Thursday, September 27, 2007

Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem

*these are not photos I took, only photos I found on flickr to show everyone*

The drive with Zach, Josh, and Connor was real nice. We stopped in Snowville I believe at Molly's Diner. Whoa, that place was a little bit of old fashioned joy tucked 3 blocks away from the high way. The waitress was super old and wrinkly and had super bright eyeshadow caked onto her very tan skin and had the most amazing layered and curled hair since the 1950s.

When we hit about 16 miles north of our destination (Hell, aka Lehi) traffic was fucking terrible. It took us over an hour to travel those 16 miles on the freeway. All the while we were stuck behind a bus headed to vegas that had a very tan and perky woman in a swimming suit pasted on the back of the bus for everyone to see.

W finally got to our destination and found out where the concert was. It had been moved from the waterfalls amphitheater to a different concert area. I think this may have been because the show did not look sold out (I know... I don't mean to hate on Utah folk, but come on! Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem just played a show in your state and you can't even sell out the show.) So we tried finding a quick bit to eat because we were starving and there was NOTHING in Lehi except for a gas station, a bajillion cookie cutter homes that were ugly, Thanksgiving Point, and a Cabella's. Not even a fucking place to eat. Hell hole if you ask me. Lehi sucks.

We went to the concert completely pumped out how small the show seemed to be. We were all confused but glad to be at a more intimate setting.

LCD Soundsystem played first and put on a really good show. Occasionally members of Arcade Fire would come onto the stage and help LCD with a song or two. Win Butler and I believe his brother did back up vocals for the song "North American Scum" and Regine played bells on another.


^^^ I was closer to the stage than this person^^^

Finally after about 30+ minutes of setting up Arcade Fire finally came on. Wonderful. The crowd was super fucking loud and those crazy Utah kids were moshing and throwing themselves around during almost the whole set. They were even rebellious enough to be smoking pot and starting fights during the middle of it all.
The band was amazing as usual and the band was all over the stage slamming their instruments and jumping off scaffolding. Will Butler fell after climbing up a ladder on the side of the stage and Zach informed me that he saw blood. There was also blood on the keyboard that they kept trying to clean off. haha, Good ol' band bleeding for the cause. The band played all of the songs I wanted to hear but didn't get to hear at Sasquatch Music Festival back in May. They played the song "Neon Bible" and then it was followed by another song, not sure if it was something new or a cover, but no one in the crowd knew it and they all shut up and looked up at Win Butler endearingly as he wooed all of us with a ballad, similar to emotions of the song played just before it.
They played what I think may be my favorite song- "Tunnels" and Win dedicated it to his grandfather. Win said he couldn't not think of his grandpa and how he used to take Win camping in the mountains that were behind us (or in front of Win as he played). As the song played snow flakes fell on their video screens. It was a really nice affect.

When the band finally left the stage, everyone wanted an encore of course. But instead of people yelling and being obnoxious everyone started oohing the last vocal parts to "Rebelion Lies". It was amazing. It sounded like the wind whistling amongst the open and quiet crowd and there were rounds going. Half the crowd was on one part of the oohs and the other half was singing another ooh. And everyone was in tune. It was honestly a very cool thing to witness.

of course the band came back and they ended with Old Flame and anotbher song which I have forgotten (my memory is still in a blur from how awesome everything was last night)


^Also closer to the stage than this person

Thursday, September 20, 2007

taking a break from the computer made artwork

It has been decided by me and thought about for a long time...

So, I am going to try and ween myself off of using the computer and doing computer art. I am going to finish the projects I promised people and then stop my band art.

Why am I doing this? Well, computer made art doesn't feel as good to me as picking up a pencil or charcoal and drawing. I don't get the same feeling of accomplishment when I make art on the computer as I do when I paint. I feel like my more traditional skills are starting to slack because I am not working them all the time. I am tired of design based art and I want to focus and master fine art.

I have this idea for an art show and I can't really accomplish it by doing band art/computer art at the same time. My commissions for flyers and other stuff just takes up way too much of my time and effort.

I also want my art to have more natural themes to them. Traveling-the wilderness-animals-people- all natural things. All natural themes. I want to start becoming more one with the outdoors and really learn to re-appreciate what mother earth has to offer.

This photo really made me realize how much I enjoy the old and simple.



projects I am going to finish before taking a break:

Monster Zine
the very most's album cover
poster for Finn Riggins
poster for The Parachutes
Posters under name Awesome Opossum
and other stuff I may have forgotten about.

say good bye to monsters. say good bye to digital. good bye.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Awesome but True Electric Institute's first group show a complete success!

Yeah! I feel like a real artist now. haha. Very broke and forcing others to look at my art. Oh the joys of art.
Yes. Here I am with awesome artist and founder of ABTEI, Sean Christensen. Me looking wonderful as ever with my white bra showing through my shirt. ahaha. Oh well. Those things happen, ya know?



The boy in the middle photo, Robert, is excellent with stencils and spray paint. His piece was the first to sell in the show--and hopefully not the last...


Here is Reading Frenzy at night. Oh, so pretty. Fun fact for all you weird music listeners out there. Reading Frenzy is next door neighbors to the coffee shop Half and Half, the very same coffee shop in the beginning of the music video "See a Penny, Pick it up" by YACHT. Yeah, I notice these things. Yeah, I am a nerd. I am that weird music listener.


Sean gave me a copy of all of his zines for free! MAN. they are super rad and super fun to look at and read. I think my favorite is "Venus in Furs". The images give me warm fuzzy feelings that make my heart feel all alone. That sound terrible but it isn't. It's nice in some weird way.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Tender Loving Empire

Tender Loving Empire in Portland is having a monster themed art show during October. I am submitting one painting and copies of Monster Zine. If you live in Portland you will be fortunate to be able to get your hands on the first test issue of Monster Zine which has some real treats if you go check it out!

I finished my painting.