TYENCE!

Throughout our travels across this beautiful nation we inevitably have run across an abundance of wildlife, whether it be insects, plants, or dog-based critters.  I myself am very fond of discovering new types of plant and animal life, I enjoy taking pictures of them and reading about them and basically being a bona fide geek.

I call this section of the blog: TYENCE.  For the kick-off TYENCE edition I'm going to cover a few different weird bugs I've run across in the passed few years.

I'll start with one of the insects I found most interesting, the Velvet Wasp or Velvet Ant as it is referred to occasionally.

I stumbled upon one of these at a campground in North Carolina.  I had never encountered one of these insects before and it was quite a sight.  It's a terrific bright red color and looks like a giant ant, the size of a large wasp.  The female Velvet Wasp does not have wings while the male does.  There are roughly 3-5,000 species of this insect and it typically lives in very warm, dry, sandy climates.  Most commonly it is found in the Southwest in North America, but apparently there was at least one in North Carolina.  So I came across a female and fortunately I did not attempt to pick it up, apparently it has a devastating sting and is even nick-named the "Cow Killer".  Yikes.  Here's some footage of its stinger.



Another of my favorite rare insects to stumble upon is the Praying Mantis.  Hands down, in my opinion, the Mantis is THE coolest.  How bad-ass is a Praying Mantis?  The answer is very.  And how ambiguous is its name?  Is it "Preying" or "Praying".  They are both applicable and sound exactly the same.  Whoa.  The Mantis is somewhat elusive in the States, at least I have very rarely stumbled upon them.  There are about 20 species that are native to the U.S. and two (the Chinese Mantis and European Mantis) were introduced specifically to control unwanted pests that were damaging crops.  So the Mantis is like the Enforcer.  Totally bad-ass.

Here is one I encountered a few years ago in Atlanta.  It happened to land directly on my shoe and remained for a few minutes just hanging out.

I also came across a little baby mantis a few weeks ago at the studio.  Never seen one quite so small and adorable.

So there you have it.  The first edition of TYENCE evah!  Hope you enjoyed it and I apologize if you are creeped out by bugs 'n at, but hey, it's not that serious.  Really this is just a chance for me to post some goofy photos.  Anyway.  Don't forget we've got the Viper Room show next Monday, August 13th, it will be a kickoff party for the Sunset Strip Music Festival and it is guaranteed to be a hell of a show.  Hope to see you all there!  Facebook event page


P.S.  The link to Alex Kelly's website in my last blog post was not current, so in case you did or did not visit his site, here's the site I strongly encourage you to visit: www.harvardink.com.  He's got a kick-ass post about a reupholstery project he's doing, great stuff.

Til next time,

Ty

The Master Has Arrived!

That's right folks, the master audio of our latest record has arrived in our hands!

And we could not be happier, it's been a long, tedious process but we have achieved what we set out to do from the beginning: Create our best record ever.  In honor of this moment here is an exclusive behind the scenes of making "World On Fire".



Very soon we will have the first single available, we'll do the video, and the record will move and rock the masses for all of history.

We are currently in the process of completing the art work for the record with our brilliant, dear friend Alex Kelly.  You can find samples of his work at harvardink.com.  You may recognize some of the art as pieces we have used in the past.  It is an honor to have Alex as part of the team and an enormous pleasure as he is one of our best friends.  And if you are in the Cleveland area, please check out the Proximity Art Gallery which Alex runs with his fiancee Beth Whalley.  It's a beautiful space, always with an amazing show.  Check out the website at proximitycleveland.com/home.

Oh, and I did choose my Summah Gum.  I'm going with the wildcard, I did not include it as an option in my Summah Blog, but sometimes life throws a curve ball.  Either way, I am excited to announce that my Summah Gum is...

Wrigley's 5 Prism.  It's watermelon flavor and it is delicious.  I hope everyone is still havin' a summah out there and enjoying themselves.

Talk to ya soon.

Ty

SUMMAH!

That's right, this edition of blog is a SUMMAH FEATUH (feature).

Well folks, it is nearing the end of July, we are well into the Summah season.  I hope you have all been enjoying 2012's time of fun and sun.  And just in case you haven't, I will do my best to inspire you to go out and have some summah fun, via this blog.

