Baja 2012

The hurricane crew was running on one vehicle "play it safe" skeleton crew mode down in Baja Sur, and for the first time in many years in Mexico I avoided personal bodily harm. I did not fall off of a cliff, get stung by a stingray, get stuck upside down on a 100 foot waterfall, fall down a flight of stairs, get robbed at gunpoint, roll a truck, get attacked by bees, or any of the other semi-disastrous occurrences that plagued me South of the border. Instead, great surf, great times with great buddies, and made some great friends. I even avoided the multiple scorpion attempts to sting me on the final day of the trip which has been known to be the most deadly (i.e. only pinch me vs. getting the stinger around to my hand), and decided against the last day of the trip "token shower" and managed to avoid the huge snake in the cantina bathroom. What more could guy ask for? How about a video inspired by the OG Magnus Frennmark? Soundtrack includes The Dirty Heads, Mason Jennings, Miike Snow (remix), and Foster the People (remix). Live Happily Ever Now!

SOJA - SXSW Night 1 at The Parish

SOJA at The Parish - SxSW 2011

I have been a fan of SOJA since I caught them on tour with my boys Rebelution last year. The vocals and horns are very unique, and have a sound that is very soothing and distinct. This was a show that I have been looking forward to for awhile now, and a great way to start off SXSW 2011!

SOJA will always hold a special place in my heart due to the extent that we listened to them on our honeymoon last year in Europe (video here). I made one mix cd for Italy (I wasn't expecting no Ipod hook ups in the rental car), and with well over 15-20 hours spent in the car traveling with some our best friends Magnus and Sofia (who were amazing hosts that live in Sweden), we listened to that mix cd until it was haunting us in our sleep, and ingrained into our memory. The wonderful thing about this is now anytime the four of us hear any song off of that cd we will think about Italy and our wonderful trip throughout Europe.

Track 7 on Mankie Mix Europe: SOJA - Decide You're Gone




Track 1 on Mankie Mix Europe: SOJA - I don't Wanna Wait



Live Happily Ever Now!

State Radio - Live in Austin, TX - With Video

State Radio is one of my favorite bands, and luckily I have seen them live quite frequently since I have lived here in Austin.

Chad at Austin Music Hall

One highlight was after the show with 311 we bumped into Chad and Lefty walking the streets of Austin, and it was pretty cool to meet the extended band!

Me and Leyla at Austin Music Hall

I have shared my love for this band with all of my friends, and one of my best friends Magnus in Sweden is also now a huge fan. So much so that his girlfriend Sofia and him even flew from Malmö Sweden to London to see them earlier this year.

Magnus and Sofia at ACL

Here is some video that I shot at the show at La Zona Rosa in downtown Austin (you can hear me singing during Calling All Crows).  It is a medley with "Mansin Humanity"-"Mr. Larkin"-"Calling All Crows", and my all time favorite "Indian Moon"(my wife's and I last dance). Cheers to State Radio!

Sweden in review

Sweden, my unofficial home in Europe. I've spent over 30 days there on three different trips, and every time I have had a blast. Friendly, happy, enjoyable people, life almost seems to good in the land of cold and ice. Luckily for Leyla and I, it is summertime, and a breath of fresh air from the Austin heat. Just ask this guy:



My partner in crime, and mixtape master, Mankie aka Magnus. I've known him for so long, and he is someone that you would gladly hop on a sting ray for!




Life isn't perfect in Sweden, while health care is free, they still have punks tagging the shit out of their walls. Although I can't imagine a Swedish punk...



We were able to enjoy the new and improved Malmo, courtesy of Mankie's amazing lifelong friends, and while the water was cold, the living was easy.



Rasmus also performed surgery on Leyla's splinter:



The beaches were pretty good too (minus no surf), we played some bocce, swam a bit, played American football, all on the fourth of July! Nobody seemed to care about the normally drunken day we have in the USA.



We also took Mankie's "weekend" car, aka Skoda from heaven, and ventured off on our own. We went to Sweden's Stonehedge, and I imagined Vikings drinking and pillaging thousands of years before us. The harbor was very laid back, and the locals seemed very interested in my California English.





Magnus and Sofia also gave us an amazing Wedding present, a Spa day in Sweden. We had none other than a Full Body Massage. Note, they don't call it Swedish Massage in Sweden, since in fact, we were at the source. An amazing day was had, and a once in a lifetime experience.




The main journey this time around was our trip to Ven, a place that is magical, and has something for everyone. For us, we chose to indulge in bike riding, bug chasing, wine drinking, and amazing food and laughs with friends. Leyla and I will probably get separate bikes next time around though... Sofia drove the boat amazing as well, and we were home in time for a delicious brunch on the harbor with lots of coffee.




Closing thoughts on Sweden (2010): The people have grown up, but they are still awesome.

• Magnus and Sofia are amazing cooks and we even picked our own ingredients sometimes (no hallucinations).
  

• I'm not sure what kind of dressing this is, but I bet I would like it!
  

• Nokia is big at Sweden's Best Buy equivalent (Brent Henry Likes this):
  

• The people there are amazing, and fun to drink with.
  

• Magnus gets paid good $ to recycle my red bull cans:

• Agnetta is the best! I know why Magnus is such a good guy! His Mom is amazing!
  

It is a place I would gladly call home, cheers to you Sweden, and thanks for showing me how to live happily ever now.

Soja - I don't want to wait

Magnus: Summer 2010!
Soja - I Don't Wanna Wait by Matt Kuhn Soja - I Don't Wanna Wait by lhen