Friday 15 January

Beck’s Festival Bar w/ Music

Malian guitarist/singer/songwriter Vieux Farka Toure is the son of African music legend, the late Ali Farka Toure.  Drawing on Malian traditions and incorporating his father’s signature desert blues style, Vieux’s ear for the future also sees his music traversing reggae, funk, rock and RnB.

Playing no-frills blues rock, Sydney duo The Mess Hall are renowned for their raw, explosive live performances.

With a sound that is equal parts blues, soul and country, Dan Sultan’s songs showcase his knack for storytelling. DJ Russ Dewbury mixes up the heaviest Afro-soul sounds.

When: 8pm

Cost: $38

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Music/Vieux-Farka-Toure-The-Mess-Hall-Dan-Sultan/

Saturday 16 January

Circa 1979: Signal to Noise (A day of free talks)

From 1979 to 1985, parish halls, abandoned warehouses and run down apartments rumbled and screeched with new sounds during one of the most creative periods in Australia’s music history.  Avant garde, post-punk, new wave and early electronic styles of music cultivated a thriving underground scene, heard on Sydney-based labels M Squared and Volition. Circa 1979: Signal to Noise is a celebration of this unique and influential period.

(Excerpt from http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/)

Cost: FREE

Where: The Seymour Centre, Cnr City Road and Cleveland Street, Chippendale

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Talks/Circa-1979-Signal-to-Noise/

Sunday 17 January

Lynette Wallworth (Sensory Exhibition)

A little too real to be dream-like and a little too dream-like to be familiar, Wallworth’s environments are an exercise in unexpected concentration and unusual exploration, often involving wordless narratives that attempt to emotively fertilize a sense of intimacy and empathy between the moving image and the participants moving body. And although the Wallworth experience is usually no roller coaster ride, it may offer a moment of sensory gratification and some time for healthy reflection.

(Excerpt from http://concreteplayground.com.au/)

Where: CarriageWorks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh

More Info: http://concreteplayground.com.au/event/483/lynette-wallworth.htm

Monday 18 January

Joanna Newsom @ Sydney Opera House (Concert)

“This extraordinary harpist has a glorious, untamed voice and a sheaf of tricky song-poems…conjuring one startlingly vivid image after another.” – The New York Times

After beguiling audiences with her performance with the Sydney Symphony last year , California-based harp virtuoso Joanna Newsom makes a much anticipated return to Sydney Opera House for one Sydney show only.

Cost: $49-75

Where: Sydney Opera House

More Info: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/joanna_newsom_2010.aspx

Tuesday 19 January

Tot Mom

Steven Soderbergh has created Tot Mom – a compelling look into how a crime can come to grip an entire nation through intense media and public attention. Tot Mom seeks to hold up a mirror to our society, raising ethical questions about the way in which such a case is dealt with in the public domain.

(Excerpt from http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/)

Cost: FREE

Where: The Seymour Centre, Cnr City Road and Cleveland Street, Chippendale

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Talks/Circa-1979-Signal-to-Noise/

Wednesday 20 January

Where the Wild Things Are @ Moonlight Cinema
as recommended by our very own Siouxzi Mernagh

The highly anticipated adaptation by director Spike Jonze (BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION) of Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s story. When Max, a young boy acting out, is sent to bed without his supper, he creates his own world – a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.

(Excerpt from www.moonlight.com.au)

Where: Belvedere Amphitheatre, Centennial Park

More Info: http://www.moonlight.com.au/main.php?location=Sydney

Thursday 21 January

Dark Matters (Dance)

Dark Matters is a haunting portrait of the unknown, a performance that pulls itself apart in an attempt to discover what it’s made of.

When: 8pm

Where: Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay

Cost: $55-$70

More Info: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Dance/Dark-Matters/

Ongoing Exhibition

Seen and Heard (Film Festival)

A free film festival that battles the celluloid ceiling, celebrating the diverse and extraordinary work of women filmmakers and their not-to-be-underestimated diverse and extraordinary audiences. Seen and Heard in 2010, its second year, will follow on from a showcase of questions on class, race, ability/disability, gender and sexuality.

(Excerpt from http://seenandheardfilms.com/)

When: 14 – 17 January

Where: Red Rattler, 6 Faversham St, Marrickville

More Info: http://seenandheardfilms.com/

Creative Director of Google Creative Labs… Ji Lee on doing your own thing. Watch. Listen. Then go do something
Via: SwissMiss

a message from ‘dorkbot: people doing strange things with electricity’ 

http://dorkbot.org

I want to invite you all to an exciting event taking place at the Powerhouse Museum at the end of this month. Over the weekend of Jan 29-31 forty game designers, developers and artists will volunteer to be locked away in the basement of the PHM and not allowed out until they have made a game! 

That’s right: its Game Jam Sydney, part of the Global Game Jam that is
taking place simultaneously in over 100 locations around the world. It’s 48 hours of intensive game development with an aim to produce innovative and exciting new games. It’s also part of the Powerhouse’s “80’s Gamer Weekend”so there will also be talks and presentations by some veterans of the Australian game industry, and some up-and-coming indy designers.

To find out more, visit http://www.gamejamsydney.com/

Spread the word!

 

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: We will need some tech-savvy people to volunteer as network administration for the event. Do you have familiarity with running a LAN of 40-50 computers? We’d like to hear from you. Even if you can’t make the whole 48 hours, having you to help with setting/packing up or being on call for some of the time would be really valuable.

