FILTH MIX FEATURING GODLESH, NAPALM DEATH, WHITEHOUSE, COIL, FLATS, SWANS AND MORE…

Cameron - Songs For The Witch Woman

Now on view at The Pacific Design Center, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles presents a very dark and intriguing exhibition focusing on one of L.A.’s underground occult artists. Cameron arrived in Hollywood after WWII and began working in Pasadena, where she met Jack Parsons, founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, noted occultist and follower of Aleister Crowley. The two would eventually marry and Cameron’s art would be forever influenced. 

This is her first solo exhibition since her passing in 1995 and the surrealist, mythical and esoteric works show how vital her role was in L.A.’s counterculture.

On view until January 11, 2015. More information at MOCA.

The Brvtalist Fall Survival Guide

Fall is here, but more importantly harsh weather conditions are approaching. With the continuing extreme patterns in climate, one must be prepared for anything and everything. We are always just one disaster away from civil unrest or full societal collapse. With that being said, it is of the utmost importance to choose your wardrobe wisely. I believe in both luxury and high performance. I’ve put together a list that will help you through the next storm or extinction level event. 

The Bellstaff Alderney Waxed Cotton Poncho is ready for anything. It has fully functioning storm flaps, a detachable hood and constructed in Italy of the finest cotton. You can always count on the Bellstaff mark of quality. Available here. 

Diesel Steel Toe Combat Boot - Rugged, raw and ready for the elements. These boots are preworn and even have a ripped toe to reveal the steel cap that might come in handy in a variety of situations. At ssense. 

Luminox Blackout Special Ops - If it’s good enough for the Navy Seals, it’s probably good enough for you. At Amazon. 

The KillSpencer Daypack is a great functional bag. It has swiss made “Aquazip” water resistant zippers, a flame retardant interior casing for your laptop and mil-spec buckles to keep everything secure. All in a beautiful black naked leather. At Killspencer. 

Alexander Plokhov Leather Holster - You always need extra storage for items that are easy to grab. This is the perfect belt. At SSENSE. 

Not only do you need protection from the sun, but your eyes also need to be guarded against any other elements that come your way. Go full protection with this exquisitely made Mykita x Bernhard Willhelm shield. At Mykita. 

The Tool Logic Firestarter is the ultimate blade. A serrated knife, high volume whistle and most importantly a firestarter function when you’re left out in the cold. Don’t leave home without it. At Tool Logic. 

Oak Funnel Neck - Layering is inevitable so give yourself some durability with full neck coverage as well. At Oak NYC. 

High quality jeans are essential and these Acne Max Coated denim gives you an added, yet subtle layer of protection. At SSENSE. 

The finishing touches are just as important and the new Alexander Wang Survival Objects hit the mark. Water bottles, key rings, flasks and more will be imperative to transporting those valuable liquids. At Alexander Wang. 

Happy Fall and good luck. 

-JRS

Dispatches from Berlin - WET Magazine at Udolpho

In 1976, a bizarre, even absurd magazine was born in Los Angeles that would improbably go on to influence an entire generation of designers, artists, filmmakers and more. The magazine was called WET and the theme was gourmet bathing. Leonard Koren was an avant garde artist who focused on bath art, that is photographing people in baths doing weird or interesting things. As a thank you to his subjects, he would throw a party at a Russian-Jewish bathhouse in LA. The idea for WET grew out of these parties and he didn’t even really know what gourmet bathing was, but just knew he wanted an absurdist magazine. He carried this ethos through all 34 issues which ran from 1976-1981. If you wanted to know how to cook fish in bath water or dress for the apocalypse, this was the magazine for you. There was a “serious” side to the magazine however, and Koren worked with countless underground artists of the time and even wound up making household names out of people like David Lynch. Koren maintained complete creative control and his art design of WET has now become a thing of legend. It was so amazingly California new wave that it can never be duplicated. Koren would go on to release a “Making of WET”, which gave some great insight into the magazine’s creation. Berlin bookstore, Udolpho, brilliantly curated a show on WET and I am lucky enough to be in the city during its limited run. I visited the small gallery space near the Tiergarten district and was blown away by all the various issues on display. They are even better in person and I loved all of the local ads of the time too. A true time capsule of art and design and I wish I owned every issue. Will see you on the internet trying to find some to buy! -JRS

[ALONE] An Existential Haunting

The dredges of summer are finally coming to a close and that can only mean one thing: Halloween season is upon us. This is a favorite time of year because there are so many traditions and rituals that are associated with the thirty first day of October. However, last year in Los Angeles, a new ritual was born and it has returned to haunt us yet again.

The Alone Experience is a fully immersive, large scale haunting that takes participants through multiple rooms (and levels) in a haunted house-like format, the likes of which you have never seen. As the name suggests, those who are brave enough, walk through completely alone and encounter all sorts of obstacles, ghouls, freaks, weirdos and sounds along the way. You never quite know what to expect and you don’t even really know where you’re going, so the disorientation makes it incredibly scary. I had the privilege of going through last year and was blown away. The venue was an industrial basement of sorts on the edge of downtown LA and the production value was amazing. Fully customized rooms, costumes and props meet you every step of the way. This is not a quick run through and the organizers pay close attention the detail and expect to even be manhandled and pushed around a little bit too (you sign a waiver of course).

This year’s experience is even bigger and better. The location has changed but we can expect a similar venue somewhere downtown (they let you know when you get your tickets), and the second incarnation will only be building upon the success of the first. To get us even more excited, the opening ritual will take place on October 17th with punk legend Lydia Lunch performing, along with Squeaky Blonde and other acts as well. I was legitimately frightened at times last year and I can’t wait to go back! Tickets are on sale now so get them while you can. I love October.

-JRS

For tickets and more information visit the Alone website here.