Voice of Nola (MIH 32)
Told y’all it was coming.
Writing the Ship
If your still here and you want to know the status of Make It Happen, read on.
We had our production meeting a couple of weekends ago. We talked about the trip, the project as it began, and the future of Make It Happen. Next we wrote a Post Production priority list and created a calendar full of intimidating deadlines. Then we captured all the tapes that weren’t yet in our system… which was a lot. Now everything is digitized. We’re cutting footage, and we’re almost done with the New Orleans vlog featuring Chuck Perkins. Expect it soon. Yeah, yeah, we’ve been saying that forever, but it’s true, it is coming.
As for Abby and I, we’re finally settling in to San Francisco. Abby got a job, so we’re both working. Now we can pay rent with no worries and we are devoting all our spare time to editing the hours of footage we compiled on the road.
Make It Happen started as a basic idea and a desire to travel. So what is it now? For the moment it will be a web video series, with accompanying behind-the-scenes vlogs profiling people participating in independent projects that TeamJaded finds interesting.
The ultimate goal is now, and has always been a feature length documentary. Once all the material we shot on the road is out for mass consumption, we will move forward with turning Make It Happen in to the doc that it was always meant to be.
The catch is… That doc may not be about what we shot on the road.
Did I just blow your mind?
Stay tuned.
Not really the end of the road. (MIH 31)
I’m pretty shocked that it’s been a month since we last posted. Honestly, it feels like yesterday. It does, however, make sense when you look at everything we’ve done.
And to let you in on something… after we posted the last video, we needed a break. We had been on the road for over 4 months, and it was taking its toll. We were both burnt out beyond our expectations, and truly just wanted a bed to sleep in. I was longing to not have to take my toothbrush out of its plastic travel container every night. We wanted to be home.
Except, we didn’t have a home.
We had given up our SF apartments for the road, and we wished we could drive back to the Bay and everything familiar would be just the way we left it… before we packed everything into a storage unit. But alas, everything was still in the storage unit, and we had no home.
So on Jan 15th, we left Lake Charles (the closest place we had to a home the last 4 months). We drove, and drove, and drove, and after a couple days, we got to Williams, AZ, home of Arizona’s oldest Bar, The Sultana.
We stayed at Buffalo Pointe Bed and Breakfast, and let me tell you… it was awesome.
We had somehow come across a buy-one-night-get-one-night-free coupon, and decided to use it. Amazing. They had a little restaurant next to our room that served breakfast with the best hash browns you’ll ever eat.
Williams is an hour outside of the Grand Canyon, on Route 66.
So if you’re ever on vacation in that neck of the woods, I highly recommend it. And with that, you now know… we ACTUALLY made it to the Grand Canyon.
It’s pretty grand. Like, way bigger than I thought it was.
After that, we drove a VERY long (and expensive) day, all the way to San Jose.
We arrived back where we started out, Marika’s apartment. Then we passed out.
The next day we drove to San Francisco. It greeted us with a smile.
(Sorry that was super cheesy)
We rejuvenated ourselves with a walk through Dolores Park and a giant Al Pastore burrito from (the best taqueria ever), Taqueria San Francisco.
We discussed our plan of action. It had been four months, one coast to the other and back again. And here we were, no home, no jobs, very little money, and boxes filled with mini DV tapes. What next?
Well, first a home. Then jobs… then money. Then, dear God, time to edit the documentary. Will this actually happen? We pretty much freaked.
It was nearing the end of the month. Apartments in SF were going quickly, and for TONS of money. (Thank you housing foreclosure crisis/ web 2.0 bubble). We spent the next 8 days on Craigslist. From 1-room apartments in the Mission, video editing gigs in Mountain View, studios in Noe Valley, Marketing Coordinator positions in the Financial District, and 2 rooms in the Richmond, we were Craigslists addicts. Applying for crew gigs, and new digs, we hoped someone would accept us. But we started losing hope. No responses. We got the weird-eye when we tried to explain that our “current residence” wasn’t really, well you know, available. And apparently our personally crafted cover letters weren’t wooing any prospective employers. We were truly, becoming desperate.
And then… a miracle day. I had talked to my mother early in the morning. I was at a Starbucks while Jeremey was at an interview. I told her how we had applied for all these apartments, and we’re suppose to find out today. She said, “wouldn’t it be a miracle if Jeremey got the job AND you got that apartment you want”? We both laughed. Things like that don’t happen. Let’s just hope at least one comes through.
