1. Now that Spring is here, it's time to take a trip to Long Island City to checkout Not For Sale at PS1, up now through 04.30.07. "Not about a specific scene, movement, or ideology, Not For Sale is about the relationship between artists and their work in the context of the economy in which they function. When material works are transferable for cash, artists have the choice of whether to sell the work or keep it from market participation. In today’s robust art market, these decisions become even more pointed, even painful." The show is full of paintings that the artists will not sell for whatever reason. Artists included: Cecily Brown, Peter Halley, Chuck Close, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, David Salle, Lawrence Weiner, among others.

2. They're coming back to New York after a series of sold out shows last month. The much-anticipated second appearance of The Arcade Fire will take place on May 7 and 8. The band will perform at The United Palace at 175th and Broadway. On May 9, they’ll headline legendary Radio City Music Hall as the inaugural event of the David Bowie-curated High Line Festival. Tickets for all three shows will be available through TicketMaster beginning on Friday, March 30 at 10:00 AM. Get your engines ready, as they're sure to sell out instantly!

3. The H&M High Line Festival is a new multi-discipline arts festival that will be curated each year by a different artist. The inaugural edition, curated by David Bowie, will run May 9 to 19, 2007. The ten-day mash-up of music, film, comedy, visual art and performance will highlight all of David's favorite artists. The best of the best. Included in the lineup: Arcade Fire, The Secret Machines, Lauri Anderson, Air, Deerhoof, and many more. Tickets also on sale today at 10am via Ticketmaster.

1. Remember Portishead? The track list from Dummy is permanently etched into my brain. While getting a coffee this morning, Sour Times came on and I was instantly transported to that place that only Portishead can take me. Rumor has it (for several years now) that there's a third album in the works, but nothing yet. Checkout their MySpace page (which seems to be real as it links from their site), their Wikipedia entry, and make sure to watch these videos on YouTube.

2. Speaking of the Beatles... Yoko Ono recently released an Yes, I'm A Witch, featuring the music of: Peaches, Le Tigre, DJ Spooky, Cat Power, and The Flaming Lips. Checkout this page on Wikipedia, this review on the Village Voice's site, and this page on Amazon, where you can purchase the EP.

3. Not quite The Beatles, but potentially equally as shocking, Deitch will present "an extraordinary collaborative project with Jake and Dinos Chapman, George Condo and Paul McCarthy. The four artists were invited by RS&A of London to collaborate on the creation of eight paintings and a set of etchings over a period of one year." The opening will be Thursday, March 29 from 6-9pm at the 76 Grand Street gallery and will run through April 28th. Checkout this page on Deitch's site for the full press release.

1. One of my favorite artists, WK, is working with Shepard Fairey on a project for none other than agnès b., who seems to have her hands full these days. "agnes b. has brought together Shepard Fairey (Obey) and WK Interact for a visual confrontation. Based on the principals of emulation and collaboration, this art show will provide a running dialouge between Obey and WK Interact via means such as two-handed drawing, cadavre exquis and graphic ping pong." (via Hypebeast) And don't forget to checkout the official site.

2. Not only is she a lover of art and fashion, but of film too it turns out. "On the occasion of Gilbert & George's retrospective at Tate Modern, agnès b. has selected some of her favourite 1960s British films. A seminal figure in fashion design and friend of Gilbert & George, agnès b. is one of the world’s great supporters of cinema. From producing new films through her Love Streams production company (named in homage of the Cassavetes/Rowlands masterpiece), re-releasing films both theatrically and on DVD in her native France, to supporting retrospectives, agnès b. infuses her work with a passion for the seventh art. To honour that commitment, and her particular love for films from the UK, she has selected a programme in tribute to Gilbert & George that resonates with many important themes in the exhibition." Click here for the list of films showing in London in April. And while you're at it, why not checkout the agnès b. online store. It's that time of year again.

3. If you're in New York, you know why I never got around to updating this one today.

London painter Stuart Semple and New York artist/designer Ju$t Another Rich Kid have just announced they'll be curating an installation in New York this June entitled The Black Market.

"The Black Market is an exploration of the desire and drive caused by commercialization and the designer product. The show will highlight the gap between the promised utopian ideal of designer perfection and the reality of everyday existence."

Featured in the show will be paintings by Semple, clothing and objects by Ju$t Another Rich Kid, as well as works by the following artists and designers: Carlo Zanni, Mattia Biaggi, Adham Faramawy, Alex McQuilkin, Cory Ingram, the launch of The Playground Project, and a custom soundtrack by London Nu Ravers, Warboy and K-tron.

