I went with the “Tacos” – Chili seasoned jackfruit in corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, lime and micro greens served with black beans, gazpacho and sliced mango. – $7.95
I wanted to go back for every meal and have these tacos over and over and over and over and over again. They were so amazing.
The staff was friendly and the service was right on.
Other items I wanted to enjoy: Black Bean and Plantain Focaccia, Smoked Soyrizo Burrito, Macaroni and Cheese…
Be sure to go when you’re in the area and let me know what you think.
More info about Sage: www.sageveganbistro.com

To conclude, my trip to LA was fantastic. Thanks to everyone that helped to make it a successful one.
[from - www.duanefernandez.com]

I saw this first thing this morning and I can already see it’s going to cause a media frenzy. Read here: “Why it’s time to say goodbye to free Wi-Fi” I understand that scare tactics are good for press and even for driving traffic to your blog, but please do us all a favor and report all the facts. It’s not that hard. But that wasn’t his mission in writing this “piece.” From a brief look around his site and the ABOUT page, the dude is far from being a journalist or a writer – even though he authored [I use that term loosely]: Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work And Why Your Company Needs Them – WOW, that sounds awful. Any book title with “?!” in it has to be quality.

You have to question any article/blog whose head line is “If you are new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS Feed. Thanks for visiting!” Or take a look at the way he shares his article on facebook: “If what I wrote in my blog this morning (above) scares you, please repost it – And please be careful out there.” Sadly, millions will re-post this and paranoia will ensue. Just what we Americans need. I’d rather not give the dude any more attention by sharing my thoughts, but I feel it is important.
Sorry for the jabs, but do your job.

If you didn’t read the article, let me give you the run down: He slams free Wi-Fi networks for not being secure and that you should go out and purchase your own $50 portable hot spot from “Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, whatever”.
*Boom done in less than 30 words.

It’s true, free Wi-Fi networks are not safe. I think everyone knows that. Usually your device will even warn/remind you. If it doesn’t, you should change your wireless network settings.

But more importantly, when dealing with a free Wi-Fi network, you should be connecting to these things using https.
Or VPN or proxy (via https) back to a known safe machine, and http from there.

In regards to Firesheep, who happens to be the villain in Shankmans’s blog, one of my associates pointed out:  “Check the blogs, I haven’t seen one where someone reports having got Firesheep to work (other than grabbing a connection from another browser on the same puter).”

Interestingly enough I found this from the author of Firesheep:

“It’s extremely common for websites to protect your password by encrypting the initial login, but surprisingly uncommon for websites to encrypt everything else. This leaves the cookie (and the user) vulnerable. HTTP session hijacking (sometimes called “side
jacking”) is when an attacker gets a hold of a user’s cookie, allowing them to do anything the user can do on a particular website. On an open wireless network, cookies are basically shouted through the air, making these attacks extremely easy.

This is a widely known problem that has been talked about to death, yet very popular websites continue to fail at protecting their users. The only effective fix for this problem is full end-to-end encryption, known on the web as HTTPS or SSL. Facebook is constantly rolling out new “privacy” features in an endless attempt to quell the screams of unhappy users, but what’s the point when someone can just take over an account entirely? Twitter forced all third party developers to use OAuth then immediately released (and promoted) a new version of their insecure website. When it comes to user privacy, SSL is the elephant in the room.

Websites have a responsibility to protect the people who depend on their services. They’ve been ignoring this responsibility for too long, and it’s time for everyone to demand a more secure web. My hope is that Firesheep will help the users win.”

The concern is there. Your phone and ipad applications are vulnerable, which is why I password protect all important/sensitive applications and I dig into each app independently to find out how I can further protect myself. When surfing, use these free forced HTTPS add-ons that I’ve tested and use:

Firefox users: Force-TLS – https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/12714/

Chrome users: KB SSL Enforcer https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/flcpelgcagfhfoegekianiofphddckof

Other browsers? *Sorry, you should really only be using one of those two browsers.

Best comment on his blog:

Don’t scare people just for your own selfish reasons, give people information and offer ways to protect themselves.
Long live Free Wi-Fi!

There are many ways to protect your info, be proactive and do some research!
*I apologize for misspellings or grammatical errors, I don’t have time to edit this.

