Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Christopher Lee announces "symphonic metal" album
87-year-old British actor Sir Christopher Lee, perhaps best known for his uncanny performances as Count Dracula in numerous films throughout the '50s and '60s (he also played Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy; my favorite Lee movies include The Wicker Man and Devil Rides Out), has announced a new chapter in his career: METAL.
Monday, January 11, 2010
TWO GREAT LEXINGTON ART SHOWS at week's end
WE WILL SOMEDAY SOMEDAY WE WILL
Institute 193 - 193 N. Limestone
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 14 ~ 6-9 pm
Featuring a performance by Holler Poets founder Eric Sutherland at 7:30 pm
Exhibit runs through February 20
The first solo exhibition in more than a decade from Bruce Burris ~ multi-media artist/founder & coordinator of ELandFGallery Small Projects Accelerator/ co-founder of Latitude Artist Community/ all-around invaluable asset to the Lexington community & art scene.
"This amalgam of new work includes sculpture, drawing, painting and installation dealing with the subjects of mountaintop removal, rural-Southern community dynamics and the tremendous importance of activism in function of these movements. These issues have traditionally been treated as geographically specific concerns but are increasingly viewed as essential aspects of the larger 'green movement.'
Burris, a native of Delaware, is working with this material as an interested observer, employing an established aesthetic to further these broadening conversations visually and intellectually. Burris’ visual material is structured as scaffolding supported by language and carries an immense potential for both action and interaction."
-Philip March Jones, Creative Director, Institute 193
--------------------
Burris, a native of Delaware, is working with this material as an interested observer, employing an established aesthetic to further these broadening conversations visually and intellectually. Burris’ visual material is structured as scaffolding supported by language and carries an immense potential for both action and interaction."
-Philip March Jones, Creative Director, Institute 193
--------------------
Jacob Isenhour’s Living in Grandmom’s Basement
Friday, 15 January 2010: Gallery Closing Party
7pm - 11pm
"Land of Tomorrow Gallery presents LIVING IN GRANDMOM’S BASEMENT, an installation exhibit by Lexington artist Jacob Isenhour that presents the found objects of the artists' grandmother's basement in conjunction with a painterly eye for the aesthetic potential of everyday space. Isenhour works to define the gallery, conceptually and otherwise, in relation to the tension between the lines of an unfinished holding area and a space where art is created and displayed. The artist describes the show as “…visually pleasing contemporary art for the layman,” and his exhibit will be showing in conjunction with Jaye Rhee's video installation work."
Sunday, January 10, 2010
upcoming Show Preview
I finally updated my Upcoming Shows Page ~ spring show announcements are starting to trickle in from around the area...please post any that I've missed in the comment section or e-mail kyblueline@gmail.com.
Among the particulars I'm looking forward to in the area:
Among the particulars I'm looking forward to in the area:
- The NEC with Jovantaes at Al's Bar - Saturday January 30. Seriously awesome garage psych.
- Mountains; Tape at Al's Bar on Thursday, February 4. Minimal acoustic ambience from New York (Mountains) and Sweden (Tape). Really gorgeous stuff (I am especially partial to Tape) - give it a listen.
- RJD2 at The Southgate House (Sat., Feb 6) and Headliner's (Sun.,Feb 7). Nasty DJ beats. His performance at the Dame a few years back was quite a memorable evening.
- Kurt Vile at Southgate House on Monday, February 15. One of the best lo-fi songwriters I've seen. His album Childish Prodigy definitely made the 2009's Year's Best List I never published. Maybe I'll do that before 2010 passes me by. (Note: Vile has rather strangely paired with experimental/hardcore group Fucked Up, who released an 18-minute song a few years back that I loved called Year of the Pig, on this tour; it appears Fucked Up is headlining so be sure to get there early!)
- Hair Police and Cold Cave at Al's Bar on February 28. Enough said.
- Awesome Color with Tyvek at Al's Bar, Wednesday, March 24. Lo-fi noise-punk with a psychedelic edge.
- Mission of Burma at Southgate House on Wednesday, April 7. Art punk of the highest caliber.
- The Black Lips at Headliner's on Thursday, April 8. Atlanta flower-punk . They might be assholes in real life but they put on a badass live show.
- Acid Mother's Temple at Cosmic Charlie's on Wednesday, April 16. Japanese psychedelic/noise freak-fest.
