The Guggenheim is finally free of all the crappy scaffolding and now you can see the Frank Lloyd Wright building in all its glory. Better yet, admission is free tomorrow. So if you are in the mood to get your art on, head on up to Museum Mile. Current shows include theanyspacewhatever, Catherine Opie, Rauschenberg Memorial, and Jenny Holzer’s light projections on the building–I think it’s only viewable at night.

Image c/o BlurA14
Hat tip Jaunted

Last night I was fortunate to make it out to the Carpark/Paw Tracks showcase. I think it goes without saying that bands like Ecstatic Sunshine and Beach House give pretty consistent stellar performances, so I would like to turn my attention to some of the lesser known acts.
I caught the tail end of Tickley Feather’s show, which was fairly melodic, lo-fi, and sometimes minimalist in all the good ways. I have seen her before and again she came through with a solid offering.
Next up was a personal favorite of mine. I will preface this and say that I understand that Excepter’s noisey/dancey/provoking aesthetic isn’t for everybody. However, they have provided me with some of the best dance shows I have ever seen/heard. Often, you can never predict what they will do. This time they leaned towards the noise, slightly performance art side of their performances‚Äîsinger John Fell Ryan even wielded a knife throughout a good portion of the set. All I have to say is give Excepter a couple of chances before you make up your mind.
Adventure was an artist that I wasn’t familiar with until this show. His sound is in keeping with the Baltimore future shock sound. And, he was able to get a good portion of the crowd dancing by the end of his set.
Last but not least, the newest addition to Paw Tracks is native Mississippians Dent May and His Magnificent Ukelele. This was the most unusual band on the bill. The sound has elements of country and folk music (perhaps a nod to zydeco) straight from the backwoods of the Delta‚Äîsung by a younger indie rock kid. At first listen, it might be difficult to understand how this act fits with the Paw Tracks family. However, I kept thinking of how charming and familiar the music sounded and didn’t really care if it fit with the overall Paw Tracks aesthetic. I will definitely catch him again when he comes around. Epic win.

Adventure

Dent May and His Magnificent Ukelele

Craft fairs were my mother’s favorites and now they’re definitely becoming mine. This Sunday marks the first ever Dead Herring craft fair. So, if you are in the market for something handmade, this might be your best bet.

If you want to RSVP, check it out here.

Aa always has some of the more intriguing flyers, and this one continues in the long line of slightly bizarre illustrations.

So on Saturday if you’re not totally exhausted from this week’s festivities, definitely check out the Aa show at Less Artists More Condos.

I am often a fan of being totally obscure and random. However, I think this time being obscure and random is in my favor…The Scandinavia House is part of the American-Scandinavian Foundation, playing host to many cultural events. Two things of note to check out right now.
On September 26th, they launched the show Sublime Nature: Romantic Paintings of the 19th Century. Although I am mostly a fan of contemporary work, these pieces look to be quite interesting and admittance to the show is free. You can get a little taste with Joachim Frich’s Landscape with Glacier, 1830.

On October 29th, they will be launching the Golden Age of Finnish Cinema series; the retrospective spans the 1930s to the 1970s. Features will be screened on Wednesdays.

Eight Deadly Shots (Kahdeksan Surmanluotta),1972
More info. here.

Paper Rad is arguably one of the most influential art collectives to come out of this decade. If you are not familiar with them, they have their hands in many different projects from music to animated videos. And whether you know it or not, designers seem to love to rip off their aesthetic. See MIA’s website.
Recently, Rhizome posted an oldy but goody of theirs. It’s essentially “get well soon” cards informed with the Paper Rad sense of humor.

Get the full effect at their site.

So one of my favorites Ian Svenonius will be interviewing one of my other favorites Kathleen Hanna tomorrow at Cooper-Union’s Great Hall. You can watch in awe with me too. The details are below:

VBS.TV & Dewar’s Humbly Present
Soft Focus with Ian Svenonius
A live taping of interviews with eminent musicians Ted Leo and Kathleen Hanna
Saturday, October 11, 1pm – 4:30pm
at Cooper Union, The Great Hall, 7 East 7th Street at 3rd Avenue
Followed by a Soft Focus Afterparty
At which Ian Svenonius will select and play records from his extensive collection of dusty 45s
at Lit, 93 2nd Avenue
5pm – 8pm

RSVP HERE

Image c/o Wooster Collective
If you find yourself meandering through Greenwich Village (89 Seventh Avenue South to be exact) and stop to look at a pet store filled with very animated animatronic pets and chicken nugget creatures, you’re looking at the latest Banksy piece to hit the streets…you should see it before it closes on October 31st.
Hat Tip: NYT
UPDATE: We got a “Hot Dog Mallow” candy treat, compliments of the Banksy crew. Expiration date: 4/15/08. Picture, after the jump.

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c/o MonkeyTown
To say that visiting MonkeyTown is an experience is for me a little bit of an understatement. A personal haunt of mine for a couple of years, I have seen some of the best shows there, including three of Excepter’s best sets/installations.
Tonight MonkeyTown turns three. To celebrate it properly, there will be free food, free drinks, DJ sets, and more…. Festivities start at 7pm.

More info. here.