Dave White: Americana

The fourth of July has come early here at B.I.S. as I will be honoring all things Americana in my next series of posts. However I must say briefly, I was surprised and disappointed by the people who decided to celebrate the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death in front of The White House. It is in my opinion that as Americans it is our duty to represent the ideals and values that this country was founded on in the most dignified way possible. I too felt the urge to celebrate and should I have decided to, I would have done so privately. Times are tough for America currently, globally and domestically; such public displays of emotion can easily be misconstrued abroad and ultimately serve to further debase us in the eyes of the world. We, the people of this country, must be tactful and show an unmitigated commitment to true justice and our constitution no matter what our government does. Murder, in many cases, is an endless cycle and thus in my opinion, not worth celebrating. Now, with that said, we can continue. Last month one of my favorite artists Dave White premiered a new series of works titled Americana at The Coningsby Gallery in London. The 40 year old Liverpool native widely known for his sneaker collaborations with Nike takes on new subject matter with Americana, cowboys and Indians. White’s gritty big brush style and frenzied paint placement really lends itself to the overall concept, when we think Americana we think rugged, it works brilliantly. For more info on Dave White and his work click the link: http://www.davewhiteart.com/

"Without music I don’t think I would be able to compose an image. It will always help me set the mood and feeling for the environment I want to capture."

Ivan Arce`

Hash

I’ve been away for a while (forgive me) but I come bearing gifts. Today I present to you an interesting interview with a photographer who’s work I really admire. His name is Ivan Arce, also known as hAsh. The Chicago based photographer possesses the ability to capture the beauty in things most of us tend to overlook, especially insects. With a keen eye for detail and some really good ideas hAsh delivers some really stunning photos, enjoy.

Brewster In Stereo: How old were you when you when you became interested in photography and what prompted your interest?

 Ivan Arce:  It was probably around the age of 16 after finally seeing the reality of high school and realizing I wasn’t gonna dedicate the time needed to become a veterinarian. I asked myself what was it that I enjoyed the most to do and the answer right away was “watch movies”! From there I realized all I really wanted to do was create storytelling images.

BIS:  Where there any other photographers or artist that inspired you stylistically?

 IA: Yes there were and still are. Lia Sáile will always be the first who comes to mind. Who’s a great contemporary artist, who’s early photography and photo manipulation works always fuelled my interest in exploring the color tones in which I have developed my own work.  Others equally important are Philippe Halsman, Cindy Sherman, Salvador Dalí and H.R. Giger.

 BIS:  Lia Saile is an incredible photographer, I’m a big fan. She has an amazing ability to create powerful atmospheres within her photos. You share this ability; at times when I look at your work I can almost hear music. What roll if any does music play in your work as a photographer?

 IA:  Music plays a very important roll in my work as it does in every aspect of my life, if not the most important. Without music I don’t think I would be able to compose an image. It will always help me set the mood and feeling for the environment I want to capture. After I am done working on a photograph, that music piece will always accompany the image as it’s soundtrack. The song will just click in my head as soon as I see the image.

  BIS: So, in a sense you can almost capture the element of music within your photos, that’s very impressive. You are from Puerto Rico, how does culture and heritage play a roll in the subject matter of your work?

IA: Culture and heritage are aspects that will always be present in the person I am today. They don’t play a direct roll in my subject matter, but are present in a geographical and physical state. Growing up surrounded by the color green and the cyan of the ocean influenced me to see these tones everywhere, even outside of Puerto Rico. My work is more of an environmental exploration, than a social study. So, cultural influences will always be there in an aesthetic form.

 BIS: How did you come to be known as hAsh?

  IA:  Back in the college years it was my nickname in the local electronic music web forum and it just caught on as I started documenting the local scene.

BIS: You mentioned earlier that your love for movies inspired you to take up photography; do you have any interest in film making?

IA: Always have! I graduated from Full Sail in Orlando, FL with a degree in film and have worked on several productions since.

 BIS: So it’s possible that we may be seeing a hash film in the near future?

 IA: Yes! In the near future as in 2011 will be working on the developing of one music video and two short films.

