BLAC LILACS

The Wonder Years

2011-10-13T16:52:00.001-05:00

The Wonder Years was finally released on Netflix a week or two ago and Erin and I are watching through them again. A few years back they showed them on regional TV (two episodes a night and in chronological order) and we rarely missed a show. I really wish they would bring the show to DVD/Blu-ray, but the licensing for the music is a nightmare. The songs they use are incredible and perfect. Joni Mitchell's "River" and Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight" are two that immediately come to my mind and are complete knockouts during the show. In honor of the Netflix release I wanted to do a little poster design for fun.

2011-10-09T16:26:00.000-05:00

My linocut (Disquieting Dreams) went into this traveling exhibition. Click on the picture for a link to see a gallery of all included artists' work.

THE INVITATION

2011-09-26T21:46:00.000-05:00

The Invitation - Vol. 4 of Algebra's Church Camp Series

click here to listen or download

16bit - Dinosaurs (Official Video)

2011-09-23T09:46:00.000-05:00

16bit - Dinosaurs (Official Video) 1080p from ljudbilden on Vimeo.

Brand new video for 16bit 'Dinosaurs' released on August 29th on MTA Records.
Directed & Animated by Kristofer Ström. Colonel Blimp & Blinkink.

16bit - 'Dinosaurs / Boston Cream'
MTA008
29th August 2011

Become a fan of 16bit: facebook.com/16bitmusic
Download some wallpapers here: goo.gl/0842j

SuperMaze

2011-09-11T19:26:00.002-05:00

This started as a telephone doodle, then turned into a TV doodle, and then I added some color. I should do some more of these because it was a blast!

Submission to Joystiq T-shirt design contest

2011-09-04T11:07:00.000-05:00

THE BONFIRE

2011-08-28T21:42:00.001-05:00

Album cover for Vol. 3 of Algebra's Church Camp series
Click HERE for free download.

New Linoleum Print

2011-08-22T00:16:00.000-05:00

Job 4:13-15 (NIV)

¹³ Amid disquieting dreams in the night,
    when deep sleep falls on people,
¹⁴ fear and trembling seized me
    and made all my bones shake.
¹⁵ A spirit glided past my face,
    and the hair on my body stood on end.

Ghostland Observatory

2011-08-10T18:55:00.001-05:00

A gig poster for an upcoming Ghostland show at Cain's Ballroom

RODMAN T-SHIRT

2011-08-01T17:10:00.001-05:00

Another fun project for Algebra in the works. This time it's a t-shirt design featuring a portrait of none other than #91: Dennis Rodman. Here are a couple versions.

Abstract Confetti Version

Red Bull Version

Rings Version

ZEKE'S TEMPLE

2011-07-28T08:47:00.000-05:00

Millennial Temple vision outlined at the end of the book Ezekiel

BIRDY

2011-07-23T18:13:00.002-05:00

Tryin' out some simple animated gifs. This was sort of a test run. Hopefully LOTS more to come. (click on image if it ain't animatin')

THE CABIN

2011-07-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

THE CABIN / Cover for Vol. 2 of Algebra's Church Camp series

Listen or Download for free Here

More OKPlusNerds Stuff

2011-07-09T17:43:00.001-05:00

Doctor Who

2011-07-07T15:27:00.000-05:00

Artwork for OKPlusNerds Podcast

Harry Potter Invites

2011-07-06T17:36:00.001-05:00

THE BUS RIDE / cover art for vol. 1 of Algebra's Church Camp EPs

2011-06-25T21:34:00.002-05:00

Click here to listen or download

Ghosts in Wayne's Basement

2011-06-22T22:17:00.001-05:00

Judges 16:30 - Samson Under Black Lights

2011-06-21T16:03:00.000-05:00

OKPlusNerds Podcast

2011-06-16T18:17:00.002-05:00

I was recently asked to make an icon for a podcast called OKPlusNerds. Just a few dudes talking about comics, Star Wars, video games, movies, etc.

Go Cafe Racer!

2011-05-31T22:34:00.004-05:00

I was flipping through a vintage motorcycle magazine in Barnes & Noble when I saw a photo of a guy wearing a Speed Racer shirt, standing behind his cafe-style bike. So an idea came me--what if Speed was into vintage bikes?

