The White Mandingos have their punk roots showing- they just dropped the track “Warn A Brotha”, in which album narrator Tyrone White (as played by Murs) confronts the dreams and realities of being a rock star over a propulsive backbeat.

Checkout “Warn A Brotha” below and look out for The Ghetto is Tryna Kill Me in stores June 11 on Fat Beats Records.

I live in an apartment.  I have done so for most of my adult life with the exception of a couple years in graduate school when I rented a house.  However, having grown up in a house with a yard, I always yearn to grow things.  My grandfather had a large vegetable garden and used to bring us tomatoes and peppers and squash and green beans and melons every Saturday morning all summer long when we lived in Virginia.  I like growing things.  Especially things to eat.  Even with limited outdoor space.

As our hopefully final cold snap has ended, I have decided to use my porch to grow herbs and maybe a few vegetables in pots.  Herbs and maybe a few vegetables in pots.  Herbs are also grown in window sills so, if you don’t have outdoor space, not to worry as long as some part of your house has access to sunlight.

My thumb—despite the fact that I have successfully grown beans, tomatoes, and an assortment of peppers—is much closer to yellow than green when it comes to gardening.  I think mostly because I forget to water things frequently enough.  However, we shall see whether I can manage to keep all of my herbs alive for the variety of recipes I plan to use them for over the course of the summer.

So with this, I will begin a series of easy summer recipes featuring things that are growing out of my potted garden.

I stumbled upon Nall’s Produce, Inc. by accident about two weeks after I moved to this area.  Located in Franconia, it is a perfect place for picking up produce, plants, and garden supplies.  And if you have a need to hear a rooster crow, you can get that about every 45 seconds.  It’s a quick dose of farm not that far from the city.

Last week, I purchased mint, oregano, basil, lemon thyme, and some Cubanelle peppers.  Today, I went back and purchased some tri-colored sage and lemon grass.  While not everything I could want for cooking, definitely enough to build a pretty firm base of summer recipes around.  And compared to the cost of herbs going bad in my refrigerator from the grocery store, quite a savings.  My plants each cost about the same ($3.49) as a fresh pack of the same herb at my grocer.

So, I took my pot, and placed some good sized stones at the bottom.  Then mixing my two potting soils placed some—about four inches deep—on top of the stones.  Removing the plants from their containers I broke the root system apart.  It can get compacted in the small containers and needs to be gently pulled apart to give the roots access to water and air.  Making a small hole for each, I placed them in the pot and then added more soil on top.  Watered thoroughly and allowed to drain, I then placed it outside.

Now to let the sunlight, some watering, and the use of my hands, even in the city, allow me to harvest and use my herb garden.

Calling all creatives! We’re looking for some of the best emerging creative minds in music, art, poetry, fashion and more. We want to see what you do best? Do you have a great song, a dope beat, or an amazing artistic design? Nominate yourself or your friends in the entry below and get a chance to win an  HP Envy 27 Inch Monitor with Beats Audio as well as have your work featured on The Couch Sessions and an HP online property!

The winner will be picked by a panel of industry influencers and Couch Sessions staff. There are no limits to any entries, but the winning submission will be unique, imaginative and downright cool.

Looking to work harder and stronger in 2013? The deep bass of the integrated Beats Audio speakers will most certainly enhance your home studio and the The 27 inch HD display will make your visuals pop. Hook your laptop up to this monitor and let it rock.

You know what to do! Nominate yourself or a friend below and let us know how this latest HP monitor will help enhance your creativity.

Contest Rules

1.) Enter Below. Submit three (3) recent links to your creative output. It can be anything from music, poetry, art, or graphic design. 

2.) Contest submissions must be all original work and the sole creation of the submission holder.

3.) Contest entrants must be 13 years or older. 

4.) Contest Ends June 30th, 2013 at Midnight EST

The National Academy’s Emerging Artist Spotlight showcases Jeffrey Gibson as its first artist of the series with his exhibit Said the Pigeon to the Squirrel. Gibson creates geometric abstract paintings and sculpture influenced by Native American traditions and modernist ideas. From the most traditional elements, such as 19th-century Iroquois beadwork, paint, and rawhide, to non objective possibilities, Gibson expressions connect the present with his culture’s traditions.

Jeffrey does not compose images purposely because he is more interested in the elements that make them up. In this state the art he creates can become whatever the viewer perceives: text, objects, anything. He makes “elements of sheer potential,” and freezes them in a moment.

After the jump are some pieces from 2012. You’ll have to visit the National Academy to see his new work.

Everlast, Jefferey Gibson

Nephelococcygia, Jeffrey Gibson

Several events in conjunction with the exhibition will be held. ARTalks and Special Events presented:
June 27, 2013, 7 PM – 12 AM / PLAYLIST: An Evening of Music and Performance
July 10, 2013, 6:30 -8: PM / Abstract Painting and Identity
August 02, 2013, 3 PM / Curator Insights

Said the Pigeon to the Squirrel runs May 23 through Sep 08 2013.

You can get more information about the Jeffrey Gibson here.

You can get more information on the National Academy here.

As Sir Michael puts the finishing touches on Banco, he will release a new project, While You Wait, to help bridge the gap.  “In A Minute” features spaced out rhymes from Rocks, Soul and Dash all over Larry Fisherman’s (Mac Miller) production.

Checkout “In a Minute” below and hit the download button if you like it.

Foreign Exchange affliate and all around dope artist Zo! has released his latest album, ManMade. “Count To Five” is his second single is a smooth, soulful track featuring the illustrious Gwen Bunn.

Checkout “Count To Five” below and you can download ManMade here.

I had been in the Columbia Heights neighborhood in the morning.  Living there ten years ago, to leave the area and now return, this area of Washington, DC is a tapestry in contrasts.  Gentrification has changed whole blocks from undesirable to high rent.  Some types of faces are new to my memories of the neighborhood.  Young urban couples push a baby in a stroller down the street, two lesbians pass me holding hands and speaking quietly, a bike path and several bikers pass me as I walk south on 11^th Street—my old, “hood”—past Cardozo Senior High School.

My first time out of the metro station a few weeks ago, I lost my bearings because a Target and Giant now occupy the corner where I used to come up to abandoned structures and a gang war that left bodies on the sidewalk during my two block walk home.

But some sights, are still present.  A man, avoiding eye contact, asked me for change as I walked past.  In a city where so much is booming, and so many are doing well, there are still those in need.  People are homeless, under or unemployed, struggling to find work, and to feed themselves and their families.

And then there is an organization like DC Central Kitchen, whose goal is to provide culinary food training, healthy meals and food sources to the community, and nutrition awareness to some of our capital’s most food poor areas and individuals.

Walking down Sherman Street from Columbia Heights, I heard and smelled the event before I saw it.  The Sound Bites Event inside and in front of the 9:30 Club was a Food and Music event to benefit DC Central Kitchen.  Featuring more than twenty-five different restaurants and food or beverage vendors and six local bands as well as a DJ, the festival and fundraising event lasted from early afternoon until the early evening on Sunday, May 19, 2013.  DJ Will Eastman, the Mixology Competition, and food and drink vendors were all set up outside with the stage inside featuring the local bands who were scheduled to play.

With the smell of a giant dish of paella prepared by people in the Job Training program wafting through the air, or the sounds of the womyn drummers from Batala mimicking—or directing, perhaps—you’re heartbeat, one could forget that this is not just a block party.  It is a fundraiser to support an organization that is helping individuals in our city to rebuild and improve their lives.  That many of the event staff are former or current clients, and that many of the restaurants and bars present employ people who have been trained through DC Central Kitchen’s Job Training program.  The money you pay for admission will help to provide high quality, locally sourced food to some of the schools and communities that were previously without access to high quality, nutritionally rich food.

- The mozzarella being made by hand and served from H & Pizza;

- The carefully constructed bite of seafood and avocado tapas from the mind and menu of Jose Andreas of Jaleo;

- The Maple Bacon and Crème Brulee doughnuts from Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken;

- The mounds of oysters being shucked and served by Rappahanock Oyster Company;

- The talent in  drink crafting, and entertaining skills of the bartenders from Birch and Barley, the Gibson, Black Jack, and Bar Pilar, as well as the judging of the contest by local food celebrities, Todd Thrasher, Fritz Hahn, and Chef Tony Lombardo;

- The crafted spirits of Bloomery SweetShine used in the mixology competition;

- The seemingly endless supply of loaded to overflowing selection of finger sandwiches, empanadas, savory bites, and sweet treats;

- The venue space inside and outside of the 9:30 Club;

- The crooning voice of Lee Fields backed up by the Expressions and the other bands

…were all donated.

Because every vendor, performer, and entertainer there believed that food and the shared culture of our city and community are worth the investment.  Because event attendees were spending their money to ensure that children and the elderly have access to nutritional food, that food deserts can cease to exist in a city with so much, and that people can find a path of hope out of circumstances stacked against them.

The restaurants and bars present make their living in food services.  They feed those of us who have disposable income, fickle palates, and choices when it comes to eating.  There are many who live not that far from the 800 block of V Street who do not have those options.

But food is a universal.  We must all eat to survive.  The vendors [I cannot tag them all, but here they are listed on the Sound Bites website] recognize that to thrive, as individuals, and also as businesses, we must feed our community.   We eat, and laugh, and sing, and dance together, so that we can all eat.  We must support the vendors and we must support the work of the DC Central Kitchen.  Check out their webpages and patronize them.

