The Bibilotheque Nationale has an extensive collection of historic imagery, including photos and postcards online. Here are a few store front type from the glory days of Montreal.

A little New Jersey Old Time hip hop stuff from Poor Righteous Teachers. Out of Trenton NJ, my favourite part being the bridge that says ‘Trenton makes the world takes.’ Duly noting its once glorious manufacturing history. Now it is is mostly a downtrodden rust belt town, with govnt offices (it is the state capital) that wealthy suburbanites commute into. These guys had a political angle that tried to mobilize inner city people to take back their city through self pride and self direction and control. If memory serves me correctly they were coming out of 1990. And plus the tune is just plain infectious…. makes me want to dance upon a bridge with some funny type pants on or do the electic slide a little in front of the state capital dome with a beret on. If memory also serves me correctly some guy emerged from an alley at one point when i was there to try and sell me a massachusetts drivers liscence. No thank you i said.

Voila mes amis. This is the video for 2007 Polaris Prize winning Montrealer Patrick Watson’s song the Great Escape. Like the man says — Doo do dooo da da wa (repeatx10), Bad day looking for the great escape. Words to live by i suppose by Mr. Watson…

The startling beauty of the pencil drawn animated piece is from fellow Mtl people and urban artists Alex Produkt (see photo above) and Kathleen Weldon. Doo do dooo da da wa (and again repeat 10X)

from martyr on flickr (click on photo for account)

Belgian artist parra is currently showing in an exibition at the Hvw8 gallery in LA.

He makes me wish that i had a box in place of my head. And that my friends is quite

a feet… because under otherwise normal conditions i like my head just fine how it is.

Apparently, the real show around the hvw8 headquarters though is the impromtu things that appear out back in the parking lot.

Like this homeless gentleman red who displays some shocking beatboxing skills. holy kamoly!

Ca c’est la nouvelle chanson Crazy par Ghislain Poirier sur Ninja Tune. Il a été filmé dans les distriques du Plateau Montreal (check le photo en bas), Vieux Montreal et China Town. Il est un vrai home town boy lui…

www.theartofasbestos.com

video by king adz

FROM THE MOUTH OF ASBESTOS (on the boxing club project):

I was introduced to Ligoniel Amateur Boxing Club by the guys who run the Safehouse Gallery and on my way to Belfast on the train that day, the usual images and preconceptions of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland came to mind. But I wasn’t interested in adding to a landscape of film, painting and literature that couldn’t escape the images of violence and division from the past. It was my intention to create a body of work focusing on people who’re making a difference in their community despite all the shit that goes on around them.

I got to know the guys from the club, each had a story, each had a reason to be drawn to boxing and the small club that was a home and a safe family. I came away from that club with a head full of stories and a meaningful idea for an exhibition in Belfast. My initial fear was that these guys would treat me with suspicion, but each was open and honest, happy to talk while I photographed.

The following day, I scoured the streets in different parts of Belfast for the signature yellow Ace Bates skips (he’s the king of the Belfast skip world). I hoped that they might contain the detritus of the city; wood, metal and any other objects that told the cities history for me to paint on. I pulled pieces from skips in the Holy Land, the Shankill Road, the Lisburn Road and the Falls, then I hauled them home to the studio in Dublin to paint.

From wellandgood.ca

Why we love Brooklyn and Paul Auster maybe as well…

And other treats and tastes to look fwd come summer as well.