Month: October 2015

Brian Kokoska

Paintings by Brian Kokoska

Born November 8, 1988 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Brian Kokoska  is a New York-based artist known for his paintings, sculptures and installations. Kokoska received his BFA from Vancouver’s Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2010.

Brian is recognized for his paintings of faces, flowers, masks, text and other scenery. He also makes monochromatic sculptural installations that incorporate heads, pedestals and acquired objects. New York art writer Christopher Eamon described Kokoska’s work as the exception to “the abject in American art [having] had its apotheosis in the early 1990s in the work of Mike Kelley and Cindy Sherman.”

Gustavo Santaolalla, “All Gone (No Escape)”

“All Gone (No Escape)”, Composed by Gustavo Santaolalla for “The Last of Us”

The Last of Us is an action-adventure survival horror video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released for the PlayStation 3 on June 14, 2013; an updated version, The Last of Us Remastered, was released for the PlayStation 4 on July 29, 2014. Players control Joel, a man tasked with escorting the young Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States. The original score was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla.

The Last of Us received critical acclaim.  Metacritic calculated an average score of 95 out of 100, indicating “universal acclaim”, based on 98 reviews. GameRankings assigned it an average review score of 95% based on 68 reviews. It is the fifth-highest rated PlayStation 3 game on both Metacritic and GameRankings. Reviewers praised the character development, story and subtext, visual and sound design, and depiction of female and LGBT characters. The game is considered one of the most significant titles of the seventh generation of video games, and has been included among the greatest video games of all time.

Gregory Alan Isakov, “The Stable Song”

 

Gregory Alan Isakov, “The Stable Song” from the Album “That Sea, The Gambler”

Gregory Alan Isakov is a singer-songwriter. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, he immigrated to the United States as a child, and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, he began touring with a band at the age of 16, and later moved to Colorado. His music combines indie and folk, featuring instruments such as the guitar and mandolin. Some of his most popular songs include “The Stable Song”, “Big Black Car”, and “Raising Cain”.

Isakov has spent his entire life traveling, and as a result, his travels have impacted his songwriting; his songs tell stories of miles and landscapes and the search for a sense of place. Music has been a constant force in his life, as he says, “I’ve always had this sense about music and writing, that I sort of have to do it. Like I’ll implode without it. I probably wouldn’t do it if I felt any other way.”

A great song by a guy with a great voice. Hope you enjoy it.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)