new york city MUSIC

Boy bands are in again.  One Direction, The Wanted, The... Slants.  Yes, that's right, an all boy Asian-American band.  The name is striking, it might even make you crack a smile, but The Slants don't care.  They are all about breaking racial stereotypes. The U.S. Patent and Trademark office doesn't feel the same way.  The Slants have been denied access registering their name because the government believes the name to be offensive towards Asian- Americans. It's all about perspective though, The Slants see it in a completely different way.  They think that their band name empowers instead of mocks.  In an interview with Time Entertainment, founder Simon Tam says its a case of reverse racism.  "In my opinion, the concern is a little misguided.  We have people being offended on behalf of our community, yet they're denying us rights ."   Basically, what's the big deal?   Society has labeled and categorized different social groups...

I am so excited for the upcoming exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, Who Shot Rock. From Brooklyn Museum's Spring 2009 Press Release: "Who Shot Rock: Photographers of Rock and Roll October 30, 2009–January 31, 2010 (Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing, 5th floor) Who Shot Rock: Photographers of Rock and Roll is the first major museum exhibition to put the photographers in the foreground, acknowledging their creative and collaborative role in the history of rock ’n’ roll. From its earliest days, rock ’n’ roll was captured in photographs that personalized, and frequently eroticized, the musicians, creating a visual identity for the genre. The photographers are handmaidens to the rock ’n’ roll revolution, and their images communicate the social and cultural transformations that took place from the 1950s to the present. The exhibition is in six sections: rare and revealing images taken behind the scenes; tender snapshots of young musicians at the beginnings of their careers; exhil...