Asiana - HL7143

q- why the fuck did i buy this?!

a- because i walked by it nearly once a day for the past like 5 yrs, impulse, the same reason why the jazz panther and i offered $100.00 (usd) for a t-shirt in the window of talbots promoting a clearance sale, curiosity (why has this been displayed in the window of a women's clothing shoppe for ages?), it was cheap, some deep rooted chungking express sentimentality...

idk, but it's an airplane, maybe i can do something taser w/ it.

*grabbed this during the opening of sundays best (echo park)'s pop-up. ah, shop up.

burst up!...Piñata. a fine gallery in echo park.

about: Piñata is a project/retail space, cultivating the collaboration of arts, fashion, media and design through limited-run releases, exhibits and events. 

about (via me): Piñata is absolutely terrific. it held it's first opening the very same day i moved in to my new place, which is rather across the street. that initial exhibit featured a familiar entity...hassla books. thrilled. yes. there. i found an intimate space attractively lined with original works by a few favorites and some new now favorites (including an amazing piece by andrea longacre-white, which i still can't cross off my "must have" list).

after a tasered up performance by brendan fowler a few weeks later (rad), Piñata opened it's new show: University. by Seth Kinmont. the ol' 2 show test is complete, and this is officially taser factory. mr. Kinmont's work is a smart and great follow-up that proves Piñata knows how to shift gears in a forward style.


happy. quite. check it out. online. or stop by.
http://www.pinata-la.com/

Bimbo on Sunset Blvd...

hmmm...if it weren't for the fact that i came across this truck so early in the morning, i probably wouldn't have taken the photo.


but i did. not the most taser factory shot, especially considering this is the first post in a while...but at least i resisted the urge to post the photo to facebook and tag a bunch of "friends" in it (carmageddon has brought out my benevolent side).

as i was downloading the photo from my camera, i realized that i didn't have a clue as to the origin of the word bimbo. 
naturally i went straight to wikipedia and found that the history of bimbo holds a few more fucked up facets than i had imagined...
see for yrself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimbo


of course, this post could just be an excuse to tag carmageddon.

david yow "SOLO" exhibition...closing reception.

recently, i have been impressed, again and again, by the quality of physical/visual artwork presented by folks who have built their notoriety (...and fame? fortune?) through other creative means (i.e.: acting, sound-making, etc.)...

what david yow has brought to the table is absolutely no exception...
{a bit of background>>>extremely energetic frontman for: scratch acid/jesus lizard/qui.}

in august, he opened his first solo exhibition, aptly titled "SOLO", here in los angeles, at echo park's DIY Gallery. it's a collection of visual work cut from a blend of the stuff that many will somehow interpret from his recorded styles and a deeper cutting into a very self contained, internal store...a things-i've-seen / how-i-saw-them type of view.
after digging a bit more, i found that i should've expected this. yow was a hangnail away from a BFA before punk rock hijacked the plane (yes, it is 9/11 weekend). i did recall some poster art here and there, and maybe an album cover or 2...but as a side note, yow has held it down for years doing photo retouching, a skill which pours through in parts of this set.
several pieces here contain subtle digital droplets, and with close (and prompted, for me) examination, the truth is right there in plain view. skin tones may prove to be actual skin tones, fly wings may be actual fly wings, and that other thing was definitely made out of image sections of a wasp, etc.

this is a fucking taser factory collection of solid fulfilling visual work...straight up...paintings...digital works...collaged out action...hanging on walls, and worth a view of your own. however, don't waste any time cuz the exhibition closes this weekend: SATURDAY. SEPT. 11TH!!!

here's some short details:

DIY GAllery
DAVID YOW "SOLO"

1549 West Sunset Boulevard 90026

Los Angeles, CA

Closing Reception September 11 2010
Doors Open @ 7:00 pm...
and long
...
David Yow "SOLO" The works created for this show are rooted in Yow’s personal and psychological history, and feature a broad spectrum of mediums. From acrylic, pencil, charcoal, crayon, hair, bugs, collage, and tar on wood, to line drawings digitally combined with photographic textures, Yow reveals an uncommon artistic perspective.

Alongside the exhibition, drinks will be served on the back patio, Musical performances by Instant Pussy and Stepfather !!