I still think the dude has major problems, but Nike and W+K did a great job of approaching the problem, dealing with it and they almost make you feel bad for Lebron. Then I snapped out of the marketing magic and realized that I now dislike him even more. How did that happen? Probably because the “poor me, why does everyone hate me” approach doesn’t sit with me very well. I would also recommend that Lebron’s people stop retweeting every positive comment about the commercial. Just be humble dude. No one likes you. Deal with it. Own it.
Side note: Becky did notice the funniest comment on the youtube in response to the commercial:
“Should I call Delonte dad?”
[if you don't find the humor in this statement - read this]

But seriously, what do you think of the commercial? What do you think of Lebron? What do you think of what transpired with the Heat?

This is a photo taken from an editorial shoot a few weeks back. More on this at a later date. However, the Black Ops photography team is excited to introduce our newest member of the team – the phenom make up artist: Lindsay Hartley. *applause*

Time Management: The ability to quickly process and synthesize information and turn it into actions is one of the most emergent skills of the professional world today. Organize email in file folders. If the message needs more thought, move it to your to-do list. If it’s for reference, print it out. If it’s a meeting, move it to your calendar.
Take action on an email as soon as you read it.

Did you know it’s October? I can’t believe it. It’s the 7th of October, 2010 to be exact. Soon it will be January 2011. That’s just insane. We’ve been busy here at Black Ops. Between design, video/photography production and post production, we have been working to get the Left Field Project book off the ground. With a solid production schedule in place, we are hoping and praying to get it on shelves by early 2011. That would be a fantastic way to start the new year.

Does anyone else feel like the Cheez-It “mature cheese” commercial is insanely racist? I do. Watch it again and let me know what you think.

Currently listening to: B.o.B. – KIDS [cover of MGMT] It’s rather incredible.
Side note: If you haven’t seen MGMT in concert, I recommend it. It’s a unique show that all heads should experience.

Have a great weekend
- duane fernandez

1. Unprepared for the job & Bad habits. If you don’t have the proper management skills going into the job and If you don’t have a great* mentor assisting you in developing the proper skills to manage your routine, you will only develop bad habits. Like any habit, bad habits are hard to break. Take the necessary time to sharpen the right tools.

2. Self importance. Creatives can be divas. Most are. Being “busy” and “stressed out” and “frustrated” all the time are all signs of a great artists making “magic.” Bullshit. That’s what those creatives think and it’s incredibly childish. Unfortunately, those behaviors are passed down to interns and new hires. If you are a student/recent grad and you just witnessed the creative director have a melt down in a meeting, go with your initial gut feeling – it’s absolutely ridiculous and uncalled for. Don’t become that. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the most brilliant creative minds in the world and one thing I have learned is: Enjoy what you.

3. If you have the skills required to do your job properly, but you find that your agency/studio is under-resourced. Which ultimately means that you are over worked. You have two options:
a. Quit
b. Suck it up and make it work.
Make the decision and follow through. Either way, you are in control and you are making a conscious decisions to do what YOU want.
Before going with option [a.] I recommend addressing the problem immediately, voice your concerns to the decision makers and be sure that when you bring these issues up, you have possible solutions.
If you go with [b.] congratulations, you are fighting a good fight. But know that you’ve made this commitment and your are going to stick to it. Wavering will only bring stress into your life. I could give you a few ideas to make your work day more manageable if you would like – just shoot me an email.

Those are my three [main] reasons why people in this wonderful industry are so uptight.
I wish I had more time to discuss, but I have to get back to my lists. I enjoy your emails/questions – thanks!

- duane fernandez

* Don’t settle for anything less than a great mentor. Great mentors are around, maybe not in your immediate team, but there is at least one in your organization. I promise.

As some of you may have noticed on twitter, I didn’t get to the painting portion of this project until late last night. May have been a little too close for comfort, as the concert is tonight, but I’ve been working on a handful of video projects as of late and didn’t have the time. Anyway, it’s complete, it’s delivered and I’m stoked on it. I ended up really distressing the jewelry box this time around. I used a high grit sand paper to create a lot of texture. Painted the box. Sanded. Painted the box. Sanded… etc. [You get the point.] I used his heartbreak logo on the top and a simple MAYER stencil around the side. John Mayer will receive the piece tonight in Tulsa just before his concert.


