

Having won several awards, their music videos speak for themselves. Check out “Running With Insanity,” “My Eyes to See,” and “Legacy” below. Once you have done that, mosey on down to one of their upcoming shows. They are sure to be crowd pleasers.

Tour Details:

April 26th – Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia (PA)
April 27th – Glasslands – Brooklyn (NY)
April 28th – TT the Bear – Boston (MA)
May 1st – Casa del Popolo – Montreal (QC)
May 2nd – Drake Hotel – Toronto (ON)
May 3rd – Founders Brewing Co. – Grand Rapids (MI)
May 4th – The Terrace – Madison (WI)
May 5th – Schubas Tavern – Chicago (IL)
May 6th – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis (MN)
May 8th – Hi-Dive – Denver (CO)
May 9th – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City (UT)
May 11th – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland (OR)
May 12th – Comet Tavern – Seattle (WA)
May 14th – Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco (CA)
May 15th – Muddy Waters – Santa Barbara (CA)
May 17th – The Satellite – Los Angeles (CA)
May 18th – Soda Bar – San Diego (CA)
May 19th – Plush – Tucson (AZ)
May 22nd – The Mohawk – Austin (TX)
May 23rd – La Grange – Dallas (TX)