The Lost Vegas Art Project

No SIGNAL LIVE - II

2011-10-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

I am very excited about the second Annual 'NO $IGNAL' show on Januaty 19th, 2012 at Clinton's Bar in Toronto. The boys and I have been working hard on a great new set list and some really cool special guests. The more my interest in music continues to develop, the more I try to figure out how to blend the film/art/music project. I actually have been working on a concept that I think I can execute before 'NO $IGNAL-III'. If you can make it please come by ...it's FREE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lady Luck - Lucky Lady

2011-05-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

The new song playing underneath the Lost Vegas images this week is an original song written by "No Signal" band mate Andrew 'The Rocket' Sprachman. It was recorded in Andrew's basement a few weeks ago during one of our monthly band jams. When I first joined the guys a couple of years ago I asked Andrew if he would consider writing a song for the Project. The result is what I think has the potential to be a great song. The boys will kill me for putting the song out there because it isn't perfect but I couldn't wait. When this project started and the music side began to take shape I never thought that I would be singing and playing harmonica to one of the songs that will be part of the Album/Film...whatever this evolves to - in the future. Thanks also to my other band mates Phil Presnal (Bass) , Pete Vamos (Rythm guitar) , Bryce McNaughton (Electric guitar) and Ben Bradshaw (Drums) for all their help and input. Ben was actually sick when we taped this version of the song. Gregor Beresford who was the drummer for the indy band "The Burbon Tabernacle Choir" played the skins on this one with one practice under his belt. Amazing?

Oh well it's out there...be kind !!!

PS- The band is planning their second live show in July this year. Stay tuned.

Happy New Year...2011.

2011-01-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Where did 2010 go? I am getting real close to finishing the music for the project. My band "No Signal" have been working hard on "Lady Luck" for a while now. We will be performing it live on January the 14th at Clinton's Tavern for the first time ever. I picture a 'concert film' shot in Las Vegas with all the performers who have contributed to the project. I think that would be so cool.
I have reposted Dale Clark's song "Welcome To Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas Nevada", which was the first piece of music done for the images, and such a great song.

No Signal - Live

2010-10-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

My garage band 'No Signal' will be playing live for the first time ever on January 14th, 2011 at Clinton's Bar in Toronto. Clinton's is a great tavern and will be a cool place to play at. The majority of our songs are covers of musicians we like (Wilco/Old 97's/Neil Young/etc...) but I will be singing our one original song (written by bandmate Andrew Sprachman ) called "Lucky Lady". It is an amazing song in my opinion and I hope that I can do it justice ? Once we have it down we will record it and then I hope to start stage three of the 'Lost Vegas Art Project'. If you are in town and can come by , please do.

Free Snow White in Las Vegas download....

2010-08-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is having a great summer. Lost Vegas contributing musician Chris W. James is giving away a free download of his song "Snow White in Las Vegas" for a week. It is a great song and be sure to buy his album. Great music.

Download MP3

www.chriswjames.com

GM gives a little and gets ALOT !

2010-06-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

So GM "gives" Armando Galaraga a FREE -Vette valued at $ 60,000.00 in honor of the No-Hitter he had been robbed of. Nice gesture. In response ... over the following four days the company/car was talked about on 714 TV programs and mentioned in over 151,000 print and internet publications. The estimated value of that exposure is estimated at $ 7,900.000.00 !

GM=Great Marketing.

Keep givin' .

"Goodbye Freemont Street Cowboy"...

2010-03-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

Stephen StanleyThanks to Stephen Stanley (with Barry Walsh on back up vocals and Phil Presnel on the recording and mix) for the amazing song underneath the Lost Vegas images. Steve was a founding member of the Canadian Rock Band "Lowest of The Low" and continues today as a solo musician and Creative Director at "Strategy Magazine". Steve played the opening exhibit of the Lost Vegas Art Project and promised he would pen a song. It took a while but it was well worth the wait !!!

This is a steal...

2009-11-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

The makers of "Steal This Film" literally want you to steal the film and watch it, pass it around, or change it. If you like it and want to support them that is up to you.

Enjoy, it's a cool little film.

A game in town like this...

2009-10-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

The song playing under the "Lost Vegas" images this week is by "Corb Lund & the Hurtin Albertan's" from his new amazing CD called "Losing Lately Gambler" .
Ten years ago I met Corb at a magazine launch for a magazine that I had shot George Plimpton for the cover and he was doing an acoustic set by himself. I asked if if he would let me use some of his music for my first film that I was working on at the time called "Marymount Again..." . He let me use a great song called "The Oldest Rhytm" for the epilogue that I edited for the film (for free!). Since that time he has established himself as one of Canada's great singer songwriters and is beginning to break in the US with this latest album. Support him by buying his music and go see him live if he is playing anywhere near you, you won't be disapointed.

Thanks for everything Corb,

The Free "Hall of Fame"...Winona Rider.

2009-08-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

Back in 2001 Hollywood actress Winona Ryder proved that she was ahead of her time in the world of "Free". She was accused and found guilty of taking
$ 4,700.00 of merchandise and clothing from Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hill. Not recommended to the kids out there but worthy of a spot in the FREE "Hall Of Fame".

Congratulations.

The best things in life are FREE...

2009-08-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

Listen to the Ink Spots song called "The best things in life are free"...Here

3FREE MP3's

2009-08-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

My favorite place to download "legal" mp3's is garageband.com . The bands are as good and usually better than the music on mainstream radio in my opinion. *Warning-they are not all gems.
Today I am linking to 3 artists who have songs titled "Free" that I liked. Check em out if you have some time...click on the link and type in the word "free" above the search box and you will find the following (and a lot more !!! )

1- "FREE" by Ave.nue (New York City)
2- "FREE" by Julie Kim (Toronto)
3- "FREE" by The Real Outsiders (Atlantic City)

These are my twisted words...sorta ?

2009-08-19T11:30:00.001-07:00

So if you go to Radioheads excellent website at http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/ you can download a new song the band is giving away called "These are the twisted words". The five and a half minute song is not typically what I enjoy listening to but is an interesting piece musically. Predominantly instrumental with very few lyrics. What I thought was cooler with the download was a PDF of "artwork" that accompanies the audio file. (see image above). The file contains about 12 pages of black and white images of leaveless trees that look similar to a series I shot a while ago.

Check it out when you have some time ?

Payer ce que vous voulez !

2009-08-11T13:24:00.001-07:00

I was in my hometown of Montreal this weekend for a photoshoot and I was walking along Crescent Street when I noticed the "Pay what you want" sign at the Taverne Crescent. It's cool to see the concept spread to different types of businesses. Another reason Quebecers are referred to as a "distinct society". Bonne appetite and don't forget the tip ?

O'er the land of the "Free"...?

2009-07-04T06:12:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday !

Who says you can't get anything free these days ?

2009-07-03T05:50:00.000-07:00

A package arrived in the mail yesterday from artist/musician Ali Spagnola and it was an original one of a kind, signed painting she had done of her interpretation of the "Welcome to Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas" sign (see image above). As mentioned on her website she not only does the painting for free but pays for the postage to get it to you ! How cool is that ? I am sending Ali a signed Lost Vegas image in the mail today that I will pay for in return. I also plan on buying one of her T-shirts because they are really cool also. Check out her website and support an Artist !

Free Store !

2009-07-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

In recent months downtown Manhattan has spawned a new pastime - you might call it disaster tourism. Every day thousands of people throng its narrow streets, attracted to Ground Zero rising slowly out of the ashes of 9/11.

This week, though, visitors expecting to experience terrorist and economic catastrophe at close range have been amazed to stumble on something far more positive, even joyful, just around the corner.

It is a shop front in Nassau Street, a couple of blocks away from Wall Street, that would be utterly forgettable were it not for the two words stamped across its glass: Free Store.

In the age of postmodern advertising, slogans like "free store" usually mean the opposite - they are probably being used to market hyper-exclusive shops selling nothing under $1,000. But in this case free store is precisely what it says.

Every item on offer inside the small shop is free. Anyone off the street can browse through its goods, select an item, and if they think they need it, walk out with it utterly without charge.

Last week it traded a variety of goods, from kids dresses and art supplies, to DVDs, posters, postcards and a dauntingly large stained-glass ceiling fitting.

The shop is the creation of two artists, Athena Robles and Anna Stein, who have launched it with the help of a $9,000 grant from a local cultural body and the September 11 fund. They began planning it 18 months ago but believe the timing of its opening now is singularly appropriate. "It's a certain time in history in this country when people really need to help each other out."

Within five minutes of the store opening its doors on Friday, it was packed to overflowing with "shoppers" browsing through its T-shirts, woolly scarves, baskets and pair of black riding boots. Robles and Stein explained that they were welcome to take whatever they liked, with the only proviso being that they felt they "needed it". Each transaction was noted in their records and the customer given a receipt as they would be in any money-based shop.

Richard, a travel agent who works in Wall Street, chose a large framed photograph of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. "It's a great time to be cheering people up with gifts, and why not?" he said. "We've bailed out the car companies, we've bailed out the banks, so it's nice to get something back for once."

Kevin walked away with a free copy of a book called Great Sex Trips. So why did he feel he needed a book with a title like that? "Why not? There's always something to be learned."

Robles and Stein based their idea for the shop on a splattering of free stores that cropped up in San Francisco and New York in 1967. They were set up by the hippy group the Diggers, themselves named after the 17th century English agrarian utopians of the same name.

In San Francisco, the Diggers set up two shops in the Haight-Ashbury district called Free Frame of Reference and Trip Without A Ticket. There, returning Vietnam veterans would exchange their uniforms for tie-dye clothes and feed themselves on vegetable soup known as Digger Stew. The Diggers went so far as to set up free hospitals for those who did not have insurance, not to mention free concerts with bands such as the Grateful Dead.

Stein and Robles don't claim to have as expansive ambitions as the 1960s Diggers, and their project leans more towards the artistic, where the Diggers were political and rebellious.

But they do plan to keep the store open until the end of March, replenishing the free items with donations from people who use the shop.

"When we started I was terrified we would run out of stuff," Robles said. "But after two days that's no longer a worry people are bringing in bagfuls of lovely things."

Article by Ed Pilkington

Photo by Frederick Lafargue

FREE "ALI" !

2009-05-20T13:37:00.001-07:00

I Googled "People giving away art" and one of the first sites I came across was Ali Spagnola.com. Ali Spagnolia will paint an original piece of art for you for free, if you are patient enough to wait in the line of 400 people who have already put in their requests! She will even ship it to you free ? You can donate money to her through Paypal or buy some of her other art /music/t-shirts etc ...While on the site I downloaded for free a great little song she did called "Synonymous for Drunk".
Take a look at this cool website and enjoy...after all it is free!!!

K-OS... pay if you want !!!

