Title Fight – Hyperview

When Hyperview dropped last month, I didn’t give it a fair shake. I listened to it and dismissed it as a band trying to do “too much,”  before really letting the music sink in. Title Fight’s evolution from one record to the next may be a turn off for some but, like any band, Title Fight’s sound has grown along with the musicians. You can’t write the same music at 27 that you did at 17. I definitely need to be in the mood for this type or record, but it has a firm grasp on its spot in my musical rotation.

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Mahlon

Mike Mitchell

Is an American artist known for his support of Conan O’Brien during the Tonight Show conflict in 2010 (he designed this poster  in support of O’Brien). I stumbled onto his work the other day while looking for a new desktop background and found a series of Marvel comics themed headshot paintings he did in conjunction with Mondo, which you can see here (in case anybody is wondering I’m using the Venom one right now).

Check out his portfolio here, there’s a lot of cool stuff to see!

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Grant

Ryan Culwell

Ryan Culwell released a new album on Tuesday, and it’s all I’ve been listening to for the last 72 hours. I’ll let Ryan’s music do the rest of the talking.

The post Weekly Discoveries 03.06.2015 – Ryan Cullwell, Hyperview and Mike Mitchell appeared first on Blackwing.

Ready Player One

This little surprise showed up in my Loot Crate this month. Although I haven’t gotten a chance to start this yet, I’m a huge fan of anything that deals with gaming and/or Science fiction and this book has both!  The premise is basic enough to start, Teenager Wade Watts escapes reality by adventuring in a virtual utopia called the Oasis. Looking forward to checking this one out!

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Alex

Midori Traveler’s Notebook (Refill 002)

Last week, I was raving about my new Bellroy wallet. The wallet has a spot for your passport, but I don’t do much international traveling, so I looked for other uses for its remarkably-sized pocket. My hope was that a Field Notes memo book would be able to squeeze in, but those hopes were quickly thwarted by about two-millimeters. Enter the Midori Traveler’s Notebook. More specifically, enter the Midori Traveler’s Notebook Refill 002. This simple memo book is exactly the same size as a passport, so it fits perfectly inside my wallet. Refill 002 features graph paper, but it is also available in other paper styles (including a date book!). I carry notebooks with me everywhere I go, but I know this is going to come in clutch when I don’t have my Slate handy.

The post Weekly Discoveries 02.27.2015 – Ready Player One and Midori Traveler’s Notebooks appeared first on Blackwing.

Snarky Puppy

Snarky Puppy is an instrumental  jazz fusion band based in Brooklyn and is one of the funkiest groups I’ve heard in a long time. The core group is made up of about 18 musicians and several different instruments. They are known for performing and recording their albums live. In addition to writing and performing music, they perform as a production team and  session band for various individual artists and host workshops and clinics at colleges, high schools and middle schools around the world. Their latest album “we like it here” was recorded with a live audience  in Norway over the course of 4 nights. If you like music that will make you move be sure to check them out!

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Alex

Blacklisted – When People Grow, People Go

Few bands can satisfy my craving for fast-and-heavy music like Philadelphia’s Blacklisted. 2008’s Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God is one my top ten hardcore albums of all time and, while I appreciate the direction they tried with 2009’s No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me, I’m glad the band’s first release in over five years has seen them return to their heavier roots. From the album’s first muted chord to its feedback-laden finale, When People Grow, People Go is aggressive, cohesive and heartfelt. It’s also the first album that’s made me want to move my feet in a long time. If you’re in the mood for some loud noises, give it a listen.

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John

Future – Monster (Mixtape)

Future was on top of the rap world this time last year. Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan quickly knocked him out of his seat in the Top Autotune Rapper chair – His second studio album, Honest, didn’t meet the massive hype that ushered it in when it came out this summer.  My problem with Honest is that the lavish, slow, emotional side is stellar (title track, “I Won,”) while the party-rap side is too weak.  Now Future’s back with Monster, and it seems like the pressure of a studio release is off and as a result the material’s more unhinged. Future really benefits from the mixtape format (see Pluto), and here he offers up 15 quality tracks and one unfortunate skit.  He’s rapping more adventurously and the party bangers are back. You have no excuse not to cop this and blast it at your next party.

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The post Weekly Discoveries 02.13.2015 – Snarky Puppy, New Blacklisted Album, Future’s Monster appeared first on Blackwing.

