Diverting Doppleganger: James Worthy vs. Lana Del Rey

Listening to: Social Distortion's "Don't Take Me For Granted"

Rock N Roll Paintings, Mini-Adventures & Thackery Binx

[Fig. 1: "Come Together" © Amy Hood]

Things I've recently discovered and subsequently loved:


1. Painting with India ink. Instant gratification. The variations you can achieve with just your brush stroke, or adding a little water or layering the ink are so unique to that medium. It is my new favorite medium. Expect many more ink paintings to come. Kobe portrait is next on my list. (I know he had a rough night Sunday, but he did break another scoring record didn't he?! Give the guy a break. Yeah, I'm talking to you Eric, if you're reading this.) Here's a recent commissioned painting I did for Sara Wilkins [Fig. 1] as a present for her Dad for Christmas. Turned out pretty fun. I especially love Ian Anderson, mid prance.

[Fig. 2: Don The Beachcomber. Sara and Yenny!]

2. Don The Beachcomber. This old tiki lounge [Fig. 2] that was established in Hollywood in the 30's but now resides in Sunset Beach, up the coast from our new digs in Newport. I went with Sara and my sis, Jen, after our mini vacay to Palm Springs this last week. It was like being on the set of Elvis' Blue Hawaiian. I'm sure it used to be like one of those old themed Hollywood clubs that the stars hung out in. Like the one in The Aviator where snow was falling and there were hot chicks wearing fur hats and swinging from trapezes while the bandstand howled. It wasn't that cool, but it was still pretty rad. They also had some killer Mai Tais that are supposedly world famous.


3. Palm Springs. I could definitely start doing winter breaks in Palm Springs from here on out, lounging pool side and working on my tan.


4. Rye Bread. Once hated it and now can't get my stubby fingers on enough of it.

[Fig. 3: Thackery Binx]

5. Thackery Binx on NCIS: I love crime/myster/investigation shows of any kind. And I mean any. Columbo, Hawaii 5-0, CSI: Miami, Law & Order:SVU, MacGuyver, Twin Peaks, The X-Files, and even stooping to Matlock and Murder She Wrote. The one exception to this was NCIS, the murder/mystery genre's dorky, dweeby little brother. All this changed when my pops was watching an episode over Christmas break and I sat down and watched long enough to realize that Thackery Binx, my adolescent crush/soulmate/star of Hocus Pocus, was in fact alive and well and still acting on NCIS [Fig. 3]. Hollywood had not eaten him up as a yummy childhood star and spitten him out a bankrupt coke-head with a bad goatee (poor Corey Feldman). So I guess what I'm saying is, that if the only things on were Wipe Out, Everybody Loves Raymond and NCIS, I'd watch NCIS.


- Amy
Listening to: "Rock And Roll Heart" by Lou Reed

Dressember Week 2, Scandal & Fraulein Maria

The second week of Dressember, was full of some fun ones. Scandal broke out of the jean shirt outfit, but there was a spaghetti strap black number underneath for warmth. Reports were filed and an investigation ensued, but my name was eventually cleared and I was exonerated of all charges. I even had the Dressember creator take a peek for proof! No cheatin' here ladies and gents. Pure dedication. The photos are from instagram, so they're fun but a little pixelated. The crowd pleaser in this week was the Swedish schoolgirl/missing cast member from The Sound of Music (a.k.a. the yellow dress with the knee highs and the wide brimmed hat).  Click on any of the pics to enlarge.

I am so excited to wear pants. Heck, I'm so excited to just be able to wear whatever I want. 

- Amy

Listening to: "I Am 16 Going On 17" from The Sound of Music

Joe Strummer, Life As A Work-A-Holic, & Benjy Ferree

I started a new graphic illustration the other day. Yep, that's Joe Strummer, frontman of The Clash. It's coming along pretty quickly. I'm working from three photos, so it's hard to figure out the lighting and shadows, seeing as the lighting is different in each picture. I never was good at all the technical aspects of art like lighting and perspective. I should take a class and brush up.

Off to work some more. We've got so many huge projects we're juggling right now for Hoodzpah. We're doing the branding and all the collateral for the first annual South Bay Food Fest coming up, which has been so much fun. If you like food fests or if you're a foodie, you should check this one out. It's supposed to be a monster of an event. We're also working on another guide for LOCALE magazine, this time a "Guide to the Holidays." Looking forward to that one too (sneak preview of the design here). We had a blast working on the last one. This Strummer portrait has been a fun thing to work on in between projects when I need a break.

I recently discovered this guy named Benjy Ferree who had a short lived career as a musician a couple years ago after a short lived career as an actor before that. I really like his style. It sounds like a mixture of Jackie Green and Jeff Buckley. To me. No one ever agrees on those sorts of things, do they? Anyways, he's been in my speakers for a bit now and I think you may enjoy him too.

