If you are not familiar with Easy Star Records, or the Easy Star All Stars, then it is about time that you got acquainted with them. If you are already a big reggae fan, you will instantly fall in love the fresh and vibrant reggae and dub sounds, and if you have not listened to much of this style of music before, you are in for a real musical treat.

The band formed a number of years ago, and their first release was the famous Dub Side of the Moon, which has gone down in music history as the most successful reggae album of all time in terms of time spent in the reggae charts. It was a real sensation, and a complete masterpiece of talent, soul and inspiration. It is a dub reworking of the classic Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon, and it is an album that takes you on a real journey. The next album that they released was a reworking of the Radiohead album OK Computer, which they entitled RadioDread. This was not as commercially successful, but was musically superb. Their third album to be released was the Easy Stars Lonely Hearts Dub Band album, which is a remake of the Beatles classic conception album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, and as with the others, it is a true masterpiece of dub and reggae music, and has tracks on there which were made with many guest reggae stars.

The band has recently released their 4^th album, First Light, which is their own songs entirely, and it is a very uplifting and moving album. Easy Star Records is run by the band, and they are becoming a big name in the industry, signing up many of the top new reggae acts such as The Green and The Black Seeds. To get involved, simply go to their website, or find out when a gig is happening near you. Pre ordering tickets is not usually necessary as they can be bought over the reception desks at the venue.

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There are many different ways to decorate city and suburban areas, sometimes this can be done in positive, surreal and even inspirational ways. Graffiti is usually an art associated with crime, hoodlums, violence and more, but the times are changing and people are evolving the use of graffiti to create something more. Bristol is an area that is home to many different cultures, perspectives, musicians and artists that mix their creative energies to create an underground reality for all.

Bristol underground is a reality that combines sparseness and darkness to produce art that is mysterious, dark and curious, all at the same time. No matter who you are or what your interests are, you will be sure to be intrigued by the activities of those of this underground. No matter what you do for a living, may it be an accountant, shopkeeper, artist or a red diesel Huddersfield supplier, art has the power to captivate you, especially in Bristol. Lyrics from some of the most prominent dark-wave rock bands, such as Portishead and even Massive Attack have their roots in this suburban area. Their lyrics are dark and haunting and are portrayed through the city, as they each reflect each other equally. This area is slightly disconn ected from the mainstream world. Over here people express themselves through artistic means, which gives this city an edge in comparison to other geographic areas of the world.

Although graffiti artists from all over the world, leaving their impression in places such as New York, Australia, London and the West Bank, have been here, this city truly remains unique day and night, due to its dark artistic views. You will feel a little more inspired when you visit this area. You can also visit the art galleries over here, which also exhibit the new works done by local artists.

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If you’ve never heard of Mah Jong then you obviously aren’t as up to speed on the latest arts making waves across the UK. Mah Jong sets have become ever more popular in recent years and there has been an underground resurgence in the number of people taking up the game and the number of craftspeople making the sets. The only question the commoners are often left with is; how do you play?

Many associations and organisations have cropped up over time all saying they are trying to promote Mah Jong and the purchase of Mah Jong sets. Very few have lasted longer then a few months. The reason for this is that unlike chess, many people become wary of playing Mah Jong. Questions most common include: How do you play? What are the rules? Where can I even find someone to play with? Why fear permeates the participation in this game is more often then not thanks to the mystique that has been built up behind it.

A quick wonder around China town in central London reveals many locals immersed in a game of Mah Jong. Strolling past the many restaurants at lunchtime will often reveal a wide variety and number of Mah Jong sets suddenly being produced by eager people ready to indulge in a competitive match. If you’ve ever longed to play, then here’s a secret: learning to play is easy! The hard part is learning to win and like most games the only way to win is to play and play again and just for good measure play some more.

What are the rules?

The traditional Mah Jong sets require four people to play. It’s played with tiles rather then playing cards. The aim is to be the first player to get a complete hand – four sets of three and a pair. Here’s the complicated part: the rules for playing and scoring vary a lot in different parts of China so the version you learn may be completely different to the version an opponent may be familiar with. It’s best to stick to the basic rules which most players are familiar with.

What you need

To start with you’ll need a Mah Jong set – you can purchase quality Mah Jong sets online and for a reasonable price if you do a little research. Secondly you will need a table – preferably a square one. Third and finally you’ll need four seats for the four players willing to take you on in a game.

