A few poster design samples for my band.

Norse Snowboarding Graphic Design & Art Direction Project

I'm happy to report thay my continued marketing efforts online are paying off, one client at a time. A new client, Norse Boards, based in Parker, Colorado, contacted me about handling their logo, identity and art direction to brand their retail snowboarding equipment site. Given my old history in the snowboard industry, I was naturally excited to work on this project and came up with two logo marks which they now use on their site and are the start of many projects to come. Check them out online and help support small business!



:::



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http://norseboards.com

Always listen to your little voice.

Particularly when it involves anything Microsoft. I've always known that .wmv files are absolute garbage and to try and bring them into any kind of professional production is a joke. I have a client that really needed to make one work, so I agreed. Sadly - many hours later, over budget and frustrated, I had to throw in the towel. I already new what a lousy video format this was - but it was made worse by the fact that it originated on some cheapo spy cam. Never, ever again. Dear Microsoft - please stay the f*** out of video production - you have no business there.

Dear Inappropriate Drunken "Colleague"

I had a gig filming some stuff at the Great American Beer Festival for a client in the brewing industry. Great gig, interesting environment, tasty beers. Unexpectedly, I was approached numerous times, by fellow cameramen, wanting to talk about my camera. Most of which included comments of the negative variety. One such young man really took the cake though.

I was taking a break, waiting for our next interview to get ready, and noticed these two dudes just staring, with odd expressions, at my camera from a few feet away. I was half-leaning on it and my tripod, so I couldn't help but notice them. The staring became increasingly uncomfortable and my questioning look back at them finally elicited a comment from one of the two drunks. "We're just checking out that camera... what is that, some kind of .mts shooting thing". Yes I replied. Panasonic's AVCHD format. Works pretty well for my kind of projects. "Oh - so you probably have to use Final Cut Pro and get some kind of lossy, compressed Apple Pro Res 422 file...?" All the while - with this growing look of disgust on his face". I finally was like - "look dude - at this price point (about $2400) - this camera does everything I need it to and keeps me on budget". I don't need a $10,000 broadcast quality HD camera to shoot marketing videos that 95% of which wind up on the company website. Now I know this isn't the fanciest camera in the world, it's lacking several features I wish I had, but it's solid, reliable, affordable and is full resolution HD. I skipped all the HDV cameras on the market when this came out and found it to be the right solution for my business.

In retrospect - there is a host of other things I wish I would have said to this tool at the beerfest, but feel good about keeping my cool and stating the facts. His buddy, finally realizing his friend's rudeness and drunkenness finally bid me farewell and said "Cheers". The drunken rude tool? Didn't say anything else, just stumbled off with his buddy.

Like any other industry/hobby, etc. - there are always going to be those that are all about the fashion before the function. Sure - I'd love to have a RED HD camera, several Canon 7d's - and throw in about $100,000 worth of lenses. Does it make sense for my business? Hell no. Who can afford that stuff? Certainly not me. I bought and used the best camera for what works for my business, and I been working hard with it over the last year. It's paid for itself twice over and then some and I'd buy the same camera all over again.

It is here I could say something about squashing that dude's feeble "daddy paid for art school" ass like bug on the highway, but I have learned a few things in my 43 years on this planet. 1. There will always be annoying pricks that come across your path in life - what you do or say isn't going to make them any more or less of an annoying prick - so I exercise restraint by telling them my facts in a calm and collected manner. 2. Life is short - be thankful every moment no matter how difficult, how easy, how pleasant or how dreadful. We're living people - that in itself is pretty amazing.

West Coast Mountain Biker Goes Rocky

If only I could have experienced my lifelong hobby of mountain-biking in reverse geographic order - the Rocky Mountains early in life, the glory of the Pacific Northwest and NorCal later. Alas - my early years of mountain-biking were spent on the fireroads around Silver Creek Falls, Abiqua Falls and Butte Creek Falls of the Willamette Valley foothills. It wasn't until the early 90's that I discovered single track by way of Central Oregon and eventually the valley. From there I've been on a continual exploration of the proliferate single track from as far north as Terrace, British Columbia, to as far south as the Monterrey/Laguna Seca trails made famous by Sea Otter. I've even managed a day of remote single track on the South Island of New Zealand.

So why this post. Well - after a solid 24 years of mountain-biking so much of that deluxe, buffed-out smooth-rolling single track (with favorites including Marin, Galbraith, Oakridge) - I now find myself exploring the abundant, but rocky, trails of the Front Range of Colorado. There are some bad ass trails along the Front Range - but this old man's lower back is having a hard time sucking up the abusive, unrelenting shocks of the baby-head-laden trails that riddle these trails. There are a few gems here and there - but by and large - they're all ridiculously rock infested and punishing. NOTHING like the fluffy downhill single track I'd grown accustomed to on the West Coast. And we're not talking about the occasional rock - we're talking chunky, solid granite in every shape and size imaginable, half-buried in all of the most inconvenient spots of the trail imaginable - miles of it. Am I complaining? Well... yes - a little. I am fortunate to have several good rides from my door in Boulder, but there really is a lack of smooth, bomber single track here. Will I get used to it? Probably not. Will I continue to complain? Probably. Will it turn me into a roadie? Not this decade - no thanks. :)

The Afronauts live at The Laughing Goat

How many is too many?

I like to make stuff. Be it films, videos, magazine and logo designs, music, photography... it's what I love and do - and some of it even pays the bills! Thank you world. Here's a mostly chronological look at it all.

http://bouldervideodesign.com/
http://youtube.com/bouldervide​odesign
http://youtube.com/fluffyturns
http://vimeo.com/bouldervideod​esign
http://keeneymedia.blogspot.co​m/
http://smallbusinessvideos.blo​gspot.com/
http://flickr.com/keeney
http://www.facebook.com/afronauts
http://afronautsband.com/
http://myspace.com/mightyunicorn
http://myspace.com/keeneymusic
http://cdbaby.com/juliansnowindex
http://www.facebook.com/volcanomagazine
http://myspace.com/aggrobatch

Mountain Biking in the White Light!

After meeting my neighbor Dave, we opted to do our first mountain bike ride together at nearby White Ranch. Having only ridden there once, I thought it would be great to go with someone that knew the place well, as he does. Despite the brutal, relentless climb to the top known as Belcher Hill, White Ranch has some fantastic trails and single track. Add to this the peak of wildflower season and having a buddy to ride with, made it an awesome day. And then, about 3/4 of the way through our ride, the skies started turning a sinister color of black. Earlier in the day the storms seemed to be staying south, but within minutes, we were getting blanketed by waves of intense rain. At this point we were still pretty high up, and quite exposed. We turned up the speed and worry a few notches and bombed off the top as quickly as possible. Then, within two or three minutes of the waves of rain, came the giant bolts of wicked lightning. When the time between the flash and the thunder is a second or less, you know you're in the middle of something. We immediately threw down our bikes, took off our Camelbaks and scrambled off trail to ponder our situation. I had noticed a small cliff of rocks a couple hundred feet back or so, so we bushwacked up and across to the spot I saw, and managed to perch ourselves under some rocks that not only seemed to protect us from the bolts falling from the sky, but soon it was as though we were standing behind a waterfall given the amount of rain that was falling. Having only been in the middle of a lightning storm once before, I had forgotten how scary, exciting and amazing it is all at the same time. Seeing bolts come down that close to your location, and feeling the concussion of thunder that rattles your teeth is a sensation like none other and truly a powerful earthly experience. We waited out the storm and within a half hour or so were back on the trail and safely on our way home.

The next day, my wife picked up a copy of the Mountain Gazette and I happened to read this very timely story on lightning. Something to think about next time I get stuck in honest-to-goodness Rocky Mountain Lightning Storm.

Building the Afrobeat Band

In March of 2011 I finally decided to build an afrobeat band here in Boulder. Using the prodigious Craigslist, I cobbled together an ad looking for players and have since built a nine-piece monster of some talented musicians - playing obscure african funk, jazz and afrobeat.

Dates in Colorado this Summer:
Sat. June 11th - Denver - Cervante's Summer Music Fest, 10pm
Wed. June 29th - Boulder - Laughing Goat Coffehouse, 9pm
Sat. July 9th - Coal Creek Canyon - Community Center (private)

Check it out:
FACEBOOK
MYSPACE
OURSITE

Sticking with the old school - RADIO!

