Showing posts with label Music and films. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music and films. Show all posts

Tuesday, 5 August 2014

Public Service Broadcasting- Full Preformance (Live on KEXP)

A favourite new band on mine is Public Service Broadcasting  (PSB)
I came across them 2 years ago when they released a mini EP  `The War Room`



I have already posted these videos of some of the tracks from the EP

Spitfire;


And London can take it;



I then bought all their other releases, here are Three great tracks which combine their music with dialoge and film which brings together a unique combination...








Fatbike Friend John gave me a heads up on this link posted on youtube,  crank up the volume!

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Bike Packing...

For non cycling readers you may wonder what `Bike Packing` is,
Well it is a type of off road touring where soft luggage is used mounted close to the bicycles centre of gravity with the heaviest items like stove and food usually in a central frame bag, while a sleeping bag is often bar mounted in a compression strap bar mounted carrier, and a choice for sleeping - a tent, bivvy, tarp, or hammock is usually stored in an under seat bag which is designed to compress around the luggage
and hold it stable.
The whole set up allows for a reasonable ride able bike off road...
This film by UK based outdoor company Alpkit is a good example of bike packing...





Add a pack raft and in the right country a real adventure can be had...




And this 2 years ago...



My choice for my next wee trip backpacking  is my Mk1 Pugsley 29+ KramPug with it`s higher top tube giving a bigger bag.
The Pugsley fits me like a glove , it all combines to a bike i can ride for hours and not get sore or stiff,

Sorting my Surly KramPug 29+  last night this week for a future solo coast to coast ride soon...



I am riding the 29+ KramPug for the sheer reason of so much fun to ride off road,
fun to ride indeed, and as it is real comfortable. It rolls like mad and does not stall and stutter on rough hardcore tracks,
While the 29+  set up of 3" tyres on 50mm rims will provide a happy medium of `float` on peat moors and comfort on the rough tracks my C2C route follows...
Frame bag is the 6 year old frame bag manufactured by Eric Parson, of  the original frame bag by `Epic Designs`  which was -renamed `Revelate` after a threatened law sue by Specialised.. You want to know why many cycling folks don`t like the big `S` name in cycling? this is one of mine...

The frame bag has been well used for local day rides carrying a jacket food and food. It was used to good effect back in 2010 when i cycled the Kyntyre Way which had then recently opened. I was the first to publish cycling the route on line on Here on a blog post.  Then i used a home made handlebar harness and seat bag for the ride, but it worked as in the blog post you can watch this film...



Seat bag and bar bag are by UK based Alpkit


Got to swap out the flat pedals for SPD TIME and fit the orange leather Brooks B17  and it is near as ready to go...

Tinkering in the kitchen tonight as the rain bounced off the window i listened to favourite music, and cannot believe this album is now 10 years old , loved the video back then, so i looked it up on youtube along with 2 other tracks from the first album by Kasabian. Used these on bike films a  while back..

Club Foot;





Reason Is Treason;





Processed beats;

Tuesday, 20 August 2013

Sun, Wind, Sea, Sand, Surly Pugsley, -:)



The endless summer of 2013...
I will never forget this summer, and the miles and miles i have cycled under big skies with amazing cloud formations. From the coast and it`s ever changing tide line and moving sands, to trails through green and colourful woodland full of lots of small flowers, and now into late summer the golden harvest views across East Lothian.
It will go down in memory like the coldest winter of 2010/11 when i cycled through a winter wonderland when we were locked in Artic conditions of 18C, never forget that too...

Err lets try and forget about the wettest ever summer last year in 2012!.

Still many more great summer days to go yet, and hopefully we will get a great Autumn too.
On Sunday morning i rode the Surly Pugsley to a very windy coast and did some filming before the coast got busy with day visitors...




Hawthorn hedges are being cut by farmers as they wait for the main harvest to ripen...


Make sure you have some Stans Juice in your fatbike tubes!...



Very windy today, whips up some waves along the coast though...


So, a look in at "The Fortress of Solitude" Where is that?

-:)

Song is "Buckie High" by Boards of Canada
click on the cog icon to view in HD



Along to Gullane before home, and the coast was getting busier with visitors enjoying what is an amazing part of coast...





The `other` Pugsley;
The Surly KramPug got some gears tonight, friend Colin swapped the hubs over from the Karate Monkey which will be single speed now.  More on this soon.

The faster fun begins... -:)








Friday, 5 July 2013

Friday Night at the Movies...

Some short films i have has saved as favourites ...

Motorcycles...
I still love off road motorcycles... and American Flat Track Racing is still as amazing to watch today as when America`s first motorcycle sport was in its hay day in the early 1970s as captured on Bruce Browns iconic film `On Any Sunday` which was 40 years old in 2011...




Today Flat Track Racing is still alive and kicking, safety measures are of course evident but it is still the same, raw and naked bikes with all they need on them doing 130 mph on the straights of the same famous 1 mile dirt ovals , tucked in with one handed on the folk leg for aerodynamics and then stuffing it sideways at 100mph into the corners with a steel shoe on the ground. Awesome riding... and amazing camera work...
AMA Pro Flat Track 2010 Highlights from TheFastandDirty.com on Vimeo.


Projects and future ideas...
I want to build a Rat Rod theme Pugsley next. A fat bike that combines all my other interests of bicycles on a fat bike - Big sprung Brooks saddle, Klunker inspired vintage MX handle bars,  bare essentials like an internal hub gear with coaster brake etc..
I have influences by the coast and the rusted man made steel objects left decaying like fishing boat winches, Boat Moorings, lobster creels etc...
This Pug will look like its been washed on on the shore, there will be a Patina steel finish and some old rope found on the coast wound on the frame and other stuff used on this project that will become my winter commuter, shopping and pub bike - come Klunker... i already have most stuff and just need a donor Pug frame...

