The Polyphonic Spree
A religious experience tailor made for the soul hardened agnostic hipster scene would be a good way to describe a Polyphonic Spree concert. Tim Delaughter’s unabashed joy is infectious enough to cultivate a Dead Head-esque cult of Jesus-robe-wearing followers, who have, throughout the band’s history, been allowed to join in on the on-stage festivities.
Last time I saw the group, I was standing in awe at the back of the auditorium when Tim abruptly stopped a song and sang a couple lines of Cartoon Bikini, a song we wrote together when he was still in Tripping Daisy, followed by a ‘Hello, Ron English, I see you back there’. My wife looked at me and said, ‘Did that really just happen?’ At the end of the concert, I realized I couldn’t go back to being the person I had been before the show.
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Tagged: Cartoon Bikini, ron english, The Polyphonic Spree, Tim Delaughter
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Guest writers on Lost At E Minor
We’ve been featuring some interesting guest contributors on Lost At E Minor over the past year, including Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Tristan Eaton, Ben Lee, Brendan Canning from Broken Social Scene, designer Deanne Cheuk, artist Sam Weber, singer-songwriter Laura Veirs, and Tegan from Tegan and Sara.
Previous Guest Editor of Lost At E Minor, Shepard Fairey, and Jennifer Gross have a fantastic new book out through Abrams entitled, Art For Obama. Featuring artwork from more than a hundred International artists, including fellow Lost At E Minor Guest Editor Ron English [illustration above], Lukas Ketner, Kwaku Alston, Maya Hayuk, and Lisa Anne Auerbach, many of the works were created before the election to raise money for the Obama campaign. Pieces range from fashion to installation, and most refer back to Obama’s likeness. This will be a great book to look back on many years from now. And it’s a guilt free purchase, as all of the authors’ proceeds will be donated to Americans for the Arts charity. Read more
Also by RON ENGLISH
Super catchy old-school pop songs delivered by the enigmatic raspy-voiced Jack Medicine keep The Electric Illuminati on regular rotation here at the English household. Subjects for songs range from a messianic Barack Obama, to MC Supersized (the 500 pound Ronald McDonald), to a sequel to the Beatles song, Fool on the Hill. Jack sings the clever, darkly optimistic lyrics I have always wanted to hear in pop songs with energetic aplomb and a glee that would make Kurt Cobain’s corpse blush. Full disclosure: I am the band’s lyricist.
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Morgan Spurlock on finding Bin Laden
Morgan Spurlock takes on the role of the viewer’s best friend as he explores some pretty intense social terrain. The technique allows him to explore controversial subject matter without ever coming off as preachy or holier than thou.
You may have to work your way through the flock of sheep being hustled down the street by your local shepherd on your way to breakfast, but the people are extremely friendly and helpful. Everything is cheap. You can get a nice four-ounce glass of cognac for three dollars. Shopping is not as extensive as some other locations, like Dubai, but they have the coolest hand-carved olive wood sculptures, and you can visit the many mom and pop factories that make them. Read more
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James Blagden is one of the most unique and original young illustrators out there. He is going to be big, big, BIG. And I’m so proud as I used to be his teacher! His website just got a makeover for 2009, so we checked in with him and asked him what else he’d been working on lately: ‘I’ve done some commercial work for Nike and Uniqlo and a recent editorial drawing for a Swiss magazine called Annabelle. I’ve got a couple of personal projects going as well. Hopefully I’ll stay focused long enough to finish them’. Read more
Ring out the bad, and ring in the good, Yessir, these Happy Day and Crappy Day rings are just that: a jolt of brutal realism cloaked in saccharine sweet colourings.
Springfield Punx is a great blog that features renderings of what your favorite comic book, cartoon, and movie characters (and a few late-night talk-show hosts thrown in for good measure) would look like as characters on the Simpsons.
I love how illustrator and artist Wesley Allsbrook colors her work with pulsating acid-like washes and varied textures, setting off her gorgeous animated line work just beautifully. Read more
Kirk brings Molly to meet his family for a pool party but she doesn’t have her swim suit. Kirk, an average Joe, can’t believe his luck when gorgeous babe Molly falls for him even though he’s the first to admit She’s Out of My League. In cinemas April 1.
Monet and The Impressionists is on display at Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales until January 26, 2009. Alive with bold brushstrokes and dappled colours, the exhibit features 58 masterpieces by Cezanne, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro and Monet himself, among many others that have never been shown in Australia. It was amazing to view some of the finest quality works that revolutionised modern painting and the way natural light is portrayed on canvas. Go Monetise yourself and see Rough Weather, and all those serial haystack paintings.
Haunts is one twisted, skewered, pulsating, gyrating disco tune. Seriously. Jacob Safari, aka Bark, Bark, Bark, sure knows how to take a dirgey chord progression and dress it up in layers of disjointed, unsettling noise.
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The new Runaways movie looks at the formation of the seminal girls’ group which spawned Joan Jett’s career. We have a Runaways prize pack to give away, including Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway, the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Greatest Hits CD, the film’s soundtrack, and Joan Jett’s photobook with Todd Oldham. To enter, just leave the name of the city you live in! Read more
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