thefmly – those who were strangers have turned into friends

LA plays itself

Cameron -- January 26, 2012 -- expanding our horizons and movies.


Whether you have been to LA or not, we are all affected by the idea and preconceptions of Los Angeles that are perpetuated by popular culture. LA is arguably the most popular character in Hollywood movies and has been portrayed in almost every way possible. Thom Anderson’s documentary “Los Angeles Plays Itself” covers a lot of these identities of the city in an amazingly captivating three and a half hours. The movie was never released officially since it’s made completely out of pieces of other movies, but thanks to the power of a free and open internet, we are able to watch it anyway. Even if you don’t have the patience to sit through the whole thing, watching any part of it is worth the time. The sheer amount of films he covers makes you wonder how he has time to do anything with his amount of film knowledge.

::bonus::
A little short I made for my love of LA.

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throwback party lovers

Cameron -- January 26, 2012 -- fmly all-stars and fmly night. Tags: , , .

Evan Voytas – You Don’t Even Know Where It’s At

Our boy Evan Voytas has been busy living it up touring the world with prolific soulster beat heads Gonjasufi and Flying Lotus, but he has never stopped creating weirdo dance classics in a high pitched climaxing manner. His early shows are still clear in my mind — watching him switch out cassette tapes and dance erratically from side to side with nothing but his suave moves and a mic. This much has changed. Evan switched out the tape player for a 5-piece band complete with spot on harmonies and eye candy. His new EP Can’t Let Anybody Know Who You Are was just released and is a main ingredient in starting the day off right.


::bonus::

From Ganjasufi’s new mini-album
Gonjasufi – Skin

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fmly fest :: brooklyn

Noah -- January 25, 2012 -- changing the world and group hug.

dear summer of 2k12,

on june 22 & 23 we invite you to participate in our open gathering: a two day celebration of fmly and frnds representing a global community of makers, prosumers, visual/auditory/spatial artists, activists/hacktivists, theorists, writers, cyclists, environmentally conscious foodies, and like minded social do-gooders. over the last three years our festival has carried on a winter fling with california, but as saucy as the relationship is going you can’t imagine how excited we are to spend some quality time with you heartthrobs on the east coast.

fmly fest is a d.i.t. (do it together) music and arts festival, as in we accomplish nothing if we do not take strides for positive transformation together. this is an open call for all zinesters, screen printers, wall doodlers, public space connoisseurs, pillow fort enthusiasts, bedroom recorders, scenic appreciators, urban dissenters, airwave hackers, subway singers, angsty latte flippers, kids who dance their heart out at every show, rap battles, round robins, aerialists, and new friends to come together and create this gorgeous reflection of our community we’ve all been feeling.

to get involved, contact :: fmlyfest@thefmly.com // to keep updated, bookmark // to visualize, watch // to rsvp and invite your friends, check out

first public meeting is on wednesday, february 1. learn more & rsvp here.

♥,
fmly

ps. ahhhh, can’t wait!!!!

“action is the product of the qualities inherent in nature. it is only the ignorant man or woman who, misled by personal egotism, says: ‘i am the doer.’”

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give genko his lights back

Cameron -- January 20, 2012 -- Because We Care and fmly all-stars. Tags: .


I Am Genko – It’s All Yours (Yohuna cover)

One year ago, Lima Peru’s sweetheart and beatsoulmachine i am genko was working on his first LP when he was robbed blind. Everything was stolen. Now he is trying to recover all of his gear so he can give us an amazing new LP but he needs our help! We all know times are tough but even $5 will help him get back on his feet. He may or may not be making the trip out to FMLY FEST Brooklyn this Summer but that all depends on how much we can pull together and help our family!

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“do trust in the things you love”

Noah -- January 15, 2012 -- changing the world and inspirations.

dustin wong – sweetest pleasures while we live

Back in April of last year I posted about the Do Lectures that take place annually in Wales, and recently I became pretty infatuated with one of their talks from photographer, musician, surfer Mickey Smith. With great humility Mickey presents his zest for life that too often goes unacknowledged, and around 10:40 he shows his short film, Dark Side of the Lens. I hesitate to tell ya any more because his words are too precious to summarize – carrying these in my heart pocket forever, “If I only scrape a living at least it will be a living worth scraping. If there’s no future in it at least it’s a present worth remembering.”

