I'll be the first to admit that the whole fixie movement is bit unbearable at times, but photographers like Brenton Salo still manage to get a casual observer like me pretty pumped.
That's a serious jump for a fixed gear.
Loving the tones here.
Cross-processed 35mm double exposure.
It's a lesser known fact but MINI's weren't my first British vehicle infatuation. I was actually introduced to the flick The Gods Must Be Crazy at a fairly young age and from that moment on, I loved the classic Land Rover. Throughout high school, I couldn't envision myself driving anything else in life.
Rovers are the ultimate combination of safari and sophistication. I was never really into Range Rovers or Discovery's/LR3's. I was into their trucks, not their SUV's. There's a big difference. Rovers are simply the never-say-die torque monsters that still manage to ooze this amazing notion of refinement.
The classic Rover saw a couple Series of incarnations with loads of configurations until it gave up its leaf-sprung suspension for coils and became known as the Defender. The only Defender I ever really dug was the super-crew Defender 130 (as seen above). But my true love was the Series III with the spare tire on the bonnet (as seen below).
Back in the day, I remember Normality and I taking the BMW 2002 across the Hudson River in NY to this Land Rover restoration shop called Roverworks. A couple of guys and their dog imported/smuggled rundown versions from around the world and brought them back to life. I'll give you one guess what the dog's name was.
It was Rover, duh.
From the moment I first saw Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, I began seeding the idea of my son being the character Ash as "White Cape" for Halloween. The Kyality Kid agreed, but only if he could have the bandit hat "with the stars, not the one made out of a sock." Duh. Click here to enlarge.
I mentioned this to his crafty auntie at Team Boo over the summer and she actually did the dirty work for us and made an amazing bandit hat that was delivered as a sweet b-day present last month. So enjoy the ultimate Fantastic Mr. Fox Halloween costume!
Remember, it's the pull back that matters.
Let's just get this straight. A BMW automobile is called a 'Bimmer' (pronounced BEE-mer) for short. However, a BMW motorcycle is called a 'Beamer' (also pronounced BEE-mer) due to the single beam of light from its headlamp. At least that's what my padre Normality taught me. And this is easily one of the meaner Beamers that I've ever come across.
(via TheCoolist)
The curbside view on this flat-roofed gem is understated to say the least. Overgrown and weatherworn, the front façade simply says 'simple'. Which I love. While the tan 1970's Bavaria silently screams 'taste'. Which I love even more.
The interior on the other hand, though still simple and tasteful, is an exercise in where and when to indulge. They opted to cover the inside in basic 70's-looking clay tiles—the exact same tan as the Bimmer mind you—which is striking (but it's not like they went with marble). Yet every interior item points toward the place where they actually dropped some dough—the back wall or the lack thereof.
The owners eliminated the back wall of the humble home entirely and opted for an opulent 26-foot-long, 18-foot-high sliding glass door that opens the entire interior to a unique view of LA. There's no TV in the house, the view is their flat screen and a beautiful vintage record-player is their soundtrack. Thanks Dwell, for inspiring us with this one. See a full slideshow here.
Though it started out with a couple of very "good" tracks from their newest album The Suburbs—it wasn't 'til opening strums of the fourth song Haiti that they fully came alive. Their energy-level, passion and riotous rocking only increased from that point on. Seeing them live (again) only validated Upto12's point from a recent discussion.
Though I absolutely love both The Suburbs and Neon Bible—it's the tracks from Funeral that send me (and everyone else in the venue) straight into rock concert bliss. It's not that they're necessarily better tunes—they simply perform them in a way that is undeniably exuberant. The proof's here.
Five days later Mrs. Kyality and I caught the James sound check and show at a ridiculous new venue here in SLC. Despite the drab, cinder-block box that is The Complex, the classic Brit-Poppers—visually stunned by the SLC fandom—put on an amazingly energetic and spontaneous show. A minor equipment failure led to an impromptu unplugged session and later a guitar solo was forfeited for a fantastic feedback fight with a fiddle. It's these kind of nuances that make a little concert in a crap venue end up as one of the best yet.
"Jambalaya!" - Newman
"Well, the jerk store called, and they're running outta you." - George
"George is getting upset!" - George
"I choose not to run!" - Jerry
"Look to the cookie, Elaine. Look to the cookie." - Jerry
"Why don't you just tell me the name of the movie you've selected." - Kramer
"Is someone there? Mr. Marbles?" - Jerry
"This time, advantage Varnsen!" - Jerry
"No, please! Denim Vest! He's smoothing it!" - Elaine
"It's chestnut with auburn highlights!" - Elaine
Last Thursday, Mrs. Kyality and I made a last minute, snap decision to catch the Vampire Weekend show that night. They did a great job, but the opening act easily stole the show. I actually hadn't heard of Beach House prior to that night, but later that same night let's just say I snagged all their albums off iTunes.
Strangely enough, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World totally slipped under my radar until it was well into theaters. It even came out on my b-day and instead I let Mrs. Kyality convince me to see Eat, Pray, Love. But on Saturday, we were able to snag a sitter for The Kyality Kids for a couple of hours in the afternoon and caught it.
I'm a huge fan of George Michael Bluth, Hot Fuzz and graphic novel adaptations, so once I figured out what this show actually was I was stoked to see it. And it did not disappoint. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the perfect combination of graphic novel meets video game meets anime meets teen angst flick. Not to mention the music rocks too.
Though I was generally a fan of the Wachowski's adaptation of Speed Racer—it seems like this flick's visual effects and motion graphics accomplished what the Wachowski's were attempting. The effects were just tight and the fight scenes were both clever and epic. I can totally imagine Andy and Larry (or is it Lana) watching Pilgrim and going—ahhh, crap.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is easily one of the coolest flicks of the year, so go check it out and get there early enough to catch the treatment of the Universal Pictures logo animation. Good stuff.
I have a pretty substantial hobby collecting what I think are pretty cool pictures from online. And of late, I've become a fan of some sweet Tumblr photo-blogs. Some of my faves are ryjohnson, Convoy and Please Don't Shake Me. So with all that in mind, I've decided to start my own simple, little Tumblr photo-blog. I plan on posting a photo each day and in true Kyality fashion they'll be pics about music, movies, tv, cars and design. You can follow the imagery action at: kyality.tumblr.com
Digging this photo of the BL House by Studio Guilherme Torres. I could totally rock that car if I had that house. See more pics here.
In keeping with the tradition of posting the rad gifts I scored for my b-day, I've put together a quick list of this year's awesomeness. Mrs. Kyality got me "MINI Concept For The Future", which is the book that BMW put together commemorating the MINI Traveller Concept that the Clubman is based on.
So this is what happens when a really sneaky curb catches you (ironically) on the way to a MINI gathering. Thank goodness the doods at Wheelwerks open early.
Meric Long shredding on his ultra-beat-up hollow-body electric.
Logan Kroeber keepin' the beat at a mind-bending tempo.
Keaton Snyder's got the easiest gig around. This is him bowing(?) a vibraphone just before he drooped himself over the fence and started scopin' for hoochies. Nice tee Buster.
