I found a new band that I haven't been able to stop listening to since I found him via Paul Tebbott twitter page. Portland-based Keith Kenniff, who creates music under the solo projects of Helios and Goldmund, as well as collaborating with his wife Hollie in Mint Julep. His music consists mostly of piano and guitar with atmospheric background sounds which will put your mind at ease. It will take you to places where you feel warm and safe like when you were a kid playing in the autumn leaves with the sun shining and your feeling care free to the world. It's producers like Helios that not only reflect on the sounds that they hear and produce but also the reflections of sounds the listener might feel. Music like Helios takes you places it might be to past experiences or thoughts of new futures. It's all up to how the music shapes your mind.

On a non philosophical note though Keith also runs a blog where he posts tracks that he produced or remixed as well as videos that he produced and wrote the music for. He currently is going to be releasing two limited edition CD's of "Unleft" and “Live at the Triple Door”. He states that he is having the albums professionally manufactured with full artwork, and remastered. Unleft will have the same track-listing as “Unreleased Vol.1” but will feature an extra bonus track called “The Morning Room”. He will only have 150 copies of each available for sale, and doesn't plan to repress them unless he receives another large order. If you want to preorder his CD's you can do so at the Unseen Shop. The albums are due to be released on March 1st. I have added some of his videos that I found interesting for you to check out as well as some of his tracks.

We all remember the days before the CD and the mp3 player. If you do then you can remember making mix tapes. You probably made many compilations of all your favorite music, to share with your friends and loved ones, on good old fashioned blank cassette tapes (I know I did). I have memories of trying to dub a tape or trying to record a song from the radio with my dual cassette recorder. Just saying that make me sound old school. If you miss making mixed tapes this product will inspire you again! I give you the Mix Tape USB Stick($16.00). It comes with a 128mb USB memory stick and can store up to 2hrs of music and comes in 6 different designs.

A while back ago I did a post about Ecospace and the Mini-Jot which are office spaces that could be placed in your back yard. Well I found another one that I think is pretty interesting and it's called the Archipod (pronounced ‘ark-ee-pod’, as in ‘architecture’). The company was looking for a way to decrease the cost and inconvenience of commuting to work every day. So then they created the Archipod which comes with an ergonomic semicircular computer desk, concealed background mood lighting, electric heater, smoke alarm, data ports and electrical outlets. The ‘Pod’ is primarily suited to use as a garden office, but could easily be adapted to anything you choose and it is about 2.9m diameter internally at the widest point x 2.5m to top of dome. I actually find this one to be interesting due to the shape of the pod. It looks futuristic with its back to the future like door entrance and its round windows.

Thinksound offers an eco-friendly alternative to other portable headphones. Go green while you upgrade your lousy pack-in earphones with Thinksound Rain & Thunder Headphones ($75-$100). Both of these headphones feature a wooden body which it source is from renewable sources and it comes in a recycled, bleach-free packaging with a cotton carrying pouch that's sewn from renewable sources. Thinksound has found their niche that they were looking for in their products by offering eco-friendly products.

The best part of these headphones is that they have great sound quality in two different styles to fit your need. There are currently two Thinksound models to choose from. The Thunder, priced at $75, features a 10mm driver and passive noise cancelation (meaning the speaker cover blocks outside noise from entering the ear canal) with an emphasis on bass. The smaller Thinksound Rain priced at $100 is supposed to be catered to audio purists who prefer a flat frequency response. Both models are considered IEM (in-ear monitor) canal headphones because they sit inside the ear canal with a snug fit. Typically, models of this design produce better sound because they have a direct shot to your ears without letting outside noise interfere or leak into the soundstage.

If you think that the price is a little steep you can always check out Amazon. You can find the Rains for $60 on Amazon, and the Thunders for about $45.

I was made a aware of the Sasquatch! Festival last Friday from a friend and I wanted to check it out and see what it was all about. I was very impressed by what I found and the lineup for this festival is packed full of great acts. They have bands like Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit, Mumford & Sons, Deadmau5, MGMT, Band of Horses and many more talented acts over a 3 day festival. The festival is to begin on May 29th to May 31st in Quincy, WA. So far this year's lineup keeps Sasquatch! in the conversation of must-attend destination festival and makes the Sasquatch! 2010 well worth the price of admission, which is $170 for a three-day pass or $70 a day.