 BIS: I’m sure those projects are going to be amazing, I can’t wait to see the finished product. Maybe we can collaborate on an official film for Brewster in Stereo soon…

IA: That sounds great man, yeah! Production is all about team work, and the best crew is the one with talented artists like yourself! *

See more of Ivan’s work below and at http://hash15.deviantart.com/

If you’d like to contact Ivan he can be reached via email: ivan.arce15@gmail.com

"I don’t think I’m a great piano player, but I would like to have people like me, to play pretty tunes and reach the audience. And I hope some of those tunes will become standards. I want to write standards, not just hits"

Vince Guaraldi

Vince Guaraldi is arguably one of the most talented jazz piano players ever (he was certainly the coolest). The San Francisco native known affectionately as “Dr. Funk” was yet another incredibly gifted product of the beatnik club scene. He shot to fame after the release of the critically acclaimed album Jazz Impression of Black Orpheus in 1962. The following year he won a Grammy for the song Cast Your Fate to the Wind which was a B-side to the first single off the Black Orpheus album. He would later be hired to score the first Peanuts television special and would ultimately become the icon that we know today. Cast Your Fate to the Wind is a personal favorite of mine and of course I love all of his work on the Peanuts specials but for some reason this particular song speaks to me. In my mind Vince Guaraldi’s music is synonymous with the holidays especially with him having made classics like Christmas Time is Here, I think his melodies really represent the beauty of the season. I can listen to his music anywhere at anytime and it always calms me, he was a true genius.

Laphroaig 10

I’ve never been very big on the holidays. Don’t get me wrong I’m no Scrooge, I suppose I just could never really understand what holiday “spirit” was all about. However as I’ve grown older I feel I’ve finally managed to grasp this holiday spirit thing and ultimately understand what all the fuss was about. Once upon a time I saw the holidays as this singular idea purposefully manipulated by veiled  corporations to generate capital gain…I know, quite extreme. At any rate, I now see the holidays as a time to reflect upon and enjoy all of the things you love in your life. I may be a bit late but I have arrived none the less. For me, there are only certain things that put me in the holiday spirit and my next series of post will reflect some of those things. So, all Christmas carols, wreath’s and eggnog aside nothing gets me in the holiday spirit like a glass of good scotch whiskey. Recently a friend of mine invited me to his flat in downtown Manhattan, I was shocked at how well he was living, he has an incredible place with exceptional views of NYC. After the grand tour he offered me a drink, he asked me if I wanted wine or scotch and I chose the latter, neat. After taking my fist sip I was astounded at how incredibly smooth the scotch was, I immediately asked him what it was and he told me it was a scotch whiskey called Laphroaig 10 (La-froyg). Laphroaig 10, the ten representing the amount of years aged, is the best tasting single malt scotch whiskey I have ever had. A bit smokey with subtle hints of barley, Laphroaig 10 is all flavor with out the fire. A bottle of Laphroaig will run you anywhere from thirty to fifty five dollars depending on where you purchase it from but it is well worth the money. I would recommend serving it neat with a small glass of water if necessary.  Laphroaig is a great way to stay warm and enjoy the holidays but with all of its flavor and smoothness you can easily forget that it’s 80 proof, so drink responsibly.       

The Man Behind The Suit

The HBO series Boardwalk Empire has quickly become one of my favorite shows. Not only does the show have amazing talent in front of the camera, it also has some of the most creative minds in the industry behind the camera. The series was created by Emmy award winner Terence Winter, one of the brilliant writers behind HBO’s The Sopranos. The show is produced by a host of extremely talented people, most notably, Martin Scorsese. With phenomenal performances by Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt and Stephen Graham, this series thus far is a force to be reckoned with. However, even with all the star power and great writing, in my opinion the real star of the show is of course, the wardrobe. When I watch the show I always find myself thinking “wow, I really wish I could get suits like that”. Well, that’s why I love what I do because come to find out, the man behind the suits (or at least the first 250 of them) was closer than I thought. His name is Martin Greenfield. The Greenfield Clothiers factory is located in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It is there that for over 60 years Martin Greenfield has crafted some of the finest hand tailored suits on the East coast and arguably the nation. Some of his more notable clients are President Bill Clinton, the mayor of New York Michael R. Bloomberg, Paul Newman, Colin Powell and Patrick Ewing. Greenfield has also worked with three of my favorite brands, Rag & Bone, Freeman Sporting Club and Band of Outsiders. I will be taking a trip to the Greenfield factory in the weeks to come, I’m excited to see his process with my own eyes. Have a look at the video below to learn more about Mr. Greenfield, he has an amazing story. Also, for those of you that aren’t familiar with series Boardwalk Empire click the link: www.hbo.com/boardwalk-empire/index.html#