New Flyers for Tir Na Nog

Tir Na Nog August Flyer

After a couple of months of hiatus, here is my latest flyer for Tir Na Nog's Local Band Local Beer concert series.

Monty Python - Architect Sketch

Tir Na Nog May Flyer

Wedding Colors....this actually looks a bit like my wedding tie. May has been an awesome month so far and it's only the 8th day of it.

Locopops Makes TrendCentral

Locopops*: If you can't bear to eat another cupcake frosted in butter and sugar, this North Carolina chain offers another childhood treat that's a little easier on the stomach. With locations in Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Hillsborough, Locopops has been planting the seeds for a popsicle revolution over the past few years. While they're not the dye-saturated Good Humor Firecrackers nor the Bill Cosby-endorsed Pudding Pops that you may remember from your youth (whenever that may have been), these pops are even better. In fact, they're actually paletas (Mexican popsicles) that come in both traditional flavors like tamarind and mango-chile, as well as foodie flavor combos like chocolate-rosemary and honeydew-lavender.

*Special thanks to trendcentral reader Jedidiah Gant of the New Raleigh blog for introducing us to Locopops!

Other food trends and full article HERE

Formotion Films Show This Friday!!!

Sponsored by The Visual Art Exchange -

From information collection and distribution, to pop culture, contemporary design, technology and urban living, Formotion Films aims to reference layers of society without explicitly naming them. Recycled visuals paralleled with audio backdrops create a filmscape that represents the over indulgent culture we live in today. The films of Lather, Rinse, Repeat attempt to expose this indulgence and are all made of previously used material and are 100% recyclable. Can recycling culture create change?

Warning – No Celluloid was harmed in the making of these films.

Foolish Foolish Sucka Video

I love this video...

Talk of the Nation

I was on this show today...

Talk of the Nation - Tribute Bands

Onion Flats

A colleague passed on this website today of an architecture firm in Philly. This is a beautiful website, esp for an architecture firm. I love the family part of the firm.

Onion Flats

Surfer Girl by The Beach Boys

I am currently reading the Pet Sounds book in the 33 1/3 series. I love this series because I learn something new each time I read a chapter in one of these books. So far, I have read the Pixies Doolittle, Beatles Let it Be and now The Beach Boys.

Today, the bit of information I have learned is that Surfer Girl was the first song that Brian Wilson wrote and that it was inspired by When You Wish Upon a Star by Jiminy Cricket. Brian Wilson used to sing it a lot as a child and if you think about it, the similarities are huge. What a great song. I feel so much smarter now.

YAHH GIBSON YAHHHH

YAHHHH!!! GIBSON YAHHHH!!!!!

Bachelor Shower

11 of my friends and I went down to Folly Beach, SC to celebrate Stacy and I getting married. It was a great weekend overall, from Taco Boy, to the Beach, to Explosions in the Sky LIVE! I couldn't ask for a better group of friends. Above is the group photo before we left on Sunday. What a great house, one block from the beach. Below is a photo from the tower we had which over looked the beach.

Raleigh Obama Tickets!!!

I stood in line this morning to get tickets to see Barack Obama speak in Raleigh tomorrow. Just last week, Stacy and I were able to see Michelle on NC State's campus and tomorrow we'll round out the couple. They only gave out 1200 tickets it seems and we have 2 of them (pictured below)!!














Here's an article about the line I stood in.

Below is a video of the line.

Have a Seat NC

Have a Seat NC is a local venture of AIA Triangle Young Architects Forum (YAF) to design and build a couple of bus benches for locations in Raleigh that currently do not have them. A charette will be held Saturday 05.03.08 @ 2-5PM at the NC State College of Design.

I helped with a bit of the conception of the idea and am now helping with the graphics and website. More info HERE

Finch Fest 08 T-shirt

T-shirts will be $12 a piece and all proceeds go to SPCA! (click image for larger version)

Hulu Hoopla

Loving me some Hulu better watch quick before the site gets sloppy and the adds get more dense. Oh wait, that's what is gonna cause it. great article here about it.

Tir Na Nog Local Beer Local Band April Schedule

Tir Na Nog Local Beer Local Band April Schedule Flyer

The Beatles Block - Pangea 3000

This is genius and since we are having A Beatles Cover band at our wedding, it all makes even more sense.

A Rooster for the Masses - Left Coast Video

A Video I co-directed for local band, A Rooster for the Masses.

A Summer Groove with The Goops

A cover for a mix-cd that Stacy and I put together for a party with some friends. We all put together discs of songs that reminded us of summer, gathered together to listen to them and ate pizza and drank beer. It was a nice time and about that time of the year again!

