Dan & Hunter - MySpace videos

Dan & Hunter (that's me) made figgy pudding and gingerbread men for all of you, but due to geographical limitations, we will not be able to deliver either to any of you. Instead, we shot some videos.

Dan & Hunter - The Meaning of Xmas


Dan & Hunter - Mail Bag


Dan & Hunter - A Time For Giving


Check the ol' Dan & Hunter MySpace page for more videos in the near future. We have our sights set on our site's set.

'Tis the season for crime!

A few weeks ago, I was at a Blockbuster, looking for a used copy of Saw IIto purchase, when a man entered the store in a slightly aggressive manner. I immediately thought,

"What would I do if this guy pulled out a gun? Would I duck behind the 4-for-$20 table? Would I bust a roundhouse and kick the gun from his hand? Would I scream like a man?"

I didn't really answer myself, and before I could question any further, the man walked past me and started looking at DVDs. Then my mind really started to wander, and wonder... What is the crime rate for this neighborhood? What kind of people shop at this Blockbuster? What day of the week is statistically the most likely day for a Blockbuster to get robbed?This was a Thursday. I started to really dig into the used DVDs in the back of the store. Miley Cyruswas on the TV monitors. Finally I found Saw IIand another gem, Blades of Glory.Suddenly my shopping trance was broken by the sound of pounding on the exit door across the store. Four cops were outside trying to get in. An employee unlocked the door to let them in. Wait a second...why was the exit locked!? What did the cops want? To pre-order The Dark Knight on Blu-ray?Then I overheard people saying that Blockbuster had just been robbed! Yes, dear readers, the very Blockbuster I was in had just been robbed at gunpoint by the very man that I was suspicious of in the first sentence of this story...and I missed the whole thing!

A few customers (eye witnesses) were selected and pulled aside for questioning. I decided to take my two DVDs and leave (after paying with plastic since their cash drawer was empty) the scene of the crime. More cops and a camera crew showed up as I was leaving. A rat crossed the parking lot. As I was driving home, I decided that I had subconsciously willed the man to rob Blockbuster. Sure, he had a gun with him when he entered the store, but perhaps he had no intentions of pulling it out. Peradventure he just wanted to pick up Dexter - season one, disc 2and some Sour Patch Kids...until he came into contact with the formidable powers of my mind! Later I tried to consciously will him to deliver a burrito and some vegan ice cream to my front door, but it didn't work.

If you think you, your friends and your talking dog have what it takes to solve crimes in the Los Angeles area, jump in your psychedelic van and visit: Solve a Crime - the official website of the Los Angeles police department.

A holiday blog like you may have seen before!

I promised you, dear readers, among other things, a holiday blog like you've never seen before. This is not that blog. This is also not the AFI studio update blog, nor is it the psychedelic photo blog, or even the mammoth regeneration fund raising blog.

The holidays are upon us, and what better way to celebrate (or not to celebrate) than with BRAND NEW ORIGINAL HOLIDAY SONGS!
...and who better to deliver these gems to you than Dan Kelly and yours truly, now professionally known as Dan & Hunter. Dan and I have slaved away in the Torture Chamber for countless hours to craft some holiday revelry like nothing that has ever graced the ear drums of my neighborhood...and perhaps even yours. The result of our blood, sweat, tears and cookie consumption is:

Dan & Hunter's Holiday EP Volume One.

LISTEN TO IT ON MYSPACE

BUY IT FROM iTUNES

BUY IT AGAIN (as mp3s) ON AMAZON

Dan and I have immersed ourselves so deeply in holiday spirit that we just can't stop. "Stop what?" you ask? Stop ourselves from adding songs, pictures, videos, and other fun things to our myspace page. Listen friends, I understand that maybe some of you don't like the holidays because of a bad experience or perhaps you question the commercial nature of the season. That's okay. You're completely welcome to disregard this blog entirely. Click here to visit the wikipedia entry for the Apatosaurus which briefly discusses the controversy over the "Brontosaurus" classification.

Check back soon for more blogs, and to paraphrase the invincible Phil Collins,

"Have a great weekend...I'll be in the studio."

Time flies and so can you!

2008 is just racing by!

