Monday, December 13, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sandy Denny - "By The Time It Gets Dark"
Did you know that Sandy Denny is the only guest vocalist to ever appear on a Led Zepplin album?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
CORTEZ
Let's Go, Coyote! - "Cortez" from Jordan Bee on Vimeo.
This video took forrreeevvveeerrrr. I filmed it on my trusty VHS camcorder in May of 2009. Then I exported it as 2,600 images. Then I edited each frame individually. I finished it last night (almost a year and a half later). I didn't work on it steadily this whole time, but it still took a long long time.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Part 4 of 5
TORO Y MOI SPRING TOUR 2010 (part 4 of 5) from Jordan Bee on Vimeo.
I'm posting this from Kalamazoo, MI. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Little ego hugs are nice.
My friend Claire showed me a blog that did a really nice write up of the Toro Y Moi tour documentary. Thanks for the kind words Kitsune Noir!
Then I googled myself and found a "Here We Go Magic" video that said I had done something similar to the video at hand, but six months prior.
I bet in a year I will google myself and find an article that says VHS music docs are soooo 2010 and I will just be an obscure joke to the cool indie video-making community. Or maybe the joke is on me and I already am. Unfortunately, the format isn't an artistic choice (it's the only video camera I have), but maybe soon I will get a job, have some money, and can afford a nice camera allowing me to do something aesthetically different.
Until then, VHS-ahoy!
Then I googled myself and found a "Here We Go Magic" video that said I had done something similar to the video at hand, but six months prior.
I bet in a year I will google myself and find an article that says VHS music docs are soooo 2010 and I will just be an obscure joke to the cool indie video-making community. Or maybe the joke is on me and I already am. Unfortunately, the format isn't an artistic choice (it's the only video camera I have), but maybe soon I will get a job, have some money, and can afford a nice camera allowing me to do something aesthetically different.
Until then, VHS-ahoy!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Toro Y Moi Spring Tour 2010 (part 1 of 5)
TORO Y MOI SPRING TOUR 2010 (part 1 of 5) from Jordan Bee on Vimeo.
I will post the next one next Saturday, and then the next one the Saturday after that, and on and on until there ain't no episodes left.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Torour
I haven't worked on this tour journal thing as efficiently as I should have. Not that many people really care, but I try to follow through with the goals that I set for myself. However, events have a way of exaggerating, blurring, or just disappearing altogether after it becomes two-week-old news. Plus, moods surely effect how these events are currently remembered and I am in a horrible mood at the moment. So all apologies for my portrayal of the remainder of the tour.
08/12/2010 - Minneapolis, MN
The trip through Minneapolis in June left a strange taste in my mouth. Not literally, but there was a dark, dark cloud over the city I suspect is built on a foundation of pessimism and angst. We passed a bar called "Grumpy's" on the way to a restaurant called "Hard Times".
This time around the city felt slightly different. Probably because we just went to the venue and then left, but it was still a pleasant trip. Not only was there a full buffet of catered goodness, but we had a huge dressing room, a lot of beer, and the venue provided merch table workers so I had a night off from explaining to people that I wasn't Phoenix's merch guy so they would have to buy the shirt they want from the other end of the table. Phoenix had to "Hard Days Night" it out of the venue, and it was very pleasant being able to walk past the cougar groupies and giant tour buses to our rental minivan that was bursting at the seams with equipment.
Council Bluffs, IA - 08/13/2010
This tour was a trip of firsts for me. I went to my first strip club (and now have proof to my hypothesis that I do not care for them). I had also never been to a real casino. I do not have money, but for some reason gambling seems like a lot of fun. Windish treated us to a room at Harrah's, so I spent the entire week way too excited about this show.
The show itself was awful from where I was sitting. The merch table was between the portapotties and the scorching Iowa sun. There was a parking garage beside us that loudly echoed the live music, so the whole show sounded like shitty noise bands. Or maybe what a lot of people consider remixes these days - taking a track and then adding an obnoxious delay on it. Whatever. After our goodbyes with Phoenix (they were off to Denver, we were off to Kansas City), we noticed a stack of room keys that had been given to them in case they needed to stay. We went from splitting two beds four ways to having a room a piece (with a few rooms to spare - you are welcome nice girl living in her van). After clearing out the food and beverage in their green room and meeting up with former-Columbian Nate Welker, I purchased $20 worth of chips at the $3-minimum black jack table. My chip-stack fluctuated for about an hour, then I was down to five bucks. So I cashed it in and headed to the penny slots. Before I knew it, I had spent my $20 and decided that was enough gambling for one night... you win this time casino...
