A Conversation with Josh Vanover
Born and raised in North Carolina, designer/illustrator Josh Vanover has established a dense and foreboding visual language. Often working in black and white, Vanover masterfully fuses hand-drawn elements with stark photographic source materials. He is an unfettered manipulator of original and found imagery; his style informed by an encyclopedic knowledge of visual sources ranging from cult film footage, erotica and video stills to cartoons, war photography and even psychedelia. Vanover’s signature style and workman-like approach have attracted the attention of clients such as Nike, Stussy and Hennessy, and mostly recently having done album artwork for the likes of Linkin Park.
Los Angeles… is a beautiful place, I really dig the whole scene. So much history and culture in LA, it’s overwhelming. I love the vibe… you feel like you could see anything at anytime – good or bad. Me being born and raised in North Carolina coming out to LA is like visiting another planet. LA is where the magic happens right? Where people come to live the dream and where the dreams die. These are the streets that Bukowski walked, this is where Sam Cooke got shot up, and on and on. No other place like it on Earth. I get a lot of LA love, way more than any where else, not sure why but the feeling is mutual....
Warner Music Group sold for $3.3 billion to Access Industries’ Len Blavatnik
Warner Music Group's Artists Linkin Park
Access Industries, a holding company founded by oil baron Len Blavatnik, won the auction to buy Warner Music Group Corp. for $3.3 billion in cash, the companies announced Friday morning.
Blavatnik edged out more than a dozen other suitors including Sony Music Group, supermarket magnate Ron Burkle, Platinum Equity, Live Nation Entertainment and investment firm Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts, whose unsolicited offer late last year kicked off the auction process. KKR's partner in the bidding was German music company Bertelsmann.
The deal calls for Warner to receive $8.25 per share, a 34% premium over the company's average stock price over the last six weeks, the company said. It's also 75% higher than Warner's closing price on Jan. 20, the day before the New York Times published news of the bidding. Warner's share closed at $7.90 on Thursday....
Kerrang Awards 2011: Nominees

My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds To Mars, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine and Bring Me The Horizon will go head-to-head at the Kerrang! Awards 2011 Fuelled By Relentless Energy Drink in June.
My Chemical Romance lead the charge with five nominations. The New Jersey rockers are in the running for Best Album for Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, Best International Band, Best Video presented by Kerrang! TV for Na Na Na, Best Single presented by Kerrang! Radio for Planetary (GO!), and Best Live (presented by Download) at the star-studded ceremony, which is set to take place at a top-secret location in London on Thursday, June 9....