AVANT/CHICAGO

It's Called The Boob Tube For A Reason

People cannot be trusted with so powerful a medium. It is not used responsibly, sensibly or moderately, and so it does great harm.The Toxicity of Television tells us why.

Why It's Easier to "get" Modern art than Avant-garde Music

Music tastes are much more conservative than art, an idea that dates back at least to Adorno, but why is this? Who’s afraid of the avant-garde? is an interesting article on the subject.

Music, like any art, must be constantly rejuvenated by experiment. But “experimental” music surely only qualifies as such if it includes the possibility of failure. And if musical composition takes no account of cognition—denies that cognition has a role to play, or actively frustrates it—then composers cannot complain when their music is unloved.

Put This On The X-Mas List - Steering Wheel Desk

With all the driving we are now doing back and forth to Purdue this would be a great time saver as the article suggests.

Van Ghost Webisode - Summer Recap

A video from Van Ghost that we helped direct and prodcue this summer during Rothbury and Wicker Park Fest. Find out more about the band and their amazing summer. We were happy to be able to document it and party alongside. Check them out on tour next week opening for Nershi from SCI.

Machine in the Garden

We've been reading some good books for our PhD program. Lots of them actually. We'd hoped to keep you, our faithful readers, up on some of the works. Sadly, we've slacked on that end. One of the better ones read was Leo Marx, The Machine in the Garden. It's a classic work about pastoralism, industrialization and aesthetics. A few points worth knowing -

• The pastoral idea masks troubles of industrial society and allows for escape from complexity
• America has always been a contrast between two consciousnesses
• "Geography controls culture" therefore if man wants to control culture he must control geography
• There has always been an American technophobia, mainly deriving from Puritan ideals
• Nothing is inherently ugly about scenes of industrialization, what is ugly is the dislocation/detachment from the whole which they represent when seen only from the limited perspective of that understanding

Here's Another One

Another article on social media's benefits. How Twitter is Changing the Face of Media.

The most radical shift to media in recent years is that we now have a central real-time hub that serves to enhance every other content platform on the web. Sure, we could always use RSS for blogs, and sign up to follow a person’s activity on a video or photo sharing site, but used correctly, Twitter now provides a one-stop, real-time service for all of a person’s content.

Cultural Analysis in Washington D.C.

iAm: The Work of Self in the Age of Digital Replication ,Open the Door: Race and Citizenship in Popular Music and Zombies and Vampires: Identifying American Anxieties over Alterity and Belonging are three of the many talks we caught this week at ASA 2009. We hit about 3 lectures per day. We had 2 dinners to attend, a reception for our program as well as hella site seeing. And then there was the 10 hour drive both ways. It was a fun, enlightening but busy weekend. (pictures soon) We have plenty to do for school for the rest of the week, so things might stay low-key here for another day. As always hit up our Twitter for the good word.

Lotus Episode 6 of the Web Series

Lotus: Through the Mirror Episode 6 is up. Footage from Camp Barefoot and lots of thoughts from the guys. Great music too. In related news, Lotus has announced the Hood Internet as their opener for the 11/27 show at the Vic. Sweaty, dance party no doubt.

Wanna Go For A Ride?

 This has been out for a year now, but My Morning Jacket - Black Cab  Sessions video is worth a watch. Wish we got in a cab with Touch Me I'm   Going to Scream Pt 2 going down live.

Landscaping the Future with Brian Eno

We must think creatively about what's next, we have obligations to consider the Long Now. Tomorrow is not today all over again. And why in the hell is Brain Eno the voice of the future? Article tries to answer the question.

Groove With Family And Good Company

FGC in Chicago Saturday at the Abbey Pub. Simple flow, fine jams, hella tight music. Wish we could. You should.

Future Of Film Viewing

The New Movie Theatre is here and it looks supa-fly. Much better then getting gum stuck on your shoes in a place decorated like your Grandma's place. Hopefully tickets are not too tax.

Predictions On What's Next

A Look at a Future of the Social Web is a simple article about how the five eras of the social web overlap and how the metamorphosis that’s happening is accelerating, driven by technology as a spark amid people’s rapidly-changing online lives.

The Rest Of Our Journey With Lotus in the Midwest

First there was St. Louis, then we kind of filled you in on Wisco and an off day in Chicago. After a busy day at Purdue we headed through a minor monsoon down to the quaint town of Bloomington for the last Lotus show we'd be able to hit in the Midwest. The show was at a little spot and the weather was a little icky, but the crowd was super amped. There was a gang of old friends around, so hanging with them was nice. After drinking wine and good micro-brew on the bus, the guys were leaving by 5am, so we took over one of their rooms at this neat B & B in the heart of Bloomington. It was sort of an organic kind of spot, mixed in with some yoga studios and apartments. Super sweet. It was a really nice weather down in Southern Indiana when we awoke in the morning and grabbed a bagel at a cafe in the heart of town and made the trip back to Chicago. Pix from the excursion are going to have to be put off until next week. A couple items to tide you over - pic of goofing on bus and cell phone vid from Turner Hall.