Parker Street - The Developer's Remix

At the North end of Parker Street in Oberlin Village sit six one story bungalows from the early to mid 20th century. Many of these houses have been renovated throughout the past 70-plus years, all of which have kept their original character intact. But, in the first week of 2007, things changed. As the most historical structure of the neighborhood burned down, a new neighbor slowly creeped up like a skyscraper in a village full of small huts.
Read the Rest HERE

Smith Gant 2008 Invitations and RSVP

A Rooster for the Masses Pour House Poster

Oldie But Goodie. Love this poster (click for larger version).

Corporate Daylight Savings Time - Start a Movement

from a friend:

Okay everyone, this is something I've been quietly promoting for the
last few years and I really think it needs to catch on to a wider
audience, so I'm passing this on to all of you. As you hopefully know
by now, this weekend is the start of Daylight Savings Time. Typically
we roll our clocks forward at 2am Sunday Morning, thereby losing an
hour of sleep. This lost hour is obviously irrelevant since we're
just going to gain it back this fall when we get an extra hour of
sleep, so the government chose to take it at this time, in the middle
of the night, to minimalize its inconveniences. I think this is where
we can do better.

I'm proposing we all roll our clocks forward at 4:00 pm on the Friday
before Daylight Savings (today), thereby making it 5:00 pm, AKA:
"Quittin' Time". So everyone join in with me this afternoon, and
steal back that extra hour from Corporate America by observing
daylight savings time a little early. May I further suggest that with
that extra hour you go to a bar with a few friends, have a drink, and
make a toast to Spring Forward Friday.

Seriously, lets start a movement.

Woodside in England

A couple of designs/renderings I did at EEA for a project a couple of hours North (on a train) from London. Small development that needed lots of work. Click for larger versions of the renderings.

Tir Na Nog March flyer

atomic. (click for larger image) links to bands HERE

Video from a Friend in Tejas

A friend of mine, Tiffani, in Texas just made this video with some friends of hers. Very fun video. Click and vote for it HERE!

Erick van Egeraat and Fixed Gear Bikes on BBC Radio Culture Shock

My old boss Erick van Egeraat was on BBC Radio's show Culture Shock recently and on the same show was a talk about bike culture and fixed gear bikes in particular. Oh the irony. Slide projectors are also discussed in the segment between the two. Full show is about 26 minutes, so about 9 minutes for each topic.

"Why fixed-gear biking is taking over in San Francisco and becoming a cross-generation social movement."

"A Dutch architect is planning a huge artificial archipelago in the Black Sea, just off the southern city of Sochi, shaped the way Russia looks on a map, complete with miniature rivers and mountains."

Listen to the show here.

Byker Renderings

Here are a couple of images of work that I did while at EEA in London. The project was called Byker redevelopment and was part of Ralph Erskine's famous modern (re)development in the area. Can't remember if it was a competition or a project. Nevertheless, it never went anywhere.

"Byker was one of the first major attempts in Britain to create a dialogue between community and architecture. Erskine oversaw the development of this famous project allowing for tenant cooperation and architectural innovation on a large scale to provide housing protected from motorway noise and the rebuilding of a whole estate near the city centre."

— Dennis Sharp. Twentieth Century Architecture: a Visual History. p351.

Formotion Design Dot Com Coming Soon

Initial homepage (under construction) graphic I did for formotiondesign.com before it was rerouted here until I can get it built

Stuff Downtown Raleigh Likes #1: Warehouses

When looking at the history and current state of downtown Raleigh, there is no doubt that it likes warehouses. It just can’t get enough of them. Downtown Raleigh even has a district called “The Warehouse District.” Then again, don’t most cities have “warehouse districts”? They do IF they haven’t torn all the warehouses down to make room for stucco laced condos or big box retail. Red clay makes up most of the soil in the midlands of North Carolina. Bricks are made of red clay. And what are warehouses made of? Yes, that’s right, brick. Warehouses embody history and we love history. Therefore, deductive logic states that Downtown Raleigh must celebrate its warehouses. Full Post

Everything Comes At A Price - A Living Eulogy For The Garland Jones Office Building

In Downtown Raleigh at the corner of Salisbury and Martin Streets resides the remarkable structure formerly known as the First Federal Bank Building. Renamed the Garland Jones Office Building, it houses Wake County’s Register of Deeds. The American Institute of Architects has identified it as one of the 88 most important 20th Century structures in Raleigh. The building has also been identified as a contributing structure in a study to designate the Fayetteville Street District as a Federal Historic District. Most remarkable is the fact that it is the last remaining example of High Modern Architecture in the downtown core. A myriad of other structures still populate the area --so much so that Raleigh resident George Smart has found no end in cataloging just the residential structures worthy of note. But after Wake County demolished its Social Services Building in 1998 it left the First Federal Building as the only well-dressed representative of that time. Continue reading HERE

The Florida Ballet Barre - 3 Options

Three options for a logo for an organization ran by Stacy's sister in Florida called The Florida Ballet Barre. Hopefully the logos are self-explanatory. (click for larger images)

Tir Na Nog February Local Beer, Local Band Flyer

Latest Flyer for Tir Na Nog's weekly Local Beer, Local Band rock 'n roll show. Working on a second version which will be up next week. DOMINO!

