for ashly

working in my studio, ash posted a killer link that i love!!!

link: http://io9.com/5872328/a-salvador-dali-dinner-party-required-unicorn-heads-and-confused-guests

me loving it...

ok lets face it

I really blow at blogging, just flat out the worst.

Alot of cool stuff has happened since Freaks Ball XI so im going kinda just dilly dally around and tell ya about it because I have 34 minutes left here at work and if i dont do something im going to go bonkers.

This means pictures will probably be lacking...but thats ok, becuase we have updated JessMessin.com and pictures to all of these events are in there!

Also, I lost my phone, AGAIN...yeyea, i know what you are thinking...so with that went alot of dope pictures.

So, use your imaginations and go back in time with me.

So since Freaks Ball i displayed 3 paintings with Michael Weintrob at Brooklyn Bowl (man I love that venue) and showed my first Stage Drop ever with the killer band TRAGEDY at the Mass MoCA- thats the Massachucetts Museum of Creative Arts...i mean thats CRAZY right?

Both of these events were big milestones in the world of JessMessin. 

It was a year ago that I was at Brooklyn Bowl for the first Soulive Residency ever, aka BOWLIVE.  I went with my friend Kathleen and in my Brooklyn Lager haze i repeatedly told her that within a year I would have my art work displayed on the Wythe Wall some way, some how.

It took 12 months, and the birth of the Weintrob/Pfohl Pop Rock Posters to make that happen.  I took 3 of Michael's photos from Bowlive 1 and blew them up and painted them...you know how we roll by now.
One of the paintings is now permenatly installed backstage at Brooklyn Bowl, one we auctioned off...and the other is probably rolled up in MWs loft somewhere...

Not only was accomplishing one of my goals a huge ordeal...MW and I were the first artists ever to be showcased on the Wythe Wall.  BITCHIN!  much love goes out to the crew at the Bowl for allowing that :)

pictures can be found under EVENTS>Bowlive

then about 3 weeks later i rode the rails up to Albany, New York to meet up with TRAGEDY, the #1 All-Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees.  This trip was one of those most perfect rock n roll experiences ever...short but insanely sweet.

Oh yea, if you dont know anything about Mass MoCA...its a huge deal.  The place is gynormous and the art is insanely cool.  They specialize in LARGE installations and catalogue all sorts of artists...from dead and super famous to the "hunh? who?"s of the world.  So for me, this was like an insane opportunity.  This great band that I somehow one day made a stage drop for was playing in a museum and were hanging the drop too. 

So, in my head...I had a painting hanging in a major museum!!!! even if it was for one night.  So i made sure my ass was gonna be there.

It was one of those trips you dont even pack for...like I woke up threw my toothbrush in my bag and split...


I first cruised up to New York City then hooked a train to Albany (on which i met two super dope guys Wade and Spencer who had Coronas in their backpacks)  then my lady friend from college (who i hadnt seen in 5 years) picked me up! So rad! She and her boyfriend then drove me the hour and 10 minutes to the Mass MoCA.

We got to North Adams and quickly found a spot with some dope IPAs and some solid meat...im talkin killer steak...i knew i needed to pudge up, because if i have learned ANYTHING while rocking to Tragedy...is that no matter how hard you try, how much you carboload...you leave shitfaced...


And even though i prepared I still left shitfaced.  But the show was bitchin, naturally! And the drop looked great, and it was the first time i had seen the band since we debuted the drop in November.  After the show was over my friends and I split...not far down the road i got probably one of the greatest text messages of my life.  So great I saved it...then lost my phone.

"Mass MoCA wants to keep the drop, so I gave it to them, they are installing it their main room"

me: "haha very funny"

"No, seriously YOU ARE IN A MUSEUM"

me: ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS

"yes."

this is when i pretty much lost it.  I was listerally walking into a bar at this point where I made a total ass of myself and freaked out.  Then I went outside for about 25 minutes to collect myself.  Then I celebrated with a dance party.

Fairly typial Jess! behavior really...

so, the next morning I had to shake off one of the best rock n roll nights of my life (thus far...and probably very high on the list forever).  So naturally, i got my post rock show milkshake on...mmmmmm

then i hightailed it back to Baltimore like a pro...reading Playboy on the train next to a very rude hasidic jew couple and a ridiculously loud baby.  It was awkwardly awesome.

Then like anyone else, i went home, tucked myself in and went to sleep with a smile.

(you can see this stage drop under TRAGEDY on JessMessin.com or AT THE MASS MOCA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! booooyowwwwwwwwwwwww)  -thanks TRAGEDY for one of the best memories ever!

HELL YEA, its 5 oclock peace out!

