I’ve learned something very valuable in college, and that’s to hold basement parties dear to your heart.
There’s going to be a juncture in all of our lives where we can’t attend them anymore. So enjoy the grungy keg rooms, the mysterious ducks into a dark space with your closest friends, and the sloppy exits with a new friend.
The last basement party I went to brought me new friends in a less Biblical sense.
Finley Knight is the best new friend your ears can have. For all of us crazies dancing around, Finley Knight also did our bodies some good, too. We grooved with plastered-on smiles, stripping some layers so our sweaty bodies could keep moving with the music. My good friend P. Mac near died and rose to heaven when they played his requests for Grateful Dead’s “Scarlet Begonias” and “Fire on the Mountain.” The songs suited the band well, a band that’s sort of like the bastard child of all rock, funk, and jam genres. Finley Knight shows us that being genre-ambiguous is sometimes a beautiful, beautiful thing. [read more…]
Last night at the grand opening of RVSP Gallery in Chicago, a star-studded line-up of artists performed including Really Doe, GLC, Mr. Hudson, Consequence, Big Sean, Common and Kid Cudi. Cudi’s set was pretty epic, and it included familiar songs such as Jay-Z’s single “Already Home,” “Down & Out,” “Pursuit of Happiness,” A Tribe Called Quest’s “Buggin’ Out,” “Day ‘N Night,” and “Make Her Say.” If the free show with Cudi wasn’t enough, surprise appearances by both Consequence and Common nearly blew the roof off of the place. Check it out. [read more…]
Graffiti is more than just a hobby for Chicago-based graffiti artist Ray Noland; it’s a way of life. He has a penchant for creating works of street art inspired by political figures. Back during the 2008 election season, Noland helped contribute to Barack Obama’s grassroots campaign by creating mesmerizing stencil graffiti pieces. More recently, Noland has unleashed two new pieces onto the streets of Chicago: “Run Blago Run” and “Survivor Blago.”
The first piece illustrates the former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich as he was often seen by paparazzi – in his black tracksuit jogging around the neighborhood. His original designs included a running Blagojevich escaping from Barack Obama, Blagojevich holding ferocious attack dogs, and Blagojevich casually chatting on his cell phone. The second shows just what could have been: Blagojevich trying to start a fire as a contestant on a new Survivor-like reality show entitled I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! In case you were unaware, the former Governor was trying to head down to the Costa Rican jungle to partake in this show while his team lawyers sorted out the array of charges filed against him. Many officials, including the FBI, were afraid that he would use the opportunity of being outside the US to skip out on his trial, so they made sure a judge denied his request to leave the country. [read more…]
Well what do you know, it’s that time of the week again. Let me tell you, you’re in for a treat. (Not that you aren’t every other Monday.) The guys behind The Hood Internet have made it on our weekly segment once again; they are quickly becoming one of our favorite mixtape producers. On The Mixtape Volume Three, the boys mix everything from Pimp C to Xiu Xiu to MSTRKRFT. [read more…]
When you think of graffiti and street art, politics is probably one of the last things that comes to mind. There seems to be a complete disconnect between the two realms. Knowing this, we here at Jetcomx decided to scour the corners of the internet and come up with the 10 most astounding examples of modern political graffiti. Here’s what we came up with: [read more…]
One way to describe The Hood Internet could be “Girl Talk on Ritalin”. If you are like me, you tend to get sick of listening to mash-ups that suffer from ADD. After listening to one of these mash-up albums long enough (Feed the Animals anyone?), your head feels likes its going to explode à la Scanners. The Hood Internet is a breath of fresh air in the mash-up genre. In case you were wondering, The Hood Internet is comprised of Aaron Brink (aka ABX) and Steve Reidell (aka STV SLV). The Chicago based duo specialize in mashing up hip-hop with indie rock. On The Hood Internet vs Chicago, the two allow each sampled song to play for 30 seconds or longer which results in a much more listenable mixtape. [read more…]
Finley Knight is the best new friend your ears can have. For all of us crazies dancing around, Finley Knight also did our bodies some good, too. We grooved with plastered-on smiles, stripping some layers so our sweaty bodies could keep moving with the music. My good friend P. Mac near died and rose to heaven when they played his requests for Grateful Dead’s “Scarlet Begonias” and “Fire on the Mountain.” The songs suited the band well, a band that’s sort of like the bastard child of all rock, funk, and jam genres. Finley Knight shows us that being genre-ambiguous is sometimes a beautiful, beautiful thing. [read more…]
