Marcus V Colombano: advertising and communications is an inherently international exercise

With Berghs c/o Academy of Art University summer program in San Francisco getting closer by the day, Marcus V Colombano, course director, has his hands full. His task is to find interesting companies and industry expert lecturers — a task for which he is perfectly suited.

The middle of October already and I am just putting together the finishing touches on this year's St. Crispin's Day shoe party. It's time for you to go out and purchase your shoes for the festivities and prepare for a fun night. We are looking forward to celebrating with all of you, fancy shoes, good food, lots of drinks and all.

We are moving the party back to the Nihon Whiskey Bar on Folsom at 14th St. Their collection of over 400 malt whiskeys is the largest on the West Coast and they serve contemporary Japanese cuisine with a sophisticated twist on the traditional Japanese Izakaya (Japanese version of tapas). The cuisine also offers a wide array of fresh sashimi and sushi rolls.

Hope you can come and celebrate with all of us.

Date:
October 21th, 2011, 7:30pm

Location:
Nihon Whiskey Lounge

Address:
1779 Folsom St.
San Francisco, CA (map)

RSVP on Facebook

What is this all about?

Shoe making has a long history and one that is rich in tradition. Within the trade itself – among shoe and bootmakers – the legends, the traditions, and the history really begin with St. Crispin. St. Crispin is the patron saint of shoemakers. Since medieval times, October 25th has been celebrated as St. Crispin's Day and the Shoemaker's Holiday. In the past, boot and shoemakers traditionally closed their shops on this day, in celebration and commemoration. Read more

While you are at it, like the St. Crispin's Day Page

Cycling packs are mostly designed for commuting and not long distance riding. What I need is a bag that isn't too big but will allow me to carry what I need for a few days (1 pair shorts, 4 t-shirts, 4 pairs underwear, light shoes, 1 extra pair of cycling shorts, 4 pairs cycling socks, 2 jerseys, arm warmers, leg warmers, shell, Garmin and iPhone charger, paper map of Italy, some snacks and a dopp kit). It should have an aerodynamic shape, allow for strap adjustment so I can get down off of my neck, and fit closely on my back. It should have some form of waist belt so it doesn't bounce around but not too tight so it keeps me from breathing.

Incase Messenger Backpack

A design collaboration between Incase and the guys at MASH. This bag is beautifully designed with the commuter in mind. It has a faux fur lined computer compartment, spacious but probably too big main interior compartment and comfortable straps. The material is nice and smooth and gives a good aerodynamic feel. But, it doesn't have a waist belt and the shoulder straps do not allow for adjustment so the bag will rest low on your shoulders and away from your neck. I would pick it if I was commuting to work but not for a long ride. Its the perfect fixie cyclist bag

Price: $149.95

Construction: Unspecified Nylon Construction

Size and weight: 42L, weight unspecified

Holds up to a 17in MacBook Pro

Further details at Incase

Mission Workshop The Rambler Roll Top Backpack

This bag is a nice compromise between a large bag and a compact tactical pack. It starts of small and expands to double its size with out a increase in weight. The shoulder straps are comfortable and adjust for a low profile position on the shoulders. The bag is shorter and wider than the TAD FAST Pack but the materials are smooth and give off a nice aerodynamic finish. Feel like a backpack but optimized for the cyclist. You wouldn't expect anything less from these former Chrome guys.

Price: $239

Construction: Unspecified Nylon Construction

Size and Weight: 22L expands to 44L, 3.7lbs (1.67kg)

Optional Waist Belt available for $30

Further details at Mission Workshop

Triple Aught Design FAST Pack Litespeed

This bag feels like a bullet on your back. Although it is made from rough Cordura nylon, the slim shape and small size fits perfectly on your back. The shoulder straps keep it low on your shoulders and it comes a waist belts that helps keep it stable and transfers weight off of your shoulders. Big plus is that it also come with a water bladder compartment so it serves as a hydration unit as well as storage. This is the kind of bag a Navy Seal would carry on long bike ride. Triple Aught Design has been known for their urban tactical gear but this pack makes the cross-over. I would like to see made out of ripstop sail cloth for a more bike friendly aerodynamic feel but with its lower weight and smaller size I think that this is bag for me.

Price: $239

Construction: 1000 Denier DuPont Cordura

Size and Weight: 21.30L, 3.5lbs (1.58kg)

Further info at Triple Aught Design

So my planning for L'Eroica 2011 begins. L'Eroica is a 205 km ride through the Tuscan country side on Vintage bikes on asphalt and "Strade Bianchi", packed clay and gravel roads. I found a 1985 Colnago Master through A Bicycle Odyssey and Tony has been helping me size it and get it ready for the trip. Outfitted with Vittoria Pave's, new toe clips and 1976 Classic - Vittoria Shoes.

This jaunt in Chianti is only the start of the trip. I am planning a 400 - 450 km tour from Gaiole in Chianti through Liguria, Emilia-Romagna ending in Milano. Destinations are still in planning but hopefully I can work this all out soon. More to come.