FREAKS BALLXI

as i sit here watching some crappy tv show about a creative-young-fake-red-headed lady trying to make it in new york city, i figured i would write this blog instead of fighting off flashbacks of my post grad years...so here we go...

my latest project that showed at Brooklyn Bowl this past Friday was inspired by two very dedicated music followers and their mongers, the Freaks.  Aaron Stein and JR Hevron have, for 11 consecutive years, put on a night of kickass music that has withstood snowstorms and venues changes while always promising to be a drunken night full of laughter, fun and dancing.

I started attending Freaks Ball a year after I became a permanent NYC resident, and I remember actually flying in from San Fran, just in time to make the Freaks Ball VIII at Southpaw.  I actually was running late, naturally and recall running into rock photog Ted Wong on the subway as i was hauling my luggage to Union Square to store it at my wateringhole at the time...ok the whole point of this story was I get out to Southpaw and the fuckers sold out, the line is around the block to get in...and i finagle my way in by helping the bartender hold a parking spot...i get inside just as the American Babies are leaving the stage and I recall giving Tommy shit about not waiting for me, i told him to replay Swimming At Night...needless to say, that didnt happen...ok...Bustle in your Hedgerow was the headliner that year, and i just remember standing there holding a beer watching these people go nutsballz over this music, and i knew that i immediately was in the company of people who took this shit really seriously.  and i really liked that.

So, I have attended every year since, and every Freaks Ball since has had an amazing memory.  Nine was the first time I saw RANA.  Ten was held in Sullivan Hall and my Freddies were on display and this year, Eleven, proved to be extroidonary..and this is how that happened.

The Freaks List has been very supportive of my art-rock projects since the launch of JessMessin, and i thought it would be really kick-ass to thank them by creating something for this years event.

So after some chitchats I sketched up an idea that I thought would work, and lucked out that the first thing i sent, they were into...and considering i had 2 weeks to complete the 25 foot piece, that was a relief.

so, i sent them this sketch:

and the guys approved it, and SIXPOINT Brewery jumped on board and the deal was done, so i got to work, and purchased the plastic vinyl and built the drop in my studyo!, 9 ft by 25 feet.

then drew out the design on a massive scale and got to painting...

 

i made 2 adjustments to the sketch, adding the Sixpoint brewery to the left side and Brooklyn Bowl to the right, to make the piece event and year specific.

then, once it was painted i thought it looked like a box of crayola crayons and it wasnt badass enough.  so i sgot in touch with RELIX Magazine, and they sent me a bunch of issues, which I then neon spray painted and collaged ontop of the flat paint.

then i printed the Sixpoint Stars and Brooklyn Bowl logo on 3M sticker paper, cut them out and stuck them to the drop.



then i still thought it needed more, so i set out on an adventure to find as many mirrors as i need to make the letters glisten, which ended up to be only at one amazing place called Hobby Lobby, where they happen to be on sale, so i bought 1200 of them.

then i individually placed each one, in a very scientific OCD pattern, which ended up not fucking mattering for shit, this is me going back around and gluing them down...

my manager Jay came the night it was finished with really classy champagne...here we are, laying on the drop, this is the 12th straight day of work, so im totally losing it by this point...

by 3am the drop was finished after loading it up with glitter, extra rhinestones and glitter spray...i very happily rolled it up and put it in my car.

so my pal ray and i hung it on a chain link fense and took photos of it, heres a shot from the shoot...



then he edited it, created one full image, which i sent off to Sixpoint to be made into posters...

so i packed it up, got it on the train thanks to a red cap, and arrived in beautiful manhattan on Friday, February 4th.  Took it to Brooklyn Bowl for load in where my friend Max and I installed it, while Some Cat From Japan soundchecked.

i ran back to my buddies place threw on my dress and made it back to the Bowl in time to snack on some Salmon and sign/number 150 posters. 

after that it was party time! heres some pictures taken by Kathleen Donnelly and Jen Berstein throughout the evening.

JR Hevron, Myself and Aaron Stein

 me taking a bow while Aaron says "for everyone asking this is who did this, talk to her!!"

With headliners, El Ten Eleven

 and friends, Some Cat From Japan

this past weekend was by far one of the most fun i have ever had.  i highly recommend downing some SIXPOINT SWEET ACTION beer, visiting BROOKLYN BOWL, listening to WOLF! (Scott Metzger, John Shaw and Taylor Floreth), SOME CAT FROM JAPAN (on this particular evening: Will Bernard, Ron Johnson, Scott Metzger, Tony Mason, Jason Crosby and Corey Glover), and El Ten Eleven (Kristian Dunn, Tim Fogarty) and asking to join the NYC FREAKS LIST, its a yahoo group...if you can figure out how to do it, you deserve to be there....and if not, FREAKS BALL is always in FEBRUARY in or around NEW YORK CITY, so if you want to become apart of the group...keep an eye out for the party.