2009-05-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Another artist is going the "pay what you want" "pay if you want" "pay when you want" route. Toronto Hip Hopper "K-OS" played the "Kool Haus" as part of his "Karma Tour". Click on this link to read more about it from the The Toronto Star.
Who's next?

Chris James is "Back in Lost Vegas"

2009-04-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Chris James who's great song "Las Vegas...I'm going back" playing under the images this week is in beautiful Las Vegas for a few days as part of the "Xanadu Film Festival". He is leading two panel sessions on "Music for Movies" and performing live on friday night. I sent him some Lost Vegas posters to disperse while he was at it. If you are in Vegas check him out !!!

Sunrise in Vegas

2009-02-19T06:26:00.000-08:00

Mid February already? Where is the year going. I have been busy with "real work" and have had to put The Project on the back burner for bit...I hate that. The song playing under the images this week is not an original song for the CD but by a Band called the Drive By Truckers
who I saw live late last year at the Phoenix and loved this song when they performed it. If they come back to Toronto, you should catch them Live. It is time to get things back in motion and rolling again. Stay Tuned...

The Truth 1/2 Hurts

2009-01-14T06:06:00.001-08:00

Orangecap-Circa 2000

Wow 2009 already? Although the song is not finished yet my friend Dale Clark gave me permission to use his song in progress called "Boulevard Hotel-Truth Hurts" underneath the images this week. This is the 10th song for the compilation CD I want to produce since starting the project in May of 2008. Steve Stanley and Carla Macneil of "Two Many Sisters" are going to record their song "Freemont Street Cowboy" in the next two weeks and that should complete the 11 songs for Volume 1 ! The time period of 9 months from conception to the "birth" of this compilation is fitting.

The "Lost Vegas" calendars are printed and I have been distributing them to friends and colleagues here in Toronto...and to anyone who asks. Thanks to Godin Productions for the great treatment they did with the images for the calendar!

Snow White In Vegas

2008-12-29T08:52:00.000-08:00

Merry "whatever you celebrate" and Happy New Year to everyone who has helped out and participated in the "Lost Vegas Art Project" since it started in May !!!

2008 has been the best of times and the worst of times for sure. Last week I received an email from Chris James in Las Vegas (who also wrote the song "Las Vegas -I'm Going Back" ) with a new song he had written that he thought may work well for the project. I loved it and thought that with Las Vegas getting it's biggest snow storm in history a couple of weeks ago it made sense also.
Thanks again Chris...Chris?.....Christmas !!!

Who knows what 2009 has in store for us all? I believe that great changes are on their way.

Here are the lyrics to "Snow White in Vegas" @ Chris James

Snow white so up tight
Seems your prince is gone.
Left you all alone.
Took your from your home.
Stripped down, kicked around
And made you cry...

So while the nights still young
Come girl lets have some fun
Summer days in the sun
Looking out for number one.
I know a place... ya
We both can find.

Mmm Hmm...Tell me
Have you ever seen the sunrise over Vegas?

Well the way the stars shine so bright,
On a Maryland Moon lit night.
Oh ya...
Princes should never live at all
Till his towers fall tonight.

Money don’t mean a thing.
Neither do diamond rings.
Just strip it down tonight.
You can’t buy your happiness
And you never will be blessed
Till you break those chains tonight.

Have you ever seen the sunrise over Vegas?
Oh the way the stars shine so bright.
On a Maryland Moon lit night.
Oh oh...
Princes should never live at all
Till his towers fall tonight.

And when the Prince fades away.
You gotta live with the choice you made.
And find a better day !

Money don’t mean a thing
Neither do diamond rings
Just strip it down tonight
We all wear our mask
Pursuit-O-Happiness
Is gonna drive you home tonight.

My Princess never lived at all.

SIN CITY

2008-12-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

"Sin City" the song playing under the Lost Vegas images this week is by a German punk rock band called "The Radioactives", and the "Lost Vegas Art Project" has now gone International.
I get a real kick out of trying to find the appropriate "quotes" to match the sense of the song that the viewer is hearing well as matching the sense of the images? After I had chosen the quotes that I wanted to use for this song I googled to try and find the lyrics to the song. Here they are:

Sin City:

"A run down man once showed me this place
That l’ll now show to you.
You gotta have some action, you gotta feel the power.
And never regret the fun!
You ought to booze, right now you ought to f***.
Just play with the chicks.
The cuties don’t know who I am.
Satanic Blood runs down my veins.

Chorus:
Committing sins won’t be in vain. I’ll surely get what I deserve.
But before I’ll die, I’ll share everything. I’m alive! – In Sin City.

As long as I’m here, I can feel the pulse pounding.
I can feel the heat of the night.
The heroes have died mistaken, anyway.
And the bad ones have won.
The city is awake, no doubt, it’s so moving.
The good guys to the bad.
Can you blame me? Am I guilty?
Listen! “Life was built on a sin!”
by The Radiactives

Great song ! Unnerving really?

Now look and listen to it again...

Got Dem LOST VEGAS BLUES...

2008-11-26T06:19:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Dave "The Rave" and his band "Flight of Ideas" for the great blues song that plays under the images this week. Dave lives in California by way of New York (where he wrote and recorded the song). Dave says he is a huge fan of Las Vegas...

"I was just there a week ago. Being out here means I'm a lot closer to the action.
I checked out your site and the design is terrific and I just love the pictures and quotes. Vegas is at once a city of inspiration and desperation . . I like to call it Disneyland for adults. When I'm there I forget about the real world for a couple of days . . ."lost" in a maze of dice tables and the next drink. Batteries recharged, I'm ready for a couple more months slugging it out in the
9 to 5.

