IN PRAISE OF PRODUCTIVE PROCRASTINATION: KEN BUTLER

On my wanderings I had the privilege to witness a good number of experimental music acts. Bad ones, good ones, strange ones. One highlight was a live performance from Ken Butler, an American artist, musician and experimental music instrument builder. I used to live up from Sideshow gallery in New York, where the concert above took place in October 2011. Learn more about Butler's unique work: http://kenbutler.squarespace.com//

Lately I've been writing a lot for the Brazilian travel market, leaving me almost no time to write in english about my experiences off work. I'm starting a series called "In Praise Of Productive Procrastination", to share videos of interesting things I come across. Videos/audios won't be edited to excellence. The point here is sharing things that are usually buried on my numerous HD disks.

WISH I COULD LOSE THE DAY WE MET

Creature comfort, supplicant
Let me tell you what I want
What's the use, a void of course
Take the abuse, make it worse

Creature comfort, delicate
Wish I could lose the day we met
Never in words to say this time
I should just keep this down inside

I wish..

You're the other half of the sky
Creature comfort me tonight.

Creature comfort, justify
I have been waiting all these lives
Everyone's changed their thoughts with age
Scratching their bird claws in my cage

I wish I could love the sun again
Help me love the sun again
I wish I could love
I wish you could love the sun again.
I could love

[Kidneythieves - Creature]

SUSAN SONTAG UNDERSTANDS ME

“I perceive value, I confer value, I create value, I even create — or guarantee — existence. Hence, my compulsion to make “lists.” The things (Beethoven’s music, movies, business firms) won’t exist unless I signify my interest in them by at least noting down their names.

Nothing exists unless I maintain it (by my interest, or my potential interest). This is an ultimate, mostly subliminal anxiety. Hence, I must remain always, both in principle + actively, interested in everything. Taking all of knowledge as my province.”
― Susan Sontag, As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh: Journals and Notebooks, 1964-1980

AND I SWEAR THAT I DON'T HAVE A GUN

Nirvana played a huge role in my younsgter years, soothing my family dramas with their mix of rage and sadness. Kurt Cobain was my teenager crush, which I guess was depressing, as he was dead since I was 8. My love for him went as far as spending hours online in prehistoric dial-up 56kbps internet doing my own research wether he indeed killed himself and if I should do it too. He's the reason I started playing guitar.
Teen times.

Leaving the pimple dramas aside, I cannot wait to watch "Montage of Heck", the first fully authorized documentary of Kurt, produced by his daughter, Frances Bean.
The film, which premiered today at Sundance Film Festival,  reportedly "features many never-before-seen home movies and music of Cobain’s, as well as eye-opening interviews with friends and family". According to Rolling Stone, the film doesn't portray Cobain as a spokesman for a generation, but as human being, and a husband, and a father.
Tired of all the deifying reports of Kurt out there, (as it usually happens with dead artists), this is one I really look forward to. 4th of may is the official release.

Read more: http://bit.ly/leeviacobaindocRS

SOME MORE "WAR ON DRUGS" NONSENSE

Deaths in England related to "bad batch" MDMA are actually related to PMA.

This substance have responsible for more than 100 deaths in the UK, and now the majority of deaths that the media report as being due to “ecstasy” are, in fact, caused by PMA and PMMA.

Their re-emergence is directly due to the international community’s attempts, via UN conventions, to stop the use of MDMA by prohibiting its production and sale. As the earlier UN drug control conventions were clearly not working, in 1988 a further attempt to limit drug use by impairing production was made by banning a number of precursor chemicals. One of these is safrole, the precursor of MDMA. In 2010 there was a massive seizure of 50 tonnes of safrole in Thailand. This did significantly dent availability for MDMA production, so chemists looked for an alternative source of a suitable precursor. Aniseed oil seemed the ideal alternative, as it is chemically very similar to safrole, so this was used. Unfortunately the product that results from using the MDMA production process with aniseed oil is PMA or PMMA. Hence these substances only exist because of the blockade of MDMA production. That in itself wouldn’t particularly matter if they were not more toxic than MDMA.

Read the full article in The Guardian: 

http://bit.ly/pmaleevia

GO TRAVEL WITH UNKNOWN PEOPLE

In the end of December 2013 I was in New York City visiting friends after some days snowboarding in Whistler, Canada. Had no special plans for New Years, except maybe going to Output. I was squatting my friend's Sean tiny-room-with-no-heating in Williamsburg, and completely ignored when he warned me that the North Polar Vortex was about to hit the following day. As I woke up, temperatures had dropped over 10 degrees, hitting -16, the lowest in over 100 years in the Big Apple. I was freezing, even with 3 layers of clothing on. I started thinking it could be a good idea to spend réveillon somewhere else.

Luckily I saw a facebook post from Maneesh Sethi, saying he was going on a 6-people private plane trip for 7 days and there was one spot available. They had no fixed plans, except surely chasing the sun down south. It was cheaper then taking normal planes at this time of the year, plus sounded unusual, so I reserved my spot.

I knew Maneesh very little. We met in a co-working space in Berlin once and then he asked me to film a clandestine party he threw in an abandoned boat in Kreuzberg. That was all. All the other 4 travelers were unknown to me.

Next day I met my NY-sista Cheyenne to borrow me clothes and bags, as I was traveling with nothing. Packed and got ready to meet my fellow travelers the next morning upstate in Farmingdale airport.