The wooden box is 4.5″ x 4.5″ x 3.5″

We’ve been transitioning from one dwelling to another. So pardon my lack of posting. Along with moving, I’ve been wrapping up a series of projects and starting a series of new ones. I’ve had a lot of time to think in between and I really wish I could dump it all right here in this “post.”

As it turns out, sports and politics are some of my favorite things to think about when I am packing/moving. Another thing is: punctuation and pronunciation. [this is a new hobby I have discovered]

Back to the madness. Be back soon.

Re: The image associated with this post.
I wanted to see what “google” thought “silent” looked like, so I searched. Perhaps the most frightening photos I have ever seen. Don’t do it. Since that didn’t work out the way I had hoped, I decided to search a word that I knew would produce some gems: eames

The last set of photos from WoodyFest. Photos of our dude Maurice Baker [from Newcastle], Annie Guthrie, the incredible David Jacobs-Strain [take a look at his tour schedule, if he is coming to a town near you - be there], the wonderful and extremely talented Rachel Davis, Jess Klein, John Wort Hannam and Sam Baker.

Photo info:
One photo of Maurice Baker – If you missed my thoughts on Maurice, read more here.
One photo of Annie Guthrie
Two photos of David Jacobs-Strain - The kid is incredible. I mean, absolutely incredible.
Four photos of Rachael Davis – Looking back at the festival, Maurice was our favorite story, David Jacobs-Strain was an impressive musician, but Rachael Davis was my favorite overall artist. She was adorable. She was accompanied on stage by her husband who played the upright bass. She was a great story teller. Her song selection was on point. Loved them!
Two photos of Jess Klein
One photo of John Wort Hannam
This next photo is of Radoslav Lorkovic‘s Accordion transport case.
And finally one photo of Sam Baker

Main photo: Our favorite artists from a couple years back – the Broken Wing Routine

I found some time to post a few of my favorite Woody Guthrie Festival photos. As most of you know, since meeting my wife, I have taken to Mr. Guthrie. She introduced me to him and my life hasn’t been the same since. It’s hard for me to think of a greater American icon than Woody. [He'd probably prefer that I call him Woody and quit with the "Mr. Guthrie."] I hope that you all find a moment to look into his life. “Life has got a habit of not standing hitched. You got to ride it like you find it. You got to change with it. If a day goes by that don’t change some of your old notions for new ones, that is just about like trying to milk a dead cow.” – Woody

Needless to say, I was honored to be one of the event photographers at WoodyFest. My job was to cover the historic Crystal Theatre. In the song booklet Woody and Lefty Lou’s Favorite Collection: Old Time Hill Country Songs (circa 1938), in reference to “Midnight Special” Woody wrote: “At the Crystal Theatre down in Okemah, Oklahoma, I heard Otto Gray’s Cowboy Band play this old song. I just barely could hear above the rattle of them pop-corn sacks, so I had to add the last three verses myself. Nobody knows where it got started, I don’t guess. I don’t even know what a midnight special is…”

Days one and two:

Photo info:
Two photos of Ramsey Midwood opening for Arlo Guthrie
Two photos of Arlo Guthrie, one photo of Arlo with some of his family
Thursday we went out to the Pastures of Plenty to enjoy a few of the evening shows – two photos
A multi-media presentation “My Name is New York: Exploring Woody Guthrie’s New York City” by Tiffany Colannino with the Woody Guthrie Archives
Two photos of Jack Hardy and company
A photo of Jonathan Byrd
A photo of Audrey Auld
A photo of Ronny Elliot
A photo of Don Conscenti
Four photos of the home town hero: John Fullbright

Days three and four coming in the next few days.

Two antennas got married, the ceremony wasn’t much…
But the reception was excellent!

There is your joke for the day, now go spread some cheer. Other news: Just put the finishing touches on the Michael Buble’ piece and I am running it over to the BOK Center in just a moment. I don’t listen to Buble’ a whole lot, but he’s got an incredible voice. AND he was funny on SNL.
Anyway, I enjoyed working on this piece and I have to say, it might be one of my favorites. Hope he enjoys it.

