Andanh.com

Pixnit is a rare artist. Rather than hound fame she goes to great lengths to conceal her identity. When she talks about her work, she evokes ideas like egalitarianism and accessibility. And though she has a solo show opening at a Newbury Street gallery next week, she can also brag that she has seen some of "Boston's gnarliest, biggest flying rats" in pursuance of her art.

Pixnit, whose name is a derivation of the Latin word pinxit (which means he or she painted it), grew up in the Southwest, around "low-riders and the gestalt of Mexican mural art," she says. From there she followed a circuitous path that took her from graffiti art and tagging to graduate school for her Masters of Fine Art degree—and back to street art.

After finishing her MFA, she found herself on a plane to Paris, drawing figures in a sketch pad. She tore them out and when she landed, armed with a roll of electrical tape, she posted them about the city. They were "love notes to Paris," she says. When she returned to Boston she assumed the identity Pixnit and began the project that ultimately brought her notoriety and snagged her shows in galleries and museums as far flung as Paris, Basel, Los Angeles and Boston. Since beginning the body of work she is now known for, she has succeeded in making her stencils of stylized flowers, repeating floral patterns, Rococo-era furniture and fixtures, intricate lattice work and the name Pixnit ubiquitous on Boston's bare walls, street corners, alleyways, trash cans and lampposts.

For Pixnit, the desire to create public art has to do with its inherent egalitarianism: Anyone can enjoy a work of art on a sidewalk or the wall of a building in a public space. The stencils are pure utility. They are the easiest, quickest way to replicate a complex image and leave the area before being caught. But the nom de guerre is a combination of the two. The ambiguity of her identity lends her work another layer of equality and it gives Pixnit the anonymity she needs to elude legal charges for defacing private property.

Pixnit calls her designs "spores," and since she began replicating them throughout the city there has been controversy over her work. She has raised hackles by painting on private buildings and property. Though the debate over her work—or the legitimacy and legality of any public art—is not new, Pixnit will incorporate some of the critique into her upcoming gallery exhibit.

Her upcoming show at the Judi Rotenberg Gallery is entitled Hello my name is Pixnit. It will include two canvases where attendees can collaborate on works of art that will be sealed and preserved. "I look at the blogs," Pixnit says. "People ask 'How would you feel if we painted on your walls?' ... I'm reacting to what Boston's thinking."

HELLO MY NAME IS PIXNIT

RUNS 5.3-6.1

OPENING RECEPTION SAT. 5.3., 5PM

JUDI ROTENBERG GALLERY

130 NEWBURY ST.

BOSTON

617.437.1518

JUDIROTENBERG.COM

GENRE | CLICK-CHOP

VERDICT | PRECESSION SOUND

RELEASE | 4.29.08

LABEL | MERCURY/ISLAND RECORDS

ISLANDRECORDS.COM

Thank Christ these exquisite musicians and artistes got away from the oh-so-tired "trip-hop" moniker. Third is uniquely dark and daring, drawing more from Krautrock and the spooky terrain of film noir than torch-song acid jazz. Beth Gibbons' rapturous voice is still in the foreground on Motorik-style tunes like "The Rip" and the brilliantly gloomy Suspiria-soundtrack-style of "We Carry On." The killer post-percussive rips of "Machine Gun" represent the sound of our precession. Precussion, maychance? Warning: doom ahead.

GENRE | UNHERALDED SONGSMITHS

VERDICT | CONTINUED EXCELLENCE

RELEASE | 4.29.08

LABEL | YEP ROC RECORDS

YEPROC.COM

When Robert Forster eulogized his dear friend and Go-Betweens partner Grant McLennan in 2006, he observed that their perceived personalities as the duo were actually the opposite in real life: McLennan was actually the practical one and Forster was really the dreamer. But despite the sadness of the past couple of years, there are no ghosts to be found in this dream. As usual, slow-to-unravel Forster ruminations are delivered with the ease of summertime 45s. "If It Rains" and "A Place to Hide Away" exact the patience of a farmer holding his hand out the window. The best track here is the naturally pastoral "Demon Days," a McLennan/Forster song that easily recalls the best of early '70s Cohen and Cale. Forster remains one of our best living songwriters and has made his best solo album since 1991's Danger in the Past. [JONATHAN DONALDSON]

