Maria Kai Archive - Jane Wayne News

DRAB MAJESTY!

Maria Kai - Copenhagen — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 23:05:44 +0000

For some time now, I’ve listened to Drab Majesty aka Deb DeMure – a young man shrouded in low flowing stage clouds of mystery. A man I know little or nothing about, but undoubtedly looks like Bowie and sounds Depeche Mode’ish – or in other words like the past, thirty someting years ago. He has only released two albums ‚Unarian Dances‘ (2012) and ‚Disorder vol. 1‘ (2013). He is from LA and a small growing scene of guys with haunting, deep, sexy voices, producing danceable catchy tunes. In the same genre one can mention Dinner, a Danish singer also based in LA with a very similar dark/sad-wave, mid-fi sound.

The only thing I am certain of is, that this guy makes some really good songs – especially ‚Pragmagick and ‚Pole Position‘. He is one to keep an eye on.

Der Beitrag DRAB MAJESTY! erschien zuerst auf Jane Wayne News.

ROSKILDE FESTIVAL 2014

Maria Kai - Copenhagen — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 15:23:31 +0000

In these lives we write ourselves, some amount of madness is bound to take place – the Roskilde Festival is of the planned and organized kind, but no less bone pinching. It is a temporary parallel universe each participant is sucked into and spat out of anywhere between 2-10 days later. For many the festival acts as an annual catalyst, to an everyday full of expectations and pressure with nowhere to blow off steam. One would think that putting thousands and thousands people together out on a dirty field filled with music, alcohol, drugs and reptilian leveled brains, would be a recipe for disaster, but it is the most caring and loving experience year after year.

My first Roskilde Festival was in 1996, together with 90.000 others I experienced David Bowie, Björk, Nick Cave, Patti Smith and Rage Against the Machine. I was a 16 year old grunge girl, kissing in my tent at night with an Australian cray fisher. I refused to look in mirrors or wash my hair for five days, instead carefully remembered to eat my plate and cutlerey, as it was made out of cornstarch to reduce waste. Those four days changed my life, Bowie was a vampire on stage, I’d seen people make love out in the open, the sun set on tower high dust clouds, peed everywhere I felt like, been drunk, stoned and ecstatic. All I could think of was next year. And so it went for 16 years in a row. 2012/13 I lived in Berlin/USA, so 2014 was a huge comeback and this time yours truly was assigned the international press team for This is Jane Wayne.

This year Roskilde Festival broke the all time audience record, with a total of up to 130.000 guests (including volunteers), and is expected to be able donate 2,5 mio euros (!) to charity and cultural projects. Yes Roskilde has always been a non-profit organization, which makes it even more cool.

2014’s music line-up was dominated by big, safe broad-audience-appeal names, not exactly bend-over-backwards original. Personally I had hoped to see more from the fast evolving (American) psychedelic rock scene, such as Black Angels, The Entrance Band, Wooden Shjips, as well as low-tech punk names like The Garden. Instead big commercial acts like Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Outkast and Drake (who cancelled, but was replaced by ever cool Jack White) headlined the festival, which presumably is what people wants and has led to the big, and very positive, financial surplus.

So what was the most memorable music experience at this years Roskilde? Well admittedly, sometimes the bigger the better – Major Lazer made app 60.000 people take off their clothes in front of the legendary Orange stage at 1-2 am in the morning and litterally full-on rave together. And then oldies, but goodies – Rolling Stones also pulled off a power manifestation of a show.

Biggest dissapointment? That would be Connan Mockasin and his entourage, that arrived straight from France and seemed very out-toured, in comparison with the two other, unforgettable shows I’ve seen with them.

Most miserable personal fail? Not realizing that Liars were playing. And extremely unfortunate, the memory card in my big Canon camera jammed or got moist, deciding not to work and I didn’t bring a back-up. That ment all photos were shot with my iPhone, far from ideal – but oh well it’s got an edge to it.

Each day was as sunny as the day before, and sitting here in rainy Berlin now, thinking back on the food, the toilet stench, all the pretty people and their phenomenal way of looking out for eachother, it’s nearly a little unreal what took place only a week ago on that grass-field.