In addition to original works for sale, DIY is offering signed prints of Yow’s poster for an August 2010 Queens of the Stone Age / Eagles of Death Metal fundraising concert for bassist Brian O’Connor, who has cancer. All proceeds from poster sales will go directly to Brian’s medical fund.

not ugly - inner beauty pageant

j-e-remy of d-e-vil with the "background suicide" EP.

not ugly, an extremely multi-faceted inner beauty pageant/talent show/installation/etc., kicked off with it's opening reception last saturday (july 3rd) at DIY GAllery here in wonderful little los angeles. there was plenty of totally taser factory art, performances, and other fun by aliens of the devil, stepfather, the steffens too, collin manning, eddie pepitone, gregg lopez, and others, all curated by the lovely danielle collins.

devon steffens with photos.j. s-h-elley of d-e-vil with 2 fanged up cats.

though the opening is in the bag, the show is still rolling throughout the month of july (during the gallery's open hours), and comes to a spectacular close on saturday july 31st with the second installment of art action pageantry!

aliens of the devil, the new non-audio thrash/dub band from (knee shy), is thrilled as a clam to be a part of the whole goddamn thing! one offering we have conjured up is our new limited edition EP: “Background Suicide”, which features visual remixes of 4 rad songs by 4 killer bands with the word “suicide” in their name (you can probably guess at least one).

if you missed it the first time around, stop by the gallery when they're open, or make a note to check out round 2 on the 31st! there will be more performances, including the aliens of the devil infomercial!

good epic times....

devon steffens with elbow x-ray.

FROM NOT UGLY::: NOT UGLY Inner Beauty Pageant @ DIY GAllery 1549 West Sunset Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90026 • 213.977.9602 NOT UGLY Inner Beauty Pageant is an exhibit of literary and artistic works published from within our Athenaeum. This first in a series, celebrates those who might go unnoticed due to their natural breast size or their ability to spell potato. We spotlight the splendor of the truth, the strange and the marvelous with staged and framed works that document the high road taken by each of the multi-sexy contestant chosen to compete for The Audience Award and purse of $500. Make your vote count for Keith Niles, Eddie Pepitone, Gregg Lopez, Kate and Devon are The Steffens Too, and Aliens of the Devil stars Jeremy Kennedy & Shelly Harrison. Additional works and support from artists Colin Manning, Terril Lewis, Ben Phen, Peter Soby Jr., STEPFATHER'S Ian Jay, Josh Achziger, Gabriel Mounsey, Danielle Collins and from our host Roger Steffens. Each person that steps into the gallery will receive a Voting Ballot and a Program that describes the Talent and the Art Auction.

Tickets are $10, come with a cocktail and are good for the Talent Show on July 3 and the Talent Show on July 31st. Entrance is $0 from 7-9p. Space is limited. You can reserve tickets in advance at: brownpapertickets.com/event/117511

July 3 • Vote, Art Auction @ 7p with a Talent Show part1 at 10p
July 31 • Vote, Art Auction @ 7p with a Talent Show part2 at 10p
DIY GAllery is open to Vote or Bid on Art Auction Tue-Sat 12pm-6pm
The winner of the Pageant and Art Auction is announced at midnight July 31.

See you there and thank you for supporting art in America.

"the sound of wall" by:(knee shy)

“the sound of wall”
installation + installation specific sound performance
by: (knee shy)
@ origami vinyl (1816 w sunset blvd / echo park)
Friday, February 5th
7-11pm

(knee shy) is a fun-loving art duo, and recent addition to the bulging rolodex of the Los Angeles art community. With their upcoming installation piece, “the sound of wall”, they plan to display their penchant for inclusive playfulness, as well as their love of the strange and beautiful.

The piece itself is essentially a large wall mounted string instrument to which most standard technical titles both do and do not apply. The 7 section unit contains in total 111 strings, some strung properly and others prepared with a variety of objects. The object is amplified both electrically and naturally, and fills the roll of several traditional instrument variants.

Guests are welcome to interact with the piece. For the opening of the installation, (knee shy) will also perform a sound piece composed specifically for the piece in it’s current tuning. It’s sure to be full of 4 handed plucking, bowing, string piano, and other extended technique action.

The opening event for the piece is set for Friday February 5th. Along with the scheduled performance, sounds will be spun by: Lone Horn (aaron from the Horns of Happiness) and the Origami Vinyl crew. “the sound of wall” will be on exhibition and playable at Origami Vinyl from February 5th until April 5th, during normal store hours.

the sound of wall (1)

yesterday marked the beginning of actual physical work on "the sound of wall", an upcoming installation piece by (knee shy). the piece itself is a large multi-unit, wall mounted, 111 stringed electric/acoustic instrument. the first step was to acquire piano (which showed up early thursday evening). step 2 was to destroy the piano with a myriad of saws, hammers, and other destructive implements. this was super fucking fun and sounded great! we captured the death notes on a recorder, and will be doing something with that later. step 3: salvage the needed materials from the wreckage, and step 4 starts today, which is to start building "the sound of wall". here are a few photos the remains, which now fill the apartment.

strings

keys

piano stuffings

fucking up the piano was great, and on top of that, we are able to supply parts for at least 2 physical art pieces ("the sound of wall" & a tribute piece to jazz pianist Hampton Hawes) + the recording. we have to get another one sometime, and go even further. "the sound of wall" is set to open fri. february 5th @ Origami Vinyl in echo park... we have work to do.