Artist and adventurer Monica Canilao in her studio and at home.

I've been offered the chance to run another giveaway contest on here. Last time I got some snarky comments for running a contest. . . but I like free stuff, and I assume you like free stuff too, so far be it from me to not give you the opportunity. That said, the contest details are below:

- The prize: The White Stripes forthcoming Under Great White Northern Lights live album and documentary DVD, both part of the larger box set.
- To enter: Send me your best TRUE story. Send your submissions to sucka [at] suckapants [dot] com with Northern Lights in the subject. Please include your name and location as well.
- To win: You must live in the US.
- Rules: Contest ends a week from today (3/22/10). No purchase necessary.

MP3:

An amazing EP, go buy it now.

- Dark Dark Dark - Wild Goose Chase

A band's place at last.

I'm a bit of a music video neophyte (didn't grow up with the MTV/cable tv), but I know what I like:

MP3:

- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tattoo

A band's place at last.

Phagwah is the Guyanese and Trinidadian version of the Hindu festival Holi that takes place deep in Queens. It's a celebration of spring that involves dousing one another in colored powders. I missed the initial chaos but caught some beautiful aftermath.

Tofu Wrestling and Zombie Vandals (turns out that moshing gets much more difficult when the floor is coated in vegetable oil).

MP3:

Kind of like the East Coast's answer to Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros.

- The Phenomenal Handclap Band - Baby

A band's place at last.

Japanther, The Death Set, Cerebral Ballzy, Boogie Boarder and Leaders at the Sounds Like Brooklyn Festival show put on by Knife Fight.

MP3:

- Soda And His Million Piece Band - St. James Infirmary

A band's place at last.

It's winter around here:

- The annual Idiotarod braves temperatures in the teens for shopping cart glory.
- Wandering in some snow covered terrain.
- More sweaty Brooklyn loft shows.
- Potluck dinners on the Brooklyn ferry boat.
- Going up into the Blue Ridge Mountains to visit friends hermiting in a log cabin. End up in the thick of the "Blizzard of 2010," then lose the car keys while adventuring in the snow and almost have to hotwire the safari jeep to get home.
- Now I am headed to San Francisco/Oakland for the first time. What's good out there?

MP3:

The votes are in and it was a solid victory for Tune Yards "Haritari" as the best song. This was another submission I really liked as well.

- The Tallest Man On Earth - Honey Won't You Let Me In

A band's place at last.

Photos of recent shows in Brooklyn: White Mice, Liturgy, The Death Set, Team Robespierre, Mannequin Men, and Greg Oblivion and the Tennessee Tearjerkers.

Great show coming up this week in Brooklyn: BAM's Sounds Like Brooklyn Festival at Station 171.
- Thursday featuring Japanther, The Death Set, Cerebral Ballzy, Boogie Boarder and Leaders.
- Friday dance party with Roofeo (of The Death Set), Mr. Andersonic, Murdertronics, DJ Morsy and James Stacher.

My friend over at Article is trying to raise funds on Kickstarter for two great projects:
- Cerebral Ballzy's first 7".
- Chris Weingarten's music review "book," 1000 Times Yes.

Chris explains the state of journalism in the internet age and why music critics matter:

MP3:

You might remember that I was running a contest this week for my new favorite song. Well we have a tie. There was stiff competition (although a couple submissions were disqualified because they were songs I had previously posted on here), and now we've got it down to two. So I'm leaving it up to you to vote for the winner, email your vote to sucka [at] suckapants [dot] com (one vote per person). Winner gets the LRG & STS9 prize package.

- Crooked Fingers - Sinisteria

- Tune Yards - Hatari

One band's place at last.
Another band's place at last.

Heavy hitters.

Dustin Yellin.

JR.

Jose Parla.

Kenny Scharf.

Kaws in Kenny's studio.

Kenny's basement.

Eric White.

Tom Sachs's studio.

Deitch.

Rosson Crow.

Dzine.

Shepard Fairey

Futura.

Jules de Balincourt.

Damien Hirst designed bike.

Ed Ruscha.

Photos from the Upper and Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans.

It's rare that I run contests on here, but I figure why not give people free stuff if given the chance? I've been given the opportunity to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a complete outfit from LRG as well as a copy of STS9's new album Ad Explorata. Details below:

- The winner of this contest will be selected based on who sends me my new favorite song. Actual MP3 files and links to downloadable files are fine. Send your submissions to sucka [at] suckapants [dot] com with STS9 in the subject. Please include your name and location as well.
- The contest will be open for a week from the date of this post.
- The prize pack will include: One full outfit from LGR (shirt, hoodie/jacket, jeans) and the STS9 album Ad Explorata. Upon completion, LRG will mail the winner the gear based on proper sizing info.
- This contest is open to US residents only, no purchase necessary (oooo, official-sounding).
- Courtesy of:

MP3:

- Tender Forever - My Love

A band's place at last.

New Years in New Orleans and the days that followed:

- It's unseasonably cold while we are down there, so a lot of backyard campfires are sought out.
- Naked group hot-tubbing on New Year's Day at the Country Club.
- Several Sissy Bounce performances by Vockah Redu and his dancers as well as Big Freedia at the closing party for New Orleans Airlift group exhibition.
- Trying to visit Plan B and Rubarb (Rusted Up Beyond All Recognition Bikes), both closed for the holidays.
- Exploring some abandoned buildings (photos of that to come).

MP3:

- BlakRoc - Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo) (feat. Jim Jones & Mos Def)

A band's place at last.

New Orleans for New Years:

- Ridin' Dirty Three: The Shocker hosted by Black Label Bicycle Club

MP3:

- Three Inches Of Blood - Battles And Brotherhood

A band's place at last.

Friends come and go and come back again. Two former roommates and a cat named Wolfe packed it up and returned to California and I don't blame them. Another left for Mozambique two years ago then showed up on my doorstep in the middle of a blizzard last month. I do my best to get pictures of these people on their way in or on their way out, because you never know how long they're staying.

Hunker down for the cold weight of winter in Brooklyn, and remember why you keep coming back:

- Ninjasonik show on Tellie's birthday.
- Basement oil wrestling in Harlem. . . as a fundraiser.
- Secret last-minute Japanther + The Death Set + Cerebral Ballzy show in Bushwick.
- Roving parade of costumed characters invades the bar scene in Williamsburg, for the hell of it.

MP3:

This one didn't make it on to the Xmas Mix '09, but it is kind of holiday-themed in the lyrics.

- The So So Glos - 99 Degrees (Ninjasonik Remix)

A band's place at last.