Only other thing to say is: you have to experience it for yourself! Take a look at the photo-diary below, where I take your hand through four days of music and people – once done I am sure I will see you next year! Tak Roskilde Festival for staying wild, and letting us run wild, leaving our minds expanded with never fading impressions.

Arriving at Roskilde and seeing all the little tents, is always a massive adrenalin
buid-up. The next days anything can and will happen!

The International Press team did a remarable job, everything was very well organized – we even had tents pitched upon our arrival, with an air mattress, down duvet and small bag with info, poster and a Roskilde flask! What more could one ask for!?

Finally ready to dissolve in the crazyness – here me to the right and my date for the day and dear friend Nadja at EARL SWEATSHIRT, that some how managed to scream everyone out of the tent…

Warmin up for Rolling Stones with friends: Emilie Guldbrandsen (left), stylist at Unique Models, and Carla Camilla (middle) founder and director of Artrebels and Nadja.

Style sighting was something I had looked very much forward to, but realized that most girls were running a sporty version of the old Kate Moss festival look; sneakers, cut-off shorts, tank-top, mens-shirt and a fanny-pack…

ROLLING STONES a shaky shot from an unforgettable, nostalgic dance party, that left my legs trembling. A walk down memory lane, that made thousands of people sing all the classics like ‚Can’t get no satisfaction‘ – goosebumbs that’ll give you!

My Friday date – Danish jewelry designer Vibe Harsløf looking sharp and stunning.

The very palatable vodka Our/Berlin (my personal favorite) , had somehow found it’s way to the festival.

CONNAN MOCKASIN in silk pajamas and siberian hat, serenading his audience with languid songs of caramel and dolphin love.

Connan making people take off their clothes (a trend this year) and dance together.

Really liked the look this guy had, would totally wear it myself‘

DAMON ALBARN delivered a tremendous show with Gorillaz AND De La Soul as guest performers.

Style is what you make it – these beautiful girls took festival looks to a whole new level!

Love the gladiator sandals.

The Norwegians has a bit more preppy take on things – no less inpressive at a dust-filled festival

MOGWAI was a post-punk wall of guitar, a beautiful, continous hazy drone to float away on.

BLACK PUS aka Brian Chippendale is a psychedelic-noize drumming force pf nature – a unique experience one needs to be in the right mood for.

Excellent bird hat!

Ran into this amazing wild babe on the way to my tent.

ROB ZOMBIE is a category of his own. The higly charismatic, pop-metal hell raiser, flexed his true American showmanship and left us all a bit jaw-dropped.

ICONA POP. The Swedish pop-due par exellence was the perfect place to start a day with childhood friends Anne Marie and Ida, filling Saturday with endless laughs, cold beer and unrestrained dancing.

Reaching closer to festivals end, so are the human ressources. Here a guy foreseeing the German fussball victory (?)

Can’t get enough of this guy! So sweet and what an out-fit!

Americans had found their way to the festival too – slightly overwelmed by the hedonistic approach, but equally ’stoked‘.

MAJOR LAZER. Lost for words. To put it short: an out of body-climactic rave experience!! I haven’t danced that hard or intense and never together with 60.000 others, taking off their clothes and smiling euphorically – was just mind blowing.

Goodnight Roskilde, slumber well till I see you next year, for more loving, surreal otherworldlyness.

Der Beitrag ROSKILDE FESTIVAL 2014 erschien zuerst auf Jane Wayne News.

THE DANCE OF LIFE

Maria Kai - Copenhagen — Mon, 26 May 2014 17:44:29 +0000

Little over a year ago I by chance came across the video for the song Valtari by Sigur Rós. It numbed me. I am not particularly fond of modern dance – find that the movements of the dancers, in the often minimalistic settings, so exaggerated and it’s all very twisted, bend and braided. By contrast the elastic bodies of the dancers in Valtari not just depicts, but are a story of love so credible, it leaves you teary eyed with awe. The crackling sound of the girls fingers against the dilapidated walls of the abondened factory is haunting. The video has been watched by almost a milion.