But you know what happens. It was a miracle day. Jeremey landed the gig, and the ex
tensive S.F. apartment audition ended with a spot in one the cities prettiest areas, right at the nexus of three of it’s best neighborhoods. So at 8:00 that night we were at El Toreador (one of our favorite non-Mish Mexican spots) celebrating.
But alas, we’re still in a dilemma. We need to find that happy medium between making enough money to survive, and having enough time to edit round one of the project and start round two. We’re still working out the kinks, and we’re hoping to make it all come together. Hopefully we can… you guessed it… Make It Happen.
TeamJaded Press
While we were in Lake Charles, we met up with Jeremey’s friends Angela and Paul Hauser (and their many pups).
Angela works for the Lake Charles American Press (the newspaper) and interviewed us about TeamJaded and the Make It Happen project. We were pretty psyched when that following Sunday, we picked up the paper to find our picture on the cover. Angela wrote a great article about TeamJaded, and we are super thankful for her support.
Here’s a link to the article online: click here.
Thanks Angela.
The Tundra Tapes (MIH 30)
NYC was fun, but after working long hours and spending almost all our money, it was time to go back south.
We headed toward Lake Charles, but on our way stopped one last time in West Philadelphia. We needed to do sitdown interviews with Scott and Liz (of Evil Twin Booking and Lost Film Fest).
Scott had some amazing words of wisdom about DIY culture, and Liz gave a very insightful look into starting Evil Twin, and well… making things happen.
On our way out, they hooked us up with mad amounts of Steaz Energy Drinks and Raw Revolution Bars… Thanks guys! After that we had to check out how a TRUE Philly Cheesesteak tastes. A bit counter to the good vegan food they just gave us… Sorry guys! But we headed to Geno’s and Pat’s, the two famous cheesesteak places in the city (according to the Internet).
We’re pretty sure they’re not the best in the city (they were semi-decent)… we should have asked a local. Oh well, now we know.
For the next two days we drove straight down south. We stopped in Harrisburg, PA and Chattanooga, TN on our way back to the Chuck. The leaves were beautiful. We arrived just in time for Thanksgiving.
After a week of trying to relax, but working the entire time, we headed to Greeley, CO. With a planned stop in Oklahoma City, and an unplanned stop in Colby, KS, we finally (and surprisingly safely) made it to Abby’s hometown.
So now, you’re basically brought up to date. We’ve been working hard to ingest hours and hours of footage of everything we shot, with hopes of getting new videos to you soon.
We did have a chance to go look at the crazy lighted house the other night. They’ve been doing this since Abby can remember…
Anyhoo, stay tuned. We’ve got a lot more to share with you, and we’ll be hittin you up with more stories of people who Make It Happen.
Fifteen Dollar Sandwich (MIH 29)
So we were in New York for a little while, and in between schlepping our gear all around the five boroughs, shooting Bling Kong, and playing musical apartments, we tried to have some fun too.
So this is where we subject you to our “vacation” shots. And by vacation we mean that very small amount of time when it wasn’t raining on us and we weren’t working.
If you’ve been reading our blog, you know that a big part of us having fun is eating lots of food. New York was no different. We had the most expensive sandwich ever at Katz Deli (freak’n $15!!!), we ate mad pizza, and Abby introduced Jeremey to cannolis (which she thought was weird because he’s part Sicilian).
Jeremey couldn’t get enough cannolis so one night we headed down to Little Italy for what was supposedly the best in town.
We also did some touristy stuff like checking out Grand Central, Washington Square Park, the Wall Street Bull, and we even walked through chinatown.
Jeremey really wanted to skate NYC, but it rained most of the time, and when it wasn’t raining we were working. But one night we did stumble upon these huge brick banks at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. We weren’t sure if they’d ever been skated before, but they sure looked perfect.
That just about wraps up New York. What else is there to say?
New York; cold, rainy, and expensive, but fun. We wish we could have stayed longer, and done more, but the road was calling.
We hope y’all enjoyed our pictures. Stay tuned for more Make It Happen.
