Kombucha: bad. Beer better?by Rusty Ralston on Mar 31, 2010 We at elephant really love Dr. Andrew Weil, and he has been interviewed and featured many places on Elephant Journal, including this fantastic video. In fact, I had a great time shooting the above photo of him last year, in Denver. Some of us also love Kombucha (although I personally think it tastes wretched and [...] 2,808 views |
5 Photos from my NYC life (Hipsters, MSG, murals, and other things)by Rusty Ralston on Mar 30, 2010 Here are some photo observations / comments from my daily NYC life, which is typically me going between Brooklyn (Williamsburg / Bushwick) and Manhattan. From vats of MSG on the street, to beautiful sunny days overlooking the East River atop the Williamsburg bridge… the variety present in 1 day in New York is astounding. So, [...] 476 views |
Voices of Haiti – Photo Essayby Rusty Ralston on Mar 14, 2010 My friend and fellow photographer Jeremy Cowart has started a photo essay from his trip to Haiti. In addition to displaying 1 photo a day for 60 days, you can also take part in buying a photo with the money going to a great cause. There are some very moving photos in the photo essay, and the [...] 279 views |
A Bitter Review: Chinotto Sparkling Beverage.by Rusty Ralston on Mar 3, 2010 She drives me wild—but she’s so bitter! A couple months ago I was drifting by my local Italian corner store in Brooklyn, and it’s where I usually treat myself to one of my favorite non-local guilty pleasures—Aranciata. It’s an Italian soda made by San Pellegrino, and made of real orange juice and sparkling water. It’s [...] 851 views |
Snowmageddon NYC 2010.by Rusty Ralston on Feb 10, 2010 In case you haven’t been glued to the Weather Channel, it’s been snowing a lot in New York! In my neighborhood in Brooklyn, it’s been accumulating very steadily to upwards of 10 inches – whereas in Manhattan it’s been pounded into a slushy mess by cars, people, and every other sort of moving people / [...] 323 views |
New Music: Donnie Mortimer in the Studioby Rusty Ralston on Jan 24, 2010 If you’ve haven’t heard of this man, you need to check this out. He’s a kind soul, a brother, and a highly creative artist and musician. His album is not even out yet, but I had the privilege of dropping in the studio for a couple days and taking some photos of Donnie and the [...] 355 views |
The Berlin Wall, In A Way You Have Not Seen.by Rusty Ralston on Dec 9, 2009 If you were to walk up to remains of the Berlin Wall, face to face, this year, 20 years after it’s historic fall, you would see something like this. Gnarly cracks, peeling paint, and a remnant of famous and iconic murals that could not survive the flux of the German seasons and the hands of [...] 281 views |
Reggae Vinyl Records in Brooklyn, Good Vibes, and Rasta Culture.by Rusty Ralston on Oct 20, 2009 On a trip to Brooklyn, I set about tracking down one of the most iconic reggae record stores in America: Clement Dodd’s Coxsone Music City. You probably have never heard of it, but I won’t hold that against you because apparently no one in New York City knows either. In fact, I stumbled upon it [...] 1,200 views |
30 Days (and nights) in Brooklyn: A Rusty Ralston Photo Essayby Rusty Ralston on Sep 16, 2009 Hey ele-friends, I have taken to starting a photo essay documenting the Williamsburg-ish / Bushwick-ish sections of my newly adopted city of Brooklyn, and it will be updated daily. I’m currently on Day 10, so visit my site every day until 10/6 for a new one! Here it is, my new photo essay blog: 30 [...] 288 views |
Vintage Tibetan Motorcycle Goggles… The Choice of the Dalai Lama?by Rusty Ralston on May 12, 2009 So, how can you instantly become the envy of your moto-biking hipster friends while being super eco-stylishly vintage and furthermore, impressing your friends with an in-the-know Tibet reference? Well, you can purchase these incredible vintage Tibetan motorcycle goggles! I was browsing the website of grammy nominated fusion fiddle player Casey Driessen and I stumbled upon his web [...] 2,113 views |
elephant journal covers Earth Day / Record Store Day in Nashville… photos of Jack White, Grimey, Jeremy Lister, and more!by Rusty Ralston on Apr 20, 2009 Rusty here, dropping you a little local Nashville news for the joint Record Store / Earth Day Celebration. It’s not often you can officially support your local independent record store and support the environment… so I was all over this one. I spent the day cruising the town with my good friend [...] 2,307 views |
