Okay, so I did my taxes. Looks like I am not really getting much back. Which is good because it fosters independence from institutional monies. The goal here is to remember to have fun in the Great Depression, stay positive and use the creative energy to generate something greater than money. Right? I just keep reminding myself that its okay to be broke as fuck. Actually i keep getting reminders, when my friends in Portland and around the country respond and help me to build and keep working. Its all about mutual support. We all have our part to play.
Anyway I did my taxes with a certain online prep tool (and by hand of course, to double check) and it brings me back two years, when my good friend and owner of the dopest movie theater in Portland came to me with a proposal: write a song about taxes to win ten grand in an online video contest. He had just won another chunk of money from another random corporation, so I thought it was a pretty good idea. I sat down and wrote some funny lyrics, and we spent a day shooting scenes around Portland with a bunch of crazy cars a friend of ours had at the time. It turned out to be a pretty good video, really one of the better quality entries, but we did not win. I think it was rigged. Anyway now instead of 10 gs we have a silly video that has probably gotten some 3000 views. This is probably the ONLY time you will ever catch me shilling for corporate scum, and though embarrassed by that I still think its a funny little story and worth looking back on. Big ups to Kendall for rockin the boardslide.
Oh yeah, if any independent businesses need a dope jingle, holla @ me.
I found a dvd of this ad while cleaning out my room to sublet for tour. Yes I am the model for the animated smoker. My buddy Matt the Robot made this commercial in 2006, and we shot the photos that most of it is drawn from at the Clinton St. Theater in Portland. Matt is a way talented animator, and this is really more of a quick and janky project compared to the stuff he does now. He is currently working on an animated series with Ben Joseph and David Arquette called "Motha Truckas" - check out the trailer for it below, and then check out his other work at manbaby.com if you want to see more.
For a year beginning in August 2007 I was part of a collective effort to curate a store for progressive, visionary and local culture. We painted murals on all the walls and the outside, built out counters and shelves and networked like crazy with local artists and crafters to stock the best in local goods. We were open seven days a week for the whole year and we had shows there at least once a month. It was an awesome undertaking and a great learning expereince, and ultimately fell victim to the crumbling economy (thanks america!). Anyway, like I said we had a few great shows there and this little video player collects a night of my performance there. This night was funny because I got to the show after working an 8 hour day with a catering company on the 35th floor of a hospital. Regardless, I was amped to see the big group of people there for our re-modelling party, and brought the good energy out to share.
I wrote this song during this past summer while going through a number of beats that Alex had produced in 2004. This one caught me because it was so subtle, yet when you hear it through some badass subs it overpowers most clubs. Anyway, at first I thought that the chorus concept was a little too vague, but after a year of total absurdity and probably the most self growth I have experienced yet, I think there is probably no other way to describe this wild ride.
THINGS TEND TO HAPPEN:
if we don't notice then maybe we might act in our best interest and ask man we're at half mast with our heads in the past while my heart is in the present tearing the strings from the mask
akin to wearing things received as a true gift from the trash faces grin: i can bear that with the strength of my laugh i chase the wind to find my spirit sitting steady like a statue ask, you may receive what you need or perceive to lack i hope you will succeed in that i believe in the maps of the stars and the hands that clap in the back of these bars while we stand there and stare as the bands get prepared i believe in the traps for the scared so i'm facing my fears i want to chase em with beers but that's complacent and geared to making me forget the reason i'm so blatantly weird what i create is the mirror to see my fate through the years when i can't see it clear i wonder where I'm looking from here, hear the kicking drums cheer when the weekend comes NEAR we cycle through the seasons keep our vital signs breathing see with sight: the signs meaning is the right to reason: its alike to the timed flash sequence of the lights its the sight in the mind as the image reunites its the memories we make with all the message we're given our energy at stake that feeds our enemies within you can catch me at the gate watching with empathy and vision will it ever be different? will i only be the witness?
as things tend to happen, if we don't notice then maybe we might act in our best interest and ask man we're at half mast with our heads in the past while my heart is in the present tearing the strings from the mask
This is the moment that we're sharing hold our stories in a basket all we ever wanted was our future tied fast with the strands that extend throughout the passage of time what we choose is our path which every action refines when i sing its for the sensual impact on my mind ring with vibration in my breath to match the earth and the sky I am a person alive i learn how people survive I earn my place out in this process of rebirth and design
i'm searching for the signs that have been placed for my eyes so i can learn how my perception keeps my whole world aligned its worth the time to turn my mind into a beacon that shines to build my heart into the rhythm that can move us through the lines fill my voice with all the wisdom i can find in the clutter let the noise turn into symphonies all timed with each other or allow myself to learn as it occurs while i stare without a doubt as to the purpose myself when i'm there
as things tend to happen, if we don't notice then maybe we might act in our best interest and ask man we're at half mast with our heads in the past while my heart is in the present tearing the strings from the mask
