The Standard

To ward off the munchies while you dominate at your game of choice, Chef Yuji Iwasa has created a Rec Room menu chock full of savory snacks and tasty treats perfect for sharing. If you’re like us, you’ll want to try one of each, so that is an option for only $25! Top it all off with a round (or two) of specially crafted cocktails from The Lobby bar, a flight of our favorite German beers, or $4 High Life if that’s how you roll - and you won’t be Sorry! you came.

Before you know it, we’ll have a Monopoly on your Tuesday nights. Okay, okay, we’ll stop. Your move!

Rec Room every Tuesday at 7 PM
The Lobby at The Standard, Downtown LA

Featuring DJ Dirty Dave 

(Jeff Soto doensn’t leave home without the Ring)

In the continuation of our “secret travel item” series, The Standard is a curious bird about what our friends tend to tuck in their suitcase, or pockets, or simply wear on their body every time they journey abroad. For Jeff Soto, who is attending Art Basel this year, the painter confesses that he never leaves home without his ring. His parents bestowed the heirloom onto him after securing it from Knots Berry Farm several years ago.

If you take a deeper look, the ring contains a crooked lightning bolt on the side which serves as a reminder for Jeff to always “keep it straight when life gets crazy (crooked)”. There’s nothing like a good’ ol family memento to keep the feet grounded but head in the stars.  

To see more of Jeff Soto’s work, go to Jeff Soto Official Site.

Photo by Chris Mosier.

We realize this week is all about artists in Miami Beach during Art Basel 2010, however, let’s not forget all the creative spirits back at our Standard Hollywood building, who are itching to perform this Wednesday night at our weekly Desert Nights. Here’s this weeks round-up of talent to check out…

(Listen to Big Sir here)

Big Sir is comprised of 2 amazing members. First there is Juan Alderete, a bassist whose other projects include The Mars Volta, Vato Negro, and Dr. Octogan. Then there is Lisa Papineau, a songwriter who in addition to her own self-titled project, has collaborated with groups and composers such as Air, M83, Jun Miyake, Tyler Bates and Omar Rodriguez Lopez. Juan and Lisa are currently completing their third Big Sir studio album, which will be released with Sargent House/ Rodriguez Lopez Productions in Spring 2010. They will be performing (live for the first time) many of their new songs this evening, — bareboned, no beatz, acoustic fretless bass, voice, and any handclaps that can be worked out of the audience. You can follow Big Sir on their Tumblr too.

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The Standard, Miami would like to invite you to one of our hotel rooms — Room #40 to be exact. Inside this room, we have a special viewing of both a photography and film installation entitled Scratch Mine, Scratch Yours. It’s a solo exhibition by photographer Sante D’Orazio, who’s already known for a long history of provocative images with several published books including Barely Private (Taschen 2009) and A Private View (Penguin Books 1998), and Gianni and Donatella (teNeues 2007). 

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Do you ever feel the joy of walking around Art Basel, and soak in all the beauty, but secretly wish you could actually afford any of it? Fear not, and visit the website Iconoclast to purchase some limited edition works of art, screen prints, or pieces to grace your home.

Artists on the site include Os Gemenos, Tim Barber, David Ellis, Spike Jonze, Rostarr, KR, Neckface, Peter Sutherland, Steve Powers, and more. We believe if you have good taste, you can always begin to amass your very own impressive collection without having to be a millionaire. 

During last year’s Art Basel Tony Goldman and Jeffrey Deitch collaborated to create an open air art park called Wynwood Walls showcasing some our favorite artists including Aiko, Shepard Fairey, Clare Rojas, and a bunch more. This year, Ryan McGinness, assume vivid astro focus (avaf), Ben Jones and Dearraindrop have created five unique murals too.

Space Invader

Ryan McGinness is the key artist working right now who has created an interactive black light wall of Matisse-esque women in hot neon colors. The Standard, Miami happens to be supporting this project – make sure to snag little matchbooks with these neon lady figures at the hotel.

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Our friends over at DListed! are constantly killing us softly, and they for sure did not disappoint with this video of a girl enjoying herself at a summer pool party.  I have a feeling martinis aren’t her cocktail of choice!

For the past year and a half Chef Dan Silverman has been dazzling the senses with his American Brasserie fare at The Standard Grill, and he doesn’t intend on stopping any time soon.  For the Fall menu, Silverman has come up with a gorgeous grilled lamb served with spicy cucumber salad and yogurt sauce.  Because his generosity is endless, Chef Dan has shared his recipe with you so you can attempt to try this at home.  It’s not that hard, really…

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(Meet Standard’s new guest blogger, Colonel Cator) 

Want to read about Art Basel 2010? Meet Cator Sparks aka “Colonel Cator”, a journalist for a variety of magazines and websites with a focus is Men’s Fashion and Design. His writing has appeared in T Magazine, and FullFrontalFashion.com. Cator will be covering the daily beat of Art Basel 2010 for The Standard website.

