October 10, 2008
With less than a month to go before the Presidential Elections, I want to pledge my vote for Obama. As much as I may have liked McCain 8 years ago, I don't feel he's the same candidate he was back then. I'm very turned off by the campaign he's ran this time around. I don't normally like to announce my opinions like this, but I feel very strongly about my support for the Obama/Biden campain. If you wanna talk about it, let me know. : )

So on to other things. My brother-in-law's band Heypenny just finished their first video to support the UK release of their single Parade on October 13. It's a pretty great video. Check it out below.

August 8, 2008
God bless America.

August 5, 2008
WI know. I know. I don't skate. I need to quit thinking about the glory days. But those teenaged years on a skateboard shaped a lot about who I am today. So I'll sit here at my desk, wearing my Bones shirt like the old poser that I am, but be sure that part of the reason I'm sitting here is because of the graphics on those boards, t-shirts and in the pages of Thrasher. Here's a video about board graphics, featuring my favorite skater from those days, Lance Mountain.

July 28, 2008
Don't you ever wonder why they still let Kevin Costner make movies?

July 21, 2008
Well, I have updated my portfolio on Behance.net...if you want to check it out.

July 9, 2008
I saw this pic on a blog today. It is truly amzing. Read the article about the migrating Golden Rays here.

Golden Rays

July 8, 2008
The past couple months have been nonstop busy, mostly with visiting family and friends. I have actually squeezed out a few little designs somehow. I did a few logos this week, and at least a couple of them I'm pretty proud of. I'll show as soon as I can.

Okay, I give. Here's a peek.

A few weeks ago Ingrid and I went to the opening of a local sneaker shop to see the art of a graffiti crew called Sour Grapes 13. I've been an admirer of their work for a couple years, and finally had the chance to meet one of them (Nezo)and even buy one of his paintings (below). Check out their website and give them respect.

SOURGRAPES13

Geoff McFetridge

So, I just deleted an entire paragraph...self-censored.

I've created a profile at behance.net. Behance is like a MySpace for creatives. I know. I know. We don't really need another social network, but there is truly some amazing work there.

ESTER DRANG

As you may or may not know, I used to play in a band called Ester Drang. For about five years, I spent a couple nights a week writing and practicing music with them. During that time we recorded a record, Goldenwest, that I am very proud of. Recently I heard some of the songs on NPR's Morning Edition, which was exciting for me. But strongly feel the album never received its due.

I can't say for sure if the band is still a band. It is in hibernation at best, with the guys touring frequently as members of Sufjan Stevens, Unwed Sailor, Rosie Thomas, Ryan Lindsey and Richard Swift. But in recent weeks the wheels have been set in motion to get the original band back together to play Goldenwest one last time. If you're a fan, cross your fingers and start spreading the buzz. If you don't know why you should care, go to iTunes and give the record a listen. Or you can order an actual cd from Burnt Toast Vinyl. Here are a couple tracks to wet your appetite.

Ester Drang - Song for Johnathon

Alternative content

Alternative content

Listening to:
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Dr. Dog - Fate
Albert Hammond Jr. - Como Te Llama

May 12, 2008
Things have been going pretty good lately. I've been trying to motivate myself into some personal work, but I have a hard time working when it's not for a specific purpose. Anyway, wish Ingrid a happy birthday if you can. Her birthday is in a couple days.

Last night I came across some old Ester Drang pics, I thought I would share with you.



I realize this image is tiny, but it has always been one of my faves.




These are two from the Goldenwest shoot, back when you didn't need a boarding pass to get into the airport terminal.




this was my first time in NYC. We played at the Mercury Lounge. This was also my last tour with the band.

May 12, 2008
Finally, I wrapped up a big project that I've been working on for several months. As a reward, I've spent several evenings and a couple weekends working outside in my yard. Ingrid and I built a small brick patio in the back, and I have to say that it was very rewarding.

I'm planning on doing some personal projects soon, and maybe some smaller freelance jobs. If you are in need of my skillz, give me a shout. We can see what can be worked out.

April 25, 2008
I've updated the work page with six projects I've worked on in the past several months. It's been a busy season here at Norasound, but I did manage a nice vacation in NYC a month ago. If you wanna check out some pics from it, I have a new Flickr page. Some other highlights from my non-work life recently are seeing Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen...two amazing shows that did not dissappoint.

February 13, 2008
I realize it's late, but I don't care. Here's a list of 5 albums of 2007 that I listened to a LOT:
Kanye West – Graduation
Spoon – GaGaGaGaGa
Band of Horses – Cease to Begin (I actually just started listening to this)
Ratatat –Remixes Vol. II

I wish I had more to say. As I do not, I will wish you a happy Valentines.

January 06, 2008
A couple days ago I came across some work I did for Oneighty last year that I had not posted on here. Some of it is worth sharing with you brave few who still check this site. So I updated the work page with that stuff as well as a few other projects.

Cheers!

December 15, 2007
The year is almost over and it has been a good one here at Norasound. Ingrid and I bought a house and a pug and a new car. Freelance got so busy that I had to take a break for a while. We visited LA twice and NYC once, solidifying our desire to move to one of those cities at some point.

On top of all that, I finally started my long-desired t-shirt company under the name Brainsnatcher. So you should support my dreams by heading over and purchasing one of the shirts or buttons sets. I mean, come on, it's Christmas time.

Also, I'm very proud to say I have a shirt for sale online and in the London store of Supersuperficial.com. I'm in the company of some of my favorite artists there (David Shrigley and Michael Perry). My shirt follows in the footsteps of my Pac-Man ghost buttons. It features the names of all four ghosts (Inky, Pinky, Blinky & Clyde).

One more thing. I'd like to give a shout out to the (forgive me if I'm wrong) Swiss collective The Prism. Earlier this year they invited me to submit some designs for their t-shirt line. None of mine were chosen this round, but believe me, I'm going to step up to the plate next time because they have some really great shirts, and I'd love to have my work among such great artists. Anyway, they've included my bio on their site and made me one of their crew! Check them out!

November 15, 2007

November 6, 2007
The Brainsnatcher shirts have arrived from the printers. Go get 'em!

October 29 , 2007
We saw the Darjeeling Limited the other night and I liked it a lot. It reminded me of a lot about India that I had forgotten since I went there like 15 years ago. I was googling Wes Anderson a couple days later and came across this interview with him, and the Wilson brothers in the Dallas Observer from right after they shot Bottle Rocket. It's very interesting to read about their fears and struggles, knowing where they are now.

October 9 , 2007
The Brainsnatcher is up and running now. You can pre-order shirts and buttons and check out the Friends of Brainsnatcher blog.

Geoff McFetridge is one of my all-time favorite designers/artists. He has a new exhibition and today, I came across a video interview with him and some pictures of the show.

September 10, 2007
I am freezing right now. It was raining like crazy on my way to work, so my feet were soaked by the time I made it to the building. Now I'm barefoot and shivering.

I am always amazed by the number of people who visit my site, so I wanna put the word out there that I'm accepting freelance work right now. I took a break from it over the summer which was very nice. But now I'm ready to get back in the game. So don't be afraid to contact me at david@norasound.com.

Also, I promise that the Brainsnatcher will be selling shirts, buttons and other stuff online soon. I almost have the website completed. I'll be getting the first shipment of buttons this week, and I am hoping to get the shirts printed next week. Finding a good printer that I can afford has proven harder than I expected.

September 7, 2007
So tomorrow I will be 31. That's that. Last weekend we went to Florida with Ingrid's family. We spent 3 days on the beach and it was nice!

One thing you should know about me is that I don't read a lot of books. I intend to a lot of times, but rarely do. I've listened to most of the Harry Potter books (which I recommend everyone listen to!).

Anyway, a couple days ago I bought the audiobook of Bill Clinton's new book Giving. Basically it's just him talking about organizations to which you can give your time/money/items. One that seems very interesting to me is called Kiva. You can visit their website kiva.org and pick an entrepreneur from a poor country who is looking to start some sort of business or expand their current business and loan them a small amount of money to get their business going. They eventually repay the loans and you can then have your donation back or reloan it to another person.

It's astounding to learn how little someone might need to start a small produce farm in a third world country. One person may have need $500 and you can loan as little as $25 to them. Your $25 is grouped with money from several other people to make up the amount needed. Such a small sum of money might mean very little to you or me, but it can actually help to change the future of an entire family.

August 27, 2007
Ingrid and I are going to Florida this coming weekend. We're meeting her parents, sisters and brother-in-law there for a few days of fun in the sun. I can't wait! We got a new car a couple weeks ago, so it should be a nice drive...12 hours...

August 26, 2007
I know, I know...you hate Wal-Mart. They're an evil corporation that destroys small towns and barely pays their employess and forces their suppliers to cut their profit so Wal-Mart can sell their products for less. Not to mention the yellow smiley face.

I HATE shopping at a SuperCenter and avoid it like the plague. But I do split my grocery buying between a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market and Whole Foods. I've never really subscribed to the notion that Wal-Mart is the ant-Christ. I understand a lot of the claims, but I also think that a corporation like Wal-Mart can be an agent for good if they want to be. Think of all the senior citizens who are able to have jobs greeting customers. Or the single moms who can earn a living while their kids are in school...and how much money they can save on food and school supplies. Sure there may be a lot of drawbacks to the giant, but I've always thought that the benefits out-weight them.

All that said, I read a very interesting article in Fast Company Magazine about Adam Werbach,the once posterboy for the environmentalist movement. At 23, he was the youngest president of the Sierra Club and wrote a book proclaiming Wal-Mart "a new breed of toxin" that "could wreak havoc on a town."

Through a series of events that you can read about for yourself here, he was approached by Wal-Mart to help them create a program that would promote sustainability. After refusing them a several times, he reluctantly met with the company. He worked with them to design the Personal Sustainability Project, which is supposed to help Wal-Mart's 1.3 million employees see how sustainability relates to their lives and then hopefully spread that knowledge to their coworkers and families. He defines sustainability as "having enough for now, while not harming the future."

His idea is that a company like Wal-Mart can change their practices, but they can have an even greater impact on the environment if they can get their employees to take on the cause in their own lives. But before a person can care about the world, they need to take care of theirselves.

I find it fascinating to think of the positive impact that a company as large as Wal-Mart can make on the world if they want to. If they have the power to make companies lower their profit, they could also have the power to make companies change practices that harm the environment. And beyond that, they have 1.3 million people who they can reach daily, who in turn can reach millions more.

If this interests you at all, be sure to read the article at Fast Company's website.

August 16, 2007
What do you know? I am writing a blog again. Don't expect me to keep up this pace for long though. I do want to mention that I updated the work section with some things I've done at work of the past year.

Listening to:
the hum of my computer
the snoring of my dog.

August 15, 2007
Speaking of Dick Cheney, I saw a great video on YouTube today. It was from 1994, only a year after he served as Secretary of Defense under George H. W. Bush. He was speaking about the reasons the U.S. didn't invade Bagdad during the Gulf War. I guess he forgot all of these reasons this time, but they are exactly what is happening there now. Hmm...too bad he didn't get counsel from his younger self this time.
Watch for yourself HERE.

Last night Ingrid and I went to a great movie called Once. If you love love and music and the Irish, you should see it probably. But there was a scene where there was a poster of Mozart that I thought was really great. I'd like to own it. But it has a striking resemblance to the famous Milton Glaser poster of Bob Dylan. I wonder if it was Glaser's inspiration. You be the judge.



Some music I'd like to listen to:
R. Kelly - Double Up
Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo
Simian - Never Be Alone

Some music I'm enjoying listening to:
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Justice - We Are Your Friends
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Ratatat - Remixes Mixtape Vol. 1 & 2

August 14, 2007
Did you hear the good news? It's true! Karl Rove has resigned! I am pretty sure that I heard rejoicing coming from the heavens yesterday. Now if we could only get rid of Dick Cheney and the rest of his henchmen. A boy can dream, can't he?

Also yesterday, I heard some bad news. A favorite artist of mine Jeremy Blake apparently committed suicide recently. It is a bizarre story involving Bible studies, conspiricy theories, movie deals gone south and Scientolgist stalkers. If the name doesn't ring a bell, you may still recognize his work that was heavily featured in the PT Anderson film Punch Drunk Love and also the album art for Beck's Sea Change. To read more about Jeremy Blake visit this Wikipedia article and for more about his decent into paranoia and tragic death, read this articl from the LA Times, that seems a bit too defensive and confrontational to be about someone's death.

August 12 , 2007
If you read this page, you know that I've been talking about the Brainsnatcher for quite a long time. Well, I expect something to happen there within the next month. Hopefully I'm not jinxing it. But I am about to have 2 shirt designs printed and will sell them on my other site, the Brainsnatcher for $20 each. I will hopefully have some other items for sell as well. Here are the designs, so spread the word and be on the look out.

August 11 , 2007
So I hope you saw the Simpsons Movie. It was so hilarious! July was almost Simpsons overload for me, with the Kwik-E-Mart stuff and the movie. But it was also a great month. Ingrid and I were at the Kwik-E-Mart the morning it opened, and a photographer from the AP took some photos of us. The next morning my picture was on tons of news sites like Yahoo and ABC News. Here are a few pictures from the Kwik-E-Mart:





Ingrid and I also went on vacation in June. We flew out to Vegas then drove to Los Angeles. All in all it was a good trip, but I don't have any desire to go back to Vegas. I do however have a little bit of the LA bug. Maybe someday I'll be able to afford to live there. Or New York would be good too. Anyway, here are a few pics from our vaca, the first being me next to a giant banner that I designed. It was in the mall in Las Vegas:





Ok, one last set of pics. This is our dog Maggie wearing the Mickey Mouse t-shirt we got for her at Woof Dog Boutique in California. It was in an area that we really liked called Atwater. Check out this video about Atwater.

July 1 , 2007
This morning 11 real-life Kwik-E-Marts open around the US. To promote the Simpsons movie coming out later this month, 7-Eleven has completely rebranded 11 of their stores into Kwik-E-Marts!

I was at the Dallas location last night as it was being converted and I can tell you it's going to be crazy. I can't wait to get back over there this morning to see the finished product! They're selling products from the Simpsons such as Buzz Cola, Krusty-O's, Radioactive Man comics and Squishees.

There are Kwik-E-Marts in Dallas, Seatle, NY, LA, Denver, Chicago and several more that I can't remember. If you're not lucky enough to live in one of the cities with a Kwik-E-Mart, you can still purchase the Simpsons products at your local 7-Eleven.

Anyway, the Dallas location is on the corner of Hillcrest and Northwest Highway. That translates to half way between the Dallas North Tollway and 75 on Loop 12, just a couple blocks east of Northpark Mall.

