Sunday, February 27, 2011

Lifeboats & Follies



Grab your skateboard and get your blood pumpin’ with a little Offspring… Rancid, perhaps? Or, maybe some Tommy Guerrero?


Tommy Guerrero? ....






Skate on over to The Hurdy Gurdy music blog to catch my latest guest writer post on this fluid Bay Area skateboarder turned musician.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

face fashion



So, I’ve experimented with the goatee off and on. This style of facial hair always elicits having my girlfriend, Rhio call me "The Colonol"... as in Sanders. Not the effect I was going for. And the mustache has come and gone so whimsically that she now takes an inventory of my face every time I walk through the door.

And yet I have feared the beard. Finally, as I fast approach the big six-oh, I am ready to get my grey on. Wanting to be on the "cutting edge" (that one's in air quotes) of face fashion, I turned to Google. Here (verbatim) is some of the inspiration I discovered....


Right this second you are a nobody in LA if you don't have a beard.

Some beard types….The Hollywood Beard, The Scandal Beard, The Charity Beard, The Mid-life Crisis Beard and The Testosterone Beard.

Beard plays an important distinction between men, it gives a person a new look, a new vibe. People like having different styles of beard and make their face look more macho thus attracting several beautiful women.

A trimmed stache and patch of hair under the lower lip says "I am a bad ass, I know it and you know it. I'm a nice enough guy but if we cross, well, you don't want that."

If you like going to clubs, listening to dance music and objectifying women, you should probably go with a tightly trimmed goatee. Or a chinstrap. Those are particularly lame. If you live in Scranton, Pa., Abilene, Texas, or Fresno, Ca., go for a mustache.

Shaggy from Scooby-Doo started a fabulous facial hair trend that is perfect for laid-back guys who want to rock a hippy style. All you have to do is let your facial hair grow out on your chin in a patch. The Shaggy chin patch is a really fun and youthful facial hair style to try out if your lifestyle allows for alternative looks.

Once you let your beard grow longer than a few inches, pretty much anything goes. You might want to think about conditioning every once in a while, but other than that, your main goal should be to keep your beard free of tangles, food, and anything with an exoskeleton. For maintenance, try whatever you can find in your shed.

Monday, February 21, 2011

lazarus taxa




Tim: They only eat vegetables, but for you, I think they'd make an exception. -Jurassic Park

Saturday, February 19, 2011

functional art


Muddy bike trails, blown out surf, heavy rain…..whatever. Bring it on. Training does not have to reach an impasse. Behold my Kossee Balance Board!!!

I was triumphant on eBay when I scored this baby. Dana creates a one of a kind art statement with each beautifully crafted board. I encouraged him to go abstract with mine and I was blown away with what evolved. When not in use, it occupies a place of display in my living room as part of the décor. It’s that nice!

Training with this board is rapidly putting me more in tune with my center and maintaining my leg strength despite rainy days of no biking. And I get inspired to use it whenever I gaze upon that design. As Dana aptly puts it, "Unique design through limit free originality.... Functional art"

Check one out here on his website.

Friday, February 18, 2011

into the music....




Jazz Between Sets
is the new release from Jim Adams and it's now available on cdbaby.

Jim brings a mellow vibe to his solo guitar jazz interpretations which derives in part from his surf excursions....thus the title. Pop this in the deck and set the mood!

And please be sure to peruse the photo and design credits.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

T-Shirt Designs


So what's up with this series of designs? (see posts of 2/12 & 2/14)

I've entered them in a graphic T-Shirt design contest for Prana.

Probably a long shot......but still worth a shot! Had fun in the process too.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Musical Mastermind
















“Hey Pops, is that really how you guys danced back then?”

“Hell yeah!” And, oddly my dancing hasn’t evolved much since.

My son’s curiosity had been piqued after viewing the Danger Buds video by Chris Joss, which appears to be assembled of vintage movie clips from the late sixties.



Indeed Danger Buds caught the very essence of that place in time; yet with his music, Chris Joss does much more than explore the sixties/seventies scenario. He spans musical genres including electronica, ethereal, funk, breakbeat and beyond. His songs would even resonate in movie soundtracks, conjuring up imagery reminiscent of some fly blaxploitation flick or bad ass cop classic. Expect funky rhythms and pumped up basslines and even heavy sitar grooves. The listening is fun and engaging, with a dose of vintage reverence.

This extraordinary multi instrumentalist and studio producer is even self-taught! As a Frenchman, who had lived in London for most of the 90s, he brings a cross cultural flair to his work.

And as if some Danger Buds were not enough…. prepare to get really funked up with Optical. This video is a visual and studio masterpiece!



Check out Mo Lovin from his new release Monomaniacs, and what’s not to love? Or how about the intense Night Scare from Sticks? Picking any track at random also works; since each cut has much to offer, being the product of this diversely prolific musical mastermind!


CAD cruiser











An assemblage of Autocad with Photoshop, featuring yours truly... abstracted from a shot by Loren.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Code Name: THUNDERBALL







Check out my latest post as a guest writer on THG.









No, it's not that Thunderball.....but who could resist?






Some feedback c/o THG....
I need to tell u!!!!!! I waz scrolling through twitter and Thunderball's twitter
referenced space patrol! They loved it and shared a link to the post!!!!!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

backyard universe



We are stardust
We are golden
And weve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden -Joni Mitchell