Phoenix Coffee and Out Of Place present Dawn Patrol coffee

Friday July 22, 2010 Dawn Patrol coffee will be available at Phoenix Coffee shops and Whole Foods.

Dawn Patrol is the coffee collaboration between Phoenix Coffee and Out Of Place.

During the Cleveland Film Festival I was reminded of how much coffee we drank at Bela Dubby while editing the movie.  Bela Dubby was a short walk from Scott’s place and they served hot, freshly brewed coffee from Phoenix Coffee.  On March 16, 2010, I posted a message on our Twitter:

“@west9thphoenix how about Phoenix be the official coffee bean sponsor of Out Of Place!? Tweet if interested….”

A few hours later I received a direct message from Lizzy Caston from Phoenix asking me what I had in mind.  We began to throw ideas back and forth and the Dawn Patrol blend was created.  Every surfer knows the routine.  Waking at dawn, driving to the shore searching for waves.  An integral part of that routine for me is brewing a pot of coffee and filling my thermos.  There is something about drinking a cup of coffee at sunrise on the beach.  I love the way everything looks.  It is an incredible way to wake up, even if there are no waves.

I have had so much fun working with the people at Phoenix.  Being a huge coffee nerd (my birthday present from my girlfriend was this) it has been an enlightening and exciting experience.  Sarah Wilson-Jones, the owner of Phoenix, asked me and the OOP crew to come by the Phoenix roasting headquarters to talk coffee and figure out what Dawn Patrol was going to be.  After partaking in a coffee cupping (sort of the equivalent of wine tasting) we nailed out the Dawn Patrol blend, a top secret mix of Costa Rican (home of amazing surf and coffee), Ethiopian, and New Guinea (also home of some of the worlds best coffee and mysto epic waves).  The blend is incredible thanks to the highly developed palates of Sarah and Wes, the resident Phoenix Coffee-barista-wonder-boy-flavor-consultant (stay tuned for an interview with Wes about Dawn Patrol and Cleveland coffee).

We worked with Sean Higgins (www.thebubbleprocess.com), the Phoenix in-house designer on the label.  The dude has chops.  Check out the new Phoenix site he did graphics for.  I couldn’t be happier with the label he designed.

Beginning tomorrow Dawn Patrol will be available in Phoenix coffee shops and Whole Foods.  And on Saturday at our screening at Cedar Lee (@ noon) the coffee and OOP shirts and CD’s will be for sale.

Let me finish this up by saying that we are working with Trevor Marzella (I should saw we are “lucky to be working with Trevor Marzella“) on the DVD design.  We are shooting for a mid-August release.  Stay posted.

In the meantime, drink lots of coffee, surf naked, go see Out Of Place at the Cedar Lee!!! and watch the Mad Men premiere this Sunday July 25th.  Thanks Lizzy, Jamie, Sarah, Wes, Chris, Nikki, Irene, and Sean for making Dawn Patrol awesome!

Incredible new artwork

We were approached by graphic artist Lizzy Lee wanting to use Out Of Place as the subject for a design assignment for a class she teaches at Cleveland Institute of Art . The results are great. I want to thank all the artists for their hard work and creativity. They were all great and a few really touch on the essence of the movie. Here is a sample of some of the posters.

We incorporated the blue and red poster into a postcard that is being printed in Santa Barbara as we speak.   Thanks Lizzy.  I definitely want to collaborate on the soundtrack and dvd design.  Not to mention we need an official movie poster….I have some ideas. We need it to be iconic. Think of the DayGlo Endless Summer.  Can we capture the spirit of our times, Cleveland, and surfing in a poster? Hell yes. Stay tuned for that…..In the meantime check out Lizz Lee’s design firm here (www.riniuvalee.com)

Surf Naked: Ben Haehn

There are certain people that are never the same after they surf for the first time.  It is difficult to understand the magnitude of this statement unless you know someone or you yourself are one of those people forever altered by surfing.  When Ben Haehn caught his first wave a switch was thrown in his brain.  From that moment on water and the act of riding waves permeated his life.  Waves started showing up in his paintings.  He moved closer to his local break – about as close to Edgewater Beach as possible.  He began accumulating surfboards and frequent flyer miles from surf trips.  Ben is in Costa Rica right now.  As I type, Ben is likely tired from a day of surfing warm waves, an Imperial in his hand and sand in his hair.