June 3 , 2007
For the past several months, I've been working on a promotion for Nokia called Star Speak where you can win, among other things, about 30 minutes hanging out with Fall Out Boy. You can check out the promotion here.

Also, Simpson fans might want to check out this article. I've had the opportunity to be a part of this.

i've said it before, but I'm a big fan of Michael Cera who played George Michael on Arrested Development. He has a new show on the internet that is worth checking out if you're an Arrested Develpment fan. Visit clarkandmichael.com.

Just in case you didn't see this Michael Cera video the last time I posted it, you should watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAV0sxwx9rY

His MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/mikecera

May 30 , 2007
I just put up a new logo in the work section. It's for Liberal Media, an off-shoot of Charlie Uniform Tango, in Dallas.

Over the weekend, Ingrid and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. We went on a trip to Minneapolis with Ingrid's parents to visit some family. It was really great to see everyone, especially Ingrid's grandma.

We are planning our vacation as we speak. The plan is to fly to Vegas for a few days, then drive to LA for a few more days of fun. Why don't you join us?

May 22 , 2007
I finally update the work page. I put up some of the stuff I've done in the past few months, as well as some old stuff that I took down a while ago. There are a few things that weren't actually produced, but I am proud of.

Last week Ingrid and I went out for a VERY nice meal for her birthday. We had steaks and a $75 bottle of wine. The next day we finished off the other $40 bucks worth of steak we weren't able to eat the first go around.

I am also taking a much needed break from freelance work. I'll probably be back in full swing by July, but until then, I'm gonna work on some personal projects. For starters, I made silhouettes of Ingrid and me for her for our anniversary. They will hang above our bed.

Next I'm going to start working on a project called Hey, Revolver. It's an idea that a couple friends had to write about 30 1-2 minute pop songs and record them in Garageband. The catch (well, besides the song lengths) is that we all live in different states, so each of us will record songs then send the files to each other to add other parts and instruments.

My third plan is to purchase some screen printing equipment and learn to print posters and shirts. I did a really sweet design for Cheyenne recently, but if they don't hurry up and use it, I'm gonna have to use it somewhere else.

I should go to bed.

April 30, 2007
I've been listening to a lot of Weezer lately. It started with the new Rivers Cuomo demo that was floating around the internet a few weeks ago. It was a very good song and brought back hopes that Weezer would finally record a record that is up to par with the Blue Album or Pinkerton (Pinkerton is my favorite).

Sometime around then, I decided to give some of their not as good records another chance. I started with Maladroit and guess what, I've been listening to it more than any of the others. You know Pinkerton didn't receive it's due respect until a few years after it's release, so maybe it is time for everyone to revisit the Green Album, Maladroit, and possibly Make Believe. We may be very surprised to find that they are gems waiting to be recognized.

While you're at it, you may want to revisit The Return of the Rentals and Seven More Minutes by the Rentals.

April 27, 2007
I'm going to go through my bookmarks and give you some of my current favorite designers.

National Forest — Their most recognizable work are the Urban Outfitters cagalogs, and eventhough I've been a fan of those catalogs for a long time, I wouldn't judge National Forest's portfolio on that work alone. I was fortunate enough to see some of thier art in a gallery last year and it made me like them even more.

Serial Cut — A friend sent me this link just a couple days ago, so I can't say I've been a fan for a long time, but the website for this Spanish design studio will has moved to the top of my list. Check out their work for Nike and WAD Magazine.

Damien Correll, Mike Perry and James Datz — Okay, I guess I'll get these guys out of the way in one swoop. All three are/were Art Directors at Urban Outfitters. I don't know if they still are or not. They all have similar styles and I'd say that if you like my work, you'll probably like theirs because I don't think it's that far removed. Check out all three sites.

Hort — Pretty much everything they do is cool. Enough said.

Yokoland — These guys from Norway have been getting a lot of press lately. Their work is largely collaged and very influenced by images from the 60's and 70's, but even more than their work, I like their ideas. You should Google Yokoland and read some interviews with them.

April 26, 2007
I'm not sure what was wrong with my site for the last couple days. I think it got hacked or someone who has my password accidentally moves some files around. Anyway, it's fixed now.

We had a good time last weekend with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. They were in town for a few days. I wish they were around more often. I always have fun with them.

I've felt sort of burned out design-wise for a month or two. I'd like to take a break from the computer for a couple months. My eye is hurting today and it has a blue haze over it. I'm sure staring at a computer for up to 16 hours a day isn't helping it. Hmm...

I've also started to consider getting a second dog. I don't know that we're ready for the extra responsibility yet, but I think Maggie could use a friend. I'd like to see her with another dog for a few days to see how she'd act.

Back to the burned-outedness (yeah, I just made up a word), I have been finding some inspriation lately. I visited the Modern Art Museum in Ft. Worth the other day. I organized my Safari Bookmarks and have been interested in looking at good design. I've really been wanting to work on something that is more personal work than for a client, some sort of art. I've been looking at buying some silk screening equipment and learning to make posters and shirts. If you have any advice about that stuff, let me know.

