Wanted: Partner In Crime

       With the royal wedding upon us and already passed, I was thinking this morning about how much work I do during the week. Having a full time job, going to school full time and still trying to remain sane isn't the easiest thing to do in the world. So I am about to do something that normally I wouldn't do. Since I'm such a heckler for control and I like my input to be put into all of my blog posts, which are currently all done by me. I am recruiting some help.

      If anyone is interested, this is quite an exciting job. Running a lifestyle blog has been more than I ever thought it would be and you'll only get to dive headfirst into it. Also, you'll get previews and FREE shirts, stickers and any of the other products we release this upcoming summer. I will be willing to offer a share of the company if we ever make it to the big time. The job description lists as following.

Job: Assistant Creative Director

Skills needed:

   -Some grasp on how to work a camera. Although this is a lifestyle blog, I use photography heavily to supplement my posts. It is pivotal when keeping an audience's attention.

   -Writing skills are a must. Creative and able to maintain a good flow but most of all keep interest

   -Web design would be a serious plus because my knowledge is limiting my creativity

Job Responsibilities: 

   -Will be responsible for writing posts for this style based on urban/suburban lifestyle

   -Photographing interesting bits of their day. Most likely to have a camera on them at all times

   -Lighting/photographer's assistant will be big part of your job.

   -Fashion consultant for our upcoming line of clothes.

      There you have it. Think you're up to the challenge. Resumes can be sent to my email at patmcpeak1@gmail.com. Hope you're ready to become family. 

In Sound From Far Out!

      You guys are certainly a lucky bunch, two music posts back to back. I saw this video today and it brought back so much nostalgia that I simply could not resist sharing.

     The Beastie Boys are no doubt one of my favorite music artists, period. I can't stress enough how much their music has influenced my life at some point or another. The first time I heard them was on a rock radio station called 93.3 WMMR here in Philadelphia. I was about 9 years old and their classic, Paul Revere, came on the radio. you know how it goes. Nooooooow, here's a little story, I got to tell about three bad brothers you know so well. It started way back in history with Adrock, MCA, and me, MIKE D. The rest is history. Once the beat dropped, the reverse 808's just blew my mind. It was such a different sound that I couldn't get enough of. I later became a true fan and bought my first copy of License to Ill. It's still history from there.
  

      I can remember times back in freshman year of college (yes, it's pretty hard to do that) where I would be jamming in my dorm to the Beasties and people would come in and tell me, "I forgot that song existed". I was the neo-hipster, listening to songs people forgot about. In recent news, sad news at that one of the founding members, MCA, was stricken with cancer. Putting up the good fight, and still fighting, they still grind and are coming out with a new album. I can barely contain my excitement.
     The video for their new single, an ode to the classic, You Gotta Fight Revisited, came to my screen today. At almost 30 minutes long and full of celebrities we all know and love. It is classic Beastie Boys video. Stuff you didn't think was allowed on screen but I'll let you guys find out why with this.

     The best part about this video that does my heart good is that MCA still directed the entire video. I hope he really comes out on top of his battle with cancer because my life wouldn't be the same without the Beastie Boys. I really hope you guys enjoyed the video as much as I did (especially the end) and make sure to share it with your friends in your dorms. The New In Sound From Far Out Lives on.

Give Me Shelter

      It's that time of the week, ladies and germs. MUSIC POST. One of the most influential bands in my life and probably rock and roll is The Rolling Stones. Nothing really tops some of their music, if not all of it. Mick Jagger was probably the prototype for the "frontman" in rock and roll. Although being one ugly mother, he rocked every inch of it. He had ladies lined up for days and still does. The Man just exudes swagger. Jagger swagger.

     Along with the other fire crackers in the band, they really wrote the book on how to live a rock and roll lifestyle. If it wasn't for them, we probably would be listening to different music today. I can belt out the words to almost every Stones song and I listen to them on a weekly basis. 

      Seriously, look at how Jagger works a crowd.

       Moving forward, if you haven't been up on times, Adele has pretty much become a house name in pop music. A diamond in the rough so to speak with haunting vocal talent that has fallen to the wayside in these troubled times of computer voices and pre pubescent teen idols. Hailing from Tottenham in the UK, reaching fame at only 19 years of age with a voice way beyond her years. The kind of voice that gives you chills when she hits her high notes. The good kind of chills.



       Now the director of photography for this video was ridiculously talented. I couldn't come up with something this creative even if i dreamed for several weeks. The video gels perfectly with the mood of the song which follows the good feelings that are so scant after a break up.

      You may find yourself asking, what do the Stones and Adele having in common. I'll respond by saying this.



      I don't know why i didn't see it before because the songs come together so wonderfully. Really big props to Daft Beatles who actually put these two together. Almost reminds me of peanut butter and jelly.

