June 28, 2010
The first leg of The Creators Project, a globe-trotting arts and music initiative from Vice magazine and Intel, debuted on a sweltering Saturday. Over 3,500 New Yorkers packed in at Milk Studios to view shows from Interpol, Gang Gang Dance and The Rapture and art from Radical Friend and MOS Architects.
Singer M.I.A. is not happy with her treatment in a New York Times profile by longtime contributor Lynn Hirschberg. In a move sure to send a shudder to all reporters, the disgruntled singer took to Twitter.
Ensconced at her reserve table with Universal execs, Kelly Rowland literally shimmered in a light-reflecting Rubin Singer dress at Pat Field's disco party at 230 Fifth.
Some dance-club inclined friends of ours really like your new single, "Commander", we told the singer by way of an icebreaker.
A motley crew of journalists gathered yesterday afternoon at Milk Studios' penthouse for a press conference on an upcoming music and arts events.
The Creators Project, a collaboration between Vice and Intel, is a multi-disciplinary showcase for art, film and music by emerging artists. New York's all-day event, to take place on June 26, is expected to draw around 2,000 people throughout the day and another 2,500 for the evening concerts. Musical acts include Sleigh Bells, Diplo and Mark Ronson. The party then jumps to London, Seoul, Sao Paolo and culminates in a three-day event in Beijing. Tickets are free and will be available through the Creators Project website.
May 13, 2010
We're no marketing geniuses or anything but if a company wanted to inject their brand with punk rock cool, they could do worse than to commission Iggy Pop & The Stooges to play an exclusive show in Williamsburg.
Sunglasses maker Ray-Ban feted their classic aviator shades (and introduced six new styles) with a two-city concert event. Wednesday's party featured sets by Philadelphia's Free Energy and indie darlings The Virgins. The second party, to take place in London, will feature the New York Dolls and a DJ set by Jarvis Cocker.
Tuesday night's sold-out Jay-Z concert at Madison Square Garden catered to recently-converted fans ("Empire State of Mind" was played in the middle of the set) and longtime diehards (the closing encore was packed with bounce-inducing early hits like 1999's "Big Pimpin" and 1998's "Hard Knock Life" and "Can I Get A...").
A surprise guest nearly stole the spotlight from Hova, though. Jay-Z took an unexpected break in the middle of the set, ceding the stage to Young Jeezy, who asked the crowd to pray for prison-bound Lil Wayne. As Nicki Minaj and Jeezy performed Young Money's "Bedrock," Lil Wayne bounced into view unannounced, ricocheting off the stage like a teenage cat. The crowd squealed a collective "OMG!" like tweens at a Justin Bieber concert. Rapper Drake completed the entourage as they segued into the now-apropos mixtape jam "I'm Going In." Each of Lil Wayne's going innnn's was savored by the crowd, as it was likely to be the last performance before the rapper starts a one-year sentence for gun possession.
