Alex Jeffries2013-05-24T22:52:27-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.news.moviefone.com/author/index.php?author=alex-jeffriesCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Alex JeffriesGood old fashioned elbow grease.How To Dress Well's Tom Krell Talks Musical Instincts, Self-Reflection And Singing Like MJtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.22748532012-12-14T15:52:25-05:002013-02-13T05:12:01-05:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/Echoplex in Los Angeles last Tuesday night was sparsely arranged and haunting, a breathtaking adventure into a muted, introspective world. Krell, the experimental singer and producer who performs under the name How to Dress Well, is currently in the middle of a three-month long tour that flirts with two continents and a handful of countries in support of his most recent album Total Loss. The crowd in Los Angeles was receptive to the raw, unfiltered performance Krell is famed for, one that nudges and goads the audience to a similar place of self-reflection.
He stood on stage in black sweatpants and a cuffed white T-shirt, spotlit from above and leaned into a performance that wasted little effort. How to Dress Well's music is most notable for Krell's piercing voice which reaches heights previously owned by Timberlake and Jackson, played over loops, live violin and keyboard. His vocal range is tremendous and at its most affecting in those higher registers, and despite the R&B genre he's occasionally lumped in with, there was no overt crooning. He spends most of his set in that space which makes for a therapeutic experience that gently concludes with an a cappella ode to his brother.
Krell shows gratitude to the people in his life, to those who've inspired his music, and to the fans in the audience supporting his vision. Though as a musician How to Dress Well traffics in mourning and loss, Krell is clearly invested in hope and promise.
I sat down with a tea-drinking Krell at his airBnB room in Echo Park before his performance to talk about connecting with his fans, feeling famous, and singing like MJ.
Frank Ocean said in a recent GQ interview that being heartbroken made the difference in how his work was received, that there seemed to be a moment when he felt like a real artist. Do you have that moment?
Not really. I don't really believe it was one event for him either. Anybody I know who can make affecting music has it deep inside from their whole life experience. Life, or lives, can change really dramatically from one event but usually if you have the ability to give voice to something because of an event, say your heart being broken, it's because of something more constitutional in you than just one event. It can be an occasion for finding your voice, or finding a specific vibe, or some powerful sounds, but it goes deeper than something that can be caused by one occasion.
What guided your voice for Total Loss?
A lot of stuff. There was a lot of stuff going on for that time. Among other things, like great things, my first record coming out and being so well received by people all over the world. I had a pretty strange and twisted year. A lot of tough stuff in my family, tough situations amongst friends, but yeah, when I think about it now, it's something I've wanted since I was 15 or 16 years-old writing songs and really trying to figure out a way to make emotionally intense music.
How have you felt having your music become more and more accepted?
It's been exciting. It's really inspiring. This guy [in San Diego] with these beautiful eyes came up to me after the show and he was just crying in my arms. It was totally crazy. It was just a really intense and deep experience. That kind of connection... he described having lost a friend. He just needed to be close with him. This gave him an opportunity. The live show gave him an opportunity to be close to his friend. That is amazing. That makes me feel like everything is going in the right direction.
It really feels like Total Loss pushes self-reflection in a number of different ways. Is that what you're going for?
That's dope. That's another thing, the response to the album has been super varied. Some people just vibe to it which is also cool, but I like when people have personal experiences to it because that's the kind of experience I'm seeking with a lot of the music I listen to.
Does getting these strong reactions (and seeing people have such meaningful experiences with your music) push you in terms of how personal you'll get with your upcoming releases?
Not more personal exactly. I've found a place where writing that's very personal but not ego-centered. It's that place where everyone has personal experience. I'm not writing about my experience. I'm not a guy with an acoustic guitar being like "Last Wednesday... " or whatever people write about when people are writing confessional music. It's not me confessing things. There's a weird place where the personal and the collective intersect. That's the spot that I want to be sitting down in to write my music. The sort of shared aspects of emotional life. For me it's easy to go in the direction of personal things and themes which took me to that place, but I don't go there to do me. I go there to do something more spiritual.
Are you drawn to music that does similar things for you?
I'm drawn to all types of music. All l the music I'm drawn to because I feel like it works on an emotional level that I sense is somewhere in that collective region. It might be a melodic trip by someone who doesn't give a shit at all about the stuff I'm talking about. It might be a little bit of a Future song, and I feel the way it resonates with me emotionally and I suspect that there's something universal about that, even if he's singing about getting a girl out of a strip club. I just try and go there.
