The Chap

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Artist Taylor McKimens does paintings you want to poke with a stick, and maybe even sniff, if your friends dared you. With grotesque images of diseased bodies, rotting piles of vomit, intestine-looking tubes, and all manner of scatological subjects rendered in muted pastels, McKimens’ paintings look as if pop culture has been left out of the fridge too long and is sprouting some pretty funky stuff. Read more

WE'RE THINKING

Mercedes Helnwein’s pencil portraits are hyper-realistic and expressive at the same time. She stays apparently faithful to her subjects, but utilizes poses and lighting to obtain dramatic and expressive images. Read more

WE'RE READING

Fashion blogger Tavi is biting, witty, articulate, and stylish for any age. The fact that she’s only twelve makes her kind of over-the-top amazing. Already an accomplished photographer and astute critic of all things wearable, the sarcastic pre-teen is probably sick of being described as precocious, but she’s the very definition of the word.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Nestled in the hills of Napa Valley, Bardessono is the newest creation of eco-developer Phil Sherburne and architect Ron Mitchell. Completed just seven weeks ago, the luxurious inn and spa is currently pursuing Leed certification and includes rammed earth walls, water treatment systems, and solar and geothermal energy systems. The buildings were built to pay homage to the land, and include recycled cypress wood for the windows, doors, and floors. Read more

WE'RE WATCHING

In surf culture circles, the second half of 2009 belonged to Modern Collective. Six of the world’s most innovative surfers taking on world-class breaks suited to aerial surfing. This is no Endless Summer soul-search; it’s a film about the new generation of surfers creating a new style of surfing. Throwing ridiculous airs is hardly a new thing, but the stuff these guys are going for – and landing – has been blowing minds. Surf magazine execs scrambled for early viewings, and as they held clandestine meetings in darkened apartments around director Kai Neville’s MacBook Pro the opinions were unanimous; the game has been changed, for good. This is the biggest surf film release in years, possibly decades. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

Rick Owen’s spring collection uses monochrome patterns to create a classic and chic silhouette. The layering, and oversized look, is perfectly tailored: big around the neck and tighter in the leg. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

‘I have been trying to go with my whims. Fuck it, let’s make an iPod album’. This statement from Team Genius leader Drew Hermiller was the jumping off point in the creation of the band’s debut self-titled full-length album, one of the most interesting and eclectic pop records of the year. ‘Basically it’s a reaction to the modern way music is consumed and listened to’, Hermiller says. ‘The idea of an album with a focused sound and a complete statement kind of gets lost now-a-days. Everyone shuffles around, so I thought “why not write an album that does the same thing?” Luckily, the band did an awesome job of keeping up with it’. Download a couple of free tracks off the album in our Music Download section [pssst, it's in the third column of the site]

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