I sat down two days ago to listen to Hollywood Floss’ latest work. Sometime during the process my computer crashed. I lost my entire hard drive. For 24 hours I was a wreck! Sitting in an Apple Store hope began to reappear. We were running diagnostics and crunching numbers and putting in work. No avail. They said my hard drive was gone and shot me an estimate of $1500 dollars to get the data back. But I rose above it and worked out a way to get my data back myself. What does this have to do with Floss?

When I set out to write this I didn’t want it to be some puff piece just repping Floss’ latest mixtape out of the blue. I wanted the reader to understand the kind of effort that I put in for Floss because of the time and work Floss puts in for his listeners.

Floss is one of the most creative artists I’ve heard in a long time. His latest mixtape, XP2 (Xperiment Part 2) releases in parts today. The flows are smooth, the beats you feel, and if you’re paying attention, Floss will take you to school and make you laugh when you pick up on that line he words just right. XP2 is a smattering of club, riding, and freestyle tracks, proving that Floss is a very versatile artist that is changing the Houston scene.

The best way to describe it is for you to listen to it! You can cop part of the the mixtape from me, but you are going to have to work to get all the tracks! Try following Hollywood Floss to get them all!

I have been watching too much Entourage.
My friends and I are comparing who would be who.
I get stuck with Eric, but I’m the perfect fit.
I also feel like I could do Ari’s job.
Except with musicians.
I love the music scene a lot more and just feel that connection to them.
The struggle to make it, I get that.

I am super pumped for LA next spring.
Plus I feel my photo work is getting stronger.
Definitely took some great portraits over the weekend.
Should be able to show those soon, I am going to try and scan the 4×5 negatives before I leave for break.

The image is of me on stage with Savoir Adore while Anamanaguchi is playing an encore.
I think I am looking down at my camera.
Typical me.
All work, no play.

Here’s to a big future.
Here’s to SXSW (which I am not able to attend this year, unless someone wants to put me up).
Let’s go get the day!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The new Blogotheque video!

because I am toying with going to Seoul and maybe China this summer. He responds,

To which I think, ‘Hmm, maybe he thinks I am an artist too.’ Which he may or may not have thought, but that is besides the point (thanks for the idea Hollywood, I’m running with it). It opened me up to a whole new area of thinking. If I was going to this place for a reason other than with school to learn and create documentary work, what would that reason be?

I am not musically talented, nor educated enough in the cultures of Seoul/China to relate in a major way, never mind the language barrier. So if I was to get their and hustle, what could I do? Start some sort of business? Educate people in English while struggling to learn the native languages? Both would be hard.

I was sitting at dinner with some highly motivated friends (all looking at grad school to become this doctor or that doctor and musician or this computer scientist) and I went ‘Whoa! I don’t have these sorts of skills right now, and I’m not even sure I want to be a photographer.’ I view myself as a communicator. I think that is where my future lies. I like marketing and communicating ideas while working with creative people.

So maybe I should learn to be a public speaker. That is how I would hustle. Not the same as rapping like HollywoodFLOSS, but the same sort of idea. Now all I need to figure out is what I would say…

P.S. Check out his music.

The other evening I had the pleasure of listening to, meeting, and photographing Savoir Adore as the played a free show in Ithaca. If you are into indie rock, I would definitely suggest picking up their album ‘In the Wooded Forest’–it is well worth it!

The video is just a taste! Get the album!

A few more photos here.

My friend Garrett DeRossett just threw together a new demo track based on Kerouac’s novel, On the Road.
Down in Denver is just vocals and guitar recorded as a rough version in Garageband.
I liked it so I wanted to share it with you guys and hear your opinions!

Unless he says otherwise, you can listen or download Down In Denver (MP3 Demo Version). (Right click, save as)

Click here to view the embedded video.

This industry get’s me every time.
There is something so genius about the music business.
To capture three minutes and change it into something profound.
Something that of worth that people will buy.
Something of style that people will make their own.
Something that takes people’s time and changes thought.

But very similarly it causes problems.
When we don’t recognize it as a business, it leads us on.
It may not take us down the best paths.

Where the mind goes, the man follows.

While I love music and the nearly perfect business model (a product that takes almost nothing but human ingenuity to make), I have to ask where my music is leading me.
And I can answer, sometimes, many times, where I don’t want to go.
(But I love the video, the sound is so fresh and unique.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

My friend, Emily Pfeffer, has a brother.
Her brother, Tim Pfeffer was the Director of Photography for this music video!
Right now I am having a hard time with myself.
I didn’t get a chance to meet him when he visited (his alma mater) Ithaca College for presentations of senior thesis films!

But his DP work is amazing.
And here’s hoping that I get to meet him in LA this fall!