Scarlett Johansson: Falling Down

Don't get too excited, this has nothing to do with scarlett johansson actually falling down, but rather the new VIDEO for her song Falling Down. The music is pretty good, and the video is similar to Lost in Translation in that there are long shots of her looking sideways contemplatively. Which is fine because she is gorgeous.

In other news, I met a girl on the street yesterday who looks exactly like miss johansson. I didn't get her name or number, which is probably stretching the definition of met, but if you are out there somehow reading this, and you feel that you look like scarlett johansson, please contact me. I'm the guy who was looking for the store full of lights.

Low Headroom

This sign should be in more places, like on most of the cheap audio gear they sell at guitar center. And on joemeek outboard eq's.

Table for One

I'm writing this from a starbucks in chinatown, where I have a session in a couple hours. (in chinatown, not at starbucks). I got here early because I wasn't sure where exactly the studio is, but as soon as I exited the Subway and got to street level, I saw the building right across canal street. So now I suddenly had about 3 hours to kill before getting to the studio early. What to do what to do.. I walked around the block a few times, just taking in the sights and the sounds and the smells, making eye contact multiple times with the same people as I traced and retraced my steps around this one block. I'm sure these few people where wondering what the hell I was doing exactly. After a few rounds of this I decided I would get some food. I am in chinatown after all, and figured the chinese food must be pretty good anywhere you go. I've eaten in this part of town a couple times before and have never been disappointed.



Eventually I found a place called Excellent Dumpling House on Lafayette Street. I walked in and the hostess greeted me and said "One?" I replied "Yes, thank you," and was immediately led to a round table in the back where three other people were sitting. By the time I was able to give a confused look to the waiter who sat me there, he was gone and there was a menu in front of me. Apparently at this particular excellent dumpling house, a table for one means a table with all the other solo diners there. Now I've been to other places where you sit and eat with strangers, like at Whole Foods for example. Except there, you can decide where you want to sit, like next to that cute girl eating sushi. Here, they sit you right where they want you, at a circular table where a bunch of strangers face each other unwillingly and slurp down noodles and soup and what have you. I'm pretty sure the guy across from me scoffed when I asked for a fork to eat my fried rice. Whatever man, at least I'm not here alone. Oh wait. This all while the woman directly to my left is sniffling because her soup is too spicy, which in combination with her also SLURPING her soup into her mouth made for a fantastic annoyance. I answered my cell phone right at the table when it rang, not caring whether these people were bothered. It was an interesting meal. But yes, the food was excellent.

This is an Awareness Test

Mister Disc!

This is awesome. I'm not sure how practical, but nevertheless, awesome. Mister Disc!

Eagle vs. Goats feat. Florez

This is fascinating and disturbing all at the same time. Be sure to watch at least the first minute.

Recording in Progress!

I'm recording Matt Check's first studio album in six years.. Right now.

Photo of the Day

Greg pointed out this building on HoustOn last week.

This is such a great poster

cool photo of the day

aerial shot of a lumberyard

Taken 5 minutes ago.

Apple Store - The Burg?

It looks like there are two new Apple retail stores coming to New York. One of them is rumored to be located right in williamsburg, brooklyn. I can only imagine the hipster crowds that will gather there if this is true. 

(via tuaw)

some thoughts about the road..

So I've been reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac, whose name I can easily spell thanks to a boogie hustler lyric. The book is the most well-known of a series of novels telling of Kerouac's extensive travels across the country. I started reading it to try and make some sense of the seemingly random travels I've been on with Busta Rhymes over the last eight months. I must say that I was working most of the time, and really only had very brief glimpses of what Kerouac experienced. Still, the spontaneity of it all excited me. There was something special, romantic even, about never knowing where I'd be in a day's time, constantly meeting new people and seeing new places.

I had the same feeling when I went backpacking in europe a few years ago with my college roomate Ben. Sleeping in hostels in foreign countries, I dreamt of just traveling the world with no real destination in mind. I wanted to travel simply to travel and see as much as I could. So naturally, I was pumped about heading to the UK with my family only a month after getting back from europe. After that, I was home for almost exactly one year, before taking off with Busta from August until the end of March, then moved into an apartment in Brooklyn April 1st.  There was also a trip to puerto rico with my friend Marty squeezed in there at the end of February. And just this past weekend I went on a road trip to the midwest with chris renne and mary niewola.

So I've been doing a lot of traveling, and I believe it's been life-changing somehow. But despite my enjoyment of it all, there's always been something in the back of my mind calling it all a waste.  Gathering all these unique experiences has been exhilarating, but when all my meetings are in passing, what is gained? It's a search for something I can't quite put my finger on, but still want to find. Perhaps the answer is at the end of On the Road, but I doubt it. As for now I have no immediate plans to travel anywhere at all. Instead I plan on getting to intimately know NYC, my new home, which is quite possibly the greatest city in the world, and has been at my doorstep this whole time.

I'm not sure what the point of this post is, but I felt like getting these thoughts out in some kind of medium. I hope I haven't bored anyone. If you've been on a cool trip lately, leave a comment.

rode a mongoose till it was dark.

So I've been absent from this blog for quite some time now. Here's a quick rundown of what's new:

1. I am no longer on the road with Busta Rhymes. 

All the recording for the new album is finished, and the first single is already on the radio in New York and elsewhere. It's called Don't Touch Me, which makes me look like a jerk when I say "I recorded the new busta rhymes single, don't touch me." The album should be out early summer, look for my name in the liner notes!

2. I moved to Brooklyn. 

I got an apartment with my good friend Greg Barbone in Bushwick just a couple weeks ago, and have since been very preoccupied with such things as caulking my baseboards and scraping multiple layers of paint off of windows. The apartment is awesome and the studio room is basically set up, save for some acoustic panels and artwork to liven it up a little. Right now its basically a room full of keyboards with a computer and some other assorted goods.

3. I am older.

This past Sunday, I turned the fantastical age of 24.  And thanks to my loving brothers, I am the proud owner of a new George Foreman Grill.  It's actually from the future, which George calls "THE NEXT GRILLERATION." It works great, and warms my buns while I grill things.

4. Conclusion

That's about it, give or take an excursion to the midwest and some frozen porkchops.  Now that I am kind of settled into this apartment and finally have the internet here, you can expect more regular posts from me again.  See you soon.