Les momies de palerme (LA BRIQUE STUDIO)

Check out this incredible video made by our studio mate Jasper at La Brique, featuring the music of our lovely and talented sisters les momies de palerme, also at La Brique. This is the best creative environment I've ever been in. Really happy to be apart of this collective studio.

PS
Jasper also wrote the music and starred in THIS VIDEO that I am completely obsessed with, shot by Evan Prosofsky (Water Park) and directed by Emily Kaibock.

Water Park

Over the past year between touring, I've been writing the film score for my Friend Evan Prosofsky's short film on west Edmonton Mall's indoor waterpark spectacle. The film is now close to being finished, and Evan needs our help to raise money for a decent sound design, we are very close to the goal and if you have a second please visit this site and find out how you can help us by contributing to this very special project HERE: http://www.indiegogo.com/WATERPARK-Sound-Design

Icon: Beate Bartel

Member of D Mania, einsturzende neubauten, DAF - CHBB, and Liason Dangereuse. What more can I say...This lady is amazing.

Big city after dark

Photos by Mike Lau (the photographer who took the badlands cover) Thats me looking like a damn fool circa 2002 in Honolulu.

Its been years since I've been called a hipster by friends I know, not by people who don't know anything about me on the internet, cuz that happens quite often nowdays getting shit on by people who I don't even know what their username is, perfectly shielded by anonymity. I'm talking about my close friends.

The first time I can recall was in 2002 when a band mate looked at my thrift store dress shirt and black tie, and said "god when did you turn into a fucking scenester?"

From as far as I can remember playing in bands from 1999 to now, me and my friends always had a name for people who don't create anything, but just like to mingle at shows and socialize, not really there for the bands either. They just dress very fashionably and have drinks and talk a lot thru out bands sets. I'm not talking about non musicians, cuz a lot of my friends were mostly photographers, film makers, skaters/surfers/tagger, etc. I'm talking about people who don't make or do anything. NOTHING. Honolulu was a very small town, so everyone pretty much knew everyone. We just labeled those people as scenesters; pretty people who talked a lot and did very little.

Fast forward to 2007 in Montreal, My friend Chris Baang who is a classical pianist by trade was having a few beers at my place, and he looked at me and said "your a hipster, Alex." By automatic association of the definition I provided above, I was furious because I had been slaving washing dishes at a crappy vietnamese/french fusion bullshit restaurant (putting shame to both cuisine culturally) and coming home and writing and recording 2 dirty beaches albums and Ep's (later released on Fixture Records) I was hauling ass, nonetheless. "did you just call me a fucking hipster?" I said, almost in shock.

In which Chris replied, "yeah, look at all the fucked up thrift furniture you have and this cool camera you found at a thrift store, your a hip guy. Your into cool shit. Hip movies that no one has seen, nothing wrong with that. Why are you so angry about being called a hipster?"

Perhaps somewhere along the line, the terms started to confuse me. What is the definition of hipster or a scenster? aren't they the same? If we are simply judged by what we wear on the surface, it doesn't even matter how hard you work on your art, but if you dress a certain way, your labeled automatically. Perhaps that's the biggest difference between growing up on a small island versus a big city like New york or LA. In small towns we knew everyone, we know what elementary school you went to, who you dated in high school, and that you played football or was on the wrestling team, and was a surfer. We know the first band that you were in. And the last. It was easy to figure out who was someone that can have a positive and inspiring presence in your life versus someone pretty that will just talk your ear off for the rest of the night. Or you can just be nice. I like nice, friendly people. Unfortunately beautiful and fashionable people are predominantly not nice.

Perhaps in this ever confusing world we live in, like many of our problems, this is merely a first world problem not even worth mentioning in the greater scale of things.


The cities that I've longed for gets dark at night, and I don't know shit.

That's a fact.

Custard Pudding (Flan) Recipe

This tastes just like the Japanese pudding I used to eat when I was a kid in Taiwan. AMAZINGGGGGGGGGG. Also super easy to make too. Caution: Do not steam in glass containers, it will break.

Janet 4 LIFE

This is video that made me fall in love with Janet Jackson immensely. After watching this again as an adult, I still LOVE Janet. She is really amazing.

The best article I've read about internet & Anonymous Comments

http://www.funnyordie.com/articles/322261cd73/why-internet-commenters-will-eventually-end-the-world?playlist=featured_pictures_and_words

Visions from NIGHT PEOPLE RECORDS HQ

It was good to see my friends Wet Hair and Night People head honcho Shawn Reed after so many missed connections of us being on the road constantly missing each other in our respective cities. It was really inspiring to see Shawn in his environment, witnessing the crazy tape deck dubbing station, silk screening work shop/ jam space in the basement, all which he operates alone, or at times with the help of fellow Night people artists Ryan Garbes and Justin. He's been doing this for years now, and I'm really proud to be apart of the collection of artists that have been on this roster, which continues to grow featuring countless undiscovered bands, artists, hobos, weirdos, what have you.

We also recorded 20 min worth of material as one band (WET HAIR + DB) during the Mission Creek festival's artist residency, expect it to be out on Night people records sometime in the near future. Psych/Kraut rock influences ahoy.

*shout out to Rene Hell and Peaking Lights. Hope to hang next time when the NP crew hits the road.

Visions from the Bus

Just recently came back from a 60hr+ roundtrip via Greyhound from Montreal to Iowa City, the journey was long but it was a treat to see America again on the open road after touring Europe pretty extensively this past year. The road is calling out to you.
CAUTION: Avoid truck stop gas station food at all costs. It will turn your shit into a brick and it won't come out for a week.