Those of you who know me, know I have an affinity for old school radio. One of my film school projects was a short documentary called "College Radio - The Bay Area Bubble" - which documented the unique format of San Francisco Bay area college radio stations (KALX, KZSU, KFJC, KZSC). I also have been known to pack my transistor radio on backpacking trips, hoping to tune-in Coast to Coast AM and pick up a UFO program while star-gazing in the backcountry.

For someone who grew up in the classic rock environment of Portland's KGON - I was weened on a steady diet of Boston, Led Zeppelin, Steve Miller and all the standards which I grew to either love or hate. I owe much of my early musical knowledge to KGON, but once in my twenties, I quickly became dissatisfied with the their repetition and moved beyond radio, embracing alternative music and more.

Fast forward 30 years. Now that I live in Colorado, I've rediscovered FM radio mostly due to a fresh array of options. I get the standard jazz station (89.3) which is quite good, a metal station from Denver (80% of which bores me with nu-metal) a Boulder community radio station called KGNU which is pretty awesome and even an AM college radio station from CU - which, when I can actually pick it up, plays some really obscure stuff, the newest hip stuff and a nice mix of reggae, punk and other programs. And of course, I get classic rock stations. Two in fact. One of the two (103.5 the Fox) plays your standard fare, KGON-like classics. All too familiar - but occasionally I'll catch a song worth staying for. The other station however - is largely the reason for this blog post. KYEN Denver/Severance/Ft. Collins at 103.9 plays the most unique, diverse and interesting mix of classic rock I've ever heard. As their website states: "103.9 FM KYEN is a Rock 'N' Roll radio station like no other. Playing lost tracks, forgotten artists, deep cuts, b-sides, bootlegs and just about anything that we like. Our music library spans thousands and thousands of songs and we’re adding music each day. We love music and we do it for the music. Listen and Enjoy…" Sure - you're going to run into the occasional over-played Stones track, or some other song that borders on bubble-gum pop sweetness. But the majority of their playlist actually doesn't seem like a "playlist" at all. When I'm driving and actually listening to the radio - I'm usually here - taking in (and learning) about so many songs and bands I never knew about. Paul McCartney songs I've never heard, Elvis Costello, Todd Rundgren, obscure Yes and Genesis tracks... the list goes on and on. With KGON I could name the artist or band within split seconds of each new song coming on - here - I'm lucky to name the artist, and rarely can name the song.

Good stuff. Thank you KYEN. Keep it obscure.

Building an AFROBEAT band in Boulder!

So f-ing jazzed on this. Getting great response from the players in the Boulder area. If you play horns, drums, percussion or think you can sing like Fela - holler. We want to hear from you. Drop a line to etkeeney (at) gmail. Stay tuned for a play by play of "The Building of an Afrobeat Band" - right here on my blog. Stoked.

Busy is good. Corvettes are fast.

Busiest I've ever been. Thank you Colorado!

Back to back out of town shoots for PhoCusWright and Adam's Polishes. PhoCusWright is the industry leader on travel research and insight. They just presented this year's PhoCusWright conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. Super long, busy days interviewing folks and events. An awesome time and as usual, I'm learning a little something along the way.

This most recent Saturday and Sunday I found myself in Orange County at West Coast Corvettes - shooting Volume Seven of the instructional DVDs for Adam's Polishes. Adam Pitale makes only the finest custom car care products in the U.S. And because of the high level of craftsmanship required to detail a $100,000 car appropriately - he produces detailed videos for every step of the process. Fun shoot, great group of folks - and he even let me take his '62 super-modded Vette for a hotlap around the neighborhood. Scary Fast.

Now... we're hunkered down in the editing bay for an unprecedented run of editing for all of December. Whew!

Boulder Video Design Ubiquity

Working as a freelancer is not easy - feast or famine they say. Some weeks it is slower than molasses - and other weeks I'm so busy I barely make the call between shoots. One thing is certain, I can't let up on the endless search for the next gig. How do I find gigs? Craigslist has been immensely helpful - and adverting myself in every place conceivable doesn't hurt either. I've also learned a thing or two about keywords. So if you've happened upon my blog and need video or design services - you've come to the right place. We are a Colorado video production company specializing in videography, video editing, motion graphics, DVD authoring, podcasting and producing and optimizing video content for the web. Click over to our company website to learn more and thanks for reading!

Rrrrrrush!

Countdown to Rush - Live! Rush is one of those rare bands whose fans are as loyal as they come. I am one of them. As long as I've been listening to their records (since Jr. High) it wasn't until 1985 that I actually got to see them live in the flesh - The Power Windows tour in Portland. I was absolutely mesmerized by their flawless reproductions of so many of the songs I'd grown to love. Expert musicianship on display, song after song, stirring up that magical feeling in your gut that only special music such as this can evoke. Since then, I've managed to see just about every tour they've put on - even tours supporting some of their more mediocre, latter-career albums. Even so, they've never disappointed in a live setting and always play an pleasing mix of old stuff as well as new. So fast forward... "a quantum leap forward, in time and in space" - one week from this Monday, a bunch of the old gang are rolling into Boulder and Denver, to descend upon Red Rocks (to be my first concert there) for an evening with Rush on their "Time Machine" tour. Not only are they playing a couple of new, yet-to-be heard tracks - the highlight of this show will be the first time ever performance of the entire "Moving Pictures" album, start to finish. A treat to behold. We'll see if I'm able to snap a few live pics and maybe even a little video. Yay.

Still toying with the logo...

My favorite thing about my job.

I heard someone say it this way once: "I know a little bit, about a lot of things". So true. For just over seven years now, my life as a cameraman, producer and editor has introduced me to so many new places, people, ideas, industries and all manner of subject manner that I would otherwise not have come across. It's so awesome. Last year in Portland I was hired to shoot a trade show at the convention center in Portland. The show's focus? Supercomputing. Rather than make a feeble attempt at explaining it - just watch this bad-ass Flash movie presentation that details what to expect at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis. Embedded in the presentation are a variety of interviews and B-roll, which I shot at last year's conference. Intense.

CLIENTS!

Thank you Boulder. Thank you Denver. Thank you Colorado. Staying biz to the hizzy - or is that hiz to the bizzy? (Not sure on that, have to consult my "Snoop Dogg's Guide to Modern Vernacular"). In any event, just finished an editing session for Serac Films here in Boulder - first draft is off to their client. So stoked on this project and opportunity - they make some amazing, wonderful and gorgeous films. Big thanks to Stacy, Dr. Shralp, Rob and Michael. Other clients keeping the gears turning: PhoCusWright, Wheels Manufacturing, Adam's Polishes, Rich's Tennis School, Skydance Skydiving, Linda Allen and a slew of new irons in the fire too, which I can't mention yet as not to jinx them. I love it when a plan comes together. Thank you to all my new clients, previous clients and future ones. You're helping get this show on the road, set up our new home and provide for the forthcoming little baby Rowan! I feel blessed.

Hands Upon Black Earth

My friend Bobby who lives deep in the magical Northern California has released his 3rd album. It came out last month... but I have just discovered it. Bobby and I worked together once upon a time shooting an N-Sync project (yeah... with Justin Timberlake) and I've been a huge fan of his music every since meeting him (Bobby, not Timberlake). I loved learning that Bobby used to be a death metal drummer once upon a time in S.F. and has graduated to such grandiose music. He moved north to this little town called Pottersville, where he works as a music producer and audio engineer and creates these incredibly rich, haunting and beautiful records. He plays all the instruments too for the most part, just has guest vocalists here and there.

Check it - and if you like this one, dig backwards into his other two albums. Such fantastic music:




The True Harvest by hands upon black earth

Logorama!

This short animated film called LOGORAMA kicked my ass. Concept, writing, animation, music and execution are all top notch. It's no surprise it's winning awards. How can you go wrong making Ronald McDonald the evil kidnapper with a speech impediment? Awesome.

Logorama from Marc Altshuler - Human Music on Vimeo.

