Blog #1: Abstract ...Paper?

   To be perfectly honest I have my misgivings about Art 108. It seems to primarily pertain to the philosophies of modern art rather than the technique of conventional art. This may stem from the fact that I've never much cared for abstract art. It may be a matter of personal preference but then again it may be that I have a difficult time venturing into that realm of abstract. Our first Excercise in class was to use a piece of paper as inspiration for an abstract or "Nonrepresentational" piece. Told to manipulate the paper (i.e. folding it, rolling it up, crinkling it up) we were then suppose to sketch the whole piece or simply a section that's structure/shape intrigued us.
   It sounded easy enough but here's where I found confusion in the concept (and still do). Upon reflective examination, I realized that my first 3 sketches were in fact...just sketches of paper. At least for me it still was Representational...of paper. After another  2 or 3 sketches and I stopped referring to the piece of paper altogether and instead just created shapes I felt could potentially be created by paper. But no matter what I tried and 15 sketches later, I looked at my work and all I saw was ... paper.
    Proceeding with the assignment, I chose the one I preferred the most but then I examined why. It expresses the duality of opposites in a single subject. A contradiction, as it were, in one self. Needless to say I identify with this. But was this not just another Representation of myself or my psyche? This is when the thought entered my mind; Can ANY piece of artwork be truly Nonrepresentational in the eyes of the artist? Based on our inspiration, we know what is was/is, we know what is means to us and we know how it makes us feel. But what about the audience? Obviously they can't get into our heads so at this point many of those aforementioned aspects become subjective. Is this what makes art abstract? After context, medium, size, environment, etc are taken into account. How will it make them feel? What will it mean to them? Will they see paper?

Sixpacks, Shotguns & Serato

We are on tour with DJ AYRES & COSMO BAKER right now and it's been crazy so far.

Tonight we are playing at The Drake in Toronto - so that should be a blast.

And Sunday we close it out in Brooklyn at the Jelly Pool Party, followed by the Brooklyn Bowl later:
















When the tour is over we are gonna put together a video documenting the shenanigans and awesomeness - so stay tuned.

YAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Smalltown Romeo Shambhala Mix

We made a new mixy to celebrate our favorite time of year.

SMALLTOWN ROMEO SHAMBHALA 2010 MIXY LINK

Please listen while performing yoga near a creek.

I've got a week to prepare myself for the forest rave... This should do it:

HAPPY CANADA DAY MIX

I love Canada and I love living here. This is a mix that celebrates some tunes that bring back memories of growing up in Calgary and living in Canada. This is for BBQs and camping, not for club dancing. All the music is made by various Canadian legends. We hope you enjoy it this long weekend or any long weekend. Happy Canada Day.

SMALLTOWN DJS - CANADA DAY MIX (Mediafire link)

CANADA DAY MIX TRACKLIST:

Up on Cripple Creek - The Band
Work out Fine - Joel Plaskett
Help Me - Joni Mitchell
Walk On - Neil Young
Sweet City Woman - The Stampeders
Haiti - Arcade Fire
Everybody Knows - Leonard Cohen
Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot
Runnin Back to Saskatoon - The Guess Who
Picture My Face - Teenage Head