(New Standard Guest Blogger, Julia Chiang)

We should also take this opportunity to introduce our new guest blogger, Julia Chiang, a Brooklyn based artist visiting Miami Beach this week. Julia was a presenting artist in last years Art Basel 2009 at OHWOW, using her Ring Pops (ring-shaped lollipop) to create a stellar piece of art and back in February she did the same for us when she helped us launch our Shop at The Standard, New York where we sold her gorgeous porcelain apples. We’re lucky to be graced with her talent again this year with a special installation created at The Standard hotel in Miami.

(Installation by Julia Chiang, OHWOW, Art Basel 2009)

Other Standard Guest Bloggers in Miami this week covering from the trenches are:

• Johnny Misheff - Journalist who writes about the worlds of art, fashion, and culture.

• Jauretsi- Writer, Filmmaker, and overall Editor of the Standard website 

• Cheryl Dunn - Photographer, Documentarian, and all around Renaissance woman.

• Al Moran- Co-Founder and Co-Creative Director of OHWOW Gallery in Miami, Al Moran is “the man” of the week, hosting a bevy of the best in art today. Lucky for us, he’s a regular guest blogger on our site. Artists featured at his gallery this week include Daniel Arsham, Scott Campbell, Julia Chiang, Dan Colen, André Ethier, FriendsWithYou, Phil Frost, Michael Genovese, Luis Gispert, Gustavo Godoy, Tomoo Gokita, Diana Al-Hadid, Trenton Doyle-Hancock, Julia Ziegler-Haynes, Michael St. John, KAWS, Robert Lazzarini, Nate Lowman, Brendan Lynch, Ari Marcopoulos, Barry McGee, Neck Face, José Parlá, Rey Parlá, Kembra Pfahler, Aurel Schmidt, David Benjamin Sherry, Lucien Marc Smith, Agathe Snow and Nick Van Woert. 

• Chris Mosier - Photographer. Delivering some daily “eye candy”, in the form of portraits, as the week unfolds. 

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To read updates this week from our guest bloggers, go to Standard Friends Section.

RIP Leslie Nielsen (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010)

Art Basel 2010 begins this Wednesday. We’re also 2 days away from our first book release on Standard Press, Andrew Kuo’s, What Me Worry, which we intend to celebrate at The Standard Miami. 

Here’s another graphic to keep your appetite wet. Pre-order your copy here, and expect to read more on Andrew during the festivities this week. 

This year at Art Basel 2010, we’re all giddy about the new art that await us our hungry eyeballs. One of the collective to watch out for this week is a local based crew of artists who go under the moniker FriendsWithYou.

This week, FriendsWithYou is creating Rainbow City, a forty piece environmental installation addressing the potency of interaction, ritual, and play. Originally commissioned by Luminato Festival of the Arts in Toronto and inspired by Holi, a festival effectuated by Hindu followers throwing brightly colored water and powder at each other, FriendsWithYou presents a vibrant collection of mutable, air- filled sculptures.

The overall installation creates a surreal landscape of psychedelic scenery intended to simultaneously provoke a religious and childlike awareness.

Taking place in the heart of Miami’s Design District during Art Basel 2010, Rainbow City will attract an estimated 20,000 people over the course of five days. The experience will be one of the largest and most exciting site-specific installations offered at Art Basel.

Rainbow City by FriendsWithYou is presented by AOL, in association with NATIVE Shoes, PAPER Magazine, Dacra, OHWOW Gallery, & WeSC.

December 3-5, 2010. 10am - 10pm Daily

140 NE 39th St Miami Design District

For more info, go to FWY Official Site

(“This is from a rhyme called “Wild Child” … And just guess where she’s been!” — Anthony)

The Guest Bloggers here keep getting better and better. Behold a new column written by the one and only Anthony Haden Guest— a writer, reporter and cartoonist. He’s been published in leading magazines in Britain and America, most recently in Esquire and GQ (UK) and Britain’s Observer Magazine. His new book of drawings, In The Mean Time: The Other Ends of The World is Published by Freight & Volume. His writing can be found on Spears Wealth Management System at www.spearswms.com 

Anthony will be doing some of his art rhymes at our events at The Standard Miami during Art Basel 2010, so stay tuned for more of Anthony’s voice swirling around The Standard family.

We thought we would post this stunning photo by Irving Penn entitled “Turkey Neck”. The picture was sent to us by another favorite photographer of ours, Matthu Placek, who sent this portrait to friends and family with a note reading “Happy and Thanking You For It”. Amen. 

