Go-Kustom

New Little Power Generator

2012-01-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

Just got this in from Fingerhut- a smaller 2 Stroke Power Generator by All Power. The last one I had was behemoth and not appropriate for our Vendor Booths at Car Shows. It was too big and too noisy. So I sold it (at a $200 loss) and got this little one. This guy is 1000 Watts (800 continuous). Should be ample for running a few DVD players and monitors so people can preview my films before they buy them at the Car Shows. The Car Shows have become one of my best way to promote my films, much more so than print advertising. I like talking to people about what Go-Kustom is working on, etc. Makes me feel connected to our audience. These generators are also prime for filming outdoors. This one should be able to run lights and charge camera batteries at the same time. I have a power inverter for my van that I also use on locations. In most cases, and when trying to run big lights off a power inverter, we would continually blow fuses (that was in my older GMC Van during Hot Rod Girls Save The World). Of course the biggest problem with these portable power generators is the noise they create on set. However, if you use a very long chord and place the generator behind sound barriers (i.e. parked cars, piles of wood, etc. and away from sound reflecting walls, the sound increase is minimal). P.S. After gassing it up with 40:! mixed it started on the third pull. So far so good.

Snow Is Almost Gone

2012-01-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Well the last bits of snow are finally melting. This was a big storm by Seattle measures.

Four Season Pin-Up Calendar Shoot (Even More Pics)

2012-01-23T21:36:00.000-08:00

These behind the scenes pics from last Sundays shoot for Rats & Gassers were taken by Cameron Harris.

Four Season Pin-Up Calendar Shoot (And More Pics)

2012-01-22T21:40:00.001-08:00

Four Season Pin-Up Calendar Shoot (More Pics)

2012-01-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Four Season Pin-Up Calendar Shoot

2012-01-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

This was monumental! We shot four rides ( two gassers and two rat rods) with four pin-up models, in the middle of winter and on the tail end of the biggest Northwest snow storm in recent memory. This was for a four season shop calendar in which we documented the whole process for my new film Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride. The amazing Tina Tang, of Parris Blue Photograph, shot the gals and cars at GodSpeed Fabrication in Auburn, Washington. For us, this was an hour plus road trip. The roads were clogged with downed power lines and trees just a few blocks from the shop- and after being scolded by an Over-Caffeinated-Agro-Cop, we turned around and took an unmarked detour for the last few miles to GodSpeed. My wife and Cameron Harris came as film crew. A few night before we were going to cancel, because of the extreme weather. Things had thawed out just enough to make the trip to Auburn. The models were Kitty Mansfield, Aly Hellcat, Kissable Kandie and Stiletto Sweetheart. The cars were Big Tom & Carla McDonald's '56 T- Bird, Steve Mallory's '62 Oldsmobile Wagon, Robb Newby's International Rat Truck and Dave Leibold's Ford Rat Truck. Dave came through at the last minute when another car owner couldn't make it because he was still snowed in. These guys and gals drove in very iffy conditions to get to make this happen. I am humbled by everyones effort to pull this off!
I will add more pics and still later.

Seattle- The Giant Road Salt Flavored Slurpee

2012-01-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

So Seattle just warmed up into the 40's and got severe rain dumpage which equals giant slurpee. We have a big video shoot tomorrow so I am hoping the roads clear in time.

1/25th Scale 1936 Dodge Pick Up Resin Kit

2012-01-20T17:39:00.000-08:00

Just got this excellent 1/25th Scale 1936 Dodge Pick Up resin from an online seller. Gonna make it into a rat truck or other creation... Included in the kit are the body, bed, removable hood, seat, firewall, dash, grill insert and headlights. Very good cast quality.

Evil Undead Girlfiend: The Re-Animation Of Issa Kross

2012-01-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

Started messing with the graphics style for the Evil Undead Girlfiend graphic novel and motion comic. Did this in Final Cut Pro 7 using several filters...

And MORE SNOW...

2012-01-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

Shot this today after me and the wife walked to Subway for lunch. Roads are caked with compacted snow and ice. Saw a guy blasting down our street on a snow mobile. Best way to get around North seattle right now. Seems the snow plows can't even come close to keeping up with the dumping of fluff. Unlike the East Coast (where I lived for years), Seattle doesn't get much snow and doesn't have the plows to get it off the streets in a realistically quick manner. They scrape and sand a little and then it ices up and then people get stuck on the massive hills or slide into ditches...ouch! OK I am really getting tired of the snow now. I have been able to get some editing on our Arts School Winter Performance Video. Other households around the Northwest are not so lucky. I heard 10,000 were without power this morning.

And More...Of The White Stuff

2012-01-18T10:34:00.000-08:00

The "massive" snow storm only dumped 3-4 extra inches in our neighborhood (so far), but it's enough when streets aren't de-iced or plowed to make things difficult for driving. Most of Seattle is on a "Snow Day" and Seattle proper even got some last night. I have been editing our arts school Winter Performance the last two days, so I am still "working," but it's all good.

And Another Snow Day

2012-01-17T09:46:00.000-08:00

Got up and opened our arts school and bam...the snow started coming down in tufts. Early closure. The big storm is supposed to hit tomorrow with 12-14 inches.

And Yet Another Snow Day

2012-01-16T18:12:00.000-08:00

Played on the hills near our apartment with the kids, wife, one dog and sleds. The ice under the snow on the roads was prime for builing some serious speed up on the sleds.

And More Snow...

