Top TEN for TWELVE

Lots of good albums for 2012! These were my favorite - In no order below, if it wasn't pressed to vinyl it doesn't exist. I'm no good at describing music, plus you guys all know how to spell YouTube so if you're into it you can look it up.

Darkside - Clown and Sunset
Burial - Street Halo 12" and also Kindred 12"
OFF! - OFF!
Moon Duo - Circles
High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
Santigold - Master of My Make Believe
Kim Phuc - Copsucker
Horseback - Half Blood
Divine Fits - These Are Divine Fits
9th Ward Marching Band - Sneakin' Up the Street
Diplo - Express Yourself
The Men - Open Your Heart
the Evens - the Odds
Mark Lannegan Band - Blues Funeral

ummmmmmm

KAWS and the NYC Subway

All aboard the KAWS train! Not only is Brian Donnelly, the artist better known as KAWS, the fifth living artist to have a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, he also designed the entire campaign for it as well. Among the highlights of the campaign is this incredible 3-car MTA shuttle wrapped inside and out with KAWS’ design. The S train travels exclusively between Grand Central and Times Square, two of the biggest transit hubs in New York City, accessible by almost any other train. Also, since it just goes back and forth between the two stations, that means it’s never more than 5-minutes away.

Wine Labels

I only choose wine to buy because of the labels. Here are some good ones!

Anthony is Pissed

"For the past eight years, I’ve been making a television show called NO RESERVATIONS. I wrote it. I executive produced it. And I appeared in it. My partners and I always tried hard to make it good. " Sounds like Anthony Bourdain and the Travel Channel are splitsville. Too bad, I dig the show.

Why Does Vinyl Sound So Good?

"However, there is one format that attracts fanatical devotion above and beyond any other– vinyl. For over a century, music lovers have held it dear for the physicality and warmth it affords sound, not to mention the addictive excitement of record hunting." Oh man how I love "record hunting" Another article on why the wax just sounds better. Indeed.

Still Life Quick Heart

Just some great still life paintings, click away the day.....

Fred Perry Interview with Bradley Wiggins

Bradley Wiggins talks Small Faces, Weller, Fred Perry shirts, Manchester, etc.... good read.

Chris Ware Interview

"My head looks like an uncooked ham with glasses." - Chris Ware

AND......... Wendy's Gets a New Logo

After 29 years, Wendy's logo and mascot is getting a makeover. New Logo

Old Logo

Timeless Design, Apple Borrows from Braun

Braun created its first design department in 1956, headed by Dr. Fritz Eichler, who instituted a collaboration with the Ulm School of Design to develop a new product line. The company introduced its famous SK4 record player, designed by a youthful Dieter Rams. Rams soon became the most influential designer at Braun, and was a key figure in the German design renaissance of the late 1950s and 1960s. Eventually he became the head of Braun’s design staff and retired in 1995. Check out the similarities here.

Oregon Reclaimed Wood Surfers

wow! great work gentlemen!!!

Where Can I Get This Jacket?

and those shoes are dope too

Arby's Logo Change

man, this is a disaster!

Museum of Oddities

Vladimir Cobweb - The Curator - Collector of strange and wonderful things, Vladimir is unfortunately not the most organised of souls. His Museum of Oddities is a place of wonderment and reflection for the citizens of Retropolis. The small detail that some of the item’s annotations are a little wide of the mark factually doesn’t seem to have bothered anyone.

Vintage Pics of Records Being Made

Vintage Pics of Records Being Made

Siggi Eggertsson - Illustrator

The Icelandic illustrator Siggi Eggertsson, born in 1984 in Akureyri, has just updated his portfolio, the opportunity for us to rediscover his original work at the limit of pixel art.

Phone Booth Aquariums

WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT! WANT!

1965 Vespa Super Sport

a really great photo essay on the Vespa Super Sport 180 I mean really top notch photos here! Of course I'm partial to the '65 SS!

and mine below:

Shepard Get Probation

He was sentenced Friday to two years of probation and 300 hours of community service by a judge.

Bukowski - the Aliens

great photo set to accompany Bukowski's "the Aliens" poem. Well done.

Killer Packaging

Naked Beer

Whip Cream Lady!

from Herb Alpert's Cover

Vinyl & Elijah Wood & Bushmills

Montana Spider Effect

I love this! Check out the spider web looking spray effect.

Chunklet on the "Wheel of Punk"

so fucking great!

Intellectual Property War in the Nail Space

Can I get an "Oh Brother!" for goons sending out

the cease and desist letters?

I'm Pretty Sure I NEED This

Bugasalt

I Can't Do Free

Sharon Hayes writes a brilliant essay on how and why she can no longer do free work, as a graphic designer/UI/creative guy I get these kind of requests all the time. Sharon nails it here. FTA: "In a typical day, I get anywhere from 10 to 50 questions and requests to do something for others at no charge. A small number of these are from actual friends, some are from acquaintances, some from people who know me (and I don’t know them) and others from referrals. I know that many others are in a similar situation. Perhaps not getting nearly the same volume as I do, but nonetheless, it is troublesome or has the potential to be so. "

Drawing on Skin

love this project! ink on faces

Interview with Dave Wilkinson

local Denver hero Dave Wilkinson gets interviewed about his long time employer(and my favourite shop!) Wax Trax

ESPN Body Issue

pretty neat photos from the new ESPN Body Issue - athletes naked doing their sport thing - naughty bits cleverly hidden.

