January's Frequent Listens

Just wanted to list some music that's been in heavy rotation this month (Songs listed as "Artist - Album - Track"):

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion - My Girls

Honestly can't stop listening. I've had this since late December and it's already my most listened to album according to iTunes.

Adele - 19 - Hometown

I'd been recommended this album by friends a bunch of times and finally got it last week. It has a really great feel to it. Check it out!

Morcheeba - Charango - Otherwise

An oldie but goodie. And I never really can get tired of Skye Edwards' voice.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - My Body is a Cage

Also older, but probably one of the best applications of straight pipe organ sound in modern music. Great video too. I want to see the movie.

posted by Mr. Linty @ 1:28 AM, ,


LF soon to sponsor

So I'm doing it. I'm finally breaking down. I'm gonna sponsor some bands.

I've had a good number of requests for sponsorship in the past, but at the time I wasn't ready to go that route, and frankly, wasn't too keen on just handing out free swag left and right to anyone with tracks on a MySpace page. But this year I'm trying lots of new things, and this is one of them.

I'm going to make a formal little advertisement for this and post it up on a Flickr, Myspace, and a forum or two, but if you'd like to shoot me an email now, you're welcome.

In a nutshell, I'm looking for musicians who...

1. Are proud to wear my stuff! It's what sponsorship is all about. Wear it proud when you play!

2. Will put an ad on their myspace and/or website! I'll keep you decked out in the latest LF gear so long as you give me a shout out where it counts! I'm also asking for a spot in your top friends.

3. Play unique music! LF is a unique brand with a unique look, so it only makes sense to pair up with musical artists in that same vein! If you want to know what I'm into specifically, you can check my user info here. (Big on indie rock & folk, and am currently enjoying the 80's revival)

I'm sure I'll think of more, but this is from the top of my head.

PS - This collab I'm working on with TheoryOne is coming out awesome. Really stoked!

posted by Mr. Linty @ 12:33 AM, ,


LF Chat #3 Done!

Well, the 3rd LF chat was tonight, starting at 8pm EST and finishing at 10pm (though we actually stayed on a bit longer to chat with some folks and do some sketching). For those of you that participated, thanks! The questions were great. It's funny, sometimes when I'm being asked questions I end up giving answers that I hadn't formally thought through in my head, like reasons for why I've done certain things with my brand. At the time, it just felt right. But when someone points it out and asks, it makes me think about it, and I get to know my reasoning a bit better. So in a way, it's educational for me to talk through a lot of this stuff, for my own benefit.

Big thanks again to Vincent for helping me out with the web questions. A lot of that stuff is beyond me, so it's great to have someone around that's so knowledgeable about it. And he seemed to dig the chat thing, too, so who knows, he may make another guest appearance in a future show!

If you missed the chat, you can catch it in two parts below (the internet went down during the second hour so we had to make a second part):

PART 1

PART 2

posted by Mr. Linty @ 1:34 AM, ,


Addiction over

Since May of 2005 I kept an online journal with another blogging site. That's almost 4 years of entries. But tonight, after some deliberation, I finally deleted it. Most of the folks on there are personal friends anyways (so we can just, you know, talk in person and stuff), and I really want to focus more on this blog and keep everyone up to date with the latest LF news, and random tidbits in my life. Also, soon this blog will be hosted directly on lintyfresh.com (new site feature! woohoo!), so it'll be nice to have everything a bit more organized and tidy.

So what is happening with LF?

Well, unfortunately the tees still aren't done. They were supposed to be all set on Thursday, but this is actually the first run of tees my printers has done using the superglow ink, so apparently there were some kinks to work out. In any case, I stopped by yesterday to see the first one off the press and was blown away. As always, the colors are spot on and the quality is excellent, but also, this thing glows in an other-worldly way. It's so cool.

Anyhow, they're finishing the tags tomorrow, so I'll pick them up in the afternoon or something. Which means that I may just preview one at the chat! (Chat in the dark? MAYBE.)