You've been put in the same category of artist as The Weeknd. Do you agree with that?
There are a lot of people right now doing all kinds of music, I would never want to say these people are my peers, because they might be doing something very different than what I'm trying to do. I know people who know Abel [Tesfaye, of The Weeknd], and my buddy Henry who plays music as Shlomo is in touch with him and does work for him and shit. I never mean offense or anything like that, it's just not in my zone. The thing is, both sonically and in terms of content, it's worlds apart. We're on very different levels. He's singing choruses for French Montana songs, and that's not what I'm up to right now.
Would you ever go there?
I'd do it. Could be fun.
Do you want HTDW to get more mainstream?
I would love for it to be absolutely massive, but on the terms I've set for it. I want to follow my own musical instincts just as truly and with as much focus and honesty as possible. It's already growing in really cool and exciting ways for me. I wouldn't want to do something to compromise myself to make it bigger. If it gets bigger by its own momentum and energy, that would be great. I'm not trying to do something for a select group of people, I'm just not trying to do something in a populist way in order to make it popular. I would love it to be more and more popular but without compromising or capitulating to populist bullshit.
Are you affected by the amount of people who listen to your music? How do you not think about mass audience while staying true to what you want to do?
To be fair, I don't think about it when I'm making music. I'm just trying to make something beautiful. I think about it in a couple ways. On one hand, it must affect me personally just through energy, that people are listening to my music. It's something incalculable and strange. If there's some 22-year-old emotional kid in Mexico City listening to my record right now in his parents basement, that's got to be doing something to me on some spiritual level. In terms of making music, I just don't think of it... I just try and make something that sounds beautiful to me.
My first record is really weird. This record, even though it's more poppy in some spots, it's also quite strange. It's very strange in many spots on the record, the fact that there are so many kinds of sounds on the record, the fact that it's called Total Loss, the fact that I say the kinds of things I say about my music. It's got such big wings, even given all the weirdness, the personality in it, that just makes me think I can really try and develop trust in my musical intuitions, to make something beautiful that's going to resonate. Lately I'm working a lot with guitar and vibraphone. For some reason it feels deep to me. When I hear the things I'm going to record, it feels deep. It feels like it hits home. That's my only gauge. At the end of the day, if it moves me. If I can play a song three days later and find it's getting stuck in my head, it's giving me goosebumps, it feels deep. That's my only real gauge.
They talk in the recent Spike Lee documentary about Michael Jackson's BAD that MJ actually had a relatively low speaking voice, and at least a three octave range. Despite that he chose to sing, and speak, high. His whole voice was an affectation. People would ask him to sing lower, and he said no. He just wanted to exist have the higher range. Is that a conscious thing for you to sing higher?
Oh really? Wow. No. There's moments on the record where I do sing lower. And live, I do a couple of different additions to songs where I go in a lower range. It's just what has always felt right to me. One of the songs I'm working on right now starts with a lower vocal pass, a lower line. That's really interesting about Michael. I can't imagine doing a whole record where I didn't sing high. To me it sounds very beautiful. Those are the moments I feel very moved when I'm singing in that register. The kinds of things I can do with vibrato in that register feel very pretty. I don't know. It's an interesting question though.
Have you always been this open of a person? Is it scary sharing such vulnerability with so many people?
Here's the thing. It doesn't go deeper. It just goes more personal in the direction I was saying, like ego-stuff. You don't want to hear about my shitty day or whatever. You want to hear the personal stuff that has this weird capacity to become immediate and universal. You don't want to hear me singing about my specific this-or-that. That's the deep stuff. For me the most important stuff in the world would just be boring as hell for anyone else. Nobody needs to know about that stuff. That stuff just is not, for me, artistically relevant. A lot of people like to sing about that stuff, and that's just not what I'm interested in. I don't feel stressed by it or afraid. It takes a lot of practice. It's taken me a lot of practice to feel unafraid about shit. To be emotionally honest.
Do you feel famous?
No. You know why? Because I'm definitely not famous [Krell laughs here]. I would like to feel famous. That'd be very cool. It's a weird time to be alive and to be a successful musician. People are listening to my music all over the world and I still play a show for 20 people in Bloomington, Ind. I walk around Chicago all the time and nobody recognizes me. My friends are stoked and loved [my success], but they don't care. Even if there's notoriety and success coming to me through the project, there's not a lot of fame at this point. That's part of what I was saying, too.