Contact: dorkbotsyd-blabber@dorkbot.org

Check out the entry from white’s very own Siouxzi Mernagh.

Siouxzi’s top three released recommendations are:

1. Where The Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze, USA)

2. Beautiful Kate (Rachel Ward, Australia)

3. Last Ride (Glendyn Ivin, Australia)

Read the blog post here http://www.mattriviera.net/

Monday 4 January

Moby (Concert) – Tickets still on sale!

Renowned for his explosive live performances, Moby leaves audiences begging for more time after time. Musical virtuosity combined with an impressive and extensive back catalogue result in only one thing: unforgettable performances.

(Excerpt from sydneyoperahouse.com)

Where: Sydney Opera House

When: 8pm

Cost: $99.35

More Info: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/moby_2010.aspx

Tuesday 5 January

Emiliana Torrini (Concert)

Renowned for her soothing, ethereal vocals, as evidenced via her performance of “Gollum’s Song” on the Lord of The Ring’s soundtrack, & sublime, intimate songwriting (she co-wrote the Kylie Minogue hit “Slow”), Iceland’s Emiliana Torrini has made a very strong connection with Australian audiences

“Sweet, charming, effervescent, funny and delightfully honest; these are just some of the qualities that make Emiliana Torrini a natural entertainer.” – Faster Louder

(Excerpt from enmoretheatre.com.au)

Where: Enmore Theatre

When: 7.30pm

Cost: $58.50

More Info: http://www.enmoretheatre.com.au/events/2010/01/05/emiliana-torrini

Wednesday 6 January

One Potato Two Potato 1964 (Film Screening)

Examines interracial marriage in the 1960s and the prejudices of the era.

Where: Annandale Hotel, 17 Parramatta Rd, Annandale, NSW

When: 7.30pm for an 8pm start

Cost: $10

More Info: http://www.mumeson.org/content/view/140/171/

Thursday 7 January

Peter Helliar’s Dreamboat Tour

Have a night of laughs with one of Australia’s best loved comedians.

Where: Sydney Opera House

When: 7pm

Cost: $37.50

More Info: http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=PETERHEL10&searchId=a2ef2c91-910b-4460-b092-f2cc45d92ec4

Sir Ken Robinson is one of the leading thinkers on the the topic of education (and how it relates to creativity amongst other things) and how we may have got it wrong. An inspirational public speaker and author, Sir Kens new book is out now, called The Element – on How finding your passion changes everything. Here he is on PSFK talking about elements from The Element..

PLUS: Reddit & TedBlog crowd sourced a whole bunch of questions to ask Sir Ken… and he answered them… what a lovely chap

Sir Ken: The basis of my argument is: creativity isn’t a specific activity; it’s a quality of things we do. You can be creative in anything — in math, science, engineering, philosophy — as much as you can in music or in painting or in dance. And you can certainly be involved in the arts in ways that are especially creative. And so it’s important to emphasize that it’s not about creating some small space in schools where people can be creative, and particularly not if that means just tacking on some art programs on a Friday afternoon. It’s about the way we do things.

PLUS PLUS: If you haven’t seen his original TED talk YOU MUST. Best. Ted. Talk. Ever.

Taking it to the streets is so 2008. Want to effect change 2009 style? Social media should be your first port of call confirming that the pen (or keyboard) is indeed mightier than the sword.

Nick Galvin, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, says, “TWITTERERS, bloggers, podcasters and Facebook users are getting behind Earth Hour in unprecedented numbers as event organisers embrace the explosion of interest in online social networking.”

With almost 700,000 online friends in 80 countries, Earth Hour’s John Johnston says almost anything goes to send the Earth Hour message viral and reach the target of one billion participants.

Galvin continues, “The latest effort to push the Earth Hour message is through a new social networking service called 12 Seconds. The 12 Seconds service, likened to a video version of Twitter, allows users to post 12-second videos about any subject that catches their attention. Earth Hour organisers are asking supporters to make 12-second promotional videos and put them online.”

Social revolution is just a click away.

Read the full article here.

Oasis – Dig Out Your Soul In The Streets

One of my favourite philosophers on our times, believe it or not, is ill Doctrine: a hip-hop video blog hosted by Jay Smooth, creator of the hip hop music blog and founder of New York’s longest running hip-hop radio show, WBAI’s Underground Railroad.

He tells a wonderful story of how he used to buy his vinyl, how his anticipation and enjoyment was built around the event of going into the store, taking the train home pouring over the artwork and playing it in his room. And how it changed how:

the music industry no longer controls those moments in our lives when music becomes an event.

You can see Oasis having fun with this idea in this video.

I’ll leave the final piece of advice to Jay:

Figure it out: where the party is at nowdays, and set yourself up to be the one who’s over there hosting the party. And in the years to come if you don’t figure how to do that, you’re gonna find yourself in a big ol’ empty house with a bunch of album label heads looking around wondering where everybody else is at, and what are you gonna do with all these kegs of beer?

See videos here:

• Why Albums Used To Matter
  • What studying Radiohead (and licking pieces of vinyl) can teach us about the future of the music business.
• Free Radiohead Revolution
  • Radio personality/video blogger Jay Smooth, of illdoctrine.com, explains to us why Radiohead flipped the game when they released their last album to the internet for free.