When the much bigger American PR machine for Sia’s new song Chandelier finally reached my attention too, and I heard of its exploding viewer rates (15 mio+), and sudden youtube phenomenon status, I was expecting to see a new ground breaking form of video. But no, it was another simple (yet captivating) dance video with a young girl, embodying the emotions of the lyrics, in a run-down, shabby apartment.

Is this a lyrical, dramatized look at how we feel post the much talked of financial crisis? Post acceptance of the inevitable global heating? Abandoned work places left for ruin, and houses falling apart, as we unsure of ourselves, become unsure of eachother. When the bigger outlines of life (like the world economy) crumbles, our concepts and ideals for relations does too. Employment might slowly be rising, but so is the numbers of divorces.
Its just a thought, my take on the two videos, that I believe must have something at core in common, since they appeal to us so strongly. Regardless both makes me want to burst out the door, run the streets and take on a wild pas-de-deux with the devil.

Der Beitrag THE DANCE OF LIFE erschien zuerst auf Jane Wayne News.

THE WORLD OF EDEN SELA

Maria Kai - Copenhagen — Fri, 02 May 2014 23:16:50 +0000

I dissapeared, comepletely, I know. But this couch surfer life I am living makes it hard to even find the time to search, save and upload the photos you need to make an interesting post. It’s certainly not because there isn’t a milion things to write about. Since I left Copenhagen the 29th of March I’ve spent time with the most beloved fascinating characters in Berlin, New York, Denver and Toronto, and slept on about 11 different couches and beds.

It’s time to start somewhere and I will do that with my great friend Eden Sela – it would be a crime not to share her beautiful music. She is a petite figure with a captivating personality (half Mexican, half Irish), and a voice that will linger in the back of your mind for days. She sings and records personal stories right on the floor of her Bushwick apartment, some of them are taking to studio recordings, some are not. I often like her home recordings best (like the album Stragglers, a collection of rough drafts and songs that didn’t make it to the finished album), cause they are like entering a room or a landscape, so very curious and personal that I feel priviledged to even enter it.

Bring your ears to her bandcamp page, where all her music, very generously, is free to download.
http://edensela.bandcamp.com/

Your can also find her on Facebook a long side upcoming show dates (mostly in the US and Canada)

https://www.facebook.com/edenselasoftrock?fref=photo

I-KNOW-YOU-GOT-A-WOMAN

Der Beitrag THE WORLD OF EDEN SELA erschien zuerst auf Jane Wayne News.

NEW YORK, A SMALL MUSEUMS GUIDE

Maria Kai - Copenhagen — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 15:45:53 +0000

It is that time again, the time to hit the roads and scramble unknown streets. This coming Friday I have to move out of my current lodgings, the basement of my best friends house. The plan from there is as follows. First I go by bus and spend three days in Berlin, from there I fly to New York and stay for five weeks. Its a mesmerizing city and I look so much forward to meeting up with old friends and see what they have been up to, since I was there last time September 2011. It is also an expensive city, so armed with banana bread, water, a map, my sturdy legs and a subway card, I am gonna do what I love the most – visit as many museums and second hand shops as possible. But not just Mahattans big old dinosaur buildings of modern art, no the mission is to find small museums, overlooked and hidden away, even difficult to access. And on the way hopefully do a few discoveries; find a nice coffee shop, be the curious observer, do a bit of writing and snap some photos. Researching for this trip has already provided, what looks to be really exciting day trips. Here is what I have found so far, but cannot tell you if they are any good yet. If you have tips or recommandations off the beaten track for New York, please write a note in the comments below – all suggestions are greatly appreciated!

The one I am most excited about, is Jackson Pollock‘s old house and studio, out in East Hampton. They are only open three days a week, May-Oct and is 5-10$ in admission fee. It takes 3 hours+ to get there by public transport from Manhattan/Williamsburg, and takes a cab ride (or good walking skills) to get the last 6 km to the house.

