Voodoo Cowboy

Voodoo Cowboy Presents: Josh “Spar” Esparza

March 9th, 2010

Joshua Esparza was born May 1978 near Los Angeles. He began his professional art career in 1997 under the name Spar Designs which evolved into SparArt in 2001.

Joshua has been drawing since early childhood and started painting at the age of eighteen. He married his muse in 2006, and in 2007 they expanded to Austin, Texas. He currently lives in L.A. and works and displays in L.A. and Austin.

After graduating high school in 1996, he spent two years under Celeste Korthase at Celeste Korthase Studios. She introduced him to the broad spectrum of faux finishes, color theory, chemical staining and furniture painting. Joshua used this new knowledge of painting and paired it with his artistic talent to begin his career in the homes of family members. His clientele, as varied as his work, ranges from homeowners to businesses to schools. Joshua’s medium varies, while paint is primary, he also works with all types of illustrating mediums as well as metal & wood, tattooing and computers.

In 2001, Joshua met an influential figure in his career, artist Charles Hanson of C. Hanson Design. Charles gave him that opportunity to broaden his metallurgy skills. While Joshua was immersed in and inspired by Charles’ creativity he continued developing new and innovative art techniques . Custom car builder Dean Bryant of Elegant Customs mentored Joshua while he customizing his chopped ‘73 Coupe Deville. Joshua’s most recent art is taking him increasing into the spiritual/visionary realm. He was an artist is residence at the Peacock House and performed a solo show of his works last Fall.

www.sparart.com

Sacred Fertile

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Voodoo Cowboy Presents: Darren Minke

March 9th, 2010

Darren Minke is a Visual Alchemist, working with several different mediums to bring his visions to life. His current digital artwork uses photography that is painstakingly collaged together to create rich and vibrant imagery, that looks more like painting than computer generated graphics. His stained wood series uses the natural grain of wood panels to determine the images used in the artwork. He uses overlapping layers of wood stain that is rubbed into the wood to give the final artwork the appearance of polished wood that contains images within.

Darren likes to combine images of the human body, with patterns and forms from the natural world. His work explores the boundaries between opposing metaphors, archetypes, religious and spiritual beliefs in an attempt to create new stories from the mixture of symbols.

Darren’s images also reflect the influence of his experiences with altered states, from meditation to psychedelic and shamanistic voyages. He attempts to capture the essence of these experiences and utilize the imagery of ancient and tribal artwork, which he believes share the influence of such journeys.

Most of his work has a strong feminine character, and he strives to break the stereotypes of gender and resurrect the idea of the divine feminine, in a society and belief system that is strongly patriarchal. Through the anthropomorphization of the natural world, he is also exploring man’s association with nature and his effects upon his own environment.

www.darrenminke.com

Quetzacoatl - Mayan Serpent of Death and Rebirth

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Voodoo Cowboy Presents: Amanda Sage

March 8th, 2010

Amanda Sage is at the forefront of a new breed of visionary artists using art as a tool for personal, spiritual and planetary growth and transformation.

Amanda was born (this lifetime) April 19, 1978 in Denver, Colorado. Her childhood was filled with healthy, tropical, media-free, creative freedom in Florida without the distraction of formal schooling until she entered 4th grade in Colorado. After finishing high school in Boulder, Colorado in 1996 at the Shining Mountain Waldorf School (her high school art teacher was the Fantastic/Visionary artist HIKARU). Her travels and projects bounced her between Bali, Indonesia and Vienna, Austria. Sam Bull from Leap Now helped guide her in connecting with the revolutionary midwife Robin Lim in Bali, and initiating the first contact with the artist and teacher Philip Rubinov Jacobson. After graduating she went to Bali as a volunteer for close to a year, and amongst other projects & exotic distractions, illustrated an herbal book with over 70 indigenous plants and herbs for the Bumi Sehat. She also continued her Batik clothing and design project that she had started in high school with her dear friend Leilea Satori until the year 2000.