It’s summer time! You know what that means – It’s time for SEEK! My first piece will hit the streets in July. Some straight forward clues for you: Pee-Wee Herman and Los Angeles. More details will follow via twitter.

On to other things:
Nothing upsets me more than sitting down to enjoy a delicious hot dog, grabbing the mustard bottle, flipping it over and squirting – what I can only describe as watered-down-mustard-juice all over my delectable frank. GD that ruins my day! Same scenario also applies with hamburgers.

Perception:
I’ve always been intrigued by disasters. More specifically, how people react to it. I found this nugget while doing some research:
“What these researchers discovered was that the media—even way back in the 1950s and 1960s—approached huge disasters with certain frames. When the media reports on disasters, they’re inevitably going to focus on the dramatic and antisocial, even if it’s one percent of the population committing these acts”

In the news:
I’m going to try and share some current events with you all at least once a day. Every morning we read the paper before going about our day. [When I say we read the paper, we read the news applications on our phones: USA today, huffington post, etc.] Today BP read to me a very interesting/ridiculous story. A gentlemen by the name of Don “Moose” Lewis is starting an all white basketball league. He’s hoping to find 12 cities to partake in his venture. “Lewis said he wants to emphasize fundamental basketball instead of “street-ball” played by “people of color.”
It’s a fine read: Huffington Post – All white basketball league

Photo: 100 Monkeys, I shot this last night at CAINS 2nd Stage
What do you know about the band 100 Monkeys?
I didn’t know much, but they are quite talented and entertaining. Jackson Rathbone, one of the members in the band – seen here in the lovely hat playing the guitar, is also an actor. I suppose he is probably better known as Jasper Hale, from the Twilight series/phenomenon.
I was pleasantly surprised, you should check them out.

photo: Kellie Pickler – I took this photo the other night at the Taylor Swift show.
I’m currently working on an interview with shoe designer Christian Louboutin. I can’t wait.

The second photo I posted is of Willie’s famous guitar “trigger.” It is a Martin N-20 nylon-string acoustic, which he has named after Roy Rogers’ horse. Constant strumming (with a guitar pick) over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar’s body near the sound hole (there is no pick-guard on the Martin N-20 since classical guitars are meant to be played fingerstyle instead of with flat-picks). Willie once commmented it was caused by a little too much Whiskey River. Its soundboard has been signed over the years by over a hundred of Nelson’s friends and associates, from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. Nelson has often said that when the hole in Trigger’s body makes the guitar unplayable he will retire.
Pretty awesome…

Photography was great that night, probably the most successful show I have ever shot…

I wanted to let that Britney Spears post marinate for a little while. I’m still very excited about the whole experience. But in this day and age of instantaneous gratification, I better get on with an update of some sorts.
Where do I begin?
Last night was Taylor Swift at the BOK center. She’s awfully adorable. This is the second time I have had the pleasure of photographing her.
I think she is officially the first artist I have photographed twice now. Which is an interesting thing to do. However, this time SHE was the headliner. She has done a lot in the last 12 months.
You can learn a lot about an artist backstage. Once you get off the elevator a whole new world unveils itself to you. Every show has a different personality onstage and backstage. Sometimes the smell of arrogance is so bitter I want to step back onto the elevator and make my way to my station. Other times, like last night, it’s a warm friendly environment and the back of the house is an enjoyable place to be.
Taylor was just starting her meet and greet.
Some fans were overly emotional with this experience and couldn’t resist… They cried.
Most fans did not.
Taylor greeted each of her fans with an embrace, a warm smile and a short, but pleasant conversation.
She was kind. Very kind. I spent about 30 minutes with her last night and in that time, all I noticed were a series of small acts of kindness and smiles. It’s nice and refreshing.
She has a fantastic smile and it is contagious.
In most cases the old adage “Never meet your idols” holds true. But in this case it’s nice to know that these fans walk away with a lasting and inspirational experience. Hopefully that inspiration will be the catalyst for something beautiful.
I enjoy watching such displays.
The show went well. I was able to capture some great shots of Taylor.