The next thing you’re going to have to do is to learn the tiles. There are 136 altogether with 34 types. The three main suits are:

1. Bamboo – resembles sticks of a bamboo (numbered 1-9)

2. Balls – resembles dots (1-9 as above)

3. Chinese characters – the Chinese writing people fear so much!

Other suits include

4. Winds – north, south, east and west (marked n,s,e,w)

5. Dragons – Which don’t actually look like dragons at all

Once you’ve learnt the tiles it becomes far easier to pick up the rules as you play. To a degree the Mah Jong sets resemble a complicated deck of cards which is why people who are experts at poker usually have no problems learning the rules quickly.

The Art of Mah Jong

Mah Jong sets when made properly, are beautifully crafted with each tile lovingly painted. The art allows payers to easily distinguish between the different characters and suits. Games become intoxicating when you have a particularly beautiful set and many people simply like to admire the tiles rather then play. Collectors have sprung up all around the world and have taken to showcasing their Mah Jong sets to people at exhibitions and events. To play Mah Jong is to immerse you in the history and culture of an ancient land.

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Underground art has always held a certain fascination that borders on the eccentric. In any case, it is art that distances itself from mainstream art, is often unconventional and possibly considered illegal. It invariably contains high doses of originality and experimentation in content, form or context. Funny thing is that once such art is publicised, it ceases to be underground art. Very often turns into a new genre that becomes a hit like hip-hop did. Often the followers of such art are other artists or a select few who form a sort of cult or group who closely follow this line of work.

Art as such opens up your mind and imagination to new things. Underground art does so in a more pronounced manner. Underground art, by virtue of being extremely unconventional, often leads the viewer or listener to the artist line of thought, of how he perceives a particular thing or issue and translates it into song or art. He lets the viewer’s share his thoughts, his works. The artist draws inspiration from everyday things; a Sarah Jane Szikora might draw inspiration to paint from a particular place, while a rapper like Jay-Z might draw inspiration from a social cause.

For the artist there is a sense of achievement. He feels he has created a masterpiece which he is wholly responsible for. There is a sense of pride in showing off what he has created. More often than not, the people who view his creation are equally artistic and are able to appreciate the creativity displayed.

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50 Metre Moving Target – a new band out of Cambridge, UK, who did a great gig at The Emperor in town the other week. A fusion of good old fashioned rock and roll and some nice vocals which might usually be heard coming from a softer sound, 50 Metre prove that you can be different, unique, and surprising all at the same time…

The evening started out well. No bad support acts – in fact, the support was really good, really eclectic and also comprised of some nice slam poetry from the guy who runs the event at this pub, located not far from the main train station.

Seated at the back of the pub drinking away, the band, who take their influences from eveyone from The Pixies to Johnny Cash, didn’t look bothered about going on. You might say, in fact, they looked unbothered. But that’s part of their appeal, because what they are not is ultra serious. Because they don’t take themselves too seriously, and they know how to have a laugh as well as play music, it makes them all the more endearing. For this reason, watching them play is always a pleasure. It just always has the air of you never quite know what to expect…

50 Metre are by far one of my favourite local bands of the last few years

Borrowing a load of the pub’s gear, lead singer Matt takes to the stage holding a piece of paper. He’s looking like he’s going to toy with some new songs, and that’s exciting. But this lead singer isn’t looking around trying to see who is looking. Basically, these lads like to play music and are mates anyway. You can see that when they start playing and the atmosphere starts to heat up.

All working in hr management software and office jobs – apart from Matt, who is a scaffolder –s the band don’t look like your usual indie group either. And, as they start to play and the lyrics to Station Princess belt out, you soon discover that they don’t exactly sound like every other band, too.

With their laid-back attitude and ability to never look stressed, 50 Metre are by far one of my favourite local bands of the last few years. And who knows, you might well be hearing about them soon too. They just have something about them…(Note: you’ll definitely be hearing more about this band. That’s not a hunch. I hear from Matt that they have a few more gigs lined up for some bigger venues. Should definitely be interesting seeing what they come up with in the near future and beyond.)

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In what can only be described as an irony, the Bushwick’s annual open studios art festival saw less than expected footfalls because the Metropolitan Transit Authority decided to shut down its L train for a few days for track repairs.

The shut down coincided with the festival and this made it very difficult for the art enthusiasts to travel to more than 350 art spaces that showcased the entries in the festival. This brings us to the fundamental contradiction with underground art. It has a symbiotic relationship with the mainstream. The mainstream art focuses on sticking to established rules and works according to its established hierarchy.

On the other hand, underground art is a sign of rebellion and focuses on raw talent that believes it does not need the polish and chutzpah that the mainstream art invariably develops. Yet, the underground art relies on the criticism of mainstream to become popular. The moment an underground artist reciprocates the praise received from the mainstream, he or she is immediately branded as a person who will not hesitate to sell his soul for money and other material gains.