Now, before I get started I must give credit to the singular champion of Summah, THE, Howard Kremer.  In case you have not seen his wonderful tutorial on YouTube, please take a moment to hear some words from the master:

Now, as you may have absorbed from the above video, it is important that one must pick out a "Summah Gum".  You proceed to "chew this gum aaaalllll Summah long, that is your Summah Gum.  As long as that gum is in your mouth you know it's Summah."  I know it's late in the Summah but I unfortunately have not made a final decision, so I've narrowed it down to three possibilities and they are as follows:

Trident Splashing Fruit:

Orbit Wildberry Remix:

Wrigley's 5 RPM:

So stay tuned to see which one will conquer the others and have the honor of being my Summah Gum.

Now, I've made a Summah Playlist for all to enjoy during these Summah months.  You can find it here on Spotify.  Here are the selections and a little synopsis on each tune:

1. Allah-Las - Tell Me What's On Your Mind

I had the privilege of seeing these fine gentlemen perform at the Troubadour and this song particularly sucked me in.  The Summah vibe is strong with this one with a retro surf rock sound and a jangly-fun-in-the-sun type of attitude.  Check out the video to get a better idea. 

2. Hacienda - Natural Life

One of my personal favorite bands, this tune has a great message for all the Summah enthusiasts out there as Summah is undoubtedly a magical part of nature.  This song's Summah vibe is off the charts.

3. Blitzen Trapper - Country Caravan

Many people like to take trips in the Summah, some may do it by "caravan".  That is why I chose to include this delightfully bouncy track about traveling by caravan.

4. Dr. Dog - Nobody Knows Who You Are

Summah time is a time for parties, and this track makes me think of partying, so it is thus included.

5. Buena Vista Social Club - Amor de Loca Juventud

Many nations across the globe have the great fortune to have never ending Summah seasons, one of these places is Cuba, where Buena Vista Social Club was formed.  The song is also about the love crazy emotions of youthful persons.  And we all know that Summah is a time for lovin'.

6. The Black Keys - Gold On The Ceiling

The content of this cut may not have much to do with Summah, but it is my personal favorite Summah Groove, something about those fuzzed out guitars...

7. Blitzen Trapper - Astronaut

I know, a repeat artist on a playlist is poor form, but just listen to this tune and tell me the groove at the 1:25 mark doesn't just ooze that Summah Vibe.

8. Deer Tick - Axe Is Forever

From what I can understand from the lyrics in this track, it's a bit about fuck school and the conventional life and all that, and Summah ain't no time for school and that type of shit, that's for goddam sure.  Plus for me there is not a Summah without Deer Tick.

9. Bob Marley - Small Axe

It's certainly not Summah without a little reggae and what better than some Bob Marley.  This is one of my personal fav Marley cuts.

10. Darwin Deez - Radar Detector

This is just a fun song that brings a smile to my face and Summah is definitely a time for smiling.  Plus the song mentions Los Angeles which is most certainly a Summah destination hot spot for many.

11. Howard Kremer - Take Your Back To School Sale and Shove It

Last but most certainly not least we have the Grand Champion of Summah himself Howard Kremer.  He just recently released his "Have A Summah" album, you can find it here and on iTunes, and I strongly suggest you check it out along with his free podcast Who Charted.  You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

So there it is, my Summah Playlist, I hope you all enjoy.  So get out there, have a Summah, and I'll talk to you soon.

Ty

Album of the Month

Apologies for the lack of blogging in the last month.  Let's just say I've "had blog-bloc".

Much has been happening for 28 North recently.  The record is 90% complete right now and it's fitting to be a revolutionary album of epic proportions.  We've also had some great shows at the Roxy and in Ventura, which is becoming almost like a second home to us, we love it there.

So last month was lacking our Album of the Month selection so I will have two coming up in the next few weeks to make up for it.

For this edition I'm going to feature Maps & Atlases' recent release "Beware and Be Grateful".  This Chicago-based quartet comes from an indie/math-rock background.  With their last two full length albums M & A has blended intricately complex musicianship with ultra-pop sensibilities and very sensitive, personal lyric content.

"Beware and Be Grateful" begins with the hypnotic guitar pulsing of the master soundscaper guitarist Erin Elders that is commonplace in most M & A cuts.  The song "Old And Grey" continues to build with the swirling layers of singer Dave Davison's luscious harmonies, the brilliant tribal drumming of Chris Hainey, and the masterfully nuanced bass lines of Shiraz Dada.  This first tune travels through the sentimental musings of a terminated relationship and culminates with a very exposed Davison bursting with Eastern-tinged melodic embellishments that are nothing short of heartbreaking.

