Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist
-Born in 1977, Bridgeport, CT, 06606, USA.
-Trying to find the middle ground between the phrases “million units” and “artistic integrity”
-Has owned more digital cameras than any one man should
-Began laying out his own album covers long before recording a CD
-Font Whore
October 31, 2006
Here's the cover for "The Village Sessions", sue-proof.
October 28, 2006
Well, I thought this was a cool idea, but turns out it's a bit too close for comfort, legally (the post it was going to be real, applied over the jewel case and under the wrap)... Now I have to start from scratch in a hotel room iin Sydney. Maybe something that plays off the Louis Vuitton pattern? That should be kosher.
October 27, 2006
Emirates mall in Dubai, home to an indoor ski slope and a very clear message: gag on it, Vegas!!!
October 25, 2006
Got to hang for a few nights in London with Errolson Hugh, creator of ACRONYM... Turns out I've been picking up some non-ACRNM stuff he's designed for years without knowing it... I think I scared him with my vast knowledge of the line. (Model numbers and all...) Hey, when I get into something, I get IN. You show me better gear...
Pic of mine: Backstage at the show
Pic of his: My road case... or as I like to call it, the RC-ST1J.
October 25, 2006
Had the incredible opportunity to perform live at Abbey Road Studios in London this past weekend. Filmed a performance for british television, and in the very room the Beatles recorded in, no less...
The most stolen street sign of all time.
Recording console used on the last few Beatles recordings
THE piano that Paul wrote "Let it Be" on... Coudn't come out to play that day...
October 25, 2006
Visited The Hideout in London a few days ago (terrible internet service at an unnamed hotel kept me from posting real-time)... Very cool store, all killer, no filler.
The Hideout
7 Upper James St.
London W1F 9DH
October 18, 2006
Very cool sneaker/lifestyle store in Amsterdam. I was excited to see the alife tee in stock. I remember making those guitar pedals in my kitchen.
Patta
Nieuwezijds Voorbugwal 142
1012 SH - Amsterdam
October 18, 2006
Found a great jazz record store in Amsterdam today...the greatest selection of rare jazz DVDs I've ever seen. Watching Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers right now on my laptop. They'll have to restock the store once the band arrives there. When in Amsterdam, check it out.
Blue Note Jazz Zaak
Gravenstraat 12 AMSTERDAM
020 4281029
October 15, 2006
Very early prototype of the JM/New Era cap... About the only thing that will stay the same is the graphic... Lots of add-ons to come. Cap will come with a used guitar string and some other surprises. Coming a bit longer than "soon", but not as long as "some day".
October 12, 2006
Artwork for CONTINUUM CD spine wrap for Japan - I've always loved the layout on these. I may grab some of the elements and design a t-shirt...
October 12, 2006
Having visited the Surefire website recently, I was sure their flashlights were waterproof, so I threw one into the ocean, watching it strobe as it tumbled end over end in the night sky. I thought for a moment it might be fun to play a game of flashlight fetch. It turns out, however, that the website boasts "weatherproof" products, and even the finest-print logic can't stretch far enough into defining the ocean as "tightly compacted weather". Final verdict? 50 seconds in, ocean wins. Flashlight lost at sea.
October 10, 2006
Adding the following today:
CANON POWERSHOT S600 DIGITAL CAMERA
The S600 wins out for me over the coolest Leica digital camera, if only due to the size vs. quality ratio. Even the battery charger is super-small. The S600 shoots 6.0 MP with an optional 16:9 aspect ratio, which makes it a ton of fun to frame shots. Would have probably gone with the new Leica D-Lux 3 if it were out in time... Bone to pick with Leica digitals, though - big thumbs down on the proprietary USB cable that would be impossible to find on the road if it were to go missing.
EMERGEN-C PACKETS
Powdered vitamin C, on the go... Two a night and you're not getting sick until you get home.
(REDACTED) - Also adding:
+XXXXXXX
+XXX XXXX
+XXXXX
October 7, 2006
This is an intellectual exercise I've enjoyed for a while, mainly when I can't sleep... The question is, "what would you pack inside of a tactical vest to make surviving your life an easier task?" Given that I'm going to be touring abroad for the next couple of months, I thought I'd make a project out of it. For the next two weeks I'll be designing the perfect pack for travel as a singer/songwriter. Items will be chosen based on the following criteria:
+Need
+Size
+Weight
+Air Travel Compatability
I've chosen the visvim Social Sculpture Vest... More pockets than you can fill, and cut like a flak jacket.
My first addition to the vest is a flashlight - the Surefire EL1 Outdoorsman.
I was close to going with the E2D Executive defender, but given that the flashlight has a so-called "strike bezel" - a serrated outer ring - I can't say for sure that it will make it past every security check. Size wins out here, too.
More to come soon...
October 6, 2006
Ate at this place called the Striphouse, in Houston, TX... Noticed this pattern on the wallpaper and then on the napkins...
October 6, 2006
Some friends from Nike sent this along - one of the most intricate presentations I've ever seen. Giant wood crate with oxidized metal hardware, spraypainted "Lance Army" and woodburned "10/2" appointments... Includes 8 gig iPod nano, Nike+ attachment, a tee shirt, sew on patch, and of course the custom yellow Nike+ sneakers.
Pretty cool stuff...
October 5, 2006
Ever since my first visit to Japan, I've been a fan of Pocari Sweat... You can't get it easily in the states, which I've always done my best to accept. I swear a rainbow just smashed through my window when I tried Fuze Tangerine Grapefruit. It's not dead-on balls accurate, but it's close enough that I want to kick back with a Mild Seven and watch the Tigers play some ball.
October 4, 2006
When I was visiting my parents' house a few months back, I happened upon piles of posters and magazine pages that had once covered the entire area of my bedroom walls. My mother had taken them down and saved them after I had left home for Boston, MA in 1997.
It's hard to get the full scope, as many of the panels are stuck to one another with masking tape.
Sometimes it feels like my life is just one long day.
October 2, 2006
Born From:
It's crazy to think that there are 12 trucks, 6 buses and countless crew members who work to put on a show by a performing artist who submits this as his only technical specification.
October 2, 2006
Myself...
I'll be traveling for the next 18 months...Trying to find a new way to shape it so my head won't break...So I'm pretending that I'm a secret agent gathering data, masquerading as a singer/songwriter... Whatever gets you through, I guess.
Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, CA - Skull and Roses from a Grateful Dead concert, New Year's Eve, 1986/87
