Found Art

I want to alert you all to the existence of www.foundmagazine.com if you don't already know about it. I've been tweeting about the greatness of the publication since last night, when I had the distinct honor of seeing their live show at the Largo Theater on La Cienega Blvd. Found is a magazine that serves as a community art project. People world-wide submit letters, notes, photographs, signs and other belongings that they spot rustling in the bushes or blowing down the lane. The purpose of the project is to give these lost letters a new audience, to share their previous privacy with the world and in some small way remind us of our basic humanity.

Davy and his brother have slowly transitioned Found from a fun art project into a full-scale publication, complete with spectacular design, writing and of course the remarkable found letters. If you've ever had the pleasure of getting to see Davy perform live, you'll know he has a very conversational small-town approach to stage presence, in a way only masterered by some of the greatest of stand-up comics. At the after party, I spoke with him briefly about Found and found out that he's even been contacted by some of the people who wrote the letters that he'd discovered. Found changes the names of the letter writers so as to respect people's privacy, but even so, people have a tendency to find out when their stuff is being used without their permission. The surprising thing here is that Found might be one of the few cases where people are too proud to be mad about having their personal papers published. The nature of the project is so interesting, collaborative and down-to-earth that it's hard not to want to be a part of it. That may explain why their most recent book contained numerous celebrity endorsements, and why Seth Rogen and Fiona Apple were both in attendance last night.

Not to change veins too much, but perhaps the greatest moment of last evening (aside from the bevy of beautiful indie rock babes parading through the Largo and the after-party) was the opening act performed by a young man named Brett from West Virginia. Brett, as I assume is the case with many young West Virginians, is a circus freak. From the age of eight, his grandfather- a sideshow grifter by trade- taught Brett to swallow swords, light bulbs and other (supposedly) inedible items. Brett performed for a wide-eyed terrified audience last evening as he swallowed two broadswords, a kris, a screwdriver, a back-scratcher and a 37-inch balloon that he later popped from within his belly. Brett has been traveling the world with the boys from Found for the past few years, and even got to work with the good people at Amsterdam's Boom Chicago (a renowned comedy show that will soon feature my dear friend and comedy compatriot Jessica Lowe). Like Davy, Brett had a real knack for audience interaction in spite of his youth, and even more impressively it turns out that he's a friendly and charming guy in real life. I highly recommend you check out one of his shows if you're in the Venice Beach area, as he'll be performing live with the Freak Show starting next month. The kid's so normal and so talented he almost gives 'freaks' a bad name.

Last but not least, I have to pimp one final act from last night's cavalcade of stars: The incredible Watson Twins, a dynamic duo from Louisville whose soothing indie rock tunes brought solace to my soul both last night and all throughout today's righteous hangover. Not only are the twins very sweet and personable, they're incredibly skilled musicians with a beautiful sound and really great vocals. I bought their latest album Fire Songs last night and I've been listening to it all morning. Tracks like "How Am I To Be" and their cover of "Just Like Heaven" really highlight the minimalist versatility of their act. I dig on smaller groups like The Fiery Furnaces and the White Stripes, because it's cool to see two people stretch to fill the roles usually taken care of by a full band. The Watson Twins nail it dead-on, and I can't wait to catch them again the next time they're around my area.

That about wraps it up for last night's Found spectacular. I'll be posting more in the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled (especially for any scraps of paper that might blow your way). I decided to join the Found street team, and I suggest you do the same!