4 Reel - Winter Weather Movies

We are snowed/iced/sleeted in here in St. Louis right now. Crippled by slick roads and low low temperatures. What a good opportunity to snuggle up and watch some movies! Here are some of my all-time favorite movies, that just so happen to have frozen settings. For those that are new to my 4 Reel dealie, I list 4 films within a theme, and describe each using 4 words. See the end for past 4 Reel posts.



The Shining



unsettling, insane, brilliant, redrum





Beautiful Girls



growth, sweet, real, friendships





Fargo



hilarious, tense, charming, twisted




The Ice Storm



uncomfortable, interesting, darkly quirky


Past 4 Reel posts:
The afterlife
Horror movies
Zomedies
Samurai movies

Gubenthal - German for Amateur Band Photographer?

My little brother (well, 18 mos. younger than me, anyway) has had 3 bands in the past 12 or so years. The latest one, Three Sheets to the Wind, might be my favorite (no offense to the other 2... I really loved them also!). Well, they recently started recording an EP. They also changed their name, as Three Sheets was already taken by several other bands. After much back and forth/polls/bickering, they have landed on Gubenthal. Gubenthal is a made up word, and the title of my favorite song of theirs. So I approve of this new name.

In the fall, I took the opportunity of having the 4 of them together in a neat outdoor setting to take some band photos. They are hilarious dudes, so the photos mostly have a fun vibe to them. Being a designer, I had to play with the photos to make them more visually striking. If I was a better photographer this would not be necessary, but alas, I rely on post-production. Here are some of my favorites:


Can't decide what I like better... overexposed with bright colors...


Or overexposed B&W. Hmmmm...


Frolicking is always rock 'n roll.


Where'd they go? And where'd the color saturation go? I like it.


Another one I couldn't pick a favorite of... natural, but extra-saturated color....


Or blood grass?




Yeah... they sure are in a boat. On the last one I applied the Orton effect... detailed in one of my first posts here.

They let me come to one of their recording sessions. It was neat to see what all happens. Here are some behind-the-scenes action photos.






So yes, Gubenthal. They play some good music, for realz. I am not just saying that because my brother plays bass... I truly enjoy their music. You should check them out. They are opening for the Lead singer of The Ataris on Feb. 19th at the Firebird. The Ataris are one of my brother's all-time favorite bands, so he is extra excited to get to play with him. You should also "like" Gubenthal on Facebook. To hear some of the band's tunes, check out their Three Sheets to the Wind Facebook page. They are rough basement recordings, recorded when they were still a pretty new band, but they will give you an idea of what to expect when you see them live :)

Mix Master Me

As you may have been able to tell from my "Mixed Tape" posts, I love love love making themed music mixes. Years ago at work, several of my office buddies and I had "CD Club," in which we would each make a mixed CD per that month's chosen theme, and trade. It was such a great way to both learn about music you wouldn't normally be exposed to, and get the creatice juices pumping. Here are some of my mixes through the years... the music was most important, but I love making the covers too. double click each image to see it larger, if'n you want.


During a particular couple of years there was a streak of good friends' weddings. A mix of extra gooey cheese-ball love songs was a shower gift must.


For a "sports" theme one month, I decided to get specific.


Theme for this was "Girl's Names." The art, featuring a girl's name, Juanita, is a piece of paper I found by my apartment's entryway. I was intrigued by the phrase "Juanita! She's a Stick!" I still have it.


2010, yo! A good year for music... I think so anyway.


The first of several "Food" themed mixes. And, yes, this cover was totally a nod to The Who Sells Out.


'07's favorites.


Do you have any idea how many songs about cali there are? I had to do a lot of whittling to the best of the best.


I picture is worth a thousand lyrics.


The theme was "School." duh.


Waaaaay back.



A "Saints and Sinners" theme. It called for a double. Also, bad puns are my religion.

What are some of your favorite Mix Tape themes?

Mixed Tape: Sad & Gorgeous

I'm not sad. As you can see from my previous post, I love my life. But I also love sad songs. Really stunning sad songs. Here are some that will break your heart with their sheer beauty.

2010-My Year in Photos

I have been thinking of doing a post here about some of the highlights of my 2010. The more I thought back, looked at photos, etc., the more I got overwhelmed by the amount of fun and awesome that filled my year. I am so in love with my life... 2010 was more than anyone could hope for! I had to narrow it down, so I decided that instead of of trying to cover everything, I would just pick my favorite photos from the year. Still pretty overwhelming, and I'm leaving out lots of awesomeness, but It will have to do, because I need to stop spending so much time on it and continue to live this beautiful life!! :) Happy New Year, everyone. Love to everyone who helped make 2010 so amazing. Let's keep it going for 2011!!

TRAVEL


I went with some of my favorite people to the Kansas City Renn Faire in October. I love Road trips! I love my friends! This is a pic of my friend Eric at the Hookah area of the Faire.


Met this little guy at the Renn Faire, also! Adorbs.


I went on a work trip to Wisonsin in October. This was the view from my hotel room. Wisonsin is pretty!


Also from that Wisconsin trip... view from the plane! I get a little motion sick on planes, but the view is always so pretty!



In August I took a long road trip to Baltimore with my mom for my cousin's wedding. One of the last pit-stops it was really early in the morning... prefect lighting for some dewey flower shots!


Our hotel room on that trip overlooked the Inner Harbor.



In March I was in Washington DC and Baltimore, also! I saw Cherry blossoms. AND JULIA CHILD'S KITCHEN!!! OMG!!!

Funky cafe/diner in Baltimore, the Paper Moon.


Checking out DC with my BFF. Yay, reflection photos!


Tumbling down a hill at Johns Hopkins. Life's too fast to simply walk down hills, no? Be a kid, once in a while!


NOODLES



Noodles Meriwether turned 1 this year. He's so stinkin' cute. Here's some more pictures. and http://owhatcanitmean.blogspot.com/2010/07/noodles-spam.html.


FAMILY




We through my brother, Phil, a big 30th birthday bash... Philapalooza. His band(s) played and we even had a fire breather... my bro-in-law Josh Routh! What a rockin' good time!!





Say Hi to my family!! Every year my aunt an uncle who live in the country have Harvestfest. We all wear overalls, carve pumpkins, go on hunted hayrides. It's glorious and makes me look forward to fall every year! And there are usually puppies, too!


How sweet are my brother and sister-in-law? Highschool sweethearts, and they are still so in love at 30. It's so inspiring!


What's a year without a float trip or 2? Cool lady in cold water. Aw yeah.


AROUND TOWN




Another favorite activity is taking photos of places I'm at with my iPhone. These are photos from various St. Louis places. Ice Skating, summer walking, a friend's roof downtown...


MUSIC
You all know I love me some live music. Here are some of my favorite concert shots...


Via Dove


OK Go!



So Much Closer


Three Sheets


Carolina Chocolate Drops @ LouFest


Gentleman Auction House @ LouFest


So Many Dynamos @ Loufest



Jeff Tweedy and his audience @ LouFest

other music posts:
2 local artists
Album art... by me!
favorite live music 1
favorite live music 2


WEDDINGS





My Cousin asked me to be the photographer for her wedding in Galesburg, IL. It was fun, but oh man, the pressure!!


My cousin dan's wedding in Baltimore. Loved his tophat!!


Kelly and Jerad had the best wedding food ever. A pig roast!! YUM. See Corey Woodruff's photos from it here.

Whew! Like I said. GOOD DAMN YEAR.