Check Out the Sept. Issue of Seattle Magazine

Cuz I'm in it! You can buy it at the store or read it here. These were two of the pictures not used by the magazine. Photos were taken by the amazing printmaker and wet plate photographer Daniel Carrillo. Here is his camera Daisy:

House Of David Jazz Band: Playing Jazz to Reunite The Lost Tribes of Israel

House of David was (still is?) a religious commune located in Benton Harbor, Michigan. It was founded by King Ben Purnell and his wife Mary with about 200 followers in 1903. King Ben claimed to be Jesus Christ's younger brother and the Seventh Messenger from God. To join the sect, you had to give over all your possessions to King Ben and renounce alcohol, tobacco, meat, violence, shaving, hair cutting and sex. But King Ben could have sex with your wife and your daughter when she turned 14. This last part is what brought King Ben down. He was brought up on charges and forced to hide in the underground caverns beneath one of his mansions. He was eventually caught in his bed with some under aged girls. He died before his trail concluded.

House of David at one time operated and owned a zoo, the largest fruit market in the world, farms, their own island, a hospital, factories, an Oldsmobile dealership, a theme park, a night club and a motor inn to name a few. They invented the waffle cone, the first cross-propeller system for cruise ships, powdered space meals for NASA, and the first bowling alley Pinnsetter. However, House of David is more famous for it's baseball team (see this old Sports Illustrated article), which traveled around and even hired ringers like Babe Ruth and Satchel Paige, who of course, had to wear fake beards and wigs so as not to give away their ringer status.

But most interestingly, House of David had a top notch Jazz Band, that's how I found out about them. I was perusing a Jazz book I had found and saw an entire band of bearded guys. No known recordings of them exist, but a song called House of David Blues does. Some members even made their own instruments! Here is a great article with photos and video and here is the House of David Museum website, lest you think I made all this up.

Riverboat Gamblers Bound To Lose

Born in Ohio in 1829, George Devol ran away from home and hired on as a cabin boy on a riverboat heading south. At the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846, Devol took a steamboat to the Rio Grande to join the American troops in battle. However, while on the ship, an older gambler taught young George how to cheat at cards. Instead of going into battle with the American troops George ended up making $2,700 off of them and returned to New Orleans with his winnings.

In fights, Devol preferred headbutting, however, he kept a pistol called Betsy Jane for backup.
Devol's servant, Pinckney Pinchback learned his employer's tricks and became so good at gambling and winning, he quit his employ with Devol, entered politics and was elected Governor of Louisiana and in so doing, became the first non-white Governor in U.S. History.
Devol died penniless in Arkansas in 1903.
Soundtrack provided by The Holy Modal Rounders, Bound To Lose (taken from the old tune Walking Boss).

Fiddlemaking with Homemade Tools

King of the Ozarks

Tall Timber

About 7 inches wide and about 18 or so inches tall. Tall Timber is a song by Bill Monroe and a prominent Bluegrass band from Washington State which you can hear on Voyager Recordings. Visually inspired by the Ralph W. Andrews book Timber.

John and Estella Andrews in Monte Cristo, circa 1930

Inspired by a photograph in the book Monte Cristo by Philip R. Woodhouse. The book was recently given to me by Ed Miller and it is a fantastic account of the town-plus its got a ton of great drawings, maps and photographs.

The Church of St. Antoine, B.C.

My Favorite Coins

Knutsen's Harp Guitars

Chris Knutsen was a harp guitar, harp mandolin, ukulele, and steel guitar maker in Port Townsend, WA between the years of 1887 and 1900. He was at the forefront of harp guitar making at that time and later became a pioneer in Hawaiian steel guitars, even influencing Weissenborn and his design of Hawaiin guitars(famously played by Fahey and Bob Brozman as well as others with deep pockets). While in Port Townsend, the lovely and talented Amanda Moore found a little pamphlet on Mr. Knutsen for me- she already knew of my abiding love and respect for harp guitars- but little did we know harp ukuleles and harp mandolins were being made by Mr. Knutsen as well. Soundtrack is Bob Brozman doing New Vine Street Blues from Hello Central...Give me Dr. Jazz (1985)- an album that features a harp guitar prominently on it's cover.

