"TRANSITION" An art exhibition by DOES

     The crossover from graffiti artist to fine artist is topic which divides quite a few members of the scene from the others... Some believe graffiti belongs solely in the streets, while others believe if the artist has put in considerable amounts of work in the streets, then the transition is a commendable one... Whichever side you fall on, if any, even the most naive of artistic eyes could tell you - this DOES guy, he can fuckin' paint!! And paint he does, astonishingly, in fact...

     Having had the opportunity to play soccer for his national team, DOES afforded himself time to paint numerous places abroad and see numerous different styles, all while perfecting his own... In his late twenties he was forced to give into his injuries and hang up his elite cleats, to which he responded by devoting himself fully to his art... He founded the European based Love Letters crew, which allowed him commission walls and mural work, gaining more and more notoriety for himself and his razor sharp artwork... Australian based Ironlak even got him on their team, and gave the guy his own shade of orange titled "Dieci Does..." It reflected his soccer status as "dieci" translates in Italian to 10, a number typically worn by captains and highly skilled members of soccer teams... He has been producing extremely precise and methodical pieces for years, and now has his own solo exhibitions such as "TRANSITION" at Maxwell Colette... Also, for any Chicago dwellers in the know, he did an amazing mural on the outside of the James Beard recognized "Violet Hour..." So go see that before someone fucks it up... Oh, and if you do happen to make it to Violet Hour, sip on their "Crema de Mezcal" neat - it's entirely too fuckin' delicious!!

Soundset 2015 - Shakopee, MN

     As any veteran Soundset goer will tell you, good weather at Canterbury Downs is never a guaranteed thing... Though some years have been nice, there is the occasional overcast and tornado threat... This year's treat was consistent rainfall... Nothing horrific, and at some times it added an almost majestic quality to watching your favorite artists fiercely spit bars while the rain falls upon them their whole set... But did that stop anyone from not enjoying their Soundset experience?! Well obviously some, but a high percentage of those that showed up stuck it out for the long haul and enjoyed it all the while...

     Having been to other festivals: Warped tour, Curiosa, Riotfest, Paid Dues and Rock The Bells, I can confidently say that Soundset is my favorite of them all... Granted I am biased, as Minnesota is my home state, but it's more than that... It's a TRUE Hip-Hop festival in purest sense - there's B-Boys & B-Girls, graffiti, DJ's, emcees, beat boxers, as well as skateboarders, and a car show... Not to mention the fried cheese curds were fucking delicious, and Fulton brewery's "Lonely Blonde" blonde ale and "Once Upon A Vine" IPA were excellent local offerings as well... The roster is another consistent draw in, as it was once predominantly midwest acts but has since grown to include some of the hottest and classic names in the Hip-Hop world!!

Graff 101: Handstyles To Whole-Cars

Pregame preperations... 

     Nine years ago, the graffiti documentary "Infamy" dropped, and is debatably the most influential graffiti movie to occur since "Style Wars..." It's opening sequence has TKO's TLOK (TOOMER at the time) explaining how graffiti is simply making your mark... He references how Mt. Rushmore was created by people who wanted to do just that, how they disregarded that the property they left their mark on wasn't theirs to deface... For those who don't know, the land was occupied by Cheyenne and Sioux tribes until foreign settlers found gold in the Black Hills and encroached on their land, eventually engaging in battle over the land they felt they needed to possess... He then sums it up nicely, saying "They wanted to leave a mark, they said 'These people right here - They are our founding fathers!! So we're gonna put their big faces on this mountain, and fuck who don't like it!!'" In relation to graffiti, I feel that it's a great comparison, that some people are willing to take a piece of property, transform it into a piece of art and ignore the fact that somebody else might not appreciate the medium of the art or the "canvas" which it was created upon...

2015 - The Year Of The Squarian

Happy New Year!! Welcome to 2015, "The Year Of The Squarians" as dubbed by The Kid With The Green Backpack - XV… If you're unfamiliar with the work of XV, I suggest getting acquainted with the music of this young Kansas resident via your favorite music source!! With the new year, the common accompaniment are resolutions, typically a few things in each individuals life that they wish to achieve in the coming 52 weeks… Though I rarely wait 'til a certain date to induct change into my life, this year I decided it was time I make a change and I gave myself a resolution - DRINK MORE BEER!! It may seem to be a juvenile resolution, but it's a reasonable one that can be somewhat easily accomplished and is inherently fun!! To clarify, by "more" I'm speaking in terms of variety and style, not an increase in total beer consumed… I rarely consume more than a bomber in a standard session, and hardly ever pick up anything larger than a 4-banger - MAYBE the occasional 6'r making its way into the fridge… Picking up smaller quantities at a more frequent rate will allow me to try more brewer's products more frequently, whilst not overindulging in alcoholic beverages… So to those who've decided this will be the year they have the rock hard body they've always wanted - More power to ya, and I hope to catch ya at the beach!! You bring your six pack, I'll bring mine…

