last night.

last night was the cinnamon band show.

i told a lot of friends about it. i expected a few would actually show up.

what happened made me feel really awesome. a LOT of my friends ended up coming, to the point where i looked around and i was surrounded by all of you.

i just wanted to say - it meant a lot.

lord knows, going to a show on a thursday night where they don't serve beer to see a band you've never heard of... that's asking a lot of people. and so many of you showed up.

so yeah, to those of you who came... thank you thank you thank you.

we'll see what happens down the line. things are still up in the air for the next few weeks as they wrap up their recording. needless to say though, it was nice to know that a lot of you were there to show support.

it's good to have awesome friends.

ZOMBIES! RUN!

polaroid of the day / zooey deschanel

hey KENNY! get a shot of HER for your polaroid-of-the-day project.



good lord, what a beautiful woman. i have been watching weeds lately and she has a little guest appearance as a crazy alaskan ex-girlfriend who is being chased by a bounty hunter. so amazing.

i heard something hilarious the other day from kenny. apparently, last summer our mutual friend brandon edited the wikipedia entry for zooey deschanel and wrote that the two of them were dating.

turns out a bunch of gossip/music/entertainment blogs picked up the story. if you google "brandon peck" and "zooey deschanel", a whole bunch of entries pop up.

i find this to be:
a) brilliant
b) amazing

tonight!

tonight is the cinnamon band show.

come out, show some blog love!

g'night

this song is so beautiful.

i need someone to make me a mix cd of all sad steve earle songs.

anyone? anyone? bueller?

G.P.O.Y.W. civil war edition

gmail, i love you.

adding yet another reason to love gmail to my already long list of reasons.. gmail just announced that it is rolling out "offline gmail".

so, let's say you're at a place without wi-fi, or maybe you're traveling on a plane and wanted to spend that time to compose e-mails. in the coming days you should be able to access gmail in your browser while offline using an app called "google gears".

you obviously can't get new mail, but you can compose, read, organize, etc. all your existing e-mails.

FUCK YEAH, GOOGLE.

you can read all about it here at this wired.com article.

now, the only thing google has left to work on is creating an iphone app for blogger.

i NEEEEED to be able to blog from my phone in case something epic happens and you guys need to know about it instantaneously.

google? you listening?

i almost joined twitter a few minutes ago.

WE MUST PUT A STOP TO ALL OF THIS SOCIAL NETWORKING BEFORE IT KILLS ME.

my job.

dr. steve brule

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

it's been a little while since i've blogged about work-related things.

there's been some big changes going on at my agency and i've definitely been swept up in them. for a few weeks there, i was on pins and needles thinking that i was going to get let go in a massive sweeping layoff. that is still possible, but i'm trying not to think about it.

some very good friends of mine, sadly, were let go. one of my favorites might be coming back and i'm holding out hope that things work out that way. layoffs are always such a shitty, angsty, depressing thing and morale is low across the board.

part of this big transition now involves me working with some new teams. i'm now split between three different client teams. it's a big adjustment for me. the new clients couldn't be more different from what i am used to. the type of marketing work we're doing is vastly different, the processes are all different, my actual role is different, and most importantly the people and the overall style are different.

it's crazy. our two main client teams are so vastly different in personality, it's almost like working for different companies.

i'm used to things being streamlined and a "less is more" communication style, whereas these new teams are definitely big communicators. i always limit who i copy on an e-mail whenever possible, fearing the wrath of someone whose inbox i'm clogging up - whereas today i was asked to copy my two team leaders on everything i send. so not used to that!

i'm not sure if i like what i'm doing in my new role yet. it's really too early to tell, so i'm going to withhold judgement. with three different teams and three different supervisors, i see the potential for things to get really crazy really quick, but i've got a new attitude now.

the number one most important thing is that i keep my job right now.

the economy will eventually get better. opportunities will arise. things will get sorted out. in the meantime, i can totally put my head down, work an 11-hour day if i have to, say yes to every task that is given to me - and just become irreplaceable to every single person i deal with. i might tear my hair out in the process, but i will make it happen.