The holiday season isn’t always our favorite time of the year.  We feel that the true meaning of it all has been lost in the mad rush to buy buy buy all the chicest gifts you can find.  And for that reason only, we tend to remember that we actually DO love this time of year!  So, to make your shopping efforts just a little bit easier this year, I’ve compiled a little gift guide for you courtesy of the shops at The Standard, Downtown LA and The Standard, New York! 

1. & 2. - Artist José Parlá has once again given us an incredible incarnation of his work by teaming up with Incase to produce these one of a kind convertible book jackets for your MacBook and iPad.  They both come with a suede lined interior.  The iPad version has elastic band closure and opens up to function as a stand.  New York, $179.95

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Forget Macy’s on Black Friday. You’ll wanna run your nose up against the Arkitip storefront glass instead, and get some smart art magazines at 50% off. Go to Arkitip.com to snatch some of these goodies today. They are perfect Xmas gifts for your like-minded art aficionados. We hope everyone had a good Turkey day. 

Meet Aaron Castle. He’s been DJ’ing 4 years and is the Founder of A Club Called Rhonda, one of the biggest disco parties in LA. His vibe is funk, soul, disco, soul, house, hip hop, electro, new wave and… shall we go on? He packs alot in his case.

Aaron has since moved on to being a full time DJ and can be found playing all around town. You can check him out at The Standard Hollywood lobby mostly on Mondays or Tuesdays. Here’s the lodown on Mr. Castle.

Full Name

Aaron Castle

What is your DJ name? Why?

Aaron Castle. Ask my parents.

What genre’s of music do you spin?

House, Disco, Funk, Hip Hop & New Wave, etc.

Tell me the top 5 jams right now on the dancefloor?

Woa, Tough one. Could never actually answer this question, but here’s the first that come to mind Daft Punk “Face to Face”, Bizarre Inc “I’m Gonna Get You”, Patrick Cowley “Get a Little Loose”, Joints “Tell You”, New Order “Bizarre Love Triangle” (Shep Pettibone Mix)

What is the stupidest request you have been asked?

I kinda feel like taking an issue with bad requests. When you are Djing, it’s like being a surgeon and not wanting to see any blood. It’s part of the job. I try not to be a snob. That said, you’d be surprised how often people come up and request an artist while you are currently playing that song. “Do you have any Michael Jackson?”…”This is actually Michael Jackson right now”. At that point all you can really do is smile

What year did you start DJ’ing?

Lets see…2005?

Laptop? CD? iPod? Vinyl?

Do people really DJ with Ipods? I usually go with laptop or CD’s

What are you feelings about drinking and working?

Arent DJs all just closeted alcoholics?

What is the 1 old-school classic you still bust out every time?

This is a weird question for me because I mostly play older songs. Can’t go wrong with anything Prince.

Do you have a special closing song of the night?

My personal favorite closer is Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes “You Cant Go”

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Read more at the Aaron Castle Blog

My dearest little Stan D’elovelies.  I’m off to Montreal for a short spell.  While all of you are voraciously stuffing your faces with turkey and such, I will be quietly sipping my martini and recording my travels in my leather bound journal in the heart of Montréal-Vieux (that’s Old Montreal for all you English speaking folk).  

But do not worry, even though I’m gone for a short while, I’ll still be with you daily via my Twitter.  Always check in with me for all my international adventures, and by international I mean only a one hour ride in a private jet.  Until we meet again.

xoxo
Stan 

We’re nearly one week away from the book release. Here’s another excerpt from What Me Worry by Andrew Kuo, published by Standard Press. Pre-order your copy here.

(A Blanket Fort blogpost found on Don’tStopVintage Tumblr)

In our continuous series of Tumblr’s we love, we added a few with the themes of blankets. Yesterday we wrote about our new Limited Edition blankets by Geoff McFetridge and Chris Johanson. If you watch the show Community, you’ll notice last weeks episode centered around blanket forts. I mean, who doesn’t remember the good ‘ol days when we created our own little fortress in the middle of our bedrooms?

(Blanket Fort Inspiration found on FuckYeahBlanketForts Tumblr)

Here’s a few kooky Tumblrs we found with random themes and pictures, and some that have shouted out bedsheet culture.

Fuck Yeah Blanket Forts Tumblr

Furniture Forts Tumblr

Beanbags are Great Tumblr

Don’t Stop Vintage Tumblr

Implodingg Tumblr

Mapping The Moon Tumblr

Got it? Good. Check out our new art blankets at The Standard Shop online. They’ll be going like hotcakes. 

