Thursday, October 31, 2013

666,666 Is The Number Of The Beast

What are the odds the Rusty Knuckles Flickr page received 666,666 views on October 31, 2013.

666,666 Is The Number Of The Beast or magically that is exactly what we found once we opened our Flickr page today to check our account. Truth is stranger than fiction on this Hallow's Eve, the big guy from the deep south decided to let us know of his existence. Maybe our constant vigil of the music of Watain is helping to guide our path.

The Tombstones: Twang From The Grave Vol. 2 - Featured On Rock & Roll Manifesto



Link over to Rock & Roll Manifesto

Download your copy from Itunes

Find out more about Stevie Tombstone's brand new label - ALTCO

"1986, Atlanta, Georgia: a three piece acoustic band called Tombstone Tales forms. Before long they add a fourth member, plug in their instruments and become the Tombstones. By 1988, they had released a demo tape, “Grave Matter,” and a 7-song mini LP, “Preachin’ Prayin’ Guitar Playin’.” “Preachin’ Prayin’” achieved minor indie success, and the Tombstones shared the stage with bands such as the Stray Cats, the Ramones, the Circle Jerks and the Lords of the New Church. 

Unfortunately, they never released anything else, despite signing with Sony/Relativity and recording an as-of-yet-unreleased album for them, along with quite a few other recording sessions along the way. By the mid 90′s, the Tombstones were still going but were a completely different band other than Stevie, and by 1995 or 96, Stevie decided to end the Tombstones and go out on his own. 

By the time I first heard the Tombstones, their reign of terror was nearly over. It was around 1995, on a “psychobilly” mix tape made by a friend of a friend. I still remember hearing “Tombstone Tales” for the first time. Their music was haunting, and it intrigued me. They somehow simultaneously fit in with the rest of the psychobilly on the tape and yet stuck out like a sore thumb. Not long after, I stumbled across the “Preachin’ Prayin’ Guitar Playin’” LP at a record convention and I was hooked. It quickly became a favorite of mine, and it also became clear to me that this was not psychobilly. It was cut from a different cloth and uniquely American. It was roots oriented, steeped in rockabilly, blues and country, but with a darkness and a punk rock attitude and fire. I loved it. The LP was dated 1988. Surely, there had to be more where this came from? I searched feverishly for more information on this band.

Back then the Internet wasn’t what it is now. Searches on the Tombstones turned up nothing. I once bought a 7″ single at a record convention by  a band called the Tombstones, but to my dismay it turned out to be a completely different (and horribly inferior) band. A few years later I met up with a guy from Georgia who not only knew of and liked the Tombstones, but said he had a tape of unreleased stuff. Where do I sign up? He sent it to me and I was blown away, but the mystery only deepened. What happened to this great band? Nobody seemed to know. I continued to search the interwebs for years and came up blank.

Fast forward to 2002- The Tombstones were a huge influence on my band at the time. We had been covering the Tombstones classic, “Jailhouse Tattoo,” at our gigs and ended up recording it. To be able to release our record with the song included, we needed to somehow find out where to send a royalty check. Further frantic Internet searches in early 2003 finally turned up an article about Stevie Tombstone, whom apparently was doing solo work now. I emailed the author of the article and asked if he could put me in contact with Stevie, which he did.

GregStevie
Greg Lonesome and Stevie Tombstone
You never know what you’ll get when you actually communicate with someone who’s music you admire. There’s nothing worse than when one of your musical influences turns out to be a total asshole. Thankfully, talking to Stevie was the complete opposite of that. He was nice enough to talk to me for quite a while on the phone and share the story of the Tombstones. He was very humble and seemed genuinely grateful that anyone would like one of the Tombstones songs enough to want to record and release it on their album. We’ve kept in touch ever since.

tombstones live
The Tombstones back in action in the mid 2000's
In 2006, Stevie took a reformed version of the Tombstones out on the road to support the release of  the original “Twang From the Grave” compilation. Thankfully, I got to see them on that tour when they hit New York City, and they were just as amazing as I hoped they would be. Stevie invited me up on stage to sing Jailhouse Tattoo with them. I was so nervous I messed up the words, but it was a blast. I’ll never forget it.

