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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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The Technocrat

Today, Coupler debuted a new video for "The Technocrat" off of their EP, The Rhythm Method. The folks at I Heart Noise had these kind words to say:
“The Technocrat” – its danceable, very groovy and yet it so much darker than your average dancefloor filler that it could easily appeal to someone into Suicide (as well as early Cure or Sisters of Mercy).
It's a nice debut for the track and I'm thankful for the insights they provided. All too often when a video "premieres" somewhere, the blog will literally copy paste the press release and call it a day.

For me, personally, the video (directed by Ben Marcantel) harkens back to vintage videogames. It's a series of still images - you can hardly even say it has anything resembling "Frames Per Second" - but it tells a story of intrigue, car chases and even a little gunplay. A dash of imagination is necessary to fill in the gaps but it reminds me of nights plucking away at a Tandy-1000. It's not an exact 1:1 of that experience but there's enough of a nostalgia twinge to be pleasant.

It's a great song and probably among the most upbeat the band has ever been. Nice to hear them stretch out into these kinds of territories.
Oct 7th 2020, 11:14 AM

Shamir - Other Side

i can not recall how I stumbled on this but I'm entranced
Oct 5th 2020, 3:38 PM

Tower Defense announce In The City

I've been working with the band Tower Defense for most of the year to help prep their second album, In the City for release on yk Records. I'm incredibly excited to finally announce the record is now available to pre-order and you can hear the first single "Room Service" right now. It's not on the streaming services quite yet because, frankly, I want you to go to their Bandcamp.
This is the first record the band has officially written as a four piece, as the prior release - Stay Inside - was mostly well formed by the time they added guitarist Currey Muse into the mix. The impact of this change is subtle but significant (yes, I know how that sounds). The songs are still a blast of fuzzy bass sounds but there's an extra layer of fun to the whole thing. You may not notice it quite yet but that enjoyment will reveal itself as more singles come out.

Long story short, listen to this track! Enjoy it! Get that LP!
Oct 2nd 2020, 7:31 AM

Center for Humane Technology

need to learn more here
Sep 30th 2020, 11:00 AM

How Bandcamp became the anti-Spotify during the COVID age

a great read
Sep 28th 2020, 9:55 AM

Introducing Spencer Cullum's Coin Collection

Over at yk Records, we announced the debut album from Spencer Cullum, appropriately entitled Spencer Cullum's Coin Collection. The video embedded above serves as a nice introduction to the project.

For those that do not know, Spencer Cullum is a pedal steel player - most known for his work in the duo Steelism. He's also part of Miranda Lambert's backing band (seriously) and has guested on a ton of records. He's from London but has made Nashville his home for the past decade or so.

The record is a far cry from Steelism (and Miranda Lambert), in that it was inspired by `60s and `70s psych-folk records like Kevin Ayers or Fairport Convention. It's also got a touch of Fripp and Eno, Soft Machine and a dash of krautrock. If all that sounds absolutely foreign to you, don't worry - you can still enjoy it.

The album features a ton of guests - hence the "Coin Collection" - such as Caitlin Rose, Skyway Man, Erin Rae, Herman Dune and a long long list. The first single will be coming out very soon but just wanted to drop a note here to keep you aware. This is not a record you wanna miss.
Sep 25th 2020, 8:37 AM

Coupler, Cessation (of Gene Flow)

Debuted a new video from Coupler this week, off of their recently released EP The Rhythm Method. The release is comprised of "Strictly Bangers" - upbeat tracks that are a bit atypical for the expected sound from Coupler; but certainly a welcome change.

The video is a bit spasmatic at times but I think that's exactly what I like about it. Peering down through the microscope is manic but its cut with still and serene scenes of the larger world. For me, it's a nice reminder that there's a busy little world happening all around us, all the time.

...and the song really is a Banger.
Sep 25th 2020, 8:34 AM

DOTs for GameBoy Color

well done
Sep 24th 2020, 9:42 AM

Ghost of Vroom - "1918"

Mike Doughty + Andrew Livingston. Love the video visuals.
Sep 24th 2020, 8:57 AM

METZ - Blind Youth Industrial Park

not a day goes by where METZ doesnt hit the spot
Sep 24th 2020, 8:57 AM

Why does David Lynch wear his shirt buttoned all the way up?

kind of a beautiful answer
Sep 23rd 2020, 5:42 AM