Behold a new collaboration from The Standard. We called two of our favorite artists to create limited edition blankets which go on sale today. The first artist, Geoff McFetridge, (remember the awesome toast video for OK Go that we posted last week?) created his blanket for The Standard hotel in Hollywood, in black and light blue, with his initials “GM”. You’ll remember Geoff’s work from the much loved illustrations in Where The Wild Things Are as well as the colorful Pepsi campaign Oneify. Check out his super cool studio, Champion Studio too.

(Blankets by Geoff McFetridge)

The second artist, Chris Johanson created his blanket for The Standard, Downtown LA, in heathered grey and warm yellow with text that reads, “all people are multi dimensional”. Despite that Chris doesn’t have formal art training his work has been exhibited extensively in group and solo shows nationally and internationally, including the 2002 Whitney Biennial, 2005 Istanbul Biennial, and the 2006 Berlin Biennial.

We spoke to Chris about what inspires him and learned a few things about him in the process…

(Blanket by Chris Johanson)

Standard Hotel: First off, we’d like to thank you for creating a stellar work of art we can drape around our beds. Is this the first time you created blankets? How did it feel?

Chris Johanson: Yes this is my first time doing anything with blankets or interior design and I am happy about it because I like to try new things. It felt good because I grew up wearing Pendleton flannels.

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Here at The Standard, Downtown LA, we are lucky to have some amazing neighbors. We’ve already introduced you to our friends at MOCA and now we hope you’ll give a warm welcome to REDCAT – The Roy and Edna Disney/Cal Arts Theater. Since 2003, REDCAT has been a hub for avant garde performance, both cultivating local arts and playing host to visiting international artists, many of whom stay with us during their residencies.

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Classic Movie Hotel. Moment of silence for Mr. Kubrick.

It’s always good to know how to make a crust from scratch, especially during Holiday season — none of that freezer stuff that is pre-made. Today’s recipe is from Jessica Chalkley (aka Jess a’la Mode) from our favorite New York [Vegan] Bakery called Babycakes.

(Jess a’la Mode of NYC’s Babycakes & her Sweet Potato Pie)

Once you nail the art of a true homemade crust, then the world is your apple pie, or blueberry pie, or peach pie… you get the idea. For Thanksgiving, Jess shows us her sweet potato pie. 

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These girls were the talk of the town last year with word of mouth parties. Touted as MIA’s girls, here’s Rye Rye’s new release on Interscope Records called “Sunshine”. Posted in early October, a million views can’t be wrong. Aren’t they adorable?

(Mos Def serenades Eunice)

Unis is officially 10 years old. Named after the designer Eunice Lee, the menswear line has managed to survive a hectic decade while seeing her competitors close shop on the once mellow and intimate Elizabeth Street. Designers such as Mayle and restaurants like Rialto fell off while Ralph Lauren moved into the hood. Running the business out of her original storefront, on the corner of Prince and Elizabeth Street, Eunice still enjoys the gentrified Nolita with old-school gems such as French bistro Gitane, and the original Italian Butcher Shop straight out of a Scorsese film. Let’s not forget the trusty diner across the street, Cafe Habana, which makes this an overall fun summer stroll with outside benches and good love of the block. 

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One of The Standard Miami’s signature events over Art Basel for the past 5 years has been the debut of each year’s WOW towels, produced by our friends at Art Production Fund.  Yvonne Force, Doreen Remen and Casey Freemont are presenting the works of Tracey Emin and Jasper Johns this year— awesome and impressive choices in our book.

If you haven’t seen past WOW towels in person, they pretty impressive.  Almost square at 60” x 70”, super plush and made in Brazil, they’re not only  great beach or pool towels, but excellent bathroom art or even bedspreads.  The production quality is flawless and they’re the perfect gift for the collector who seems to have everything or the collector just starting out.

Order them while you still can, the towels usually sell out quickly.  Not only are on view and on sale at The Standard, Miami this year, but you can also order them here to have them shipped directly to yourself, or to whomever you decide to send the best holiday gift they’ll receive this year.

Jasper John’s towel

One of the highlights of Sunday nights, besides alphabetizing your closet by designer, is watching Family Guy featuring Stewie & Brian Griffin.  On last night’s episode, the duo come to New York City on Brian’s book tour, and where do you think they stayed?  The Standard, New York, bien sur!

Watch the full episode here, but if you don’t have the patience to wait for The Standard to make her television debut, skip to the 7:55 mark to watch them check in.

Genius!

xoxo
Stan 

Meet DJ Bobby French. He Dj’s on Thursdays on Sundays at The Standard Hollywood. He’s been spinning over a decade, and even had a huge stint of turntablism obsession at 10 years old where he locked himself in his bedroom to nail down all the tips and tricks on a mixer before emerging to the public. This adds a bit of extra skill to each of his DJ sets with an inherent need to mix songs proper and fluidly. 

