August 24th, 2008
Oh but there is.
There are two convenient ways to access it. One: visit http://journal.thisisred.com or Two: Visit the More Coffee section of the Red House website (Thisisred.com) and then click journal. Super easy eh?
The three of us are going to try and do a better job of cateloguing all the adventures of the RH, to include video podcasting of sorts (no not in a corny way, have you met us?)
Check out the latest post with a video log of the Uglysuit cd release.
cheers
-pw
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August 23rd, 2008
So Yewknee pointed me in the direction of this article from Adbusters. It’s a fascinating read, even if it is a bit over the top and …harsh?
Please take a moment to reach this excerpt
“Take a stroll down the street in any major North American or European city and you’ll be sure to see a speckle of fashion-conscious twentysomethings hanging about and sporting a number of predictable stylistic trademarks: skinny jeans, cotton spandex leggings, fixed-gear bikes, vintage flannel, fake eyeglasses and a keffiyeh – initially sported by Jewish students and Western protesters to express solidarity with Palestinians, the keffiyeh has become a completely meaningless hipster cliché fashion accessory.
The American Apparel V-neck shirt, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and Parliament cigarettes are symbols and icons of working or revolutionary classes that have been appropriated by hipsterdom and drained of meaning. Ten years ago, a man wearing a plain V-neck tee and drinking a Pabst would never be accused of being a trend-follower. But in 2008, such things have become shameless clichés of a class of individuals that seek to escape their own wealth and privilege by immersing themselves in the aesthetic of the working class.
This obsession with “street-cred” reaches its apex of absurdity as hipsters have recently and wholeheartedly adopted the fixed-gear bike as the only acceptable form of transportation – only to have brakes installed on a piece of machinery that is defined by its lack thereof.
Lovers of apathy and irony, hipsters are connected through a global network of blogs and shops that push forth a global vision of fashion-informed aesthetics. Loosely associated with some form of creative output, they attend art parties, take lo-fi pictures with analog cameras, ride their bikes to night clubs and sweat it up at nouveau disco-coke parties. The hipster tends to religiously blog about their daily exploits, usually while leafing through generation-defining magazines like Vice, Another Magazine and Wallpaper. This cursory and stylized lifestyle has made the hipster almost universally loathed.
The heavy hitting statement wraps up the article:
The hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture so detached and disconnected that it has stopped giving birth to anything new.”
::: ::: ::: :::
The Helium project has been branded = ) A brand new rendition of our rhino and his party of balloons. He’s a killer logo, thanks to Jess and Keegan for their killer branding once again.
We’re working currently on getting the website up, hopefully by Monday. The dates have been set for season one, we’re booking some incredible artists.
September 25th
October 9th, & 23rd
November 6th, & 20th
December 11th
As there is very limited space in our studio, there will only be 100 tickets released for each show. They will release a few weeks before each set on the Helium Website (www.theheliumproject). Tickets are completely 100% free, downloadable in PDF format. If you’d like to be updated as to when tickets for each show releases right when they release, sign up for the Red House emailing list on the contact page of thisisred.com. It’s easy, free, and we won’t spam you, only update you about big projects.
I’m super excited to announce the list of Season 1 artists here in a few days.
I’m also extremely excited to work with the talented individuals to make this whole project. A special thanks will be in place for Tanner Herriott and Brent Green for the HD film of each of the sets and to Will for the multitrack recording we’ll be doing of the sessions.
It’s going to be big, I keep getting that feeling in the pit of my stomach of excitement when I think about it all.
::: ::: ::: :::
I had the fun and excitement of hanging out with my great friend Mr. Griffin Schmucker the other day. One of my favorite people on this planet from Dallas. He was up in OKC for some wedding something or ruther.
We got to talking late into Friday night, hanging out, and I got to hear some of the new tracks going on this epic album that will release one day. The Breach, Michael and Griffin, have been working on this album for the better part of 5 years and I think they’re close. It’s going to be a hell of a CD when all is said and done and I’m excited to be able to work on the album artwork with them.
I’m no music reviewer so I won’t even begin to try, but it’s a phenomenal sound they have going on. Griffin is a hell of a song writer and mixed with his and Michael’s guitar work, and Ethan’s studio engineering, it’s just all there. This as well, I can safely say, is going to be big. I get equally as excited about this album as I do about the Helium Project and other RH things.