I played a show earlier this week and these kids were gathering around and they were asking me lots of questions which made me feel famous, and it didn't feel that good. It was impersonal. I felt deified. I felt like they thought, "This is our moment to ask this question." Then the night before I played in St. Louis. Same kind of vibe with people really excited to meet me, and just be on the level. I try to be pretty down to earth about the whole thing. I appreciate it when fans are like "What's up dude? How's it going?" more than like... I would never want to be famous like in the Justin Bieber/TMZ-style of famous. I don't expect that. It doesn't make sense to me. The music performs a natural selection. It is intense, and emotionally serious, and I think people feel like they connect with me through the music so we're past the point of small talk when we meet. We can just be normal people together.
For more concert coverage, check out sweetsets music.]]>Azealia Banks In Los Angeles: Rising Rapper's Surprise Performance at DETAILS Magazine Partytag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.21421662012-11-16T19:16:00-05:002013-01-16T05:12:01-05:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/Details magazine party "DETAILS @ Midnight" in Los Angeles Wednesday night, playing a quick set highlighted by Banks' hits "212" and "Liquorice."
DETAILS @ Midnight (#detailsatmidnight) is an ongoing series of events held throughout the U.S. that features up-and-coming artists in hip venues. Past events have featured artists such as Kid Cudi and Theophilus London. That bar, Bootsy Bellows, is a small lounge on Sunset in Hollywood, and it brimmed with sharply dressed Los Angelenos. That it was so packed proved that DETAILS @ Midnight's surprise artist conceit is gaining traction.
At a few minutes past 12 o'clock, Banks arrived. The crowd erupted the second Banks slid through the silvery strands that separate the stage from the back room, greeting the quick-tongued 21-year-old rapper with shouts and whistles. Though not everyone knows her by name (one bystander asked, "Is she famous?"), the audience's screaming profane sing-alongs offered her a passionate embrace.
Banks rapped emphatically while strutting back and forth on the small stage. There's no pausing, no small talk and no letting up and that energy translates to an enthusiastic audience. Behind the first rows of people hanging onto Banks' every lyric are rows of people standing on tables and couches, each seemingly raising their drink in excited salute. Banks shrugged off the stadium-esque atmosphere and focused on the people immediately in front of her. It was an intimate occasion with the feeling of a brash celebration.
"212," Banks' biggest hit, was saved for the end of a short but sweet set. It may have been no more than 10 minutes in total, but that's all it took to work the front few rows into an excitable, jabbering frenzy.
With that, she said a few words of gratitude then disappeared back through those silvery strands separating the stage from the back rooms, and we're all left waiting, wanting more. Until then, there's her mixtape Fantasea, and the fervent hope for the debut of a full-length album.]]>A Night With Icky Blossoms at The Troubadourtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.21274442012-11-15T11:27:00-05:002013-01-15T05:12:01-05:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/
They're pleased to have the interview before the show, as Pressnall and Fackler both play in the evening's headliner Tilly and the Wall. Aside from a five-minute breather to reset their gear, they don't afford themselves much time to switch over.
Icky Blossoms formed during an Omaha snowstorm in 2011, but the band members were well-acquainted before that. Pressnall is something of a mainstay in Omaha music (he's been with Tilly and the Wall since 2002), and had both heard of and recruited Boling and Fackler.
"Derek first heard something I sang on when I was studying math and engineering," Boling said. Then she paused, gave him a look and hunched over. "Then he said, 'Hey, little girl, come practice with us.'"
"No fucking way I said that," Pressnall laughed. "I'm not the creeper of Omaha."
Five months after that initial practice, Boling dropped out of school to join a band full-time.
Fackler has his own recruitment anecdote, too. He was approached by Derek, who was a fan of his "flowery guitar playing." For Fackler, this was a golden opportunity: the chance to be a musician again, a livelihood and a passion that had once driven him to direct music videos. ("I wanted to meet musicians and hang out with them and get to know them, and then sneak into their bands somehow. It totally worked!") After his focus shifted to filmmaking full-time, he'd thought his musical career was over.
Pressnall admitted his own initiation into music was similarly random. Though he's been playing since he was 12 in "pop-punk/ska bands," he doesn't know how he ended up making music this long. "I got roped into [Tilly and the Wall], and then the opportunities just kept coming." It's an artistic fate that Fackler echoes: "Chase the opportunities."
Though Pressnall is the elder statesman, Fackler drove the discussions of artistic ambition. "It's good to have as many projects as possible going," Fackler said. "Work on all of them when they ask you to be worked on. If one takes a dip, the other can take a rise. It can be natural." He mimics a wave with his hands.
"It can get tricky knowing which band a song belongs to," Pressnall -- who is in five bands -- said. "Usually when I'm writing songs, I'm focused on a certain band. Sometimes things can get a little weird and walk the line and you don't really know where they're supposed to go, or which group to put them in. One of the new Tilly songs was a song I wrote for Icky."
"I was really surprised because he showed it to me in the living room," Boling said. "We were jumping around and spewing out ideas, because we like to dance to brainstorm. We spent three hours on the song and it was stuck in my brain for months, and then I bought the Tilly album and started playing and I was like... Oh my god! He gave them that song!"
Apart from a some cross-pollination, Icky Blossoms is a decidedly new endeavor, separate even from their other shared band, Flowers Forever, a punk-rock outfit whose intent was, according to Fackler, "to get people moving and to thrash out." Blossoms places beats at the center of their songs to encourage that "pounding feeling that gets inside people." But the guitar's still there.
"We try to coax people into a mosh pit that way," Fackler said, "by putting the thrashy guitar with the beat."
"Once we started with the beats, we noticed that peopled did move more," Boling said. "Considerably more. That's how the decision was made for us. Whoa! We got people in Omaha to shake their butts!"
Pressnall laughs at Boling's impersonation of the typical nod and bob shuffle. "All of the bands I've been in always have had that intent to connect with people, whether it was punk rock, electronic music, pop, folk music, whatever. It's about trying to find this weird thing with people."
"We really take pride in the work that we put into our live shows" Fackler said. "The thought process that's gone into it to really make it feel live, to make it feel like music's being made there and that you're hearing things that would never be on the record, ever."
Whether this was a reference to the bassist who played half-possessed was never verified, but this certainly wasn't kids on turntables. Pressnall flung himself toward the microphone, halting at the precipice between controlled stage presence and the eager, thirsty crowd. The drummer is a constant force in the back row, sweating minutes into the set. Boling's vocals fill up the Troubadour, and her synth, the ascribed backbone for the music, while not filled with suspense or tricks, provided strong support. Fackler's hair is free, as if it fears ever being tied down. The silhouetted Fackler thrashes out.
The show is quick, flashy and loud, bolstered by the synthesizer and free of banter. They are sweaty, exhausted and smiling. They've earned their five-minute breather.
So what's next for Icky Blossoms? "Intensify the live show even more. Add new things. Keep pushing it and pushing it and pushing it," Fackler said. "Stay busy. Just not stopping."
Added Bohling: "Boredom is the enemy."
Icky Blossoms is finishing up their tour with Tilly and the Wall before heading out with The Faint starting November 27th.
Icky Blossoms will be touring with The Faint over the following dates
Nov 27 House of Blues Dallas, TX
Nov 28 Emo's East Austin, TX
Nov 30 Cannery Ballroom Nashville, TN
Dec 01 The Masquerade Atlanta, GA
Dec 02 The Orange Peel Asheville, NC
Dec 05 9:30 Club Washington, DC
Dec 06 Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
Dec 07 Terminal 5 New York, NY
Dec 08 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
Dec 09 Club Soda Montreal QC, Canada
Dec 11 Sound Academy Toronto On, Canada
Dec 12 Metro Chicago, IL
Dec 13 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
Dec 14 Sokol Auditorium Omaha, NE]]>Catching Up With SSION's Cody Critcheloetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.20424202012-10-30T13:50:57-04:002012-12-30T05:12:01-05:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/
First, an introduction to SSION (which is pronounced 'shun', as in mission, ambition, or shunning day jobs and making art for a living). SSION is Cody Critcheloe, and Cody is SSION. SSION is his project, his band, the label under which he makes music videos for artists like Santigold, the Liars, Peaches and MNDR, and cover art for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It's also his livelihood.
Cody and SSION's backing band took the small Los Globos stage just after midnight, following the vogue-ing, highly costumed Ab Soto and the gender-bending rap-duo House of Ladosha, and played for well over an hour.
There is a real immediacy to Cody's performance. His screams of "LOS ANGELES" brings the audience in close to the stage, which helps the sweat that had beaded on our skin to run wild down our lower backs. He leans outward, he touches the ceiling, he rarely turns away. As a frontman, he is very present. To crowd surf he doesn't jump out into the masses, but instead wades in and is buoyed up. It's more crowd-floating than crowd surfing, more Dead Sea than Mavericks. In a few seconds the ebb and flow gets him back to the stage, and he continues on with the show, pleased.
Our expectation for SSION going in was a high-concept, totally fabulous theater piece, but that was noticeably missing. The concert was just a concert; there were no elaborate projections or glamorous costumes, and this ended up being a nice exercise in restraint. Cody's signature design elements were absent from the stage, but whether this was a casualty of tour or a new direction for the band remains to be seen. Regardless, the decision left focus on the music. This in turn led to much dancing, and plenty of slippery make-outs peppered in between, the audience's seal of approval for SSION's music's recent move toward pop. The audience, a healthy mix of ages, sexualities and men in winged costume, all danced.
SSION's sound is sultry pop with a disco backbone, led by Cody's sincere, controlled vocals. It is easy to dance along with, and because the music tends towards encouraging, the dance is positive, bordering liberating. SSION doesn't have to dabble in gimmicks to create the atmosphere they want. The music, and the man behind it, proved enough to make the hour-plus set sweet.
The set went smoothly with the exception of that one moment where Cody, having finished a song, looked out at the audience and saw a small white dog being held aloft. The dog was then passed to him on the stage, and Cody was visibly put-off, calling attention to the dog's quick-beating heart and saying it must be terrified. The dog eventually found its way back to its rightful owner (and here's hoping that the rightful owner was rightfully escorted out), and the show went on, the crowd spared any sort of Ozzy Osbourne moment.
We caught up with SSION, who are just over halfway through their LIVE & WET tour supporting their newest LP 'BENT.'
Q: That poor dog... does that happen a lot to you?
I use a lot of white dogs in the recent imagery. I have a weird obsession with white Pekingese dogs, but I don't know where the hell that came from, it freaked me out. I thought it was stuffed... when I picked it up, its heart was beating so fast, it was shivering, I was just... oh my god, this is fucked up. It took me out of it. I was really in the moment, and I was like... ah... thinking about this dog. God, everyone's expecting me to bite its head off.
Q: Did they just smuggle the dog in?
It had to have been in a purse. I thought it was stuffed, or animatronic. It was from this Queen who said "She wants to be a star!" It freaked me out.
Q: What happens after this tour? Is Coachella in the cards?
I wish. I've been to Coachella, I've seen a bunch of bands play there. I have no idea. I'd love to play Coachella. I love playing outdoor festivals.
Q: What are your plans for after this tour?
The main thing right now is doing videos for every song on this record. We have two that are done that we'll release after the tour is over. The plan is, as soon as we get back I'll go to Kansas City, which is where a lot of the people are that I've spent the last 5, 6 years working with on different projects. I'll go back there and make another video and get it done before the year's out.
Q: Are you going to make another album?
I don't know if making a full-length record is what I want to do next, but we were actually talking about doing some sort of EP, because this last record, the Bent record, I spent so long on it. I was really dead-set on making this pop record to the point that it killed it for me a little bit. I still love performing the songs, and I love how it connects with people, people know the words, that's cool. That's why I did it in the first place, but I'd like to experiment.
Q: Would the EP be less of an investment?
Anything I'm going to do is going to be an investment. Doing an EP just gives you more freedom. People don't hold the same expectations on an EP that they would on an LP. That sorta feels like the right thing to do. Making shit, staying busy 24/7. Being creative. Then there's a European tour that we're working on, we're doing a show at Miami Art Basel, and we're confirmed that we're going to do a New Year's party at The Standard in Los Angeles.
Q: What would be different on the next project?
I don't actually have a set in stone idea of what I want to make, which the last few records I did. I think that's a really good time to experiment. Even some of the demos for the songs on this record are more appealing to me now. They have a more raw, effortless thing to them. I don't think they got developed as catchy as they are now. I just want to have that freedom to make stuff constantly. That's the one thing that'll keep it fresh for me. It's exciting. It's cool, too, I don't feel any pressure to stay one way or the other. Anyone who's legitimately into SSION knows that, too. No ideal of what it has to be.
Q: What is one thing that you stand for, you individually, or SSION all together, that you're trying to portray to the world?
For me, I feel like the only goal and purpose I have in life is to make the stuff that I want to make, and to do the best stuff I possibly can. As long as I'm true to that vision, which is very impulsive and intuitive, then everyone else gets the meaning and messages out of it. It's hard for me to take any hardcore stance, I always feel a pressure to say something intelligent. That's not really me, I'm just a creator. When I'm totally 100 percent true to that, that's me. It's hard for me to say any one thing, like "Just be yourself." I don't feel like that everyday. It doesn't make sense for me to have a slogan. And it also comes off really smug.
