"Cities" drops April 1st, 2011, album art by Tony Kincses

If a boat departs from a harbor and during its voyage successfully replaces every single part, is what eventually docks by all rights the same boat? Similarly, if every cell in our bodies is regenerated every seven years, is it still the same body? While I can’t attest to the Biological accuracy of that last example, the question remains: can I rightly call "Cities" the second Downer Party EP? Forget everything you've ever heard about The Downer Party- who made a name for themselves with 2009's irreverently lighthearted pop debut "Ego Driven Lust Creatures." Since that release, the band has undergone a complete metamorphosis of membership, resulting in a very different kind of project. This Downer Party, arguably distinct from the one we met in 2009, emerges anew with "Cities"- a departure into more contemplative waters, leaving in its wake a richer and more textured sound.

The EP is at once a love letter to and about cities, speaking aptly about places that can also be people, and indeed a metaphor for self. "Cities" was executed start to finish by the band in Churchill's basement, which in and of itself might fail to impress, until one recalls Frost's veteran career of label representation; this marked decision to work in an insular manner demonstrates the band's commitment to- and consumption with- the growth of the project. The opening track, Country Kids, is an eat-your-heart-out for any San Franciscan, superimposing visions of empathy and idiosyncrasy against the vibrant backdrop of our city. The drums on the song Chicago, which you can listen to here, cleverly mimic a beating heart, at once aligning the physiology of the listener with the music and stripping away their skin with the track's starkly raw intensity. The thesis of the EP, succinctly summarized by the final line of the final (and title) track, reads "and how can it be, that we live with those we love in different cities." Thoughtful lyricism throughout sheds light on complex relationships between people and the places they find themselves, real or imagined. The maturity of these observations is all the more impressive when one considers that their author, Sierra Frost, is still a few months shy of 21.

Great film making and great art, of course. Worthy of your time. Crack a beer or warm some tea and sit back to enjoy.

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Crossing Lines is a short film that documents Irish artist Conor Harrington’s trip to Tel Aviv, Israel and Bethleham, Palestine in May 2010.

Thank you to KnowHope, Zero Cents, Wisam Salsaa to whom this trip would not been possible and to all the people we met along the way, without their help this trip would not have been possible.

A Telling Production Presents ’ Crossing Lines ‘
Camera, Edit & Score - Andrew Telling
Grade - Chloe Hayward
Audio Mix & Master - Andrew Telling & Dave House

Conor Harrington / Andrew Telling / Know Hope / Chloe Hayward

Check out this collaboration Lola and I did. It's of my portraits of Noam Gonick. It's like a 3 way artist collaboration: Me and Noam, then Lola and I... Fecal Face brought us all together. -Thanks, Wilford

We're happy to preview our friend Corey Arnold's new book here on Fecal Face. Corey has been traveling the world documenting the world's fishermen through grants when he's not fishing himself in the depths of the Bearing Sea. He's starred on the show Deadliest Catch. His photos have been featured everywhere from Juxtapoz, Rolling Stone, to the The Paris Review.

Corey Arnold opens his solo show Fish Work @Fecal Face Dot Gallery on February 11th here in San Francisco.

The photographs in “Fish-Work: The Bering Sea” capture moments from Arnold’s grueling retreats as a crew member aboard a fishing boat to the Bering Sea. With scenes of boat life so vivid that some shots can induce fear or seasickness, the artist’s perspective also reveals the tender soulfulness of a fisherman’s extended life at sea. His skillful compositions depict the simultaneous bravery, toil, humor and gumption that “fish-work” demands. Yet the series also illuminates the aesthetic sublimity that can only be experienced, ultimately, by those willing to risk their lives where the sea breaks its back. Having survived several seasons afloat these icy and unforgiving waters, we are lucky that Arnold has taken time to document his artistic impressions of this rare lifestyle and extended us a vicarious glimpse.

Santiago, Chile. 21 years old. University, www.flickr.com/blokagain

I guess I couldn't describe it good in words, that's one of the reasons I create images. I think people have their own answer to this question.

I have many influences from friends and artist that I like. I like the way of creating comunity of Cinders Gallery. I really enjoy the work of Taylor Mcimens, works from friends like Sto and Eric Shaw... Also, the works of my hometown buddies Basco, Jose Benmayor, Martín Kaulen, Quillo, Lavina Yelb and Bimer.

Cheese Burgers!!! When it comes the veggie I prefer something like a real salad.

His show MORE opens Thursday @Fifty24SF featuring 9 new provocative works, with INSA utilizing media such as sculpture and lights adding to the “glamour” of his work. The exhibition will also feature an exclusive SF edition of INSA’s classic “Heel” print and a selection of photographic prints.

Some recent work in SF.

As you also might have heard, Supervisor Mirkarimi was scheduled yesterday (2/1/11) to introduce his proposition to block the sale of KUSF to the Board of Supervisors. He asked for a continuance of one week- this is a good thing.

Supervisor Mirkarimi addressing the crowd yesterday, photo by Gina JustGina

This is one week where we can accomplish some serious community organizing. The nub and thrust of the whole thing is to make it blatantly and unavoidably clear that the loss of KUSF is unpopular. The board will resume on Tuesday, February 8th to vote. In the meantime, take every step you can to voice your opinion to the Board of Supervisors, like:

1. Call and Keep Calling- If you don't know your district, check this district map. Then check here for the contact information of your Supervisor here. If you call during normal business hours, your call will be answered by your Supervisor, or an aid. Calling after they close is also effective, jamming up the voicemail can do wonders. Tell them, firmly, that you urge them to stand with Sup. Mirkarimi to block the sale of 90.3, and restore broadcast programming of KUSF.

If you are not registered to vote, call anyway. If you are registered in one district, but live in another, call both supervisors. If your Supervisor is Ross Mirkarimi, call Mark Farrel of D2. It's adjacent, and he's one of the more conservative leaning Supe's.

If you are not a San Francisco resident, but live within the broadcast radius of KUSF, you can still call- call all of them.

2. Email, Email All of Them- emails can also be found on the Board of Supervisors website. A succinct sample would be:
"Dear Supervisor ________, I urge you to vote in favor of Mirkarimi's proposition on Tuesday, February 8th. KUSF is a valuable community asset, and I wholly oppose it's sale. -Best Regards,

______________

[address]"

This show, called Vertigem, was the first of a series OSGEMEOS did, hosted in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasília in the following years. Usually people don’t pay much attention to what happens outside São Paulo and Rio, so the Curitiba show was not much mentioned in the media across the country and almost nobody saw pictures of it. Searching for old photos on my computer I found this file of pictures from this show, never published and never saw by anyone. It's not new material, but I totally think it deserves a post here. So, here it is: the 2008 Vertigem show by OSGEMEOS.

Words and photos: Ana Ferraz, a new contributor from São Paulo here at Fecal Face. She runs a gallery called Fita Tape, in Porto Alegre, southern region of Brazil, together with my husband Lucas Ribeiro “Pexão”.

Fecal Pal and NYC based RIPO emailed over some photos from his current show featuring calligraphy, fantastic typography, phonetics and political discourse running through Feb 14th in Barcelona... You may be familiar with RIPO's outside work.