Dustin Klare, Journey to Somewhere Like This,2007
NURTUREArt has been a bastion for up-and-coming curators and artists since 1997. It’s current group show Present Perfect Continuous marks the strong curatorial debut of Denise Wong. Taking its cue from the grammatical tense present perfect continuous, the show’s premise revolves around two ideas: migration and memory. Here, the audience sees artists from diverse backgrounds congregating together in New York; in so doing, this migration of sorts provides the backbone for each work’s narrative.
On a purely aesthetic level, the works are quite gripping. Many of the pieces touch upon the new psychedelic movement that has been prevailing for the past several years, pairing a colorful palette with painstakingly crafted abstraction. Perhaps one of the most interesting pieces is Sarah Julig’s interactive photo collage installation. Julig invites the viewer to share in her personal history by submerging himself/herself inside the piece for a short period of time; the result is intended to communalize the artist’s experience with that of the viewer’s.
Present Perfect Continuous also features: Yasemin Kackar-Demirel, Andrew Eklund, Dustin Klare, Elizabeth Knowles, Hilary Lorenz, Nesta Mayo and Gelah Penn. NURTUREArt is located at 910 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY. Check out the show before it closes on Saturday, December 13th.

Ducktails

SSPS
While everyone was lounging on their sofas from eating massive quantities of food, I was at the Cake Shop checking out a small but amazing show last night with Bob Bellerue, SSPS, Ducktails, HD (members of WZT HEARTS). Most noteworthy of the night were the sets by SSPS and Ducktails.
SSPS is Porkchop from Excepter’s solo project. Taking his cue from German minimalist house, SSPS is equal parts dirty beats and experimental sound exploration. Often marrying the two can prove challenging to create something with substance, SSPS was up to the task–ladling abstract vocals over a dark, dance backbone. (He even got a few members of a slightly reserved crowd to dance.)
Ducktails is the solo project of Matt Mondanile (with the occasional live collaborator). Best described as poppy surf rock informed by avant garde music a la The SKATERS and Kemialliset Ystavat, Ducktails is the type of warm music that will get you through the Winter and keep you happy year round. Touching on the pop and the more abstract, Mondanile divided the set between a meditative, outdoors instrumental and an anthemic surf rock ballad (that was unfortunately cut short due to technical difficulties).
In addition to Ducktails, Mondanile also collaborates in Predator Vision and Real Estate—both are in keeping with the good vibes. Real Estate is playing tonight at the Cake Shop at midnight if you can make it out.

Look like this guy?

Image c/o Sandboy
If you haven’t had a chance to check out the New Museum’s Get Weird series, you definitely must tonight. Programmed by former Fader editor-in-chief Alex Wagner, the shows offer some of the better selections in the avant garde music scene. Past shows have included: The Present, Soft Circle, and Growing.
Tonight sees SF-based Lichens (aka Rob Lowe) headlining. A frequent collaborator with TV on the Radio, Lichens’ performances are spiritual, meditative experiences.
Check out the New Museum for more info.

Cory Arcangel is one of the few media artists that can utilize humor and technology to provide an entertaining and intellectually rewarding experience. Tonight his third solo show opens at Team—another personal favorite. Definitely make sure to check it out!
Oh and if you are lucky enough to get in, Arcangel is holding a special performance at the New Museum. It is a critique of technology’s play on our attention spans.

If you made it out to any Todd P shows in the last year or so, you’ve most likely been asked if you would like a copy of Showpaper– a combination of music/arts listings, missed connections and some pretty interesting illustrations. I must admit that it’s been a huge resource for finding out about the better avant-garde/DIY shows in Brooklyn, and I’m a little addicted to reading the missed connections.
Anyway, today Showpaper is holding a benefit show at Danbro Studios Warehouse. I was lucky enough to speak with one of the organizers Joseph Ahearn to discuss Showpaper’s contribution to the Brooklyn arts scene and its future plans for expansion.
How was the Showpaper idea formulated? Could you give some background on yourself and everyone involved?
I wasn’t the one who came up with the idea of Showpaper. When I first began volunteering for Todd P, back in 2006, he was already talking about the idea, how silly it was that there were so many fractured different all ages communities throughout the tri-state area, and how there wasn’t one integral place in which all the shows could be found. How much he loved the newsprint format, and how it was too bad that the current scene the same ‘zine and self-publishing enthusiasm as previous music communities he’d been part of.
More after the jump.

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Nothing like an Eyebeam Mixer. There aren’t many parties where you will get served by a robot.

Image c/o Josh Granger
This time it will feature music from Roxy Cottontail, Judi Chicago, and DJ N-Ron. Art installations will include works by Benton-C Bainridge, Drayton Hiers, Christina Kral, Dan Ribaudo, Jeff Feddersen, Tetsu Kondo, Brian Whiton, JooYoon Paek, Chris Kaczmarek, Rob O’Neill, and Jon Cohrs.
More info. here.

Image c/o Monkeytown
I’m sure you are all fully aware that tomorrow is Election Day. What you may not know is that Monkeytown will play host to Excepter’s ‚”Election Day Protest”. A 16-hour endurance piece, the performance will begin at 8am and end at midnight.
Founding member John Fell Ryan was kind enough to answer some questions and shed some light on the project’s conception, preview the accompanying visuals, and touch upon the role protest plays when you’re an artist.
If you are unable to make it out to Monkeytown, you can catch the live webcast on Excepter’s site.
How was the Election Day Protest conceived, and what is its goal?
The initial goal of the Election Day project was to do a long, multi-hour piece. There aren’t many opportunities for extended performances in the current music environment; so we aim to make the most of our luck to be able to do this.
Read more after the jump.

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There is good news and bad news. First, the bad news…my camera was acting up, and I couldn’t get a good angle to get any shots. Good news is that many of you Flickr obsessed took some great shots and now I have images to accompany my review. Yay for collective cloud computing!!!
So here we go.
I think the Social Registry is one of those labels that can truly lay claim to being a family –not just a business. Churning out some of the more interesting releases from bands like Blood on the Wall, Psychic Ills, Gang Gang Dance, Telepathe, and Growing, each band has a very individualized sound that seems to inform each other.
The showcase was by far one of my favorites in all my years of attending CMJ. Peppered between the bands were DJs Andrew Kou, Josh Wildman, Leo Fitzpatrick, and Dan Hougland, making for a jamming dance party between sets. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to catch some of the newer signees Mike Bones or Sian Alice Group. However, having seen them before, I’m sure they gave great performances.
Psychic Ills keep getting better to me. What was once a combination of noise, psyche and chaotic elements has turned into a darker, more fully realized psyche band. They’re one of the few bands of this kind that can hold my attention throughout the whole set. I hope you feel the same way next time you check them out.
Next up was Growing. I have been to more Growing shows than I can count since living in New York–and watched them mature into the band they are today. While previously they were more into a droney, nature aesthetic, now the music is slightly more abstract and beat driven while maintaining a loyalty to the affect guitar and samples; this makes for a more powerful, visceral sound experience that becomes more welcoming with every show. And, I was very psyched to see it with a sound system that could actually project the depth of their work.
The show culminated with arguably the crown jewel of the label Gang Gang Dance. Doubling as their record release show, Gang Gang Dance provided a very energetic set, including a very lively and charismatic version of their latest single House Jam.
My only complaint is that I wish there were less people at the show. It was very packed throughout most of the night and sometimes made it hard for short people like myself to see the set…and take pictures.
Growing

Image C/O ihateanarchists
Gang Gang Dance

Image C/O DLT XII