News
New Balance – Made in the U.S.A
Check out this heart warming video about the town of Skowhegan, Maine and it's relationship with New Balance shoe company. When you support US made you are providing support for workers directly and the community they live in. That's restaurants, clothing stores, schools, and dance classes. We think that's important and we hope you do to.
New Balance – “Made in the U.S.A” from DIGITAL KITCHEN on Vimeo.
"New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70 percent, we label our shoes, “Made in the USA.”"- New Ballance
Dust + Dignity Kickstarter
Philadelphians and lovers of record culture! Our friend Junior of Record Breakin Music is helping to put together an art exhibit exploring the relationship between music, album art, and social justice. The project involves some incredibly talented DJ's/record collectors ( Cosmo Baker, Rich Medina, Skeme Richards, King Britt, and Junior ) and is on KickStarter now. They are offering some great prizes (including a few of our bags). Head on over and support these good people doing good things!
Dust + Dignity is an educational experience promoting dialogue + advancing social justice through the exploration of the relationship between music and visual art. In March 2016, we will curate an exhibit featuring an audio tour with over 100 vinyl albums covers -- hand-selected by five of Philadelphia’s most prominent DJ-Vinyl Collectors: Cosmo Baker, King Britt, Rich Medina, Skeme Richards, and DJ Junior.
Today, we are experiencing an outing of the racial ignorance that has long existed in our city, country, and surrounding world. Born out this injustice and in response to the ignorance is art. In art, we find sound. Music keeps us together; it heals and connects -- it motivates and celebrates. Lyrics give life to our souls, the melodies align our hearts, and the rhythms stoke the fire our movements. Often-overlooked is the powerful connection between an album’s music and the accompanying album visual artwork that binds it all together. From Gil Scott Heron's "Moving Target" to Kendrick Lamar’s highly-acclaimed 2015 release, "To Pimp a Butterfly", the evolution of album artwork has transmitted the dynamism of music and social injustices. Curators: Bruce “DJ Junior” Campbell Jr. - recordbreakin.com, Angie Asombrosa-Cuurlzzz.com, Sarah Mueller - cineSPEAK.org, King Britt - kingbritt.com, Cosmo Baker -cosmobaker.com, Rich Medina - richmedina.com, Skeme Richards - hotpeasandbutta.com
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram: @DustNDignity
Twitter: @DustNDignity
Facebook: facebook.com/DustNDignity
Risks and challenges
The Dust N Dignity Production Team + Collectors are full of wildly passionate expert artist-educators, movers + shakers, world-class djs, artists, event planners, and long-term residents + lovers of our great city of Philadelphia.
We are all incredibly excited about the opportunity to bring this first-of-its kind exhibit and events series to our city. We know that it will bring together the rich diversity of our communities and showcase the vast treasures of these vinyl connoisseurs.
Thus far, this been a joyful journey and we can't wait to see it come fruition. We've been blessed with great support from local business owners, the Painted Bride, and the record collectors themselves. We know it won't be without challenges but we feel that we got this down. We'll keep you posted with updates all along the way.
In advance, that you for your support! We could not - would not do this without you. Much love, the D+D Team.
Cannonball-ize Yourself DJ Mix
Big thanks to Alberto over at Cannonball Records for sending over this mix! Pump your Monday morning up with some obscure soul and another coffee!
Cannonball Allnighter is a twice-a-year event and it is held in Emilia, an Italian region located in the heart of our boot shaped peninsula. Residents Malayka, Soulful Jules and Alberto Folpower. The mission is to go beyond the boundaries of the talc-fist-baggies heritage which we respect and consider the foundation of the deeper dig in the African American Music culture we pursue. The matter is not only how rare the tunes are but also the research and the taste the DJs have. We are committed to inviting international and domestic deejays who walk along this side of the path, the soulies attending are growing in taste the same way we grow ourselves. The area where the Cannonball Allnighters take place are stunning, along with the best country food Italy can offer. We put these features alongside our vision of the soul music and family feelings that were able to create as Italians"
Chicago Pop Up at Deadly Prey Gallery
Tucker and Bloom is pleased to announce that the company will be having a holiday pop up at the Deadly Prey Gallery in Chicago to display their bags, design books, accessories and more. Representatives from Tucker & Bloom will be available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, December 18-20, from 12 pm through 6 pm. The Deadly Prey Gallery is located at 1433 W. Chicago Avenue in Chicago.
"This Friday night! Tucker & Bloom has moved into Deadly Prey Gallery for a couple weekends, and we're having a house party Friday night to kick off our last wknd in the space. We've got yr last minute shopping sewn up: T&B's handmade DJ bags, messenger bags, totes + more will be on display, as well as select records + design books for you to peep. A stable of DJs will be keeping it nice, there's beer and wine (cmon, it's a gallery opening), and some other surprises are in the works. Come hang. Tucker & Bloom Deadly Prey Gallery"
Duffels, backpacks and messenger bags are among the goods that will be available at the Deadly Prey Gallery during the pop up sale. Accessories which Tucker & Bloom designs and offers show an understanding of how technology and gadgets play a role with today's commuter or traveler. Cord management bags, laptop sleeves and wallets are included in the product line.
Nashville Pop up at Porter Flea
Nashville friends! Be sure to join us Friday December 4th and Saturday December 5th at Silver Point Studios for Porter Flea!
Location:
Silver Point Studios, 10 Quality Way Nashville, TN 37207
Event Hours:
Ticketed Preview Market – Friday, December 4th, 6 – 9 PM (Indoors, Rain or Shine)
Main Market – Saturday, December 5th, 10 AM – 5 PM (Indoors, Rain or Shine)
Admission:
Friday, December 4th – $20 BUY TICKETS HERE
Saturday, December 5th – FREE, all ages
Porter Flea returns on December 4th & 5th for our tenth modern handmade market event: Porter Flea Holiday X. Get ready to be a part of the festivities!
To celebrate ten markets (“X”), we want to feature some special design collaborations between the area’s best makers. We want to showcase the incredible creative talent in our community by pairing up Textiles x Apparel Design, Screen Printing x Furniture Design, Pottery x Jewelry, and many other unique design collabs for the most outstanding handmade gifts in the southeast.
It keeps getting better: for PFX, we’re moving back to East Nashville with a massive new venue — more heated space for more shoppers equals maximum convenience. With the extra capacity, PFX will also feature both the Porter Pantry and the Porter Parlour offering some of the finest artisanal food products and handmade personal care and beauty products to help make holiday gift shopping a cinch.
Porter Flea Holiday X will run over two days at Silver Point Studios on Quality Way starting Friday evening, December 4th, with our ticketed Preview Market from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Our Main Market will run 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 5th, with open access to more than 100 talented, jury-picked vendors, thousands of one-of-a-kind handmade gifts, a collection of the city’s finest food trucks, and just the right amount of holiday cheer. Come join us and see why PFX will set the new standard for Nashville’s modern handmade marketplace.
First organized in July, 2011, by Jessica Maloan, Brent Elrod, and Katie Vance, Porter Flea was named Best Artisan Market by the Nashville Scene in 2012 and has earned additional praise from Forbes Travel Guide, The City Paper, Southern Living, NATIVE, The Nashville Ledger, The Murfreesboro Post, StyleBlueprint, Etsy, and several local bloggers.
Ranger Market Tote Featured in Outside Magazine's Winter Buyers Guide
Nashville (October 29, 2015) – OUTSIDE, America’s leading active lifestyle brand, has selected Tucker & Bloom to be featured in their Winter Buyer’s Guide as among the best gear to have for the winter sports season. The Ranger Market Tote was reviewed in the Best Women's Après Gear of 2016 category. The entire selection of products appears in OUTSIDE’s Winter Buyer’s Guide, on news stands September 29.
From winter running shoes and weatherproof cameras to snowboards and avalanche airbags, the OUTSIDE gear team tested hundreds of products to determine the best in gear this year for the Winter Buyer’s Guide. Featuring the most innovative products, killer deals for the price-conscious consumer, and expert ideas for winter outings, it’s the ideal resource for budding adventurers and outdoor aficionados alike. Reviews are organized by sport and activity, and include the ideal setting or experience level for each product, as well as tips for getting the most out of each gear pick. Only the best items on the market make into the pages of the Guide.
"We're thrilled to see our Ranger Market tote in the buyers guide! We put a lot of love into our bags and we're happy to see that felt by the team at Outside Magazine!"- Case Bloom
“Great gear is essential to making the best of our time outside, and for many of us, it’s the most valuable investment we make,” says OUTSIDE Buyer’s Guide editor Axie Navas. “The gear industry is innovating at an amazing pace to keep up with ever-changing outdoor trends, and we want our readers to reap all the benefits of these advances. The OUTSIDE gear team hit the trails and the back country on foot, bike, ski, and snowboard to put all the newest products to the test, and nearly 300 made the cut, with seven top-notch items winning our coveted Gear of the Year award. With the picks from the Winter Buyer’s Guide, our readers can be confident they’re facing the elements with the best gear on the market.”
Tucker & Bloom is a family business with over 30 years in the bag industry, focusing on organizational products, and clean design. They are based in Nashville TN where they make products and drink lot's of coffee.
The complete list of Buyer’s Guide selections will be featured in the OUTSIDE Winter Buyer’s Guide, available on newsstands September 29.
Spotlight: Impala Sound Champions
If power is measured in Watts, then the Impala Sound Champions are pretty damn powerful. The six-man Chicago-based DJ collective has been running a number of nights covering a spectrum of styles for nearly ten years in Chicago—but earlier this month, the crew unveiled their long-cooking master plan: their very own Soundsystem, a 25 feet wide and over 10 feet high monster of a PA boxed in custom cherry-stained cabinets and topped with vintage radial theatre horns dipped in fresh gold paint. Adding up all of the amplifiers in the back you arrive at…
60,000 watts.
To put that in perspective a little bit, when Duke Reid first carved out his Trojan truck 60 years ago to cart his soundsystem around Kingston he was likely pushing less then 10,000 watts—even as soundsystems grew, they still roughly maintained at around 30,000 watts on average. Many current sound systems on the scene today are still in the 10-15,000 watt range. Despacio—James Murphy and 2ManyDJ's soundsystem built last year in the UK—hovers at 50,000 watts. Impala's beast still weighs heavier on the scale. Pretty sure that it comes at you harder, too—the cabinets are hand-splattered with blood from each of the fellas ("I remember when [Impala member] Tony came over one night and was like, "hey Dave, are we gonna do that vampire shit tonight?" says fellow Impala member Dave Mata).
Being a massive presence that it is, the soundsystem earned a perfect display spot—front and center at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago as part of the museum's quarterly Prime Time series. A soundsystem isn't much just sitting there by itself—you need selectors to push it, and hiphop architect Breakbeat Lou and composer/producer Adrian Younge joined Impala to christen the system with their crates as part of the night's entertainment. And if you're reading this on the West Coast, you're in luck—Mata and the crew plan to truck the system out west this winter to throw some parties on the lawn (something you can't quite do in Chicago in February).
Check the shots.
[photos by Manley]
Interview Of Ian Johnson of Western Edition
Spaces, Lines, Phrases, Progression.
If you compare them, jazz and skateboarding are obvious cousins; both have been vehicles for self-expression and magnets for individual thinkers for decades. Both have had tremendous influence on culture (highbrow? lowbrow? no brow? it’s hard to tell, and likely a little bit of all). Both deal with spaces, lines, phrases, progressions. Before Spike Jonze paired Mark Gonzales handycam clips to John Coltrane records in Blind Skateboard’s “Video Days” film back in 1991, these things existed on their own planes. Arguably ever since, though, jazz and skating have been a more familiar pairing.
Even if jazz, on the whole, is a familiar visual touchpoint now (how many of Reid Miles’ Blue Note covers have been “homaged” at this point?), Ian Johnson’s been capturing it in a fresh visual language all its own—realistic pen and ink portraits of heavies like Louis, Monk and Miles, but also snares Kennedy-era Free-leaning giants like Dolphy, Ayler, and Braxton—all against Rapidograph-precise backgrounds radiating behind them. As Art Director for San Francisco’s Western Edition skateboards, Johnson’s been laying his own riffs out on decks (full disclosure: I’ve bought several) for well over ten years, but it wasn’t until I lucked across his monograph, I Know You’re Somewhere, in a bookshop recently that I recognized the linework and subject matter from Western Edition decks at home, which put work to name, allowing this interview to happen:
First up, the particulars: Where did you grow up? How long have you been around SF?
I was born in Syracuse, NY. My family moved around a bit and then ended up in SF in 1993. I have been here ever since, barring some time in NYC.
I've read in other interviews that going to art school "wasn't your thing"—can you dig into that a little bit? What was the feeling there? Where there specific differences between the Bay and the East Coast that you remember?
I guess it was more that school in general wasn’t my thing. At the time I just didn’t really want to be there. I would love to be able to have the time and freedom to study and learn and practice now, but back then I just didn’t see what an opportunity it really was. I was just thought it was all bullshit, but didn’t realize I could actually learn things and make it more of what I wanted. Then again, I guess I didn’t really want anything at the time.
The feeling was that the quality of the students was going down, and anybody could get in, and it seemed like a cop out a bit for people that didn’t want to go through the rigors of academia, except for a few people—though I am sure that gets weeded out a bit as you get to the higher years and graduate school. I was mostly into skateboarding and rap at the time, and those scenes were actually pretty similar at the time in NYC and SF.
This may seem like a really broad topic to just jump into, but....jazz? How did jazz become your focus for your art? Was there a connection between jazz and your skating style? Did one come first for you (ie jazz influenced how you skate, or vice versa?)
It was kind of a path of least resistance thing, really. I liked jazz, and did some jazz drawings which were used to start Western Edition with. And each season I’d make new ones, eventually sold some, had some shows and it just kind of naturally evolved. I like kind of having a foundation and try not to just jump on something new because it’s trendy at the time. I branch off on occasion, but it is all from the fountainhead of jazz and what I have done before.
There is a connection between jazz and skating for sure, but my personal skating…not much. You have to be much better than I ever was to really achieve that in skating.
Can you talk a little bit about the play between the portraiture and the backgrounds in your work? Radiating lines, big spaces, environments…is this driven by how you visualize music? Or is it more pure expression and composition?
Well the portraits came first, but just drawing from old photographic references gets a bit boring after a while. You’re not bringing enough to the table, really. At first, the backgrounds were just a way to fill space.
Later on, I thought about it more as the music—or ideas or perceptions of others of that particular musician’s. I don’t really visualize music, funnily enough—I try to guess at it, but it is not in fact in my mind in that way. It’s a balance between expression of ideas and composition for sure. Mainly I do black and white portraits with color backgrounds, alluding to the physical person being a statue in time of the creation, but the music living on a being vibrant and alive long after the creator.
It's cool to see the range of jazz eras in your work; you've got Bop, post-Bop, Free, Avant....is there a particular era of jazz that you're drawn to the most? I'm seeing a lot of 60s-leaning guys in here.
It changes all the time, but I think for a while I have been mostly into mid-to-late-60s free-leaning people. I just think the time period is fascinating—so much was changing, and sometimes hard to parse out what was genuine and important from what was not. I like that idea. I also like don’t like to lean on super popular people as much, and try and learn about other people and hopefully, in turn, get others interested in them possibly.
Are there particular scales/sizes that you enjoy working at? How do you decide what portraits to capture?
Size is really dictated by my studio, which is very small. I often work in pen and ink, so it’s just easier for me to draw at a legal size paper scale. I like to work big, but it’s more pressure if it doesn’t work out good—you have this big piece that just hangs there, mocking you.
I just look for things that speak to me in some way. I prefer ones I haven’t seen too often, or at all, and try to crop them or remix them in a way I think will be interesting. Sometimes it works better than others. Sometimes it feels more original than other times.
I'm assuming with a wide range of musicians/covers referenced in your work you spend some time digging for records. Favorite spots around SF? Beyond?
I don’t really have much time or space for record shopping anymore. I just go to places on my route to and from work. Amoeba, Green Apple, Goodwill. Groove Merchant is dope, but I never really go there.
Is there someone you'd love to capture in your work but haven't quite "gotten" it down? Is there anyone you're afraid to try to capture? Where do see/feel your work pushing to next?
I don’t think I have quite gotten any of them down yet, so anyone, really. I’m not really afraid to fail anymore—I used to be afraid of people that were still alive. I think I will get a bit more abstract and less focused on portraits but always keep a toe in that. But you never know where working will lead you.