Kansas City, MO - 08/14/2010
Back to reality. The venue had double booked the show with a private party. Despite our contract clearly reading "5 pm load in," they acted like we were crazy for getting there on time. We feared not because our friend Leandra provided us with awesome company until it was time to go back to the mess of a venue. The show went well, but it was ridiculous having to answer questions from a promoter such as: "How are we supposed to pay the opening band?" and "Those presale tickets just went to your account, right?" and "What does G.B.O.R. mean?" (Gross Box Office Receipts). Rule #1 for promoters: Don't ask tour managers to do your job.
Leandra and her roommate took us to a really fun party after the show, and we all stayed up way past our bedtime for the 9 hour drive we had to make in the morning.
Indianapolis, IN - 08/15/2010
Hip blogs are a powerhouse. I felt at ease knowing that the kind people at My Old Kentucky Blog were taking care of us. Unfortunately, it was not their club and I ended up having to pay for my beers (which seemed ridiculous at the time, but complaining about it out loud makes me feel like a bitch). This was definitely the first night I was excited to be away from the rock star treatment. Everyone there was so excited that Toro Y Moi was playing in there town. People traveled for the show, and provided us with endless great conversation. Indianapolis seemed like such a nice town.
After the show, we drove to Bloomington to stay with our friend Christy. She lives in an awesome little house where we ate midnight Steak-N-Shake, and listened to some early morning Paul Simon.
Knoxville, TN - 08/16/2010
Knoxville is so close to home that it feels like home. Everyone is very friendly there, and the Pilot Light is an operation I am very enthused about. I fully support bars with good music and cheap beer, but it is an added bonus when it is connected to a record/music/vintage store. As usual, a good time was had.
After the show, we piled in the van and pulled an all nighter. Everyone was returned to their parents houses, including myself (who crawled into bed around 7 AM).
This concludes tour number two, and my recollection of the events that occurred. Some photos haven't been developed yet, but I will paste those in later. Next tour recap will be action packed: photos, video, and holographic projections of the dudez playing instruments made of human skeletons (all sci-fi and shit).
Love,
Jordan
08/12/2010 - Minneapolis, MN
The trip through Minneapolis in June left a strange taste in my mouth. Not literally, but there was a dark, dark cloud over the city I suspect is built on a foundation of pessimism and angst. We passed a bar called "Grumpy's" on the way to a restaurant called "Hard Times".
This time around the city felt slightly different. Probably because we just went to the venue and then left, but it was still a pleasant trip. Not only was there a full buffet of catered goodness, but we had a huge dressing room, a lot of beer, and the venue provided merch table workers so I had a night off from explaining to people that I wasn't Phoenix's merch guy so they would have to buy the shirt they want from the other end of the table. Phoenix had to "Hard Days Night" it out of the venue, and it was very pleasant being able to walk past the cougar groupies and giant tour buses to our rental minivan that was bursting at the seams with equipment.
Council Bluffs, IA - 08/13/2010
This tour was a trip of firsts for me. I went to my first strip club (and now have proof to my hypothesis that I do not care for them). I had also never been to a real casino. I do not have money, but for some reason gambling seems like a lot of fun. Windish treated us to a room at Harrah's, so I spent the entire week way too excited about this show.
The show itself was awful from where I was sitting. The merch table was between the portapotties and the scorching Iowa sun. There was a parking garage beside us that loudly echoed the live music, so the whole show sounded like shitty noise bands. Or maybe what a lot of people consider remixes these days - taking a track and then adding an obnoxious delay on it. Whatever. After our goodbyes with Phoenix (they were off to Denver, we were off to Kansas City), we noticed a stack of room keys that had been given to them in case they needed to stay. We went from splitting two beds four ways to having a room a piece (with a few rooms to spare - you are welcome nice girl living in her van). After clearing out the food and beverage in their green room and meeting up with former-Columbian Nate Welker, I purchased $20 worth of chips at the $3-minimum black jack table. My chip-stack fluctuated for about an hour, then I was down to five bucks. So I cashed it in and headed to the penny slots. Before I knew it, I had spent my $20 and decided that was enough gambling for one night... you win this time casino...