The Tombstones are one of my all-time favorite bands, so I’m excited these songs are finally getting a proper release. The songs on this particular album are some of the earliest recordings the Tombstones did, and also the very last recordings that were made during the brief Tombstones reformation of 2005-7. There’s even a version of “Til the Day I Die” recorded live on the Rock N Roll Manifesto! With this release and the original Twang From the Grave, the picture of the legacy of the Tombstones is becoming clearer, and the world is a better place for it.

Unfortunately, Stevie still refuses to release the Sony album. Some of my favorite Tombstones songs are on there, so I bug him about it all the time. With any luck, someday there will be a Twang From the Grave Volume 3…"

Greg Lonesome
Halloween, 2013

Shooter Jennings And His New Music Label

Black Country Rock - Shooter Jennings new music label
"Shooter Jennings is excited to announce the formation of his new label, Black County Rock. The multi-format recording company is complete with satellite divisions in Los Angeles, CA and Nashville, TN as well as an active online community at bcrmedia.com
BCR does not discriminate against formats and will release music, film and other creative projects by way of vinyl, compact disc, cassette tape, digital download, DVD, VHS and more. BCR fearlessly embraces and supports both the continuing accessibility of the technology of the present and also the preservation of tangible goods, no matter their age or obscurity.

BCR inaugural releases, available worldwide November 29th, are :

Waylon Jennings “Right for the Time (Remembered)”, a fully analog remaster of Waylon’s memorable 1996 album “Right for the Time”, available on Limited Edition translucent yellow Vinyl & Cassette, CD & Digital Download

Jessi Colter “Live from Cain’s Ballroom”, Jessi’s first live record ever, recorded in September of 2013, shows that soul never fades. This release is available on limited edition baby pink Vinyls & Cassettes, CD & DIgital Download

Shooter Jennings “The Other Live”, Shooter’s 2nd live record featuring unique-to-format tracks spread across translucent blue Vinyl & Cassette, CD and Digital Download. There are at least 2 unique songs on each different format making each version a different experience for the listener. True die hard fans will need to get all three to get them all, and with all of these albums, digital downloads will be included with the analog formats.

and finally… a dreadful collaborative single A/B side from three unexpected artists makes up our MYSTERY RELEASE. Printed on a splattered grey & black vinyl and cassette, this release will definitely be the surprise of the year!
A brand new website and web store will carry each of these items. Digital versions of each record will be available online November 26th, 2013. All physical copies will be available November 29th, 2013. They won’t be available in stores until next year, so get your limited edition copy today!"

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Walt Siegl's Ducati 900 SS Race Motorcycle

Ducati 900 SS customized for Puma

There is just something really special about the builds from Walt Siegl. What I see on first glance is quiet perfection. He doesn't need to scream out how great his build is or make it feel over done just to get attention. The details ask you to glance them over and then with a subtle nudge make you realize just how much actual design went into every nuance. Thankfully true craftsmen like Walt exist and we can marvel at their work day in and day out.

View Walt Siegl's Puma build on BikeExif

"I’m a big fan of keeping it simple when it comes to color schemes. Orange for a Laverda, black for a Vincent, yellow for a Yamaha. But this funky Ducati 900 SS from Walt Siegl is an absolute treat.
Siegl is quite rightly getting noticed by some big names, and this machine was commissioned by the German multinational Puma—which has a strong connection with motorsport, and sponsors the Ducati MotoGP team. But it’s no trailer queen. “In my search for a good donor, I came across a BCM Ducati that I’d seen on a racetrack,” Walt reports. “It’d been through the hands of Bruce Meyers, so I snatched it up instantly.” 


Ducati 900 SS customized for Puma
 

Meyers is a legend in Ducati circles, and his dealership BCM was home to one of the best racebike preparation workshops in the States. “The bike started its life as a 1993 SS,” Walt says, “and it was turned into a racer three years before I bought it. Race bikes have it hard, and only the engine turned out to be salvageable. Even so, it just needed new pistons, valves and belts.” 

The motor is a 989 cc big-bore “fully blue-printed torque monster,” with 41mm flat slide Keihins on custom manifolds. Walt built a lightweight chrome moly frame around it, and installed Showa suspension. The brakes are operated by high-end Magura controls, acting on Brembo Serie Oro calipers and lightweight rotors. 