That Time of Year

      What time? You may be asking. That time is student art show time. Today was the opening of the 44th annual Montgomery County Community College Student Art Show. I got really excited because it was my first student art show that I was participating in. I shared two pieces with the student body and came up empty handed, just to ruin the surprise. Although I thought a lot of the work was competitive, there were a few pieces that I enjoyed more than others. Let's get started.

     I toured the opening with my Drawing teacher, Helen Haynes, who is pictured on the far left. I managed to completely split her in half due to space constraints. It was packed for an opening, probably due to the students who all had submitted pieces. It was pretty electric in the art center with anticipation flying about. Then the awards ceremony got under way.

     Apparently old people are confused by awards. This couple was parked in front of me and looked at each other in sheer confusion every time an award was announced. It was cute but it was too much for them and they left halfway through. Many of the pieces that won, I simply glanced over when touring the show before hand or I actually thought deserved awards, no matter where they were showing. Best in show went to this gem.

     It was almost hard to believe that a student painted this. The demonstration of control of the medium was completely on point and I wouldn't disagree one bit with her winning Best in Show. Over all, the awards went to kids I never heard of, except for my buddy Alex Bohn winning Honorable Mention in the photography category. Awesome. Other than that, it was off to drawing class as usual and no awards in hand. I throughly enjoyed the ceremony and look forward to the next one.

Vol. 1

      Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you The Switchblade Soundtrack Vol. 1. The music that moves my art and my life.

Download it HERE and support your local (art) dealer.

EDIT:  The Switchblade Soundtrack was an idea inspired by a trend to post a mixtape that completely moves you. Since we have lost the days when it was a nice gesture to make an actual mixtape for a friend and the internet has taken its place, I thought I'd do my loyal fans a big favor. I decided to put a lot of 80's New Wave artists on my mixtape since I always find myself coming back to the music of my childhood. My parents were obsessed with New Wave and I grew up bouncing in my car seat to artists like The Cure, Tears for Fears and Elton John. I was such a strange and shy child and I attribute it to an overexposure to sappy British love songs.  I also threw on a few songs that remind me what it was like to be a kid once again. Songs that are spontaneous and have such a natural feel to them. Also included is the artists that make me think today and really tell you a lot about my artwork. The track listing goes as follows:

1. - Young Blood - The Naked and Famous

2. - Everybody wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears

3. - How Soon is Now? - The Smiths

4. - Get Some - Lykke Li

5. - Policy of Truth - Depeche Mode

6. - Train in Vain - The Clash

7. - The Promise - Anberlin (Originally by When in Rome)

8. - Boys Don't Cry - The Cure

9. - Heat of the Moment - Asia

10. - Where You're Coming From - Matt & Kim

11. - Lovers in Japan (Reign Of Love) - Coldplay

12. - Letters from the Sky - Civil Twilight

13. - Daps - Ground Up

14. - Lights Turned On - Childish Gambino

15. - Pop The Trunk - Yelawolf

16. - Chip Off The Block - Machine Gun Kelly

        I hope you guys really enjoy. I put a lot of thought into this mixtape and you can look for them quarterly. I'll be putting out Vol. 2 "Sounds of Summer" in late June. It will definitely be something to jam to, late night when you're going hard. 

Feel Good Friday

       Since I've left you guys hanging for a while. I'm gonna drop a music post for ya. Since it's Friday and everyone loves a good Friday feeling, I have decided to share with you an artist that I've been listening to for a while now. I wouldn't really define it as feel good music, but it makes me feel pretty good.

      Lykke Li is a vocalist out of Sweden and she is just that. With a strange sound that really captivates your ear drums as you groove out to her songs. Most of her music is upbeat and has such personality to it but she is such a talent artist that almost everyone song has its own flavor. Talented to say the least, listening to her is like drinking a fine wine. Getting different notes throughout the song is the best part about listening to her.

      When I first heard her music, I was sitting at a table at the infamous Hanschumacher Dining Center at Drexel University. I was enjoying, or at least trying to enjoy, the Hawaiian pizza and heard her first single off of her first album Youth Novels called "I'm Good, I'm Gone".

Lykke Li - I'm Good, I'm Gone from Lykke Li on Vimeo.

     It's a seriously creepy video but an awesome song. After her Youth Novels, she came out with a new album this year and it is hands down my favorite album of 2011 so far and anything else has yet to come close. It's somewhat single based by the music is so profound. She almost has a 60's feel on one song and the next song is really emotional. Talking about years beyond her years and how her fans will be better than she was. Music that speaks to the fans is the only music worth listening to. Who would listen to it if it wasn't for fans?

      The first single off of Wounded Rhymes is utter genius. The song is just sexy and she completely nailed the video. I look forward to see her in May for my birthday and see this musical whirlwind in person. I can't wait to see what she has in store for the future.

Live By The Gun

No Days Off

      To the followers who have been wondering where I have been lately, the answer to that question revolves around my work schedule. I literally have such little free time due to school, schoolwork, work work, keeping a serious relationship healthy and other obligations. It's a hard life going to school full time, working full time and trying to stay sane and I wouldn't wish it on anyone but I gladly say that I am trying to make it somewhere in the world and flights aren't cheap. Fortunately you do find those crazy rare days off and when they finally hit they're magical.
    

      The day started off with a cool trip to a local diner for some breakfast then off to the races to my favorite shore point. Cape May's Point which is the most southern point of New Jersey. It's such a chill place except it was teeming with people on Saturday since it was a super nice day out. Some times, I'll just randomly stop there and chill but today I had some friends in tow. Amanda and Aimee were with me and we decided to show the amateur photographer there how its done.

      It as a pretty successful impromptu shoot judging that I had no strobe to fill on their faces since the sun was doing it's job on Saturday. I also managed to get soaked by a rogue wave that no one warned me about. No harm done, when you wear nothing but Chuck Taylors, you rarely worry about them getting wet or sandy.  I actually nailed some pretty sweet and technical things with bare bones gear.

      After chilling out at the point we decided to hit up Center City for some eats. We stopped at the first thing we saw since we were all starving and it wasn't very impressive. Expensive and the fact they had prime reality in Cape May, really disappointed me but food is food when you're hungry, right? After eating we walked around a bit and took in some sights. My favorite sight was the monument in center square dedicated to the Fishermen Lost at Sea.

     There is also a pretty awesome shop with the creepiest dolls ever.

      So since you guys have been patient, you got a super long one today. I'm really going to pour a lot more time into this website and the brand this summer and hopefully, we'll have our first run of shirts and accessories for you to purchase. Stay up guys, no rest for the electric.

      

The Planet is Awesome

     So if you guys weren't on top of things the past three years, Planet Earth and Life have pretty much ruled documentary film making. To be honest, the reason I bought a PS3 was the half influenced by the fact I needed a device to play my Blu-ray copy of Planet Earth on. Last year, I got swept up in the magnificent beauty of this planet with Life. It really showed all of us that life is amazing. Well I've got some good news. They're at it again.



     BBC and the Discovery Channel has teamed up once again to bring us Human Planet. Personally, I believe this is going to be the best out of all three. For some reason once you throw a human element into the mix, the story just becomes that much more inspiring, striking and just plain beautiful. I can believe some of the things the capture on film with both Planet Earth and Life. It's almost like the animals were not aware of their presence. I am completely jealous of their film making skills.

     All in all kids, Human Planet starts this Sunday at 8 P.M. It's not like you have anything better to do on a Sunday night anyway so tune in and be awestruck. Life sure is the most beautiful thing on this earth.

Free Highs and Air Supply

     Since I last updated you guys, I've been steady every night trying to crank out some good art with spray cans. It's taking me a little to get the hang of manipulating a can without a stencil but it's a whole lot of fun. I mainly use cheap Rustoleum that I score at work but I throw some Valspar in the mix once and a while. It's a cheap way to practice and It sticks to my bond paper pretty well. I always wear a respirator because getting high on paint fumes isn't very fun. I've had this guy for a while and she's been through a lot. Ripping out Asbestos, stripping wallpaper with xylene and general construction; I've always kept her by my side. Since finding the inserts that I have on her are tough to find, I decided a custom paint job would suit her well.

     I decided that going with flat white and flat black would be the best color combo for my trusty mask. I went with those colors because it reminds me that nothing in the world is black and white except for my mask. There are always shades of grey when you look at things. Life is never all happy moments or sad moments. It is our mental filter that makes us believe that we having nothing going for us or leads us to disappointment when we feel nothing can go wrong.

     I personally think that 3M respirators are so awesome. They remind me of a half gas mask from World War II or something. They are so industrial and make you feel like an astronaut or scuba diver, two of my childhood dream jobs. They are easily the most effective respirators at keeping unwanted stuff out of your lungs because they seal so well around your face. I would easily recommend picking one up from your local Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse (shameless plug.). 

     I never really plan to be an overnight success with anything I do but I always work like I am already successful. My take on art is never, never, never let anyone else tell you to do. Sure, taking criticism is naturally a good idea and a way to make yourself better but never compromise your creative vision because someone else thinks it would be "cool". Most of those people know nothing about art anyway. Appeasing others to make yourself happy is never going to make you a better artist. Your art is good when it is technically correct and YOU like it. If your mom thinks it's dumb then your mom is probably not an artist. I love what I do with a camera and I love what I do with paint, charcoal, etc. I'll never compromise my artistic vision.