Day 4 - BP

Day 4 - BP, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

My friend Bryan played at the North Coast Music Festival with of Montreal. This was taken in the green room at Cobra Lounge, Chicago, at an afterparty featuring his bandmate Kevin deejaying as well as a set from Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello.

Day 3 - Bubbly

Day 3 - Bubbly, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Today we went to an "end of summer" party. It turns out our friends also wanted to announce to friends and family, who came from far and wide for the party, that they were recently civil-united. Cheers!

Day 2 - Piano Across America

Day 2 - Piano Across America, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Today's project 365 post was quite unexpected. A thrift store in my neighborhood has a very well-endowed mannequin that is sometimes a bit provocatively dressed. This is accompanied by a disheveled appearance from the barely-on clothes to the messy wig which may not be on forward sometimes. I have opined that there may be an employee or volunteer doing it on purpose out of mischief, or there may be a sweet, somewhat batty older lady with little regard for detail or modesty keeping the mannequins dressed. In the early morning hours of day 2, I walked my dog by the shop window to discover that the mischievous prankster had given up on subtlety, or the batty lady really had other things on her mind. Busty Mannequin had the goods on full display, wearing a purple skirt and an open cardigan over her shoulders. Her hair looked like she had been rolling around a parachute and a pile of combat boots with one of the mannequins a few doors over at Belmont Army. She had on lovely earrings. Busty Mannequin has a very fair complexion, and I can now tell you, nipples of the most delicate shade of pink. Busty Mannequin was a shoo-in for Day 2 after upping the ante so high in her shouts for attention, but then I rode down Milwaukee Avenue on my way home from work. I looked to the sidewalk, where I heard piano playing, and what the heck did I see? Of course: a chihuahua with a sombrero atop a piano that has traveled 14000 miles so far entertaining people on the streets of the USA. Don't do anything crazy, Busty mannequin. Your day will come.

P.S. There's another shot in the comments section if you click through to the flickr page.

Day 1

Day 1, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Today I'm beginning my third Project 365 - one photo a day for a full year. It's a somewhat difficult undertaking, even though I shoot nearly every single day anyway. Maybe this time will be a little easier since three friends began on the same day. My hope is that day 365's picture will be all four of us celebrating the completion of our projects. Two of us have done it before and are aware of how often we end up with mundane copout photos taken after 11:30 pm. Of those photos, it seems the obvious subjects to fall back on were our dogs and ourselves. Our averages for relying on those wasn't too bad, though - somewhere around ten (of our own) dogs per year and a dozen or so self portraits on average. I can't imagine doing this with a self portrait every day. My admiration goes to those who do it. I don't like to feel that I've used the same shot twice in my Project 365.

So here's the beginning - my bike with a new drivetrain after fifteen years, and riding great.

of Montreal at the Riviera Theatre 2010

After Janelle Monáe's rather exciting set, we were treated to of Montreal and their dance party spectacle. It had it all: children being executed, pig cuckolding, angelic pixie blondes in gold lamé bikinis, and white suits. And then some. Don't even get me started on the MJ medley encore which brought everyone from both acts onstage in a double dutch dance-off. Awesome night.

Janelle Monáe at the Riviera Theatre

I recently caught of Montreal and Janelle Monáe at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago, and it was a fantastic show. The photo above is from the beginning of her set, which began with Janelle singing from the balcony. The band was tight and talented, and she's a quite compelling performer. I recommend her without even considering the spectacle that followed when of Montreal came on. They get their own recommendation as well, so checking out this tour should make for a worthwhile night.

Chicago Engagement

Chicago Engagement, originally uploaded by Mikey Brick.

Sunday, February 8, I had a quick shoot with John and Wendy. Shortly after their flight arrived from Texas, we met at North Avenue Beach to recreate a photo they had seen elsewhere. The composition is about the same in mine, but the lighting and color are a bit different. We also shot some as silhouettes, like their example, but the color of the sky was nothing like that photo largely due to clouds reflecting the city lights. It was a fun shoot, though rather cold, and I look forward to a lot more work with the city of Chicago as a magnificent background…but not always the skyline.