Eagle Rock's hippest art scene, the Show Cave Gallery, hosts the Los Angeles debut of the Floating World Animation Fest this Saturday. Show Cave's Hazel Hill describes the program as "local and lo-fi, international and extrasensory, hand drawn, stop motion, CGI and puppetry."
This program features the most popular work of the last three fests, plus never-before-seen shorts. Artists include Bruno Dicolla, Robert Seidel, Dan Deacon, Jimmy Joe Roche, Peter Glantz, Zane Kozak, Vince Collins, Carolina Melis, Bruno 9li, Dearraindrop, Will Sweeney, Tasha Brotherton, Jen Stark, Vivian Wong, Mato Atom, Christophe Blanc, Superbrothers, Yoshi Sodeoka, Lung, David O’Reilly and Throne Boogie.
Floating World Animation Fest V.3 at Show Cave Gallery, 3501 Eagle Rock Blvd., Saturday, 9 p.m., $7
Do space aliens "tag" us with implants the same way we microchip our beloved pets? Are we their pets?
The jury's still out on that front, but if you are an Angeleno and suspect you've got an alien implant, then next weekend, at the Pickwick Gardens in Burbank, Dr. Roger Leir, M.D., a SoCal-based podiatrist, well-known to UFOlogists, George Noory fans and Fortean-types will be on hand to help.
Leir no longer feels the need to debate the existence of UFOs; it's the implants he's more concerned about, considering them proof positive of the alien reality. What Leir's research wants to get to the bottom of is, what are their motives? What are their plans for us? And how the heck did those otherworldly implants get there in the first place?
Also appearing at the event is conspiracy theorist Jordan Maxwell, a fellow who describes himself as "a preeminent researcher and speaker in the fields of secret societies, occult philosophies, and UFOlogy since 1959." Maxwell is scheduled to lecture about "The Hidden Dimensions in World Affairs."
The tinfoil-hat brigade should be out in force at the event, which will be hosted by Noory himself. A lil' zany? Perhaps, but something tells us that the people-watching will be very interesting.
An enigma, an institution, an amalgamation of experimental noise rock
and visual stuntery -- please welcome back the Residents. Who are these
mysterious avant-gardians? That secret's been kept for 30 years. Thanks
to their signature garb of tuxedos and eye-ball helmets, the quartet
has remained completely anonymous and genderless since debuting in the mid-'70s. They've also been
incredibly prolific, churning out 30 albums chock-full of bizarre
rock/pop experimentation. Nowadays, a Residents show is a very rare occurrence, so don't miss this chance to catch these seminal
brain-benders at the Henry Fonda.
Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theater, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Sat. Jan. 30, $23 / 8 p.m.
-- Ramie Becker
Video: The Residents mutant cover version of James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World."
Still, there's something to this futuristic culinary heresy and there's a very important factor to consider moving forward, what our consumption of meat does to the planet.
According to an Associated Press report on the pork:
Hanna Tuomisto, who studies the environmental impact of food production at Oxford University, said that switching to lab-produced meat could theoretically lower greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95 percent. Both land and water use would also drop by about 95 percent, she said.
"In theory, if all the meat was replaced by cultured meat, it would be huge for the environment," she said. "One animal could produce many thousands of kilograms of meat." In addition, lab meat can be nurtured with relatively few nutrients like amino acids, fats and natural sugars, whereas livestock must be fed huge amounts of traditional crops.
There's also the possibility of engineering more healthful meat, like a hamburger that wouldn't clog your arteries.
Probably worth mentioning that none of the Dutch scientists have actually tried their delicacy. Still, we at Brand X intend to keep watching this space, if for no other reason than to see what new gross-out drink recipes our intrepid reporter and resident mixmaster Alie Ward might come up with utilizing this porky mystery meat (see Georgia Hardstark and Alie's utterly foul viral video recipes for the Bloody Bacon and Cheese, and the "McNuggtini," below).
-- Richard Metzger
Photo: A photomicrograph of muscle tissue. Dutch scientists have been growing pork in a laboratory, a technique to turn pig stem cells into strips of meat
that scientists say could one day offer an environment-friendly
alternative to raising livestock. Credit: Eindhoven University of Technology
Tonight in musicland, it's a real toss-up, folks. Difficult
decisions must be made --between intelligent indie rock, emotional
electronica and spastic noise-pop. So let's get started, shall we?
First
off, there's Andy Clockwise at the Hotel Cafe. As Andy Kelly’s
larger-than-life alter
ago, Clockwise is a captivating front man. His songwriting swings
wildly from tender ballads to gutsy psych rock, often with lyrics that
bleed out witty satire. Clockwise has been previewing
material off of his new LP "The Socialite" for several weeks now, and
tonight's the last chance to catch him before he jets back to his
homeland, Australia, for an extensive tour.
Hotel Cafe, 1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd.,
Hollywood, 10 p.m.
But,
let's say you're in the mood for something a bit more brain-scrambling.
How about the Polysics? Now out with "Absolute Polysics," the
jumpsuit-wearing, ADHD-addled
band from Japan is back with more of its "Technicolor pogo punk."
But
maybe, tonight, you just feel like a lil' crancing (i.e. crying and dancing). We've
got JUST the thing, because tonight also offers a rare opportunity to
catch Figurine. One of Jimmy Tamborello's (yes, that Jimmy
Tamborello, he of Postal Service and Dntel fame) many side projects, the low-profile, pseudonymous trio fills Perhspace with thinking man's synth pop; sentimental, melodic and spacey. Just TRY to listen to "IMpossible" without getting a little verklempt. Pehrspace, 325 Glendale Blvd., 9 p.m., $5
But it doesn't stop there! Oh, no! Also tonight:
My Name Is Dalloway w/Magic Fingers @ the Smell, 9 p.m.
Timbaland’s Shock Value Tour: The Fray & Honor Society @
Sunset House of Blues, 8:30 p.m.
Bowling for Soup w/ Just Surrender,Fight Fair @ El Rey, 8 p.m.
VV Brown w/ ReniLane, Love Grenades @ Spaceland, 8:30 p.m.
Rum & Humble;John Doe w/ CC Adcock, Jace Everett @ Echoplex, 8 p.m.
Rise and shine, wipe the sleep from your eyes all of you lovely Los Angelenos, it's your morning Brand X news round-up for Jan. 29, 2010:
Osama Bin Laden, global warming activist. Who knew Bin Laden was
"green"? Blames U.S. and "Bush the son" for rejecting the Kyoto
protocol "only to satisfy the big companies." (Gawker)
New Harris Poll indicates that just two in five Americans read a newspaper almost every day. Less than one-quarter of 18- to 34-year-olds read a paper each day and 10% never read a newspaper at all. Paying for online news also gets a big thumbs down from the public. (Harris Interactive)
Plan C: New morning-after pill "can be taken up to five days after sex" developed in Britain. Predictably, conservative political groups say it would promote promiscuity and an increase in sexually transmitted diseases, despite emergency contraception already being available for over a decade (Telegraph). And while we're on the subject, there are also Dr. George Tiller's lost tapes -- in never-seen footage, the slain abortion provider explains his career choice (Salon).
George Soros tells Davos summit gathering that gold is now "the ultimate," most worrisome, of financial asset bubbles. Scarily-accurate stock analyst Robert Prechter believes that if deflation comes, gold could see a 40% drop from its peak. This will not be a good thing. Not at all. (24/7 Wall Street)
Greece's debt could prove "fatal" to eurozone, German minister warns. Words sends investors into near panic fleeing Greek investments (The Independent)
Boys and their toys department: What to get the man who has everything? Millionaire Richard Branson purchases £415,000 prototype submersible named Necker Nymph. Aquatic vehicle can dive up to 35,000 feet. (Daily Mail)
Nine human parasites you don't want along for the ride. If you are eating or squeamish, do NOT click on this link! (TreeHugger)
-- Richard Metzger
Osama Bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaeda Islamic network, blamed industrial nations for climate
change in an audiotape broadcast on
Jan. 29, 2010. Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images.
In the beginning, there was the Word. Then came the Music. After that, the Phenomenon caught fire, and that’s when things got really interesting.
If that all sounds a bit mythical, it’s because it kind of is.
Originally imagined as a fictional world of living on the edge, Muslim punk rockers in Michael Muhammad Knight’s 2003 novel, “The Taqwacores,” Taqwacore has since evolved into an honest-to-goodness, real-life, fight-the-power scene, replete with young and charismatic activists, artists and Punk – the only appropriate soundtrack to any decent rebellion.
Groups like the Chicago doom-crust band Al-Thawra and Boston-based ska-punkers the Kominas are rapidly gaining attention, as evidenced by August’s Los Angeles Times feature. Omar Majeed’s documentary about the subculture, “Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam,” made Spin magazine’s “Best Music Documentary” list of 2009, and “The Taqwacores,” Eyad Zahra’s feature film adaptation of the novel, premiered this week as an official competitor at the Sundance Film Festival. (For more on that, check out the post at the LA Times’ 24 Frames blog).
Knight, a Rochester, N.Y., native who converted to Islam in his teens and then struggled with an inability to reconcile his faith with his inner Punk, coined the book's title from the Arabic word "Taqwa," which means piety or God-fearing, and “hardcore,” a subgenre of late-70s punk rock. The novel, which he handed out for free in parking lots before finding a publisher in 2004, resonated so strongly with young Muslims dissatisfied with traditionalists in their own communities and clichés foisted on them by outsiders that it became something of a manifesto.
A reluctant guru at best, Knight is uncomfortably aware of the role that has been painted of him in the media as leader of the so-called movement. “That’s just scary to me,” Knight said. “The whole point is there’s not supposed to be a guru. There’s not supposed to be someone’s shadow you’re in.”
Other misconceptions include that of Taqwacore being specifically an Islamic construct. “Everyone assumes we’re all Muslim,” said Marwan Kamil, lead singer of Al-Thawra.“We’re just a bunch of kids that feel outside, like ‘the other.’ And because of that a lot of different people can identify.”
