Chester French

My latest music obsessions has been Vampire Weekend and now Chester French. They both have this Ivy League prep school vibe that feels so fresh and so clean right now. Think Weezer back in ’94. They have gotten quite the buzz lately too. Pharrell Williams is hot on their stuff and signed them to Star Track records. They have a forthcoming album to be released sometime this year so keep an eye and an ear out for that. In the meantime listen to them on their Facebook page.

BDJ Diverse’s “Escape Earth” for Adult Swim

So Bran is at it again. He’s so hot right now. This time with a quirky music video for Diverse called “Escape Earth” as a team up with Damien Correll. Great job guys, while you’re at it download the World Wide Renewal Program mp3 mix for free on the Adult Swim site. Wow, Bran has been busy!

BDJ’s Cost of War

This is a must see for everyone. My good friend Bran created this amazingly insightful and poignant short film, that in about 2 minutes, tells us how much our wonderful government is spending on the “War in Iraq.” I am glad there are people who still don’t only care about how amazing mental ray renders are or how incredible the new trapcode plug in is. This should be setting an example to others in this industry to make more films that inspire us mentally and not just technically. I hope it sets an example for future personal projects in the motiondesign industry.

Anthony Furlong

My buddy Anthony just updated his site with some killer new work. I particularly love the BDA stuff. The site itself is very clean and structured and easy to navigate through. Kudos holmes! While I am on the BDA and former Art Center Grads topic, my former student Jiaren Hiu cleaned up some awards winning a Gold and Bronze for the student competition. Way to go Anthony! Way to go Jiaren!

Bohemian Modern : Sunset Boulevard Vol. 04

This mix is like another from the breezy Sunset Boulevard series. Enjoy with a cool Aviation Cocktail. Download HERE!

(1) AIR - Ce Matin-La
(2) Beck - Tropicalia
(3) Björk - It’s Oh So Quiet
(4) Brazilian Girls - Homme
(5) Nouvelle Vague - Let Me Go
(6) Nina Persson - Desafanido
(7) Stereolab - Fluorescences
(8) Bertrand Burgalat - Juillet 66
(9) Zero 7 - Give it Away
(10) John Legend - Please Baby Don’t Go
(11) Yesterday’s New Quintet - Wanda Vidal
(12) Brazilian Girls - Nicotine
(13) Daedelus - Just Briefly (Umod Remix)
(14) Peeping Tom with Bebel Gilberto - Caipirinha
(15) Zero 7 - The Space Between
(16) Sergio Mendes - Berimbau/Consolacao
(17) AIR - Talisman

Real Men Like Pillows | Alphabet Pillow

This pillow is for lovers of type (translation, design dorks like me). I think this pillow by Sukie from 3 Potato Four would work on a neutral couch in a dark gray or brown. The colors are a little on the girly side so it could even make for a good gift for your girlfriend or wife. It’s a little on the pricey side at $72 but I am sure it’s made of good quality.

Real Men Like Pillows | Resist Today & Red Labor

Here’s a cool mish mash of clip art on a pillow by Red Labor. Half octopus half elephant and he’s wearing a hat. Pretty rad, and it’s only $34 so grab it while it’s hot.

Real Men Like Pillows | Upper Playground & Jeremy Fish

I posted a little while back about some cool Upper Playground pillows that featured man staples such as joysticks or shot glasses. If patterns of strippers is a little too obvious then try this subtle patterned pillow by Jeremy Fish. Think it’s just a floral pattern? Look a little closer and you will find some cool skulls in the mix. Good for that subtle bit of manness that can work on a nice sectional or Eames lounger.

Real Men Like Pillows | Sleepyheads

As much as I’d hate to say it, I like to decorate. There, I said it. More and more, we are becoming the new woman. And for a man, picking out pillows can be hard. I am not the kind of guy that can make a trip down to Crate & Barrel and buy some big fluffy pillows. The next few posts will be dedicated to helping find some cool pillows that won’t make you look like you have been watching too much Lifetime, TLC, or even Bravo. So first on the list is Sleepyheads by Christopher David Ryan of Atmostheory. Simple, folky, and can pretty much work on any chair or couch because they are black and white. Most of the designs are out of stock but I am sure there will be a re-stocking on them soon. At a price of only $35 for some functional art that’s not a bad deal.