The installation will be held at The Anna Kustera Gallery (521 West 21st Street) in Chelsea. The opening is Saturday 06.02.07 and the show will run through 07.06.07.

And don't miss the after party with the Nu Rave crew All You Can Eat, featuring the music of Warboy and K-tron. Finally, the London Nu Rave sound will hit New York. Venue and details to follow.

Finally, checkout this viral video London video artist Adham Faramawy created to promote the show. He's the guy who also did the Casetteplaya Fall/Winter 2006 video I was so crazy about last month.

1. Checkout U Magazine, a hot online mag from Brazil. The current issue, The Truth Is Out There, features: Cory Kennedy, Andrew WK, Winona Ryder, Brian Lichtenberg, Gaspard Ulliel, and Alexander Wang, among others.

2. Now through 05.27.07: "For his first solo museum show in the United States, Terence Koh is creating a new installation for the Whitney's Lobby Gallery. In Koh's immersive, typically monochromatic environments -- in which minimalist and baroque aspects of his sensibility vie for dominance -- a seemingly unknown ritual is about to take place, where a sense of loss simultaneously suggests regeneration. From drifting powder silencing rooms, and constellations of cryptically linked objects that move from literally disjunctive realms (upstairs/downstairs, inside/outside, dark/light) as well as more conceptual ones, to pristine, perfectly crafted containers that become coffins for shattered glass and mirror, the glitter of black beads, burnt objects, residing within -- Koh's gestures evoke isolation and secrecy, but also protection and ecstasy."

3. Think things in the US are crazy now? It's been crazier. Take for instance the kidnapping of Patty Hearst. "The 19-year-old Hearst was kidnapped from the Berkeley apartment that she shared with her fiance by an urban guerrilla group called the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). When the attempt to swap Hearst for jailed SLA members failed, the SLA demanded that the captive's family distribute $70 worth of food to every needy Californian - an operation that would cost an estimated 400 million dollars." Now that's hot. Check out the full account in the 2004 documentary Guerrilla: The Taking Of Patty Hearst. There's also a page on PBS.org with additional info on the film. Of note: the other Patti's debut single featured the monologue Sixty Days, dedicated to Hearst. The monologue describes Smith's view of Hearst's behavior, then adopts an imagined, and somewhat romantic, first-person tone in which Smith declares "I am no pretty little rich girl, I am nobody's million dollar baby, I'm nobody's Patsy anymore and I feel so free." Listen to it here.

1. Remember Tokion magazine's King Of Doc Contest? Well, the winners have been chosen and their films are being taken to a few cities around the country. Next stop: Los Angeles. As part of Tokion's West Coast tour, they will be screening the three winning King of Doc Contest films, Georgie Greville's The Red Room, Marie Bendl's Uu - The Problem With The Car and Brian Cassidy's Call Center at Cinespace (6356 Hollywood Blvd). Email events@tokion.com to see if there's still space for the 03.28.07 event.

2. Remember The Cocteau Twins? I wouldn't be shocked if none of their songs come to mind. They were very influential, but only ever appreciated by a small tight-knit group of fans. According to their official site: "They were a phenomenon. Not necessarily the kind that plays to stadiums or fills MTV's timeslots or even sells millions of records. Rather, the kind that quietly causes a fundamental shift in perception, exerting a seminal influence that is universally felt if not always seen." Checkout their Wikipedia entry and this MySpace page to listen to a few of their songs. You'll be as enamored and mesmerized by Liz Fraser's voice as anyone has ever been. It's hypnotic. It's really too bad they never got more popular. The music is amazing.

2. After months of having styles marked "SOLD OUT" on their site, Ju$t Another Rich Kid has finally put up four (4) designs from the Spring/Summer 2007 collection, Sex.Money.Violence., which are currently available to purchase online. "They're the latest from the line featuring our updated fit, fabric, and cut. These tees are a light weight, enzyme-washed cotton with a soft worn-in feel from the very first wear. Quantities are extremely limited so order now!!" Checkout their stockists page, where'll you find that the line is carried at some of the top stores worldwide, including Harvey Nichols, Lane Crawford, Blackjack, Seibu, BASE, Odin, Colette, and many others. Get 'em while they're hot.

Super cool Miami store BASE has hooked up this.hearts.on.fire. once again with their Album Club Picks. The picks are a very well-curated set of some of the sexiest, coolest music anywhere. I love it because it's so different from my usual taste and always introduces me to new artists that I might not hear about otherwise. You can listen to samples and buy each album by clicking on the links below.

