Skip to content

Tampa Bay Super Lame

“A place for local art in all forms.”

12/01/2010 New Super Lame Albums of the Year

Here are a few of this years best releases as noted by the Super Lame community. They are in no particular order and are subject to change at any time.

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

The Canadian super group’s third full-length record met huge success when it dropped earlier this year. The songs are full of tongue-in-cheek commentary about the state of the nation’s youth. Though the subject matter may seem trite, the execution is impeccable. Songs range from the sparse guitar and vocal driven title track to huge 80s style dance anthems like “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains).”  Definitely worth a couple listens.

Born Ruffians – Say It

Another win from our neighbors to the north. The young punk-pop trio is a little older than when they went on their first tour while still in high school. The growth is apparent when listening to the original EPs and the newest release back to back. Singer/Guitarist Luke LaLonde’s voice has come a long way from the half screaming whines of years past. The track “Sole Brother” features more calculated melodies and a more mature style of vocal roles. The band’s stripped-down sound of heavy drums, low bass and occasional rhythm guitar is still in tack, yet the track “Come Back” ventures  out and features horns. Overall, the fun is still there for these Toronto youths, but now their songs have a bit more substance.

Medications – Completely Removed

This Washington DC based band has come a long way. Originally, the two main members of Medications, Devin Ocampo and Chat Molter, were part of a project called “Faraquet.” The one Faraquet album, The View From this Tower, is a standard in any math-rock library. With this latest release, Ocampo and Molter depart from the rough sounds of the previous Medications album and adopt a more refined aesthetic. The clean guitar tracks and mid and high-toned bass lines mix seamlessly over precise drum work. The old complexities of Faraquet’s math-rock are transformed by pop sensibilities and catchy melodies. It’s a math-rock album you can take home to mom.  

Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz

In a “best of” list made of departures from past sounds, Sufjan Stevens has maybe the most interesting evolution. The Age of Adz is an ambitious project by Stevens. Every track is packed to the brim with noise. Each measure teems with life; buzzing, whirling, beeping life. Stevens’ trademark melodies are carried by a chorus of voices, but his own whisper singing still shines through. The levels of sound on this album go so deep that multiple listens are a must, and a pleasure. 

 

 

by Corin La Pointe-Aitchison

Tags: , , , ,

12/01/2010 A call to comic book lovers and architects.

The museum of cartoon and comic art, or MoCCA, is holding a design contest for their new building. As reported here, in Bustler, the Brooklyn based museum is moving on up in the world.

In the past decade or so, comic book sales have dropped drastically. The industry has evolved and reinvented itself so many times that it’s hard to keep up with. It seems that now, most major comic book companies are starting to discard paper printing for digital comics. See Graphic.ly’s new platform for digital comics here. The age of the collector would seem to be coming to an end as comics become less print media and more electronic media.  The question and situation are presented as a hyperbole, of course. Fans, like me, will always be here to gobble up special edition books in physical form. And as long as there’s a market, there will be sales. But say the market disappeared, I ask myself, would I be able to sit by as these stories and characters died?

For me, as for other Super Lame nerds, comics helped raise me. These characters acted as moral compasses for a young man who was disillusioned with the doctrine of his parent’s religion. Characters like Spider-Man and the X-Men taught me valuable lessons about growing up.

As any Spider-Man fan will tell you, doing the right thing isn’t always easy. In Peter Parker’s case, it rarely is. Moral choices weigh heavy on the heart of this New York city youth. Often, Peter is faced with choosing an outcome that is beneficial to himself versus an outcome of greater good for humanity. These are simple situations, like stopping the purse-snatcher or making it home in time to eat dinner with your beautiful wife. It seems like an easy answer, but most people would never dream of intervening in a street crime, especially if no one would know it was you. Because remember, Spider-Man has a mask and a secret identity (pre-Marvel Civil War). This means that in simple cases like these, no one will praise you for the good dead or curse you for non action. The moral dilemma rests solely on the heart and not on the ego. Spider-Man teaches that no good deed goes unpunished, but still good deeds are a moral imperative.

