A few weeks ago was the 5 Days Off festival in Amsterdam, an electronic music and art festival. Some friends were playing, so of course I had to check it out.
Thursday night's line-up at Paradiso was the best. Kutmah, Hudson Mohawke and the Gaslamp Killer were supposed to play, along side of some good Dutch names, James Zoo and Krampfhaft. Unfortunately Hudson Mohawke had to cancel last minute, luckily the gap was filled by Lunice.
Kutmah's set was awesome.
The Gaslamp Killer said multiple times that night that Kutmah is his favorite DJ.
Luckily for all of you who weren't there you can find Kutmah's set from 5 Days Off here: CLICK
And then there was the motherfucking Gaslamp Killer. I don't know how it is everywhere else in the world, but here in Amsterdam they love this fucking guy. Luckily he loves Amsterdam too, so we see plenty of him.
Besides the main room my friends from Red Light Radio were broadcasting live from Paradiso's basement which was good as always.
If you wanna get a somewhat more professional view on the night, the guys from Los Bangeles wrote a pretty nice review about it. Check it out here.
I love Thursdays, especially when we get deliveries like we did today. The fine folks at Eskuche sent us over a box of headphones for people around the office. I already use Eskuche headphones when I DJ, they have good style, good design and most importantly they sound good. Thank you Andy, the stuff looks great!
These are nice to DJ with.
Digging on these gold flake ones, they look like they go fast.
Opening Night: Friday March 30th, 6:00-10pm ARISTOCRATS LOS ANGELES
349 e. 2nd st. Los Angeles, CA 90012 Show casing new works by Benjie and Suedehead, 2 Los Angeles based illustrators and graphic designers. Both are heavily involved in the street wear world, where deadlines are constantly shifting and morphing, and errors, slips and miscommunication are all part of the game, making “technical difficulties” the best go to phrase to keep afloat. In addition to new art pieces, a limited edition zine dedicated to the art show will be available with artist sketches and references to give a behind the scenes look of the art show. Opening night will include Complimentary drinks, limited edition product from the artists, and live Djs. BENJIE:
Benjamin Escobar (or just Benjie) is an accomplished commercial artist, better known for his work as Head graphic designer for Los Angeles street wear brand The Hundreds. Taking his work outside the realm of clothing, he has also been exploring the art world with works focusing on fast food and their effects on culture, with an emphasis on pen and ink techniques. SUEDEHEAD:
Jose Lopez’ (working under the name Suedehead) is a graphic designer and illustrator who has worked with many street wear brands including Black Scale, Dearly Departed, Us Versus Them, and many more. His personal works are heavily influenced by vintage cartoons and advertisement styles, with counter culture commentary sprinkled throughout. www.benjaminescobar.com www.suedeheadcreative.com www.aristocratsboutique.com
Ah yeah, ah yeah! Connected sample sale is back for another round and OBEY will have a setup there once again. If you didn't make it to the first one you missed out, it was full of Crazy Gideon type deals. Don't miss out this Saturday in Downtown LA. We're trying to bring even more product than we even had last time. Cash and Credit are accepted.
At the corner of Hope and 9th Street in Downtown Los Angeles.
Well, after catching up on about a week's worth of sleep I feel more human again and less hobo (even though that line was very much blurred in Austin, where the bums looked like Brooklyn hipsters). Anyways, I am back on track and ready to tell you about my SXSW adventures in one of the weirdest cities I have ever been to, Austin, Texas.
We arrived last Tuesday and began our day with coffee and tacos which turned out to become a daily ritual for the week. We did a lot of walking and dancing and saw a ton of good shows, ran into some old friends and made some really cool new ones.
This is our little travel group on day 1 with me on the far right. I have a talent for talking to people while they are taking pictures I am in.
Of course I hung out with CMRTYZ who sold their awesome shirts and threw some wild parties
Pretty sweet eh?
Portals. We ate A LOT of hot dogs.
and also, this. When in Texas...
This is us sitting on the curb outside Spin, thinking about why we weren't cool enough to get into the Fiona Apple show.
One of us got a free tattoo at the Sailor Jerry's trailer with the band members of The Growlers (don't worry Alex, I won't say who)
Dana Dynamite, one of the coolest chick i know. She helped me throw my OBEY artist collab launch party in NY last fall
For a minute we were teleported back to the 80's when our friend showed up with this bumble bee. Yes, that happened.
I also noticed a bit of a shirt an hat trend down there!
