Best of 2010

With all of the recent "Best of 2010" lists that have been posted on the internet I was inspired to create my own. Though we have not quite reached the end of 2010 i feel compelled to post mine now. Anything from here on out will be grandfathered in to the 2011 list.
2010 has been, personally, one of the greatest years for music. I can't even begin to think of how many live performances I've seen and how many nights I've spent staying up listening to new music. From sweating for hours under the unforgiving Tennessee sun at Bonnaroo to dancing to The Walkmen in a barn in the middle of Iowa, this year has been nothing short of spectacular for live music.
On that note I will start with my list of my favorite live performances of 2010. I am omitting the performances that i experienced at Bonnaroo for the simple reason that it was four days of nothing but performances from amazing talent and I don't find it fair to the others on the list that I purposely set out to see.

Best Live Performances of 2010:

1. Daytrotter's Barn on the 4th of July show at the Codfish Hollow Barn in Maquoketa, IA. Featuring The Walkmen, These United States, Dawes, Justin Townes Earl, Johnny Corndawg, and Young Man.
2. Wilco at DPAC in Durham, NC
3. Arcade Fire and Spoon at the Verizon Wireless Center in Atlanta, GA
4. Yeasayer at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC
5. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Music Farm in Charleston, SC

*All of these show were attended with Ashlie White, who made most of these possible and all of them memorable.

2010 was also a great year for emerging bands as well as a couple old dogs that learned some new tricks. I remember the anticipation of waiting for the Broken Bells music box-set to arrive in the mail. I made a vow not to listen to the album until it arrived at my door, which was hard considering that everyone around me was already listening to the leaked version that came out the previous week. I have compiled a list of my top 25 albums though they are for the most part in descending order it was hard to put one over the other, but I tried my best.

1. The National - High Violet
2. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
3. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
4. The Black Keys - Brothers
5. The Morning Benders - Big Echo
6. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
7. The Walkmen - Lisbon
8. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
9. Onward, Soldiers - Ghosts In This Town
10. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
11. Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo
12. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
13. The Love Language - Libraries
14. Freelance Whales - Weathervanes
15. Jonsi - Go
16. Best Coast - Crazy For You
17. Beach House - Teen Dream
18. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
19. Toro Y Moi - Causers of This
20. Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame
21. Belle & Sebastian - Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
22. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
23. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
24. Spoon - Transference
25. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM

To finish the best of categories I leave you with my top 10 music videos. These appear in no particular order and goes something like this:

- The Black Keys - Tighten Up
- Arcade Fire - Suburbs
- Local Natives - World News
- Yeasayer - Madder Red
- Bowerbirds - Northern Lights
- Avi Buffalo - What's In It For
- Toro Y Moi - Talamak
- Jonathan Boulet - A Community Service Announcement
- Best Coast - When I'm With You
- The Morning Benders - Promises

Well there you have it folks the Best of 2010 list as noted by me, the Fortunate Observer. I would love to hear what you think and what your favorites of 2010 were. These lists would not have been the same without inspiration from many different people and places so for that i would like to send a special thanks to the following: Ashlie White, David Ostiguy, Andy Simonson, Daytrotter, La Blogotheque, Matt Keen at Gravity Records, Billy Mellon, Sean Thomas Gerard and all the guys in Onward, Soldiers (who appear on the Gasoline Rainbows compilation along side many of the aforementioned top bands.), Brooklyn Vegan, My Old Kentucky Blog, Pitchfork, Large Hearted Boy and many others, Thank you all so very much.

Mission for Sunday

It's been a while since my last post. This is the start of the ever-going blog that will be a part of the full site, when finished. I am starting this off with a task for everyone. It is fun and educational, which is pretty hard to come by these days.
I want for everyone to take time out of their wonderful Sunday and put on Surfer Blood radio on Pandora. I garauntee it will make your Sunday ten times better.
You're welcome.... and thank you
Fortunate Observer

Tonight is the night.

Just a reminder to everyone that tonight is the opening reception for Form & Dysfunction. All the information is listed in the F&D post below. There will also be a special performance by James Ethan Clark as well as food provided by The Basics restaurant.
It will be a night not soon forgotten. I hope to see all of your smiling faces later this evening.

