Apparently Lil Wayne now blogs for ESPN The Magazine. He's from New Orleans but the Saints and Hornets are surprisingly absent from his list of his favorite teams. Check it out.

- Joel

Cut Copy

I've been meaning to get the new album by Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours, for a few months now. I was even in a record store the other day buying the new TV on the Radio album, but they didn't have any copies of Cut Copy in the store. Bummer. I'm still waiting to hear this song banging in a club, but I guess the DJ's aren't hip enough. You can listen to the track "Lights & Music" below.

- Joel

Plaza Art Fair

A few artists I saw at the Plaza Art Fair.

Jeffrey Zachmann - He made these crazy kinetic sculptures. I heard someone standing there refer to them as "Mouse Trap Art", because of the way the little balls roll all over the sculpture. He had one of the largest groups in and around his booth. Just seeing a picture doesn't do justice to what he does.

Marc Sijan - He makes the most lifelike sculptures I've ever seen. By far, he had the largest crowd gathered to see his work.

Bruce Peeso - He paints great landscapes. These probably stood out to me because they remind me of all the times I drove across Kansas as a boy. Plus, I'm a sucker for landscapes.

- Joel

New Music

Jenny Lewis dropped a new album this week. It's called Acid Tongue. I haven't bought it, but I hear her tongue isn't quite as acidic as in previous albums. But what do critics know? Here's a preview. Ben Gibbard was friendly enough to drop by Jenny's house with balloons.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

© Meggan Gould

Meggan Gould. These are digital pinholes.

- Joel

Soccer Night

Soccer Game © Joel Thomason

Two weeks ago I tagged along with a friend to her soccer game. Basically, I sat on the sideline and took pictures (mostly bad, blurry ones) while Cobra Kai FC dominated. It was a beautiful night in Dallas, one of the few amidst a hot summer. Here's a picture. That little speck to the left of the lights is the moon.
- Joel

Plaza Art Fair

Hampson, 2007 © Frank Relle

I had a chance to catch the Plaza Art Fair this weekend in Kansas City. Shout out to Cory and Abby (my brother and sister) for hanging in there with me, along with my parents. We all braved the heat and the crowds and it was definitely worth it. I got to see/meet quite a few great photographers and artists, many of which I'll be throwing up on the blog. Probably my favorite (other than the guy who made kinetic sculpture, more on him in a future blog) was Franke Relle. He's a New Orleans based photographer that does crazy nightscapes. The lights he uses make for wild colors that give his photography a painter-like quality. We'll call him the Photographer of the Day.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

© Amy Stein

Amy Stein. She also has some really interesting photos using taxidermied animals. Check that out here.

- Joel

Kansas City

© Joel Thomason

I'm in Kansas City for the weekend. Here are a few pictures I took with my Holga the last time I was here. More to come.
- Joel


© Joel Thomason

Taking a Trip

© Allison V. Smith

I'm flying to Kansas City this evening. My reading material for the trip will be On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I have read the book once but picked it up again after reading Kerouac's introduction to The Americans, Robert Frank's seminal collection of photography. But I had a thought as I was preparing for my trip. With the price of gas, the pace of life, and the relative ease of airline travel, is the quintessential road trip dying off? I know more friends who have taken cross-country trips on their bicycle in the past few years than friends who have embarked on road trips across the country (or even across regions of the country).

- Joel

P.S. Since first seeing it, the picture above (by Allison V. Smith) is what now pops into my head every time I think of road trips.

Ode to Little Debbie

In honor of Booker T.'s Little Debbie party yesterday....

It's a snack cake
For when I can't wait
To eat. Or maybe I'm just bored.
People do that you know.
Eat, when there's nothing to do,
Or nowhere to go.

But Little Debbie ain't the same.
She's the number 1 stunner
In the snack cake game.
Squares from the Devil.
Brownies from Outer Space.
You know it's not a party
Without Fudge Rounds in your face.
Oatmeal Creme Pies.
And the Buns with the Honey.
But watch your portions
Or the doctors get your money.

Because as good as she is
As great as she tastes,
Little Debbie is murder on the figure
She's killer on the waist.
But don't be alarmed.
Have no fear
You're still young
And you have a few years,
Before Debbie catches up
And you have to start running.
So enjoy it while it lasts,
And keep it trill youngin.

Photographer of the Day

Bob Dylan, Central Park, February 10, 1965 © Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon

- Joel

RIP TRL

Come November, MTV will be shutting down Total Request Live. I guess TRL didn't quite fit with the whole reality TV theme MTV has going. Where else will I go to view 45 second clips of music videos and lots of teenage girls packed into a crowded room?

Eminem had this to say, "I'm going to miss 'TRL.' ... Where else will I be able to start feuds, defend my honor vigorously and act like an angry teenager on national TV? Oh wait ... The VMAs!" Who knew Slim Shady was so witty and irreverent?

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

© Brian Harkin

Brian Harkin. A fellow Mizzou grad.

- Joel

New Version

Some photographers may not appreciate Kanye West after his recent violent episode involving a photographer and his camera. For the rest of you, there is a new version of Kanye's new track "Love Lockdown." Download it here. Only in the 21st century can you write a song, record the track, release it online, assault a photographer, rerecord the track, and release it again in the span of 3 weeks. Keep your love locked down Kanye or you'll be locked up.

- Joel

Free Music

I've mentioned The Republic Tigers on this blog before. They're from Kansas City and, as of today, they are the Free Download of the Week on iTunes. Check them out. I am certain you'll like the song. Plus, it's free.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

U.S. 91, leaving Blackfoot, Idaho. Copyright © Robert Frank

Robert Frank. It's quite the understatement to deem Robert Frank the Photographer of the Day considering many consider him to be the Photographer of the 20th Century. But I recently bought his book The Americans, so he's going up here.

- Joel

Spoiler Alert

I've had a few conversations about the movie The Sandlot over the past two weeks. It surprises me that some people have never seen this movie, though I've come to understand it's a generational thing. You can see the climax of the movie below. Unfortunately, this clip doesn't show Benny putting on his PF Flyers right before hopping the fence to pickle The Beast. The fact that I was 10 years old when this movie was released and loved baseball growing up may explain my lifelong fascination with PF Flyers. By the way, PF Flyers are back in fashion.
- Joel

After seeing Lil Wayne perform on national television each of the past two weekend (MTV's VMAs and Saturday Night Live), most of America is probably asking the same question: how does he manage to keep his pants from falling down? My guess...magnets.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

© Bobby Neptune

Bobby Neptune. Also, check out his organization Echolite Media.

- Joel