Beirut has announced its first national tour in over 4 years to support their upcoming release, “The Rip Tide”, which is set to be release on Aug. 30th. The tour is pretty lengthy spanning from June-November. You can hear “East Harlem” from the new record here, and you can pre-order the record here. Tour dates listed below!
Photo by: Kristianna Smith
READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP »»

Boots Electric wants to turn you on. Front man Jesse Hughes from Eagles of Death Metal has released his first track  for his upcoming solo project Boots Electric Titled Honkey Kong.

After creating three albums of dirty and danceable garage rock anthems, Hollywood’s favorite son and Eagles of Death Metal frontman, Jesse “The Devil” Hughes, is unveiling his solo debut as Boots Electric. Titled Honkey Kong, the album will be released on September 20th by Dangerbird Records. It was produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Depeche Mode, The Kooks) and co-written with legendary keyboardist Money Mark, best known for his many collaborations with the Beastie Boys.

Honkey Kong is the sound of Boots Electric coming out of the closet. Under the moniker, Hughes expands his sonic palette while continuing to deliver the hooks that he’s known for. The electronic drums that kick off opening track “Complexity” immediately signal the new direction. The track is a mix of glam-pop, keyboard-heavy dance grooves, and Hughes’ signature brand of rock ‘n roll grit that drips with swagger. Elsewhere, he tries on space-funk synths on the track “Boots Electric” and “Trippy Blob” has some of his most absurdist lyrics yet.

Though a winking self-awareness has long been one of Hughes’ calling cards, he’s also written some of his most earnest songs yet. “No Ffun” is an honest-to-goodness ballad and “Swallowed by the Night” is a soulful slice of honky tonk gold. Honkey Kong reveals what many already knew – beneath the tongue-in-cheek lyrics and his charismatic strut, Hughes has always been a gifted pop songwriter at heart. Boots Electric is coming out of the closet.

Come watch Show suck at the Beauty Bar Chicago Wednesday June 29

To whom it may concern:

We unexpectedly lost our lease recently at our HUF LA shop on Fairfax, and unfortunately closed its doors this past Sunday. We are all bummed about it, and will miss being on the block and all the good times we had at that shop… But change happens and we will keep cruising on and making great stuff. This upcoming year will mark HUF’s 10-year anniversary as a brand, which we will celebrate with the release of exclusive collaboration projects throughout the year. You can still pick up HUF products at your local HUF dealers, and can always find us right here on our website. We hope to be able to reopen HUF retail shops again in the future, but at this time are not sure when or where… We will keep you posted. As for now, our time and efforts will continue to be entirely devoted to perfecting the brand and its product. We could never have foreseen how rapidly the brand would grow since its beginning, and would like to sincerely thank all of you who have walked through our doors in any of our shops over the last decade. Thanks for the support, and stay tuned!

Sincerely,

Keith Hufnagel

Eric Swenson, a founder of Thrasher, a magazine that re-energized the sport of skateboarding and helped propel it from a suburban teenage activity to an international form of recreation and a competitive sport, died on Monday in San Francisco. He was 64.

The cause was suicide; he shot himself in front of a police station, the police said.

Mr. Swenson and a partner, Fausto Vitello, started Thrasher in 1981, largely to promote their business, Independent Trucks, which made skateboard “trucks” — the fixtures that connect the deck of the board to the wheels — and other parts and accessories.

Skateboarding had grown popular in the 1960s, when it became known as sidewalk surfing, and began to flourish in the 1970s, when sturdier, better-designed boards and urethane wheels added the speed and maneuverability that appealed to young thrill seekers. Empty swimming pools and public skateboard parks gave practitioners places to display their daredevilry. NY TIMES

Theme your art show and they will come – HIGH ART, Comic style

I would argue that some of the strangest conceptualized superheros, pre Adult Swim, are a few turtles who reached their prime in the 1980′s under the watchful eye of their sensei rat, Splinter. These anthropomorphic teens, named after Renaissance art masters, kicked ass all over NYC and then went to sleep in their shells down in the sewer. They we’re brave, green and riddled with teenage drama. And, if you were a latchkey kid raised by your television, it is my educated guess, that at least one of your Halloweens was spent running around in green pajamas, a cardboard shell and your favorite character’s colored bandanna.

If you harbor a love for TMNT that you have never been able to truly express then “Shell Shock” is the show for you. Hosted by The Autumn Society , Shell Shock sports some particularly clever talents such as Jeffro Kilpatrick with “Easy Night”, Stephen Heigh with ” The High Renaissance”, Amanada Stewart with “Meditative Splinter”, Andrew Degraff with “Teenage Mutant Ninja Laundry”, Evan Lopez with ” The Scourage of Dimension X Takes a Mater”, JoKa with “Homage to Raphael (Toon-Toy Movie)” and Alex Eckman with Lawn “Leatherhead’s guar-on-tee”. I’m just naming a few as the front of Brave New World (45 N. 2nd Street) is so overrun with reptile portraits that any true herpatologist would tear up just for the tender love displayed in the room.

The show is not going to be there much longer (it took me forever to get this article out), BUT, if you rush over there right now you can still get your toy loving, video game addicted, movie quoting husband and father of four a kick ass orginal that will let him know you don’t approve of his 8 year old boy fascinations, but that you love him anyway.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP »»

Here is the newest trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger.