In addition to the rest of this Third Friday goings-on, May 15 marks the opening of LabourLove Gallery at Golden Belt. The opening promises to be quite the affair:
Three talented, young artists—Kelly Dew, Kevin McGoff, and Luke Miller Buchanan—are lined up for the first show with over forty original pieces plus limited edition prints, clothing and furniture. The first fifty guests will receive a free, limited-edition Giclée art print and for $30, patrons can create eco-friendly, custom t-shirts featuring works by the opening artists. The renowned Only Burger and Sabor taco trucks and the lauded Daisy Cakes (think scrumptous cupcakes, pies and cakes) will delight the hungry; and home brew master Jason Salemme will treat the crowds to a sampling of his award-winning Scottish Ale and Stout beers. Enjoy a beautiful evening with great art to stimulate your eyes and wallet, food and bluegrass music from the Cadillac Stepbacks.
New York-based blog The Music Slut just debuted a new track from Trekky Records‘ the Physics of Meanings. The local band covered “The Boy With the Thorn In His Side” from the Smiths’ 1986 classic The Queen Is Dead. The cover is part of a month-long tribute, entitled TMS Hearts Moz, the music blog has curated to honor the former Smiths frontman, who released his latest album in February.
You can download Physics’ contribution here, and see the rest of the offerings (which includes Pattern Is Movement) here.
Design*Sponge just added Durham to their extensive list of city guides. The Durham guide, written by local photographer Jessie Gladin-Kramer, joins the Web site’s, which also offers interior design, craft, recipe etc. (think Martha Stewart in Williamsburg), extensive list that includes Zurich, Omaha, New York and a variety of other major cities. Like Design*Sponge’s other city guides, this one highlights the Bull City’s finest eateries, annual events, shops etc.
To anyone who lives in Durham, it probably doesn’t offer any new or exciting places to visit (the list includes the Pinhook, Piedmont, the Scrap Exchange, etc.) and does demonstrate a bit of youthfulness (Chubby’s makes the list, Magnolia Grill and Four Square don’t), but it’s still great to see a comprehensive list of Durham’s finest on a national Web site/blog.
The Song: It’s hard to ignore how pretty young Ricky Martin is in his debut. The blinding smile, slicked-back hair, chiseled face. The exotic version of the Ken doll had already done the boy band thing (shout out to Menudo!) and was ready to bring the sex factor into American pop music. Okay, so the lyrics are still a long way from perfect (waking up in funky cheap hotels with girls who are into black cats and voodoo dolls is a little amateur), but at least “Livin’ La Vida Loca” offers up a richer sound with trumpets and some guitar riffs. Even more impressive is this song was the first #1 hit to be recorded, edited and mixed completely in a digital format, moving away from the ol’ days of analog.
The Moment: A little show called SpongeBob SquarePants was aired for the first time on Nickelodeon. The little friendly sponge invaded our television screens, just as Martin spearheaded the Latin pop invasion. He was one of the main predecessors to successfully break into the American market. After him, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony, Shakira and Paulina Rubio would hit the scene as well. Whether correlation or causation, we also see Christina Aguilera showing off her Latina heritage and even the Backstreet Boys were cashing in on this fever with “Spanish Eyes” off Millenium.
Retrospection: JT might have brought sexy back in 2006, but Ricky Martin brought the sexy into the mainstream pop in 1999. While ‘N Sync was whimpering over break ups and Britney was still dressing in turtle necks, this Puerto Rican heartthrob was dancing with scantily clad women in tight outfits and insinuating the appeal of one-night stands. He embodied what we imagined to be a Latin lover, living on the edge. The Latin invasion was ephemeral—perhaps it died with Enrique’s mole—but Martin will be remembered for bravely paving the way (even though he is not brave enough to admit he might possibly/potentially/surely? be gay).
With Oprah, Desmond Tutu and the cast of Main Street in the Triangle this weekend, it’s understandable that Garrison Keiller’s visit might have slipped under your radar. But the A Prairie Home Companion host was in town, taping a live broadcast from the Durham Performing Arts Center. I caught a piece of the show yesterday, and Keiller & co. gave the Triangle the Guy Noir, Radio Private Eye treatment, sending up the Duke-UNC rivalry, the pharmaceuticals industry and, of course, Southern tobacco. The bit was up to normal Guy Noir quality, but extra funny if you’ve been living among these things for a few years. Check out the show here (Guy Noir comes in at 41:05), and a YouTube video of Keiller in front of DPAC above.
