Ad Video: Mmmmm...skateboarding

Image via The Cool Hunter

Here's another viral video's making the rounds where I really envy what's going on. I can't skateboard too well, but I sure can blow up balloons. That's half the battle right?? Click on the photo for the Nestlé video promoting their Aero chocolate bar featuring Bob Burnquist skating through a sea of brown balloons. I'm hungry.

If anyone knows the minds behind this please let us know.

Artist Video: Ben Frost

Here's a video that shows the process Ben Frost takes to complete one of his pieces. Enjoy!

Gig: Boys Noize

If you're looking for some weekday fun and you like to pound the dancefloor to really hard electro. I'm talking blow your ears out make your eyes pop. Then you should be going to check out Boys Noize this Thursday at This Is London.

Gig: Carnival Cabaret

So I know it's Monday. You're tired / annoyed / want your bed back. Instead of mourning about it not being the weekend, let's plan for next one!

The Reservoir Lounge is hosting Carnival Cabaret on Sunday, March 22, 2009. Proceeds from the event will go to support Project Sugar Dance Company. It's a fundraiser, people, so make sure you bring five dolla bills!

Doors open at 8 PM, and the fun kicks off at 8:30. Random Task Force will be there along with Luke Nicholson [above left]. If you've ever wondered what Cold Play would sound like if they found jazz instruments, Nicholson's band is it.

The evening also includes live dance from Project Sugar and stand up by Chelsea P Manders. Improv troupe The Royal Convicts will also be there.

For more on Project Sugar, click here.
For directions to the Reservoir Lounge, click here.

PWYC, $5 minimum

Bathroom Art

Here's some permanent graffiti done by Karl Grandin along with Björn Atldax, collectively known as Vår, in one of the restrooms at restaurant Riche in Stockholm.



Check out some more of this work at Karl's site.

And for the REAL lovers of bathroom graffiti. Check out Ask A Urinal for some graffiti from the people. What is art? You be the judge.

via An Overdose Of Awesomeness

Here's a video of the Triple Trouble exhibition of art from So Me, 2Shy and Cream that recently opened in Brussels. Hipster alert!

Party! Party! Party!

A new staple in the gay hip hop party scene has been born. YES YES Y'ALL! In case you missed it last month, you had to drop more than names to get yourself in. The place was packed. This time around it's happening in the Drake Underground this Saturday, March 21. So show up early or you'll be stuck in the lounge with the 905er's. Don't say I didn't warn you!


A fine selection of local DJ's will be spinning some of the freshest beats:
HOLLYROCK (big primpin, hump day bump, sticky fingers)
SAMMY D (big primpin, hump day bump)
ELLE NINO (hump day bump, sticky fingers)
J-iLL (fresh meet, beaver feaver)
STUNTS (yes yes y'all)

Drake Underground
$5 cover

Music: Tigersapien

Electro isn't going to die next week, so just keep enjoying it. This four piece NYC meets Philly crew that goes by Tigersapien not only are bringing us great electrobeats with some emo-pop vocals, but by the looks of their press photos are actual TIGERS! I can't wait to see that shit live.

If you like The Black Ghosts, you'll love these boys. I mean tigers.

Ta2 Gallery

As you can probably gather from this blog. We love MUSIC, and we loooove ART. So that's why we're opening up our studio space to local artists. Or even if you aren't local and can get us your art some how, we'd love you to be a part too.

This photo isn't our space, but it's equally as lovely!!

So please send me, Scooter, an e-mail with your portfolio and specifications. Or if you have someone cool that I should check out, let me know that too. I love learning new things and we can chat about our love of all things beautiful.

Email: scott @ ta2music.com

Street Art: Guess Who?

I actually have the same Guess Who? game at my apartment that I did growing up. It was one of the things that I borrowed (stole) from my parents place when I moved out. There are two characters missing now, but it's like they never existed. Here's some cool street art from Surplus Bargains
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Images from Wooster Collective

Video: Happy Up Here

We finally have an official video from Royksopp. The anticipation has been killing me!