Farewell: A tribute to the beard that is now gone

2011-05-31T16:25:00.000-05:00

Watch: Weezer covers Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android”

2011-05-28T10:09:00.001-05:00

Watch: Weezer covers Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android”

This is weird and cool.

MJ23

2011-05-24T21:05:00.002-05:00

http://vimeo.com/23992520

This is a really cool video from Leif Podhajsky.

Psalm 69

2011-05-14T22:06:00.001-05:00

THE 400 BLOWS Movie Poster

2011-04-24T20:24:00.000-05:00

BUFFALO '66 Movie Poster

2011-04-14T18:20:00.001-05:00

HIGH AND LOW Movie Poster

2011-04-03T01:18:00.000-05:00

If you have never seen this movie I highly recommend it. Great story with classic cinema style.

THE SEVENTH SEAL Movie Poster

2011-03-28T21:55:00.000-05:00

Resilience

2011-03-12T21:17:00.000-06:00

Sci-Fi Portrait

2011-03-04T19:03:00.001-06:00

I am playing Dead Space 2 and really love the style of that game. I was inspired to make a Sci-Fi image myself so I took a pencil portrait I had done earlier and converted it into a new work.

Truman Burbank

2011-02-10T19:23:00.000-06:00

Contribution to "Postcards to Alphaville" via Paul Paper

check out the site below

www.postcardstoalphaville.net

Yuck - "Rubber"

2011-02-03T22:36:00.001-06:00

"Rubber"

I'm looking forward to this release a whole lot - my favorite song in a while.

Little Vader

2011-02-03T11:51:00.001-06:00

TORO Y MOI

2011-02-01T20:48:00.001-06:00

This dude is making some really great music. You should check it out.
Here is a song from his up and coming album Underneath The Pine.

M.I.A.

2011-01-23T00:45:00.000-06:00

Bill Murray

2011-01-20T20:50:00.001-06:00

Robyn

2011-01-06T22:11:00.000-06:00

Favorite Albums of 2010

2010-12-16T20:12:00.002-06:00

Other albums I really liked this year:
Mi Ami - Steal Your Face
Morning Benders - Big Echo
Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
Vampire Weekend - Contra
The Dirty Projectors + Bjork - Mount Wittenberg Orca
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles II
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
Big Boi - Sir Lucious Leftfoot...Son of Chico Dusty

Favs:
10. Robyn - Body Talk
9. Sufjan Stevens - Age of Ads
8. Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
7. Wavves - King of the Beach
6. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
5. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
4. The National - High Violet
3. Twin Shadow - Forget
2. Beach House - Teen Dream
1. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Please reply with some of your favorites of the year.

Quartz Mountain 2010

2010-11-01T21:25:00.001-05:00

Oklahoma Fall Arts Institute Work
This year I took a Linoleum Printing class taught by Carlos Barberena. Here is some of the work that came about.

Bradford Cox

2010-10-17T17:54:00.000-05:00

Illustration of Bradford Cox of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound

Feist's "Limit To Your Love" (James Blake Version)

2010-10-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

2010-10-16T13:47:00.002-05:00

Janelle Monae on Letterman

2010-10-02T09:49:00.000-05:00

This is an Awesome Overload!!!

Greasers Unite!!!

2010-09-20T20:34:00.001-05:00

Here is a poster design for the band Snorlaxx playing off the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The book is about Greasers and Socs in the 1950-60s in Tulsa, OK. There was also a major motion picture adapted from the book with a slew of famous actors involved. Just wanted to recreate some of that bad-assery!!! Design was created from a clayboard etching and then tinkered around with in photoshop.

ALGEBRA

2010-09-11T00:43:00.001-05:00

So Algebra just had his CD Release show last weekend and it is a really awesome record. You'd never believe a white dude (from Tulsa no less) could rap this good until you hear it. You can stream/buy the album here (I suggest "Bad Weather" and "Lexicon" as starting points but the whole album goes hard). And by the way the artwork was done by yours truly.

2010-09-09T17:06:00.000-05:00

Les Deux Magots, Paris

(commissioned painting for a friend at work)

Linkin

2010-08-23T22:10:00.001-05:00

Portrait of a friend's dog, Linkin

Algebra - Scissortail Flycatcher

2010-08-21T11:40:00.000-05:00

Snorlaxx - Stay Gold

2010-08-21T11:38:00.000-05:00

MJ23

2010-07-23T16:55:00.001-05:00

Eric and I were just discussing the old glory days of NBA JAM and the absence of Michael Jordan from all Basketball video games. They always said it was a matter of copyrights and such but let's face it, Jordan and Pippen on one team would just be unfair.