Video = Fastest growing website feature for Small Business

Small Businesses need all the help they can get. A short video to tell your story not only educates your potential customers but helps personalize their shopping experience and will more likely bring them in your door. Here is a great article from Reelseo.com on why you should incorporate video into your website.

Video content on the Web? You'd better you bet.

A recent Kelsey Group study estimates that 74% of the online population is watching video content. Video has become part of the core behavior of all online demographics. Online video even challenges television. The projected growth is enormous; in 2009 there were 187 billion streams which is projected to double to 310 billion by 2013. That is an exponential number! The possibilities are endless for people, businesses and non-profits, large or small, who are thinking up new ways tell their story, advertise and increase their online presence and/or profits. Leveraging video-sharing sites like Youtube, Vimeo and Revver is also a fantastic way to boost search engine returns for your company because of the "add keyword tags" option on each of these sites. I witnessed firsthand the power of this tool in a previous role as Marketing Manager for Test Drive Videos. We were able to deliver top ten search engine results for a Portland Metro area Toyota dealer by strategic keyword placements within all their video content at the top five video-sharing sites. In today's marketplace it is no longer enough to just have a web presence. Having dynamic content, like video, is a crucial piece of the puzzle in the chaotic landscape of today's marketing strategies.

Off to ATLANTA!

Knee-deep in shooting this week at a Travel Industry trade show. PhoCusWright is the authority on the buying and selling of online travel and hospitality. They put on these trade shows to educate and share information. Yet another project where I get to learn something. Love my job. :)

Sixteen - is the magic number.

For all of you video geeks out there! I just learned a little something important, and very cool. When exporting .mov files from Final Cut - via - Compressor, occasionally I would get this bizarro vertical green line down the right side of my frame. It was happening infrequently and no matter how I changed the settings, it was still there. Turns out, when you're using the H.264 codec (which I do for most everything), your video's final dimension needs to be divisible by the number 16. Apparently, H.264 encodes in blocks of 16, or something like that. In any event, since I frequently change the dimensions of my final file due to overall file size, or where it's going to be delivered, etc., I just had to incorporate a little math to make it work. And indeed, work it does! Example: A current project is being output at 520 x 390 pixels. This equals 202,800 pixels. Divide by 16 = 12,675. A whole number! God bless Apple forums.

I ♡ Final Cut.

BIKES BIKES BIKES!

Soooo happy to be able to accomplish tasks via bicycle again. Quick trips to the store, client meetings, knocking out one-hour cyclocross laps from the house - all part of life again. Thank you Boulder.

What I get in trade by moving from Portland to Boulder.

1. Giving up shared space with Portland's bushy-haired, skinny-jeaned, tattoo-sleeved hipsters who reek of cigarettes. In exchange: Legions of "kind brothers" in tattered jeans, dredded hair and puppies on strings, who reek of skunky herb.

2. Giving up the moldy, mildewy wetness for the dry, hot, potentially dusty, life near the high plains. Luckily, Boulder is just far enough from the plains, nestled up next to the mountains. A bubble of goodness.

3. Giving up the proximity to majestic Mt. Hood and her frequent dumps of snow, however wet and heavy they may be. Gaining access to over a dozen ski resorts in the most vast mountain range in the lower 48. I'll likely be signing up for one of these bad boys. Pretty cool. And yes - the mountains are high. The snow is fluffy. Goodbye worries of another El Nino... and a potentially tragic global-warming reality for low elevation, coastal ski resorts.

4. Giving up nearness to friends and family. Gaining nearness to friends and family. :)

5. Giving up the comfort and calmness of my home state. Gaining the excitement and exploration of yet another new state.

An incredible adventure is unfolding - so excited!

Sea World Sucks.

http://www.ksbw.com/news/22666239/detail.html

F@$% all the Seaworlds. Set the Orca free. I am sad for the trainer and her family, my heart goes out to them. But can you really blame poor Tilikum the Orca? He is bored and very unhappy being put on display like a circus sideshow, criminal or some fascinating fossil. No respect for these animals at all. The blame lie squarely on the shoulders of the shareholders and owners of Seaworld. Shame on you.

I urge you to NEVER, EVER visit a Seaworld and support such ugliness.

An industry of shame.

A dream cometh true.

What dream may you ask? My dream of living in or near the real mountains - The Rockies. Don't get me wrong, spending time in volcanoland has been incredible, gorgeous and there are few places as fun as Mt. Bachelor for snowboarding. But I've always dreamed about Colorado. So, I'm taking my family and moving to the Rocky Mountain state - Boulder to be exact. The next great chapter in the life that is Keeney, this one promising to be the greatest tale yet. It's already unfolding as I'm now dividing my time between Sandy and Boulder now that projects dictate. I'll have all six of us (Kelly, Sulli, Kuma, Telli and Moses the Cat) under one roof again by the end of March.

Things to look forward to in 2010: A new baby - the littlest Keeney. A return trip to Monarch Pass. Some exploring around the four corners area and the national parks. Moab. Friendly bike-commuting. Local mountain-biking. New film and video projects. Living at 5400'. Time in Ned and at Eldora.

Stay tuned...

The newest Secret Chiefs 3 album

Secret Chiefs 3: Traditionalists
Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini



Recently ordered this one through the Web of Mimicry site. Alas, the soundtrack to an unmade horror film is classic SC3 with intense instrumentation and moody themes throughout. The band (on this album performing as "The Traditionalists"), pays respect to the Italian film composers this record reflects so much of. It is not for the faint-hearted or easy listening ears, but *is* for folks like me who crave, new, unique, instrumental music. Check it. :)

( give 'er 4 of 5 stars)

The Complete Cyclocross Diaries Archive

Our fabulous host Heidi sums it up nicely in one blog post over at Wend Magazine. Already looking forward to cross-racing 2010.

Don't let your dog eat raisins or grapes!

That's right - they are potentially toxic. Whodathunk? Veterinary professionals are still studying this, but it appears as only some raisins and grapes contain an element that can cause liver failure in dogs. Or maybe it's only some dogs that are effected?

After returning from the mountain yesterday I discovered Kuma had pulled the large bag of raisins off the counter - and devoured the entire thing. Little Telluride has taken in a few I think too. After a quick call to my dear Kelly, it was off to her clinic for us all. After making them puke, feeding them a slurry of wet dog food and charcoal, and giving them a hefty sub-q dose of water (under the skin) - we could only hope and watch. Apparently they would start showing signs of nausea and lethargy within 24 hours, which they did not, but damage can appear as long as 72 hours later. Luckily for us, Kuma and little Telli appear to be doing fine and are showing no ill effects.

Heads up friends... keep those raisins stashed away tight, next to the chocolate and herbs. :)

Jailed Ski-Bum finally set free!

This story is incredible - as are the comments people are posting in response. God bless Charlie Toups! My hero.

Motion Graphics or Bust!

This is my new kick and I ain't lettin' up.

Winning a trip to Mustang Powder Snowcats!

I'm officially blogging about Cat Skiing Mustang Powder in hopes of winning a contest they're having. Shameless? Hell no... for anyone that has ever been cat-skiing or boarding - you know there is little else comparable to a skiing and snowboarding experience, other than taking a heli or airplane of course. I've been lucky enough to experience cat-boarding a few times at Mt. Bailey Snowcats - but that was many moons ago when I knew someone and had good cause to barter services with them. Cat-skiing and heli-skiing are, for the most part, a rich man's endeavor. Since I am not rich, but I have spent the better part of sixteen years trying to rearrange my schedule for the choicest powder days, I feel like I am a deserving and grateful candidate to take ownership of this contest and win it! Not only will I be a gracious guest at Mustang Powder, but I will bring along some of my HD camera gear and document and blog my experience to share (and brag) to all my friends and readers of my client's blog at Wendmag.com.

Sound good? Yep. Sign me up! Take Keeney to Mustang Powder, then I'll have a little contest of my own to see which lucky bastard gets to tag along. Haha!

Man decorates basement with $10 worth of Sharpie.

This is dynamite. Found via Draplin.

Cyclocross winding down with two big weekends on tap.

US Gran Prix this weekend at PIR.

US Nationals next weekend in Bend. These will be the first two races I shoot this season where I'm NOT racing. Whew! Kind of a relief.