10. Air (Pocket Symphony) / Air have taken minimalism to a new extreme by combining acoustic guitar and piano, soft synthesizers and whispered vocals for a spacious, moody and brilliant atmospheric.

9. 4Hero (Play With Changes) / Drum and Bass pioneers 4Hero have returned after a six year absence with a brilliant record of Nu-Soul-a soon to be classic gem filled soulful vibes and funky grooves.

8. Sara Tavares (Balance) / Sara Tavares debut album features sweet R & B rhythms, smooth grooves, and warm and jazzy vocals to bring a fresh, original, and quite beautiful take to the World Music.

7. Boogaloo Powow / Boogaloo is a style of music which thrived for very short time on the streets of 60's NYC as an update of young Latino's parents' music: the rhythm of mambo, descarga and guaganco mixed with African American soul music and now collected in all of its foot shaking glory on Boogaloo Powwow.

6. Bing Bang (Essential Collection) / Simone Seritella takes the excellent Big Bang series and furthers its goal of bringing you the best in jazz and Brazilian with the release of 'Essential Selection.'

5. Bat For Lashes (Fur And Gold) / Natasha Kahn is here to give Bjork a run for her money with an enchanting, spiritual and organic sound, laden with dramatic acoustic arrangements, ethereal piano, expressive percussion and an overall general sense of cinematic moodiness.

4. Karl Lagerfeld (Les Musiques) / Style Icon Karl Lagerfeld has put together Les Musiques, a sophisticated and tasteful collection of not so often heard of tracks, creating a mood and vision as unique and original as the designer himself.

3. Moodorama (My Name Is Madness) / By combining elements of soul, bossa nova and house into a down tempo mix, Moodorama have given us an album akin to a more sonically adventurous Pink Martini.

2. Christopher Willits (Surf Boundaries) / Christopher Willits, known for melding electronic sounds and blips into minimalist soundscapes has done an even stranger thing: he's recorded a dreamy pop album dedicated to lost love, creating a moody, wonderful and ethereal trip though the mind of one of electronic music's most original artists.

1. Fila Brazillia (Retrospective 1990-2006) / Ten albums and twelve years after their debut, Chillout pioneers Fila Brazillia have culled together some of their finest and it's a master class for any other Chillout act.

1. I've gotta let you know that I am not a Maggie Gyllenhaal fan. Or I didn't used to be anyway. If you haven't seen Sherrybaby, drop what you're doing and add it to your Netflix queue now. It's heartfelt, touching, and is so real, it hurts. A.O. Scott from the New York Times says, "Extraordinary! There is no actor vanity in this." I couldn't agree more and MG pulls it off without a hitch. Read the full review here. Also, checkout the IMDB profile, the trailer, and many more reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. As with A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, there was a cast full of relatively unknown actors who I feel we'll be seeing a lot more of in the future.

2. I tried to get to the theater to see A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints last Fall, but never made it. I watched it last night on DVD and when it ended, all I wanted was more. I was actually shocked that it went by so fast. Set against the backdrop of the mid 80's in a lower class neighborhood in Queens, (and based on the real life story of Dito Montiel), both the story and the characters are enthralling. The cast: Diane Weist, Channing Tatum (you're going to be shocked at how good he is), Robert Downey, Jr., Chazz Palminteri, Rosario Dawson, and a cast of newcomers whom we'll definitely be seeing more of soon. Checkout the trailer, the IMDB page, and checkout the profile for the movie on MySpace for additional info and updates.

3. Cloak may be dead, but designer Alexandre Plokhov has a new high profile consulting gig. DNR reports: "In an effort to beef up its men's wear team and ultimately elevate it men's wear collections to that of its women's, Versace has hired Alexandre Plokhov as a design consultant. Details of the contract could not be learned but a Versace spokeswoman said the former Cloak designer would start at the Milan-based luxury house in a few weeks." And he'll probably being working less hours, making more money, and will most definitely have access to more funds and staff for production. I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

1. Stuck at home on Saturday without cable or any Netflix lying around, I did the unthinkable: I paid to download episodes of a TV series via iTunes. My choice: Starveillance. It's hysterical. I've watched the Olsen Twins skit on Season 1, Episode 1 roughly 7 times now. Watching Mary Kate passout when the realtor mentions the kitchen and them calling the Statue Of Liberty fat gets me every time. Ones to watch: Britney and K-fed's Wedding, Paris and Nicole Fallout, and Diddy's Name Game. All available to stream on their site, which I just discovered.