Kansas City, MO - 08/14/2010
Back to reality. The venue had double booked the show with a private party. Despite our contract clearly reading "5 pm load in," they acted like we were crazy for getting there on time. We feared not because our friend Leandra provided us with awesome company until it was time to go back to the mess of a venue. The show went well, but it was ridiculous having to answer questions from a promoter such as: "How are we supposed to pay the opening band?" and "Those presale tickets just went to your account, right?" and "What does G.B.O.R. mean?" (Gross Box Office Receipts). Rule #1 for promoters: Don't ask tour managers to do your job.
Leandra and her roommate took us to a really fun party after the show, and we all stayed up way past our bedtime for the 9 hour drive we had to make in the morning.
Indianapolis, IN - 08/15/2010
Hip blogs are a powerhouse. I felt at ease knowing that the kind people at My Old Kentucky Blog were taking care of us. Unfortunately, it was not their club and I ended up having to pay for my beers (which seemed ridiculous at the time, but complaining about it out loud makes me feel like a bitch). This was definitely the first night I was excited to be away from the rock star treatment. Everyone there was so excited that Toro Y Moi was playing in there town. People traveled for the show, and provided us with endless great conversation. Indianapolis seemed like such a nice town.
After the show, we drove to Bloomington to stay with our friend Christy. She lives in an awesome little house where we ate midnight Steak-N-Shake, and listened to some early morning Paul Simon.
Knoxville, TN - 08/16/2010
Knoxville is so close to home that it feels like home. Everyone is very friendly there, and the Pilot Light is an operation I am very enthused about. I fully support bars with good music and cheap beer, but it is an added bonus when it is connected to a record/music/vintage store. As usual, a good time was had.
After the show, we piled in the van and pulled an all nighter. Everyone was returned to their parents houses, including myself (who crawled into bed around 7 AM).
This concludes tour number two, and my recollection of the events that occurred. Some photos haven't been developed yet, but I will paste those in later. Next tour recap will be action packed: photos, video, and holographic projections of the dudez playing instruments made of human skeletons (all sci-fi and shit).
Love,
Jordan
Thursday, August 12, 2010
August 8th - 11th
08/09/2010 - ST LOUIS, MO
Right after the doors opened, a girl no older than 5 and her mom ran to the merch table. She bought the smallest Phoenix t-shirt they had (a men's extra small - it still went all the way down to her ankles) and kept saying, "hurry mommy, we're going to miss the concert!" She also knows every word to every Phoenix song. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Patrick's sister, Chloe, and her boyfriend flew to St Louis for the show and we hung out after the show in their fancy hotel (before driving to our crappy hotel).
08/10/2010 - DES MOINES, IA
Until Des Moines, I had never been to a strip club. I never saw any eroticism in a girl passionlessly dancing nude and making awkward small talk, while draining the small bills from my wallet. But where do you go in Des Moines after 2 AM if the bars are closed? Apparently a B.Y.O.B. strip club. The two girls (one of which was flirting pretty hard with Andy) took us there, and before we knew it they were up on stage (oddly enough, when a Phoenix song was played). The giddy manergy of watching our two new acquaintances get naked quickly faded into pale-faced shock when the dancing turned to touching turned to a threesome between the two girls and the stripper. Another fun fact - one crew member (who will go unnamed) from the headlining band's production team got pink eye the following morning. I guess that's what happens when you get a lap dance at the Lumber Yard. Oh, and one of the girls is a Playboy Playmate.
08/11/2010 - DAVENPORT, IA
After having our minds blown the night before, we woke up and drove to Davenport for a Daytrotter session. This was my favorite part of the tour because I got to play guitar and piano. After the session, we drove to a town an hour or two away and saw Inception. Pretty mellow day.
Right after the doors opened, a girl no older than 5 and her mom ran to the merch table. She bought the smallest Phoenix t-shirt they had (a men's extra small - it still went all the way down to her ankles) and kept saying, "hurry mommy, we're going to miss the concert!" She also knows every word to every Phoenix song. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Patrick's sister, Chloe, and her boyfriend flew to St Louis for the show and we hung out after the show in their fancy hotel (before driving to our crappy hotel).
08/10/2010 - DES MOINES, IA
Until Des Moines, I had never been to a strip club. I never saw any eroticism in a girl passionlessly dancing nude and making awkward small talk, while draining the small bills from my wallet. But where do you go in Des Moines after 2 AM if the bars are closed? Apparently a B.Y.O.B. strip club. The two girls (one of which was flirting pretty hard with Andy) took us there, and before we knew it they were up on stage (oddly enough, when a Phoenix song was played). The giddy manergy of watching our two new acquaintances get naked quickly faded into pale-faced shock when the dancing turned to touching turned to a threesome between the two girls and the stripper. Another fun fact - one crew member (who will go unnamed) from the headlining band's production team got pink eye the following morning. I guess that's what happens when you get a lap dance at the Lumber Yard. Oh, and one of the girls is a Playboy Playmate.
08/11/2010 - DAVENPORT, IA
After having our minds blown the night before, we woke up and drove to Davenport for a Daytrotter session. This was my favorite part of the tour because I got to play guitar and piano. After the session, we drove to a town an hour or two away and saw Inception. Pretty mellow day.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
08/08/2010
After a few hours of rest, I walked around the corner to TJ's Family Diner. I drank coffee and ate pancakes while letting my phone charge for a while. Once I assumed it was safe to turn on my phone, I found out exactly where I was supposed to be.
I never have any time to enjoy Chicago, and when I do I don't. Today was no exception. Essentially my two options were: sit around the house and relax or take Patrick to the Verizon store. I chose the latter. Patrick now has a Blackberry, and within a matter of hours he discovered it is possible to watch porn on it (as well as provide any argument-ending information necessary). I gave him shit for being glued to his new fancy phone, but it was honestly because I am jealous (my phone is soooo 2007).
A Mexican dinner was consumed, then we headed to the venue. After the initial "getting it together" rush and some technical difficulties (which involved Willie and I running back to his apartment to get an adapter) I was able to get the merch table situated. The doors were not yet open, but I guess that doesn't matter for the A-listers. My first two shoppers were none other than Jason Schwartzman and Michael Cera. Both had to find an ATM (I tried to give them the merch, but they insisted on paying for it). Apparently Mr. Cera had to split in a hurry, but Jason Schwartzman is now the owner of the complete Toro table package. Later on in the night, I went to the green room to charge my phone and grab a beer and some water. When I walked in, Jason Schwartzman was hanging out! I snapped a picture of the whole gang with Chaz's camera, then pouted all the way back to the merch table... I want to drink beers and hang out with Cool Ethan...
The show ended, the drunk people stopped telling me the ideas they had to "get Toro Y Moi more exposure," and we were finally able to drive back to Willie's apartment for my first real night's sleep in almost three days.
I never have any time to enjoy Chicago, and when I do I don't. Today was no exception. Essentially my two options were: sit around the house and relax or take Patrick to the Verizon store. I chose the latter. Patrick now has a Blackberry, and within a matter of hours he discovered it is possible to watch porn on it (as well as provide any argument-ending information necessary). I gave him shit for being glued to his new fancy phone, but it was honestly because I am jealous (my phone is soooo 2007).
A Mexican dinner was consumed, then we headed to the venue. After the initial "getting it together" rush and some technical difficulties (which involved Willie and I running back to his apartment to get an adapter) I was able to get the merch table situated. The doors were not yet open, but I guess that doesn't matter for the A-listers. My first two shoppers were none other than Jason Schwartzman and Michael Cera. Both had to find an ATM (I tried to give them the merch, but they insisted on paying for it). Apparently Mr. Cera had to split in a hurry, but Jason Schwartzman is now the owner of the complete Toro table package. Later on in the night, I went to the green room to charge my phone and grab a beer and some water. When I walked in, Jason Schwartzman was hanging out! I snapped a picture of the whole gang with Chaz's camera, then pouted all the way back to the merch table... I want to drink beers and hang out with Cool Ethan...
The show ended, the drunk people stopped telling me the ideas they had to "get Toro Y Moi more exposure," and we were finally able to drive back to Willie's apartment for my first real night's sleep in almost three days.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
08/07/2010
I am going to give the "tour journal" another try.
I am one hundred percent certain that my grandfather has patriotism and heroics embedded in his genetic makeup. There is no way he attempted to weasel his way out of serving in the armed forces or had any conscious objections to the conflict. He gave up full control of his life and let destiny run it's course.