How does your work weave into the work of Western Edition? You're obviously responsible of the Out to Lunchseries and some of the one-off decks, but are you responsible for all other graphics, as well? What's your typical day look like around the WE offices?
It’s the basis of Western Edition. I am the art director, so I do most everything. Sometimes we have someone come in and do something, but not too often. I work at FTC, and the FTC/WE office is a small desk in the back. A typical day is…I ride my bike there, get a coffee and sit in front of the computer or paper and try to make something. Then I go home and watch my daughter. When she goes to sleep I start working again until I fall asleep or say fuck it, watch TV and drink.
Made in Nashville Festival September 12th
Nashville Friends! Please join us at the 4th Annual Made In Nashville Fest on Saturday September 12th at Centennial Park 2500 West End Ave! We will be set up, selling bags all day, enjoying the music, and hobnobbing with Music Cities finest craftsmen ( and craftswomen ). Sounds like a great time to us and the best part is that all proceeds support the Epilepsy Foundation of Middle & West Tennessee!
What's not to like! Find out more at: www.MadeinNashville.org.
Trim Nashville Denim Shirts
Over here at Tucker and Bloom we're all about function and style. That's why we want to introduce you to our friends at Trim, makers of fine quality denim shirts. Also based in Nashville they truly make some of the best fitting and most comfortable shirts around. For a limited time, we are excited to be partnering with Trim to offer 3 specials:
- Good. Use coupon code TB10OFF at checkout to receive 10% off of your Trim order.
- Better. A Trim shirt (retail value of $139) and a Tucker & Bloom wallet or belt (retail value of $70-$75) for just $144 total. That's a savings of over 30%!
- Best. Buy all three Trim shirts at just $99 each and receive a Tucker & Bloom wallet or belt for free! Total savings of up to $195.
Tucker and Bloom X Third Man Record Store Day Give Away!
This year for Record Store Day we have teamed up with our friends at Third Man Records for a set of epic give always! We have two of the limited edition Third Man Records X Tucker & Bloom Messenger bags packed with some Third Man RSD exclusives. The contest ends on Monday April 20th and you can enter below. Best of luck!!!
Here's a list of the prizes:
- Third Man Records X Tucker & Bloom Messenger Bag
- Elvis "My Happiness" 10" Record (Facsimile of Elvis' first recording)
- The White Stripes Get Behind Me Satan Reissue on red and white 180 gram vinyl
- RSD-exclusive pin, sticker and White Stripes baseball card designed by Rob Jones
Grand Opening of the Village Marketplace and Brewery Showroom
If you are in Nashville please join us this Tuesday (3/31/14) for the grand opening of our showroom in the Village Marketplace and Brewery. The space is located in Hillsburo Village in the old Boscos building. There will be craft beer available, lots of great shopping, and we'll be there from 6-8 selling bags!
"Craft beer and shopping come together under one roof at Hillsboro Village's newest business, Village Brewhouse & Marketplace.The owners of Sam's Sports Grill purchased the brewing equipment and leased the former Boscos Restaurant & Brewing Co. space at 1805 21st Ave. after Boscos closed in the fall. The new brewery serves about 10 craft beers, wines and appetizers, while the marketplace has room for 20 vendors to sell goods."It's a unique place to shop and drink. We have a little mix of everything in here," said Liz Waller, who is overseeing the Village Brewhouse & Marketplace project. The business has a small seating area surrounding the bar and big-screen televisions.
Four beers are being brewed on site: an English Pale Ale, a hybrid India Pale Ale, an Oatmeal Stout and an American Pale Ale. The appetizer menu includes chips served with various dips, including queso, salsa, pimiento cheese, smoked trout dip, white bean hummus and olive tapenade.
Vendors have rented the remainder of the space to sell a range of goods, from food products to women's clothing and men's messenger bags.Vendors at the marketplace include fashionABLE, Galena Garlic Company, Sweet Darling French macarons, Hollybelle home goods and antiques, Muse Boutique, C.London essential oils, Nola Granola, Star Art, Bee Attitude T-shirts, El Baul jewelry, Rosie Jayne, Tucker & Bloom messenger bags and Sweet Tea Candle Company. A space near the front of the building is reserved for vendors to rent by the day, Waller said."
