Logan Hicks Goes Huge With “Sailor” Stencil

Stencil artist Logan Hicks completed his largest piece to date today on the streets of Brooklyn. The 30′ x 8′ image of his son Sailor playing with a train set is made with 5 layers of stencils and 150 stencil plates. Curated by BrooklynStreetArt.com for Espeis Outside Gallery, the mural was completed in about a day and a half. The end of the stop action video features footage of the boy himself playing with his train. Says Hicks about his motivation to do his largest scale mural about his son, “The funny thing about time is that you don’t realize how fast it is passing until you have a kid to remind you. Each day my son grows, and although I love watching him sprout up, it reminds me of how quickly time is passing.”

For  more coverage of Logan Hicks’ stencil including an interview go to BrooklynStreetArt.com

posted by: Harold Johns III

Watch: Run Granny Run

Studio Synopsis:
“Doris ‘Granny D’ Haddock is the nation’s oldest political newcomer. A former housewife and office assistant, Doris was happily retired for over twenty years–but when her husband died, she needed a reason to live. So at the age of 90, she laced up her sneakers and walked across America to rally against the influence of big money in elections. Her epic journey galvanized popular attention to a political system gone awry, but for Doris the walk was a warm up.

“Now 94 (at time of the film in 2007) and still fed up with politics as usual, she jumps at an unexpected chance to run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Judd Gregg (an intellectual sparring partner of George W. Bush). With just four months until Election Day, this great–grandmother of sixteen faces a series of challenges that would be daunting for a candidate of any age. Doris and her motley crew of political aces and amateurs work against all odds and craft a feisty campaign that personifies her democratic ideals of a government of, by and for the people.

“A tale of doggedness versus dollars, grit against greenbacks, Run Granny Run is an unlikely portrait of a remarkable activist and an exploration of our fragile democracy in the corporate age.”

Watch Run Granny Run online via Snagfilms or Hulu

posted by: Brent Carter

Dan Phillips’ Recycled Homes

Meet Dan Phillips of Huntsville, TX, changing the world one house at a time. His local building initiative Phoenix Commotion works with low income individuals to build their own homes using 80-85% recycled materials. Read the Phoenix Commotion mission statement below and watch the video to see some of Phillips’ unique and low-cost homes.

Mission Statement:
“The Phoenix Commotion is a local building initiative created to prove that constructing homes with recycled and salvaged materials has viable place in the building industry. This operation uses only apprentice labor and teaches marketable skills to anyone with a work ethic who is willing to swing a hammer. By keeping labor costs low and using donated or found materials, the homes created are truly affordable. No two are alike due to the myriad of materials used, so there is an artistic element that makes Phoenix Commotion homes truly unique. We target single parents, artists, and families with low incomes. We require the homeowner to be involved with the planning and construction of their own home. The result is a person who is empowered, not only by the use of knowledge and building skills, but by the opportunity to become part of a community as a vested participant.” (Continue reading here)

posted by: Tricia Rock

Music Archive: Buddy Holly on Ed Sullivan

Buddy Holly’s first and less controversial appearance on Ed Sullivan

Unlike pretty-boy Elvis Presley who was more style over substance, fellow pioneering rock and roller Buddy Holly actually wrote, played lead guitar and in many cases produced his own records, all of which influenced the music of The Beatles and countless other pop musicians in the early 60′s. Holly was also the second musician to fall victim to Ed Sullivan’s infamous temper (following Bo Diddley in 1955). The legend goes like this:

“On January 26, 1958, for their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Buddy Holly and the Crickets were scheduled to perform two songs. Sullivan wanted the band to substitute a different song for their record hit ‘Oh, Boy!’, which he felt was too raucous. Holly had already told his hometown friends in Texas that he would be singing ‘Oh, Boy!’ for them, and told Sullivan as much. During the afternoon the Crickets were summoned to rehearsal at short notice, but only Holly was in their dressing room. When asked where the others were, Holly replied, ‘I don’t know. No telling.’ Sullivan then turned to Holly and said ‘I guess The Crickets are not too excited to be on The Ed Sullivan Show’ to which Holly caustically replied, ‘I hope they’re damn more excited than I am.’ Sullivan, already bothered by the choice of songs, was now even angrier. He cut the Crickets’ act from two songs to one, and when introducing them mispronounced Holly’s name, so it came out vaguely as ‘Hollered’ or ‘Holland.’ In addition, Sullivan saw to it that the microphone for Holly’s electric guitar was turned off. Holly tried to compensate by singing as loudly as he could, and repeatedly trying to turn up the volume on his guitar. For the instrumental break he cut loose with a dramatic solo, making clear to the audience that the technical fault wasn’t his. The band was received so well that Sullivan was forced to invite them back for a third appearance. Holly’s response was that Sullivan didn’t have enough money” (Wikipedia).

Buddy Holly tragically died in a plane crash on February 23, 1959 at the age of 22, which Don McLean would later immortalize as the “the day the music died” in his hit “American Pie.”

posted by: Harold Johns III

Walrus TV Artist Feature: Above

“Often found hanging from power lines or melding with urban architecture, Above’s site specific stencils, paintings, and installations push past the traditional expectations of graffiti. The evolution of his name from text to a symbol inspired him to explore less conventional media, leading to his trademark wooden mobiles. Whether subtle or massive, his pieces retain an innate sense of beauty through their dialogue with the surrounding environment. Refusing to show his work in galleries, Above has instead ‘toured’ through Europe and North and South America to get his work up. Watch the interview from ‘The Run Up,’ available for the first time to the public for free, on Walrus TV” (Walrus TV).

See more work by Above here

posted by: Brent Carter