Sleepercar

July 2, 2009 @ morning...

please check this out and vote!!!

hey gang-
i got an email from my old friend kenny hopper asking me to log on to this web site and vote for his design- i did have to enter my email, but you can check a box to make sure they don't email you anything- the site is the james dyson design contest, and my friend kenny has made a guiatr out of packaging and it is super cool- plus our friend jarrett is in the video and demonstrating it- here is the link

the region is USA and kenny's design is called "Air Guitar: Package as Design"

he is an awfully talented gentleman and a great guy, and an el pasoan to boot... so please do me this favor and at least check it out- it is pretty awesome-

thanks...

if you need more convincing, watch this...

June 29, 2009 @ late

gees...

i have been a casual fan of jay-z... i like his stuff but wouldn't know any real facts about him or his career. i stumbled across this tonight and it is great- if you are a fan or interested, watch it- gees, its good-

June 22, 2009 @ late

hi...

it has been an impossibly long few months- i have done a little traveling- went to marfa for a weekend, hung otu with the coldplay tour a couple of days, went to my buddies wedding in san francisco this weekend- we are chipping away at hope and anchor (that is the name of the bar we are opening in about a month) and i have been slowly beginning to write songs for the new sleepercar record- we have a deadline to start the record- we'll see how that goes- i am beat and feeling very uncreative, so here is some pictures to pass the time-

west texas skies and a coronado high school football scrimmage-

greg and ivan pitching in at the hope and anchor- this is the bar we will have open in about a month

i, obviously, am also working hard at the hope and anchor, someone has to make the phone call for the pizza

greg had us all over for a little cookout...

this is ian and becky- ian is in the band black coyote from el paso that i really like, becky owns a restaurant called RIPE!!! eat there...

we went to ardovino's desert crossing, i like the sign so i pointed to it

west texas storms- nothing like it in the world...

the famous prada marfa storefront, it is art...

we rented a house in marfa to hang out for a weekend, this is ashley and baby cougar wearing my favorite hat...

we got our bike gang (two wheels and a forty) and hit the streets in search of marfadventure...

lewels had the coolest ride...

a couple of cats hang out in the store of the chinati art space- i liked this guy- he was r-e-l-a-x-e-d...

you will see this again, i promise...

we stopped for some ice cream, our bikes chatted...

lewels getting sucked into the speeding train vortex!!!!

we put 5 pennies on the tracks, we found 2 afterwards, it was some old school fun...

i made dinner, salmon on the grill, it came out so good, i was really surprised, i thought i would blow it and have to buy everyone dinner somewhere...

paul and marina finding out that i am more than a pretty face, i can grill a fish, hell yeah...(that was sarcastic and not intended to make you think i think i am "all that", just so you know)

this is the portabella and cheese sandwhich at FRANK- super good, when it opens it will be on my austin to do list everytime...

look who we managed to convince to come have an afternoon cocktail, it's CHOPPER!!!

we went to watch chop's girlfriend shannon throw in a skeetball championship, i wouldn't be surprised if this finds its way to the hope and anchor...

we headed over to new orleans to watch the coldplay show, i took my old buddy phil harvey for a walk around the city...

i love this city, i used to hate it, now i love it...

the famous bourbon street, i insisted phil have a frozen cocktail and walk around with it...

i showed him the mighty mississippi river, he is british so i was bragging all about how great america is and they shouldn't have blown it or it could still be english, it was the frozen cocktail talking though...

big boat...

last time i was in new orleans with the old 97's, rhett took me here, so i went back and got some more...

we went back and watched the show, it was fun not having to work and just watching the show...

guy...

this bit was new to the show, it was during the song yellow, there is confetti in them balloons!!!

chris...

will...

jonny...

the butterflies...

how cool does that look...

what do we eat before practice? luby's...

eat that luby's clint, eat it... i felt awful after this, seriously awful...

back to work, we keep saying we are off and we keep playing gigs...

the old abe chavez theatre...good times...

how cool does this look...

this is mandy and my old friend ken hopper, he is the best man for jarrett's wedding- he has to give a speech, i would be terrified...

the rehearsal dinner spread on the jacuzzi cover...

June 7, 2009 @ early

watch this...

i am off traveling around for a few days, and i listened to president obamas speech he gave in cairo on june 4th on the road- i was beyond moved, seriously...

so i have embedded it here, it is in 2 sections- take the time to watch it if you haven't seen it- it is inspiring...

click here for the speech

June 3, 2009 @ ...

i'm boring, i know...

i spent the weekend in marfa and should have some fun photos to post, but for know i am boring, so sorry... so tired...

May 23, 2009 @ late night

good band to check out-

i just got home after starting a new project with gabe gonzalez- we are making a record for a band from el paso called THE LUSITANIA- they play a lot with us around the area and have asked me and gabe to make their record. we are honored, they write fantastic songs and we are happy to be on the team for a few weeks... i am sure i will post some photos of the sessions- i forgot to take pictures today... but check out their myspace page until then-

go to sleep now...

May 22, 2009 @ noon

working away-

i have mentioned it in other places, but i am not sure if i have said it here or not- a few friends and i are opening a bar in el paso called hope and anchor. it is going to be great!!! so, we have been working away at that, i did go and judge a bartender flair contest, the bottles flying everywhere, bad techno music, it was a hoot- here is some photos...

we had some dinner at paul and marina's house, this is buddy Ella- super cute

when i used to tour with gabe roadie a lot, we would always try to figure out the plates, i emailed him this a minute ago...

marina asked me to judge a bartender flair contest, it was interesting for sure, never got a drink though, i think that is a little wrong...

me and marina at the judges bench... el paso bff

we took a bunch of the scrap metal from the bar site to my friend Ian, he works at a metal recycling place. safety first...

it was cool... lots of big things moving cars and giant hunks of metal... he gave us a tour and we got to see how it all works, it was like a pbs special...

i rode my bike along the river this morning, we have had a couple of days of overcast skies and rain, it is so nice here when that happens, the sun is coming out as i type though... boo

big clouds!!!

May 18, 2009 @ mid-day

over the moon again-

hey gang-
we are over the moon once again!

we are now able to announce that on june 17th we will be performing at the the abraham chavez theatre in el paso with none other than WILCO!!!

tickets are available through ticketmaster and at the plaza box office-

we could not be happier-

May 16, 2009 @ late

hi, it's late...

hey gang,
it looks like we are going to have some pretty good news to announce in a few days, maybe monday...

i hope.

it should be good though...

here is some photos, it was a good couple of days, minus the fire, that was scary, fire is scary, always...

i went to have breakfast at this joint in el paso called crave, they got a great sign...

i had a giant burrito and an awesome orange juice...

it started looking like the strip across the road was burning a dumpster or something...

our friend who was at the next table went to the fire station next door and they answered the door by saying, "we know..." they showed up a minute later...

more firemen showed up...

got bigger, turns out it was a huge fire... it was a little scary and very smelly, we left smelling like a campfire, boo...

today i went to art in the park to see a friend's photo stand...

this is lisa, we ended up buying a photo from her, she is a great friend and an awesome photographer, go buy her stuff tomorrow...

day of the dead, part of our culture, fantastic images, right?...

GUS AND GOLDIE!!! they almost taught me how to swim...legends!!!

best van ever...

i have written a few songs referencing memorial park, i lived a block away until i was 8 or 9 years old, art in the park was here and it looked grand...

more park...

lunch at carlos and mickey's... chile relleno and a margarita...

i really liked this motorcycle, i don't know why, but i did, so i took a photo...

greg came over and at some point wore the bat costume, he looks good, eh?

May 7, 2009 @ night

holler!!!

photos...

this is the plaza theatre...my new digs as they say. i am writing a blog for the city visitor and convention bureau and this is home base, i work here a few days a week, dreaming up awesome things for the city of el paso

first show of our little tour was in el paso, outside, with conor oberst and the mystic valley band, i snuck in the photo pit and snapped a few

then people starting taking pictures of me taking pictures, so i turned it all upside down and took pictures of them taking pictures of me taking pictures, booya

this is a house in truth or consequences, nm, named after a game show, long story... this is the bluest house i have ever seen- i like it

for some reason gabe decided last year that tequila and tabasco makes some sort of good idea in one shot glass, we picked up on that theory this tour for some reason, it is not a good idea...