Anywho... here are the last two Cyclocross Diaries (6 and 7). The Diaries series will be complete with a naughty, number nine episodes after these weekends. Enjoy!

Cyclocross Diaries Webisode #005

Not nearly enough time for blogging these days. Too busy getting married at Breitenbush Hotsprings, honeymooning in the San Juans and Vancouver Island, and returning just in time to embark on a rather large project: Racing AND Producing the Cyclocross Diaries for Wend Magazine, all over our fine state, from October through December. There is nothing I would rather be doing, but it can be a challenge - particularly when you are racing, camping, donning a winning costume and trying to gulp down the occasional beer. Such was the case at THIS race:

Intuition and a powerful full moon.

Seems this change of season is a fine time to post another group of thoughts. As my love Kelly made note of - this last full moon on Sept. 4th seemed to be a powerful one, perhaps signaling the changing of the seasons as well as a change in attitude. Sometimes it's easy to get stuck in a rut and it takes a little external push to send things reeling into a new direction. The moon helped me do this recently.

Now on to a story about intuition. As I may have mentioned in a previous post - we now live out in the woods, near the Bull Run river and resevoir. We're actually up on a ridge that looks out across the entire Bull Run watershed - and as Pounder says - the view doesn't suck. One of the other fringe benefits to living out here in the sticks is the awesome hiking and biking out our backdoor. Frequently after dinner, we hike out the back door down this overgrown forest road behind our house which dead-ends at a gravel road and drops quickly down to the Bull Run valley. Once you get about a quarter mile down - we are stopped by a big yellow gate. The kind with no trespassing signs and warnings posted on it. It is here that the property switches to the Portland Water Bureau - and they don't take kindly to folks crossing that line. Sure - when we first moved here - I bombed passed the gate several times on my mountain bike, surveying the land, getting to know my place in space. Since I had never seen any form of water bureau folks patrolling here at the gate, nor down on the pavement where it ends by the river - we figured it was okay for a kind family such as ours to be walking gently amongst the old growth once in a while. After all, we're treehuggers, this IS our neighborhood and we generally only walked another half mile or so into the old growth to make the most of our walks.

One evening a couple of weeks ago, our little 6-year old Sullivan commented, "I don't think we should cross the gate tonight Mommy". It's okay we said, dismissing her thoughts. "We're just going a little ways, and we'll turn back" we told her. As we continued passed the gate, she commented several times how she really felt like we shouldn't keep going this time. I actually had tuned her out at this point as I was more in tune with the big trees - and then - of course - I saw the coming headlights way down the twisty road. "Run!" I said. We turned around and started running back for the gate until I quickly realized we were not going to beat the truck back. It was uphill and little Sulli's legs can't quite keep up with my long legs. So... I stopped us and took it like a man. Behold - and VERY official... and VERY serious couple of youngsters in a Water Bureau patrol truck scolded us and threatened to lay a big ticket and fine on us. Being quick on my feet and with my tongue - I quickly explained how are dogs had rad passed the gate and we were only retrieving them. "We hike down here all the time" I exclaimed. "We never go passed the gate, the dogs saw a deer I think - and took off!". Well... they bought it! and let us off with a stern warning.

Three lessons learned that evening. 1. Never, EVER discount your children's intuition - it's often more powerful and raw than your own. 2. Do not fuck with the Portland Water Bureau. They are serious about protecting Portland's drinking water - as they should be - but shit... don't they chlorinate that water anyways? (another thought for another time). and 3. Be careful when and where you bend the truth - not only does a 6-year old have strong intuition - they also have bionic ears. At least our does. We had to do a lot more explaining about how it was okay to bend the truth in some circumstances than we did explaining why we were on the wrong side of the gate.

Last time I'll cross the gate? Probably. Last time I'll bend the truth? Probably not. :)

Village Idiot rise from the dead.

So great to see these emmer-effers throwin' it down again, some ten years since. They slayed it. People witnessed. Smiles abounded.

Short Track Finals

Great racing for the last night of mountain biking at PIR. There were some stellar riders in this series, pros like Shannon Skerritt who consistently rode like the wind, usually, many lengths in front of his competitors. Other dudes like Jesse Lucket and Salvatore Bondi kept the front of my pack, the Cat 2's, spread out ahead. A super fun time this summer though - making 5 of the 7 races has got me primed for Cross season, and for my first "real mountain" race at Diamond Lake next month. I put a few more pics from last night's finale here.

Life in the Woods

Walden, A Walk in the Woods, Listening for Coyote - some of my favorite stories about man living, walking and traveling in the woods. Now I'm living some of my own stories after living high on Bucksnort Ridge. I think the most incredible thing that I keep coming back to is discovery. Discovering so many new sights, sounds, plants and animals I've never known before. Our home is surrounded by such incredible diversity in plant life, particularly berries. One such berry, the thimbleberry, is in abundance right now. It kind of looks like a raspberry, but far more delicate and a similar taste, just more exotic.

Then there are the wide variety of flowers and other berries, wild irises, red columbine, salal - it is never-ending. Don't even get me started on the ferns. I feel pretty damned lucky to live in such a gorgeous place. We get the kinds of views and smells usually only reserved for those long backpacking trips. Makes me feel... Namaste.

Portland Mountain Biking Short Track Series 2009 from Eric Todd Keeney on Vimeo.

We entered a short film contest online!

Jesse Blanchard is the man, Renee is the brains - and me? Ummm, a little of this, a little of that. After a couple of quick brainstorming sessions and online preproduction, we more or less shot this thing in a day. Jesse picked up the SFX shots at home the next day - then - like the champion he is, edited the shit out of this thing. Turned out perty-durned good I think. It's called "Borrowed Skin". If we win, we get some cash to use as funding for the next film!

Watch for yourself:
BORROWED SKIN

Wend Magazine, Oakridge, Aaron Draplin and Layer Tennis

Tuesday the 23rd of June, and all is well. Finally got on the other side of some big projects - mainly - the short film contest with Jesse Blanchard, the Wend Magazine Pingpong Party video is up and getting views and the Woodstock house is emptied and cleaned up real nice once and for all. Next up? Editing the Portland frame-builders piece, also for Wend. Oh... the Oakridge mountain-biking video from the man's weekend is also up!

In the meantime, for all you e-loafing slackholes - an old friend from Bend is still slaying the world's graphic design ass like no other. Aaron Draplin is his name - and there is way too much to be said about this bad mofo, but this is worth noting: he is in the semi-finals of a little something called Layer Tennis. Instead of regurgitating what it's all about - all just post this from their site: " We’re hosting a series of live design events called Layer Tennis. The season wouldn’t have happened without the support of Adobe® Creative Suite® 4, the weapon of choice for Layer Tennis players and creative professionals everywhere. We'll be playing matches using video, animation, sound, photos, type and lots more, but the basic idea is the same no matter what tools are in use. Two competitors will swap a file back and forth in real-time, adding to and embellishing the work. Each artist gets fifteen minutes to complete a “volley” and then we post it to the site live. A third participant, a writer, provides play-by-play commentary on the action, as it happens. A match lasts for ten volleys and when it's complete, Season Ticket Holders tell us what they think and we'll declare a winner, so sign up today."

Anywho... I've watched two of his previous matches, live, and gotten a real kick and further inspiration from it. So when you've got one eye on the clock Friday, like the postman in downtown Bend, roll your mouse and eyeballs on over to the match. Fun stuff. Go Draplin!

Summer - It's always like that.

My friend Jeffie and I used to chat about how Summer always seems to go by so fast, and you really need to pack in the adventuring to not feel cheated. This means being extremely proactive and fillin' up the spaces on that calendar. Summer 2009? Quickly becoming no different as things progress nicely in the life that is ETK. Add to it a slew of new video and film projects and things really start to get interesting. I felt like I needed to make a list here as some kind of mental purge and visual organization. Here the short list:

1. Final edits and trial with Smith Freed.
2. "The Last Orderly" 3:00 film contest with Jesse Blanchard.
3. First video projects for Wend Magazine.
4. Moving into Tuckridge Lodge above Bull Run river.
5. Man's Weekend mountain-biking Oakridge/Westfir.
6. Femi Kuti at the Zoo.
7. Three Fingered Jack snowboard retreat #29.
8. Village Idiot reunion show.
9. Ween in Bend.
10. Mt. Bike race at Diamond Lake.