Q: You've worked with Santigold, CSS, etc. Do you have a wish list of people you'd want to make videos for, or be featured with?
I've never sought out making videos for people. That just came about. I enjoy doing that, I love working with those people. It's an interesting process for me. Even though they've all given me an insane amount of freedom, you still have to work within their restraints. It doesn't matter who they are, they all have some image restraint in some way. You're working on their terms. I like the stuff I've made for those people. I feel like the stuff I make for myself is the best. I don't feel like I've ever really made a masterpiece for someone else. I really love what I do, so I'm selfish about it. I love doing stuff for other people. It's a necessary thing to do. If I could, I'd just be making it for myself. It's cool, we're going to make a video for Santigold, that's awesome. We make that video, I get paid for that video, and it's awesome, now I can make something I really want to make. I'm going to put all that in mine.
The people I want to collaborate with are just friends of mine. It's so hard, I can't even think of someone I'm dying to collaborate with, really. I would, I'm open to it. I like doing stuff for other people, and with other people, but I don't feel it's representative of my work. The videos I make for someone else are not really my thing.
Q: Do you feel like there's anyone out there who's doing something similar? If you teamed up, you would feel like you're staying true to what you are?
I feel like there are. I'm more interested in collaborating with someone I didn't sync up with very well, you know what I mean? Someone that's going to teach me something. I would just hate to get in a room and high five someone for five hours straight and say we're awesome. We're exactly the same! It'd be way cooler to do something with someone you didn't see eye to eye with.
Q: Do you feel like you have a fan following?
Not in a Grateful Dead kind of way. A few chicks that came to a few shows in a row, and I thought that was impressive. There was a girl who drove from Montana to Olympia. But it's not a Dead Head. It's awesome, we love it. We've played a lot of awesome shows on this tour.
Q: How has the tour been? Any particularly memorable shows?
In Cincinnati we played in someone's loft. I was telling the booking agent I just don't want a day off. If we're going to do this, let's play in every place we can possibly play at. In Cincinnati, Nicky Da B, the New Orleans bounce kid, it was such an odd show, but it makes sense. We're playing with him again in New Orleans. It's been rad, having House of Ladosha on the tour's been fun, it's good to have their energy on board. Awesome to see them open the show, I mean not in LA, people here are a lot more in tune to what they're doing. Cool to take House of Ladosha to somewhere like, you know, like Salt Lake City or Cincinnati, people'd be really confused then get really into it. It's the perfect opening act to have. Also to see certain cities go crazy for them, too.
I always try to look at everyone in the audience. I really want to connect with everyone, to make sure people are having a good time.
Q: What's the further out there goal?
I would love to put out an album on a major label, more than anything, and to have something that was a crossover. I love the idea of doing something mainstream. With that, ideally, comes a budget to do bigger types of things, which is exciting to me. Also, I direct all the music videos, and I would really like to one day make a full-length feature film. I'm sure I will, I don't know when that'll happen. With SSION, the way it started, it was first a band, but it always a brand. When I was at art school, just making videos or doing paintings, the name was SSION. Everything that I did that was the label it was on. I sort of see a lot of things as a potential for it. It's very open. I would like to do more acting. A fashion line. Have more art shows. Be a painter. Get really good at cooking. Ultimately, SSION is all I do, all I've been doing for over ten years. It also allows me to do anything I want.
]]>Most Friendly Movie Robots: C-3P0, Wall-E And Moretag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-08-17T12:08:19-04:002012-08-24T13:58:33-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/
Yet while plenty of movie robots in history have been destructive and deadly, not every film believes our future lies in the hands of Hal or the Fembots. Sometimes robots can represent the good in us: our silly, sensitive and humane sides.
In honor of the new movie "Robot and Frank," which hits theaters today, here is a list of the 11 friendliest robots in film.
]]>Never Too Old For Love Movies: 9 Romance Films For Adultstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-08-09T15:59:29-04:002012-08-10T18:11:56-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/
But what about "…to love"?
Out this week is "Hope Springs," a film that stars Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones as a couple looking to reignite their decades-old marriage with the help of a counselor (Steve Carell). For hopeless romantics, it's a movie that shows how love exists till old age, throughout old age and even in spite of old age.
