Tensile Strength.

My partner in The Brothers Wilderness, Mr. Max McSimov, will be showing some of his photographs along side the paintings of Chris Clark in a two-man show titled "Tensile Strength."

The work will be featured at the Publicis Seattle office at 424 2nd ave West. An opening reception will be held Thursday, December 1st from 4:30-6:30. Come check it out.

A Movement in Images.

Taking occupy activism to heart, the American Indian Movement was founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The agenda? Spirituality, leadership and sovereignty. 

In a big fuck you to the buckle-hats, AIM seized a replica of the Mayflower on the 350th anniversary of pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock. In 1971 they overtook Mount Rushmore. In 1972 activists marched across the country on the "Trail of Broken Treaties" and took over the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

In 1973, AIM occupied the 1890 site of the Wounded Knee Massacre on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It developed into a 71-day siege involving the FBI, US Marshals and the National Guard. The Department of Justice banned the press from covering the stand-off. 

The images speak for themselves. Stoic shit. 

R.I.P. The Sweet Prince of Pizza Rolls.

R.I.P. Jeno Paulucci.

The inventor/creator/omnipotent superbeast behind the quintessential stoner snack Jeno's Pizza Rolls has passed on. Pizza Rolls hold a special place in my arterial lining. Over the years they have been my one and only vice. A processed food stuff thingy that tip-toed the razor's edge of what human beings can and should consume. An ensemble cast of various meat parts, and scientifically composed food particle paste folded delicately in the womb of a deep friend pastry. They were little polyps of molten hot lava that exploded upon impact, scorching mouths all over midwestern small towns and cities.

Here's to the king of Finger Foods, I bid you farewell Mr. Paulucci. R.I.Pizza Roll.

Lou Bond. To The Establishment.

Light in the Attic records kills it with a bounty of incredible reissues from soul songwriters and troubadours from eras past. Lou Bond is no exception. He bounced around on the We Produce imprint of the legendary Stax label before disappearing into ether. He's as gifted vocally as some of his more popular peers from the early 70's, while maintaining a conscious message to most of his recordings. The little scat at the end of this song rivals Al Green's Memphis pastorals, with more depth than a typical love story. This is a 12-minute long eponymous powerhouse. "We might as well be free.."

Indeed.

Learning.

The Denver Westword Blog found this series of classroom posters from 1974. Here's a few from my favorite collection, obviously dealing with satanic rituals and boot-cut denim. They are glorious.

So Dak Sojourn 2011.

This year the Lancaster brothers (Mancaster and Longcaster),  old Sweet River, and yours truly set out for the second annual pheasant hunt at The Medicine Breaks in Presho, South Dakota. The trip was once again a success, and we managed to bring home a few more roosters this year. I snapped these instagram pics in between bowel movements and beer runs. Take a gander.

First shot, first blood. The killing fields were my field of dreams on Friday.

Back at the ranch we shot some clays and drank a few Bells Two Hearted Ales, one of my favorite midwestern brews. Real dude stuff. The boys had recently set up a professional grade clay thrower and we took it for a spin after a late afternoon run through the milo and cattails. 

This is what we woke up to on Saturday morning. A little post-apocalyptic for sure, but still prime for roosters.

The South Dakota sunset. Alert the cocks, the dicks are here!

We caught this winged migration along highway 90, on our way back to the Twin Cities. There's so much wildlife in South Dakota sometimes you forget you don't see this shit everyday.

Red hot roller dogs at a two-bit truck stop somewhere outside of Mitchell, South Dakota. I could feel the kidney stones collecting in my urethra after one sniff of these chemically enhanced encased meats. 

I spied this endangered beast at the SEATAC airport before departing to Minnesota. His pony was rich and luxurious. It had body. There was a nary a split end to be found. He wore it high on the back of his head to draw attention to its majestic sheen.

The Black Knight with Vulture standing atop a Volcano was my favorite of all the airbrushed semis we saw on highway 90. The driver was obviously influenced by Frank Frazetta and Molly Hatchet album covers. He also probably loved amphetamines, but that's just an educated guess.

Thanks again to Al and Garrett for the hospitality.

Vigon.

There's nothing better than discovering new music with a little help from superbeast nation. Take Vigon for instance. My pal Mizz Mitten turned me on to this Morroccan soul crooner with a nod on Twitter. 