Make sure to check out more Do Lecture videos like Indy Johar’s “do it for (y)ourself,” about building communities around things, and Zach Smith [founder of MakerBot] speaking on “the joy of making something.”

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“photography never interested me”

Noah -- January 14, 2012 -- changing the world.

Magical Mistakes – Fetishization

Jacob Holdt externalizes a bold gift of sincerity, and his approach to photography offers the most genuine and diverse portrayal of American life that I have ever witnessed. Beginning in Denmark in 1970, Holdt – 23 years old, fueled by idealism, and fed up with Danish support for US foreign policy in Southeast Asia – “immigrated” to Canada after receiving an invitation to work on a farm. His intent was to hitchhike from Canada, through America and Mexico, in order to arrive in Chile to support Marxist politician Salvador Allende and his contention for social justice. Famously, Holdt never made it to South America that year or anytime soon thereafter. He was robbed at gunpoint and aside from the $40 in his pocket was left with a fascination for the contradictions of American society. Over the next five years Holdt hitchhiked back and forth across the country, totaling more than 100,000 miles, living primarily in slums with prostitutes, addicts, murderers, members of the KKK, and members of society who are often too taboo for public eye. However, his project found interest in the upper class and Holdt directly experienced the paradox of living with the Rockefellers’ and a variety of America’s wealthiest families.

Cough Cool – I Don’t Get It (Hate)

Though his pioneering work American Pictures has been known internationally for the last thirty-five years, his message is still one that is equally pressing today; we perpetuate a society which imposes blatant class divisions and if we came to know one another outside of these superficial roles we have the chance to recognize our communal honesty and strength for positive change. By constructing our reality, together, no one is excluded. Holdt’s photographs examine a diverse panorama of modern social conditions, and it has become a recent hobby of mine to study his personal political and social beliefs to understand how he reads his own work. It’s super important to understand our passion for positive transformation within a historical context, and after witnessing the energy that has poured into our WRITING HOME project I know that Jacob’s work is one of many predecessors to this concept that is the utopic panorama – a participatory conversation which speaks towards humanity as a whole rather than as a social or political empire. That to positively progress we must know one another, live with one another, and truly become united. As an article this is merely a brief introduction to Jacob Holdt – if you want to dive in further we love a good conversation! More of his photographs after the jump.

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dinner & a show :: fmly fest edition

Noah -- January 3, 2012 -- fmly night.

Oh Fortuna – Might Mountain
Emily Reo – I’ll Never Live By the Coast
Yohuna – It’s All Yours
Michael Parallax – Growing Splendid

Before our buds take off back to their respective homes we believe it would be best to nurture this spiritual hangover with a fine mix of sensual aromas. Tonight – rsvp here – Caleb Johannes of Truman Peyote is on hand to tackle some vegan tastables while aural delicacies will be handled by Oh Fortuna, Emily Reo, Yohuna, and Michael Parallax. This is the final California soundmaking excursion for our buds so let’s spend it heartbeating in unison. See ya there!

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inspirations from verbs

Geoff -- December 26, 2011 -- inspirations and We Saw It On Youtube. Tags: , , .

VerBS – Feelings Getting in The Way

VerBS is the Homie. I wish that James Brown was still alive, because I’d love to set up a challenge between the two of them to find the true “hardest working man in show business.” The last time I saw VerBS was at Home Room. He was closing out my video release party, but he had to jet over from a photo gig in some far-off part of town. He showed up without a set, slapped one together on his laptop in just a couple of minutes right as he was scheduled to begin playing… and then laid down a spot-on performance that belied the rushed preparation.

VerBS is one of the hardest-core DIY cats out there, and also one of the most open-minded. His Bananas nights in Leimert Park have done more than continue that neighborhood’s tradition of true, intelligent hip-hop; they’ve expanded that tradition to include alternative acts and elements from all over the LA underground.

Of course VerBS will be at FMLY Fest this week, and if you want to shake your ass I’d recommend that you watch his performance. In the meantime, follow the link to see some video inspirations provided by the man himself.

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gracie and esta vivo gettin together

Andy -- December 22, 2011 -- fmly premiere and New Tunes. Tags: , , , .

