There’s something to be said about a woman who can sing the blues. Sass, sadness, and a dash of sultriness are all needed to get the message across, but few can illicit gut-wrenching beauty with their lyrics and stage presence. Like Sharon Jones says, “You gotta be genuine!” and no one knows that more than indie soul-blues two piece She Keeps Bees. It’s hard to deny SKB’s power when you see them perform live, as Jessica Larrabee and Andy LaPlant complement each other in style and presence. With a sense of humor, grace, and charm, the duo can shut a rowdy audience up with one note - and the next minute have them giggling at Larrabee’s self-deprecating riffs. Named one of L Magazine’s Eight Bands You Need To Hear, there’s no telling how far these curb-kickin’ kids will go!

Watching the Youtube video of Mos Def’s frustrated reaction to the absence of mainstream media coverage of the Jena 6 rally last September, I was thinking about the effectiveness of this relatively new media in getting the message out there. With its egalitarian, easy-access technology, Youtube is slowly revolutionizing the ways visual information is distributed, and people are beginning to use it effectively as a political tool. A case in point, the Jena rally clearly demonstrated just how closely the success of grassroots activism is intertwined with the support of the media. To have a voice means that you have to find a way to be heard - or nobody will listen.

To find out more about getting your voice out there, go check out the Fifth Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference at Hunter College CUNY, hosted by the NYC Grassroots Media Coalition (NYCGMC). The conference theme – Speaking Truth to Power: MEDIA JUSTICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES – invites media makers and community organizers to discuss the idea of “Media Justice”, and to explore ways to implement it. Media justice activists will address a range of related issues, including under-representation, lack of access, racial bias, the connections between media justice and visual literacy, and the role of the arts, and complimentary strategies for making change on the streets of NYC. To register and find out more, click here.

Sunday March 2nd, 2008 9am–6pm
Hunter College, North Building, 68th Street and Lexington Ave. (Enter from street or directly from 6 train.)

If you miss the panels, you could still catch participants to network and build at the AFTER PARTY.

Mo’s Caribbean Bar and Grill
1454 2nd Ave. at 76th St.
6pm (1⁄2 off drinks after 7pm)

It wasn’t too long ago that it was wholly uncool to be Black and on top of a skateboard. Resistance came in the form of everything: from being teased to the point where you couldn’t even bare to look at your deck, to getting your ass beaten by haters, and having your board smashed into a million pieces. Yet, thanks to the renaissance of the sport, its increasingly global nature, and the imagery put forth by semi-mainstream “skate-hop” rappers like Lupe Fiasco and The Pack, it’s now perfectly fine to throw down some heelflips in the ‘hood. Word.

Of course, as with any revolution, history most readily records the travails of those at the fore of the fight. Sure, the aforementioned factors have played a part in the change, but someone had to get out there and win some damn respect, yeah. This month, Montreal online lifestyle magazine What’s Really Good? aims to celebrate those Black skateboarders who pounded the pipes, parks, ramps and pavement to help change the dynamic of the sport and open doors for generations of skaters to come. Launched in collaboration with Montreal’s Series Skateboards, WRG?’s “Black History Month Project” involves education (a crossword featured on the site in which Black skate heroes serve as the puzzle’s answers) and goodies (packages including one of a limited run of 100 Series x WRG? skateboards/a limited edition Sharpie/a poster, one of which could be yours after you complete the puzzle).

Referencing old guard thrashers such as Ray Barbee, the late, great Harold Hunter and Kareem Campbell, the puzzle throws in a few new schoolers for good measure. And sure, Illadelph street wizard Stevie Williams had to endure being disrespected on the reg, and even being called a “trashy nigger”. But after getting his weight up (not his hate up), the “dirty ghetto kid” is a shining example of how far Blacks in skateboarding have come (i.e. spots in video games, a deal with Reebok and his own skateshop). WRG? founder Leslie Woods offers, “I hope that this project encourages everyone to learn more about black history and skateboarding. Black history is not only a black thing. It’s important for people to know, understand and discuss all cultures. It’s discussion and learning that will lead to acceptance and the end of racism”. Respeck.

And to wrap up the month, the deck in question will be featured alongside a collection of photos, paintings, multimedia and installations centered around skateboarding and black history. Featuring contributors from both the MTL and the international scene, it’s going down at Tokyo Night Club on February 28th. Do it to it, do it to it.

All the info can be found here. The puzzle is here, and you’re welcome for the pseudo-hints on the crossword tip, p.s.

As children we often let our imagination roam free, to the limits of what is accepted by adults. Everything exists, if not only for a minute - Chupacabra, Vampires, The Loch Ness Monster, The Boogeyman, Bigfoot, Aliens, Werewolves - the list goes on and on. So what changes from the time we’re kids to the time we reach adulthood? Why does our imagination suddenly turn off? All the creatures of our nightmares suddenly no longer exist, and instead our nightmares are replaced with uneasy images of unpaid bills, unwanted pregnancies and psycho killers. I admit, that is still some pretty scary stuff, but it just doesn’t stand up to the thought of a giant underwater creature waiting for the perfect opportunity to crash humanity’s party.

