Nahko + Medicine for the People

I've been bouncing around the country the past few weeks for work reasons. Starting to feel the miles. 

But then, when I needed it most, I stumbled into Nahko Bear playing solo, just him and his acoustic guitar. In the middle of a tradeshow of all places. Sometimes life looks out for you like that.

This song is called 7 Feathers. It's always been a favorite.

Crap Surfer

I'm crap at quite a few things.

I'm crap at most things actually. For the record, I'm not crap if you need help lifting heavy things. I'm not crap if you're looking for overly precious alliteration. But outside of those two fairly narrow skill sets, I'm crap.

I'm a crap surfer too. But I'm not even a good crap surfer. Bill Bankes-Jones, on the other hand, is the world champion of crap surfing. This is his story.

Tim Linhart: Making Ice Music

Well here is something I haven't seen before. One day Colorado native Tim Linhart was in the mountains when he decided to carve an upright string bass made of ice. He loved the sound and went on to form Ice Music, a winter concert series in Sweden. The music is quite beautiful as are Tim's observations about human connection to water, frozen or otherwise. 

You can learn more about the concert series here.

As for this particular video, it's part of the Buck The Cubicle series which is about people who find inspiration in their decidedly offbeat occupations.

The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere

I'll admit, I clicked on this simply because the title caught my eye. Every loser can use a shining star, after all, including me.

The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere is a documentary about a racehorse. If you have absolutely no interest in documentaries about race horses, then this is the documentary about a race horse for you.

It definitely caught me off guard in a wonderful way. I know 18 minutes is a freaking life time these days, but it's worth a watch.

Douglas Tompkins: A Wild Legacy

I've always known of Douglas Tompkins (founder of The North Face). But it wasn't until his death late last year in a kayaking accident that I really learned about his extraordinary life. This film is a good look into his incredible effect on our planet (Chile and Argentina in particular), not to mention an interesting glimpse at the birth of The North Face, Patagonia, and the outdoor business as we know it. 

Doing it all wrong

I love the way Richie Jackson skates. Ditto for the way Scott Stevens snowboards. Which is to say: I love the wrong way. The not worrying about being cool way. The let's just make stuff up and have some fun way.

You don't need to be a skateboarder to appreciate this one, I swear. Check it out and then how about let's see what we can do incorrectly today!

Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten

This very well could be the best thing all damn year. 

It's Elizabeth Cotten performing her song Freight Train. She passed away in 1987 at the age of 94. I'm guessing this was recorded around 1984 or so. Here is another version that she recorded in the mid 60s or thereabouts.

Her entire story is fascinating and well worth checking out.