research materials

heavy mask

safe ice

metallica

hall of green mirrors

sniffs

signal

out tuesday

let's get out. gorgeous footage! heavy dudes!

wish list part one

i don't really buy new clothing very much, sometimes i go to sears when they have a sale because they make the pants i like, but i can't stop thinking about this hat. i don't even know if i would wear it that much, but i think about it. kudos to whoever's idea this was. will trade drawing of space for a hat with space on it. headspace?

jear bear

it's music week, hippies!

yes i sunday

song drawings

for record store day, i did some drawings that will be included with some of the cd's of mine that just came out. drawings of songs on the record. it's drawings of songs. songs drawings.

unlimited joy, time

i'm into lyrics about concepts and oneness in my adult contemporary cosmic country music.

pleasure shapes for contemplation

bird bundle

monaco and grand gallery, some fine folks in tokyo, japan have released a compilation of music that i have made as a part of the band birds of america. it spans the time from when i first moved to california up to when i moved back to indiana. it's got some songs from singles, some live things, some home recordings and some miscellaneous tunage. it's a limited cd release, so far only available in japan, but you can listen to it here and if you want, you can email me fore some information on how to order a cd in america and otherwise.
making up songs and recording music is such a weird, wonderful and confusing thing. i'm really thankful to have this to look back on remember things to.



a large interstellar high five of praises to the birds past future and present: sam flax, amy blaustein, pat thomas, chris barth, aaron deer, maggie hilt, seth mahern and the apache dropout, aaron prellwitz, kris ellis, cassidy rockhill, james mcvey, simone rubi, abby g, chris vorhees, and katie coles. thanks!

gullveston

here's a little batch of images by one of my favorite photo-takers: my uncle john russell, who passed away  15 years ago this month. all the images are of galveston, texas in what i think must be the late 70s. 

 beach front property

 the strip

 grampa grumpy at ease

 romantic gull shot

togetherness!

a design in search of a client

-healing lotions and bath salts for old shredders

-fresh granolas and beans

-peanut butter bumpers cereal

-sandwiches

-bananas

-coffee

daily news

george gets a house

i did not make it but georgie is stoked, i think. 

he's already started eating it.

appreciation club 2012

you know who should win more awards? our buds. because our buds are awesome people. and we here at crooked arm fully endorse our friends at TRAIL OF CRUMBS and want you to vote for them in the saveur "best culinary travel blog" by clicking here. adrian and danielle are, as tina turner once said, "simply the best". so support a bud, vote for their blog because they work really hard on it and isn't it nice to be appreciated?

new dust

thumb of the maid

life notes

-many thanks to kyle for helping me get my art show hung. he was an essential ingredient in all manner of things getting done and me not going insane. (picture stolen from the internet). he even loaned me some sweatpants to keep me warm at night and they made all the difference.

-i wish i could travel back in time and visit a younger version of myself and tell him, "my son, one day you will be drawing pizza for a living, and it will be weird. it's ok!"

-i was able to sleep on many guest beds during my trip, from which i am still recovering, and i must say, guest beds are so much better than floors and couches. the feeling of refreshment and rejuvenation cannot be beat. do yourself a favor, stay with your friends who have guest bedrooms and thank them profusely.

-i am feeling like playing music again. let's go on a tour of gourmet chef's living rooms and the backyards of families

-kind of glad i didn't win the megamillions jackpot. is there a megahundreds? that is more my speed.

-memory loss

dogtown and wee boys

also:

really great short movie on artist and buddy kipp normand HERE.

you should check it out for real.

cracklin tone

03.22.12 RIBBONS vs. BIRDS OF AMERICA from N amesak E on Vimeo.

the above is a video by blog-bud turned real-life-bud adam of a rad little nugget of a night a couple weeks ago in oakland, california. it was put together by longtime fellow traveller david who gets up to all kinds of events from the bay area to japan and beyond. on this night he got together with terri, jason and felix and created a little music night in the backyard with a fire, sing-a-longs with projected lyrics, closely gathered folks, and plenty of good vibrations.  here's how he put it:

friends,
class is in session.
this time, Thursday March 22 8pm, we welcome our dear friend Nat Russell back to the Bay Area for a night of songs at the home of Terri Loewenthal, Jason Libsch, and Felix. Nat is having an art opening at Mollusk Surf Shop on Saturday the 24, but this will be a chance to encounter the sound side of his practice...Nat has been playing music as "Birds of America" for a long while, and on this night, Nat will share what it is he has been grooving on out in Indianna. 
this night will move deeper into the realm of 'song' as we open up our growing song-book catalogue of sing alongs, covers, traditionals, spirituals, chants, and shanties and take turns leading songs and learning songs. we hope you will come and be up to lend your voice, and even consider a song you might bring and share around the fireplace. help us make this song-book brimming with good ones.
come over after you've eaten dinner, bring a bottle of wine or a sweet, and we'll get in it.

good, right? well this video features dave's buddy (whose name i forget, i'm sorry) getting chanty and setting the mood then a song sung by my own self. it was dark and i couldn't see the frets, but you don't come here for perfection do you? no, you don't. who needs it? this stuff is too important to be left to professionals! peace!