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Whoa.
How'd you get here?

Chances are that you are looking for more information about one Christopher F. Smith. Good guy, from what we hear. Smart fellow. You'll probably want to learn more about him through the links below. Or I guess you could take a spin through his blog. There's some good stuff in there, too.

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The Messengers

Volcanic Tongue Writes Good Music

Writing about music must be hard. I know that I can barely type out 100+ characters before spinning off into 'I-give-up-land'. Properly capturing an artist's intent, message, and style in the relatively clumsy medium of the English language is something of an art in and of itself. The Poetry of the Review? The Aural Novella? Words Like Sounds? (Best Music Writing 2011)

Music fans are savvy and discerning folks - and they get damn near obsessive as the esoterica levels are pushed up. They can read bullshit as well as they can hear it. And there's so much music out there that a succinct and elegant review is critical to cracking through to an audience.  

Volcanic Tongue is an 'Underground Music & Mailorder Shop' which trafficks in all manner of musical wonderment - as long as it veers towards the unknown (if not unknowable). And their reviews are amazing. They are worth a read even if you never listen to the release to which the words refer.

Please allow me to demonstrate with this review of Jovontaes' Things Are Different Here:

Damaged, stripped back garage/kraut jams with a burning basement edge and the feel of cheap drugs, think Crawlspace w/a line-up of all fried skaters or Simply Saucer via Sunburned Hand Of The Man: "Jovantaes are Lexington, KY. They emerge from (and possibly define) my town's peculiar skate/Kraut/nihil/garage axis, evoking the smell of stale Miller High Life and burning couches: stumbling match-grip surf rolls, howling chorused-out guitar, droning Adderall haze, and a singer who makes Will Shatter sound like Scott Walker. Imagine Moolah playing at a beach party on the edge of the Kentucky River, big gray globs of unidentifiable garbage drifting silently past and the dense wet air becomes gridlocked with mosquitoes"- Trevor Tremaine (Hair Police) 

Admittedly, I don't know any of the bands referenced in this review. But damn if I'm not interested.

Listen To Each Other - a short film

Shoulder-to-shoulder; worlds apart.
We’ll listen to anything except each other. 

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Meanwhile, in filmmaking news... I've been working on a new short film idea. Titled LISTEN TO EACH OTHER, the piece centers on random commuters on a train during rush hour. I used to take MUNI to work every day and would watch the swirling mass of people suffer through the indignities of mass transit - most retreating to whatever diversion was served up on their headphones.

"What is THAT guy listening to? And her? Oh, man... Do I hear strains of Katy Perry spilling out from that kid's headhphones?"

I decided that this needed a film and that I was just the right guy to put it together. I've begun searching for the talented people that will make it happen - starting with an Executive Producer. While not an expensive piece, for the film to be shot correctly it'll need proper financial backing. 

Have a look at the website and let me know if you'd like to get involved. 

 

Snappin' Pics Like the Necks of My Enemies?

Wow. That makes no sense at all. But my headline writer is laid up with a case of Dropsy and, well, what are you gonna do? Let's blog, bitches!

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I've been taking decent photos for years. But recently, I've taken to actually submitting some of my photography for display. I don't know why I've never been all that comfortable doing so in the past but I'm giving it a shot now. So far, so good.

This one was displayed over at Objective Scenes; a Bay Area photo-blog run by a fellow named DocPop. I was walking home in the rain after a long day of work. Seems the SF Ballet had a big to-do that evening and these are all the folks waiting to get in for champagne and knowing winks.

The Umbrella Murmurs

And this creepy shot was taken pre-dawn while waiting for MUNI down by the beach. It was posted by MUNI Diaries here. The actual title it 'Morning For MUNI', not 'Good Morning, Muni.' I'm stoked that they put it up.

Morning For MUNI

Editor's Note: OK, I have actually been posting the occassional 'good picture' on my Tumblr, but I never publicize that url.

Judy Flintstones Blume

Data Fading

Happy New Year

 

Biscoff Cookies and the amazing Biscoff Latte!

A few weeks ago I shot a promotional spot for Biscoff Cookies with my friend Tyke Jones, owner of West Coast Toast. Biscoff is one of his clients and they wanted a good 2-3 minute commercial to promote not only their cookies, but also a deliciously decadent concoction called the 'Biscoff Latte'.

Tyke and I spent half the day down at Pier 39 in Fisherman's Wharf (and scurrying around Marin Headlands trying to get the perfect Golden Gate Bridge shot) capturing the necessary footage and then a few hours editing and re-editing. The final piece will be used at The Biscoff Cookie Channel (YouTube), the Biscoff Facebook page and other locations.

At the time of this post, the only place in the country to enjoy an official Biscoff Latte is at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Get down there and try one!

Where Are They Now? From Playground to Office

When it comes to our pop culture icons, all too often the answer to the "Where Are They Now?" question ends in disappointment. From the downward spiral of Dana Plato (Diff'rent Strokes) to the drug-fueled exit by Cory Haim, it seems that all too often the dazzle and pressure that come with big-time fame are too much to handle. Our childhood stars burn out far too fast.

However, every once and awhile we hear of someone who has been strong enough to leverage the power that a short time in the spotlight provides without succumbing to the dark and deadly trappings that accompany the adulatory noteriety. Of course, you don't see these folks on TV as much as the flashy failures and sad-sack addicts. The ratings aren't as good.

But recently, as I searched for custom home products for a friend down in Georgia, I chanced upon one of these successes; a beautiful young woman you may remember from a certain playground in Atlanta back in 1990. She was the object of much affection from five young African American kids and was quite the Nintendo player.

When she broke onto the national stage, she got caught up in a whirlwind of meetings, high-pressure sponsorship deals, televised appearences and all-afternoon parties of varying legality. But, unlike many of our past young stars, she was able to pull out of it and turn her life into something more.

Powered by the momentum of near-fame and capitalizing on her new-found ability to access serious capital, the girl embarked on building a thriving business based on her love of custom-crafted window coverings. Now, with a headquaters in Atlanta, her unique take on traditional window treatments, blinds and modified curtains has expanded across much of the southern United States. She is often called on to speak at local colleges and civic organizations and is will be launching a monthly podcast titled "Look Through Any Window" in early 2012.



When asked about her time on TV and her association with one of the hottest R&B groups of the time, she said "My faith and family really kept me from sliding into the dark of side of fame. I'm lucky to have made it through that experience alive."

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Ian MacKaye and Ceiling Cat

Was Ian MacKaye the first "Ceiling Cat"? Discuss.

Listen to: Egg Hunt - We All Fall Down