Bobby French also hosted and DJ’ed a radio show on the highly respected College radio station W.E.R.S. for 4 years. His own show, Tapedeck Tuesdays, was broadcast on one of the biggest college radio stations in the country beaming out to over 350,000 listeners. You can see Bobby French spin at numerous other fabulous parties around New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. We stopped to get the current lo down on him…

Full Name

Robert Christopher Ashour

What is your DJ name? Why?

DJ Bobby French. My first name is Robert and I was born in the South of France thus spawning the moniker “Bobby French”.

What genre’s of music do you spin?

I play everything under the sun. Mainly indie, nu disco, soul, funk, oldies, rock, hip-hop, electro, house, etc.

Tell me the top 5 jams right now on the dancefloor?

Holy Ghost “Say My Name” (U Tern Remix). Quincy Jones “It’s My Party” (feat. Amy Winehouse). Mark Ronson “The Bike Song”. Foster The People “Pumped Up Kicks”. Lykke Li “Get Some”

What is the stupidest request you have been asked?

“Something Good”

What year did you start DJ’ing?

1997

Laptop? CD? iPod? Vinyl?

Laptop and vinyl.

What are your feelings about drinking and working?

I have mixed feelings about this. Having a drink or two can help loosen up. A few too many can cause questionable song selection and less than stellar mixing. Balance is key…

What is the 1 old-school classic you still bust out every time?

“Paper Bo”, Ditty. Sentimental value perhaps…

Do you have a special closing song of the night?

UB40 “Red Red Wine” (Wicked Mix) or Dawn Penn “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)”

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Follow Bobby French on his Twitter. 

Source: Love Stoned

This week on Desert Nights, we have so many musical flavors to entertain you, including the lead singer of Gomez, Ian Ball. Get in your last minute music jam before disappearing into family mode this Thanksgiving. Here’s a breakdown of the 3 chosen artists this week.   

(Listen to Ian Ball here, Photo: Zed Starkovich)

British vocalist/guitarist Ian Ball is one of the three singer/songwriters in Gomez, a pop/rock quintet with bluesy sensibilities. Despite the band’s steady pace, Ball found time to pursue solo work in his adopted hometown of L.A., often playing gigs at the Hotel Café. Gomez toured across the U.S., Australia, and NewZealand in 2007; while not on-stage, Ball spent much time on his laptop, editing a series of tracks that had originated as an impromptu jam session in Los Angeles (and were later completed during sessions at the city’s da Schtud studio). Returning home with the finished product, Ball released Who Goes There — his first solo effort — via the singer’s own Dispensary Records.

(Listen to Sara Melson here)

Sara Melson lives somewhere between rock, folk, and pop. Her stirring, timeless songs blur boundaries between genres, and create hooks that stay in the head long after the first listen. Her insightful lyrics, confident piano/guitar playing, and distinctive voice––always solely her own––led Yahoo Music to select her as their “New Buzz Artist,” calling her “one of the most fearless singer-songwriters on the planet.” Tracks from Sara’s self-produced debut full-length, Dirty Mind (Nettwerk Records 2008/ iTunes “What’s Hot”) have been featured in Grey’s Anatomy and as the theme of a recent Chevy ad campaign.

(Listen to Evan Slamka here)

Lead singer and guitarist of Los Angeles based psychedelic rock group Marjorie Fair brings the signature “Neil Diamond while he is tripping out on ludes” sound to the Cactus Lounge. Evan has also performed with Sheryl Crow on her tour. For more info go to Marjorie Fair Official Site. 

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What is Desert Nights?

Desert Nights is a weekly gathering at The Standard, Hollywood. Every Wednesday, we curate 3 musical acts on the rise to perform a special acoustic set in our hotel lounge. The vibe is warm and intimate, evoking an impromptu jam in a musician’s living room. Also, expect 2 clever cover songs delivered by each performer. The sets begins at 7:30 pm in the Cactus Lounge (thus the title of the evening, Desert Nights).

Remember Yo MTV Raps?  Yeah, that was a great show.  No offence to Teen Mom or anything, but old school MTV was the bomb.   Nothing can create a party like classic 90’s hip hop, R&B, throw backs, & jammy jamz. 

This Sunday at The Standard, Hollywood we’ll be kickin’ it old school.  DJ’s Kim Anh and Anon of Club Booby Trap are bringing their lesbian party, Booty Trap, back to The Purple Lounge and they’re bringing their extensive collection of 90’s music along for the ride.   Nightlife photographer La Madre will be around to document the night so grab your Adidas, throw on your Kangol, stick in those bamboo earrings, and bring out your best buffalo stance.    