Through Philip Rubinov Jacobson in 1996 she was invited to do a private 2 year intensive experiment to study the techniques of painting and etching of the old masters as an apprentice under the classical/fantastic artist Michael Fuchs in Vienna, Austria.

Following this in 1999 he introduced her to his father, internationally famed godfather of Fantastic and Visionary Art, Ernst Fuchs and has since been a student and painting assistant on various projects throughout Europe. Michael taught her to “see” the world around her through the brush and the Old Master techniques in painting. Ernst has reminded her to “listen”, which has opened up other ways of ”seeing” and perceiving.

Since 2000 Amanda has been blessed with sharing a beautiful studio in the WUK, a Chilean culture house in Vienna with her friend and colleague Paula Aguilera Pacheco a sculptor, painter and animator. The WUK has been an amazing playground for learning, creating and discovering new systems of group-interaction and presentation. She served for 2 years as a member of the Board of Directors of the WUK, and then for 6 years as Administrator of one of the major sections of the studio’s and workshops together with Paula, as well as initiating and organizing various events the largest being the ‘MAZE’ an open studio’s event in 2005, this provided her with community, space and time to discover and develop her own visions.

She has exhibited Solo and in Group Shows in Galleries, Salons and in various projects/events worldwide since 1999, including London, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Bali, Colorado, Seattle, San Francisco and most exotically at Burning Man , hanging next to renowned visionary artists and friends such as Martina Hoffmann and Robert Venosa.

Amanda is currently an artist in residence above the Temple of Visions & Hive Gallery in the Historic Spring Street area of Downtown Los Angeles. Beyond the bubbling activity in Los Angeles she is involved in various other consciously-progressive-fun projects and galleries scattered around the globe. Amidst a jam packed year of events & exhibitions worldwide, she will be teaching a 3 week long seminar on Visions in the Mischtechnik with Laurence Caruana & Andrew Gonzalez this July in Italy.

www.amandasage.com

Evolution

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Maria Bello nominated for Spirit Award for Downloading Nancy

December 3rd, 2009

Maria Bello has been nominated for a Spirit Award as Best Female Lead Actress for her role in “Downloading Nancy”.

Read the Article

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Live at Seaholm After-Party

October 6th, 2009

By Michael Barnes

Epic.

That’s the word for the Live at Seaholm After-Party.

The decommissioned smokestacks lit up like inter-planetary transportation devices.

The concrete ribs of the generating room outlined in blue, recalling urban clubs set up in old industrial sites.

Ben May, Juliana Azar, Kristin Owen

Hundreds — perhaps thousands — gathered around the stage for the three musical acts, culminating in Broken Social Scene.

Katie Clark and Alan Case (Generationals)

We spent some time with the Generationals band members. They come from New Orleans, Jesuit-educated and, therefore, pretty worldly yet other-worldly. When we pointed out many musicians had settled here after Hurricane Katrina, one said: “Send them back. We need them.”

PJ Raval, Heidi Bollock and Megan Gilbride

Rare Magazine’s Taylor Perkins, his partner in production, Jason Hicks, and Voodoo Cowboy’s Mark Mueller beamed with pride. (Also expressing pride was Taylor’s father, an oilman down from Houston.)

They should be pleased.

They built the most buzz-about event outside ACL this week. And, as far as I know, it went off without a hitch. We heard members of Phoenix, Kings of Leon and other ACL bands dropped by, but we were out by the witching hour.

