filmed by Todd Westphal

“Fly Tonight” (produced by Chapter 7) by Yak Ballz, from the upcoming Gas Galaxy LP, for CMJ 2010 music marathon at Hall of Music in Williamsburg with Daud Sturdivant (percussion) and Nick Hook (DJ/synths) of Cubic Zirconia.

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All photos by Demetrios Manolatos (10/20/10)

http://devilforhire.wordpress.com/

Nick Hook (Cubic Zirconia) on synths and Daud Sturdivant (Cubic Zirconia) on percussion

Check out the rest of Demetrios’ photo’s from the show http://www.flickr.com/photos/devilforhire/

stay tuned for some footage from this night*

photo by Todd Westphal

I didn’t know Eyedea.  I never got into his music.  I’m sure he would say the same about me. However, since the announcement of his death last week it’s been on my mind.  I didn’t want to distastefully attach myself to his passing and act like we knew each other because we both come from the same genre of music, although in 2010 we’ve moved far beyond the point where we started from for the better.

My time with Eyedea was short and impactful, much like his time here on earth.  And unlike a lot of people throwing names around I actually kicked it with him for a night on tour 2 years ago in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, North Carolina.  I was on tour with Cage and he was on tour with Atmosphere and somehow the Hip Hop Gods decided there would be two Indie rap shows within a mile from eachother in a place that is lucky to get 1 decent Hip Hop show every 6 months.  Cage and I played the smaller venue, I forgot what it’s called but I remember it was sweltering and they were down the road at Cat’s Cradle which I had played a few years before with EL.  Before their show both Slug and Eyedea came to our show to hang and say whatup.  Was good seeing them of course and I was sitting at the bar having a drink after I just kicked a bunch of fans asses at the X-Men arcade game they had.  Eyedea came up and sat around the corner of the bar so almost across from me.  He got a drink and we started talking.  It was the first and last time we met but we both knew it was overdue as it is many times when you meet a peer that you’ve known about for quite a while.  Cut from the same cloth, we had a mutual respect although we were from different worlds.  We were talking about what we were up to.  I had just started thinking about Gas Galaxy and at the time I believe he was mixing some of his most recent music with Abilities.  We were both visibly run down from the road but we got into it about mixing and he was generally talking about taking the best stems from his already mixed sessions and adding to the songs and making them better even though they had been mixed.  It was his process. He didn’t think having things mixed made them final and he told me I should try it.  Prior to our convo I never really did that or thought about it, however, with Gas Galaxy it’s been the same process.  I can’t say that our convo is the reason for it and I doubt it is but interestingly enough it came to fruition that way.

Later on that drunken evening we went to our hotel which was in the middle of the woods.  I remember Sean jumping out of a the van while Timmy was still driving and running around with his shirt off like a crazy person on the road before we even got to the hotel.  When we did, the usual partying commenced with the door wide open for some reason.  At some point Eyedea walks in mine and Cage’s room by himself and sits at the table with me where I was sippin’ on something and asked we’d mind if he hung out.  Coincidentally he was staying there too.  Chauncey, Cage and I welcomed him in, I poured him a glass and we got pretty shitfaced together.  It was a memorable night to say the least. I love that night.  I would re-live that night*

Rest In Peace Michael “Eyedea” Larsen

(November 9, 1981 – October 16, 2010)

Respect.

photo by Todd Westphal

Originally from the UK, Oliver Cartwright, the man behind The Compass (original) artwork moved to Japan and is working under the influence of his new cultural surroundings.  Here is one of his latest designs.  Looking forward to seeing more.  Next level shit.

visit www.olivercartwright.com for more…

Wednesday, 10/20, Accompanied by Nick Hook, I will be playing a CMJ show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn with Head Automatica, Innerpartsystem, and Neon Hitch.  This will be the first Yak Ballz show in a year since I’ve been working on my new album, Gas Galaxy, and debuting some never before heard tracks from it.

For advance tickets please visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/00004545FD8A7FCE

After the party is the afterparty…DON’T CRY RECORDINGS presents DON’T CRY CMJ, also the official Head Automatica afterparty at Gallery Bar on Orchard st.  FREE of charge and a killer line up.  Don’t miss it!!

Hit up the Facebook event page HERE

My homie Adam Garcia of The Pressure hit me the other day with really interesting news.  He was asked by a renown German publishing company and design book distributor, Die Gestalten, to submit some logo’s for their new book called Los Logos. Of the one’s he submitted, they chose the Yak Ballz/Gas Galaxy logo to be included in the book.  If you are on your graphic design game you know this book is internationally distributed and a must have among graphic designers.

for more info on the book itself click the link below

https://shop.gestalten.com/index.php/catalog/product/view/id/386

visit The Pressure blog for more on Adam’s current projects http://thepressureisgoodforyou.blogspot.com/

KiD CuDi featuring Cage – Maniac by Hypetrak

via hypetrak

Spoke to Cage today and he told me there is a wayyyyy better version of this track.  Judging by this one though, this shit is a certified burner.

Cage wins.

WM

Went to see the screening of this movie last night with EL on the first night of the Gotham Screen International Film Festival in Tribeca.  The film Radio Free Albemuth is based off the Philip K. Dick novel of the same name which I did not read.  You may have seen Bladerunner, A Scanner Darkly, or Minority Report, all three Philip K. Dick books turned to major motion pictures. This was not the case as Radio Free Albemuth was extremely indie.  Terribly indie.  The story is about a man, Nicholas Brady, who receives transmissions, visions, and directive in his sleep from an sattelite in space regarding the corruption of a fascist, totalitarian government by way of the President.  The president addresses and controls the country by implanting fear using alarming messages of a subversive society of terrorists called Aramcheck, living among us in the world and responsible for death and destruction.  All of this is being narrated by protagonist Nicholas Brady’s best friend, a nonfiction sci-fi novelist, who is actually Philip K. Dick as an autobiographical character of himself in the book.  Ironically accompanied by Alanis Morisette (probably  just coincidence), Nicholas and Philip set out to overthrow President Fremont with a plan to insert subliminal messages into a hit pop song with intentions to spark an uprising of the nation’s people to take action against the state.  The story is brilliant.  The movie, not so much. The book, on my list for sure.  Riddled with bad acting and lame special effects, it was pretty clear there was just not enough money to make this film come together the way it should have.   (1/5)