GraySide Projects

Writer, editor, subculture enthusiast, Black Sheep author and publisher, GraySide Projects owner. I like words, and the art of stringing them together.

[graysideprojects]

Art War

Went to see a FIFA screening of the documentary film Art War this past weekend at the MAC. The film accompanies young Egyptian artists in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and depicts their emotional struggle to keep the revolution alive through music and street art. Very intense depiction of how graffiti and music can and should be considered an important part of the people’s history, and can act as a catalyst for social and political change.

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It’s Official.

The lineups for Osheaga and Heavy Montreal 2015 have been announced. As usual, the only Osheaga bands I really know are those from pre-2000, aside from those I’ve written about recently for Ion, but a big chunk of the Heavy lineup will be an amazing trip down memory lane for me. Last year the goal was to drive Ice-T and Coco around in a golf cart. This year, maybe doing jump kicks with Andrew W.K.? We shall see.

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Wall mural, Bridgetown, Barbados

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To all the skaters out there, keep on pushing.

Amazing short film by Ricki Bedenbaugh on the beauty of skateboarding. Narrated by Ian MacKaye.

Keep On Pushin' from Ricki Bedenbaugh on Vimeo.

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Heavy MTL 2014

My #1 goal for this weekend is to drive Ice T and Coco around in a golf cart. It could happen.

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Osheaga: Where Montreal's Industry Peeps Come Together to... Eat!

What am I most looking forward to at Osheaga 2014? Good food and good company, of course!

The break-of-dawn start time (thankfully I'm not one of the people who actually has to camp on site) is definitely nothing to look forward to (although the bike ride over to Ile Sainte-Helene is really something at that hour). Getting in gear for extremely early mornings and some pretty late evenings is inevitable.

When break times roll around, I really just want a moment to sit down and grab a bite to eat. (What bands?) If it was a sandwich and pickle I brought from home, whatever. But this... this is Osheaga we're talking about. The food is the best part!

This is the fourth year that Artists' World, the festival's backstage -- or really VIP village nestled in a corner of Parc Jean-Drapeau -- has been catered by the Crown Salts crew, led by Montreal's favorite celebrity chefs, Chuck Hughes and Danny Smiles.

Picture mountains of BBQ chicken and ribs, pizza, poutine, salads of all kinds, pasta, paella, a raw bar, tacos, a deli station, a juice bar, desserts galore... How can you not get excited?

The only thing that rivals my excitement over the catering is the sense of camaraderie that this festival brings. This is one of the few times a year that many of MTL's movers and shakers in the industry come together for one giant collective effort. Standing around the catering tent asking event creator Nick Farkas how the day was, or Technical Producer/ Artist World den mother Nunya Beckley if everything has been running smoothly, or shooting the shit with friends from various venues and production companies across Montreal, all while munching on a plate of ribs served to you by Chuck Hughes? Doesn't get much better than that. 

Let the countdown begin!

Osheaga 2014 runs from August 1st to 3rd at Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau. 

For a little sneak-peak from Chuck Hughes, click here. 

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An email from an intergalactic barbarian.

Four years ago I released a book, Black Sheep: An unconventional look at good ol' family values -- a collection of stories about family from people not typically associated with traditional familial roles and values. When I set out to get contributors, I remember dreaming up lists of some of the most interesting people I could think of -- the heroes of the underground -- and wondering if any of them would bite.

Dave Brockie was one of the first people I hit up.

No one put on such an over-the-top, vulgar spectacle, such a comically revolting show, than Gwar, led by Oderus Urungus (Brockie's alterego creation), yet it always somehow felt all in good fun. You don't leave a Gwar show feeling angry or aggressive; you leave, possibly covered in fake blood, feeling like a little kid who somehow snuck out to attend a totally inappropriate, bawdy circus.

Most people didn't look at Dave Brockie and think "family values." They looked at him and thought "giant, repulsive, sword-wielding intergalactic barbarian" or maybe just "creative and crass metalhead." Either way, he was exactly the kind of person I wanted to hear from. That's why I was so over-the-moon to receive this in my mailbox one evening in 2009:

"Sure I wanna contribute" - Dave

In the end, Brockie might have had a far larger family than even he realized. Countless fans, bands, industry people and friends have expressed how deeply sorry they are to have lost such a special brother. Last year while working at Heavy MTL, I saw Brockie headed back to his tour bus. I ran up to him so I could finally thank him in person for being a part of my book. He responded, "Yeah, your book's in my bathroom!" Not knowing if that was good or bad, I decided to take it as a compliment and was later told by a friend that, indeed, "the bathroom is prime book real estate," so that was good enough for me. 

