Munky interview!

Munky is a member of this site called PinkBike.com. He is pretty awesome and interesting. His real name is Eric, but that's not quite important. Read this interview I did with him!

Let’s start things off by asking how are you?
I's good.
So, why are you so funky? Mostly because it sounds more elegant than “really weird” and conveniently rhymes with Munky.

What are a few random facts about you?
Whenever I read something in my head, I read it as the voice of Morgan Freeman. This makes my life very soothing and relaxing. Seriously, try it now. Read the rest of the interview in Morgan Freeman’s voice. It will also make me sound very wise and educated.

Whenever somebody describes something as being “Sweet-ass” I move the – one word to the right for personal amusement. Example: “sweet-ass bike” becomes “sweet ass-bike”

You ride bikes, what kind of bike do you have?
Yes, common misconception. I in fact DO ride bikes. I have a 2003 Norco Crr one, 2002 Kona Firemountain, and a 2004 bighit. I just got a new camera actually, so I'm more than happy to attach pictures.


How did you get into bikes?
I don’t really know. I used to bike to school everyday, then I got a better bike and just rode it a lot. This was the firemountain, eventually I saved up for 2 years got a bigger bike to do DH and free ridding. I inherited the crr one from my dad, who decided he was too old and needed a 3 chainring road bike.


What are your hobbies?
I make custom knives. I've actually been meaning to make a small lightweight woods knife for bikers. Just a throw in the pack and forget about it type thing. We shall see.

What’s one thing you would like to change about the world, and why?
I would give everybody bullshit detectors.

What are some band’s you are currently into?
Morphine, Elbow, Passion Pit, Bon iver, blitzen trapper, Elliot Smith, Islands

What do you like to eat for breakfast?
BACON! If they had instant bacon it would be the death of me. They do have precooked bacon for dogs, though unfortunately it doesn’t taste good. At all. It's awful. Don’t try it thinking you’re a genius for discovering the holy grail of awesome, because you didn’t.

What I usually have is a poached egg on toast. Or rather 3 poached eggs on 2 pieces of toast for the perfect egg to toast ratio. I got this sweet ass-toaster that poaches eggs while toasting bread. Very cleaver thing. Almost makes up for mankind’s lack of human precooked bacon.

If you could travel to any part of the world, where would you go and why?
Southeast Asia, South America and the Middle East. There’s just something I find not particularly appealing about traveling around Europe. It just seems like it would be more fun to visit a completely different culture, rather than one we're based on.
Who is your favourite member on Pinkbike.com?
Ryan Hill aka- Ito. In contrast to most of Pinkbike, he always has very well thought out, well written posts that are full of wisdom if you pay attention to them. In general he's just done some really cool stuff I admire.

How would you characterize yourself?
I really have no idea what that means. If I were writing a book with myself in it, I would be a sort of Bruce Willis in die hard type. Manly, badass, and wise cracking.

What did you think when I agreed to do an interview with you?
I couldn’t help but think these things were usually suppose to be the other way around.
How did your homemade screen projector turn out?
The following was all especially disconcerting to me considering I lost the instructions and had to wire it without them, so I had no idea what to expect. The kind of bulb I used needs to strike up at 5000 volts. So as the ballast is loading up to fire the first jolt to start the arc it makes a makes a vvvvrrmmmmmmPOW! Then starts very dim and purply until it warms up. I was sure I did something wrong, because I didn’t see any light at first and it was vibrating unexpectedly.

Other than that, it still impresses the hell out of me every time I turn it on and it actually works. Though the prices of commercial projectors has come down quite a bit recently, I’m still quite proud of it despite the fact that you could buy one with similar capabilities for about 120$ more.

What’s in your pockets?
Wallet containing 60 dollars and change, peanut lighter for setting annoying people on fire, keychain light (Fenix E01), pocket knife (spyderco Delica 4), Cell phone with a broken microphone because it went threw the washing machine, and my hand. Sometimes a leather man wave, and often a different knife.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?
I have yet to come up with a good answer for that. One of the most annoying job interview questions in existence. Only supposed by “what is your biggest weakness” which I can’t help but answer “I have several”. So yeah, not answering that unless you want the smart ass “Well, its Saturday, so laying on the couch having my children fetch me beer”

What is 1 thing you would like to accomplish before you die?
Eat a bacon wrapped pickle. I just got a craving for one for some reason despite never having heard of their existence before. I think I'm pregnant.

What would be a dream job for you?
Well, I'm working towards being a paramedic at the moment. So hopefully that, while somehow making more than 18 dollars an hour would be cool.

Thanks, Ryan!

Lindsey Byrnes Interview!

Lindsey Byrnes is a great photographer, and she recently agreed to do a interview with me, and well, here it is!

Let’s start things off here by asking how are you?

How am I? Good question, I actually love that one, because although there are so many ways to answer that, 9 times out of 10 I simply reply with I’m really good! But I am actually doing great, Thank you for asking!

How did you get into photography?

I was working at High Speed Productions, Inc. in San Francisco and started shooting a lot of photos to document events that I was in charge of or trips that I took. So I would have something to show my bosses.

What was your first ‘good’ camera?

My first good camera was a Yoshica T4 Point and shoot. That camera is amazing, I love it and still use it all the time.

What is your main camera you use, currently?

I like to mix it up A LOT. It really depends on what I am shooting, where I’m going and how long I will be there that dictates what I want to use. I use Nikon SLRs , D70, D700, F100 I love Nikon although if money was not a factor I would have both Nikon and Canon.

Which do you prefer, film or digital and why?

I prefer film for some things and digital for others. I love film for so many reasons, the main one being the anticipation and delight I get from waiting to develop a roll. I have not been able to replicate film exactly when shooting digital but then again I haven’t been able to replicate digital with film…

What was it like getting your first photo in a magazine?

This is going to sound weird, but I don’t actually remember the first photo that I got in a magazine. But I am sure that I felt the way it always feels, f-ing amazing! I love to see images that I shot in print form. It’s such an honour for an editor to choose my photographs or assign me to a job. I love magazines and contributing to magazines is so satisfying. I feel fortunate that I have been published. There are a lot of really talented artists out there that may never get that chance. I really just LOVE it and am thankful!

What style of photography do you enjoy most? Street, portrait, concert, action, etc?

I think I gravitate towards documentary style photography. I love capturing moments, real, candid, beautiful moments. Weddings are amazing for that, so are concerts and tours.

Who is your favourite photographer?

I have so many photographers that I look up to and admire: I look up to all photographers, there are so many! Of course Annie Lebowitz, Terry Richardson, David LaChapelle, and Floria Sigismondi are just amazing. Ryan Russell, Piper Ferguson, Autumn DeWilde, Luke Ogden, Tobin Yelland, Joe Brook the list goes on and on and on and ...

What is your favourite photo that you did not shoot? And what is your favourite photo that you did shoot?

I’m not very good at picking favourites.

If you did not shoot photos, what would you do instead?

If I didn’t shoot photos I would probably be working in a travelling circus as a lion tamer.

What is your favourite lens to use?

I really love my 85mm 1.8

Outside of photography, what do you enjoy doing?

HA! that’s a broad question I enjoy all sorts of things surfing, music, watching movies, eating…

How did you become like, Tegan and Sara’s ‘main’ photographer?

Am I? That is a great title!

You also shot photos for 2 books in the series of books of they are doing, what was that like?

It was great! I was on tour with Tegan and Sara in the US and in Australia and have no complaints, I mean honestly I’m so lucky. When the ideas of the books came up and they asked me to work with them I was beyond excited. I was photo editing another book at that time (Off the Wall, Stories of Sole from Vans Originals) and I was really itching to get out and shoot more myself. Being out on the road is work but it’s so much fun that I don’t notice any of the other stuff.

Also, is there anything that you can ‘spill’ about these books that most people may not know already?

We are packaging all three books together. The third book is going to be different then the others, you will get to see the bands perspective through words and photographs

Any advice for people wanting to pursue photography further, or people just getting into photography?

Keep shooting!!!

Anyone you want to thank?

This is another list that would go on for days just to name a few: Tegan, Sara, my parents, Kerri Borsuk, Luke Ogden, Erin Dyer, Ryan Henry, Fausto Vitello, there’s more but I will stop there for now.

Thank you for being interested!

Thanks,

Ryan Rose!

Visit her site here!
Follow her Twitter here!

Char2d2 Interview

Char2d2 is a musician here, in Vancouver and is great! I recently got the chance to interview her and here it is!

Lets start things off, by asking how are you?

--Ryan, my dear, I am well, thank you. It's a rainy, spring evening and the wind and rain are blowing into my apartment through the cracked open window. I don't mind...it feels warm...summer is near. Plus, it masks the tears running down my face because of the Canucks horrible loss to the hawks tonight.

So you recently recorded your EP with Tegan Quin, what was that like?

--Yes, my debut EP titled "small vampires EP" was recorded with/produced by Tegan Rain Quin. It was an overall excellent experience and we hope to work together on the full length album in the near future.

What was it like...well, over the course of 3 days, we arrived at the studio at 10am, unless it was a day that I misunderstood the time, in which case I arrived at 10:30am, we followed well organized binders that Tegan fabricated...these were holding our tasks and secrets that we must remember...we recorded tracks...ate falafels or sandwiches, drank Red Bull, recorded more tracks, had stolen bikes offered to me, drank Red Bull, recorded vocals while wearing a leopard print rug, grew wings, realized Red Bull makes me crazy, got Tegan another Red Bull, then listened to all the tracks for 2 days and adjusted levels (aka mixing). It was a well-organized, 5 day, quick session of incredibleness.

What were some of the challenges you faced while recording it?

--There weren't too many challenges. As I mentioned, Tegan's binders helped us to stay on track and to be efficient with a short amount of time. It was hard on my friends because I disappeared for 2 weeks, during pre-production, while I was rehearsing/preparing to record. But all went very smoothly.

When is it expected to be released?

--I should have copies in my hand in one month. The end of May, or first week of June. I'll keep you informed of the exact date.

Photo by Lindsey Byrnes.

What are some challenges you may face as a ‘new artist’?

--One thing that I like to do is to leave a personal comment on each of my new myspace friends' pages. Suddenly I got a few hundred new myspace friends all at once so it's been a challenge to leave them all a personal message. I'm getting there. I only have about another 200 messages to leave...ha! But I love it. I love my new friends/fans...they're lovely. I find it hard to complain about anything related to music and playing or making music. I feel very grateful to get to do this.

Who are your musical influences?

--I grew up listening to Johnny Cash, Abba, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Roger Whittaker (a pan flute player)...my parents loved this kind of music. But I was from a strict home and wasn't allowed to listen to the radio until I was 12 years old. So, when I was 10 years old, I saved up my allowance, told my mom that I was going to buy new My Little Ponies with it, but instead, I bought a tiny, battery-run radio that I slipped underneath my pillowcase. I fell asleep listening to the radio every night. This was when the radio was great...it was people like Bjork, R.E.M., Joy Division, U2, the Cure, etc. And I loved it. This music affected me. It was so precious. Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Radiohead, the National, Iron & Wine, Cat Power, Antony & the Johnsons, and Lykke Li.

What got you into music and wanted to continue with it and progress and start to record?

--I always wanted to sing. My mom says that I sang before I spoke. I was a very shy child and so this was only my secret dream. In my early 20's I started playing guitar...my guitar teacher encouraged me to sing and then insisted that I needed to pursue music as my career. I went to school, obtained my Bachelor of Music degree and formed a band. I've always loved music. My latest, solo project was put into motion when Tegan offered to produce it. I asked her if she was serious and if so, let's do it! She was serious...we did it.

What kind of things do you enjoy outside of music?

--I like to read, write, sew, run, walk, talk about time travel & past lives, watch indie films, go to Paris, communicate with my heart that I left in Paris, drink good coffee, watch roller derby, watch hockey with my friends. And I love yam fries.

How do you think social media sites(Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, etc), and the rest of the internet help new artists with getting more known?

--These sites are great. They help friends and/or virtual friends communicate and share their lives with each other. Music is a large part of many people’s lives so they share this with their friends. I am so grateful to my friends online, who have shared my music with their friends and are helping to spread the char2d2 love around.

What inspires you to make music?

--I get this feeling that I know I'm going to write. It's sort of a tingly feeling and I can physically feel that something is coming. Then, I write and it's a bit like tapping into something that is just slightly beyond reach...I feel like a messenger sometimes. But life inspires me... and love inspires me greatly. Or heartache. All good times to make music.

If you were not making music, what do you think you would be doing instead?

--Adopting fancy babies from foreign countries.

When you played your first ever show, were you nervous and what kind of fears came with playing your first show and how did you overcome them?

--I was very nervous and still get quite nervous. But it's a feeling that I enjoy...it's like butterflies when you're newly in love and your love walks into the room and catches your eye. *butterflies* I love it. My biggest fear is forgetting my words. I do this often, but I've learned to learn my words better, or to make up new words in the forgotten words place so that nobody knows. And before each show I cast a spell over the audience so that if I forget the words badly, they still love me and throw their panties, roses and yam fries at me. Okay, that last part doesn't always happen. Okay, it hasn't happened yet, but I'm still perfecting the spell.

If you could tour with any band, who would it be and why?

--I would love to tour with Tegan & Sara. I have great respect for them as people, musicians and their work ethics. It would be great to tour with any band composed of great, fun, talented people.

What do you hope people will take away with them when they hear your music or see your live show?

--I would hope for them to feel inspired, and/or feel happy/peaceful even through the sad parts.

What are some bands you think people should check out?

--Non-Girly Stuff For Girls...Parisienne hotties...www.myspace.com/nongirlystuffforgirls

Fighter/Lover from Toronto...lovely boys...www.myspace.com/fightorlove

The Wintermitts...local Vancouver darlings...www.myspace.com/wintermittsmusic

Anyone you want to thank?

--My mom, dad, Jesus, Buddha, cheap flats in Vancouver's downtown Eastside, Tegan, Soizic, Cameron, Ashley...everyone who puts up with my non-crazy/craziness on a daily basis.

Any last words?

Peace out, homie, my dear. xo

Thanks,

Ryan!

No, thank YOU, my dear.

You can check out Char2d2 here!