top 10 albums of 2008.

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get these albums if you haven't already.

1. tv on the radio - dear science
2. death cab for cutie - narrow stairs
3. blitzen trapper - furr
4. the gaslight anthem - the '59 sound
5. radiohead - in rainbows
6. ryan adams & the cardinals - cardinology
7. the acorn - glory hope mountain
8. the black keys - attack and release
9. r.e.m. - accelerate
10. the raconteurs - consolers of the lonely

art club fundraiser.

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please join us on wednesday, dec 10 at 2:45 in my classroom (thomas room 57) to print any of the designs seen above for only $5!!! all you need to do is bring an article of clothing to print on and your money. you can pick it up on friday, dec 12.

this could be a great unique christmas present, a cool way to recycle an old tshirt, or just a way to support great kids and a great cause.

all proceeds will benefit the melita house of rochester. this is a place where homeless mothers, aged 16-21 can stay and not only recieve room and board, but parenting and life skills. in return, they must attend the appropriate level of school.

for more info on the melita house and mercy residential services, visit their website at: http://www.mercyresidential.org/

thank you all for your support!

artist of the week :: audrey kawasaki.

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audrey kawasaki's work is easy to pinpoint, but hard to truly describe.
there is an etherial quality that makes the work this way. her influences are easy to read though - alphonse mucha's poster art, the paintings of gustav klimt and egon schiele, as well as contemporary graffiti and tattoo art. she is able to deftly combine these disparate influences into something totally fresh and new.
although her paintings are visually simple, they captivate the viewer, bringing them back for more.

for more on audrey kawasaki, check out her website
[also, you can click on the artists' names in the above paragraph to see work from her influences.]

wths art club design competition.

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attention all thomas high school artists...

the art club is going to be doing a screen printing fundraiser on december 10th and 11th after school. to prepare for this we are having a design competition to find a few new shirt designs to print. you are all eligible to enter - here are the rules:

1. design may be no larger than 8.5”x11”
2. must be black & white.
3. must have no lines thinner than a sharpie marker.
4. cannot be advertising any team or band that is copyrighted... wths is the only official logo that may be used.
5. you can hand draw (must be markered), use the computer (paint, photoshop), or do something creative with text... or a combination of the 3.
6. designs will be judged by art club afterschool on thursday, december 4th - therefor, they are due by 2:30 that day to room 57. we reserve the right to choose as many or as few designs as we deem right for the fundraiser.
7. if your design wins, you recieve free printing on one garment during the fundraiser.
8. we look forward to seeing your designs!

artist of the week :: ann strassman

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i know it seems obvious that i would like ann strassman's work - bold portraits on found surfaces. its an easy fit for me - but what i find interesting about her work is the inclusion of the found markings on the boxes. she incorporates the stickers, labels, and printed words into the pieces in interesting ways. its something ive never thought of before.

beyond that, the marks she makes are quite beautiful. it seems that she studied the paintings of alberto giacometti.

here is her artist statement from 2007:
"a riot of pigment applied with an athletic force-coming together to create life.
there are no metaphors-just the magic of paint. "

see more of ann's work at the kidder smith gallery

iron & wine with blitzen trapper in buffalo

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these two beastly musical forces met up for a late show in buffalo at ani difranco's babeville.

although i knew blitzen trapper's music, i didnt realize just how amazing it was. if you like roots music and indie rock, or both - check these guys out. i was blown away. here's a video of a show in may '08 (although its missing songs from their great new album 'furr')...

...and that was just the precursor for the gorgeous musings of iron & wine (you can download the concert for just $10 here). sam and sarah beam started the show slowly... then built in a new member as the songs went on - adding piano, accordian, violin, bass, xylophone, hand percussion, and drums slowly throughout the first 6 songs. once the band was all on stage, they simmered their way through much of the amazing 'the shepard's dog' along with other wonderful re-workings of older songs. they ended the show with another sweet, mellow duet. it was a powerful show.
spend some time with them below. you wont regret it.

artist of the week :: jonathan 'viner' weiner

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according to his website, jonathan weiner (aka: 'viner') “uses layers of symbolism, both conscious and subconscious, to construct somewhat ambiguous narratives that invite and challenge the audience to be an active participant in the viewing experience.” although that seems kind of convoluted, it make sense if you think about it... if you look at his work, it leads you somewhere, but its up to you to make the conclusions. which (in my humble opinion) is what art should do.

i am always impressed by viner's use of point of view, color and form stylization, as well as veiled metaphor/symbolism. they take me on a journey... in a tim burton, twisted fairytale kind of way.
not only are his paintings beautiful and worth looking at, but his drawings are great too.

here are some links for further perusal...
jonathan levine gallery (also the site of the most recent exhibit of 45rpm favorite shepard fairey)
myartspace>blog interview
fecal face interview with nice visuals (you can also check out info on future a.o.t.w. jeremy fish here)

webster varsity radio on the 90.5fm WBER

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if you are by the computer (listen here) or by the radio (listen here) weekdays between 4-5, you should be tuned in to webster varsity radio. we broadcast on 90.5fm WBER rochester, the only station that matters. we have 19 senior student djs, broadcasting from our studio at webster thomas high school.

farkazi, dj c, & jem snagglez on thursday are the duder's new favorite djs - he was rocking out all afternoon! (he's groovin' to talking heads below)


if you aren't familiar with WBER, you should be. it is a listener-supported and volunteer-operated station (minus one employee, fellow music junkie and 45rpm favorite, joey guisto), playing alot of music that you wont hear on any other local station... along with the best of the music you may hear smattered on other stations.

there is a great history of wber on wikipedia in case you are interested. its a quick and interesting read.

wilco's jeff tweedy gets the 'colbert bump'

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Thursday night Stephen Colbert welcomed 45RPM favorite Jeff Tweedy to his guest stool for a hard hitting interview in which he proposed new and more rocking names for the Wilco frontman (Jeff Silky or even better, Joffrey Velvet) and also questioned the political propriety of offering free MP3s on the Wilco site. ("Are you a socialist? ... That sounds like 'Let's spread the songs around.'") Jeff explained that no, they are just really lousy capitalists, and went on to share Wilco's relatively deep history with Senator Obama and their request in '05 to play the forthcoming Presidential Inaugural Ball. (Barack's response is definitely pre-Audacity Of Hope.)
And not to be outdone by Joe The Plumber's pending music career, the band joined Jeff on stage for the world premiere of the spirit-of-the-times rocker, "Wilco The Song." Which should probably be named "Wilco The Band," but still, good zing, Joffrey Velvet.
[thanks stereogum]


[interview]


["wilco the song"]

artist of the week :: ben aronson

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atmosphere... thats what i love about ben aronson's paintings. they capture the feeling of the place, which can be so much more interesting and important artistically than the realistic look of the place.
pay special attention to the brushstrokes in the closeups of each image... how it informs our understanding of the atmosphere of the place... how he feels in that place, and how we would feel if we were there with him. if you have ever been to san fransisco, you would agree with me that these paintings perfectly capture how it feels to be there.
aronson was born in 1959. he earned both his BFA and MFA from boston university school of fine art, where he studied with phillip guston (who opened his eyes to the west coast figurative painters like thiebaud and diebenkorn). you can see the influence of all 3 artists in his paintings.
enjoy!