2010-07-21T23:43:00.000-05:00

Algebra - Scissortail Flycatcher

A little more CD Artwork for my friend Algebra

Sir Lucious Left Foot

2010-07-08T13:29:00.001-05:00

Red Wood Rising CD cover

2010-06-27T23:35:00.002-05:00

MJ

2010-06-27T23:21:00.002-05:00

LeBron James Illustration

2010-06-24T17:15:00.000-05:00

I wish I worked for Nike.

2010-06-10T02:34:00.000-05:00

Another CS4 painting. This is for some upcoming CD Artwork (inside spread).

p.s. - Look closer at this one to appreciate : )

CS4 painted portrait

2010-06-05T23:29:00.000-05:00

self-portrait painted in CS4. I wanted to see how this would turn out without using the simple "paint effect filters" but actually using the the good old brush, smudge, etc. tools. Turned out kinda creepy and cool.

Atlas Sound - Walkabout/Please Come Home

2010-06-02T09:52:00.000-05:00

2010-05-28T17:13:00.001-05:00

Another Snorlaxx Poster
(now that school is over, I will hopefully be posting more frequently)

2010-05-22T09:31:00.003-05:00

A poster for Snorlaxx - a crazy dual bass, dual rapper band from Tulsa, OK
(a little black magic and care bears doing drugs)

ZACH GOMEZ - Rise and Fall and Rise Again

2010-04-25T19:25:00.007-05:00

Here is some album art I finished a while ago, and finally have the real package now. Stay tuned for some more CD designs...(1 is being printed and 2 more are in the works).

Here is some album art I finished a while ago, and finally have the real package now. Stay tuned for some more CD designs...(1 is being printed and 2 more are in the works).

Happiness

2010-03-17T19:41:00.000-05:00

"Happiness"

10" x 20"

acrylic and watercolor on canvas/cardboard

2010-03-14T23:20:00.002-05:00

Pyramid (unused album artwork idea)

2010-03-01T19:03:00.001-06:00

2010-02-04T20:51:00.001-06:00

Guernica 3D from GaliciaCAD on Vimeo.

Beach House - Norway

2010-02-01T16:15:00.001-06:00

This new album from Beach House has been getting some significant play time in my car all week. You all should check it out!

Spoon Written in Reverse MP3 Player

2010-01-07T09:44:00.002-06:00

I'm pretty excited about the new album!

Favorite Albums of 2009

2009-12-15T22:48:00.003-06:00

There were a lot of really good releases this year and there is still a whole bunch of stuff I need to really sit down and listen to, but these are the records I have gone back to the most throughout the year.

10. Atlas Sound - Logos
Bradford Cox spends most of the record in his usual lonely bedroom-pop haze, but when he ventures outside on songs like "Walkabout" it's tremendous fun.

9. Dodos - Time To Die
I really loved Visitor the Dodos' last effort. This one is slightly weaker at times and quite a bit shorter, but a nice companion nonetheless.

8. Mi Ami - Watersports
This band is kind of reformation of an old favorite band of mine Black Eyes, a spaz(jazz)core from D.C. This has all the ruckus of Black Eyes but it tends to bliss out more often and trades in BE's chattering saxophone romps for some all out drum assaults.

7. Pissed Jeans - King Of Jeans
These guys jam so hard they make you bang your head to songs about not bothering to go out on the weekend , hearing a new noise in you car's engine, falling in love with celebrities on the silver screen, scrapbooking

6. YACHT - See Mystery Lights
A little krautrock and dance never hurt anybody.

5. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
"Lisztomania" and "1901"...nuff said.

4. Girls - Album
The first song "Lust For Life" is a clever pilfering of the Iggy Pop song of the same title flip-flopping Iggy's "wild child" party attitude into a much scarier Francois Truffaunt kind of Wild Child. The lead singer of this band grew up within the Children of God cult suffering some terrible traumas and psychological abuse. And although the album is definitely strange a messed up at times it's pretty incredible how often I find myself in a lot of the songs. And beyond the whole crazy tangle of a story behind the band, the music is downright beautiful.

3. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
There's been quite a bit of 90s revivalist albums (chillwave, glo-fi, whatever you wanna call it) that have resonated with me - Neon Indian, Japandroids, Washed Out for example. I don't know if it's just the underlying nostalgia of the synths that get me or the lazy summery sound, but it's just gripping.

2. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
I don't know how they keep doing it, but every new album keeps topping there last. They even came out with an EP a few weeks ago and gosh darnit it may even be more refined. These guys guys have a sound hold on the game.

1. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Go buy this record! It's the best in my opinion!

Favorite Tracks of 2009 playlist by Matt

2009-12-15T17:23:00.001-06:00

Favorite Tracks of 2009 playlist by Matt

A New Crispy Pair of Sneakers

2009-12-14T18:44:00.008-06:00

CUSTOM TIGER FLAMES

(experience the hotness)

Befores

Afters

Rockin' my custom hand-painted kicks.

2009-10-31T23:55:00.008-05:00

Day 3 of Quartz Mountain
Oklahoma Fall Arts Institute

Here are a few more artworks made this weekend.

Armadillo at the Vet

New Horizon

Orion as a Youngster

My weekend roommate Dan and his self-portrait (collaged from a bunch of crap found outside like moss, grass, twigs, etc.) - quite realistic actually!

2009-10-31T23:16:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T23:30:00.010-05:00

Day 2 of Quartz Mountain

Oklahoma Fall Art Institute

Today we used a lot of cool equipment designed by Dwayne Szot. The equipment ist of "ART FOR ALL" that promotes easy art making for people with disabilities o r special needs students. Here are some photographs from the day.

2009-10-29T23:18:00.005-05:00

Day 1 of Quartz Mountain
Oklahoma Fall Art Institute

So I went on a little art teacher's retreat this weekend and thought I would share some of the work and fun that came about. For our first project we were given a "curiosity box" filled with odd items. We were supposed to do some thumbnail sketches and write some descriptions and then the boxes were taken away and we were to make an artwork from what we remembered and logged. There was a small green plastic triangle in the box and my new partner Dan and I decided to run with an evil triangle theme. Here is the result.

Superstition of the Triangle

There was also a green fuzzball with a hole through the middle of it and so came this small painting.

Bottomless Pit

2009-10-24T00:54:00.005-05:00

NEW ALGEBRA - NINE ONE GREAT ARTWORK!!!

2009-09-17T18:39:00.002-05:00

Web Page header for music and film blog (watercolor)

2009-09-04T22:31:00.006-05:00

Self-Portrait (the teacher's son). 2009

2009-06-22T02:45:00.003-05:00

CORMAC McCARTHY
pen + photoshop illustration of the American writer

PARTY TYME!!!!!

2009-04-20T20:31:00.003-05:00

Poster for my wife's and brother-in-law's birthday party

ALGEBRA POSTER

2009-03-31T01:10:00.003-05:00

I know it's been forever since I have made a post.
Here's a poster I made for my new pal Dan (ALGEBRA).

2009-01-01T02:28:00.002-06:00

justice stress (official video)
by 75_prod

I have never seen a music video that affected me this much. The song is all out madness and blaring sirens in your brain haunt you long after it's done - like that tangled-up Moog sound in Kubrick's Clockwork Orange. I know I must be evil for liking this video, but sometimes I guess you gotta relieve some stress.

Chinworth's Picks

2008-12-17T07:44:00.001-06:00

Best Tracks of 2008

If any of these songs only play short clips you can hear the full ones here
http://www.imeem.com/dialogs/standaloneplaylist/?p=WC0Hekdg

Thanks for listening.

Justin's Top Albums of '08

2008-12-17T02:50:00.021-06:00

Alright Matt, it's been a couple years since I've made one of these, but you've inspired me. Yours is a great list, so hopefully I can keep it going and share some great music that you guys might not have heard yet.

10 Eef Barzelay — Lose Big
This is the second release by Eef Barzelay(of Clem Snide). Yes that's his real name- he's Israeli. This album is a great continuation of his previous release. Real folksy with raw, honest lyrics. Not sure why, but a little reminiscent of Pedro The Lion's Control
Like a thick bleeding chunk of uncooked steak. Nothing to hide, just ready to savor.

Sample Track — Lose Big

9 What Made Milwaukee Famous — What Doesn't Kill Us
These guys got quite a bit of hype, and for good reason. Just a good songwriting with great melodies— never boring,always going somewhere.
I love this guy's voice, although I have to admit they are a little boring live.

Sample Track — For The Birds

8 Girl Talk — Night Ripper
OK, I have to admit, the first Girl Talk album didn't really do much for me. I thought "so what.. another mash up artist". This one though... this one is very impressive. I mean just thinking about how much work must have gone into this album— it's really astounding.. and the juxtaposition is just... hilarious. I have to be in a special mood to listen to this, but when I do.. watch out ladies.

Sample Track — Set It Off, or just turn on 4 radios tuned to different stations.

7 Cloud Cult — Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
This album is an adventure.. it took awhile to grown on me just because there is so much to discover. First I'm underwater, then I'm flying, then I'm air drumming. The title for this album describes this album to a T(ea). Brilliant instrumentation.. it's fresh, it's organic, it's like... an undiscovered color.

Sample Track — No One Said It Would Be Easy

6 Deer Tick — War Elephant
This guy's voice sounds like he swallowed a rabid squirrel that then tried to claw its way out— and it's awesome. Real folksy stuff that makes great driving tunes. If Steel Train and The Veils had a child, and then let that child wander into the woods to be raised by wolves, that child might later start a band called Deer Tick.

Sample Track — Ashamed

5 Frightened Rabbit — The Midnight Organ Fight
Fantastic rock group from Scotland. Brutally honest songwriting full of clanging guitars and thick accents. And the heartbreak, oh the heartbreak. I can't help but let out an empathetic sigh.

Sample Track — Keep Yourself Warm

4 Man Man — Rabbit Habits
These guys are insane. Like.. literally not right in the head. To give you an idea, their musical style has been described as "viking-vaudeville manic gypsy jazz", which pretty much sums it up. If you ever get the chance, you must see these guys live— just remember to watch for flying silverware, spit, and possibly fire. These guys are dangerous. Oh yeah, and all the members have pseudonyms.

Sample Track — Top Drawer

3 Bon Iver — For Emma, Forever Ago
This one cuts through the cold winter air, right to the soul. This is one album you've got to hear on vinyl. Bundled up. With a girl. Near the fire.

Or maybe it just makes you wish you were bundled up, with a girl, near the fire.

Sample Track — re: Stacks

2 Bowerbirds — Hymns For A Dark Horse
Found in Australia, male bowerbirds build objects to attract their mates. These "bowers" may include hundreds of shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded pieces of glass. The bird spends hours carefully sorting and arranging his collection, with each object in a specific place; if an object is moved while the bowerbird is away he will put it back in its place. At mating time, the female will go from bower to bower, watching as the male conducts an often elaborate mating ritual and inspecting the quality of the bower before she chooses her mate.

Sample Track — The Ticonderoga

1 AA Bondy — American Hearts
I have played this album 63 times this year, with some tracks doubling that. I'm starting to think that before too long I'll have those digital audio files worn down as much as AA Bondy's old guitar, but it's alright, because like his guitar they're just broken in... and comfortable.

Easily my favorite album of the year.

Sample Track — World Without End

Runners up: The Mountain Goats — Heretic Pride, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin — Pershing, Little Joy — Little Joy

Matt's Favorite Albums of 2008

2008-12-16T11:57:00.012-06:00

Please feel free to post your choices and add to the list.

10. Why? - Alopecia

Pumps all sorts of honest , insightful, and twisted lyrics in a short amount of time.

9. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

Seems like a weird choice, but give it a listen and there are some really awesome songs that drive their way into your head. Reznor effectively blends distorted guitar with electronic grind and (like he's been doing) but finds raw balance here.

8. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

I don't really know what to say about these guys. It gets a little old after a while (definitely over-hyped) but curiously unique and fun to listen to again.

7. Dodos - Visiter

Just two dudes and they make some sweet jams. (Like VW above) It's definitely got a world music feel. Thunderous drumming phrased and spaced with the feverish guitar strumming. Exciting with intimate moments.

6. No Age - Nouns

What a record! Noisy and subtle. A joy to listen to.

5. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

So many tender hooks in here it's crazy. Written by a guy alone in a cabin makes for a perfect solo acoustic album.

4. The Cool Kids - Bake Sale

Sly and slick. Not too serious. Probably the year's token rap album for white people, but it still bops my speakers often and I shamelessly love it.

3. M83 - Saturdays=Youth

Pickpocketed from 80s movie soundtracks and shoegazing beauty.

2. Deerhunter - Microcastle

If you've never heard or listened to Deerhunter, their lyrics can be awfully disturbing or painfully lonely. Sometimes the music casts a veil over this factor, other times it amplifies the feeling. Atmospheric, gauzy, lazy, and trippy but still has some fine rock moments.

1. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles

My favorite album of the year. So many bands try 8-bit sound (including Beck) but "Gameboy-rock" never turns out this good. If video games used this as a soundtrack I don't think I would ever stop playing.

new blog

2008-11-19T00:39:00.002-06:00

thought i would put in a promo for my new blog. i'm giving old Asher Burton recordings away for free in celebration of my new album coming out december 12th, which chinworth here did the art for. cover art is also on the blog. hope you enjoy.

INSERT COLORFUL DOG NAME HERE

2008-10-27T17:13:00.003-05:00

They lived next to the water

a constant the boy grew up with

The sea could be mellow or violent, yellow or violet

One knows the eye cannot penetrate beyond violet

Man and light’s spectrum, but the boy could

always detect the smallest changes, the smallest variations of prismatic glow

Indescribable colors

His spaniel was named after one such self-imagined hue

Another constant was his father’s work

Towering chemical plant of liquid-stained metal

The grey tones cast infinite shadows across the water when it was sunny

geometrically stretching out to the country club

where Pop spent his money

Coming home to eat and read the paper

The boy went to work with him once

Cars parked in a row, an oil-spilt rainbow

He thought today the waves looked particularly Jupiter

Maybe Pop would hold his hand, seagulls and sand, and fly their kite

His father was in the den

He could bet he was clutching the daily gazette like a stone

eyebrows like the horizon, utterly remarkable really

A heron stalking minnow, wading the domestic seaside

The paper’s sad monochromatic pictures

davenport’s brown miniscule pattern was a barren shore

“Will you take me to the beach, Pop?”

The words fell upon his father’s ears like a small coin

dropped into a wishing well

Fluidly twisting down abysmally, abstractly

through diamond waters, sharp sparkles

Barnacled with silent bubbles crescenting the tiny etched edges

until finally tearing off towards the circular surface

Holding his breath, the boy hoped these tiny capsules would bring his wish

and release oxygen to his brain, as they swelled to the well’s smooth plane

Thankfully mother was eavesdropping (as always)

and called his father’s name

wrenching forth action

The boy could almost hear the “plunk” of the plummeting coin

And with his father roused, the gurgling pops

of the rising bubbles agitated the surface

“Huh? What’s that?”

2008-10-16T18:15:00.002-05:00

Untitled (phonecall)

Tops of Trees Poster

2008-10-08T23:42:00.004-05:00

So I recently completed a little gigposter for
my pals Tops Of Trees and here it is.

The Storm Chasers

2008-09-18T22:17:00.002-05:00

Strangled shadows of fence posts

Pierce

The adjacent ditch, perfectly spaced

With a farmer’s near architect’s eye

The auto covets a neon vessel

Gliding

Forward, rowed with robust oars, swiftly

And silently, dipping under shadowy indigo deserts

Restless stalks among scraggly thistles

Drain

Veins of ivy sway, a mile beneath

Laying miniature cinders beneath the smoky anger

Clouds bulging, dull and glowing

Bulbs

Fetched only by the spade of God

Tall as mythological honeycombs, bursting

The sky dyed cyan dreads rain

Droplets

Ought to be sliced absent

Yet the windshield remains crystal dry bones

An impossibly clear parabola

Distorting,

Misrepresenting true north and nature

Mangling the driver’s and navigator’s perspective

Obliquely diagonal they cannot

Deny

The instrument panel is unfairly bright tonight

Hot as friction, wedged between, refraining splendor

2008-09-10T23:14:00.001-05:00

Autumnal Freakout

2008-08-23T21:04:00.003-05:00

Violet Fluid

2008-08-11T17:01:00.000-05:00

Space Pace

First productive Sketchfest in quite a while...

2008-07-31T02:08:00.005-05:00

First, to add a bit to Matt's Catapult post, the AC Slayer destroyed the whole class, they didn't have a chance! Good times back in the old house. Especially the recording sessions for sweet songs for english class. Andy's vocals for his remake of Blur Song 2 for Homer's Odyssey were... amazing... with no background music. Not that anyone else will know what I'm talking about. Oh well.

