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November 6, 2009 | New Trends | There's video in this post. by Dave Mata Highly recommended by the LAEM team. |

I met one of the Chicago contributors of this New York, LA, Chicago collaboration site in front of a local bike shop this past summer. He was happily showing off his latest thrift store VHS scores to a mutual friend of ours. I slept on the “blog” he said he was collecting the tapes for for some time. Sometimes I make mistakes. Everything is Terrible is a brilliant library of all things unsettling. These are not posts of mindless YouTube anomalies. These are serious and hilarious documentations of what could be lost on most people were it not for these ironic excavators.

November 2, 2009 | Video | There's video in this post. by Dave Mata Highly recommended by the LAEM team. |

This band is one of the most promising acts to appear in Chicago in the past few years. Their live shows have set them apart from their stoner-spazz rock counterparts, with an elaborate light set up that they bring to each show. Yes, you see correctly, lead vocalist joe is ‘playing’ the lights. I can’t imagine these guys ever quit working being that they build their own amps, and drummer, Mizzola plays in like ten other great Chicago bands. Look out for Lasers and Fast and Shit’s new 7″, Introduction, out now.

October 13, 2009 | New Photography | by Dave Mata Highly recommended by the LAEM team. |

Philippine born, Chicago resident, Miriam Fanger is addicted to coffee, and capturing moments that don’t exist with the reality of passing time. The subtle intensity she has, along with a tenacity for shooting, makes her work powerful and moving. Her photos seem to catch all people at a passing instant of vulnerability, and the posture and eyes of her subjects radiate with a chemistry that I rarely see in portraiture. Read more

October 12, 2009 | New Music | by Dave Mata |

Anybody could roll down the list of bands that Mexico City’s Carlos Icaza is in, or credit him for his incredible work with the Vampi Soul people, but until you have met this brilliant, record collecting, drum-battering-anomaly in person, you have only read into a small semblance of what Icaza is all about. When I first met him, I had no idea who he was. He commented on a record I was playing at a bar and then a week later, my friends and I hadn’t missed a single gig he played in Chicago, including the loft party we all spun together the following Saturday. I have been addicted to this mix that he posted and it doesn’t even compare to his live sets. Who knew so many soul standards sounded twice as funky recorded in Mexico in the 60s.

October 12, 2009 | New Events | by Dave Mata |

chicago based label numero group do it right: their packaging, the selection, and the attention to detail are beyond the comprehension of any casual music listener. I had the pleasure of attending last April’s Eccentric Soul revue at Chicago’s Park West, and honestly, I had never witnessed anything like it before in my life. Read more

October 8, 2009 | New Events | by Dave Mata |

Chicago artist Charlie Megna leads a simple life of skateboarding, painting, and drinking with friends. I envy him. Perhaps it’s this casual mid-west approach to urban life that provides him the tongue-in-cheek platform with which he pokes at modern life from. With content ranging from oil consumption to technological advances, state pride to abstract kitty cats, he can also draw a very pretty tree. A good number of Megna’s paintings are currently hanging at People Lounge in Wicker Park, and will be up for the remainder of the month. Read more

August 29, 2009 | New & Cool Architecture | by Casper Johansson |

Generating power from the wind, this amazing rotating building was originally designed for the rather appropriate city of Chicago by architect David Fisher in a way that packs enough power to fuel another ten similarly sized buildings.

August 27, 2009 | New Events | by Andres Colmenares |

The dynamic and interesting metropolis of Chicago was the epicenter of a huge phenomena early this month. Heavy storms of rock and roll mixed with indie winds and intense electro sun rays smashed Grant Park. More than 250,000 people were reported wearing wristbands, fashionista hats, sunglasses and shorts. They danced for three days, non-stop. After an overdose of musical heat and good vibes, the only word they would say was Lollapalooza! [Photo via Frumpyali] Read more

August 26, 2009 | New Art | by Ilana Kohn |

I don’t even know where to begin describing the work of Chicago artist Matthew Woodward. Maybe it’s my deep-seated love for all things historical and sturdy, useful antiques. Maybe Woodward created these drawings especially for me (maybe?). Using graphite to create ghost-like, mysterious images of elements like finials, gates and augers (go look up old fashioned tools), there is something utterly mysterious and compelling about his work. They remind me of old photographs with their far away magic. Read more

August 20, 2009 | New Music | There's audio in this post. by Gerry Mak |

Lord Mantis is a mish-mash of several different metal tropes, with slow doom passages transitioning into dissonant black metal parts and vocals that span the styles of the genre – hardcore yelping, black metal screeching, and death metal growls. This is not surprising, given the band’s members are all prominent in the Chicago metal scene, playing in other bands such as Avichi, Indian, and Nachtmystium.