Fire, Fire is playing at the Northwest Film Forum this week and new post at American Standard Time and trailer for new animation

Fire, Fire I Heard the Cry is playing this week at the Northwest Film Forum with the film Bass Akwards by Linas Phillips. Also, my first post on KEXP DJ and all around nice guy, Greg Vandy's blog, American Standard Time is up- go check it out. Also, here is the trailer for my next animation The Man Who Shot The Man Who Shot Lincoln (it's about Boston Corbett) Original score composed by Spencer Thun.

The Man Who Shot The Man Who Shot Lincoln (Trailer) from Drew Christie on Vimeo.

Oliver Evans in the Arctic

Inspired by three books I am reading at the moment- Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez, Tracks Across America, and American Railroads. Oliver Evans was an American inventor who pushed for railroads and steam engine carriages in America as early as the 1700's. He was also the inventor of the Oruktor Amphibilos, the world's first self powered amphibious vehicle.

Me and an Animation on Art Zone

Seattle Channel Video can be played in Flash Player 9 and up

It already played on the Seattle Channel and you can watch it on KCTS 9 (PBS) or right here.

The Westernized Ainu Settlement

The Ainu are an indigenous ethnic group of Japan and Russia. They are believed to have settled on Hokkaido before the Japanese and have what can be described as Caucasian features, including facial and body hair. They play a stringed instrument called the Tonkori that sounds mysterious and lovely.

Kris Kristofferson Limted Edition Poster and Album

Light in the Attic Records just released the much praised (by NPR, The Guardian, Mojo and others) and never before released publishing demos of Kris Kristofferson. I created a linocut for the limited edition poster-which was also used as the sticker on the album wrapping. Go here to pre-order the poster and here to buy the album, cd, mp3 or lp.

Strange Trees

Train TRacks for My Dream

Fence for My Dream Had No Name

Audio accompaniment provided by Joe Bussard singing what I believe to be his own composition "The Flight Of Astronaut John Glenn". From the amazing collection Fonotone Records 1956-69- recordings of Joe Bussard and his friends and colleagues. Plus, John Glenn is great.

Indian Steel Guitar

Inspired by the cd of BOLLYWOOD STEEL GUITAR put out by the awesome Sublime Frequencies record company.

The Tool Shed

Inspired by our day trip to Everett, WA. Soundtrack is Tennessee Ernie Ford singing (a song that I used to think was written by Michael Hurley) Cry of the Wild Goose.

Watercolors inspired by Foxfire Books

Thanks to my Uncle Al for letting me borrow two of his Foxfire books. The two I grabbed have sections on banjo and dulcimer making as well as violin making, knife making, hide tanning, animal care and wood carving. Not only are the books focused on the most interesting aspects of American rural life, they are beautifully designed books/manuals/artifacts. Foxfire was started as a high school project in the 1960's and ended up becoming a popular how to/interview series on simple living. Soundtrack provided by Curt Bouterse- his albums are available here.

End Pages for Nonexistent Books

Some possible titles for these books could be American Hemlocks, The Seahorse In English Literature, American Tallships of the 18th Century, The Reindeer Mailmen, Song of the Sami: The Laplanders in Music, The Athabascan Snow Shoe, and Tugboats of the Pacific Northwest.

Russian Ladder House

Initially inspired by a wooden Russian church whose name now escapes me. Also inspired by Brodsky and Utkin-The paper architects. Soundtrack is from an album whose only english in the title says: Unique Music of Old Russia.

Crocodile Pattern

The Legend of the Jet-Ski Crocodiles...they learned how to drive jet -skis and motor boats. A guy tried to stop them but they drove over his head and killed him. The ruled the lake for a thousand years with their jet-ski technology.

Harry S. Treeman

Fire, Fire, I Heard The Cry (A Linocut Animation)

Fire Fire I Heard The Cry from Drew Christie on Vimeo.

Finally, A linocut animation.

Wallace, Idaho

Audio Accompaniment provided by Jimmy Driftwood playing the fiddle in C minor tuning. The song is called Goin' To Hunt The Buffalo. You can download the whole album over at Allen's Archive.