I am very excited to announce we will be doing an art show with Jamie Reid, the legendary artist behind the best known graphics of the Sex Pistols. Jamie almost single-handedly shaped the aesthetic of punk rock with his ransom note lettering and iconic graphics for "God Save The Queen", "Pretty Vacant", "Anarchy In The UK", and NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS HERE'S THE SEX PISTOLS. The show will represent work from throughout Jamie’s career. Jamie has been one of my biggest influences and I’m honored that we worked on some collaborative images for the show. The new images deal with the timeless problems of corruption and wealth inequality, but tie into the very current themes of Occupy Wall Street and the dead end of fossil fuel consumption. This show should not be missed.
-Shepard
Ragged Kingdom
Work by Jamie Reid
Opening Reception:
Friday, March 16th, 8PM – 11PM
Exhibition Dates:
March 16 – April 14, 2012
Ye of the Plough, Ye of the Bower, Ye of the Mill and Ye of the Tower, Ye of the Way and Ye of the Tree, Ye of the Stars and Ye of the Sea, Rise Up to the Cry of the Commoners Story Our Ragged Kingdom – a Kingdom of Glory!
SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS is pleased to announce Ragged Kingdom, the first solo exhibition on the West Coast of work by British artist Jamie Reid.
For nearly four decades, the political convictions and visual narratives of Reid have successfully driven the strength of his presence in art, music, performance, politics, and publications. From his collaboration on the Suburban Press (1971-1975) to his iconic album artwork for the Sex Pistols to his poignant support of movements such as Occupy London, the Criminal Justice Bill and the current environmental crisis, Reid is best known for exposing and protesting modern society’s social and cultural injustices.
Ragged Kingdom brings together a variety of material spanning several decades from the 1970s to the present. The exhibition will include original collage work, drawings, paintings, prints, poster editions, and photographs. The selection demonstrates Reid's continued dedication to making a statement through art and the political edge he has maintained throughout.
Previously used symbols such as Boudicca, the Oak Leaf, and Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People are presented in new contexts relating to current issues, whereas recent paintings from the “Eightfold Year" series reflect his later embrace of spirituality and nature. As a result of various parallels in their interests, talents, and inspirations, SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS will also feature a new, collaborative print by Shepard Fairey and Jamie Reid.
Jamie Reid (b. 1947) lives and works in Liverpool, United Kingdom. His work has been exhibited at major institutions such as the Tate Modern, London and MOCA, Los Angeles. He is currently represented by Isis Gallery in London.
Anyone who has ever seen Thee Oh Sees visceral live show can't deny that frontman John Dwyer likes wrapping his lips around the microphone the same way he wraps his lips around Dick's hamburgers anytime he rolls through Seattle (Ask him about it, if you dare deny my claims). Alas, there will be no Dick's in Austin, so John Dwyer is gonna be sucking off that microphone like a champ.
Good To The Last Drop
DON'T EXPECT: A Visit From The APD
Last year's inaugural SiiickXSW brought the heat (and we aren't talking about the weather) to the original location, shutting it down after only one band had played, causing CMRTYZ to scramble for an adequate replacement venue. An hour later, a new backyard location was secured. Though it wasn't met without technical difficulties (too many amps, not enough juice). most of the bands scheduled to play whipped the dirt-laden and body-strewn yard into an urgent mess with Texas, until the fuzz returned to shut down Quintron at the end of the night.
EXPECT: Girl Crushes On The Men of TacocaT and Detective Agency
While men will certainly fawn over these babe-dominated Seattle bands, ladies and gay men will find their little hearts swooning over each band's sole male members (Eric Randall and Nate Kruz, respectively), who are righteously boner-ific themselves.
DON'T EXPECT: Swimming Pool
While a swimming pool was originally in the cards for this year's SiiickXSW, for legal and party-conducive purposes, we've had to take the measure of hiring a fire marshall so the cops don't spoil our fun (see above). Because of that extra cost, we no longer have the funds to rent a swimming pool (unless something magical happens after this blog is posted, which would be cool and unexpected). The silver lining: You can still bring a kiddie pool!
EXPECT: SURPRISE GUESTS
Oh, you thought we'd just announce it right here, didn't ya? SORRY! We can't tell you who else is playing (BECAUSE I DON'T EVEN KNOW), but you can be sure that what Carlos, Ty, and Peter have in store is totally gonna blow your punk-ass out of the water (see above).
DON'T EXPECT: To Know A Single Word Of Any Of Grave Babies Song
Coming from Seattle, I've seen Grave Babies countless times, and talked in-depth with the band about their music (and other things). Yet, aside from the chorus to "Blood," I still can't distinguish a single word through their goo-splattered reverb. Lead member Danny Wahlfedt told me that even he sometimes forgets his lyrics, creating streamline vocal tones through the austral filter that no one would bat a lash to. That's not to dismiss the fact that Grave Babies write some incredibly catchy goth-pop songs that you'll still be humming as you retreat to your cave.