The record continues in this vein, displaying much musical prowess and a keen sense for concocting subtle intricate layers that form beautifully complex atmospheres.  This is a very dense album that provides much to fascinate and ponder.  It comes highly recommended by yours truly, hope you enjoy.


Maps & Atlases on iTunes

Maps & Atlases on Spotify


-Ty

Pacific Crest Trail Part 2

So, continuing with my reflections on the Pacific Crest Trail...

When trekking on this ole dusty trail, one will encounter several examples of the desert animal and plant life.  I've seen plenty of lizards, rabbits, squirrels, etc.  The usual suspects.  There are also snakes and tarantulas out there without a doubt.  I haven't seen any tarantulas, and though I have a slightly masochistic urge to stumble upon one, it's probably better that I haven't.  And I've only seen two small snakes since being out here for nearly a year.

For a time there was also a stream that ran through a sandy area that leads to the PCT which you can see in the background of the picture at the top.  Abruptly this stream appeared last winter, and abruptly, it has now disappeared.  This makes me sad as it provided a very peaceful, meditative scenery and the soothing, trickling sound that streams are wont to possess.  Why this stream has disappeared and why it appeared in the first place remains a mystery to me.  Rest assured, I will be investigating.

The stream was also home to many tadpoles which I was excited to watch develop into frogs.  Unfortunately, this will not be so and maybe for the better as the croaking of frogs is already quite prominent in the evening without the addition of hundreds of annoying frog progeny.   Regardless, I'm a bit sorrowful that these infant frogs' habitat has vanished inexplicably.  Here's a very brief and shitty video of the tadpoles just to prove I'm not lying:

So I got my hands on a Go-Pro cam, which is a tiny video camera which can be strapped to one's chest.    In the previous blog post I spoke of using one of those "strap-on" cameras (please, don't even go there) to get some better quality footage of the trail scenery.  I did a quick run with it to test out how the footage would look and there are definitely some adjustments to make.  But it's a much nicer camera than an iPhone and the footage will be infinitely more stable.   So I'm gonna get that done and it will be very cool.

I hope you enjoy my amateurish ramblings on the great outdoors, I certainly enjoy experiencing and writing them.  If you'd like to see some more pictures of stuff from the Pacific Crest Trail you can find some here.

Until next time,

Ty

Pacific Crest Trail

Apologies for the lack of blogging recently.

Let's just say I've had "blog-bloc".

Tee-hee.

Anyway, I've got a little something special for you all.  As you may know, we have been stationed in the Los Angeles area for slightly under a year.  We spend plenty of time running around this sprawling town but our actual residence is in Acton, where we get away from the hullabaloo that is L.A.  It is absolutely gorgeous out here in what is appropriately dubbed "Canyon Country".  In fact, right in our backyard is a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail which runs from Mexico to Canada straight through the three west coast states, you can read more about it here.  I like to take hikes on this rugged and challenging trail.  I even made a short video which captures a small piece of the treks that I embark on.  I apologize for the shakiness of the video, I literally was walking and holding my iPhone in front of me.  But I feel the lack of professional camera operation adds to the charm.  The background music is a sample of a couple tunes from our UPCOMING ALBUM  "World On Fire".



I hope to do another more in depth video of my Pacific Crest Trail hike with one of those iso-cam thingies that strap to your chest or face or something.  It'll be fun.

I'll have more on my backyard ramblings soon.

To be continued...

Weekend Wonders

I know I've been shortly absent from this blog site in regards to my updating.  And I apologize to those of you that may actually read this blog.  If in fact you do read my blog, please feel free to comment or email me at 28northband@gmail.com with any concerns or comments.  I'll be happy to absorb any feedback or hate-mail or strange requests.  So please feel free to drop me a line.

So.

Weekends.  We all have them.

Sometimes they are epic, sometimes they pass without the slightest inclination of anything happening.

Regardless of all that, I'd like to share with you a few things we did last weekend.

We were semi responsible adults last weekend as we decided to actually cook breakfast for ourselves.  This meant pounds upon pounds of what I like to call the magical fruit and what is known to most of the general public as....

Bacon.

That's right folks, we love the stuff and here is an example of what happens to our bacon when left unchaperoned:

We also went to Malibu last weekend and had a nice relaxing time at the beach.  I didn't actually take any pictures or videos at the beach but I did get this footage on the way there.  Please excuse my terribly sophomoric content, I can only hope that you, dear reader, can find the humor in the quality of my subject matter.


So that's it for now.  I'll have more fun stuff coming at you soon.

-Ty