Kid Franti

People are more similar than they are different, I swear. In talking with my mom in her kitchen, I heard Michael Franti & Spearhead's "Never too late for love" for the first time...and I initially thought it was a Kid Cudi track. Call it what you will, but something about Spearhead's construction of the song combined with Franti's intonation and flow got me for the Kid.

-eL

RIP Keith Elam aka Guru

Amidst a backdrop of jealousy, loyalty, betrayal, and gossip one of the great pioneers of hip-hop passed into the next journey on April 19th. Keith Elam aka Guru aka Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal and DJ Premier made the music duo Gangstarr; they blessed the industry, and more importantly the culture, of rap music with groundbreaking music that pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop starting in '93 with Jazzmatazz. Guru's music and influence will live on, but the he will be missed. Rest in peace.

-eL

The Hussle.

Nipsey Hussle is doing his thing in classic LA fashion. The Hussle is an ill collaboration with Cookin' Soul, who put together the OJAYZIS: Jay-Z vs Oasis mixtape in 2008.

-eL

Beautiful Losers

Photo by Alex Greenburg

There's nothing new under the sun, it's not what you do, but how it's done.

I recently watched Beautiful Losers, a documentary recommended to me by a friend and teammate, Greenburg, and now recommended by me too. The documentary details the story of artists like Shepard Fairey, Mark Gonzales, Spike Jonze, Margaret Kilgallen, Mike Mills, Barry McGee, Phil Frost, Chris Johanson, Harmony Korine, and Ed Templeton. More often than not, the manifestations of cultural accomplishments have been the result of a few like-minded people coming together to create something new and original for no other purpose than a common love of doing it. Usually starting as a sub-culture. I see a lot of similarities in the way that Greenburg and the rest of the people at The Sub in San Francisco operate. The Sub is a cooperative studio based out of the Mission in San Francisco @ 199 Capp Street. They display art, host events, throw parties, and use their space as a working studio. The resident artists are Johnny Hwin, Nick Lane-Sebastian, Sebastian Parker, and Alex Greenburg. Above is a photograph by Greenburg. His work is always on display at The SUB in the form of 35mm film slide-shows, which are available by appointment. He can also be hired for commercial photography. I suggest checkin' out his statement on his website, and his Red series in the slideshow, it's like Picasso photography.

WebbieG

LittleMoon

One of my favorite aspects of Albany is the sheer number of small businesses that occupy the city. They range from boutiques to bodegas and usually end up embodying the personality of their owners. The walls of Tashi Palden's shop, LittleMoon, are bright yellow and covered with art he's produced (the two images above are his creations) and imported from his homeland of Tibet. His shop also has a modest, but strong, book collection and a meditation center in the back. In close proximity to bars, a gas station and a laundromat, you don't stumble upon the shop so much as you are drawn into it by its bright and welcoming presence.

Tashi has views about knowledge, understanding, and the difference between the two, that would invoke finger snaps if recited at a poetry slam. The influence of Tibet and Buddhism are evident in his product and he's mindful about how his views are expressed in his art. In addition to producing art Tashi teaches language and meditation, providing the community with a positive cultural resource that does not go unnoticed in Albany--he's been holding down the corner of Madison & Lark for the past ten years. The fact that a business like this survived two terms of Bush plus the Great Recession is a testament to Tashi's work and work ethic. If you're ever in Albany check out LittleMoon at 467 Madison Ave.

eL

Willard Square, South Portland, ME

Where we're from, where we've been, and where we're at are often topics of interest. In this first post of many on where I'm from, imma show you about up where out-of-staters vacation, and residents live life the way it should be. Willard Square, South Portland, Maine is home to myself, many talented artists who should be featured soon, and where Dynamo-P and Moldy started doing their thing. Check out the website for the record label Heavy Pressure, run by Moldy, and his myspace. Also, be sure to visit Dynamo-P's myspace, and download his newest project Re:Done with mastering and an exclusive track by Moldy. Link after the album artwork.

Download: Dynamo-P - Re:Done

And while we're on ME, I heard the single "I'm Awesome" by Wells, ME artist SPOSE on 96.3 FM in Albany. Maine's making moves. Check out his myspace HERE.

-WebbieG

The Art of Business

"Business art is the step that comes after Art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want to finish as a business artist. After I did the thing called “art” or whatever it’s called, I went into business art. I wanted to be an Art Businessman or a Business Artist. Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. During the hippie era people put down the idea of business—they’d say, “Money is bad,” and “Working is bad,” but making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art."

-Andy Warhol

(Suggested viewing: American Masters: Andy Warhol)

-WebbieG

Mr.Rockefeller. Having Fun?

New York is synonymous with New York City and for good reason: the rest of the Empire State doesn't have much on the city. It's composed of straight farmland, orchards, and small cities whose souls left with the industrial revolution. But NYC isn't the capital and therefore falls somewhere other than the top of the state totem poll. Enter Albany, my place of residence and current home of TwentyTwelve Art. It's small and offers little in terms of a skyline, but we do have this masterpiece of concrete and marble: Empire Plaza. It's the architectural epitomey of empire. Not only did it displace 9,000 residents when it was built but it resembles a block where you'd expect to find Lord Vader and Newt Gingrich posted up. Word is it was also built to act as a fortress against rioting citizens during the Civil Rights Era--construction started in '65. I'm sure Rockefeller was disappointed to never see his edifice complex used in full force, but his legacy endures in the mindset of the people who occupy his offices. We're still here, still struggling, still soulful. Some things don't change.

The chance is this might never catch on

I spent a good amount of time thinking of some witty way of starting this whole thing off. A manifesto of the creative class? A tirade about what's been lost in our culture? And while I'm trippin' on our potential come up, I stumble across this picture of a night in the California foothills with the crew. Nothing even moderately crazy went down, probably a night I would not have been able to recall were it not for this picture. But seeing it made me remember that this whole thing began with a few friends in a place where we could create, share and showcase freely. That's what TwentyTwelve Art will showcase so long as we exist. To quote Grouch: "The chance is this shit might never catch on/But my friends like my songs and I like my songs/Life-long endeavors for the pleasure."