It is almost time for Alabama Studio Weekend. It will take place April 19th and 20th in the Shoals area of Alabama, so mark your calendars. Come explore the the musical heritage, creative talent, storytelling and good food that make my hometown so unique and rich in Southern culture!

You can tour FAME studios, Muscle Shoals Sound, Ivy Green (the birthplace of Helen Keller), the Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum Home and the home of W.C. Handy (the “Father of the Blues”).  There will also be opportunities to see the current creative talent living and working in the area: Alabama Chanin, Billy Reid and Robert Rausch. These are the folks that are responsible for pulling the event together.

Don’t miss the screening of the movie Seven Signs by J.D. Wilkes and music by Joshua Black Wilkins on April 20th, starting at 8:00pm at GAS Studio.

For more information, times and locations of events, please check out the Alabama Studio Weekend website. 

 

And they’ve been known to pick a song or two

Lord they get me off so much

They pick me up when I’m feeling blue

Now how about you?

(Chorus)

Sweet Home Alabama

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home Alabama

Lord, I’m coming home to you 

If you are from Alabama, you know this Lynyrd Skynyrd song by heart and if the time is right (we do have manners), you sing it to the top of your lungs. You know what I am talking about … don’t pretend. If you happen to be from the Muscle Shoals area (like myself), you may be particularly interested in the slice of the song listed above. The Swampers, also known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, were a group of studio musicians who worked at Muscle Shoals Sound. Lynyrd Skynyrd is from Jacksonville, Florida and wrote this song as a tribute to the studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where they recorded their demo album in 1971. Sweet Home Alabama became their first hit song from their second album. 

The song also mentions Neil Young - “I hope Neil Young will remember a southern man don’t need him around anyhow”. Neil Young had written Southern Man and Alabama, which may have made people think that all Southern people were racist and stuck in the past. Lynyrd Skynyrd responded with Sweet Home Alabama which highlighted all things good about Alabama. This was a lighthearted feud between the bands and Neil Young performed the song at a memorial when three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in a plane crash in 1977. 

Muscle Shoals Sound  

Muscle Shoals and the Shoals area is one of the most unaffected “music capitals” in the world. The music that is recorded there is distinctive because of the mixture of soul, gospel, country and rock. The city is situated between Nashville (known for country) and Memphis (known for blues). In the 1960’s, during the Civil Rights Movement, the Shoals was full of creativity and black and white artists worked side-by-side. A lot of people praise the area for its innovative thought, but it was nothing new for North Alabama, where you could find black and white musicians working together since the 1930s regardless of racial tension in other Southern regions.

There are thousands of songs that were recorded in Muscle Shoals. Some people say that the song I’ll Take You There by The Staple Singers is the perfect example of the Muscle Shoals Sound. Pretty impressive!

Here are a few artist that you may recognize that recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama:

Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Boz Scaggs, Carlos Santana, Cher, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Helen Reddy, Jason Isbell (Drive-by Truckers), Jimmy Buffet, Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, Melissa Etheridge, Otis Redding, Paul Simon, Percy Sledge, Rod Stewart, Simon and Garfunkel, The Allman Brothers Band, The Osmonds, The Rolling Stones, Travis Wammack, Widespread Panic, Faith Hill, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, etc., etc……     

I interrupt “Alabama Week” to give you a breaking blog phenomenon. Just yesterday, the website, Stuff White People Like, was emailed to me by a good friend. So, I read the whole thing, then did what I normally do … research it to death. I needed to know who the person was that was writing this hilarious satire on white people which was making me slightly uncomfortable.

It seems that within the past 24 hours, this site is becoming increasing popular. It really reminds us how the internet can spread news so quickly. I have already read the site, done my homework and am reporting to you now. If you are reading this post, you will now know about it and possibly share with your friends. There you go. A marketing machine …. a FREE marketing machine at that.  

Turns out, “clander” is Christian Lander from Los Angeles who is 29 years old and a full time copyrighter. He is a white guy (seen in the photo accompanying the recycling entry) that has gotten a lot of attention by making fun of himself … brilliant!

Here are a few great interviews/articles that have taken place within the week:

White like us by Gregory Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times

Stuff White People Like Interview: Part 1 & 2 by The Assimilated Negro

To many people, this site is pretty controversial, so enjoy this one responsibly. It is good to poke some fun at yourself!

