Influential purveyors of limited-edition toys and clothing since 2002, Kidrobot spread its range a little further with last week’s opening of a brand new store at Mockingbird Station. The roomate and I made the trek there last Thursday for the kickoff, which was highlighted by the appearance of pervasive designer Huck Gee. Though the event was set to launch at 6:00, well over half of the 200 elusive Golden Ticket Dunnys the store was handing out were already spoken for by 3. We were numbers 125 and 126.

Above is an edit that Gonzo did. There you’ll see some views of the store. See if you can check the carpet in the place, it was off the chain. Many of our Twitter friends were in the house, including @rondostar (whose sweet photos from the day can be found here), @ashleyestrello, @taylorrea,@rachcreative, @fishr (who managed to mention an erection THREE times during a short interview), @grfwks, @infored, and @nirowho. I even made a new friend in @britcrit, who was just ahead of us in the line.

In case you’re wondering, no I did not get my Golden Ticket Dunny signed. I instead opted to get my Hydrocodone prescription bottle blessed with Huck Gee’s autograph, while Gonzo got some British money tagged up.

Dallas mistress of soul Erykah Badu even came through for a bit to show her love for the Kidrobot movement. Even though we all had to brave the Texas heat, there were smiles all around that day. If you haven’t made your way to the Kidrobot store at Mockingbird Station yet, do it now.

So this is what we do down in Dallas, Tejas. It really is a shame that there seems to be such little quality footage of our local hip-hop scene, so I had to pounce on it when I heard my roommate @Gonz2thaL shot some Dallas footage. This video comes from the freestyle battle that capped of the most recent edition of Poor Vida’s Sunday Sessions at The Green Elephant. For those not in the know, the Poor Vida crew hosts a pair of monthly hip-hop events, on the first Sunday as well as the third Saturday of the month. The main goal for these shows is to give local performers an outlet for their art, so if you think you may be the next big thing out of Dallas a la Astronautalis or Damaged Good$ this may be your shot. More importantly, you very well may end up in this space, featured by yours truly. And now to the battle! Six emcees did combat on Sunday night for a pair of tickets to tomorrow’s Summer Jam, featuring Bun B, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Trae, Big Tuck, and more. Do you think that YOU should have been the one rockin’ a free entry to the Summer Jam tomorrow? Well here’s your chance. Hit up Poor Vida for your very own opportunity to get up. Enjoy the battle. Big ups to judges Rob Viktum, Fishr-Pryce, Jackie (who has the excellent Myspace vanity URL “ilovehiphop”) and some guy who I do not know (sorry, dude). Do you think the right guy won? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Round 1

Bobby Fischer v. Cainam Suge v. MC Astro — Astro does battle with a female poet. Suge comes with the rapid-fire acapella. Must be seen! Lord Oasis-75 v. Flotation

Round 2

Flotation v. Bobby Fischer v. MC Astro

Final Round

Bobby Fischer v. MC Astro

For those of you that were looking forward to The Paper Chase show this Saturday at Rubber Gloves in Denton, I’m sorry but I have a classic good news/bad news scenario for you. Paper Chase front man John Congleton has lost his voice and will not be able to perform. The good news? Astronautalis will be replacing them on the bill, which also includes Sarah Jaffe and The Boom Boom Box. The soiree will also mark the 27th birthday for Astronautalis, so the affair should prove to be a raucous one. It’s this type of impromptu eclecticism that won Denton “Best Music Scene” for 2008 according to Paste Magazine.  Happy Birthday Andy! (and get well soon Mr. Congleton!)

Lineup:

10PM –  The Boom Boom Box

11PM – Astronautalis

Midnight – Sarah Jaffe

$8

at The Rubber Glove Rehearsal Studio

411 E. Sycamore

Denton, TX 76205

Now normally, I’d liken the day after Thanksgiving as one of the few dates on the calendar where venturing into the retail world is about as much fun as sleeping face-down in the Trinity River. But this morning I came across a Black Friday sale that has me interested. Those familiar with this site will know that I am quite the sneaker enthusiast, and one of my favorite boutiques in Dallas, aDiKt, will be having a huge sale on hoodies, sneakers, caps and tees with prices slashed by as much as 80%. And be sure not to miss the $20 shoe sale (what?). Sale will go down Friday and Saturday, 11am until 10pm at aDikt, 3839 McKinney Ave Ste 140, Dallas 75204. Get there early, the freshest of the fresh won’t last long!