Don't get me started on the "currently under construction" empty spaces on the calendar... -ETK

Do the wealthy elite rule the world?

I used to listen to Coast to Coast with Art Bell frequently on long road trips, particularly at night. Tales of Bigfoot and UFO's were such perfect mind candy to help pass the time across the long expanses of the Oregon, Nevada and California deserts. One topic that popped up from time to time was the Secret Society known as the Bilderberg Group. A "behind-the-scenes" society of the world's wealthiest individuals who are secretly manipulating and controlling the fate of the world - financially - and perhaps otherwise. As with most topics on Coast to Coast, I take it with a grain of salt. It's just entertainment, but sometimes thought-provoking. This link (click on title of this post) digs deeper into this group and offers additional insight into recent secret meetings that reportedly took place and ideas that were discussed. Interesting stuff.

My life as a “Veterinary Tech”

Everyday is a new experience in this wacky life of mine. My love works as a Veterinarian and has a bigger heart and love for animals than most it seems. It is certainly one of the things I love about her. It explains how our family now numbers at 6 total and may now be 7. Each week I get to hear harrowing tales of animal adventures that come through her clinic. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Unfortunately, her clinic is in Clackamas, Oregon and tends to attract some of the backwoods folk from Estacada. This could be everything from grotesquely wounded pitbulls from dogfights to severely mistreated and neglected cats. The good? There was a coyote puppy in the clinic this weekend! Not sure about his fate yet... but damn is he cute!

So, this Memorial Day weekend: Apparently a toothless woman who smelled like a rotting pair of old gym socks dropped off this little kitty with a badly broken leg. This fella, whom we’ve named Merlin, had 5 separate breaks in one small area of his leg. The woman claimed he was a stray, but his good nature led Kelly to believe otherwise. This is the kind of thing which normally spells euthanasia for a stray as there are no shortage of cats in the world. But my love, being the amazing humanitarian she is, sensed something special in this particular kitty. That extra gleam of understanding in the animal’s eyes that makes you ponder reincarnation. So she decided to take on little Merlin as her own, and perform an amputation. One of the few cool things about her working for “the corporation” is their ability to let doctors do this kind of work for free and extend a generous discount on drugs and materials. After several hours of a grueling surgery, removing his back leg from the hip joint down, little Merlin emerged on the other side with 3 legs and a new lease on life. Yay Merlin!

My part as a Vet Tech? We had to check in on Merlin over the weekend – only to discover he had ripped his I.V. out – so I had to firmly, but gently hold the scruff of his neck as she administered more drugs, fluids and re-applied an I.V. – and load him up for home transport. He has been living in our bathtub since – all hopped up on Morphine and doing quite well. That is of course – until he managed to yank one of hit staples out. This morning – I had to hold him down again – much to his displeasure – as she threw a quick suture in the missing staples spot. Good god does this cat make a terrifying shrieking noise – something that will make your hair stand on end if your not prepared for it. Not to mention – trying to avoid the occasional attempt at a bite due I’m sure to his complete state of terror and pain.

Whether or not we keep Merlin for the long haul remains to be seen. He is quite a loving little critter, probably about 2-years old, Tabby colored, and will make a fine addition to any cat-friendly home. I have a feeling my life as a "vet tech" has only just begun - but it has been so exciting and a fantastic learning process to see my love at work and witness her passion firsthand. She is very special and I'm a lucky fellow. :)

Following your heart and your gut.

It is a common saying - "follow your heart", but one that is easily forgotten, until you actually stick with it and see the positive results of doing so. Case in point: About five years ago, after a decade of graphic design work, I decided to go back to school. I kind of fell into the Graphic Design business after getting my Associate's Degree in design and pre-press and meeting Bonfire Snowboarding co-founder Brad Steward in my hometown Kinkos. Brad offered me a gig doing design work for his then, fledgling, snowboard clothing company. Since I had recently fallen in love with fine art of snowboarding, I took the gig, which propelled me into the industry and a ton of cool gigs. Fast forward ten years and I realized that I didn't really enjoy the 100% office/desk/computer commitment and lifestyle that was associated with graphic design. Sure, I got to work with a ton of cool people and participated in some amazing projects - but in the end - I yearned for something more.

In high school my curiosity had been sparked in film-making after being one of a handful of students that were part of the Senior Film class. I had since dabbled with home video making over the recent years - but decided it was time to take a serious look at film and video as a profession, which led me to DeAnza College in Cupertino, California, and my second Technical Degree. The very moment I took this step, and put my heart, soul and passion into what I REALLY wanted, was the moment doors began to open. My very first project while still in school was a Marketing Video for a "little" local bike company called Specialized. Imagine that? This quickly moved forward to gigs with sports documentaries, adventure/travel television and more.

Fast forward five more years. After spending a year up in Bellingham skiing Mt. Baker and working part time shooting Seattle Sonics homegames - I decided to return to my beloved Oregon - and once again, get serious about my film and video path. I landed a job at a dotcom doing video production for the web, and begrudgingly, everything else for them. After two years as a jack-of-all-trades for the dotcom - the good old economy tanked - and yours truly found himself collecting a hefty unemployment check.

Enter - Winter 2009. What do you do? Hmmm... that heart and soul thing: Snowboarding! Haha... damn straight - midweek powder days-a-plenty this season. Perfect timing really. The dotcom 50-hour office commitment had wore me down again - so the time couldn't have been better. Which brings me to this fine Spring day in May - and the reason for this post. Even though I've been looking for a new job in both Video Production and Graphic Design world - there is a serious lack of opportunity out there in town. Not to mention - the idea of clocking back into the desk cranking out catalog designs, print ads and such, for some industry du-jour, isn't really tickling my fancy.

So - the moment I decided not to settle, but to remain true to my heart and soul, is the moment doors began to open again. Those of you that have seen the film "What the Bleep..." might get what I'm talking about here. It has to do with manifesting your own destiny, believing in your path and your mass of positive consciousness altering the flow of molecules in the universe. Really? Indeed. Easy to forget and get bogged down in the day-to-day doldrums that could be blocking your chi. But very real for those who believe and practice.

Two things have happened in recent days to vindicate this power of consciousness and positivity: One - a lucrative cottage industry as a legal videographer has just fallen in my lap. Not a full-time, sleepy courtroom sort of thing, but the occasional, and remarkably easy, on-site shoots, at full production rate. Perfect. And two - and certainly more importantly - I met a guy for beers this week who produces a rather successful and respectable piece of media in the world. Not only is he cool-as-shit and seems to vibrate on the same frequency as me, he is on the verge of creating my dream job for his company. Truly. Funny, when I first approached him to chat - I just thought he had a cool product and wanted to somehow get involved. Little did I know that he would proceed to tell me he planned to create this new position, of which it seems, I could not be more perfect for. Stunning really. Not sure he feels the same way just yet - but I have no doubt the more he gets to know me and what I do, the more likely he'll have to agree. I must say - if this goes the way I'm thinking it is going, I will be the happiest, most creative, radiant and thankful man alive.

Until then - I'm off with my trusty video camera to yet another interesting part of Portland, to shoot and learn something new.

Follow your heart, trust your gut and believe in yourself. Powerful stuff.

Rollins/Keeney Spring Equinox Jam 2009 - 2 of 3.

Ralph Nader - Know Your History Please

Watched the documentary "Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man" last night - a fantastic film and important biography. I'm just old enough to remember him for his virtuous life of protecting consumers in the 60-70's, but I am sad about how many Americans really only think of him as the 2004 Presidential Election spoiler. Seriously? So sad. I encourage everyone to see it and learn about a one of our country's most amazing real citizens.

Diving Back into Graphic Design with a Half Gainer

After changing careers with a new degree in Television and Video technologies several years ago, my former skills as a Graphic Designer went largely unused as Video and TV gigs kept presenting themselves in recent years. I still had to hold down the occasional gig as a magazine or advertising designer to keep the bills paid - but day to day designing from scratch was a skill I was getting burnt out on and I was glad to put to rest for a while.