The X-Men are a whole tale of acceptance in their concept alone. A band of social outcasts fight against prejudice and defend the rights of those who persecute them. This is not a tales of heroes but of revolutionaries. The book is deeply political, often placing scenes and characters in places of high authority, like the White House. The minority group in this tales not only defends their persecutors, but does so while taking the ethical high-ground. The leader of the X-Men has the super power of telepathy. Professor Xavier could simply change the minds of the masses by force, but instead chooses to let the public come to their own conclusions, ever showing his undying faith in humanity.

Both books have been teaching generations about choosing good for good’s sake. To think that the stories may someday stop, breaks my heart. I would support the industry in any way so long as these characters in this universe stay alive and continue their struggles through life and society. If comics become a digital medium, so be it. I ask only that the quality of art and writing I experienced as a youth continues and that new generations are taught the values of the hard road of doing good.

 

by Corin La Pointe-Aitchison

Tags: , , , , , , ,

12/01/2010 No-Shave Movember

Many names exist for it — the nose neighbor, the mouth brow, etc. — but all signify facial hair, and November events encourage tossing away the shaving cream for a cause.

“No-Shave November” and “Movember” movements use body hair to raise awareness about men’s health issues. For No-Shave November, the deal is simple — on Oct. 31 you shave for the last time until Dec. 1. Movember’s rules are similar, except it only requires participants to grow a mustache.

According to movember.com, the Australian movement started raising money in 2004 through online donations promoting mustaches as “the ribbon for men’s health.” In 2009, the event raised more than $42 million for charities like the Prostate Cancer Foundation. From there, the challenge extended into the more general and informal No-Shave November, where anyone of any gender agrees not to shave for a month.

A study by research group Sperling’s Best Places and razor company Schick found that USF ranks as the third-hairiest university among 60 major colleges, with 63.5 percent of male students possessing some sort of facial hair. This year, I decided to lend a hand — or face — to the cause. I chose to contribute by growing a full beard that I would shave into a mustache at the month’s end.

Week 1

This initial week felt exhilarating. By day three, I was starting to see real stubble and not the usual 5 o’clock shadow one gets after forgetting to buy razors. However, this week could also be considered the lazy-looking phase, or what my girlfriend refers to as the “sandpaper” phase.

At this point, people aren’t sure if you’re intentionally growing a beard or if you’ve just turned into a slob.

Week 2

By this scruffy phase, hairs have finally come in but haven’t developed much length. People had also begun to notice my intentions. With scruff starting to gather, my friends asked me, “So why did you decide to grow a beard?” I could proudly answer by telling them about each event’s causes and charities — my facial hair was becoming a hero.

Yet, with the scruff came an unwanted side effect — my girlfriend started kissing me less. All future participants should note that short, sharp facial hair will aggravate the skin of anyone you kiss. Though I enjoy her affections, I soldiered on for the sake of Movember.

Week 3

By week three, the itching began as the hairs gained length and felt slightly less coarse. At the same time, this newfound facial fur started to curl and irritate my skin. But with the bad comes the good, and by now, my male friends had really taken notice. They commented on how I looked more distinguished and even more masculine. For someone who has a natural baby face, these are wholly welcome compliments.

Beyond bothersome face friction, be advised that beards can also begin to smell. It can be hard to notice because the hair is in such close proximity to the nose — and the bearded one gets used to it — but a significant other can easily pick up on an unclean beard odor.

Week 4

The hair was finally long enough to really begin filling in, and I began to be called “mountain man.” The itching had almost completely subsided, and the hair even reached down over my lip. Not only that, but with this length of facial hair, I was able to comfort myself by stroking my beard in times of deep thought.

Even my girlfriend started coming around to the beard, and said she liked how it made me look a couple years older. But it still tickled her when we kissed, so it had to go.

For my last Movember act, I decided to shave off little areas of my beard to see which styles fit best.

When I first tried the full goatee, I thought I looked like my own evil twin or like Evil Spock from Star Trek.

Next, I tried the Frank Zappa, or a mustache and soul patch combo named after the avant-garde rocker. It didn’t look bad, but I would have needed another two months to even compare to his epic mustache.

My baby face didn’t seem to fit the Tom Selleck — a straight, untrimmed mustache — either. Maybe in another 10 years it might work, or maybe if I grew more chest hair to match it.

