I was most impressed by her Iron Mountain floor – an erily darkened space with a sparse collection of tiny clay figures, brought to life by video projections of people working, running and talking on them. They’re almost like holograms, and in the stillness of the room you get the feeling like you’re inside someone’s brain, browsing through a collection of their personal and intimate memories. Worth seeing in person for sure, as obviously a photograph or video won’t do something like this justice.

So don’t sleep on this one –  the exhibit runs until November 19th at the Fabric Workshop in Philadelphia.

Laurie Anderson Forty-Nine Days in the Bardo at the Fabric Workshop and Museum from Canal Street Communications on Vimeo.

Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!

As most of you probably already heard, abstract artist and former Weezer bass player Mikey Welsh passed away over weekend in Chicago.  I got to meet Mikey this past July during the opening for his solo show at the Slingluff Gallery, where I ended up doing a 45 minute interview with him, covering everything from his early days in the Boston music scene, to success in Weezer to his current passion for art.  Now, I’m not going to claim knowing the man or anything but being an artist and fellow musician myself, I felt like we bonded a bit and had a few things in common, albeit with obviously different methods of artistic attack, not to mention life style choices. It was also plain to see that his struggles were far from over, but I left hoping he would eventually sort it out and pull it together, especially for his child, who he obviously cared a great deal for. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

Anyway, the idea was to eventually run the interview on clubmumble.com, but for reasons not really worth mentioning, it never happened.  So, instead of leaving this to rot away on some hard drive, I’m posting the entire unedited audio here.  For his many fans and friends, I can only hope the sound of his voice brings some comfort to you. There are lots of good stories and insights in here – I hope you enjoy. And I apologize in advance for my constant rambling during our conversation

Rest in peace Mikey.

and please keep in mind, media vampires, no portion of this interview may be reproduced without the written consent of mightyjoecastro.com.  © 2011 All Rights Reserved. So please, just ask first – it’s the right thing to do. Photo above by Mr. Jonathan Slingluff.

For the auction, I donated a brand new collage, entitled Death on the Wings – it’s mixed media on paper,  16″x20″ framed and signed.  This is a one of a kind piece and not a print so, if you’re interested, get your tickets for the event here.  Other artists include Todd Francis, Greg Hunt, Bruce Hall and Mark Gonzales among others.  Did I mention free pizza, wine and beer? Should be a great night.  I’d love to be there in person but, unfortunately, I’ll be stuck here in the Philly suburbs. Sponsored by Skateboarder Magazine, Function Drinks, GBMC, Incipio, Malm Cellars and Spinelli Catering.

There are some cool events happening in Philly this weekend- first up, my good friend Kevin Margitich is having an art opening this Friday, March 4th over at Sweet Mabel in Narberth. And to sweeten the pot, he’s home-brewed some special beers just for the occasion, so get there early before the well runs dry. The show is entitled The Trail to Manatawny which, roughly translated, means “the trail to where we meet to drink.  You get the picture. Good times start at 7pm.

Then, on Saturday night, stop by the Slignluff Gallery where they’ll be hosting an opening bash for their March artist, skater/photographer Jai Tanju.  The show’s entitled Heavy, and features some pretty sick interactive metal photo frames. That party gets going at 6pm. 11 W. Girard Street in scenic downtown Fishtown.

On the music side of things, pick up the latest issue of the City Paper which includes a nice little interview with Curly Castro (no relation)  talking about the release of his excellent new long player Winston’s Appeal. You can download that here for free. And while you’re at it, do yourself a favor and grab Zilla Rocca’s new  Bad Weather Classic, a strong collection of dark and gritty, film-noir style cinematic hip-hop tracks. Gotta admit I’m addicted to the first cut, Tiger Heli – 130 seconds of top shelf paranoia.

And, speaking of Zilla and Castro, what about the 5 o’clock shadowboxer’s Weak Stomach video? It’s in the can, bro, and will be debuting online any day now so keep your eyes peeled.

And speaking of that video, co-director Justin Clowes also just dropped a tasty new video for East Hundred, featuring some beautiful super 8  footage he shot during their tour this past summer. Well done, my man.

And special thanks to Erin, Roberta and all the girls at Fringe Salon for hosting such a fun evening. The show will be up until early April, so stop on by and get your wig done while you take in the visuals.

And check out the 215 magazine blog for a short write up on the evening.

For those who missed it, check the photos below. The show is now online at slingluffgallery.com and will be hanging in the gallery until Halloween, so stop by to see it in person, which is a lot better than sitting on your brains, staring at jpgs on the monitor.  Go out and get some fresh air – it will do you good.

And, as promised, below’s the short interview I did with the Slingluff Gallery about Automatic Amnesia – hope to see everyone at the opening this Saturday.

Joe Castro at the gallery. from Slingluff Gallery on Vimeo.

So stop by and see what all the fuss is about Saturday, October 2 for the opening of my art show, Automatic Amnesia. And don’t miss the after party with The Sky Drops, deVries and Atlas.  A good time is guaranteed.  And you can even RSVP on facebook if you get down like that.

And while you bid on fantastic art, enjoy animated shorts from local filmmakers at 5:00pm,  followed by music and dance from Spain featuring Flamenco Luz (sick!) from 7:00 to 9:00.  It all takes place at the Mezzanine Art Gallery at the Capitol Theater in Olympia, Washington from 5-10pm  as part of the Fall Arts Walk.

I really wish I could be there but I’ll be in Philadelphia that night hanging my show at the Slingluff Gallery. Best of luck though, and I hope it goes well!

For more information, please visit olympiafilmsociety.org.