MJ MJ’s dank new tape is up and ready for grabs! This Gracie / Esta Vivo split cassette is the perfect soundtrack to any weekend hang n bangs you might have comin up. The tape is made up of two of our favorite digital only EP’s of 2011 – Gracie’s “For Summer EP” and Esta Vivo’s “Together We Sleep“, plus a slew of new tracks from each artist. As soon as we heard from these boys we just knew we had to get them together on tape. While they don’t have a great deal in common genre wise, both artists convey a similar feeling through their music. If you listen all the way through I guarantee you will be sufficiently soothed. You can stream, download or purchase a copy of this piece o work right here. We asked the artist’s to tell us a little about what went into their EP’s, so keep reading if you’d like a bit of insight into their beautiful brains.

“This collection of songs all stream from 2010/2011. A lot of these songs have to deal with love, sex, and the thirst for warmness but of course some obviously touch on my views of life or even my enthusiasm for science. Through the course of writing these songs it seemed as though I was writing meaningless short stories but as time goes on I notice they stem from inner thoughts and feelings. The name Esta Vivo is spanish for ‘Is Alive’- which really explains why I make art or really why I do anything. I try to take advantage of being lucky enough to have emotions or even the luck of experiencing good and rough times- so I try to take in everything and experience it to the fullest. As for the art it’s basically- I’m alive, why not document it and share it? To put it simply, art is my way of romanticizing with every aspect of my life- whether that be optimistically or tragically. As for you, the audience, all my work is open for interpretation. Take it as you will or don’t take it at all. The beauty is the option and that we’re all here together loving it or hating it. It’s here for every single one of you. It’s not mine, it’s ours.” – Ryan

“These songs were my first attempt at writing a solo record. It started off just for fun, writing songs for myself and for my friends. It was exciting. After I was done recording, I was told they sounded romantic-y and pretty, but really the content concerned self-conflict and longing. One of the tunes is about a good friend who was living in a different country at the time and I missed him. My only hope is that these songs are received in an honest way. This whole thing is new to me and I want to keep it innocent.” – Andrew

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inspirations from poweraxe

Geoff -- December 19, 2011 -- inspirations, Interviews and We Saw It On Youtube. Tags: , , .

POWERAXE – Liberia

“Spiritual metal” instrumentalists POWERAXE, made up of brothers Ryan and Brian Randall, have been melting faces all year. They’ve become fixtures of FMLY Rides – watch them slay in this video from July – and a spinoff of the band, BROHAMMER, stole the show at the LA Lottery League this past February. If you want to get a taste of the chaos they bring, check the above video of the band terrorizing the parking lots and side streets of LA via Uhaul.

Poweraxe is going to rock the shit out of FMLY fest. I figured that y’all would want to prepare yourselves in advance, so I asked Ryan to share some inspirations that will help everyone get to know the group better. Follow the link and get poweraxical.

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adventure times :: fmly fest

Noah -- December 19, 2011 -- fmly night.

For the natural life of our environment, which recedes into hibernation at this time of year, we blossom. FMLY FEST is just ten days off, so before we cross the single digit barrier it seems about time to announce these set times. Since the lineup was collaboratively booked via volunteer meetings and email threads we thought this decision would be all the more appropriate if our schedule reflected the submissions received from our buds around town. Peep ‘em below and get your stoked on with us! <3′s represent round robins aka cuddle puddles.

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inspirations from magick orchids

Geoff -- December 14, 2011 -- inspirations, Interviews, New Tunes and We Saw It On Youtube. Tags: , .

Magick Orchids – Bad Acid

FMLY friends and scene stalwarts Magick Orchids have a reputation for free-form, trance-inducing psychedelic live shows that utilize improvisation and group collaboration. The duo’s upcoming album, Origins of Grinding, finds Rhea Tepplim and FMLY Fest poster artist Champoy Hate combining their penchant for being etherial and experimental with somewhat more “pop” influences on DIY dance jams like “Bad Acid” and “Bored in da Burbs.”

The album will be released early new year  via Vanity Projects. While you wait for the album to be released, you can  download this free remix EP as a preview. The duo is also performing at  KXLU’s Holiday Party this Monday, December 19. It’s hosted by Sean Carnage and Pehrspace, and Magick Orchids will be joined by W-H-I-T-E, Batwings Catwings, Casy and Brian, and Sea Lions. You can RSVP on Facebook.

I asked Rhea and Champ to share some videos that have inspired them. Here’s what they shared.

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