I Hear Voices
EXPECT: Canadians to Party Harder Than You
Any excuse that Canadians have to party, and they will party...hard. This year Canada will be represented by Dead Ghosts, Chains of Love, Ketamines, and last but not least, Manic Attracts, whose only scheduled performance in Austin last year was snuffed by the cops shutting down shop early (see above). These friendly neighbors to the North rage with such unbridled enthusiasm for the experience, it makes everyone else on hipster spring break seem tame by comparison. And if there's a skateboard around, you'll know some shit is seriously gonna go down. Those dudes in Vancouver rip.
DON'T EXPECT: To Recognize Anyone In Bare Wires Aside From Matthew Melton
Despite going through numerous line-up changes, Bare Wires' Matthew Melton has kept his hands tight on the wheel of a trusty, well-oiled glam-scum machine that shows no signs of breaking down. But breaking up, that's what Melton knows how to do best (see song below). Aside from Melton, that band you see in the Bare Wires cover photo or music video could very well not be the band you see live. Last time I saw them, Apache was playing drums. Who will it be this time?!
HEY its TYZ!!!!! CMR, Peter, Travis and I will be keeping you all up to date on the crazy SiiickXSW madness!!!
Right now Peter is in Austin taking care of all the logistics, and CMR and I are still up here in Seattle making TONS of merch and tying up all loose ends b4 we split.... TOMORROW!!!! AHHH I CANT WAIT!!!!!
...oh ya, and, Travis is our buddy from up here in Seattle... he is a witty funny duude...you will enjoy reading HIS posts.. especially if you're a spelling/grammar freak... oh, and if you ARE a spelling/grammar freak, your probz gunna hate reading my posts, IM SORRY...kinda :P
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! SO MUCH TO DO STILL!!! but as you can see....i got EVERYTHING under control!
If you follow the blog you might know that we had the official launch for the Stefan Glerum Limited T-shirt series over here in Amsterdam. We did an OBEY & Stefan Glerum takeover at our good friends at the Concrete image store. Here's a little re-cap.
The beginning of the night with the early birds who didn't want to miss out.
Available at the event only were screen prints of the graphics Stefan made for the limited serie.
Next to the limited serie that is released worldwide we did a special edition Tee just for the occasion. Only available at Concrete. If you are lucky they might have a couple of sizes left.
There weren't too much pictures taken because it got a little hectic and everyone, including the photographer, was enjoying the free beers a little too much.
Here's a nice one though. It's me enjoying myself seeing Stefan trying to hit on a girl. If you look closely you see her lips saying; "Whatever...".
We had to kick this guy out due to inappropriate behavior.
Stefan was very happy.
Thanks to everyone that came out, it was amazing. And of course a big thank you to Concrete. And okay Stefan Glerum.
We teamed up with CMRTYZ, previous OBEY Artist Series collaborators, to sponsor their party in Austin at SXSW this year. Check the extra classy lineup! Make sure to pick up a shirt we did down there too. The fellas will also be guest blogging as the show approaches so stay tuned for that!
CMRTYZ present the SiiickXSW for the second year in a row.
Unnofficial, no RSVPs, no tickets, no passes, no wristbands. CMRTYZ presents SIIICKXSW, 4 days of parties in Austin, TX.
Totally sick party time with a bunch of cheep beer and no bullshit rock n roll punk rock garage and psych bands.
March 14th the HOZAC party at CHEER UP CHARLIES
March 15th the warehouse pool party with CASTLEFACE
March 16th is our big fun, two stages at CHEER UP CHARLIES
March 17th we’re throwin’ our DRAYAAG PARTY with BURGER RECORDS at the IRON BEAR
American Sharks // Sam Flax // Royal Baths // Heavy Times // Las Adrillas // dead ghosts // Habibi // grave babies // chains of love // detective agency // Magnetix // Coasting // blasted canyons // oh sees // bare wires // Gardens // k-holes // the mallard // x-ray eyeballs //guantanamo baywatch // Spiked Punch // My Goodness // Mannequin Men // Mujeres // Pharmacy // Ziskis // Vomettes // Pangea // Audacity // Blue Jungle // Chapter 24 // Carletta sue //Vockah redu // These Are Words // Football // Tropical Punk // Sweet Tooth // Shark Toys // The Band in Heaven // The Ketamines // G. Green // Fungi Girls // Night beats // Bosca Delray // Far Out Fangtooth // White Fence // TacocaT // King Tuff // Slow Dance // Teens
O, CANADA!