beard update.

the day may be rainy and dreary, but the BEARD IS STRONG!

craigslist missed connections.

people ask me why i live in richmond.

here's one reason:

rock band 2.

so i bought rock band 2 on saturday.

perhaps it wasn't the best financial decision i've made in recent months, but we had a shitload of fun this weekend creating our band and playing together. we had an impromptu rock band party on saturday night and had an epic time.

everyone in the house has their "hero" rock'n'roll characters and then their actual real-life rock personas.

our hero rock band is known as "brothers in arms" - a reference to my creepy-as-hell stalker.

our regular rock band is unnamed, but we might just go with "normal dudes".

here's kenny, billy, and me:




(just a note - i spent all my money on the glasses - so i have a really shitty beat up t-shirt)

our "hero" rock dudes are for more interesting.

this is lazarus. he is from the post-apocalyptic future, specifically the year 2099. he has come back in time to save rock'n'roll. he plays guitar.


this is big jim. here's the deal with big jim... he doesn't really have a back story. i just wanted to make a guy that looked this ridiculous... so i did. big jim is the lead singer of "brothers in arms".



so if you're down to rock, give us a call and we will create a battle of the bands. you never know, we might just change the world with our rock music.

battle of the bad headlines!

this might become a regular feature here at phil's blog o' fun, so feel free to chime in.

today, in addition to all the other shit going on in my life, i had the pleasure of reading two headlines that made my stomach sink.

now, good reader, it's up to you to decide... which bad headline makes you feel more awful?

we'll tally the votes. i'll add my own color commentary. let's see who wins!

LET THE WORST HEADLINE WIN!

VS.

bad monday.

it's definitely one of those mondays where you're feeling the weight of the world crashing down on you.

it's getting to the point where i can't keep listening to NPR on the drive to work because it's the most depressing shit i've ever heard.

since i'm having a depressing monday, i thought i'd share some depression with all of you. i discovered rivulets through low's chairkicker label. as everyone knows, i'm a huge fan of low, so being signed to their label is a pretty good endorsement. rivulets is a solo project of nathan amundson from duluth, minnesota. the song below is one of my favorites.

it's called "you are my home".

saturday afternoon listening party.

persian rug?

bill's parent's "donated" a persian rug to us. it's wall-to-wall.


HELP!

this is what happens...

... when you shave your beard.

HIGH-FIVE INAUGURATION!

HIGH-FIVE INAUGURATION! - watch more funny videos

things to be happy about on a friday.

i bought these e.l. fudge cookies yesterday at kroger.

i fucking LOVE these cookies. but i have zero self control, so i hid them in my desk drawer. my plan was to keep them around in case i get a craving for sweets. in theory, this box of cookies should last me WEEKS.

out of sight, out of mind... right?

not so much.

i can hear them inside my desk drawer. they are singing keebler elf songs. they want me to eat them. eat them ALL. cookie mayhem.

i haven't had one yet today, but i can feel myself weakening. it's not even 11:00am yet.

I HEAR YOU COOKIES! I HEAR YOUR SONG! I DENOUNCE YOU!

reposted from mari

hahaha i love this. "miss you units".

hahaha

record label.

so things with my record label are slowly trudging forward. during last week's layoff scare, i halted everything in fear of losing my source of income, rendering my record label rather useless. having survived the first round, however, i'm feeling a bit safer and re-started things. my friend brendan is building my website and i'm very excited to unveil that when it's finally ready.

i was counting on another source of income to help me kickstart the label as well, and it's looking like that money isn't going to be coming for quite some time.. but i set my mind to doing this and i'm going to do it. so i'm saving money and trying to save up enough to both put out a record and save myself from the impending economic doom.

i think one of those two is going to suffer, but that's what they invented credit cards for, right?

so, i must be fucking insane to be trying to start a label right now.. and i'll be honest, i kinda feel that way sometimes. but i really need something in my life right now that i can believe in and put my creative energy into. what makes this whole thing easier is that i already have artists that i'm totally super excited about that i want to work with. now it's just a matter of convincing them to take a chance on my little project.