In honor of this sentiment, here are nine movies -- from "It's Complicated" to "Bridges of Madison Country" -- that show how love spans decades, endures kids, and survives both marriage and divorce.
]]>Comedians Who Could Be President: Bill Murray, Kristen Wiig And Moretag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-08-06T16:33:51-04:002012-08-07T16:57:43-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/
Many voters call the constant bickering in American politics a joke, which is why it has made for excellent comedic fodder. The latest example can be seen this weekend in "The Campaign," which stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as rivals running for office. Not only does the movie spoof the reality TV nature of today's political climate, it's also a perfect excuse for the U.S. to try and get some new blood running for office, namely, our best and brightest comedians (because who better to fix our government than those already in on the joke?).
Below, check out 10 comedians who should run for president. Afterward, make sure to vote for your favorite candidate (and there's no Electoral College at Moviefone, promise).
]]>Best Dance Movies: The Evolution Of The Genre, From 'Dirty Dancing' To 'Step Up'tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-07-26T10:56:54-04:002012-07-26T19:05:28-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/
This Friday, "Step Up: Revolution," the fourth film in the "Step Up" series, continues that trend, with a movie that -- like its predecessors -- focuses on a conflict based on race, class and age (also, lots of dance moves, some of which you can watch here).
The "Step Up" franchise is just the latest in a long line of dance films -- a line that stretches all the way back to "Saturday Night Fever" (and when we say "dance films" we mean films about dance, not films that only include memorable dance scenes, like "Singin' in the Rain" or "Grease").
In tribute to dance movies both old and new, let's take a look back at the history of the genre, with 13 famous dance scenes.
]]>'Brave' Easter Eggs: Pixar Sneaks In 'Toy Story,' 'Monsters Inc.' References (PHOTOS)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-07-03T11:23:09-04:002012-07-03T11:59:44-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/boundary-pushing animation, an incredible story and at least one A-list comedian. However, die-hard Pixar fans have come to expect easter eggs -- hidden gems inside the films that reference previous Pixar flicks (for example, take the Luxo Ball from the first Pixar short, which has since appeared in all three "Toy Story" films, "Up" and "Monster's Inc.").
However, there must've been some concern when the animation studio first announced "Brave," a story set in the medieval era. How would the filmmakers be able to incorporate the other famous films and faces in a world so far away? The answer, as always: by getting a little creative.
Disney has just released two new stills from "Brave," which assure fans that the easter egg tradition is still going strong.
Both moments occurred during Princess Merida's trip to the witch's house in the woods (the witch had disguised herself as a woodcarver).
You can check out both photos below.
(Click to enlarge)
(Click to enlarge) ]]>Channing Tatum, 'Magic Mike' Star, Denies Stealing Moves From Fellow Stripperstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-06-25T09:30:46-04:002012-06-25T12:06:47-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/but he's no thief.
The star of "Magic Mike" was recently accused by two former stripping colleagues that he used their real-life stories and patented stripper moves (one of which is called "The Hot Seat") without their permission in the upcoming Steven Soderbergh-directed film. Thomas "Awesome" Austin and London Steele, who Tatum worked with during his brief time stripping in Tampa, Florida, were upset that they weren't involved in the production or consulted for accuracy, going so far as to call Tatum an "amateur" who "only danced for four months."
Despite this, Tatum's taking the high road and not letting their sexy slander get him down.
"Those guys have been trying to make money off of me since I got into this business", Tatum told the Hollywood Reporter (and by money, he presumably means more than just a few singles). "There's not one character that I took from my real life. This is just a world that I went into, and I had a perspective on… we created everything from a fictional place."
Tatum goes onto call Austin and Steele "interesting, intriguing and bizarre characters."
"Magic Mike" which also stars Matthew McConaughey, Adam Rodriguez, Alex Pettyfer, Joe Manganiello and Matt Bomer, hits theaters this Friday.
For more news, features and showtime information on your favorite movies, sign up for the Moviefone newsletter. For the quickest updates, like us on Facebook. ]]>'Taken 2' Trailer: Liam Neeson Needs You To Listen To Him Carefully ... Againtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-06-21T16:02:32-04:002012-07-30T13:12:40-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/"Taken 2."
Yes, the first trailer for the sequel to the successful 2009 flick has arrived. Here, Mills and his family are on vacation in Istanbul, Turkey, when Mills' wife (Famke Janssen) is taken (!) by the same guys who ran the prostitution ring his daughter was sold into during the first film. (Apparently they're still upset about the unflinching swath of destruction that Mills wreaked on their associates, and are now seeking revenge.)