BOOTYTRAP at The Purple Lounge

Sunday, November 22^st

10pm – 2am

$5 ALL NIGHT WITH RSVP AT
WWW.CLUBBOOBYTRAP.COM

This is the kind of story we LOVE to hear about because nothing is better than finding a lost bottle of delicious champagne!  It’s like putting on your favorite made-to-measure Gucci flat front tweed pants and finding a $100 bill in the pocket.  Love when that happens!

According to the Associated Press, and sent to us by our friends over at GrapeFriend, divers off the coast of Finland found a two centuries old shipwreck containing bottles of Champagne.  Veuve Clicquot confirmed on Wednesday, by examining branding of the corks, that at least three of the bottles found belonged to them.  Had they just asked ME to drink the bottles, I could have told them the same exact thing, but I digress…

The find could mean that this is the oldest drinkable Champagne in the world at the moment, but not for long, because Stan is hightailing it over to Finland as we speak.  Pop open the bubbly, People!!!  Je suis en route!

xo
Stan 

An excerpt from What Me Worry by Andrew Kuo, published by Standard Press, set for release on December 1st. Pre-order your copy here.

Headstand on The Standard’s dock facing Biscayne Bay

YogaWorks is coming to The Standard Spa, Miami Beach teach you how to become the ultimate yogi. Whether you want to make a career change and become a yoga instructor or you want to take your practice to the next level (aka your 2011 resolution is to look like Christy Turlington) – this is the workshop for you. YogaWorks has trained hundreds of teachers worldwide since 1990 and starting January 29, 2011 they will host weekend workshops totaling 200 hours through June 26, 2011. Check out short videos about YogaWorks here and try a free class and info session on December 4, 2010 – call or email Fay for details at 949.281.1820 or fayc@yogaworks.com.

Working in an environment where endless amounts of pastries, sweets and cakes abound is always a dangerous thing for us over here at The Standard hotels.  In this specific moment though, we’re speaking about the genius that is pastry Chef Frederick Aquino from The Standard Grill.

For the fall season, Aquino has conjured up the most delectable pumpkin pie with gingersnap cookie crust and topped with sweetened crème fraiche.  Now, through the kindness of Chef Aquino’s sweet heart (pun intended), he has offered up his recipe for you to try at home.  The pictured candied pumpkin seeds are optional of course.

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With the arrival of Fall and the holidays just around the corner, we tend to turn to our favorite seasonal drinks to help ease the nip of the winter chill to come.  One of the most revered is warm apple cider.  Just the slightest hint of its sweet aroma in the air can evoke childhood memories.

Apple cider has made it’s way onto many restaurant menus in the form of mulled apple cider or cider martinis.  The Standard Grill has introduced the Applesec Cocktail this season.  Made with fresh sparkling cider, mint and just a touch of lemon, it’s the perfect refrain from a mad day in the concrete jungle.

(Cheat Sheet of the Night at The Fat Radish, NYC, with Kanon Drink Recipes)

Last night we were invited to a private dinner with friends and family at this new restaurant in Manhattan called The Fat Radish, located in the Lower East Side on the corner of Canal and Orchard. We can proudly say we were blown away. The dinner was the first in a series of events called the Kanon Organic Vodka Dinner Series. Kanon is an organic vodka that equally contributed to the joy of the evening with their creative drink recipes (which they were very generous with).

The event was hosted by the two “must-know” restauranteurs of the moment, Ben Towill and Phil Winser, while 3rd host Kristian Mirsch (of Kanon Organic Vodka) held court in the room with his Jedi-drink-master David Clelland (of Apotheke).

(Chef Ben Towill with Kanon Vodka’s Kristian Mirsch Presenting the Food)

The room was small, sexy, cozy, candle-lit, and well curated. Every single person sitting in one of the long 3 European styled bench tables is influential in their own fields of creativity— including Becka Diamond, Anna Sheffeld of  Bing Bang, Chrissie Miller, Elizabeth Spiridakis of White Lightning, Designer Lindsay Thornburg, Sophia McNally, Chrissie Miller of Sophomore, Erin Krause, Geordon Nicol and Leigh Lezark of the Misshapes. 

The night was an official success. The food stellar. The drinks heavenly. Just to share a bit of the magic, here’s 2 recipes that were sipped all evening. The first was paired with Gripsholm Ginger:2 oz Kanon Vodka, ½ oz Fresh Yuzu, ½ oz Ginger, ½ oz Agave Nectar. The second drink was paired with All Things Nice: 1oz Kanon Vodka, 1 Cinnamon Stick, 10 Cloves, Nutmeg, 1 Vanilla Pod, 2 oz Heavy Cream, 1 Spoon Muscovado Sugar. You can thank us later. 

We look forward to many caved out A-list dinners at this precious hideaway during the winter. Keep this place on your radar. 

Patti Smith has arrived in Miami Beach. Tonight, she is a guest at the Miami Book Fair where she is presenting her Memoir called Just Kids ($27). Patti plans to discuss her book which recounts her arrival in New York from her native Philadelphia during the summer of love — homeless, jobless and hungry. Smith would eventually meet a young man named Robert Mapplethorpe. The two developed a deep and abiding love and respect for each other. Mapplethorpe’s death from AIDS in 1989 would end their time together, but not their connection. The pair of iconic artists are considered to be forever connected at a soul level, and the stories in this book happen to color the beats brilliantly. The Washington Post called the book, “beautifully written … a haunted elegy for both her soul mate Robert Mapplethorpe and a lost New York City.” 

Get your tickets in the next few hours: Go to Miami Book Fair site for an Evening with Patti Smith ($10 admission ticket required). Presented in collaboration with O Miami, a poetry festival debuting in April 2011. See OMiami.org. Friday, Nov. 19, 8:00 p.m.

Miami Book Fair International, Miami Dade College 300 NE Second Ave, Miami, FL 33132. Chapman Conference Center (Building 3, 2nd Floor, Room 3210)

Here in New York, we’re accustomed to seeing our creative friends try on different caps once in a while. It keeps things fresh, plus why box oneself up? Skye Parrott is of those creative souls who quietly runs her own magazine called Dossier, with a cultural website of the same name. She also consults clients on creative initiatives, curates art shows, and professionally photographs for large publications. Her background beforehand included managing stints at Self-Service Magazine and Nan Goldin’s studio. 

(All images are from First Love, Last Rights, courtesy of Skye Parrott)

Tonight, however, in New York, she will be presenting her first major work of art, a show entitled First Love Last Rites. It is a project that has unfolded in her minds eye for several years now, but it was only 1 year ago, that Skye finally grabbed the bull by the horns and committed to exploring, gathering, researching, and shooting the vision.

The idea was simple yet profoundly intimate. Her entire life had been documented with photographs, except for this one year and a half window, when no photos were taken. It was a dark moment in her adolescence, with a drug habit and the demise of a relationship (her first boyfriend). Skye set out to recollect the memories buried deep within, and reconstructed the poignant and perceived memories with friends who re-enacted the “moment” while she photographed. You can call it some sort of regression art therapy, but to her it was more of a child-like intuitive process in search of healing. We asked Skye a few questions on the night of her big opening… 

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(Olaf Breuning, Art Basel 2008)

Here’s a trip down memory lane from Art Basel 2008. Artist Olaf Breuning was asked to make some art so he wowed folks with this unexpected sculpture. Yes, that’s real sand. If you can believe it, this creation was up until the end of the fair, until a bulldozer ended it’s life. 

Expect Olaf to construct a new creation at The Standard Miami for Art Basel this year. Stay tuned for lots of amazing coverage at this years Art Basel 2010, coming early December. 

I’m not even going bore you with an introduction to this one because we love a pop-up shop and we love Cool Hunting, so let’s get straight to the point.  The dynamic duo behind CH have partnered up with the Gap to bring you the pop-up shop to end all pop-up shops!

Gap’s store on 5th Avenue and 54th Street has been taken over by the award winning blog and will be bringing holiday shoppers over 100 products hand selected specifically by CH’s editors.  The gifts range from Anarchy in A Jar Jam ($9) to an Outlier cycling cap ($90) to Marvin Watches x Cool Hunting Toujours Plus Malton 160 limited edition watch ($1,250).

The best part of it all?  One of the 100 products is Andrew Kuo’s What Me Worry published by The Standard Press.  It gets better still.  Shoppers will be entranced by RCRD LBL’s music which coincidentally is FREE FOR DOWNLOAD in our Sounds section. (I love a bit of blatant self-promotion!)

The Shop is open from Friday, November 19 - Sunday, January 2 from 10am to 9pm and is located at 680 Fifth Avenue @ 54th Street.

xoxo
Stan 

Yup, there were trains on the Bowery. A beautiful old classic film called On The Bowery has a new 35 MM Restoration and is playing at New York’s Film Forum November 19-25. Directed by Lionel Rogosin. It’s a piece of real New York history. Purchase tickets here. 

Watch the trailer at Film Forum site.

Everyone is a sucker for a puppy, and if you have ever been to The Standard Grill for brunch, nothing can cure your weekend hangover faster than the sight of these precious Puppy Salt ‘n Pepper shakers.  Well, the shakers AND a bloody mary of course!

