Inspirer, collaborator, curator, director, painter, publisher, music maker, Beautiful Loser and friend, Aaron Rose is many a thing. And right now that thing is a director of television projects for one of the most creative ad agencies in the world, Wieden+Kennedy. Having recently left Los Angeles to basically pursue an offer he couldn’t refuse, Rose now resides in Portland, Oregon still doing what he does best: creating good shit with good people. Here’s the teaser trailer for Don’t Move Here, one of the first of many “experiments in television” directed by Aaron and beautifully shot by the trusty Tobin Yelland.
“Don’t Move Here is a new series that focuses on the fertile music scene in Portland.
Using a combination of interviews and live footage we will explore some of the bands, record labels, and venues that make Portland’s music scene so unique.
Featured guests include YACHT, Grouper, Explode Into Colors, Libretto, Rev. Shines, Mississippi Records, Marriage Records, and more.”
Directed by Aaron Rose, hosted by Shayla Hason.
Music for trailer: Strike Zone by Atole, out soon on Community Library.
Executive Producers: Aaron Rose, Janice Grube, Bill Davenport
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff, Susan Hoffman
Camera: Tobin Yelland
Editor: Justin Lowe
Content Producers: Ava Hegedus, Shayla Hason,
Tech: Jason Roark, Mison Henly
Huge art openings, major and not so major motion pictures, as well as Trashy and Smelly events in LA. The end of May is a busy busy weekend and finds a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ for everyone, even peeps in Cinci!
Tonight pop art legend Coop brings his trademark grinning devils, voluptuous vixens, and hell-bound hot rods to the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City as he opens his highly anticipated and hyped first solo show since 2006.
Coop Corey Helford Gallery
Opening reception: Friday, May 29th from 7-10pm
8522 Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232
Show runs from May 29 through June 20, 2009
While on my latest editing stint with the Motion Theory crew, we put together a couple of charming Nintendo spots for the upcoming video game The Legendary Starfy. What we didn’t know then was that the commercials were going to be featured in front of a small indie Pixar film coming out this weekend called Up. For the kids, yo!
Up
In theaters everywhere starting today, May 29th.
When you put the music of Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse together with the mind and eyes of David Lynch you get The Dark Night of the Soul, a series of photographs influenced by the original songs created by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse for the album of the same name. This uniquely unusual collabo marks Danger Mouse’s first-ever gallery installation as well as Lynch’s first exhibition at the Michael Kohn Gallery in nearly 15 years. The album will be playing in the gallery’s two rooms as it is now one of the only places you can legally hear it.*
Dark Night of the SoulMichael Kohn Gallery
Opening reception: Saturday, May 30th from 5-7pm
8071 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Show runs from May 30 through July 11, 2009
*As a result of a dispute with EMI, the record — featuring vocal contributions from members of the Strokes, the Cardigans, the Flaming Lips, the Pixies, and Super Furry Animals — is no longer receiving an official release. A book containing Lynch’s artwork, originally slated to be packaged with the CD, will now only include a blank CD-R, of which the artists cagily advise, “Use it as you will.”
Sydney based street artist Kill Pixie (a.k.a. Mark Whalen) brings his latest works stateside with I’ll Hit You Up Tomorrow at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery on La Brea. Also featured in the project room, The Future Spa–collaborative Installation with Autolux. All this hosted by actor Tim Roth.
Trashy L.A.Farm Lab
Saturday, May 30 from 6pm-12am
1745 N Spring St., Unit 4 Los Angeles, CA 90012
If you’re feeling sleepy on Saturday sleep with the eternal sleepers at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery as Cinespia presents Woody Allen’s futuristic sci-fi romantic comedy Sleeper.
SleeperHollywood Forever Cemetery
Saturday, May 30th
gates open at 7pm, movie starts at 8:30pm
6000 Santa Monica Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90038
$10 donation tickets available at gate
$5 parking available inside
Ohioans out in the naughty ‘Nati get two openings for the free price of one as Evan Hecox and Christina Seely open their respective shows, Unnamed Places and Lux, at the Country Club of course.
One more event for Saturday night: Family member and fellow November 13er, DJ Nate Harrington, will be spinning the records before/after the Black Dice perform at The Escarpment presented by the folks at the F Yeah Fest.
“In October 2009 Spike Jonze’s feature film rendition of Maurice Sendak’s classic story Where The Wild Things Are will hit movie theaters worldwide. The film represents years of work from hundreds of different artists, writers, photographers, musicians, actors, and creators of all degrees. This place has been established to help shed some light on many of the small influences that have converged to make this massive project a reality.
Simply put, this a place to learn about things we think are great and to share with you the things those things helped make. Wild Things indeed… And also probably a lot of other randoms things that catch our eye along the way.
It’s funny that I just found this interview of Aaron cause I’m supposed to be editing the Corita Kent short we’re working on. But he left the edit bay a few hours ago and when the cats away the mice will blog. Actually I deserve a break anyway and I need to keep this site up to date with good things for you. So aside from the fact that Rose talks about Beautiful Losers in the interview and never once shouts me out, he does drop some interesting personal tidbits about his relationships with the artists in the film (Harmony Korine specifically), “selling out”, and his beloved band The Sads. The interview also features clips from our film as well as a perfectly timed impromptu one girl kazoo jam session. Deep danish Rose-o, deep danish.
P.S.-For art fiends and friends in the L.A. area, the opening for Aaron’s solo art show will be next Saturday January 17th at Hope Gallery in Echo Park. Save the date, mark your calendars, or tie a string around your finger. More info to come next week!