2. Hedi Slimane teams up with the editors of Visionaire and V to deliver Portrait of a Performer, an exclusive photojournal devoted to the provocative musician and muse, Courtney Love. Shot in New York in August of 2006, just before the release of Love's latest record, the intimate black-and-white studies capture the American pop icon, semi-nude, just before her return to the Billboard charts--defiant, mesmerizing, flawed and vulnerable." Check it out and buy it on Artbook.com. Also available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

3. Checkout the latest, Tar Project, by LA artist Mattia Biagi. The objects in the series "transform the familiar into the surreal. Each object is immersed in a special mixture of tar that Biagi has formulated in his studio. The darkness that covers these familiar objects immortalizes and connects them to a unique concept of aesthetic beauty." From teddy bears to chandeliers to an empire chair, the pieces in the series are amazing. Checkout his site for more pics, press info, a bio, and a video of his process. And don't forget to become his friend on MySpace for more pics and info on his work.

1. What Are You Wearing? is my favorite new thing. It's in the supertalk section on superfuture.com. People from around the world post daily to tell everyone else what they're wearing. Some are just lists of clothing items, but many are digital pictures of the person accompanied by a list. These are my favorites. It's kinda like highschool, but cooler. Everyone's psyched to show the world their super cool outfits. Note: when you click the link above, it takes you to the very first page of the section from 2005. If you want the latest entries, find the nav on the right side that says Page 1 of and click Last, which will bring you to the most current page. And while you're at, join up and post some pics. I wanna know what you're wearing.

2. Still thinking about whether or not you should go to Coachella? Or maybe you can't but want to know what all the bands sound like? Either way, checkout the recently-uploaded media player on their site, where you can sample a track or two from the majority of the artists performing in 2007. Included: Air, Bjork, Klaxons, Interpol, Gogol Bordello, Happy Mondays, Kaiser Chiefs, Of Montreal, LCD Sound System, Sonic Youth, The Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Rapture, and Tokyo Police Club. Unfortunately, for time's sake, I can't link to all of the artists as I normally do. Check it out, though, it's hot.

3. Although I live in a slightly larger, more decadent apartment than he does, it seems like Karl Lagerfeld spends his time in Paris in an extremely posh apartment. Checkout this piece on the not-yet-dead-but-already-legendary designer on The New Yorker's website. It'll make you feel uncool, lazy, and like an early 19th century tenament dweller. Don't forget his Wikipedia entry and this bio on Vogue's site. It contains an interesting piece of trivia that will give you some insight into his potential personal wealth: In 2000, Lagerfeld auctioned a collection of 18th-century furniture and artworks at Christie's, after he sold the house he kept them in. The 320-lot sale made $21.7 million.

In my continuing attempt to spread the press-related wealth in Scandinavia (currently I'd say Stockholm gets out 99.9% of the press for that region of the world), here's Part Two of a reader submitted list of hot spots in Helsinki.

5. Myymala 2. Small art gallery and shop, lots of cool exhibitions and stuff by young artists and designers. Check out also B-galleria in Turku.

4. Rinne Niinikoski. Fashion designers of 2006 in Finland.

3. Karhu Originals. Classic finnish sneakers reborn! Great concept, sweet shoes.

2. Flow Festival. A festival of urban music with lots of jazz end electronic music. Last summer's concert by Swedish singer-songwriter José Gonzales was breathtaking.

1. Kiasma. Museum of modern art, by Steve Holl. Beautiful building and active cultural center. Not quite Palais de Tokyo in Paris, but...

+ A couple of great bars to check out when in Helsinki: Kuudes linja, Erottaja, Café Bar 9and Valter Café, my favorite whenever I'm in town!

In my continuing attempt to spread the press-related wealth in Scandinavia (currently I'd say Stockholm gets out 99.9% of the press for that region of the world), here's Part One of a reader submitted list of hot spots in Helsinki.

10. Liekki. Sweet finnish music. The site is in Finnish, but go to the jukebox and select the song "Rajan piirsin taa". Ok, they sing in finish, too, but even we don't understand the lyrics, so don't worry.

9. Husky Rescue. More sweet finnish music.

8. Finnish Design Shop. An internet store where you can buy all the Finnish design classics. They don't currently ship to the States, but my friends Hertta and Teemu assured me they'll do it somehow!