Four guys, two girls, everybody from a completely different background: one indian-descendent american fundraising for his fitness start-up, one canadian lawyer/foodie, one american economist, one american airplane company CEO/pilot, one australian vegan TV host, and me, the travel-writer-music-lover south american representative.

This turned out to be one of the coolest short unexpected trips I've ever made. All of us loved music, some played instruments, and were/turned into foodies. We went to Kinston, Charleston, Miami and some other cities. We discussed politics, relationships, work, music and the meaning of life. We experienced zero gravity together and drove a plane for the first time.

We jacuzzied together, flirted each night with a different other, shared food, beds and laughs. We were even able to turn New Years in Miami, a nightmarish idea for me, into loads of fun! Here's some images of our adventures: bit.ly/aircation

This year I was needed to stay close to my relatives in Brazil. But here's a toast to another year full of adventures!

HAPPY 2015 y'all!

INDIA IN ME

India, India, India… you shocked me but mostly I was amused, you showed me beggars and bastards, but most of all you brought amazing, great and interesting people in my life.
You gave me extra kilos from all the ghee and sugar on the food, but I did not get sick and will dance it all off. You made me cry sometimes but in general you put a big smile in my face and made me laugh out loud. You made combine red and blue, and like it. You made me used to things I've never even thought about.
It was wonderful times! I must thank Annemarie Koerten (most of the words above are hers) for the magnificent company (now, that's a travel partner!) and Regenerate Music for bringing me over to play and taking care of every single detail to make my journey magical! I am definitely coming back.
Some pics: http://bit.ly/leeviaindiapics

LET'S TALK ABOUT... MEAT

Above, work from Dimitri Tsykalov, a great russian artist: http://dimitritsykalov.com/
Below, 1989's animation from czech Jan Svankmajer, one of my heroes favorite animators.

I COULDN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE

I saw the devil again
Gave me deliverance
I saw my angel and then
I couldn't tell the difference

[Kidneythieves - Trickster]

"WHY TAKE DRUGS WHEN YOU CAN GET HIGH ON GOD'S GLORY?"

I'm a kind of apatheist, but still highly curious on the questionable new techniques to attract and convert people to some belief system in the internet/youtube era.

Meet Matthew, the Christian Trance DJ and Brandon, the Red Letter Ministry, who promise to teach  you to "get high on God" by praying, sniffing essential oils and smoking imaginary joints: http://bit.ly/drunkongod

(My mean'n'sarcastic side is tickling after watching this, but we must remember to respect all religions and beliefs that respect other religions and beliefs. Right?)
ps.: Jonathan Rauch described apatheism as "a disinclination to care all that much about one's own religion, and an even stronger disinclination to care about other people's".

COME CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY WITH ME IN WATERGATE

Tomorrow I'm celebrating my birthday playing in Watergate...again! Come dance with me! :)

MIDSUMMER NIGHT PORN

Last weekend I played in the latest edition of the infamous Pornceptual parties, that took place in St Georg, a cellar club next to Ritter Butzke. I appreciate Pornceptual's concept: Every party takes place in a different club, with a specific hedonistic theme. The aim is to celebrate our bodies as we are and do whatever you feel like, without shame. Dance, play, fuck, have fun. People really dress up down accordingly. Attending naked gives you free entry, and prices kinda rise the more clothes you have. There is always a not-so-dark-room. Plus, they have a loyal following. 

I didn't know what to expect as I thought punters were usually more into techno, but they were pretty cool and danced their naked asses off. I enjoyed seeing all that beautiful wriggling flesh bouncing to ma beats. The atmosphere resembled what I've heard Kit Kat club used to be in the golden shower days...

Some porn pics of the night: http://pornceptual.com/midsummer-night-porn/

FIRST TIME... in WATERGATE!

The first time in Watergate, we never forget! The first time beside legend Carl Cox, also not! Come meet me as I start my 2014 european tour playing in Watergate for the first time! :)

PLAYING IN D-EDGE TOMORROW

PLAYING IN DEPUTAMADRE CLUB, BELO HORIZONTE (english below)

Sexta passada rolou a festa "Piratas", no Deputamadre Club, meu clubinho-escola em Belo Horizonte, onde ouvi muitos nomes que fizeram crescer meu interesse pela música eletrônica. Toquei depois do  conterrâneo e techno master Anderson Noise. Também tocou o Robinho, pra quem dancei muuuito quando morava na capital mineira. A pista ficou cheia até o final, apesar da chegada do sol, que desde a última reforma invade a pista do Deputa. Faltou só uma persiana, como no Panorama Bar. O Deputamadre permanece como um dos clubes mais queridos e importantes na minha vida. <3

Anna Leevia, Anderson Noise

Sticking around in Deputamadre

☠☠☠

ENGLISH:

Last friday we had a "Pirates" party in Deputamadre Club, my hometown. There I heard many names that made flourish my interest in electronic music. This time I've played after the techno legend (and  homie boy) Anderson Noise. Robinho, (another legend which I danced to many times while living in Belo Horizonte), also played. The dancefloor was full till the very end, despite the arrival of the sun, which invades Deputa's space after the last repagination. It only lacks some blinds, like in Panorama Bar. Deputamadre remains one of my favourite clubs ever. And one of the most important ones in my life. <3

 Birthday boy Filipe Skull

FIRST TIME... in LOS ANGELES!

Playing tomorrow for the first time in LA! :)

FIRST TIME... in CHICAGO!

Playing tomorrow for the first time in the windy city. Looking forward!