The Sads DJ set at the Cha Cha tonight will make many people very happy. Especially since they’ll be taking their silent show across the pond for a European tour through October. Come listen to obscure records and wish them a bon voyage or just a good voyage!
(click image to see more photos of The Sads silent show)
Last Saturday June 14th, The Sads played a “silent show” at the Westwood Art Forum. I had heard their previous foray into the silent show business went exceedingly well when they recently performed in New York. This time they were bringing along artist/designer/director Mike Mills along with them. I was definitely intrigued.
Upon entering the upstairs venue, I was greeted with a bit of laughter coming from one of the 3 television sets facing the sitting audience who were positioned in a circle around the room. The 3 video installations, which were created specifically for this show by Mr. Mills, were loops of iconic film clips featuring laughter, crying, and people saying “I love you”. The televisions continued to play through the band’s performance thus evoking a variety of emotions depending on where you were sitting. The one I sat closest too was laughter:
Also positioned in front of the audience were 50 headphones connected to amplifiers which in turn were hooked up to the bands instruments. When the lights dimmed it was time for the audience to put on their headphones. I had seen the band play once before and was impressed with how far they had come, but it was even more impressive to see how much further they have jelled since then. What I was listening to in that dark little room while watching James Dean continually laugh at me was something I hadn’t heard from them yet. It was again, something different that I welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed. With Dan Monick leaving the band to pursue other pursuits, The Sads have brought in a new drummer with more of a beat driven style and the pairing seems to have taken them to a new place as well as a new pace.
The band went on to perform their 25 minute tour de force while the Mills videos continued to sway your feelings one way or the other all while the attentive audience sat peacefully quiet enjoying the sadness of The Sads. I had to leave in a hurry, but I left smiling knowing that the band was progressing and affecting people differently. Or maybe it was the repeated image of the straggly haired Gary Sinise from Forrest Gump snickering out of the side of his mouth that put a smile on my face? It was definitely both.
Check out what the band had to say prior to their Saturday performance on KCRW here: The Sads on Weekend America
Slowly, softly, stylistically, and now silently, The Sads have been working their way into the heart of L.A. with their off-kilter songs of loves lost and sentimental hopes. Since their last public outing at agnes b. (which is covered right here), the quartet of Aaron Rose, Aska Matsumiya, Dan Monick, and David Scott Stone have been preparing a silent show for the rest of us romantics. What’s a silent show you ask? Please allow Mr. Rose elaborate:
‘Please join us this Saturday night for a very special silent performance by The Sads. If your wondering what a silent performance consists of, the concept is this: essentially we play all electronic instruments and sing directly into a board which then feeds out to multiple sets of individual headphones for the audience. When the headphones are off, the room is quiet…when you put them on, they’re full of loud, wonderful live music. Hence, a “silent” show. We’re working on a brand new composition for the performance, so we hope you can come share this with us. We did it in New York last year and it was an amazing experience!! Also, this year, filmmaker Mike Mills has created a special video installation for the performance which will play on multiple monitors throughout the performance. It’s seriously worth coming just for that!’
And for those of you unfamiliar with the work of Mike Mills, he’s responsible for some of your Sonic Youth, Beastie Boys, and Air album artwork, and skateboard and t-shirt graphics. He’s also reminded us it’s ok to suck our thumbs by directing Thumbsucker as well as many other creative music videos, commercials, and graphic design endeavors.
(click image to see more photos of The Sads at agnes b.)
On Friday April 11th, L.A.’s agnes b. boutique in brought together Brent Stewart’s photography from the set of writer/director Harmony Korine’s (Kids, Gummo) upcoming cinematic love story Mister Lonely, as well as the musical stylings of The Sads.
I don’t usually find myself perusing the high class fare and all too expensive goods (to me at least) of Robertson Blvd., but the night’s opening reception was an exception. On the walls amidst the chic couture you could find production photos from Harmony’s film. Some were big prints of the film’s stars, some were small snapshots of candid moments, and some were even just photocopies. The photos were nice to look at as I tried to avoid glancing at price tags, but the real buzzing excitement came from the anticipated performance by The Sads.
Almost as out of place as the bowls of Lay’s Sea Salt and Vinegar potato chips and accompanying bowl of cherry tomatoes (actually a great combo), The Sads were set up to perform right in front of one of the large store front windows giving passer byers a glimpse into a cross section of high fashion and low-fi musical creations. Aska Matsumiya (also of the Moonrats) first took the “stage” and began singing while on the keyboard, she was soon joined by guitarist/Moog/modular synth player David Scott Stone as they performed the first song of the evening. At the completion of the first song, the duo soon turned into a quartet as drummer Dan Monick and guitarist/vocalist Aaron Rose picked up their instruments and headed right into their next song, “Pas Deux”.
I’ve heard all The Sads’ songs to date, and as you may have guessed, they come from a place where sadness may dwell. But seeing them perform live and feeling the energy the band was exuding actually made me feel the opposite, quite happy. The sound was great for a clothing store; the beats were heavy, the vocals were heard, the band was tight, and the children were really into it. And when I say children I don’t mean that as a euphemism for the adult audience, I mean the children who were not even 7 years old who were performing interpretive dances when they weren’t banging along with the accompanying beats with whatever they could get their little hands on.
The Sads performed a mesmerizing set that I honestly can’t say I was fully prepared for. A set of musical economy with massive feeling that made me forget I was standing next to a rack of $7000 jeans.
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