Inspired Singles: What is Happening

Issue 14: What is Happening by Alphabeat

This was one of those songs that I fell in love with after following a chain of videos on YouTube. Once I got hooked on Alphabeat's videos, I realized how much I loved their songs too when they'd be stuck in my head in the middle of the afternoon.

Alphabeat is a Danish pop group and they embody the best elements of the genre. Spirited, high energy, great chorus' and hooks, the way Alphabeat mixes a lot of electro-synth into many of their songs is so current that in 10 years it'll be ideal kitsch. The point is you can tell they're having fun with their music, and for kicking back that's the kind of thing I like to listen to.

What is Happening is a more mainstream track for the group, but it's a nice introduction if you've never heard of them before. Personally, I find a lot of the remixes to be absolutely stellar and perfect for dancing in your computer chair if you're into that kind of thing - I'm not ashamed to say that I am. Have a listen below and search out Alphabeat for more.

Bombay Beach, California

Along the eastern shore of the Salton Sea, Bombay Beach is a small community in the middle of the desert that resembles a post-apocalyptic ghost town. While several people still live here, if you drive over the flood berm you enter a wasteland of submerged trailers and buildings, left to decay since the floods several decades ago.
 
Like most of the areas surrounding the Salton Sea, there's an air of past potential that's evaporated faster than the sea itself. When the floods came, people simply didn't come back. The floods tipped the scale, but there were a lot of problems before then. A lot of problems about the ecological state of the sea that still have yet to be resolved.

The infamous airstream trailer, now just a wooden frame, is said to be one of the most photographed airstream trailers in the world. It's actually a bit of a draw for Bombay Beach. With the Salton Sea actually known for being a photographers playground, you can look back at collections of pictures from over a decade ago when there was still water surrounding the submerged trailer. These days it seems to be deteriorating quickly.
 
Despite the decay, the area is surprisingly beautiful. With mountains in the distance and the sea merging with the sky on the horizon, it's not difficult to see what initially attracted people by the thousands to vacation here in the 1950s and 1960s. Bombay Beach is still a fascinating and eye-opening place, although the reasons to visit have clearly changed.

Weddingstar Behind the Scenes: Series (2010)

Over the last couple of weeks the six behind the scenes videos that I shot and edited this summer for one of Weddingstar's magazine photo shoots have been going live on our YouTube channel and blog. It's exciting to be at a point where I can reflect on a year of videos that I've produced for the company and consider where this experience might take me next.

The short series of videos gives a sneak peek at some of the brand new 2011 product line and is meant to give customers a glimpse of how much work goes into creating our magazine (which can be found on newstands around the world by the way, *wink).

It's been a lot of fun creating all these different types of edits so far and the best part is that I can see our videos becoming bolder, even more ambitious, and more elaborate as we push forward. It's been such a great creative challenge and learning experience to work in the midst of so many big and ambitious ideas and I can't wait to see what the new year brings!