Gainfully Unemployed

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again… I am the busiest unemployed dude you know (or don’t know). But who needs a “real job” anyway?

It seems like these posts are getting fewer and further between but I haven’t given up yet and I neither do I intend to. I’ve just been a busy little bee lately with tons of new projects that just keep adding up. But I’m not complaining, not one bit!

So here’s what I’m working on these days:

Chicken & Whiskey

That’s my band and my most creative endeavor. As a drummer, I’m used to the background, providing the rhythm and leaving the creation to the song-writers but this time I get to sing. Well not sing so much as scream, I have no singing voice to speak of but I do okay. It’s a completely different animal to try and sing while you percuss (is that a word?) It’s like throwing another limb into the mix and it’s trickier than you might think. Writing lyrics is hard too so for now I just repeat shit.
We’ve had a good run so far. It usually takes a while for a band to book out of town shows but our first two were in Gainesville and St. Augustine, respectively. We’ve only played Jacksonville twice and our next show is July 28 at Doozer’s Pub with Republicorpse, Time To Die, Buff Clout, and National Dairy. We’ve also played Pensacola, Savannah twice and hopefully Orlando real soon.
So far the feedback has been phenomenal, despite our many fuck-ups and the occasional technical difficulty. Just yesterday we played a fest in Savannah for the 4th and the sound guy turned us off during our last song. Apparently there were some kids returning from some kind of dolphin tour during the middle of one of Big Dunn’s colorful impromptu segues. It was fun though.
Be sure and hit up our MySpace page to hear our crummy home recording and stop by Burro or catch us around town to snag a Florida Is For Haters shirt. We’ll be printing new ones tomorrow with a gnarly design by Dylan, your favorite boozehole bartender (the image up top)!

Burro Bags

Before I moved back to Jacksonville from Afghanistan, I spent a lot of time learning about all the cool shit that was going on here while I was gone. One of them, of course was Burro Bags. Even from 10,000 miles away, I could tell Matt and Chris were onto some serious shit and made owning one of their custom bags a top priority upon my return. In September of last year I had them make me a bag out of one of my sea bags and desert cammie uniforms. It turned out awesome and I still take it with me almost everywhere. Fast-forward and here I am working (and living) as part of the Burro family.
In an effort to enhance online sales and marketing, Matt and Chris sought the aide of GoFresh Design to build a better, more functional website. It looks incredible but takes a bit of work to keep current. Enter me. It is my esteemed pleasure to contribute to the success of the Burro brand through managing all of Burro’s online content, including the blog and Twitter feed. I’ll be tackling the MySpace page and setting up a Facebook page in the near future. Believe me when I say that we are going to be taking things to the next level and beyond as time goes by.

EU

Some time ago, Kellie from EU interviewed Tom and I about JaxScene. While in the photo pit at Harvest of Hope this year, Kellie approached me about doing an album review and I jumped at the opportunity to further refine my writing chops (and get my hands on advance albums). Since then I’ve been writing regularly for the monthly about everything from biking to nightlife to comic books (in this month’s issue). But my main area of focus is music, both local and on a global level. I am constantly running around doing interviews, listening to music, and checking out shows to bring what I feel is the most comprehensive music coverage in Northeast Florida. I have my own page now on the website with all the articles I’ve written and hopefully, very soon we will be launching an all new music page with the help of a very talented cat you call know. But I don’t want to spoil the surprise just yet. Suffice it to say, this thing is going to be big, no EPIC! I am envisioning it as more than just a resource but a portal for the Jacksonville music scene and I couldn’t be more excited about it and the platform it will provide for this city’s talented artists.
I’ve also set up a Twitter account (@eu_music) solely dedicated to the Jacksonville music scene that I update as much as possible about shows each night and other interesting little tidbits.

Urban Jacksonville Weekly

This is my newest endeavor. As I mentioned before, in preparation for my return to Jax I was trolling the interwebs and Urban Jacksonville was the place that turned me on to almost every cool thing I’ve found in this city. So when Joey asked me to be a part of the weekly podcast, I couldn’t refuse.
As “producer” I will be managing the interactive side of things, interfacing with listeners and commenters while Joey, Tony and Jonathan do their thing. I’m sure I will be adding my two cents from time to time and I’ll also have a little segment on upcoming music-related events. If you haven’t seen (or heard) this yet I strongly encourage you to check it out and join the dialogue. No one else in Jacksonville is taking such a unique approach to moving the city forward and I am proud to be a part of it.
Tune in every Tuesday at 5:30 to watch the show or you can subscribe to it on iTunes to download the audio.

As you can see, it’s been a busy summer but that hasn’t stopped me from having the most rad time possible. In the four years I’ve lived in Jax, this is the first summer I’ve spent stateside and so far it’s been incredible.

Adios amigos!

I <3 Twitter!

This particular ramble is in response to a conversation I had a couple of days ago between a fellow Twitterer, myself, and some non-Twitterers.

