The Tallest Man on Earth

By Daniel Linnell

Kristian Matsson is the artist that is better known as "Tallest Man on Earth".  His work has demonstrated the power of imaginative lyrics that blends his stream of consciousness into a form that connects readily with the human spirit.  The undulating folk music that is inspired by American singers such as Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash.  Even though he grew up in Sweden with a culture that had roots closely connected to American music, it is clear that his true inspiration comes from those that he is nearest and dearest to.  His home in a remote village in Sweden where he writes and records his music along provides some of the scorching insights that conjure so easily.  Its not hard to see where else he finds strength to make such moving performances when he has his companion, muse, and wife Amanda Matsson on stage singing by his side.

While he started playing classical guitar at fifteen, he has obviously strayed away from the cut and dry, cookie cutter style of music and has gravitated toward a system of open tuning which has allowed him to articulate his poetic styling's while still intricately finding his own voice.  That voice that seems to have matured since his first album, "Shallow Grave" has now added several different types of back-up instrumentation that give depth and vitality to his voice and acoustic guitar which alone provided his music before his latest album, "There is no Leaving Now".  Along with instrumentation he seems to have found themes that are more developed, cleaner, and well polished.

This website shows you a look at where the artist originated, or better yet gives you the reader a feel for some of the earlier work that established Tallest Man on Earth before he became well known.  But well known he became and his unique voice and poetic smatterings are what landed him where he is today.
http://en.blogotheque.net/2009/04/13/the-tallest-man-on-earth-en/

This next website is a description from his current American label that his was picked up by after his first album, "Shallow Grave".  I think this is a great website to look at to generate even more context to this artist who toured independently during the beginning of his career.  It also gives you a bit of information regarding where he started to be able to play and what venues began to recognize this artist as someone who was really making a name for himself and why.
http://www.deadoceans.com/artist.php?name=tallestmanonearth

This little article that may seem unsubstantial to many of the readers really does a great job of giving deep insight into who the artist is and maybe why some of his music has such dark themes.  Not to mention it gives him context for what gives him some of his inspiration and a true look at who the artist is.
http://www.npr.org/2012/06/11/154505375/the-tallest-man-on-earth-tired-of-running

Above are some of his favorites by NPR and mine too!

Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts

           

http://cdn.sparkart.net/bigmachinerecords/content/photos/1308098967.76298.130626307620251rf_03C_0386_final.jpg

http://www.rascalflatts.com/

This website includes links to different sections of Rascal Flatts fan base including: news, events, bio, media, fan club, street team, store, rewind

http://www.cmt.com/artists/rascal-flatts/

This is a section on the country music television page that is devoted to Rascal Flatts. This includes numerous videos and pictures from their concerts as well as a short bio of the group.

http://tasteofcountry.com/tags/rascal-flatts/

This is a website devoted to the new news about Rascal Flatts and their upcoming tours.

Rascal Flatts are my favorite musical artist of all time. They have ben my favorite artsiest since sophomore year in high school. Honestly, you think as I got older, my taste in music would change, but it hasn’t. I do not veer get tired of all the harmony and the crazy riffs they come up with as a musical group. Rascal Flatts are unique in that they have many songs that are slow and rhythmically consistent, and then they also have songs that are extremely upbeat and catchy. To this day, I still hear their songs from a year ago on the radio. They are popular, compelling, and successful musicians. Rascal Flatts are a group of artist who draws in and responds kindly to a large variety of people. Their music appeals to everyone and is incredibly relatable, which is exactly what it takes to be a successful musician these days.  Their motto in life and especially in regards to their career is "our goal now is to be better than we were yesterday." I think this is portrayed in their variety of music as well as their desire to appeal to a large audience and range of ages. Rascal Flatts have won musical awards every year since 2000 except for 2001. That is incredible.

     Tokujin Yoshioka

By Amanda Newton

http://www.tokujin.com/en/

This is the artist’s general website, featuring news regarding recent exhibitions along with information about  numerous pieces. Found within are examples of Yoshioka’s works and his personal profile, discussing the wide variety of mediums that he utilizes; ranging from architectural design to installations and exhibitions.

·        http://www.designboom.com/tag/tokujin-yoshioka/

This page provides links to articles pertaining to Yoshioka’s work dating as far back as December of 2003. Most of the relevant news regarding exhibitions, interviews with Yoshioka, articles that explore further into the creation of his pieces and technical aspects as well as the intent behind the works are all provided through the different links.

·         

http://www.dezeen.com/tag/tokujin-yoshioka/

This site is another way of looking into Yoshioka’s recent works. It is a news website that highlights more of the major pieces and exhibitions that the artist has been a part of in recent years. Each of the articles provides a brief, technical description of the piece.

