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CHOICE CUTS OF THE WEEK
ABOUT FRIES'n'GRAVY WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!!... CONNECTED LINKAGE disinformation good magazine more links still to come
the ARCHIVES
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Sunday, September 16, 2007
 Despite my disdain for Nike's production practice and the at times absurdity of their prices (Air Jordans I'm looking at you) I have to admit that their workers make fine shoes that I want to be caught wearing. The Air Force 1s (AF1) are classic. First released 25 years ago in 1982. Doing my research, I discovered that the Nike Air Force Ones were the first Nike shoes to have a full length air sole. (revolutionary tech for basketball players at the time) Hip Hop and the Air Force Ones have been linked together ever since they first dropped due to the fact that hip-hop culture was so closely connected to the streets of New York and the basketball scene there, many of the up and coming artists from the streets of Brooklyn rose to the top while wearing the Nike Air Force Ones. Based off of Bruce Kilgore's timeless design you can see the many modifications made stylistically to the AF1's. Head to your local Foot Locker, then try an urban shoe dealer, The Nike Store, and then try another joint. You'll discover that no matter what you can't get every Air Force One release, as new variants are dropping in Tokyo, NYC, China, Rio, etc.  [the invisible woman - 'invisible air force 1's'] If you are a sneakerhead and lived in my home city of Toronto, you may have noticed the guerilla like retail tactics of Nike earlier this year. On top of Goodfoot (431 Richmond) they erected a Nike store that sold AF1's exclusively and acted as a museum of sorts to display vintage AF1's and crazy to purchase $3000 white anaconda skin AF1's. Once again, as a sneakerhead, I'm sorry to say if you missed it, well you missed it. Nike Air Force 1's. Better than they've ever been. Labels: gear colin [
10:06 PM ]
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Saturday, September 15, 2007
 under 10: wajeed's war mixtape if you're not familiar with the platinum pied pipers, saadiq or wajeed, then you need to ask yo'mama. in the same week, i'm blessing you with not one but two "under 10s". it's not the official "war" LP but it's a damn nice appetizer for those on low, frugal, budgets. [click me to access the war mixtape by wajeed while supplies last] *free*** hitting you up with some weapons of mass percussion! OH! peep the linkage below to understand/learn more: [wajeed + the bling47 group @ myspace] jay d [
5:02 AM ]
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Monday, September 10, 2007
The legendary Herbie Hancock teaches a group of children on Sesame Street (a group that includes Tatyana Ali of Fresh Prince of Bel Air fame) and Maria, how to use the Fairlight CMI Synthesizer. (as a bonus you get to bear witness to the power of the Tandy computer!) The Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument was a product of Australia that could be heard on numerous 80s hits, as you could see it was setup as a complete workstation way before Korg was doing it. Imagine finding one of these??? Back in the day they were roughly 20, 000 British pounds...and now are very difficult to find...but to have that flawless 8 bit sound would be a dream. Labels: music colin [
2:43 PM ]
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a beautiful crimedefine what "art" is. it might seem like a cliché exercise but ask yourself "what exactly is art"? is it or should it be exclusive only to aristocracy and highly-educated, snotty-nosed folk for appreciation? does art have to be a painting you couldn't decipher but only played along with in pretending like you knew what the hell was all about? is that the yardstick to measure the difference between what good and bad art is? i'm not an artist, i'm a scientist but i can still appreciate and define what art is to me. art to me is something that i simply like. it can, but doesn't necessarily have to be brilliantly detailed; it can be as basic as a family painting from my 10 year old niece or a ball-pen sketch from my 6 year old nephew. art can be a song i hear on the radio or a 4-verse poem i read engraved into a cubicle at the library. all evoke an emotion and in the above cases, happiness. can anyone do art? is art anything? i could piss on a sidewalk or flick my snot on the wall, but that's not necessarily an artform. art goes beyond self expression. art is when the artist is able to create an actual connection between the viewer and his or herself. that's art to me. some art sucks, some art is good. but who's who to make even that statement? it's all based on your personal perception. personally, i like art that makes me feel good and grafitti is one of those things that i'm a sucker for. i can appreciate handstyles i see in marker or in aerosol - on walls, desks or bathroom stall doors. i love stencil work and stickers and wheat-paste postings. graffiti is a crime, but it's a beautiful one at that. when you look at graffiti a lot of you probably think it's trashy, juvenile garbage. when i look at a piece of graffiti, whether i'm walking down the street or on the bloor line riding the subway - passing the hall of fame, i ask myself, "what the hell is that?....how did they do that?...what were they on when they thought of that?" some pieces are amazing. whatever the case, being that you like graf work or not, you can't deny the fact that you look at these pieces. it all has to do with the colors and details of graf work; they pop out at you as you walk down the grey and brown bore of many city landscapes. the moment when a piece of grafitti captures your eye is the moment it becomes art. graf artists strategically place their pieces to be seen by the most people at any one given time and that, in itself, is an artform. on top of a building, or even on a passing train -- these are all places the artist has chosen to "get up" up or build their rep. imagine how many pairs of eyes pass the wall of fame every morning to and from work? graffiti is a pretty heavy subject, but i hope it's something you'll think about and take into consideration the next time you see a tag you feel is juvenile. on fries'n'gravy, i'd like to take a moment to pay homage to this artform that anyone can appreciate. enjoy... kings and toys (25mins) below is a documentary i came across entitled, "kings and toys". i do hope you take the time to enjoy and maybe even understand (a little more) what the hell grafitti is all about. "just" - mark ronson super-dope cover of radiohead with an even super, freshererrrrrr dope video. "wrong side of the tracks" - artifacts ahh, one of my favourites, taking me back. "can it all be so simple" - wu-tang clan grafitti as memorial and message. Labels: art jay d [