These adorable shakers come in various breeds from daschund to pug to yorkie, and they have magnetic mouths so they are never separated while sitting on the dining room table.

They are only $25 a pair and are available at The Shop at The Standard, New York or by direct phone order, 212-784-5520.

Mind Games - directed by Casey Neistat from Nike Sportswear on Vimeo.

Casey Neistat is a runner. He’s also a filmmaker. But he’s not the type that went to film school. He’s more the type of guy that just bought a camera and iMac and figured it out. This little piece is a creative short film that Casey created over a few weeks as he trained for the New York Marathon. Casey slapped his alarm clock every morning, booted up his Nike sneakers, and pounded the pavement with a video camera while facing the demons that aimed to distract his mission. After 3 weeks of documenting, and scoring with his friend Jordan Galland, Mind Games was birthed. 

Check out Casey and his brother’s video on our StandART Channel too and on HBO with his show, The Neistat Brothers.

One of Stan’s little pleasures in life is HONEY!  I like honey on buttered bread with cinnamon.  I like honey in my peppermint tea.  Sometimes, I like to walk into a room and just yell out HOOOOONEEEEEY!  It gets everyone all excited and giddy with laughter.  I always aim to please.

One of my favorite places in the world is Swarmbustin’ Honey in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  This honeybee farm cultivates countless varieties of honey and honey products such as, but not limited to… :) …. Bee Pollen, Raw Honey, Pure Honey, Comb Honey, Spicy Honey, Bees Wax and more!  It’s one big honey factory down there.  If you’re ever in the area, do yourself a favor and stop by….just don’t ask them to let you make a honeybee beard.

On a more serious note, next time you use your cell phone, think of me and the honeybees.  Cell phone radiation is throwing off bee’s natural navigation and rendering them unable to get back home!  Sadness.  Populations are dwindling and natural honey deposits are shrinking.  For more information, visit CNET.

And if you want to start your own little cellphone-free bee colony, you can subscribe to Bee Culture Magazine.  

Oh, and yes, the picture above is a creative rendering of me sitting in a tub of honey because, sometimes, I like to do that too.

xoxo
Stan 

For my next Q&A in the “Don’t Question Stan” series of titillating interviews, I bring to you the world famous Director, Producer and Screenwriter, Joel Schumacher!  Don’t ask how.  It’s just what Stan does.  

Joel has been a very dear friend to Stan and to all of us here at The Standard Hotels, as well as The Mercer and The Chateau, and it was only befitting that he be the next to face the wrath of my interrogation!  Well, you know what I mean…

Few people realize that you directed the video for one of my favorite songs, “Letting The Cables Sleep” by Bush.  What do you think letting the cables sleep means…because I have absolutely no idea?

Well, Gavin Rossdale and I had become friendly, and we had rooms next to each other at The Mercer Hotel when he had written that song.  He came into my room and played it for me.  He explained to me that it was about communication.  

The band had either a friend or a band member who was gay and had AIDS.  The friend would never tell anyone, but they all knew.  All the extended friends and family knew, but he wouldn’t admit it.  So when he died, Gavin was heart broken because had his friend just talked to him, he would have known that no one would have cared and that there was nothing to hide.  

Gavin was heart broken.  The song is about communication.  Very poetic.  Letting the cable sleep seems cautionary….letting communication sleep.  The only cables I can connect with communication would be all the cables that we use FOR communication.  

I decided to do this video with a Last Tango in Paris meets Don’t Look Now idea, and the only thought that I put into it was an artistic way to show his message…two strangers in a room and having intimate sex and not speaking to each other.  And then when he runs after her on the street, she signs to him because she doesn’t have the gift of speech…

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Only 15 days until Andrew Kuo’s book is released on December 1st. Here’s an excerpt from his book, What Me Worry, published by Standard Press. Pre-order your copy here.

(Tim Barber opens at OHWOW, Miami Beach, through November 27)

If you’re an early fan of Vice Magazine, then you would have enjoyed Tim Barber’s curatorial skills as their photo editor a few years. The voice continued to grow with his very own website called Tiny Vices, where he gathered his favorite friends photographs and arranged them in only the way Barber can. Flash forward to art shows around the world, and precious limited edition books printed of the same material.

(Photo by Tim Barber)

On November 13th, last Saturday, Tim is presenting his first major U.S. show titled Untitled Photographs of his own photographs. To all our Miami readers, or guests flying through town, we highly recommend this collection which spans 15 years of Tim’s personal viewpoint behind the lens. The show runs until November 27th.

To learn more, visit OHWOW for details. For more on OHWOW, tune into co-founder and co-creative director, Al Moran’s blog on our site!