7. Korjaamo. A cultural factory in an old industrial building (used for repairing trams) with a gallery, bar, clubs, concerts and all kinds of events...

6. Galleria Huuto. Two artist driven art galleries.

To be continued tomorrow...

1. Joaquin Phoenix (narrator) and man-of-the-Earth Moby (music) are involved in a movie that you should checkout: EARTHLINGS, a feature length documentary about humanity's absolute dependence on animals (for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research) that illustrates our complete disrespect for these so-called 'non-human providers.'" Checkout the official website for more information. If you're available tonight, Exit Art is having a special screening of the film from 7-9pm with a discussion following that will include drinks, organice catering, and vegan sweets. Email Chloe Jo to see if there's still room.

2. I stumbled upon a line of hot hoodies and tees while cruising around online the other day. David David is the debut clothing collection from David Saunders. "David is inspired directly by geometric patterns, repetition and line. Each garment is treated as a fresh canvas, although his patterns appear calculated, the production process is quite organic, in that the construction of line and shapes, which forms each pattern are spontaneously marked." Checkout the site to see for yourself. I have to admit, though, I can't tell from the site whether or not these are really old (and I should have known about them by now), recent, or hot off the presses. Either way, I think they're hot. Maybe I need to look at magazines more?! If anyone has any further info on the line, drop me an email. I'm curious.

1. It's so not my style of music right now, but I'm totally addicted to Fedde Le Grande. A reader from his home country (The Netherlands) sent me a zip of new songs and remixes. I can't stop listening and I think my upstairs neighbor is about to start making me pay for it. It reminds me of days gone by when going out and dancing was actually fun and New York had clubs. Checkout this remix: Like Dis by Olav Basoski featuring MC Spyder.

2. "One name sadly missing from the New York Fashion Week schedule was one of its most acclaimed and distinctive – Cloak. The six year old menswear label surprised many when its creator, Alexandre Plokhov announced that the S/S 07 collection would be his last, citing "partnership issues" as the reason for its closure." Checkout the full interview on Dazed Digital.

3. Interpol posted this bulletin on MySpace yesterday. "A Benefit for Callum Robbins (son of J Robbins former singer/guitarist of Jawbox) will be taking place on Monday, April 16, 2007 at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC featuring Bob Mould, Radio 4, Harmony Rockets (featuring members of Mercury Rev), plus special guests." Wonder who those special guests could be?! I'm not saying anyting for sure, but... Get tickets here. Either way, it's for a good cause. Checkout the blog that gives the background info on why there's a benefit concert at all. And, according to Wikipedia, Interpol's "upcoming album does not have a title yet, but will be released on Capital Records on June 4, 2007 in the UK and June 5, 2007 in the US." Finally!

I finally got the chance to watch Cocaine Cowboys, the documentary recounting the late 70's cocaine boom in Miami.

Originally released in theaters in January 2006, the DVD has just come out and is now available on Netflix. Do yourself a favor and add it to your queue now. It's a look at something that you might think you understand or know about, but once you hear tales told by those who were in the trenches, you'll realize you knew nothing about it at all.

"The cocaine trade of the 70s and 80s had an indelible impact on contemporary Miami. Smugglers and distributors forever changed a once sleepy retirement community into one of the world's most glamorous hot spots, the epicenter of a $20 billion annual business fed by Colombia's Medellin cartel. By the early 80s, Miami's tripled homicide rate had made it the murder capital of the country, for which a Time cover story dubbed the city Paradise Lost.".

The best part: well I can't give that away, but trust me, you'll be shocked to find out who the "kingpin" behind it all was. I still can't believe it.

If you liked Goodfellas, Scarface, and Miami Vice, you'll love Cocaine Cowboys.

Become friends with the movie on MySpace and checkout the official site for more info. Also, read these reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Side note: in researching this one, I discovered that Cocaine Cowboys was originally a 1979 movie by Ulli Lommel, featuring none other than Andy Warhol and legendary actor Jack Palance.

Despite a measley rating of 2.5 stars on Netflix, I've gotta check it out. Anything starring Warhol as himself is worth my time.

I have a favorite new song: Put Your Hands Up For Detroit by Dutch DJ Fedde Le Grand. And although it's been out for a year or so, it's finally getting some airtime here in New York.

I first heard it last month at hotspot Studio B during the launch party for The Rapture's new label, Throne of Blood. I heard it again last night and this time reluctantly went up to the the DJ to get the name so I could come home and listen to it today.

