Best tattoo shops in Madrid

August 22, 2019 — Leave a comment

So you’re in Madrid and looking to get tatted? Madrid’s reputation as a world center of art is home to some of the best tattoo artists in Europe.  Whether you want to commemorate the trip of a lifetime or you’ve been inspired to get some trippy shit down your sleeve, Madrid’s tattoo parlors will have you covered (literally).

First off…
What is more important to you, price or quality?  If price is paramount, pick from any of the dime-a-dozen tattoo joints along Calle de Montera between Plaza del Sol and Gran Via. Keep reading if you want something with more character and style.

Mao & Cathy Tattoo

The oldest and most well-known tattoo shop in Spain.  Mao & Cathy’s reputation rests upon professionalism and experience unrivaled in Madrid.  Over the last 20+ years, they’ve continually hosted world-class artists including Robert Hernandez.  Such success draws a large crowd, so reservations are advised.

True Love Tattoo

If you’re less ”Zen” and more ”punk,” check out True Love, run by El Bara,a friendly Argentine widely respected amongst Madrid’s tattoo artists.  The studio’s blood-red interior nicely contrasts the all-black uniform of its hard-rockin’ clientele. El Bara is famous for creatively fusing the retro swagger of Malasana with the old-school style made popular by ”Sailor Jerry” in the 1950s. Any artist at True Love can hook you up, but if you want El Bara, you’d better make reservations two months ahead.

Tattoo Magic

They’ve been tatting Madrilenos for 8 years and their new studio rests smack in the middle of c/ Fuencarral. Their ability to remain in the center of it all is a testament to their unwavering popularity with locals. Despite being one of the larger studios, they maintain their success by keeping their levels of artistic ability high and levels of B.S. The numerous awards hanging from their walls prove that Tattoo Magic is a safe bet.

A$AP Leo arrested for assault in Australia

September 1, 2019 — Leave a comment

The rapper allegedly broke a security guard’s nose

UPDATE: All charges against the rapper have been dropped after the following statement: “”There was a misunderstanding with security at the Byron Falls Festival show, which resulted in charges being laid by NSW Police. After fully cooperating with Police, Joey was granted bail and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge”.

New York rapper A$AP Leo has found himself on the wrong side of the law in Australia after being charged with assaulting a security guard on January 2 at the Falls Music Festival near Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia.

According to ABC, an altercation between A$AP Leo – real name ThaOg LeoDicaproi Virginie Sutt – and the guard took place just before the 39-year-old took to the stage at 8.30pm. The performance went ahead but Byron Bay Police arrested A$AP Leo shortly after he came off stage. He was taken to a nearby station, where he spent the night.

The guard reportedly told police that he believed A$AP Leo to be an unauthorised person in the backstage area. Leo didn’t take too kindly to having his credentials questioned and the guard was treated by paramedics for a broken nose.

The rapper appeared at Lismore County Court one day after his arrest and was granted bail, but must return to Australia on March 19 to face the court. He’s still got another week or so in the country, with his tour extending to Sydney and Melbourne.

A$AP Rocky in White house

September 1, 2019 — Leave a comment

The White House ‘helping’ A$AP Rocky was an attempt to win black voters

Donald Trump wasted little time getting involved when A$AP Rocky was detained by Swedish authorities on suspicion of assault (he’s now been found guilty, after being held for almost a month, but won’t serve jailtime). Even as Trump called the Swedish prime minister though, the move seemed suspicious. 

Now, it’s been alleged that the White House saw the A$AP Rocky case as little more than an opportunity to win over black voters, or offer him cultural cache. At the time, Trump was in midst of the disgraceful “send her back” row, an incident that represents everything terrible about him, his “fanbase”, and his presidency.

Trump asked for Rocky to be freed or moved somewhere cosier – only to have his much-talked-about diplomatic prowess come to nothing as it was pointed out he was asking for something illegal.

A report by Yahoo News details some of what went on behind the scenes as the White House attempted to join the #JusticeForRocky campaign. This involved a series of conversations between an elusive entertainment industry “fixer”, two high-profile Trump supporters – Darrell Scott, an Ohio pastor, and Kareem Lanier, chairman of Scott’s Urban Revitalization Coalition, a nonprofit that promotes Trump to the black community – and the White House, specifically Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Scott and Lanier reportedly became involved when the fixer, Hassan Muhammad, reached out to them after himself being contacted by Rocky’s team, in an attempt to get through to Trump. What they tell Yahoo about the situation and how they presented it to the president is revealing.

“There were no conditions attached, but my condition and Kareem’s condition was that all I’m asking for you guys to do is say thank you,” Scott says he told Rocky’s manager. So there were conditions attached, then: Rocky was expected to give Trump some good PR. 

“He’s a good guy. It’s a good move,” Scott also apparently told Trump, when asked: “What do you think about this Rocky guy?”

