inseesquared

Some of this and some of that, but mostly some of this.

[natecook7]

A Note For You All

Friends, Family, random Twitter/Tumblr followers, lend me your ear...

It’s been 3 months now since I left Marietta, GA and joined the Jewel of the Seas cruising around the Caribbean. A lot has happened in those three months. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned a lot about other people. I’ve gone to cool beaches and taken Instagrams so that everyone can see how cool I am. I’m having an experience that will never be experienced again, which I guess is true always, but the one thing that has stayed constant over these three months is my desire to share these experiences with the ones closest to me. 

If you are reading this I’m assuming that you are close to me, because things are about to get sappy and if you aren’t close to me you should stop reading now so that you’re view of me as the cool macho guy doesn’t get ruined(thank you in advance for preserving this unrealistic view of myself). 

Due to the circumstances of limited communication and trying to find the balance of living in the moment while also sharing the moment with those around me it is often hard for me to let y’all know everything that is happening with me out here. I just want to make certain that you know how much you mean to me and that I have not forgotten about you and that I think of you on a daily basis.(Yes I am aware of the contradictory nature of writing a catch-all blog post trying to capture all of the things I wish I could say one on one, but I think if you’re reading this it’s safe to say the “you” in these sentences applies to you)

I miss Marietta, GA. I miss Orlando, FL. I miss playing drums in bands. If I could I would sit in a coffee shop and call each and every one of you in attempts to experience the beauty that is sharing a cup of coffee with a friend and just talking about life.

I love you. 

I miss you. 

People are getting married, having babies, working jobs they don’t like, going to concerts and partaking in general mischievous fun-having. I hate that I am missing all of these things and am unable to walk beside you during these life moments. You need to know that. 

I know that I am where I am for a reason. My time on board the ship has been very successful thus far and I am excited to see where it continues to go. I’ve made and am continuing to make good friends on board the ship. It’s been a lot of fun getting to know people here. 

Here’s a little update for you, I am currently acting as the Sound Tech on board while the resident sound tech is on vacation. There is a small possibility that this could lead to a full on promotion after the five weeks but it also might not. So there’s your official non-sappy update on what’s going on on the ship. 

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I love you and I miss you. I hope that you all know that I think of you often and wish you were here daily. 

I hope you all are enjoying the Christmas season and all that comes along with that. 

Merry Christmas and hopefully I will talk to you soon!

Nate

#thelonehipster

P.S. Sorry if this was silly....but it’s been on my brain for a while so I just needed to write it down and know that it was out in the world for people to see if they needed it. 

[natecook7]

St. Maarten adventures. Oct. 20th, 2013

[breaking-development]

[100daystyleradamsmith-blog]

DAY: 32/100

Jesus Christ: “It Seems To Me That Many Of You Have Missed The Point; LET’S TRY THIS AGAIN”

[propertyofzack]

POZ Showcase: Pioneer Fires

The versatility that alternative rock/pop outfit, Pioneer Fires, harbor lends their sound to maximum accessibility. With ease, Pioneer Fires’ ringleader, Palmer Dill, can transition from a solo, acoustic act to a minimalistic acoustic-pop duo (thanks to the addition of Carissa McKinney), and, if Pioneer Fires feel saucy, into a full-fledge, big-sound rock band. Versatility is the name of the game, but without the hooks, the kids will not come back (no matter what form your band takes). Do not fret, however, for Pioneer Fires have plenty of those as well. Go ahead…enjoy Pioneer Fires in any form they may appear. 

For Fans Of: The Morning Of, City and Colour, Good Old War Social Sites: Facebook, Bandcamp

<a href=”http://pioneerfires.bandcamp.com/album/pioneer-fires-ep” data-mce-href=”http://pioneerfires.bandcamp.com/album/pioneer-fires-ep”>Pioneer Fires EP by Pioneer Fires</a>

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band. Palmer Dill (lead vox, acoustic guitar, some percussion) Carissa McKinney (lead vox, cello, piano, guitar) Nate Cook (drums, and mustache wearing) (Sometimes) Evan Andree (electric guitar)

What’s your hometown (or what are your hometowns)? Palmer is from the small town of Central, South Carolina, and Carissa is from Seneca S.C.

How did the band come together? How long has it been? The band was born out of a need for community. I did not want to do the whole singer-songwriter, man and a guitar thing so I asked Carissa to play with me. Music takes on such a different dynamic when it’s done together and when there are multiple people creating. Nate, Carissa, and Evan were all my dream musical choices and I’m just lucky they enjoyed the songs!

Why should people listen to your band? Well, these are songs that can be lived to. They can really fit any mood of the day. On top of that, the songs are just honest and heartfelt. These songs can hopefully become like old friends to people!

How have you grown since you started? Well the band is really only 4 months old so not a lot, but I do think we are just truly grateful for the support we have gotten so far!

What sets you apart from other bands? Well, everyone in our band can play multiple different instruments and can lead songs on different instruments. Also the band can perform as a solo act, a duo with acoustic guitar and cello, a trio with adding in a stripped down drum kit, then full on Americana rock and roll 5-piece.

What’s the best part about being in your band? We are laid back people who work hard for each other. We truly get along with each other which makes traveling, loading-in, selling merch, and all the non-stage time stuff fun. Also, we all wear a lot of denim which is fun, right?

More times than not, influences tend to bleed through. What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?  Dawes, Ryan Adams, City and Colour, The Lone Bellow, Band of Horses, and Lord Huron. Some older artists would be the Eagles, Crosby Stills Nash and Young.