2012-01-15T10:35:00.000-08:00

Got a major dumping of snow in North Seattle last night. Side roads are clogged. Two wheel drives have a hell of a time on the hills leading to our apartments. I'm staying home today- leavin' the van parked. We bought extra groceries yesterday, so no need to risk denting the van or sliding down the hills.

First Snow Of Winter

2012-01-14T14:43:00.001-08:00

Got our first serious dumping of snow today...

Friday The 13th

2012-01-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

Had a good day today...tried out the new amp with the Hellcat VI and did some updates to the Hot Rod Girls Save The World website.

Go-Charger Project Update

2012-01-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Chris Darland just sent me these pics of my '66 Dodge Charger build. Right now Chris is getting the 383 set up with a new oil pan and engine paint. Little by small, this will be a driver someday...and a movie car for The Legend Of D.B. Petty.

Gear Whore

2012-01-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

Just got my new Hartke KM200 keyboard/whatever amp. Sounds nice. Not warm like a tube amp, but powerful on the bottom end. Hartke usually makes bass guitar amplifiers, and this is very similar to their 1-15" speaker combo models. I ran my guitar through it and it was loud enough. 200 watts...should work as a decent stage monitor and general amp. More later...

Chrysler, Plymouth & Dodge Stock Cars

2012-01-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

Just picked this up on Amazon as a used book- Chrysler, Dodge & Plymouth Stock Cars by Dr. John Craft. It's in the typical Motorbooks International medium size glossy paged paperback style. Alot of winged Daytona and Superbird coverage, and some on the early Chrysler 300s, but very little pictorially on the mid sixties (which is what I am really looking for). This book has only 96 pages (and 84 or so pics) so I wasn't expecting much. Still a worthy addition to my auto-book collection.

GoPro with Sunnex Lens

2012-01-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

These are a few stills from my half destroyed GoPro HERO HD with the new Sunnex lens I installed. I half destroyed this GoPro, not from actually installing the new lens, but from hurriedly trying to charge the battery after the installation, jamming up the pins in the mini-usb port on the camera. As you can see these images have no wide angle distortion. Focus seems to be at 1-2.5 feet from the camera. This should work great for talking head shots, car mounted detail shots (like spinning wheels) and the kind of shots a regular GoPro just can not get. Of course you can adjust the focus manually by screwing the lens in and out, but you need pliers and patience to make the adjustment.

Boss RC-300 Loop Station

2012-01-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

Contemplating getting one of these for the live shows and creating strange loops...

Strange Musical Dream

2012-01-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

Had this oddball dream, I was asked to play in Social Distortion at a small festival, but John Doe of X was fronting the band. Don't know where Mike Ness was. I didn't recognize any of the songs and could barely hear myself in the P.A. or through my amp, which was stuck on a side wing of the stage with a guitar cable that barely reached it. Interesting. Sill the audience seemed to dig it. Maybe they were drunk.

Websites

2012-01-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

I have been spending the last three weeks learning Dreamweaver CS5 and slowly updating ALL my websites. Slow going, but the results so far are very nice. After the new formats are up, I will again go through each section and adjust content and layouts.

New Amp

2012-01-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

After careful deliberation, I decided to replace my dying Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with a Hartke KM200 keyboard amp. Now the reasons are several 1.) I wanted to get a solid state amp because I am sick of the tube amp maintenance 2.) I wanted an amp that could handle the full bass range of my Schecter Hellcat VI (which is more of a bass than a guitar) 3.) I wanted multiple inputs for drum machine and synths, as well as the two modeling pedals I use simultaneously, the Roland GT-3 and Line 6 Bass POD XT. The KM200 has four separate stereo inputs. This will actually be more of a personal monitor on stage. I will still run my own separate P.A. System from the house system- especially if I am running film with my live show. I have found that it really fills out the stage sound when you have more than just two mains pumping out the audio. With Kill witch...Klick, we had it down to a science. Our live sound was huge and near bombastic. We ran our own P.A., Bass Amps, Live Cymbals and separate electronic drum feeds along side whatever the house had. Massive. Anyway I will take delivery of the Hartke next week.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T11:58:00.000-08:00

Well another year has come and gone. We (family) had thought about going to the Space Needle for the Count Down and fireworks display, but decided at the last minute to skip it. Ended up going out to dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and then watching the New Years Count Down on the webcam. Since we have a Roku (which normally is better than cable) and no regular cable or dish service we couldn't just turn on one of the local TV Networks to watch the fireworks. No big deal- I was with the people I love and that is all I could ask for. Happy New Year people! Hope your 2012 is a good one. Personally I am praying for change and not a full blown armageddon for this one. We will have to see how it all unfolds...

Demolition Kings

2011-12-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

Mike and Sean from the Demolition Kings came by the studio yesterday to run through some songs and set up a recording date. I am doing guest vocals on two of their songs. We are supposed to record middle of January.

Ice Cream & Christmas Lights

2011-12-27T22:55:00.000-08:00

Took the family out for an after diner ice cream at Baskin Robins and then drove around looking at neighborhood Christmas lights. This corner house had a killer display. Love the Christmas lights.

New Website Design

2011-12-26T23:34:00.000-08:00

Been slowly working on the layouts for a new Go-Kustom website design for all the various pages and sections within the main site. Learning Dreamweaver CS5 as I go. Trying NOT to use tables in this site and stick to a div-based design (for resizing etc). This is a screen shot from tonights work. The best thing about this layout is the Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Tumblr Buttons on every page. The headers are all different for each section, but the same size, so drop in should be easy. I will revamp one section at a time.