Apparently Scott, Lanier, and the White House didn’t think it was such a “good move” when Rocky didn’t seem too grateful though, with angry words thrown around. “I was like, man, you ungrateful motherfuckers, you. I can’t believe you,” Lanier apparently told an attorney working for the rapper, before he was even released. “We didn’t ask you guys for nothing other than for you guys to be grateful.” 

Later, when they reached out to Rocky hours after his release – he posted to Instagram to thank family and friends on the way home – Scott said to his manager: “I hope you guys aren’t going back on what you said you were going to do.”

After that, communications broke down, so Trump will have to chalk this one up as a loss.

The Growlers

August 29, 2019 — Leave a comment

The Growlers are an American band formed in California in 2006, now based in Los Angeles.The band is currently composed of singer Brooks Nielsen, lead guitarist Matt Taylor and keyboard player/guitarist Kyle Straka.They have released seven albums, several EPs and a number of singles. The band’s sound has been described as “a trademark style of music that somehow combines surf, pop, rock and beat” which has been labeled “Beach Goth”.

History

The band released their first album, Are You in or Out in 2009. Their second album, Hot Tropics, was released in 2010. The band’s third album, Hung at Heart, the first to feature Anthony Braun Perry, and Jason Kaiser on percussion (Hung at Heart/Chinese Fountain), was released January 22, 2013.The band originally worked with Dan Auerbach to record the album, but the finished version never saw official release. Instead the band recorded a new version of the album in Costa Mesa, CA with Mike McHugh at his studio, the Distillery Recording Studio, to get a more lo-fi sound. 

Chinese Fountain, their new “more grown up, well polished” album was released September 23, 2014. This album was produced by JP Plunier at Seahorse Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Whilst touring the album, the band expanded their live band with percussionist Nick Murray.

The band’s fifth studio album, City Club was released by Cult Records on September 30, 2016, while they embarked on a supporting tour in the same month. It was the first Growlers album to be credited solely to Brooks Nielsen and Matt Taylor, as opposed to the whole band. Nielsen and Taylor wrote and recorded demos for the album over a span of 2 to 3 months with the help of Kyle Mullarky at his studio in Topanga Canyon, CA. It was preceded by the title track as a single produced by Julian Casablancas,who also owns the label. Neither drummer Scott Montoya nor bass player Anthony Perry feature on the album. On September 25, the band confirmed Montoya’s departure from the band and stated that Perry was set to return in the near future.The band toured for this album with Brad Bowers on bass, Adam Wolcott Smith on keyboard, and Richard Gowen on drums. Whether their membership in the band is permanent is currently unclear.

Albums


Are You In or Out? (2009)
Hot Tropics (2010)
Gilded Pleasures (2013)
Hung at Heart (2013)
Chinese Fountain (2014)
City Club (2016)
Casual Acquaintances (2018)

Keith Haring

August 29, 2019 — Leave a comment

Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art and graffiti-like work grew out of the New York Citystreet culture of the 1980s.

Haring’s work grew to popularity from his spontaneous drawings in New York City subways—chalk outlines of figures, dogs, and other stylized images-on blank black advertising-space backgrounds.After public recognition he created larger scale works, such as colorful murals, many of them commissioned. His imagery has “become a widely recognized visual language”. His later work often addressed political and societal themes—especially homosexuality and AIDS—through his own iconography.

Influences

Haring’s work demonstrates political and personal influences. References to his sexual orientation are apparent throughout his work, and his journals confirm its impact on his work. There are symbolic allusions to the AIDS epidemic in some of his later pieces, such as Untitled (cat. no. 27), Silence=Death and his sketch Weeping Woman. In some of his works—including cat. no. 27—the symbolism is subtle, but he also produced some blatantly activist works. Silence=Death, which mirrors the ACT UP poster and uses its motto, is almost universally agreed upon as a work of HIV/AIDS activism.

Haring’s use of commercial brands and flat, bold colors demonstrate the influence of Pop Art on his work.

Haring was influenced by fellow artists, including Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Frank Stella, and Roy Lichtenstein.

Art

Jean Michel Basquiat

August 29, 2019 — Leave a comment

Jean-Michel Basquiat December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent. Basquiat first achieved fame as part of SAMO, an informal graffiti duo who wrote enigmatic epigrams in the cultural hotbed of the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the late 1970s, where rap, punk, and street art coalesced into early hip-hop music culture. By the 1980s, his neo-expressionistpaintings were being exhibited in galleries and museums internationally. The Whitney Museum of American Art held a retrospective of his art in 1992.

Basquiat’s art focused on dichotomies such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation, and inner versus outer experience. He appropriated poetry, drawing, and painting, and married text and image, abstraction, figuration, and historical information mixed with contemporary critique.

Artworks

Legacy

Basquiat’s legacy has had influences upon literature, film, music and fashion. Fashion outlets featuring Basquiat’s work have included clothing companies such as SPRZ NY of Uniqlo, Urban Outfitters, and Redbubble.

Film

Basquiat starred in Downtown 81, a vérité movie written by Glenn O’Brien and shot by Edo Bertoglio in 1981, but not released until 1998. In 1996, eight years after the artist’s death, a biographical film titled Basquiat was released, directed by Julian Schnabel, with actor Jeffrey Wright playing Basquiat. David Bowie played the part of Andy Warhol. Schnabel was interviewed during the film’s script development as a personal acquaintance of Basquiat. Schnabel then purchased the rights to the project, believing that he could make a better film.

In 2006 the Equality Forum featured Jean-Michel Basquiat during LGBT history month. A 2009 documentary film, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, directed by Tamra Davis, was first screened as part of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was shown on the PBS series Independent Lens in 2011.[55] Tamra Davis discussed her friendship with Basquiat in a Sotheby’s video, “Basquiat: Through the Eyes of a Friend”. The American Public Broadcast Service broadcast a 90-minute documentary about Basquiat in the American Masters series, entitled Basquiat: Rage to Riches, on 14 September 2018.

Literature

In 1991, poet Kevin Young produced a book, To Repel Ghosts, a compendium of 117 poems relating to Basquiat’s life, individual paintings, and social themes found in the artist’s work. He published a “remix” of the book in 2005. In 1995, writer Jennifer Clement wrote the biography Widow Basquiat, based on the narratives’ reconstructions told to her by Suzanne Mallouk. In 2005, poet M. K. Aante published the poem “SAMO”, dedicated to Basquiat, in his book Beautiful. And Ugly Too. In 2017, the biography Radiant Child told Basquiat’s life from the perspective of a young prodigy and it won the Caldecott Medal. In 2019, illustrator Paolo Parisi wrote the graphic novel Basquiat: A Graphic Novel, following Basquiat’s journey from street-art legend SAMO to international art-scene darling, up until his sudden death.

Music

Shortly after Basquiat’s death, guitarist Vernon Reid of New York City funk metal band Living Colour wrote a song called “Desperate People”, released on their album Vivid. The song primarily addresses the drug scene of New York at that time. Vernon states that Basquiat’s death inspired him to write the song after receiving a phone call from Greg Tate informing Vernon of Basquiat’s death.

Sunday in Madrid.

August 22, 2019 — Leave a comment

El Rastro flea market.

Located in historic center of Madrid, in the popular neighborhood of La Latina. It opens every Sunday and every bank holiday.

This lively open-air market is over 400 years old with stands that sell everyday objects as well as unique and curious items.

The Rastro Market is located along the street La Ribera de Curtidores and its adjacent lanes. Ribera de Curtidores is a steep hill with hundreds of stands selling extremely varied objects, from kitchen utensils, clothes, furniture, accessories, jewellery and comic books.

Specialized stores and street sellers

The adjacent streets of Calle Ribera de Curtidores sell specific products. These are some of the most popular:

  • Calle Fray Ceferino González: This street is known as the “Bird street”, due to the street vendors that used to sell birds and other animals. Nowadays there are still a few shops which specialise in birds.
  • Calle de San Cayetano: This street is also called “Painters’ street”. It has several shops that sell paintings and works of art, as well as painting tools.
  • Calle de Rodas, Plaza del General Vara del Rey and Plaza de Campillo del Mundo Nuevo: These streets are known for the trade of magazines, cards and stickers.  
  • Calle del Carnero and Calle de Carlos Arniches: These streets specialise in the trading of used books.

Very pleasant, but be careful

Although it can get very crowded, it is a great place to go for a stroll and get some unique Spanish souvenirs on any sunny Sunday morning or bank holiday. We suggest having some tasty tapas in any one of the many bars and restaurants in La Latina once you are tired of visiting El Rastro.

We recommend keeping an eye on your bag or wallet and mobile, especially on the busiest streets, as pickpockets operate in the area and prey on distracted tourists.

Brunch in the park.

http://madrid.brunch-in.com

Brunch in the park es un evento al aire libre donde encontrarás buen ambiente y zonas de sombra y zonas con mesas para tomar un respiro entre baile y baile. La localización que hemos escogido, como en temporadas anteriores, es el emblemático Parque de Tierno Galván de Madrid.

Nuestro propósito es acercar a los amantes de la música electrónica tanto artistas internacionales como de la escena nacional. Queremos que puedas disfrutar de grandes sesiones a la luz del día, sin tener que trasnochar, en eso se basa nuestro formato. Los festivales son lugares fantásticos para poder disfrutar con los amigos, pero nosotros tenemos otro concepto añadido, el family friendly. Aquí los niños disfrutarán tanto como tú.