When I was in high school in the 90s, skateboarding and the Grateful Dead were at opposite ends of the counterculture spectrum. Deadheads weren’t really the skating type. Skaters thought Deadheads were hippie losers who couldn’t get over Jerry. But things aren’t always so black and white. As time went on and cultural lines have […]
What Up Mang Recording Session
Jonny came over to Smoothspin Studios this weekend to record final vocals for a song we’ve been working on for a while called “I Get Lost.” It’s a little country tune that Jonny, Scott, and I wrote last year in Big Sur. You can hear a demo version of it in our recent Offshore Country […]
Hot Tub Time Machine Foundation
After enjoying the boundless pleasures of a hot tub for nearly a decade at our old house, Molly and I have been itching to install one at our new house. The only problem is that we can’t figure out a way to get one into our backyard. The doorways aren’t big enough and all the […]
Welcome Home, Boots
This is our latest foster dog, Boots. He’s about 12 years old and very sweet. So far, he’s been very well behaved. Lola wants to keep him. Update July 12, 2020: I told Lola she could keep him and we officially adopted this sweet boy today. Lola is over the moon. 🙂
Pancake
While I was shopping for cheap zoom lenses for my cheap DSLR the other day, I came across several reviews praising the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 wide-angle pancake lens. Several reviewers claimed it was one of the essential first lenses to buy for a Canon camera. At only $130, it was hard to pass up, […]
Avoid Hovering Logs
We had a chimney sweep come by today and clean out our chimney and fireplace. We burn fires at least twice a week, sometimes more, and it had been two years since the last cleaning. He said things looked pretty dope and we could probably go three years between cleanings as long as we continue […]
Zoom
I enjoy photography as much as the next dork with too many hobbies, but I’m far from a camera snob. For the better part of the last decade, I’ve only shot with an entry-level Canon Rebel. First the T1i and then more recently the newer T7i, which I bought used on Craigslist. I probably would […]
Offshore Country
Offshore Country is a film about What Up Mang‘s attempt to record a country music album while floating on a boat 30 miles off the coast of California. It was a complete failure. Here’s the backstory… About two years ago, a few of us dudes took a weekend fishing trip to the Channel Islands off […]
Santa Cruz Island
Like many people, I’ve been closely following the news about the Conception dive boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara earlier this month. This unspeakable tragedy hit especially close to home because I’ve also spent a few nights sleeping on a boat in almost the same exact location. Last spring, […]
Ludwig Questlove Breakbeats Drum Set
I must be insane because I let my five year old convince me that we needed a drum set. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. In reality, I think I wanted a drum kit just as much as he did. I’ve actually been looking for a small “apartment-sized” kit for Smoothspin Studios for […]