Stickers

A big thank you goes out to Jon Spetrino over at Daztech for doing an awesome job printing my first run of stickers. Follow my link at the right hand side of the page to learn more about Daztech and what they have to offer.

1. 
   

Teaser

here is a little taste of the form and dysfunction show all set to go for this saturday. you have to be there to see the rest.

1. 
   

State of the Union

As you may have noticed you have been re-directed to a Blogspot. We have done this to allow you to keep up with the everyday happenings of Fortunate Observer as the actual site is being built.

We are in the process of interviewing and collecting images from our first group of artists. You will be able to view their profiles  within the next week or so. Without giving to much away our first series of featured artist put women on your walls, metal on your neck and sweaters on your beer. There will also be full coverage of the Form & Dysfunction show at Projekte featuring the works of Justin Bernel and Eric White.

We Have also created a Facebook fan page which you can link to off to the right of the screen. Please tell your friends and family. Any and all support is appreciated.

Form & Dysfunction

CLEAR YOUR CALENDARS FOR SEPTEMBER 11 

OPENING RECEPTION FROM 6PM-11PM

@ PROJEKTE 523 S. 3RD ST

Form & Dysfunction is more than just an exhibit that features the artwork of two young, creative talents from Greenville, NC, it is a projection of their personal and professional relationship with each other. They are best friends and roommates, which translates well in the dynamics of their professional endeavors. From Eric's organic use of raw materials to Justin's application of straight lines and sleek curves, this large installation, bridges the gaps between art and design.

Form & Dysfunction also marks the beginning of a new local artist promotion company, Fortunate Observer. The goal of Fortunate Observer is to bring to light the talents of people who are creating amazing things. From visual artists and musicians to jewelry makers and culinary artist, Fortunate Observer is here to show the world the best of the best. We are kicking things off with the website www.fortunateobserver.com and eventually a physical location right here in good ol' Wilmington, NC.

PLEASE INVITE EVERYONE YOU KNOW

If you are unable to attend the opening reception the work will be up at the gallery from Sept. 6 until Oct. 2

A closing reception will be held Oct. 2 from 6pm until 11pm.

Artist Statements and Bios:

Eric Justin White

Eric Justin White is an artist currently seeking both a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Art Education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with a concentration in sculpture at East Carolina University. His work explores a wide variety of sculptural media, including wood and stone carving, fabricated steel, and cast iron, aluminum and bronze.

His most recent work has focused on the theme of connection. Everything in the world is tied together by some form of connection, both large and small, visible and ethereal, and it is these abstract connections that tie together his body of work. His recent "Fragment" series, which focuses on the process of casting metal around carved soapstone, strongly utilizes connection as an integral element in its design. Through the casting process, the two metals become intimately combined into one whole. The extreme heat and forces cause fractures in the stone, and without the embracing metal, the stones would likely break apart. The two become inseparable without the destruction of each other, and it is this inseparable bond that alludes to the connections that tie together our societies, cultures, and the environment that supports our life.

In addition to creating sculptural works, Eric also dabbles in woodworking and painting. He is a founding member of The Atomic Lime Project, a collective of young, upcoming artists based in North Carolina that is focused on giving local artists a voice and place in the community.

Justin Bernel

Justin Bernel, born January 30th, 1987 in Woodland Hills, California, is a designer and artist based out of Greenville, North Carolina. In his earliest years in San Diego, Justin's talent in the arts was beginning to show. When he moved to North Carolina in 1999, his interests in society, spirituality, philosophy, music, and literature encouraged his art to bring discussion of humanity's progression.

While Studying at the School of Art and Design at East Carolina University, Justin learned the techniques and practices necessary to make a design successful. At ECU, his work was put in several shows, including the annual Undergraduate Exhibition which he won the Award of Merit in 2009, and the Award of Excellence in 2010 for his work in Wood Design.

In 2009 Justin worked with two artists in Greenville to create Atomic Lime Project - a collaborative effort to give local artists a voice and place in the community. Following his first cohesive exhibition, "Form & Dysfunction: A Super Rad Exhibition of Art & Design," Justin graduated from ECU with a BFA in Wood Design. He now works with multiple mediums in his home-studio in Greenville. His present work focuses on items important to social interaction and using visual balance, contrast, and harmony to commentate on civil balance, contrast, and harmony.


For more information visit:
www.atomiclimeproject.com