Thankfully the monsters have once again reared their ugly heads, in film and in reality. With Korea’s 2006 The Host, and more recently the phenomenon known as Cloverfield, it’s safe to say that we’re once again willing to let our imagination roam free, knocking down buildings and decapitating the Statue of Liberty along the way. But what if these monsters that have been relegated to fantasy all of a sudden became real? In Wes Anderson’s 2004 film The Life Aquatic, the cast is in search of a giant leopard patterned shark that killed Steve Zisso’s (played by Bill Murray) best friend. The search ends, when after surviving a handful of disasters, they finally see the mythical creature, and it’s huge. It’s only a movie though right? And mythical creatures, that are constantly denied existence, can’t all of a sudden really appear… can they? Oh, they can - and they have:

“This six-gill shark (Hexanchus) was filmed during a submersible dive off the northeast coast of Molokai at a depth of 1000m (3280ft). The 2 red laser dots are 6 inches apart, resulting in a length of about 18 ft for the shark.Great ecstatic live commentary by University of Hawaii Oceanography Professor Jeff Drazen! Many thanks to Dr. Craig Smith (University of Hawaii) and Dr. Eric Vetter for permitting release of this footage which was obtained as part of their research data set.”

Although footage of this creature is very rare, there has been documentation off the coast of Japan as well. It’s sad but true, we know less about our own oceans than we do about outer space. This shit is legit, and begs us to ask the question: what else is out there?

Doing research and collecting shots for an upcoming TRACE feature, photographer Lauren Silberman and I traveled from Harlem down through Manhattan and into Brooklyn to talk to voters during New York’s primary contribution to “Super Tuesday.” We ran into some amazing people from not just all over the city, but from all over the world as well.

Ousmane Sysaune (pictured above), a 42-year-old man who originally hails from the Cote d’Ivoire, cited the importance of “bringing this beautiful country together” as his reason for walking through the pouring rain to get to his polling place on 127th Street. We also met Pierre, an energetic and enthusiastic Parisian national. Despite not being allowed to vote in the US, Pierre has spent lots of time and money on creating “get out the vote” posters and fliers.

We talked to Iraq War veterans, students, Texans, and nearly everyone else that can be represented by New York’s always-exciting cross section of global diversity. While there was no clear winner on the national stage yesterday (and might not be until May!), what was clear was that the city (and the world) are endlessly excited and inspired by the leadership options manifested in Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Photo Credit: Lauren Silberman

A modern renaissance man, Henry Rollins has been in the public eye for nearly a quarter century as a result of his many talents. Having made a name for himself as the singer of seminal punk band Black Flag in the mid-80s, Rollins has since released handfuls of books and traveled the world with his band (The Rollins Band) and his spoken word material. He has been in films, featured in countless punk and music documentaries, and from 2005 to 2007, he conceived and hosted the Henry Rollins Show on IFC, which featured guests that went otherwise unnoticed in the sphere of popular media.

Rollins is also known for his outspoken and unrelenting criticism of the Bush Administration, his USO tours, and his political and social activism. A humanist, Rollins openly advocates for gay rights and encourages re-examination of the American justice system (particularly through his advocacy work for the West Memphis 3). Here, he touches on all of these topics, as well as prospects for retirement, his reading habits and preferences, and how some elements of punk rock are now perceived as high art.

TRACE: It appears that between music, activism, tours, and television, you’re one of the hardest working men in show-business/entertainment. How do you balance this? Does retirement ever enter your mind? What would Henry Rollins do while retired?

Henry Rollins: I don’t have any balance really. The life is the work and vice versa. It’s all I’ve got basically, it gets all of me. All of this stuff is kind of fun I guess so it’s all built in. There’s nothing I do specifically. I keep myself on a pretty tight leash with things, I try and work steadily and frequently and take enough time for restorative sleep and health but pretty much I work. I have no family or dependents so that allows me to go long without checking in with someone or whatever.

I don’t really understand the concept of retirement. I guess if you had a job you didn’t like, you would want to get away from it and do something else but I like my “job” if that’s what all this stuff is.

T: As for your show, how did you select guests? Based on the folks you had on–Tim Roth, Gore Vidal, Marilyn Manson, John Waters–it appears that you were trying to fill a gap that otherwise does not get filled on television. I don’t see Dinosaur Jr. Ani Difranco, The New York Dolls, and Mike Patton anywhere else on television. Was that how you selected talent?

HR: I basically choose what I want to see, hear, talk to, etc. so I could authentically be interested in the interview and the music. There were one or two bands that I was not over the moon about but either IFC wanted them very much or I had enough respect for them to green light their appearance. I definitely am excited to meet these people, sure. Hang out with Werner Herzog, are you kidding?! The show is no more but it was good while it lasted. What you saw is what we tried to achieve.