I'm tickled that you like the song . . . I had thought for a while that Vegas could use a blues number about it . . once I got the words out the rest was easy."

When I contacted him about including his song in the project his response was..."Please feel free to use my song in your project, I don't write music to make money - but if your project goes well and you want to mail me a cheque I would not complain"

May The Blues be with you !!!!

Las Vegas- I'm going back...

2008-11-14T05:33:00.000-08:00

The song this week "Las Vegas, I'm going back" playing under the "Lost Vegas" portfolio is from Cris W. James, the only musician that will be featured on the compilation who actually lives and works in Las Vegas ! Chris also recorded a dance version of this song that is pretty cool also if youwant to hear it and other songs on the "Myspace" link .

My band worked on our Lost Vegas song "Lucky Lady" the other night till 1:00 am. It is coming along nicely and hope to record it in the next two weeks. I also got a call from my friend "Kidd Rasta" who is also interested in creating something for the project. Raggae music and Las Vegas are not really synonymous, but if there is anyone who could pull this off it is the Kidd.

Stay Tuned !

The Vegas Strip

2008-11-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to all the gentlemen of the "Insurgentlemen" for the wicked song they created for the "Lost Vegas Project". I was talking to the boys last week about the idea of shooting a video for the "21 @ Glitter Gulch" song. I came up with a "concept" for it... Hint: There will be lots of naked strippers in it. That is all I will let out of the bag for now..

This evening my band "No Signal" will work towards our recording of a really cool song written by Andrew Sprachman called "Lady Luck". Lastly on the music front Stephen Stanley (Lowest of The Low) and Carla MacNeill (Too Many Sisters) are set to record the song they wrote for the project in the next week or so. . It is going to be a very unique mix of music and styles.

My friends Kevin and Todd Godin of "Godin Productions" , who printed the beautiful "Lost Vegas" posters for me, are using the Lost Vegas images for their 2009 Calendars. They always make me a few hundred "Blatant Exposure" calendars for me to distribute, so look for those coming soon...

Have MERCY...Las Vegas

2008-10-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

The song playing under the portfolio this week is called "Have Mercy Las Vegas" by the Phil Nico Solo Project. It's a great song and very appropriate for the economic crisis we are facing now. I asked Phil what inspired him to write this song and this is what he said...
"Going to Vegas as a tourist and getting eaten up by the place. Chewed up and spit out!! Hung over, broke, used by women...etc"
Hey we all need a muse !!!
Last weekend some vandals in our neighborhood took out some of their frustrations on our house. I have been hanging the "Welcome to Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas" framed photograph on our front porch just behind our gold Elvis bust... a little outdoor art for our friends in the hood. On friday evening some kids (I assume) came and smashed the photograph and covered our porch our car and Elvis in white paint.
Oh well no one was hurt, which is the most important thing. I find that having someone deface my art similar to someone hurting one of my children. Both are my creations and living things.
It's was funny to see peoples reaction to this act of silly violence, as many of our neighbors came by offering their condolences for Elvis and the work. Luckily both can be replaced.
And will be...

Mercy !

"Have Mercy Las Vegas.
Have mercy - mercy on me.
I drove out to the desert.
Just to forget ya
But I can't forget ya.
No No. Shame on me.
Have Mercy Las Vegas.
Have mercy - mercy on me.
Lovers , lovers and sinners
Come meet the winners in the dusty breeze.

Bought another bottle because there were models.
I'm the life of the party any day of the week.
Sun comes in the morning, without a warning
Turn my black out shades and turn off my cell phone. Oh no.

Have Mercy Las Vegas.
Have mercy - mercy on me.
I drove out to the desert just to forget ya
but I can't forget ya. No No. Shame on me.

Whooooooo Whooooooo
Conventioneers, Conventioneers
Over here.
I walk into the lobby, like it's a hobby
But it ain't no hobby. No no...It's the DMZ.
I drove out to the desert just to forget ya.
But I can't forget ya. No No. Shame on me.
Lovers , lovers and sinners,
Come meet the winners in the dusty breeze.
Have mercy Las Vegas.
Have mercy on me."

The Joy of not being sold Anything...

2008-09-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

Please enjoy....

Dream of Life...

2008-09-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

I used a quote by Patti Smith about "getting old" on the Homepage this week. Her exact quote was "I like getting Old". After posting it I received an email from "filmswelike.com" about the documentary based on her life called "Dream of Life" by photographer/filmmaker Steven Sebring.
Shot over a 10 year period it is a portrait of the artist as a not so young woman. Just letting it all hang out. How cool?
And what is not for her to like about getting old? A film/new album/a show of her photographs/induction into the Rock & Roll hall of Fame etc... I can't wait to see this film! I have been documenting a film about an artist for the past 10 years myself...although I am not sure where and if it ends?

In an article in the New York Times she said the following... "Rock 'n' roll drew me from my mother's hand and led me to experience. In the end it was my neighbors who put everything in perspective. An approving nod from the old Italian woman who sells me pasta. A high five from the postman. An embrace from the notary and his wife. And a shout from the sanitation man driving down my street: "Hey, Patti, Hall of Fame. One for us."

I just smiled, and I noticed I was proud. One for the neighborhood. My parents. My band. One for Fred. And anybody else who wants to come along."

You are never too old to dream, all is not "LOST" !!!