Bling Kong (MIH 28)
Alright… we left off in NYC, about to tell you how to “Do The Awesome.” Hopefully this post will give you a bit of insight into said awesomeness. And that is… BLING KONG, our next shoot.
Photo By: Alys Kenny
Who is Bling Kong?, you might be asking.
Well… Bling Kong is the worlds first Choose Your Own (Mis)Adventure Rock Opera. With 3 cheerleaders, 2 drummers, 2 guitarists, 1 bassist and a video Ninja, they are “the queens and kings of all things awesome.”
According to Bling Kong:
“[It all] started when a pile of us got loaded, came up with an idea to design a clothing line and decided to start a band to promote this line. No one really remembers why we needed cheerleaders; it just made sense.”
From there it all came together. Rad Shirts + Cheerleaders + Music = Success.
We met up with Bling Kong at their practice space a few nights before their show at Union Hall in Brooklyn. We shot the group working on their harmonies, practicing their moves, and perfecting their all around performance. It was loud. And it was awesome.
The night before their show we met up with a few of them to check out their recording space and do a couple sit down interviews.
On a side note, y’all should check out Scott Gold’s new book, due out March 18th, 2008. 
Scott (a BK guitar player) did extensive research (i.e. eating) on meat, meat, and everything meat. It’s called The Shameless Carnivore. He also has a blog you can check out here.
BK is recording their next album at Brad’s apartment (the other guitarist); he’s got a great set up, and the songs sound remarkable.
The night of the show was epic, complete with Bling Kong approved drink specials.
Dressed to the nine’s, the band members piled on stage and let out their raucous and raunchy Choose Your Own (Mis)Adventure Rock Opera. With help from the audience, cheers signaled the set list. Where would the story go? It was up to the crowd.
And like we said, it was epic. But BK says it best:
“Sometimes we get hurt, like when Sizzler fell off the Knitting Factory stage under a stack of speakers but didn’t stop singing. Sometimes, we get epic, like the night we were kicked out of a townie bar after leading a 30-person a capella rendition of “Livin’ On A Prayer”. Sometimes stuff just gets weird, like the night we ended up in some dorm room and made a couple kids massage each other with a can of baked beans as we threw change.”
To sum it up… BK was… well, awesome. We can’t wait to see all our footage and get a video to y’all. For now, check out their site, and some of their own videos shot for Heavy.com.
And here are a couple songs for your listening pleasure.
Bling Kong- Bling Kong Girls (mp3)
Bling Kong- Be Aggressive (mp3)
Photo By: Tascha Van Auken
46th and Bliss (MIH27)
We have experienced almost every season within a month. From wearing tank tops in Austin (Jeremey would like to point out that he did not wear “tank tops”), to triple layered sweaters in NYC… it’s been pretty seasonal to say the least.
After we said Adieu to Scott and Liz of Evil Twin Booking (who are currently in Europe!), we headed over to Sunnyside, Queens.
There we drove around for a bit, found a parking spot and unloaded all our gear. Abby’s old roommate Meredith was kind enough to let us crash in her apartment for a few days. Let it be known that Meredith was MORE than kind, as this apartment is a studio… with two residents (thank you also to Whitney!). So in a one-room apartment, four people crashed. It was like being at camp when you’re a kid. It was awesome.
NYC was our furthest stop up the east coast, with two shoots planned. The first was with ABC No Rio, “a collectively-run center for art and activism- known internationally as a venue for oppositional culture formed by artists committed to political and social engagement.”
We were super psyched to cover this story. However, after two months of non-stop work on the road, our bodies and minds were failing us. We knew if we shot this story, it would not be up to par. After a long discussion we determined we needed a break. We talked with the fine people at ABC No Rio and decided to postpone shooting until further notice. We did however stop by their facilities, meet some rad people, and check out their art exhibit and ‘zine library.
Check out some of their affiliated projects, as well as their site:
ABC No Rio
Books Through Bars
Food Not Bombs
The Lower East Side Biography Project
For a couple days Abby showed Jeremey around her old hood. She took him to the famous Sunnyside Arch…
… and made him to eat Baklava in Astoria and try bad Mexican food on Greenpoint Ave. For a couple of days, we rested. It was like we actually had a weekend. We sort of forgot that people have weekends.