(more…)

This one is getting a ton of press already, but these are just too cool to ignore. Famed guerrilla-visual-propagandist Shepherd “Obey Giant” Fairey, a favorite among street artists and design heads, has created a handful of posters for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The prints feature the candidate, and are very recognizably fashioned in Fairey’s signature style. The Creative Review’s blog reportedly reached out to the Obama campaign only to find out that the poster was not officially commissioned but done wholly on Fairey’s incentive.

Fairey issued the following statement on his website in regard to his support for Obama:

“I believe with great conviction that Barack Obama should be the next President. I have been paying close attention to him since the Democratic convention in 2004. I feel that he is more a statesman than a politician. He was against the war when it was an unpopular position (and Hillary was for the war at that time), Obama is for energy and environmental conservation. He is for health care reform.”

He then goes on to suggest checking out the candidate’s website:

“This, an homage to the Democratic candidate coming from an icon of youth culture, serves as anecdotal evidence representative of what statistical returns from the primaries continue to prove: Barack Obama is a clear favorite among a youth that feels out of touch with the status quo and is hungry and desperate for a new kind of candidate.”

American Apparel has always been known for their provocative and explicit advertising campaigns, but more recently the company has been running advertisements that focus on a political issue - immigration reform. Instead of butt cheeks, long legs, and rainbow colored cotton, the new black and white ads feature real American Apparel immigrant workers. The ads have run in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times over the past month, and contain a strong message with apolitical words such as “apartheid” and “purgatory,” and they even include a quote from President Bush.

While I welcome the change from bare skin to “real” faces, and believe that Dov Charney, CEO, really does mean well, it’s hard to take these ads seriously. American Apparel has such a sordid past, with ads that shout “cotton-clad hipsters=sexy style,” that these new ads which speak of “reform” lie buried beneath all those tri-blend v-neck tees and neon leggings. Change is good, and a point has been made by the company, but can an ad that says, “Legalize L.A., Legalize USA” really conquer such a sensitive and controversial topic? It’s a start. If the clothing company wants the message to hit home, then major billboards may just do the trick. There’s not a better place to start than with AA’s billboard on the Lower East Side at Houston and Allen. If reform is really “in,” then the metallic short-shorts need to go. I hope to see more of these powerful faces and a push for their rights, but I won’t hold my breath, because spring is steadily approaching, and I heard that cotton is once again “in.”

This past Sunday, The New York Times Book Review tackled a rather wide-ranging topic: Islam. In the issue, various scholars, intellectuals, and public figures, reviewed a couple of handfuls of books devoted to, in celebration, exploration, and/or criticism of the religion and culture.

Dutch Feminist and American Enterprise Institute Fellow Ayan Hirsi Ali reviews Lee Harris’ Civilization and Its Enemies: The Next Stage of History, a book that purports the origins of Islamic fanaticism to come from a place of cultural self-defense (in opposition to growing modernization). In her review, Hirsi Ali drops the following money-quote from Harris’ book: “While we in America are drugging our alpha boys with Ritalin, the Muslims are doing everything in their power to encourage their alpha boys to be tough, aggressive and ruthless.” Also in the issue, Swiss Muslim academic and theologian Tariq Ramadan delves into the Koran, and its many interpretations, and Canadian Muslim journalist, and NYU faculty member Irshad Manji offers some cutting criticisms of John Kelsay’s book Arguing the Just War in Islam. As an added bonus, on the Book Review’s website, readers can also find first chapters of American Crescent, The Adventures of Amir Hamza, Islamophobia, and other relatively new releases relevant to the topic.

While it’s really late in the game for North Americans to still know relatively little-to-nothing about this religion/culture/region, for those who are still in the dark (and afraid to ask, as they used to say about sex in the 60s), this is a worthwhile primer with which to kick off an educational journey.

Last year alone more than 700 young people were involved in pedestrian road accidents in London, however the number has continually gone down 58% since the mid 90’s. Feeling that more needs to be done, Transport for London has created a new campaign entitled, “Don’t Die Before You Lived” using morbidly vivid and graphic images to get the message across to London’s youth.

Placed in high traffic areas such as Camden Tube Station, Stretham High Road, and Harrow Road, Transport for
London displays some of the effects of these severe accidents by having chalk outlines of several diverse young people with dreams. A potential dancer, athlete, and skateboarder have nothing left but a chalked outline, year of birth, date of death and shattered dreams.

The most striking of the “Don’t Die Before You Lived” campaign is the commercial showing how a simple mistake can shatter your life, your dreams and the lives of those you’ve known when colliding with the solid steel of a car. Though sometimes these images are disturbing, they present a clear and striking message about pedestrian and driver road safety, getting the point across to those that need it the most.