Ian Johnson exhibition at White Walls Gallery
|Ian Johnson is an artist that’s been calling back the dead for years, but he’s just acknowledging spirits. Focused mainly on the forefathers of American jazz music, his works — both illustrated and painted on wood and canvas — have adorned top gallery spaces as much as they have his limited edition skate decks for Western Edition in San Francisco. Vibrant and colorful, the works are a take of American subculture in its early heyday, and with merit, a few somber low points as well (see Chet Barker’s portrait in particular). Johnson’s subjects might be fallen or forgotten stars, but they sit plain and gorgeous when presented formal on a wall.
The portraits take much from Francis Wolff and his photography, candid moments taken for the artwork of Blue Note Records during the label’s prime. Simple but creatively charged images, they seem to refocus the harmony and distress of a time when normalcy was the enemy. And we suppose it still is. Regardless of what you might be listening to these days, the work beckons a little jazz play. Dizzy, Billie, Miles, Monk or Chet — any will do to remind you that the improvised and creative way paved by these artists is perhaps one of the most important cultural manifestations of the human race. Yeah, that’s what I just said.
New works by Ian Johnson show at White Walls Gallery in San Francisco from May 9.
Tagged: Blue Note Records, Ian Johnson, San Francisco Galleries, White Walls Gallery
- 3
- 0
Also by DOMINGO ANTONIO ROBLEDO
The demise of our beloved print medium is a harsh reality that a lot of independent magazines have been dealing with for the past five years at least. So we all frequent a ton of different sites that we like and one in particular that’s really given itself a pick-me-up online, for the better good of longevity and legacy, is Planet magazine. Read more
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe looks so much like the ideal Western image of a young Jesus Christ, it’s almost unsettling. Conceptually, that might be half the point, irony and all that good-looking fun as a rock star, or perhaps not. Regardless, Sharpe and his nine, yes nine, Magnetic Zero friends make one hell of a wanderlust band — and we can’t wait to see them again on their current stateside tour. In particular, we’d like to acknowledge that awesome old-school bus of theirs (though it’s probably not all that good for the environment). Read more
Magic Wands are a burgeoning young duo playing some really fun music these days, and the most recent remix of Warrior sounds especially sweet to my ears this week. Uh, maybe because I just saw them live the other night, and they exceeded the expectations of an opening act. We love it when that happens. Don’t we? Read more
YOU'RE SAYING (0)
No comments yet.
HAVE YOUR SAY
A Letter A Day is a cool blog on which designer Jaime Van Wart posts a new hand-drawn font or single character every day.
I interviewed the mysterious Suitman some time ago for the Australian magazine, Riot. Even then it was clear that, with his immaculately pressed suit and crisp white shirts, he was an icon – both stylistically and conceptually. So it’s no surprise to hear about his latest adventure, The New Grand Tour, ‘an episodic art project featuring revolving guest artists with hyphenated cultural and geographical backgrounds. Read more
You’ve got to give it to the guys at American fashion label, Attus Apparel. Just over a year into business and already they are producing some of the more … ummm … interesting photo shoots out there. Read more
The work of artist Matt Leines is a perfect mash up of folk, ethnic and outsider art. It’s smart, colorful, graphic eye candy. In fact, there’s not one piece on his site I wouldn’t sell my hypothetical soul for.
We’ve just launched a new Bullet Web Studio designed website to complement our new weekly email publication, My Secret Playlist, in which we invite our favourite bands and musicians to give us the rundown on their eight favourite songs or albums right now. The latest band to do a Secret Playlist for us is Washington-based indie rockers, Jukebox The Ghost. Check it out, and check them out below.
You heard it here first. Singer-songwriter Julian Perretta might just become the most exciting new artist of 2008. Read more
Stylistically The Asteroids Galaxy Tour is hard to pin down, except to say that they throw one hell of a party – which may be why those music-loving folks at Apple chose them to help sell what’s being touted as ‘the funnest iPod ever’. Sun-drenched pop melodies collide with Technicolor dreams, anchored by the band’s shared love of the classic soul stylings of Marvin, Stevie and Sly that can be heard in the horns snaking through Around The Bend, as well as the slinky The Sun Ain’t Shining No More [below], the Thomas Gold remix of which we have available for free download in the Music Download section of Lost At E Minor [psst, it's in the third column], along with a stack of other cool tunes. Get those iPods ‘a thumpin’!
WE'RE RESPECTING
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
Trip out with Sparrow Vs Sparrow’s retro illustrations, I love their aesthetic, color use and sense of humor. Read more
Yum, yum, cupcakes are fun. These creations are so clever, so arty, so damn bizarre that it would almost be a shame to eat them. Almost! Read more
Good thing Kris Kuksi channelled the trauma of growing up with an alcoholic stepfather, his disdain for ‘the typical American life and pop culture’, and his fascination with the macabre into obsessive, baroque assemblages, paintings, and drawings. Read more
Scanners’ new single Salvation
I love this track by London based rock group, Scanners, which is off their latest album, Submarine. Having toured with acts such as The Horrors, The Wedding Present, The Charlatans, Electric Six, and Juliette & The Licks, Scanners could well blow up in 2010. Figuratively speaking, not literally. No, that wouldn’t be fun.
Our celebrity-saturated culture makes many of us irrationally hateful of the faces we see on our TV screens and magazine pages. Good thing there’s Celebrity PunchOut to let off some of that steam.
Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more
This Spider Necklace by Andrea Corson is made from oxidized sterling silver and is a one of a kind: a blackened creepy crawly on a bed of Caviars that will freak and treat. We have them for sale in the Lost At E Minor online store. Read more
FOLLOW US
DISCOVER MORE
SO...
SEARCH: Can't find what you're looking for? Do a search..
IS IT GOOD FOR YOU TOO?
We hope you're enjoying your time on Lost At E Minor, but it’s not over yet. Got something to share? Tell us about it and we'll look to publish it. If you want to have your work featured on the site, we'd love to hear from you. Pssst, we also have an online store stocking some of the goodies we feature on the site.
If you're a media agency and want to use this platform to connect with our readership, then drop us a line and tell us about it. Oh yeah, and we do digital consulting for cool brands that want to reach the sort of demographic that visits this site.
