PAPERMAG couldn't make it to Austin for SXSW this year, so we're living vicariously through much-buzzed-about Berkeley indie-pop band the Morning Benders. Currently touring in support of their just-released album, Big Echo, they're playing six shows in three days at the festival. Frontman Christopher Chu has been keeping us updated on their adventures and, here, he realizes that the entire city of Austin is totally drunk.

We pulled up to the club at SXSW to load our gear in for our first show, and as luck would have it, we went to the wrong loading entrance! We could practically see the stage from our van, but it didn't matter -- we were sent around the block. 25 minutes later through a series of detours, and gridlocked traffic we arrived at the "correct" loading door, half a block away. Welcome to SXSW! Lucky for us, the fact that everything takes a little longer is balanced out by the fact that everyone is drunk (or focused on getting there). Even the kids that are obviously 16-years-old are throwing back brews, and honestly, no one at the club seems to care. The show ended up being a ton of fun. Everyone was singing along and having a jolly old time (again, drunk). Our set was cut short, and the sound probably sucked, but does that really matter in the end? We were there. S-X-S-W-2-0-1-0. Honestly, its moments like these that remind me why we push our way through all the madness and play SXSW: free beer.

Above: Morning Benders guitar player Jon Chu, possibly hungover.

Though "The Allure of the Automobile" at the High Museum of Art Atlanta offers a new perspective on the exquisite contours of rare 20th century classic automobiles, the exhibit features automobiles as a work of decorative art -- the way car enthusiasts have always seen them. 

The 18 cars selected for the exhibit expand on former Museum of Modern of Art curator Arthur Drexler's premise for the 1951 MoMA show "Eight Automobiles." As Drexler said, "Automobiles are hollow, rolling sculpture. They have interior spaces corresponding to an outer form, like buildings, but the designer's aesthetic purpose is to enclose the functioning parts of an automobile, as well as its passengers, in a package suggesting directed movement along the ground."

"Allure of the Automobile" takes this concept further with a retrospective glance at the defining era of coach building. Cars are divided into pre and post-World War II designs, including American makes like the the 1934 Packard and the 1954 Dodge Firearrow, and European makes, like the 1937 Delage D8-120s and the 1938/39 Porsche Type 64. The exhibit marks the first time the one-of-a-kind Porsche Type 64 shell has left Germany.

Ron Labaco, High's curator of decorative art and design, says the museum has never featured automobiles before, but the show has allowed him to find many parallels between the car and art world. "It's about what denotes a car as a masterpiece," said Labaco. "It's a direct connection between decorative arts. You can compare them with Faberge Eggs."

The Allure of the Automobile opens to the public Mar.21 and runs through June 20, 2010.

For more of Tamara's cool car-related musings, check out her website, gotryke.com

A flock of New York's finest scenesters gathered at Greenwich Village hangout 10 Downing Monday to celebrate Cole Haan's latest ad campaign, which was shot by photographer and online design fixture Todd Selby. Selby and Cole Haan's campaign, "The Inspired Life,"  debuted this month with a full-force marketing attack ranging from the usual glossy placements to huge billboards. Chances are, if you've been running around town and don't live under a rock, you have seen these shots. Like his personal work, the campaign features a handpicked crop of tastemakers, including Moses Berkson, Nicola Vassel, Johnny Knapp and Maria Sharapova, in their natural habitats (i.e., offices, ateliers, apartments) sporting some of Cole Haan's freshest offerings. Potent drinks, specially created for the event by Macao Trading Co.'s wizard mixologist Rob Kreuger, and the fine tuned mixes pumped out by DJ (and "Inspired Life" model) Harley Viera-Newton kept the room in full swing. Among the spirited revelers, I spotted PR extraordinaire Bonnie Morrison, PAPER's own Mickey Boardman and Peter Davis, fashion writer and style icon Lynn Yaeger, Anne and Ferebee Taube, Jean-Marc Houmard, Derek Blasberg and fashion blogger Bryanboy, all of whom were quick to snag the hefty goodie bags filled with the brand's spring accessories. Not a bad way to jump start the week.