Another factor about this festival is how green this festival has become. For the past three years Esurance, the auto insurance provider, has teamed up with Sasquatch! to promote a more sustainable event. By increasing sustainable practices at the Gorge, including an expanded recycling program, eco-friendly signage, and energy-efficient lighting, they are able to reduce the overall carbon footprint at the venue. They even setup a way for folks to share a ride and minimize the environmental impact on this large event. The three day festival will be 100% wind powered. Additionally, Carbon Harmony will offset 125% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced during the festival at The Gorge Amphitheater. I think that many more large events should use some of the sustainable solutions available to them when putting together their large events. It's rather refreshing to know that you can not only have a blast watching great bands but your also helping out the environment. That's something to feel pretty good about.

I thought this would be a fun little post about some of the most unusual bus stops from around the world. These are some very interesting designs that will make your time spent waiting for the bus a bit more intriguing.

Hammock Bus Stop

Relax while you wait for the bus or just take a quick nap if you want.

Curitiba Bust Stop

This futuristic public transport bus stop is located in Curitiba, Brazil.

Casar de Caceres Bus Stop

This is a minimalist structure that looks like a single sheet of white concrete. It was designed by architect Justo Garcia Rubio and located in Casar de Caceras, Spain. I like this one for it art and structure.

Vitra Bus Stop

Bus stop was designed for the Vitra design museum in Germany

LED Bus Stop

Designed as part of the smart mobilities project, this bus stop was presented in Paris in 2008. Users waiting inside the bus stop could engage via a touch screen interface while pedestrians waiting outside could interact with a 6ft. custom LED display.

I will be heading to the Winter Jam 2010 in Daytona this weekend with some friends from Ohio and I wanted to share with the reader what Winter Jam is all about. WinterJam is the first event of its kind in the USA. Its a 4 Day VW, Surf, Skate & Music Lifestyle Festival that encompasses 14 events / activities held at 7 Unique Venues in & around the Greater Daytona Beach area.

Volkswagen Enthusiasts will enjoy the 3 Automotive Events including a VW Bus Show, a huge Vintage VW Show & the Premier Indoor H2O Show & Expo. Plus there's a Motorsports event that features an Autocross, Burnout Contest & Dyno Competition. The H2O show will have DJ Andy Hughes throwing down a good set. That in itself makes for a good time.



Surf & Skate enthusiasts will enjoy the 3 Action Sports Events including a Pro/Am Longboard Surf Contest & Indoor Arena Street & Mini Ramp Skateboard Competition. I'm looking forward to the Longboard and Skating competitions.

Everyone will let loose at the 3 themed parties. Plus there's the legendary Ms WinterJam Contest which who doesn't want to miss that. The 2010 WinterJam Festival sets out to be the biggest & best yet. Now in its 4th year its definitely an event not to be missed..!

Ticket Info

SbamJam Skate Bmx & Music
Friday & Saturday, Feb 19th & 20th
Ocean Center Arena
Adult 13 & up 1 Day: $10 Advance / $15 @ Gate
Adult 13 & up 2 Day: $15 Advance / $20 @ Gate
Child 3 - 12 1 Day: $5 Advance / $7.50 @ Gate
Child 3 - 12 2 Day: $7.50 Advance / $10 @ Gate
Child 0 - 2: No Charge
*All SbamJam Tickets get you into DubJam H2O on Saturday (except for Friday 1 Day Ticket)
TicketMaster.com


Via: Daytona WinterJam

Horizon Fire is the music project of graphic designer Paul Tebbott. From reading information about him it is clear that he is dedicated to his work whether it be his art or music. Paul is a self-taught graphic designer and electronic musician. His sound reminds me of the styles of Boards of Canada, Tycho and GDEB which are all great musicians. It came to my attention that Horizon Fire has release an EP called "Piney Hills Blaze EP" which he is making available to download for free. I highly recommend downloading this EP. Paul informed his Myspace followers that there will be some new music coming in 2010 along with some new posters. He states he will also be working on another music project. In the mean time while you wait patiently for new works from Paul enjoy his CD and posters designs.

Paul Tebbott Posters

Being a huge fan of Speed Garage I wanted to share with the readers of Damion DJ & Producer Blog "The Speed Garage Chronicles". The project has been taken on by Dj Skillz a speed garage enthusiast. Skillz has spent some many years behind the decks making crowds bounce to Speed Garage and in doing so he has acquired a large amount of Speed Garage records. So in having all these vinyl's the Speed Garage Chronicles is born. Skillz decided to take all of his vinyl that he owns and turn it into a large collection of mixed speed garage sets for your enjoyment. He will be posting 1 to 2 new mixes a week until he has played all of his vinyl.

