MKTG INC’s very own Nick Cucci is on tour right now with his band, River City Extension.  He finally joined the cool kids and got himself a tumblr page* to chronicle their cross-country journey.  Check it out for some legit music-land flava.

*The somewhere-between-blogging-and-microblogging platform that just rocketed past 1B posts and has probably the design-savviest templates out there right now

David LaChapelle’s solo exhibition AMERICAN JESUS, is currently showing at the Paul Kasmin gallery and  will be on view through September 18, 2010.

LaChapelle draws on an immense lexicon of art historical references, current events, and popular culture, to make visually compelling images each unique in their narrative and evocative content.

Shown for the first time in New York is part of a series which began over a decade ago including three large-scale photographs depicting Michael Jackson as a modern day martyr. Of all of the subjects LaChapelle has portrayed, Jackson unquestionably lived one of the most epic and dramatic lives of our time. If you have some time go check it out before the exhibition ends!

Paul Kasmin Gallery :
293 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10001-7003
United States

Apparently today was the first of what may be many “pop-up” cafes in NYC (not to be confused with the sitting “parks” installed around Times Square and other parts of the city).  According to the Gothamist story, these cafes are paid for by local participating proprietors and you don’t have to purchase food to take a break, sit down and relax at the tables.  As you can see from the second picture, David Byrne was there to celebrate the innaugural event with some DOT folks.  We see many interesting experiential marketing ideas taking shape here – especially if you team it with geolocational apps, oh, and of course, some cool brands. (Photos from Gothamist)

Baratunde Thurston: he’s part Cambridge, MA and part Brooklyn, NY.  He’s part comedian, part writer (The Onion among others), part activist – but he’s always wholly entertaining.  Seriously, whether live tweeting a screening of  Eclipse, giving concession speeches for losing his mayorship of a Deli on foursquare, or talking technology or politics, he is one of the best things we’ve come to know about because of Twitter. So, follow him or read his amazing blog for sheer pleasure (and a little bit of education).  As always, you can thank us later.

Spotted on my way home from work last night: “Bullet hole” static cling decals on a bunch of cars along my route.  I took these pictures with my cell, so in case it’s hard to tell through the blur, the text reads:

Mafia Wars
A heist went down in
your hood today.
See it at MafiaWarsLV.com

Almost makes this Wii Fit girl want to play a shoot-’em-up.  In any case, it got me to the website.

La Blogotheque publishes a series of videos that they refer to as concerts a emporter or take away concerts. Take away concerts are quick, thrown-together performances by fairly well known bands that offer a raw unpolished side of these artists that generally isn’t made public. What makes these videos so interesting is the level of talent that is at the core of these artists and the way this talent becomes even more evident when all the sheen of production is stripped away. Throw in some fantastic cinematography and the backdrop of Paris and you’ve got a result that is always engaging – and sometimes breathtaking.

Some highlights on the site include Sigur Ros in a café, Grizzly Bear singing acapella, Menomena making a local Parisian child boogie, Beirut playing with a full street band (including trash can drums) and Architecture in Helsinki utilizing a choir of onlookers to sing the bass sections of “Heart it Races”.

You can see the entire library of take away shows here.

Look at these pretty photos taken over the w/e.

Pretty cool skateboard video that shows little to no branding for Coca-Cola Burn energy drink. The riders were actually set on fire in this video.  No stuntmen were used.  Filming was done in Mexico.

Photo credit to heymeca

In the “Social Times” blog I found this article about a new web series called “How to Make it on YouTube.”  It is conceived by David Jewell (18-yo YouTube contributer of over 5 years) and will be acted/directed by Jewell’s comedy group. The series is looking to generate enough funding to complete 9-14 episodes (you can donate the the Kickstarter page) is described as a parody of the HBO series “How to Make it in America.”  From SaxJewell’s YouTube channel comes this description.

Its a live action Drama/Comedy Web-Series about a few of High school graduates wanting and trying to get Big on Youtube in 2010. Now that the Youtube is as big as it is now, things are more competitive, and its now harder to get noticed on Youtube. The Story follows the characters on their Journey to Internet stardom and success. The Series will be very realistic and will show the disappointed, and struggle that comes with trying to become a Youtube star today. Some of those struggles include Accounts getting closed or hacked, balancing life and Youtube, and more importantly, trying to get people watching your videos that you worked so hard on. In 2010 trying to become a Youtube success is a full time job, that requires hard work, dedication, networking, and a thick skin. This series is for anyone who has uploaded a Youtube Video, anyone who wants to become a partner, anyone who has put their all into a video and gotten no views, for anyone who would do anything to make it on Youtube. Its a true Underdog Story.

Puppet pirates, $10,000 in actual US Treasury coins, and a full-fledged, digital-to-live-and-back again assault?  Sounds good to me–and it’s all part of “We Lost Our Gold,” an alternate-reality game that’s getting write-ups all over the NYC-centric web. Kicked off yesterday, this is a real-life treasure hunt for gold somewhere in the five boroughs, and anyone can play.  With a series of web videos released each week with hidden clues, Twitter accounts for the two main pirates (@143crowsnest and @sodoffbuggers), a Facebook page, and even interviews with trad media like MSNBC, “We Lost Our Gold” might be one of the purest fusions of live and digital I’ve seen, with a genuine (and big!) payoff for participants.  Despite speculation that this might be a ploy for someone like NYC Tourism, the project was independently created by a puppetmaker and a video editor.  Big brands, though, could take a cue from these Brooklyn guys.  Live and digital fused and co-mingled like nobody’s business, and a fun yet significant incentive to garner participation and conversation–these are just the sorts of elements that get advocacy going.

Via ARGNet and Wired