Why you ask? Mostly just because this isn’t the Good Times Blog if there aren’t some random shots of assorted shrubbery and fruit at random intervals during the year.  I have a quote to fulfill people I’m sure you understand.  We made a pie out of those berries, it was a life changing baking experience.

In other news, [Read: News you actually may care about.] our good brother and friend Erick Arc Elliott has fired up a new project entitled Wa/ves. A collaboration between him and illustrator Infamous Jean Claude (Van Dam), it’s a site dedicated to throwing up some really classy well arranged playlists accompanied by great art for your listening pleasure.  Give it a look see, HERE, and enjoy.

Stay Safe-Phil.

It’s been one of those weeks folks.  I think we’ve spent more time driving up and down the various state highways than sleeping over the past five days.  Tradeshows, listening parties, backstage interviews, photo shoots and the day to day antics that only seem to come about during these brief summer months.  I’m going to indulge in a quick dumping of photographs from the past week to half way catch everyone up on what’s been going on.  The best moments go completely missed by camera but I think that’s a good thing, some things  should remain as memories only.  Hopefully your summer, wherever you might be, has been as productive and more importantly enjoyable as ours has.  Read this and then go outside, it’s too nice to be on the computer.

Lower East Side movements.

Ellington has been putting in massive hours on Madbury over the past few months but like everyone else is just having a good time first and foremost.

Hawaii Mike looks on as one half of the brother duo behind denim line Naked & Famous explains to us why exactly they decided to make the world’s heaviest pair of jeans. That pair of jeans standing there clock in at 32 ounces.  The jeans you’re wearing right now are probably somewhere around 9-12oz.  So imagine wearing three pairs of jeans at once and you’re beginning to get the idea.  Why would you ever want to do that to yourself you ask?  Well niether I, nor the guys behind Naked & Famous have an answer but sometimes that lighthearted approach and a willingness to not take everything too seriously is the key to good business.  That and the fact that those jeans are standing up on their own.  That’s sort of cool as well.

I guess I have to explain this.  Demetri and Juice haven’t stopped watching old Dragon Ball DVD’s.  So whenever both of them end up in a photograph together, they either do the “suck it” pose from D-Generation X or they begin doing a Fusion Dance to combine their Super Sayian abilities on the streets of New York.  Funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time.

You’ll see the results of this turn up on Madbury sooner than later.

As dubbed by Quentin, this is my “bad 80’s director” shirt.  I think it gives me an appearance that suggests serious class and sophistication.  Regardless, be sure to enjoy these days folks.  We’ve run into some people this summer who are completely missing the point.  Killing yourself working is no good if you’re not enjoying the fruits of your labor.  Work isn’t work if you love what you’re doing.  Work hard and play harder, and if you’re blessed what you consider playing will be your work.  More updates on the way.  The season is at the printers, only about a week and change away from new garments.  How’s that for an end of summer gift.

Stay Safe-Phil.

I know there’s a faction of you guys out there who really enjoy the “behind the process” sketch posts so this one is for you folks.  I also know there’s a faction of you guys out there who care about absolutely none of this besides the product.  I guess that’s somewhat flattering as well, but given your disposition this post may not be for you either.

I was throwing these sketches together for a Madbury Club World Cup spread.  Time got constrained and I had to throw up a digital version but I’ve got to at least share these good old fashioned analog sketches for the folks at home so they weren’t completely useless.  Sharpies on the move as always!

I had to include this because like the sketches above, it probably would have never found a home if not for a random post along these lines.  Photograph by Demetri, the entire family minus Erick and a few others all packed into the infamous Jeep cruising across one of the many NY bridges to some unknown destination.  This picture is pretty much the story of summer so far.  I think that a serious road trip is in order.  The real question here is what’s good with the bacon neck collar I’ve got going? Michael Jordan would be disappointed.

The Good Times are back! Tell a friend!

Stay Safe-Phil.

I forgot how much I really use to write about music on this here blog.  People hit me on Twitter every once and a while and remind me about the old playlists that I use to have running on the both of the previous incarnations of this blog.  If you were around for those times, then you remember when Kid Cudi was a nobody but we still had him jamming along on the side bar of this blog.  Fleet Foxes and all sorts of goodness quietly carrying on while I talked nonsense.