So you might be wondering what is Speed Garage. Well let me tell you it is a form of house with vocal samples. Unlike garage, speed garage is based on a 4/4 time break beat and is characterized by a distinctive reggae influenced, jumpy, synthesized bass line and time stretched, phased or flanged samples. If you really want to find out what speed garage is check out the first two chapters of the chronicles right here. If you want to download them click here

Cover Art by: Damion Schweizer

Cover Art by: Damion Schweizer

I was looking for posters of the 2010 Olympics and I found out that the Olympics were held in Canada back in 1976. So I was then intrigued to see what the designs were on the posters that were created and used back in 1976. It seems in 1976 they had very minimalistic designs concepts. I'm still not sure about the beaver poster and it's meaning but then I found out that the beaver is the animal symbol for Canada. If you want to know why you can find out at Canadiana Connection.

Well it is that time again where I share some awesome music with the readers of TCL. This playlist has some good bands like the Geographer, Frighten Rabbit, Said the Whale and more.. I would advice though that the last track by Mux Mool is off the chain and deserves a listen to. The guy has skill. So have a listen to Playlist-10.



Cover art by: Damion Schweizer

There are times in your life when you will hear a bands sound that will forever be embedded into your hearts and memories. There is a new band that is doing just that and they are called: Geographer. This band was voted one of “Three Undiscovered Bands You Need to Hear Now” by Spin Magazine. I now know why, Deni's voice is so soothing and versatile while providing simple, sweet melodies. The cellos plus synthesizers make their music a little poppy yet danceable but still relaxing to the ears. They are currently working on their New EP Animal Shapes which will be released in March 2010 and I cannot wait to get a copy. This band is a great collection to the music that will be part of my life. This band is going to be a big player this year in 2010 I can feel it. If you're interesting in purchasing there earlier CD Innocent Ghosts you can download it on iTunes and Amazon.

Interview with Geographer

In today's post I wanted to share with you some brushes that I think are pretty inspirational and could be useful in your Photoshop brush collections. I have search for these brushes on Brusheezy due to the large collection of brushes available. I also found that they are of good quality. If the brushes listed below don't fit your fancy then check out Brusheezy for more brushes available.

Birds of Feathers

Dragonfly Brushes

Party Brushes

Blood Brush

Appendix Halftone Brushes

9x Clouds Brushes High Res

Just had lunch with a friend and we were talking about comics. That's right comics cause well let's face it there awesome. He started talking to me about a program that would allow you to read comics on your iphone. So I thought why not let others know about this sweet app.

Panelfly which is a free app (App Store Link) let’s you purchase, read, and download your comics right from your iPhone or iPod touch. It has some of the biggest names in comics including Marvel and they have hundreds of titles to pick from. Panelfy’s has a well-designed interface which makes reading each issue as easy as possible. Now if you’re thinking that the iPhone or iPod touch is just to small then no worries. Panelfly will be available on the iPad in March of 2010 to give you a bigger experience.




Side note: Tycho Song "The Daydream" playing in the background.

These are some amazing sculptures by Claire Morgan. The time and skill level to complete these projects are compelling. The smallest details are very well thought out and it leaves you with wonder when admiring these pieces of art. At an early stage Claire developed a strong interest in the organic, in natural processes, and in the bodily connotations of natural materials. This formed the basis for her practice as an artist creating sculptural installations and it continues to influence her work at present. If you want to find out more information about Claire Morgan check out her site for more great work.

Belgian photographer Filip Dujardin makes images of unexpected buildings – that is, he "combines photographs of parts of buildings into new, fictional, architectonic structures," Mark Magazine explains.

From Mark Magazine:

Every montage, says Dujardin, is one project. It begins with an idea for a specific image. Often he starts off by building a model of the form he is trying to achieve – at first in cardboard, but he has recently discovered. He then goes on a photo safari, often just around the corner, to find suitable buildings "with a lot of the same things," so that they can be cut and pasted and serve as building material. In fact most of the fictional structures are buildings in Ghent, just re-sampled

All of his fictional buildings leave the mind to wonder into a world where this structures exist and are marveled for their design. It also makes you wonder if something like these can actually exist. Take a look at some of his work and let me know what it reminds you of when you gaze upon his structural masterpieces.











Via: BLDGBLOG