Blog

Just sit back and enjoy.

If you've ever spent an appreciable amount of time with me, you'll know that I dig bicycles, mostly riding them while covering great distances. I've taken trips down the Pacific Coast from Vancouver, British Columbia to Mexico, around France for a few months, down the North and South Islands of New Zealand, as well as smaller trips, like Paris to Amsterdam following the route of the Paris-Roubaix Spring classics race and through a good part of Colorado's front range, riding to trail heads of some of the state's more famous 14ers (and then up them!).

This year in June, I'm staying close to home and taking on the personal challenge of racing the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. My goal is to cover the 2,745 miles, 39 Continental Divide crossing and 200,000 feet of total elevation gain in twenty-one very, very, very busy days. The race is self-supported, meaning: no support crew follows me and I can only use resources found on-route. Camping along the way, I'll be riding around 16 hours a day, attempting to cover between 100 and 150 miles each day, NO rest days. There's no entry fee, or prize money - it's me against the route. 

I first heard about this insanity while hanging out at Salvagetti, my local bike shop and listening to one of the mechanics named Fixie Dave talk about riding the same race. That was many years ago and I was just starting out transitioning into a car-free, bike-full lifestyle.

Fixie Dave is still at it and this year I finally feel prepared to try it myself. It's not going to be easy, but it's going to be incredible.

I've created an entire mini site about training my body and mind to tackle such a challenge, and also started a fundraiser to help pay for things like, a bike to ride it on and food to eat along the way. I'm challenging myself to riding 1200 miles in the Month of March and I challenge you to donate to my fund raiser. I'm giving half of whatever I take in to benefit a local organization called U.S.E.D., who help get used syringes off the streets of Denver. Yes - I'm getting into the best shape of my life to help some of the most worse-off people in my community.

You can donate to the fundraiser by visiting the donation page, or by choosing the level you want to contribute in the handy infographic below. Thanks so much for helping out!

Been experimenting with various custom inks and processes in the studio lately. Some fruits of my labor:

• $20.00 + shipping/handling
• Four-color archival-quality acrylic-based ink
• 8" x 8" w/1.5" white border on #120 Bristol Vellum, 157lb
• Edition of 25, signed/dated/numbered on the lower right

I bumped into Brittany after playing in a parade (yes, a parade) and she gave me this card, for her next show:

Brittany Gould and Drew Englander are having an opening at Illiterate on November 5th, 2010, and you should check it out. There's an artist workshop on the 15th of Nov. and a closing party on the 26th.  Brittany and I have been in many shows together and I really like her work. I also really really the music she makes.

This is one of the most moving performances I've seen her do - it was just another show and my  camera can't capture Brittany in any precision, but imagine,

My studio mate, Ian Fischer is having a art show at the Buell Theater, opening Monday, October 18th.

August 6th, 2010 would have been Andy Warhol's 81st birthday, and it was also First Friday, where in Denver, most every art gallery has an opening of their latest show.

Dana Cain decided to have a neighborhood-wide birthday party for Warhol and hired me to play Mr. Warhol and take some footage of us causing trouble around the neighborhood, while attempting to make screen tests for a new film.

The film, a collection of these attempts is called, 15 MINUTE FILM and premiered at the Denver Modernism show, later that month. Here it is, for you to enjoy:

Thanks to Dana Cain for making this soiree possible! Thanks also to all the actors that helped out, Ashley Schiwart, John Birdman, Robin Whatley - as well as everyone that was unaccredited, Nichole Banowetz for filming and the VU cover band, Sweet Nuthin' for providing the soundtrack!

We made our $3,00 goal for the Itchy-O fundraiser! Now, time to raise hell!... with... drums and cymbals and noise box makers and drum machines and vocoders and mini-Korgs and the like. Not demons and all that:

You did it, we just surpassed our goal. Amazing!

Thanks for helping us keep the streets random!!!

We're elated (and exhaling) over here.

We have a few days left.

If you have potential backer pals on the fence, let them know it's safe! The rewards are a GO!

The more backing we muster together, the more we're able to pass
along to the local artists designing and producing the merch, cd and
DVD.

We're really thrilled.

Tonight we jump up and down, tomorrow we get cracking on those rewards.

Uber-grateful...

Your friendly chaos-makers, IOMB

More Itchy-O love - this time crashing the Melvins show at the Ogden. We went there because the Melvins rule. This is the show people were throwing $20 bills at the dancer. And I was the dancer. Hella!

