BISON B.C

I don't know about you, but I'm in need of a good Metal fix. I think Bison B.C with Montreal's Priestess just might do the trick. I was listening to their new record, "Quiet Earth" with some friends only to have a reminder pop up on someone's cellphone. It read, "Bison, 1 more week". Yes! To hear they were coming made me so happy!
I remember the first time I saw them at the Megadeth after-party. I stood completely overwhelmed at how similar I felt to when I first ever heard Black Sabbath. I am so excited. This band blew my mind each time I saw them, and they will blow yours.

Show at Hi-Fi on Nov 25th.
Tickets sold @ Sloth Records & Megatunes.

LIKE A TOOTHBRUSH FOR YOUR BRAIN

PES are clever stop motion films that make my mouth smile.
My favorites are Western Spaghetti and Roof Sex.

These are great for momentary brain breaks, leave feeling refreshed!
Hope you heart them too!

NUDIE JEANS PARTY

I'm sure all of you out there are familiar with the Nudie Jeans brand. I'd say fellow contributor Randy and I alone own at least a dozen pairs. If you don't know about them you should check out the blog mynudies.com. It's a great place to get feedback on sizing issues if you are online shopper. Also you can check out how other peoples jeans have uniquely worn and faded. On Friday November 28, Nudie will be hosting a party and show to roll out their spring 09 collection. The party is sponsored by Leo Boutique and will be kicking off at 9 pm at Artlife Gallery (1312 1st sw). I will be playing records there so I hope to see you all. All you have do do to get in is RSVP for a guestlist spot at leoboutique@shaw.ca. Sorry Kiddies... 18+.

NEW WORK

Expect to see a big series of these in the not so distant future.


(click to enlarge)

EVERYTHING WILL BE OK

Hey everyone, our second "test" night at The Bungalow is tomorrow night. We don't know where its all headed with a night at that venue, but we are gonna cut a dance floor, work on a drink special and generally just have good times. Come on down if you are interested! Good music!


(click to enlarge)

THE "N" WORD

In this day in age, anyone can draw an emotion or a connotation from its mere mention. Simply google the phrase "the N word" and see what you come up with (I strongly suggest this, I couldn't believe it).The public stance on it's use, particularly in North-American culture can range from sarcastic tolerance to outright libertarian condemnation. However, this day of age is not so far from a time when the use of this word was no joke. This is as a good time as any to introduce the topic of the right to free speech vs. our Human Rights. Though these two entitlements are similar in nature and virtue, freedom of speech can sometimes act as a direct attack to our civil liberties. I just finished sitting through almost 3 solid hours of "laugh-till-my-jaw-ached" stand-up comedy all thanks to my new found internet-cable super-capabilities. I was intrigued to find two very different comedians who illustrated -in depth- their opinions on this very subject. Find out why African American stand-up performer Katt Williams accepts its use, and why the always-vulgar Boston comedian Lois CK hates "the N word" and the phrase "the N word" specifically. The two performances say a lot about free speech in the entertainment industry and it's effect on the social conscience. It is definitely interesting to see what is deemed acceptable and what is inappropriate in an ever global community. If you are at all interested in these subjects please take a look at these Comedy specials. I should also mention they're freaking hilarious...

Katt Williams Presents: Its Pimpin' Pimpin'

Louis C.K. Presents: Chewed Up

CALGARY'S MUSICIANS KICK ASS

We are so damn lucky to have an amazing pulse to the live music scene in our fair city. A lot of people can take or leave a live rock show, but I personally can't live without them. They make me feel like I'm part of something special, and they kick the ass out of a CD any day of the week. A lot of my good friends are musicians and they keep me in gold when it comes to live music. On Friday I had one wierd night that was capped off with seeing two pretty awesome bands. We caught the last two acts at Broken City, Thee Thems and Sharp Ends. They both had the crowd in the palm of their hands, and hell, did they ever sound good.


Thee Thems, click to enlarge.


Sharp Ends, click to enlarge.

SWOON MAKES ME HAPPY I LIVE IN BK.

Swoon is this gorgeous street art person who puts up wheatpasted paper people and tape cut outs all over Brooklyn and everytime i round a corner and see her dashing handywork i am thankful that i live somewhere where i can see these things.

(other things I am thankful for today: Goldfish crackers, Swedish fish candies, Ergonomic chairs that my university invested bucketfuls of money in (they swivel, move up and down, and you could basically live in them, thank goodness because i'm basically living in them), ArtNews magazine, and dollar coffees)

MY MOTHER ALMOST CHOKED TO DEATH ON AMERICAN DRUGS

where to start on my recent trip to san francisco?
this is a city where the skateboarders know how to slalom, composting is as important as recycling, people are as friendly as pollyanna, the transit is cheap, the homeless abundant, the food amazing, and the weather nice.



in the future i'll hopefully get around to covering ameoba records, dollhouse bettie, the ferry market and the warfs, amelie wine bar, yelp, the SF MOMA, ritual coffee roasters, san francisco graffiti, the reciever gallery and Jason Villegas and the CCA and Conrad Ruiz (above).
HOW EXCITING!

AT NIGHT WHILE YOU ARE SLEEPING

I've been going out at night with different photographers over the years, in an attempt to keep my love for night shooting alive. There was a point early in my ambitions to become a pro photographer, where I was convinced I wanted to specialize in night photography, specializing in urban landscapes and night portraiture. Obviously I chose a different path, but getting out at night has been a big part of my own creative process over the years. Not only is it therapeutic to be out, waiting for long exposures in quiet areas with only your thoughts and the sounds of the city to occupy you, but it teaches you to value every bit of light that is available. You start to see color temperature in everything. In one single shot you can capture five colors of light. It has taught me to appreciate the way light hits well worn cement, and to generally just pay more attention to the world we seem so adamant on lighting every square in of, even when no one is around.





(click either to enlarge, or go to my flickr to see more)

IN THE TUB

Hey guys, I figured I'd let you know that TML has a special treat for you all tonight. Noah York City has invited me to come spin some vinyl on his wheels of steel at the fabled Celebrity Hot Tub party tonight at the Palomino. That's right kids, two of your favorite Modern Leisure DJ's hitting the 1s and 2s in one night.



Tell your mom!

DR. WHO'S YOUR DADDY

In a recent voyage to uncover all things "Nerdy" to study for a roll I was playing in a dress-up party, I was delightfully shocked to find a blog called Whomix dedicated to the Dr. Who theme song. The website boasts nearly a hundred remixes of the British sci-fi series theme produced by amateur musicians and professionals alike. My inner nerd seriously thinking about taking a crack at this....

POLAROID-ISMS

Polaroids never really went "out" and probably never will. Someone will always have the right to manufacture this environmentally destructive yet undeniably cool product. I myself shoot a bunch of polaroid when I have the chance, and love it. I also frequent this site: http://www.polanoid.net for my dose of everyone else and the stuff they shoot with the millions of polaroid formats out there. I'm warning you, another site to get lost on...

Most recently I came across this little toy, that is nothing less that insanely cool. Its called Poladroid and it takes any photo (jpg) that you have and turns it into a digital polaroid. Can we say cool? Below is a Polaroid I made from a photo of the crowd I took at the Sled Island festival this year. It crops them just right and adds all those badass contrast an color effects that make polaroid what it is. Click the polaroid to get your copy of Poladroid!

SWATCH JAMES BOND VILLAIN SERIES

With only FOUR DAYS until the new bond installment, I thought I would comment on two of my all time favorite things and how they seemingly got together to create a product just for me. I'm an avid Swatch collector, focusing on the "classic" styling, and the billion variations they unleash onto the market each year. The are the fashion kings of the watch world in my opinion, offering seasonal styles, they are always fresh and on top of trends. They have done a Bond watch for nearly every Bond film ever made, but NOW they have taken it step further by making a watch for several of the villains from various Bond films. Check out a few below and click HERE to see the new collection online.



Bond villains and their respective watches...Elliot Carver, Georgi Koskov, Blofeld's Cat, Baron Samedi.

HALF A SCISSOR

Contrary to what you may be thinking, I'm not talking about the seminal Mr Oizo track of the same name, rather, I'm talking about this fantastic black plated aluminum 1/2 scissor that functions as a letter-knife. It truly is beautiful, and it lends itself to my obsession with all things curious and macabre.



{order yours here} a perfect christmas gift for any dark brooding fellow in your life...

MAKE THE CALL

Its Sunday. Call the people closest to you. Better yet, be with them if you can.

BEN TOUR

I was looking through the latest issue of COLOR magazine during one of our wine parties, and a few pages caught my eye, a few pen and ink illustrations accompanying an article on Dragonforce.

Ben Tour is a Vancouver based artist, and I suggest checking out his figurative drawings. He generally works on a large scales, attempting murals in numerous cities.

I'd say I'm indifferent to most of his pieces and only love a few, but his work shows in my opinion, his fantastic eye for line. His technique is something to definitely study.