Anyway. All the art and commentary so far has been very nostalgia-inspiring and insightful and I've enjoyed it all. I'm here to change all that (well, not the enjoying part hopefully). Not on purpose. But I went to school to design cars, and now that I design wheels in particular all day for a living I find it a fun creative release when I get a chance to sketch whole cars in my free time. And cars don't get very deep and meaningful. But I had fun sketching a somewhat fictional version of my daily driver, an '81 BMW 528i (first-generation 5 Series).

2008-07-27T23:31:00.000-05:00

"Grown/Groan"

2008-07-20T01:11:00.000-05:00

A Light On A Roof (Summer Heat)

2008-07-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

"Jordan"

2008-07-15T01:54:00.000-05:00

2008-07-12T02:21:00.003-05:00

GENESIS
So I am actually going back and reading the entire Bible from cover to cover in one year...so for the last two weeks I made my way through the book of Genesis (pretty wild stuff in there). I was really surprised by how how engaging the story really was to me. I thought it would start to be a real drudgery of a time but I found myself wanting to read more and find out "what happens next." This sounds weird because I felt I knew the story already. I loved all the action, scenarios, I mean you couldn't make up half the stuff for a movie! I also loved how God was always telling the characters to call Him "I Am." People would ask Him His name and He would simply respond "I Am" and I need no name. I have heard this so many times, but this time it really hit me that the book I am reading is still happening. He doesn't bind himself to "that Hebrew God...what's his name" but He says "I am" so that no one can say He was God and that anyone who reads His word can become part of the story...right now. I don't know if this makes much sense, but it definitely did to me the past couple weeks.

Oh...and so I made a painting.

Girl Talk- Feed the Animals

2008-06-26T10:33:00.005-05:00

Ok, it’s midnight and I just listened to the first few tracks of the new Girl Talk album Feed the Animals...

(speechless)

I’m not simply listening to this record, I am living it. My mind is saying, “I love these songs, no I absolutely worship that part of that song, that verse I’ve never heard before, not like that. Was that Ahmad- Back in the Day over Rod Stewarts- Young Turks??!! Man, I’ve always castoff the Birdman and Lil’ John until this moment.” I let out a Lil' John "Yeah! Okay!", my mind continues to get blasted, “The Police with Busta Rhymes! That shouldn’t sound as awesome as it does.” I’m flooded with pure sensations of nostalgia, excitement, but mostly I’m in complete awe.

3 Reasons Why This is Brilliant.

1. It is a slap in the face to the tried and true, scratch that- the tired way music has been created. For the past 40 years there is no way you could have heard this album. It couldn’t have been legally made or distributed in any way shape or form. The perfect storm has collided and Gillis has made it and distributed it worldwide with no major backing and no royalties paid out. Gillis has already cornered the market as a mash up master and with his growing popularity Feed the Animals will be propeled into the pop culture stratosphere, something that hasn’t really been done by a mashup artist at all save for Danger Mouse’s Grey Album. This is a “supermix” as Gillis has put it. It’s a style some have attempted (Gillis credits Kid 606 and John Oswald as influences), but the book has now been written on what can be done. 300 samples into 50 minutes of music. Realistically, in any other modern music era it would cost him well over $100 million to go around and pay each artist for these samples.

2. This is a masterpiece, both technically, sonically(?), nostalgically, and any other way you want to put it. Catering to tight assed music aficionados, the ever disappearing indie world, those who live in a field and are relegated to hearing only what corporate radio puts out, and the casual urban listener who buys music based on what they heard at the club on Friday night. His technique is original and his selection of samples is spine tingling perfect.

3. It’s not “ripping” off the original artist. It’s elevating them. If I was a big time, crunktastic artist I would die to have a sample on this, because Gillis makes everything sound amazing. He’s spent the past two years patching this “supermix” together through trial and error, testing it on himself and live audiences at the numerous house parties he DJ’s. He’s paying homage and revolutionizing with every sound bite he samples, and yet it’s definitely “his” piece of art.

I'm on track 5 or 6, going to bed already knowing this is my favorite album of the year by a mile.

If in twenty years, a kid asks you what the music of the 00’s was like, just hand over a copy of Feed the Animals and walk away.

To download the album using the “pay what you want” system, go here.

To check out a list of all the samples he used for the record, go here.