Checkout Fedde Le Grande's MySpace page to listen to the song and a few remixes. Also, there's a list of tour dates, which includes his appearance at the opening of the Winter Music Conference. For those of us in New York, he'll be at Hiro on 05.17.07. And don't forget to checkout the video, also on MySpace.

Seems like the song is actually a pretty big deal. Fedde Le Grand has "been nominated for the International Dance Music Awards on three categories: Best Underground Dance Track (Put Your Hands Up For Detroit), Best Breaks/Electro Track (Put Your Hands Up For Detroit), and for Best Breakthrough Solo Artist."

" The single "PYHUFD" was hammered by the likes of Roger Sanchez, Deep Dish, Tom Novy and Pete Tong, who described it as his ".. biggest tune of the summer". It remains in the UK Top Ten at present and, with Eminem's Detroit-based hip hop collective D12 ready to release a wicked vocal version of "PYHUFD" in early 2007, there seems no end in sight for 2006's biggest club track."

Put your hands up for Detroit!

1. Artworld innovators Creative Time (sponsor of projects like Eve Sussman's The Rape Of The Women Of Sabine, Doug Aitken's Sleepwalkers, and Ugo Rondinone's air gets into everything even nothing & get up girl a sun is running the world) are having a benefit to celebrate their 33rd birthday. Hosted by musical innovator David Byrne, the benefit will take place on Thursday 05.10.07 at our favorite new space, The Bowery Hotel. Creative Time will be "auctioning live personalized portraits by Vik Muniz, Shirin Neshat, and Andres Serrano, and artwork by Vito Acconci, Doug Aitken, Mark di Suvero, Cindy Sherman, and more. Artworks available for viewing online mid-April." In the meantime, checkout this page for more information on the event and to get tickets before they're gone.

2. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've most certainly heard of the "it" t-shirts of the moment - Fashion Groupies - from London's own House Of Holland. Combining text, celebrity, and bold colors, they're hard to miss and even harder not to love. With cheeky slogans like "UHU GARETH PUGH", "CAUSE ME PAIN HEDI SLIMANE", and "GET YER FREAK ON GILES DEACON", you're bound to find something that suits your taste. You can order a limited number of them from HOH's site, or stop by Seven and Barney's (New York), Dover Street Market (London) or Dover Street Market (Tokyo). For a full list of stockists, click here. And as always, befriend HOH on MySpace for all the latest on the line.

3. Slated for spring of 2007, his first stand-alone Tom Ford store will open at 845 Madison Avenue in New York City. The store will carry his new, high level luxury menswear, including suits, ties, shirts, knitwear, outerwear, accessories, luggage and small leather goods. The clothing will be exclusive to the Madison store and additional Tom Ford stores are planned to open in London, Milan, Tokyo and Los Angeles in the next three years. Watchout world. Make sure to checkout his Wikipedia entry, this bio on Vogue UK's site, and of course, the Tom Ford fan site.

11. Monkeys Gone To Heaven
10. Levitate Me
9... Debaser
8... Something Against You
7... La La Love You
6... Hey
5... Tame
4... I Bleed
3... I've Been Tired
2... Where Is My Mind?
1... Gigantic

As much as I love Frank Black (or whatever he changed his name to) and his amazing, screaming, one-of-a-kind voice, Kim Deal on Gigantic is my #1 for reasons I can't explain.

Checkout these videos on YouTube: Debaser, Hey (Live), Gigantic, and Here Comes Your Man. If you watch any of the more recent videos or have seen the shows, you'll realize Frank Black's voice is not quite the same as it was back in the day. Nothing lasts forever, except maybe Mick Jagger.

And don't forget to listen to these MP3's I've uploaded for you: Gouge Away, Levitate Me, and Tame.

It'll come as no surprise when I tell you how influential the Pixies were. If you're reading this blog, you probably know that already, though.

Originally named Pixies In Panoply (thank god it was shortened), the band came out of the end of the 80's and, according to a killer docuemtary Pixies, made a very deep impression on folks such as PJ Harvey, David Bowie, Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Bono, and the one and only Kurt Cobain, who was quoted as having said his favorite EP of the decade was Surfer Rosa. My personal favorite is Doolittle, but I never said I was no Kurt Cobain.

Bowie says that not many people originally heard the band, but like The Velvet Underground, everyone who did started their own band. Point well-taken, but I think he's misquoting on this one. I remember hearing the exact quote by one of the guys from The Clash in a Sex Pistols documentary (The Filth And The Fury maybe?) referring to the 15 or 20 members who showed up at one of the first shows by The Pistols. Either way, the point is: they were seminal and people were very inspired by their sound.