Wordnik, the largest English language dictionary and provider of word related services, just launched NOOK Word of the Day with Barnes & Noble for the NOOK Color.

The application helps NOOK readers to expand their vocabulary while also discovering great new books NOOK Book Store. Powered by Wordnik, the world's largest online dictionary, the NOOK Word of the Day app shows interesting words in context, as they are really used by the best (and best-selling) authors. It also includes audio pronunciations!

It is available on the NOOK Color from the NOOK App store.

KCRW announced for their World Festival concert series that Yellow Magic Orchestra will perform at the Hollywood Bowl on June 26, 2011. This is the first LA appearance since 1979. They will be perfoming with Cibo Matto and Towa Tei.

As part of an ongoing partnership with the Rights Workshop, Avantgarde co-hosted a special solo performance and talk with Stephin Merritt at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. He performed three songs including Book of Love on his Ukulele and then Brooke Wentz, the Rights Workshop, interviewed Stephin and his manager Claudia Gonson and then moderated an audience Q/A.

Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields have just released Realism on Nonesuch records and are touring the West Coast.

Waffle Mania, one of my favorite street vendors in San Francisco, is benefiting from our social media strategy. We found them a new location on Tehama Street @ 2nd St. and established a twitter feed for them (@WaffleManiaSF) in January and they have taken off. They just doubled their followers in one day with a post on KQED's food blog Bay Area Bites and are thinking of getting a new truck.

a downtown trek to waffle nirvana

The "waffle man" that many people seek out is, more often than not, Alain Dupont (while there are a few other business partners, Dupont is frequently working the waffle irons). While he's a familiar face at many of the local markets, the Tehama Street routine is new. I asked Dupont why he decided to spend more time in San Francisco and how he chose the quiet, unassuming street. After doing a very successful catering event in mid-November at BarrelHouse (@barrelhousesf), friend and marketing guru Marcus Colombano encouraged Alain to come down to BarrelHouse on a more permanent basis, and the CBS folks across the street have welcomed him with open arms. The rest seems to be history.

I am happy to announce that Particle Programmatica has asked Avantgarde to come on board and help craft their marketing communications strategy. We will be working with them to develop their brand platform and messaging as well as assist them in the development of strategic press, influencer and co-marketing relationships.

"We make massively small products that shorten the distance between the internet and awesome," says Aubrey Anderson, Particle Founder and CTO. "We look forward to working with Avantgarde to continue that mission and make the conversations we have with our customers and partners as meaningful and as resonant as possible."

Last November, Avantgarde worked with Pereira & O'Dell to produce Creative Social's tenth creative summit this time in San Francisco.

Creative Social

Every big idea started out as a question. Global brands, political revolutions, successful blind dates—they all began with What if…? What if we put cotton on a stick? What if we sent bits of data through the air? What if we made a car that runs on feelings? That last one’s made up, but then again, so is everything.

This year’s Creative Social brought together some of the world’s most notorious what-iffers from 15 cities across 10 countries. These infamous innovators assembled in a 100-year-old former speakeasy, the BarrelHouse, to share stories and discuss the future of their respective fields—Design, Music, Film, Technology, Food and Business.

It was only fitting that the Fall ’09 Creative Social landed in San Francisco. A notorious bubble of innovation, ideas, and liberal politics, the city by the Bay is the perfect backdrop for this weeklong what-if-a-thon. Each day, talks explored concepts, products, and movements that began locally, but grew into global phenomena. All this occurred over delicious local fare and the muffled din of smart people whispering excitedly to other smart people.

Its time again for St. Crispin's Day. Time to party with our friends and our coolest sexiest pair of shoes. New pictures, stories and participants are on their way so stay tuned. In the meantime, RSVP at Facebook.

Thanks to Orson for hosting the event again this year. www.orsonsf.com

Date:
October 24th, 2008, 8pm

Location:
Orson

Address:
508 4th St.
San Francisco, CA (map)

RSVP to Facebook

What is this all about?

Shoe making has a long history and one that is rich in tradition. Within the trade itself – among shoe and bootmakers – the legends, the traditions, and the history really begin with St. Crispin. St. Crispin is the patron saint of shoemakers. Since medieval times, October 25th has been celebrated as St. Crispin's Day and the Shoemaker's Holiday. In the past, boot and shoemakers traditionally closed their shops on this day, in celebration and commemoration.

Following Watson's departure, the remaining duo inaugurated a new contract with Some Bizzare/Virgin in 1983 by shifting their sound, away from raging industro-funk and towards a more danceable form. The singles "Sensoria" and "James Brown" hit the indie charts during 1984, and Cabaret Voltaire moved to EMI/Parlophone in 1986 for The Code. Two years later, the band traveled to Chicago to record Groovy, Laidback & Nasty with Marshall Jefferson, one of the mavericks in the new house sound blowing up in the British charts. After another break of several years, the new-electronica label Instinct released a trio of CV LPs during 1993-94, after which the band's future appeared cloudy. Kirk continued his solo career (recording as Electronic Eye, Sandoz and himself) while Mallinder moved to Australia.