Tags: ACL, Afterparty, Broken Social Scene, Generationals, Rare Magazine, Seaholm, Voodoo Cowboy
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Broken Social Scene play ACL after-party at the Seaholm Power Plant

September 30th, 2009

by Erik Adams from Austin Decider

Photo by Norman Wong

Echoey spaces and the multilayered sounds of Broken Social Scene might not be a match made in heaven, but that’s not stopping the Canadian musical collective’s upcoming gig at the Seaholm Power Plant from running away with the title of “coolest unofficial ACL Festival after-show.” The Art Deco-style plant—built in the 1930s, decommissioned in the 1990s—will play host to the after-hours revelry Oct. 2 and Oct. 3, thanks to the collective powers (wocka wocka) of WOXY, Rare Magazine, and Voodoo Cowboy. No word yet on who will join Broken Social Scene on the bill, but considering that these shows are supposed to go from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., there’s still plenty to be announced. The show is free with RSVP; click here to do so.

Tags: ACL, Afterparty, Broken Social Scene, Seaholm
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Interview: Live at Seaholm’s Jason Hicks

September 30th, 2009

By Michael Barnes

Day-dreaming of a life in music, Jason Hicks waited a long time for a project this colossal.

The director of events for Rare magazine was drawn to the music industry as early as 10 years ago, while he studied advertising at the University of Texas. He’d help out his friends’ bands with posters, CDs covers, graphic design and handbills. Then he started an events promotion company, Bluefish Entertainment, that staged small festivals, even smaller shows and niche concerts.

“We never lost money,” Hicks says. “We rarely made much money, but in this business …”

Now he’s producing the biggest after-party in Austin City Limits Music Festival history. (For a full list of before-, during- and after-parites, go to my earlier post.)

Hicks, teaming up with WOXY Internet Radio and Voodoo Cowboy, has secured the iconic Seaholm Power Plant for a two-night bash. Friday, after ACL breaks up across Lady Bird Lake at Zilker Park, Broken Social Scene will headline a free, outdoor concert for up to 4,000 revelers on the Seaholm grounds Generationals and Corto Maltese will precede them. Another line-up, to be announced Monday, follows late-night Saturday.

Meanwhile, inside the vaulting post-war plant, fewer than 300 invited guests will mingle to the sounds of DJs and clinking glasses.

“I’ve been working 20 hour days,” Hicks, 33 and looking a bit like actor Paul Schneider on “Parks and Recreation,” says over iced tea at Cissi’s Market on South Congress Avenue. “So it better live up to its potential.”

For Hicks and his boss at Rare, publisher Taylor Perkins, this is the chance to break into the big-time Austin party scene. (Admission is gained through a complicated process that includes confirming an RSVP request at LiveatSeaholm.com, obtaining wristbands and tickets. People, mostly young, have learned how to navigate this process for major promotional events.)

“Just think of the site itself: Crowds watching Broken Social Scene, those famous smokestacks rising over their shoulders,” he says with transcendental gleam in his eye. “Everyone has always wanted to see some event at Seaholm. They finally have a chance to.”

Won’t the former industrial site — slated for mixed-use development when the economy heals — present insurmountable crowd-control problems?

“Nothing a little fence can’t handle,” Hicks jokes.

This is exactly what Hicks wished for while he was working day jobs and Dell, Inc. and other companies, and raising two sons.

“I didn’t think the music thing was going to happen,” he says. “But it became my obsession, my passion.”

Over the years, he learned a lot from giant Austin promoters, working with C3, for instance, on ACL and Lallapalooza. Joining Rare in June, as the magazine underwent a massive staff turnover, meant overseeing smaller events, such as monthly parties and the recent charity-geared Restaurant Week. The Seaholm project is his moonshot.

He says with a far-away look: “This is why I’m here.”

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Party brings energy back to power plant

September 30th, 2009

Bands will play at ACL afterparty at Seaholm

* Erin Cargile

AUSTIN (KXAN) – An Austin City Limits Music Festival afterparty is generating plenty of buzz – the venue is drawing as much attention as the bands.

After jumping through hoops, Rare Magazine secured the historical Seaholm Power Plant, which was built in the 1950s to generate power to the City of Austin. The party scheduled for Friday and Saturday night is being called the Live at Seaholm Afterfest .

“I think anybody that’s in the events business has always dreamed of doing something in here underneath the big huge smoke stack-looking structures,” said Jason Hicks, Director of Events for Rare Magazine.

The dormant building will provide a backdrop for Canadian indie rock band Broken Social Scene , Generationals , and the Austin rock band Corto Maltese . The first 4,000 fans who RSVP will get a spot on the lawn, and Hicks said the list is long and growing. No doubt, fans will be focused on more than the music.

“I think a lot of the draw is just gonna be the building itself,” said Hicks.

But only people with VIP passes will get a peek inside where a lounge will be set up. A light show will also shine through the original windows and illuminate the historic equipment still hanging from the 65 foot ceiling.

Securing the spot came at a cost sonsors were willing to pay, and plenty of security will be on hand. Event planners can only imagine the energy that will fill the old power plant in a few days.

There are long-term plans for the city-owned property that sits on an 8-acre site off West Cesar Chavez. Developers with Seaholm Power, LLC are working on a site plan and subdivision plan that includes a hotel, condos, restaurant, retail and office space. Construction is slated to begin in the middle of 2010.

“Even though it’s taken us four years to get it started, everything that’s going on around here is just dynamic and exciting and just really will make this a lot more successful in the long run,” said John Rosato, Managing Partner with Seaholm Power, LLC.

New condos and cranes surround the land that runs along Lady Bird Lake. Rosato said it is only a matter of time before energy will be restored to the old power plant permanently.

Tags: ACL, Afterparty, Aftershow, Seaholm
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What a Party!

August 21st, 2009

Our August 8th “Peacock Party” went down as the most fun, creative and entertaining party yet. We had soul painting by Katherine Skaggs, three tattoo artists from Diablo Rojo, body painters Amy Young and Heather Thomas, live art by Adrian Quintero and Joshua Esparza, and three great bands: The Burning Hotels, We Should Be Dead, and Los Bad Apples.

It just keeps getting better. Special thanks to all of you who came and condolences to those who couldn’t make it. Many of you were with us in Spirit that night!

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Stephen Moser of the Austin Chronicle Writes about the 2009 “Peacock Party”

August 20th, 2009

PARTY PRO It would have been unseemly for me to appear at attorney Mark Mueller’s annual party, which changes from year to year, without a phalanx of beautiful people in tow. Well, I really needed a group around me this time for support. I often find myself having to use a cane because I’m unsteady and easily fatigued (I desperately want an antique walking stick that’s black with silver fittings – for the more formal occasions, you know). But my challenge is, of course, to carry it with flair and treat it not as a medical aid but as a necessary fashion accessory. Mark took over the Belmont again last Saturday night, and I remembered all over again why this shindig is one of the best, most interesting affairs: mainly because it’s just for fun, doesn’t cost anything, and has a seemingly endless river of alcohol, entertainment, and activities – but it’s so private that if your name is not on the guest list, you simply won’t get in. This year it was called the Peacock Party, and everyone from the literati to the glitterati showed up bedecked with peacock feathers and other peacock accessories. The balmy air made it feel even more intimate, with so much divertissement – from body and face painting with a fabulous woman, tattoo artists doing both real and faux tattoos, wonderful music from three bands, and an amazing woman, Katherine Skaggs, who does soul portraits. She did mine. I wasn’t sure what to wear to have my soul painted (would she use rollers or brushes?). As we chatted and she got to know me better, she began to add symbols and images to the portrait – reading my soul, as it were. When it was finished, I was awestruck: My soul has brilliant colors, she said, and she expressed it as such. It looked like me … in vivid color, emanating a glow of light and silvery beams. But that’s just how I looked. Your portrait will reflect you. Skaggs’ soul paintings and other artworks can be seen at www.soulpaintings.com and www.starchalicesisters.com. Another memorable evening under the gracious Mr. Mueller, and another terrific party.

Tags: 2009, Mark Mueller, Peacock Party, Summer Party, Voodoo Cowboy
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