Indoor Helicopter

2011-12-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

Got a remote control Blade MCX Helicopter (smaller indoor version) for Christmas from my family. So cool. Wanted this as a practice 'copter to learn the basics of flying- to prep me for when I invest in a larger 'copter for arial photography using my GoPro cameras. These bad boys are actually harder to fly than you might think. Mostly orientation issues. Depending on which way the remote control helicopter is facing changes your control directions. You have to really pay attention or continually crash into stuff.

Dreamweaver CS5

2011-12-22T22:41:00.000-08:00

Been diggin' into the Dreamweaver CS5 tutorial to get start the process of updating all my websites. In particular, I want to modify (and simplify) the basic layout and navigation on the Go-Kustom site.

Hot Rod Girls Save The World

2011-12-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

Found these older behind the scenes pics from Hot Rod Girls Save the World by Dan Brouillard in a file folder, when I was looking for promotional stills for an article that a national car magazine was writing about me and Go-Kustom.

Christmas Tree 2011

2011-12-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

Decorated the Christmas Tree to our traditional Ska music (The Selector, Madness, The Specials, etc) last night. This one was an el chepo, $19.99 Home Depot tree, but made up pretty nice. Makes the apartment smell good too.

Kim Jong il is Dead

2011-12-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

Made this little tribute artwork to Official Wingnut Kim Jong il...

Christmas Tree

2011-12-18T17:57:00.001-08:00

We got our Christmas Tree today. Going to decorate it tonight. Seven foot tall Douglas Fir from Home Depot for $19.99. Love this time of year.

GoPros

2011-12-17T14:04:00.000-08:00

Here are my two GoPro HERO HD cameras. The one on the left (top picture) has the new flatter lens installed. It sits out of the camera body, but gets rid of the distorted, fisheye look of the original GoPro lens. The one on the right is stock. In the bottom pic you can almost see the bent pins inside the mini USB port of the camera. This happened when I wasn't paying attention and tried to jam the USB chord into the camera after installing the new lens.

How To Destroy A Perfectly Good GoPro Camera

2011-12-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

So I decided today was the day to modify my GoPro camera with an after market lens, I purchased, to reduce the distorted fisheye look the camera naturally generates. This distortion is due to the fact that the GoPro has such a wide angle lens, made for maximum view (like when mounted to a cyclist's bike helmet). So anyway, after viewing a tutorial on the modification, I slowly took the camera apart. The screws were tiny and I almost lost several on the floor. After I had the GoPro apart and after unscrewing the original lens (a process which included the use of a heat gun to loosen the threads), I began putting the camera back together. I broke one tiny screw off in the case and then proceeded to (almost) cross thread the new lens into the camera. The threads for the lens are very fine and plastic, so it doesn't take much. After I got the camera back together, I fired it up with an external monitor and low and behold, the image was really really blurry. I watched the modification video again and realized that I had screwed the lens in too far. I unscrewed the lens just a bit and it started looking good- but just then the GoPro's battery died. I ran to my laptop and as I was plugging it in, snapped off two of the pins in the camera's miniUSB port! HOW UTTERLY STUPID! In my haste, I had destroyed a brand new camera! Well after boo-hooing around my studio for an hour, I decided the only plan of action was to buy a second GoPro (I had planned on doing that eventually anyway, for multiple angles per take), so I could use the internal USB battery charger and file reader on the new camera for both GoPro HERO HD cams. Stupid me day.

Evil Undead Girlfiend Pre-Production Movie Poster

2011-12-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

Did the first version of the movie poster for Evil Undead Girlfiend: The Re-Animation Of Issa Kross. I have been slowly scripting this one and am considering doing it as a graphic novel and motion comic before a regular film.

Rats & Gassers Filming Pin-Up Calendar Meeting

2011-12-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

A few more stills from the GoPro HERO HD camera of the meeting we had last Sunday for Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride.

Hot Rod Monsters Film Festival Meeting

2011-12-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

Had an excellent sit down meeting yesterday afternoon with the Seattle Rod-Tiques Car Club about helping put together the Hot Rod Monsters Film Festival- especially the car show and help with street closures. The Rod-Tiques are a very well established club that puts on the massive Cruizin' To Colby event in Everett, Washington every year. We also discussed showing Hot Rod and Gearhead films during the Cruizin' To Colby car show at the Historic Everett Theater (which is on Colby- the same street as part of the car show). Networking is a good thing.

GoPro Replacement Lens

2011-12-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

Got this new lens in the mail today to replace the stock GoPro Hero HD lens and reduce the fisheye characteristics of the original. Looks like a fairly simple mod that requires the use of a heat gun. Will post some test footage when done with the modification...still reformatting and installing software on my MacBook Pro. Having issues with Final Cut Pro and the new plugins...

500Gig Laptop Hard Drive

2011-12-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Just got this 500 Gig internal drive for my MacBook Pro so I can record and edit film on the go...

Rats & Gassers Filming Pin-Up Calendar Meeting

2011-12-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

Had an excellent bit of filming for Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride yesterday afternoon. Present were Photographer Tina Tang, Rat Rod and Shop Owner Robb Newby, Models Aly Hellcat, Renee Rockwood, Kissable Kandie and Kitty Mansfield, crew Cameron Harris, my wife and myself. This was a meeting to plan a big photo shoot with cars and models that we will film as part of Rats & Gassers in January 2012.