April 13, 2007
I know a lot of people have given up on "Lost," but you should give it another chance. It become really good again, minus the Paulo & Nikki episode a few weeks ago. That was quite possibly the worst episode ever.

Ingrid and I spent the weekend in the yard and I've got to say that our yard looks great! I've enjoyed my time away from the computer lately. It's good to get a break. But break's almost over.

April 13, 2007
I can't seem to update this more than every 4 months. My reason is mainly that I've just been swamped. So now that I've had a decent break from freelance, I figure it's time to catch up on the website. I promise I'm updating the portfolio very soon. I've actually got the images ready to upload. But before I do that, I've been contemplating a quick redesign. If I actaully accomplish that, I think I'll probably leave this site up because I think it's a great layout. I'm just ready for a change. Hopefully I don't get too busy before that all happens.

Ingrid and I bought a house in January and we added a dog to our family as well. Here are a couple pics to satisfy wanting eyes.



I tried to embed some YouTube videos on here recently, but I couln't get them to work. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I still want to share a little bit with you. I'll just do it in link format.

Impossible is the Opposite of Possible - This is a parody of a certain self-help video that can also be found on YouTube, but this one is intentionally funny. It stars one of my current favorite actors Michael Cera, who plays George Michael on the brilliant but cancelled tv show Arrested Development.

Well, that's all I can remember right now. More links to come, when my memory is better.

December 18, 2006
Here's a overview of the past four months at Norasound.
September
1. Visited NYC for the first time. I had been there before actually when I was in Ester Drang, but it was only for a few hours. Does that really count? I don't think so. This trip was great. We (Ingrid, Jeremy and me) were there for four days and stayed in Rockafeller Center. Highlights included attending mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, shopping at H&M, ferry ride near Statue of Liberty and under Brooklyn Bridge, and the Bodies Exhibit.

2. Turned 30 years old. Yes, I'm getting old and my metabolism is slowing down. I should get more excersise so I don't get fat.

3. Saw Sufjan Stevens play one of the best shows I've ever seen. I've heard about his previoius tours where they do cheers and stuff like that. Frankly, I'm glad that I never saw that show because I don't think I would have enjoyed it even a fraction of how I enjoyed this show. It was very moving. Highlights included seeing my good friend James wearing butterfly wings, The Predatory Wasp of the Palicades, John Wayne Gacy, Jr., and Majesty Snowbird.

October
I can't remember anything of note in October. I realized how much I didn't enjoy working for a certain client at my job.

November
Thanksgiving was a great extended weekend. We surprised my family with an overnight visit then spent the rest of the weekend in Arkansas with Ingrid's family. It's always good to spend time with our families. Not being able to see them has been the hardest thing to adjust to since moving to Dallas.

December
Well, so far December has been great. Ingrid and I went to Nashville to have an early Christmas with her family at her sister's house. I got Guitar Hero II and that's pretty much all that matters. :) Highlights included Robert's (a great honky tonk on Broadway. The band includes one of the best guitarists I've ever seen as well as a bass player who played for Johnny Cash for 10 years), the Country Music Hall of Fame, and hanging out with my brother-in-law.

December isn't over yet. I've been to a couple of great Christmas parties and next week is Christmas.. I'll be spending it in Oklahoma with my family and hopefully get to see some of my friends.

Okay, hopefully I won't wait four months to write again. But I make no promises. I'm about to have probably the busiest two months I've ever had with some of my freelance jobs and possibly buying a house. I should have a few new projects to put on the work page before too long though. So stay tuned.

August 25, 2006
"Pet Sounds IS the greatest album of all time and it has nothing to do with rock 'n' roll" - Mike Love

Thanks to Shane Spicer for pointing out the Beach Boys Pet Sounds podcast that is available on iTunes. If you know me at all, you know how much I love this record, and it is great to listen to the people who made it talk about it. It's been 40 years since it was first released, and they are releasing a special version soon. Jeremy sent me this link that is supposedly an early version of God Only Knows. I'm not convinced it is really the Beach Boys. You be the judge. You can read more about it here.

August 18, 2006
Welcome to the 21st Century! It is true. I finally own an iPod.

August 17, 2006
Today I started contemplating a resign of this website, something way simpler like the Norasound of yesteryear. We'll see. I've been working too much though. I'd like to slow it all down. I really want to devote some time to the Brainsnatcher and designing some t-shirts.

