Ace Hotel

Harry Everett Smith was an American archivist, ethnomusicologist, experimental filmmaker, artist, bohemian, magician, and mystic. He was born in Portland, Oregon in 1923, and lived at Ace New York when it was The Breslin Hotel. So we’re pretty fond of him.

OMFGCo and resident artist Johnne Eschleman designed and installed this photograph of Harry shot by Allen Ginsberg at The Breslin in 1985. Harry dubbed it “Transforming Milk into Milk.” Come by the lobby sometime and see it.

And many thanks to Rani Singh at the Getty Research Institute.

You are looking at one of the nicest people in the world, Ohmega Watts. And we’re not even going to mention his good looks. A West Coast nomad, designer, creative, producer, DJ, and MC, Ohmega joins Palm Springs favorite DJ Day for his weekly ¡Reunión! at Ace Hotel & Swim Club. Hailing from Portland, with a residency at The Fix and his group Lightheaded, now in San Francisco via Seattle, Ohmega continues the West Coast love in Palm Springs for anyone lucky enough to be there Thursday night. We’re thrilled to have him.

Photo via The Find

at Ace Palm Springs. They’re solid chums of Ace, and their party was amazing. Parra from Amsterdam created the look and feel of the wedding and this incredible cake. And guests received these custom bamboo towels by Luxurious Organics (check out their shop). Everything was very YES. Goro’s in Harajuku made a special tie pin for the groom and the wedding party wore these top-secret custom shoes. Afterward, there was an dance party in the Amigo Room that none of us will soon forget. See more on Jarrett’s blog — he’s on a honeymoon right now, but stay tuned for more.

Photos, top to bottom: Cake by Parra, dance party in the Amigo Room, custom towels by Luxurious Organics, Ace founder Alex Calderwood with wedding friends, custom tie pin by Goro’s, and custom shoes. Photos via Jarrett’s blog.

Other Music is our friend. They unveiled an inaugural collection of vinyl and CDs at Ace Hotel NYC in February. Now they’ve sent forth another to make our lives even better. Here’s what they have to say about their latest collection:

The Drums have been tearing the blogs up since mid-2009, and have quickly become New York’s most buzzed about indie-pop band, garnering fans worldwide with their songs and converting the masses with their stellar live shows. Their faces (and phenomenal ’80s hair) have been on the cover of the NME, and they have been touted as 2010’s best new band, resulting in a furious worldwide tour and an A&R bidding frenzy. Well, what does the album sound like? Summertime is a gloriously joyous romp through C86 pop and the early Factory and Postcard Records sounds. Think the Wake, the Smiths, Orange Juice and contemporaries like Tough Alliance, Legends, and pretty much any band on Slumberland. “Don’t Be a Jerk, Jonny” is probably the most twee track that I’ve heard in a long time; with its Casio drum beat, boy/girl vocal, and ultra-catchy chorus, it brings a smile to my face every time it comes on the iPod. “Let’s Go Surfing” is a sunny California jam that evokes the Wake at their best — it’s a great tune, and the obvious single that has had the masses drooling since it was released. Summertime is filled with seven great songs that will have you longing for fun times, ocean waves, and summer sun.

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Howie Pyro made a list of his top ten favorite collaborations caught on 45s. It was part of the recent X: Mark of Collaboration issue of Arkitip curated by Ace founder Alex Calderwood and Ace friend John Jay, of Studio J. Howie also hosts a weekly party at Ace Palm Springs called Intoxica Radio Live, a live version of his radio show on luxuriamusic.com. Howie is awesome — we did another post about him that you should check out.

Top 10 Collaborations by Howie Pyro:

1. FRANK ZAPPA & BURT WARD: BOY WONDER I LOVE YOU
A super weird 45 written by Zappa for Ward (aka Robin from 1966 Batman TV show.) Produced by Mothers & Velvet Underground producer Tom Wilson.

2. NANCY SINATRA & LEE HAZLEWOOD:
Anything.

3. JOHNNY “ROTTEN” LYDON & AFRICA BAMBAATA: WORLD DESTRUCTION

4. BUNKER HILL & LINK WRAY: THE GIRL CAN’T DANCE
Hill, a prize fighter/gospel singer turned Rock & Roll screaming madman, backed by the first thundering guitar hero, Link Wray, makes for the obliteration of anything in Soul or Rock & Roll up to that point. 1962.

5. BRIGITTE BARDOT & SERGE GAINSBOURG:
Songs recorded for 1968 French TV program.

6. DAVID BOWIE & BING CROSBY: LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
Great duet done for a 1977 Bing Crosby Xmas TV special.

7. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO:
What else can I say?

8. THE BEACH BOYS & CHARLES MANSON: NEVER LEARN NOT TO LOVE
This song, from The Beach Boys 1968 LP, 20/20, is actually a known Charles Manson original song, Cease To Exist. The song writing credit was given to Manson’s buddy (at the time), drummer Dennis Wilson, as Manson owed Wilson money for trashing his house. Crazy.

9. I ONCE SAW SKY SAXON, FROM 60’S GARAGE BAND, THE SEEDS
do a duet with Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere & The Raiders, backed up by the Mys- terians (of Question Mark & the Mysterians, most famous for their track 96 Tears.)

10. The A-Bones backing Hasil Adkins (or Ronnie Dawson or The Flamin’ Groovies!)

Howie Pyro’s musical career began in the late 1970’s when he formed the notorious NYC punk band, The Blessed. Since then, Howie has been member to acts such as: D Generation, Danzig, and The Action Swingers. He’s played at venues such as CBGBs, The Mudd Club, and Max’s Kansas City alongside such acts as The Misfits, KISS, The Ramones, and Social Distortion.Partnering with D Generation co-Founder, Jesse Malin, Howie opened the (now legendary) rock club, Coney Island High. Howie is currently hosting a radio show titled Intoxica on luxuriamusic.com. He is also working on books, CD compilations, and creating mashups/bootlegs under the group name The Illuminoids.

Portrait by Matt Held

Here’s some shots from the benefit we hosted last night in The Cleaners at Ace PDX. Everyone who played was terrific. Colin Meloy drank some red wine and played new songs from the upcoming Decemberists album. Where there would have been guitar solo, there was instead audience whistling. There were local cupcakes, homemade ice cream, and locally brewed beers, but a big treat was Colin’s cover of Men at Work’s Overkill.

Musee Mecanique.

Colin Meloy of the Decemberists.

Thanks for the photos, Jack.