Blog
NON-TOURIST September 2 2010
My cousin is in town this entire week, and I finally met up with her last night. But instead of taking her to the obligatory LA spots, I decided to take her to the studio, where I had to record with Rhythm Natives. The last time she was here, Kim and I showed her where we housed our inventory, so it was neat to show her another facet of CA.
STAY SUCKERFREE September 1 2010
Coverage from last Saturday’s Rhythm Natives/DJ JayP meet Boj01 sets at the Burgundy House for Suckerfree. All photos by John and Robbie of photografiya.
HYBRIDITY August 31 2010
Last night, we met up with Jamie (The Jamie Affair) to drop off some CA gear for a music video that she’s styling. She chose the CA crewneck in navy and the Hybridity t-shirt in forest green. The latter was a pleasant surprise for me.
I hadn’t wore my Hybridity shirt in a bit, and when I pulled it out of the drawer, I remembered why we released that shirt in the first place. Kim and I were both students of political science, and heavily studied identity politics and globalization. The world has become so interconnected, meaning interests and therefore personalities have become modified. The idea of ‘home’ and ‘identity’ is in fact, blurred. So that’s why we left that last part blank and released these shirts with a fabric marker, so that you can put who/what your are in your own words. When we got feedback about the shirt, people were putting anything between their ethnicity or their occupation.
It’s one of my favorites because of what it represents. I am a cultural hybridity, I have a hyphenated identity, I am…
TWO FOR MONDAY August 30 2010
Back in May, we published a feature on Nomi of Power Struggle around the time Remittances was released. The interview was also a chance for me to review the album, which I genuinely enjoyed for its ability to keep me attentive to social and political issues all while bobbin’ my head.
Last Friday, Power Struggle along with Beatrock Music, Just Bombin Films, and Mass Movement TV, dropped two videos: one for the single ArtOfficialFreedom, and another that discusses the conceptual process that went into making the record. Check ‘em out.
85 DEGREES August 28 2010
I spent most of Friday in Orange County for both business and pleasure. My first stop was Irvine, to finally try out 85 Degrees Celsius, a local Asian cafe, and the company’s first US store. I caught wind of it when NPR featured them, ultimately questioning the possibility of 85 becoming the next coffee craze. They are known for Taiwanese coffee - specifically their sea salt coffee. But I don’t drink coffee, not even on an all nighter. So, I chose to focus on their breads. I was hoping to try their signature item - the one made with squid ink. It’s black and apparently tastes like garlic, but since their selection changes throughout the day, they didn’t have any on deck. From what I understand, the long lines that stretch past their store and around the corner haven’t gotten any shorter. And inside, it’s like a cafeteria with people going gaga when filling up their trays. I’m probably going to have to come back here and try other items. I had an almond sponge cake and it was just okay…