CMW: It's called multi-tasking people

Now comes the time of year where I don't sleep for a weekend and always subsequently am sick the following week. I watch patterns, but I don't learn from them.

Here are some places you can find me:

Thursday
11:00pm Mother Mother @ Supermarket
11:00pm We Are Wolves @ El Mocambo
1:00am Still Life Still @ Sneaky Dee's
1:00am The Painted Birds @ Supermarket

Friday
10:45pm Green Go @ Wrongbar
11:00pm Japandroids @ Gladstone
12:00am Josh Reichmann @ Gladstone
1:45am Opopo @ Wrongbar

Saturday
9:00pm Peachcake @ Rancho Relaxo
10:00pm Whaletooth @ Rancho Relaxo
10:45pm Basia Bulat @ Lee's
1:00am Beekeepers Society @ Silverdollar
1:00am Beni @ Wrongbar
1:10am Hexes and Ohs @ Horseshoe

Music: Michna

Michna, real name: Adrian Michna, grew up in both NY and Miami. And he draws influences from both the urban and the tropical of both these metropolises.

Besides the superb album art by FriendsWithYou on his debut LP Magic Monday, it has some of the best liner notes ever written:

Back in 1993 I worked at a bike shop with a bunch of mountain bikers. They looked down on me like the young bmx guy and said stuff like, “When you gonna get a real bike?” One jock in particular (who had just discovered weed) hung around the shop, flexed his muscles, and said (with a mouthful of Powerbar), “All I wanna do is work out, eat Powerbars, and smoke a lotta pot.”

http://www.myspace.com/eggfooyoung

Watch it go up in flames!

I'm really fascinated by the creative things that people do with their workspaces. Chew on this one. An office designed almost completely out of cardboard. Nothing is a commercial creative agency based in Amsterdam. Created by designers Joost van Bleiswijk and Alrik Koudenburg

The best part of all is that visitors to the agency are encouraged to leave their mark behind on the surfaces. What a great interactive workspace. I wonder if anyone has drawn a penis yet??

Via CR Blog

Music: VULTURE REALTY

I listen to a junk load of music every day. And this is the best thing that I have come across this year, hands down. Remember this moment when you first heard of Vulture Realty.

Also at: vulturerealty.org

Artist: Futurecop!

I know, another electro act that sounds like they are from the 80's is nothing exciting. But I'll bet you'll be the first one on the dancefloor when the DJ spins this. And don't blame the Jagerbombs!!

The sound is clearly inspired by all things 80s. John Hughes movies, The Goonies, The Transformers. You love them all! But if you're gonna hate on the sound, you've gotta give props to the tour posters. Superb!


http://www.myspace.com/thefuturecop

Sweet Sweets!

From the depths of your Halloween candy bag. Chupa Chups, the candy with the wrapper concept designed by Salvador Dali, turned the ripe old age of 50 this past year. In celebration of the 50 years worth of cavaties Chupa Chups have gone to the streets and commissioned a 10-day series of artistic and multimedia installations at various locales in Australia.

The displays coincided with a day-long festival with live bands and DJ's which highlighted Chupa Chups half-century worth of sugar highs.

Now even hipsters can enjoy!!

Watch: One Week

I watched this film on the weekend, and I believe at some point in your life you should watch it too.
The idea is nothing new, but the execution is exemplary. It also has my husband [Josh Jackson] in it, so that's reason enough.



Happy Meditations.

Listen: Christina Martin

Halifax native Christina Martin packed her bags in '99, waved goodbye to the East Coast and headed to Austin, Texas.
Ten years later she's earned her reward with the release of Two Hearts, her sophomore album. Two Hearts has won Martin two 2008 Nova Scotia Music Awards.

Martin is playing at Not My Dog in Toronto on March 12th.
For more info on Christina Martin, click here.
For directions to Not My Dog, click here.

Victory to Leslieville!

We couldn't be happier. The Ontario Municipal Board has rejected plans to open a big box shopping complex in Leslieville. Yay to saving our fun neighborhood! Congrats to the East Toronto Community Coalition for their lengthy dedication and effective campaign finally paying off.