I finally went for the pencil-thin John Waters mustache, or “the Artist” as I call it. I trimmed down to the lip line and cut the hairs short. The short-lived results were a bit goofy and a bit creepy.

Having returned to bare skin, I felt a little naked. I nearly forgot what I looked like under the hair.For those interested in growing a beard — for No-Shave November or otherwise — be aware of both the costs and benefits. You will appear manlier and more rugged, but you will also need to wash your face more. You will itch and you will even be kissed less, but these are small prices to pay in the name of men’s health.

 

by Corin La Pointe-Aitchison

Tags: , , , , , , ,

11/28/2010 The Crime of Art

Decades ago, street art might have been considered synonymous with vandalism, but different perspectives question whether it’s more of an art or a crime — and legal venues for it now exist.

In the ’70s and ’80s, spray painters started a counterculture movement by placing their names on buildings and subway cars. Yet now some street artists have been able to gain widespread recognition.

Graffiti artists like Shepard Fairey and Bansky now have had works displayed inside galleries across the globe — Bansky even recently released a film called “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” which tackled concepts of art.

James Hendrickson, a junior majoring in health science, said good street art is meant to beautify the community.

“The best street art leaves viewers with a thought or emotion,” Hendrickson said. “Graffiti tagging is just marking your territory. It’s like peeing on a wall.”

These territorial markings  that are also called “tags” — often found in large cities like Tampa — mark street art’s origins.

A New York Times article from 1971 titled “‘Taki 183′ Spawns Pen Pals” helped make tagging famous. The article focused on a Manhattan teenager who wrote his tag wherever he went in New York and spawned countless copycats.

Since then, artists like Doze Green and Barry McGee have made the leap from the street to the gallery.

Wes Roos, who recently graduated from USF with a bachelor’s in studio art, said he initially had no background in fine art but became interested in street art.

Roos said that pieces like Green’s and McGee’s influenced his decision to switch majors from architecture, and describes his own work as street art.

“On the street or on the gallery wall, it’s more than a name,” he said.

However, Roos said he does not condone vandalism and supports “coordinated projects like murals — things that are more celebratory.”

“Plus, you don’t have to worry about being arrested,” he said.

USF’s Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) hosted a gallery exhibit in 2005 that featured work by street artists like Fairey and McGee.

According to the CAM website, “Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture,” was the “work of a diverse group of visual artists that have emerged from aspects of street culture loosely organized around the subcultures of skateboarding, graffiti, punk and hip-hop in urban U.S. cities.”

USF Institute for Research in Art associate director Alexa Favata said the exhibit’s opening diverged from the gallery’s typical audience.

“The crowd was a mix of regular museum guests as well as skaters and punk artists,” Favata said. “‘Beautiful Losers’ came to (CAM), who developed partnerships with the Skatepark of Tampa and Blake High School.”

Favata said students at Blake were taught how to make zines — small print publications meant to “expand visibility” of subcultures. Zine pieces were also included in “Beautiful Losers.”

The exhibition then expanded to different countries, as it moved from CAM to European galleries in 2006.

But street art is never expressly confined to galleries — hence the name.

In Gainesville, the 34th Street wall offers a public venue for such art. According to Gainesville.com, the 1,120-foot wall has been a free canvas since 1979 and is home to visual messages of all sorts.

UP spokeswoman Lt. Meg Ross said that a public space for graffiti would be a good “legal way to leave your mark.”

“In Gainesville, the…wall is a good way to look back,” she said. “I could see some value in it.”

Yet, Ross said graffiti is not a very common crime on campus.

“We see more vandalism on cars, personal things,” she said. “The official charge for any vandalism is criminal mischief.”

As a misdemeanor, it carries a maximum charge of one year in jail. Ross said that such extreme cases are rare.

Both Roos and Hendrickson said they would favor a designated art space like 34th Street over street artists resorting purely to vandalism.

“Tampa needs more street art,” Hendrickson said. “The city is suffering from the economic crisis. It’s a cultural melting pot, and it needs more outlets — an artistic communication of those struggles.”