::: ::: :::
Alright I’ve rambled enough and I think i’m getting close to finishing up. Check out the Red House website (thisisred.com) for many new updates and more to come this week and next. We’ve got some of the uglysuit work up (CD RELEASE TONIGHT), many new behind the scenes pics from the past few weeks. Tanner Herriott released the behind the scenes documentary of the huge Boss Luxury Home Entertainment photoshoot from June. It’s on the RH website in the Boss Behind the Scenes album. Check it out, Tanner did an excellent job and I can’t thank him enough for it.
Alright, i’m done, I have things to do today. = )
I’ll be in touch.
All my love
Paul
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August 21st, 2008
Also, before I retire for the evening and enjoy an episode or two of Southpark,
The mason work is being installed in our kitchen and dining room this week so i’ll update with photos of that asap. I’m too tired tonight.
And also i’ll try and get a hold of and scan in the sketches for the custom light fixture(s) for the new renovated part of the RH.
I’m excited to share,
but alas, i’m tired, it’s raining on this beautiful summer evening
it’s time for the sleeping
g’night all
-paul
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August 21st, 2008
It lives again - the Helium Project…
Originally it was called the Helium Movement. It resided at www.theheliummovement.com - it was before coffeesquares.com, before pwilkes.com, before thisisred.com, and on and on…it was the very beginning. Keegan, Jessica, Jacob, and Myself sat at Linda’s house in the mountains and talked about an art community that brought together all kinds of artists for all kinds of reasons.
Well it’s changed directions too, i suppose.
Today Red House and thisisred.com encompases all that we wanted out of the Helium Movement, but the name, the spirit, and the beautiful logo still have been sitting in our archives waiting to be used on some grand project…and so it has come around.
More information, dates, and news to come on the project, but the Helium Project lives at www.theheliumproject.com as a new project for the new Oklahoma.
September through December 2008 will see the first season of the Helium Project, 6 acoustic sessions by 6 bands, performed at the Red House in the heart of Oklahoma City, filmed in high definition, beautifully recorded audio, in our newly renovated space.
A brand new logo edition to be unveiled, a poster series, a new website, dates and bands announced, limited edition shirts pressed, and even more to come.
We’re super excited here at the RH, I hope you can make it out to one of the sessions.
More information to come, i promise you that.
with love
paul
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August 19th, 2008
Keegan and I hanging out in our office before our promotional shoot.
And here’s a song by a band called Festival. Some strange, ethereal, beautiful, elegant, folk type-ish music? Is that a random enough description? Fits for the random find of a band. Cheers
yours
paul
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August 19th, 2008
So we finally had a few minutes today to sit down and take a shot of the three of us for some promotional material we’re sending out and using over the next few weeks. It sparked me to go back and look through all the portraits RH has taken since it’s formation in April of 07.
-pw
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August 18th, 2008
Visit http://thisisred.com/behind/albums/2008/prosperity.aspx
to see the behind the scenes of the latest Oklahoma Prosperity Project photoshoot. Some fun photos of Keegan, Jess, Spencer, and myself smiling, laughing, cooing, making funny noises, being goofy, and anything else we could to make these children smile and get the best shots we could. Thanks to all the parents for coming out and sacrificing their time to help make this award winning campaign for the State of Oklahoma.
I hope everyone else’s monday was as full of smiles as ours was
yours
-paul
p.s. it’s a great album to view with the song below
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August 15th, 2008
A lot of ground to cover today…
Last night we had a last minute house show at our studio by the Uglysuit. They needed a video of the acoustic version of Chicago for the front page of the Rolling Stone website so we threw a party. We had a small crowd of 25 or so gather to watch the beautiful performance by the band. Good vibes, good people, and the most beautiful rainstorm we’ve seen in a while. All the windows open at the house and 60 degree weather…mmm…
A few snaps below from the evening acoustic show…
Secondly, the Uglysuit will release their brand new album next week down in Norman at a grand ‘ole street party concert event. Check out their myspace for more details, but alas, as we’ve done all the CD art we are excited about it. Delivered just yesterday is the new vinyl version of this upcoming album. It is an honor and an excitement to have our work go to vinyl press by their label for this release. It brings happiness to our eyes and ears.
