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This morning, I brought our 3sixteen intern Kyle to visit Chris and Kirk at the Billykirk office in Jersey City. They moved into a new workshop about 2 months ago and the space looks great.

Gizmo, the unofficial office mascot, lurks from above.

The reason for our visit was to get a custom card case made up for Kyle’s dad. The brothers Bray hand stitched a case for Kyle on the spot and customized it with his father’s initials. Kyle took photos of the process and plans to make a nice little photo book to give to his dad along with the card case.

While spending time at my parents’ home this weekend, I ventured into the basement to dig around. There are always little treasures to be had each time I look… here are the things that came home with me this time.

I was surprised to discover that Swingline’s factory was originally based in Long Island City.

I have no idea where this box came from… neither of my parents are attorneys.

This Chesco hex key set will be put to good use.

This little pickup truck was my favorite matchbox car when I was a kid.

Black Thought & Questlove. Nokia Theater. 2007.

Of all the concerts I’ve been to, I’ve seen The Roots live the most. The first time I caught them was in May of 2000 at the University of Chicago Summer Breeze concert. I remember not knowing who they were, but being seriously won over by the time their set was done. I know that hip hop’s foundations define the music as two turntables and a microphone, but the intensity that they were able to generate through a live band was something special. I also got to meet Black Thought and Malik B. after their set, as the entire band wandered into the crowd and hung out after they left the stage.

A lot has changed for them since that show: they’ve since released 5 more studio albums, seen band members come and go, and have taken on house band duties for Jimmy Fallon. They’ve often been referred to as the hardest working band in hip hop, and despite signing to Def Jam in 2006, they haven’t experienced commercial success and recognition in the way that fans and industry folks have thought they deserved. Many questioned their decision to join the Late Night Show, but the band has flourished in their new role while continuing to play shows and record music. Black Thought sums things up nicely on “Doin’ It Again”:

Dear diary, the fans still swear by me
Even though I’m Late Night now like “Here’s Johnny”
Swimming with them great whites now, that’s where to find me
Funny how it break right down, but never mind me
Forever grimy, I guess it’s just Philly shinin’

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How I Got Over was released last week, and the song above is my favorite track amongst an album full of standouts. I’ve faithfully purchased each Roots album over the years and have always been intrigued by their push to incorporate elements of different music styles into their jazz/hip hop foundation. Phrenology was heavily influenced by their then-guitarist Ben Kenney (who left in 2003 to join Incubus) and his punk leanings; Game Theory and Rising Down both had heavy lyrical content coupled with a darker, synthy sound than what many were accustomed to hearing from the group. Their most recent offering marks a return to their stripped down sound that was more prominent on their earlier albums that I’ve loved the most. Questlove’s drumming on this album is a lesson on what playing in the pocket should sound like; no MPC swing can match his groove. This album might be my favorite new release in a really long time.

How I Got Over is available thru Amazon and iTunes.