Yes, that’s right — tonight is the opening of the concert photography group show that I’m proud to be a part of: 120 dB, curated by Maryanne Ventrice. Alongside some other totally amazing lady concert photogs and friends like Abbey Braden and Diana Wong, I’ll be exhibiting five of my favorite concert photos from the archives, from 2002-2011.

If you haven’t read any of the awesome buzz we’ve already gotten from Brooklyn Vegan, NYC Taper, Prefix Mag, or Bumpershine, here are the details:

Please join us at Fort Useless on January 27th from 6-10 pm for our opening reception — FREE

RSVP on our Facebook page

Fort Useless
36 Ditmars Street, Brooklyn

Map:

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Hope to see you there!

Day two of CMJ turned out to be a free form day. A few weeks ago my friend Kathryn got us tickets to the new Karen O psycho rock opera at St. Ann’s Warehouse, Stop the Virgens, with me totally not realizing it was smack dab in the middle of CMJ. Whoopsies!

After the show, I decided to push it and headed over to Williamsburg to try to catch King Krule at Glasslands, but by the time I got there they were no longer letting badges in. As I was standing there, I heard someone call my name, and low-and-behold it was Scott Stereogum, who then invited to come into the ‘Gum showcase next door at 285 Kent.

Before heading in, Scott warned me that it was extremely hot indoors and sure enough, it was in fact a “hipster sauna” inside. So who were the kids all waiting to see? Strong Island (seriously???) buzz band, Twin Sister. Dreamy disco music, with a lead singer who looks like an Olsen, it’s not hard to understand why the room was 75% Sausage Fest.

But more on Stop the Virgens… A lot of folks have been asking me how the show was, and the one-line way I’ve come up with describing the experience is the following: “I’m not sure what I saw, but I’m pretty sure it was awesome.”

The performance is an “opera” in the sense that there is no talking — only singing throughout the entire show. The music is fantastic — and need I mention it’s backed by an incredible all-star band (Brian Chase and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Patrick Keeler and Jack “Little Jack” Lawrence of the Raconteurs/ Greenhornes, and Money Mark)? Amazing out of this world costumes by Christian Joy.

* SPOILER ALERT (Skip this paragraph if you don’t want to know anything about the show) *
From what I can surmise, Karen O is this kind of lost woman, who comes upon this world of nymphish “virgens.” The virgens are playful but mischievous, and sometimes cruel, and they taunt and tease Karen O’s character. Then eventually everyone dies, but then they are brought back to life by a ghostly/heavenly looking Karen O.

The show is so weird and crazy, but definitely a fantastic experience. Tonight is the last performance at St. Ann’s, so check it out if you can!

This amazingly awesome shot of The Strokes by famed NYC-based photog Ryan McGinley is single-handedly fulfilling my life at the moment.

(from Fuck Yeah, Ryan McGinley tumblr)

Perfection!

As you may already know, art world superstar Marina Abramovic has been sitting in the atrium of the MoMA for the last couple months as part of the live performance portion of her giant retrospective, The Artist Is Present, at the museum. As the instructions on the wall explain, the artist invites visitors to come sit across from her at a table in the center of the room for as long as you like.

Recently, while clicking through photos of all the plebs who have hunkered down to stare back Abramovic, one face was pretty familiar — last week Michael C. Hall’s wife and Dexter co-star, Jennifer Carpenter, was snapped in the chair.

Photo by Marco Anelli

That said, she’s not the only famous face to stop by: Lou Reed, Rufus Wainwright, Sharon Stone, James Franco, and Alan Rickman are among the glitterati to sit down.

Most people choose to sit free of emotion looking at her, others end up crumbling to bits — like all these weepies on Marina Abramovic Made Me Cry.

Here’s some video of the start of the staring on opening night:

Untitled from l on Vimeo.

I was walking by the JellyNYC space on Metropolitan Ave in Williamsburg and stumbled upon a very DIY art opening for a show called “I Remember” with a band playing.

Anyone else catch this?

Binki Shapiro of Little Joy has gotten a TON of top-notch musicians, artists, and celebrities to contribute custom made artwork and items for her Crafts for a Cause auction. All proceeds will be donated to Artists for Peace and Justice, a charitable organization started by filmmaker Paul Haggis.

The online auction will begin on March 15th, but for now you can check on Binki’s Tumblr blog for the event which features teaser shots of some of the goods that will be for sale. Contributers are a who’s who of popular indie rock and mainstream musicians (Daft Punk, The Strokes, Norah Jones, No Doubt, Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Mark Ronson, Adam Green, SIA, Grizzly Bear, Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, just to name a few!!!) and film celebs (Spike Jonze, Natalie Portman).

Photo of Fab Moretti and Nick Valensi with the signed bag from The Strokes from the Crafts for a Cause site

You’ll find hand-drawn artwork, signed canvas bags, designed t-shirts, embellished guitars, and much more.

Sounds like an amazing collection of artists helping out for a great cause. Don’t forget — March 15th the auction starts online!

Here’s a video of SIA creating the wallet she donated:

SIA for Crafts For A Cause! from binki shapiro on Vimeo.

Plenty more info on the Crafts for a Cause website or on Binki Shapiro’s Twitter

The work of sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s fashion label Rodarte will be featured in “Quicktake: Rodarte” at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum from Jan. 29, 2010 through March 14, 2010.

This collaboration with Kate and Laura Mulleavy will feature a selection of pieces from the Rodarte collections, as well as a special installation in the Billiard Room of the Carnegie Mansion.

Rodarte, Fall/Winter 2008 collection. Photo: Dan Lecca

According to the press release:

Founded in 2005 by Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Rodarte is widely acclaimed for its daring and conceptual collections. “Quicktake: Rodarte” offers a glimpse into the Mulleavys’ unique process and inspiration at an important point in their career; recently Rodarte was awarded the 2009 Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and was named a 2009 fashion design finalist for Cooper-Hewitt’s National Design Awards.

“Rodarte” is the second in a series of “Quicktake” installations aimed at showing the public vital up-and-coming design from around the world. In summer 2007, Cooper-Hewitt launched the “Quicktake” series with Doshi Levien’s Charpoy collection for Moroso, which debuted to critical acclaim at the 2007 Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the annual furniture fair in Milan, Italy.

On the way home tonight I walked by David Ryan Adams‘s opening party for his solo show on auction for Housing Works at Morrison Hotel Gallery on the Bowery.

Characters with tongue-in-cheek signs stating things like “The Bowery Is for Bums, Not Art,” “Joey Ramone Is Turning Over In His Grave,” and “Not Funny Mr. Adams.” Inside, the artwork was displayed on the walls and the room was decked out with the strings of the multicolor balloons cascading from the ceiling. Buddy Jessie Malin served as auctioneer of the paintings.

At the time I was there Ryan was stationed up front signing books, posters, and pink 7-inches for “Oblivion” put out by his new record label, Pax Am.

Ryan Adams will have his first showing of his original paintings and mixed media collages at the Morrison Hotel Gallery on the Bowery on September 23rd, with proceeds benefiting the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, a nonprofit organization committed to ending the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness.

According to the press release, “three weeks prior to the opening, Adams will become Morrison Hotel Gallery’s first artist in residence, creating additional canvases in the front of the gallery to be auctioned off at the opening” — however the Morrison Hotel Gallery states he will become artist in residence two weeks prior to the opening.

At this time it’s unclear as to whether or not Adams will actually be painting in a space visible to passersby. Perhaps he’ll even simultaneously paint and blog for his alleged new side job as blogger for The Awl.

The Morrison Hotel Gallery is located at 313 Bowery, NYC.

TMA friend artist Margaret Lee is hosting a series of weekend shows during the month of May in a vacant studio space in NYC’s Chinatown, with the opening scheduled for tonight, Friday, May 1st @ 179 Canal Street with the show “Nobodies New York.”

Organized by Josh Kline, the group show features work by Alisa Baremboym, Antoine Catala, Devon Costello, Josh Kline, Tatiana Kronberg, Margaret Lee, Trevor Shimizu, Allyson Vieira, Amy Yao, Anicka Yi.

Head over to 179 Canal Street and check out what’s going on. Music and party nights TBA at a later date.

Press release below:

[The Month of May/179 Canal Street 2nd Floor/May 1 – May 31, 2009] a raw space in Chinatown – Margaret Lee works upstairs on the 4th floor and is hosting a series of weekends.

Opening with Nobodies New York, a group show organized by Josh Kline. This short show emerged from recent studio visit swaps and looks at the painting skill-set and the sculpture skill-set and the dark comedy skill-set of friends (Alisa Baremboym, Antoine Catala, Devon Costello, Josh Kline, Tatiana Kronberg, Margaret Lee, Trevor Shimizu, Allyson Vieira, Amy Yao, Anicka Yi). Informal attire for informal situations during informal times. 5/1 – opening 7-10pm thru 5/3 – 12-6pm Sat/Sun

Barbara Corti was invited to curate a weekend and she appropriately decided on Every Intimate Apparel Store (in My Old Neighborhood). An installation by Annamarie Ho, which consists of a series of objects that consider sixteen intimate apparel stores located in a twelve-square block area in the Lower East Side. These objects, which are conceived as both readymade and non-site objects, examine these stores’ histories as well as their current existences. 5/8 – opening 7-9pm thru 5/10 – 12-6pm Sat/Sun

The host only knew of Liam Everett as a painter but then discovered his longish history in theater and performance and excitedly coaxed him into curating a weekend. Allowing the 2nd floor space to act as chief curator, the program consists of three evenings of events that carefully address the relationship between the body and the space it inhabits. Overlap, a piece by artists Ling-Wen Tsai and Deborah Wing-Sproul, is a situation-inspired performance created in response to an emptiness of space (no one has rented the 2nd floor for at least 2 years) by redefining the vacant room in personal terms. 5/15 – 8-9:30pm (durational performance) Peeper Palace, an installation created by Dani Leventhal, is a site-specific project which will include both elements of sound and video. 5/16 – 8-9:30pm Closing the weekend is On the Wall, (The Leaking) a performance in two acts. This is the seventh chapter in a series of performances written by Liam Everett. Each performance is site-specific and addresses the ambiguous nature between the Self and the Other. The first act, Humphl’s Drag will begin on the corner of Mott and Hester approximately one hour before the audience is invited to the actual performance space. The second act, A Dialogue Between T and M, will begin at 8pm in the 2nd floor space. On the Wall includes 4 performers as well as a symphonic quintet with original score composed by the musician Elizabeth Woodbury. 5/17 – 8-8:45pm

Peter LaBier will present Disjecta Membra, a group of paintings made from the observation of objects in which a flow of signs and subjects emerge from painting to painting. This is a presentation of work by the artist himself sans curator. Peter will be present in the gallery for the duration of the show making conversation and zines available. 5/22 – opening 6-9 thru 5/24 – 12-6pm Sat/Sun

The Kate Bush Dance Troupe is an ongoing collaborative ensemble (Samara Davis, Erica Magrey, Cassie Thornton, Kate Scherer and Jennifer Sullivan) of non-dancers who create performances inspired by the music and emotive movement stylings of Kate Bush. This is the troupe’s second performance. Join the troupe for dancing after the performance in the space, Kate Bush inspired and non-inspired music to follow. 5/30 – 10pm onwards

That about wraps it up — there will be some impromptu music things so keep your ears up.