Rack Magazine

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Though you may know him as the driving force behind the amazing Ghostshrimp, his name is actually Dan James. To reminisce a little, Dan and I both attended Brooklyn’s Pratt College around the same time and he lived with a good friend of mine in our sophomore year. He really had a pet Ghostshrimp; I remember my friend pet sitting on it on occasions. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

As a child, I took piano exams in over-sized white rooms, on baby grand pianos that felt unfamiliar and echoed strangely as someone across the room observed me in silence. It felt clinical, intimidating and completely devoid of warmth. Last week, I started noticing upright pianos, some painted haphazardly, others respectfully untouched plonked in the most unlikely places throughout Sydney. There was one on the edge of the baby pool at the local swimming pool, with a young girl in a rainbow striped dress tapping out a happy but disjointed melody; another shaded under a tree at the park on the way home. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

Put simply, Sydney fashion label Andrea and Joen create the hottest shoes around. You’ll find a combination of pure sophistication and rock and roll attitude in every pair from their range. Their sexy style has become a must for contemporary women, including Gwen Stefani, Katy Steele and Pink, all of whom have been seen proudly flaunting them around town.

WE'RE THINKING

Formerly of Arab Strap, Scottish songwriter Malcolm Middleton sings with all the integrity and smoky purity of someone who has spent way too much time puffing away in the back corner of a sketchy Dundee pub. Read more

WE'RE READING

San Francisco-based illustrator Luke Feldman has just had his first children’s book published, Chaff n’ Skaffs: Mai and the Lost Moskivvy, a collaboration with writer Amanda Chin. The book artfully tells the story of Mai, ‘a young girl who never ventured too far from her home. When a lost mosquito interrupts Mai’s sleep, her friend Chaff suggests they escort Moskivvy back home to a faraway land. So begins a courageous girl’s voyage into a fantastic world’, all communicated beautifully through Feldman’s colorful, dynamic and considered illustrations. Read more

Oh, ok, so now I’ve seen it all. Or perhaps, in this case, I’m not seeing enough. Japanese game shows are so much fun. Seriously.

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Things continue to improve for New York’s metal scene, if Batillus are any indication. The sludge/doom trio from Brooklyn offer crushingly heavy, down-tuned and down-tempo instrumental riffage that sounds like what a mutant that has crawled out of Newtown Creek might have on his iPod. The band recently added vocalist Fade Kainer of Inswarm (Jarboe’s touring band) to its line-up.