Love, Jess!

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!!

So for our big bad 1 year anniversary, I added something kitchy to the website (http://www.jessmessin.com/)

My insperato was Tony Manero's subway ride after his pal dips off of the Veranzano Bridge from the movie Saturday Night Fever...

for those who dont know this -the train ride is supposed to represent his transformation from boy into man. 

in the movie the BeeGees song, How Deep Is Your Love, plays in the background while tony decides that hes ready to fall in love with whatsherface....and blah blah blah...

so anywho, disco is dead and is far too prissy for Alfredie so Tragedy let me use their Metal rendition of How Deep Is Your Love...

which frankly, is really the perfect fit.

Band: Tragedy: #1 All Metal tribute to the BeeGees in the Tri-State Area
Song: How Deep Is Your Love
Album: We Rock Sweet Balls and Can Do No Wrong.

thank you! now im going to go get fatter...

Its been a really amazing year of firsts for me, and I thought today was typically fitting to write about them, and acknowledge the things (besides the particular events over the past year) that I am truly thankful for and the people responsible for those things so here we go....this is probably going to be all over the place-

mostly, i am grateful for my family, its very small but loving.  last year i wasnt really even focused on the holidays because my NYC debut was 2 weeks after thanksgiving...so instead of paying attention to how special sharing moments like today are,  i was bugging out about my show.  My gradfather is very old and sick and I am really pumped to spend today with him, and was given the opportunity to get in another thanksgiving hang with him.

and i have these friends, that i seperate into two different groups: the creatives and the corporates, both have been really lovely and supportive of me, and its amazing the advice and perspective that comes from each group of homies.  since my family is so small, i take my friendships very seriously...i am well aware of how high maintenance i am, but mostly its for one reason...and that being, the people whom i let in, really really let in fill that void of not having a big family...and i am just really into treating those close to me how i wish to be treated, and well i have high expectations so....thats the deal there and i take it very seriously.

in this past year, my artsy fartsy friends have really taken time to help me understand how lots of shit goes down, and how to deal with things, both good and bad...listening to their experiences and sharing mine, having them by my side along the way, has made lots of things easier...instead of going into this whole process blinded and uneducated, i have these group of great guys reminding me how it should be done, not to jump the gun, and if i did and got fucked....helped me through that too (which happened.)

collaborations.  i am really grateful for the artists who have joined up with me to make shit.  also, those who have supported the projects by playing at events...mostly, because i have learned a bunch from being around them and watching them work. theyve kinda kept an eye out which has warded away lots of unwanted bullshit...  and after floating around the music scene for 3 years post graduation, getting periodic jobs here and there, thinking i was wasting my time; ultimately prooved that all of that time spent totally had a purpose.

assholes. i am really thankful for the few assholes that have graced my presence over the past year.  the ones who latched on, took advantage, and i dropped once i finally got a clue of their true motives.  you taught me first and fore most, how never to treat people - personally and professionally.  you made me notice that i shouldnt just trust everyone, and to be more careful.  and mostly, when the people close to me offer advice, i will take it, instead of defending what truly isnt. 

baltimore.  i have never been a fan.  i am a new york city girl by heart, and have been since i was little.  coming back here this past year, setting up shop...getting a great job, and making new friends has really changed my perspective on this shithole.  i enjoy being here, concentrating and focusing on my art, and getting shit done, even if a periodic margarita madness hinders the process a little bit....i will always be a city girl first, but for the moment Baltimore has totally embraced me, which has been really fun.

lastly, my mom.  my mom is really a special person who has continued to support and help make my dreams come true.  its been amazing to share this year with her every step of the way, and she has been insanely helpful.  i really lucked out there, for whatever reason, but shes definitely the most remarkable person i know and will ever know...they totally broke the mold when they made my mom, and the love i have for her is just really unmeasurable.


so im gona make some shoutouts and acknowledge those people who really went above and beyond, in my opinion, to do something special for me...help me out...and completely held up their part of the deal.  i am thankful for you.

my mom, and my gradparents, lester bangs, kathleen donnelly, kathleen madigan, brian riccardi, judy kurjan and stephen frank, jay day, matthew wheelwright, wes rizzo, chip gates, the faust family, nicholas fitandis, jen schrader, tim buck, brian friesen and ray tan, the studio at 810, ken schneidmen, renee and rocko, scott metzger, michael weintrob, bobby haight, tommy hamilton, jim hamilton, chris harford, jason kibler, howie schnee, eric mcfadden, eric bolivar, jason crosby, ryan thorton, kevin kendrick, jonathon goldberger, max blackman, jeff gaines, peter costello, victoria vox.


thank you for making 2010 a really wonderful year, ill look back and totally think of you folks.

love, Jess!

