Blogcritics Author: gette

Music Review: The Jeff Gauthier Goatette - House of Return

gette — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:51:52 EDT

Fans of free jazz -- experimental and ambient sound -- and fusion will delight in this recent release from these notable musicians.
House of Return is violinist Jeff Gauthier's fifth release as the leader of this group. The band includes Gauthier (also producer), Nels Cline on guitar, David Witham on keyboards, Joel Hamilton on bass, and Alex Cline on percussion. As any unconventional music lover knows, each of these musicians has a long resume outside of this band, and the...

Book Review: I'd Rather Be In The Studio! The Artist's No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion by Alyson B. Stanfield

gette — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:04:58 EDT

Make your art career thrive with this new book, chock full of straight forward entrepreneurial strategies for success!
The world is full of talented people. Many of them are known only in their small circle of friends. Unless these artists either have patrons or else live close to the bone, they have to have second jobs to support their first love. If these artists were able to promote their work effectively, they might be in the position to sell their work and...

Movie Review: Ivory Bastards Against Extinction

gette — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:54:43 EDT

Can alien Lucha Libre save the human race from the Transhumans? Only this restored lost classic of Mexican cinema can tell.
If you like cheesy satire with frequent potty-mouth jokes and sharp pop cultural references, then you'll love Ivory Bastards Against Extinction. This independent short, directed and co-written by Jonathan Case and Timothy Ferlito -- both of whom star in the movie -- was filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina and Syracuse, New York in 2007. The...

DVD Review: N.Y.H.C.

gette — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:01:28 EDT

The award-winning documentary about the world's hardest music is only part of this eight-hour two-disc release.
The classic documentary N.Y.H.C. was released this year on DVD. It was originally an hour and a half film. This two-disc release from Halo Eight features that film plus previously unreleased live performances, deleted scenes, bonus footage, and director's commentary from Frank Pavich. Eight hours. EIGHT FREAKIN' HOURS OF NEW YORK...

Music Review: Charge - Who's in Control?!

gette — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:27:54 EDT

This New York hardcore band is often compared to the Bad Brains.
Charge is a New York hardcore band based in New Jersey. People like to compare them to the Bad Brains. I think they do this because (a) most or all of the musicians are black (depending on the lineup), (b) the band plays hardcore, and (c) the music has reggae breaks. Despite these superficial similarities, Charge definitely has its own sound. ...

Music Review: Trouble Funk - Live/Early Singles

gette — Wed, 21 May 2008 02:27:10 EDT

A reissued pair of classic Go-Go releases from one of DC's best funk bands.
Look, it's a documented medical fact. You can't listen to Go-Go music without shaking your ass. Even white boys gotta move. Go-Go originated in Washington, DC. It is a type of funk music with a syncopated rhythm and features a lot of horn. Although wildly popular in the DC area, it received little national attention with the exception of a couple...

Book Review: Trash Talk by Dave and Lillian Brummet

gette — Sun, 18 May 2008 10:22:14 EDT

Pick up some tips for green living with "An inspirational guide to saving time and money through better waste and resource management."
Going green is hot right now. There are a lot of books on the market about it. There are also a lot of books about frugal living. Trash Talk is an e-book that combines the two concepts. What separates it from the rest of the genre is that authors Dave and Lillian Brummet tackle recycling also from a systems perspective. Instead of either guilting...

Music Review: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Friends - Solos, Sessions & Encores

gette — Sat, 17 May 2008 23:09:18 EDT

Check out this collection of songs by guitar master Stevie Ray Vaughan performing with other gods of the blues.
Typically, I dislike posthumous releases, cynically believing them to be just one more way for a record company to milk another dollar from the artist's fans. And like all Texans, I am protective of the memory of one of our greatest musical sons, Stevie Ray Vaughan. So I listened to Solos, Sessions & Encores with a skeptical ear. However, this...

Book Review: Resisting Arrest - Detective Fiction and Popular Culture by Robert A. Rushing

gette — Tue, 4 Dec 2007 13:00:03 EST

A Lacanian analysis of the detective fiction genre by a film professor from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
The title is a double entendre: The book is about detective fiction and the criminal resists arrest, yes, but the analysis goes deeper into a Lacanian analysis of why the reader chooses to read detective fiction in the first place. Robert A. Rushing believes that the reader enjoys the detection but that the resolution steals his satisfaction. In...

Book Review: The Artist's Guide to GIMP Effects - Creative Techniques for Photographers, Artists, and Designers by Michael J. Hammel

gette — Tue, 4 Dec 2007 12:07:07 EST

The use of the open source Photoshop alternative is clearly explained and illustrated in this enjoyable and useful text.
Michael J. Hammel has written a clear and thorough guide to artist techniques using the GIMP. GIMP is an open source alternative to Adobe Photoshop. I had used the GIMP minimally before I received this book and I'd never used Photoshop, but I found the instructions articulate and easy to follow. Artists, graphic designers, and photographers...