 

I am continuing with the “Alabama Week” theme (as promised). Today, I have another creative resource, Standard Deluxe, located in a small town called Waverly, Alabama. It is about 12 miles Northwest of Auburn, Alabama. Most of the designers at Standard Deluxe are from the Auburn University Design Program, which also happens to be my alma mater. 

Standard Deluxe provides in-house design and silkscreen printing for t-shirts, posters, etc. If you are a designer in need of a screen printer, look no further. A lot of their work focuses on music promotion, but I bet you can think of lots of other ideas!

There is an online store to purchase posters and t-shirts. Also, you can check out the Standard Deluxe Etsy Store for more items to increase your “cool” factor. Who knew that so many interesting and creative people are from Alabama? I did …. and now, you will too!

    

I think I am going to officially name this week “Alabama Week” on my blog. DONE…..and it shall be named henceforth without future reference….maybe.

Today, I want to make you aware of the dynamic duo that goes my the name TINDELMICHI  (tag line : Two Fat Southern Boys that Paint), which is comprised of John Tindel and Michi. Both were born in Alabama and raised in the South. Michi is from my home town and we have run in the same circles for years. He is a true creative talent grounded in his Southern roots.  

Also enjoy the solo work of John Tindel and the official TINDELMICHI blog. It is good stuff. Get you some!

Applebee’s began re-branding in October with the addition of a new logo, new menu design, a “spokesapple” (voice of Wanda Sikes) and a new tagline - “Together is good.” The new creative agency of record is McCann Erickson of New York. According to Applebee’s press release, the idea was based on research expressing people’s needs to reconnect with their family, friends and coworkers in today’s busy American lifestyle. 

The logo is an improvement. The old logo was just outdated. Everything was centered, the typeface was odd and the black outlines really made everything heavy. The new logo is simplified - keeping the same color palette, but choosing more tertiary versions of red and green.

I do think the green could have been brightened up a bit and I am not sure why they decided to do the offset outline of the apple. It looks like an afterthought or maybe they were trying to create dimension. With logos these days turning into bloated gradients, I do think it is good that they kept the logo in a simple vector style. The A ligature is distracting and none of the of the other letter forms connect. The space were the p isn’t quite connecting with itself is killing me for this font. Also, give the “l” a little room guys - it is getting tight up in here. I guess the choice of Cooper Black for the tagline was supposed to be friendly and bubbly, but it is too bold for me. This logo needs some fine tuning, but I am not the client here!

 

Ruby Tuesday also decided to get a makeover, but it seems more sophisticated. They are trying to elevate the brand to include higher-quality menu items and a better beverage selection. This is not too surprising since the people that started Ruby Tuesday are the same people that built Blackberry Farm, which has won praise from the culinary community. I am very pleased to see all the crap coming off the walls for the interior makeover as well.

I like the new logo and branding created by Pentagram Austin, but I also really like simple, type-based logos. It is true that it isn’t very original or memorable. The logo is nice enough, but I think it is more about the overall brand - the new interior design, the website, the new menu, the new food presentation, photography, etc. They kept the traditional Ruby Tuesday’s red, but brightened it up a bit. They also added the tagline in gray which fits nicely between the y’s, although it gets really small and hard to read. If you have seen the website and the new interior design, the color selection comes together nicely with warm yellows, browns, reds, grays and olive greens.

Ruby Tuesday is now positioning itself as a good alternative for sophisticated, casual dining at a value. This is a great time to re-brand since people are keeping their money close during economic uncertainty.

 

On this rainy Thursday, Mr. Chen is enjoying a nice nap on my warm Apple Airport. He is such a good little helper!

Back in the summer of 2000, I met Rick Diaz Granados at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. We were both chosen for the Artist in Residence program under David Carson. Rick was a little older and a more experienced designer so it was great to watch him work. He is extremely talented and has so much energy and drive. 

Since then, Rick has established a typography company called Stereo Type Haus. The redesigned website is now up and ready for orders! I am really digging the new font, Opera. There are 3 weights plus 1 regular weight italic face. It is modern, readable and versatile. The number forms are sweet too. See the sample below:

 

 

Check out Rick’s type based posters too. These are my favorites.