Ducati 900 SS customized for Puma
 

Walt crafted the bodywork in his New Hampshire workshop, using structural urethane that he also painted “to get a better visual.” Once he was happy with the mockup, he had the bodywork scanned and molds machined. The parts were then recreated in kevlar-carbon—an expensive, labor-intensive process that guarantees a perfect fit and finish. “You can hide lots of shortcomings by filling in imperfections with Bondo, but that won’t get you a lightweight, high-end, high-performance result.”

Ducati 900 SS customized for Puma
 

The exhaust is a custom stainless steel unit with an Italian Mivv muffler. The electrical system is minimal, as usual on Walt’s bikes, and built around a Motogadget m-Unit to get rid of all the relays. 

For now, this 900 SS has pride of place at the Puma International office in Boston. But probably not for long: “I hope that one day someone will be willing to use it to its full potential,” says Walt. “Believe me, that thing goes like snot. And makes your hair stand up, it sounds so good.”

Images by Michael Rubenstein. Check out Walt’s builds on his website and follow his news via the Walt Siegl Facebook page."

Ducati 900 SS customized for Puma

4 Questions With Husky Burnette


A short time ago Husky Burnette stopped by the compound and we wanted to get a few answers to some lingering questions we had. Watch a short clip of Husky Burnette and find out more about the dude that is conquering on the Itunes charts.

Pick up a copy of the album in our store

Go to Itunes and download it 


Husky Burnette has been featured on Itunes New & Noteworthy for ten straight weeks

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Power Of An Image

Using an old advertisement for Marsh Stencil and Ink to showcase where we are today
At an early age, imagery and experience begin to shape the rest of our lives. One of the fond memories I have growing up involves working and playing down at my grandfather's crab house in Wenona, MD. After we fished the floats (soft crabs shed their hard shell), we would then have to clean the soft crabs and prepare them to be shipped out.

So many times I would look at the wax boxes for shipping along with stencils that had to be applied and was always curious about how it all worked. Not that it was anything complicated but maybe it was at that moment when the seed had to have been planted to thoroughly enjoy branding and entrepreneurship. As soon as the family name went on the wax boxes with the Marsh Stencil and ink brush, it was one of the final processes before the crabs could be driven to market and the watermen would finally get paid for their week of hard work.

When I found this old advertisment in a design magazine, all I could think of was how proud I was to see those stencils being applied to wax boxes to ship our freshly caught seafood. It would make me damn proud to have my grandfather still around to see the work I do today and to let him know how much I appreciate the value of hard work and the smell of salty air by the sea. Would be great to enjoy a puff on a cigar together and watch all the watermen coming in out of the harbor at the back of the crab house and just talk about anything. Thanks for the memories Pop Pop.

Check out the video below about Alan Parks from Tangier Island, VA. Nuthin' better than a good ol' tide wooder accent and hearing talk about the bay.



Found this photo on flickr of the old family crabhouse in Wenona, MD. Wish I could go back in time...

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Walt Siegl - Designer and Intellectual Provocateur For Two Wheeled Greatness


Watl Siegl - motorcycle designer and intellectual provocateur for two wheeled greatness
A few years back I happened across some of the builds from Walt Siegl and they struck me in a unique way. Many bikes are assembled from a menagerie of parts and reconfigured to have a unique stance and profile. The bikes that come from Walt's shop seem to breathe new life and in a way that begs the viewer to walk in circles around the machine. You begin to take in all the nuances which is visage of pure functionality, yet could double as a sculpture in any high end gallery. Viewing works by craftsmen like this make me realize there is still so much to learn.

View more of Walt Siegl's creations on Flickr


Puma / Walt Siegl from Adam Weiss on Vimeo.

Cafe Racer TV Season 4 - Starts November 6th

One of Roland Sands latest creations on Season 4 of Cafe Racer TV
"Cafe Racer is back for a fourth season starting Wednesday, November 6 on Velocity. The next installment will feature high profile builders like Roland Sands and the guy-in-garage such as Grey Dog Moto and MaceTech. The celebrity lineup includes Riddick's Katee Sackhoff, rock band Chevelle, Travis and Lyn-z Pastrana and our favorite test riders Eric and Ben Bostrom.

We've also listened to viewer feedback: A new show format will consist of five episodes that are one hour each in length. Each episode will showcase two bike builds start to finish and more emphasis will be put on the process and craft.

