Oh No, The Modulator!

August 18, 2009

An evening of transatlantic electronica with Canadian experimentalists Oh No, The Modulator! starts off the post-summer live programme at rhiz, Vienna’s first address for electronic squeaks and frequency manipulation. Should the aural assault become too much to bear, relief can be found outside on the terrace, a popular spot with the city’s music buffs. The evening kicks off with a performance by local politically-driven funksters lo-res, who are extremely active in the campaign against the far right coalition which currently governs Austria.


Back to the Beach Festival

July 30, 2009

In past decades, not to mention centuries, New Orleans had its own Coney Island at Lake Pontchartrain. The once-pristine lake was a place for swimming, sailing and fishing, while lakeside parks offered gaudy midways with rides, entertainments and dining. A volunteer group dedicating to reclaiming the lake from pollution and mis-use celebrates those ‘good’ old days with an annual festival that sets up a carnival on the lakeside. Continuous music is a big draw and this year’s line-up includes local faves Deacon John, Bobby Cure & the Summertime Blues and Anders Osborne.


Herb Ritts

July 22, 2009

Over 100 photographs make up this major show – formerly seen at the Foundation Cartier in Paris – dedicated to the distinctive lens of Herb Ritts. Often bracketed with the Bruce Weber school of fashion photography, this exhibition, with its many previously unseen images, shows that Ritts’s work can also be placed in the grand tradition of Man Ray and August Sander. Of course, those in search of the super-stylised portraits of Madonna and Liz Taylor will not go disappointed.


10th Annual Las Vegas International Mariachi Festival

July 7, 2009

Jose Hernandez aims to dispel to notion that ‘mariachi’ means five fat guys playing passable Mexican music in a bar. The world-renowned musician formed the 14-member Mariachi Sol de Mexico and acts as the director of the Las Vegas International Mariachi Festival. Featuring Hernandez’s band, as well as Mariachi Cobre, Ritmo Latino and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, the Las Vegas festival is one of the top showcases of traditional Mexican music in the world. Transcending the stereotype, talented mariachi bands have incorporated pop, jazz and swing into their repertoire, always taking the sound back to its Mexican origins.


IMG_4989

June 29, 2009

IMG_4989


Kuala Lumpur

June 17, 2009

Kuala Lumpur


little or big

June 14, 2009

little or big


The Designated Mourner

June 8, 2009

Whether furiously lisping the word ‘inconceivable’ throughout ‘The Princess Bride’ or waxing philosophical with his longtime collaborator and director Andre Gregory in ‘My Dinner With Andre,’ Wallace Shawn has always been nothing if not quirky. Now he’s taken control of a tiny abandoned men’s club in lower Manhattan for a nightly performance of his monologues musing on the demise of the cultural elite to a lucky audience of 30. The monologues are part of a play penned by Shawn, for which he is joined onstage by his longtime companion, the writer Deborah Eisenberg and by actor Larry Pine.


Atlas Bar & Grill

May 19, 2009

Gaining in popularity once more, this upmarket restaurant club is an elegant establishment without outrageous prices. It is situated right next to the art deco Wiltern Theatre and pre-concert dinners are generally hard to get without a reservation. It’s a romantic place with beautiful overstuffed chairs and giant metal gods separating the dining room from the bar. Go for one of the amazing appetisers or to watch the couples swing or tango on the dance floor. The dress code is smart, though jeans are acceptable. Parking at a meter is virtually impossible – either use a valet or go around the corner to the car park next to the supermarket.


Picasso’s World of Children

May 14, 2009

Tokyo’s gallery-goers can’t seem to get enough of Pablo Picasso, and the title of this exhibition at first sight really seems to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. In fact, this is as intriguing a collection of works as has been assembled in all the last year’s Picasso exhibitions put together. By focusing on works which feature children, the curators have pulled together pieces which represent just about every period of the great man’s work, from his early straight portraiture to his later experiments with shape and colour. Here, it’s Picasso, rather than his subjects, whom we watch grow up.