Annuals and The Bowerbirds Talk 2008, Coachella and SXSW

Read the full article, written by me, HERE

Asylum Street Spanker Berkeley Review and Video

From the opening comments of making sure that everyone in the packed Berkeley Cafe turn their cell phones off, to the last words of the night “Beer, Beer, Beer, Beer, We Love Beer”, Asylum Street Spankers ushered in the new lineup of shows at the venue in style. Songs ranged from My Baby’s in the CIA, Breath, My Favorite Record (with a Zeppelin interlude), Antifreeze, What’s in my LunchBOX (emphasis on the box), “Leaf Blower, Leaf Blower, Good Thing I Don’t Have a Gun!” A couple of the Spankers were under the weather, but whiskey took care of the cold pretty quick. Wammo and Christina passed the lead vocal back and forth throughout the evening. A harmonica duel between Wammo and Charlie King was the highlight of the evening. As well as Christina’s saw playing, which was as gorgeous as ever. The Spankers are a not to be missed live band. Marianne Taylor Music seems to have a good relationship with them, which means they’ll be back in the near future. As mentioned, the venue was packed with all types. Some on the floor, some standing, some sitting at table, but all singing choruses such as “Now put your hands on the roof, We’re Winning the War on Drugs.” Berkeley looks to be one the guiding forces in the 2008 Raleigh live music scene. Below is video from the show.

Asylum Street Spankers at Berkeley Cafe in Raleigh tonight!

Imagine this. Snoop Dogg driving a 1945 Ford pick-up truck through a tobacco field, hanging out the window and singing a children’s nursery rhyme. Now add some vaudeville twang and satirical lyrics that parallel the war on drugs, dysfunctional relationships and circus freak shows. Mix it all up with some clips of your favorite Charlie Chaplin film and you have Austin’s Asylum Street Spankers. Straight off of their 10 day (way) Off Broadway show Asylum Street Spankers: What? And Give Up Show Biz, The Spankers will bring their irreverent humor and music to the newly revamped Berkeley Cafe on Tuesday night....

More Spankers Madness

Band of the Week - Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend are one of the most talked about bands so far in 2008. Their new album (self-titled) which came out today is fantastic and the below video is proof. Although, it is a bit reminiscent of the Canadian band Born Ruffians newest video "Hummingbird." Check them both out below.

Hindsight is 20/20

Short video I did a year or so ago.War, Big Brother, Plastic Surgery, Room 101, name it, this films about it....

May not be suitable for those who are scared to touch their eye. Film by Formotion Films (me)

The Avett Brothers remix by The Wogs

A remix I did with The Wogs of an Avett Brothers song called A Lover Like You. Video by Formotion Films (me)

Tir Na Nog

Here are a couple of flyers I did last year for Tir Na Nog's local beer, local band night (click for larger images)

A Rooster for the Masses - Cat's Cradle Flyer

A Rooster for the Masses have been one of my best free lance clients over the past couple of years (and one of the finest NC bands in my opinion). Below is a flyer I did for their show with The Howling Bells at Cat's Cradle almost a year ago. February 2008 they should be back. As usual, click for a larger version.

AIA Headquarters Winner Announced in Raleigh - Frank Harmon

I wasn't able to attend the awards reception and announcement (sick sick sick) so I didn't see all the boards, but from a design standpoint, Tonic's entry (image below) still takes the cake from what I have seen. Sucks that there were no design architects on the board (Mack Scogin dropped out) and it was left to sustainability and "regionalism." Nevertheless, I hope Harmon's gets built. Raleigh has few structures downtown that are worth a shit (design-wise) from the past 20 years. (click images for larger versions)












Frank Harmon's Entry Below:
















Dave at New Raleigh's photos and winners HERE

Jimmy - Of Montreal

Two of the best live shows (that I saw) of 2007 come together into one song. Of Montreal has released a cover version of M.I.A.'s Jimmy. It's justice well done.

MP3 HERE
(right click and save as....)

Stream HERE