Photos by Liz Brown

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2010 we'd like to point out two Patricks currently living the dream on Broadway; Patrick Heusinger and Patrick Breen, who are currently starring in the new play Next Fall, backed by super-producer Elton John, which opened last week to rave reviews. The two Patricks play boyfriends with different religious ideologies in the funny -- yet heartbreaking -- first play by Naked Angel's artistic director Geoffrey Nauffts. Today's a Wednesday which means you have two chances to catch the Patricks doing their thing at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

Here's are the Paddys looking happy in a scene from Next Fall. Heusinger is on the couch. Breen is laying on him. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

1. Someone is selling terrifying(ly cute) Conan O'Brien leprechaun dolls on Etsy!

2. Williamsburg's Huckleberry Bar is celebrating St. Patrick's Day tonight by offering flights of four Irish Whiskeys and a Guinness for $20.

3. While Disney was pumping out huge blockbusters like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin in the late '80s and early '90s, Roy Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Michael Eisner weren't conducting themselves like Disney Princes behind the scenes. Tongiht, BAMcinématek screens documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty, at the office tensions between the three Disney executives.

5. Happy St. Petrick's Day!

6. Before heading off to film the next season of Jersey Shore, JWOWW is making a final NYC appearance tomorrow night (208 E. 58th St., 7 p.m.) to promote something called "Plastic Surgeon in a Jar." The event is private, but if you show up bearing ham cold cuts and water, you just might get in.

7. Here's Tina Fey's daughter, Alice, doing an adorable photo bomb.

8. Did you talk through most of the Academy Awards? The IFC Center is screening all of this year's second-tier (but not second best) categories through out the week. Tonight, catch all of 2010's nominated short films, including winner The New Tenants.

To call Torrisi Italian Specialties an Italian deli is like saying Dean & Deluca is a grocery store. Sure, they make a mean Italian hero -- with four, yes, four kinds of meat: pepperoni, ham, Genoa salami, and sopressata ($9) -- but the two guys behind the NoLIta nook have the knife skills to do much more. Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone, alums of Café Boulud, set out to re-invent low-maintenance, Americanized boot-country food, but they didn't turn to fancy foodstuffs and preparations, they looked to made-in-the-U.S.A. ingredients. The resulting restaurant, its walls lined with low-brow finds like Manhattan Special Espresso Coffee Soda and Parisi Bakery bread, serves utterly familiar food in its most perfect form: The roasted cauliflower with Progresso breadcrumbs ($3 per 1/4 lb.) is dotted with a hearty helping of rosemary, a mixed mushroom salad has the ideal Katz vinegar kick ($4 per 1/4 lb.), and the house-roasted turkey sandwich ($7 and up) is more flavorful than anything you've ever ordered at a deli counter, especially when you ask for it spicy. Though the tucked-away spot started off with just breakfast and lunch, it officially kicked off dinner service on March 9, with a nightly $45 five-course prix fixe (think chicken liver-stuffed ravioli and grapefruit Italian ice) that will leave you enough money for a Vena Cava dress -- if you can still fit into it after gorging on garlic bread, that is.

Torrisi Italian Specialties
250 Mulberry St.
(212) 965-0955
piginahat.com

PAPERMAG couldn't make it to Austin for SXSW this year, so we're living vicariously through much-buzzed-about Berkeley indie-pop band the Morning Benders. Currently touring in support of their just-released album, Big Echo, they're playing six shows in three days at the festival. Frontman Christopher Chu has been keeping us updated on their adventures and here, tells tale of a run-in with some Chicken Fries. 

