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Posts from the “Writeups” Category

Otis & Eleanor Bongo

Posted on December 20, 2015

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I don’t review a lot of tech gadgets here but this is the first of a few I have coming up and what better way to start it off with a bit of a potential holiday gift item. I’ve spent about two months with the Bongo Bluetooth Speaker by Otis & Eleanor and while a bluetooth speaker isn’t something I had considered as a purchase decision before, it’s now on my radar as something that people should absolutely own. The thing about gifts is you want to get the person something they’d really like but probably wouldn’t purchase for themselves. This takes the cake in that department; I think a bluetooth speaker is a great gift for folks who already have everything or won’t cough up what they really want. As a form of further affirmation, this has passed the “significant other” test with flying colors; my girlfriend loves this thing. Click here to view the full article.

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Categories: Photos, Reviews, Writeups

Pop-Up Flea: Los Angeles

Posted on September 21, 2015

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I’ve been going to Pop-Up Flea since 2010. Can you believe it? I sure as hell can’t. I’ve been doing The American Classic for over 5 years. Man, how the time has flown. So many public-focused “buying shows” have shown up over the years that this one feels almost like a reunion of sorts, though it seems the only people who have stuck around since the beginning are the dudes from Billykirk. During this sweltering heat wave in LA, Pop-Up Flea managed to rear it’s head in it’s first West Coast showing at The Grove, of all places, here in Los Angeles. Outdoors, and held on top of a parking garage just 8 stories above the same spot where Unionmade closed their flagship LA doors just a few weeks ago carrying many of the same brands. The dudes working the Tanner Goods booth sure seemed a little shellshocked by this.

Despite the heat, the brand turnout was nothing short of excellent. Our pals from Teranishi, Wittmore, Bison Made, and 3sixteen were there in addition to plenty of folks we respect but don’t know personally along with some newcomers, namely Corridor, that we were super excited to find out about. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves but in case you wanted to see some earlier tomfoolery, here’s the link to our 2011 and 2012 posts. Apparently I was too bashful to shoot the 2010 iteration. Credit, as always, due to Michael Williams at A Continuous Lean and, somehow, I’m sure the fine folks at Paul+Williams were involved. Click here to view the photos.

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Categories: field trip, Photos, Writeups

Spruce Grooming Cream

Posted on August 17, 2015

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I have a pompadour hairstyle, if you will, and that takes some serious stuff to keep it in shape on a long day. My day-to-day changes frequently and these days I find myself more often in the field filming or shooting rather than sitting at my desk. Sometimes I just don’t want to put in the god damned effort to make my hair stand up all day and on those days I typically wear a hat, though recently I’ve been searching for a solution that will make this mess still look somewhat clean and styled while taking super minimal effort.

Enter Spruce Grooming Cream. A thick, pasty substance that looks like cake frosting but functions like a dream. This stuff goes in thick, but not too thick so that it rips out hairs while you’re working it in. On two shoots thus far it’s held it’s own in keeping my hair up and out of my face while taking no more than ten seconds to apply and not looking like a helmet. Lucas Larson, owner of Spruce, likes to emphasize that this stuff also smells great. You might think, no shit, it’s a grooming product – why wouldn’t it? You’d be surprised at how often the stuff I come across either smells like chemicals or like nothing at all. It’s a nice change of pace. I don’t need my hair to give off an aroma (I have cologne for that) but it’s nice to know there’s something there pulling double duty. Click here to view the full article.

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Categories: Writeups

Weekend Adventures Vol. 3: Big Sur, CA.

Posted on March 17, 2015
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I’m reprising an old series here, “Weekend Adventures: The Art of Getting the Fuck Out”. I go in cycles with Los Angeles, like almost anywhere I’ve ever lived. Sometimes it’s the place. It’s the only place. It’s where I have to be and I’m thrilled with it. Sometimes I really need to get the fuck out. These are the chronicles.

My girlfriend and I go to Big Sur every few years. People ask me, what’s so great about Big Sur? What do you do? The answer, my friends, is everything and not much. And that’s what’s beautiful about it. Think about all the time you spend packing shit in on your weekends just trying desperately to get the most out of the few waning hours you have to royally fuck off. Now go on vacation to Big Sur and cut that shit out. You can do everything and you can do nothing. It’s your time, you’re an adult. Spend it as you wish. The best part about it is that you can be just as happy running around on trails as you can be with a beer in your hand and your feet dunked in the river. Last time we went we weren’t entirely prepared for it’s majesty and were blown away by it’s incredible splendor. This time around, we knew what we were getting into and prepared both our eyeballs and our tastebuds for what was to come. Stocking the car up with our usual pumpkin/sunflower seed blend and plenty of water and coffee, we hit the road. Click here for the full article and photo set.

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Categories: Photos, The Art of GTFO, Travels, Writeups

Field Trip: Old North Clothing in Asheville, NC.

Posted on January 2, 2015

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I shot this photo set at Old North Clothing in Asheville back in the early summer of 2014 and somehow let these sit for many long months. I only rediscovered these photos after going through my semi-annual photo archiving and realized that for whatever reason this post never went live. That being said, I’m happy to launch it now. The photos may not reflect the current offering at Old North but should give you an idea of how the place feels, what kind of things they typically carry, and why you should absolutely visit.

Asheville has been a part of my family for a number of decades; we’ve had family living in Asheville or nearby for the past 60 years with my grandparents moving there after my great-grandparents in the ’80s. They’ve since passed on but I spent most of my summers in Asheville as a kid, much like my father did when he was young visiting his own grandparents. The major difference between his experience and my own was growing up in a big city and visiting Asheville was, for me, awful. I hated going there, staying in the mountains and rarely venturing into town due to my grandmother’s paranoia of anything urban or progressive. It seemed so backwards from what I was used to and I missed everything about the city. Click here to read the full article.

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Categories: field trip, Photos, Travels, Writeups