VERDICT | MOAR BRILLIANCE

RELEASE | 4.29.08

LABEL | DEF JAM

DEFJAM.COM

The hardest-working band in show business is back with the same grit they exhibited on 2006's Game Theory, but Rising Down is not it's predecessor's twin. Key wizard Kamal abandoned his standard Fender Rhodes for dark and nasty synth and keyboard grooves ("Get Busy"), and the group, with new bassist Owen Biddle and the addition of sousaphone player Tuba Gooding Jr., experiments with a hard and layered electric sound. With Black Thought's perfectly calculated—and at times, breakneck—verses (see "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)") about murder, crooked politics, BET, child soldiers and addiction, the last MC's MC proves once again why he's been the yin to drummer ?uestlove's rhythmic yang for the past 20 years. Each Roots album takes a different sonic direction and ?uest calls this record "the musical equivalent of Blade Runner." Which isn't far off—Rising Down is moody, troubled and completely electrifying.

A traveling family band; it's a phenomena that has seen many incarnations, from lederhosen to bellbottoms. It has brought us hits like "Mmmbop" and, er, "Hold On (for one more day)." But hold your horses, while the band Black River Sound is five-eighths family, they're not exactly what we've seen before. Five members are siblings in the Hendrick's family but it wasn't until recently that they brought each of their musical talents to the table. A year ago, Holly Hendricks (aka "Justice") had been collaborating with siblings Josiah and Julianna, performing their lyrical rap around the Worcester area with a DJ.

"We enjoyed what we did," Justice says, "but felt something was missing in the musicality, and that's when I approached my brother, Jon." Jon Hendricks had previously been playing in a band with his sister, Sarah, and the so-called "Brady Bunch on crack" was formed. "The familiarity can cause tension, but at the same time, playing with people you've known your whole life creates a dynamic that is hard to duplicate," Justice says. Although you couldn't explain their rap-reggae-soul in a word or one genre, it's safe to say that the groove will be on you like bland on a Nickelback track.

"We really just want to be able to get our music out there and perform as much as possible. We sincerely enjoy what we do, and the possibility of being able to do that as a career is something we strive for." Their upcoming shows, at venues all over Boston, suggest their brand of soulfood sound is a hit.

What does Mom say about it all? Justice laughs. "Get a job!"

BLACK RIVER SOUND

W/ TREBEK & THE DOMINO SAINTS

SAT. 5.3

BILL'S BAR

9 LANSDOWNE ST.

617.421.9678

9PM/18+/$10

BILLSBAR.COM

How big a deal is it that Berlin-based dance label Get Physical is going on tour in North America? So big that they're taking a tour bus even though they don't need to bring any instruments. And that's actually a bigger deal than you think—the last time I had heard of a techno tour bus in the US was when a friend asked me to provide party favors for the Crystal Method after a show at Axis in the late '90s. It only took a decade for dance music on this side of the Atlantic to recover from the trance/prog/white-boy-house/d&nb/electroclash doldrums, but now that one of the world's most influential label is coming to the country—the one that gave birth to house and techno in the first place—it's clear that everything is finally heading in the right direction again.

"I can't wait to give North America the real taste of Berlin!" exclaims Philipp Jung, one half of tour headliners M.A.N.D.Y. (which stands for Me And You in case you were wondering). "We feel like Berlin has been the melting point for electronic music for quite a while now. We want to share our approach about music and present our very unique sound to North America, but it's important not to be too super-serious and also have some time for comedy and fun. And maybe we'll also bring a piece of the wall?!"

It's this light-hearted approach that has set M.A.N.D.Y. and the Get Physical squad apart from the über-serious minimal techno diehards and landed them a string of recent genre bending dancefloor hits. Sure the label's prolific output (at least a single a month) has included many influential minimal bangers, but uniquely cutting-edge tracks like Nôze's forthcoming gypsy chorused "You Have To Dance" (which many called the song of the year at the Winter Music Conference in Miami), last summer's Cumbia sampling festival monster "Heater" by Samim, or 2005's Ibiza anthem "Body Language" by M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade (who, along with DJ T, make up the label's management team) set them above the fray. And if you're cool, you probably remember when they sold out and tore down The Estate last summer.