 Find opportunities to volunteer your time, or donate your money to help the Central Kitchen.  Be on the lookout for their other events: Capital Food Fight this fall and Sips and Suppers this winter, where you can again sample some of the tastiest cuisine in the greater Washington, DC area—and also support a most worthy cause, “food as a tool to strengthen our community.”

A great thank you to DC Central Kitchen for the work they do, to the vendors, entertainers, and attendees who supported the event this year.  And for those of you who are reading this review now, who will be in attendance next year.  Not just for the barbeque, brownies, and beer, but for the good feeling you get making your community a better place for all of us.

]]> http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2013/05/event-dc-central-kitchen-sound-bites-festival-of-local-music-food-and-change/feed/ 0 http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2013/05/ad-design-shutterstocks-game-of-brands/ http://www.thecouchsessions.com/2013/05/ad-design-shutterstocks-game-of-brands/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:56 +0000 Raymond Herrera http://www.thecouchsessions.com/?p=67048

The houses of HBOs popular series Game of Thrones get modern ad campaigns created in their character’s images in Shutterstock’s Game of Brands. The show is based on a struggle for power among the Great Houses of Westeros, where different families fight for absolute supremacy before a looming zombie attack from the very north of their world during the Iron Age. Shutterstock asks, ”what if the families that rule these houses were around in the present day, running modern corporations instead of prepping for battle?” The campaigns were created using stock images from Shutterstock, including icons that became components for logo designs. We loved the solutions presented by Mondayne for capturing the essence of these families.

The Lannisters’ investment firm promises to make sure their clients get to keep “the lion’s share.”

The steel dragons of the Targaryen clan still control the skies.

Who better than the warriors to protect J-Lo from a Flying Miguel. (We joke, Miguel is CS fam and Circus SXSW alumni)

The Starks outfit the adventurers heading North for some fun in the snow. Outbackers be sure to pack one of those new stone spearheads. You never know what things lurk in the night.

From the top of the world Arryn holds their position as the communication center.

You can see the original stock images Shutterstock provided Mondayne to create the campaigns here.

You can find out more about the design firm behind the project, Mondayne, here.

You can find out more about the project and see some additional images here.

Did you know that 1 out of 7 human beings in this world have a facebook account? That’s insane considering that less than 30 years ago (about the time Nas came out with Illmatic), folks didn’t even know what the internet was and only a select group of people had cell phones.  Now with all this information, where and how does facebook store everything? Here’s how:

A pioneer for his time and tagged “King of Records” by his friends for his huge collection and knowledge of music, Rodion Ladislau Rosca and his band “Rodion G.A.” hail from Romania. Under constant threat of censorship from the occupying Soviets, Rodion G.A. performed their music at festivals, restaurants, and clubs in the 70′s and 80′s and even made a New Years Eve appearance on television to ring in 1980.

Rodion G.A. broke up in 1987 after the death of Rosca’s mother, and he thought he would never return.  The music was most likely lost forever.  However, this release all became possible thanks to a blogger and filmmaker Luca Sorin who tracked down Rosca and posted some of the songs to his website which got the attention of a group of Romanian producers called “Future Nuggets.”  It also looks like all of this attention is going to bring about the band’s first live performance in 25 years!

In the amazing interview video below, Rosca explains how he created some of his music with techniques that were never thought of at the time.  It really does seem ahead of its time with his great use of electronic sounds, drum machines, and psychedelic themes. You can hear a preview track “Cantec Fulger” on SoundCloud and I think you’ll agree it’s like nothing you’ve heard before.

“The Lost Tapes” will be released on Strut Records and drops May 28th.

-Chris

Roc Nation DJ/Producer Reflex releases “Body So Tight”, a 808 heavy record featuring Childish Gambino. Reflex is currently working on his debut EP due out later this year.

Checkout “Body So Tight” below and you can learn more about Reflex here.

Jesse Ruins, started by Nobuyuki Sakuma as a solo endeavor, has since expanded and is now known worldwide. Jesse Ruins released an already sold-out cassette with Cuz Me Pain, an independent label in Tokyo, and then proceeded to join in Cuz Me Pain’s first compilation LP the same year. In 2011, Nah joined Sukama as the second member in Jesse Ruins. Music blogs such as Gorilla vs Bear, The Guardian and many others picked up on Jesse Ruins’ unique sound and were hooked. This led the band to release their first 7″ with Double Denim Records. In December 2011, the band signed to Captured Tracks and released an EP. Most recently, the support drummer, Yosuke Tuchida, became an official member of Jesse Ruins. Jesse Ruins is releasing their debut LP A Film today.

Checkout their debut album, A Film, below and you can download it here.