Fairly Stout Weekend of Art Openings

There are a healthy handful of really good openings this Friday. One of the tops is Death Party at Monument2. For a list of more, check here.

We Can Dance If We Want To

Basement Jaxx, MSTRKRFT, Modeselektor at Congress this Friday. Serious, deep dance party. Plenty of other DJs in the mix too. Lock this one in for sure.

A Few Bands Worth Checking Out - Dream-Pop/Fresh-Folk

• Skygreen Leopards
• Kings of Convience
• Six Organs of Admittance
• Vetiver
• Kingsbury Manx

Good ones if you haven't tuned in already.

How To Look Sexy With Ease

Awhile back we opened up a Cafepress store. It has all sorts of generic goods for the Moho set to sport around the city.  Take a peek at hats, mugs, stickers, buttons and clothes.  This isn't haute couture for sure, but trust us you'll look crush no matter what in some A/C threads.

Getting Old A Thing Of The Past

Aubrey de Grey says we can avoid aging (Video) Cambridge researcher Aubrey de Grey argues that aging is merely a disease -- and a curable one at that. Humans age in seven basic ways, he says, all of which can be averted.

Nicaragua Surf Town Builds Home Out of Tires

In the San Juan Del Sur region of Nicaragua, the famed Earthship crew, along with 13 Nicaraguans from the local community, created the start of what will be entirely off-grid, sustainable community, titled Casa Llanta ("Tire House"). (From Treehugger)

Eating Healthy And Clean

Organic In Chicago is a nice little site for good eating in the city. A resource for information, ideas, and thoughts on how eating organic foods can do good for your body and mind. Not updated as frequently as you might like, but plenty to look in to. (via)

Get Hip To Ha Ha Tonka

Once upon a time we loved this band, then they slipped our mind. Now they've put out a Daytrotter Session. (Ha Ha Tonka). We remember why we like them. You will too.  

Twitter Updates Worth Your Time

• Check out the Wilco Loft in Irving Park
• Van Ghost Chicago show announced
• New Lennon Film Trailer
• New Basement Jaxx Video [ft. Lightspeed Champion]
• Purdue campus in Fall (Phone pic)

Denim Merlot Or Acid-Washed Chardonnay

Jean Company making wine for public. For the first time ever, Renzo Rosso, main man of Diesel, opens the doors of Diesel Farm Vineyards and Olive Groves, located at the family estate in Venice, Italy

Miranda Lee Richards - Light of X

This is an amazing album. Here is what we wrote about this album in Feburary - Her voice is like a colorful Fall maple tree, leaves simply floating to the ground.  Titles of her songs describe her music - Hideaway, Last Days of Summer, Breathless - pretty right on. Check her out here to hear the album.

Three Tweets for the Web

Small cultural bits—written words, music, video—have never been easier to record, store, organize, and search, and thus they are a growing part of our enjoyment and education. Read more in this article.

Visual Trance

Turned On (2009) Video by Mark Charles Brown. Very unique and tripped out vid.

Brian Eno, Peter Schmidt, and Cybernetics

Cybernetics is one of the most widely misunderstood concepts. The word itself seems sinister and futuristic. But at its heart, cybernetics is simply the study of systems The work of Eno's late friend, the British artist Peter Schmidt, who died in 1980, goes strangely underrecognized in the story of cybernetics and the arts. Very interesting read - Brian Eno, Peter Schmidt, and Cybernetics.

It's Been Blurry And Somehow It's Jim Gaffigan's Fault

Since last Tuesday it's been a non-stop trip for us. We told you about the St. Louis excursion. This weekend we went up to Milwaukee for another Lotus show, passed out on the bus, woke up in Chicago and spent the whole day in the parking lot behind Kinetic Playground watching sports, eating and drinking one too many Point Pale Ales. (free from the venue) We also wandered the area on a bright Sunday. And we are trucking on. We spent all day Monday working on PhD program work and in the night watched some rough edits for Welcome To Gentle Waters. Then we had/have school yesterday/tomorrow and just returned from down in Bloomington for Lotus once more. Keep up with us on Twitter as things might wane here for a couple days.

Our Works Of Old

A few years back we wrote a novel.  It was a stream-of-consciousness deal very much inspired by Kerouac. (And yes I wrote it over the course of a month, highly influenced by speed, vodka and 'other' intoxicants)  The final product was a mash-up ranging from literary genius  to confusing drivel.  Fast forward to the present.  We're searching for a photo of the cover and come across the book on Amazon.  While they provide the same descriptions and author info we wrote for the publisher, some of their tags are interesting.  Really unimportant mentions like Gentle Wind, Kansas City and Nine Miles make the list.  But the real interesting info on the book's page is the sales rank.  Look out Nicholas Sparks, And Yet It Moves ranks an impressive 2,405,674 on the sales chart.  Nice.  So if you want to help get the book up in the top million, buy a copy or hey get a hold of me, I got some for ya on the cheap. 

From the A/C Archive