Another problem is the assumption that all Taqwacores are punk rock boys. “The bands always get reported on, but it’s not just a band scene, and most of us are girls,” said blogger Tanzila Ahmed. And there’s no specific fight, except that against any element of society that would seek to squelch freedom of expression, artistic or otherwise. “Taqwacore is a loose configuration of artists who want to rebel in their own way against any form of fundamentalism, Islamic or not,” added Mila Aung-Thwin, whose company EyeSteelFilm produced Majeed’s documentary, soon to be distributed by Lorber Films.
Members of the unofficial but close-knit Taqwacore community call themselves Taqx, coined by photographer Kim Badawi, whose arresting photographs of the scene compellingly capture the raw energy of the early days, or “scenesters,” as described by Ahmed. Taqx are writers, photographers, musicians and just plain old fans. And like any self-respecting punks, they bristle at attempts by the media to label them as anything so organized or simplistic as a movement or group. Taqwacore is more about community, friendships and “being punk in terms of attitude and individuality,” said Shahjehan Khan, guitarist for the Kominas.
All the same, the Taqwacore crew is known for outrageous behavior and thumbing their collective nose at rules, fundamentalism and the constraints of polite society. Some of their more infamous shenanigans include crashing (and getting booted from) the Islamic Society of North America’s 2007 convention as well as a staging a faked wrestling match between Knight and Ibrahim Hooper, spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). As Knight put it, “Punk is not about being diplomatic.”
When contacted for comment, Hooper said that CAIR supports “diversity and self-expression” of everyone in the Islamic community, with the caveat that they “hope it stays within Islamic moral and religious guidelines.” As for the staged wrestling match in which he did not participate, and which blew up on YouTube, he was unfazed.
“I’m the spokesperson for a public organization, so I’m fair game,” Hooper said. “I’m used to it. That’s life in the big city.”
Like the Grunge scene in the '90s, commercialization of all things Taqwacore has already begun. Seattle designer Niilartey DeOsu was one of many Taqwacore fans who made the trek to Park City, Utah, with the difference that he didn’t only want to see the film and hang with the scenesters – he also wanted to clothe them.
Knight admitted that his background in the punk scene automatically aligns him against anything to do with fashion, but allowed that, “if someone relates to Taqwacore and wants to bring it into their world, it would be wrong of me to put that down. Taqwacore needs to be as formless and indefinable as possible. I don’t own it.”
It’s anyone’s guess what’s next: The films are both awaiting distribution dates, and none of the bands have been signed to a major label yet. But the sense is that this tiny, fierce scene called Taqwacore will only continue to strengthen and grow.
“The mother ship is taking off,” said Majeed, laughing.
-- Melissa Henderson
Video: Al-Thawra’s Marwan Kamel says the music video for “Disorientation,” the second track off their latest CD, “Who Benefits from War?” explores the feeling of being “politicized and exotified” as a Muslim in America.
If it's wrong to get goosebumps watching a marching band play "Personal Jesus," then we don't want to be right. With the documentary "The Posters Came From the Walls," directors Jeremy Deller and Nick Abrahams follow the fervent fans of Depeche Mode and chronicle their gestures of undying faith and devotion, including people who merrily blast their songs on tubas, dress their children like Dave Gahan and cite the British synth pop band as a factor in the fall of the Eastern Bloc. They also follow people who just collect a lot of shirts. Either way, the film is cause for a "Black Celebration."
Just because something is dead, doesn't mean you can't love it. Exhibit A: Elvis. Exhibit B: Comedy.
Duncan Trussell, a disturbingly funny L.A. comedian, announced the death of comedy after suffering though a viewing of "Last Comic Standing" and pledged to resurrect it with monthly stand-up for those with higher humor standards. Wander past tombstones and into the Hollywood Forever's Masonic Lodge for live sets by living, breathing humans such as "Best Week Ever's" Doug Benson, "The Simpson's" Dana Gould, Nick Kroll, Chris Hardwick, Guy Branum of "Chelsea Lately" and the always lovely Natasha Leggero. No, comedy has not left the building.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd.; doors 8, show 9 p.m.; $15
--Alie Ward
Photo of Duncan Trussell by Stefano Paltera/Los Angeles Times
Nothing says 'party' quite like a polka-playing, banjolele-brandishing Gypsy folk band, right? With accordions, Spanish guitars, musical saws, and violins, Fishtank
Ensemble's instruments are as
eclectic as their musical influences, which encompass Klezmer,
Flamenco, jazz, opera and most importantly, that sweet, sweet Balkan
folk. Tonight, they're complimented with opening act Diego's Umbrella,
a self-described "Mexicali Gypsy Pirate Polka" troupe from the Bay Area. Oom-pah, indeed!
Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., $7, 8:30 p.m. (323) 661-4380
Pedal Power: With pricey fuel and a recession that seemingly won’t quit, is this the time for L.A. to reach for the sort of shared-road bicycle nirvana achieved in such cities as Portland, Ore., and Boston? Bike-centric neighborhoods such as Venice and Hel-Mel (around Heliotrope Drive and Melrose Avenue) seem to indicate change is within our reach. Or are these the sort of ambitious thoughts better left to more compact cities with about half as many drivers? Tell us what you think.
