MacHeads

In the late 1980's several major corporations studied cults to observe what caused a conscious decision making follower to transcend into an irrationally devoted believer in a religion or idea. Amongst many others Saturn Cars, Nike, and yes, you guessed it, Apple Computers Incorporated used this marketing strategy to create an irrationally devoted community surrounding their products and more importantly committed to the idea that purchasing a Saturn made you part of a family, wearing Nike's could cause you to take flight, and using a Mac gave you an instant sense of belonging within the realm of the creative elite. After all, a shoe is a shoe, a car is a car, and a computer is just a computer.


Or is it?


Hello, I am Joel and I own over 10 Apple devices.

Mixtape Inc.

Again with another Hulu gem. This time a documentary on Mixtapes and the war being waged between the mixtape industry and the record labels.

I think Chuck D says it best; "You think the labels lost money through downloading? I think that the people in the public now will not be tricked and be fooled. I think people will buy what they love as opposed to something they have been made to like.

Crash This Place EP Behind The Scenes

This has been a very busy year for us at Bright City Studios. We are excited about all of the records coming out in the fall of this year. "Crash This Place" is an EP we worked on for Morningstar Ministries in Fort Mill, SC. We were blown away by the talent, songwriting, and creativity in this community. This is a video of some behind the scenes footage we filmed on our flip camera during the tracking of this record.

Sekelton Bones- John Mark McMillan

John Mark McMillan is a great friend of mine and an awesome songwriter. This video was directed by the Calnin brothers and filmed, recorded, and mixed at Bright City Studios. I am blown away by what the Calnin boys are creating and I love the work they did on this video. Check it out.

Top 5 Favorite Organic Restaurants

Although I am not a practicing vegetarian, I love the occasional meal without meat. Some of the most inspired cuisine I have experienced has occurred when a creative and passionate chef crafts a locally-grown vegetarian menu in a geographically inspired setting, mixes in great atmosphere and surrounds themselves with a great staff. As I've travelled over the last 10 years a few places have stood out.   

Here are the five meals and five restaurants that rise above the rest:

1) Greens Restaurant: San Francisco, CA

Wilted Spinach Salad with Knoll Farm chicory, feta, croutons, gaeta olives, garlic, mint, sherry vinegar and hot olive oil

Masa Harina Crepe with white corn, grilled onions, poblano chilies, cheddar, cilantro, crème fraiche and Brandy Wine pico de gallo. Served with grilled cousa squash, rainbow chard and lacinato kale.

Greens Restaurant Online


2) The Gate: London, UK

courgette flower v o g o
with a sweet potato, goat’s cheese & pine-nut filling, deep-fried
in a light beer batter & served with garlic & lemon aioli

roasted almond & cauliflower korma
okra, pumpkin, jerusalem artichoke, courgettes and cauliflower
cooked in a creamy coconut & almond sauce with sweet
indian spices, served with basmati rice and a pickled aubergine
salsa

The Gate Online


3) The Bozeman Montana Community Food Co-Op

Okay, so I know it's not really a restaurant, but the Bozeman Community Food Co-Op is a great way to spend an afternoon. Grab a piece of fresh fruit from a vendor and a cup of coffee from the cafe and spend the day walking down aisles of farm-fresh, locally-grown produce.

Bozeman Montana Community Food Co-Op Online


4) The Tomato Head: Knoxville Tennessee

Jose Jose Burrito
Fresh Spinach, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Baked Tofu, Hummous, Green Olive, Banana Pepper,
Red & Green Peppers, Cheese, Crema

The Tomato Head Online


5) Tupelo's World Cafe

Although the previous tenant of 506 West King Street, Angelicas Vegetarian Restaurant, would have been in the top 2 of this countdown, its successor's limited southwestern approach to the vegetarian menu is interesting enough to grant it the number 5 spot.

Sweet Potato Enchilada
Sweet potatoes, spinach, mushrooms, red pepper, topped with diced apples. mango salsa, and pepitos.

Tupelo's World Cafe Online

Weekend Watch List: The Fearless Freaks

Hulu has been killing it lately with some really good 
documentaries. 
This one on the Flaming Lips is really inspiring. 
Wayne Coyne makes me feel lazy.

Remix Manifesto

I watched this movie a week ago on Hulu and it really challenged my thoughts on copyright law and infringement. Honestly, I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. As a producer, I have a profound respect for the right of artists to get paid for what they create. I place a high value on the time, money, risk, and life investment involved in producing a creative work. As a DJ and mash-up artist, I am totally frustrated by the system that is in place and think that the laws that were created to protect the intellectual property of artists have been perverted and misconstrued to protect the profit potential of huge publishing houses and the interests of powerful labels. Watch this movie and let me know what you think: