Kris Martin was born in 1972 and currently resides in Ghent, Belgium. A poster child of the current art environment, Martin’s art meddles heavily with the notion of authorship and the assignment of value. Though he’s art could be considered Minimal, it goes far beyond a Minimal aesthetic. Minimalism is concentrated on the object and its place in the world rather than on any subversive idea of ownership or appropriation. The Post-Modern idea of appropriation comes into place in Martin’s art but is taken to a higher degree by the appropriation of the idea for which the work stands for rather than the work itself. Examples of the concept are seen in his many pieces of the ending dots of many famous novels and also the selling of his signature.

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Margaret Kilgallen was born in Washington D.C. in 1967 and received her MFA from Stanford University in 2001. Considered by many one of the leading exponents of contemporary Folk Art, Kilgallen was attracted to the hand painted signs of the Bay Area and to the bold lines of hand drawn advertising. Her art may seem childish and machine like, but it is a painstaking process that can take copious amounts of hours. Kilgallen died of breast cancer complications right after the birth of her child with Barry McGee in 2001.

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Delta Spirit is formed by Jon Jameson, Brandon Young , Matthew Vasquez, Sean Walker, and Kelly Winrich and hails from San Diego, California. A personal favorite, Delta Spirit has mastered its own brand of American soul, blending Rock N’ Roll, with Americana, Blues and Soul. Matt Vazquez’s raspy voice delivers a sound that is filled with emotional delivery, coupled with their use of unconventional instruments, such as the lid of a metal trashcan.

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The Good, The Bad & The Queen is comprised of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen. Oddly enough, it is the name of the album released in 2007 rather than the name of the band. The album is in essence a concept album that describes every day London. It received critical acclaim though barely any air time. The sound is reminiscent of times that have come to pass but that did not actually exist. A spooky sound of sorts that leaves you wondering what comes next.

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Vetiver is headed by Andy Cabic and often joined by Devendra Banhart  Alissa Anderson, Otto Hauser, Carmen Biggers, Kevin Barker, Sanders Trippe, and Brent Dunn. Their self-titled debut in 2004 marked the beginning of extensive touring and collaborative sessions. The band takes its name from the perennial grass from the northern planes of India, which serves a descriptive atribute for Vetiver’s music. Their soothing and flowing style is perfect for calming the soul and it’s a graceful insight into the soul of every day life.

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Matthew Barney was born in 1967 in San Francisco, California. A Sculptor, photographer and filmaker, Barney is best know for his Cremaster films, which were created out of sequence starting with the Cremaster 4 in 1994 and ending with Cremaster 3 in 2002. A mixture of the odd, attractive, and downright obscene and brutal, the Cremaster, which takes its name from the muscle in the human body in charge of lowering and raising the male genital organ, is a feat in Avant-Garde film.

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Keith Haring was born in 1958 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Considered by many one of the best artist of his generation, together with Jean-Michel Basquiat, Haring went on to forge a career with a very simple and distinctive aesthetic.  If you think your 5 year-old daughter can paint in the same manner as Haring, you are sadly mistaken. He first came to prominence with his subway chalk drawings that delved in to the banality of witty advertisement. Haring lived to make art, and was hard at work until his death in 1990 from AIDS-related complications.

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Wifredo Lam was born in Cuba in 1902. Lam was part of the European Avant-Garde that shaped the development of art during the first half of the 20th Century. His art is distilled from the basic notions behind Cubism, Surrealism, Primitivism and Neocolonialism. The mythic and imaginary imagery that plagues his art is a result of the Afro-Cuban religion called Santeria. Oddly enough, I wrote my senior seminar thesis on one of his paintings, so if you are interested in knowing more about him, just let me know.

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Totally Nebular is a band from South Florida (couldn’t find specific location) comprised of Eddie, Weston and Gabriel. Their current release, Boat Boat, may make you think of an infant Dan Deacon, or pre-fame Animal Collective. Their sound relies on its approachability and the nuances of fun. They are currently involved in a winter tour that will take through out Florida.

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