I'm so happy I had a chance to thank him in person, but I'll say it again. Thank you so much, Dave. You were truly one of a kind.

If you haven't read his story in Black Sheep, read on.

"GWAR and family values? What, are you fucking crazy? A band dedicated to the destruction of the human race wouldn't seem to have much of a stand on family values, unless we had a boot on their neck. But in the blood-soaked halls where GWAR holds their wretched rituals, much to the delight of their doomed followers, a curious thing has occurred… rock ‘n’ roll has become a family affair.

Last night in Tucson, Arizona, as I took the stage as Oderus Urungus, lead singer of GWAR, a curious sight awaited me. Besides the usual unruly mob of slavering GWAR freaks, there was a smaller group of fans standing just inside the barricade, ready to be drenched in blood and show their true devotion to their Antarctic overlords… and not one of them was over ten years old! They were like a bunch of imps, blood-drenched and ecstatic, singing along to every word of our most twisted songs. And behind them, keeping a watchful eye, yet still enjoying the hell out of the show, were their loving parents.

Strange as it sounds, sights like this are becoming more commonplace at not only GWAR shows, but at rock ‘n’ roll events everywhere. I first noticed the trend of our shows becoming more of a "family affair" a couple years back. After a show, when I was doing my duty of signing girls’ tits, I met a group of fine folks that redefined my concept of who our fans were. There was the usual dude in his mid-to-late twenties, but what was different was that he had brought his young son and his mother. There they were, proudly wearing their GWAR t-shirts, covered in blood; three generations of one family bonded together by the most anti-family band in rock ‘n’ roll history!

But when you think about it, it's really not that surprising. Back when I was a kid, the idea of my parents being into the same music that I was into was unthinkable. In its formative years, rock ‘n’ roll made and shed hats with an amazing frequency. Music was changing so much and so fast that the stuff your parents listened to seemed like ancient history. But times have changed. Bands are lasting longer and heavy metal has proved itself the longest-lasting and most consistent sub-genre in the rock ‘n’ roll catalog. So instead of having to suffer through your mom's repeated attempts to get you to appreciate the genius of Glenn Miller (even though I finally did), we have the family packing up the car and heading down to the GWAR show. Hell, they might even drop by the old-folks home and pick up Granny on the way!"

- Dave Brockie, Black Sheep: An unconventional look at good ol' family values

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FREIGHTS - a Pat O'Connor documentary

Tonight in Montreal is the premiere of Pat O'Connor's new documentary, Freights, an in-depth insider look into the world of graffiti, specifically the fascinating, dangerous and ever-moving freight genre.

I, along with countless other individuals involved in Canadian graffiti culture, was blown away by O'Connor's 9-year-in-the-making debut documentary, Making a Name, which premiered at last year's Festival of Films on Art (FIFA), so I'm excited to see what he has in store for us this time around.

Freights screens tonight at 9 at the Museé d’art contemporain (185 Ste-Catherine St. W.) and Sunday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. at Concordia’s J.A. de Sève Cinema (1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.).

For more info, check out the FIFA website. 

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SK8FACE Documentary

Issue 89 of Ion Magazine that dropped a few weeks back contains an article I wrote on the relationship between skate and art, featuring interviews with Skart, Monstr and a well-known Montreal artist by the name of Chris Dyer. While on the subject, Dyer told me about an up-and-coming documentary on just this subject, specifically the evolution of skateboard graphics: a project called SK8FACE.

SK8FACE, a film about the history and evolution of skateboard art, spans five decades and features over 60 iconic artists, including Shepard Fairey, Tony Hawk, Mark Gonzales, Lance Mountain, and Dyer (Montreal, rep!).

There's a Kickstarter campaign in place for the next couple of weeks to help in the film's editing, licensing, etc. Backers receive not just credit, but sticker packs, t-shirts, Blu-Ray copies of the film, and decks (depending on the amount pledged, of course).

An amazing project featuring some amazing skaters and artists. Click here to help out.

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Black Crab VIP Launch Party

Just a quick note to congratulate Chuck Hughes, Vans and Off the Hook for an incredible VIP launch party for the Black Crab shoe collection on Monday night. 

The Phi Centre in Old Montreal was packed with familiar faces, some of whom I hadn't seen in ages. It was especially nice to see a few of my favorite Montreal skaters, and some fellow Osheaga/Heavy MTL crew members -- two groups that make me forget about the long winter and look forward to watching skate sessions at Shazam and the Big O, and August's music festival season. Summer's coming, people!

Here are a few of my [terrible cell phone] photos.

For a far, far superior collection of pics, check out the Off the Hook Facebook page here.

[graysideprojects]

Black Crab Collection

Coming soon: Vans x Off the Hook x Chuck Hughes' much-anticipated Black Crab collection.

Looks delicious.

VIP launch, tonight in Montreal. Official drop date, March 22nd, both in-store and online at OTH.

Vans X OTH X Chuck Hughes from Off The Hook on Vimeo.

[fucknomontreal]

Just so we’re all on the same page here, that’s a real ad campaigning for a fair Quebec. Everyone gets a piece of the pie. Only, uh, OVER 50% OF THE PIE IS MISSING. Just totally unaccounted for. Is that it? Is that the joke? LOLkickbacks?

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Ion Magazine - The Art of Skate

The much-anticipated issue 89 of Ion Magazine just dropped! This issue features my multi-artist interview on The Art of Skate.

Almost every skater I know is an artist on some level, some by profession, some by hobby, but what’s the connection? Why does skate culture boast so many artists, and how does the skate world influence their art? To get some insight, I hit up three Montreal-based artists -- Chris Dyer, Michel "Skart" Poulin, and Benjamin "Monstr" Tran -- to talk about skate, art, and the relationship between the two.

Also of note is an 8-page spread on Montreal's Temple of Boom, a visual boombox art show featuring photography by Facteur Malice.

Find a copy in a boutique near you, or check out ionmagazine.com.

Photos from Chris Dyer, Facteur Malice, and Benjamin Tran. 

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Zilon Lazer , The Pioneer.

Check out my article on Montreal street art pioneer ZÏlon Lazer for Ion Magazine.

"Writers and artists can love him or hate him, but either way, that trail they’re walking along - the one through alleys, or stores, or galleries - was blazed by Zïlon."

http://ionmagazine.ca/art/profiles/z%C3%AFlon-lazer-the-pioneer

Photos from Zilon's Facebook page.

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Stick & Move @ Studio Ink City North

This past Friday was the debut of Orion Revolution's vintage sticker show at Montreal's Studio Ink City North in the Old Port, and it didn't disappoint.

For the past four months, Orion's been experimenting with different ways of displaying some of his favorites without "spending" (i.e. "sticking") them, and his method proved to be successful. From Hook-ups and Independent to Hello Kitty and his prized Michael Jackson bubble stickers, the collection of 14,000+ was a fun feast for the eyes, and the nostalgia stirred up by the plethora of old school band stickers was enough to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy despite the terrible weather outside.

The exhibit will be up at Studio Ink City North (15 de la Commune O., corner St. Laurent) for the next month. Framed pieces are for sale, so go get your holiday shop on!

A big thanks to Ink City's Tasso, Barry Walsh, Facteur Malice, and, of course, Orion Revolution.

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ABC Charity - Letter by Letter

ABC Charity just got sponsored by Henrik Lundqvist of the NY Rangers to help out with the letter "D" in the Dominican Republic! To help get the attention of other potential sponsors, spread the word so founders Ashley Cooper -- my friend and old roomie, and Filip Cederholm can continue on with this amazing and epic charity project.

Here's the deal:

Over the coming years a minimum of 13,000 children from 26 Countries around the World will come together to form the first ever human alphabet.

When the alphabet is complete companies and individuals can buy their names and 100% of the money goes to a charity of the buyer’s choice. The goal is to raise 10 million USD for charity & show that “Together We Can Make A Difference” while connecting thousands of children all over the World. 

Check out www.abccharity.org or https://www.facebook.com/peaceloveandphotography for more info and to spread the word :)

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Stick & Move Sticker Expo

It's finally here! For the past 25 years, Orion Revolution has been obsessed with collecting stickers, and he's finally putting them out there for all to see -- all 14,000 of them.

If you're in Montreal, come by to check it out.