However, such crossovers contribute a lot to the general understanding of underground art amongst the classes. The struggle between the poor masses and the elite classes is an unending one. The underground artists stand for the masses by rebelling against the elites. However, the work of such artists is often too controversial and too abstract for the liking of the ordinary individual working in interoffice London.

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Seriously, Bob Harrison should get a DNA test to prove he is not actually the illegitimate son of Ringo Starr. It could be a scouse thing; the nose, the hair the skin colour or, well the timing could be right for a youthful indiscretion that was never acknowledged. This is neither here nor there, except that the coolest take on how to merge fine art and music is going to be coming from Liverpool again. The vision of the Vinyl Kitchen is to make hand crafted music again, where each of the designs of the packaging is actually an art object in itself. So you actually have two reasons to buy: very cool music and beautiful artwork. The first release stars look good from the gutter is a release of six tracks by Bob Harrison and the Vinyl Kitchen features design by Chris James and original photography. Each of the first cds in the first release is signed and numbered, so if you are a speculative collector of any sort, it is sure to be a sound investment. Bob is the Pete Best of the Boo Radleys, having helped form their sound in Merseyside in the bands early days.Every part of the record industry is trying to figure out how to market music in an age where the audience no longer wants to pay for its music. Combing fine art and sound and to make the cd something valuable that people want to actually own is a great way forward.

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Go to the Spill Festival, or if you are reading this too late, read the reviews and pretend that you have been to the Spill Festival. People are not talking about DNA Testing this season they are talking about Romeo Castellucci’s ’On the Concept of the Face, Regarding the Son of God’. Film makers, musicians, painters, and theatre makers are all a buzz with the difficult and highly conceptual work that was shown as part of this festival of experimental theatre and performance. It is literally quite hard to stomach, but if you drop the name in polite conversation people will know that you have your finger on the pulse of all that is cool and happening in the art world. Here is your short brief. He is a genius, he marries the high art of the renaissance with the banal and difficult world of the physical body to answer and ask questions about what it means to be human. what it means to live and die, and what it means to have a body, a belief, and a hope of the after life. There are no answers here, there is only great art that positions our viewing fully within the larger questions that have haunted artists and poets since the beginning of time. If you want to be one of those artists and a member of that world, you need to be able to talk about this amazing work of art, whether you love it or hate it, see it.

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I recently took some things I had in storage home and among them were some breathtaking prints. My neighbor who was with me at the time looked at them and told me they were Giclee fine art prints. Now I know many of you may not know what this is so here we go with a description.

Giclee fine art prints are created without using any mechanical device or screen. It’s considered as a “knitting machine” for its similar look.

Giclee fine art prints are created with high quality archival inks and ordinary inks are not used for creating it. So, no dot screen patterns are seen in the print. High resolution digital scans are turned into images and they are printed with archival quality inks. It’s printed on photo base paper, canvas and fine art papers.

You get better color accuracy with Giclee printing than the other printing methods. 8 color to 12 color ink –jet printers are used for creating Giclee prints. Hewlett-Packard, Epson and MacDiarmid Colorspan are popular among all the other manufacturers of printers. These printers are capable of producing detailed prints. It’s a good way for many artists who want to reproduce their paintings as needed. Once the work is archived digitally, it can be reproduced with minimal effort. So, you can order as many as you want.

The p rocess is costly but requires minimal effort once it’s digitally archived. It’s mostly seen in Art galleries, photographic galleries and museums. The quality of Giclee print is often compared with gelatin and silver-halide painting process.

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It just seemed like a matter of time before somebody came up with the brilliant idea of combining fine art and music. Historically, there are some amazing bands that met while they were at art school, John Lennon was studying fine art when he started playing with the Beatles. The coolest thing that is coming out these days is led by the new and revolutionary label The Vinyl Kitchen. A few major bands have cottoned on to the idea that in order to avoid music piracy, you need to sell your music in a different way. The Vinyl Kitchen is doing just that, making compact discs and tapes into unique art objects that reflect the vision of the musicians and combine the talents of fine art and experimental music into one gorgeous and affordable item that everybody will want to own. As the label launches, there is already demand for a unique shop fitting display which will sell single cds and tapes like you would buy candy at a sweet shop. The music itself is recorded in small studios and has the hand made touch of outsider art and folk that is all the rage in the art world. You should be able to find these soon if you support your local gallery and record shops, find the closest store you can that is part of The Chain with No Name and get your hands on one of these limited edition releases. Hope you kept your hands on your walk man from the eighties!

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