But have no fear; we jumped right back into Make It Happen the next week. Stayed tuned, as the NYC fun doesn’t stop there. Find out what it’s like to schlep bags across the city, eat a $15 dollar sandwich, and Do The Awesome with our next shoot…
Lost in Philly (MIH 26)
…And now back to Make It Happen. We hope everyone’s holiday was filled with overeating.
When we left off we were in New York, but we hadn’t told you how we got there. So let us tell you all about our brief experience in Philadelphia which is where we headed after D.C… to West Philly to be exact, to meet up with Scott Beibin of the Lost Film Festival.
Lost Film Fest is a traveling multimedia extravaganza focused on Pranking Corporations, Activism, Culture Jamming, and Social Commentary.
Scott Beibin is a D.I.Y. extraordinaire of sorts. In his life and travels he’s been an activist, run a record label, made ‘zines, traveled the world with his festival, and right now in addition to Lost Film Fest he also co-runs Evil Twin Booking Agency with his partner Liz. They book events for people like the Yes Men, the creators of The Corporation, former members of the Weather Underground, and even musical acts like Dead Prez. And that’s not all… he also markets organic and natural foods companies like Steaz Energy Drinks and Raw Revolution. Scott’s quite the busy guy.
We met up with him at his house in West Philly, which was a little overwhelming for us. Scott resides in a fairly large, historic feeling house that’s overflowing with strange knick-knacks and memorabilia that he’s accumulated over the years. The place radiates with memories. Apparently it was the spot to crash for traveling bands in the nineties and has also been a hub for Scott’s activism and his many projects. There was so much to look at that we never quite got our bearings… or even remembered to take out our cameras…
From Scott’s house we headed over to Evil Twin to pick up Liz…
…and then to the Bubble Lounge for a special Lost Film Fest performance set up just for us.
We hadn’t seen the show before so we weren’t quite sure what to expect… and even now we aren’t quite sure how to describe it. Scott hosts the night cracking in with jokes and commentary between short films that range from mock conspiracy theories to transgender comedies. If the show rolls through your town, you’ve got to check it out.
The next night Scott and Liz set up another show for us at The Change You Want to See Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn… so we headed up to NYC for a second mind-boggling round of Lost Film Fest. The Gallery was pretty packed out and we were happy that so many people turned out for the show. We met a lot of cool people and had a great time.
The kids who owned the Gallery even offered to let us crash there for the night, but we needed to check in with Abby’s old roommate Meredith in Queens, so we parted ways with Scott and Liz… and headed into the wilds of New York City. For now we offer a sincere thank you to Scott and Liz for their enthusiasm about our project.
Stay tuned for updates from NYC, a new vlog coming soon, and round two with Scott and Liz on the way back to Louisiana for Thanksgiving.
Through the Looking Glass (MIH 25)
How’s it going y’all? Are you as overwhelmed as we are? We’ve been in NYC for over a week, and we still haven’t posted the Philly Blog. Trust us, we’ve got a lot to tell you, but NYC has been a blur of schleping our gear across the city with some Guitar Hero action spliced in there for good measure. We cannot get that Kansas song out of our heads. But anyway…
We’ve been on the road for 2 months (you can see everywhere we’ve been here). We know, we can’t believe it either. It’s also hard to believe we’ve gone this far with so little cash. We absolutely couldn’t have done this without the help of our friends and contributors. If you’d like to contribute cash to our cause click below:
It’s paypal, it’s easy… and we’d be very appreciative!
We’ve seen so much, done so much, we’re not even sure how to digest it all. But we know we’ll have sometime to figure it all out over the holidays. That’s right, it’s Friday, November 16th, and next Thursday is Thanksgiving. We’ve noticed that our hits drop significantly on the weekends, (I guess we’re a good distraction for y’all at work and school) and we’re betting that our hits are gonna slow down just a tad over the Thanksgiving week. So instead of busting out with a new vlog and more juicy travel updates, we thought we’d hit y’all with a little video retrospective of our trip so far. Vlogs 1 thru 5. Make It Happen 1 to Austin Craft Mafia.
Enjoy… we’ll be back in a week or so.
Make It Happen
Vlog 1 San Francisco, CA
Vlog 2 California Coast
Vlog 3 Southwest, USA P.1
Vlog 4 Southwest, USA P.2
Vlog 5 Austin, TX Vol. 1
Stay Tuned…