Ebbets Field Flannels

I, like all sane people, have a favorite hat. It’s a grey wool, six panel ball cap with a leather adjustable strap. Last week, my favorite hat decided it wanted to take a plunge into a mud puddle and, despite my insistence, it has refused to let go of its new brown tinge. When I went looking the manufacturer so I could order a replacement, I discovered Ebbets Field Flannels, and my bank account hasn’t forgiven me since. Ebbets Field Flannel is an apparel company based in Seattle that makes throwback ball caps, jerseys and more (they have a San Francisco Seals hat that I can’t wait to get my hands on). If you like high-quality, American-made apparel or have an appreciation for baseball history, you need to check them out.

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John

Blue Bubblegum Horchata

I spent part of my weekend at Stockton’s Open-Air Market.  The gigantic flea market features tons of storefronts, shops and a giant conglomerate of food vendors/shops right in the middle.  One vendor sells a wide variety of different-flavored horchata and fruit drinks.  The table featured giant tubs of chocolate, strawberry, lime, and coconut drunks but I was enticed by the blue bubblegum.  I bought a medium sized drink and fell in love.  I’ve been Googling the stuff ever since, but haven’t found it on the Internet.  Might be back for more this coming Sunday.

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Mahlon

Voodoo Doughnuts

Cash only. 24 hours. Doughnut shop. This is Voodoo in a nutshell. I had a chance to try this place out while I was in Portland a couple weeks ago and it was quite the experience. I went here at midnight and there was a line out the door and down the street, and I waited for an hour to take a crack at these doughnuts. For those not familiar, Voodoo offers your normal doughnut fare but what they’re famous for is their more eclectic doughnuts and their silly names. I picked up the ODB or (old dirty bastard) It was a chocolate doughnut with chocolate frosting, covered in a mountain of crumbled oreos, with peanut butter drizzled across the top.  Some of the other doughnuts they served were covered with cereal like captain crunch and fruit loops, and per their name, they offer a “voodoo doughnut” shaped like a voodoo doll with raspberry filling and white icing to detail the facial features.  If you’re ever in Portland be sure to give this place a try!

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Grant

Doug Seegers

I discovered Doug Seegers this week thanks to the Buddy and Jim Show on Sirius/XM radio. His story is almost as incredible as his voice. He was basically homeless, playing outside the bus depot in Nashville, when he was discovered. He recently released his debut album Going Down the River which features, among others, Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller. If you like traditional country music, you’ll like Doug Seegers. If you don’t like traditional country music, you’ll still probably like Doug Seegers.

The post Weekly Discoveries 10.31.2014 – Ebbets Flannels, Horchata, Doug Seeger and Voodoo appeared first on Blackwing.

Frank’s Noodle House

I’m a sucker for handmade stuff, and that includes food. Last night, I finished up the 12 hour drive from our headquarters in Stockton, California to Portland, Oregon, where we’ll be exhibiting at Coffee Fest later this week. Needless to say, when I rolled into town, I was starving. That’s when I discovered Frank’s Noodle House.

As the name suggests, Frank’s Noodle House serves noodles. Tons of them. And they’re all made by hand every day. I ordered the handmade noodles with tofu, served extra spicy (that’s three “x’s” on Frank’s hot meter), and it was delicious. If you’re ever in Portland, check it out.

Grant

Trigger Hippy

One part rock ‘n roll, one part rhythm ‘n blues, two parts The Black Crowes. I heard Trigger Hippy for the first time on Sirius’ Outlaw Country this morning. Their music is like a pretty girl you can’t get off of your mind. It’s been a while since I’ve heard such poetic soul, and I can’t wait to buy the record.

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Mahlon

Kenner’s Recalled Alien Action Figure

This year the Alien franchise celebrates the 35^th anniversary of the original film’s release so, when I came across one of the film’s first merchandising ventures, the 18 inch tall Xenomorph figure produced by Kenner, I was floored.

Kenner struck gold after obtaining licensing rights to produce figures based on Star Wars.  Seeing Alien as “the next big Sci-Fi license,” Kenner acquired the rights to produce action figures based on the film. In 1979, they released their first figure to coincide with the film’s release.  Although the film was highly praised on its release, the figure wasn’t exactly a hit for parents. Parental outcry caused the figures to be recalled, but some of these figures can now be found selling for hundreds of dollars on eBay and in the homes of some lucky collectors.

John

Jorge Luis Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings

I picked up Jorge Luis Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings at Logos Books in Davis while visiting a friend.  It’s not quite a novel, not quite an anthology – it details 120 mythological beings and entities from various Eastern and Western cultures and religions. Borges did not mean for the reader to read the book from beginning to end – rather, he meant the reader to flip through its pages at random or by interest. My favorite entry is the one for Bahamut, an unfathomably large mythical fish that supports the earth. It can be quite rewarding to buy a book blindly.

The post Weekly Discoveries 10.16.2014 – Noodles, Trigger Hippy, Kenner, and Borges appeared first on Blackwing.