Residing between New York and Germany, artist Robert Knoke has gained recognition for his extensive series of portraits featuring a range of subjects from cultural figures to fashion icons. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both painters, Knoke knew what he’d do from an early age.

Growing up in his father’s studio in Hanover, Germany, Knoke never thought of doing anything else than becoming an artist. It was only later during his studies that he found out that “artist” might not be a real profession and that he’d eventually need to study something “real”, which he never did. After finishing school he studied art for a year, but decided to leave after a year, travelling to see family he had in New York. He ended up staying for a while and since then, travelling has become an important aspect of his work. Knoke’s encapturing black and white portrait series features a wide array of people, ranging from fashion personalities like Rick Owens and Bernhard Willhelm to artists such as Terence Koh and musicians Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince of The Kills. Done with conventional tools like ballpoint pens and markers, the series has been an ongoing project for him since 1991. It has since been displayed at Ruff Club New York and Apartment Gallery in Berlin.

What sparked your interest towards portraits?
I think I just like to meet people. Working as a painter is a very lonely job so by choosing this subject matter, I can get a little company. I used to do different kind of works before, such as video installations, photo collages, performance stuff and so on. The portrait series was always a side project, I never showed it. It grew slowly since 1991. Three years ago, I decided to just work on the portraits. Now, its developing into different directions; I did a music video for my friend, DJ and musician Spencer Product, and it became a “moving portrait“ of him. I like to work in that medium a lot, so I will probably continue doing music videos in the future as well.

Tell a bit about your work process.
I always have to meet the person first and take photos myself, that is the first step. I have to see what kind of look and expression I want to get. Then later I do the drawing alone by myself. It kind of irritates me to have someone sitting in front of me, so I really prefer to take photos first and work from them. When I start drawing, I forget about the person and really try to focus only on the drawing. So it’s not really about a portrait anymore. I don’t even like the term “portrait“ when describing my work; I draw people but at the end, it’s not about the person anymore. It’s only me, markers and a paper. That’s it. I’m only concerned about the quality of the drawing – that the lines, strokes, fingerprints and smudges I leave on the paper are strong enough to make the images striking. But in the process of drawing, I try not to think too much. Thinking is very contra productive. It happens or it doesn’t.

There seems to be somewhat of a focus on fashion personalities in your portraits alongside musicians.
Most of my subjects introduce me to other people, so that is the reason why everybody in my series is somehow connected with each other. I’m not particularly focusing on fashion personalities. But as soon as you step into that world, you get in touch with so many people. It just happened over the last 2 years, in which I got introduced to the fashion world. Music, art and fashion are very connected to each other any way. I’m doing Leo Fitzpatrick’s portrait soon, he is an actor and an artist.

You mentioned that you photograph the people yourself, how much interaction overall is there between you and the person you’re drawing?
Hmm.. That is hard to say because it really doesn’t matter in the end, whether there is much interaction or not. That might sound funny but I think it’s true. It’s of course always a pleasure to meet my subjects. We have fun doing the photos but when it comes to the drawing process, it doesn’t matter if I had a good time with them or
not. Since I’m not photographing for a magazine, I don’t really need to create a certain mood to bring something out of a model. The shoot is actually very simple and quick, it’s not so good when someone starts to pose too much. I like it very minimal and simple. As long as my subjects don’t start to smile on the photos, everything is cool. The rest is just up to me. So, if a drawing doesn’t work out, it’s not about my subjects. That is my problem. I can’t really explain this. It’s just like any other artistic work I would do. I could draw an apple instead of a head. It either turns out to be strong or it turns out to be weak. So my drawings are not dependent on the subjects. It’s just more entertaining for me to meet people than apples.

Is there anyone in particular you’ve been fascinated to work with?
I can never tell, if the portrait will turn out great or not. So I like to always have someone new in front of me. But sometimes I do a couple of drawings from one person, like Terence Koh or Casey Spooner. I’m working with Casey on a separate series. He always looks different and that is a great challenge for me, it’s quite hard to do a portrait of someone who has so many faces. So with Casey, I just decided to do more. So every half a year we meet and I do a new one. I also like his company, he is a very intelligent person.

