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Well, it’s been a while since I posted here, been wicked busy with work and life. Here are a couple of logos I recently did for a side company I started, Pedal of the Day, where we review guitar/bass effects pedals, one a day. We also encourage other musicians to submit reviews of their favorite pedals and comment on others’ reviews, to get some good discussions going about what gear is good, what isn’t, and how it can all help improve your sound. Click either logo to head over to the site and check it out if you have a free minute, and hope you like the logos! Thoughts are always welcome, of course.

Look for more posts in the near future!

Well, you can finally get your hands on it. The design I created for Arbor Day 2013 for the Idaho Forest Products Commission has been printed, and the shirts are ready for purchase (click the image below).

This was a different approach to design for me, as I hand-drew each individual component, then scanned them onto the computer and put them all together digitally. I think it really gives the design an earthly and organic quality, which works out perfectly for Arbor Day. The IFPC “sees working forests maintained in Idaho forever through responsible management of public and private forests and through an informed public that understands such management. The work of the Commission will help assure balanced and sustained timber, wildlife, recreation and scenic beauty for the welfare of the state’s citizens.” That said, I tried to incorporate different aspects of their vision into the design, and hopefully give people a good idea of what they produce without too much text to clutter it all up.

These shirts are cheap, the money goes to a great company and you’ll get to tell everyone you know that you know the designer, and he is a fantastic fella. This LINK will take you right where you need to go, and once you’re done shopping, check out the IFPC website and see what they’re all about.

Thanks, and enjoy!

This has got to be one of the most unique, interesting, beautiful and confusing films ever made, and it’s only 7 minutes long.

“One astronaut’s journey through space and life ends on a hostile exosolar planet. Grounded is a metaphorical account of the experience, inviting unique interpretation and reflection by the viewer. Themes of aging, inheritance, paternal approval, cyclic trajectories, and behaviors passed on through generations are explored against an ethereal backdrop.

Conceived and created by Kevin Margo, VFX industry veteran and CG supervisor at acclaimed blur studio, in collaboration with Barrett Meeker, this short film represents an investigation into the live action medium as a more intimate and efficient vehicle for realizing visions and ideas of a personal nature…an expression with greater immediacy, purity, and volume typically absent in an all CG approach.”

(click here to see ‘Grounded’ in its entirety and get more info)

(thanks to Kevin Margo and Barrett Meeker for the film!)

Some great business card design ideas here, just to get your brain working and come up with something really creative. Now, this might not work for everyone, but these are some really nice designs nonetheless.

Creative & Unique Business Card Designs

Thanks to The Designer Daily for the link!

Last night, after waiting for about 13 years, I finally got to see one of my favorite bands, Wilco. Hailing from the great city of Chicago, I just kept missing them every time they played a show close (or not so close, as it were) to where I was living at the time. Finally, they decided to come through Boise again for the first time since 2008, and it was a great experience all around. I hadn’t even heard their latest album until yesterday, and I have to say it is pretty rad. Their style manages to change slightly with each record, while still keeping their famous sound on each new musical adventure.

The setlist last night had a great mix of oldies and newies(?), and lots of stuff in between, as you can see. (thanks to setlist.fm for the info!)

Jeff Tweedy was fairly subdued during the first half of the show, but started to open up in the latter portion. He made fun of the people who were up in the hills listening to the show for free, and said he wouldn’t have paid 50 bucks to see Wilco, either. He called out a guy who was smoking a doobie in the front row, and when the guy raised his hands to let everyone know who he was, Tweedy said, “Dude, put your hands down, you’re gonna get arrested.” He thanked the crowd on several occasions, and kept remarking about how beautiful Idaho was (“We’re going to play some depressing songs in a beautiful environment”) and how the crowd was great.

As usual, I had the iPhone camera on the ready – here are some images from last night’s spectacular show…

The weather was perfect, nice and sunny with a cooling evening after the sun went down, the band was on fire, the crowd was raucous, and the surroundings were gorgeous (as always at the Botanical Gardens here in good old Boise, Idaho). Thanks again, Wilco, for a great time. Don’t wait 4 years to come back again…