Formed in 1991, Los Amigos Invisibles was the first and currently the best Venezuelan dance band to be formed. The band’s fifth album release “Super Pop Venezuela” showcases the group’s distinct style, merging dance, electronica, and Latin music. The band routinely performs to sold out crowds in New York (where they currently reside), Los Angeles, Miami, and elsewhere. They were at both Coachella and Lollapalooza last year. A true melting pot of styles, they never disappoint nor depart from their mission “to keep the crowd dancing.” Unlike their house, trance, and rave counterparts, Los Amigos Invisibles does not rely entirely on a heavy beat, but rather on an amalgamation of flavors, all while maintaining that distinctive Latin flair. Their next U.S. show will be at the Bowery Ballroom on May 12. If you’re in the New York area and want to dance a Saturday night away, go check them out.

Steeeelllllaaaa!!! Jack Spade recently came into the possession of 9, count em, 9 of Marlon Brando’s infamous hats, and has made them available for purchase. As of right now, it only looks like there are 3 left, so hurry up if you want one! Also worth checking out: Jack Spade’s recent guerrilla marketing push, a short film called “Readymades,” which follows “Spaders” through the City as they plaster Jack Spade signs on existing business’ signs that looked fine as they were– inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s Readymades idea.

Just like everywhere else, corporate sponsorship in Sao Paulo isn't unusual when it comes to cultural events. But when you throw in the fact that they're often oil companies and major banks putting up a large part of the funds, it becomes kind of an odd thing. I'm mentioning this because I recently went to a Supernovas show, a music event happening every Tuesday in until May 15, that takes place in Sao Paulo's Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil. It's good to see that the ones with money are investing back into the country in this way. Supernovas aims to introduce Brazilian pop-rock acts outside of the Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo “axis” by pairing them with famous, established artists from the country. For example, in this week's show, I went to check out Montage, an electro-rock outfit from steamy Fortaleza on Brazil's North Coast . They've got a glam-rock type presence with androgynous singer to match. The special famous guest on drums? None other than Iggor Cavalera, ex-drummer of Sepultura, who has since gone on to a successful career as a DJ. In the following weeks, Pepeu Gomes, Cadao Volpato, Joao Ricardo, and more will be some of the important names lending their prowess to help call attention to these new bands.

When you walk down Avenida Gabriel Monteiro da Silva in the Jardim area of Sao Paulo, you'll see a place that at first looks like a construction site, with high walls made more attractive with a lush forest image on the front. Great way to hide the ugliness of a construction site, you think. But in actuality it's a clever installation by marketing company novaS/B, which is claiming the title as the first zero-carbon-emissions marketing agency in Latin America. The photo shown here is the the company’s lot after the installation, and after the jump, you’ll see a photo of the lot before the installation. The 320-square-meter piece is really on the building's lot. The image represents the 385 trees that have been planted on behalf of the company on a reserve in the interior of Rio de Janeiro state, as part of the Florestas do Futuro (Forests of the Future) reforestation project in Brazil. In determining the number of trees to be planted, their client MaxAmbiental calculated the volume of carbon dioxide emissions from novaS/B's 90 employees last year— counting in trash loads to the waste given off during each person's transport to the office and back home. The number came out to be a whopping 72 tons of CO2 emitted. It's good marketing all around, I think, and even better, it's a lasting publicity stunt that benefits everyone.
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Today Jon Coulthard launched his new website, and you all should have a look at his photos. Jon lives in Los Angeles, and as you’ll see on his website, he likes to take photos of L.A. In fact, he does quite an expert job of capturing the gritty, urban side of L.A. that doesn’t exactly reach the postcard stands; you’re not going to see many Ferraris or bikinis in Jon’s photos. Not to mention, he’s compiled quite a set of skateboarding photos (see for example, the semi-to-cheese-wedge suicide ollie above– who is that?). Jon is one of the twisted minds behind 1DPi, so I’m excited to see some of the stories that pop up on his news feed in the future. I’ve included a few more of my “Jon Coulthard Favorites” after the jump for your viewing pleasure, but they’re sure not a substitute for a visit to his website.
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Dustin Hostetler (A.K.A. UPSO) recently participated in the want2Bsquare “Boxheads” show in NYC alongside the likes of Dalek, Sage Vaughn, Maya Hayuk, Matzu MTP, Kelsey Brookes, and Freddi C. For those of you who were able to catch the NYC show, lucky you. For those of you who weren’t able to make it, don’t fret– on April 21st, their taking the boxheads to L.A. for a second leg of the show. The full flyer is after the jump or here if you prefer. These shows were commissioned by Scion to artistically promote their 2008 xB urban utility vehicle– in case you didn’t know, or couldn’t figure it out by the theme of the show, it’s their model with a “boxy design.” From what we’ve seen, Scion is a car company that “gets it,” so it comes as no surprise that it has chosen to get involved with shows like this. And for those interested in the nitty gritty of the NYC show, here’s a link to a guest blog post UPSO wrote on Fecal Face describing his experience.

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