Rats & Gassers Advertisement

2011-12-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Sent off a new Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride ad to Gasser Wars Magazine. This ad is more Gasser-centric than previous promo.

Rats & Gassers Editing (Using Hot Rod Girls Footage)

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

For Tony Ririe's interview section of Rats & Gassers I am using various clips from Hot Rod Girls Save The World since his '29 Ford is the automotive star of the movie. One of the best things about this documentary is I have so much footage of many of the cars I am including from my various film projects.

Go-Kustom Pin-Up A-List for 2011

2011-11-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

Doing what I do, running a record label and film company, I have to keep my eye out for upcoming talent, especially potential models who we can use for CD covers, internet promotions, print and film work. I thought I'd share with you guys (and gals) my sticky note A-List of gals I think are definitely worth checking out. They are not in any particular order (with links to their Model Mayhem or public Facebook pages) -
Kitty Mansfield
Kandie Morgan

Shelbi Fahrney (Stiletto Sweetheart)

More Rats & Gassers Editing

2011-11-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

More editing on the Rats & Gassers documentary. Checking interviews, looking for sound bites, getting ideas for the narration and of course cutting out the dead spaces and aligning dialog.

Rats & Gassers Editing

2011-11-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

Did some crawling through the interview footage of Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride doing some basic edits along the way. With over 12 hours of footage shot so far, this will be a big job.

Ras & Gassers Lance Lambert Interview

2011-11-26T19:13:00.000-08:00

We went over to Lance Lambert's Garage this afternoon, to do a sit down interview about his insights on Hot Rodding and Car Kulture for the Rats & Gassers documentary. Lance is host and executive producer of The Vintage Vehicle Show which has grown from a Seattle Public Access show to a internationally syndicated series seen on over 80 networks worldwide. Lance had unique insights into the history of Hot Rodding and the grass roots Rat Rod movements.

1/25th Scale 1953 Hudson Hornet

2011-11-23T19:03:00.000-08:00

While running around getting all the Pre-Thanksgiving shopping done, I stopped in at Galaxy Hobby in Edmonds and picked up this wicked little 1/25th scale '53 Hudson Hornet model kit by Moebius Models. They are finally re-issuing all the earlier car brands and body styles. You can only build so many late sixties muscle cars...you know? Now if I could just find a 1933 Dodge Pick-Up kit...

2012 Hot Rod Monsters Film Festival

2011-11-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

So I have decided to resurrect the Hot Rod Monsters Film Festival for 2012. I presented the project to Kickstarter.com and they accepted it for crowd funding. I am going to do a campaign to raise $10,000-$15,000 for the two day festival, with a full car show, live bands, zombie walk and movies, movies movies! We will hold it (most likely) at the Historic Everett Theater in Everett, Washington, sometime in late August or early September.

Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride More Filming

2011-11-20T20:06:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures from todays filming at Steve Leary’s Shop for my Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride Documentary. Steve has a HEMI powered Whippet (very rare) Rat Rod that is under construction and a 1936 Ford that’s is almost ready for the road. We will go back out to his shop after the holidays to get some driving footage of the ‘36. The Whippet may not be a driver until mid next year. Steve and his wife were very hospitable hosts. Good people.

Go-Kustom TV Archives: Car Shows & Fabricators Arrive

2011-11-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

Got the first batch of Go-Kustom TV Archives: Car Shows & Fabricators DVDs in the mail today. Since this is a short run- I only bought a hand full, but they should be live on Amazon.com in a few weeks. The packaging is some of the best graphic work I have ever done. Big smile.

Gearhead Punks Series

2011-11-12T12:44:00.000-08:00

Been promoting the Gearhead Punks Series a little by adding the logo to the pics from the films in the series itself. The current films in the series so far are - Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride, Gearhead Punks Dodge Charger & Coronet, Lowriders & Kustoms: The Legacy Of The Ride and Go-Kustom TV Archives: Car Shows & Fabricators.

Lowriders & Kustoms: Legacy Of The Ride

2011-11-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

Started a new documentary called Lowriders & Kustoms: Legacy Of The Ride by filming Justin Vincent and his 1950 Chevrolet Pick-Up. This is part of the Gearhead Punks Series of films and DVDs. I am working on multiple films, collecting footage and editing all as I go. Got some excellent footage from my Motorsports GoPro HD camera by attaching the GoPro to Justin's truck at various angles and having him drive around downtown Seattle. Really glad I made that purchase.

Go-Kustom TV Archives: Car Shows & Fabricators

2011-11-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

Sent off the submaster to the pressing plant for the new Go-Kustom TV Collection entitled Go-Kustom TV Archives: Car Shows & Fabricators. This disc also has the first version of the Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Take A Ride Movie Trailer on it. Should have the proof back from the plant in a few weeks.

Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride

2011-10-29T22:50:00.000-07:00

Rats & Gassers Theme

2011-10-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

Working on the Rats & Gassers Theme song for the documentary all day. Here's what the screen looks like in the Propellerheads Record software.

Rats & Gassers Movie Trailer

2011-10-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

Got the first rough of all the visual elements of the Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride movie trailer edited last night. Looks killer! Also the meeting with Tina Tang yesterday was very productive. I am really looking forward to working with her on the Go-Kustom Shop Calendar in the coming months. Question is can we get this thing out before January 1st, 2012?