Focal: A Photo & Film Expo

     On Friday December 12th, the Locallective Loft made its' space available for "Focal: A Photo & Film Expo" hosted by Modest... The venue was somewhat hidden, as the only indicator that there was a show being held upstairs was a small slab of wood with "Modest Show - Please Shut Door!" written on it... Once inside, the stairwell led immediately to a beautifully painted graffiti piece with the silhouette of the Chicago skyline seemingly "burning" through the upper right corner of it... That led you past a row of stickers, flyers and business cards of those associated with the shows production, all in front of a studio area, where it looked as if pieces were in the process of being completed... After collecting some memorabilia, we did what any respectable art-show-goer does - We hit the bar!!

Riot Fest 2014 - Chicago, IL

   It's a difficult thing, deciding where to begin when describing the hedonistic debaucheries that occur during the three day epic event that was Chicago's leg of the 10th Anniversary Edition of Riot Fest... A multitude of bands to appease the pallets of many a rocker, carnival rides, an extensive amount of different styles of food, plenty of beer, the occasional zombie, and of course the mini-golf course!! As every Patti Smith fan needs to keep their short game sharp, making sure not miss a sunday afternoon on the city links...

  Though there were an excessive amount of great sets to see, I can only recount the highlights from each day... This is mainly a writeup, but  a more extensive photographic diary of event is available, so please check out our Facebook Album and like us there, as well as follow us in Instagram!!

  It all began quite sketchy, with the cloudy morning's ominous weather coming to fruition at varying levels throughout the day... Which initially was no big deal, as the rainfall itself never got too horrifically bad, but the consistency paired with the attendance of thousands of treading feet led to extremely muddy and wet conditions on the ground... Once one came to terms that their footwear and any long leg-wear were essentially collateral damage for attending this fantastic event (Aside from the potentially hundreds of dollars spent just to attend,) the joy began to flow heavily all around...

Video: Mike GIANT X EMIT DF

     Having first become aware of Mike GIANT's work in the San Francisco graffiti documentary "Piece By Piece," I began following his work more and more... Learning much about this individual from videos of lectures, interviews regarding meditation, and observing his co-founding of Rebel 8 clothing... I began seeing that I related somewhat to what he was saying and the lifestyle he was leading... One can appreciate his minimalist lifestyle, such as him riding a bike virtually everywhere, not even owning an automobile, and his ingestion of only natural foods... Shit, from what I witnessed, he only smokes his certain weed, as he was offered others many times, not accepting any, but still offering his own anytime he decided to spark up...
     He painted pretty effortlessly, usually in big sweeping strokes as he laid his grey outline down on the blank black wall in front of the small crowd that had amassed... They then quickly discussed color schemes as he decoded EMIT's unfinished piece, which he had been working on a while before GIANT had stepped outside... He took short breaks to smoke, sign shit, and eat some food, but his piece came right along as he finished up his fill...

The W.I.N.E. X Red Wine

     Being introduced to Stevie Crooks' music in the spring of 2010 was a moment that won't soon be forgotten... While indulging in DJ Fresh85's mix during The Freshboxx on The Pulse with Yaya Martinez, he spun the title track off the Villains' release "Diamonds & Guns..." I was immediately drawn to the smooth samples laid over somewhat rugged claps and baps, and after the song ran its' course over the airwaves, Fresh was polite enough to inform me of the artist who had just struck a chord in my mind... I now had homework to do... 

     Having just acquired a new laptop at that point, my iTunes was in SERIOUS need of music as my previous library "went down with the ship..." I would later come to find that this situation was actually a blessing in disguise... With the idea to keep my new iTunes library fresh, I didn't immediately rip the (mostly) "classics" that filled my previous one... The idea was that it would force me to become more familiar and in touch with what's current and relevant in todays' Hip-Hop scene... After getting home, I downloaded "Diamonds & Guns" and it became the first musical addition to my new laptop... Shockingly (at that time,) a decent amount of time would pass until something else was added, as I would soon become somewhat preoccupied with this tape...

Love Crxmes: Graffiti

Graffiti - A term widely used to describe any type of art displayed on another's property without prior permission; most often an aerosol medium and is usually accompanied by some form of negative social stigma… The writing on the walls was once a way to tell tales and document instances worthy of noting, ultimately for the purpose of recalling and sharing them… Now the tales have turned to advertisements of tangible items that offer even less stimulation or satisfaction than graphics you ingested when you initially saw the ad… Backed by corporate budgets, the financial war zone that is "Ad-Space" is becoming more and more treacherous, as they fine tune their sights via information we gladly give up with our mobile date usage for instance… But, there's static in the wave…