I'm going to NYC in a couple weeks. I've been there once before, but not as a tourist, so it doesn't really count. I played there on my last tour with Ester Drang, and I nearly had to drag those guys around to be able to do ANY sight seeing. Touring with that band could be a drag sometimes.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to my vacation. I'll be accompanied by my lovely wife Ingrid and our dear friend Curtis Jeremy Bartel. I'm turning 30 in a few weeks and this is my gift to myself. I origianlly planned to go to Disney World. Hopefully I won't regret my decision. I'll have fun regardless. If you have any suggestions of things to see/do while I'm there, feel free to email me. david@norasound.com

I read a pretty funny blog today, maybe you would enjoy checking it out. Steve Jobs Secret Blog

I kept thinking I did something fun that I wanted to post about. I realize a lot of you probably don't even know who the Rentals are, but to me the were a very cool band, for two reasons: they wrote very cool catchy pop songs like the hit "Friends of P" and the genius behind them is Matt Sharp formerly of Weezer (when they were good, ie. Blue Album and Pinkerton). Anyway, they played in Dallas the other night and I went to see them. I was a huge fan of Weezer and got to see them several years ago, before the Green Album came out. I was seriously as excited to see the Rentals as I was when I saw Weezer. It's been a REALLY long time since I've gone to a concert and not wished I would have just stayed at home. I had about given up on concerts all together.

August 5, 2006
I worked over 60 hours this week. I should be in bed.

http://www.theusversusjohnlennon.com

Also, visit the Brainsnatcher...if you dare. More to come soon.

August 4, 2006
Be afraid...be very afraid. BRAINSNATCHER.

July 18, 2006
I don't have much to write, but I want to let you know that I have begun to formulate ideas for the online version of the Brainsnatcher. There is page coming soon.

I am looking for a good screen printer to do a very limited run of t-shirts in the near future. If you know someone, let me know too. david@norasound.com

June 29, 2006
It really hasn't been a whole day since my last post—really just about one hour. But I forgot to mention a couple things before. By the way, I guess you noticed, I moved the blog back to the index page. Since I am no longer job hunting I don't need the work to be the first thing you see. Now I guess I should start writing on here more often...and make my posts more interesting.

What I forgot to mention in my last post was that I've added a lot of work to my portfolio. I added a some videos (check out the Midlake video), some illustrations for Oneighty, logos and some websites (I hate doing websites, so you probably shouldn't ask me to do one for you.)

I promised a long time ago that I would be releasing The Brainsnatcher #3, but I never did. My cohort and I more or less abandoned it mid flight. Since there were one or two good interviews (my favorite being Steven Battles faux-interview with musical genius/nutjob Brian Wilson), I decided to post an unfinished, unedited PDF version for you to read. So here it is, The Brainsnatcher. I have plans to start The Brainsnatcher website this year, but you've seen how my plans can turn out.

One last thing before I turn in for the night, Make & Do Creative finally has a website to call its own. That's right, Jeremy forked over the cash and I forked over the hours and the internet forked over the kilobytes. Check out all of our video, motion and film work at http://www.makeanddocreative.com.

June 28, 2006
Dallas is a great city. I really enjoy living here. I've been at my new job for almost a month now and I like it a lot. It is a lot different working for an ad agency than it was working inhouse for a ministry, and I think it is a great learning experience for me. My first project is in production, and although it's nothing amazingly creative, I'm pretty excited. If you see a bright green billboard, bus stop sign, or a sign on the side of a bus with two 7-11 hot dogs on it, that's probably my handywork. If you see it, take a picture and send it to me. I don't think they are going to be up in the Dallas area.

Ingrid has started nursing and taking great care of people. It's really funny when she tells me that she had to put someone on an IV or clean up someone's crap today, and I tell her things like, "I designed a bandana for a dog" or "I have to go to a meeting about potato chips tomorrow." Her job sounds so much more meaningful. But I'd rather design a billboard to sell hotdogs than clean up crap any day. :)

My family came down last weekend, but almost all of them got really sick and couldn't do much. We did manage to do a lot of shopping and visit the Dallas Arboritum, before my brother threw up in the parking lot of Zoo Music. Hopefully next time they come to visit we everyone will be well and we can visit Six Flags or something.

Listening to:
Jay-Z - The Blueprint
Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
The Walkmen - One Hundred Miles Off

May 29, 2006
As of yesterday, Ingrid and I have been married for one year! It's been a good year and a lot has gone on in the last few weeks. I left my job at WGM and have done a lot of freelance. Ingrid graduated from University of Arkansas and will soon start her first job as an RN. We had a great party to celebrate her 22nd birthday. And last but certainly not least, we moved to Dallas a couple days ago.

We're still unpacking boxes and setting things up. I'm getting pretty tired of unpacking. I just want to lay on the couch and watch tv for a while. I start my new job at TracyLocke a week from today! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I'll be an art director for their Pepsi account.

Check out the new Make & Do website. It's the portfolio for my friend, Jeremy Bartel and I've worked with him on a lot of the projects on there. We're putting the finishing touches on a video for the band Midlake. You'll be able to see it on there soon.

April 22, 2006
This is it...the final countdown. Four more days to go until I am unemployed. Don't you worry though, I've got plenty of work to keep me busy.

To tell the truth, I'd like to have a break from work. The past several months have been insane. I've put in weeks and weeks of working until 12 or 1 or 2 in the morning then getting up at 6:30am to get ready to drive to Tulsa for the day job. Here's where I'd like to say "What's up" to Sobe Adreniline Rush. TWO a day has kept me going.