In today's economy, I've learned these skills have never been so important as I'm having to ply my craft in every skill-set I have in order to compete in the extremely crowded and talented creative pool of Portland, Oregon. I picked up a gig design logos, and identity and t-shirts for an up and coming recycled materials clothing and accessories company marketing itself to the 20-30 somethings who care about the environment and might have an inclination to surf/skate/snowboard/climb/frisbee golf, etc.

So here I sit, Day Three, Hour Fifty-Three, cranking out idea, after idea, after idea. It's funny - just when I think I'm tapped out and drawing a blank, it always seems something else gurgles to the top. And the farther along I get, the more confident I get and the quicker and deeper my Illustrator and Photoshop skills seem to be coming back to me.

Hallelejuah! Bring-it Portland design community - I'm ready.

Republicans think most Americans are Idiots... and maybe they're right.

Republicans, very clearly, believe that real people are idiots. This disdain for their smarts shows up in the whole way they’ve cast this race now, turning a contest over economic and foreign policy into a culture war of the Real vs. the Elites. It’s a smoke and mirrors game aimed at diverting attention from the fact that the party’s tax policies have helped create an elite that’s more distant from “the people” than ever before.

Unicorn Slays the Ash Street...

Or did the Ash Street slay us? Hmmm... well, now I know why it's called the Ash Street Saloon. Smokers. Lots of 'em. God help us - 2009 couldn't come quick enough to rid the clubs and public places of the smokey smokers. Blech! That's right... the LAW goes into effect - and not soon enough. Anywho... that's my anti-smoking rant. Thanks for reading. Aside from that... it felt damn good to play out live again. My Unicorn comrades are the best... and so are my fine brothers and sisters that traveled great distances across the Oregon countryside to support yours truly. I love you fuckers. Jeff-n-Pips-n-Jay-n-Erin-n-Jess-n-Johnny-n-Cliff-n-such.... until next time!!!

History of Sampling Audio

Another gem found on my colleague Aaron Draplin's site.

A rather thorough interactive breakdown of music that was sampled, when it was used, and by who. Supa cool!

http://jessekriss.com/projects/samplinghistory/

Playing live in front of the people once again.

This Saturday the 23rd of August marks the first time in several years I've played live in front of an audience. Super stoked to be doing so, and quite proud to be in the company of such bad-asses for bandmates. Mighty Unicorn is what we're calling the band - and in addition to my bass playing (for those who don't know - I used to bass for Aggro Batch and The Julian Snow Index), our band features Hans Wagner (aka Schvoontz), who's drumming resume includes: Mr. Bungle, Sweaty Nipples, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Village Idiot and Herkemer; Pat Demartino on the gee-tar, who's past and current shredding includes Village Idiot and Last Empire; Kevin Ellis on keyboards, formerly of Village Idiot, Hungry Mob and The Film fame; and our current, though temporary, singer Brad Mowen, who was an early member of Portland's Sweaty Nipples, then moved to Seattle where he fronted the incredible band Mommy, and now sings for The Accused and is also involved with the bands ASVA and The Master Musicians of Bukkake.

Ash Street Saloon's hard rock hideaway is the venue. Approximately 10:45pm is the start time for the Mighty Unicorn. Opening the gig will be Portland's Western Family featuring Brett Snyder on drums - who's "dayjob" is drumming for that famous band Everclear... oh yeah... he used to be a Village Idiot drummer too.

Bring your earplugs!

Both Hands and Both Feet - A drummer's Blog

A recent friend of mine and fellow musician, Matt Farina, has been posting this cool blog about drumming and music. Matt and I got together for a few sessions via the mighty Craigslist Musician ads earlier this year. Great guy. Fantastic drummer. Fun blog.

Go here now:
http://2handsand2feet.blogspot.com/

SEO for Video Online - or - "How to get people to watch your videos"

As video content on the web continues to proliferate, getting your videos to stand out amidst the crowd is becoming an increasingly challenging task. One of the most important recent subjects of discussion regarding video online, is figuring out how to maximize your company’s placement in search engine results and rankings. To those readers new to search engine marketing terms and acronyms, the letters SEO stand for “search engine optimization” and the SEM equates to “search engine marketing”. You’ll commonly see and hear these terms thrown around quite a bit as companies clamor to find their way into viewer’s web browsers.

Here at Test Drive Videos we quickly learned that is isn’t as easy as posting your videos online, then telling people to go watch them. There is a myriad of essential steps you need to take to start the SEO and SEM process. I’m going to list the three basic steps we’ve learned are mandatory and effective in getting the ball rolling. I will also highlight some additional things you can do that are both free and highly effective.

1. Use Descriptive Naming of Your Video Source File. When you’re creating your video file and getting ready to deploy it to your site, e-newsletter or uploading to a web video sharing site, always name the file in a very exact and descriptive manner. For example: in the early stages of our company, we might have named a test drive video we produced “Ferrari_tdv_08.mov”. Where our internal naming convention might have made sense to us for easily managing files – to the outside world it means nothing and is more easily lost in the space. Therefore, a more useful title might be: “2008 Ferrari GT430 Test Drive Video.mov”. This acts as kind of a surface level “tag” that will help search engines find your video.

2. Inserting HTML Tags on Your Site. Inserting HTML meta tags and head tags within each page that describe each video has long been the most important and basic task associated with web development and making your site visible and searchable online. Additionally, it is recommended that you let each video live on it’s own page of HTML and insert tags that describe what is in the video. One video per URL. It is also important to surround your video with relevant text about that video. Doesn’t hurt to tell viewers what they are about to see, and further helps the SEO initiative.

3. Initial Search Engine Submissions. Take the time to visit each of the top search engines and go through their process of submitting your website to be crawled, indexed, spidered, etc. Some are easier than others, but this is a crucial step in making sure you get found. Because Google more or less dominates the search engine arena (with approximately 60% of the traffic), and including the other top thre (Yahoo, MSN and AOL), they encompass about 94% of the search engines traffic altogether. Plus, these major search engine directories are shared by many other smaller search engines, including Lycos, AlltheWeb, AltaVista, Excite, Go, Search, AOL, and many others. Once the major search engines have indexed your website, regular search engine submissions are no longer required. We also recommend a one-time manual application submission to dmoz.org. (DMOZ is The Open Directory Project - the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web. It is constructed and maintained by a vast, global community of volunteer editors.)

4. Bonus Tip! – Using Web Video Sharing as Free Advertising! Just because you’ve posted your video on your site doesn’t mean you can’t and shouldn’t post that same video elsewhere. By taking advantage of one or more of the many free video sharing websites out there like YouTube, you can help spread your message and your video out across the web. Most of these sites have very robust description and tagging sections when you upload your video which will yield top results and can in return, be linked back to your site. We have had tremendous success in getting higher search results for some of our video content through the videos we’ve uploaded at these sharing and social networking sites. The top 5 video sharing sites that will except most any user-generated content for upload are: YouTube, GoogleVideo, Metacafe, AOLvideo and Revver. There are certainly dozens more, and every indication is that this market is going to continue to grow rapidly as the demand for video on the web continues to flourish.

These are just a few things you can do immediately after deploying your video for an online audience. They are by no means the complete answer, as this new media world is changing with new web video search technologies on the horizon. Technologies that scan the audio and video content to detect if what the descriptors say is in the video, is actually in the video are one example. We'll discuss more as we learn. Thanks for reading and good luck! -ETK

Time will fly.

Somehow between dayjobbing for Test Drive Videos, playing bass in Mighty Unicorn, and squeezing in the occasional trip to the wilderness - many moons have passed once again. I have managed to start throwing a few video bits and pieces up on the wacky YouTube. I've also began pre-production on a new indie TV production based here in Portland, as well as started shooting a fun short film. Neat stuff - but there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Cursed sleep! What did Edgar Allan Poe say? "Sleep, those little slices of death; Oh how I loathe them." Ok... not that I agree so much... but I like the quote. I guess I loathe the little slices more because they steal away time I could be productive or out soaking up adventure. Sigh.

Social Networking Online Blogging Sharing Madness

How do you put it all under one umbrella?

You don't.

