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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If I told you that there was an unbelievably poignant and riveting video of Nosferatu singing "Unchained Melody", would you be interested? Well, there definitely is and it's quite a sight to behold, to say the least.

The performance came about because the lead playing Nosferatu (Eric Lehning) was battling with a bout of colitis; a chronic colon disease that can result in fasting and, thus, weight loss. Despite the hardship, he was inspired to take on the performance as his gaunt physique was perfect for this absurd idea that had been floating around for years. That is to say, it's a wildly entertaining piece but it's also not without a bit of tragedy. Nosferatu himself was a bit of a tragic figure, so the backstory certainly augments the whole thing. Fortunately, I'm told Eric is recovering quite well and there's no need for grave concern.

The entire project is actually a collaboration between a group of friends that I've admired for a long time - the Lehning's and the Duensing's. Back in 2008, an indie film called Make-out with Violence was released; the result of years of collaboration between "The Deagol Brothers" and a group of musicians led by Jordan Lehning. This Nosferatu performance is, in my mind, a reunion of sorts.

As noted, Nosferatu himself is played by Eric Lehning - one of the writers of Make-out with Violence and singer for the band that would emerge from the movie's incredible soundtrack. The music is by Jordan Lehning - the composer of the films soundtrack and a marvelous songwriter in his own solo work. It was directed by Andy and Josh Duensing - Andy being one of the Deagol Brothers and Josh being an incredibly talented director on his own. The makeup is by Chris Doyle - another Deagol Brother - and is incredibly perfectly executed. The title design is by Jeremy Fetzer - a local musician and talented designer (no association with MOWV but still worthy of note).

That may all sound meaningless to you if you haven't been steeped in Nashville creative culture for 20 years but it's significant to me. It's great to see these folks all work together again and the results be so wonderful.

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