Season 4: Wednesday nights on Velocity at 10 pm Eastern"

Nov. 6
Nov. 13
Nov. 20
Nov. 27
Dec. 4


Friday, October 25, 2013

Need More Metal Flake In Your Life?

Roth Metal Flake spray paint
One thing that can be tough to find in a spray can is good metal flake paint. Quite a few basic colors are available in silvers from most auto parts stores, but the more exotic colors are a bit tougher to come across. We have had a few projects where adding some nice touches of color metal flake would have been great, but the only options were from Duplicolor and of course there was no variety. 

Options are a beautiful thing to have in life and knowing that Roth Metal Flake now offers a variety of colors in spray paint, we couldn't be happier. Well, maybe if the prices were in line with Duplicolor, we could smile a bit more. None the less, variety is the spice of life and go seek them out for a multitude of options as from all the posts on the Jalopy Journal, seems to be a great product.


Roth Academy Episode 1: Rattlebomb Basics from Roth Metal Flake on Vimeo.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Is Your Latest Poster Design Worthy Of $2200?


A few of our favorite posters for the bands we work with created in house
One cool thing about social media is the amount of opportunities that pop up regularly and are wide open to the public. We just got this email blast from Pollstar about a poster contest. At the label, we don't create many posters for shows except the occasional ones that we need for bands on tour. If ya happen to know some folks with solid design chops, pass the word on cash money prizes available from the Pollstar contest going on in Nashville.

Great concert posters don't happen by chance. It takes great artists working with great promoters and venues. Do you have a favorite from 2013? Now's the time to submit it for our annual poster contest. 

Winners will be announced at the 25th Annual Pollstar Awards on February 21, 2014 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

The Poster Contest is limited to the best posters only. 

Prizes:
1st - Full-page ad in Pollstar
($2,199 value)
2nd - Half-page ad in Pollstar
($1,299 value)
3rd - Third-page ad in Pollstar
($899 value) 


All entries must be:
- Maximum size 24" x 36"
- Shipped unmounted.
- Submitted by event/show producer.
- From a 2013 live event or show.
- Mailed in tube or flat - DO NOT FOLD.
- Received by December 16, 2013.
Posters will be mounted on foamboard for presentation and will remain the property of Pollstar.


Ship Posters to:
Pollstar Live Poster Contest
4697 W. Jacquelyn Ave.
Fresno, CA 93722 


Questions? Contact us at: postercontest@pollstar.com

Turn Your Ashes Into A Vinyl Record

Add your ashes to a vinyl record

"Jason Leach is just 41 and in good health, but he’s already made arrangements for his cremains. Part of it has to do with his family history. “I’ve heard stories about my father trying to scatter his grandfather’s ashes from a boat,” Leach says. “It went terribly wrong, and they ended up sweeping him off the deck.” Things didn’t turn out much better at his own grandfather’s memorial service. “There was a strong breeze,” he remembers, grimacing. “And the ashes blew right into my face.” When his time comes, Leach, who lives in Scarborough, on the northeast coast of England, wants a more dignified ending. So he’s having his ashes pressed into a vinyl record.

It’s not the most conventional final resting place, but for Leach—a 20-year veteran of the U.K. music business, as a producer, performer, and co-founder of such independent labels as Subhead and House of Fix—it was the only logical choice. And he’s not alone. In 2009, Leach founded And Vinyly (rhymes with “And Finally”), an online service for people who, like him, want their earthly remains to live on as an analog recording. At first, the site was mostly ignored. “I didn’t expect much from it,” Leach says. “It was just for fun.” But word slowly began to spread, and over the past six months he’s been inundated with requests. He’s only processed four records so far—including one with the ashes of a DJ whose parents wanted their late son “to be played at his favorite clubs a few more times”—but Leach has had hundreds of inquiries. “I’m sometimes up 24 hours a day just answering calls,” he says.

The process itself is fairly simple: Ashes are delivered to a pressing plant in London and sprinkled into the raw vinyl. But the cost can be exorbitant. The basic And Vinyly package starts at £3,000 ($4,600) for 30 copies of a record, each containing a bit of ash. It’s a fraction of the cost of a typical burial, which the National Funeral Directors Association ballparks at around $6,560. But then there are the add-ons. If you don’t want to provide your own audio, a team of musicians from Leach’s labels will write and record a song (or songs) about you for £500 per track. James Hague of the National Portrait Gallery in London will create an original painting for the record sleeve for around £3,500. You can also choose which specific body part is put into the vinyl and have your record distributed at “reputable vinyl stores worldwide,” Leach says, although there’s no guarantee you’ll ever be bought. By the time a final bill is tallied, an old-fashioned casket funeral might seem like a bargain.