6:06 AM ]
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Saturday, September 8, 2007
under 10: supermarket @ kensington they say that nothing (good) in life is free, and i'll have to agree. oppositely, sometimes, just sometimes big purchases are justifiable. if you can just tell there's quality behind a product or service even before you whip out your wallet and drop those benji's or in my canadian case, those "sir robert bordens", then hell yea it's worth it. other times, some products just don't live up to their fine printed price tags or expectations. but back to the opening sentence, "nothing in life is free", but i feel 10 dollars is the new "free", sorta like how pink was the new black two years ago or how all-over hoodies are the new wack. anyhow, brand new on fries'n'gravy is the under 10 section that i'll be introducing shortly. here, i'm gonna show and tell about all glorious things under 10 bucks, whether they be shows, a slept-on sale somewhere in the city or around my hood, cheap good eats or whatever the hell your little heart desires. to start off, today's under 10 features supermarket weekends at kengsington market in downtown toronto. over the past year, i've become real tired and bored with the usual clubbing scene. sure, once in a blue moon i'll come out if it's for a birthday or if a friend or neighbour is getting circumcised the following weekend or whatever, but let's face it, the scene is getting old and monotonous. nowadays, a lot of the girls in the club just aren't as appealing as they used to be and a lot of them are using those fake i.d.'s. the liquor might dumb it down, fellas but even the liquor is getting jacked up and old. i just don't have the funds to support that lifestyle anymore. nowadays, i'd rather decline than drop ten bucks for cover, thirty to forty in drinks for me and others during the night and a good two to five bucks to check my coat in during our subarctic canadian winters. the same can be said for those extravagant limosine rides with bottle and v.i.p. service (that's so last year's 24th birthday) that's just the way it is. i'm not hating on the club scene or you clubbers out there because for a good two or three or four or five or six years, it was a vital part of my social life. all i'm simply saying is that there are some gatdamn great alternatives out there that most people overlook. it's come to the point that i've grown tired with hearing "clubbing" as the exclusive answer to my weekly question of, "what's going on this weekend"? i had to dig and search but i've found it! 'supermarket' is the soy alternative to my weekend night life. it situates itself within the hippie confines of kensington market at 268 augusta ave. just south of college st. it's menu boasts asian fusion and finger foods, but really, who's there for the food? i'm there for the music, maybe a beer or three, the art and just to hang out. here's the lowdown: "melting pot" fridays fridays at supermarket are all about 'the melting pot'. think a fusion of faces and creatures from all walks of life not to mention the "eclectic selection of rare grooves, future beats, house and underground classics", as stated on their website. did i mention the more than occassional live acts, too? **other than special events, cover is $5 bucks and if you're on the guestlist is free before 11pm. TURN IT UP! [melting pot] "do right" saturdays do right saturdays at supermarket flip the script. they spin mostly funk, soul and hip hop, so get your dancing shoes on and prepare yourself to get down...or not. you can just lounge too, if you want. no bum-rushing though, cool? **again, $5 cover. [do right] [dorightmusic.com] "supermarket sundays" it's singer-songwriter night here and a nice conclusion to the crazy weekend/gensis to another work week. it's drinks and cocktails only, sorry no asian finger foods, starting at 9pm. be there or be square. **free! no cover. things are always super fresh at the supermarket and for under 10 bucks, who can complain and besides, what do you have to lose? save your money and just enjoy yourself, the company of your peeps and some damn good music. i think i've found my habitat. it's no fun alone though, anyone care to join me? [supermarkettoronto.com] Labels: under 10 jay d [
4:13 AM ]
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Friday, September 7, 2007
 the standard when rumours come along they're usually brought about to create hype. sometimes rumours end up being true and sometimes they're just plain bogus. one rumour that i've heard from several different sources is a collaboration hip hop group between two of my personal favourite m.c.'s, common and q-tip (of a tribe called quest fame). i heard this rumour roughly a month ago and thought nothing of it, then i was politicking about the upcoming common show with an old friend of mine and he, too, brought up that q-tip is to make a special appearance at the toronto event on the 29th of this month. different pieces of the same puzzle are popping up everywhere it seems. just the other day, to add to the hype, i read about it online!! according to xxl, a fitting title of the duo's collabo is "the standard". i'm hoping that this will be one rumour that ends up being true. i've been hungry for a solid hip hop duo's delivery since the blackstar movement between kweli and mos def. will common and tip = "the standard"? only time will tell...let's keep those fingers crossed, and hopefully, i'll see you at the show! [details about the standard...] [common at kool haus] Labels: music jay d [
2:46 PM ]
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