PS:

A few nights ago I watched Kung Pow: Enter the Fist for the first time. I remember I was a sophomore in High School when it came out and it looked so dumb that I didn't bother with it. Well, I was right, it was fully dumb, but also incredibly funny. They took a 1976 kung fu movie, redubbed it, and added a new leading actor into the scenes. It's epic. If you like stupid humor, it's worth a rental for sure.

posted by Mr. Linty @ 12:34 AM, ,


Teaser!

Teeeeeaaser!The cards came in today for the February tee and I thought I'd share. I really love the whole process of designing, writing the poem, and then getting all the pieces produced. It's a ton of fun!

posted by Mr. Linty @ 2:02 AM, ,


Whew.

It's bee a full day, but it feels like I got ton done, which is always good.

The first thing on the agenda was to go down to Chinatown and get my visa paperwork submitted. The lady was really nice and was impressed with the whole 3 phrases I used in Chinese (I couldn't understand her English so it was easier in Chinese!). It was such a simple process though. I just filled out a form, handed over some money, a picture, and my passport, and that was it. She said I'd get a call to pick it up in 3 weeks.

Since I was in Chinatown I couldn't resist visiting my favorite Vietnamese sandwich shop (OK, so it's more Asiatown and less Chinese-exclusive) and ordering my typical $2.50 BBQ pork sandwich. Fresh bread, pickled veggies, and an amazing sauce. So incredibly good. After that I stopped by Jiffy Lube for an oil change, and came to a re-appreciation of bargaining:

Me: How much is a basic oil change?
JL guy: $40
Me (walking away): Ok, thanks.
JL guy: You wanna pull the car around?
Me: I think I'll pass. The price is almost double some others I've seen down the street. Can you bring it down?
JL guy: Uhm... Ok. Sure. How about $30?
Me: That's still high. Can I get more than just the oil change for that?
JL guy: Yeah, ok, we'll vacuum it, check the fluids, and fill the tires.
Me: Eh. Sure.

Probably still high for what was involved, but I thought it was funny how easy it was to get a 25% discount. Things to keep in mind!

Once I got back to my place I set about rearranging and reorganizing everything, making it easier to process orders and less cluttered. Threw away a ton of stuff I didn't need, and as a result the place looks almost empty! It's crazy how long it takes me to do this kind of stuff. I literally spent 6 hours at it. Crazy!

A lot of these changes were made specifically with Michelle (the friend of mine who will be taking over operations here while I'm away) in mind. Since she'll be bringing her stuff she'll need shelf, closet, and storage space. She'll actually be over in a bit for some training.

Anyhow, it's been a day.

Organization
Also empty
So empty!

posted by Mr. Linty @ 9:14 PM, ,


A bit of reassurance

In the last chat, someone had asked how I felt about risking my company by going abroad for 3 months. I said that I was leaving it in good hands, and the fact is that I'll still be involved with the design/production side. Still, I think I kind of skirted around the real answer, which is that, to a degree, I'm kind of terrified. The best way I can describe the feeling is something akin to leaving a child with a babysitter for the first time. Only, that child is your sole source of income, and you will not see it for 90 days.

Ohhh geez. Still, I'll be the first to acknowledge that a significant part of my anxiety can be attributed to my OCD micromanagement. Since this thing began back in '06 I was obsessed with overseeing each and every detail, and to be so removed is a scary thought.

So the obvious question is, Why go?

To put it simply, because opportunity doesn't always knock twice. I was presented with the chance to visit (accompanying a friend who just got a job there), and I decided to go for it. Going to China the first time (back in '07) was a life-changing experience for me, and I was only there a couple weeks. I actually wanted to stay. There's just something about being immersed in a culture that's so different and unfamiliar that made me realize how big the world is, that made me aware of things that exist beyond my little Georgia subdivision and the local Wal-Marts and Wendy's and Starbucks. Something about buying fresh fruits, veggies, and meats from an open-air market the same day it came from the fields. To some extent, I guess it made me realize how manufactured and processed so many aspects of modern American life are.