A previous trip to Costa Rica inspired Ben’s recent “Surf Naked” t-shirt design.  Ben told me it was a dare.  The shirts are custom dyed and silk screened.  We sold quite a few at the fundraiser and will definitely carry them in our forthcoming online store.  Shoot me an email or leave a comment if you want to get your hands on one.  Arrangements will be made.  In the meantime, more of Ben’s shirts can be seen/ordered at http://www.superelectric.cc/

Robby Took Some Beautiful Photographs

Our close friend and collaborator Robby Staebler visited Cleveland last month and brought along a few of his favorite cameras.  The following photographs are the result of that trip.  Here is a short interview I did with Robby about his work.

Me: Robby, what are you trying to achieve with your photography?

Robby:  I want people to look at my photos and get the same weird feelings I do when I see them. If that happens then I am somehow connected to the viewers through my own past and become a bit of a time travel guide to my previous experiences for the audience. I don’t really stage my photos in the sense that most think of when they hear that word. I don’t have grand ideas of complex photographs, I simply choose to photograph people in situations where there are no extra distractions in the frame. Basically I avoid time signatures. I want people to not know when I took the photos. Timelessness is part of what I aim for.

Me: Why do you get “weird” feelings from looking at your photographs? Or I should ask, what are these weird feelings you get?

Robby:  I wont say because the people who read this will think about what I defined instead of feeling it out.   It would contaminate the specimen.

Me: Who/what are your influences, photographers and otherwise?

Robby:  Consciousness is my main influence.  Absorbing everything around me.  I listen to a lot of Brian Eno when I’m working in the dark, sometimes it’s too heavy when it’s pitch black, it really puts me in a strange place. I think that physical and audible contact effects end results in a big way.    I’ve had a lot of photographic influences, but over the years I have come to respect Sally Mann’s work the most. It makes me feel close to what’s important.  I sound like a fucking robot.

Me:  How has your approach to shooting evolved since we were roommates two years ago?

Robby:  My approach is the same.   I just shoot other formats now which slows me down . I’ve been shooting  4×5 and 8×10. The pace difference is pretty significant from using my Hasselblad. It’s good this way.  I have been feeling like everything in my life is going warp speed, so using big cameras is helping to balance out my mental wildness.

Me:  Thanks for the words and the wonderful pictures.

Go to Robby’s website designed by my bro (graystatic.com): www.robbystaebler.com

Cleveland SCENE article/my thoughts on this weekend

The Cleveland Scene has written a great piece on the movie and this Sunday’s fundraiser at the Beachland Ballroom.

Check it HERE

It is especially cool to see our names and the movie written about in the Scene.   I read it every week when I lived in Cleveland and I know Scott and Chris never miss an issue.  It is our weekly update on Cleveland’s culture and I’m excited for the movie to become a part of the very culture they write about.

I have a strong feeling this weekend’s concert at the Beachland is going to be a special moment for us all.   After all the hard work and support from the community  it is time to celebrate and help take the movie as far as it can go.   This Sunday will see just about everyone involved with the movie- the bands on the soundtrack, the surfers, the cinematographers, the friends that brought over beer when we were in the thick of it – coming together.  Lots of catching up and good times to be had.  The Barn Owls are playing!! and the All Golden.  Not to mention, it will help get the movie onto screens across the country.   The money we raise will help pay off the production costs and fund submissions for film festivals that will help get the movie seen by thousands of people.  The festival circuit is an exciting way to share the movie with audiences all over and can lead to further distribution.

We submitted to Cleveland International Film Festival and have our fingers crossed.  The entire time making the movie we had a premiere at the Cleveland fest in our minds.  My experience at the festival last year – watching movies, meeting filmmakers that I look up to, and for the first time getting a taste of the filmmaker community was unforgettable.  This year I want to be there as filmmaker showing a movie.  If you know anyone at the festival be sure to mention the film. Anything can help!

I look forward to seeing you all  on Sunday.

-Kurt

Photos of Chris McIntosh, Glenn Ditzenberger, and Edgewater surfers Courtesy of Robby Staebler (1/2 The Barn Owls)