one of those bands is my friend neil's band, the cinnamon band. when brand new disaster was practicing in staunton every weekend back in 2003, i met neil and quickly realized what an awesome dude he was. over the years, neil and i didn't really keep in touch all that well, but he was the kinda guy that you bump into and instantly you're laughing and reminiscing about stuff. one thing was always consistent though - i always tried to find out what music neil was into or getting involved in, because the guy is seriously one of the most musically-talented people i know.

anyway, the past two years were definitely an "out of touch" period, because i stumbled onto his latest band on accident after they'd already been together for about a year or so. the cinnamon band is a two-piece with neil behind the drums and a guy named john on the guitar. they both sing. i went to see them play at this billiards club on broad st. and was instantly impressed by the songwriting and the musicianship.

my instant thought was "oh my god, i have to do this record label just so i can put something out by this band." it was that good.

so here i am. i've been in talks with the band and they're finishing up the recording. i think they're interested, but i can also understand why they'd be skeptical too. they're going to be in town next week and i'm looking forward to talking face to face and making my case.

that said, they're playing at THE CZAR on THURSDAY. they asked me to help them promote the show locally and, of course, i took the job. i'm not trying to make this blog a platform for begging, but you could probably see how having a lot of friends at the show might help make me look like a dependable guy to put out a record. plus, aside from all that, they're seriously amazing and i'd love more people in richmond to hear about them.

so, that said, hopefully some of you can come out on thursday. it will be quite awesome.

Listen:

MP3: The Cinnamon Band–”Call Me a Doctor”

live music.

as a reader of my blog, you've probably picked up on the fact that i really enjoy stumbling across live performances on the internet from musicians i like.

that's one of the best things about youtube and other streaming video sites. it's so easy to capture something incredible and intimate and then be able to share that moment with others.

there's a lot of different sites focused on capturing live performances from cool bands, but there's two recently that have really caught my eye. they're both unique ideas and really go out of their way to get the musician to step outside their element a little bit and try to catch something wholly unique. i'm all about it.

the first site is "take-away shows" or "les concerts a emporter" by la blogotheque. it's a french music blog and they film a lot of up-and-coming indie artists in really cool environments. usually the locations are in public and in places where seeing live music is unexpected.

i watched this video of fleet foxes and it totally took my breath away:

Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

the second site is called the black cab sessions. the idea is perfect in its simplicity. film an artist performing in the back of a moving cab as it travels through the city. one ride, one take. what is captured is usually pretty amazing.

since i posted bon iver last week and everyone seemed pretty excited about it, here's his performance:

Black Cab Sessions - Bon Iver from Aaron Landry on Vimeo.

any other sites like this out there that i should be checking out? i'd love to hear about them.

going widescreen.

so i decided to tweak the blog slightly to create more room for posts. i was sick of my pictures and videos getting cut off due to lack of space. if things look weird on your browser or something, please give me a heads up. i finally tweaked it to the point where it looks okay, and i'm way stoked on the additional room.

big thanks to the folks at http://bguide.blogspot.com/ for their fancy tutorials.

also thanks to karen who took the awesome photo that now graces the header.

ask scott rattler!

so everyone knows the world's greatest most influential rock'n'roll band RATTLER.

but, do you REALLY know them?

scott rattler (of the band rattler) has decided to let you ask him some questions about what it's like to live the rock'n'roll dream.

the video also features an appearance from mickey "hollywood" fangs!


Ask Scott "Dream Date" from rory sheridan on Vimeo.

beardspiration.

growing a beard is hard work.

it's good to have other beards to look up to. here are a few:


william fitzsimmons


sam beam - iron & wine


zach galifianakis


will oldham

the art of seduction

an anonymous reader writes:

phil,

you're such a gentlemen.. yet, there's a fire behind those eyes. inquiring minds want to know... how do you seduce the ladies?

i'm so glad you asked.

because it's exactly like this:

"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it."

thank god.

SNOW!

check it out:


for tomorrow, just in case:

good vs. bad.

good: i didn't get laid off today like i thought i would.

bad: a lot of people i work with and care about very much DID get laid off.



good: it's supposed to snow tomorrow. first snow of winter!

bad: i have to drive to work in it.



bad: i found out today that my mom had to get a biopsy and is waiting for results.

good: she is pretty sure it's going to be negative and i don't dare imagine it going any other way.



bad: i broke a rule i had set for myself today.

good: it felt really good.



good: caitlyn found out she got into her grad program today.

bad: i'm about to go out for celebratory drinks and get myself into trouble on a week night.



good: tonight is the last night i can say george bush is my president.

good: my beard is getting awesomer by the day.

good: i'm still alive.

design inspiration!

so, my amazing friend courtney just sent me an initial peek at her new website for her interior design business. i'm always so inspired by my friends who are starting new ventures - whether those are artistic, entrepreneurial, musical, or otherwise. seeing my friends push themselves to make awesome things happen.. it makes me want to do the same. hopefully 2009 will see some new and exciting things from me, but in the meantime, i am happy to celebrate the successes of those around me.

this weekend i went to a house party and saw a really great decorating job in the bathroom. i thought, wow, these people have got it figured out. i'll need to share this on my blog as an example!



as you can see, the occupants of this apartment have really gone above and beyond to create a specific "atmosphere". the combination of romantic candles, the ample supply of toilet paper, and the darth vader helmet all come together to create a real sense of "home".

and of course, the piece that brings the whole room together is the "princess leia in the golden bikini" poster.

it says "hey, we're classy.. and we like sci-fi.. and we're dudes.."



it follows one of my core design principles - "when in doubt, princess leia."

kudos to these apartment dwellers for really going above and beyond and taking their bathroom experience to the next level.

cnn.com and skittles

who writes the story highlights for cnn.com?

because, seriously.. i want that job.



what the FUCK?

on a more serious note, i DO want a job working for skittles' advertising department.

i keep watching this over and over again and i keep laughing harder at how fucking BIZARRE it is.

breakin' records.

yesterday, this blog had the most visitors in one day than it ever has before.

we're GETTING FAMOUS, Y'ALL.

i can't wait till the checks start rolling in.

.........

although.. if the economy has its way, those might be the only checks rolling in, to be honest.

today, circuit city kicked the bucket. this is alarming on many levels. but it is particularly alarming to me, because my job is DIRECTLY affected by circuit city closing. i have projects that i was (up until today) working on for circuit city.

i know circuit city's brand guidelines! they like headlines in all lowercase, just like i do.

goodbye circuit city. hello approximately 1,500 unemployed people flooding the richmond job market.

note to employer that i am sure secretly monitors this blog: please don't lay me off. please don't lay me off. please don't... etc.

one last note, if i wasn't so terrified of losing my job, now is a GREAT TIME to buy a new flat screen HDTV at circuit city. LIQUIDATION SALE, BABY! so tempting, so irresponsible.

maybe i can convince bill to buy one.

note to roommate bill who probably does not secretly or un-secretly monitor this blog: buy an HDTV. buy an HDTV. buy an HDTV, etc...

slow dance friday.

hello bloggers.

in case you were wondering, it is "slow dance friday"!

a few months back, as a way to be silly and boost company morale, i initiated something called dance party friday between myself and the various people i work with on a daily basis. the idea is that on fridays, you only listen to upbeat dancy music and you're supposed to dance at your desk while you do your work.

i know, it sounds silly. but what have YOU done to boost morale at your company lately? hmmm?

so anyway, today is a special edition. "slow dance friday" where we only listen to slow jams. today i'm rocking hits by journey, patrick swayze, bryan adams, christopher cross, and barry manilow. the jams are slow and smooth and if i had a beautiful young lady here, she would melt in my arms as we slowly danced in circles in my office.

it seriously sounds like a jr. high school dance in my office right now, which kinda rules.



people are already excited:


but it's not without its challenges:

star wars retold.

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

beard update.

things are starting to get a little intense here in beard town:

i eat the prettiest lunches.

bon iver.

so.. i am terribly guilty of writing off bands that i've never heard. usually, i do okay, i think. you can't check out EVERY band. you have to draw the line somewhere, right?

i usually judge bands by their names. if it sounds indie in that pretentious indie way, i tend to generally avoid the band. because odds are i will likely hate it. i've never listened to an entire "clap your hands say yeah" or "!!!" or "wolf parade" song. i don't feel too bad about it.

now, before you all chime in saying that is idiotic... it's okay. i know it is. i know i've probably missed out on countless amazing bands because of this method. my backup method is that usually the internet, or the recommendations of my friends will eventually right all the wrongs done by my arbitrary non-listening choices. if a band is really good, i'll hear about it.

sometimes, however, bands slip through the cracks.

up until yesterday i had never heard of bon iver.

that makes me a fucking idiot, because he's totally awesome. i have totally been sleeping on that shit. the dude writes sad depressing awesome songs on an acoustic guitar, which is musical candy to my ears.

if you're currently sleeping on bon iver, or are interested in becoming a sad bastard, you should watch the video below:

i have a blog because i am so fucking important

here's the deal.

i just read someone's blog (none of you on the friend or follow list - no worries) and i was left feeling totally gross.

here's the deal. this blog is mine. it's a representation of me on the internet. i write things about my life and the idea is that a few people find it interesting and i have a way to vent about my life, post funny things, and be ridiculous in a way that is fun and interesting to me.

if at ANY POINT this stops being fun and starts being some weird self-absorbed piece of shit, i want you to tell me.

leave me an anonymous comment. leave me a non-anonymous comment. say "hey buddy. there is nothing more gross than being self-absorbed. get off the internet. go play outside."

and i will comply.

i will press this button on my blog:



that is my promise to you, dear reader.

transformer dreams.

so my roommate kenny and i share an adjoining bathroom that connects our two rooms.

we both have different sleep styles - i am an avid music listener (at least for the 30-45 minutes it takes to fall asleep) and kenny is a TV watcher. i can't fall asleep with a TV on. it drives me crazy.

every night as i get ready for bed, i can usually hear the sounds of some random sitcom playing in kenny's room while he's asleep.

tonight while i was brushing my teeth, i heard an unmistakable song from my childhood - the transformers theme song. kenny had watched an episode of transformers as he fell asleep and it was now over. the dvd had returned to the main menu, which is a constant repeating loop of the transformers tv show theme song.

now, i think i'm a believer in the power of the subconscious mind and things having an effect on you without you being fully aware of it.

what kind of an effect does 7-8 hours of the repeating transformers theme song have on the sleeping human brain?

these are the things that i wonder that keep me awake at night.

iceland

we're having an icelandic night here at the apartment. sigur ros and bjork are singing me to sleep tonight.

LAYOFF FEVER!

oh man. word on the street is that someone got laid off today in the dallas office.

news traveled like wildfire via ichat. it's the news we'd been kinda expecting to hear for a few weeks now. the assumption is, of course, that this will not be the only one.

i'm trying to keep a positive outlook. i'm talented, i'm cheap... but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

we'll see what happens, of course.

it doesn't help that the head of my team sent me an ichat asking her to call her, which has only happened maybe 4-5 times since i've been back at my agency. i pretty much took a deep breath, expected the worse, and gave her a call - turns out she needed to know how to download photos into this program. PHEW!

expect more drama/updates as the rest of the month unfolds.

who's hungry...

