So much for Best Friends Forever! Paris Hilton is reportedly fuming that her former besties, The Kardashian Sisters, are eclipsing her in money and fame stakes.
Celebrity snoops tell The New York Post’s “PageSix Column” that the hotel heiress can’t digest the fact that Kim and her curvy sibs, Kourtney and Khloe — who got their [...]
Words & Images by: Alex Anastas
Fat Freddy’s Drop :: 10.18.09 :: The Forum :: Sydney, Australia
 Fat Freddy’s Drop :: 10.18 :: Australia |
The Forum Sydney quite possibly has the single most appropriate name for any venue in Australia, encompassing three half-circle, Roman Coliseum-esque tiers above a dramatically downwardly sloped dance floor. This soaring, walled-in design, including a ’70s ceiling completely covered in mirrored tiles high above, generates the unique and unsettling feeling of audience-like gladiators jostling for pit position before being fed to the proverbial lions onstage. Therefore, once you and your crew are in a good spot for grooving, you’re there for the night, and there ain’t no chance of ditching your staked out gold for that extra cold one calling from one of the venues several bars.
The particular lions holding court on this brisk spring evening, Fat Freddy’s Drop, formed in a haze and daze about ten years ago during extended, improvised jam sessions in the close-knit music scene of Wellington, New Zealand. The lively seven-piece oozes luscious dub rhythms, extended takes on their studio cuts, jazzy solo breaks, and most noticeably, the slinky, sexy vocal stylings of Dallas “Joe Dukie” Tamaira floating above their adoring and growing fan base. Subconscious communication between these well-traveled and experienced band members also seems to come easily after 11 studio and live releases.
However, before FFD could finish off their sold out two night Sydney run, the packed-house was warmed nicely by a trifecta of openers. The brief turntable burns of DJ Bentley were heard by the few already inside but mostly by the many still in line, followed closely by local Sydney dub-reggae crooners The Versionaries featuring original tunes soaked in a classic Trenchtown sound, and finally DJ Thief, who really got the crowd amped and moving with masterful mash-ups. By the time Thief had cleared the stage, the Sunday night crowd was salivating for the main act.
 Dallas Tamaira – FFD :: 10.18 :: Australia |
Fat Freddy’s Drop opened their final Australian set with a few slow-building jams based around their rhythm section of Iain “Dobie Blaze” Gordon (keys), Tehimana “Jetlag Johnson” Kerr (guitar), and founder Chris “DJ Fitchie” Faiumu (MPC & decks). Adding layers of minimalist funk and deep-cutting, loud bass that warms the listener to the very core, these three players are the unheralded heroes holding down the back beat love of The Drop’s 21st century sound. The horn section out front features the all-too-cool Scott “Chopper Reedz” Towers (sax), the sandwiched thin man Toby “Tony Chang” Laing (trumpet), and the dance machine himself, the heart and soul of any FFD show, Joe “Hopepa” Lindsay (trombone). Never showmen to be outdone, the three brass blowers kept the show moving along, especially with “Hopepa” grooving like a madman possessed by a disco inferno beast. Conversely, their rhythm section often bow to their horned compatriots to finesse the crowd into a frenzied, cool dynamic rooted in years of jamming together.
Beats and rhythms aside, the true star is the humble Dallas Tamaira on vocals. Making females in the audience quiver and scream all night with his wincing reaches for the higher register, the tattoo-laden singer bubbles positive vibes through the cringe of a tortured soul survivor. Between his serious glares around the stage to pick up his bandmates’ lead, it becomes obvious that Tamaira is exorcising some reggae demons before our eyes. Holding court with steely glances from stage left, Tamaira often bowed out to the dance party chaos brought to life by the likes of the booty shaking “Hopepa,” who lead the youthful Sydney audience in some awfully dirty dancing.
Before they could duck back to their New Zealand digs, these Kiwi masters treated the Sydney crowds to two high-energy, awesome shows. A festival staple on the Oceanic tour scene with a fast growing fan base in Europe and North America, Fat Freddy’s Drop are playing three shows in California just before Thanksgiving.
Pop over here for FFD tour dates, and check back soon for an exclusive feature/interview.
JamBase | Really Worldwide
Go See Live Music!
This rather passed me by, but the Bentley Continental Supersports ’prototype’ really is rather fast. Its 6-litre W12 twin-turbocharged engine is capable of running on either petrol, E85 biofuel or any combination of the two (it’s the first Bentley that can run on E85, but more are planned). So there’s a hue of light green to go with a 0-60mph sprint time of just 3.7 seconds and a maximum speed of 204mph. They put Le Mans legend Derek Bell in one at the Goodwood Festival and he took it out for a spin with a few lucky journos in the passenger seat. A 621bhp Bentley, a narrow lane that serves as track, a few tasty bends, Derek Bell at the wheel….this short clip captures the drama pretty well.