 

by Corin La Pointe-Aitchison

Tags: , , , , , ,

11/24/2010 FEST

Thousands of punk music enthusiasts, including some USF students, migrate to Gainesville every year for Fest, while Tampa also offers early opportunities to start the festival off on the right note.

Fest is a Gainesville-based music festival that spans Halloween weekend and hosts shows in downtown bars, bike shops and local restaurants.

Started by Tony Weinbender of No Idea Records in 2002, Fest hosts over 200 acts across 12 venues.

This year’s headliner was Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, a punk cover band with matching outfits and a cover selection that has included Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stevie Wonder songs. The band features NOFX singer and Fat Wreck Chords punk record label owner Fat Mike on bass.

On Friday, reunited Detroit ska-punkers The Suicide Machines played, closing the night’s proceedings with a 19-year discography of often politically charged songs.

The festival also offers free shows, flea market trades and art galleries during the day.

Yet, students don’t have to drive to Gainesville to catch some of these bands. Transitions Art Gallery at 4215 E. Columbus Drive will holds Pre-Fest concerts featuring Fest acts for a fraction of the price.

This year’s Pre-Fest showcased  acts like Paul Baribeau and Eric Ayotte followed by San Francisco thrashcore band Punch and Minneapolis punk quartet Banner Pilot.

Banner Pilot’s bassist Nate Gangelhoff said the band has played Pre-Fest three times now.

“I’ll play every year they ask me to,” Gangelhoff said. “It’s different than Fest. It’s one big party in a huge parking lot full of people and tons of friends from around the country.”

Gangelhoff said he is excited to see his label mates Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and Teenage Bottlerocket play, but part of Fest’s fun is catching bands in smaller venues.

“I need to check out the list,” Gangelhoff said. “You should check out random bands. You’ll be surprised sometimes.”

Shane Handal, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary social sciences, said he discovered new bands that way last year.

“Fest is a weekend getaway from normal life, where all that matters for three days is what band you’re going to see,” Handal said. “Everyone is there to party and have a great time.”

Other students consider Pre-Fest a cheap alternative to the main Fest. Paige Lewis, a sophomore majoring in English literature, said she attended Pre-Fest last year because of the cost and time it clears up in the weekend’s schedule.

“When you go to Fest, you have to worry about schedule conflicts, so there are certain bands you can’t see,” Lewis said. “So I go see them at Pre-Fest.”

Melanie Foley, a senior majoring in international studies and four-time Fest attendee, said the festival allows her to reconnect with friends across the country.

“It gets tough to see friends working full-time, going to school and living in different cities — so things like Fest are great,” Foley said. “I like seeing friends who I haven’t seen in months, and sometimes since Fest the previous year.”

USF alumna Christina Coil said that when she attended Pre-Fest last year, she appreciated the crowd’s energy and seeing “fun, awkward music for fun, awkward people like me” in Tampa.

“All these kids were going absolutely insane — singing, crowd surfing, climbing on top of speakers,” Coil said. “It’s cool to see other people out there into the same stuff that you are.”

by Corin La Pointe-Aitchison

Tags: , , ,

09/29/2010 JUN BUSTAMANTE TALKS ART AND NATURE

Jun, local musician, farmer and promoter gives a personal tale of artistic growth.

I am a local singer/songwriter/musician/artist from the Tampa Bay area. Born in Japan May 9th. 1985 to two traveling freelance visual artists/photographers, Chiki and Joel Bustamante. I spent most of my youth in Caracas, Venezuela as a farmer. Eventually, when I was about 12 or 13, my parent settled in St. Petersburg, FL.

Music and Art were always a part of my life, so it was pretty much inevitable for me to fall into it at an early age. Started classical training on the piano at age 4 and continued until age 14. I was involved in a large number of theatre and musical theatre projects from age 12 to 18. At this same time I started taking vocal classes and switched my classical piano lessons to Jazz.
I had been writing my own music since I was 7, but didn’t fully pursue it until I came back from living in NYC. I attended NYU for unaccredited courses in Music management and Music business.