You link 'em all together.

http://www.myspace.com/keeneyinwashington
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1135094874
http://www.flickr.com/keeney

New Krackle Studios and Record Label

Our newlywed pal Jason Edwards is kicking some audio ass in the great town of Portland these days.

Not only is he the chief audio guy for Northwest Documentary Films: http://nwdocumentary.org/index.html

He now has his studio/label/store up and running with all the Julian Snow Index recordings and lots more new stuff from Portland and abroad.

check it: http://www.newkrackle.com

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Dear Friends! Finally got another post up here. Been lazy and busy I guess. Due to the recent bout of early spring - the Snomad bandwagon came to a screeching halt. We did get in some good shooting at Meadows and Bachelor - of the spring skiing variety. But many resorts closed - again! Then just when you thought it was over - blammo! Mother nature is finally giving it to us like she should have been all winter. Well... a taster anyways. Might be time to go search out some face shots on Monday. Hoodoo may be closed for the winter - but there is no easier place to hike and get some.

Beyond the world of snow and such. I just discovered the joys of craigslist.org - "rants & raves" section. Where have I been? Oh my goodness. In the spirit of Pounder's sarcastic, biting commentary - there are posts on there that literally had me laughing until my stomach hurt. Laughing has got to be one of the best things for the spirit and soul. I highly recommend visiting your nearest craigslist site and locating the rants and raves section under personals. There are some particularly funny bastards in Portland. I also found this link which made me laugh pretty hard too. hilarious

LOVER OF MUSIC

Your boy ETK loves the music - in many forms, styles and contexts. Recently we convinced a friend and former Volcano writer, Pounder, to get himself a blog. Low and behold - here it is - and with much laughter and appreciation, I hereby adopt "Judson's" music rating system as standard inclusion on all recent music listen lists found on this site and others. (5 being best, 1 worst)

1. Soft Machine - Third (3.2)
2. Rush - Permanent Waves (5.0)
3. Hi Fi Killers - Hi Fi Killers (3.4)
4. Scorpions - In Trance (3.4)
5. Secret Chiefs Trio - Eyes of Flesh (live)(4.0)
6. Boards of Canada - Geodaddi (3.8)
7. Estradasphere - Buck Fever (3.5)
8. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (5.0)
9. Frank Zappa - Weasels Ripped My Flesh (4.3)
10. Critters Buggin' - Bumpa (4.1)

PRELUDE TO THE ROAD - Part Four

Alright then. We are hours away from departing on the largest of the Snomad road endeavors thus far. Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon we're knocking out a camera gig shooting college basketball at the Evergreen State College in Washington. After the finish you'll find the Snoburban eating up a clump of I-5, then vast stretches of the formidable I-84. Sometime on Sunday we plan to arrive and prepare to shoot Brighton and Snowbird in Utah. At the end of the week we'll be pointing her due west for a long overdue dose of Lake Tahoe. Kirkwood and Heavenly will be the destinations, friend Eric D's pad in South Lake will be the base for several more days. After this I'm sure a "backroads way" home to Oregon will be in order with plenty of pics and vids to come!

NOW IT IS FEBRUARY

Holy Nino Batman! Where did our Winter go? Should we blame yet another El Nino system on the French? Damn straight - those sneaky bastards. Why do you think the Rainbow Warrior Greenpeace ship was so adamant on exposing those French f****? Because they were secretly testing nuclear weapons underwater in French Polynesia - wiping out miles and miles of valuable coral reefs. Many people theorize that the sheer numbers of these "tests" have had a direct effect on sea surface temperatures that are measured along this same current where El Nino systems are born. Additionally - for those who didn't know - back in 1985 Greenpeace figured it out and were about to launch the Rainbow Warrior from it's port in Auckland, NZ and expose the greasy bastards and their careless testing. The night before, two French secret-service types went scuba style in the harbor and planted a bomb on the ship - which later exploded and killed several activists. Greenpeace. Turns out, a local NZ cop figured it out and made the arrests - only to have the French Government bail them out - and set them free. Pretty fucked up. Needless to say - Kiwis don't hold much regard for the French... and I am beginning to wonder myself. Don't even get me started about the smarmy group of Frenchies we ran into on the gondola in Saas Fee - foofy French f****!

Dudes on the road.

A fine pic J.J. Merrrr snapped of us rolling thru the Idaho farm land.

NEW YEAR'S EVE IN ASHLAND

A little glimpse into a fine New Year's Eve spent in Ashland, Oregon. Thanks to Pounder for the hospitality. Watch out for those illegal lasers this year! All kinds of trouble.

WELCOME TO OREGON

New Year's Eve is upon us. Just wrapped shooting two games for John Paget's basketball documentary in K-Falls and tonight at SOC in Ashland. Also spent my first day ever snowboarding at Mt. Ashland. Over a foot of fresh from the last few days was there for the taking - although - there were many takers on this New Year's Eve day. Shot some for the upcoming Snomad Television series, but the icy-goggle-crust conditions made it next to impossible to bag much good footage - a great day nonetheless.

Tonight Pounder and I ring in the New Year at a little pub in downtown Ashland called the Black Sheep - then in the morning I'll finish the journey to the motherland with a brief visit to the Zig's in Eugene - then onward to Salem.

Hoodoo will be the first target. (Merth - getchyer board waxed, goggles de-iced and legs in order - it's gonna be a productive winter).

Farewell 2004! You were very good to me. Welcome 2005! - I'm betting it will be the best year yet - despite another inauguration of the worst president in U.S. history. Perhaps it will take another 4-years of his buffoonery to shed a little more light on his shortcomings so that the rest of the U.S. (that would be you folks in the red states) figure it out.

prelude to THE ROAD

This Wednesday the 29th marks the road date for Oregon. Many exciting projects lie ahead in the home state. Got shoots scheduled for the 30th in Klamath Falls and the 31st in Ashland. You can bet New Years will be plenty festive with Pounder Brown and the snow on the ground in town. New Year's Day we're shooting at Mt. Ashland in the morning then cranking out that stretch of I-5 many of us know so well - Ashland to Salem. Can't wait!

S.F. 1-5

S.F. 6-10

TEN LISTS... San Francisco

1. Amoeba Records - In the Haight. Stunning assortment of new and used CD's - leave your wallet at home and bring a limited amount of cash - easy to break the bank here.
2. Farmers Market - Saturdays at the Ferry Building, mid-December and we're still bringing home the fat, organic fruits and veggies.
3. Great American Music Hall - A legendary music venue in S.F. since before my days. Many a live show recorded and filmed here. Recent SC3 gig was off the shuhnizzle.
4. Waking up to seagulls and Pier 38. South Beach - certainly the finest place to live in San Francisco.
5. 21st Amendment Brewery - One of two breweries in our 'hood. Currently offering a fine Holiday Ale with just a hint of "pumpkiny pie" aftertaste. Sure... it's no Jubelale. But a "might bit good ale" nonetheless.
6. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts - One of many museums downtown - recently checked out "Beautiful Losers" - a collection of skateboard & street art and culture from the last 20 years. Stellar works by Shepard Fairy, Glenn Friedman and others. Obey Giant!
7. Lyon Street Stairs - When you just don't have the perseverance to put together a ferry trip/mountain bike ride in Marin - spending 45 minutes running up and down these bad boys is sure to kick your ass. Gotta keep those legs in shape for riding this winter!
8. KUSF - 90.3 on the dial. SF state's college radio station - chock full o' hip hop, avante garde and metal. Gotta keep the earhole intake fresh!
9. Warfield Theatre - Another landmark live music establishment. Last gig I witnessed here was King Crimson - a perfect, elegant theatre for the quality sounds of K.C.
10. Peet's Coffee - You can have yer "Fourbucks" - give me a black cup of joe from Peet's anyday - plenty of Peet's to be found in the Bay - there's even one up in Portland on Broadway.

ETK ON TELEVISION

I know I've sprayed a lot about my recent efforts to break into the world of television. But hey - I've never been happier - and I just want to share! Here is the official listing of shows that are currently airing that I actually work for.

Barbary Coast Adventures airs on KFTY out of Santa Rosa, which is channel 50 for most of Northern California. The show airs Sunday mornings at 8:30am and 11:30am. We just finished editing the first New Zealand show, so we now have 4 shows in rotation.

