Hayley's Windows Rolled Down Mix

This mixtape was created by the wonderfully lovely Hayley Grimes. She and her man, David Brown have quite an awesome clothing "store"on Etsy called Mayfield Vintage ... click HERE so you can start yer early Xmas shopping!

I've crowned this mix number one for danceability, but (as the title suggests) it would also make a great road trip mix, played ultra loud with the wind slapping your hair around and the landscape rapidly changing as you bop yer head this way and that ... then, park the car on the side of the road and just dance dance dance! thanks, Hayley!

You can thoroughly enjoy this mix RIGHT HERE.

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I don't have much too say at all about this past week except that I'm really very glad that I got all of those commissions out of the way and I can now seriously start working on stuff for the Moss Rock Festival, which will be (at the Moss Rock Preserve) November 7th and 8th ...

I also wanna say that I do indeed miss softball and all of my fellow Bearons ... 5 whole months till the Spring season! yikes! I did hang out with Wes at Magic City Wholesale for a crazed nite of Balderdash and cards ... and that was terrific fun ... but aside from that, I only really "see" my team mates as words and photos on Facebook ... not quite the same, really

oh yeah ... another thing (that sort of felt like a commission) I got done was a sort of video documentary I shot and edited for my friend Spencer Shoults ... Pavo magazine are doing a "feature artist" article on him sometime this month and they wanted the video to accompany that ... HERE it is, in case yer curious.

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In other "video news" ... haha ... I collected a bunch of great dreamlike or dream-based videos this time around ... the last one (Camera Obscura's "Sweetest Thing") makes me laugh because she's singing so heart-felt and sincerely while dressed like that! You'll see ... Enjoy:

Sudden Chill Mix

This mixtape will be perfect for:

A. not wanting to get out of bed because it's too chilly

B. celebrating Autumn with a thick sweater

C. driving around with yer arm out the window

D. sipping hot tea or coffee

E. lounging around in a robe and slippers

HERE is the mix, in all of it's nippy glory.

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This week was a bit of a crazy week, full of art shows, openings and music ... First of all there was the Log Lady (Twin Peaks) art show at Bottletree ... there was a ton of great Twin Peaks themed art (view some of the works way down below), along with plenty of donuts, cherry pie and damned fine coffee ... Elise made some log lady necklaces and Rachel Gainer made a puffy cloth log that actually spoke when you squeezed it! I'm happy to say that all three of my Twin Peaks paintings sold! the "Bob" one even sold to a metal band called Weedeater, who played Bottletree the nite before ... photos of the paintings are below:

Friday nite was John Fields and Pat Snow's art opening at the Bare Hands gallery ... it was also pretty awesome ... John used his friends as subject matter for his paintings ... below, he poses with the portrait he did of me:

After that opening, Walker played a show at Bottletree with his friend Isidro, and i was pretty amazed at how much he's improved as a musician and singer...

The next day & nite were very busy for me because I took part in a one-night-only art show put on by the Birmingham Art Collective ... each time the show takes place in a different area, and this time it took place on the 3rd story of an old building in Woodlawn ... it was crazy (and exhausting!) carrying all of my stuff up 50 stairs every time! There was also some stupid drama about another artist getting her panties in a wad because I'd been told to set up where her jellyfish thing-a-ma-jig was supposed to be hanging, so I had to completely re-set my stuff up ... argh! However, it all ended up turning out really great and I not only got to hang out with my friend Dustin, but Peter showed up too with some wine and I even saw Chris Lawson and sold a good number of paintings ... so ... yay!

Lastly, on Sunday nite I went to see Dan Deacon at Bottletree and his show was absolutely stunning and so much fun ... there was lots of group participation and dancing and just pure warmth and excitement, even though outside it was cold and pouring down rain ... I included photos fom that way down below!

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so I've been obsessing over some bands, lately ... and, even though Deerhunter's album "Microcastle" came out around a year ago, it seems that, because of this sudden Fall weather, I CANNOT stop listening to it! In that way, it is a very wonderful experience from start to finish ... anyway, in case you love Deerhunter too, or would enjoy learning more about them, I found a live interview and performance of their song "Little Kids" ... here are those:

This weather is also causing me to obsess over the music of Fever Ray (she's the female half of the Swedish band, The Knife) ... Her 1st album came out this year and is pretty phenomenal ... Her videos are particularly enticing (I included the creepy video to "Seven" a couple of posts back) ... anyway, dig these ... they're all dark, brooding and perfect for this time of year:

Lastly, I found this great live performance of Grizzly Bear's "I Live With You" in a mausoleum from the show "Cemetery Gates" ... it not only sounds immaculate, but the film work is equally great:

Josh's Polyatom Part 1: Babyscape Mix

This mixtape was created by my extraordinary friend, the ever-talented Josh Cooley, who put a world of time and energy into every nuance of it's conception ... I find it truly an adventure of a listening experience ... thank you, Josh!

the adventure starts HERE.

and here's something else for you to enjoy:

In The Now Mix

This mixtape will be perfect for:

A. watching lightning flashes at night

B. starting anything new & exciting

C. rainy drives in a happy/sad daze

D. wondering where & who you are

E. simply being "in the now"

It was created specifically to celebrate Peter's happiness with Christine and my new happiness with Josh ... don't wanna jinx it by talking too much about it, so HERE it is!

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Hey!!! Autumn is FINALLY here!!! I can hardly believe that my favorite season has arrived! And it's been rainier than rainy lately ... days and days of rain ... which made our "Steel City Showdown" game with the Krewe of Doom softball team (who travelled from Lafayette to play us) a rather red muddy experience ... evidence of the mud can be found in the photos below ...

Speaking of softball and Bearons, our last two wins were 23-16 and 23-2 !!! perhaps 23 is our lucky number???

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And now ... another video round-up! This time I have a theme: 1987!!! This particular round-up started when I suddenly remembered the video for "Christine" by House Of Love (which is on the mix) and it made me also recall a ton of videos that not only made lasting impressions on me, but also planted in me a desire to create films and music video of my own ... looking at these collectively, it's interesting to see how they all have sort of a similar style (in many cases either a blurry 8 millimeter "home movie" quality or a rapid flickering "collage" style) ... ENJOY! :

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Also, these are 2 memorable short films I saw around the same time ...

HERE is an amazing animated version of Charlie Parker's song "Koko"

and

below is an equally awesome animated film called "Face Like A Frog"

Urbandy's End Of Summer Mashup

This mixtape/mashup was created by musician/artist/mashup master Andy Stewart, otherwise known as the one & only Urbandy ... it's quite an intense end-of-summer-rollercoaster-ride experience, so get ready! I really dig the cover he made for it, too (note: above photo)

Thanks, Andy!

HERE it be for thee

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So Art Walk is all said and done and to be quite frank, I'm truly relieved and glad it's behind me! I did okay at it, but the threat of rain, etc. combined with the fact that I had just hung the "Ghosts & Hybrids" show the weekend before just wore (and stressed) me out a wee bit ... phew ...

The good part was that I got to catch up with Jess Marie, who was also showing in the same space (at Jason Wallis' photography studio) and I got to hang out with Walker ...

Also, I finally was able to spend some quality time with Josh and really get to know him ... sigh ... words can't describe how happy I am in regards to that

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In softball news, the Bearons got rained out of our double-header last week, so we'll have to make it up later in October (extended Fall season!!!) ... we have a double-header tonite, too and I can only tightly cross my fingers that these don't get rained out as well ... I'm ready to play ball!

Below is basically a big video round-up ... This week I just kept finding videos that either made huge impressions on me, left me in fits of laughter, or just out-right amazed (or some cases even scared) me:

1. Dama sent me this and it could almost serve as a sequel to

"The Whistles Go Whoo!" ... Thanks, Dama!

2. The new video by Grizzly Bear ... both the song and visuals are amazing:

3. The new video by Air ... similar sentiments ...

a lot of this reminds me of "Yellow Submarine":

4. The new Fever Ray video ... this one sort of gives me nightmares, but I still heart it:

5. This is just brilliant ... it really kicks in at 1:06 minutes:

6.This is a commercial that my friends Michael, Mike & Adam (Vacant Manifesto) did for a local restaurant here in town called Rojo ... they were given 2 weeks and no budget ... witness the hilarious results (click HERE to view it without the frame being cut off):

7. I saved the best for last ... Peter's girlfriend Christine sent him this and it's simply wonderful to behold ... thanks, Christine!

Lost + Found Mix

This mixtape was made specifically with the opening of my "Ghosts & Hybrids" show in mind, so I don't really know what else it might be perfect for, except maybe literally getting lost (either walking or riding or driving) somewhere, which I did in the Forest Park neighborhood at twilight recently and it was quite rewarding ... hard to explain

It's rather an odd mix ... I'll say that ... but most of it does live up to it's name at least in the fact that, while listening, it sounds like yer either between sleeping and waking or maybe between worlds or something deep like that ... haha ... Peter picked out a good number of the songs, so congratulate him if you end up enjoying it!

it can be FOUND here.

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Well, the opening was pretty spectacular ... I must thank Anne Puckett for making it happen ... and Daniel & Van, who put some crazy pretty lights on the paintings in the back (near the patio where the keg and bubbles were!) ... I also had some of my previous mixes from here playing nice and loud there, too ... I ended up selling 5 pieces that nite... so yay!!!

Hopefully Anne will send me some of the photos she snapped that nite ... the batteries in my camera died just after 2 pictures! If so, they'll be posted next week ...

so now I'm working and slaving on Art Walk, which is this coming Friday & Saturday ... I'll be showing on the corner of 2nd ave and 24th street at "2nd Row", about 4 doors down from the Urban Standard cafe and I'll have a TON of paintings!

Oh yeah ... in other news, it was bizarre sitting the last Bearons game out ... talk about feeling like yer between 2 realities! haha ... I just stood at the top of the stands in my jersey and filmed the game (got some great outfield shots!) ... it felt as if I had died and I was filming my living, breathing friends ... AHHHHH!!! I never want to experience a Bearons game like that again ... but they (we) WON! that's 3 wins and we've only had 4 games so far!

aaaanywaaaay, here are 2really swell videos I found recently ... ENJOY:

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2.