Mural Installations by Chase. Brooklyn, Venice, everywhere.by Rusty Ralston on Apr 15, 2009 A couple years back, I was strolling the streets of my former neighborhood in Venice, CA and I came upon a remarkable mural on the street. It stopped me in my tracks. It was blatantly staring at me. All eyes, literally, on me. And it said, “Rusty, Remember Who You Are… Listen To Your Soul”. [...] 686 views |
ele Music Review & Photos: Charlie Mars – “Like A Bird, Like A Plane”by Rusty Ralston on Apr 8, 2009 Every once in a while, a musical gem slips through the music business machine and emerges as an independent success… an album ripe with musicality, fantastic heartfelt songs, and the feel of a great cohesive piece of art. I would like to introduce you to Charlie Mars and his latest album “Like A Bird, Like [...] 758 views |
The Hawaii Unseen ~ by photographer Rusty Ralston.by Rusty Ralston on Mar 10, 2009 In January, I stepped into the colorful and vibrant land of Hawaii for the first time. I hope these photos of Kauai and Oahu represent the Hawaii found beyond the veneer of tropical drinks and touristy beaches, and hopefully they capture the vivid life and amazing moments found lurking in the everyday explorations of regular [...] 439 views |
Landscape Architecture on my NYC visitby Rusty Ralston on Mar 3, 2009 On my recent trip to New York, I stayed with a friend in Tribeca who lives across the street from Federal Plaza. Going to the rooftop of Libby’s apartment, I was surprised to look down and find 7,146 views |
Beautiful Losers, the documentary.by Rusty Ralston on Feb 16, 2009 I’m on a roll with art/design related blogs, so I thought I’d share with you a documentary called Beautiful Losers, directed by Aaron Rose. It chronicles a collective of do-it-yourself artists like Thomas Campbell, Shepard Fairey, Ed Templeton, and Barry McGee. Thomas Campbell is one of my all-time favorites, and is responsible for one of [...] 353 views |
Shepard Fairey lends a hand to Earth Hour 2009… Turn out your lights!by Rusty Ralston on Feb 9, 2009 He might be under the spotlight for crafting the ubiquitous Obama “HOPE” print and his subversive methods, but Shepard Fairey is also lending his designs to help turn out the lights for Earth Hour 2009. Another reason to dismiss the haters who have lately been attacking his work. As their website says: What began as a campaign to [...] 1,092 views |
New Interview With Shepard Fairey.by Rusty Ralston on Feb 9, 2009 As I was writing a previous blog on Shepard Fairey, I came across this stellar interview that was just released on the USA Network. Shepard was interviewed as a recipient of first ever Character Approved Awards which according to the video, “honors individuals from a cross-section of creative disciplines who are positively influencing American culture”. [...] 440 views |
moo.com – stylish printed items (business cards, etc) with a new green paper optionby Rusty Ralston on Jan 28, 2009 As a photographer, I need to have a business card that is stylish and hip; something that the people like and that sets me apart. After striking out with my local copy stores, I found the coolest little company that makes an assortment of customizable high-quality printed products: moo.com. I haven’t tried their stickers, greeting [...] 573 views |
A portable biodegradable toilet for outdoor use!? What!?by Rusty Ralston on Jan 26, 2009 My good friend Seth sent me a link to an unqualified website called “http://www.thebrowncorporation.com/“… sounds mundane… what could it be? To my surprise, i opened my eyes to The Shitbox! To the untrained eye, this may look like a simple cardboard box. But to the trained eye, it’s a world of poo’ing possibilities! The Shitbox is [...] 1,288 views |
Need Craft-Made Colorado Gin with Organic ingredients? Roundhouse Spirits to the Rescue!by Rusty Ralston on Jan 25, 2009 - If you wandered into a small and frigid warehouse in Longmont, Colorado you wouldn’t expect to find a man distilling craft gin with organic botanicals. You also wouldn’t expect to hear that despite these bad economic times, the demand is high and he is moving to a bigger space. But, Roundhouse Spirits is doing [...] 2,341 views |
Behind The Scenes at New Belgium Brewing… elephant journal hops into one of America’s best breweries.by Rusty Ralston on Jan 22, 2009 Hello friends and beer-lovers. My name is Rusty Ralston and I work for the New York Times. Well, umm, actually, ahem… I work for Elephant Journal. Not quite the same, really. BUT, that’s how I was treated at New Belgium Brewery… like press royalty! I had quite the good fortune of getting a private tour [...] 3,568 views |
Rusty’s elephant journal “DROP IN” series, Featuring Illustrator/Painter Matthew Doubekby Rusty Ralston on Jan 12, 2009 I knew it was going to be a fun hang when in the first 15 minutes we were sipping on a Belgian styled Tripel beer and talking about salvaged house paint, favorite album covers, and tales of Snoop Dogg. These worlds might not seem to collide, but in the fantastical world of Matthew Doubek they [...] 5,624 views |