Marin Report. Program airs Mondays at 8:30pm on channel 26 in Marin County, Channel 27 in Novato and in San Francisco via Comcast Cable, Channel 11 on Wednesdays at 7:00pm and Fridays at 8:00pm. The gig? I'm a real life news cameraman - complete with two-shots, stand-ups, hot lights and plenty of heavy gear hauling. Learning tons and meeting a whole bunch a great people in Northern Cal. Next week we're shooting a story on Guide Dogs for the Blind and their headquarters in San Rafael - I love dogs! I love video cameras! What more could I ask for?

B.C.A. TRIP WRAP-UP

Turner finished the final chapter of our New Zealand trip. Check it! Chris Turner

OREGON PEOPLE pt. 3

PHILLIPS - So Kyle has lived in the Northwest long enough I guess we can call him an Oregonian. Raised in our neighboring State of Washington, this onion boy has gone from longtime Bend and Bachelor local, to shop manager at Castle Snowboards in Portland to his current gig as NW rep for K2 Snowboards. Kyle and his brother Trevor are two more examples of cool mofos in the Northwest who like to ride and share the world. Check his current site with the cool weather page: Kyle D. Phillips

OREGON PEOPLE - part 2

There are so many noteworthy Oregonians in my life that I keep adding to them daily. Scroll down for further investigations into people who make ETK the annoying but enjoying (and often ridiculous) human being that he is!

BIG DOLPHIN LOVE!

My friend Craig sent me a link about some dolphins on the north island of New Zealand that saved a family from sharks. ()NZ News

Gotta have love for the dolphins! This pic is from a pod we saw while visiting a salmon farm in the Marlborough Sounds, South Island, N.Z.

SECRET CHIEFS TRIO

On November 3rd much of the West Coast wandered around in a gloomy haze, pondering the next 4 years under the dark cloud of the George Bush "regime". In San Francisco the cloud hung over the city and dripped with tears of a million people - but there was a small consolation: People came together to reflect and share in a positive, healing musical experience by the Bay area's Secret Chiefs Trio. Lead by the under-appreciated talents of Mr. Bungle guitarist/songwriter, Trey Spruance, and a supporting cast of amazing Bay area musicians - the Chiefs played a chilling middle-eastern flavored set of modern jihad and rock flavored music that could not have been more fitting on this sad day. It had been several years since Spruance brought the live incarnation of his project before the people - and his timing could not have been more appropriate. It was refreshing to see young people of the West embrace the sounds of the East and weave them together to bring a unique and fresh sound that further illustrates the "one world" we live in. A big thank you to Trey for the performance. Live sounds from the show are currently being administered - keep your eyes peeled here for news.

Headliner for the evening were labelmates, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, who layed out a very heavy, theatrical performance not for the faint hearted. Formally known as Idiot Flesh, The Museum's impressive instrumental array includes many homemade devices suggestive of the avant-garde. Having little in common with those who have marred the field, whether mere arty obscurists, jock-like musical gymnasts, or high-brow snoots, SGM certainly have a varied audience and skillfully embrace their role as entertainers. Even though the band boasts heavy-hitters like Carla Kihlstedt (Tin Hat Trio) and Nils Frykdahl of Faun Fables, this is a band that survives and thrives supremely through heavy touring, and in the process has amassed a devoted (to say the least) following.

Check the Web of Mimicry website for more info. on both of these fine bands.

RETURN OF THE TEN LISTS -music

1. Secret Chiefs Trio - Book of Horizons
2. Charlie Hunter Quintet - Right Now Move
3. Brokeback - Looks at the Bird
4. Estradasphere - Buck Fever
5. Nobukazu Takemura - Various
6. KALX - Berkeley - 90.7fm
7. Mogwai - Come On Die Young
8. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Live, Great American Music Hall, Nov 3
9. Secret Chiefs Trio - Live at GAMH, Nov 3
10. Cedric Brooks - Saba

HUMPRIDGE TRACK, SOUTHLAND, N.Z.

In New Zealand trails are called tracks. This confused me at first - I kept thinking everything was going to be a race. Anyhow - this is a shot from the heli of Chris and our guide as they survey the landscape at the summit. This "track" is mostly suspended on wooden bridges and platforms as to preserve the delicate tundra and exotic plantlife on the summit. The Hump Ridge Track - which sits at the southern-most edge of the South Island - was my favorite spot of the whole trip. Incredible views of the South Pacific (including their own Half Moon Bay) and the Fjordlands of Southwest N.Z. I felt like I was on another planet.

MY NEIGHBORS - TUATAPERE, SOUTHLAND

The rustic accommodations in downtown Tuatapere featured "real live sheep" out my bedroom window. Especially cool as an alarm clock the next morning. "Taaaaahhhhhd".

Click on them photos for BIGGER VIEWING PLEASURE!

RIDING THE FERRY HOME

Now that I'm a big city dweller - it takes a 40 minute ferry ride and a quick 20 minute road ride to get into some legendary Marin County single track. Not a bad way to go eh? The bonuses: A rewarding pint of quality ale from the Marin County Brewing Company while waiting for the return ferry and stellar views of the city on the voyage home. Damn - I'm really sounding like a travel brochure now...

SHE'S A ROLLER

This past summer I was fortunate enough to have worked with Specialized Bicycles in Morgan Hill, CA. Earlier that Spring I met a super cool woman from Specialized named Ariadne while shooting some stuff for Nat Lopes and the International Mountain Biking Association at Henry Coe State Park. Ariadne introduced me to Kathy Loebs, who runs the R&D for their women's specific products. After a long summer of shooting contests and rides all over Central California and many hours of After Effects and Final Cut, I now find myself riding a dream of a bike. A big thank you to Nat for making the original meeting happen and multiple thank you's to Kathy, Ariadne, Holly and all the women at Specialized. The people, the company and the bikes are nothing short of fantastic.

BAY OF MANY COVES RESORT

This place was swank. Tucked away in one of the many coves of the Marlborough Sounds - we were treated to a magnificent thunderstorm the night we stayed. Not only did they offer some of the finest foods of our trip, one of the most comfortable rooms of our trip as well. Shortly after taking this photo we departed for the "Eco-Tour" portion of trip - visiting the first place Captain Cook set foot on New Zealand and claimed it for the Queen. Pics to come!

AERIAL VIEW OF THE MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS

Many helicopter rides on this trip - some good pilots, some not-so-good. On this day I was happy to finally put my feet back on the ground and wondered if it was the belly full of green-lipped mussels, big breaths of diesel exhaust or wild ride of g-forces that led me to almost shake hands with El Vomitar. Probably all of the above. Stunning scenery nonetheless - let the record show that ETK was not the only one to feel the effects after wild heli action.

A REAL "ACTION" PHOTO

Here is the crew shooting Chris and farmer Neal as they drench the sheep (some kind of antibiotic you have to slip the little ones via this little tube with a trigger). Comedy.

"HELLA" MT. BIKING - TWIZEL

Heli-Mt. Biking outside Twizel. Twizel lies just down the road from Mt Cook/Aoraki National Park, where the spectacular opening scenes of The Two Towers were filmed. This mountain town, set in the heart of the McKenzie Basin, was used extensively for scenes involving Rohan. Ben Ohau Station, a working high country sheep station nestled at the foot of the Southern Alps, provided the plains of Rohan where Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli pursue the Orcs at the start of the film. Our guide, pictured here with Chris was actually in the film as one of the Orcs. The biking trail was more or less a dirt road - super steep at times - and often really bumpy and uneven. Spooking the sheep along the way was fun - but it's hard to match the single track in Northern Cal and Oregon. Not that I'm complaining.... any time I can get a lift to the top for a downhill ride is just fine - especially when it's a rollercoaster of a ride with a veteran heli-pilot flying like a madman trying to match the requests of our cameraman Celso.

Southern Alps - near Grasmere Lodge

On our way to the Grasmere Lodge - we shot a stand-up here with Chris, made some mention of Lord of the Rings (how could you not). I guess they shot one of the scenes in one of the films here - how someone could possibly keep it all straight is beyond me. Check the Chris Turner blog to get a more definitive report.