I, on the other hand, have a Nickelodeon game show mentality forever stitched into my logic and reasoning. I object to and avoid conflict regularly. But I somehow justify my overdeveloped passive wimpiness by accepting most physical challenges thrown my way. Eating large portions of cake in a single bite, shotgunning a beer, jumping over things - all are feats I accomplish on the regs. As unfathomable as my latest "Agrocrag" (another Nickelodeon reference) may have seemed to my war veteran grandfather, I still spoke about it without the slightest hint of realization that it may have actually been a horrible idea.
After an abbreviated Friday in the accounting office of "Moneyball," I hopped on a redeye flight from SFO to Columbia. From the airport, I rented a van, loaded up some equipment, and then made a 12 hour drive to Chicago.
Long drives are boring. Especially when you can't DJ the soundtrack of endless interstate. Fortunately there was satellite radio in the van. I juggled "PrmCntry", "90s on 9", the garage station, the "cool indie music" station, and filled any gaps with long winded erotic stories on the Playboy station. I was also hit on by an over-apologetic timid waiter at a Pizza Hut somewhere in Kentucky.
Most importantly: I did not crash. Sometime after 4 AM I arrived in Chicago with a dead cell phone and an uncertainty of which apartment we were staying in. So sometime after 4:30 AM, I decided to go to sleep in the van.
I am one hundred percent certain that my grandfather has patriotism and heroics embedded in his genetic makeup. There is no way he attempted to weasel his way out of serving in the armed forces or had any conscious objections to the conflict. He gave up full control of his life and let destiny run it's course.
I, on the other hand, have a Nickelodeon game show mentality forever stitched into my logic and reasoning. I object to and avoid conflict regularly. But I somehow justify my overdeveloped passive wimpiness by accepting most physical challenges thrown my way. Eating large portions of cake in a single bite, shotgunning a beer, jumping over things - all are feats I accomplish on the regs. As unfathomable as my latest "Agrocrag" (another Nickelodeon reference) may have seemed to my war veteran grandfather, I still spoke about it without the slightest hint of realization that it may have actually been a horrible idea.
After an abbreviated Friday in the accounting office of "Moneyball," I hopped on a redeye flight from SFO to Columbia. From the airport, I rented a van, loaded up some equipment, and then made a 12 hour drive to Chicago.
Long drives are boring. Especially when you can't DJ the soundtrack of endless interstate. Fortunately there was satellite radio in the van. I juggled "PrmCntry", "90s on 9", the garage station, the "cool indie music" station, and filled any gaps with long winded erotic stories on the Playboy station. I was also hit on by an over-apologetic timid waiter at a Pizza Hut somewhere in Kentucky.
Most importantly: I did not crash. Sometime after 4 AM I arrived in Chicago with a dead cell phone and an uncertainty of which apartment we were staying in. So sometime after 4:30 AM, I decided to go to sleep in the van.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The rest of the Toro tour (part 4)
June 5th, 2010 : Chicago, IL
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June 6th, 2010 : Lawrence, KS
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June 7th, 2010 : St Louis, MO
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June 8th, 2010 : Louisville, KY
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June 9th, 2010 : Cleveland, OH
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June 10th, 2010 : Knoxville, TN
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I started getting sick sometime after Cleveland. In Knoxville I felt pretty bad. In Columbia I felt horrible. When I feel like garbage, it is hard to get too excited about taking pictures. So I apologize for the lack of documentation of the last two days of the trip. To make up for it, here are two pictures from my camera that I did not take.
Andy took this photo in the green room at the venue in Victoria, BC.
Chaz took this one in the morning at our hotel outside of Cleveland. Patrick was being a kicky sleeper, so I grabbed my pillow and slept on the floor. His soccer dreams worked to my advantage and a couple hours later most of the sheets were on me.until next time...
THE END
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The rest of the Toro tour (part 3)
May 27th, 2010 : Seattle, WA
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May 28th, 2010 : Victoria, BC
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May 29th, 2010 : Vancouver, BC
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May 30th, 2010 : Banff, AB
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May 31st, 2010 : Calgary, AB
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June 1st, 2010 : Edmunton, AB
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June 2nd, 2010 : Saskatoon, SK
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June 3rd, 2010 : Winnipeg, MB
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June 4th, 2010 : Somewhere between Winnipeg and Minneapolis
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...more to come soon...
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