Relax

"There is nothing that can give us any direction except our own mind. We need to give it the possibility to relax, to stop thinking for a little while, to have a moment of peace and quiet, so that it can renew itself. Without that renewal of energy, it decays just the same as everything else does. If the mind is taken care of, it will take care of us."

         - Ayya Khema

Photography:  Walker Evans

All Hail Hillman

Hillman Curtis literally wrote the book on media design and he hasn't stopped the train since.  Not only does Mr. Curtis still dominate the world of web design, he also has started writing/producing some of the freshest short films out right now.  Also, over the past several years Curtis has also produced several insightful "behind the scenes" artist series.  

The Lawrence Weiner series is my absolute favorite.  Who else could make a self-rolled cigarette look so cool?  

Hillman Curtis

Take Me For Me

" I don't do what I do in order to make people like me, or to prove something, or to be the best.  I do it for myself"

-  Josef Koudelka

Photo by: Henri Cartier-Bresson 

Even Legends Die Some Day

Legendary female photgrapher and native New Yorker, Helen Levitt, passed away this week at the age of 95.  Levitt, a self-reliant rebel from Bensonhurst , embodied the no-nonsense New York attitude in her body of work spanning from the early 1930s until the mid 1980s. 

 

Levitt opened the eyes of America to the sullen corners of Harlem and the Lower East Side in a style reflecting her influences, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Walker Evans.  In a showing of loyalty, Levitt stayed true to her native city only straying a handful of times to photograph in Mexico City.  

Levitt earned her photography bones unabashedly navigating the mean streets of some of the early 20th century's toughest neighborhoods armed with little more than a camera and an uncanny eye for compsition.   Levitt chose to buck the high gloss world of gallery art instead finding her voice and fame in the dramatic faces hanging on every marginalized corner living out an surreal drama of poverty and city life.

Even at the age of 95 I can't help but think that a spirit like Helen Levitt has passed too soon.

Her work can be viewed here.

Dream On

Finally the full scope of Maurice Sendak's wildly popular childrens book, Where The Wild Things Are, will be realized in living color on the big screen.  Thanks to the imagination of director Spike Jonze and a all-star cast featuring Paul Dano, Forrest Whittaker,and Catherine Keener,the child in all of us will once again be lost in the world of gentle giants and moonlit adventures.

For the handful of those unlucky individuals who didn't get tucked in to bed listening to the tale, the story follows Max a young boy who ,after being sent to bed with no supper, creates a world in which he becomes crowned king of the monsters.

Check out the trailer to see what all the hype is about.  Spike is a genius, but judging from the two minute teaser this may be his magnum opus.

The magic starts October 16th of this year at all local theaters. 

Where am I?

Not all who wander are lost.

 -  J.R.R. Tolkien

The photo is a John Vink

Good Morning....

This song always turns my mood in the right direction.  

Hope everyone has the same reaction.

Tyler is an amazing musician. Check him out live if the chance arises. 

Plus he has an amazing beard most of the time!

Check him out here

By My Side

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

-  Denis Waitley

Stop the Insanity

"Peace does not come from winning a battle, peace arises when we all stop fighting"

- Ghandi

 If one voice can make a difference, imagine what millions could do!  If nothing else we all have a chance to fix what is wrong in our world.  No American boy or girl/ man or woman should be dying in other countries for an empty cause.  Let's bring them back home soon!  We have bigger problems in our own backyards.

 Sorry for the rant.

crocodile tears

Vans has done it again with the newest member of its vault line.  The new Vans hi vault will be hitting the streets in early fall and adorning the ever popular lines will be some faux crocodile skin.  Available in three different color schemes, these kicks are Van's most outrageous and interesting combo to date.  If nothing elses, Vans is at least still taking major steps at continuing to offer fresh options.

Keep your eyes peeled for a chance to snag a pair this fall

VANS

Tick Tock

"Isn't there a curious elegance in how one moment passes into another?"

- Stephen Dunn

Philly In the House

Explicit Ills, the directorial debut of formerly homeless actor Mark Webber, is opening this week in Philadelphia's Ritz at the Bourse Theater after a very successful run in NYC and several festival awards.  Next week it will hit LA.  

Webber and some of the cast will be making an appearance at the 7:30 show tomorrow night.  If you are in the area come support Mark and his dream in his hometown.  Explicit Ills is a beautiful story with a stacked cast and one hell of a message.

Check it out...

What Did You Say?

My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.

- Ernest Hemmingway

Not Just Boys Fun

"the Heartless Bastards are a small-town band who are ready to show the big city no mercy".

- Rolling Stone Magazine

Until the emergence of rock trio Heartless Bastards, Dayton, Ohio had never rocked so hard.  Clean guitar and percussion fuse with the throaty vocals of front woman, Erika Wennerstrom, to deliver the knock out punch of Wennerstrom's soul-baring lyrics.