I dare you to find me a single person who has actually sat and listened to A Tribe Called Quest who can say in earnest that the hip-hip trio is not on point. Infectious. That’s the word I’d use to describe Tribe and their most visible member since the trio’s breakup: Q-Tip. Tonight Q-Tip, along with Chicago’s The Cool Kids, will be playing at the Dallas House of Blues and it is sure to be a lively affair. And just announced yesterday for all you late-night birds, Tip will be spinning a DJ set at Suite. Here’s the map. The after-party is 21+ and will go until 2 AM.

Album number two from Info-Red of the Dead Stock Crew and Hypnotic Tunez bumps along with an even more polished version of the witty punchline style that this MC is known for. If you are not familar, Kaleidoscope will surely serve as a thorough introduction to Info-Red’s witty and decisive wordplay. One-liners gallop against some truly solid production work coming from Malex, Rob Viktum, Jezreal the Truth, Darkness, Black Ink Beats, and M Slago. The subject matter keeps things upbeat—we get energetic little rap snacks that, when not making you smile with the smooth punchlines are uplifting with recurring themes of hard work and perseverance. Info’s also careful to point out some of his other obsessions such as sneakers (see: Kixpo). Appearances are plenty, but the album stands heavily on the shoulders of Info and could go on to become an archival release in the grand scheme of the Dallas Hip-Hop scene based on the work he’s done here. We’ll have to see if it stands the test of time. Bavu Blakes stops by for a track, with other appearances from Picnic Tyme, Dawg Wonder, Blaze Won, and the entire Hynotic Tunez crew. Always-on-point DJs Niro and Nemeses provide the turntable work.

Sounds pretty nifty, huh? Well you can catch Info and score your very own copy of Kaleidoscope this Saturday November 8 at the Lounge, that’s down in Deep Ellum at 2810 Elm St. There you’ll also get to see Playdough, Blaze Won, Jabee, Dawg Wonder and Hypnotic Tunez perform—all for free. That is, if you’re old enough to drink. Otherwise bring five bucks.

]]> http://theNperiod.com/2008/11/06/info-red-kaleidoscope-review/feed/ 4 http://theNperiod.com/2008/10/08/its-been-too-long-dandy-don-meredith-honored-by-smu-at-last/ http://theNperiod.com/2008/10/08/its-been-too-long-dandy-don-meredith-honored-by-smu-at-last/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:54:37 +0000 N. http://thenperiod.wordpress.com/?p=447 In the first three decades of the existence of the Dallas Cowboys — perhaps the greatest sports organization on the planet — only nine players and the revered head coach Tom Landry were inducted into the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium. Only the words "Bob Lilly" and its accompanying "74" have been there longer than the name of Don Meredith, beaming upon legions of Cowboy fans from its blue stripe just beneath the press box. And now SMU finally follows suit.]]> In the first three decades of the existence of the Dallas Cowboys–perhaps the greatest sports organization on the planet–only nine players and the revered head coach Tom Landry were inducted into the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium. Only the words “Bob Lilly” and its accompanying “74″ have been there longer than the name of Don Meredith, beaming upon legions of Cowboy fans from its blue stripe just beneath the press box. And Dandy Don deserved 1,000% to be up there because of his importance to North Texas.

He grew up a 100 mile drive down I-30 in a small town called Mount Vernon and played his way to number one recruit status. He turned down Bear Bryant in favor of Dallas’ SMU, where he founded the university’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter. He finished third in Heisman voting in 1958. Then he went on to become the only kid from a Dallas high school or college to come start for America’s Team. They slapped his name up on that Ring of Honor in 1976. That’s Twenty-Two years ago for those keeping score.