It's all covered in this documentary, which includes Gouge (the actual documentary footage), behind the scenes footage taken of the band as they traveled through Europe, a full-length, live concert video from London in 1988, and several videos of the bands more popular songs like Debaser, Here Comes Your Man and Monkey Gone to Heaven, which, unless you were one of those hardcore types and stayed up until 12:30am on Sundays to watch 120 Minutes (on MTV), you may have never seen.

One of the most interesting aspects for me is how painfully normal the band looks in stark contrast to their sound. They didn't even try to play it up with makeup or some affected styling. They're one of the only bands I can think of that was 110% music and 0% image, which makes them even cooler.

If you have Netflix, definitely put this one in your queue.

1. Stockholm, with it's drop-dead gorgeous, uber stylish residents, eats up what seems like 99.9% of the attention given to that region. The other .01% goes to Iceland, although without Googling it, I'm not sure if the land of Bjork is considered Scandinavia proper. Thus, I feel obliged to spread the wealth a little. Checkout HEL LOOKS. "HEL LOOKS is selected street fashion from Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The pictures are taken in the streets and clubs of Helsinki from July 2005 onwards." Move over Stockholm. Helsinki is in the house.

2. The work of Italian born artist Carlo Zanni, who lives between Milan and New York, is focused on the intersection of computation and representation. It's really amazing and quite avant-garde, espeically for the art world. He's created this super cool game, Average Shoveler, which was "inspired by the graphic layout of Leisure Suit Larry I (1987). Average Shoveler is an online game challenging the boundaries between photo, paintings, game and short movie. The location is the East Village. It is snowing, and you have to keep your way cleaned. Each flake of snow contains an image taken live from news/politics/sport/entertainment web channels, while people tell you top stories gathered from same sources. They want to convince you; they want you to think like them; they want your head to explode." Not only will you recognize actual buildings in the East Village (mostly on 7th Street btwn A and B), but the characters are wearing custom Indigo People clothes and the music was scored by the famous Gabriel Yared, who has done the music for movies such as Cold Mountain and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Now that's my kind of video game.

3. Get it before it's too hot: The Bowery Hotel. I've been walking by this place for months, hoping it was going to be an apartment building. Turns out: it's a chic new hotel with 5 floors of penthouses on top. It's now open for hotel guests (with fairly reasonable rates given how amazing it is), but the common areas and bars aren't fully done yet. They did have a soft opening, though, as one bar downstairs is functional and the lobby is ready for hanging out in. Gorgeous and very well-decorated, the lobby looks like nothing else downtown (or uptown, for that matter). It gives you the feeling that you're not in New York, especially since you just walked in off Bowery, which is always nice. Check it out before everyone else does. I'll give it (especially with spring on the way) 3 more weeks MAX before it turns into a place you'll want to avoid.

1. Super hip SoHo vintage clothing store What Comes Around Goes Around is currently hosting a show of vintage rock tees that's a must-see for anyone into fashion and t-shirts. The show is up in conjunction with a limited edition book, Vintage Rock T-Shirts by Johan Kugelberg, that is also available for purchase at the store and online. In addition to their amazing vintage clothes - which can also be purchased online - WCAGA now has their own men's and womenswear lines. "The collections are characterized by a unique postmodern vintage aesthetic and were inspired by the couple's 13 years of global vintage buying. The new line, which is in it's second season, is currently sold worldwide at upscale stores such as Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Colette, Bloomingdale's and Lane Crawford." Check it out!

2. The Secret Machines have a new video on their site for Better Bring Your Friends. It's one of my favorite songs by them and has a totally different sound that most of their other songs, which makes it extra hot. Checkout this video page on their site to watch seven (7) other videos by the band. Like me, it seems like the band has an affinity for artist Donald Judd. Checkout this article featured in Modern Painters magazine written by Brandon Curtis (keyboards and vocals) about Judd. Make sure to add them on MySpace and join the mailing list on their site to receive all news relating to the band.

3. Checkout The New York Times article on the Gordon Matta-Clark show currently on at the Whitney. "His best-known works of the '70s, including abandoned warehouses and empty suburban houses that he carved up with a power saw, offered potent commentary on both the decay of the American city and the growing sense that the American dream was evaporating. The fleeting and temporal nature of that work - many projects were demolished weeks after completion - only added to his cult status after an early death in 1978, from cancer, at 35." If you haven't heard of him or don't know his work, this one's a must-see. Don't forget his Wikipedia entry, this anecdote on Artnet, this article on Art Monthly's site, and, finally, this piece on Icon's site. In the latter, it's revealed that in order to prove a point relating a piece entitled Window Blow-Out (it featured pictures of abandoned buildings in the South Bronx with blown out windows) that he did for a 1976 show, Matta-Clark snuck into the gallery showing the work and shot out all of the windows, bringing home his point. Now that's my kind of artist.