Below is the article to look for, and one piece I particularly like.

C'EST DANGEREUX! GETS COBRASNAKED!

So... I have been in Vancouver for the weekend to see The King & Khan and BBQ Show, and to play a show of my own and I have to say... Life is good on the coast. The highlights of my trip so far have been the mango and tuna sushi rolls from Sushi Yama and the the rum and ginger beer cocktails at The Reef Restaurant.When it wasn't raining was nice too. On Friday night after the phenomenal King Khan & BBQ Show, the Reverend Reno and I played a dj set at the long time Vancouver staple dance party 1/2 Alive to a very receptive crowd. And to my surprise, even The Cobrasnake was there snapping pics. Vancouver, your stock is rising...

C'est Dangereux gets Cobrasnaked in Vancouver

MORE ON WRITING

Just when we thought classics couldn't get any better the Kids at modofly.net decide to bring in some newfangled lazer technology.

Customize, order from their sweet pre-made designs, and soon you too will be writing in the coolest Moleskine on the block.

SF PRT 2

Tomorrow i'll be going to the MOMA here, which i'm really looking forwards to.
more about the rest of the trip later!



not to mention the hate (haight ashbury)
hopefully we can find some great stuff to let y'all know about!

xoxo
-a

SATURDAY NIGHT MOVIE

This was a perfect Saturday Night Movie.
(though I would recommend it for any night, actually)

"the life of a designer is a life of fight,
the fight against the
ugliness"
(Massimo Vignelli)

REVENGE OF THE NERDS

It's not very often that we get the chance to hit the dancefloor hard on a Monday night and not have to worry about going to work or class the next day. So we wanted to make this Snakes and Ladders extra special. So if you live in Calgary, get your best Nerd outfit on and come do the Urkle Dance this Monday at The Bamboo Tiki Lounge! If you want you can dress like a Jock or a Prep too... different strokes for different folks. Also joining Noah York City on the 1s and 2s is the Righteous Reverend Reno, fresh off the Love Boat kickin beats and rhymes and basically going "Dumb" like a MoFo from Oaktown!

FRANK KOZIK

Lowbrow artist Frank Kozik, the man behind Dunny, Munny, Labbits, Smokey and all the rest of that wicked vinyl toy shit, has done it again.
Limited edition series of famous vinyl busts, done in neon colours. My favorite is Ludwig Van ($255)...

YUMMY

I'm showing this new series titled YUMMY, tonight at ARTLIFE for the Bon Voyage Clothing party. Its featuring art, and a bunch of DJ's so it should prove to be a great time. Click anything below to enlarge. Click HERE for the Bon Voyage blog to get more info on tonight!

THINGS WE THINK YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT, LIKE, NOW

Walla Walla winemaker Charles Smith no doubt produces some great wines. His label, K Vintners, is known for producing some of the best American Syrahs in the game. He's the man behind that ubiquitous House Wine which I'm sure you've seen in your local liquor store time and time again.Well, America's bad boy wine maker has done it again, recently releasing a new lineup of wines. Most outstanding (at least in my mind) is his Reisling, aptly named Kung Fu Girl ($12 a pop). Now, I'm not a big fan of white wines, let alone reislings, as I find their sweetness more than offensive to my palate, but this wine is just badass!



{More from K Vintners here}

BAINE, SALU, DE SAN FRANCISCO

salu indeed.
isn't it nice how when we find ourselves in new places we get to learn new things that are entirely removed from our own lives?
YES.

like i've stated before, i'm jazzed on coming to a different (and new for that matter) city for a change, having had work and life take a solid grip on things in cow-town (ugh!) i've finally made it away, (and on the cusp of a new prez!)

Tonight we ventured to a Lovely wine bar (lovely for it's bartenders) called Amelie (not as lovely) but the lighting and the decore and the beautiful french staff (not to mention a great wine list that made me want to learn ( who learns, what?!) complete with victor hugo quotes (on the roof!)



also this which i am sipping on right now, (not to mention recovering from a traumatic experience).
nice nice nice .

la vie, c'est belle

-a

DESKTOP BACKGROUND #2

Here ya go. Click to enlarge.

AVANT-GARB @ ART CENTRAL

Art Central is one of Calgary's art initiatives that houses private visual art studios, shops, and other studio/retail environments for young and established artists alike. Last night was the 4th birthday of the venue, so some special events were taking place. Susan Clarahan is an ACAD student who is part of the Wearable Fashion program at the school. As part of the birthday celebrations the wearable art class put on a fashion show throughout the main mezzanine, and up and down the stairs. It was well attended and generally just badbass. This type of thing is becoming more common in Calgary and I love it. Here is what Susan presented. I took some shots of her models after the show.