I think it's safe to say that I could use a break. I don't see one any time very soon though. I haven't seen my wife enough lately. We've been going on walks about every evening before I start working. I really enjoy those walks because it gives us time to talk to each other with out any distractions like TV, MySpace, email or work. It's the best part of my day.

I think its also safe to say that I can add Pepsi-Cola to my list of clients since I spent 16 hours over the weekend working on something for them.

Listening to:
mewithoutyou - Catch For Us the Foxes
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown (I'm not ashamed of this.)

April 18, 2006
The long lull in updates hasn't been because I am just sitting around watching King of Queens all the time, although it has become a nightly routine to watch it while Ingrid and I eat dinner. The lull has been the result of being extremely busy. I have hardly had time to rest in the last few months. And the fruits of my labor are about to be ripe.

The Elevate conference held at my current job was a couple weeks ago, so I finally wrapped up all of that stuff. I had been working on stuff for Elevate, although not exclusively, since September. I had a good time working on all of that, but I'm glad to have it out of my hair.

Jeremy, Gary & I are about to wrap up the Midlake video we've been working on for a few months. I think it's turned out really cool, and I'll post it on here as soon as it is complete.

Ingrid graduates in just a few weeks and she has already secured her first job as an RN!! It is at a hospital in Arlington, TX, home of Six Flags Over Texas. She'll no dobt see some rollercoaster-related injuries.

It is looking like I'll start a new job in June at an advertising agency in downtown Dallas. I'm pretty excited about it. I will most likely be one of the art directors for a very well known cola company...not the one based in Atlanta. The details are being worked out as we speak.

I can't wait to get moving. It's still a month away, but I think it will go by very fast. I only have a week and a half left at Willie George Ministries. It's been a great job for the past 2.5 years. None of the work on this website would've been possible without the opportunity I was given there. Now it's time to move on to new things.

January 25 , 2006
Well, it's official. Ingrid and I are going to move to Dallas after she graduates in May. We're pretty excited about it. She's been looking for jobs in hospitals around Plano/Frisco and I've been job hunting on the internet. If you know of any good design firms in that area, let me know. I don't think I want to work for an advertising agency. I'm sure I'll find the perfect job. For the past 2 and a half years I've had the perfect job, but it's time for a change.

On another note, Ingrid pointed out that my Top 5 Albums of 2005 only contained 4 albums. So I'd like to add Brian Wilson - Smile. I don't know how I could forget that record. Pet Sounds being my favorite of all time, Brian Wilson's modern masterpiece should be at the top of my 2005 list.

Also, I've been listening to the Decemberists - Picaresque pretty heavily for the past few days. And as excited as I was about the release of the new Strokes record, I haven't listened to it very much. I think I burnt myself out on the Strokes with "Room On Fire." I listened to that pretty much non-stop for a year.

You may know that I've been in a few cool bands in the past. What you may not know is that my first band, the Van Burens was cool, but not very good. That has more to do with our amatuer musicianship than anything. Well, one of my good friends has taken it upon himself to record one of my songs from the Van Burens back catalog. It is called "Dreaming of You" and like most of my songs is about my lack of balls when it comes to talking to girls. You can hear the song on Steven's MySpace page, but since MySpace is blocked here at my work I'll post it here until I can find the link to Steven's page.

Steven Battles - Dreaming of You

January 09 , 2006
I am back from the holidays. I hope you all had a wonderful time. I did; it was a wonderful break. I got lots of nice things for Christmas and gave lots of nice things. It was great to spend a week doing practically nothing. I say practically because Ingrid and I did spend some time on the road visiting our families, and I did help my father-in-law and brother-in-law install an attic ladder. Last week I helped my dad hang some sheetrock. It wore me out, so I slept almost all day Saturday and a lot of Sunday.

Today Ingrid is sick. :(

I posted this list on my xanga, but I don't think anyone but my brother and Ingrid ever read that. So here are my top 5 albums of the past year, 2005:
Bright Eyes - Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
Sufjan Stevens - Illinios
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine (Jon Brion Version)

It's 2006, and it looks like it will be a year of big changes for Ingrid and me. Look out for that.

December 22 , 2005
Go check out Heavy Backpack if you're into design. They were nice enough to link Norasound yesterday.

If you're in Tulsa tomorrow night, December 23, go see Ester Drang at the world famous Cain's Ballroom. It should be a great show.

There's a high probability that I won't post on here again before Christmas, so Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

December 04 , 2005
I'd like to wish some people happy birthday.
Sherri Dupree of Eisley, December 2
Bryce Chambers of Ester Drang, December 3
Brian Brewer of Student Film formerly of Cheyenne, December 04

Also, if you made it this far, Unwed Sailor is playing in Tulsa this week and Ester Drang is playing here on December 23.

Ingrid and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary recently by attending a Hanson concert. She was happy to finally see them. And we were both surprised to run into Eisley at the show. Who knew they were such big fans.