POLLOCK-KRASNER HOUSE
830 Springs-Fireplace Road
East Hampton, NY 11937-1512
Phone: 631-324-4929
Fax: 631-324-8768

http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/pkhouse/index.shtml

Also in the Hamptons you willl find The Dan Flavin Art Institute, one of Dia Art Foundation’s sites outside NYC. It takes 2-3 hours by public transport to arrive. Currently exhibits John Chamberlain: It Ain’t Cheap – Saturday, January 12, 2013 till Sunday, April 27, 2014. Admission is free.

DAN FLAVIN ART INSTITUTE
Corwith Avenue off Main Street,
Bridgehampton, NY

http://www.diaart.org/sites/main/danflavinartinstitute

Being a melancholic romantic at heart, it is a must to travel to Hudson and visit the beautiful mansion Olana. I do not yet know much about it, but have read on their page following description:
„Named for a fortress treasure-house in ancient Persia, Olana was the home of Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900), one of America’s most important artists, a student of Thomas Cole, and a major figure in the Hudson River School of landscape painting.“

It takes 2 hours+ from NYC by train and is a 9$ admission.

OLANA STATE HISTORIC SITE
5720 Route 9G
Hudson, NY 12534

http://www.olana.org/visit_directions.php

On a different note I am also keen on getting to experience The Noguchi Museum and garden in Long Island. It was founded and designed by Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988), and opened in 1985 for the display of what he considered to be representative examples of his life’s work of stunning sculptures. It takes app. 1 hour+ to get there by public transport from Manhattan/Brooklyn. Admission is 10$.

THE NOGUCHI MUSEUM
9-01 33rd Road (at Vernon Boulevard),
Long Island City, NY 11106
Phone: 718.204.7088

http://www.noguchi.org/

The Neue Galerie is a museum, devoted to German and Austrian art. Being European one might think it is better experienced back in Europe, but this place holds something quite spectacular. Housed in the former Fifth Avenue home of the Vanderbilt family, this lush institution is a project of cosmetics mogul and devoted art collector Ron Lauder. Its collection includes a top selection of works by Paul Klee, Egon Schiele, Josef Hoffman, Max Beckmann. By Gustav Klimt, is displayed one of the most famous and expensive artworks in the world.
Centrally located, but with a staggering 20$ general admission fee.

NEUE GALERIE NEW YORK
1048 Fifth Avenue (at 86th Street).
Manhattan, NY

http://www.neuegalerie.org/home

The Frick Collection is what one might call ‚an embarrasment of riches‘. Founder Henry Clay Frick was of a rare combination – he had both money and taste. The legendary museum is housed within his mansion. It has a special-exhibitions program, but the permanent collection in itself is breathtaking; Rembrant, Vermeer, Edgar Degas and it goes on. This is also a 20$ cold cash admission, but I am guessing well worth it.

THE FRICK COLLECTION

1 East 70th Street
New York, NY 10021
Phone: 212-288-0700

http://www.frick.org/

Last, but not least, I would like to visit The National Museum of the American Indian (New York). It is a small museum tucked away in Lower Manhattan, that besides showing beautiful Native American (contemporary and historic) artwork, also has an ongoing exhibition Ramp it Up about skateboard culture in Native America.

NMAI NEW YORK
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
One Bowling Green
New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212-514-3700

http://nmai.si.edu/visit/newyork/

Der Beitrag NEW YORK, A SMALL MUSEUMS GUIDE erschien zuerst auf Jane Wayne News.

SIMON H. HANSEN, A SINGER-SONGWRITER

Maria Kai - Copenhagen — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 21:34:14 +0000

It has been storming steadily the past couple of days here in Copenhagen and chilly winds has kept me inside, feeling (and looking) a bit fury. Eventhough the little flowers are up and about, it feels more like autumn than spring, which made me think of a song an old friend of mine has made. Simon Hebetoft Hansen is a very talented singer-songwriter and late November last year he made this recording in the backyard of another old friend’s house in Amsterdam. Its light-wolly melancholia of lost love is the perfect track, while I build a cave in my bed, where i can hide with chocolate and good movies.

Post by Simon Hebeltoft Hansen.

Musik by Simon H. Hansen. Video by Laerke Nissen

Currently the video only comes in this format.

Der Beitrag SIMON H. HANSEN, A SINGER-SONGWRITER erschien zuerst auf Jane Wayne News.

