Did you catch the (textual) Allen Ginsberg reference near the beginning?

James and I re-watched the DVD for this tonight. Visit the composer's site for a synopsis. We both consider him one of the great geniuses of 20th century music, and think he should be much more famous.

Two portraits of Vladimir Mayakovsky by Alexander Rodchenko, via paris.blog.lemonde.fr

James and I have been listening to this excellent box set of vocal music from the former East Germany.

The widget above plays a sample of Friedrich Schenker's "Leitfaden fur angehende Speichellecker" (Guide for bootlickers-in-training) composed in 1974. The text is based on a 1927 poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky, in which the poet provides a satirical "guide for toadies" and at the end rips off the mask and says tells the audience to do just the opposite. In the Schenker piece, the singer tears up her music and throws it away at the end, and the pianist slams down the piano lid and stomps away. My description is adapted from the booklet of the box set mentioned above.

We just listened to this amazing 2 CD set titled Hallelujah, Anyway: Remembering Tom Cora. It's an album created as a tribute to the musician Tom Cora after his death in 1998, on John Zorn's Tzadik label.

Louise Fishman, Angry Bertha, 1973, acrylic on paper, 26.5 × 40.25 inches

Next weekend, the Chelsea Symphony (we think they're awesome) is honoring artist Louise Fishman for her 70th birthday. The program includes a new work by Aaron Dai based on a text by poet and former presidential candidate Eileen Myles inspired by Louise's "Angry Paintings".

[photo by James Wagner]

Bedford Avenue station 2AM from Barry Hoggard on Vimeo.

James and I saw and heard these wonderful people in the Bedford Avenue L station early this morning. We were on our way home after a wonderful dinner at some friends' apartment.

If you know who they are, please comment or email! We were too into listening that we didn't get a chance to talk to them before the subway arrived. I think all of the excellent wine at dinner might have affected our judgment as well.

Our CD player is on the blink, so we're listening to the American Music Center's Counterstream Radio instead. Awesome mix of contemporary classical, avant-garde, and progressive jazz. Cecil Taylor meets Bang on a Can!

[click here if you don't see the video above]

Nola House and Lines, 2008, Digital C Print, 15 × 15 inches, edition of 8

Bicycle Riot Cops, 2007, Digital C Print, 12.25 × 8.25 inches, edition of 10

Dead Man (Mississippi Series), 2006, Digital C Print, 12" × 12 inches, edition of 8

Tomorrow (Saturday the 9th) is the last day to see Tod Seelie's show, titled Slowdancing to Slayer, at Cinders Gallery in Williamsburg -- their first photo show. They've had something come up and are not open today, so head on over tomorrow for some great photography at bargain prices. The prints are approximately $200-600, framed. There is something for everyone, from portraits of people along the Mississippi to shots of punk shows in abandoned warehouses.

In addition to really loving this show, I have another connection. Everyone asks about the balsa wood squirrel sculpture in our living room, hanging on an old column. It's by Kim Schifino and James and I bought it a year ago at The Porch Show at Cinders. Tod is currently touring with the band she formed with Matt Johnson, Matt and Kim, and CSS. Check out his blog suckapants.com for photos. You can buy Matt and Kim CDs at Cinders. That's where I got mine.

All images above are from the Cinders Gallery website.

Kendrick Mar
Tell Me, 2006
oil on canvas, 34 × 36 inches

I haven't been blogging about art because I find it difficult to look at art when it's this hot outside. The galleries I want to go to (as opposed to the behemoths with retail-quality a/c) can get pretty warm during these weather conditions.

Here are some recommended actions, regardless of the heat. You should also check out what the other Culture Pundits bloggers are posting.

Visit Kendrick Mar's website to check out his art. His artist statement says:

My work is metaphorical self-portraiture that addresses childhood emotions and trauma. Issues surrounding memory, family dysfunction and being adopted manifest strongly in my work. Children's books and television programs present a collective narrative in which grown-ups care for the best interests of their children. The pernicious disparity between this fiction and the brutal reality of childhood is the terrain I am most interested in exploring.

I found him via the Culture Pundits Artists program.

Listen to excellent music from Chiapas and Oaxaca via the widget below, or buy the CD.

Go see the Joao Ribas-curated show at Andrew Kreps before it closes Friday.

Attend Over The Opening on Friday, July 18th, from 7 to 10pm -- new installation by Dana Strasser and Isabella Bruno.

1. Listen to David Behrman. [If you're using a feed reader to see this, you may not see the music widget below.]

2. Go see Half of the People Are Stoned and the Other Half Are Waiting for the Next Election in Brooklyn, July 1 at 8pm. The title of the evening comes from the text of Leonard Bernstein's Mass.