But the price tag isn’t the biggest concern for the majority of And Vinyly’s customers. According to Leach, it’s the content that gets most of the hand-wringing. “People over-think it,” he says. “This tends to become a very long process with people changing their minds constantly.” Each record has just 24 minutes of available audio, with 12 minutes on each side. Not much to sum up a lifetime. And it gets even more complicated when Leach explains the infinite possibilities. “Just because it’s a record doesn’t mean it has to contain music,” Leach says. “It might be nice to have your own voice on there. I’d like nothing more than to listen to my great-great-grandfather say something on a record.” He’s recorded people telling jokes and talking about their family history, and even confessing their biggest regrets. One of his favorite And Vinyly records, he says, ends with laughter on a closed loop. “It just repeats over and over until you remove the needle.”

As for what he plans on putting on his ash record—he’s very serious about it, even including special instructions in his will—he’s as indecisive as any of his clients. “I’m working constantly on my soundtrack,” he says. “I make music, so that makes it difficult and complicated.” He names a few songs that will likely make the final cut, with titles such as Bust Rucket and Spaz ‘n Rave”. But lately, he says, he’s been more interested in what he calls “aural photographs,” which could include anything from a dog barking to the creaking of feet on floorboards to a muffled conversation in the distance. “Whenever I’m listening to field recordings, I’m always fascinated by the surrounding sounds we usually tune out,” he says. “Those things in the background that create an atmosphere, that’s what takes me back to a specific time and place.”

He’s also considered the idea of not recording anything at all and letting the only sound on his final LP be the pop and crackle of his ashes vibrating against the needle. “I quite like that idea,” he says. And then, after a thoughtful pause, he laughs at the impossibleness of his task. “Don’t hold me to any of this,” he says. “I’m sure I’ll change my mind tomorrow.”"

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Billy Don Burns - Born To Ride - Mashup Video


Underground country music icon Billy Don Burns wanted a tshirt design that reflected his love of all things motorcycles andas a the true grit character that he is. We were able to work up an illustration from a photo shoot to capture Billy Don in a way that is uniquely him. With a guitar slung over his shoulder, saddled up on his 1993 1200 Sportster and trademark sunglasses, this pure Billy Don Burns. Do yourself a favor and Support Real Country Music and from one of the real living legends that has lived his music and been cranking out tunes for quite a few decades.

Check out the video below of the illustration coming together, with a mash up video featuring Billy Don's song Born to Ride and the classic film Easy Rider.

Order the brand new Billy Don Burns tshirt

 

Some of the process photos for the illustration: 

Finished illustration with arrowheads given to me from Billy Don
Two of the last illustrations completed. The new one for Billy Don and the Snake Charmer design fro Hellbound Glory
Staring to work in the details with the Sharpie
Billy Don Burns coming to life through pencil

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Brooklyn Rocksteady, A Film By Sam Gursky

Ska kingpins, The Specials
Ska is one of those genres that I always enjoyed for a few songs, but then grew tired of it quickly and was never sure why. The music was good, the crowds were great, but at the time when I was being dragged to ska shows, I just wasn't in that mind set. Ska always felt like a foreign punk rock to me. 

After watching the new documentary below I felt a unique appreciation for the bands as they are now starting to resonate a bit different in my ever evolving music tastes. The laid back vibes and good times make white boy reggae a bit more palatable and hell, I just may have to dive into some of these bands more often.

Check out Brooklyn Rocksteady


Brooklyn Rocksteady from Samuel Gursky on Vimeo.

"This project took me 2 and a half years to complete. I was naive enough in January of 2011 to think that it would only take me a couple of months, but I have learned that lesson and many more through this production.

The purpose of this film is to shine some light on an incredible community that is often overlooked, so I encourage you to above all share this with anybody who you think may enjoy it.

Your support means the world to me, I kicked the whole thing off with a kickstarter campaign, that $3K got me up and running with this project. In the end, I spent another $5K on top of that to make this into a reality. Any donations/merchandise purchased will of course help me recoup these expenses, which is immensely appreciated, but please don't feel obligated. Watching and sharing is enough for me, that's why I made the film in the first place, for people to (hopefully) enjoy and share!

Any support in the form of donations (via the tip jar above) would also be welcomed and immensely appreciated, but do not feel that it is expected or necessary. If I had made this film with the intentions of recouping the expenses/making money, I'd be that much more naive.

You can also support by buying merchandise from any of the bands, going to their shows and/or by purchasing a t-shirt, dvd or a pay-what-you-want digital download at brooklynrocksteady.com

Also! We love screenings, if you'd like to host one in your town, please get in touch! My email is samgursky@gmail.com and I'd love to come hang out and share my movie!

Thank you all so much for your support, it made this project possible and makes it all feel worth it.

Directed by:

• Samuel Gursky (samuelgursky.com)
Edited by:
• Nick Vannucci (nickvannucci.com)
• Matthew Greenberg (matthewgreenberg.com)
• Nicole Onorato (irvingharvey.com)
Sound Mix by:
• Stephen Murphy (westfallrecording.com)

I owe an immense amount of thanks to everyone who let me ride in their van through this experience as well, we shared in some incredible, awful and really life changing moments that I will never forget.

• Royal City Riot - Jesse Litwa, Matthew Spitz, Anthony Vito Fraccalvieri, Jon Degen, Ata Secilmis & Jared Kaplan.

• The Forthrights - Jack Wright, Sammy Kay, Matt Burdi & Jimmy Doyle. Also! Vic Ruggiero & Chris Murray.

PS: Chris Murray if you read this, I want a re-match for that pizza eating contest."

Ducati 1199 Off Road Superbike

Ducati 1199 Panigale TerraCorsa
How do you make something cool, even cooler? Yep, just add some knobby tires and take it to parts unknown. I have always liked Ducati's, especially their dry clutch sound. Now they go to another level when they are turned into trail beasts. Find out more...

View original post on RideApart

"The guys at Portland area Ducati dealer MotoCorsa are building and riding some pretty unique bikes. Like this 2013 Ducati 1199 Panigale S, modified to go off-road. They just got back from a three-day, off-road trip and here’s exclusive photos, video and details of what they’re calling the Ducati 1199 Panigale TerraCorsa.

Photos and Video: Taylor Ramsauer



“We do an annual off-road trip with a few friends, down in Southeastern Oregon, out in the middle of nowhere,” MotoCorsa’s general manage and Nair customer of the month Arun Sharma told us. “I was planning on taking my Multistrada, but happened to have my track Panigale on the lift next to it.”
“I had a set of Continental TKC80s to put on it, when one of my friends comes in and says,’You know what you should do? Put those TKCs on the Panigale!’”

“It was one of those spontaneous moments that just turned into, ‘Game on,’ he told us over the phone.
When early photos appeared on MotoCorsa’s website, reaction was…controversial. “The funny thing is, everyone seems to think we wasted all this money making it. And, actually, it was really, really easy and really, really inexpensive. One minute, a set of tires was lying next to the bike and, the next, we had a crazy off-road Panigale.”

Ducati 1199 Panigale TerraCorsa

“It looks mostly cosmetic and, frankly, it largely is. We painted the bodywork that Desert Storm color then, depending on your perspective, raised or lowered the suspension. We dropped the forks as low as we could in the triple and raised the shock’s ride height as much as possible; the idea being to max out the ground clearance. it probably only got us a half inch or so, but that’s something. Then, we went through the suspension settings and made everything as soft as possible so we could mimic an off-road bike’s travel.”

“As you know, with a Panigale S it’s all electronic, so we just went into the dash and altered the programming.”

“Then, we put the TKCs on there and, because we didn’t want to ruin nice Panigale wheels and rotors, we bolted on a set of 1098 wheels. We had to shim and space them to make them fit, but we just had them knocking around, so it was worth it.”

Ducati 1199 Panigale TerraCorsa

“I didn’t want to trash my nice Termignonis, so we took a stock 1199 exhaust and cut and welded a formed crash guard. The whole bottom of the bike is now this really cool formed metal skid plate that protects the exhaust, it’s pretty rad.”

“So far, even just with a few pics on our website, it’s gotten way, way more reaction than I thought it would. Manigale is blowing up too, I never would have thought AOL would pick that up. I never would have thought this would have become some viral thing. But with both, there’s haters. There’s all these guys saying, ‘that’s so stupid’ or “why would you ruin a good bike like that?’ Well, why not just have some fun and be silly?”

“And, the thing is, it works!”

Ducati 1199 Panigale TerraCorsa

“The ride ended up being five people. One Multistrada, one TerraCorsa and three GS’s. We went and did a 1,200 mile ride over three days in all kinds of conditions. Rain, mud, gravel, grass, street. I’d like to think we did as much of an adventure ride as anyone normal person would, be it on a GS, a Super Tenere or a KTM. We were in the middle of nowhere with no excuses, there’s nowhere we went that the Panigale didn’t just go right along with us. It was super impressive.”

“Here’s the thing with the Panigale: it’s a surprisingly comfortable bike to ride. Yeah, you have to have equal parts confidence and ability to ride it in a lot of the situations where you’d want to have high bars and stand up, but it just works.”

Ducati 1199 Panigale TerraCorsa

“It’s amazing what a huge difference just tires make. The Panigale was the only bike that had TKCs and, there were some places where it was the only bike that could get through. We had this one stretch of really, really hard mud and the Panigale with TKCs was the only bike that made it. Those are incredible tires. We had a couple stretches where we were going really, really fast and were like, ‘these are bias plys, we shouldn’t be doing 120 mph!’ We had this horrible revelation where we realized how dangerous this could be if we really let loose.”


Ducati 1199 Panigale TerraCorsa

“Look, we didn’t single track it. We didn’t go off into the mountains with the intention of going somewhere no one else had ever been. But, we went to the normal places you’d go on a relatively decent adventure ride: dirt roads, fire roads, open fields and a couple of tighter places and some tame single track. The Panigale handled all of it.”

“Next, we want to do a video where the bike is being used like crazy off-road, then rides into the shop and we do a time-lapse where we convert it from dirt to track and take it to a track day. Now, we’re just going to put the bike back into track form and I’ll be a track day on it down at Thunderhill next month.”

“This wasn’t even planned. It was a stupid adventure, and one that just worked.”

Get To Know Spotify


Streaming music is here to stay and is the absolute future of the music industry. Folks enjoy speaking on their love of vinyl records, but they aren't buying them in huge volumes across the board. Rather, they are streaming more music through a variety of mobile devices allowing for quick and easy access. Have a read over all things Spotify to insure you can find those rare and notable tracks that you need at every social occasion.

Check out original post on Mashable

"Digital music might not have the same allure as sitting down to listen to a record on your turntable, but what it lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in convenience — especially when you aren't home with your collection.

It's been five years since Spotify publicly launched and shifted the music industry's focus toward streaming as a way to combat illegal downloading. While the streaming business model is far from perfect, even the most casual music fan should test out streaming while it's still growing.
If you're just dipping your toe into the stream, follow our beginner's guide and soon you'll be listening to Spotify's massive library without the worry of losing precious hard drive space.

Signing Up

As with most services, you can register for Spotify by connecting your Facebook account for optimal social features, or create an account with your email address.

Pick the subscription that suits your music habits. The prices are in USD, but the tiers are the same internationally: No cost will get you desktop listening interrupted by ads; $4.99 per month allows for unlimited desktop streaming; users who pay the premium $9.99 per month can listen on all desktop (via desktop app or web player) and mobile devices with offline syncing privileges on mobile (Spotify Radio is the only free mobile feature.)

Users at the premium tier can also listen to music at a higher bit rate, which is essential for anyone who has quality headphones or earbuds.

Spotify PrivacyImage: Spotify

Before you start listening, check your preferences and privacy settings to make sure you are sharing as much or as little with the world as you'd like. If you connected your Spotify to Facebook but don't want to broadcast your tunes on your News Feed, uncheck the Facebook sharing option. Leave the Spotify sharing section checked to show up in your followers' feeds — this amplifies Spotify's social music discovery potential.

This page is important because you can choose whether or not to make your playlists viewable to the public as soon as you start, or make it public on your own terms. Also, you can opt-out of Spotify showing your top artists and tracks on your public profile, if you aren't one to brag about such things. Plus, you can connect your Spotify account to Last.fm so your scrobbles stay representative.