First, the scene. I was at the Pre-International Noise Conference Show at a house on College Street and had sent out a tweet explaining as much. Two people who follow me showed up because I had tweeted it. That ignited the conversation.

When you mention Twitter these days you seem to get one of three responses:

• OMG, I love Twitter! Follow me, I’ll follow you!
• WTF is Twitter?
• Oh no, are you geeks talking about Twitter again?!

This particular conversation evoked the third response unfortunately. So I began to wonder why this is. I think it has to do with the insider-ness that comes with it. It’s the same thing with Mac-users and LOST-watchers I think. When someone brings it up, those in the know geek the fuck out and those who aren’t groan at having to hear you preach the gospel that is Twitter/Apple/LOST/whatever. And admittedly, I didn’t get it at first either. It’s one of those things you have to try out and settle into before you realize its potential.

I realize I’m probably preaching to the choir here. Chances are if you habitually read blogs, you already tweet your ass off. But on the off chance you stumbled here and are one of the uninitiated, allow me to count the ways I love Twitter.

First things first, Twitter is simply micro-blogging. Because most of us, even my unemployed ass, are too busy to sit down and write out blog posts all day long and some things are interesting but not necessarily blog-worthy, Twitter allows you to put it out there in 140 characters or less. Nowadays people have expanded the possibilities of what you can do with such a simple concept and it’s quite impressive.

So let’s say you are one of my followers. Maybe you are an acquaintance of mine or maybe you like what you read here and we’ve never actually met. Either way, on any given night you can check your Twitter feed and possibly learn of something going on that sounds really awesome that you might never have known about otherwise. Not only that, but I frequently use other programs like Loopt, which interface with Twitter to show you a picture and a Google Map of where I’m at. Now, instead of seeing pictures of an event on JaxScene days after the fact, you can see what is going on as it happens and ensure you are in the place to be. Or, you know, you can just be really witty or share a cool link.

Bottom line is, Twitter allows you to catch things as they happen and with the right device, from anywhere. I think it’s safe to say that at least half of the people I follow locally I met via Twitter. Srsly! So this is a call to all you Jaxvillians out there to give it a try. Sign up and follow me here. And here’s some folks I recommend following:

Locals

• Joey Marchy – Joey writes Urban Jacksonville (duh) and frequently announces secret projects or blogs on the go with his Twitter. A must-follow for all Jacksonville blog-hounds.
• The Urban Core – You already read the blog so this is another must-follow.
• jaxdotcom – This is the Florida Times-Union tweet-machine. It’s pretty cool to get local news updates on the go through this one.
• JaxScene – Duhhhhhhh!
• Jacksonville Confidential – Are you picking up on the pattern here? The blogs are only the tip of the iceberg. All the real action is on Twitter yo!
• JaxBeard – Tweets about beards. Nuff said!

There are several other local movers and shakers that are excellent Twitterers you can check out on my Following page.

Geeky Stuff

• Wil Wheaton – He played Ensign Wesley Crusher on Star Trek:TNG and he’s just a big geek, blogger, actor, and all-around amusing guy. Expect to read conversations between him and his iTunes.
• Felicia Day – The object of every fanboy and geek’s affection. She was in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and produces her own web show about WoW players called The Guild.
• Kevin Rose – This dude is like my age and is like king of the geeks. He created Digg and Pownce if that means anything to you. He also does a webshow called Diggnation with…
• Alex Albrecht – He also does The Totally Rad Show.
• Andrew Baron – He started Rocketboom, an internet pop culture show.

Other

• Warren Ellis – The wildest writer in comics. Man rarely sleeps due to an insane Red Bull addiction and spends most of the day at the pub (he lives in England). The shit he says is the most absurd bunch of nonsense in the Twitterverse!
• Shepard Fairey – Probably not the real Shep but it seems like an official Twitter account for Obey. Pretty much just lets you know when new blog posts are published.

Just so you are in the know, there is talk of a forthcoming Twestival for all you happy tweet-monkeys out there, so stay tuned for more right here or check the source. In closing I’ll send you back to Revision3 for a sweet little video by the good people at Epic Fu about how to be a Twitter power-user. Now go forth and tweet!

Beards Are The New Black!

Hopefully you haven’t yet shaved that weekend stubble because it’s time to grow out that beard, son!



The Jacksonville Beardsmith Society is starting a Pub Night on the last Tuesday of every month right around the corner at Steamworks in 5 Points! The group is the local chapter of Beard Team USA, who compete against the rest of the world in annual competitions to determine who has the most rad facial hair. The group has a simple little website up, a new logo courtesy of Dog & Pony Showprints, and a Twitter account you can follow. And of course, there is a Facebook group and a MySpace page as well.

So, if you aren’t keeping track, the meet-up is tomorrow night at 7:30. Bring your bearded or mustachioed face, or just show up and borrow a beard. I guess bearded ladies are welcome too, and of course, chicks who dig facial hair!