It should be no surprise that the seemingly invincible Mills is hellbent on getting his wife back, by threatening to do what he does best. (From the looks of the trailer, that means using guns, exploding cars, and lots of running through the streets of Istanbul.)
You can check out the trailer for "Taken 2" (not "Taken Again" Or "Double-Taken"? C'mon!) above. The film hits theaters October 5.
]]>'Bare Knuckles Van Buren' And Other Ridiculous Ideas For Political Moviestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-06-19T15:59:28-04:002012-06-22T12:35:17-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," which hits theaters this Friday, brings to life what everyone already knew to be true: Before he became the great emancipator, our 16th President was out slayin' vampires!
This film certainly won't be the last time Hollywood takes liberties with American history. Which means, it's time for studios to set their sights on the next ridiculously skewed historical lesson involving our most famous politicos. Why couldn't Benjamin Franklin take on a Predator? Why can't Thomas Edison fight ghosts? Why can't we put Eleanor Roosevelt into a romantic comedy? All valid questions.
Audiences are at the beginning of an entertaining, educational wave of new films involving historical fan fiction, and here are nine pitches for movies Hollywood could (but probably won't) make.
For more news, features and showtime information on your favorite movies, sign up for the Moviefone newsletter. For the quickest updates, like us on Facebook.
]]>Steve Carell Movies: The Actor's Best Lovable Loser Rolestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-06-19T11:19:01-04:002012-06-20T12:04:38-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/Steve Carell in his new movie, "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," you need only look at his previous roles.
Carell is one of Hollywood's most consistent stars. Having honed his craft at Chicago's Second City -- and then on "The Daily Show" -- Steve succeeds by hiding his comedy behind a straight man's facade. He's part of a new breed who leads with naiveté and sweetness instead of the bulging muscles of the '80s and '90s (hi, Ah-nuld!), or the absurd, one-dimensional roles of the aughts (ahem, Adam Sandler). Although many of his characters endure suffering or feel "unlucky in love," what makes Carell so watchable is his perseverance. He's hurt, but he'll heal. He gets down, but he never gets out. It's predictable, but it's comfortable.
With "Seeking a Friend" hitting theaters this Friday, let's take a look at Carell's best lovable loser roles.
]]>'The Master Trailer: Meet Nuclear Physicist Philip Seymour Hoffmantag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-06-19T10:17:10-04:002012-06-19T10:30:51-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/"The Master," which expands upon the first teaser's menacing look by introducing us to the characters played by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.
Hoffman (who reunites with Anderson, his "Boogie Nights" director) is World War II veteran Lancaster Dodd, a "hopelessly inquisitive man" who forms his own religion called "The Cause" as a result of painful war experiences. (Dodd and his religion are already being compared to L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology.)
Phoenix plays an unsettled man who seems equally drawn to the magnetic Dodd, and equally willing to question and rail against him.
Adams plays Dodd's wife, Mary Sue Dodd, and though she seems innocent enough, the lurching, clinking track and the overlaid dialogue throughout the new trailer suggest there is something sinister left for us to see.
Yes, it's way too early to begin talking about award season, but from the looks of the new teaser, this movie is more than likely barreling toward a few nominations. (The three central actors have all received Oscar nods in the past, with Hoffman winning Best Actor for his "Capote" performance.)
"The Master" hits theaters on October 12.
[via Village Voice]]]>Bret Michaels Reviews 'Rock Of Ages' (VIDEO)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2012-06-15T09:07:12-04:002012-06-15T13:45:54-04:00Alex Jeffrieshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-jeffries/
In a video for NextMovie, Michaels gave the film nothing but praise:
Michaels went on to compliment "the beautiful" Julianne Hough (who plays Sherrie Christian), the cast's chemistry and the movie's soundtrack (which features several Poison songs, including "Nothing But a Good Time" and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"). Bret was also very excited about the "great bands of the '80s genre that are still out there -- Def Leppard, Poison, Journey -- selling out arenas. The music has withstood the test of time."
And if Michaels had to give a rose or a thorn to Tom Cruise, for his portrayal of rock-star, Stacee Jaxx, what would it be?
"He would get a bouquet of roses. He nailed it."
See if Bret Michaels has a second career as a movie reviewer by checking out "Rock of Ages," in theaters this Friday.
