Our new video for Google on Jeni’s Ice Cream has just been posted. Check it out here.
Thanks to Ashley Chandler & Sinead O’Mara at Google. Danny Bresnik for editing. Stephie and David at our studio for everything before, during, and after the shoot.
And as always, our friends at Jeni’s who are so wonderful and generous and fun. Especially John Lowe, Jeni and Charly.
Met Bon Iver in person a couple of weeks ago at Jazzfest. Not to say hello, but to stand holding Stephie only feet away from a performance that had the dozen or so musicians led by Justin Vernon switching instruments on every song. Percussion to bass. Sax to guitar. Keyboard to finger cymbals. “Bon Iver” comes from the French, “bon hiver” meaning “Have a good winter.” Yet it somehow sounds right on these rainy days of late spring. Have let their music take me to work and drift off at the end of the day. Made for rich dreams.
Dreams of skipping rocks and the taste of waterfalls.
Tangled spices. Latent pancake mix with no eggs or milk. Then rice and oats.
From the next room recording Asher waking up although the microphone slipped and is pointing at the ceiling. “Home….HOME!”
On the train, quick dreams looking out the window with my eyes closed listening to “Halocene.” Then reading the saddest article in the Times about a horse’s death in Tennessee, after winning the race of it’s life.
Not quite raining enough for a rainy day
“I was afraid. I was a boy. I was a tender age.”
Sitting under a bridge. Rocks held back by fences.
Train stopped here for a breath. Give it a sip of water and a nice pat.
All the Bon Iver albums are amazing. This link from a piano duet session in England is not so typical, but wonderful to hear and see.
Start here with the Halocene video.
Here are some links from Jazzfest:
When I was growing up in Pittsburgh, it never occurred to me to me that I would ever create something that would hang in the Carnegie Museum. I understood art, I just didn’t understand being an artist. Didn’t understand it at RISD. In many ways, still don’t understand it.
Today I got a note from Ellen Fleurov of the Silver Eye Gallery that the Carnegie Museum of Art has acquired a print of mine for their permanent collection. That must mean I have become an artist. It makes me very happy.
I do not try to be an artist.
I try – always – to do work that is me.
Now I have to become a better artist.
or…as Bob Dylan says,
“An artist has got to be careful never really to arrive at a place where he thinks he’s at somewhere. You always have to realize that you’re constantly in a state of becoming. As long as you can stay in that realm, you’ll sort of be alright.”
Your choice on Spotify.
As for me….I am listening to Maggie Hamilton today. I had my head out the window talking to her. Watching the clouds’ indecision of what kind of day they wanted to give us. Watching the parking lot squeeze tight. Trying to zoom out into the big picture. And breathe. Breathe. Breathe…..
A client last night asked if they pay me more, will I work harder? We both laughed hard at that one. I don’t even know less than 1000 per cent. The compensation is great, but not the motivation.
Listening to this old Warren Zevon song which was the soundtrack for the last blog post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQWUdtU1t4k
Watching Will Epstein’s thesis from Brown – http://vimeo.com/41809923 Will is an old friend. This piece is so soulful and beautiful. Like Will.
Then the new King Charles album – which I am not sure I love….. – although my 1 year old is singing Bam Bam NON-stop! Is that okay?
This is a light on my friend Jonny Daniels. I met him in Poland last summer and instantly found the same wave length. We were both in foreign territory (Warsaw and Krakow), strangers instantly thrown deep into joint histories that connected us all. Crazy soul I instantly bonded with.
Jonny is an operative in the best sense. He works every scene. He worked me until I was laughing so hard I begged for air. He worked out of the Kenesset in Jerusalem sweating his way just ahead of the mob, still managing to get in every picture. He worked the lobby of the King David, got his room and a big Sunday brunch picked up, then showed Jon Voight how to wash his hands. Jonny now works NY and LA like a pro. He grabs a stack of my business cards and calls from the road with his auto signature, “All The Best.” – which is his equivilant of have a great day. Really Jonny!
I have pictures that could instantly kill a political career, or make it take off if all news is good news. But I won’t be sharing those. I won’t even show you pictures of those pants he was wearing last summer with the cuffs and pleats. He promised they were disposed of. I can’t tell you most of what we talk about. Nothing is sacred. We almost died laughing at our driver in Israel who had a huge fake smile plastered on his face from 5 in the morning until midnight. It always feels like we are dodging bullets, and following the smoke trails.
Jonny shows up in NY with both phones dead, desperately needing an outlet. He talks about actresses and Hollywood producers he is meeting with. He talks about Dwayne in Nashville and Glenn in Dallas. Jonny is breaking velvet ropes, hanging out on rooftop bars in NY and Soho parties in LA.
Is is not easy being Jonny Daniels, riding in coach from Tel Aviv to LA. He belongs in the front. He has one of the most angelic singing voices you have ever heard. Didn’t expect that did you? He holds his little daughter like the most precious knock on the back of his knees.
Jonny is my friend. Some people don’t get Jonny. They are missing out.