New "Lost" Music..."Old Song"

2008-09-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

The first original song for the "Lost Vegas Project" is playing underneath the images on the homepage starting today. Thanks to Dale Clarke (OrangeCap) for his amazing musical talents on this piece (he plays it all on this track. Dale is also a talented painter, editor and graphic artist etc...).
My friends the "Insurgentlemen" recorded a new song on September 14th for the project called "Freemont Street" . It is a cool punkrocking tune. Here are the lyrics...I will post the song in the next few weeks....

Freemont Street (Copyright@theInsurgentlemen)

Got lost in Downtown Vegas
Staggering under a sea of lights
Saw Christina at the Glitter Gulch
21 never looked so right !

Its all been fun
Another setting sun
Gotta find a way
To extend my stay...

Bad results come from bad intentions
Even so we still go.
She looked good but your wallets empty
Got no soul got no dough.

Johnny lost his shirt at the Freemont
Sold his car and put it down on black
How's Johnny gonna get outta this one
Who's gonna pull the knife from his back ?

Its all been fun
In the Nevada sun
Feeling slipping away
All one big haze.

Bad results come from bad intentions
Even so we still go
She looked good but your wallets empty
Got no soul got no dough.

Keep Rockin in the "Free" World !!!

September 11th, 2001...

2008-09-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas Nevada must of being one of the weirdest cities to be in on September 11th, 2001 ?

Radio - Radio....and Moore-head.

2008-09-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

Much like my last project I have always found radio to be a medium that embraces new ideas and concepts much more readily than television and newspapers. I did a nice interview last week with "www.thatradio.com" . A couple of weird things happened....
1st- Just before we went to air, one of the hosts (Hugh) asked someone in the room to run down and get a bottle of "Perrier" to cool down a bit. If you listen to the audio (on the events page) at the end of the interview the guy walks into the studio with the bottle that had exploded while he was carrying it up the stairs? If this were a dream I wonder how a psychologist would read that.
I am either about to Implode or Explode ! Could go either way ?
The second curious thing was the host asked me to leave my contact information should anyone want to hire me for any reason. The first call was from a client saying that they needed a quote to produce some corporate videos for a trade show in "Las Vegas" in February...that was kinda weird.
I am doing another radio interview tomorrow at 8:22 a.m. on CIUT - "live" from Hart House at University of Toronto. I look forward to it.
It was announced this week that Michael Moore will be the first filmmaker posting his latest film for download on his website starting next month - free !
Welcome aboard Michael.

Everybody has a story...

2008-09-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

I will be telling my story about "The Lost Vegas Art Project" tomorrow at 12:30 pm (e.s.t.). on "thatradio.com" one of the first internet radio stations, that you can tune into (and watch!) on this link. The song "Everybody" playing under the images this week is by a great band called "Rider Jones". I came across this duo (Philip Rider and Bohdi Jones) while walking to the screening of my film "Cracked Not Broken" in Vancouver last May at the "Frames of Mind Film Festival" . They were busking on the street in front of a shopping mall doing their thing. I stopped and listened to a few songs and was blown away by the talent these two guys had. I bought their CD as a souvenir, and I am glad I did...Every time I put on their music I am brought back to that glorious weekend in a beautiful city doing some pretty cool things. I guess that is what I hope comes out of the "Lost Vegas Original Music CD" that I am putting together for this project. I have uncovered a group of outstanding independent musicians that add a layer to the images that I have photographed. The quality of music by Independent bands that is available to everyone on the internet is so much better to me than the crap that you hear over the commercial radio stations these days. In fact if I never have to hear another Bono(U2) song, or even worse a Bono speech..it will be too soon. Shut up -shut up -shut up !!!!

As the song says...

"I guess I should be happy, it's never been all bad.
I know I've been through alot, but I'm thankful for that
Another chapter ends, another one begins..."

Here we go...

Digging the "Lost" Music so far...

2008-08-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

Dale Clark/Orange Cap/Flow/Special Brownies

Like most of my projects, I usually don't know where they may go after I start them. They seem to take on a life of their own. Growing at their own pace. One of the things that is becoming apparent to me is how cool the music is that I am hoping to release as a compilation "music /picture" disc. When I made my first documentary "Marymount Again...", my friend Dale Clark took on the task of editing the film with no previous experience in this field. As the film developed it became obvious that music was going to be integral in telling the story. I had found some great music about N.D.G in Montreal, from a high school punk band called "The Discords" that worked well at the opening of the film, but I could not afford the licensing fee's for any "commercial music". Dale said that he would take a crack at writing some music ? He ended up creating 3 amazing songs that gave the film the sound that matched its look and feel. When I got in touch with Dale a few weeks ago and mentioned the "Lost Vegas Art Project" he said that he was in. Yesterday he sent me a file of the song...It's wicked...This is how he started it:

“Hundreds of years after nature left town.

The idea of prosperity sunk it's seeds into this soil.

Pollinated by the working mans desire To slip into a suit of riches.
It rose from the ground like a plantation...
Welcome to Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas Nevada”

Broke & Eck - The Insurgentlemen

Another band I met recently called "The Insurgentlemen" jumped on the project also.
They are recording "Freemont Street" on September 14th. They are a really great live band to see. I can't wait to hear what they come up with.

As the great Curt Cobain once said... "If it's illegal to rock and roll, throw my ass in jail"

Really Good Meal Deals...

