this day in history...

June 13, 1967 - Thurgood Marshall appointed to U.S. Supreme Court by President Lyndon Johnson.

It was Marshall who ended legal segregation in the United States. He won Supreme Court victories breaking the color line in housing, transportation and voting, all of which overturned the 'Separate-but-Equal' apartheid of American life in the first half of the century. It was Marshall who won the most important legal case of the century, Brown v. Board of Education, ending the legal separation of black and white children in public schools.

The BLK JKS Countdown Begins...

Your favorite South African psych-rock group (and mine) the BLK JKS announced the release date for their upcoming debut full-length, After Robots, set to drop September 8th on Bloomington, Indiana-based label Secretly Canadian. Admist the critical praise the essence of BLK JKS' music — a collision of township blues, fringe jazz and renegade dub, heard via the lens of prog — shines through. Music from Africa has never quite sounded like this, as BLK JKS bring the concept of Afro-futurism into a new century.

BLK JKS consists of childhood friends Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata who grew up on the same block in Johannesburg's East Rand where they taught themselves guitar. After the band's current lineup took shape with the addition of bassist Molefi Makananise and drummer Tshepang Ramoba, both of Soweto, they embarked on a schedule of heavy touring throughout South Africa that earned them a loyal national following.

Download "Molalatladi" from After Robots HERE! (Right-click, Save-As)

Crayola: A Look Back

The Dieline Blog has a great look at the brand history of Crayola's Crayons! Next to Play-doh and Band-Aid, Crayola courts one of our earliest brand loyalties. Thanks NotCot!

Superflat First Love: Murakami x LV

SUPERFLAT FIRST LOVE by Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton. Celebrating six years of collaborations. Thanks Phil!

Banksy Opening 06.13.09

Posted on Banksy's site just after midnite on June 10th, the mysterious street artist opens in his hometown of Bristol on Saturday! Check his site for more details.

Northside Festival June 11-14

The Northside Festival kicks off today with over 50 music and art venues in the Williamsburg/Greenpoint area participating in this first annual festival from the good folks over at The L Magazine. Highlights from the festival include opening night party at Studio B headlined by Brightblack Morning Light (Thu), Miho Hatori at the Superglorious showcase at Glasslands (Thu), Ghostly International's 10-Year Anniversary Bash at Studio B (Fri), Zoe Kravitz's Elevator Fight and Blk Jks at Trash Bar (Fri), AsiaDog at the Gothamist Afterparty (Sat), Mira Bilotte from White Magic (Sun) and showcases from BrooklynVegan, KEXP, Ernest Jenning Records, and Brooklyn-based bands like Apollo Heights and Himalaya.

Night/Shift: a photography book

Photographer Lynn Saville has a new book out called Night/Shift, published by Random House! Saville specializes in night photography, capturing the after-hours landscapes of our favorite and unexpected neighborhoods.

Check out her book talk in Brooklyn this Friday June 12th, at 7:00 PM:
BookCourt @ 163 Court Street

From his introduction to Night/Shift Arthur C. Danto says...
"Atget recorded Paris in the early morning, before anyone was about. We feel his presence in the surrounding emptiness he has kept for the generations....Saville is his New York counterpart, the Atget of vanishing New York, prowling her city at the other end of the day, picking up pieces of the past in the present, just before it is swallowed by shadows..."