elephant journal presents the Top Ten Albums of 2008.by Rusty Ralston on Dec 22, 2008 Here are my top ten albums of 2008, hope you enjoy. Leave me a comment below and let me know if you suggest anything else, or disagree with my picks! Fleet Foxes – Self Titled Why is this the best of ’08? It’s new, refreshing, and sounds nothing like the other bands [...] 13,040 views |
The Fleet Foxes… Fleeting, No. Foxy, Maybe. One of the best bands of 2008? Definitely.by Rusty Ralston on Dec 20, 2008 Looking back on 2008, one of my favorite albums of the year was the Fleet Foxes self-titled release. Even though they get a little close to My Morning Jacket’s vocal territory at times, the Fleet Foxes are way more mellow and folky and less rock and roll. It’s a wonderful album to throw on in the [...] 1,147 views |
elephant journal goes Holiday Brews: A Seasonal Beer Hit-Listby Rusty Ralston on Dec 10, 2008 Tis’ the season for tasty holiday ales, and 2008 is shaping up to be a very nice year for seasonal winter beers. As usual, I am here to give you the inside track on the best combinations of malt, hops, and holiday spices. If a winter warmer is your fancy, here are my most noteworthy [...] 1,477 views |
elephant journal goes to the Great American Beer Festival: A GABF Hit List [Photo Slideshow: New Belgium, Brooklyn Brewery, Mountain Sun, Great Lakes Brewing and more]by Rusty Ralston on Oct 27, 2008 Rusty here, dropping another elephant journal review on you. This time, I attended the 27th annual Great American Beer Festival… or what is referred to as the GABF. It all went down in Denver on October 9th-11th, and I was lucky enough to get a ticket to this sold out event (courtesy Joe Pezzillo, longtime [...] 2,409 views |
elephant journal goes NYC: A Locally-Owned Food/Drink Hit List.by Rusty Ralston on Oct 13, 2008 Let’s face it, no one has the time to research restaurants before a trip…it’s time consuming and requires a bit of detective work. Well, this is where we come into play…to give you Rusty’s NYC Food & Drink Guide. The great thing about New York City, is that eating at non-chain restaurants is a requirement. [...] 986 views |
PHOTO SLIDESHOW: elephant journal’s Waylon Lewis interviews Dr. Andrew Weil @ Origins (with Pekoe Sip House) in Denverby Rusty Ralston on Oct 9, 2008 He’s made the Big-TIME—twice. Coming up in a week…a new video of Dr. Andrew Weil’s conversation with elephant journal (the comparatively puny green/yoga/organics grassroots). Yesterday elephant had an encounter with our new friend, Dr. Andrew Weil. Yeah, He’s twice graced the cover of TIME Magazine, popularized the field of integrative medicine, created a mushroom skin [...] 1,177 views |
PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Green Energy Innovation… Around the World in the Solar Taxi!by Rusty Ralston on Sep 9, 2008 With energy independence and the new green economy being such a part of the elections, finding ways to make our vehicles smarter is on the forefront of our minds. According to Thomas Friedman’s latest column in the New York Times, there is only one green candidate this year. And getting green entrepreneurs stimulated is one thing [...] 1,854 views |
PHOTO SLIDESHOW: elephant journal @ DNC: live at etown w/ Nick Forster, James Taylor, David Crosby & Graham Nash, Ani DiFranco, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tom Morello.by Rusty Ralston on Aug 27, 2008 [galleria thumb_w=120 thumb_h=90 thumbnail="bottom" navigation='none' ] elephant journal’s continuing round the clock coverage (!) rocked the DNC once again on Tuesday, as our favorite huge Eco-radio show on earth moved to Denver for the convention. Based in Boulder, Etown is hosted by elephriends Nick and Helen Forster. Their special DNC edition featured musical guests Tom [...] 804 views |
PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Yoga Rocks 2008: Seane Corn & Company.by Rusty Ralston on Aug 26, 2008 [slide] [galleria thumb_w=120 thumb_h=90 thumbnail="bottom" navigation='none' ] 1,494 views |
elephant @ the DNC – Monday Night – photos of Michelle Obama, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Jimmy Carter, Don Miller…by Rusty Ralston on Aug 26, 2008 [galleria thumb_w=120 thumb_h=90 thumbnail="bottom" navigation='none' ] Yesterday was a big day in elephantland, as the DNC is happening just down the road from Boulder. I got hooked up with an “Honored Guest” pass from an author by the name of Donald Miller, who gave the benediction after Michelle Obama… 806 views |