Now in Progress

Gen Arts Resurrection Benefit

So I wake up to a late night missed phone call from a mister Michael Weintrob and out of curiosity call him back on my way into work, MW is in Louisiana at the moment shooting rockers in New Orleans...and was asleep...

and in his murmur he informs me that he needs a Ray Charles painted, if I wanted to, to show at the Gen Arts Benefit in 10 days...in New York City to about 900 people...and he will call me later to explain...i hang up, and immediately FREAK.OUT.

So if you are unaware of what Gen Arts is, they were a company that was responsible for discovering the likes of Edward Norton, Adrien Grenier, Zac Possen and many many others.  Their focus was launching careers of  up and comers in film and fashion and later branched into the visual arts.  They were a self sufficient company for decades due to private donors and support until the economy fell to shit and their benefactors dwindled.  So, sadly, Gen Arts is now bankrupt and are up for sale, however their motive has not changed and hopefully whomever purchases the company keeps their vision alive...so before the lights go out at Gen Arts they wanted to have one last party to rage out the greatness that was and will always be Gen Arts, a New York City legend...

Agency 2.8 was in charge of curating the event and asked 5 photographers to display one piece each, and MW chose one of our Pop Rock Posters...

So I got to work, and printed a black and white hi rez ray charles and set out on a paint shopping spree dropping 300 bucks on new paints, sprays, wood and glitters.

and then went back to my studyo! and started to build the frame, which did not work out too well until my studyo! mate LaQuann informed me that staple gun was the only way to go...fuck nails and hammers man...impossible!

So I got to painting...with new paints, different than those from the summer...and the turn out was alot different:

Then i made a trip down to Fells Point and went to this crazy vintage record store that's through this locked gate and down this shady fucking alley in the storage shed of some walk up...totally weird, but I got vintage Ray Charles vinyl for 2 bucks each that actually still had the original Paramount record sleeves.

I ripped them apart on an angle and kept the edges rough and framed out ray's body.  I finished off the sleeves with a tri-tone spray paint job, neon pink and orange and a semi gloss red.

...lastly, i sealed the painting with spray glitter and signed and numbered the Ray.

I let it dry, and the next morning attempted to put this 8 foot ray charles in my car, which is a hatch back...that did not happen...so my lovely mom managed to squeeze it into her SUV, and dropped it off at my office...where I boxed it up and over nighted it to Agency 2.8 and Gen Arts in NYC.


and this is when the story gets really good...

The UPS guy was crazy pissed because the box was so large, and my pick up was in the late afternoon...meaning he had no room, so he had to empty the truck and come back, so it really wasn't a big surprised when the guys opened it up in New York and the frame was broken, slitting the canvas and damaging the painting.  But MW is a solid guy and fixed it as best he could, which was really good actually..hes so artsy!

So, I attempt to make my way up to NYC, taking the MegaBus because they were the only form of transportation offering a 4 o'clock take off...what a fucking joke, we didn't leave until 5:30, landing me in New York City at 9:30 thanks to a lovely jackass who didn't exceed 45mph on the NJTP. 

In the pouring rain, I finally arrive at the Hudson Hotel, soaked and exhausted and thirsty as all hell.  There is a line around the block to get into the opening, however i get recognized and escorted into the show...up into VIP to collect myself.  I grabbed a ginger cranberry cocktail and take a load off before taking pictures with the painting in honor of Gen Arts' final hour.  

This was one of the first pictures taken...which i think expresses the day prior to my arrival pretty well....

The party ended at 11, but kept kickin until 12 in VIP...and then I split down to Houston and 1st to catch Spin Doctor Chris Barron play with the Time Bandits.  I walk into National Underground to find John Popper from Blues Traveler ripping the harp and the place to be packed with a bunch of cats whom i just adore!  I stayed for a few cocktails and one song request...then went and crashed.  I was fucking spent.

After all of the crazy bullshit and headaches, the evening ended up being really great and as my buddy says "ya gotta roll with the punches"...it all kinda made it more special and enjoyable in a really fucked up frustrating way...but even in the midst of all the madness i made sure to take time out to look over the balcony of the VIP to watch people over and over again gather in front of our piece of art to take pictures with friends and discuss with each other...which was pretty amazing.  ;)

Please visit Gen Art to learn more and contribute in your own way, what they do for the artist community is really unbelievable, and hopefully their support will continue.

Love, Jess!