Read more here.

This Is Why You're Fat

I've found my new favorite website:


Sandwich Cake, anyone?



Or how about a slice of Secret Treasure Loaf?



Suddenly eating a whole tub of hummus after a night out in Party Town doesn't seem that bad anymore, does it?

For more "recipe" ideas, click here.

Innovation Opens

Innovation opens today at The National Ballet of Canada. Featuring works by 3 of Canada's freshest choreographers, Peter Quanz, Sabrina Matthews and Crystal Pite [above], this is the dance you have to get to.
More info here.

LOOKBOOK

I gotta admit, I love Mos Def. There's a little Mos Def shaped hole in my heart that beats everytime I hear Black on Both Sides, even if the album is almost ten years old.
I'm old.
Fear Not of Man is the opening track, and Def weaves in the beats with this beautiful prose:

"You know what's gonna happen with Hip-Hop?
Whatever's happening with us
If we smoked out, Hip-Hop is gonna be smoked out
If we doin alright, Hip-Hop is gonna be doin alright
People talk about Hip-Hop like it's some giant livin in the hillside
comin down to visit the townspeople
We are Hip-Hop
Me, you, everybody, we are Hip-Hop
So Hip-Hop is goin where we goin
So the next time you ask yourself where Hip-Hop is goin
ask yourself.. where am I goin? How am I doin?"

Too poignant for a post on fashion?



LOOKBOOK delivers Mos' prose in fashion form. Instead of leaving fashion to the Anna Wintours of the world, Lookbook users post their fashion finds and inspirations to spread the all-you-can-see buffet of user generated couture.

So the next time you ask yourself where fashion is goin
ask yourself.. where am I goin? How am I doin?
[And go to Lookbook for a slice of idea pie]

Reassuring words for Hipsters who feared their postmodern tailoring had sewn its last thread.

For more on Lookbook, click here.
For full outfit details on image above, click here.

Volunteer on your Cell Phone

I have to admit, I'm a terribly selfish volunteer. Last year I had the grandiose idea of becoming a Big Sister, until I realized that my 9-5+ schedule would not work out with my future Little Sister's 3 PM after school program. A brief brush with becoming a kitten feeder at The Humane Society followed [Sundays? Thursdays?], as did contemplating being Saturday staff at St. Michael's Hospital, but apart from all my thought-that-counts volunteering, that's as far as I made it. The thought.

For those having similarly pressing schedules and an unshakable desire to volunteer, The Extraordinaries have devised a program that can suit all volunteer time constraints. Through what they refer to as "micro volunteer opportunities", you can now volunteer for many organizations simply by using your cell phone. [And no, peanut gallery, not to make the call!]

How would you like to identify craters on the surface of Mars for NASA? Or tagging images for the Smithsonian? Or fact checking items for reporters on the run? If you have a smartphone and a pocket of time [waiting for the bus / a client approval / an internet upload / parking space], it's possible.

The Extraordinaries

View more presentations from benrigby. (tags: extraordinaries spare)

For more on The Extraordinaries, click here. Hats off to all the volunteers who do find the time.

DAREDALLION WEEK!

Woo hoo! Today officially marks the first work week of March - we've made it through the worst of winter, the sun is starting to break through the frosty clouds and - today is the first day of DAREDALLION WEEK in Australia. Darers, beware!

Daredallion Week is an event where participants are encouraged to take on a dare of hilarious proportions to fight against men's cancer. To view all of the latest dares, click here. Stuck for a dare idea? Use the dare generator here.

My personal fave is from Rodd Messent, who pledges to sign all of his work and personal emails for one week with: "with cuddles and love, Rodd". Check Rodd's progress here.

Up until this point the Darers have been collecting pledges, and will execute their dares once their pledge marked is reached during this week. The dare that launched it all features Adam [oh yes, Adam] on Bondi Beach trying to get airborn with helium ballons:



Awesome.

For more info on Daredallion week, click here.