Tried to make it to Austin in one day from Birmingham but stopped too many times to try and find decent food. Our first attempt was a Chinese restaurant that didn't exist, despite our GPS' constant nagging to "MAKE A U-TURN." Second attempt was a food court. They had a Subway and some place that served Chicken Fingers with a side of Chicken Fries. We aren't vegetarians but that shit just wasn't happening. We ended up at a place called Don Juanz. And wouldn't ya know, it happened to be TACO TUESDAY at Don Juanz. That's FATE y'all. We were rewarded for our patience and hard work with some pretty boring tacos, but at least they were $1.50. (PS: SXSW starts today so maybe we'll write something about music at some point soon....)

Day one

Great news for fans of Melissa Plastic Dreams, the popular Brazilian shoe brand that specializes in sustainable plastic designs. You can now shop their full range of colorful spring styles at the company's first NYC pop-up. Kaight, the charming eco-chic boutique on the Lower East Side, is hosting a one-month installation with all the latest and greatest looks from Melissa, including a sneak peak at their upcoming men's line M.Zero. 

Melissa has manufactured over 50 million pairs of shoes in the past 25 years, gaining fame for collabs with creative heavyweights like fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, furniture makers Fernando and Humberto Campana, and winning architect Zaha Hadid.  The company's most remarkable aspect, though, might be their patented plastic formula.  It's odorless, neutral, non-toxic, totally recyclable -- and crazy comfortable, to boot!! 

The Kaight + Melissa Pop-up features this season's sandals, flats, high heels, kitten heels, and rainboots -- running the gamut from darling to dangerously sexy. The Vivienne Westwood ankle booties with bowties are a sweet approach to April showers (full length wellies are o-vuh, by the way), and the Campana Corralas rock with opaque tights or without -- perfect for transitional spring weather. 

Prices for these shiny versatile shoes range between $50-150.  The pop-up is scheduled through mid-April, but if last week's opening party is any indication of Melissa's Big Apple appeal, you best shake a lamb's tail!

Kaight + Melissa Pop-Up
83 Orchard St.
(212) 680-5630
kaightshop.com

Photos by Rebecca Prusinowski and courtesy of Kaight

We were delighted, stoked and down-right proud to hear this morning that F.O.P. (Friend of PAPERMAG) Lena Dunham's wonderful feature film Tiny Furniture took home the narrative jury prize at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival! The movie, written and directed by Dunham, also stars Dunham as a 22-year-old recent college grad named Aura who moves home to her mom's loft in Tribeca where she struggles with being direction-less, boyfriend-less and occasionally pants-less. It's a subtle and hilarious take on being young and weird in New York. "This is a movie about a girl with a pot belly, whining," Dunham said at the award ceremony, "So I am amazed and happy that the jury took to it." Here, here!

My favorite post-disco spaced-out, funked-up duo Koko Dozo (producer/composer Polarity 1 and singer Amy Douglas) have a new EP, Feel the Zuzz, dropping on March 23rd on Red Star Records, run by Marty Thau who was the original manager of the New York Dolls. I asked Douglas to explain the album's freaky, otherworldly sound. "If illegal space aliens was all self exploration and had a cool feel to it, Feel The Zuzz is all about heat," Douglas tells me.  "We've been here on Earth a while now, and we like to party, and when we do, we like to party in hot weather cities, from the barrio to the beaches, so you could say it's hot weather vacation beach party music, it's the ultimate urban hot weather album, so if you're ready to sizzle in Rio, Miami, Hamptons, Lagos or Kingston, this EP should be in your iPod." Meanwhile, tunes like "Lay That Body Down" and "Bastards in Bazbador" sound amazing on the pavement of the Lower East Side too.

