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04-08-12

Friday Favorites 012: Name Brand Tattoo

So, it’s been a while since I’ve posted any favorites up here and I’m going to make up for lost time with three posts.

About two weeks ago, my sister came up to visit on her spring break and we both got tattoos at Name Brand in Ann Arbor, MI. Chad Hunt was the artist I worked with and I was extremely satisfied with his work. All I did was send him an image of a daruma that I liked and asked him to include details of the facial hair on the daruma and what he came back with was better than what I would have asked for. Somehow he knew exactly what I wanted.

You can check a picture of the finished piece below, as well as an in progress shot of the outlines. The three daruma go along with the 3 by 30 project I am working on. I’m still getting used to them being on my arm, but it makes me happy every time I look down and see their three eyes looking back up at me.

daruma

03-16-12

Friday Favorites 011: Nite Jewel

March 29th will be a moment of confluence. I will be attending the Chairlift show at the Magic Stick in Detroit with opening act Nite Jewel, an artist I found recently and was excited to see she would be playing at a show I was already going to check out, and I will be attending with the best of company.

Nite Jewel also put out her latest record on one of my all time favorite record labels, Secretly Canadian. I feel so lucky to have lived in Bloomington and been around the folks behind this major/indie label. Their stable of artists is small compared to many labels, but it is filled with prize winning racehorses. If you don’t know them, you’ve certainly listened to some of the artists on the three pronged label of Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguar/Dead Oceans. Ever heard of the little known, Grammy-winning artist Bon Iver?

Take a moment to check out the video for Nite Jewel’s “One Second of Love” and then you’ll see why I’m hooked.

One Second of Love by Nite Jewel from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.

03-10-12

Friday Favorites 010: Usher – Climax

cli•max |ˈklīˌmaks|
noun

•the most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex:
the climax of her speech | a thrilling climax to the game.
• an orgasm.

The new Usher single, Climax, is not what you would expect.

It is not a song about sexual climax. This is a song about the point of no return; the point in a relationship when things begin to “come undone.” The lyrics and vocals are filled with the longing for something that is gone forever and the production acts as the perfect compliment. Diplo echoes these same emotions in his hollow, aching electro-pop backdrop that builds and builds, yet provides no release. In fact, Climax has no proper climax. Just as the song swells to what could be an epic Usher club chorus, the beat drops out and we are left wanting.

03-02-12

Friday Favorites 009: Burial

I had a conversation that I think pretty clearly defines what my Friday Favorites posts are all about. As a creative person, I am always looking for allies, looking for those that have come before me that could relate to what I am trying to accomplish, or at least relate to the way I see the world. All creative people I know do this. We collect these allies and inspiration touchstones to draw energy from and sometimes remind us why we make things in the first place.

This week, the favorite I want to share with you is Burial. I’m not going to waste your time telling you his biography, because, if he is known for anything, he is known for his obscurity. Rather than paraphrase or copy and paste his bio from another site, you can read about him yourself some where else. I just want to expose you to the song Kindred from his latest EP of the same name.

I can’t get enough of this song right now. I feel like it sums up everything I am feeling. Just listen.

02-24-12

Friday Favorites 008: Spotify

Over the last few months I’ve dedicated several Friday Favorites to my favorite music, but it’s how I consume that music that is probably an even bigger deal to me. I’ve been a premium member of Spotify since its U.S. launch on July 14th, 2011 and it has been the best $9.99 I spend every single month.

As a premium member, you get unlimited, ad-free access every month on any computer with the application installed and on your mobile devices. I rarely store music on my iPhone now and I just end up streaming it from Spotify. What’s even better is that as a premium member I can store playlists on my iPhone for offline use if I want to. You also get international streaming while you travel abroad and 320 kbps audio quality.

In high school and college I would easily spend $10 a week on new music and now in an age where music piracy is prevalent and the current record distribution model is clearly broken, it takes a reinvention of the way we consume music to move forward and Spotify is a clear example of that. If you haven’t already checked it out, what are you waiting for? They even offer a 30-day free trial of Spotify premium if you want try it with all the bells and whistles and hand claps.

Oh, and they recently added apps as well, which expands its potential in all directions. If you love music, then you might not realize it, but you already love Spotify.