Merry Christmas From the Johnson's!!!

We wanted to send you all a Christmas card but didn't really have a way to print them and send from Fiji so this will have to do:

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a wonderful new year!!!

Christmas Time?

First Noel- guitar-Stu Johnson-Yako Organic recordings-Fiji by mainlandmoke

As the youngest child of six I watched as each of my siblings graduated High school and subsequently vanished our east Los Angeles home in the suburbs, off to start a new life far away from Mom, me and Whittier. When the end of high school drew near, there was no question about what my next steps into life would be. It was subconscious instinct that I was out of there as soon as I could. My post High school proverbial "walk about" into life had a different travel itinerary. My belongings never made the cramped car ride up the Cajon Pass and Virgin River Gorge to eventually arrive in the familiar foothills of P-town. Instead I took a Five hour plane ride over the Pacific to an Island chain I only knew as the paradise romanticized by radio promo give aways' and popular surf films. Coming off the plane was magic. The foreign combination of heat, humidity and coconut palms only highlighted my excitement of starting my long anticipated life away from Via Del Palma. This is what my siblings experienced!? This is it! Magic!
From that moment off the plane I found a new inner instinct which I believe my siblings share. To take head on unfamiliarity and make it familiar. This is what I saw in my siblings as they moved,lived and worked in "foreign" lands across the country. (Yes, to me Utah remains foreign and mysterious).
I went into this walk about of post high school life without any preliminary rules or expectations and I find no instinctual pull toward laying foundation in once familiar communities. However my heart is not completely stone as you might think. Nostalgic smells and sounds remind me of my family who I love more than anything. But why do I chose to live so far away? I would live closer but the precedent to leave as soon as possible was set before I had any real choice.
Luckily for my own sanity's sake, its rare to ever smell or hear things that would trigger nostalgic memories, instead of the sweet smell of fresh Christmas tree shaped cookies we know curry garlic and ginger. Instead of Holiday Carols we know the bass driven reggae beats of the islands. When Sufjan Stevens rendition of the First Noel came up on shuffle I was reminded that its Christmas time despite the lack of holiday decor. This is my favorite time to be with my family. And though we have all spread out and moved away from the 90602, we will never forget our home there and the familiar smells and sounds that filled the house. I don't know why we all left in such a hurry!? Cant wait for our next Christmas all together.

Yako Organic recordings -Fiji Studio-

 I love recording music but am never satisfied with the production.  Its a combination of our poor quality microphone (stock mic in macbook) and the surrounding racket spoiling every take.  Ive had it!!!  I concede to the fact that my home will never be a sound tight studio. Now from these ashes of defeat, comes the timely introduction of "Yako Organic Recordings."  I now embrace the sounds of skreaching maina birds, the chirp of the gecko, the crackle of our hot tin roof, and our dog Mochi barking at everything that passes.  I will produce one track a week, mostly covers, (unless I can find one of my own songs i like enough) with minimal takes and editing.  Like most things organic, this will most likely be an unpleasant experience since your pallet is accustomed to the MSG filled perfection of your favorite studio artists.  Thats the nature of the organic medium; its free range, raw and tough to chew but if you try really really hard you might taste or hear something fresh and untamed.  Hope my new venture doesn't cause acid reflux...

The first of this collection is a cover of the Iron and Wine track, "Each coming night" 
From the Album Our Endless Numbered Days
A song of loss and the memories that never leave

  Each Coming Night by mainlandmoke 

Will you say when I’m gone away
"My lover came to me and we'd lay
In rooms unfamiliar but until now"
Oh oh oh oh
Until now
Oh oh oh oh
Until now

Will you say to them when I’m gone
"I loved your son for his sturdy arms
We both learned to cradle then live without"
Oh oh oh oh
Live without
Oh oh oh oh
Live without

Will you say when I’m gone away
'Your father’s body was judgment day
We both dove and rose to the riverside"
Oh oh oh oh
Riverside
Oh oh oh oh
Riverside

Will you say to me when I’m gone
"Your face has faded but lingers on
'Cause light strikes a deal with each coming night"
Oh oh oh oh
Coming night
Oh oh oh oh
Coming night
Oh oh oh oh
Coming night
Oh oh oh oh
Coming night 
 

#55 Paint Tank COMPLETED

Okay so I know I'm way behind and going back in time by posting this one...  but I was going through some photos and found some before and After pics of Tank's Paint Job.  You have to understand that Tank was part of the family and we LOVED him!  We were sad to sell him but we had to sell A LOT when we moved.  Here's Tank before... pretty rugged :)

Tank Before

After...

What a sexy beast!

What a great truck he was!  This job took about 2 hours, 3 people, and 6 or 7 spray cans... if I remember correctly.