New Year's Eve....Hotel des Street Art, San Francisco

If you are heading to San Francisco for New Year's Eve, then you can't find a better art-inspired hotel than Hotel des Arts in downtown near the Embarcadero which also acts as an art gallery.

Sam Flores, CA

You could be sleeping with David Choe, Buff Monster or London Police. My choice would be Sam Flores ;) But get you minds out of the gutter. I'm talking about the artists who designed the rooms of this boutique hotel!

Book'em Dano Check out the complete list of artists and rooms if you're looking to stay at Hotel des Arts.

Hotel des Arts
447 Bush Street
San Francisco, California 94108
USA

Tel: 1.415.956.3232 or 1.800.956.4322
Fax: 1.415.956.0399
reservations@sfhoteldesarts.com


Find the best prices on Hotels.com

Round Up: Inkie US Tour

After the BritWeek art event in LA in May, Inkie went on to visit San Francisco and New York to paint some wildstyle!

 

Check out these pictures from his Facebook page...awesome!

 

Roll Call:

• San Francisco: 54 Crew, SF OG Cuba, K2, DNO, Spic, Seso in the Mission district
• New York: Tats Cru (Nicer, Bio) in the Boogie Down and 5 Pointz Hall of Fame

 

Mission, San Francisco (credit: Inkie)

 

5 Pointz, Long Island City (credit: Inkie)

Inkie painting with Bio and Nicer, Tats Cru (credit: Harriet Turney)

#INSA in San Francisco (and Los Angeles and London)

INSA, London's pervy graffiti artist, is in California!

He opened his first solo show in San Francisco last week. "MORE" will run at Upper Playground's FIFTY24SF Gallery until February 28th, 2011.

INSA's new work still has his signature saucy imagery of women, feet and heels, all realistically painted and adorned with strategic paint drips. But he's added classic hip hop gold chains, wax-like scultures and light installations.

"Within the new body of work in 'MORE,' INSA explores themes of aspiration and expectation, wants versus needs, and happiness versus success in his most comprehensive study to date. MORE will feature 9 new provocative works, with INSA utilizing media such as sculpture and lights adding to the 'glamour' of his work." FIFTY24SF

Gifitti art Check out some an example of INSA's admired "gifitti" art. This is the main gallery room at FIFTY24SF. It took me a minute to work out how to grab this animated gif, which is far quicker than it took INSA to create this image!

Keep it street And check out below some of INSA's street paintings during his Cali trip. First L.A. with pornstar Kristina Rose, then San Francisco. For more (literally) of Kristina check this out.

Playpen, L.A. (Credit: Jetsetgraffiti.com)

Playpen, L.A. with Kristina Rose (Credit: Jetsetgraffiti.com)

INSA mural on the corner of Scott & Oak, SF. (Credit: Upper Playground)

Tate Britain INSA's blowing up! His "Mary" lightbox installation and infamous elephant dung-heeled shoes at the Tate Britain ("The home of British art from 1500 to the present day") can't be bad for his profile and commissions.

Credit: Luxury Travel Advisor

"Anonymous but prolific street art king Insa has collaborated with some of the biggest and most popular brands in the world including Nike and beyond. 'Bring the Noise' debuts his latest work - a lightbox installation and pair of high heels – inspired by Ofili's notorious 'Virgin Mary' painting." Tate Britain, Bring the Noise 2010.

TONIGHT: Breakestra and Music Man Miles, San Francisco

If you've heard (or seen) Breakestra you'll know how funky this band is! It's worth a trip across town.

And if you're in San Fran tonight, Breakestra is playing including Afrodyete the "African Goddess of Soul & Love." Rhythm section will be held down by "funk drumming god" Pete McNeal and "turntable percussion" will be dropped by none other than Mix Master Wolf!



NEW PARISH
579 18th Street
Oakland, CA 94612
Subway: 19th St. Oakland BART

Every jam is intimate and filled chock-a-block of funk and hip hop fans whether you're in London, San Fran or Los Angeles! To see one in full effect check out my (may be rare) blog footage from The Root Down in Los Angeles in the summer 2009. I got the poster off the wall at home too for my collection ;)

This Vimby video is a rare insight into Miles' creative process. How talented is this dude?!

VIMBY - Breakestra

 And don't forget to buy the recently released album by Music Man Miles' first band, "The Inclined." Available on iTunes here, this album is 15 original tracks from the band's last 1994 recording session.You know it's gonna be FUNKY!

Slick interviewed

"S-L-I-C-K, Slickster, OG Slick, Slick Muthafucka, Senor Slick..."

Ruby Skye club with Sasha

We spent Friday in town as we got ready to go clubbing - Britt's mate Scott Carrelli was warming up for Ja's mate Sasha, who's voted #4 in the DJ world right now! The crew - Ja, Britt, Kev, Jay and I - hung out at the swish Clift Hotel in Union Square before hitting the club. That was a nice spot even though you needed a mortgage to pay the bar tab ;-)

We walked across to Ruby Skye, past the line and into the lift (elevator) to the stage door. That feeling of walking out on stage when you have no business being there is an odd one, but one I'm happy to get accustomised to ;-) Hhaha. Whatta blad! The crowd at Ruby Skye was jumpin' and I love that Mickey Mouse dude! Check him in the photos above.


I fell asleep at a clubbing friend of a friend's house, as you do after some 'Jack In The Box' post-clubbing munchies! There was a hotch-potch of people there: an advertising executive, an industrial engineer...so San Fran, baby!! I was too tired to be polite so I got a cushion and laid back to Zzzzz....As it happens, that bloke whose house it was was ex-NSA...mental, eh?!