"People are really longing for songs again after minimal and everything sounding a bit the same," says Jung. "We have the impression that people are really happy when there's some song in the track. People look up and dance with each other. DJs are lacking the self-irony. For us it's a big part of an artist's life to step back and make fun of yourself and not take it too seriously."

All this talk about fun and games might make you think that M.A.N.D.Y. is some kind of joke. You are wrong. M.A.N.D.Y. is dead serious about their DJ sets. The duo still play mostly vinyl and spend countless hours preparing for gigs or putting together their infamous mix CDs (most recently for the legendary London super club fabric mix series). "Before this tour we'll sit down and talk about the major tracks we want to include, because people in America don't know us as well as people in Europe."

As to their genre-strattling sound: "I would consider it house music, which should be for your soul and your body," he says. "Not too soft like lounge, but not too hard. We like the energy of techno but not too hard or too dark. Our music is somewhere between both."

M.A.N.D.Y.

W/ HEIDI, RED FOXXX & JEFF GROSSE

SUN. 5.4

UNDERBAR

275 TREMONT ST.

BOSTON

617.292.0080

9PM/21+/$10

EMBRACEENT.COM

"It's funny you call us artists because we are designers," Bianca Mammone says when I put her on the spot about the upcoming Un/Cut, MassArt's senior fashion show. 'Mammone blurs the line between art and fashion by centering her design around winter spirits, snow queens and winter goddesses. She is just one of designers taking part in the annual fashion show, which this year features more fashionistas than ever before.

Pavlina Gilson draws inspiration from a more ancient source. A particular Morovian castle in her native Czech Republic curiously dominates her garment's. "When I look at it, I see so much unknown," Gilson says of the castle. Having managed to translate its architectural structure and materials directly have made her garments "click": interchangeable parts come on and off, fulfilling Gilson's goal of creating a garment that can morph into something unexpected. Drastic combinations of materials, textural embellishments and polished embroidery skills makes Gilson one of the stand-outs in this year's talented class.

Clean, curved and angled lines bring an art deco flare to Julienne Dang's work. Her 1930s eveningwear collection looks back on a women's newfound pursuit of freedom and happiness. Her use of light fabrics such as silk charmeuse, satin, organza and chiffon allow for even more movement and freedom. Alternatively, Andrea Hutchins' Collection, the Deans list perpetuates her love for British prep style—carrying male embellishments over to her women's wear. She presents a reinterpretation of the style's rigid formalities, bending and breaking the rules whenever possible

Prajjé Jean-Baptiste is the double threat here, making waves as fashion show producer and designer. He does many of his own successful runway shows, including the upcoming Fashion Exposé. He offers couture evening wear with a dramatic twist. Interior design of antique French opera houses plays an inspirational role, as well as the elegant dress of the theater-going women of the time.

Together, this group of young designers is clearly upping the stakes. Call them artists if you like, but it's clear that their inspiration is coming from unexpected places. Growing frustrated with the lack of stylish fashion opportunities in the city, Jean-Baptiste 'hopes to see some change in the city from the inside out. Rest assured, he says "There will be more dynamic shows happening." Until then keep an eye on these emerging names in the world of Boston fashion.

UN/CUT: SENIOR FASHION SHOW

FRI. 5.2

CYCLORAMA

BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS

539 TREMONT ST.

BOSTON

617.879.7676

6:30PM/$25 PRE-PAID

MASSART.EDU

Gas prices may skyrocket, but reality television's favorite fuel — female desperation — remains dirt-cheap. "Farmer Wants a Wife" offers a "Simple Life" variation on "The Bachelor" with a some "Green Acres" thrown in.

It's shaping up to be a busy summer at Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery.

"Scarlet" may look like a new TV show and act like a new TV show — but it's no new TV show.

One way to transition into lighter meals is with salads that take advantage of leftovers. Take a little leftover meat, toss it with a few greens and other vegetables, and another dinner appears.

This is a delicious blend of the tastes of North Africa and the pasta of Italy. Serve with a cold beer.

"Grand Theft Auto IV" has been considerably less ballyhooed than last year's over-the-top "Halo 3" debut. Yet when the controversial video game hits shelves tomorrow, it could be the most lucrative launch in entertainment history.

Mieke and Liz give you weekend info