filmed in the late 90s (obviously), with a great twist end. there’s a load of performances from this channel if you’re willing to dig through the archives

more goodies from the 2 meters archives

Been a bit quiet on the blog lately (more on that later) but I'm happy to announce one of the projects I've been working on is now out in the world!

Jay Leo Phillips has been a musician that I've admired for a long time. His work in the post-punk Apollo Up has been a mainstay in my listening for 17 years. His previous album One Million One Million One Million was one of those overlooked gems that I wish more people had discovered. Fortunately, it's not too late. You should check that out. But today, Jay releases his new EP DAYS, a six song (mostly) instrumental offering that has serious echoes of The Sea and Cake, Tortoise and instrumental Jim O'Rourke. If those references are complete gibberish to you, don't worry, you'll still like it.

Truth be told, Jay was a bit concerned that the EP was so different from his previous work that folks might not enjoy it. His prior work is highly energetic - you could even call it "blazing" or "frantic" at times - but this EP is chilled out and devoid of his Elvis Costello-y baritone vocals.

I'm happy to report that his concerns are unfounded and it's a damn good listen. Obviously I enjoy his entire body of work but I like that he's branching out and letting listeners know he's capable of more than just one thing. I hope you'll enjoy the release and stay tuned in for future work; whatever it may be.

Here's some handy links to get you listening:
Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music | Amazon Music | elsewhere

I worked with Forest for a good chunk of time at VHX. He is good at maths, he is smart and he is empathetic. This is one of the best write-ups on fitness I've encountered in a long time. It's self aware and not, at all, focused on trying to make anyone healthier. I do suggest you read.

the kind of journalism you wanna see

I watched this entire video of the Human Eye Webcam and now you should too. It's mostly disgusting and unnerving but also sort of cute.

You can read more about it here or here if you want to know why such a thing would exist. TLDR: it's an art project to make ya think about surveillance.

Great NYT piece on underwater photography and finding a lot of beautifully bizarre, and often minuscule, creatures in the deep dark of the ocean. It's a worthwhile read about the initiatives for finding potential new species but, honestly, its mostly eye candy to peep these delightful weirdos.

100% worth scrubbing through

43 minutes of enjoyment

lil lengthy but a good read

unbelievably great animated piece from Skyway Man. Love the whole thing but it'll really blow your mind about 1:30 in. Stick with it!

I help produce a podcast call San Dimas Today. It's an in-depth look at all things Bill & Ted related. A niche subject for sure but one that has resulted in interviews with film critics, graphic artists, multiple actors from the trilogy including Alex Winter (Bill), William Sadler (Death) and many more. I wouldn't call myself a diehard Bill & Ted fan by any stretch of the imagination but it's been a blast working to get these interviews and watch the hosts geek out on the discussions.

After a bit of gentle persistence, lots of patience and tons of kindness, co-creator / co-writer of all three Bill & Ted films Ed Solomon came on to talk. We're calling this the series finale. After three years and tons of episodes and interviews, there's just not much left for us to say about the franchise. It's also fitting because the very first episode of the show was with the other co-creator, co-writer Chris Matheson.

The chat with Ed Solomon is an absolute delight. He worked on Laverne & Shirley, the Gary Shandling show, Men in Black and loads of other works outside of Bill & Ted. He had a ton to share and it was, honest to god, a hilarious time.

Even if you're not a huge Bill & Ted fan, give it a listen. He is a delight and we thank him for his time.

Happy to announce a new EP from Jay Leo Phillips entitled Days. The first single, "During During," is available right now over on Bandcamp or, if you prefer, on YouTube. I tallied it up recently and I've been listening to music from the mind of Jay Leo Phillips for 17 years. His band Apollo Up was a mainstay for me for years and, honestly, is still in regular rotation. This new EP is a marked new direction for him. While he still embraces his signature guitar playing style, it's more subdued and reshaped into less anxious soundscapes. In the press release we remark that it's more akin to Tortoise or The Sea and Cake, if you happen to be familiar with those bands.

The single will hit streaming services next week but don't let that stop you from enjoying it now. And you will enjoy it. Promise.

Tangentially related to that previous post on The Art of Warez, the work of Komiyama Takashi is heavily ANSI / ASCII inspired. You might chalk that up to "pixel art" but a lot of these pieces seem restricted by the same character palette as many of the classic works from the early 90s. It goes without saying that these are quite elevated beyond that palette but there's clearly a throughline.

Let's make two things abundantly clear. First, I find the title Dad Jams for a record to be very off putting (and a bit lazy). Secondly, my complaint is likely null and void as the record stems from a band named Thee More Shallows, not exactly the best moniker in the world to begin with. That snarky commentary aside, I'm excited to hear that the band has returned. The 2007 record Book of Bad Breaks was in regular, heavy, rotation for years. All of the prior albums received a solid bit of quality time as well and the band always felt like one of those unfortunately undiscovered gems.

This V13 interview with songwriter Dee Kesler explains the long stretch of time between albums (surprise, he became a Dad!) and shares the first single "Ancient Baby" which is a phenomenal name any way you slice it so my prior complaints are a complete wash.

Very limited run of LP's from Monotreme Records that I am confident will be worth the purchase.

I was recently reminded of the Integratron, a structure built in 1960 by UFOlogist George Can Tassel. Having spent some time with Skyway Man, this structure was not completely unknown to me but I did realize that I didn't know much about it beyond the anecdotal.

The Atlantic ran this piece, "A Time Machine In The Mojave Desert ," back in 2015 and it serves as a nice primer for the history of the place, the intent of the structure and its modern fate.

Obviously Wikipedia has plenty of info, the official site is pretty interesting and I recommend reading the Atlas Obscura entry for a full Quickstart guide on the place. Or you can just watch this Zwan video, filmed inside of it.

Sally Davies has a incredible body of work; some of which is portraits of NYC'ers in their highly decorated apartments. The quotes from each individual is almost always a lament back to the "good ole days" of NYC but that doesn't detract from the images of their homes. It's quite fun to pore over all of the details.

Tip of the hat to Jamie Dubs for this Juxtapoz piece on The Art of Warez, a short film from British artist-filmmaker Oliver Payne and American painter Kevin Bouton-Scott.

It's about 13 minutes about Bulletin Board Systems, ANSi art and the culture that revolved around them. Topics that are near and dear to my heart. I'm not much for nostalgia but this relics of pre-Internet days were formative, to say the least.

If you're looking for more ANSi art, there's a bunch on artpacks.org, 16colo.rs and ArtScene. It's a subculture worth spending some time with.

say whaaaaaa

After a quick premiere via Flood magazine, I am happy to share two new tracks from Stone Jack Jones featuring Adia Victoria. Back in 2019, yk Records released Black Snake from Stone Jack Jones; a pretty dark blend of folk, psychedelic and rock. It's not music that is easy to plop into a standard genre as there's something mystical about it. These two new songs - "I'm Made" and "Heaven Knows" - build on that same vibe.

The first track, "I'm Made", is actually 9 minutes long - a length that may appear daunting at first but a factor to the song that gives it time to really set the listener into a meditative and transfixed place. It doesn't feel like 9 minutes in the slightest.

I'm really happy to get these songs out into the world and think they capture a special collaborative vibe between everyone involved. Stone Jack Jones and Adia Victoria really do share a kindred spirit in terms of their embrace of the Southern Gothic and the contributions of Roger Moutenout, Robin Eaton, Kyle Hamlett, Kelly Diehl and Mason Hickman really take it to a special place.

TLDR: two new songs out on yk Records, give em a listen. Streaming everywhere.