Organizing Your Music

Library and Local Files

In the left sidebar, you will find your Collection. Here, you can access local files (go to Preferences to manage the folders from which Spotify can import files) and music saved to playlists. The Library section puts all of this music in one place. By accessing the files found on your hard drive, Spotify acts as a one-stop shop for listening to all your music, meaning you don't have to open iTunes or another player.

Playlists

Playlists are Spotify's main draw. You can create your own by clicking the New Playlist button, or following and subscribing to other users' playlists. Bookmark an album by saving it as a playlist, too.

Spotify Collaborative PlaylistImage: Spotify

You can also set up a collaborative playlist among friends to prep for that that perfect road trip or party. Right click on a playlist to check off the collaborative option and share the playlist with your friends. This alt-menu also shows the option to change the privacy settings to "Make Public" or "Make Secret," depending on your preferences.


Spotify PlaylistImage: Spotify

If you want to stay up-to-date with a specific user's playlist, click the green "Follow" button on the bottom of the top title bar, and it will save to your side bar. You'll get a notification when songs are added to the playlist.

Play Queue

This option is ideal for when you aren't listening to an album, since queuing up a song via the right-click menu will place it after the track you are currently listening to, and will interrupt a record.
When listening to a playlist or playing music in the background, the queue is great for accommodating requests and spur of the moment sing-a-longs with friends.

Sharing and Discovering Tunes

In the last year, Spotify has significantly amped up its social and music discovery features to keep up with its competitor Rdio, which prioritizes social discovery.

Following

Spotify Lorde HeaderImage: Spotify

Spotify lets you follow friends, artists and organizations (follow Mashable's account here!) to see what your network is listening to. You will get a notification when artists you follow add music to their catalogues.
Spotify Who to Follow

The social feed lives in the right sidebar, and at the top Spotify will make recommendations to follow, including Facebook friends or artists your friends enjoy. This feed will show what your friends are listening to right now, songs they've added to playlists, new playlists they've created, tracks they've starred, and playlists, songs and albums they've shared on Spotify.

Spotify User Search

If you didn't register your Spotify account through Facebook, you can still search for friends and organizations via the search bar.

Sending and Sharing Music

Spotify ShareImage: Spotify

You can highlight your favorite music in Spotify's social feed by sharing via the button on artist, album or playlist pages, or the right-click menu. Write a message and check your connected social networks if you want to share to Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, too.
The Send tab on the right of the box allows you to send music to individual users in a private message.

Discover

The Discover section is filled with custom recommendations based on your music history. If you are stuck picking out something new to listen to, you can get lost scrolling down this page.

Spotify DiscoverImage: Spotify

In addition to suggestions of new artists deemed algorithmically similar to ones you already love, Spotify will remind you of albums and songs you haven't listened to in a while. Sometimes the recommendations don't feel right, but the algorithm can only improve the more you use it. Unfortunately, there is no option to reject or modify suggestions at this time.

Spotify Preview

If you are unsure you might like one of Spotify's suggestions, hover over the album art until a play button appears. Then click it and hold down to preview the song.

This will interrupt whatever you are currently listening to, but once you let go of the play button, your song will resume. It is not the smoothest listening feature, but it can come in handy, especially when browsing to make a playlist.

Apps

Spotify's unique apps can also help you find music when you aren't feeling inspired, or you'd like a change of scenery. Some apps will tell you the lyrics of the song you're listening to, others will provide you with a review, and a few will show you what is trending on the charts, web and social media.
We recommended the following apps: Pitchfork, This Is My Jam, Domino, Twitter #Music (formerly We Are Hunted), Any Decent Music?, Blue Note, TuneWiki and Billboard.

Radio

Spotify Radio functions like a typical Internet radio service. You can create stations by artist, song, album and genre, and upvote or downvote songs you love or hate. Spotify Radio is free to use on the mobile app, even if you aren't a Spotify Premium user.

Mobile

Spotify MobileImage: Spotify

Spotify's mobile app is a pared-down version of the web player (tablet apps more closely resemble the web player), from which you can select playlists to download for offline listening, to save your data usage. This is only available for Premium users.

Another feature exclusive to the mobile app is Browse. This saves you the trouble of coming up with a playlist yourself, which is helpful when you're out and about while using Spotify on your smartphone.
Now that you've completed your crash course on Spotify, get streaming!

Mashable composite image: iStockphoto, akindo