The LAFCO Bus 2006 North American Tour

The LAFCO bus is on an exciting adventure this summer--crossing the country from Venice to Brooklyn.

As we traverse, we will be exploring answers to the following question:

How do the poor and politically disenfranchised use the arts to give themselves a voice and effect change. More broadly what is the relationship between art and politics in America today?

Through interviews and interactions with musicians, painters, poets, and hip-hop artists, as well as profiles of their work, we will create a documentary film that provides a rare, honest and inspiring look at the work of America’s most under-represented communities. The adventures of the crew itself living on the bus and struggling to make it across the country with barely enough money for gas, provides the narrative thread.

The crew is made up of a wildly diverse group of artists: An Italian American prince, a Japanese Samurai photographer, a Native American filmmaker, 2 black hip hop artists, a rapper and filmmaker who went from Oklahoma to Watts, a photojournalist, and 2 incredible women tough and patient enough to live on a school bus with all these crazy boys!

The final film (tentatively titled "Pocket Change") as well as all the additional footage we gather, will be the culmination of 5 years of LAFCO’s mission of giving a voice to artists who do not fit the corporate mold. On this journey, the medium really is the message, as the eclectic and fiercely independent team of filmmakers and musicians on the LAFCO bus use their tools to interact with the people they meet by sharing their creativity with them: collaborating on musical tracks, making music videos, taking photographs, and more...

The interior of the LAFCO bus:

For more info, please visit www.LAFCO.tv
contact: taoruspoli [at] gmail.com

LAFCO shoots 2 videos for stic.man of dead prez

The bus...

KP aka Too Real

New LAFCO Vlog now Live!!!

We now have high quality, fast download video clips on the all new lafco vlog! lafcovlog.blogspot.com

2 Videos up now. New clips from our journey will be posted almost every day.

Mississippi

photos by Tao Ruspoli

Leaving New Orleans

Pocket Change-two rough trailers/teasers of our film

Comments are very much appreciated!
Click links below:
Pocket Change Teaser 1
and
Pocket Change Teaser 2
You need high speed internet! These are high res, hi definition trailers (about 200mb each)
Here they are in Youtube format (if you don't want to wait for the hi-def version, just hit play below!)

Second Line - Katrina 1 year Anniversary

New Orleans - The 9th Ward

New Orleans: The 9th Ward One Year Later

Photos and commentary by Tao RuspoliWe spent several hours in the ninth ward yesterday. We inteviewed 2 brothers who were stranded for 3 days without food or water taking care of their mother in the top floor of their house. They described the horrors in great detail, including watching dead bodies float by. One year later, it looked to us like very little had changed in their neighborhood. The few people left there live in inhuman conditions.
I was shocked to see that the only water they had to drink was donated by Anheuser-Busch. Until we read the can carefully, we had assumed they were drinking beer. Is it paranoia to think this is a calculated plot to reinforce certain stereotypes?





On a final note, a lot of New Orleans DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THIS! It's a beautiful, fun place to be. Come visit! Help with the relief if you are so inclined. But even for a vacation it's a great city and people just coming here and spending money would do the city a lot of good. Who knows, you may not want to leave...

Dill City, Oklahoma

On the Road

Frogville Artists in Sante Fe, New Mexico

Chairman Tao

Fun with the fisheye!

a little film by Tao Ruspoli

Anne Hayunga photographs the LAFCO crew

Behind the scenes with Anne and Grant

Day 5: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Fridge Henge

The bus arrives in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Day 3: Walapai Indian Reservation, Arizona

Along route 66, we met some Walapai Indian hip hop artists. The next day they invited us to their reservation.

Crossing into Arizona via Route 66

We spent the night in Blythe, California and woke up early so we could get on the road. As we trekked up route 66, we took a well deserved dip in the Colorado River. Later in the day, we stopped at the Hackberry Gas Station for a quick photo shoot. In the evening, we stopped for dinner at a fantastic diner and met a Native American MC who had a freestyle session with the LAFCO crew.

The caravan camps by the side of the road

Tao photographs Billy Wirth and his girlfriend Sarah in Palm Springs

Day 2: Woke up in Palm Springs

I fell asleep on the floor of the bus as Tao drove through the night; arriving in Palm Springs in the earliest hours of Monday morning. Billy Wirth, actor and director of the acclaimed film Macarthur Park, met us at his friend's place where we spent the day. The experience felt so surreal almost like I was caught in a scene from The Doors meets Raising Arizona.

Six miles from Venice the Bus broke down on the 10 East

The LAFCO Bus prepares to leave Los Angeles

Vlog sponsored by Freeman

Photoshoot before getting on the bus

We had planned to leave on Sunday August 6 following the party but rebuilding the engine and completing the deck on the bus's roof took longer than expected. Following a week of waiting, the LAFCO crew was very happy to get on the road.

David Greenberg stops by

David Greenberg helped design the interior of the LAFCO bus and is an old family friend of Tao's. The design was inspired by his work with Enironmental Communications during the 1970's.

Oliver Stone visits the LAFCO van

Here is Oliver Stone sending us off:

Umi from P.O.W. visits the bus

umi from P.O.W./PEOPLES ARMY/RBG FAM was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. The doctor that helped deliver him claims, time stood still when umi came into this World. Yes, it was ironic, but not surprising, that he was born on July 4th. His rebellious nature helps remind people everyday that their true independence is still waiting to be claimed. He continues to show listeners that music can be used not only to get money, but also to mobilize and motivate the people. umi is a creative musician with an insightful sound that has been practicing and performing since 8 years old. He has brought forth numerous works with Prisoners of War and The Peoples Army/RBG FAM (dead prez) and now introduces his solo works. In his respective career, he has opened for or shared the stage with The Roots, Dave Chapelle, Mos Def, Styles P, Method and RedMan, Maceo Parker, Busta Rhymes, Young Bloods, dead prez, David Banner, and Erykah Badu just to name a few. As of date, umi has released a solo project entitled A Race Against Time Volume 1 and has collaborated with Scribe to bring forth P.O.Ws Street Report Volumes 1 and 2. His solo work not only compliments the earlier P.O.W. releases, it also introduces a new style and approach to the hip hop world. His business minded grind has made it able for him to consistently perform and setup domestic and international showcases. Just like his current project title, umis work ethic has proven to be a race against time. He has written and acted in a film entitled Under The Gun which is set to release June 2006. umi is currently living in Brooklyn, NY and can be found working on several new projects with a range of artist including phillys hottest new comer Makk Dubb. Watch for umis highly anticipated debut album in stores early 2007. Check for him at www.myspace.com/umisworld. For more info contact bossupbookings@aol.com or 803 378 1522. Look for A RACE AGAINST TIME and THE STREET REPORT VOLUMES 1 and 2 in a hood near you!

http://www.myspace.com/umisworld

Roger Mona

Roger Mona has been a member since almost the begining of LAFCO and had lived on the bus for 8 months in 2001/2002 when it travelled to Northern California. We visited Roger Mona at his studio where he shared stories about LAFCO's past.

Roger Mona's Website:
www.sillysex.com

Robbie Conal Interview

Robbie Conal met the LAFCO team in the parking lot of the Rose Cafe in Venice, California. Robbie discussed his experience with political art as he wheat-pasted three of his posters on the van.

Robbie Conal is an American guerilla poster artist noted for his gnarled, grotesque depictions of U.S. political figures of note. A former hippie, he is noted for his use of snipes to distribute his poster art throughout a city overnight.

Conal's parents were both union organizers, and he grew up in Manhattan. He received his bachelor's degree in fine arts from San Francisco State University in 1968 and his MFA from Stanford University in 1978. He moved to the Los Angeles area in 1984, where he currently resides. Conal is an Adjunct Professor of Painting & Drawing at the University of Southern California's Roski School of Fine Arts.

Conal's work has been featured in numerous publications, including Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, as well as CBS's This Morning and Charlie Rose. He was the subject of the 1992 documentary Post No Bills. He has also written two books, Art Attack: The Midnight Politics Of A Guerrilla Artist and Artburn, a collection of his work published in the alternative newspaper L.A. Weekly. He has been awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Getty Trust.

In 2004, Conal joined artists Shepard Fairey and Mear One to create a series of "anti-war, anti-Bush" posters for a street art campaign called "Be the Revolution" for the art collective Post Gen.

Kat speaks with me about LAFCO

DJ Merlin

Family Time

LAFCO Family Breakfast

Benny and Kazz B

Buzz works on the bus's engine

"I could have been a doctor but I thought it was too easy - people tell you their problems and you fix them.....I prefer being a mechanic and having to find the problems myself."

Felecia

Big Man

The Jeffery Flower

Pure Etc.

Pure KILLS IT in this flow at the loft:

Pure Etc. and One Man

Kat and Tao behind the scenes

Swedish volunteers prepare LAFCO reels

Preparing for the fundraiser/auction party

Yahziq preparing the platform roof.

The team had the idea to build a platform roof on the top of the bus for everyone to sleep on.

I arrived Saturday afternoon

I tossed my sleeping bag, camera gear, and a duffle bag stuffed with a few tee shirts, shorts and pair of jeans in the back of Tracy's Volvo. Tracy has been helping a childhood friend of mine by the name Tao to prepare his LAFCO bus for a one month journey from Venice, California to Brooklyn, New York. I started firing my camera from the moment Tracy pulled up in front of Tao and Olivia's loft. On my arrival Tao gave me an overview of the project and a tour of his LAFCO compound nestled in the Abbot Kinney neighborhood of Venice.

The bumper sticker and party invite

letters of support, comments, etc.

"Jamie Cohen hooked us up with the avant guard traveling youth media group LAFCO the LA film co-op (website click here) who rolled up to Frogville Thursday night and entertained us with their brilliance, energy and creativity, as well as their beautiful loving, laughing faces. These young urban hipsters, rappers, photographers and film makers were in a big bus loaded with computers and books, headed from Venice CA to Brooklyn NY on the adventure of a lifetime, filming in HiDef and editing on the bus and uploading every chance they get. Pay attention to these kids when they come through your town! It is wonderful to see people uniting all the co-ops, artists, musicians, protest movements and truth tellers to help change the world from sea to shining sea. much love and respect to the artist who is willing to travel and report on the state of America today with love, light and truth their guiding beacon, avoiding the fear and the pirates and stormtroopers that lay in wait to destroy the last freedoms left in this broken democracy. TELL THE WORLD Tao, Cody, James Wade, Felecia, Kaz, KP, Kat, Steve and Vince Carnage, much love and respect from Frogville!"

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