Tokujin Yoshioka encapsulates what I believe it means to be a relevant artist in modern times. He places no boundaries on what he will create; he is an author, graphic designer, architectural designer and product designer as well as working in exhibition installations. He has worked with numerous high-end companies ranging from car companies like BMW to fashion designers. He is well recognized in the community and has received many awards for art and design and has works displayed within permanent collections at several museums around the world (including the Museum of Modern Art in New York). However, it is not his high levels of success that make him so important in my eyes. Yoshioka experiments with sensory perception and breaks barriers for the way we participate with art. Like in experiencing his 2010 interactive installation entitled Snow, the observer feels that he or she is witnessing a snow storm around them, reminding them of the “snowscape of our memories and the beauty of nature which often exceeds our imagination,” (quoting his website). 

Pink Floyd has always been one of the most interesting bands to me. Every song they've ever written, every album, has something that everyone can relate to. Pink Floyd was made up of Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and David Gilmour. They first gained popularity in London in the late 1960's and then started becoming more popular with American audiences. Barrett left the band in 1968 and Waters and Gilmour became the primary songwriters and singers.

There most popular albums are The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), The Wall (1979), and The Final Cut (1983).

http://www.pinkfloyd.com/index.php

this is the official site of Pink Floysd, and gives extensive history and information about the artists, albums, and tours.

http://www.thewallanalysis.com/main/

this site gives a complete analysis of The Wall album and movie. It goes through every scene and lyric in the movie and album and connects it back to the artists.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/what-is-dark-side-of-the-moon-about-15266894

an article discussing the possible meanings, motives, and stories behind The Dark Side of the Moon.

The Paintbrush Warrior

        Mark Henson

Few artists can parallel Mark Henson's talent with a paintbrush. His images challenge the viewer at the deepest of levels through erotic, provocative and rebellious images. Much of his artwork centers around dichotomies (such as nature and civilization, wealth and poverty) and highly suggestive sexual postures. As an artist, he is constantly challenging the observer to see beyond the preconceived notions of society and culture to see the beauty, purity and wonder of nature. Henson's views on war, society, religion, sex and other tabooed issues are made clear through the passionate pieces he has made. Because of his innovation, control and manipulation of color, style and technique, and conviction, Mark Henson's work will endure throughout the ages.

The March of Progress

http://markhensonart.com/

This is a site created and maintained by the author himself. It explores his inspiration, photographs of his work, upcoming projects and much more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r5UZMJQcAI

Mark Henson is interviewed as a participant in the Alchemeyez Art Show in Hawaii. He shares his views and ideas about artwork and his inspiration behind his own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cet1D1W4ano

                                             This is a 3:30 minute slideshow of Mark Henson's work. Many of his most extraordinary works are included in this collection. 

New Pioneers

Callie Norman

Ludwig Van Beethoven

Beethoven has always been one of the most fascinating artists to me. Though he wasn't born deaf, he became deaf at such a  tender age that he had no way of truly comprehending the way sound interrelates. Yet, he did anyways. He understood sound in a way that very few have ever understood, and with a disability that would be assumed greatly inhibiting to such an art. I have lived with a lot of adversity in my life and I admire Beethoven for not letting life get the best of him and his passion. Fur Elise was actually the first song I learned to play on both the guitar and piano, and since Beethoven couldn't hear, I learned to play them without sheet music. I wanted to feel what he felt. Interestingly enough I did better figuring it out on the guitar than the piano. His music has such emotion and this has led to a reputation of being quite eccentric.

This is the man:

Joseph Carl Stieler in 1819-20

The following site is pretty comprehensive and gives a lot of information from his compositions, to his students. It is a great reference: http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html

http://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de/sixcms/detail.php?template=portal_en
This site gives an extensive tutorial of everything having to do with Beethoven that could be digitally preserved. From songs to his signature. It is a fascinating site. Check it out.

For a simple chronological list of his compositions check out this site:
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ludwig-van-beethoven-mn0000536126/compositions

Martha Graham

Martha Graham is the Picasso of Modern Dance.

(Martha Graham, photo by Barbara Morgan, 1940)

Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and has been considered as the mother of modern dance. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, on May 11, 1984, and died at 96 years old (April 1, 1991). Modern Dance was a new style of dance in 20th century, and because it was different from ballet, people see her dance as ugly. However, she didn't give up because she believed she was chosen to be a dancer. In her dance, we can see a lot of different contraction, release, spiral, skipping and leaping, which created an intensely emotional performances.
I have been dancing different types of dance for couple years, and I found modern class is the most interesting to me. There are a lot leaping and contraction which I wasn't used to in the beginning, but after a while, all those movements help me to express my feeling more which I was impressed. Additionally I agree that dancing should be an art to express emotion, and when I was dancing, it made me feel free.

(credit: Dance Studio 101)

Video:
Heretic by Martha Graham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbLRApgVJwI
In this video, the first contraction you can see was Martha was wearing a white dress and other dancers wore black dress as black wall.

Acts of Light by Martha Graham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yBueE01LRQ&noredirect=1#t=67
In this video, Martha Graham choreographed the dance and through the leaping and spinning to create a dance with hope.

Diversion of Angels by Martha Graham Dance Company
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv9r8-bq_FQ&noredirect=1
Until today, modern dance is still growing base on Martha Graham. Her dance company re-perform the dance "Diversion of Angels" in 2010.