Photographer Meeting

2011-10-26T08:26:00.001-07:00

Have a meeting today with the pin-up calendar photographer Tina Tang to discuss the big shoot for the middle of this film. Four cars, four models and four seasons for a hop calendar. Can we do it in one day!?! This will be to show people what goes on behind the scenes of a pin-up hot rod photoshoot. This is a big part of the kulture...

Rats & Gassers Trailer Editing

2011-10-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

Got a major chunk of editing done today for the Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride Movie Trailer this afternoon. Only a few holes to fill and the first version will be ready to post.

I also got some tattoo fill-in work done by Matt Sawdon of Sunken Ship Tattoo in Everett, WA. Have to say Matt really does top notch work. I am going back in a few weeks for some more inking.

Death Of The Badly Dressed Dictator (another one bites the dust)

2011-10-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

So apparently the locals had their way with Moammar Gadhafi yesterday. Beating him with shoes and pulling his hair until someone finally shot the bastard. This happened after his failed attempt to flee in his motorcade which was pummeled by a NATO airstrike. Gadhafi then escaped the wreckage and into a drainage tunnel, where he was captured by the locals. He left this world a bloody disgraced mess. Very appropriate.

New Go-Kustom TV Archives Poster

2011-10-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

Using the DVD artwork, I made a 23x35 wall poster for the new Go-Kustom TV Archives DVD. Uploaded it to the Go-Kustom CafePress website for purchase.

Go-Kustom TV Archives: Car Shows & Fabricators DVD

2011-10-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

Been laying out screens and processing video files for this new DVD collection. I keep getting interlace anomalies in the main video file, so I have been experimenting with various de-interlace filters to clean up the segments. The latest filter seems to work very well. I still need to finish the Rats & Gassers trailer to put on the beginning of this disc, but that shouldn't take too long, once the DVD layout is ready.

Go-Kustom TV Archives: Car Shows & Fabricators

2011-10-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

This is a new collection of old Go-Kustom TV Episodes plus the never before released or aired Seattle Roadster Show episode that features interviews with Candy Clark (from American Graffiti) and Lance Lambert of The Vintage Vehicle Show. Some of the earlier shows were pretty lo-fi, but I had crap equipment back then and you do what you can. This will be on DVD in a few weeks and will include the Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride Trailer (yes there is a method to my madness people!). I did the cover art using Photoshop and pictures I took of Trevor Robinson’s '29 Rat Truck and Michael Soldono's '30 Model A. Both are iconic cars around Seattle. I am trying to get that vintage 1950's car advertisement art look mixed with modern elements. I may also turn this piece into a poster.

Gearhead Punks Dodge Charger DVD First Day Of Filming

2011-10-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Stills from todays shoot of Barry V. Hasson's incredible black with dark red crimson interior 1966 Dodge Charger. Yes it has 1967 turn indicators on the fenders- it is a late '66 model with a blueprinted (non original) 440. This car has the best black paint job I have ever seen (and I've seen alot!). This is the fist car I am shooting for a Gearhead Punks all Dodge Charger DVD that will come out next year. I also did a full interview with Barry about the black Dodge.

Gearhead Punks Logo

2011-10-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

Did a quick Gearhead Punk Series logo for the beginning of the Rats & Gassers movie trailer and the film itself. I actually filmed the TV static background on my digital still camera, which has a video mode. I was amazed at how decent the footage looked when imported into Final Cut Pro 5.

'67 Dodge Charger Art

2011-10-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Messing around with more pictures of my Hemi Charger Gasser model in Photoshop.

New Star Charger

2011-10-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

My 2168 Star Charger Concept...decided to go aluminum silver with this one like my 2166 Star Charger. Might do a color tinted clear coat to add some dimension to the paint.

Rats & Gassers Movie Trailer

2011-10-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Started digging into the Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride Movie Trailer. Wrote the basic surf beats and theme then started organizing the graphics and timeline.

Cougar Moutain Regional Wildland Park

2011-10-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the family on a seven mile hike at the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, just 40 minutes drive from our house in North Seattle. We hiked for over three hours, but the only critter we saw was a feisty, tail twitching squirrel. Still nice to get out and get some outdoor time. The trails go for miles around the park and are gorgeous with trees, plant life, mushrooms and moss.

Percussion Instrument

2011-10-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

Added a few more bits to my stand up percussion thing. An outdoor TV cable box (with a nice bang sound to it) and a few electrical housings (ping pang kinda tones). This thing is ready to use, but I will keep adding and adjusting it as I go.

Charger Script Tattoo

2011-09-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Went over to Sunken Ship Tattoo in Everett, WA to have Matt Sawdon start some new ink for me. Decided on Dodge Charger script lettering on my left arm. Matt did a great job and I plan on going back next month to add some detail to some older tats and start planning out how to tie everything together.

More Stills Of Don Charbonneau For Rats & Gassers

2011-09-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

From yesterdays shoot.

Interview With Don Charbonneau For Rats & Gassers

2011-09-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Did an interview with artist and pinstriper Don Charbonneau at the studio today for the Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride documentary. As part of the interview Don pinstriped my Hellcat VI on camera, explaining the process as he went. Very cool. With a bass guitar like this I have to hurry up and become a musical legend to justify owning it. :)

HEMI Charger Shirt Design

2011-09-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

My new ‘67 HEMI Charger Gasser Shirt and Poster design.

Shake The Shack Rockabilly Ball Car Show

2011-09-24T19:08:00.001-07:00

Had a blast at the Shake The Shack Rockabilly Ball Car Show down in Georgetown, WA. Excellent turn out and some very cool rides. This year they had it at Bogarts with bands playing inside and on a small outdoor stage. Made a few connections for interviewees for Rats & Gassers as well. I took my GoPro to try a quick filming, but the battery wasn't charged (dahhh) and I only got a few seconds of footage. So I just took a few stills with the cell phone.

1967 Dodge Coronet Roadster Concept

2011-09-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

Put the finishing touches on my 1967 Dodge HEMI Coronet Roadster 1/25th scale mock-up of a show car I'd like to build someday. Something you might have seen on the 1966-67 Chrysler Show Car Circuit. Similar to the 1964 Dodge HEMI Charger Concept, a large size two seater with integral roll bar. This car has a Charger grill, low slung custom wrap around windshield and both bumpers removed.

HEMI Valve Covers Just Arrived

2011-09-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

The HEMI Valve Covers for my Dodge Charger just came FedEx this afternoon. I am going to send them down to Chris' Hot Rod Garage, where my Charger is being built tomorrow. Man these things are huge!

GoPro Motorsports HD Video Camera Arrives

2011-09-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

Got the little GoPro today. So small, but nice picture quality. Did a little riding around on my bike while filming. Can't wait to try it out on a few Hot Rods!

Dink Ass Drivers

2011-09-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

So this guy cuts me off going to drop the kids at school this morning. I saw him coming and the the car in the right lane (in front of him) was slow, so I sped up so the jackass could get in behind me. Instead he speeds up even more and cuts within inches of our van (no signal). When we stop at the school (kids embarrassed) I get out and go over to his SUV and start yelling at the turd. He was like "I have kids in the car!" I was "so do I asshole and since when do you drive like a maniac with kids IN YOUR CAR?" He started visible shaking. He shuts up and after much beeping from the rows of cars behind us- I got back in the van. I think more of us need to give some New York style in the window or in the face verbage to dink ass drivers to teach them that their stupid actions have potential reactions...instant karma. People get so arrogant driving in their 3,000 plus pound metal go-karts that they fail to take it seriously...they drive like they are in a video game. Rant done.

Quadcopter For Ariel Photography

2011-09-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

So I just saw this bad boy online today. Look- it's got a GoPro Camera mounted underneath! Looking into buying one for my next production.

GoPro Motorsports HD Video Camera

2011-09-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

After a little consideration- picked up a GoPro Motorsports HD Cam off Amazon for use in filming for my various automotive projects. I wish I had one of these during the filming Rat Rod Rockers! For the Rats & Gassers and various muscle car DVDs this bad boy should cover the in car and car mounted shots that can add some spice to the production. Should have it next week.

Trevor Robinson Interview For Rats & Gassers

2011-09-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Some stills from last nights filming of Trevor Robinson and his “Nothing Special” Ford Pickup Hot Rod for Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride documentary. I originally met Trevor at the Seattle Roadster Show back in 2008. We interviewed him for our Go-Kustom TV Show. I have always loved the stance and look of his truck. Very unique and creatively done. We were running late and lost our sunlight so we stopped at an abandon but still well lit gas station for the shoot. I think it gave the pics a certain ambience that really works with the style of his truck.

HEMI Valve Covers

2011-09-15T08:10:00.001-07:00

Won the bid on these 426 HEMI valve covers on eBay. Got them for $99.00. Not too bad. We are gonna use them on my ‘66 Charger to make the 383 look like a HEMI. I know thats sad- the Charger will not INITIALLY have a 426 HEMI but eventually it will. For the filming of The Legend Of D.B. Petty we can get by with mounting the HEMI valve covers atop the 383s and running the plug wires down and through them to the stock 383 position. I have seen this “fake HEMI” mod done on several cars and as long as the engine is in the car, it is hard to see the underside of the heads and spark plugs (on the 383 they are on the side of the head).

Gearhead Punks

2011-09-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

This is the new logo for my Gearhead Punks subdivision of Go-Kustom. These are DVDs that are only about cars. The Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride and Dodge Charger films are both under the Gearhead Punks brand.

383 HEMI?

2011-09-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

OK so this has been eating at me for along time. We are building a movie car for my film The Legend Of D.B. Petty. A 1966 HEMI Charger Gasser. Thing is I can't afford a HEMI right now and builder Chris Darland found a dirt cheap 383 to install. On a whim I typed 383 HEMI heads and found that many hot rodders were putting HEMI valve covers on their 350 Chevys! Now I think that is lame for a show car, because you are just trying to trick bystanders. But for a movie car- you are telling a story and that is a whole different thing. SO anyway- I see multiple websites about guys building NASCAR HEMI replicas out of their 383 Chargers and the mod isn't hard at all. Most just make a bracket and bolt the valve covers over the stock ones, run fake wires with boots and viola...instant HEMI. Of course if you took the engine out of the car you would see a huge gap on the header side of the heads, but with the engine in the car, it's hard to see. So anyway I bid on a set of crinkle black HEMI repo valve covers on eBay. Why I didn't think of this sooner...I do not know.

Matt Sawdon Interview for Rats & Gassers

2011-09-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

Went up to Everett, WA to interview tattoo artist Matt Sawdon for Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride. Matt and wife Hot Rod Heidi (who played Ruby Milldue in my last film Rat Rod Rockers!) own and operate Sunken Ship Tattoo. I thought it would be interesting to get a tattoo artist's take on Kustom Kulture Art Styles and the relationship between Hot Rod Kulture, Tattoos and Fabricators. Matt has a long body of work and years and years of knowledge. His perspectives were a welcome addition to this documentary.

My Inadvertently "Road Worn" Hellcat VI

2011-09-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

Original color headstock. Pulled off strings.

Removed pick guard.

Sanded and masked off headstock.

To go from black to silver I used a white primer.

Primer on the pick guard.

Several coats of primer and then the silver.

Nice silver finish.

With tuning pegs installed.

Mistake- I just didn't like the star. Too glam.

When I removed the star I had a star shaped imprint in the silver.

Messed up.

Nice sliver finish on the pick guard. Maybe too nice!

So I started sanding to get rid of the star imprint...but hey...that looks cool!

So after looking at some "Road Worn" Fenders online...out came the power sander!

Viola one bad ass bass!

I love this!

Gorgeous!

Vintage modern....

My Schecter Hellcat VI “Road Worn” Bass. I was repainting the pick guard and head stock then f’d up and started sanding the head and really liked the “road worn” vibe. So I took out the power sander and went to town! It sounds and plays like a brand new instrument but looks like I found it in a Pawn Shop back in 1967! I am gonna get it pinstriped next week.

Rats & Gassers Editing

2011-09-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Some more stills from our interview with fabricator Chris Darland.

Rats & Gassers Editing

2011-09-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

Did a little editing on Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride. Broke the overall timeline into interview segments for ease of editing. Now each segment has a title and it's own timeline. Man I love Final Cut Pro! This section I posted still from is with Fabricator and Drag Racer, Big Tom McDonald.

Rats & Gassers Eighth Day Of Filming

2011-09-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ron and Marcia Foreman came over to the studio today for an interview for my Rats & Gassers documentary. Ron's Model A Sedan was featured prominently in Rat Rod Rockers! and I really wanted to get his car in this documentary. Ron gave some excellent insight into building his club the Rat Bastards and his project cars.

SUV Crash

2011-09-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

On the way home yesterday from our filming in Medford, Oregon, we were coming up on the Sunny Valley Loop exit 71 area. We were driving down a long hill when my wife gasps and my daughter murmured "My God." In the opposite lane (South Bound) was a flipped and smashed Ford SUV. A man was stumbling around bleeding, a few people were talking to someone in the upside down SUV. Traffic was backed up in the opposite direction for miles. We pulled over and jumped out of our van running to see if we could help. My wife and I just completed CPR training for our Arts School so we felt a little prepared. I called 911 and my wife ran ahead followed by my daughter. My son was coming up behind me. I kept thinking that some of the accident victims were surely dead. How would my kids react to that?

The 911 operator said she had already gotten a dozen calls on this accident and help was on the way. In front of all the blocked cars was a large almost brand new Ford SUV, flipped upside down with a bleeding lady trapped in the drivers seat. The roof was partially smashed in on her side and multiples windows busted out. The remnants of a thirty foot camper trailer were smashed to bits and strewn over the highway and down the embankment. Only the twisted under carriage told that this had once been a camper trailer. When I got to the wreck, my wife had asked the wandering man to sit down. He had pulled a pillow to his head to slow the bleeding from his massive head wound. Another lady was talking calmly to him. Blood soaked his shirt, what I could see of his face and the pillow. He was stammering and almost in shock. My wife had run over to a group of teenage girls with two dogs. One was bleeding from her shoulder and was as pale as a ghost. She had a slightly torn shirt and bruises all over her arm and side. My wife asked her to sit by the guardrail and stay calm. She kept mumbling over and over about her grandma and her foster Mom in the smashed up Ford SUV. Not sure- but it seemed some of the girls were foster kids and some were the injured couples birth children. Five teenage girls in all. My wife continued to survey her injuries and talk calmly to her. Sometimes that helps immensely- knowing someone is with you until the EMTs arrive. A group of drivers was surrounding the lady trapped in the SUV. Several climbed in the passenger side to see if they could cut her loose from her seat belt. Standing by my wife and the stammering teen, I noticed the wandering pillow man was now by himself. The gal that had been talking to him was with the group around the SUV lady.

I went over to the man. He said he was feeling sick and needed some water. As I was walking back to consult my wife, a couple came up from a road below I-5 with several gallons of bottled water and asked if anybody needed any. Perfect timing. I went and grabbed one asking my wife if I could give him water. She said if he was going into shock it was not a good idea. I took the water to the pillow man, who was now laying on his side in the dirt and told him not to drink, but just wet his lips and mouth. Since I was holding the water bottle I made sure he didn't drink more than a sip. I then poured a little water on the back of his neck to wash some of the blood away and see if his injuries extended onto his neck area. He asked me to hold the pillow because his arms were getting tired and he might pass out. He rolled over onto his back and I took a blanket and put under his neck. A gal came running over to us and we turned his body parallel with the embankment and propped his feet up. I constantly reassured the man his wife was still alive and his daughters were all OK. His breathing was rapid, but began slowing as we talked. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as we waited and waited for the EMTs to arrive.