Steve McQueen : A Life in Pictures

I am a pretty big Steve McQueen fan. He, like my other favorite Frank Sinatra, somehow had this effortlessly cool presence about him. I walked by Arcana Books the other day and saw this in the window. They have the first edition release which I am dying to get for my birthday, if anyone is paying attention. McQueen had quite a collection of autos and motor bikes too.

Andy Lee Design | Bookshelf

I have an overflow of books and our one measly bookshelf in the living room isn’t quite storing them all. I just found Andy Lee’s rad bookshelf that is very affordable and easy to assemble. I like how it tapers just a little towards the top. He offers a coffee table too that is similar in design to the bookshelf too. I hope he continues to make more furniture because it’s refreshing to have another option other than IKEA, West Elm, or CB2 that is affordable.

Patagonia | Geoff McFetridge

Yes, I admit. I am sort of a Geoff McFetridge fanboy. I have been for a few years now. It all started when I saw his X-Games promos for ESPN. I pretty much subscribe to anything he puts out there. By the way, Patagonia just released a line of tees by Geoff and a few others. I really love Geoff’s though. I already bought 2 of them for the summer months ahead. Grab them while you can because I am sure like much of his stuff, it will be collectible.

Bohemian Modern : Abbot Kinney Vol. 04

So it’s been a while since I have posted a mix. I am going to try to reward my patient followers with a few mixes this week. To start, here is another installment from the BoMo Abbot Kinney series. This mix is chock full of laid back beats and summer soul. Pour an ice cool Mint Julep and ENJOY THE MIX HERE!

(1) Will Smith - The Rain
(2) Jill Scott - Bedda At Home
(3) Leela James - When You Love Somebody
(4) Cody Chesnutt - The Seed
(5) Ray LaMontagne - Three More Days
(6) Bitter:Sweet - Overdue
(7) Anthony Hamilton - I Used to Love Someone
(8) Bilal - Sometimes
(9) Al Green - LOVE
(10) Koop - In A Heartbeat
(11) James Hunter - People Gonna Talk
(12) Amp Fiddler - Hey Joe
(13) Ray Charles - Don’t You Know
(14) Nikka Costa - I Gotta Know
(15) Mos Def & Brixxx - If It’s Alright Yall
(16) Jamie Lidell - Green Light
(17) Me’Shell Ndegeocello - Shirk

Bonobos

I am going through a bit of a transition in my personal style. I would call it growing up. I am finding myself drawn more to a classic look. Something less slouchy, trendy, or hip even. That being said, I got excited when stumbling upon Bonobos. Bonobos are finely tailored pants for men. They come in an assortment of materials, colors, and fits. If they don’t fit, by the way, they have an amazing return policy. You won’t find them in stores either, they are online only. You have to act fast too because once a style is sold out they retire it. They also have belts, tees, and other accessories to boot.

Keyboard Shortcut Skins

Holy hot shit! I just stumbled upon this sexy AND functional little product from Photojojo. These awesome keyboard skins will teach you key command short cuts for Photoshop faster than you can say key command short cuts. They come in all sizes from wireless Mac keyboard to Macbook pro. I’ll take one for both my wireless and my beastly fast Macbook Pro.

Bin Bin Paper Basket

I am adding the Bin Bin Paper Basket to my Home Studio wishlist. I stumbled upon it at Nova 68, a cool boutique that specializes in super expensive modern stuff. Luckily this waste basket is only a cool $55. The basket obviously is riffing on crumbled up balls of paper. Literal is the new black apparently. I think it’s a great alternative to the standard office wastebasket. It comes in white or black. While we are on the topic of my Home Studio revamp, I did in fact purchase the Specktone iPod player and am disappointed in it’s performance. That is probably why they no longer make it. I am now on the hunt for a replacement. It looks way better than it sounds. In the meantime I think I’ll try selling it on ebay.