Last month I met with Debbie Harry. That was really great! She is such a legend and I feel very honored that she wanted to do this with me. I will start on the drawing soon. This is of course a big challenge for me, because Andy Warhol has done a portrait of her.

What has the response from the subjects been like?
I guess good. You’d have to ask the subjects. Since I’m not super famous, I guess everybody I do portraits of, really believe in my work. I mean they kind of know of what they are getting into.
 

Robert Knoke will show at Teapot Gallery in Cologne on February 11th-March 13th, and is doing an Installation for Seven New York during NY Fashion Week. View more of his work on on his Facebook page.

It takes a specific kind of a reader to appreciate Cormac McCarthy. His unflinching examination of evil that lurks within men is not for the faint of heart. On the surface it may come off as sadistic. But, then again, no good work of literature cares for the superficial reader.

The Road, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is the latest of McCarthy’s books. It is also his third book that is being adapted into a film, due to come out some time this year. The novel takes place after the nuclear holocaust. A father and his boy are traveling on the unnamed road in the southern direction because the climate is getting too cold to endure. The only species surviving on earth are humans. Food and drinking water is scarce. All vegetation is dead. The entire world is covered with a thin layer of silver ash. The sun never shines.This is a perfect foundation for the central question of the book – how much does it take for humans to turn into animals? According to McCarthy, not much. Take away food and shelter, and most men will commit most despicable acts of violence.

Post-apocalyptic tales are certainly nothing new in our culture. Those who have seen Mad Max or read The Postman are certainly familiar with the themes that The Road engages. But, it is a testament to the difference between a work of literature and a pop-fiction product when a master like McCarthy takes on what is basically a science fiction premise. The Road evokes a range of emotions in the reader, from rage and despair to compassion and hope. And the sparser the prose – the deeper the emotions are felt. For this novel, McCarthy dispenses with his dense style and archaic English that has you reaching for the Merriam-Webster (unabridged). Instead, the writing is as barren as the world it depicts. The erasure of language is the erasure of civilization itself. Reading The Road reminds one of Hemingway,
who once said that his writing is like an iceberg, thin on top, revealing just enough to push the reader to discover the bottom for himself. And to the bottom The Road goes – down to the deepest abyss of mankind. Cannibalism (including a gruesome scene of a baby being eaten), slavery, the brutal rule of physical force – everything we think of as deeply inhuman – is committed by men and women in the most casual way. And a ten year old boy (McCarthy does not indicate his precise age) as an eyewitness to our descent adds another level of despair that sometimes throws the reader into a state of shock.

Yet, the violence in The Road is not gratuitous. The further the mankind falls, the more faith the reader has in the novel’s protagonists. They represent humanity. They carry the heavy load of moral conduct on their shoulders. The child is especially sensitive and compassionate, and the worse things get the more his selflessness becomes painful to the reader, who yearns to reach his hand into the book and somehow help him. The father is more resigned to his fate, his feelings numbed by the constant struggle for survival. After shooting a man who takes the boy hostage, he tries to overcome his shock, “This is my child, he said. I wash a dead man’s brains out of my child’s hair. That is my job. Then he wrapped him in the blanket and carried him to the fire.”

The fire is a central symbol in the novel. Everything in the world is dark, the sun is barely visible, the clouds are constant, and the ash makes everything gray. The physical fire is scant. The fire of the human soul is almost nonexistent. But the boy and his father carry the Promethean fire as well. These two anti-heroes are our hope, the faintest hope in the world. And yet, it is belief in the triumph of the human spirit that permeates the novel. And because this belief is not unwavering, it makes the book heartfelt and tragic, but also intrinsically human. In the last and the most heartbreaking dialogue in the novel the boys asks the father:

Is it real? The fire?
Yes, it is.
Where is it? I don’t know where it is.
Yes you do. It’s inside you. It was always there.

by Eugene Rabkin

Okkerut River. Occerville River. Venues seemed to have issues getting the bands name right, and vocalist Will Sheff was predicting utter failure due to this. This wouldn’t have been a surprise considering the Austin, Texas based indie rock/folk band itself was the result of Sheff’s clear decision to become a total failure. With previous band projects such The False Dmitri, which never had a single gig, expectations weren’t the highest for this oddly named attempt either.