For the past 3 years I’ve been putting together events, showcases, and booking gigs for other musicians and artists. I am currently working on my eighth “ROOTS” event going on this Oct. 8th and 9th 2010.
The mission statement for “ROOTS” is: to provide Local businesses & artists the Opportunity to showcase their work and talent while bringing together community and good vibes.
I also get guest speakers from environmental groups to give a little info in between sets about what they are doing and how others can be involved if they wish.

I continue to practice organic farming and permaculture while writing my music, playing out, and putting together showcases with other local artists.
I just finished my first full-length album “MiCasaEsSuCasa” and I’m currently working on my next one.

I do what I do because I love it. I love people, I love music, I love art, and I love nature. I don’t have a sense of purpose really, just to enjoy the now and be mindful of the “nouns” (persons, places, things) around me.

Art is: Whatever you want it to be

Art is not: Expectation

Tags: , , , , , ,

09/11/2010 brian choquette on art

Architect and all-around art enthusiast on art and the process

Hello, my name is Brian Choquette and I am an architect. If you looked hard enough you could find some of my work in St. Pete, New York City, and San Francisco…however most of my architecture work to date is in boxes at my parent’s house. Besides that, I also write and play music and fool around with films, mostly for my own enjoyment and the occasional audience.

I am a frequent starter of projects but a rare finisher. I can make that sound better by saying I enjoy the process more than the product. I especially enjoy that moment where you discover a new technique, sound, or skill and it opens up a million possibilities. It’s unwieldy and raw….good and bad are out the window because the only thing that matters is taming it to a point of usefulness, while still permitting some of the wildness that got you there in the first place.

Art is…something people do because it would kill them not to. It’s genuine.

Art is not…a manufactured outcome.

Tags: , , , , ,

09/09/2010 Micheal Baron on art

Wandering Artist of many trades talks art and thought

My name is Michael Baron. I grew up in Pasco and Hernando county and lived around the Tampa Bay area until the age of twenty-nine when I moved to Los Angeles for three years. I am now thirty-four and live in Seattle, working part time at a grocery store. I am a Dragon Pisces loner who now has about seventy songs, a dozen short stories, a novel, photography, drawings, and a forty minute film to show for a “resume”. I create because songs, books, photos, and films make me feel less alone.

My artistic self-research ended with Kerouac’s “first thought-best thought” hit or miss (and dismissed) spontaneous expression way as the last evolution of “artists” and Rimbaud’s renouncing his own art to become the “King of Silence”. The intellect of the artist giving in to what’s higher than art, closer to the inspiration, dreams, mind. After that I studied meta-physical and esoteric material, meditation, light, and it does appear that everything is thought. Thought is the original artist, the highest creator.

“It is wrong to say “I think”, but rather “I am thought”-Rimbaud

So since the age of twenty-four I’ve had these two conclusions stuck in my head as what to influence me anytime I made something in a purposeful creative “ritual”. They are what I feel to be my own original conclusions from my own personal studying, and therefore I use them to influence me in my own attempt at my own original artistic expression. That’s the goal anyways.

Art is a red wheelbarrow.

Art is NOT a small Japanese woman.

Tags: , , , , ,

09/06/2010 Erik Jones on art

local turned national artist gives a few words on art

Erik Jones

Born in St.Pete FL. 1982. Currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. Does comic book covers, and gallery work. Working with traditional and digital mediums. Clients include Marvel, Warner Brothers, Top Cow, BOOM! Studios and more. Founder of the Tata Gala (art show benefiting breast cancer research).

Art is anything that is perceived as “art”

Art is not: everything….but it could be

Tags: , , ,

09/05/2010 Ryan Young defines art

Husband, father, teacher, and struggling man of God, defines art.

“Art is shades of a world like our own, but giving us a glimpse of the world to come.

Art is NOT pure (at least not anymore). Art has become a luxury, and artists have become profiteers. In tough economic times, people are spending less, yet being entertained more. See: film grosses over the last year. Art is escapism, not a companion piece that reflects realism. Sooner or later, artist will reemerge into a “neo-renaissance” era that won’t be politically, socially, or agenda driven. It will reflect the heart of man, undefiled, and reveal who we really are–sinners in the hands of an angry GOD.”

Ryan’s Blog.

Tags: , , , ,

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.