In one of the most unpredictable charity collabs ever, Depeche Mode has teamed up with luxury watchmaker Hublot to create an incredibly badass timepiece to raise funds for global relief NGO Charity : Water. Read More
Little mention's been made in the mainstrem media about the fact that OBAMA hosted a substantial night of music at the White House last week to commemorate the the Civil Rights Movement, that included BOB DYLAN performing "The Times They Are-a Changin" for a house full of bitterly warring politicians...
MGMT goes psychedelic surfing with Ausgang...
Our old friend, psychedelic artist ANTHONY AUSGANG has been keeping a pretty low profile in recent years, so it was music to our ears when electro rockers MGMT released the cover art for the upcoming album, "Congratulations" featuring the ever trippy imagery of AA. The LP drops March 13th, it's just too bad you won't be getting a nice 12" cover with this art on it to stare at...
"MICHEL GONDRY'S newest music video for Mia Doi Todd's 'Open Your Heart'. After several years conceptualizing a video involving dozens of dancers wearing bright multi-colored outfits, Michel found a perfect fit with Mia's tune. The music was produced and arranged by long-time friend and collaborator, Jon Brion and the video features the Riverside Community College Marching Band."
Our friends in THE DOORS camp have finally put together a proper cinematic tribute to LA's most important rock band. The film, narrated by JOHNNY DEPP, is a time capsule, composed entirely of footage shot between the group’s formation in 1965 and frontman Jim Morrison’s death in 1971. Director TOM DiCILLO's revealing documentary is a treasure trove of live performances, TV appearances, home movies, studio footage, and a never-before-seen independent film made called "HWY" by and starring Morrison. The movie will make its US theatrical debut at this summer's LA FILM FEST, June 18–28.
**Watch RAY MANZEREK's history of The Doors mini-film series HERE
If Borat went to Napoleon Dynamite's high school and did Vanilla Ice covers in the talent show backed by Spank Rock's production crew, you're starting to approach understanding the M.O. of the amazingly weird South African "Zef" rap trio DIE ANTWOORD ("The Answer"). Comprised of Capetown rappers Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er, and DJ Hi-Tek (along with a revolving cast of skid row homies like their Gollum-esque sidekick), the trio's inimitable brand of dirty, cracker-ass, Afrikaner Hip-Hop literally must be seen to be believed:
The influence of the greatest, most powerful, and most innovative hardcore band of all time, BAD BRAINS, literally cannot be overstated. There is not a genre of popular heavy music today that does not benefit from the mighty steps taken from the unlikely Rastas from DC who infused reggae, dub, and speed metal into the otherwise homogenous, suburban white genre. The band's camp has been working on a long-overdue comprehensive documentary for over a year now and our buddies at METAL UNDERGROUND say the reels are almost ready to roll:
"BAD BRAINS has announced that it is in the final stages of production for its acclaimed documentary. No release date has been set yet.
The yet-untitled film was directed by Mandy Stein and Ben Logan and traces the history of the band from their formation in Washington, D.C. in 1979 to the present day. In addition to tons of footage from the band’s vault, the movie includes interviews with all four members (vocalist HR, guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer and drummer Earl Hudson) and their manager Anthony Countey, as well as testimonials from Henry Rollins, ex-Minor Threat and Fugazi vocalist Ian MacKaye, ex-Minor Threat guitarist Lyle Preslar, ex-Cro Mags vocalist Jon Joseph and guitarist Harley Flanagan, Murphys Law guitarist Jimmy Gestapo and Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch, who produced Bad Brains 2007 album Build a Nation.
In addition to giving birth to the hardcore movement with their song “Pay to Cum” and inspiring all of the aforementioned musicians in the process, the Bad Brains had a huge influence on a new breed of late ‘80 and early ’90s metal bands, including Living Colour, Faith No More, 24-7 Spyz and Fishbone. While the Bad Brains flick is currently in post-production, it will be ready for release in a Jamaican minute."
In THE HOURS’ new video for "See the Light," Hollywood danger girl SIENNA MILLER dons a hospital gown, gets trapped in a glass case in a bag shop, smokes, talks about suicide, cries a lot, undergoes an MRI scan, and smears herself in cow's blood in front of four eviscerated, wall-mounted bovine carcasses. If this last image brings to mind DAMIEN HIRST, that's no accident. Hirst, a friend of the band, was art director on the video, made by "American History X" director TONY KAYE. The Hours' singer, Antony Genn, has found a good friend in Hirst—the artist not only contributed artwork to their first record, 2001's "Narcissus Road," and to their forthcoming EP, also titled "See the Light," but has founded a record label, IS GOOD, to promote their music.
The Hours with some custom Hirst art...
The newly-discovered "third photo" of Robert Johnson, pictured with Johnny Shines...
Anyone familiar with the storied legacy of the soul-selling Delta bluesman ROBERT JOHNSON—the genre's most elusive and influential shadow—is aware of just how little is known of his life and the scant photographic evidence of his existence that was left behind when he was murdered at age 27 in 1938. The only two verified and oft-reproduced photos of the musician were discovered in the possession of his half-sister in 1973 and have remained the only known images of the musician until now. In the November 2008 issue of VANITY FAIR, a newly authenticated photo of Johnson standing with fellow bluesman Johnny Shines discovered on eBay in 2005 is presented in a detailed article that is a must read for the dedicated:
"...As he pored over the mass of texts and thumbnail photos that the eBay search engine had pulled up on that day in 2005, one strangely worded listing caught Schein’s eye. It read, “Old Snapshot Blues Guitar B.B. King???” He clicked on the link, then took in the sepia-toned image that opened on his monitor. Two young black men stared back at Schein from what seemed to be another time. They stood against a plain backdrop wearing snazzy suits, hats, and self-conscious smiles. The man on the left held a guitar stiffly against his lean frame. Neither man looked like B. B. King, but as Schein studied the figure with the guitar, noticing in particular the extraordinary length of his fingers and the way his left eye seemed narrower and out of sync with his right, it occurred to him that he had stumbled across something significant and rare... the more convinced he became that it depicted one of the most mysterious and mythologized blues artists produced by the Delta: the guitarist, singer, and songwriter whom Eric Clapton once anointed “the most important blues musician who ever lived.” That’s not B. B. King, Schein said to himself. Because it’s Robert Johnson."
Click HERE to read the full article...
The only other known photos of Johnson in existence...