What would you say the band has already accomplished and what do you have your eyes set on next? Well, we just recently released our first EP which was a huge blessing. Kyle Schumacher really stepped up and did a great job recording, mixing, and mastering. We really just hope to steadily increase the shows we play and get to writing a full length as soon as we can.

Read More

[natecook7]

[natecook7]

Two Years in the Making

Over the past two years I've been engaged in an art project. This is a project that consumed my life and grew bigger than I ever could've imagined it growing. 

I've been living a performance art piece. This piece has merely been an exaggeration of myself. So there's no good way to de-lineate myself from it at this point, but from henceforth let's call my created self Albino Moustache.

I had no way of knowing it would take off the way it did. I started growing a moustache and wearing v-necks often. I began collecting vinyl records.  I drank really good coffee. And then I moved to Orlando, FL to attend a technical school for recording and live event production... I was going to become a hipster. 

Upon moving to Orlando one of my first steps was to purchase a fixed gear bicycle. Not shortly after that I found my way into hipster circles and convinced others that I was "cool." Because of my facial hair accessory I found it very easy to infiltrate the hipster circles. I went to bars with cool names like "Independent Bar." I drank a lot of PBR. I smoked American Spirits(and the occasional Lucky Strike). I went to food truck bazaars. I celebrated pillow fight day. I bought a Ryan Gosling coloring book and colored in it often and shared my different artistic interpretations of him with many. I learned to play the banjo. I saw a movie called "I Am Not A Hipster." I went line dancing once...umm, ironically of course, I didn't enjoy it, it was like a joke thing, you know...Anyways, I fully immersed myself in the character until I had convinced all around me that I was indeed, a hipster.

This worked out better than I could've ever imagined. Even as I am writing this I am listening to the latest Daytrotter session sipping on fair-trade Starbucks coffee and smoking a pipe.

It's all over now. 

This has been a grand experiment, but it's time to move on.  At this point it is difficult to separate what is Albino Moustache and what is Nathan Cook. In the coming days those of you who call yourself my friends will begin to realize just how un-cool I am. My moustache will be gone. My pants will be less skinny. And my music tastes will become less obscure. My days will be spent seeking out a reasonable job and lifestyle. 

For those that met me during this time, I hope we can remain friends and that you do not feel deceived by my act. (thought I doubt any of you will recognize me sans moustache) I will now fade into normalcy.

Goodbye Instagram, goodbye @Albinomoustache, goodbye tank tops, goodbye thrift shopping. I will miss these and other things deeply. 

It's been real y'all.

Nathan Cook

[palmerd-deactivated20130423]

This is my band. This is our music. Please give it a shot!!

[s-gellar]

A boy’s best friend is his mother.

[s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s]

If we become so far removed from the source of meaning of any of the excess of expressions we use in everyday speech, we regrettably commit to the degeneration of language in general; in effect, we lose responsibility for it. A similar ethical dilemma in regards to the industrialization of food: we are so far displaced from the source of our dietary provisions—losing all sense of accountability and connotation—that we no longer retain the fundamental right of stewardship (to eat or speak). To disentangle the agricultural origins of “bib lettuce” or “a box of corn flakes” is to unravel the etymology of “toe the line” or “axe to grind” or “bird in the hand…” Shall we stop, drop, and roll, and finally take stock—of food and language—lest these fundamentals bemuse and bewilder us headlong into ignorance and obsolescence? Stop playing dumb: you are what you eat (and what you speak). Make sense of it lest it renders you senseless.

[mensweardog]

Punch Up That Vintage Blazer

Wool Herringbone Blazer: Vintage  |  Tie Bar: The Tie Bar  |  Button-Up Shirt: Ben Sherman  |  Knit Tie: Polo Ralph Lauren

not shown:  Jeans: Acne Max New Raw Selvage  |  Belt: Tanner Goods  |  Brogue Boots: Allen Edmonds (Dalton)

[tastysynapse]

Zen Pencils Comic: 91. BILL HICKS: It’s just a ride

[loversdreamersandyou]

“I got a pirate joke - What happened when Blue-Beard the Pirate fell into the Red Sea? He got marooned!”

[s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s]

FIVE MORE DAYS until we kick off the Surfjam Estabanopolis Christmas Spectacular Seasonal Affective Disorder Sing-a-long Sensation. IF YOU’RE ATTENDING THESE SHOWS, PLEASE DO YOUR HOMEWORK: Learn all the songs on this “Wheel of Christmas” and come ready to sing w/ gusto, bravado, vibrato, bravura, brave heart, with drunken joyfulness and zealous ribaldry, i.e. as loud as possible, with CHRISTMAS CONFIDENCE. “Holly Jolly” might be less familiar. “We Need A Little Christmas” is slightly obscure. And “Sleigh Ride” is quick, so drink your Red Bull. We won’t be doing ANYTHING in 7/8 I promise. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” will be in 3/4, as it is on the album. (If you can’t afford the album, all the songs are streaming on the interweb.com.org.edu.) We’ll be playing many other songs as well, and you are free to join us with a chorus, etc. WEAR A SANTA HAT IF YOU HAVE ONE. Wear PRADA. or Balenciaga. The band for this tour is: Rosie Thomas, Nedelle Torrisi, Casey Foubert, James McAlister, and Ben Lanz. And me. We have our work cut out for us. XXO, SS

[natecook7]

Words cannot describe my excitement for this. 

[natecook7]

During my time in Orlando I played and recorded an EP with a band called The Old Standard. If you would be so kind as to take a listen I would greatly appreciate it. It's pay what you want so you can even have it for free if you'd like. 

If you like it please do share it!

[kanyewesanderson]

Moonrise Kingdom / Power

[oceanistheory-blog]