(click to enlarge)

WELCOME BRISBANE FALLING

Hello everyone. My name is Noah and am pleased to be a new contributor to The Modern Leisure. As some of you may already know, I have been working together with Randy in various mediums for the last three years and am honored to be a part of the team. I have spent the last 5 years or so trying to make a living as a club Dj and having a really great time, but creating music organically has always been my passion. So early last October when I met a talented young artist operating out of San Diego through Myspace praises, I was exited to hear she was interested in collaborating with me on some songs. So without further adieu, I allow me to introduce you to present Brisbane Falling.

Brisbane Falling- Willing to be Ill


(click to enlarge)

DRIPBOOK

I came across this stie a long time ago and have been meaning to hype it. Its totally insane and you can get lost on it for hours. The main reason being that you can creep onto thousands of artists portfolios. Dripbook is a one stop shop to find everything from a photogrpaher to a tattoo artist, to a hair stylist, its insane. I think its incredible how the internet has become a mecca for the arts, and connecting artists. I love collaborating with other artists in all forms - so a site like this that opens us up to each others work is brilliant, and really cool to peruse. Click the image to view the photography portfolio of young Argentinian photographer Clara Rastellini, you'll be stuck on Dripbook for a while is my guess.

P.S. AN INTRODUCTION

Also, We are El
and
Ill
We are cowtown transplants.
We live in Brooklyn.
Which is in NYC.
We will share random things with you.

BROOKLYN LOVES BICYCLES

Bicycles are the ideal form of transportation in Brooklyn (Besides Feet)

(Fixies, One Gear, Ten Gear, Five Gears, No Brakes, All Breaks
You name it they got' it')

CONCRETE JUNGLE

For Factory Party #3 I put together a photo shoot and a series of sculptures to show that were actually one piece as a whole. With the help of my friend Anthony and a whole lot of cement we were able to put the animal masks into concrete cubes, which ended up being extremely heavy yet looked pretty badass. Here is a diptych of how it all worked.


(click to enlarge)

KENNETH CAPPELLO

Wouldn't you just love to get lost in his abyss of over-exposure? I've been reading up on his blog for the past few months, and there are some juicy juicy outtakes from fabulous photo sessions.
I love his freedom to play around with light and color.
Here a few shots he did of Erykah Badu for GIANT magazine, some of my favorite.

THE CLASSICS

So I've been listening to the classical station over at last.fm and it amazing. As far as internet radio goes there are a million options, but its rare to find something you can just put on and forget about. Granted, there will be some songs that you can't stand, but you can skip through those easily which makes last.fm one of the best free services out there. give it a listen, because even if you don't like classical, you can turn this on and have some easy background listening. Click the sweet sunglass wearing Beethoven bust to go to the station.

AWAY

i'm going away soon.
i'm hoping to get lost in another city,
instead of this constant state
of confusion in my own

to a city that
i hear has less short comings.
when i return
i hope to have the direction.

MORE NEW BLOOD

EL & ILL

(HEART)

BK

THINGS WE THINK YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT, LIKE, NOW

As many of you have noticed, photography, specifically digital photography, has become ubiquitous. Digital cameras are in mobile phones for God's sake. The urban trash of our post-postmodern society have revolted. Film and lo-fi photography (Lomography, Polaroid) have become tres chic as of late, and there's nowhere in the world that does "trendy" better than Japan. The folks over at Blackbird have designed the cameras you see above... Square photos on 35mm film shot with a camera that won't break the bank (cost TBA, but, rest assured they will be less than $100): fantastic. They've given us a new toy with which to hop on the lo-fi cart with... Happy trending!

I THINK IT'S NICE

As the year wanes, the months grow colder. This environmental temperature change often causes me to turn to those around me for warmth. I find it best to write letters and reach out to those whom I so often forget in the flotsam and jetsam of everyday urban trash living... Maybe I'll write you a letter? The point is, it's nice to be remembered, consider it, and write a letter yourself.

I think it's nice.

HOLY SHIT YES!

America finally impressed me, and I don't think I'm speaking out of turn when I say that all of us here at The Modern Leisure are glad to see a common man leading the common people. Congratulations President Obama, The Modern Leisure is with you, the North is with you, the World is with you...

Godspeed!