August 18, 2009 | New Music | There's audio in this post. by Gerry Mak |

I caught Grayceon from San Francisco a week or so ago in Chicago. I hadn’t heard of them before, but they were really fantastic. The trio has roots in metal, but manage to take things in a more melodic, progressive direction without sacrificing heaviness. Their complex arrangements shift between languid, cello-driven segments to riff-heavy parts complete with double bass drums. Cellist Jackie Perez Gratz’ operatic vocal lines in conjunction with guitarist Max Doyle’s monk-like baritone up the chamber-music feel of their sound, but they still hit the right spots to get people headbanging.

August 12, 2009 | Cool Travel | by Gerry Mak |

I had heard tell of Kuma’s Corner in Chicago, a restaurant that serves burgers named after metal bands, for a long time now, and I finally made it there a few days ago. The place was packed as expected for a Saturday afternoon, but we managed to sit at the bar. I found myself wanting to choose burgers based on whether or not I liked the band they were named after rather than what was actually on the burgers, but I had to tell myself that was a bad idea. Read more

July 31, 2009 | New & Cool Architecture | by Caitlin Zaino |

Officially, Avec is first and foremost a wine bar. Yet, a few minutes in this vibrant, energetic Chicago-based space and it’s quickly evident that it’s so much more. Set in a long, narrow honey-colored room wrapped in cedar and hickory, with five communal tables and red oak seating, the atmosphere is loud and boisterous, filled with lively conversation and music to match. Within this James Beard Award Winning designed room, rustic cuisine, charcuterie, and cheese from the Mediterranean regions of Southern France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain are served as small and large plates. Read more

July 27, 2009 | New Trends | by The Uncool Hunter |

The residents of Chicago have another option for all those special events. The famous Tony Taglia, aka The Ferrari Guy, offers a unique service: a one hour trip in his Ferrari decorated with 24k golden parts. The chauffeur? Tony himself. He says he’s the most photographed person after the American President. Perfect for birthdays celebrations, weddings, bachelor’s parties, banquets and special gifts, and all for only $300 an hour. Read more

June 30, 2009 | New Illustration | by Gerry Mak |

Chicago-based RISD graduate Lauren Nassef has some unimpeachable skills as a draftsman, but I appreciate her work for its restraint and elegant minimalism. Check out her A Drawing A Day blog to keep up with what she’s working on. Read more

 

Born in Seoul Korea, but now working out of Los Angeles, Ramis Kim creates mixed media pieces which explore idealized childhood memories and invented narratives in imagined landscapes. An MFA graduate from Cal Arts in Valencia, Kim paints film and TV backgrounds when not creating her own art. Her work will be seen in a group show of Little Paper Plane artists, curated by Kelly Lynn Jones at Tinlark Gallery opening September 13. Read more


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There’s no place in the world like Cuba’s colourful and crumbling capital. Riddled with contradictions, it’s a foodie’s worst nightmare and a photographer’s paradise. People really do dance in the streets, drive 1950s Chevvies, and smoke big, fat cigars. However, it’s all set to change. In December last year, while Cuba celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its revolution, President Obama said he’d soften America’s trade embargo, and Raul Castro said that he’s ‘ready for talks’ with the new American government. While this could mean long-overdue relief for Cubans, it could also leave one less truly fascinating place on the globe to visit. So go. Now.

Do you want to be transported back to your childhood dreams? Check out Nike’s latest Dunk Hi for grrrrr girls. Pink, red, green, yellow, blue, white and, wait for it, a golden metallic orange. Oooohhhh. Be your own Rainbow Bright on a mission to save Rainbow Land. Just in time for the London sun, too.


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I love the colour and textures that permeate Brooklyn illustrator Ilana Kohn’s work. A Pratt graduate, Kohn ‘works mainly through combining traditional painting techniques with various manners of collage and occasional digital media’. Read more

Oh man! Now I’ve seen it all. An entire blog dedicated to cupcakes, those perfect little bundles of sweet, sweet goodness. Hell, my mouth is watering just looking at them. What will they think of next? A blog about pretzels? Ha! Oh, wait a minute. Damn!

My favourite cartoon is Home Movies by Brendon Small. Read more

Finnish folk band Gjallarhorn is named for the horn that the Norse god Heimdall blows to announce Ragnarock — the end of the world. The bands music is far from dark, however: their brand of Scandinavian folk music incorporates mouth harps, fiddles, flutes, and even didgeridoo in a melange of cheerful, but ethereally beautiful tunes sung in Swedish.

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WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST

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Celebrity PunchOut

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.

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Creative cupcake design

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

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Magic Dots

Wheeeeee! This game is so freaking fun! You move your cursor over each dot to make them split into four smaller dots ad infinitum.

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Mike Stimpson

Check out Mike Stimpson’s Lego reinterpretations of classic photographs. Stimpson’s version of Malcolm Browne’s iconic 1963 photograph of the self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc is particularly twisted. Read more

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Lizzy Stewart

There is not a medium that UK illustrator Lizzy Stewart cannot wrap around her little finger to make the most beautiful, whimsical images. Read more


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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

New York-based designer Ryan Sullivan’s shirts are printed in his studio in low runs. His latest batch works with geometric space on silky cotton poly blend shirts. Read more

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