Since I've being working in the studio (AFI...heard of us?) a lot lately, I've neglected good ol' Tranquil Mammoth! I apologize. To paraphrase the guy who played the dad on Silver Spoons, "Sometimes you have to go out and live life in order to have something to blog about."

Back in March, Dr. Pepper (my favorite soda ever, even though I no longer drink soda) made a bet with America that Axl wouldn't release Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy in the year 2008. Since the new Gn'R album dropped earlier today (November 23rd), Dr. Pepper lost that bet and has been giving away free Dr. Pepper all day. They even extended it until 6pm EST tomorrow (November 24th) due to consumer demand. Click here to get yours now!

Check out Dan Kelly and myself wearing two of Devo's personal Energy Domes. These are the ones they actually wear on stage!

Halloween was a blast, although I'll admit that I had my mind on another holiday altogether. I'll talk more about that later. I went to see my pals in Rise Against at the newly remodeled Palladium in Hollywood. This is totally old news to some, but some people like old news (I personally hate old news). Rise Against played two Devo songs during their encore dressed as "Whip It" era Devo. It was fantastic, but their fans seemed bored by it. Gerald Casale joined them on stage for "Beautiful World".

November found me at my local polling place, doing what every citizen should have been doing, talking to an old woman from my neighborhood who volunteered, and then voting. Only moments later I found myself terribly disappointed with the results of Proposition 8. What happened, California? Seriously?!? Anyhow...after that I hit the streets with Steve and Sally to protest (along with thousands and thousands of others) the blatant violation of rights. Steve originally had laser eyes, but I covered them up so my casual readers wouldn't be scared.

Eventually the green leaves on the trees turned to lovely reds and oranges, which served to remind me (with my friend Stacy's help, of course) that my pal Ed Templeton was having an art show in Culver City. You can read more about the show in his blog (which is a really great blog) here.
Here's a picture of me and Neil "Doogie" Patrick "Howser" Harris "MD" at the opening. He's over on the right by the wall. Facing the wall. I mean...at least he's in the photo, right?

I'm off now to get a few Zs (that's slang for sleep) before hitting the studio tomorrow. I have a few blogs I need to get out of my system in the next week, so check back soon for some of the following topics: an AFI studio related blog, a blog about the great Blockbuster heist, a blog to raise funds for the mammoth regeneration, a psychedelic photo (that's the only kind of picture my phone will take) blog and a holiday blog like none you have ever seen!

The Canadian Long Weekend

My dear readers, I sincerely apologize for taking so long between blog entries. With the current state of the economy, I know you guys and gals get enraged very easily and need the constant distraction that Tranquil Mammoth provides. I won't let it happen again. I've had some problems with my internet service here in Mammothland (that's where Tranq lives) and decided to finally give in and upgrade to the 2400 baud modem. Isn't she a beauty?

In other news, it was a Canadian "long weekend." I had the distinct honor of playing shakers with Tegan and Sara at three of their concerts in Los Angeles, California. They are such a great band. If for some reason you don't already own all of their albums, I suggest you stop reading right now and go purchase them! My pal Matt Sharp (of weezer and Rentals fame) joined me on the tambourine. I found a shaky (no pun intended) version of it on youtube, but the audio is horrible, so don't feel obligated to click here. It reminded me of one of those family bands, or perhaps an all-star variety show from the 1970s. Anyhow, it was a really fun weekend and I'd like to say hello to all the people that I talked to at the shows. Hello!
On a side note, I literally almost had to shave Canadian Kid In The Hall, Kevin McDonald's back in front of a few hundred people on Saturday. Weird. Weird that I'm not making this up, because that seems like something I would make up (c'mon...Bea Arthur!?), but it's 100% true.

If you're like me and you haven't already figured out what you're going to be for Halloween, now is the time to get on it! We have ten days to scrape something together! If anyone has any good ideas, let me know in the comments. When you leave it up to the last minute, you end dressing like WHAM! era George Michael, or Andrew W.K..

I'm out like a trout, but before I go, I'd like to send a shout out to Freaky-B, Fuzz Fuzz, Lil' Ridiculous, Klerpy, Lo-Blud Suge, Sh'shaun Sean, Ol' Baby, Turkey Vultch, Clawsy, and Michael Bivins.