16. For Today I Am A Boy (Antony And The Johnsons)
15. I Do Like A Certain Girl (Devendra Banhart)
14. About A Girl (Nirvana)
13. White Girl (X)
12. A Boy Named Sue (Johnny Cash)
11. Girlfriend (The Modern Lovers)
10. Typical Girls (The Slits)
9... West End Girls (The Pet Shop Boys)
8... China Girl (David Bowie)
7... Astro Boy (Blonde Redhead)
6... Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl (Broken Social Scene)
5... Jet Boy (The New York Dolls)
4... Venus As A Boy (Bjork)
3... Sons And Daughters (The Decemberists)
2... Little Boys (Devendra Banhart)
1... Pharoah's Daughter (The Secret Machines)

Listen to Little Boys and Girlfriend.

1. If you're going to be in Austin between Wed. 03.14 and Saturday 03.17.07, you should checkout The Fort, presented by The Fader Magazine and Levi's. The 4 day installation is open daily from 1 - 8pm, featuring a Levi's Pop Shop and special events, which will be announced shortly. Checkout this page for more info. All events are invite only, private, and require an RSVP to: thefort@thefader.com. Make sure to send full name and company affiliation. Space is limited, so act now.

2. There's a hot shop on East 10th Street called Obscura that I keep meaning to cover, but for some reason haven't gotten to it until today. It's one of those shops that could really only exist in New York. According to one of the owners: "We specialize in medical and scientific items, natural history, Victorian clothing, wax museum heads and prosthetic limbs, but it’s much more than that. It’s an alternative beauty that most people don’t think about. It’s about time and love, death and decay." HOT. Checkout this article on Trigger Magazine's site. They call it "the perfect antithesis of the Sex and the City plague that threatens to gentrify the East Village". And this listing on The Village Voice's site. I have yet to buy anything, but I go in a lot just to look around. It has the kind of place that inspires me and makes me wish I had more money.

3. Checkout My Bloody Valentine on MySpace. It'll give you a feel for their sound before you spend time downloading the songs or spending money on them, if you walk the straight and narrow. Slow and Loomer are hot, but in my opinion not their best. Download Loveless if you want the good stuff.

1. Remember My Bloody Valentine? I'd almost forgotten about them until this morning when they were playing at the coffeshop downstairs. Loveless is BY FAR their best EP and the only one I bothered to download. According to its Wikipedia entry: It is widely considered to be My Bloody Valentine's magnum opus, the epitome of the shoegazing genre, and one of the most influential albums of the 1990s." Shoegazing?! "Shoegazing (also known as shoegaze or shoegazer) is a style of alternative rock that emerged in southern England in the late 1980s. Loveless by My Bloody Valentine, released in 1991 is said to have defined the sound." I swear sometimes people make this stuff up! Songs of note: What You Want, When You Sleep, Blown A Wish, and Only Shallow, which is my personal favorite. While you're at it: checkout low-budget horror movie My Bloody Valentine on IMDB. It sounds so bad that I have get it on Netflix.

2. I bet you've walked right by Something Sweet (177 First Avenue at 11th Street) on your way to Veniero's. It's very unassuming on the outside, but everything inside is amazing. And dont get me wrong: I like Veniero's as much as the next guy, but besides canolis, I never crave Italian pastries. Something Sweet, on the other hand, makes them just like my grandma used to: butter cookies, berry tarts, custom birthday/wedding cakes, lemon meringue tarts, and a variety of holiday specific treats. Something I've not tried: the $2 banana cookie. TimeOut raved about it a few weeks ago and now it's on my list of things to checkout.

3. Finally! Vancouver's Ladyhawk is coming to New York. They'll be performing at Cakeshop on 03.22.07. It's located at 152 Ludlow (btwn Stanton and Rivington). Click to their site. I can't figure out if you just show up or you buy tickets to shows in advance. I'm sure you're smarter than I am, though, and will be able to figure it out. In the meantime, checkout Ladyhawk's MySpace profile for a complete list of tour dates and to test drive a few of their songs. I'm sure it will prove to be a killer show.