These are tough times for Bentley.
The firm defined a new market segment with the Bentley Continental GT, but it has suffered more than most in a recession which has decimated sales in that particular class. Figures for first half-year production at Crewe show a total of just 1,400 Bentley cars made – a drop of almost 70% on the same period last year.
Bentley has been a case study in Volkswagen’s successful approach to brand management though. It has given the brand the benefit of its considerable industrial strength – the Continental GT and Flying Spur share much under the skin with the VW Phaeton – while also giving it a degree of autonomy.
Bentley has duly retained its ‘English-ness’, and also modernised it.
With the Continental GT the brand was transformed and introduced to people who probably thought a Bentley was something you asked Jeeves to bring round the front.
Now Bentley was something modern, aspirational and, crucially, attainable. But not as attainable as a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz. There is still an air of exclusivity and the brand has not been harmfully diluted by higher volumes.
What do you do with the flagship though? Keep it traditional or be a bit more adventurous?
The styling of the new Mulsanne appears to tread that fine line in delivering a look that does both. It certainly looks like a car with presence and is something else off the beaten track to look out for at Frankfurt next month (along with – by way of contrast – the electric Trabant).
Even in the tough times, you have to keep the new product coming.
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Now in its fifth year, the Pygmalion Music Festival, happening September 16-19, in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, has emerged as a surprising player in what seems like an endless sea of new music festivals across the nation. Combining the ease and cred of festivals such as SXSW or CMJ, with a humble, gentle Midwestern backdrop, Pygmalion Music Festival seeks to engage a devoted group of music fans by presenting both established and emerging artists in venues no bigger than a small theater. For year five, the festival has expanded to include over 100 performers over four days in 15 different venues taking place in two different vibrant neighborhoods in Champaign-Urbana. This year’s lineup features well established mainstays, including Iron & Wine, Low, Lucero, RJD2 and The Books, alongside up-and-coming acts, such as The Antlers, YACHT, Wavves, Headlights, Japandroids, Autolux, BLK JKS, My Brightest Diamond and many more.
The Pygmalion Music Festival was conceived in 2005 after determining that Champaign-Urbana could not only support such a festival, but also develop it in a fashion that it might thrive. Since its inception, the music festival has always sought to be the bridge between the thriving local music scene and the national indie rock touring scene. In each show, there are local bands present alongside some of the finest that the nation, and the world, has to offer.
Pygmalion Music Festival passes are currently $60. To purchase tickets and find out more information, about the festival visit pygmalionmusicfestival.com.
Pygmalion Music Festival 2009 Schedule:
Wednesday
Canopy Club:
8:30 PM — Common Loon
9:30 PM — Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band
10:00 PM — Owen
11:00 PM — Japandroids
12:00 AM — Headlights
1:00 AM — Physical Challenge DJs
Thursday
Blues:
11:45 AM — Liesel Booth
12:30 PM — Pamela Machala
Sandella’s:
12:45 PM — Tracey and Tricia
1:30 PM — Stanton McConnell
2:15 PM — Cara Maurizi
Red Herring:
6:00 PM — Morgan Orion and The Constellations
7:00 PM — My Dear Alan Andrews
8:00 PM — Post Historic
9:00 PM — Early Day Miners
10:00 PM — World’s First Flying Machine
Krannert Art Museum:
6:40 PM — Liz Janes
7:20 PM — Brooke Wagonner
8:00 PM — Denison Witmer
8:45 PM — My Brightest Diamond
9:45 PM — William Fitzsimmons
10:45 PM — Bob Nanna
Courtyard Cafe:
7:30 PM — Butterfly Assassins
8:30 PM — TBD
9:30 PM — Starfucker
Canopy Club:
6:20 PM — Ohtis
7:00 PM — Santa
7:40 PM — Mason Proper
8:20 PM — Company of Thieves
9:00 PM — Elsinore
9:40 PM — Joe Pug
10:30 PM — Decibully
11:10 PM — Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s
12:10 AM — Maserati
1:00 AM — Lucero
The Highdive:
9:00 PM — DJ Substr8
10:00 PM — DJ Belly
11:00 PM — DJ Mertz
12:00 AM — Skream
Friday
Blues:
11:30 AM — Girls Next Door
12:00 PM — Ryan Groff
12:45 PM — William Fitzsimmons
7:00 PM — The Jips
8:00 PM — Empires
9:00 PM — jigGsaw
10:00 PM — So Many Dynamos
11:00 PM — So Long Forgotten
Sandella’s:
12:45 PM — Final Pygmalion Effect
1:30 PM — Matt Wagemann
2:15 PM — Kilroy et al
Channing-Murray:
6:30 PM — You and Yourn
7:15 PM — Hathaways
8:00 PM — Good Night and Good Morning
9:00 PM — Low
Red Herring:
10:30 PM — Comedians: Jon Hansen, Pat Deane, Devin Bockrath, Collin Bullock, Trey Mowder, Billi Casey, The Tuttle Brothers.