Monday, January 4, 2010
R.I.P. Vic Chesnutt (a bit late)
Vid Chesnutt, 1964-2009
Vic Chesnutt performs "Coward" at the Southgate House in November, with instrumentation by Guy Picciatto and members of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Tra-la-la Memorial Band (or whatever they recently elongated their name into).
Not the greatest video, but the audio is pretty decent.
Soooo, I just found out Vic Chesnutt died on Christmas Day, from an apparent suicidal overdose. (I know I'm a bit slow to the punch here. Seriously, have not looked at the computer since before Christmas.) In addition to bumming me out considerably, this news, rather morosely, makes his appearance at the Southgate House this past November my "kick yourself in the arse for not going" show of 2009. (Did anyone go to this show?? Pictures/review?? I think I found out about it 2 days in advance...)
I admit my knowledge of Chesnutt, described by one writer for tinymixtapes as the "dark horse of southern gothic dark horses," is extremely finite and young. After a rather prolific career that spanned over two decades, he just appeared on my radar last year, after I discovered that he was a) involved with Dark Night of the Soul, the bizarre David Lynch/Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse collab that never quite panned out, and b) that out he was playing with Guy Picciatto of Fugazi and members of Thee Silver Mt. Zion and Godspeed You! Black Emperor on his '09 tour.
After researching, I quickly realized that I had missed some kind of boat; this guy should have been on my radar earlier. He's recorded more than 15 albums since 1990, a couple of which Michael Stipe produced, two of which he enlisted the help of Picciatto and members of Mt. Zion/Godspeed (2007's North Star Deserter and 2009's At The Cut). Hell, he even played with Widespread Panic on a couple of albums, approximately around the same time I was dabbling in the jam band experience myself.
Chesnutt told The A.V. Club last year that his most recent album, At The Cut, often plays like a eulogy. "I'm in love with death in many ways...but I'm not ready to kill myself yet," he said.
In a wheelchair since a car accident at age 18 left him paralyzed from the waist down, Chesnutt was reportedly in tens of thousands of dollars of health care debt. The following quote was posted on R.E.M.'s website, from friend, filmmaker and family spokesman Jem Cohen, with whom Chesnutt had collaborated on a number of projects, including the 2008 art-film Evening's Civil Twilight in Empires of Tin:
The most important story to report now is not Vic’s death but a life and work overflowing with insight, humor, and yes, resilience. This, after all, was the man who wrote: “I thought I had a calling, anyway, I just kept dialing.” Sixteen extraordinary albums, five in the last couple of years; countless live shows so powerful and sublime they deeply altered the lives of those on the stage with Vic and those looking up, yes up, at him. The second most important story here has to do with a broken health care system depriving so many of the help they need to stay around and stay sane, and a society that never balks at providing more money for more wars but fights tooth and nail against decent care for its citizens. Vic’s death, just so you all know, did not come at the end of some cliché downward spiral. He was battling deep depression but also at the peak of his powers, and with the help of friends and family he was in the middle of a desperate search for help. The system failed to provide it. I miss him terribly.
Chesnutt will likely be my "first artist whose catalogue to delve backwards into" of the year. Which might take my bracing myself, as his songs, perhaps not surprisingly, are almost equally (and unbearably) raw, sad and gorgeous.
"I flirted with you all my life
Even kissed you once or twice
And to this day I swear it was nice
But clearly I was not ready...
Oh death...really, I'm not ready..."
-Vic Chesnutt, lyrics from his ballad to death, "I flirted with you all my life"
Rest in peace, Vic Chesnutt. My heart goes out to you, your friends, family, and everyone else you touched during your too-brief stay on Earth.
Vic Chesnutt's avant garde (presumably self-penned) bio
December '09 Fresh Air interview featuring Chesnutt and Picciatto
Vic Chesnutt performs "Coward" at the Southgate House in November, with instrumentation by Guy Picciatto and members of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Tra-la-la Memorial Band (or whatever they recently elongated their name into).
Not the greatest video, but the audio is pretty decent.
Soooo, I just found out Vic Chesnutt died on Christmas Day, from an apparent suicidal overdose. (I know I'm a bit slow to the punch here. Seriously, have not looked at the computer since before Christmas.) In addition to bumming me out considerably, this news, rather morosely, makes his appearance at the Southgate House this past November my "kick yourself in the arse for not going" show of 2009. (Did anyone go to this show?? Pictures/review?? I think I found out about it 2 days in advance...)
