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Song Diary is finished

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Last night was a glorious conclusion to Paleo's Song Diary. It was just an amazing show. A perfectly wonderful bookend for the project. I'm kind of too tired to really go into detail but perhaps I will soon. Actually, forget that. Taylor Bruce will be writing a piece on David Strackany / Paleo, so wait to read that. He's the guy with the words (well, they both are, but, I mean, the article kind of words, not the poetry kind).

I put together a gallery that should be on Paleo's site for the foreseeable future that serves as a brief visual glimpse into a few of the days of his 365, including his 365th, in Washington DC.

I can't imagine how he is feeling. I am so glad to have been a part of this project.

To view this intentionally verbose documentation, please proceed to paleo.ws.

While you're there take advantage of all 365 songs, available free of charge.

Matt Parsons

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I know I've exposed my man-crush on Matt Parsons too many times to convince anyone effectively that I'm not actually in love with him, but here I go again. I photographed him on Saturday and have posted the results in a new series. He pulls off "creepy" really well. Also, Jason suggests he looks a good bit like Jack Nicholson in some of these.
 
Check out all of them at the new series.

Stas and James

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I recently did some work that involved beneficiaries of specific regional and international charities. Here are a couple of shots from that. 

This first dude is called "Stas". That's short of Stanislaw Janeczko, IV. How hard does that kick ass? He skates a lot (when not grounded (he's a wee 15 years of age)) over at 6th Avenue Skatepark, which is part of a larger unit of awesomeness called Rocketown, in Nashville.
 
James is holding his feed shovel. In Palestine, Arkansas. And he is awesome.
Heifer International, which is based nearby, donated to him some cows (hence the name) and when those cows have more cows (specifically, heifers, and after they get pregnant), James gets to pass them on to someone else, who will then fall into the fold of the Heifer people, who provide training from there. Pretty cool (and sustainable, lovely spirited), eh?
 

Azurae

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On my journey with David I was blessed enough to spend more time with Azurae and Dan Phelps while in Seattle. They are both the sort of people you can't help but love and it makes visiting the west coast more inviting. Truly. If you know what is good for you, you should make an effort to know them.

Azurae at home in Seattle, Washington.

February 23

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Day two note

Last night, Semptember 23rd, David's birthday, was spent in a place called Li-Po Lounge in the heart of Chinatown in San Francisco. This place was a right shit hole. It was simply amazing. The jukebox upstairs was on target all night as well. Think every song you'd never want to hear, especially ones that woudln't fit at all well with a normal, current-music-show that'd be at a bar..that's what was playing.

It was pretty perfect really. We ate at up the street at New King Tin restaurant.

He played downstairs under the bar with three other bands. I saw a roach down there you could surf on. Or at least turn into a skateboard.

more later

February 22

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Left the airport about 215, headed straight to Sacramento. This show last night was at a house with two other artists (one called Briana Leigh Pruitt (sp), the other Mister Hayashi) in mid-town Sacramento.

When we walked in David saw all the instruments they had there he immediately went into song mode and in, I mean, tops, half an hour he had a bunch of tracks recorded. He edited off and on all night and recorded the vocal tracks after everyone played and it calmed down a bit.

The song he wrote yesterday is called make it up as you go along. Listen closely for an answering machine and conversation in the background at the end.

Few photos from yesterday.

On the road

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I will be on tour with Paleo (David Strackany) for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll have opportunities to update the journal with shots from life on the road. I'll get to mark off Oregon from my list of states to visit, too!
 
For his most recent songs, check out paleo.ws
 
Check out his tour schedule and go see him! You may see me too if you're in California, Oregon, or Washington.

Paleo redux.

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Here are a few more shots of David. Don't forget his website.
 
Playing his tiny little guitar. Flames. Yeah.

 
Here is behind the scenes from later that night when he was writing Dust.

 
I added some additional shots to the still-new book zero.

Paleo

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There is a band, no...a guy you need to know about. The band is called Paleo and the man who is Paleo is called David Andrew Strackany. My buddies The Triceratops played a show last night (well, Monday night. It's nigh on five AM so I don't know what to call "today") ultimately opening for Paleo and I feel sorry for the suckers who left when ye olde T-Tops was done. They all missed a hell of a performance. David is around 6' 3" with shoes on. Very slender. Crazy hair. Somehow, at least now, it totally makes sense that he takes the stage with himself, and a children's acoustic guitar. He has a quiet way of drawing you in then launching a vocal surprise attack with the eeire and lovely voice. If I can figure out what he sounds like, I'll let you know, but until then you should just go to his website. Since last April (16th, in fact) he has been on the road with a mission to write (and record, and POST TO HIS SITE, with lyrics) a brand new song every day for a whole year. He just wrote song 289 in my apartment tonight. Yesterday afternoon and in the wee hours of this morning I took some photographs of him.

At least one shot of him with his tiny guitar will be on the way soon.

James Davis

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There's this dude called James Davis, and he takes photographs. He has been making his way through pharmacy school for what seems (to me) like an eternity, and along the way he's kept me hooked on his site. Perhaps it's because he basically shoots life as it is. I'm a sucker for that.

I won't say anything more to go along with his unflourished approach. Just go to his site.

I Hate James Davis.

Here is a photo of him, by him..and a couple of other shots of his I like.

Matt Parsons

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Matt Parsons plays guitar. Matt Parsons playing guitar is one action that is, without fail, going to bring some joy to me. I can't really explain it and I'm sure it's something that has formed over time from playing with some of his best friends since childhood, but whatever it is I love it. Generally speaking he is soft-spoken and gentle. Has a wonderful wife and [fairly] new baby girl and it is possible he loves them more than is actually possible (Don't argue about the fallacy, just go with it).
 
Then he pulls the sneak attack on you. He plays with so much passion. Classic Jekyll & Hyde.
 
These are shots of him before a show in mid-December at Bottletree. Scroll down to the Seattle entry to see him in action (specifically the last shot before my friends).

ZERO

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So, I added a new book. I wanted a place to have new work other than the journal, as well as have a place for people to see the newest stuff of mine that I like. I had two books--"one" and "two". Sort of backed myself into a corner there. So I went with the only thing reasonable before "one". So I made "zero". If I make one called "-one" or whatever, someone punch me in the ear.

Here is the description of zero from the image notes.

Zero. This is were to go for the newest images. Very often these images will have been posted in the journal before appearing here, but this book will serve as a slightly more permanent home for them. There are a few lame allusions I could attempt to make to "zero hour" and things implying this book is the bleeding edge for seeing my work, but I'll spare you. (NOTE: the term "bleeding edge" has always bothered me. Not for its gross undertone, but more because, if you think about it, when you get cut it takes a moment to start bleeding. So really, the previous champion "cutting edge" remains better than the current word-for-saying-super-current du jour "bleeding edge". Whatever.)

Scream

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Another shot from the December 30th show at Chop Suey in Seattle. Everyone is there and doing there thing (though Matt is jst peeking over Preston's shoulder).