THE GARDEN

Maria Kai - Copenhagen — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 16:26:34 +0000

My latest band crush are the 20-year-old twin brothers, Fletcher and Wyatt Shears, who makes music as The Garden. Hedi Slimane obviously already discovered them a year ago or so, and took some suave b/w photos of them. Their gender bender, cross-dress, anything goes kind of style, I find deeply appealing and sends thoughts trailing back to Kurt Cobain – though only in regards to style, music wise these guys are very low-fi in sound and approach. Maybe some of you have already heard them as they played in Berlin and Hamburg 18-19 th of February this year, while on their European Tour (no show in Copenhagen). I truly hope these videos can be watched in Germany, as I know a lot of the youtube videos are not made available, but unfortunately there are no vimeo alternatives (that I could find).
I find that The Garden are part of an all boys, no-rules, no-bullshit driven wave of bands these years, related to Danish punk/noize bands like Lower, Communions, Age Coin, Skurv, and Iceage and many more (all from the label Posh Isolation), that play with signals, gender and identity. Although a different genre and in a different way, Mykki Blanco, LE1F, and Zebra Katz should also be mentioned, for bravely mixing things up and offering a different view and sound on the status quo. Two faced one, like a friend of mine would say.

I am a girl that wants to be a boy that plays a girl.

Check out their Facebook page for coming shows:
https://www.facebook.com/TheGardenVadaVada

And Bandcamp for music:
http://thegardenmusic.bandcamp.com/

All photos are a mix of randomly googled images from the www.

Der Beitrag THE GARDEN erschien zuerst auf Jane Wayne News.

RISE N‘ SHINE

Maria Kai - Copenhagen — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 22:27:29 +0000

This pure eye-candy series of cover-shots, is from the pre-spring 2012 i-D magazine, Whatever The Weather issue. And it has been sitting in a folder on my desktop right around ever since then, just waiting for the right time and place to be shared – and that moment has finally arrived! In this issue i-D magazine celebrated The Year of the Dragon, or Chinese New Year (2012), with these mesmerizing fashion portraits, photographed by China’s avant-garde fashion photographer Chen Man. These images is my personality expressed and styled in other womens faces. Spring is here – let’s all unfold like saturated crazy colour bombs!

Der Beitrag RISE N‘ SHINE erschien zuerst auf Jane Wayne News.

CONNAN MOCKASIN, you have my ears!

Maria Kai - Copenhagen — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 14:27:04 +0000

Last Saturday luck smiled at me and I was very fortunate to get into the completely sold-out concert with Connan Mockasin, at Bremen in Copenhagen. I had only recently heard about him and his spectalcular performances and took instant liking to the music – so it was a show not to be missed. And boy am I glad I didn’t! Their performance was what in Danish is called ‚Total theater‘, where nothing is completely rehearsed, so a lot is improvised as the evening unfolds. For instance at one point a band member of Japanese descent enters the stage in a kimono with a big, white duvet and sits down in it. As if drifting on a cloud, she waves at the audience, while saying ‚Zaaank yyoooou Connan Mockasinnn‘ with a heavy Japanese accent. And him sitting down next to her, their suddenly was a strong reference to the Yoko One and John Lennon ‚Bed Peace‘ performance in Amsterdam, 1969. Several times Connan dissapeared into the audience with his guitar and played from there, looking up at the stage like the rest of us. The blurred lines he works within are very fascninating.

His visual expression is a wonderfully absurd, humorous, kitsch and with a soft-subtle devil-may-care attitude.

Connan Mockasin, age 30 (born Connan Tant Hosford), is thought of as a psychedelic-pop musician and is originally from Te Awanga, New Zealand. His Europe tour is about to come to an end, with only a few shows left in France and Switzerland. But with 40.000+ likes on Facebook and 670.000 plays on youtube of the song ‚Forever Dolphin Love‘, from his latest record Caramel (released Nov 2013) – I am confident we have not heard the last of him.

Der Beitrag CONNAN MOCKASIN, you have my ears! erschien zuerst auf Jane Wayne News.