Friday, 4 November 2016

We Are Not Afraid (Directed by Kevin Godley)

The WE ARE NOT AFRAID campaign has been established in response to the global refugee crisis and victims of religious and political violence

Keith Richards, Robert Plant Declare 'We Are Not Afraid' in Refugee Aid Video

Black Cab to perform live soundtrack to 'Akira' in January

Palace Cinemas and Hear My Eyes are excited to announce this special event screening of the science-fiction, cult classic Akira with an original live score. The critically acclaimed, Melbourne based electronica group Black Cab have written an original score that features traditional Japanese Taiko drumming for a one-night-only screening at the Astor Theatre. Experience the legend of Akira on the Astor's enormous screen. Be immersed in the atmosphere of Black Cab's live electronics. Feel the raw power of traditional Japanese Taiko drumming. Join us for this unique, visceral experience. "Is it a film? Is it a live music performance? Good lord, it’s both. A cinematic, sensory overload. Hear My Eyes will create an audio-visual experience that reclaims the original conventions of picture and music." - Broadsheet Melbourne
FILM: AKIRA
The Japanese anime classic of mythic proportions Akira (1988) is set in a futuristic Neo-Tokyo filled with cyberpunk gangs and revolutionary uprisings. After a rebellious punk has a chance encounter with a mysterious telekinetic child, he is gifted with tremendous superpowers that grow rapidly out of control. The dystopian fable unravels into what can only be described as a landmark piece of cinema that is as viscerally powerful as it is sublime. Known for its phenomenally textured animation style and mind-bending narrative, it is a film that transcends the conventions of science fiction and anime. The legend of Akira is an utterly unique film that all cinema lovers need to experience.
*Please note: the film's original soundtrack will be muted, but all dialogue and special effects audio will remain as per usual.
LIVE SCORE: BLACK CAB
An atmosphere of kinetic energy crackles around the ever evolving sound of Black Cab. With four critically acclaimed albums now under their belt the band’s deep atmospheric drone has evolved into electric genius. Thematically driven, Black Cab albums drive head first into the multisensory experiences of time and place. The disastrous 1969 Rolling Stones Altamont Free Concert was the inspiration for their first concept album Altamont Diary (2004). While the group’s latest album Games of the XXI Olympiad (2014) draws inspiration from the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. This time round Black Cab are teaming up with the traditional Taiko drummer Toshi Sakamoto to summon a 1980’s inspired soundtrack of dark synthesized undertones for Akira’s neo-Tokyo.
Black Cab are Andrew Coates, James Lee and Wes Holland. Reviews for Black Cab's album 'Games of the XXI Olympiad':
LIVE SCORE: TRADITIONAL JAPANESE TAIKO DRUMMING
For this rare live experience, Black Cab are collaborating with Toshi Sakamoto, a Japanese born Taiko instructor who has devoted his life to the art of Taiko drumming. Toshi has been teaching Taiko drumming across Japan and Australia for the past 30 years and is the founding director of the Melbourne based Waidaiko Rindo Japanese drumming school, established by him in 1994
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Tickets

Thursday, 3 November 2016

Cosmopolitan Pop

These DJs use techno to reflect discrimination in a city devastated by recession. As Election Day nears they worry about Detroit's future. pic.twitter.com/rEeyYzD9pP
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) November 1, 2016

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Jim White: When we rob our children of their childhood by relegating them to atmospheres of fear and distrust nothing in the world gets better

So, last night Sadie was invited to Trick or Treat in the Boulevard neighborhood of Athens. It's an upwardly mobile enclave where a large percentage of the most successful professional artists and movers and shakers in town reside (i.e. Michael Stipe has a house there).
As you can see in the picture Sadie got all dressed up and seeing the work she put into her costume I realized that me fellowing her around in drab street clothes might not be much fun for her, so I dug into my closet and---lo and behold---found an actual Pinkerton Security Guard outfit that I bought at the flea market a long time ago. I put it on, I grabbed a big Maglite flashlight and a matching ball cap and looked very official as we headed out into the huge throng of kids and parents.
I looked so official that several times parents stopped me, asking, "Is that a costume or are you REALLY a security guard??" Staying in character I replied by flashing my light in their eyes and barking out some security guard jargon, like, "I'll ask the questions here. ID please." or "Move along, move along."
The kids enjoyed the bit of theater and all was well until right near the end of the night a pretty young girl aged ten or so and her family approached me. It was a bottleneck on the sidewalk and so she didn't notice me until we were right beside each other. When she saw me she jumped slightly, as if startled, then stopped in her tracks and asked if I was a real police man or if that was a costume.
So I did the ID thing, but instead of laughing like the other kids she looked scared, replying, "I don't have any ID sir." Her voice trembled slightly as she said it, and I could tell she was actually frightened, so, trying to think of a way to calm her fears, I said, "What do you have in the bag young lady?" As she showed me her knapsack full of candy, I noticed her hands were trembling, at which point I said, "That's all the ID you need. Happy Halloween!"
The girl still looked scared.
Confused? Did I mention that in this sea of white kids in this predominantly white neighborhood, this beautiful young human being was dark skinned? And apparently she was okay with the cavalcade of gruesome zombies and horror movie impersonators but was stone cold terrified at that possibility that she was standing face to face with a real cop and that subsequently bad things were about to happen to her and her family.
That's heartbreaking. And that little girl deserves better. When we rob our children of their childhood by relegating them to atmospheres of fear and distrust nothing in the world gets better. Nothing.
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