A Behanding In Spokane

My fiance and I were lucky enough to see this hilarious play at the Schoenfeld Theatre last week.  A Behanding in Spokane is a black comedy penned by writer/director Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) and starring  Sam Rockwell (!) and Christopher Walken (?!).  If you’re in New York this spring, do yourself a favour and check out this ridiculously great Broadway show.

James Thomson’s Curated Links:
Find out more about the writer at MartinMcDonagh.net
A Behanding In Spokane – Official Site
Video interviews with the cast from Broadway.com

Scott Listfield

Who doesn’t like astronauts?  Massachusetts-based artist Scott Lister cleverly paints a fish-out-of-water narrative for the post-kubrick generation.  (Sort of like a sci-fi Edward Hopper.)  Good fun for Pop lovers and space nerds alike.

James Thomson’s Curated Links:
Visit the artist’s site at astronautdinosaur.com
Purchase prints at Fine Art America
Interview with the artist at PixelSurgeon

The Conversation (1974)

From Francis Ford Coppola comes a curious look at eavesdropping and the human conscience. This oft overlooked gem was truly ahead of its time, painting the issues that arise around surveillance with a gripping, neo-noir edge. But beyond the social merit and technical perfection of the film’s direction, Gene Hackman’s portrayal of a wiretapper unraveled is a first-rate character study.

James Thomson’s Curated Links:
Watch the trailer on YouTube
Read the reviews on RottenTomatoes.com

Pop Nihilism – Advertising Eats Itself

Just came across a provocative article in this month’s Adbusters Magazine. Penned by Douglas Haddow, it’s an entertaining read no matter which side of the fence you’re on.

James Thomson’s Curated Links:
Pop Nihilism from Adbusters.org
An interview with the author from The Aestheic Poetic

Francis and The Lights

Francis and The Lights might be the next big thing. On paper, combining the nervousness of late-80’s Peter Gabriel and the hyper-sexy falsetto delivery of Prince sounds like your worst nightmare. But upon listening to their twitchy, soulful, funky assault, you might just change your mind. Crafting a slick, unique sound around charismatic frontman Francis Starlite (who cuts a striking figure, looking like Christopher Walken in King of New York, but sounding more like Terrence Trent D’Arby ) Francis and The Lights are shockingly good and about to blow up. And yes, they’re from New York. Of course.

James Thomson’s Curated Links:
Videos and Free Downloads from the official Francis and the Lights site

Azeda Booth – Tubtrek

Avant-garde trio Azeda Booth dive into deeper space with their new EP, Tubtrek. This latest release from the Canadian art-rockers is a dreamy, spastic collage of inventive rhythms and stirring melodies which combines the atmospheric haze of ambient rock, the lush, primitive spirit of freak folk, and the modern urgency of glitch-hop. Now on a North American tour, check these genre-bending gents at SXSW or at your local bleeding-edge indie venue.

James Thomson’s Curated Links:
Download Tubtrek *free!* from Azeda Booth’s website.
Azeda Booth on MySpace
Artist’s Page on Absolutely Kosher Records

Dmitri Maximov is Tebe Interesno

Digital illustration and photography collide in the work of Moscow’s Dmitri Maximov, aka Tebe Interesno (loosely translated: Are you interested?). This skilled young artist’s combination of otherworldly characters and luminous settings result in images that are fantastic and humorous, yet with an underlying pathos and sensitivity to urban isolation/paranoia. You’ll agree the work is imaginative and sometimes strangely “cute”.

James Thomson’s Curated Links:
Check out his blog at LiveJournal

Women – “Black Rice” (live)

Here’s an incredibly amateur video I shot this past weekend of my pals from Women playing to their hometown crowd. (Dig Chad VanGaalen hittin’ switches and singing backup!) Catch these fine fellows on their second European tour beginning in February.

James Thomson’s Curated Links:
Women on MySpace
Artist page on Flemish Eye Records
Artist page on Jagjaguwar Records

Juergen Teller

Originally dubbed a “grunge” artist, German-born Juergen Teller has become one of the most influential fashion photographers around. Paving the way for the point-and-shooters of today, his unflinching approach and strong connection to the subject has revealed a wealth of frank, provocative, perfectly captured moments.

James Thomson’s Curated Links:
A recent article from New York Magazine
Some select works from Artnet

Sleeping States

Call it lo-fi, call it neo-folk, but don’t call it uninformed. The music of Sleeping States (the nom de plume of wunderkind Markland Starkie) is a confection of breathy harmonies and placid tones emerging from a toybox of 90’s dreampop, ambient electro, and the punk DIY ethic. Smart, experimental, fiercely independent, and — well, British.

James Thomson’s Curated Links:
Sleeping States’ Myspace Page
Sleeping States’ Official Website
Please download “Rivers.mp3”