I admit my knowledge of Chesnutt, described by one writer for tinymixtapes as the "dark horse of southern gothic dark horses," is extremely finite and young. After a rather prolific career that spanned over two decades, he just appeared on my radar last year, after I discovered that he was a) involved with Dark Night of the Soul, the bizarre David Lynch/Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse collab that never quite panned out, and b) that out he was playing with Guy Picciatto of Fugazi and members of Thee Silver Mt. Zion and Godspeed You! Black Emperor on his '09 tour.
After researching, I quickly realized that I had missed some kind of boat; this guy should have been on my radar earlier. He's recorded more than 15 albums since 1990, a couple of which Michael Stipe produced, two of which he enlisted the help of Picciatto and members of Mt. Zion/Godspeed (2007's North Star Deserter and 2009's At The Cut). Hell, he even played with Widespread Panic on a couple of albums, approximately around the same time I was dabbling in the jam band experience myself.
Chesnutt told The A.V. Club last year that his most recent album, At The Cut, often plays like a eulogy. "I'm in love with death in many ways...but I'm not ready to kill myself yet," he said.
In a wheelchair since a car accident at age 18 left him paralyzed from the waist down, Chesnutt was reportedly in tens of thousands of dollars of health care debt. The following quote was posted on R.E.M.'s website, from friend, filmmaker and family spokesman Jem Cohen, with whom Chesnutt had collaborated on a number of projects, including the 2008 art-film Evening's Civil Twilight in Empires of Tin:
The most important story to report now is not Vic’s death but a life and work overflowing with insight, humor, and yes, resilience. This, after all, was the man who wrote: “I thought I had a calling, anyway, I just kept dialing.” Sixteen extraordinary albums, five in the last couple of years; countless live shows so powerful and sublime they deeply altered the lives of those on the stage with Vic and those looking up, yes up, at him. The second most important story here has to do with a broken health care system depriving so many of the help they need to stay around and stay sane, and a society that never balks at providing more money for more wars but fights tooth and nail against decent care for its citizens. Vic’s death, just so you all know, did not come at the end of some cliché downward spiral. He was battling deep depression but also at the peak of his powers, and with the help of friends and family he was in the middle of a desperate search for help. The system failed to provide it. I miss him terribly.
* * *
Chesnutt will likely be my "first artist whose catalogue to delve backwards into" of the year. Which might take my bracing myself, as his songs, perhaps not surprisingly, are almost equally (and unbearably) raw, sad and gorgeous.
"I flirted with you all my life
Even kissed you once or twice
And to this day I swear it was nice
But clearly I was not ready...
Oh death...really, I'm not ready..."
-Vic Chesnutt, lyrics from his ballad to death, "I flirted with you all my life"
Rest in peace, Vic Chesnutt. My heart goes out to you, your friends, family, and everyone else you touched during your too-brief stay on Earth.
Vic Chesnutt's avant garde (presumably self-penned) bio
December '09 Fresh Air interview featuring Chesnutt and Picciatto
I'm back from my unnanounced vacay
Hey friends....
First, apologies for my extended absence and my sub-par bloggerness- I managed to basically avoid computer screens altogether for the past two weeks, in lieu of catching up on QT with friends, family, dog, couch, food, libations, actual physical books (!), etc. I must admit, it was a lovely and rejuvenating time. Back to the grind, though.
I'd like to direct your attention to a couple of worthy efforts from fellow Lexingtonians :
Richie Wireman has posted his beautiful and dreamlike Boomslang photos in a Flickr album. As expected, he got some really fantastic images, some of the best I've seen. Check them out here.
James Friley has been picking up some of my slack in listing upcoming gigs in Lexington on his Giglist blog. Check it, regularly. While you're at it, check out Cross and ATTEMPT at the Green Lantern Wednesday.
2010, y'all. Let's do this.
First, apologies for my extended absence and my sub-par bloggerness- I managed to basically avoid computer screens altogether for the past two weeks, in lieu of catching up on QT with friends, family, dog, couch, food, libations, actual physical books (!), etc. I must admit, it was a lovely and rejuvenating time. Back to the grind, though.
I'd like to direct your attention to a couple of worthy efforts from fellow Lexingtonians :
Richie Wireman has posted his beautiful and dreamlike Boomslang photos in a Flickr album. As expected, he got some really fantastic images, some of the best I've seen. Check them out here.
James Friley has been picking up some of my slack in listing upcoming gigs in Lexington on his Giglist blog. Check it, regularly. While you're at it, check out Cross and ATTEMPT at the Green Lantern Wednesday.
2010, y'all. Let's do this.
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