The East Side Social Club has put midtown on the social map. Euan Rellie, Minnie Mortimer, Debbie Bancroft have all thrown parties there and celeb sightings include Brooke Shields, Rie Rasmussen, Chelsea Handler and -- in keeping with the joint's mafia hangout vibe -- Dominic "Junior" Chianese. It also helps that an investor is social starmaker/photographer Patrick McMullan and that owner Billy Gilroy's son Devon is the hot-looking, tatted-up chef in the kitchen. "The menu is urban Italian," Devon tells me. "This attracts a hip foodie set." I wondered if Devon's inked up arms included any food-based tattoos. "My first tattoo was done when I was seventeen at my friends shop in Flushing, Queens of a tamoe on my left wrist. I decided after that I would be definitely getting more tattoos and I didn't want to have lots of little ones that don't make much sense when combined. I opted to have two sleeves planned out by Mark Harada at East Side Ink on the Lower East Side. These tattoos have really nothing to do with cooking, just my appreciation for tattoo and Japanese folk lore." And who doesn't appreciate a sexy chef covered in ink? 

What's your name? Dr. Louise
Why are you a doctor? My parents thought "Dr. Louise" was a hilarious name for a cat. 
How old are you? 5
Where do you live? Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Who do you live with? My mom and dad
What are your pastimes? Sleeping in the sun, stealing eyeliner pencils out of cosmetics bags and batting them under the couch, spying on birds out the window, sadly watching people eat food I'm not allowed to have, going crazy on my cat toys, and looking at PAPER's fashion spreads in my kitty condo.
What's your favorite cover of PAPER?  I love R&B and pop, and was really pleased to see Mariah Carey on your December 2009/January 2010 cover. I thought she was great in Precious and admire that she can grow fur on her upper lip.

Want to see your pet on PAPER? Submit a photo/photos, plus answers to the above questions, to vip@papermag.com.

1. After eleven long dormant years, the all-ladies music festival Lilith Fair is back. Today, tour dates and lineups (Gossip! Cat Power! Loretta Lynn! Heart!) were announced for eight lucky cities. Tickets go on sale March 27th.  [LilithFair]

2. Williamsburg is quickly becoming Delish Central. [BrooklynBased]

3. No Bra, a/k/a the electro-pop act of Susanne Oberbeck (who you can look forward to reading about in PAPER's next issue), is performing at Glasslands tonight with Blush Response. There's also an open Absinthe bar from 9 to 9: 30 p.m., which is always a bad idea. [Glasslands]

4. Barry and Robin Gibb, who Jimmy Fallon lampooned with Justin Timberlake on his SNL sketch "The Barry Gibb Talk Show," are appearing on the Jimmy Fallon Show tonight! Get ready for a J-Timb walk-on in 3, 2,1....

5. LIFE magazine has put together a series of slide shows highlighting some of their stranger photo pieces over time. Behold, 1940s fashions modeled by a squirrel named Tommy Tucker. It's like ye olde CuteOverload.com! [Life]

6. Snoop Dogg's new album More Malice comes out March 23rd, and he's tacking on a 40 minute movie with the album in which her plays a superhero trying to save his city. Watch the preview for Malice N Wonderland The Movie on MySpace today.

7. Speaking of previews, the "book trailer" for the prequel to Steve Hokensmith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, has arrived to annoy your mom even more. [Buzzfeed]

Anytime an event is heralded by live bagpipes, you know you're in for something spectacular. Such was the case when American Cinematheque and Flux hosted an advance screening of the White Stripes documentary Under Great White Northern Lights at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Shot mainly on black and white 16 mm film, Emmet Malloy's feature is a fascinating and voyeuristic peek inside the inner workings of a band that's been described as "more real and more fake than any other American rock band". It chronicles Jack and Meg White's epic cross-country Canadian during the summer of 2007 and features intimate interviews intercut with sparse performances in run-down diners and endless miles of frozen tundra. The White Stripes have officially canceled their upcoming fall U.S tour, but fans can get the next best thing with this visually arresting and stirring piece of work. Under Great White Northern Lights will be officially released on March 16th.

PAPERMAG couldn't make it to Austin for SXSW this year, so we're living vicariously through much-buzzed-about Berkeley indie-pop band the Morning Benders. Currently touring in support of their just-released album, Big Echo, they're about to play six shows in three days at the festival. Here frontman Christopher Chu tells us about the beverages and cinematic gems the Morning Benders are relying on to get them through the madness.

Waking up in Birmingham Alabama, and thinking about how the same time tomorrow we'll be in Austin, deep in it. Deep in the Chaos. They call it Chaos with a capital C, that's on purpose. That's the truth. Some men never come back from that place. Some men lose themselves before they even find it.......... "Just try not to focus on the pain." Pounding Gatorade right now, a final attempt to hold on to life as we know it,.....as we knew it. Trying to stay sane. My brother just bought a DVD of Pootie Tang for the van ride.

1. Starting today through March 25th, 175 Brooklyn restaurants are offering pre-fix, three-course $20 lunches and $25 dinners as part of Dine in Brooklyn. Find out who's participating here.

2. Seals have usurped photo bombing from squirrels! [Cuteoverload]

3. Comedy Central announced today that former Saturday Night Live cast members Horatio Sanz and Chris Parnell are joining the cast of a new untitled sitcom starring Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder. As long as Chris Parnell continues to pop up on 30 Rock as Dr. Spaceman, we're happy.

4. The Stooges will be inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll hall of fame today by Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. The band will join fellow inductees Genesis, ABBA, and the Hollies for a likely very strange jam session at the end of the ceremony. [Detroit Free Press via The Daily Swarm]

5. Comedian Jon Glaser is trying to get this frightening car made by Toyota.

6. Decompress from Monday with dreamy indie-pop from the Depreciation Guild, featuring members from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, at Santos Party House tonight. [Santos]

7. Jesus, Mary and Joseph! There's a shamrock shortage in Ireland. [IrishCentral.com]

Welcome to our recently resurrected PAPERMAG feature "Intern-al" Affairs, wherein we introduce you to our wonderful spring 2010 magazine, editorial, production and PAPER TV interns. They're hard working, always look snazzy, and are vital helps to the daily operations at PAPER and PAPERMAG.com. Without further ado, get to know magazine intern Cara Boyd. 


Name: Cara Boyd

Age:18

Hometown: Providence, RI

What do you do at PAPER?
Go on garment runs, make Excel sheets, sweat, organize, sweat, and loiter around [PAPER receptionist] Brittaney's desk.

What are you studying?
Photography, media, and philosophy

What's the last book you read, movie you saw, song you downloaded, website you visited and item of clothing you bought?
Book: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. Right now I'm working on Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges.
Movie: The Fall was the last one I finished, but I'm in the middle of You, the Living.
Song: "Norway" by Beach House
Wesbite: Artistadvocacy.com
Clothes: A Double Dare t-shirt, super-cute floral tights from Anthropologie, and a black and white dress by Silence&Noise (with pockets!!1!!1#)

If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be?
I'd have a pot-luck with Nelson Mandela, Pablo Casals, David Cross, James Joyce and my grandma.

Describe your perfect night in New York City?
Oh golly, I don't know! There have already been a lot of great ones. A perfect night would be probably just hanging out with friends, dinner at the Breslin, maybe going to a show and oh, I don't know, running into Jude Law. That'd be cool. Just sayin'.

Friday night's "Live Large Baby!," a series of distinctive performance art pieces by emerging artist Jeffery Byrd, Steve Vanoni, and Chen Jin, lived up to its exuberant title. By night's end the audience that crowded into Bedford Stuyvesant's Grace Exhibition Space -- a colorful bunch that included suit-clad college boys, hip-hop wannabes, and a woman wearing a Viking helmet -- had experienced an evening that included raw eggs, tap dancing, accordion playing, confetti, an indoor bike race, and artist Coral Short eating huge mouthfuls of screws and feathers. Live large indeed. Whether you're in search of an adventure, art, free wine and beer, someone to date, or all the above, take the J train to Bedford Stuyvesant for one of Grace Exhibition Space's dizzying shows. And remember to think big.