eiCrate

We don’t really practice crating Max & Molly. They sleep in the bed with us and that is fine with us. But if you are going to crate your best pal might as well do it in style. The eiCrate at Go Pet Design sells for around $320 (or $11K if you decide to go all out and get the gilded 24k gold version) and is probably the coolest looking crate I have seen. Who knows, maybe we’ll get one for Max to keep him at bay during the day when we are at work. I am sure if he saw how cool it was he’d dig it.

iPhone Custom

Why wait for the next generation of iPhones to get all black sickness. Knight Creations can upgrade your iPhone or supe up a new one for you at a somewhat decent price of $300 smackers. Couple this with a custom engraving and you can have one of the most original iPhones out there. You can opt for gold too but I think it could come off just a bit tacky.

Notebook Portable Grill

Just a reminder, I am from Texas, and the second biggest thing in Texas food after smoking your meat is grilling it. And while I am not totally into charcoal grills, the Notebook Portable Grill could be a handy little thing to take down to the beach. It’s totally compact and has a decent sized cooking surface perfect for burgers or dogs. Besides that, it looks pretty dope. If anyone has it let me know how you like it because I am thinking about buying it but would love to see how it performs. Thanks for the tip David. Check A+R’s store for other cool stuff too, it’s a pretty fun little boutique.

My Little Underground | Command Posters

I am loving these simple and witty posters by My Little Underground. At $12 for the set of 3 5x7 prints it’s a pretty good deal to get framed and hang on that small piece of wall real estate or to include in artwork wall collage that seems to be all the rage these days. Either way, check them out.

World Pinhole Camera Day

So apparently it’s World Pinhole Camera Day and to celebrate Corbis put up some pretty sweet camera templates to print out and build. Not only do they look sweet, they actually work and they’re free to boot.

Texas BBQ in a Bottle

I am not sure if Meat Water is for real or if people are actually drinking/buying these. I am definitely curious to see what Texas BBQ in a bottle tastes like. They have other flavors such as Dirty Hot Dog, Pizza Prosciutto, and Fish N Chips. Reminds me of when I bought Jones Cola’s Thanksgiving soda set and actually tried drinking them. I nearly chucked. I dare someone to buy one these and try it.

Kaiju Studios | i/o Desk Organizer

I have been looking for cool stuff to adorn my new desk (er. the one I plan to buy in the near future once I can actually decide which desk I want). This i/o Desk Organizer from Kaiju Studios is pretty sweet. I love the mixture of felt and wood. It’s nice and modular too so you can rearrange it according to your mood that day. I think it’d go great with the Uten.Silo on the wall to store most of the stuff and then having this on the desktop for things you need more in immediate reach. Let’s just hope they find a manufacturer to partner with soon so we can buy it. Crossing fingers now.

Refinding Wallets, Bags, & Accessories

I am all for recycling materials to make new things. I really like what Refinding is doing with their line of products. They mix industrial textures and retro pop culture ephemera to create items like bags, wallets, watches, belts, and jewelry. I personally like the Tire Bag, the Tennis Ball Wallet, and even the Garbage Pail Kids Wallet (I was HUGE into GPK as a kid, and still am actually). They are all priced pretty reasonably too. Go cop some quick.

Bohemian Modern : Ocean Park Vol. 04

So summer is creeping up and it’s getting hot. This mix should cool it off a little. Make up a Dark & Stormy and enjoy the mix!

(1) Caural - Sipping Snake Blood (Savath & Savalas Remix)
(2) Daedelus - Denovement
(3) Amon Tobin - Deo
(4) Sia - Butterflies
(5) Lou Rhodes - No Re-Run
(6) Four Tet - Glue of the World
(7) Bertrand Burgalat - Him
(8) The Sea and Cake - Tea and Cake (Stereolab Remix)
(9) Savath & Savalas - Binoculars
(10) Nobody - What is the Light?
(11) Caural - Crush
(12) Gustavo Cerati - La Costura de Dios
(13) Mum - We Have a Map of the Piano
(14) Funkstorung - Sleep Walking
(15) Smoke City - What It Was
(16) Dntel - Dreams (ft. Mystic Chords of Memory)
(17) David Holmes and Steve Hilton - Kocham Cie
(18) AIR - Night Sight