Vigon was a vegetable vendor in Morocco before discovering soul music at U.S. bases in the early 60's. He became a minor star in Paris, covering American R&B numbers. His music is experiencing a bit of a revival over the past 4-5 years, with a smattering of vinyl reissues. Dig it.

Van Lennon.

 Imagine-a-jump-john-lennon-vs.-van-halen by jackstanleywp

Fuck. Good buddy Rob Franks tuned my lobes towards this mash-up of all mash-ups, John Lennon's Imagine and Van Halen's Jump. It's a regular melange for the ears my friends.

Koerner, Ray & Glover. Blues, Rags & Hollers.

Straight from the Mt. Holly Mayor's Office via PBS comes this documentary on Koerner, Ray & Glover circa 1986. Thanks for the nice score, amigo.

Soft Violence.

You might just get night terrors by hugging teddy too tight.

Artist Patricia Waller is interested in our fears and our ability to suppress them. Her plush toys are crocheted by hand and seem harmless at first glance. Then the nightmares begin. The horrific, bet wetting images of the macabre and gory crimes committed on innocent stuffed toys. 

Some of these things are huge. The alligator for instance is 6 feet long. 

Break Ton Neck.

Whoa.

AKA John James.

The new identity for Superbeast was created by Erin Ignacio, AKA John James. She's a soft-talking, loud-dressing Canuck with an axe to grind with the lames. Here's a sampling of her brilliantly savage design and illustration work. 

Check out the rest of the booty at akajohnjames.com. 

Ice-T On Rap.

Our man on the ground in Shanghai sent me this video where Ice-T breaks down the different schools of rap. How cool is the young Iceberg here? Ice. Cold.

Props to Falch for this find.

Way to stay relevant, dude.

Tools.

There's No Place Like Here: Liberty Tool from Etsy on Vimeo.

The Etsy folks have been releasing these nice little documentary shorts for a while, but this one about Liberty Tool caught my eye. Store proprietor H.G. "Skip" Brack talks about sustainable tools and how they're accessible to local tradesmen and hobbyists.

Beep borping behind a glossy screen all day has its rewards, but nothing feels quite like completing a project with your hands. Kudos to Liberty Tool for providing the means to do that.

Ads With More Rock. And Less Suck.

Look no further than popular music advertising in the late 60's and 70's to witness some pretty cool, sometimes hokey conceptual thinking.



Aretha Franklin captured during the pinnacle of some soul stirring wail to the omnipotent. Perfect. This is what you imagine when you listen to Franklin.



Blue Oyster Cult with the shock and awe that helped make their music seem much meaner than it actually ever was. Mixing the church with an S&M gimp always seals the deal. Poor Rob Halford probably had this imagery firmly registered in his spank bank.



Ah, the unique selling proposition. Like their music, Black Sabbath chose a dark, minimal and bold message. Simple, unrefined. Black Country brick layers to the core.



A crafty diversion.

The all mighty Zep released Zeppelin IV with advertising that didn't mention their name anywhere. It was either genius or on some rare Spinal Tap level self-importance trip. Still, it added to the mythos perfectly. Music writers all over the states were ready to pan the new album. They didn't see this coming.



This billboard was placed smack dab in the middle of Sunset Blvd in 1971. I imagine the GTO's thought some Celtic marauders were on the verge of a rape and pillage pilgrimage to end all. That's actually exactly what happened. Quaaludes are crazy, man.

ICON Bronco. The Ride of The Beast.

The luxury brand ICON just released this brand new Bronco, inspired by the classic 1966 Ford Bronco. It is utilitarian connoisseur's dream. The design of the car remains true to the original, but updated with some beastly details.

- Updated dash with single-gauge monocle
- Keyless ignition
- Bucket seats with carbon fiber heat elements
- Architectural tinted glass
- LED lighting throughout interior and exterior

The Brothers Wilderness Perform at Hattie's Hat.

The Brothers Wilderness featuring Sadsack and Savage will be performing at Hattie's Hat on Wednesday, November 2nd.

Serving up a hearty syrup of old school country, blues, soul, psyche, garage, folk, and Laurel Canyon soliloquies from the halcyon days of old, The Brothers Wilderness have a tincture to keep you upright through the dark days of tumult and despair that inevitably await.

Every tune is cold forged from old growth timbers. Every gunny sack is filled with a healthy dose of snake oil.

Bring your knife.

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