So can anyone tell me why the ample brain trust that is the SMU Hall of Fame Committee has just now decided to retire Meredith’s hallowed number 17? It’s been a long time coming, but you’d think that someone would have noticed considering that SMU and the Cowboys shared the same field as tenants of the Cotton Bowl. The committee consists mainly of members of the Letterman’s Club, but unfortunately I couldn’t find any info on this organization on SMU’s interwebs. My guess is that they don’t want to be reached, considering the tardiness of this decision and the fact that they are the same people behind this.

N.: What was yr first experience with graphic art/design?

Tony Bones:  I got started really I guess doing doodles.  On school papers, on my school tests, like in the margins and stuff.  Then it moved on to my desk, and then I started writing in the bathrooms at school — it just went everywhere from there. All city, all over the place. It was an evolution, then it consumed me, the whole graffiti thing.

N.: I know that you are from East Dallas, which is one of the most culturally diverse parts of the city.  When you were growing up, did you know how great of a neighborhood that you were in?

TB: I didn’t really have anything to put it against, but I definitely had an appreciation for it.  East Dallas has more of a neighborhood feel, kinda like an old flavor, more of a sense of community, I’ve always had a lot of love for the East side.

N.: Who were your influences once you got into graffiti?

TB: The first graffiti that I ever saw and realized it was graffiti was that dude KIDS. I thought it was a gang, more than one person.  And then there was Eon from IC [the Infinity Crew]. I started emulating that style a lot. Those were the two biggest influences.  Also as a kid I was always reading Shel Silverstein and Calvin and Hobbes, so there’s a bit of that flavor in my earlier work.

N.: So at that time was getting up your main goal or did you have other ulterior motives?

TB: It took two to three years before I started worrying about getting up and rep, you know as a writer [graffiti artist].  At first it was about fun, going out with your homies and bombing shit, you know, just write on stuff.  It was fun to see your own stuff.  But after that I I realized it was a whole other world.  I was like, “this guy’s one-upping me, I gotta go hit the city.”  But it’s mostly been my personal drive to do it over competitive nature.

N.: Now that you’ve gotten in trouble, does that mean that you don’t do illegal graffiti any more?

TB: Yeah, thats pretty much where I’m standing.  I’m now focusing on the gallery thing.

N.: So what are your goals with your art now that you no longer do it illegally?

TB: I’d like to have shows outside the country. I’d like to have my art pay my plane ticket to Paris, Tokyo — to see the world through all this.

N.: What work of yours are you most proud of?

TB: I’m always gonna say that I’m mots proud of my street stuff.  But I’m also really stoked on the neon signs I’ve made recently.  That’s what I’m most excited about cus it’s totally new shit.

N.:How did you get into the neon?

TB: My friend Bruce Webb over at the Webb Gallery.  He and I were talking and he said he had a friend that did neon.  I’ve always really wanted to get into that. I never got a hold of that guy — I wound up going to someone else actually — but Bruce Webb planted the seed. The Public Trust really facilitated my first neon signs.

N.: Any quick image search on the internet, especially flickr, and you’ll see that Tony Bones has quite an online presence.  It’s easy to see that a lot of people admire your work.  With the extra exposure, do you feel that you have an extra responsibility with the message of your art?

TB: I’m always just gonna do what I’m gonna do. I was never in it to be a role model.  If a little kid comes up to me and says, “I wanna be like you what should I do?”, I will definitely have some words for him. But on a personal level I’m not gonna change what I do just because I feel like I have people looking at me now.

N.: What themes do you like to touch on in your work?

TB: Well before it would be very simple, like one small action. I’d have somebody puking or or getting stabbed. But now I’ve been getting into more of a little story because I have more time to do that here in the gallery setting. I like doing art about love, hate, death, destruction — all of those basic things that kinda eat away.

N.: How does someone from East Dallas make the transition to being an artist in New York City?

TB: It was tough. I definitely had to hustle just to keep my head above water. I  had some shows, I sold some work out there but I wasn’t doing it for a living. I was hustlin doing delivery jobs or other random jobs. I was doing every little thing I could. New York’s a hard city to live in but I did definitely get my art up there. I met a lot of people through graffiti.

N.: I was watching “Flight of the Conchords” and I saw some of your work on there, have you seen that?

Photo By James Harrison.

TB: I actually haven’t but someone told me about it.

N.: I have it right here. (Shows to Tony on laptop)

TB: O yeah, I remember the night I did that. It was my last night in town one time. I stole a can of black from a friend of mine, I took it and just like THAT!

N.: Any other other high profile accidents like that you know of?

TB: There’s another time in NY. There was some stupid tag, an ugly one on some stairs. Some dude was sitting there on Puff Daddy’s “Making the Band.” And there was also another one — a paparazzi shot that was in “People” magazine.  That kinda stuff happens all the time in New York, I’m sure that there’s lots that I don’t even know about.

N.: What kind of stuff would you like to see change as far as art and culture go in Dallas?

TB: There’s a lot I’d like to see change. Things have been going in a weird direction lately. There’s all this money coming in and all these buildings going up. The neighborhoods are changing. It feels like they’re importing a lot of culture instead of cultivating what’s already here or creating around what’s already here.  They’re just building new shit. So all the people that come to see stuff that’s not really Dallas, Dallas is just a stage for it. I’d like to see more organic stuff but that’s never gonna happen. The money is not allocated for that type of shit. People are always gonna put their money into the big fancy hotels. And look at Deep Ellum.  Deep Ellum’s all dead because there’s more money to be made at Victory Park and stuff like that.It’s kind of a bummer but at the same time I love Dallas. I just don’t think it’s right for me in light of that type of shit. I want to see the world.

N.: I’ve heard people compare you, both stylistically and in making the transition from the street to the gallery, to Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

TB: I’ve heard that and I love both of those dudes for sure. They’ve both always ben big influences. There’s that raw natural vibe that often comes when doing graffiti, a very simple … je ne sais quoi that I identify with. It’s like small natural stuff that just comes to life.

N.: Last month the UK newspaper Mail on Sunday ran a story that allegedly exposed the identity of Banksy. What effect, if any, on him and other cultural torch bearers like him?

TB: I don’t know if anybody will do anything about that. It’s like he’s above the law at this point. His work is so valuable nowadays. I think I’ve seen him sell a print for like 40 grand. I don’t know how much taking away his anonymity will take away from the value though.

N.: And with your art?

TB: Anonymity has always been really important to me. It allows me to work more freely without the scrutiny from people. Also it protects me if I make some kind of mistake. It’s not connected to you so much. It’s like Superman or Batman or Spider Man. They d all these great things, but behind a mask so they can live their own lives. It’s nice to have affirmation of your work but I’m not tryin’ to be a celebrity. I like to present [the art] and let it have its own life.

N.: How hard is it not to write on walls?

TB: It’s always gonna be a compulsion. But as long as I have an outlet I can control myself.  It’s been really hard but I’ve learned to.

N.: Today everybody is about cross-marketing. The popularity of yr art seems ready-made for this. Do you have any interest in this and if so what is the future of the Tony Bones brand?

TB: I probably would not do something like a clothing line. That doesn’t appeal to me at all. I like to keep it as  much fingerprint as possible, like brush stroke, proof that there was still some sort of human being behind it. I like my stuff to be personally produced, so mass producing or branding doesn’t appeal to me at all.

N.: Tell me about your show.

TB: It’s here at The Public Trust and it opens Saturday August 9, with the opening that night from 7-9 and running until September 6. I’ve got I think 28 panel pieces of various sizes ranging from 1 ft x 1 ft to 6 ft x 3 ft, three neon pieces and this shadow box thing that I’m actually about to start on after we do the interview. And there’s a print series. Seven different prints, one I think is a series of 100, another of 60. Those will be coming out Saturday here.

N.: I’ll let you get back to work.

TB: Word.

Dallas and New York City-based artist Tony Bones will have a solo show beginning August 9, 2008 at Dallas’ The Public Trust gallery.  Artists’ reception will begin that evening at 7 PM and the show will be running until September 6.  Full details after the jump.  Stay tuned to The N. Period for more juicy Tony Bones coverage in the coming days.

CUTTHROAT, DARK, DUAL

Justin French, DMISE, PixieLife

stncl.07, ENKS, Scotch!

Dave Lowell

More details here.