T.hey F.ucking D.id I.t

WOW, WOW, WOW!!! This is all I have to say after the TFDI show at Anthology’s in San Diego last Sunday night (8/28/2011) ! Now, I know I spoke very badly of Anthology’s a few weeks back when I was last there and while all that stands, they keep getting me to come back because they have some pretty amazing acts! So here goes this week’s edition of The Penguin Gazette! Enjoy…..all 10 of you.

Totally Fuckin' Doin' It or TFDI is the name of one of the most exciting acoustic/rock/singer/songwriter trios that I have heard in years! Tony Lucca, Matt Duke, and Jay Nash are all great musicians on their own (and I mean TRULY GREAT, REAL MUSICIANS), but when their powers combine they become the musical equivalent Captain Planet. Instead of wind, water, fire, earth, and heart, TFDI is made up of a billion parts fire and infinity parts heart!

These guys absolutely pour music from every pore (ha ha….laugh damn you!...no?... oh well), seriously though, there are few people that I can say leave everything on the stage and these 3 are definitely on that list. Song after song, every emotion they had was being pumped into us, like a lyrical IV drip for musically deprived veins.  The harmonies were basically a clinic for singers that wanted to learn about perfection. Honestly, I can’t compare them to other trios because as a group they deserve to be recognized for their own “awesomenisity” (“awesomenisity” a word describing something so phenomenal that only the creation of a word, such as “awesomenisity”, can allow the human brain to comprehend its magnitude). Here are a couple of songs that the trio performed last night.  So TFDI fans enjoy If I was a Ghost, and Darlin' I from their new album "When I Stop Running".

So instead of me saying “them, those guys or they” why don’t I tell you a bit about them as individuals?  The performer that we actually went to see is someone that my wife and I hold very dear to our musical hearts. His name, and please remember this because he is frickin’ awesome, is Tony Lucca. He’s got a bluesy/folk/rock vibe that is both endearing and intriguing, and is constantly evolving with each new song and album he puts out. When I first heard of him I was listening to Ernie Halter’s station on PANDORA and he popped into the rotation. I was stuck on “wow”, and immediately went to the “internets” to find out more about this frizzy-haired lyricist. I listened to everything that I could find and was lucky enough to find out that he would be coming to town with Ernie thanks to my wife’s Facebook (as I do not have one), so that was a two-fer. While we mostly went for Ernie, OH MY GOD did we fall in love with Tony. I already had an appreciation for his music, but I always say you can only measure an artist by his live performances, and wow were we ill-prepared. We did not bring with us the tools necessary to measure his…..you guessed it…..”Awesomenisity” (just trying to get my word out there). I love it when you can find an artist that sounds the same, if not better than all of the albums you know and love. That, along with his personality and gracious demeanor towards his fans makes him one of the better performers I know. This is why every time I know he’s coming to town I try to tell as many people as possible, so they too can come to know the force of musical nature known as Tony Lucca. I unfortunately do not own all of his cds (I’s gots bills to pay), but thank God that the ones I have are digitally preserved because they would be worn thin by now… if that’s possible. So if he comes to your town, I highly recommend that you check him out. If you’re not satisfied, you have no soul! Here he is playing So Long from his “Solo” album. I apologize for the jittery video; I was dodging a lot of stupid waiters that seem like they had a homing device set on my camera.

Then we have Jay Nash. Take some James Taylor, mix in a dash of Willie Nelson, and sprinkle in some Lady Antebellum (mostly the Charles Kelley) and serve it with an amazing side of power vocals that are reminiscent of a young Pavarotti (bet you didn't think i was gonna take it there, did you?). I don’t even think I can mention his guitar playing skills without bringing up the memorable performance of an “Unplugged” Eric Clapton, playing Tears in Heaven, back when MTV used to actually play music instead of horrible “REALITY” shows. He has an endearing awkwardness, and a “slow & low” voice that makes you interested to hear more than just his music. I actually would love the opportunity to get to know the man and hear his stories… hmmm… I guess through his music you get both. His presence on stage made me instantly feel like I had seen him before, I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s almost as if he was one of my favorite performers that I’ve been following for years. While that wasn’t the case before, I assure you that I will be from now on.  Here he is playing Till I Get Through off his “Diamonds and Blood” album. PICK IT UP NOW!!!

Lastly, but in no way leastly (I know it’s not a word…yet), we have Matt Duke. Let me warn you, Matt Duke’s level of “awesomenisity” is so high that only sharks with frickin’ laser beams on their heads that eat hip-hop dancing hamsters, have the ability to “think” they might have heard him…in a dream…maybe…but, I digress. When you look at Matt (unless you already know him), you would never dream that he would have this much jaw-dropping talent, this is where you would be wrong! I was so amazed by him. Question: What do you get when you cross Kurt Cobain’s intensity (minus the whole shotgun in the mouth thing), “Dave Mathews and Tim Reynolds’” style guitar playing and a voice that can simultaneously, start the fires of hell as well as be wind that the angels use to soar with?.....You get Matt “F***ing” Duke that’s what you get (oh yeah, it’s just like that)!!!  His voice has these incredible highs and lows, that you have to hear to believe, but it’s like I said….sharks, lasers, and hamsters, man….sharks…. lasers……..and let’s not forget….hamsters. Matt has this odd/wonderful split personality. When he is on stage he has a warrior’s intensity, and he gets so deep into the music that, as my wife put it, is almost as if he is in a “trance”. On the other hand, when I met him off stage, he was humble, soft spoken, and almost shy. Absolutely “diculous”, as a matter of fact he is so “diculous” that he is ri-diculous!!! His song Kingdom Underground is by far one of the best songs I have heard in I don’t know how long. You not only hear the beautifully chaotic voice, but with this video I’m going to show you, you’ll also be able to see his intensity, his feeling, and his focus. Please enjoy…

So what have we learned today? We learned that TFDI really did fucking do it, they managed to bring 3 extraordinary solo talents together to make 1 super-group. While they all are great “stand alone” artists, I for one am extremely thankful that they came together to help fight the “good” fight against crappy music and talentless hacks with music (and I use the word loosely) contracts. Thank you TFDI for making all the crappy service at Anthology’s worth it, and though I’m hoping that one day you guys get to sell out stadiums, whether it is solo or together, I can’t wait till the next time you 3 play Lestat’s. If you do, know that we (Anya and I) are extending an invite to all of you to come to our house for a homemade dinner before your show!

OK everyone that wraps up this week’s Penguin Gazette. I hope you had as much fun reading as I had sharing my experience with you. Check back next week for more….. Before I let you go, here is TFDI performing Lover I don't Have to Love by Bright Eyes. Honestly, I think TFDI made this song 10 times better than the original. listen and see for yourself.

-Editor & Chief of The Penguin Gazette,

Rudy

P.S. Do me a favor guys, if you read this far and you dig it a little bit, do me a solid and comment and/or follow. I’m looking for a few good PENGUINS. You know what they say… WE’RE MATES FOR LIFE!

P.S.S. If you are TFDI, please leave a comment so I know you guys made the long journey to my site!

ESPN runs controversial picture of a white Michael Vick - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports

             OK people I know this isn't my usual post but when i read this, I thought my followers might find this one interesting. I'm not going to write a post for this, but i really want to hear what you guys/lady faces think about this. I don't find the article in bad taste whatsoever, the picture used by ESPN is absolutely ridiculous. However, if it was publicity they where after then they sure as hell got it... good and bad alike. Please read the below article and click on all the links to see the different parts of the story. Below i have links for the Yahoo news story about the article, and the actual article. Please comment on this one because your opinions, I'm sure will be very interesting.

ESPN runs controversial picture of a white Michael Vick - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports:


"What if Michael Vick was WHITE?" by Touré

-Editor & Chief of The Penguin Gazette,

Rudy

Art In The Yard 3....Part 2...The Sequel

”Art in the Yard 3” was a complete success! Those of you that missed out on the yearly event are in luck because I got a chance to be there live, so sit back, relax and take a virtual walk through the “Art in the Yard” experience…

So last weekend we had our yearly art show and we had our best turn out in the 3 years that we have been doing it. For a simple art show in a friend, Zhee Zhee ridiculously awesome backyard, we must’ve had close to 100 people throughout the evening. The fact that the show was free to the public and all the advertising we did during the week prior had a lot to do with that I’m sure.  Thank God or whoever you choose to thank or not thank (talking to my Atheist friends) that we decided to move the show to this venue as our place is super tiny, and would’ve busted at the seams with everyone that showed up. It was wonderful to get passer-bys as well as friends and family that came together to help support local art, artists, and a good time.

