The music video we directed for the Grouch’s new single ARTSY is finally ready for release with his new album. It’s a Youtube burner, hilarious lyrics & animations. Shot entirely green screen and treated in only the most ARTSY of ways..We got to imitate our favorite ARTSY spots and touch upon all the cliche’s of hip design. To further our social experiment in ARTSYNESS we ask you to watch the Youtube version and order the hi-res from Itunes next week.
The PARANOID OR CONSERVATIVE VIEWER may be confused by the ARTSY video’s persistent presence and condemn it as an underground cult with extremely subversive intentions. The ARTSY video is none of that. The ARTSY movement can best be explained as an experiment in ARTOLOGY. This experiment is being conducted through the portals of social ART known as Youtube and Myspace. We also are offering a high res version on Itunes in the coming weeks. So please help support, as fine ART ain’t cheap. With that said here is our ARTSY offering to all of hipsterdom. We salute you from SIlverlake to Williamsburg. Lots of greenscreen fun, we clown in a range of styles of the ARTSYEST nature. Secret History directed, Buildestroy designed and animated, ReelRoots shot and edited, The Grouch rapped. A family affair, looking forward to more.
Oh yes, two of my favorite artists and close friends together again. The last time we were all in SF togetherwas in 2002 for their collab show at 111 Minna, after we had all been on the road with Galactic doingthe Sight of Sound tour. I was filming the whole thing and documenting the rockstar painter mashup.
This show promises to be extra crazy. Buildestroy will be creating projections for the show and installations.Also will premiere some pieces from the Ghetto Defender film with Doze. Come check us Bay Area Massive!
“Rubicon Sun” Thursday December 13, 2007 at Fifty24SF Gallery in San Francisco (252 Fillmore Street @ Haight)
“For Rubicon Sun, David Ellis and Doze Green present an exhibitionthey have been training for their entire lives. It’s an installationcombining every discipline and material imaginable that weavesdrawing, painting, sculpture, music, kinetic movement, sound, light,projection and film. It’s a memorial to a magic porthole filled withtrumpets whose signal is now jammed, it’s a glimpse at the last daysof the worst four letter word in our vocabulary, and a nod towards afuture on the other side of the river that lays down it’s sword andshield and looks again to the sun for wisdom.”
Raised in North Carolina, David Ellis’ work explores music and soundthrough improvised live painting sessions he calls “motion painting”as well as through kinetic installation. He has exhibited atcontemporary art museums and galleries both nationally andinternationally.
New York City-native, Doze Green has roots firmly planted in the soilof street culture as a graffiti legend–the “King of Characters”–andas an original member of the Rock Steady Crew. His career in art beganin 1974 when he started painting on the streets of NYC and has sinceseen his work included in many public and private collections acrossthe world.
Virgin Islands has a strong roots and culture Reggae movement like none other. The artists are different from Jamaican artists, not to say in any way better, as all of my favorite singers come from JA, until now. My fam Child from Project Groundationhas been consistently working with VI artists on his albums lately and they alwayscome with some real talk and very intelligent analysis. Also the music and flow takesme back to the Reggae my parents listened to growing up but also very current andforward. Check for dem:
Midnite Niyorah Bambu Station Pressure Apostle Abja
My good friend John Narun was CD at Venano, Inc. on the project of creating a jumbo screenfilm for each song on the album to compliment the stage show. So with Jason Whitmore freshoff of the Ipod light streak spot he did at Exopolis we got to do the graffiti handstyle streaksthat we’ve all been waiting to see. Who cares about abstractions, let the streaks have meaning.Oh yeah Sprint jumped everyone else on that one, except us, and ours was for Xtina so nowwhat? Buildestroy didn’t animate any of this, we just caught tags and throw ups and abstractedwildstyle letters. My LA homie Trixter got down with me on this one too.
PS: It’s 4 minutes long and 23 MB, I won’t be hurt if you only last 1/2 way through..
Asif Mian aka EVAQ from Queens, NY is killing it. This video actually tops his last one for The Roots “Trilogy” (3 videos)which I thought was bonkers already. This kid is the one to watch, if I ever thought about having a partner in Buildestroyit would be him. Also this dude High Priest is from Anti Pop Consortium and now solo, so check his work out too. Niceness.I don’t know where to begin about how dope this video is so I won’t, it just is. My favorite part is the “Skuf” tags from 1999in the background, Brooklyn stand up. It’s all in the details and Asif is extremely mindful of them. Grimey, perfect mix oflive action and Vis-FX and all very in camera feeling. Pop yourself a bottle son.
Using dope 35mm footage shot in Tahiti mixed with green screen footage shot in LA, we made a good day gone wrong. The spot shows one of the grim realities of global warming, the rising of our sea level. Not good for surfing and not good for living. Now if only we had a government that gave a damn, cause I know the people do. Every little bit counts..
We did another motion painting piece. This time we wanted to have a bit of a story that would speak to the themes of the LALIFF Festival. This year the themes were focused on the idea of the Harvest, also of coming of age, and the youth. They also were also honoringa Mexican actor and had a night of Lucha Libre. We wanted to be able to speak to these ideas as well as tie in the concept of thedreamer and following your dreams and the struggle that ensues with this life path. The filmaker like the Luchador fights every dayto make his film. The result is growth and the Harvest is of your creations.
We shot the painting in the stopmotion Barnstormers bird’s eye tradition for 2 days, and then edited and composited for 2 weeks.The environments were all 3D using our photography. The piece was a huge hit at the festival, and we had a great time making it. I painted alongside Miguel Perez on this one. My beautiful wife Jeni blesses the screen at the end. I shared the creative duties withFidel at Kr8tive Guns and the sound was done by AZ. Thanks to LALIFF for the chance to make this.
The picture says it all. An Emmy for “Dick in a Box” on Saturday Night Live!
Yeah only a cat in our camp would pull that off. Word, respects big Asa and Lonely Island!http://www.asataccone.com Check for ASA’s music samples on Buildestroy’s website soon to come with his partner Drew Campbell from Adeline Studios. Two of my favorite producers, together making big moves this coming year. Plus he’s in the studio with Dangermouse making top secret madness.
My good brother MED relaunched our clothing line with our own retail store and the sickest tattoo shop ever seen. My crew iscoming up large, we got Bay Area homie Metal Man Ed to come and recreate 4 NY MTA subway trains to scale, downto the rivet. Tuff City partnered with Montana paint to have one of the most extensive collections of aerosol paint for salein New York. There’s also a legal wall there in the alley for anyone who buys a certain amount of paint can do a burner.On the roof they installed a life size side panel of the MTA train with windows and everything, for us to piece when we want.Some of the best tattoos, airbrushing, and piecing going down at Tuff City. Also a full music studio and the Buildestroy EastCoast Headquarters housed at Tuff City. Check for MED, CES,and YES2. The Grand Opening in July was nuts. Right nearthe Bronx Zoo and Fordham University, so don’t be scared of the Boogie Down BX.
650 E. Fordham Rd. Bronx, NY 10495 • 718. 563. 4157
The TCS clothing line collabo with Buildestroy. Here’s some of the designs from Summer 07.
My boy Conner in NYC invited us to participate in asession that was a who’s who of tight mograff cats. The theme was“change” I chose to take that one real literal this time. Forever the sarcastic bastard sometimes I just can’t resist lowbrow humor. Especially when it involves cultural and political jabs at dead presidents and rappers doing the VO! Check it out:
