MATTHEW BRANTLEY

Outstanding photographer. Outstanding Friend. AND he lives in Jackson, Y’ALL. Check him out!!

WILLIAM GOODMAN

I started this post on May 7th and never finished it…

This is William Goodman. He is an extremely talented collage artist and painter, as well as a wonderfully-fun neighbor and friend. Check out some of his work…

Neil and I, along with many other of our friends, have modeled for William. It’s fun to go to his shows and see who all made it into his masterpieces this time.

This piece is one of the many that hang at Fischer Galleries. If you are a Jacksonian, you should totally go see his show. If not, you should check out his website here.

The True Believers

Short Film, 28 minutes

Writer and Director:  Nathaniel Bennett

Producer:  Alex Warren

Director of Photography:  Azod Abedikichi

“When Lukas Jackson suspects the government of deliberately keeping the truth about Bigfoot under wraps, he decides to write a book that will blow the lid off the conspiracy. Lukas hears about a family in Oregon that claims they have found the body of a genuine North American Sasquatch, so he along with his older brother Charles, set out to the Great Pacific Northwest to collect the evidence for his grand exposé. During their journey things become complicated and relationships are strained when they both fall for the same girl.” —via Crossroads Film Festival

Great friends of mine, Azod and Alex, both contributed to this film, The True Believers. I had the pleasure of viewing it at a local coffee shop a few days ago. Beautiful and Hilarious!

Holy Moly! I failed to mention the lovely actress and friend, AMANDA JONES, who plays the desired photographer who accompanies the brothers on their adventure. What a beauty!

“Taylor Hildebrand and friends play After the Fall off the new EP “Nena”, out on iTunes soon. Winner of the Music Video Showcase at the 2010 Crossroads Film Festival. Shot and directed by Robby Piantanida on the Panasonic GH-1.” (via vimeo)

He’s from Jackson, Y’ALL! Not to mention, Taylor is simply as nice as he sounds—what an incredible guy. Become a fan on facebook here.

Law School “King of the Crops” (via Robby Piantanida) 

Members:  Jimmy Cajoleas- Lead Guitar, Dave Hutchison- Drums, Elise Stewart- Bass, Hunter Stewart- Vocals, Guitar

Just another reason why I love Jackson, MS…this past Saturday, I attended Project: Hunter + Aid  where money was raised to help Hunter Stewart with some recent medical bills. It was at this benefit that they debuted their new video, “King of the Crops.” Enjoy this nice little tribute to Jackson—parts are filmed in my ‘hood.

Sadly, these guys recently moved to Austin, TX but are not forgotten. Follow Elise’s adorable blog for updates on her craftiness, others’ craftiness, and their lives in general! Hopefully, I’ll run into the Stewarts at SXSW!

Jackson Impromptu Concert Series

I should have posted this days ago, but this is why I love Jackson, MS so much:

The Impromptu Concert Series is an out of the box musical experiment aimed at promoting local artists in intimate settings exploring Jackson’s unknown venues. Concerts are at random times with random artists in random spaces around Jackson. —via Jackson Impromptu Concert Series Facebook page

Amazing right?? So last Thursday, by word of mouth, I found out about the first Impromptu Concert. Around 9pm I made my way to the non-renovated section of Duling School, which is literally a 3 min walk from my apartment. I found my way by following lamps and white balloons that were strategically placed to lead you up a stairwell to a vacant school room where Johnny Bertram was playing. There I stood in a stale room warmed by quirky little lamps tucked away in old lockers with maybe only 12 other people present. I was moved. The sound was absolutely perfect—all acoustic. The crowd grew to about 30, but remained just as silent. Wooden Finger (who you’ll see in the video posted) played afterwards, who were equally as impressive. Such an enriching experience. You don’t want to miss the next show, so sign up to receive updates here!

video by Julian Vu