... for some CUTENESS OVERLOAD?!?

crabs.

adam gleefully participates in crab genocide.

beard update.

i almost forgot to mention..

since i began trying to grow my beard out, it has become my new euphemism for hanging out/chilling/doing nothing.

for example:

friend: hey, phil. what have you been doing all sunday? did you really spend the last four hours watching TV on the couch?
phil: no, i was actually growing my beard. check out the progress!

it's great. i'm always busy doing something, even if it is just waiting for my beard to get longer.

here's a photo of the final goal length:

weekend in review.

greetings blog world.

i've been a bit remiss lately with my blog updates, opting mostly for posting amazing youtube videos instead of writing anything.

the fact is, there just hasn't been that much to say.

work's been quiet. life in general has been quiet. record label ambitions have been quiet.

i decided this past week that i am going to try to grow my beard long. not really trying to go for a permanent civil war era beard look, but just want to see what i would look like. i feel like i should try at least once, and there's no real reason not to give it a go. i make no promises about whether or not i keep the beard length, but we'll see what happens. growing a beard long is a pretty effortless task to accomplish, so i feel like i shouldn't have too many issues. i'll keep you posted.

i have also had this crazy urge to buy a new HDTV lately. prices are so low right now. however, after a careful review of my financial documents, i have decided i am not in the market. the thing is - i could easily do financing, and i know i could pay that shit off in about 4-6 months, but i don't know if i want to put myself in that position right now. especially now that i am finally sorting my shit out somewhat financially. i'm not saying i'm totally closed to the idea, but i think waiting a few months is in my best interest. i mostly blame bill for the HDTV fever. he's always talking about the latest gadgets and technology and it's hard not to get caught up in it sometimes.

my weekend was nice. it consisted of kc birthday celebrating, a lot of hanging around the house, beating GTA4 (finally), watching lots of weeds on netflix, going to the gym (!!!), and watching ian and adam eat somewhere in the ballpark of 120 all-you-can-eat crab legs. the highlight was definitely the crab legs. the idea of eating crab in that fashion disgusts me so much that i thought i might have trouble watching, but i was too much in awe of their carnage. it's like when you watch a nature video of a predator devouring some cuter smaller animal - it's sad and gross to watch, but you're enraptured by the beauty of it at the same time. i opted for the less predatorial CRAB CAKES, which were pretty tasty and didn't involve any of the carnage.

that's about it for an update.

stay tuned for more youtube videos. haha.

lykke li.

dear lykke li,

i didn't forget you. your voice doesn't kill me.

but it does make me want to do weird little dances.

bat for lashes

dear natasha khan,

your voice kills me.

Fashion Trend Alert!

i saw this on the sartorialist, but i don't think this look is quite "HOT" yet.

but man, when it is... fucking sign me up.

civil war coat. check.
beard. check.
tennis shoes. check.

xkcd

i don't really read a lot of "web comics". i prefer my comics to have pages, i think.

but xkcd is a definite exception.

best t-shirt i ever owned.

fairweather's last show ever.

it was a black shirt that simply said "FAIRWEATHER" in front.

but on the back, in black ink so you could barely read it, it said "FUCK ALL Y'ALL".

i miss that shirt so bad.

retraction

i take back all the good things i said about burger king.

Fashion Trend Alert!

check it:

1) tucked in sweatshirt into sweatpants
2) tucked in sweatpants into black socks
3) new balances

2009's hottest trend: tuck. it. all. in.

i'm telling you, don't sleep on this.

BRILLIANT MARKETING IDEA.

man, i hate facebook. and i hate burger king. but i LOVE brilliant marketing ideas.

burger king just announced the release of the "WHOPPER SACRIFICE" facebook app.

burger king says "you love the whopper so much? prove it."

if you delete ten of your facebook friends, they'll give you a coupon for a free whopper.

not only do you have to delete them, but a big notification goes out on your news feed saying that you deleted your friend for a free sandwich.

goddamn brilliant. it's clever, it's outside the box, it pokes fun at social networking. seriously, whoever thought of this idea is a total genius.

hey hey morrissey

morrissey, LOOKIN' GOOD BUDDY.

see you in a few months.

you may be twenty years older than me, but it's mancrush central.

facebook ads.

so we can use science to match christian singles on facebook, but we can't use science when it comes to evolution?

what gives?

new feature: quotes from bill chubb

a new irregular feature on this blog will be quotes from my roommate and close friend, william st. john chubb III.


today's topic: the music industry.

"i don't have a top ten records of 2008. i hate all records equally. i have a bottom infinity." - william st. john chubb III