Tattoos by Jef Palumbo

wow man stellar work

!

Still My Favorite Drummer

Dave Lombardo gets interviewed on LoudWire and talks about a new EP for SLAYER coming out!

Got My First Tattoo

well not me, but the cat who does the lovely BeerorKid blog and he did the logo of Williams the pinball maker, I have been toying with this logo too as a tattoo - of course I'd flip mine over and make it an "M". Williams is hands down my favorite pinmaker too. Nice job!

Hunger Games - Before and After Photoshop

, ummmm, I'll take the curves anytime. I guess it's done fairly well but skinny is not the right answer. Jennifer Lawrence in GQ - before and after airbrush and tweak.

Rob Delaney's Take on High on Fire

As you know, I am a huge fan of High on Fire as well, good work Rob!

10 Brands That Will Disappear in 2013

Each year, 24/7 Wall St. identifies 10 important American brands that we predict are going to disappear within a year. This year’s list reflects the brutally competitive nature of certain industries and the reason why companies cannot afford to fall behind in efficiency, innovation or financing.

Using Lightening to Make Glass Vase

this is so cool

Table for Summer

oh I like this one

Vinyl Killers

New Miller 64 Graphics

LOVE THIS

Punch Top Can!

this is awesome! Miller, please share this patent with my favorite flavors!!

Mr. DIV

this is a sweet TUMBLR site.

Nicolas Jaar

I LOVE Nicolas Jaar. I pick up every single piece of vinyl he makes, THIS is awesome

. Musician and owner of record label Clown & Sunset, Nicolas Jaar, has just released a new collection of tracks entitled Don't Break My Love, not on CD or vinyl, but on a small aluminium cube called The Prism… Don't Break My Love is a 12-track label showcase and the 4x4x4cm cube it is released on (above) sports two holes (headphone sockets) and four unlabelled buttons. Jaar tells us that it as well as vinyl, the small metal cube will be the primary format for future releases on Clown & Sunset.

Matthew Cusick

Painting with maps, so good!

Restaurant Mental Health Code Violations

Some of these are great, especially if you've worked in the industry. FTA: "Customer over the age of thirty-five is told by server that chocolate dessert is “tight,” “off the hook,” and also “the bomb.” "Party of seven all wearing flip-flops in plain sight."

Record Store Day

Interesting article on Record Store Day I .did not go this year for the first time. I did have some family stuff going on but I could have made some time if I wanted to. I saw the 2012 RSD as quite different than past years. This year seemed much more about labels and distribution not about bands or special releases. Just lots of stuff repressed as a release - but not much in the weird B side kinda thing department. Jack White did some interesting things as he always does but more stuff like repressing the Misfits Walk Among Us on colored vinyl..... bah. Hopefully next year they will get back into the spirit of releasing things that are B sides and other oddball things.

How to Enjoy a Turntable Without Obsessing

Buying records is easy. You can find them by the milk crate at yard sales, for a few dollars apiece in used record stores. But buying the instrument needed to listen to them, a turntable, is a different matter.

I'm Loving THIS

Sushi with lazer cut seaweed

the RISE of VINYL

really great article on records by Joe Petro. FTA:
"Think about the last time you decided to listen to music. Now think about the last time “listening to music” was the sole activity you were engaged in. By this, I mean the music was not just accompaniment to some other activity, like commuting to work, surfing the Internet, or cooking. Obviously music can compliment all these things well, but it can also be great on its own.

Anyway, my guess is that it’s been awhile since you put on an album, laid down on your bed, and listened to it for 45 minutes. If I’m correct, I suggest that you try it out. And if you don’t think you have the self-control to do it on your own, maybe buy some fresh vinyl and give it a spin."

the World Broken Down by Religion

killer infographic

Full size here.

Jack White Releases New Flexi by Balloon!

Three weeks prior to the April 24 release of his debut album Blunderbuss (Third Man Records/Columbia), Third Man Records has premiered the as yet unreleased Jack White album track "Freedom at 21" exclusively via 1000 flexi-disc records attached to helium balloons launched from the label headquarters in Nashville on April 1st, 2012.

Nice Interview with Derek Riggs

How do you feel about The Number Of The Beast sleeve 30 years on? Many people would say it’s the definitive Iron Maiden artwork – would you agree?

I turned out a lot of pictures back then. I did them and they shot out the door, then I never saw them again. Really that picture is just one more in a very long line of pictures that I did in the 1980s. I am a professional illustrator and I don’t get emotionally attached to my pictures. They are just the means for me to earn a living. For me to become attached to a picture would be rather like a carpenter getting attached to a chair. It’s a bit ridiculous really.

I don’t know if it’s the definitive Maiden cover. That’s not my call really, that’s up to the fans. I did a load of pictures for Maiden, they covered a vast area of subject matter. I am not sure what would make one definitive and another one not. What defines Maiden’s covers? I don’t know, the first one I guess, the one set the place for Eddie. All the others followed that first one.

I wish I had more time to paint it, I could have done a much better job. Maybe I should do a new version, now that I have more time to do it. I could do it the way I really wanted to. Or maybe I can’t be bothered… What do you think I should do?

read the rest in here

Mark Jenkins

a bunch of art work from Mark Jenkins

Get some in here!

SantiGold

new track! yes!

Aaron Draplin

Aaron Draplin is a personal hero of mine. Good hard work done right. Thanks for all you do Aaron.

Aaron Draplin - Insights 2012 Design Lecture Series

One Tiny Hand

so. great.
One Tiny Hand.

New Interview with Barry McGee

Barry McGee is one of my all time favorites.
BARRY MCGEE AND SAMUEL BORKSON: A CONVERSATION

Spring is Coming

My favorite time of year to burn some fossil fuels. If you've never ridden a Vespa this video will give you a pretty good idea of what it feels like. Smiles and looking around. I.Can't.Wait.

That's how strong my love is/EN VESPA (UNOFFICIAL) from Marc Gurung on Vimeo.

Shepard Fairey Pleads Guilty

Shepard Fairey, the Los Angeles street artist, has entered a guilty plea in his criminal case with the Associated Press. The artist pled guilty in a New York court to one count of criminal contempt for destroying documents, manufacturing evidence and other misconduct in his case involving his "Hope" poster of Barack Obama.

the Scream

The Scream expected to fetch $80 million when it is auctioned this spring... only version with a frame hand-painted by the artist.

Skateboarding

For Skateboarding and the City from Nathan Factor Sacharow on Vimeo.

WholeFoods

In my always ongoing attempts at eating better I have been reading the WholeFoods blog - it's packed with really good information about nutrition and good habits. There's some info on what's on sale and stuff too, but mostly good tips on eating better. Check it out here. WholeFoods blog.

GHOST RIDER

my absolute favorite comic rag as a kid, the hollywood movie - notsomuch. I loved Ghost Rider, got me through some tough pre-adolescent times. So reading this is sad and frustrating on a personal level as well as from a copyright point of view.

FTA:
"Marvel forces Ghost Rider creator to stop saying he's Ghost Rider creator.
After nearly five years of bitter and depressing legal back-and-forth only slightly ameliorated by the fact that it concerned a biker with a flaming skull, Marvel has won a lawsuit that forces Ghost Rider creator Gary Friedrich to stop identifying himself as “Ghost Rider creator Gary Friedrich,” simply because he is the creator of Ghost Rider."

Roxx TwoSpirit

some pretty neat designs

Google's New Privacy

Interesting stuff to consider....
FTA:
"Up until March 1, 2012, the data Google collected on you when you used YouTube was carefully cabined away from your other Google products. So, in effect, Google could use data they collected on YouTube to improve and customize the users’ YouTube experience, but couldn’t use the data to customize and improve user experience on, say, Google+."

TurnTable Kitchen's Top 10 Reasons to Buy Records

solid list and dead on!

FTA:
"For me, the ritual involved in playing my records is delicious. I’ll thumb through my record collection delightedly examining the spines of the records in my library before my fingers come to rest on the album I’m seeking. I’ll carefully pull the record out and remove the LP from the jacket. I examine the surface of the record in the light for dust and, if necessary, swiftly brush off any lint or dust that has collected. Next, I carefully place the record on the platter and clamp it to the spindle. I quickly blow on the stylus to remove any dust or fuzz that has collected there before lifting and subsequently lowering the needle to the record. The soft thump I hear when the needle makes initial contact with the vinyl is alone worth savoring. If music is a religion, then this is the sacrament."

Type Matters

Nice letter to Brad Bird of Pixar from Matthew Butterick on the use of the font Verdana in the latest Mission Impossible movie.

"Verdana is a Microsoft font designed in 1996 designed to optimize the legibility of small text on low resolution computer screens. It wasn't intended for large size text on high resolution movie screens."

Read the letter here.

DC Comics ReBrands

New logo

Read about it here.

Denver Post Interviews Local Hero Jason Heller

"I grew up in a solidly blue-collar family full of truck drivers, waitresses and convicts," Heller said last week. "I know it sounds like a bad country song, but it's true. I'm one of the first people in my family to attend college."
Read it here.

Jason, enjoy the kudos and credit you deserve every stitch of it! Can't wait to keep reading what's next!

RIP King Stitt

"No matter what the people say

These sounds leads the way

It’s the order of the day

From your boss deejay, I, King Stitt

Haul it from the top

To the very last drop !"
- King Stitt

Rest in Peace Ugly One!

Vinyl Sales Increase 39% in 2011