I looked up and saw a man with a camera taking pictures. "What?" I said in his direction. "I am a journalist, it's my job," he replied. "OK why not," I thought. A new gal came over to me and the pillow man. She said she was a medic and jumped in to assess the pillow mans condition. I got up to see how my wife was doing with the teenage girl. A group of new people including a doctor were now around the SUV lady. She was still trapped, but didn't seem as panicked as before. I saw an iPhone and cell phone in the road next to the SUV and told the SUV lady I would give them to her daughters. She acknowledged and nodded (tho upside down). I set the phones on a guardrail by the five sisters, two dogs and now a hamster in a battered cage telling them they were their Mom's. My wife who had been bouncing between the teenage girl and SUV lady, was now with the bleeding teenage girl again calming her, while my daughter was talking to one of her sisters with a hand injury. Since her injury was not as serious as the others, people had not given her much attention. About then we heard the sirens in the distance coming from all directions. I could feel a collective sigh of relief from all the good samaritans. An ambulance came from the south, a medic truck from the north and a police car rolled up a side road- all within a few minutes of each other. The paramedics asked us a few questions and jumped right in on the injured. I made myself useful picking up some road debris and then we all walked back to our van. A motorist had started directing traffic around the crash site. I turned I took a one picture (above) with my phone.

I was amazed at how all the good samaritans worked together, like a single unit. It was automatic. No arguing or bossing. Very enlightening in that respect. I do hope the family makes a full recovery.

I was also amazed at how many people just sat in their cars not helping at all.

Go-Charger Update

2011-09-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

Got to see my '66 Dodge Charger Gasser in he flesh (or sheet metal) for the first time yesterday and the day before at Chris' Hot Rod Garage in Medford, Oregon. We went down to film Chris for my new documentary. Chris has been slowly building my car as I slowly pay for it. The Chargers stance is sooooo bad ass!

Rats & Gassers Day Sixth & Seventh Of Filming

2011-09-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Chris' Roadster

Chris' 1933 Plymouth

1955 "Two Lane Blacktop" Chevy that Chris built

Chris Darland

Another '55 Chris built with his straight axle clip

We went down to Medford, Oregon to interview fabricator Chris Darland for Rats & Gassers: Kustom Kulture Takes A Ride and Munster Style Issue One, leaving Seattle early Thursday morning. I met Chris during production of Hot Rod Girls Save The World back in 2004. He choreographed the zombie fight scene as well as playing Freddy Dahmer in my film. First we went to Chris small shop by his house and later to his business partners full blown shop/classic car museum (man the cars in there were unreal- even tho they were Chevys...). Chris is a true fabricator's fabricator, with more cars to his credit than most. His latest endeavor is creating kustom straight axle clips for '55-'57 Chevy's, giving those cars an instant mid sixties gasser stance with a minimum of work. Great two day road tip. On the way back we helped with a rollover accident. I will blog about that later.

Kitty Mansfield by Diane Jacobson for Munster Style

2011-08-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

Just got a peek at some of the new pics by the talented photographer Diane Jacobson of the stunning pin-up Kitty Mansfield in front of Robb Newby's GodSpeed Rat Truck. These are for an article about Kitty for Munster Style and will also appear in Rats & Gassers during the section about Robb's truck. I love this set!

Rats & Gassers Fifth Day Of Shooting

2011-08-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

Interviewed Big Tom McDonald today out at his shop for my Rats & Gassers documentary. Big T's 1956 T-Bird Gasser was featured prominently in Rat Rod Rockers! This was the fifth day of filming (including the shoot at Infestation IV Car Show) for this doc. Big T had several project cars he let us film, including his new Henry J Gasser and his older 1970 Mach I Mustang with a '69 fiberglass tilt front end.

New Percussion Instrument Beginning

2011-08-29T20:52:00.001-07:00

I started building a new percussion instrument for recording my new album. So far I have the planks and a crazy sounding gate spring mounted. Later I will add pipes and various pieces of metal. Final adjustments will be made after I get my contact mics and try it out through a mixing board. Wood makes crazy sounds when run through contact mics.

Infestation IV Car Show

2011-08-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

Had a blast yesterday hawking our wares at the fourth annual Infestation Car Show out in Issaquah, WA. Great weather and great turnout. Also did some filming and interview scheduling for the Rats & Gassers Documentary I am working on. Man we have some great cars and gearheads in the Northwest!

New Percussion Instrument

2011-08-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

Old music stand that will be the legs.

Decided to build a one of a kind percussion instrument after seeing several videos of this guys home made percussion thing and then watching a live performance video of Einstürzende Neubauten last night. Went to Home Depot and got a 2x6x10 cedar plank, assorted springs and hardware to make this thing. Also ordered two contact mics to get the woods vibration into the mixing board. I have built many home made instruments over the years- my most famous creation being the Slambar, which was featured on almost all the Kill Switch...Klick back catalog. The reason for building this instrument is to get an acoustic percussion sound for my next album. I want more Tom Wait's "Bone Machine" and less electronica inspired sounds. This will make me think outside the box. We used lots of found percussion instruments, pieces of wood and metal on The Flathand 5 album. That was a lot of fun to record. Up to five drummers and percussionists all playing at the same time, laying down the basic tracks and then I built the tracks up from there. My new album will be a little less bombastic, but I don't want to rely on drum loops and stagnant drum machine sounds for this one.

Cutting up the old music stand.

Deck screws, wood, springs and hardware.

See Deck Mate...coool.

Munster Style Layouts- Skratch Interview

2011-08-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

Started digging deeper into the Munster Style Issue One layouts. Skratch (if you don't know) is an iconic fabricator and pinstriper from Southern California who was recently interviewed by Heidi Van Horne for our little publication. Photos for the piece were taken by Trent Sherrill.