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, we (my wife and I) have been planning this show for months. Well let me rephrase that…she planned and I just helped with the setup, labor, building frames, and promotion.  It may seem like a lot on my shoulders but planning was harder than any of the work I did (though at the time I probably would have said otherwise) what with having/losing/having a venue to hold the event, menu planning, flyer making (an ordeal in itself) and distribution, I think I got off pretty easy. Overall the evening went off without problems. We had some issues with power as early on I blew a surge protector (thank God I had about 10 of them), but after I got that settled everything ran pretty smoothly.  We also blew a fuse at our house before the show trying to cook some of the food with the 3 crock pots going on at once. Luckily for us we had one fuse left (because our fuse box is located in the stone age, as the house is so old we don’t have breakers just screw in fuses) otherwise the food would have been a bit on the less cooked side….raw for those of you not keeping up.

So once we got all that taken care of and all of the artists and vendors were in their respective areas “Art in the Yard: The Backyard Urban Art Experience” started. I was not there for the first arrivals as I had to pick up a few things from the house and shower so I could be as one of our friends put it “CRISPY” for the fans, but when I returned…WOW….there was a lot of people there!  Everyone was having a blast, as they walked from vendor to vendor and between the two artists. If you remember last week I mentioned that there was supposed to be 3 artists, well at the last minute one of the artists had to cancel because his crappy babysitter told him that day that they weren’t going to watch his kids. LAME!!! So unfortunately we only had the two artists, but they more than picked up the slack. 

One of the artists was Dan Jaimes. You may remember him from such famous internet articles as Support Your Local Everything…Part 2 (click here to read the article). His work astonishes everyone that sees it, which is why he has been with us since our 2nd A.i.t.Y. back in 2009 and we hope he will continue to be part of our circus act for many years to come. If you haven’t heard of him, look him up, you really will not be disappointed.  His work is amazing.

If you read last week’s blog I mentioned that my wife was going to be named and her art work would finally be shown to the blog-o-verse (because I don’t like the word blogosphere…. just doesn’t sound as cool to me), to enjoy. So, without further adieu, I give to you the art of…. Anya!

I am in no way bias, but I LOVE it when she creates new pieces! I know a lot of you are thinking that since she’s my wife I have to say that but trust me, she can tell when I dislike something. My face, in those matters, has been described as the look of someone that has had a fresh turd squeezed out onto their mustache, so… yeah… mamma knows. She has always been a very creative person, weather it was writing music and poems or designing crazy clothing designs simply by wrapping herself in fabrics (we call it “faux-sew”).  Now that she has focused her creativity into painting, her mind takes a backseat as her heart shows itself on the canvas. With each stroke of the brush, scrape of a fork or splatter of paint (like I said creative) that hits the canvas or wood or whatever, an intellectually abstract genius can be seen.

 Anya pours her soul into every piece and never lets conventional thought or rules dictate her work. Even to the point that most of her work is up to viewer interpretation, meaning that like clouds, every piece is different so, she lets people determine the way they want to hang her art. The one rule… the most important rule… NEVER TELL HER WHAT YOU SEE WHILE SHE’S PAINTING!!!  Only after she is done are you allowed to give her your view of her work, because it influences things more that you think. I made the mistake once… ONCE!!! Some of my more distinguished readers might get the Johnny Dangerously phrasing there, by “distinguished”…. I mean…. never mind, I don’t want to upset said readers. We are currently trying to put together a website that will showcase her work and any upcoming events, but until then you can send her an email at anru1923@yahoo.com to find out about her event schedule. If you friend her on Facebook make sure you let her know you heard about her through The Penguin Gazette (it might earn me some hubby points). 

We also had some vendors selling various items ranging from infinity scarves personally weaved by the wonderful Niome Soulfly (http://niomiesoulfly.ecrater.com/), to financial advice books for teens and adults by Shay Olivarria from Bigger Than Your Block (http://biggerthanyourblock.com, http://shayolivarria.com ). Shay’s books are a definite must have for trying to get your financial life together; they break things down so the” world of credit and finances” isn't so scary. Also, Niomie’s scarves will allow you to look cool as a cucumber while you’re trying to stay warm. Anya owns a few and if an uber artist such as her has some, you should definitely check her out! Probably the most successful vendor was our friend and massage therapist (BTW is it Therapist or The Rapist when it comes to head shrinks? Just wondering), Camille “Dragon” Wells (http://www.dragoncloudemassage.com/). A dollar a minute with a minimum of 10 minutes for an amazing stress releasing massage, you just couldn’t beat it. I’ll put it this way, the last massage I had was on my honeymoon, “Olga the Man Killer” tried to squeeze my insides so they became my outsides… Camille is the only massage therapist I’ve let touch me in 9 years!

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As I mentioned earlier, we had a pretty good spread of food for our guests. On the savory side we had pulled Mediterranean spiced chicken that Anya marinated in her own blend of fresh herbs, veggies and peppers overnight, then, let slow cook for some hours in a crock pot. That was served over some white rice. We also had yellow-eyed peas (basically a really creamy textured bean) and lacinto (dinosaur) kale. The kale kind of has the taste of collard greens without the bite and pairs amazingly well with the yellow-eyed peas. As far as the sweets went we had a variety of cookies as well as chocolate and yellow cake that we topped with either a citrus or a velvety chocolate mousse.  That along with all the fresh fruit and the sun-brewed sweet and blood orange teas, there was something there for everyone. I almost forgot to mention the ice cold cucumber water.

 INGREDIENTS :

WATER

CUCUMBER (Cut into slices)

ICE

DIRECTIONS:

ADD WATER TO CUCUMBER SLICES AND ICE. STIR, AND ENJOY

I guarantee it’s some of the most deliciously refreshing liquid you will ever drink… “It’s a good thing”. Sorry, I was just quoting the devil herself Martha “THUG LIFE” Stewart… won’t happen again.

The best part of the evening for me, aside from seeing friends and family as well as people that got our flyer, was the drum circle. We had an amazing African drummer Abdullah Ihsan Seifullah from the World Beat Center (http://www.worldbeatcenter.org/) come by and he drew everyone in like moths to a flame. A flame made of heart beats. Every time the drum was struck, you could feel it resonating deep inside. He had people with no musical skills playing like pros, he was great! We were supposed to have an open mic session, but everyone was so enthralled by him that it wasn’t necessary. Nor was there a need for any other music because his was filling the air. They played late into the evening, and anyone that wanted to learn, he taught as if they were the only two there. He also had a table where he sold items like flutes, oils, and satchels. Needless to say he was a big hit with everyone. You can click on his name to send him an email for more info.

So, as you can see, the evening was AWESOME!! Everyone that came had a great time and a few walked away with original art, jewelry, and full bellies. Everyone that came left us with a great feeling of accomplishment and happiness. So to everyone that came and helped set up as well as break down A.i.t.Y. 3 (Wazi, Angelica, Amanda, Gena, and Yenny Yi you are all superstars), as well as all our family and friends that traveled from L.A. for the show, WE LOVE YOU AND ARE BLESSED TO HAVE YOU IN OUR LIVES!!! THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!!  I want to give a HUGE shout out to Gena Hose, she was our beautiful unofficially official photographer for the evening. She took all the pictures I showed you here.

Well, that wraps up this week's blog. I hope you all enjoyed your virtual art show as much as we enjoyed hosting it. Until next time!!

-Editor & Chief of The Penguin Gazette,

Rudy

P.S. I'd love to hear what you think about this topic. Comment below.

P.S.S. Be on the lookout because we are looking to hold another art show later on this year in San Fernando Valley. If there are any artists that are interested hit me up in the comment box and I’ll get back to you a.s.a.p.

Art In The Yard 3

So this week has been really jam packed! As I mentioned last week (toward the end of the blog) we are having an art show this weekend. I will be covering the event for the most prestigious blog in the world…. The Penguin Gazette (UH HUH THAT’S RIGHT SUCKA FISH)! With any luck I will not be the only one to cover the show. Over the last few weeks I have been promoting the show like crazy, at concerts, farmer’s markets, award shows, grocery stores and banks (hey that is where they keep the money). What I mean by not being the only “one to cover the show” is at some of these events I ran into local celebs. No names but they are musicians, publicists, band managers, and local TV reporters from various stations here in San Diego. We are hoping that this labor of love (and what a labor it has been) gets a good crowd and some exposure for our artists and vendors.

We have been getting ready for this show for months now but no matter how long we prep there never seems to be enough time in the day. Everyday our house has been filled with very beautiful artwork on my wife’s end and I can only imagine how the other artists are preparing for this annual event. The problem with our house being filled with art is while it’s great to see new creations; we live in a “slave cottage” as my wife puts it…..small very small. Nonetheless with every new painting and every inch of the house we lose to art we are getting so excited we can’t stand it. We have had little time for much else, including food and sleep. This week has even put a hold on our workout and weekly date with the grandparents ( 6^thmissed date in about 2 years all for uncontrollable reasons). I would’ve taken pictures of the past few weeks, but my wife probably would have shot me for revealing her art and showing her technique (Erykah Badu said it best…”I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my shit”) so I figured hmmmm not so much. Besides I will be taking plenty of pictures for next week’s blog, and when I help make her website hopefully she will let me show the world some of her process. Not sure if I want to hold my breath but be on the lookout for her site coming soon (tune in next week for her name…oooooh mysterious like)!  

So until then I will be leaving you with this short post because as I’ve mentioned earlier so much to do and so little time! Be well and tune in next week for pictures and maybe some video!

-Editor & Chief of The Penguin Gazette,

Rudy

P.S. I'd love to hear what you think about this topic. Comment below.

"mAD men

          My very first entry on this site started off with me criticizing the film industry (http://thepenguingazette.blogspot.com/2011/05/shitter-stainment.html) and their ridiculous ad campaigns. I’ll admit that I’ve seen some pretty good ads out there. They can give you info on new products, and tell you about things that are going on around town i.e. movies, concerts, etc. I’ll also admit that I get stuck watching those late night infomercials (SLAP CHOP HELL YEAH!!!) because unfortunately that’s the only thing on after 1am…..and they are stupid funny. Sometimes though I see some commercials that shock even my warped sense of humor and I wonder who the genius that thought that up was. Then I immediately think “who’s the genius that’s getting two checks and some time to clear their desks for this assault on the airwaves?” Some of these ads leave me shaking my head and wanting to wash out my eyes with Clorox.

Some of the raunchier ads to appear on the small screen use sex in a huge way to sell their products. Everything from beer to cars to soap use the allure of a well dressed man or a scantily clad woman to make our little heads (pun intended) go berserk and our whispering eyes wander until we have said product. Don’t get me wrong, me being of the male persuasion makes me extremely suseptable to these tactics and frankly I love to see just how far the ad companies will go to make a buck. Well….let’s be honest I like seeing the funny/filthy ads. I’m astonished at what is allowed to be shown to millions of viewers with no rating system attatched. Part of me thinks that the reason people don’t get all hot and bothered by the ads is because we have become over-sexed and mostly desensitized. Some of the following ads will show you just how far some companies will go. While they are pretty damn funny some of them are a bit on the “WOW” side. Here a just a few of those ads.

Some of the commercials I’ve seen are specifically marketed towards “the fairer sex” such as douches, shampoos etc., as they should be. There are a few of these ads that are a bit much though. Many women may remember the Herbal Essences ads that always portrayed some woman in the shower having one of those Harry Met Sally moments in the shower, screaming her head off at the super orgasmic feeling of….. washing her hair. Really? I’ve known many a female that has washed with this stuff and while it may do wonders for her folicules, the intense screams….not so much! I know this reference is a bit dated but as far as I am concerned it was just the tip of the iceberg, and possibly the start of the raunchy or riskee commercial campaigns. More recently Summer’s Eve ( a feminine deodorizer) put out 3 ads that are so over the top that they have been pulled because of the backlash they have received from not only women saying that they are not only offensive to women but partially racist to top it off.  The 3 ads are broken up into Latino, Black & White women. There is a single hand in the middle of the screen making a “vertical smile”……yup that’s right ladies and gents a vagical (magical vagina for those of you not in the know)  hand puppet! Each hand tries to take on the characteristics of the ethnicity it is supposed to be, the White hand acts “white”, the black hand acts like the stereotypical “black” persona with the head shaking and “Sistah Guurrrlls”, and the Latino hand acts like a New York Puerto Rican with all the “attitude” and blazing fast Spanish to boot.

My wife showed me these ads late one night on youtube and we both agreed that the only thing that would’ve been worse would have been if a baby’s head popped out of the hand! For some odd reason by the next morning the ads were taken off of almost every video site on the internet….hmmmm….imagine that! I just so happened to have procured them so you could all see them and be completely amazed.

It’s very interesting to me that they decided to do the three ads based on the ethnicities, although I’m not really surprised about the stereotypes they used. Stereotypes in ads have been used as long as ads have been around, from the “cool soul brother” drinking the finest malt liquer to the “paranoid asian convienience store owner” who had to keep an eye on the “hoodlum kids” (usually some type of latino). My favorite ads (phesiciously speaking of course) are the ones that McDonald’s puts out for their “African-American” customers. They usually have the afor mentioned “soul brother”, he is usually shucking and jiving to some cool beat about how tastey his food is. They use the “urban” slang to relay this message with a lot of “Yo Yo Yo’s” and “Dis iz Da BOMB YO!!”. In some of the newer ads they even go as far as to have someone sing a faux R&B song about nuggets. Latino based ads get pretty ridiculous too. We (big shock you guys….I’m Mexican!!!) get the Taco Bell/El Pollo Loco/taco shell ads. All the actors have these extra thick accents….EXTRA THICK! They sound like Antonio Banderas mixed with Scarface and a side of Speedy Gonzales. Which reminds me, wasn’t Taco Bell using a Chihuahua with the accent mentioned above for their ads? REALLY, no one found that offensive? What about the little fire breathing dragon or grungy looking panda for Panda Express and Pick up Stix? I’m just waiting for the “Ad Men” to make the fatal mistake of equating black people with monkeys so all hell could finally break out and we can end this practice…..and single handedly take us back to the days of harsh racial slurs…so last week. Well here are a few of the videos I was talking about.

That's right I hit you with the "Soul-Glo"!!! You can't handle the truth!! Some of you might be wondering why i added the COX commercial with the little Mexican girl. It just irritates the crap out of me that they had to show some condescending sounding white lady telling the little girl how to speak her own language. You know damn well that you can push 2 and speak to a Spanish speaking associate. I may not speak Spanish myself but something in my soul got extremely pissed off when i saw this, but I'm getting side tracked and that's another rant. 

  Maybe I’m putting too much on this…maybe I just saw one too many off color ads dealing with vagically-over-sexed-nugget eating-animals dancing to hip hop and thought to myself “Self you need to blog about people having too much fun.” I don’t think so though, a lot of the ads are pretty damn funny. I just wanted to show some of the more shocking ads so we can see what has to be done in order to get your product noticed. Appearantly being straight up is not very desireable when it comes to making a profit. I can’t lie the glitzy, ridiculous ads have staying power, enough in fact to make me blog about them. So to that aspect they have done their job and then some and a “well done” is in order, but short of porn they don’t have much further to go before they are just completely over the top offensive. Don’t worry smutlings that time will be here soon!

Well everyone its time for me to wrap up another edition and get ready for the art show of the year! More compelling topics next week, but if you’re in San Diego on the 13^th of august please come by the address on the flyer  for some beautiful art work by 3 up and coming artists that you will be sure to fall in love with. You won’t want to miss out because you’ll have to wait a whole year before you can see a show of this caliber again!!!!

 Until then I hope you’ve enjoyed what you have read and will make your way back for more!!!

-Editor & Chief of The Penguin Gazette,

Rudy

P.S. I'd love to hear what you think about this topic. Comment below and follow if you dig it!!! You can also sign up for emails so you don’t miss a single minute of Penguin Gazette greatness.

P.S.S. For your viewing pleasure.....and because i cant get the song out of my head.....