2008-08-15T11:34:00.001-07:00

Two interesting articles I came across recently that are about a restaurant in Canada and one the United States that use the "Pay if you want/can" concept. The gist of the stories being that when "Businesses" leave payment up to their customers, what you do says a lot about you.

Someone sent mean e-mail recently saying that I reminded them of a modern day beggar using the Internet as a form of panhandling. It's amazing when you offer something for free how defensive people can get, surely there must be a catch? I am not begging for anything from anyone actually. It's similar to how people assume that musicians in the subways or on street corners are begging for money. It's amusing to watch how irritated most people get by this. These same people would happily pay hundreds of dollars to see some shit ass arena band but look down on people who do it because they love it...and if it happens to brighten your day and you toss in a buck or two, you get a smile and a thank you.
I helped take my daughters grade two class on a field trip at the end of the school year to the ROM museum. We took the subway and when we got of at our stop we passed a guy playing his guitar and singing. He was good. I reached into my pocket to grab some change and give it to the kids to donate to him, as I was doing this I noticed that their teacher was doing the exact same thing. We stopped and listened and then each child tossed their change into the guitar case. The look on the musicians face was priceless and I thought it was the type of education that few kids get today .
I would say that I am a modern day Busker , and I am busking my Ass for the love of my Art. Feel free to enjoy it... and pay If you want ?

08/08/08

2008-08-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

You know they’ll be lots of money put down on the Roulette tables in Vegas for the # 8 today. If you are not a sports fan then Television will be a bit hard to handle with the wall to wall Olympic coverage over the next 16 days. So I have listed my top “21” films dealing with Vegas that you can rent if you are interested.

1- Viva las Vegas
2- Fear and loathing in Las Vegas
3- The amazing Colossal Man
4- Honeymoon in Vegas
5- Casino
6- Leaving Las Vegas
7- Swingers
8- The Cooler
9- Very bad Things
10- Showgirls
11- Oceans 11
12- Diamonds are forever
13- G0
14- Bugsy
15- Vegas Vacation
16- Godfather Part 2
17- 3000 miles to Graceland
18- Rain Man
19- What happens in Vegas
20- Indecent Proposal
21- 21

Freemont Street Cowboy...Poor Man.

2008-07-31T10:39:00.001-07:00

Where is the summer going ?

This weeks download image is the "Freemont Street Cowboy". Due to technical problems the downloadable images are not as large as I was hoping they would be...If anyone would like really high resolution files to make prints up to 2 feet wide email me at the Contact info address and I will send it to you personally. Thanks to Orange Cap (Dale Clarke) for the song "Poor Man" which plays underneath the images this week. Great song !!!
First media: On September 3rd at 12:30 Pm I will be doing a radio interview about the "Lost Vegas Project" on "thatradio.com" (Liquid Lunch) a great Internet station that you should check out if you have never heard of it.
Some amazing images have been added again to the Altered Art page. Please keep them coming.
More musicians are getting involved in the project and are creating amazing new music for the soundtrack. A live "Lost Vegas" show is being planned for late August at "The Silver Dollar" in Toronto.
Stay TUNED...

Loving Lost Vegas...

2008-07-17T04:53:00.000-07:00

-The second download/wallpaper from the "Lost Vegas Art Project" is now available. Thanks to everyone who has taken time to comment or send in some of their own versions of the images.

-The "Altered Art" section is really interesting from my standpoint. As much as I like the original images it is fascinating to see what other people have come up with. Check it out, more images have been added.

-Some bands have been in touch about writing original music for the project which is cool. Stay posted for a "Live" Lost Vegas concert date before the end of the summer.

-"PayPaul"tm - the convenient new method to "Pay if you want" is up and running. The site will be tracking the influx of money that comes in from conscientious downloaders. If everyone in the world would contribute just one dollar then I would be a "Billionaire". The total so far is "5 dollars"...!!! To some people this would seem like a failure but I believe that the project will grow and evolve at it's own pace. Harry Potter author J.K Rowling recently did a commencement speech to graduates at Harvard University entitled "The fringe benefits of Failure and the importance of imagination" in which she said...
-"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default". Good advice !

And lastly a note from my friend "The Ice Man" who wrote me the following...
-"From the man who nicknamed himself, comes the belief that everybody deserves a chance to express themselves. For some strange reason most never do, possibly because they are afraid or maybe because they don’t think they have anything important to contribute. But when a courageous mother fucker like yourself lets it all hang out, it should be the inspiration everybody needs to show the world they too may have something really cool to say. I’m truly inspired by this incredible work."
The Iceman.

"House of Cards"

2008-07-08T06:30:00.001-07:00

So I launched the web site on July 4th as I had hoped. It wasn't perfect but it was a beginning. I received lots of interesting responses from the email that I had sent out- some quotes have been inserted into the slide show. The one word that kept coming up was "cool", which is cool.
I have put Radioheads song "House of Cards" from their brilliant album "In Rainbows" (which I bought last week). It's a tip of the hat to them for making great music and changing the distribution model radically. I was warned that maybe Radiohead would get upset if I used their song without permission - but from what I read about their concept , is that they want people to create their own art with it. That is what - this is. I will send it to them so that they are aware.
A few changes have yet to be made but we are working to make it better as soon as possible. People have started to send in images of the images and we will be posting them in The gallery section. If you have any images that you would like to contribute please send them to me as "jpgs" and I will have them uploaded. Three songs are in production for the "Original Soundtrack" for the images, as I write this by friends of mine who happen to be incredibly talented also. I am very excited by he music aspect to this project. The rough cut versions of the songs I have heard sound every bit as unique and good as "In Rainbows" . I will be sending out an invitation to independent bands that I am aware of to participate in this experiment also. Just send in an mp3 file and I will run it under the home page images. The only thing I ask is that somewhere in the song (unless it is an instrumental song) the name of the image that the song was written about is mentioned...
The names of the images are:

1- Welcome to Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas Nevada.
2- Freemont Street Cowboy.
3- Strip Motel Pool.
4- Boulevard Hotel.
5- Your Future Starts here.
6- Viva Las Vegas.
7- Don Rickles Live.
8- El Cortez Hotel. (Meal Deals)
9- 24 hrs.
10-Topless Girls of Glitter Gulch.
11- Fun City.

All styles and types of music are welcome. It's 11:11 AM

THANKS

Say Goodbye ...It's Independance Day !

2008-07-03T11:54:00.001-07:00

Yipeee Kayea...Mother F*@kers. Live Free or Die Hard !!!

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to loose..."
Kris Kristofferson

I remember the moment I heard that Radiohead announced
that they would be releasing their latest work "In Rainbows"
on a"Pay what you want" basis to be downloaded on their
website,and thinking right away that I had to be the first
photographer to do something similar in my art form.
So two months later this  is what I have come up with...
"Pay IF you want"...On the website for the next 11 weeks
I will be offering High Resolution down loadable files
from the "Lost Vegas Art Project" portfolio. Take'em,
print'em, change'em, frame'em,give'em, send'em, tattoo'em,
draw pictures of'em, write music to'em, paint'em, burn'em,
write poetry about'em...whatever your creative mind comes
up with ?
Do something, it will be fun.

The Background Story:

This Portfolio of images is the last work that I shot
on film, one afternoon in March of 2004 on my first
trip to Las Vegas. My wife Nicol was attending a
marketing conference and I came along for the trip. One
afternoon I trekked to Old Las Vegas with my Hassleblad
camera loaded with colour film and a 35 mm Minolta point
and shoot camera loaded with Black and white film.
As I walked by the Golden Nugget Casino on Freemont Street
I spotted this cowboy having a smoke against the gold wall.
I aproached him and asked if I could make a picture of him ?
He was friendly and did as I asked.
His name is Franklin...This was the photo I made

After I had shot this we had a nice chat. He was a former
Professional Rodeo Cowboy who was at that time living on
the streets of Old Las Vegas. He asked me if I wanted to
see some sites that most tourist never see. I said sure.
For the next two hours franklin took me to historic Casino's
and bars in Old Vegas. He never asked me for anything,
although I bought him beers at a few of the bars and a nice
lunch(kinda pay if you want?). He gave me his Mom's address
to send the photograph to her, but I somehow lost it ? I
would laterdo a little film about a similar story that
happened to me in Jamaica in 1993. If everything that I
hope can come out of this project, then in a about a years
time I will return to Vegas and try and find Franklin and
give him his photograph.
That could never happen twice could it? I think it can.

It was after I left him that I started to shoot the black
and white images. I roamed the streets of Old Las Vegas
and did what I love doing best. I have fond memories of
Las Vegas. It was our first trip away from the kids. We
got to stay at the Bellagio Hotel, met some old friends,
lost some money playing blackjack ...but it was the five
hours I spent out in Old Vegas that I captured best,
I think?

"Give it away, give it away, give it away NOW"!
Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

"Pay If You want"?

Am I crazy? Some people have told me so, but after 10
years pursuing a career as a freelance photographer
and then as a freelance documentary filmmaker,I feel
that the Radiohead model may be my chance for true
Independence as an artist.

I read this on a blog recently and it sums up the concept
of this project...

-"Where music leads all else will follow" .. that is
the breakdown of the commercial music industry to elements
of trade, file sharing, swapping & purchase will one day
encompass our whole online commercial structure. Merit and
creative truth will rule,meaningless content will simply
become ignored meaninglessness,and it will struggle for any
traction.

The sharing and spread across digital platforms of all
online services and products will occur, with value being
judged by merit. This will occur whether we are talking
about a music track,a new product or a simple day to day
service.

Advertisers will no longer be able to saturate our TV
screens with useless products and thinly veiled lies
about necessity- purchase value & immediacy will be
decided by the purchaser.

Ok, …. deeper : the human mind is a spark of the
almighty consciousness of the creator, imagination
and creativity are the doors from which this consciousness
emerges. As human minds develop further and become more
fully tuned to the nature of spirit, by stopping thought,
abandoning knowledge & trusting intuition, creativity also
becomes more fully tuned to this truth.
That is, music / knowledge / content / product is freed
from the shackles of blind commercialism, prejudice or
banality will simply cut through and gain traction by the
simple fact of its creative merit. The deeper the self
realization of a person and his/her creativity, the more
he/she influences the whole universe by subtle creative
vibrations.

Silence is the potent carrier of the present tense.
Every sound or action comes from silence & dies back into
the ocean of silence. You choose by your actions how you
may disrupt this silence – 
choose wisely.

Think about that for a while ? Revolutionary.

Thomas Jefferson said the following about The United
States Declaration of Independence "We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that    all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights,that among these are Life, Liberty
and The Pursuit of Happiness .

So this is my life and I am at liberty to do whatever I
want with these pictures,in my never ending pursuit of 
happiness ?

This website is a work in progress. Download one of the
Screen Savers on your computers. They look amazing and are
framed nicely with a border to store all your folders and
stuff. Please send me an retouched image if you fel like it.
I will begin to post some them in a separate Gallery page next week.
Myfriend John Coburn did an amazing black ink drawing for me
that I will post.

Starting next week I will be changing the music every week
to feature great songs about Las Vegas.
The song playing under the Lost Vegas slide show on this
first day is Gram Parson's "OOOH Las Vegas". If you don't
have any Gram Parson music - get some.
I have asked some independent musician friends I know to
write original songs for the 11 titles of the images to
produce a CD/Tour...Who knows what? My friend Dale Clark
(Orange Cap) just sent me a rough version of the song
for the first image "Welcome To Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas
Nevada"..
It's God Damn brilliant, I think Dale is the new Dylan!
And I love Dylan but isn't it about time???
I invite any Canadian musician to participate also.
We have the greatest talent that needs new ways of
exposure.
Please check the web site soon for more details.

As well as giving away image files for people to make
prints with, I am starting to market and license my
images on various products. Check out the "store" that
I have started to set up. I will be putting more images
on the t-shirts if the demand is there. I even got real
American Stamps printed with the "Welcome to Lost Vegas"
image on it, how cool is that? The T-shirts are  $ 19.95
(never pay more than $ 20.00 dollarson a
T-shirt). I make about $ 5.00 from that.
I only have one coffee cup up there right now but I
think a set of 6 would make a lovely gift idea. Good news
the shop is open 24/7.

There will be live events coming soon also that will be
updated onthe site.

So there in a nutshell is the idea.

It's officially Independence Day In America (12:03 am).
In the words
of Bruce Springsteen...

"So say goodbye it's Independence Day,
 Papa now I know the things you wanted that you
could not say,
 But won't you just say goodbye it's Independence Day
 I swear I never meant to take those things away."

So with a click of the mouse and a roll of the dice
Phase Two of "The Lost VegasArt Project" is underway.

Luck be my lady, lets all meet in Vegas in a year,
and what happens there... well you know!

Welcome To Fabulous Downtown Las Vegas Nevada

2008-07-03T09:26:00.001-07:00

July 3, 2008

On May 21, 2008 I had a show of 11 images that make up the "Lost Vegas Art Project" at fOTOGLIF headquarters in Toronto. A short little film by my Sweedish filmmaker/editor Joakim Tjernell, from the evening is on the "Events" page. I asked a friend from the East to write something about the images... this is what he responded with...

"The Lost Vegas Art Project"

“What a sad, but truly wonderful portrayal of America’s need for instant gratification” Perrier has done it again, exposing us to sex, sin, drugs and the dark side of life we all silently yearn for”
Perrier has as always bet on new ideas to generate awareness of causes such as drug addiction, repression, comedy, gambling which as we know make for good personal stories and visuals.
The irony in Perrier’s photographs is beautiful, Sin City apart from the big lights is a small town that has built itself on shameless self promotion, alluring and at times illusive to the heightened greed of America. One can have it all, but with it, comes a price. Look where America is now!
In this series of work, he understands my kind of family’s sad ironies, a sister that made off for the bright lights never to return, another that liked punching horses and then sleeping with them and parents that found addiction and then gambling with the mental states of their offspring a humourous pastime.
All of which has had it’s cause and affect.
On a lighter note, If I were a betting man, Id say “What happen’s here, stay’s here”, the Nevada Gaming Commission’s recent campaign for LasVegas Nevada is hand’s down, the most successful , self effacing, honest and truly funniest Ad campaigns I have ever witnessed. You’d have to have not been to Vegas or simply had your head up the proverbial ass not to have understand the five remarkable words that say’s it all in this campaign. Brilliant, but sad.
I wish I’d had had the opportunity to scribe those words, however, convincing the Nevada Gaming Commission surely had moments of sheer terror for the agency responsible. I’m positive it was saved as the last resort and when presenting, it was their trump card….. “Ok Steve, tell them the line you came up with after the drunken table dance you performed last night”
Thank Christ of the Latter Day Saints, I live far from the madness which is Las Vegas Nevada, I live in another state of madness, which for personal reason’s I hesitate to discuss publicly at this point.
Why do we find it fascinating to watch in horror as people’s families and fortunes are driven to near extinction in places like Las Vegas? I’ve learnt personally I am quite capable of doing this in the comfort of my own home.
And why go to Las Vegas when you can own one of the works from The Lost Vegas Art Project for a fraction of the cost? It’s a good deal and you don’t have to do any explaining when you get home.
I support Perrier’s portrayal of one of the largest man made sins, because, like you, it’s got sex, greed, sadness, beauty, strange twists and turns, secrecy, deceit, betrayal, loss and with all that comes with it, it makes me happy knowing I’ve never been to Las Vegas and never will.
Congratulations Paul, strangely, hope you hit the jackpot! Hit me!

Anon-Penang, Malaysia
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although the lead up time to the show was short about 75-100 people stopped by and viewed the images, listened to some great music, drank some great "Wellington Beer"and ate some tasty treats. It was the first time that I have ever shown my photographs publicly. The show was held for family and friends as the first step in the unfolding project. The website launches tomorrow July 4th , 2008 and I will explain where the project goes from here. Thanks to the following people for their help and encouragement...

Nicol
Dylan & Taegan
Cinéma.
Carly and Mike
The Godin Brothers
Bruce and Heather
Michael Brennan
Steve Stanley & Carla MacNeil
Steve Briggs
Angus & Martin
Baldini

Thanks to everyone who came out to see what was happening. It was a cool evening.