5.28.12

01:20 hrs

The months have passed by my van window in a blur since I noted any events or happenings in my life. This doesn’t feel very atypical. However it is unfortunate if anyone but myself has any interest in where I’ve been or what I’ve seen during that time. Let’s just say it has been a great journey — every day is a great journey because you only get one of them.

The travel season ended for me the last week of March this year when I headed back to SLC. The last two years I haven’t made it back anywhere until the middle of April. So this time around I unfortunately had to skip any down time to decompress and get back to my spot for the summer. This was mainly so I could get things in order for the work ahead in the summer: namely find an office, create the upcoming digital editions of Telemark Skier, and also edit the upcoming movie Let’s Go!.

To be quite honest I knew what type of space I was thinking of for an office, but didn’t really know where I was going to look.

I visited my brother Lorin down at his rehearsal space one day and realized that the vacant building where he was setting up shop for playing music, actually fit the bill for what I was looking for. It also was the perfect moment for my brother and I to team up and work on something together, which is something we have talked about for years. He had been talking about opening a recording studio and I have been wanting to have both a space to work on telemark projects and also create a retail shop space. So we signed the lease a week later and started work on a space that holds a recording studio, a telemark shop and also a telemark ski magazine. Music & telemark skiing — two of my favorite things.

Having the recording studio / rehearsal space also opened up the possibility for me to get back to working on some music. Ten years ago was the last time that I had a functioning band that was playing gigs and writing, but freeheel skiing took me another direction and I decided to set music aside until the time was right to start up something again. The time seems right, so I’ve put together a three-piece punk rock band called Riva Rebels.

I’m drawing on music I’ve written over the past decade as well as creating new material for what will become the initial live show and recording material for a few months down the road. I couldn’t be happier. It will offer me some new challenges in terms of musicianship and writing — two things I’m very interested in.

That’s a quick glimpse into where I’m at going into the summer months here in Salt Lake City. Thanks for checking in.

—Josh