We watched “Sunshine Cleaning” on Saturday night. I highly recommend it to everyone. It’s fantastic. And I have an old friend in it. Actually, he was one of my brother’s best friends in high school. My brother, along with his rambunctious crew, sort of raised me. Along with a couple of others. Anyway, Cliff is the hardest working cat in Hollywood. AND I’m not joking… The dude has range… Watch the movie. Cliff you’re awesome and very inspirational.
Do what you love and the universe will provide.

Over the weekend I spent a lot of time thinking about Powell. Powell was one of my best friends. He was a brother to many of us. For the first time in a long time I thought about how the loss of Powell has influenced my life. For a few years I couldn’t find balance. I was either running or I was lost and frustrated. It’s a fucked up thing to lose someone you love. Someone so young.
We were all too young.
In some ways I regret who I became over those years. I was reckless. Extremely selfish. Very angry. Confused…
I’m still trying to find my footing.
I miss Powell a lot.
We miss Powell a lot. I watched as we all managed the grief. Some did it well. I didn’t.
I’m sorry for that.
I am surrounded by the most incredible people in the world.
Love you guys.

I will tell you this. You HAVE to go to a lil wayne show. You have to get up close enough to see his smile. Not because of the ice, but because of the love he has for what he does.
I appreciate that sort of thing.

Aside from that kids. Life is beautiful. I miss my friends. I can’t wait to see them…. SOON!
This fall is going to fly by.

Perspective.
My thoughts are with this young girl in Okemah.
I pray she will be happy.

download here

Lucky.

“Here is the soul compilation I promised. Assembled in time for Valentine’s Day. It’s a mix of well-known artists with hopefully some pleasant surprises sprinkled in. I made it as an upbeat, joyous mix. No downer tracks here… with the possible exception of Darondo’s “Didn’t I” which is too good to leave off regardless of the lyrical content, and its fit into this compilation. Also, This time I broke it up into individual tracks and zipped it for download. It’s embedded with track titles and the cover pic, so it should insert seamlessly into iTunes. As per usual I’ve been playing it around the house, and Corrina seems to be enjoying it, so I hope your readers will also. Dig it!”

Tom – It’s SO GOOD! And I agree about the Darondo’s track…. Perfect. By the way, if you come across another Let My People Go LP – PLEASE pick it up for me. And honestly, I don’t think they deserve it………
Download the mix here.

So I just got back to the studio from the Slipknot concert..
Um. WOW.
I’ve been fortunate to have photographed a handful of amazing “rock” bands in the last year = Papa Roach, Seether, Staind, AC/DC, Metallica, NIN… BUT NONE of them have ANYTHING on Slipknot. Definitely one of the craziest things I have ever seen. Being situated between eagerly awaiting fans, held back by a 4 foot tall barricade, and the stage made for a tense situation. (Was that an Oxford comma?) There was about 6 feet between the stage and the wall of humans. (Chanting “6-6-6-Slipknot” By the way.) It was intermission and the fans couldn’t wait for the red curtain to drop. Honestly, I couldn’t either. It was a total rush. I didn’t know what to expect. Crowd surfers were being dropped over the barricade inches away from me. People were throwing clothes, shoes, coins, beer towards the stage. I held my position an inch away from the center mic and waited. The lights went out and everyone went insane. At that moment I thought I should grab a flick. I turned, dropped my shutter, cranked up my ISO and took one photo to hopefully document my very first Slipknot show – seen above.

All I can say is that they were incredible. I was totally surprised by my experience and I’m so grateful for it. I’d recommend all of you venture out, break out of your norm and see them perform. Because they truly did. Passion is a crazy thing. I’m always surprised when I stumble over it.

2. Pop quiz: First person to answer this question accurately is going to win an LFP tee shirt…. “What American Cup victor was killed by pirates in 2001 while exploring South America’s Amazon river?”