Exciting things for sure…
On the note of acoustic shows and music. We at Red House are talking about doing an Acoustic House Show Series for this coming fall and winter seasons. Between the 4 of us we know bands all around Oklahoma and the rest of the country. Good bands at that… We’re thinking of creating the series, doing a poster series to go with it, each show getting it’s own unique poster. One or two a month, quiet and intimate house shows here at the Red House. It’d be fun for the first season of sessions to have crude video of each show to post on the Red House site, unless we could find means of otherwise (meaning better video and sound). It’d be fun to eventually find the means to record video and audio with great quality for this series. If it happened to be a great night in October or so before it gets too cold we could clean up the backyard and have a fall backyard acoustic show…
This excites us in so much as it’s one more thing for the New Oklahoma to get excited about, for us to get excited about. One more thing to help put this state and city on the map as a great new destination for life, for happiness, for people.
All things in the works…
I’ve been working today on the Red House Mobile website - freggin finally getting around to it. What was it…december? when I said i was going to work on it. Well hooray for August. I have the shell up. Working on getting some content in there. Not a huge deal but i’m excited about it. I have a Mobile splash page up at http://www.thisisred.mobi
Continued our portrait series today with Matt Parsons, our friend and contractor working on our kitchen/RH remodel. Moving right along…
Alas I hope all is well in the world. It’s friday night and I’m worn out. It’s been the longest week we’ve had in a long time. The weekend won’t be any easier either…lots of things to get done. I’m going to have this mobile site launched by Monday hopefully.
Cheers and regards, you all are my favorite,
I owe you the world, truly
with love,
paul
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August 13th, 2008
A few thoughts on my mind that I want to share…a lot about photography…a subject very dear to me…
I am thankful for the trip that I was able to take in July. I am thankful for my job and the visa/capital one credit line I have for helping me take it. Payday tomorrow should clear off the debt I am in with them for that little trip. I am thankful for the friends I have and got to visit on this trip, and for their kind hospitality. I was treated like a best friend with everyone in New York, like i’d lived there my whole life. I was showered with gifts of cartography and craft in Massachusetts for my journeys around the town. I didn’t think about photography if I didnt’ have to, i especially didn’t think about work. I thought about people, my friends, my family. I thought about books and novels, I thought about life. It was amazing. I think one of the best parts was being able to return home stoked about photography. Stoked about getting to take a photograph again.
So when I came home, Spencer and I decided to embark on the portrait series. A simple series of elegant and clean photographs of people. There will be about 15 in all, plus or minus, but it’s looking like it’s going to be plus. It’ll probably be closer to 20. We’re trying to knock these out in the next two weeks. We are 3 down, we’re shooting Mr.T tonight. One tomorrow, probably two Friday. Hopefully one Saturday, so we’ll see. We are moving right along with that. Not sure what we’ll do with it, maybe try and put it in a gallery somewhere. Al asked me last night what we’d do with them, if we’d put them into a book? It’s a neat idea, but kind of weird to have a book of random people’s portraits. It would have wonderful sentimental value to myself and the people involved because some of these people are my closets friends and collegues, but alas, that’s a niche group to produce a book for. (no offense, i love you all)
Spencer and I are throwing around the idea of producing another portrait series later on this year of influential people in Oklahoma that are helping building the New Oklahoma, which I think could make a great coffee table book. Much better than the coffeetable book we saw at the camera store the other day called “Rocklahoma” - which is a series on Oklahoma Rock Musicians….great name, so great i didn’t even bother to pick it up.
So let’s tangent for a moment, it’ll be like dancing with words. I had the honor of speaking at the Edmond Young Professionals meeting the other day. Though i wasn’t a main speaker on the panel, i was honored to be on the same stage as people like my collegue Representative Ken Miller, who is a former professor, and my other collegue Renzi Stone, the head of Saxum|PR, one of the most successful PR firms in the state of Oklahoma. The panel discussion was on politics and came to fruition on the subject of the New Oklahoma, the generation of uninformed voters who don’t know and just don’t care. Uninformed and Apathetic is our motto, and I won’t disagree with that. We talked about the fact that young Oklahomans hate the roads in Oklahoma, hate the state of the Department of Human Services and the way the foster program runs in this state, we hate that we have to go to the grocery store and the liquor store because laws prohibit the sale of Wine in grocery stores, but we don’t go out and vote to change this…and hell….we don’t even know if these issues are being discussed at the capital on 23rd and Lincoln, less than a stone’s throw away from my front yard. We don’t get the newspaper nor do we read it on a regular basis. All of this is a generational thing, and what are we supposed to do? Renzi talked about the biggest questions facing Oklahoma this election season, or rather strayed from the original question: the former, and moved to two questions Oklahoma has to ask itself this election season. How and Why is Oklahoma going to matter to the rest of the world? and How are we going to grow as a city? He proceeded to run through a list of answers that i didn’t get to write all of them down. Part of it was diversify. Energy is something Oklahoma is best at. There is no question that we are the energy leader of the nation, but we can’t just be that. In 1982, at the top of the oil boom, Oklahoma economy showed that about 15% of it’s people were in energy and oil. Today it’s down to 8%. He talked that we need to grow and diversify and move that number down to 5%, not because we get people out of Energy, but because we grow people in other industries. He talked about getting people back to Oklahoma, showing people the New Oklahoma. Many people leave, it’s a topic that’s been discussed widely in my life the past few years. People are born in Oklahoma, or move to Oklahoma, they are educated in Oklahoma, and then they leave because they see greener pastures elsewhere…so now what? So now that they’ve left, we need to invite them back for a weekend just to see what’s changed. Renzi talked about it, and i’ve seen it happen, if you can get someone just to come visit, or to come take a chance on the new Oklahoma, it’ll change your life, it’ll change your view, and your perspective on this state. People fall in love and move home shortly thereafter. I can’t remember many of the other answers to the questions, but there were a number of them. Next time I see him i will try and ask him so I can jot them down.
So that tangent aside, back to photography…so what’s next after the portrait series? What should we move on to? Spencer and I were sitting down talking today about that very question, about what challenge should we take on next. I think that the portrait series was a challenge, but moreso it was a campaign to get us back into photography. To get us to fall back in love with the trade…which time, work, and overwork had let us slip away from.
A book came in the mail today, it’s the international color awards for photography’s yearbook for 2008. A competition I entered in last year and didn’t even make a nominee. I’m not mad or sad, it’s the usual case. I don’t care how much work we put into our photography, we’re not shooting famous people or famous companies so we don’t matter to competitions. It’s a fame game out there, they don’t care about talent or a great photograph…they want to name drop. Don’t you love people? But i’m not going to head down that road tonight. So I was thumbing through this annual, which had a terrible amount of bad photography as the main winners, but then I got to the nominee’s section…the section of “losers.” Some phenomenal stuff in there. Those guys wouldn’t know a good photograph if it hit em in the face at that magazine, but they sure picked some fantastic losers. One of which was named Edlo Kawa - www.edlokawa.com. He did this series for DHL that is unbelievable…it’s unreal…which is what makes it so great. This photographer used to work in heavy post production for movies, but didn’t feel he was getting much out of it so he took his movie post production skills into the print photography world and has done some incredible work.
Spencer and I spent a good portion of time talking about the idea of mixing 3d modeling with photography. What the possibilities could be if you could pull it off. Mixing Maya, Cinema 4d, Lightwave, Zbit, Painter, and Photoshop together to make a seriously crazy cool photograph.
So after the portrait series, and lord knows we’re not even going to think about it until after the portrait series, we don’t want to get distracted…but after we’re done in a few weeks I think we’re going to embark on trying to figure out how in hell to make these cool photographs. We may have to find a team member who is amazing with Painter, but I’m sure we can find one in these parts. It’ll be a fun adventure, that’s for sure.
I hope all is well in the world. I’ll leave you with a song (i can’t quit yet). I pulled out the newest Everclear album…well..one of the newer ones, Songs from an American Movie Pt 1. Here is the title track, song #1 - Song from an American Movie. Enjoy
yours
-pw
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