Happenings: Oct 24-26

TGIF!

Friday, October 24

Green Retail Tour @ BBB Warehouse 1520 Main St – 5pm
Speaker – Jay McGovern 6pm
Free Obama signs then free beer at Shantytown!

Rocky Horror Picture Show Block Party @ The Florida Theatre – 8pm
Street Festival starts at 8pm and doors open for the movie at 11pm. Tix are $5 and prop kits can be purchased for $15.

Portugal. The Man with Earl Greyhound, Wintersleep and Bermuda @ Jack Rabbits

Coyote Throat with Bridge and Tunnel, Oh Pioneers and Environmental Youth Crunch @ Shantytown

Saturday, October 25

Dark Art Celebration @ Seawalk Hotel in Jax Beach – 7pm
21+ $5, Under 21 $7

Sunday, October 26

The Zombie Walk
Starts at The London Bridge Pub at 2pm and proceeds to 9th and Main for the afterparty.

Don’t forget to check JaxScene for anything I’ve missed. It’s updated every day with the night’s goings-on.

Free Obama Signs and Beer

According to The Urban Core, there is a little somethin-somethin going down at the BBB Warehouse tomorrow evening. Starts at 5pm, guest speaker at 6pm, and then Shantytown. More info here.

The Night Ride Recap

You were there, right?

Well, if not, you missed out. Srsly!

I rolled up to Fuel early as hell on Saturday morning and helped Matt set things up. Alexis from Villin Cycle Works in Gainesville arrived pretty early as well with the most beautiful bikes you ever laid eyes on. Here is the Globatron interview. I didn’t hear any sound but you can still check out the bikes and the handsome devil who walks out the door at 05:15, NICE!

My job all day was to sell raffle tickets, the grand prize for which was an electric bike from Jax eBikes donated by Dyllan. While waiting for the folks to arrive I made sure to check out all the sick bike art at Flux. Very cool stuff, if you missed it. Here’s the Globatron interview about the show with Matt via Globatron.

Throughout the day people came and went checking out the bike polo, bike maintenance workshops courtesy of the Zombie kids, and of course, the Bold City brewery tours. Gotta love that Red Ale! Matt from Burro Bags was the big winner of the raffle, winning the eBike, which you can ride at the shop if you want.

The traffic through Fuel throughout the day was like a trickle, but as the ride approached, 5 Points was full of bikes and cyclists. The ride was wicked cool and we owned the streets! We even got some friendly reminders of bicycle laws from the Sherrif’s Dept, heh.

I think I speak for most everyone when I say what a great time it was and big ups to Matt for putting it all together. We learned a lot about what to work on for the next one which will be even better than a pretty unbeatable event.

Check out some pics of the ride itself and my pics of the day’s festivities.

Casting Call

Local film production krew, KillaCozzy are hosting auditions on Sep 13-14 and 20-21 and extras casting on the 13th and 20th in the UNF Lazzara Recital Hall and lobby of the Fine Arts Center (respectively) for their “independent ‘art film’”, Self-Portrait.

Here’s the plot:

Calvin, in his mid-20s and a struggling painter, has always tried to do the right thing while not sacrificing his own desire to one day become a successful artist.

Unable to adequately provide for or satisfy his longtime girlfriend, Nancy, he begrudgingly makes a series of artistic and ethical concessions that promise fame and wealth, but threaten to corrupt his ideals.

All the while, Calvin scrupulously perfects a painting of his spirited model, Marjorie, in secret, risking both his relationship and success.

His dilemma is ultimately Faustian; Will he choose everything he’s ever wanted or everything he’s ever needed?

Sounds like a fun way to get your 15 minutes and support local filmmaking.

Weekend in Review

I was here and now I’m going again. JAX was shut down Friday night so I had to fly into Sarasota instead and drove to Jacksonville Saturday morning. I got to check out the State of the Re:Union party and then hung out with some old friends.

Unfortunately I don’t know ant creative types here in Jacksonville so I pretty much just played wallflower and downed a few beers. I did get to meet the host of the show, Al Letson, in all his dread-locked glory and talked a little about the show. Apparently it is still in pre-production at the moment and there will only be a handful of shows in 2009 followed by a much more rigorous schedule when things get going. The show will be about communities and what brings them together and according to Al, will focus on the arts. Check out the website for more info and the promo video.

Check out the album.

After that, I met up with some shipmates and visited some dives that don’t even worth mentioning. The moral of this story is I need to meet some new people in this town.

New Locally Produced NPR Show Launch Party

Urban Jacksonville has reported the event for tomorrow night. The show, State of the Re:Union, will air on NPR and focus on what communities are doing to make America what it is. It will be produced by local talent, Al Letson, a poet, playwright, director, etc. who has been featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam.

The party is from 5-8pm at Fogle Fine Art & Accessories (3312 Beach Boulevard). Map it. After party at Burrito Gallery.

Click here for a promo spot and more details.