CALGARY FASHION PICKS SPRING 09

Go to www.calgaryfashion.ca to read about SPRING 09' FASHION.
& MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT www.yanamatusovski.blogspot.com for more pictures from next season's debuts.

BRET EASTON ELLIS

I've been reading Ellis for years but I don't know if I ever blogged on him. Anyway I'm re-reading some of his stuff (since he never releases anything, damnit) and am loving them more and more each time. Of course hes known for writing American Psycho but the rest of his work is truly amazing as well. I'd recommed his latest, titled Lunar Park - it's autobiographic and totally messed up and strange. Anyway, check out a list of his titles HERE, and click the book below to see the site for the book, which is also strange.

SOUND CHECK REMINDER

(click to enlarge)

SLUTTY FRINGE

If you're anything like me, your iTunes shuffle and all of your favorite playlists are looking a little worse for wear right now. That's right, we need new music to get us through these brisk autumn months. Luckily, we're not the only cats writing blogs. I just came across onesuch blog (called Slutty Fringe) prompted me to let you in on some of my music secrets


These cats are looking to put the freshest sounds onto your iPods and into your ears:

Fluokids
Missing Toof
The Lemur Blog
BigStereo
Slutty Fringe
Welcome to Dance Club

And if that doesn't float your boat, be sure to stop by my personal favorite:
Pig Radio!

PARTY LIKE YOUR PARENTS ARE OUT OF TOWN...

So, as many of you know, we at the modern leisure like to party. In fact we like to party so much that we just keep on finding excuses to do so, and ways to make the party lifestyle a lot easier on our wallets and our minds. Randy Gibson Takes Photos, and I have the luxury of standing behind turntables, driving the party with the wheels of steel. Well, there's a new cat on the party scene now, his name is Darren. He calls himself Jenny Grey and he knows what it means to party. He and I are starting up a new night at the Bungalow on 17th ave here in Calgary and we want you to come and sweat with us.

Next Tuesday is a sneak peak, but we're calling it Sound Check. No cover, no line, all fun. Come down and say hello to Jenny Grey and I...




And remember to party like your parents are out of town!

FACTORY PARTY #3 (Tour)

IF YOU LIKE TO MOVE

Thunderheist - Jerk It

OUR PARENTS

Will kill you.

DESKTOP BACKGROUNDS

We have decided to offer our readers something a fun. Since I generally make my own desktop backgrounds I though I would share the them on here, and offer you them to use should you desire.

here is the one I just made and am using. Click it to enlarge and then I'm sure you can figure it out from there. Happy desktopping. There will be more so come back and checkem out!

BIC

Every once and a while its nice to stop and think about the simple stuff in life. I'm taking this time to share my irrational obsession with really normal and standard items. This obsession started with one thing...BIC. BIC is that company that noone really thinks about because they are so omni-present. They light our cigarettes, write our term papers, shave our faces, and now, they help us make phone calls. Yes, thats right BIC has released a mobile phone to the people of France (where BIC resides) and I'm just a bit jealous. Anyway, point being they are one hell of company with some serious longevity, longevity to the point where I beleive our childrens childrens childrens children will be using BIC computers or something. In the mean time, I ask you to take notice of how much bic surrounds your daily life. There might be some bic in your pocket right now.

Oh and most of the reason for this post is to get you to their badass site, check out the logisitics of a pen and get some shaving tips would ya! Click the logo to start the BIC online experience!

THE GANG

(click to enlarge)

Some of the artists and a few others hanging hard after the Factory Party. I love these people.

I WANT TO BE FRENCH SO I CAN DRINK WINE IN PUBLIC...

I propose a wine and cheese (or hummus for all of you vegans out there) party to celebrate the newest state of the modern leisure next Monday November 3rd.

C'est tres dangereux...

THE WAYWARD FEAST or DINING WITH MORDICHAI

My installation for Factory Party #3. A direct reference to Arte Povera.

IT CAME AND WENT LIKE CHRISTMAS

So we threw this massive party on Friday and it went really well. If you read this page avidly you will know I'm referring to our Factory Party series and its third installment. Needless to say we had a record attendance, the best art contributions to date, Christian Hansen & The Autistics, Noah York City, Kidd Champagne, Hector Gomez, and a hell of dance party. We were once again blessed with an amazing crowd of astonishingly good looking people, proof of which will be available soon in the form of the million photos I took...plus video...Thanks to everyone for wearing black, it looked badass. See you at #4....

FACTORY CITY

Factory PARTY #3

SPACES #2