Yucca, Morongo and Gar

Back to our january trip (only one more vaguely related post to come, i promise). We'd been to see Jakki's friend, Gar, play the two previous evenings up at Pappy & Harriet's out in Pioneer Town... great food and a truly lovely place. In fact it's pool room was just about as ideal a space as i could dream for playing some pool, drinking some beers and listening to some tunes on the jukebox and drinking some beers while hanging out with friends. Beat up old leather couch? check! Old jukebox? check! lots of wood and old fixtures? check! Would i like to live in it? CHECK! Did I get to play in it?... Hell no, not when you're juggling two boys, dinner and a live band! If you get to the Joshua Tree Inn you HAVE to go and find Pappy & Harriets, I loved it up there!

My dream home!

So, the day before we leave the desert to head back to LA we just spend in the area from our hotel in Joshua Tree, to Jakki's friend Gar's house in Morongo Valley. First we had a good breakfast and then went back to Desert Christ Park, which we'd been to 6 years ago on our last trip out there. It was cool to be returning to these places with the boys... cool, in both senses, it was freezing up there!... but it doesn't seem so bad when the sky is blue and the sun is shining.

Then we visit Gar's place and the cool recording studio he's built in his barn...pretty cool. Anyone want to record their next album out in the desert just give Gar a call.. At times like this i really wish i could actually play an instrument! The boys gave it a go, with Gar at the desk. They enjoyed themselves... nearly as much as getting to play Angry Birds back at his house! they'd had video game withdrawals. The view from Gar's lounge window had me mesmerised, just watching as the sun set on the mountains in the distance, like a large painting that changed every few minutes. wish I had a photo of that. Did I say i like the desert and mountains out there!

tennessee was feeling it a bit more than Tex!

I wish I'd taken more pics of the actual studio space, it was fantastic, with separate control room
and a little loft for extra gear and beds for those late night sessions.

Jason Molina -The End Of His Road

A Sad day in this house as we learn the news that Jason Molina died on Saturday after a long battle with alcohol. His body finally succumbed, his organs had finally had enough. Tragic. He was only 39. I've posted his music on here before, he was a talented guy, writing many brilliant songs and fine albums. I've been a big fan since his early Songs:Ohia days and equally loved his Magnolia Electric Co.  Just tragic. Go explore his music, he's right up there with the best.

   

Signs of The Time

I borrowed this from Lloyd's blog. Do take a look at his blog and books if you're unfamiliar. It's interesting how we're learning to value these crafts once more... thank god!

 
SIGN PAINTERS (OFFICIAL TRAILER) from samuel j macon on Vimeo.

Slab City and Sandi

While we were out at Salvation Mountain we also popped around the corner to see Slab City. A collection of RV's that come and go with the seasons, but some just stay and one of those is Sandi. Sandi has a couple of wagons up there and she makes art out of stuff she finds out in the desert. She sells it to help cover her minimal costs (as far as we made out that was just water, food and a little gas, she had solar for electrics and no ones paying any rent out there!!) We bought a piece of her art made from an old guitar and managed to get it in the suitcase at the end of the trip!... i had to unscrew the head and legs, and i packed the body out pretty good. Now we just need to find somewhere to put her. maybe out in our summer house (shed/shack), once i get her painted up this summer (if we have one).

Jakki, Sandi and the guitar.

Slab City Art HQ

Oh, the boys stayed in the car it wasn't their kind of thing... yep, not even that display of toys lured them out!

Animation Teaser- Wish List

Click on the link to see a very quick teaser for the forthcoming animation of my  WISH LIST, which my mate Griff is busy working his way through. It's looking good and hopefully on schedule!

Salvation Mountain 2013

On our first full day out in the desert we took the drive out past Palm Springs and on to the Salton Sea and Salvation Mountain in Niland. Again more info back at this old post. If only we'd made sure we had enough gas it would have been a bit more relaxed! We just about made it, though we were counting the miles at the end there.

This is an addition to the mountain, intended as some kind of museum wing

It's an amazing sight inside with all these painted 'trees', built from found branches
and car tyre trunks  all helped with a good amount of adobe.

It was so good to see the Mountain again as we were concerned at how it was being kept now that Leonard was no longer living out there. They've done a great job preserving and maintaining it. The boys loved it, well, they could climb it, so what's not to like?

We took a load of photos and i even grabbed a small bag of dry clay from a stream bed, just to see what it will be like (it's now wet and in a small tub!) It's always cool to see Salvation Mountain out there in bright sunshine, that place just blasts out happiness. Leonard Knight has built himself a fine monument. Put it on your lists, go and see it for yourself... and have an adventure along the way. Next up... Slab City. 

Mistakes & The Handmade

Here's a nice little clip that was doing the pottery blog rounds, but it applies to all of us interested in making things with our own hands and minds. I guess the important thing is leave the mistakes in. I'm trying to deal with this with Tex and his drawing/writing, if it's not right he can get real mad and scribble it out and I'm trying to stop him, "leave it, i like it... start a new one but don't rip it up or scribble all over it". We're human, we make mistakes.