I know what you are saying. Another girl fronted garage band? Didn't Courtney Love already ruin this formula?   Think again!  Even with just an acoustic guitar in hand, Wennerstrom will blow your socks off.  

Do yourself a favor and change your life...listen to a Heartless Bastards album or better yet go see them live. They have been pounding the road for years and testing out their material live.  How else would a small town band catch the eye of Rolling Stone?

heartless bastards music

A Little Late

Pete Fahey, a founding member of Sneaker Pimps, has unleashed on the world one of the most needed iphone apps known simply as iSkateboard.  Pretty self explanatory, huh?

iSkateboard uses a GPS based application to help users locate over 30,000 skate spots, skate shops, and basically anything you can grind a deck over within 50 miles of our current location.  If you haven't guessed it yet, this app is not just some run of the mill list of lame spots. This app is the compilation of all the secret sweet spots of the world's most hardcore skaters giving you turn by turn directions to each.

So I only have one question...  Where was this when I was skating the local church steps?

Bringing It Back

The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars...

- Jack Kerouac

For anyone who thinks they missed the sixties, think again. Scott 

Pommier, a boundless young photographer from Canada now residing 

in sweet California, is bringing the 60's spirit back with every look 

through the lens.  

     Focusing on both the booming motorcycle scene in Oakland and 

the growing  world of skateboard photography, Scott applies both a 

simplistic  eye with a natural manipulation of the film camera.  

Pommier accomplishes the difficult task of conveying motion and

spirit in a still shot.

Take a look at Scott's work and settle in to feel your heart rate 

increase with the envy of the open road.  If you don't want to quit 

your job and grow a beard  after checking out Scott's stuff, then 

you need to check your pulse.

scottpommier.com  

Ground Zero

“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”

- Napoleon Hill

Suprise

       If you live anywhere near California and are even mildly thinking about attending the Coachella Festival next month--go!  Seattle's favorite little garage-rock band, The Murder City Devils, will be taking the stage.

After a 9 year hiatus, with only a handful of sporadic shows in between, the MCD crew is back on the move.  For anyone who has been a fan of their music this news is basically on the same level as announcing Elvis' return.

Also, if you are ever in Seattle, take a run by frontman Spencer Moody's self-proclaimed "junk shop" , The Anne Bonny, and either buy some novelty accoutrements or take in an art show/musical performance.

For tour info:

http://www.themurdercitydevils.com/

for antique awesomeness:

www.theannebonny.com

Dear Santa...

If you could squeeze this bike down my chimney  next Christmas, I will believe in you again!

         For any bike enthusiast who hasn't been living under a rock for the past few years, I am sure you have seen this bike a thousand times.  

     Shinya Kimura, brings new meaning to the word "functional art". 

  Whether you know him from his Zero Engineering days or his recent solo ventures, Shinya is hands down the most innovative and impressive motorcycle builders alive right now.  

www.zero-eng.com

I Miss You

Talent is what you possess; genius is what possesses you.

-Malcolm Cowley

Many times artists are not recognized in life for their true talent.  

      Their devotion to a chosen craft is often construed and labeled 

as mere insanity. Their need for self-expression overshadows

society's need for conformity.   

Jim McHale was a true artist in every sense of the word, and ,

although he is no longer with us, his art is a reminder that going 

against the norm and creating a life of your own is more important

than following rules.

Art is meant to be seen, so take a look.

www.jimmchale.com

Left Foot, Right Foot.

"Do not feel overwhelmed by the length of this journey. All you ever need  to do is focus on one thing, what you are doing. Stay on the path and put one foot in front of the other - that is all. There is joy in the struggle."

- Philip Toshio Sudo

Thank you Whiskey River  !

whiskeyriver.blogspot.com

Welcome Home

     According to President Obama, many of our boys will be coming 

home from Iraq.   Hopefully we welcome them back better than we 

have in the past.  It isn't their fault we are at war !

http://welcomebackveterans.org/

American Voyeur

      Everyone deep down has something they need to get off their chest.  Its a part of living to carry around a dirty little secret.  

Even more, everyone wants to know what each other's  unmentionables are.

     Frank Warren, the artist who created Post Secrets, now gives us all a glimpse into the deviant lives of others as well as providing anyone who needs it an outlet to get their secrets out.

     His books are amazing, and each entry is an anonymous secret mailed on a post card to Warren.

    While both therapeutic and genius all rolled into one, Warren's secret revelations are a mixture of funny, sad, dark, and bizarre.  No secrets are edited or off limits, giving us an unrestricted look at how messed up we all really are.

Let the voyeurism begin!

www.postsecrets.com

or if you have something you need to fess up to, mail it in to:

Post Secret

13345 Copper Ridge Rd

Germantown,, Maryland

 20874