You all rule. Thanks so much (again and again) for your collective help for our collective chaos!

The IOMB, the world's only percussion-centered electronic marching band, prides itself on bringing sophisticatedly savage, avant-garde music to the people, when and where it is least expected. We live for the stunned faces, staggering delight and the awkward cross-eyed wonder that spreads across unsuspecting crowds whenever we turn the corner.

A recent press shout-out in Denver's Westword sums it up best;

"some odd electronic music accompanied by the sounds of percussion filled the air. Turns out the sounds were emanating from members of the Itchy-O Marching Band... A lot of people probably had no idea what was going on, but Itchy-O sure did bring smiles to a lot of faces..."  Tom Murphy (Westword, August, 2010), Second Night of Warlock Pinchers Reunion Offers Twice the Mayhem, Plus a Marching Band.

We're preciously close at reaching our $3,000 goal on Kickstarted to record an album, make a documentary and continue on with our nonchalant mayhem. Have you seen us around? Dig us? Think about donating. We have swag to give, in return:

Some of my favorite moments in the Itchy-O Marching Band:

at the Underground Music Showcase (univitedly crashed), you'll see me as the Chinese Lion:

Itchy-O Marching Band from Mixtec Media on Vimeo.

Playing The Filmore (Denver) :

Finally, at the Illegal Pete's 15th anniversary party:

TONIGHT is the opening of many, many, many art shows - the one I've been helping in my small way is Objectophillia - lots of going up and down ladders and putting holes into walls and attempting not to break anything.

I will also be at the opening with a little project called, Civic Peculiars! I've asked people in the Denver Community to make a drawing about something in Denver - whatever they wanted, pretty free form. I'll be bringing almost 20 different designs to print on shirts and some larger areas to cover.

• Facebook Event RSVP!

Stop by around 7:00 - 10:00pm (1900 16th Street) TONIGHT (Wed. June 30th) to see the spectacle. There's so many things that are going to be happening. It'll be as if Disneyland was real, or Burning Man was a little less fuzzy pink boots and naked people... and drugs and... free love, but in the middle of downtown and not in the middle of the desert. OK - I'll get naked for you (at least!)

Civic Peculiars

Denver Drawings Printed and Collaged to Construct Impossible Spatial Relations
Large/Small, Real/Imaginary, Popular/Obscure, Personal/Public
Colorful. Diverse.

SHIRTS
Unique Collages - $15

LARGE PRINT COLLAGES - $100

Robert Atkinson
Nicole Banowetz
Justin Beard
Brandon Borchert
Erin Lea-Dougherty
Avery Flinta
Ishmael Hallin
Tyler Jacobson
Derek Keenan
Lauri Lynnx Murphy
Mariah Raymond
Justin Simoni
Alex Skazat
Harry C. Walters
Wendy York

THANK YOU! Everyone that submitted a drawing! I couldn't have done the project without input from our Fair City of the Plains residents. See you at the opening, tonight and get a shirt!

I will be in need of one or two volunteers during the Objectophillia show that opens this Wednesday at 1900 16th Street in Denver, CO, between 7:00pm and 10:00pm. If you can come a few hours before, that would be awesome! And a little after would rule, too, but whatever you can swing.

We will be screen printing t-shirts LIVE with the drawing submissions everyone has giving me (there's been a ton of them). We will be collaging the drawings together in any which way we want. We'll have people freakin' out with the designs. Kind of like this:



It would be incredibly rad to have: 

• A Messy-Hand, helping me with screen printing shirts. Bring some clothes you don't mind getting messy. I'll be happy to supply gloves and an apron thing.
  
• A Clean-Hand, handling purchases, picking out blank shirts, helping people with what's up - that sort of thing.

Perks include being in the center of an event that's estimated to bring a few thousand people to hang out, perhaps a custom t-shirt for your troubles and lots of booze, either from the opening, or I'll swing by the package store and get some stuff. Do a rad job and let's split any tips we get. Sound fair?

Please, if you're interested, get in touch with me, either via email: me@justinsimoni.com or give me a call: 720.436.7701. It would be wonderful if you're into the Denver Art scene, want to learn about crazy performances, screen printing, like hanging out with a few thousand people - that sort of thing.

Let me know as soon as you can and please do not be a flake!

Word! Justin!