Don’t go tumbling the hell out of this image now my friends.

All I’ve been listening to lately is the Temptations.  Hence their inclusion in this post.  No one has made better music, I’m just going to come out and say that they reign supreme.

I haven’t stopped listening to all sorts of great things, and I most definitely haven’t stopped writing about Music.  I’ve just created a new venue for all of that musical beauty to have a home where it can be cared for and nurtured in the way it deserves.  Some of you have made the transition to Madbury Music but for those who have not discovered those digital pages yet, be sure to take a little journey to those parts.  We’re just getting started and things are about to get really funky.  And I mean funky in a completely Sly Stone, 8 lines of coke in purple star spangled pants kind of funky.

I just scribed up some posts on Curren$y’s latest album, some Brazilian musicality, good old Dom Kennedy, and our friend Mr. Hudson.  So be sure to hop on over there and enjoy.  Like the guy from the Men’s Warehouse commercials, I guarantee you’ll like what you see.

More product sketches and things of that nature coming tomorrow! Tell a friend, the Good Times are back!

I figure beautifully shot pictures of upcoming product are more enjoyable than anything else, so I won’t even try to come around and spew a bunch of nonsense to fill up space.  Orders are placed, cotton is being flown back and fourth across the country in the production cycle.  Only a few weeks out from the new Award Tour drop.  It’s been a long, long time.  This should be enjoyable.

Stay Safe-Phil.

My friends, my friends, my friends…The Good Times will never stop.  Absolutely never.  Over the past few weeks I think I’ve received absolutely every form of threat, pestilence, and bewilderment over what appeared to be the Award Tour’s departure from the internet with the arrival of Madbury.  I hope you folks would never think that I’d take off and drop an entire project without at least a word of explanation or a long, dramatic, drawn out good bye.   Lucky for all of you, you don’t even have to worry about any of that.  The Award Tour isn’t going anywhere.  Allow me to explain where I’ve been.

The number one reason for withdrawl: complete and sincere exhaustion with the internet and all things concerning “blogging.”  Put it this way, for the past eight months or so leading up to this summer, I was in front of a computer more than I ever have been in my life.  Crafting Madbury, consistently blogging on this here blog more than ever, and doing a bunch of related work for other folks.  All of it took place in front of the 21 inches of electronic glory that is my iMac and it really started to get to me.  I had to get out and get away from the madness and unfortunately Award Tour felt the brunt of that departure.  But I figured all of you would understand/be happy that I’ve been about frolicking in the wood in my best Chris McCandless impression.  I’ve been building rafts and floating them down rivers, throwing together the occasional hut, and at the moment trying to perfect plans to build a log cabin somewhere nearby.  It’s been a nice vacation off in nature’s playground but for the sake of all of you guys at home, it’s about time that it came to an end I get back to work.

S0 despite all of that ridiculous nature talk I just spewed above, I have actually been working as well.  And most of it, ironically enough despite my best intentions, has been for the internet.  I hope that all of you have been tuning into what Madbury Club is offering and are enjoying the proceedings over on that side of town.  Things are just getting started there and if you enjoy it at the moment it’s only going to get more and more fun.  I’ve also been working on things more relevant to this blog alone, you know…the things you guys actually care about.  Like clothes.

There you go, what you read through this whole post to finally see.  A glimpse of some sort of proof that I’m still putting out Award Tour goods.  Well there you have it my friends, a small but efficient taste of some of the things that should be around in just a few weeks so that you can all stop wearing your old and tattered shirts from past collections and don a new t-shirt.  I’m not calling it a “Summer” drop.  I’m really not doing collections by seasons any more.  They come out when they come out and I hope you all get to purchase something to take part in the funk.  Those hats are kind of beautiful no?

So all of that being said, give me a few days.  I’ll be back blogging here regularly, I just have to get into the swing of things.  There will also be a massive redesign of this entire site coming rather soon.  I got tired of this layout, time to switch things up a bit.  Keep an eye out for that, and I’ll keep you updated on the process of the clothing.  Good times on the horizon like always.

Thanks to those of you who reminded me how much Award Tour meant to you in hopes that I wasn’t ending the blog over the past few weeks.  Means a lot to hear from people who really care about the brand.  Fear not! Onwards we go.  Take it easy out there blokes.

Stay Safe-Phil.