3. I’ve been doing some research on Kings of Leon today and I’m a little confused by their story. I was trying to figure out where they are from. Here are the facts that I have gathered thus far: FACT: The band is made up of three brothers – Caleb Followill (b. 1982) (lead singer/rhythm guitar), Nathan Followill (b. 1979) (drums/backup vocals), Jared Followill (b. 1986) (bass guitar/backup vocals/synthesizer) – and their first cousin Matthew Followill (b. 1984) (lead guitar/backup vocals). The band’s sound derives from southern rock, garage rock, hard rock and alternative. They have released four full-length albums.
FACT: Kings of Leon are a Grammy-nominated American rock band from Tennessee, USA
FACT: Jared and Caleb were born in Tennessee, while Matthew and Nathan were born in Oklahoma. The brothers spent much of their youth traveling around the South with their father, Leon, a traveling United Pentecostal Church preacher and their mother, who taught them when they were not in school.
FACT: They were home-schooled or enrolled in small parochial schools. Except for a five-year stretch when they settled in Jackson, Tennessee.
Conclusion: Sorry Oklahomans, survey says……………….. “NOT from OK.” I also think it’s weird that their father’s name is Leon AND that they all go by their middle names….. AND some sorces say that their father was defrocked.. Yep – you probably don’t know what that is. I didn’t. Check it out. I thought it was something more awesome than it was.

4. Carm sent me a text that read: “……… Did you take youre blood pressure? Seriously old man u should start.” Then a few days later I got an e-mail from her titled: “Stroke identification”. hmmm.
Yes. You all know I get wound up sometimes. I worry! I want things to be perfect. I just don’t want to let the people I care about down. The ice storm came at a perfect time…. Anyway, I’d like to thank Carm for the very serious reminder that I need to relax. AND I would like to thank a few more of you for taking care of me when I really need it most. I know I’m impossible sometimes…. So to you – thank you.
Some of you may know this, some of you may not, SO it’s in my best interest that you all KNOW:
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the ’3′ steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S*Ask the individual to SMILE.
T*Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)
R*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
*NEW Sign of a Stroke*
Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Another ‘sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ‘stick’ out his tongue.. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other,that is also an indication of a stroke.

Have I mentioned how wonderful all the kids at the BOK Center are? I’m fortunate to work with some incredible people over there…..
So yes, I work with Paige lots. She is the Marketing Manager at the BOK center. She’s kind of awesome.
The show was insane! If you haven’t seen an AC/DC, you probably should.
My brain is mush. My eyes are so tired….. Too much photography today… (Is that true? No.) I’m just sleepy. Night night.

Hello friend,
Well I finally got around to putting a mix together. I guess being bored and sick at home was the fuel to get it done. At the end of the summer, I had originally wanted to make an upbeat compilation in the “chickadees” vein. As time passed, it got colder and darker and I was listening to more mellow fare. I’m more familiar with the 60′s-70′s stuff than I am with recent artists, so a lot of these leads originally came from Eric, Bake and Phrough. It’s not gonna get ya riled-up at the pre-party, but it’s good for working, sleeping and rainy days (so sensitive). As per usual (Eric bitches about it), it’s all one track. If folks prefer, I can break it up into tracks, but wanted to be done with it for now. Enjoy.

Thomas! Thank you so much! Do you realize how dope these are going to be once FELT has been launched?
Thank you Tom.
*You can download the entire mix using the link below, or get your stream on.

download: http://www.divshare.com/download/6003639-401

watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHN9gGDg3w&feature=player_embedded

I know many of you may not have heard from me in quite a while since I’ve been in serious hermit mode and have taken a considerable break from the business of visual art and the relentless hustle that is needed to sustain that career. But I’m back and asking for your support in my venture to make music a more solid part of my existence. I have realized that creating music is too important an aspect of who I am and it would be fantastic if it could start bringing in some income at some point too.
So here’s where you come in!
Here is the link to my entry to this Roots “Criminal” remix contest: here
So please hook me up with a vote! Just click the link above and press “vote for me” on the page you are redirected to. Then, if I make it to the top 25 then I can actually compete in a real remix competition.
The determination of winners for this first round is really lame (didn’t realize this until after the fact)…basically a self-promo battle for votes. I guess the judges didn’t want to have to listen to 310 remixes to determine what was actually good. But I worked hard on my track and definitely feel that its good enough to be in the top 25, so I’m giving it a shot.
The top 25 finalists will advance to Round 2. For Round 2, The Roots will make another track from their album “Rising Down” available to be remixed by the 25 finalists, and thankfully there be 3 judges making the final decision.
Oh, and “L.C. Rivers”…that’s me. Lavish Catastrophe Rivers is an anagram of Christopher Tavares Silva and is what I’m using as my music production identity.
Much love to all..