Canopy Club:
6:20 PM — Zach May and The Maps
7:00 PM — Ganglians
7:40 PM — Phantogram
8:20 PM — BLK JKS
9:00 PM — Jookabox
9:40 PM — Maps & Atlases
10:30 PM — Pomegranates
11:10 PM — The Antlers
12:10 AM — Autolux
1:00 AM — Wavves
Courtyard Cafe:
7:30 PM — Pet Lions
8:30 PM — Oceans
9:30 PM — Solid Gold
Cowboy Monkey:
10:00 PM — Angie Heaton
11:00 PM — Mazes
12:00 AM — Cameron McGill
1:00 AM — The 1900s
Mike N’ Molly’s:
5:15 PM — The Delta Kings
6:15 PM — The Duke of Uke
7:15 PM — The Number One Sons
8:15 PM — Tina Sparkle
9:15 PM — Gentleman Auction House
10:15 PM — Light Pollution
11:15 PM — Neoga Blacksmith
Bentley’s:
9:30 PM — Village
10:30 PM — The Horns of Happiness
11:30 PM — Alpha Mile
12:30 AM — Golden Quality
Saturday
Parasol Records:
TBD Afternoon Sets
Exile on Main St.:
TBD Afternoon Sets
Courtyard Cafe:
5:00 PM — The Daredevil Christopher Wright
6:00 PM — Lymbyc Systym
7:00 PM — Brighton, MA
Krannert Center:
7:30 PM — The Books
8:45 PM — Iron and Wine
10:00 PM — Princeton
11:00 PM — Ra Ra Riot
Canopy Club:
9:00 PM — Physical Challenge DJs
10:45 PM — YACHT
11:30 PM — The Hood Internet
12:30 AM — RJD2
Red Herring:
10:00 PM — On Again Off Again
11:00 PM — Now Now Every Children
12:00 AM — Drew Danburry
1:00 AM — Sunset Stallion
Cowboy Monkey:
10:00 PM — Lonely Trailer
11:00 PM — The Horse’s Ha
12:00 AM — Gazelle
1:00 AM — New Ruins
Mike N’ Molly’s:
10:15 PM — Tyson and The Friction
11:15 PM — Steel Eater
12:15 AM — Scurvine
1:15 AM — The Life and Times
Bentley’s:
10:30 PM — Take Care
11:30 PM — Marmoset
12:30 AM — Mordechai in the Mirror
Singer/actress Jennifer Lopez burst into tears after she came to know that her hubby Marc Anthony had thrown a surprise birthday bash for her.
The Latino singer has turned 40 on July 24.
Anthony arranged a secret bash in New York on July 25, without his wife”’’s knowledge.
She was whisked to the event in a grey [...]
Porsche directors agree sale of a stake in the German company to Qatari investors to strengthen capital base
Porsche’s chief executive has quit with a €50m (£43m) payoff as the debt-laden luxury car firm prepares to join forces with Volkswagen.
Wendelin Wiedeking and the chief financial officer, Holger Härter, were forced out of Porsche after their gamble to seize control of VW backfired. Their departures were decided in the early hours of this morning following a 15-hour boardroom meeting, at which Porsche directors also agreed the sale of a stake in the German company to Qatari investors to strengthen its capital base.
Wiedeking and Härter “have come to the conclusion in recent weeks that it would be better for the strategic development of Porsche” if they left, the company said in a brief statement.
Wiedeking, who had taken Porsche from near-bankruptcy to become the most profitable carmaker in the world, will receive a payoff of €50m. Porsche said a substantial proportion of the payout will go to a charitable foundation, but this may not prevent outrage over another so-called “reward for failure”. He had already earned €80m last year, thanks to a contract that awarded him almost 1% of pre-tax profits.
Last year Wiedeking was being lauded for his audacious attempt to seize control of VW by acquiring share options in the company. When the plan hatched by Wiedeking and Härter came to light, hedge funds who had short-sold VW were forced to buy the shares back at a substantial premium – giving Porsche a €6.8bn (£5.86bn) windfall. Wiedeking was even declared European businessman of the year for 2009 by Fortune magazine. But acquiring these options left Porsche with €10bn of debt, which it is struggling to manage in the current economic climate.