November 13 , 2005
It's been a while since I've updated, but this is the biggest update in over a year...a redesign. I've added a ton of stuff to my portfolio and a resume. Soon I'll be adding a bunch of motion work that I've been a part of. I didn't actually animate it, but I'm learning After Effects slowly but surely. So I'll be animating in no time.

Listening to:
Tim Miser - Into Final Corners
Kanye West - Late Registration
Youth Group - Skeleton Jar

September 23, 2005
Here is the obligatory picture of Kurt Cobain and the top 50 records of all time. Now I'm just like every magazine that's ever been published. Jeremy, Brad, stop your whining.



Norasound's Top 50 Records
1. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys
2. OK Computer - Radiohead
3. Joshua Tree - U2
4. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco
5. Pinkerton - Weezer
6. The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips
7. Blue Album - Weezer
8. Something to Remember Me By - Ben Lee
9. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
10. Smile - Brian Wilson
11. Abbey Road - Beatles
12. Appetite for Destruction - Guns N Roses
13. Summerteeth - Wilco
14. Being There - Wilco
15. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
16. Harvest - Neil Young
17. Revolver - Beatles
18. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band - Beatles
19. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine
20. Bookends - Simon and Garfunkel
21. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
22. Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen
23. The Blueprint - Jay-Z
24. Hysteria - Def Leppard
25. Hope and Adams - Wheat
26. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
27. Unforgettable Fire - U2
28. (What's the Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis
29. Nevermind - Nirvana
30. Room On Fire - The Strokes
31. The Man Who - Travis
32. Do You Know Who You Are - Texas Is the Reason
33. Straight Outa Compton - N.W.A.
34. Sea Change - Beck
35. Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi
36. Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan
37. Whole Ep - Pedro the Lion
38. Eight Hours Away From Being a Man - Roadside Monument
39. I Am the Day of Current Taste - Roadside Monument
40. Mercury - The Prayer Chain
41. Louder Than Bombs - The Smiths
42. Diary - Sunny Day Real Estate
43. Goldenwest - Ester Drang
44. Check Your Head - Beastie Boys
45. License to Ill - Beastie Boys
46. Ill Communication - Beastie Boys
47. 13 Songs - Fugazi
48. Transatlanticism - Death Cab For Cutie
49. The Last Broadcast - Doves
50. Viva Hate - Morrissey

September 11, 2005
God, I've become domesticated. In the past month, I've turned 29, bought a weed eater and acquired a lawn mower and a grill. But that's not the scarey part. I actually enjoy using these things.

I grew up with severe hay fever and a dad who was anal about how his yard looked, so I rarely had to mow the yard. On the rare occasion that I did have to mow, I didn't enjoy it. Thus I have always swore to Ingrid that she'd be the one to mow unless she'd let me pay someone to do it for us.

Our new place has a yard, and it's the first time I've had a yard in years, at least 2, but even then I wasn't responsible for it. So more like never. Anyway, I had to do some weedeating the other day, and I enjoyed it. So today I had my dad bring me his extra lawn mower and I mowed our yard. I'll have to get to the weedeating tomorrow night because it got too dark. My parent's also bought me a grill for my birthday, so I fixed hamburgers tonight.

It was kind of nice to be able to do something constructive that didn't involve design. On top of all the lawn and grilling stuff, my brother and I managed to spend a couple hours at the skatepark here in Siloam, and we also watched Jurassic Park and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. I've been working too hard the last couple weeks. This weekend was a nice break.

Listening to:
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
Kanye West - Late Registration

Reading:
Thumbsucker by Walter Kirn

September 5, 2005
So I turn 29 in a few days. I'm not really looking forward to turning 30. I always said I hoped to be married by that time, and I've got that under my belt! So that's good.

August 12, 2005
I've been trying to phase out webdesign from my list of qualifications, but I just keep doing them. Right now I am working on two, one for my brother-in-law's band and one for a youth group in Wisconsin. So far they're looking pretty good. I'll let you know when they're finished.

I'll soon have pictures posted of some of large scale work I've done lately at Oneighty. As well as clips from some car commercials I worked on.

Ingrid and I are moving to Siloam Springs, AR this weekend. She starts to school in a little over a week, so we have to move closer to that. The good thing is that we're going to get internet at home again. Hopefully that'll mean more updates here.

July 25 , 2005
I guess I forgot to leave a link for my MySpace page. So there it is. And for anyone who was a visitor to norasound when it was a blogging forum for a select group of my friends will remember the always controversial and always entertaining Steven Battles. He's resumed blogging on his MySpace page.

While I'm at it, I should let you know that all of the former bloggers are on MySpace: Ingrid, Jeremy, and Sam.

July 21 , 2005
You can check out my page on MySpace if you want. There's not really much on there, but you can see who I'm friends with and a few pictures of me.

Also, you can look at some lo-res videos of some motion work I've been involved with.
The Microphone Sessions opener
Roots opener
Make and Do new media reel