Recently I’ve been really excited about reggae from the late 60s & 70s. I’ve been searching for old low-fi reggae to fill my summer days and came across the Analog Africa myspace, which I believe is a German DJ, playing some amazing African music. Here is a track to enjoy!
Le Super Borgou de Parakou - Congolaise Benin Ye
And oh yes…dig up some old Burning Spear and get irie!
Vu Skate Shop in Baltimore, owned by my good friends Chris Donmoyer & Gary Smith, was recently featured on FuelTV. I was down in Baltimore to help Gary & Chris paint, buff the floors, & open up shop! A little painting I did on a door inside the shop got into a little clip in the feature so take a look!
The Walrus hopes you enjoyed every hour of sunlight today!
The Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship tonight. I haven’t followed the playoffs but the Celtics put together a pretty amazing performance tonight. Kevin Garnett’s post-game interview was pretty wild as well…so much emotion. Inspiring! When Kevin Garnett started yelling “Anything is Possible!” chills ran down my spine. It was tough to capture that energy and emotion but today’s sketch is of my television during the 4th quarter of tonight’s game!
This is day two in my attempt to make a drawing every day of this week. Enjoy!
My friend Sean of Sam Champion and his girlfriend Sarah have launched a small collection called FRIENDS. FRIENDS has a seriously refreshing personality in an era of IN YOUR FACE advertising, fashion, and multimedia. Self-described as a brand dedicated to runs of “seasonally specific” clothing items, FRIENDS first offering is a simple trio. A utilitarian (and very attractive) pair of swim trunks, a 7″ single, & a zine. Cover your privates, drop the needle on your record player, and sit back under the sunshine while you enjoy a xeroxed publication. I dig it.
More at Friendscanvastrunks.com
A doodle a day keeps the heat away? We’ll see!
Once in a while it’s great fun to just buy an album without knowing anything or very little about the artist. I can remember being in Paris a couple years ago, walking into a record store, and purchasing two discs on a whim. I couldn’t read the track titles or understand the names of the albums but it was a bit of a rush. I didn’t know what I had gotten into, but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a CD player to see what there was to discover. Those two discs were just satisfactory, and I couldn’t understand the lyrics, but it didn’t stop me from continuing to take chances on music. Just over a year ago I heard the name Kashmere Stage Band, and read a small article mentioning a re-issue of this high school stage band’s music, which had been all but lost for years, existing only on a hand full of rare records. This was one shot in the dark that paid off BIG TIME! Kashmere Stage Band does not disappoint with their James Brown-esque funk anthems and high-energy sound. Dig it!
While in Tennessee last weekend I took another very successful shot in the dark when I picked up a rare compilation of the Memphis Jug Band with beautiful recordings from 1927-1932. Touching on a bit of jazz, blues, & folk the Memphis Jug Band is perfect for an early morning cup of coffee. So take a short in the dark! And if you dare please share!
Kashmere Stage Band - Take FiveKashmere Stage Band - Take Five
The other day a friend sent me a .PDF of The Artist Survival Guide. He said something like, “check this out, you may need it.” It just so happens he had stopped by earlier that day, probably took note of my messy studio area & my off-the-wall mind, and thought…”Damn, Nick is a trainwreck! I better send him some sleeping pills or something. Oh wait, look! It’s an artist survival guide. Perfect!” But in all honesty, this thing is pretty fun so check it out! I feel like I’ve seen something like this before, but I can’t remember where. Thanks Chris!
Download Artists Survival Guide (3 megs)
Last week I went to see Yo Majesty and Does it Offend You, Yeah? at Johnny Brendas in Philadelphia. The show had me dancing all night! Later on that night I ran into Shunda K of Yo Majesty and DJ Orion (Yo Majesty’s DJ) at the Barbary and they invited me to come hang out in the studio. We met up the following day at Brendan Bringem’s Philly recording studio and kicked it for most of the day. We are hoping this isn’t the last time we collaborate…Next up? Possibly a music video for Yo Majesty…stay tuned…
My good friend Jerry has been busy traveling & filming for his upcoming video project (working title Spectacular Adventures). He caught some killer frames in the Outer Banks this past week and I wanted to share. Some of these waves are bone crushing! I’m excited to be working with Jerry on the new film, and I promise you…it will not disappoint!