Don't get me wrong here - I am fully appreciative of the advantages of living where I do. Still, this is an adventure I don't want to pass up, and I know I'll be glad I made this decision. Does it mean I've lost dedication to LF? No ways! I'll still be releasing stuff each month as usual, doing my darndest to put out the best products possible. And with new artists joining the LF family, the quality will only keep going up.

Stoked!

posted by Mr. Linty @ 9:34 PM, ,


LF Chat #3

Chat #3!That's right, in just over a week I'll be broadcasting the 3rd Linty Fresh Live Chat. The last one was a huge success and I have every expectation that this next one will be even better. If you were present for the last one, you may have heard me mention my friend Vincent, who designs website. On more occasions than I can count, he's offered fantastic web design and SEO advice, and I thought it'd be nice to have him on the next chat to answer questions. Well, he was cool with the idea, and we set a date. Start thinking up some questions!

Also, due to request there will be "musical interlude" (lol) pre-show starting at 7:45PM (remember, that's USA Eastern Time!). This'll basically just be a video/sound/lighting check for us, and some cool streaming music for you. See ya then!

posted by Mr. Linty @ 11:10 PM, ,


Tiny Update

For those of you who requested to have Vincent make a guest appearance on the next live chat, good news! I talked to him about it yesterday and he's agreeable to it. (For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, Vincent is a friend of mine who does freelance web design and coding and has plenty of great advice on how to make your website more visible for search engines.) We're still working out a specific week that's convenient for both of us, but it'll likely be on a Sunday again, the usual timeslot.

Also, I've just heard back from an artist that I've been following for a year or so on Flickr. I approached him about collaborating for some Linty Fresh work and he's down. Really stoked about it! More details to come!

posted by Mr. Linty @ 12:44 PM, ,


LF Chat #2

That was fun! I don't mind replying to countless emails each month asking questions (honest!), but getting so many out of the way in rapid fire was super great. And they were excellent questions too. If you'd like to see a transcript of the chat, Coty Gonzales has you covered. I thought I was recording this one, but apparently I was mistaken... Bummer... In any case, Coty summarizes my ramblings to just a few lines, so be sure to check it out!

As for the song list for the sketching part of the chat, here ya'r:

There Are Birds by Ruby Suns
Doctor Blind by Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
Rollercoaster by M. Ward
Playground Love by Air
Your New Twin Sized Bed by Death Cab For Cutie
The Engine Driver by The Decemberists
New soul by Yael Naim
Glory Box by Portishead
Nicotine by Brazilian Girls
Rag & Bone by The White Stripes
Listen To The Math by Tokyo Police Club
Innocent Bones by Iron & Wine
In The Mausoluem by Beirut
All My Stars Aligned by St. Vincent
Imitosis bt Andrew Bird 3:39
My Egyptian Grammar by The Fiery Furnaces
Lady Madonna by The Beatles

posted by Mr. Linty @ 11:47 PM, ,


Cool Day

So today I had intended to hang out with some friends in Little 5 Points. The plan was to tour around a bit, grab tickets to see Andrew Bird, and finish the night with dinner at this Mediterranean place next door. I was looking forward to it all week! Well, last minute everyone kind of flaked out, but I decided to go anyways (besides, they still needed someone to buy the tickets). Anyways, it turned out being a fun time still yet.

I decided to take Marta there, which is the closest thing Atlanta offers to efficient public transportation. I like to say that I use Marta for economical reasons, or that I'd rather not put the extra emissions into the air, but I think the real reason is that it's a taste of city life, which I've always been enamored with. It took about an hour.

When I got off it was a bit of a walk to the main strip of Little 5, aka Euclid Ave., but the rain had just stopped so the air felt really clean and the temperature was perfect. My first target was Criminal Records. It's such an awesome collection of stuff. Vinyl toys, comic books, old movies, art & music magazines, and MUSIC. I don't go too often, so I was pretty stoked to see what new stuff they had in stock. Turns out they'd moved out, and a sign on the window announced that a skate shop was coming soon instead. I kind of freaked out for a second until some guy on the sidewalk explained that they moved down the street.

Whew. Anyways, when I finally found it I was happy to see that they've moved into a much bigger place, and had a lot more available. I was there for over 3 hours just browsing around. I sampled a bunch of their recommended albums and flipped through some really awesome comics and art books that I'd never seen before (kind of goes without saying, actually) Anyhow I ended up grabbing the latest issue of Juxtapoz and a couple of albums - Ladyhawke and Ben Taylor. Also, I recognized the dude working behind the counter as being the DJ for the last two shows I did here in Georgia in Madison and Atlanta. Cool beans.

From there I cruised over to Variety Playhouse and picked up the tickets. By this time the rain was just about starting to pick up again, so I hopped back on the train and headed back up to Marietta. There's a really cool interview in the magazine I got with WK Interact. He's a French artist who moved to NYC with $3k, an inability to speak English, and a love for art. He lived off of cheap noodles in a 8-sq foot apartment and just kept painting and drawing like crazy. Now he's in galleries and is a well-known street artist. So inspiring!

So yeah. It was a good day.

posted by Mr. Linty @ 10:55 PM, ,


Big Decisions

Howdy internet people.

Well I feel like I've made a pretty major decision recently in regards to Linty Fresh that's worth sharing here. For a long time, I've been the sole designer for all LF stuff - from the tees down to the buttons. I've also done all the website design and all promo stuff, like the ads and coupons.

Of course, I've been asked more than a few times if I'd ever consider "hiring" other designers to share the workload. I usually turned that notion down, feeling that there was enough of me to go around and time wasn't so tight that pulling in new people was a necessity. The more I've thought about it, though, the more it's been an appealing idea, and not just in terms of time/labor.

For one thing, bringing in other designers to work on my stuff would help boost the variety of styles that Linty Fresh has to offer. It'd also help to reach a new audience. And as much as I love keeping the design all to myself, I'm a reasonable, logical dude, and I know that my work isn't the best that's out there.

This doesn't mean I'll be turning over all my future design work to other people. However, starting in March of this year, I'll begin offering products that are the results of collaborations between myself and other artists (much like the Eye Scream tee). It'll still be based on my concepts (and I plan to keep the poem story cards as a regular feature), but it'll have a new flair from guest artists and contributors.

It's a decision that's tough to make after nearly 3 years of going solo, but I think it only means bigger and better things for Linty Fresh's future. Stay tuned!

posted by Mr. Linty @ 7:48 PM, ,


Twitter

I'm on it now:

twitter.com/lintyfresh

posted by Mr. Linty @ 6:35 PM, ,


LF Chat #2

This past month has got to be some sort of record for the number of emails received asking for advice, tips, feedback, suggestions, etc. I try to respond to as many of these as I can, but with so many messages coming in (and a lot of repeat inquries), a lot fall through the cracks. So hopefully this will be a good opportunity to get some of those questions answered. Again, that's this Sunday at 8pm EST. See you there!

posted by Mr. Linty @ 1:34 PM, ,


Hellooooooo 2009!

And what better way to start the year than with a 20% off coupon?! This month I'm releasing 3 new belt designs (Fuschia Smile, Orange Smile, Aqua Smile) as well as a huge restock of a bunch of older styles including Busjacked, Freshmen, Cut Up as well as some even older ones, Woodie and Fantastic Rabbit, from early last year.

Get em while they last, because they always go really quick!

Also new to the LF family is Davy Bunyan. This tee is especially unique because it's the first that will ship with a collector's card. The card features a portion of the design on one side and the poem on the other. And unlike with the other tees, the poem will not appear on the website, but only on the cards. Just trying to make things a bit more special for everyone. Alot goes into these creations, ya know?

Finally, I'm pleased to announce that (as some of you already guessed)

window decals are now available in the shop! This first release of vinyl decals comes in 9 different designs, all of them being roughtly 3.5" x 3". I've had one of these on my car for the last few months and it's held up fantastic and looks great. Stoked to finally get these into everyone else's hands too!

Enjoy the new goodies, and don't forget "Hello2009" at checkout!

posted by Mr. Linty @ 12:00 AM, ,