Whats a Rat Rod?

Jeremy's '48 Chevy Rat Rod from Knucklehead Garage on Vimeo.


Bicycles...
Scotland cycling legend Danny Macaskill`s famous film `Inspired Bicycles` now has nearly 33 million views on Youtube!. If you have not seen this film that was shot just up the road in Edinburgh then here it is. An amazing bit of bicycle riding and film making...




Danny has just released a new film - Imaginate.  It already has nearly 4 million views... the guy is a legend...




Music...
One of my favourite new bands... PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING

`New Dimensions in Sound`





From the new BOARDS OF CANADA album TOMORROWS HARVEST

`New Seeds`




Have a fun weekend...

Friday, 8 March 2013

EVEREST - PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING

It was a mountain no one had still climbed until an Englishman from New Zealand called Hillary and a Nepalase called Tenzing stood on its summit of  29,029ft   (8,848 meters)  on the 26th May 1953...


A cool video by the Band `PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE` of their track `EVEREST`...

Saturday, 16 February 2013

Thursday, 7 February 2013

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING - SPITFIRE

I got a msg on facebook the other evening from a mate that the band
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING  are playing in Edinburgh on 7th May at the Caves.
I love this band and will be heading up for a night in Edinburgh to see them...

Their album `THE WAR ROOM` is ace and worth checking out...


Here is probably their signature tune and video.
I am partial to a bit of Spitfire film on youtube -:)

Footage is from `First of a Few` (1942 )film. The story of R.J Mitchell and his creation.
The Spitfire is probably one of the most impressive feats of British engineering, something that was ahead of its time, helped change the tide of WW2 and must have been the dreams of many young men to fly in one...
We now know today of the fear and adrenaline these you men - some really just boys experienced in air to air combat in a war that will never be experienced again in warfare..
What they did  turned the tide of WW2  as against the odds with the help of the Observer Corps and Radar Stations they stopped an enemy which marched across Europe and the world watched at this unstoppable regime.. until they faced up to a prepared RAF who would defend the skies over Britain and in course change the outcome of WW2...
As popular today in the public hearts when they display at airshows as when they protected the airspace over Britain.

Spitfires over East Lothian
It was here in East Lothian that the Supermarine Spitfire first fired its guns in anger when offshore of Port Seaton on 16th October 1939 when Spitfires of 602 and 603 Squadrons were scrambled from Drem and Turnhouse (Edinburgh) against 12 Junkers 88 bombers attempting to bomb the Royal Navy.
603 got the first kill off of Port Seaton, then 602 10 minutes later, the first enemy planes shot down over Britain since WW1.
There is work in progress to erect a memorial to this event in memory to the Spitfire Pilots, the German crews, and the fishermen from Port Seaton who rescued the downed German airmen...


This music video captures that Spitfire magic pretty well...

Saturday, 12 January 2013

Symmetry

Very clever film on Vimeo...

Symmetry from Everynone on Vimeo.

Monday, 12 November 2012

Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Yosemite HD

Watching the recent news of Hurricane Sandy over on the East Coast of America causing destruction it is no question of who is in charge is mother nature...
Maybe this lovely film i found on Vimeo can show the other amazing side of the nature of our planet...

Yosemite HD from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

Thursday, 23 August 2012

Edinburgh Festival fringe...



Visiting Dad in Hospital in Edinburgh  the city centre has been buzzing with the Festival fringe, the worlds largest arts festival...

Last night after seeing dad, along with Big Bro and O...

I went  to the Traverse Theatre...


To see Mark Thomas preform  his latest preformance `BRAVO FIGARO!`
A sell out show that already has won two awards...


I have already blogged about Mark a few years back,
Along with Nick Crane`s  excellent series Map Man... ,
and Al Murray`s  Road to Berlin..
Mark Thomas`s CH4 series `Secret Map of Britain` is one my favourite UK TV series.
I blogged links to the excellent series on Youtube...

BRAVO FIGARO!
This preformance was an intense hour of stand up comedy mixed with an emotional story of Mark`s father`s life..


 An amazing show...
We all have a father, or through life a father figure which i think is how everyone can relate to Marks story and feelings, there is a interview here with Mark on  the BBC Culture show...
Go see BRAVO FIGARO!  over the next few months as Mark preforms around the UK; Show dates

Walking to the train i had fireworks from the Tattoo at the Castle Esplanade...





Return to the Toon...

Back in `Auld Reekie` tonight and using the park & ride i cycled into the Meadows  to drop off a rim and hub for building for the Salsa Fargo build soon.
I took a cycle about for an hour soaking up the festival vibe, scenery, and exhaust fumes, and got a  few pics around town...

Stick the kettle and pour a brew as quite a few pics...

People watching...

No jelly donoughts for him!...

Muddy Fox Courier, back in the city where it belongs...

If your Scottish and  don`t know who This dog  is then shame on you, as this is one of the many famous stories of Edinburgh...


Victoria Street...

Bought a few old maps here over the years...

Took a pic of an old kids tricycle in a shop window and by accident took a pic of my bike too in the reflection, which turned out quite cool...

Grass market, like back in Holland with the street cafes...

If your names not down you ain`t coming in...

Grass Market...

Queens Scots Greys Monument, Princess street...

Green City...

The Gardens...

Street Art...

The old  `Disgrace of Edinburgh`...

And new `Disgrace of Edinburgh`...

`Sunshine on Leith`...

 .Pentland Hills to the south...

Princess street and The Castle...


You may recognise this from the start of a famous cult Scottish Film...-:)

Royal Mile...








Heading south for the car and home...