yewknee
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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.

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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."

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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.

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"I got tired of waiting for Weezer to release another album so I made one myself" -Billy Cobb

I can't tell you how frequently I see Weezer news announcing some new album that is laden with the author's hope that maybe, just maybe, it'll get back to that Weezer sound they love. They're always disappointed. It's been 25 years since the release of Pinkerton and folks are still holding out hope that they'll come back around. Hell, even Weezer themselves are planning on an album inspired by Weezer.

I occasionally dip my toe into the contemporary Weezer waters. I've heard a few tracks from OK Human but even the title makes my skin crawl. That said, I recognize it's just not for me anymore. Pop culture does not allow me to avoid it entirely but I am comfortable not caring one iota.
All that said, stumbling upon Zerwee and Zerwee, Pt 2 has been a real treat. Artist Billy Cobb is actively and openly aping the early 90's Weezer sound in both releases. In interviews he states how carefully he's constructed the songs to have all the "right" Weezer ingredients and I'd confidently say he's cracked it.

Are both these releases shamelessly appealing to nostalgia? Yes. Am I okay with that? You betcha.

If Weezer actually released an album in this style I'm sure folks would flip but they've done it. I'd love to see Billy Cobb take this experiment through to the next logical step - making Weezer inspired music that somehow delivers an original twist to the formula. Just have to wait and see.. maybe it'll take 25 years but I'll be tuned in.

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