- Amy
Listening to: "In The Woods" by Benjy Ferree

Caleb Followill, Southern Livin', & Lessons In Publicity

I recently did an illustration of the skanky-yet-handsome Caleb Followill, lead singer of the Kings of Leon and apparently the reason they had to cancel the rest of their U.S. tour. I wish I had a crystal ball to see that one coming as I don't think these prints will sell as well as they might have under different/better circumstances. But as Donald Trump always says, any publicity is good publicity. Maybe the throngs of people googling his name for answers to why the tour is cancelled or for forums to post their disgruntled rantings on will stumble upon this blog because of it. If you want to see photos of the evolution of the illustration read a more indepth post on the Hoodzpah site. If you still love Caleb Followill despite his indescretions and want one of these pretty prints of your own, head to the store. They fit perfectly in a record frame. If you're looking for some tunes for this perfect Wednesday (all you fellow Orange Countians know what I'm talking about), check out KOL's recent CD, Come Around Sundown. I didn't hear much about it, but I really like it. It's mellow yet driving. Perfect music for drinking iced tea on a wrap around porch at dusk while the lightning bugs flicker around. Sometimes I miss Southern livin'.

Happy Wednesday.

- Amy
Listening to: Kings of Leon's "The End"

Avett Brothers, David Mayfield Parade, & Slots Baby

[ Avett Brothers @Pechanga Casino 7/23/11 ] 

Saw The Avett Brothers this weekend at Pechanga Casino and Resort and haven't been able to get over it yet. They were so amazing live. It was funny though: they are such a boot-stomping, get-down-and-have-a-good-time band, but the audience was the most mild group of people ever. Only the floor seats stood during their set (we were in the nosebleeds where NO ONE stood) and I could count on one hand the number of people that were movin', shakin' and dancin'. They were all too busy recording the show on their iPhones to move I suppose. But that's ok cause me and Jen and some random guy did enough dancing for everyone that night. I wore my lucky boots and stomped my Kentucky-bred heart out. Don't worry, we went to the back of the bleachers so as not to disrupt the Debbie Downers sitting behind us. That was mean. I'm sorry. But how do you sit during such a raucous concert! I had to move my feet. Man they are talented, handsome devils. At one point my twin sis, Jen, turned to me and said, "what's the banjo player's name again?" I said, "Scott Avett. But what's the other one's name again?" She said, "Who cares." Ohhhh Jen. She's got it bad for Scott Avett. All I know is he's a damn fine painter, wailer and banjo picker.

[ Post Avett Brothers slots action at the casino. ]

The David Mayfield Parade opened and they were a blast to watch. Lead singer (you guessed it) David Mayfield played the guitar upside down and with his feet and he was on fire with the corny jokes. The violinist and bass player were two foxy ladies who knew how to get down. Made me want to pick up my fiddle again and give her a go.


Anyways as much of a hoedown as it was (it reminded me of playing with my Uncle Owen's bluegrass band at the family reunions in Bowling Green, KY), they have some beautifuly sweet and somber songs. Those really moved me. Probably because I'm in a heightened emotional state currently, but I wasn't the only one. Three songs in particular had everyone in the venue weeping like lil' babies: "The Ballad of Love and Hate", "November Blue" (one of my personal favorites - the version on their Live: Vol. 2 album, not the original - trust me), and an epic cover of Springsteen's "I'm On Fire" (dare I say that I liked it better than the original?). At least I can thank the iPhone recorders at the show for filming this cover so I can share it here with you lovely folks. Below are videos of "I'm On Fire" from the show and a live version of "November Blue." And now back to work. My lovely friend Lauren Gillmore hired Hoodzpah to design a new logo for her photography company LA Creative Studio. It's been so much fun to work on!


- Amy

I Wish I Had A River

It's been a rough past couple days. Maybe the roughest. 


Me and my friends always joke around about how applicable the movie You've Got Mail is to everyday life and how quotable. 

"Do you know that Joni Mitchell song? "I wish I had a river I could skate away on?" It's such a sad song, and not really about Christmas at all, but I was thinking about it tonight.." 

Yet again You've Got Mail imitates life as I sit here and listen to "River." Maybe I'm not Meg Ryan and maybe the lyrics to this song don't fully apply or make sense to me, but it's a beautifully sad song and sometimes I do wish I had a river I could skate away on. Sometimes you just feel helpless. But life isn't easy, and at least I know I can count on God for a merciful hand and to help give me some clarity when the going gets tough. Here's the rest of my playlist for the night. More thinking, writing, praying, hoping...


- Amy

James Dean's Hair, Heat Waves, and The Head And The Heart

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: James Dean's Hair

Oh how glorious it was. Enjoy your extended weekend friends. I plan on painting a lot and trying not to melt. Heat. Wave.

Listening to: The Head And The Heart's "Rivers and Roads"

Recent Work, The Great Lemmy Killmister, and Instagram

[Our new Hoodzpah logo and it's accompanying motto: "Shine On" inspired by Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond."]

I have been rather slack on my personal blogging of recent due to the fact that I've been funelling all of my efforts into my twin sis Jen and I's new design company, Hoodzpah Art + Graphics! We have a business lisence, a website, bank accounts - and we really made it official because now we're on twitter and facebook too! I designed the website with the help of the savvy Chris Steblay who has done quite a bit of this in his day. Shameless shout out! He's been filming a lot or rad stuff for Nike's "Chosen" campaign recently. Check out his blog for some clips of that and a slew of other great videos and photos from his various adventures. Anyways, Hoodzpah is up and running and open for business! If you need art or graphics, we're your gals. 


Check us out on twitter here
And on facebook here
(Hit "like"... you know you wanna...)


In other news, I'm back on my "The Beatniks, The Bastards, & The Saints" series. I'm working on a painting of my friend Jordan Sabolick right now. That's right kids... the one and only Jordan Sabolick a.k.a guitarist for The Union Line. Jordo's one of the funniest, nicest chaps around, and has that look that perfectly suits my series. So far the painting is going along swimmingly!

I recently got the Instagram app on my iPhone and I have become a monster. You could spend hours choosing a filter from their wide assortment of awesome photo filters. If Words With Friends weren't taking up enough of my life, now I've got this. I'm becoming the iPhone user I hoped I'd never become - the one glued to it at all times, tweeting, facebooking, and texting people that are in the same room as them. *Shudder* I digress. Above are a few photos of the painting as it stands from my Instagram account. 

What's inspiring me these days? Well I just watched the documentary "Lemmy" today. It covers the life and times of Motorhead's Lemmy Killmister, and what a life he's had. I need to start dropping by the Rainbow Room when I'm in LA more so I can run into the old legend. It's ridiculous I haven't done that yet when I live so close to such a legendary place that plays second home to one of rock's greatest. Anyways, it was a really interesting watch, on a very interesting bloke. It's on netflix. Rent it. (It's not on Instant Play... sorry kids.)


- Amy
Listening to: "Blind Tom" by Grant-Lee Philips

Another Playlist for You: Featuring Ryan Bingham, The Stevenson Ranch Davidians, The Clash & Oh So Much More

Another Playlist: featuring Morrissey, Dead Man's Bones, Black Sabbath & more...

Another playlist to tickle your ears. Some good ole' rock n' roll to get through this CRAZY busy day of designing, phone calls and illustrating. Maybe one of these days I'll actually post some art again. Someday... (Cue the playlist.)

 -Amy

Design Playlist for The Day, Nick 13, & Joining A Rockabilly Band

Random, but oh-so good. Also, presale for the new Nick 13 [see Fig. 1] album starts today and I am SO excited! His solo music was so good live. You can get a free download of "Carry My Body Down" here. Trust me - you want it.

[ Nick 13 in all his countrified glory. ]

I can't help it, I love rockabilly and bluegrass. Which reminds me that my oldest and dearest friend Liz Logsdon recently pitched the idea of us starting a chick bluegrass/rockabilly band - me on fiddle, Jen on keys and Liz on guitar, all of us sharing vocals in a lovely (but badass) three part harmony. Watch out music world - we're comin' for ya. The fact that she lives in Michigan and we live in sunny Southern California might pose a slight problem - but distance can't break this dream!  Currently at the top of our list of band name ideas is "Mama Liz and The Hoodlums," which is fairly close to the name of the band we always planned on starting in highschool - "Champion Liz and The Twin Posse". Even if we just play a seedy dive every time we reunite for a visit, that would be ok by me.


Enjoy!
- Amy

Diverting Doppleganger: Featuring Joe Strummer & Glasvegas

In the process of checking out Glasvegas' new album Euphoric Heartbreak, I realized that Glasvegas frontman James Allen bears a striking resemblance to one of the handsomest devils to ever walk the earth, Joe Strummer of The Clash.

Key Markers:

1. Arched eyebrows.

2. Narrow, dark eyes.

3. Cute little ball pointed nose that kind of turns up.

4. Lucious Lips.

5. Rock n' roll pomp.

6. High forehead.

7. Small chin.

8. Sweet leather jacket with pins that probably say "F* Imperialism" or something badass like that. 

I think I'm going to start a new feature to add to my current roster (Diverting Dopplegangers, Inspiration of the Day, Current Muse, and Box Doodles) called Dapper Dans. Or maybe Debonair Dreamboats. Do I have a thing for alliteration or what? It only seems right that since I have a feature dedicated to the bodacious babes of the world (Current Muse), I should have one for the gents. It would spotlight some of the most stylish fellas around according to yours truly. Joe Strummer would definitely be featured. Definitely. 