After close to a decade later though, the band has endless gigs under their belt along with a handful of records. They’ve played alongside Lou Reed, The Decemberists and The New Pornographers, something which Sheff certainly didn’t expect in his high-school days filled with nervous breakdowns and his friends laughing at him for writing songs.

Regardless of some setbacks, the band managed to round up enough cash to be able to work in a studio and finish a record, which they called Stars Too Small To Use. Jonathan Meiburg, who later joined the band, once told Sheff about his first memory of the band. Seeing them live was the worst thing he had ever heard, but he could tell they were doing it on purpose. Perhaps that determination is what has taken Okkervil river such a long way. It might also translate into the certain passion
which can be heard in their music and the emotion in
Will Sheff’s gratifyingly tremulous voice.

Seeing them live was the worst thing he had ever heard, but he could tell they were doing it on purpose.

After getting small attention in the Austin Chronicle, the band got the attention of Brian Beattie, a local producer and an idol of Sheff. They soon found themselves in band member Brian Cassidy’s garage recording an album titled Don’t Fall In Love With Everyone You See. It took a year and a half and countless attempts at contacting labels before the record was released. The band ended up with JagJaguwar, a small Bloomington, Indiana based indie label. Their touring had taken a big step and the band found themselves constantly on the road. The next album, Down The River Of Golden Dreams, was recorded in San Francisco.

Through some connections, tours both in the US and Europe kept increasing. Within the past few years the band has recorded two albums, Black Sheep Boy and The Stage Names. They are currently recording The Stand Ins, which will be released on Jagjaguwar this fall. With little time spent in their hometown, the bands lineup has also seen constant changes. While others have come and gone, Sheff himself has remained as the only original band member. The band is, after all, a result of his failure.

listen to Okkervil River at http://www.okkervilriver.com

If you ask most faithful trip hop or downtempo fans who their favorite artists are, there is a high chance Portishead will be near the top of their list. In approximately 1991, a trio of talented artists hailing from Bristol, UK, came together to form what would go on to be one of the most innovative and influential groups of the 1990’s. Singer Beth Gibbons and respected producers, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley were all involved with musical projects prior to Portishead but all three really came into their own and produced amazing results as a whole.

While Portishead is widely hailed as the one of the pioneers of niche electronic music genre, trip hop, the artists themselves have stated that they’ve never pigeonholed their own sound to this title. Like it or not, they, along with fellow artists such as DJ Shadow, Massive Attack, Tricky, Coldcut and others helped to really craft the genre as a whole. Despite Portishead’s influence and success over the years, which is enormous on paper, the trio has always managed to avoid the spotlight pretty well and stay fairly under the mainstream radar, even during the peak of their popularity.

The album that really catapulted the group to the top was their debut effort, “Dummy”, released in 1994. Though Dummy only spawned 3 official singles, the album as a whole is a cohesive journey through what was up until that point in time, beautiful and uncharted territory. It was the type of LP that tugs at your heart strings immediately and reels you in for an emotional journey; the musical aspects as well as the lyrics and tones were so raw in an honest way. To this day, many top producers and other musicians, ranging from legends such as Depeche Mode to hip hop mogul Dr. Dre, have all hailed the album as a major personal influence of theirs.

Three years later, their follow up, self-titled LP was unleashed onto the eager ears of their fans and critics. It was comprised of a fairly different type of sound than “Dummy”, meanwhile keeping Portishead’s trademarks and style. This time around, they relied on more organic sounds and melodies from pieces composed and recorded by the band. These elements, mixed with what was said to be a heavy retro spy film influence, came together to form another album which was well received by Portishead fans.

The next output from them was a CD, released in 1998. It was comprised of tracks recorded from a live concert in NYC, with the mighty New York Philharmonic Orchestra providing the strings for the band. It was filled with lush and epic renditions of some of the group’s classic songs. After this, however, the music world would see a shocking and nearly decade long disappearance from Portishead. Their influence lived on a great deal in countless other artists’ musical efforts, however. Finally, circa 2005, the group started to resurface a bit and Barrow confirmed that they were indeed working on a new LP.

Roll around to 2008 and their highly anticipated and long-awaited album, aptly titled “Third”, has finally just been released as of April. The reactions to this one are mixed, as it is not what people were fully expecting. But what it really is, is Portishead doing what they have always done best; pushing their limits, furthering their sound and taking risks like the ones they did a decade plus ago which made them so coveted to begin with.

The album is a journey through classic Portishead soundscapes, quirky, unexpected beat patterns and an almost swanky vintage vibes. This time around, Gibbons utilized her angelic voice as more of an instrument, playing with everything from Goldfrapp-esque, breathy tones, to intense vibrato and pitch shifts, meanwhile pouring out her soul as only she does best, though somber lyrics. The production works like a dream with and enhances the vocals but at the same time isn’t overpowered by them. There are many unexpected beats and pads that sort of come out of nowhere, yet the album as a whole is just as lush and as cohesive of a journey as “Dummy”.

It’s too soon yet to speculate on what this talented group will be up to in the future but as of now, “Third” has provided more than enough goodness to keep us on the edge of our seats. Not to mention their previous albums are absolute classics, so it’s never too late to get acquainted with those in the meantime.

The new album “Third” is available on Island Records UK and also as a limited edition box set

Visit portishead.co.uk

By Regina Libian

From battle of the bands losers to the best new band in Britain. When guitarist Felix White mentioned that front man Orlando Weeks was having love trouble, White’s father told him to let him deal with it – it will provide good song material. That might very well describe the foundation for The Maccabees’ music, which the band says just pours out of them. Despite having to do with relationships and life, the music on debut album Colour It In hardly feels like a traditional pop or rock. Overall their sound could be described as energetic and electrifying, at times even aggressive for indie pop, occasionally mellow but always filled with emotion.

Gaining popular attention in Britain only within the last year or two, the bands story began around 2003 when vocalist Orlando Weeks and drummer Robert Dylan Thomas started writing songs in Orlando’s bedroom. Joined by guitarist Hugo White and Bassist Rupert Jarvis, the band was ready when Hugo’s brother Felix, a former bandmate of Jack Peñate, joined in. Despite being named after a Jewish liberation movement, the band has said to have no religious agenda – the name was randomly picked by flipping through a bible.

Their career did not start with a blast as they lost a battle of bands competition to a girl band playing covers in miniskirts. Regardless of their loss, the band soon released their first single X-Ray in November 2005 on Promise Records. Even currently one of their best tracks, fast paced X-Ray didn’t receive much attention apart from evening plays on London’s XFM and Fierce Panda; another indie label which released their second single, Latchmere. The song, about a leisure centre where the members learned to swim as kids, got more attention and a lot of press for the band. NME hailed them as the best new band in Britain, and after successful touring they signed to Fiction Records to release ‘Colour It In’ in mid 2007. “We’re kind of a word of mouth band..” Weeks said in an interview last year. “We’ve never had a big song on the radio so the people who come, come because they’re making the effort. it’s not being forced on them.. makes it feel really special”.

Toothpaste Kisses, the last song recorded for the album and intended only as a closing track, ended up being one of the most played ones. The acoustic track varies quite a bit from many others with a very laid back vibe and slender vocals, which apparently Weeks recorded in a cupboard. The second version of the Toothpaste Kisses video has gotten a lot of airplay on MTV. The video was directed by Felix’s and Hugo’s aunt Leigh Anderson, a choreographer by profession. This also gives some insight into the way The Maccabees like to work; they prefer being around people they know and doing things themselves. Orlando draws their artwork, and their friends have produced many of their videos.

Carrying on their somewhat organic process of making music, the band is currently working on their next album set to be released sometime this year.

visit themaccabees.co.uk