The two German car firms started discussing a merger in May, but the deal soon turned rancorous and by the end of last month Porsche was accusing VW of attempted extortion.
The battle is spiced by the fact that VW’s chairman, Ferdinand Piëch, is the grandson of Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche and owns 13% of the company, which itself owns 51% of VW. Piëch wants to form an integrated car manufacturing group, in which Porsche would sit alongside nine other brands including Seat, Bentley and Audi.
The Qatar deal should ease negotiations over Porsche’s merger with VW. It is the first time that an outsider has been allowed to take a stake in Porsche. Analysts believe the Gulf state investors could eventually own 15% of an enlarged VW, with the Porsche and Piëch families owning 40%. The state of Lower Saxony, which is a major investor in VW, would own 20%.
Shares in Porsche fell almost 5% in early trading before recovering, while VW shares were down almost 3% shortly before midday.
The predictable end of a long battle
IN THE morning of July 23rd, Porsche announced the departure of its chief executive, Wendelin Wiedeking, and its chief financial officer, Holger Harter. The German maker of sports cars thus succumbed to what had appeared inevitable since May, when it called off its improbable attempt to take over Volkswagen, a carmaker 15 times its size.
The departures of both men will pave the way for a merger, but one very much on VW’s terms. Porsche, which under Mr Wiedeking became the highest-margin producer in the car industry, will now be fully integrated into the VW Group, joining seven other car brands: VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti. As The Economist went to press, a meeting of VW’s supervisory board was expected to confirm the commitment to bring Porsche into the fold. …
The predictable end of a long battle for control of Porsche
IN THE morning of Thursday July 23rd, Porsche announced the departure of its chief executive, Wendelin Wiedeking, and its chief financial officer, Holger Harter. The German maker of sports cars thus succumbed to what had appeared inevitable since May, when it called off its improbable attempt to take over Volkswagen, a carmaker 15 times its size.
The departures of both men will pave the way for a merger, but one very much on VW’s terms. Porsche, which under Mr Wiedeking became the highest-margin producer in the car industry, will now be fully integrated into the VW Group, joining seven other car brands: VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti. A meeting of VW’s supervisory board is expected to confirm the commitment to bring Porsche into the fold. …
Porsche directors agree sale of a stake in the German company to Qatari investors to strengthen capital base
Porsche’s chief executive has quit with a €50m payoff as the debt-laden luxury car firm prepares to join forces with Volkswagen.
Wendelin Wiedeking and the chief financial officer, Holger Härter, were forced out of Porsche after their gamble to seize control of VW backfired. Their departures were decided in the early hours of this morning following a 15-hour boardroom meeting, at which Porsche directors also agreed the sale of a stake in the German company to Qatari investors to strengthen its capital base.
Wiedeking and Härter “have come to the conclusion in recent weeks that it would be better for the strategic development of Porsche” if they left, the company said in a brief statement.
Wiedeking, who had taken Porsche from near-bankruptcy to become the most profitable carmaker in the world, will receive a payoff of €50m (£43m). Porsche said a substantial proportion of the payout will go to a charitable foundation, but this may not prevent outrage over another so-called “reward for failure”. He had already earned €80m last year, thanks to a contract that awarded him almost 1% of pre-tax profits.
Last year Wiedeking was being lauded for his audacious attempt to seize control of VW by acquiring share options in the company. When the plan hatched by Wiedeking and Härter came to light, hedge funds who had short-sold VW were forced to buy the shares back at a substantial premium – giving Porsche a €6.8bn windfall. Wiedeking was even declared European businessman of the year for 2009 by Fortune magazine. But acquiring these options left Porsche with over $10bn (£6.1bn) of debt, which it is struggling to manage in the current economic climate.
The two German car firms started discussing a merger in May, but the deal soon turned rancorous and by the end of last month Porsche was accusing VW of attempted extortion.
The battle is spiced by the fact that VW’s chairman, Ferdinand Piëch, is the grandson of Porsche-founder Ferdinand Porsche and owns 13% of the company, which itself owns 51% of VW. Piëch wants to form an integrated car manufacturing group, in which Porsche would sit alongside nine other brands including Seat, Bentley and Audi.
The Qatar deal should ease negotiations over Porsche’s merger with VW. It is the first time that an outsider has been allowed to take a stake in Porsche. Analysts believe the Gulf state investors could eventually own 15% of an enlarged VW, with the Porsche and Piëch families owning 40%. The state of Lower Saxony, which is a major investor in VW, would own 20%.
Shares in Porsche fell almost 5% in early trading, while VW lost 4%.