Now. I recommend you go and listen to the album version of “Criminal”. So you can truly appreciate how sick Chris’s remix is. Like I said, I get these sort of e-mails all the time. But this is impressive and I’m standing behind this 100%. This line in his e-mail is what I can’t stop thinking about: “I have realized that creating music is too important an aspect of who I am…” It’s that common thread in each of the individuals in Left Field Project. Follow your heart and the world will provide. I promise.
I’ve listened to this song about 200 times in the last 2 days…. Nice work Chris. Keep on.
So please, take a moment, not just to go and vote – but to enjoy it….
It’s funny, I pulled these lyrics for a blog a few weeks ago, but I didn’t end up using them. They’ve returned so I have to post them…. I’m not sure if there are any other words that encompass who I am – more than these:

Look, it is what it is
Because of what it was
I did what I did
‘Cause it does what it does
I don’t put nothin’ above
What I am, what I love
My family, my blood
My city and my hood
Hater for the greater good
I’m back from Hollywood
And I ain’t changed a lick…..

So please, vote – listen – enjoy – spread the word and be inspired to do things that your heart desires. Cheers!

Tangent: I have thousands of snapshots filed away in the back of my brain somewhere, at any moment I can retrieve an event and find the corresponding snapshot. Along with the image, I can recall temperatures, smells, sounds, quotes and emotions of that moment. Awhile back I decided that I would attempt to try and capture that mental snapshot…. Was it possible? Could I? I take entirely way too many photos, it’s somewhat obnoxious.The brain is a wicked awesome puzzle and I’ve learned that most of the time, my “mental snapshot” isn’t published until well after the event has taken place. What does that mean? I have to guess which moment my brain will use to anchor that memory. It’s a fun game. Prior to this weekend, I have only cheated the system twice. There is so much more to this theory… This weekend, I think I beat the system again. *No, this attached photo isn’t it.

Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah on July 14, 1912, he was an American songwriter and folk musician, Guthrie lived an astonishing life filled with love, happiness and tragedy. I feel fortunate to have stumbled upon his story. His words and songs are remarkable. If you are not familiar with his story, I recommend you spend some time reading.

**And while I am geeking out on this. I was just reading WIRED magazine and they rank LEVEL 3 #16 on their list of WIRED 40. “They’re masters of innovation adn technology, global thinkers that dominate their industries and point the way to the future. Our 10th annual list of the 40 most WIRED companies in the world.” They had this to say about Level 3: “Wiring the plant with fiber optics really was a great idea – it just took a while for YouTube and friends to come up with the petabits to make it pay. Level 3 boasts 50,000 miles of prime Net backbone. Now it can start working off that $6 Billion in debt.”

I’ve been cutting this stencil for 2 hours. My hand is cramping up like crazy and I got at least another two hours to go. When I am done with that one, I have to cut one more for this piece. Maybe if I had a sharper blade my hand wouldn’t cramp?

On another note, Jeffstaple was one of the first people I contacted for LFP. He is one of my favorite designers out there. Actually, every time I get asked “who is your favorite designer?” I reply with “Jeffstaple”. So not only is he “one of my favorites” – he is my favorite! Jeff is one of the coolest cats out there, and he is extremely talented. This is the intro to his blog:

“I think everyone had a “Darrin Hudson” in their lives. Darrin Hudson was in my high school, back in Marlboro, NJ. You know, that person that you had to one-up all the time. Didn’t matter what it was: Gear, hair, grades, sports, whatever…it was ON. Well for Darrin and I…it was kicks. Plain and simple. Oddly enough, in a school with over 1000 kids, me and him were the only 2 really into sneakers back then. This is my blog dedicated to Darrin. This is to tell Darrin that I’m still out there, and if he wants to battle, here it is son!! Bring it!! I’ve since lost touch with Darrin, but thanks to him, you all get to check out the kicks I have amassed over the years.”

Jeffstaple has many projects out there, but most notably “Reed Space” is my favorite. Mainly because I do have a passion for taking Art + Design + Shoes and mixing them into a well designed retail space. The entire process is an art in itself….