— John Bush, allmusic

A product of the same mid-'70s Sheffield industrial music community which also gave rise to Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire, Clock DVA emerged in 1980 from the ashes of area bands including the Studs, Block Opposite, Veer and They Must Be Russians as well as the Future, an early incarnation of the Human League. After a series of shifting lineups, a roster comprised of vocalist Adi Newton, bassist Steven Taylor, guitarist Paul Widger, saxophonist Charlie Collins and drummer Roger Quail recorded Clock DVA's debut White Souls in Black Suits, a cassette-only, improvisational release fusing metallic noise with funk and soul designs which was issued on Throbbing Gristle's Industrial label.

In 1981, the group issued Thirst, which abandoned R&B accoutrements in favor of edgy, abrasive electronic noise. Following its release, all of Clock DVA except Newton defected to form Box; after assembling a new lineup of saxophonist Paul Browse, future Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist John Carruthers, bassist Dean Dennis and drummer Nick Sanderson, Newton wrangled a major-label deal with Polydor, and Clock DVA soon resurfaced with 1983's Advantage, an intense montage of dance beats, piercing feedback and jarring tape manipulations. However, Carruthers and Sanderson both exited following the LP's release; after a brief attempt to forge on as a trio, Clock DVA disbanded in late 1983.

Newton subsequently turned his focus to the Anti Group, an industrial jazz and visual arts project created in tandem with engineer Robert Baker; after a series of singles, he reformed Clock DVA in 1988 with Browse and Dennis, releasing the sample-fueled 1988 EPs The Hacker and The Act, as well as 1990's full-length Buried Dreams, on the Wax/Trax label. By 1991's Transitional Voices, Newton's Anti Group partner Baker had replaced Browse; Dennis departed soon after, leaving the remaining duo to record a staggeringly prolific amount of material including 1992's Man-Amplified, 1993's Sign, Black Words on White Paper and Virtual Reality Handbook, 1994's 150 Erotic Calibrations and 1995's Anterior.

— Jason Ankeny, allmusic

Tiga is on tour with his new album and look what I found, a video for Shoes. Directed by Alex & Liane, the new video for Tiga's "Shoes" is cooler than Obama with frosted tips. "It imagines a horrifying dystopia in which people other than myself are interviewed," says the Man of Music Future, "I had to calm myself down by staring at my MySpace photos for a couple of hours."

He is playing next week in San Francisco at the Independent Thursday, May 28th 10PM.

Based in Montreal, Tiga is a DJ/producer who has effectively worked the underground and the mainstream with his wry brand of campy electro and stark techno. Born in Montreal, Canada, Tiga's first exposure to his future came from touring the Goa area of India with his DJ father throughout the '80s. Following in his father's footsteps, Tiga began spinning in Montreal's cooler clubs in the early '90s, bringing the acid house sound to Canada. Seeing as how there weren't any events like the Goa parties he had attended, the DJ made his own and later was credited with throwing Canada's first proper rave. The events continued as Tiga opened one of the earliest techno-only record stores, DNA, and he also started the Turbo label with fellow DJ Mark Dillon. The DJ was comfortable playing and releasing other people's music and didn't seriously concentrate on creating his own tunes until the 2000s. After spinning Miss Kittin & the Hacker's version of Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" at a club, Tiga had the idea to record some kind of cover version with Finnish DJ and friend Jori Hulkkonen. A day in the studio yielded a disappointing version of Prince's "When Doves Cry" and a better version of U2's "New Years Day," but it was their version of fellow Montreal resident Corey Hart's "Sunglasses at Night" that the duo decided to release in 2001 under the name Tiga & Zyntherius. It was a huge hit and Tiga rounded out the year with two successful mix CDs, American Gigolo and Mixed Emotions. Interviews, remixes, and touring kept the DJ busy until he helmed an edition of K7's successful mix CD series DJ Kicks. In the DJ Kicks tradition, he recorded one new track, "Man Hrdina," for the album, which the label released as a single. Most DJs chose the single's B-side, an electro version of Nelly's "Hot in Herre," and both the single and the mix CD were re-released to feature the surprise smash hit.

— David Jeffries, allmusic

Timbuk2 Yoga Bag $100

For the yogi on the go, we couldn't find a better choice than this bag by Timbuk2. It's sturdy, compact, stylish, and fun. It comes with a detachable padded shoulder strap and an easy-access pouch for a water bottle. The mat buckles to the outside of the bag, leaving plenty of room inside. There's a large inner pouch plus four small pockets for essentials like your keys, wallet, and cell phone. One zipper pocket is perfect for file folders and papers.

- Check out Yoga Journal for a full read.