yewknee
+

An internet waystation.

it me - michael eades

👋 Hi, I'm Michael Eades; a long time Internet dweller, design dabbler, dangerously amateur developer, online social experimenter and frequent curator.

Currently working as VP of Product at Smarter Apps. I also keep the lights on at a boutique record label called yk records, a podcast network called We Own This Town and a t-shirt shop called Nashville Galaxy. Previously, I built things for Vimeo OTT, VHX, KNI and Spongebath Records.

This site is an archive of ephemera I find entertaining; tweets, videos, random links, galleries of images.

• — • • •

find me elsewhere

 

contact

Reach out via threads or good ole email if you have anything to discuss. I do my best to reply in a timely manner.

for the record: "yewknee" is a nonsensical word with no literal meaning but a unsurprisingly nerdy etymology. It is pronounced, "yoo • knee."

• — • • •

ongoing projects

yk Records →
started in 2009 as a conduit for music that friends had no plans on releasing. now it's a full fledged boutique label focused on releasing quality music from a variety of styles. you know, like a label does. Here's a sampler on Soundcloud and a different one on Spotify. Options.

We Own This Town →
Originally a Nashville area music blog, this site has grown into a full blown podcast network as of 2018. It's an attempt to bring together creative folks about a variety of interesting topics.

I host this show all about Nashville local music outside the expectations of the city. I'm biased but all the shows are good.

Nashville Galaxy →
An online t-shirt shop featuring beloved and defunct Nashville area businesses. Very niche audience on this one but I tend to think niche is good.

some noteworthy other things

Chris Gaines: The Podcast →
published along with co-host Ashley Spurgeon; a limited series podcast that takes an absurdly researched deep dive into the time that Garth Brooks took on a fictional personality named Chris Gaines.

Garth Brooks Chris Gaines Countdown →
to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the time Garth Brooks took on the fictional personality Chris Gaines and appeared on Saturday Night Live in character, I GIF'ed the entire episode. It's a lot of GIFs; please use them.

Whiskerino →
a social network built around communal beard growing for four months. yes, it was as weird as it sounds but equally fascinating and enjoyable.

Moustache May →
an offshoot of the beard growing contest mentioned above. equal amounts of oddball fun but only a month long.

Summer Mix Series →
before all music was streaming everywhere, Internet music fans would swap zip files of music. it was truly a strange and wonderful time.

• • • — • —
When I worked at KNI, I had the great pleasure of being introduced to Tom Dolan - a graphic designer, musician, artist and all around pleasant thinker. His passion for design - print or web - was infectious and admirable. It still is. He's alive and kicking and churning out more great work than ever. If you are unfamiliar, steer yourself over to his 2022 - 2024 works, dive into the notes and enjoy!

While you're at it, take some time to peruse 22 Truths, Dolan's book on "art and art-making." It's purpose is to provide sharp anecdotes on a path towards making better art. I have a copy and it is certainly worth procuring your own.

Thinking about "making art" is a difficult undertaking for me. I have made countless graphics, album covers, websites, posters, etc but they always strike me as functional, not think pieces. I also believe that making art is a privilege, not one that everyone has and not one that should be taken for granted. To pontificate how to be a better artist often feels self-indulgent.. for me. But I don't think that's actually the case. I am neurotic. I am filled with self-doubt. The process of making art and having tactics to unblock yourself applies to any challenging endeavor, not just "art."

In the same way that Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies isn't really about the recording story or writing music, it's about changing how you think. 22 Truths can serve a similar purpose; a means to an end of unblocking and thinking in a refreshed way.

Comments

No comments here. Dare you say something?