- Amy

Listening to: The Clash's "Train in Vain"

Middle Brother, Making Stone Cold Steve Austin Cry, & More Hilarious Dopplegangers

[ Fig. 1: Middle Brother. Left to Right: John McCauley, Taylor Goldsmith, and Matt Vasquez. ]

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AMY HOOD: Middle Brother at Detroit Bar

My sister and I headed up to the Detroit Bar to catch Middle Brother [fig. 1] last night. It was AWESOME. It's a supergroup of small rock/folk/indie bands. When I say supergroup, think Monsters of Folk (yay!), not Them Crooked Vultures (yawn). And like MOF, this band is made up of a plethora of amazing singers joining forces, sometimes taking the lead, other times taking turns backing each other, and at best breaking into three part gritty harmonies that would make even Stone Cold Steve Austin tear up (or at the very least make him want to join a folksy rock band).

[ Fig. 2: Johnny Corndawg. © cjfoeckler ]

Middle Brother is made up of Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes (yay!), Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit (double yay!), John McCauley of Deer Tick (Yeah 3x! [cue Chris Brown]), and on special occasion the hilarious musician/leatherworker Johnny Corndawg [fig. 2]. And I can't forget the drummer, Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes [fig. 3], who's game face rivaled any Billy Idol scowl. I like the way Rolling Stone described them as a whole: "This singer-songwriter summit... is an alt-country round robin, with raw harmonies and punk-rock sentiment as unforgiving as a prison shiv." Couldn't have said it better myself.

[ Fig. 3: Griffin Goldsmith. ©Jack Edinger ]

The album is really good. Seeing them live was even better. Which is almost always the case with a good rock n' roll band; They've got that energy, that stage presence, they love the live performance and they love the crowds. All of which seems to be very rare in pretty much all the bands today. Most of the bands I've seen recently either seem like they'd rather be surrounded by hot chicks in a hotel bar somewhere, or they are seriously lacking in talent without their production magic. 


I also discovered a new act thanks to the show (which is one of my favorite parts about going to shows). The opening act was a guy named Jonny Corndawg and not only can he sing a country/rock/rockabilly song, he is one of the fines leatherworkers you've ever seen this side of the Mississippi. I'm pretty sure every member of Middle Brother was wearing a finely crafted leather belt with his initials in it courtesy of Jonny. Last night, despite suffering from a bleeding ear and horrible amp feedback, he won the hearts and minds of the Detroit Bar masses. You can see him below featured in the song "Middle Brother." Also check out his song at the bottom or google "Trash Day." 

[ Middle Brother © Brandon Tauszik ]

[ Bickering just like loving siblings. ]

And to close this blog out with a bang:

And I've said it for years now, but how much does my dear old friend Sean Murphy look like Matt Vasquez!? I think a DNA test is in order because they may be twins seperated at birth. Don't believe me from this photo [below]? Visit Sean at Kaylani's in San Clemente and see for yourself. 

Here are some tunes for you. 

-Amy

Listening to: Middle Brother's "Wilderness" 

Rad Illustrations from Mapache Salado, My Current Playlist, & The Mysterious Origin of Nicknames

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: Mapache Salado, Spanish Illustrator/Artist


Mapache Salado (which translates in Spanish as Salted Racoon) is the stage name for Spanish artist Alvaro Lope Morales Quevedo. I wonder how he got that nickname. Nicknames can be funny like that. Even with the basic uninspired nickname. Like, how do you get Bill from William or Dick from Richard? I digress. He has great line work and I love how he uses geometric shapes in his art. It's almost like Native American war paint or something. I also love the theme of diamonds throughout his work. Makes me want to break into Pink Floyd's "Shine On...". Short post. Tons of work, not enough time, and feeling pretty lousy today. Here's my playlist to get psyched for working on freelance design work!


Velvet Underground - Rock N' Roll

Elvis Costello - I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea

Social Distortion - Sometimes I Do

The Jam - Down in the Tube At Midnight

The Smiths - There is A Light That Never Goes Out

Johnny Cash - God's Gonna Cut You Down

The Strokes - Someday

The Clash - Know Your Rights

Elvis Costello - This Year's Girl

The Smiths - The More you Ignore Me, The Closer I Get

The Clash - Train in Vain

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Nevertheless

Social Distortion - Don't Take Me For Granted

Richard Hawley - Tonight The Streets Are Ours

David Bowie - Let me Sleep Beside You

Amazing Baby - Headdress

The Replacements - If Only You Were Lonely

Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - One Track Mind

Elvis Costello - Peace In Our Times
The Libertines - Don't Look Back Into The Sun

Cheers

- Amy

Listening to: The Jam, "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight"