Dismount Shishmount

I admit. I'm guilty of it. Not dismounting on certain pedestrian paths. To be fair, I very, very rarely ride on the sidewalk (when I do, I half dismount and coast on one leg and absolutely keep my distance). But for these short connections between bike paths and roads, it's easier to just quickly pedal by. Unless of course, you encounter one of these people...

Groundation

I always look forward to that annual appearance of Groundation on the East Cost. One our favorite reggae bands, my roommate Andy and I have seen them a good handful of times. Rich grooves, powerful lyrics and a refusal to sell out make them top on my list.

Check out some videos from last year when we saw them at Sullivan Hall as well.

The Beginning of the New

1st and 2nd Avenue are finally stepping into line with what ought to be standard for every avenue. Here is a preview of what 1st Ave will look like north of 72nd.

Personally, I'd rather hug the curb and float the parking, like what was just completed on 1st Avenue between Houston and 34th St (click here for video of my ride). There are several schemes for the 5+ miles stretch of 1st and 2nd that include both bike and new BRT lanes, as can be seen in the DOT plans.

Fiona & Punch

If you don't know already, I am obsessed with Fiona Apple. I mean, come on, her voice friggin melts you. It kills me she only has 3 albums.

I also happen to be a huge fan of the Punch Brothers. They are so versatile and complex, and blow my mind every time I see them (see plethora of clips on my YouTube channel).***

I saw Nickel Creek (Chris Thile's previous band) play with Fiona back in '07, and it made perfect sense, even as unique as the arrangements were (Fiona just sang and NC did backups and instrumentals). Now, three years later, Fiona has emerged from her painstakingly long slumber to produce but 1 lonely single, backed up by, that's right, the Punch Brothers. JIMP.

Click here for the article and song

***I would like to mention that a 2nd of my Punch Brothers YouTube videos has just reached 10,000 views. It is their Radiohead cover of Faust Arp. It occurred during the first ever P-Bingo night.

Shenandoah 4th of July #2

Year #2 for the Shenandoah 4th of July with 4 returning and 4 new. We camped at Andrea's on the river again. We hiked a steep Overall Run. We ate. We drank. We had adventures. You get the point.

Click here for more photos

And check out our ride back down Skyline Drive after our adventurous hike...

Truck Farm

I was riding down 2nd Ave this morning when I saw a familiar sight. It was the famous Truck Farm in action, the peculiar yet spectacular little mobile CSA, spreading leafy goodness all over town...

Truck Farm on 2nd Avenue

I took the video with my brand new GoPro Hero HD wide-angle digital helmet cam. Considering this was literally the first time using it, I'd have to say it worked out pretty well. Check out other sick videos by various extreme users...

GoPro Hero

Note: For more (and only) biking related posts, visit Brock's Bike Blog.

Vogue Party

This is late night Atlanta, people. When everything else shuts down, head to the Metro Cafe Diner. It's so much more than you could possibly expect.

Just don't order any food.

Ann Coulter Vogue Party

Ambulance Jam

This is a perfect (and scary) example of why all Manhattan Avenues should have dedicated emergency vehicle lanes (that double as bicycle lanes).  Who cares if the rest of the traffic is jammed? Let traffic volume economics figure itself out, but don't prevent helpless people from getting the help they need.

Ambulance Stuck in Traffic

If I had a dollar for every time I sped past an Ambulance suck in traffic going down 2nd Ave...I could actually buy a better bike.

Note: For more (and only) biking related posts, visit Brock's Bike Blog.

Unlikely Favorite

This past week I had my first YouTube video post reach 10,000 views.

If I've ever gotten into a conversation with you about live music, I probably mentioned the Punch Brothers and their semi-regular "P-Bingo night" which has occurred a handful of times at the Living Room in the LES in NYC. I've gone to all but one (I think), and I usually try to sneak a couple videos in each time (technically they don't allow it, but I think both PB and the LR would agree it's done nothing but promote them both, and for free). Anyway, out of the dozens of videos I've posted, the first to reach 10,000 views was...their Bach cover?!?! I mean, don't get me wrong, it's amazing...

Feel free to subscribe to my channel, you'll get an e-mail any time I post a video (most of them are shows).

P-Bingo!

The Punch Brothers have a semi-regular appearance at the Living Room in the LES at which they perform what they refer to as P-Bingo night. This particular one (#6) was special because it featured Sean and Sara Watkins of the former Nickel Creek.

Some regular fellow fans created the P-Bingo game, in which songs or covers are placed into squares and marked off accordingly during the show. This is the card of the first ever winner.

P-Bingo videos from this and other shows can be found on my YouTube channel.

Mixxtape in Manhattan

E-Hilz's new band, the Mixxtape: I finally got to see them at the Bowery Poetry Club.

Checkout my YouTube channel for some Mixxtape vids from various shows.