Playlist of the Week: March 15

So I think I’ve been err-ing a bit to the “chill” side with my playlist selections over the past few weeks, so I thought I’d mix things up and throw a couple high energy tracks your way this week.  Truthfully, this batch of songs has some pretty lame cover art (no offense to the bands… If You want me to do a re-design for you just let me know.  I’d be glad to help) but just give them a chance.  There are some real gems in here.  Here goes….

This weeks tunes include: “You and Me” by Attack! Attack!, “Get Up and Go” by Broadcast 2000, “Years and Seconds” by Brainstorm, “Romantic Girl” by Bare Wires,  ”War Again” by Balkan Beat Box,  ”Beauty Beats” by Beats Antique, and “Heirloom” by The Black Atlantic.

Scarf Knots!

Scarves are so ‘in’ right now and not just because it’s winter. It’s just plain chic to rock a scarf these days and it’s been cool to see the different ways people have been tying the knot ( and I’m not talkin’ about marriage here).  I think that having an interesting way to tie a scarf knot is almost as important as the textile itself.

Here are shots of 2 interesting knots I’ve noticed over the past week. The first is one that was captured by The Sartorialist in Florence, Italy in late February.

He even filmed a quick little “How to…” video on the spot.  Pretty Sweet!

The second knot I saw was worn by my friend Kara who learned it from another fashionista friend of hers here in Chicago. I asked her to show me how to tie it, and it’s pretty similar to the the one feat. by Sartorialist except there’s a (literal) twist in the loop just before you thread the 2nd end.

Are there more ways to tie scarves?  Probably. I could be really behind on this trend and be completely unaware that there are way cooler ways to tie scarves than this.  Comment on this post and include a link to other sources!  I’d love to see them.

JEREMY COWART: Voices of Haiti

I greatly respect people who use their artistic skills to create resources for those in need. Artistic Philanthropy is at the core of of Jeremy Cowart’s online gallery titled “Voices of Haiti.”  Each photograph is available for purchase as a print with the proceeds going to a Home in Haiti.

After the 7.0 earthquake rocked Haiti on January 12th of this year, I was deeply moved as most of you were. For days I watched as the television flashed images of gloom and doom… dead bodies, crumbled buildings… It just felt like a heartless display of numbers and statistics. “How were the people feeling?” I wondered. I was tired of hearing endless reports from strangers that just arrived to this devastated nation. So I decided to go to Port-Au-Prince myself and ask them directly. My question was simply “What do you have to say about all this?” This photo essay reveals the many answers to that question. -Jeremy Cowart (www.voicesofhaiti.com & www.jeremycowart.com)

*Note:  Thanks to Jorge Fusaro for sharing this great gallery with me. Read more about his recent trip to Haiti.

Playlist of the Week: March 8

This week: “The Getaway” by Athlete, “Golden Skans” by The Klaxons, “Way Out” by Ellen Allien & Apparat, “Topsy Turvy” by Family Force Five, “The Technicolor Phase” by Owl City, “Wild Wolves” by Athlete, and “Settlers” by Balmorhea.  All these songs can be listened to via the Grooveshark music player in my left sidebar.  Enjoi.

UNIQLOCK: 5 Second Shots

When everyone else seem to be creating forever-long “one-take” music videos, UNIQLO is perfecting the 5 second shot.

Recently in preparation for a trip to New York, I paid another visit to the website of the Japanese fashion firm UNIQLO –  when I did I ran across some really cool calendar/clock screen savers (appropriately named “UNIQLOCK”)  featuring creative tilt-shift photography and live-action creative movement.  The screen savers are available for both PC & MAC- though Snow Leopard isn’t yet supported.  Clearly its a clever way to get an Ad in your face everytime you fall asleep at your desk_but let’s put aside all the “I Hate Corporate Sellouts!” talk that we Artists tend to spew and just take this as art (don’t roll your eyes at me!).

UNIQLO has done a great job filming a series of  :05 shots that never bore and rarely repeat.  Six of the eight screens savers are live action shots of their models.  One of them (named “Calendar”) is time-lapse footage shot in Japan with tilt-shift lens to make the landscape look like a miniature (think Monty Python this time: “It’s only a model!”).  And the last is an animated grid of their Logo.  All eight of these have either a great soundtrack or fun sound effects.  Each :05 shot is separated by a short brightly colored graphics sequence.  I was really impressed with the directing in these.  Everything is so simple yet really very interesting.  There is no editing, just a simple camera move.  And the on-screen action is a mix of ballet and creative movement.  The models maintain neutral facial expression throughout.  Since this is, after all, a clothing ad – the wardrobe varies. The shots presented seem to reflect the time of day in Tokyo – so check back often and see how the images change.

I’ve pulled a few screenshots from some of the live action sequences (below), but you really should visit the site and check them out for yourself.  The best “episode” (if that’s what you want to call them) is Season 5, and I think my least favorite is the one shot in Paris.

In a format that could get boring very fast, UNIQLO has creating something that maintains visual interest for a long period of time without needing to bring anything overly sexual into the mix.

HEY! TEES support HAITI

My buddy Jeremy from AMB3R tees and hoodies is doing his part to bring relief to a little town in Haiti. The HEY! Tee campaign supports the HANDS & FEET PROJECT in Jacmel, Haiti which was devastated by the earthquake.  The President of Haiti has said that the government cannot give any support to this town and that they are on their own for relief.  The HANDS & FEET project is a long-term effort to make a difference in Haiti both BEFORE and AFTER this disaster.

Buy purchasing a shirt for as little as $20 you can team with the HEY! Tee campaign.

UPDATE: Switchfoot was photographed wearing the HEY! TEE at one of their recent shows.  Rock on.

Playlist of the Week: March 1

Some great new albums came out last week.  Most notably Angels & Airwaves album “LOVE”  is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on their website.  I strongly suggest taking advantage of this while you still can.

This week: “Daylight” by Matt & Kim, “Gimme Sympathy” by Metric (there’s a great acoustic version of this floating around too), “Colourless Colour” by LaRoux, “Young London” by Angels & Airwaves, “I Want Something to Live For” by Teh Rocket Summer (who sounds exactly like my buddy Casey Cherry) , “Throwing Stones” by Shout Out Louds, “Each Year” by Ra Ra Riot, and “Little Shadows (acoustic version)” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Playlist of the Week

You may not have noticed, but every Monday for the past few weeks I’ve been updating my Grooveshark widget with a new playlist.  It’s tough for me to get my work done every day without a steady stream of new and inspiring music.  So I’m regularly scouring the inter-web for good tracks.  I thought I could put all that research to good use by sharing my discoveries with my friends (that’s YOU!).

I have no idea how long this will last, or if the bands will always be new to you (I doubt that) but hopefully it will be something fun to look forward to at the beginning of each work week.

This week features: “My Love” by The Bird & The Bee, ”Chit Chat” by Hannah Georgas,  ”Time” by O-Spada, “Too Many Questions” by Sam Sparro, “Give Up” by CSS, “Sun Hands” by Local Natives, “Surrounded By Your Friends” by Hooray For Earth, and “Hoarse” by Cepia.  Enjoy.

GET WELL SOON

Saw this great piece today on the YASLY blog and besides the fact that it’s photographed really well, I noticed the use of inverted framing at a key scene.  Recently I’ve been noticing this technique in various films I’ve watched and have been really intrigued by it.  It’s such a strong visual that I want to try it out, but really want to make sure its motivated and not just a “trick” like un-neccessary zollys that every young director seems eager to try.  I’ll keep looking for more piece using this and post them also with some theory about the best moments to use them.

Jenny & Tyler

I don’t usually click on Facebook ads.  You know, the little boxes on the right sidebar?  Those. Well, one day I was facing-the-book, and one of these ads caught my eye. It read: “Like the music of Meiko?  Then you should listen to Jenny & Tyler.”  I, being a Meiko fan, was intrigued.  So I clicked the ad.

A new browser window pop-ed up and I was whisked into the world of Jenny & Tyler’s music.  This married duo has self-produced two independent albums featuring percussive guitar, soaring vocals, and harmonies to die for all wrapped up in a unique fusion sound a fan dubbed ‘soulgrass’.  I was instantly hooked by Jenny’s vocals – yes similar to Meiko but also with the uniqueness that Deb Talan of The Weepies has.  Their music is warm, folksy, fun, and rhythmic. When Tyler takes lead, his vocal style has similar energy to Jason Mraz but with more depth.

As I read through their site, I realized we had more in common than just Meiko.  Jenny and Tyler are from Delware, the tiny state I grew up in.  It’s not every week I run across musicians from Delaware, especially music from Delaware that I really love .  I think they deserve alot of attention.  Visit their site, drop them a note, and buy their music.

On April 24th at 7pm, they’ll be playing a free show at the Lantern Lounge (Trinity Int University, Deerfield IL).  Put that on your calendar because they’re great live, the video clips from their website proves it (Watch them perform live on NBC).