FABRIC BIKE!

Earlier this month, Cannibal Vixen,  Snow White & myself made the long drive (with bicycles in tow) to New York City for the 12th Bicycle Film Festival. As always it was great to spend some time in a city we love so much & were reminded that it's been a year since our film FABRIC BIKE debuted there last summer. So we decided it was time to release it to the clutches of the internet.

FABRIC BIKE was so much fun to make, and the response we've had worldwide this year has been so lovely & overwhelming. We hope that this is one in a series of many creative shorts to come out of our little collective. So thanks again & enjoy.

xo.
DNS.

MAKE A BIKE MOVIE.

It's like a BFF "I spy", and I spy FABRIC BIKE. But for the record, february hair flips in spandex & bathrobes = coldest day of shooting ever. But, make a bike movie. We promise they're fun to do. BFF entries for 2012 are due April 21st!

GIRLS ON FILM....OR ON BIKES?

So new york. what a trip. Epic bike rides to art shows to film screenings to dance parties to border crossings.

I think what I love most about attending the BFF in New York, is the people who travel in from all over the world. It’s so empowering to surround yourself with individuals just as involved, and just as in love with their bicycles. A community that transcends class and culture.

It also meant that the screenings were a beast all of their own. Lots of yelling and cheering and loving smack talk. A lively crowd to say the least.

But one thing has stuck with me that I’m feeling a little conflicted on. Brendt, the founder of the festival got up the the beginning of the Urban Shorts program and introduced directors, etc. During which he said lovely things about us Nightshades. He pointed out that two areas that are severely lacking in women, are specifically the film community, and the bike community. And how exciting it is to see more girls like us, stepping up.

Sentiments that were wonderful to have publicly acknowledged. But, at the same time, while it’s nice to be noticed as a minority in a scene, it’s weird to be called out for being women. It’s not as though anyone else would be called out for being a man. And while I in no way fault Brendt for his kind comments towards us- if anything, it just highlighted how far we have to go. And made me wonder why this is. Why we are such a novelty. Why more girls don’t ride. Or rather, why more girls don’t make themselves seen in the cycling community in the same numbers than men do. Because I think there are a lot of us out there.

Maybe it’s time for us to band together a little more. So for starters, if you are, or know of any rad girls who ride, send a link or a photo to dnsbikegang@gmail.com.

We’d love to rep all those lovely ladies on bikes out there. Because I know we’re not alone in this.

Also, side note: SERIOUSLY TORONTO?!?! COME ON!

BFF NYC part II: BMX Jam.

Too fun.

BFF! NYC! DNS! FTW!

What a ridiculous weekend. More stories & photos to come. But, let's just go back and do it all over again, yeah?

BFF NEW YORK PART I: JOYRIDE!

So far our time in New York has been fantastic. Joyride at the Spencer Brownstone Gallery in Soho was great and entirely packed. Maybe the fact that the bar was dry by 8 pm was a good sign. It was an amazing chance to check out the other artists, make a whole lot of new friends and chat about the Bike. So far it seems to be getting a fairly good response. Check out this article written by Velojoy, the photo below was a sweet shot Prolly snapped.

But the best is yet to come! Our film is premiering today at the Anthology Film Archives at 6, 8 & 10 pm! And according to Opening Ceremony even listed it as one of the Top 10 Must-See films at the 2011 BFF.

So now is when we roll out of bed (other people's couches & floors), scrounge up some breakfast (yes it's well past noon) and make our way over to the BFF Street Party. Thanks for all the love NYC!!

FABRIC BIKE IN NEW YORK!

So tomorrow's the big day. The one where we get up ridiculously early and drive 9 hours to the New York City, where the Bicycle Film Festival circut for 2011 begins Wednesday.

Don't miss the fabric bike in person at the opening for JOYRIDE in Soho, and our film premiere in the Urban Shorts Program on the lower east side. Details for both below:

JOYRIDE

Thursday, June 23rd

Spencer Brownstone Gallery

3 Wooster St

Opening: 6-9 pm

URBAN SHORTS

Saturday, June 25th

Anthology Film Archives

32 2nd Ave, at 2nd St.

Screenings: 6pm, 8pm & 10 pm

Mayhem awaits.

BFF NYC program announced!

The film line-up for the BFF in NYC was announced this week! We were ecstatic to see our short FABRIC BIKE kicking off the Urban Shorts Program, alongside the likes of Spike Jonze & Lucas Brunelle. (WHAT.)

So we're excitedly counting down the days until the festival, when we load our cars full of bicycles (both fabric and metal), and make the drive down.

Check out the full program here, & hopefully we'll see some of you in NYC!

SPANDEX CATS WE LOVE!

So I'm always really interested by our blog's analytics! It's always really neat to see where people are hearing about us from, and what countries we're being visited by.

But my favourite, is that the most commonly googled phrase (second to "deadly nighshades") that leads to us is "spandex party" (appropriate) and our top post for ALL TIME (four years) is this. People sure love their spandex and cat pictures (Nightshades included - Irene has an entire wall in her house dedicated to cat art, vintage feline-themed wallpaper and all).

So, in a news update to please the masses:

1: NEW KITTENS ARE THE BEST! (although I'm officially getting no work done at home anymore). I'm usually a hardcore dog person, but this little guy is promptly winning me over.

2. (although not spandex or cat related - tricked!) As well as our short film being premiered in New York this June, the Fabric Bike itself is going to be unveiled as a part of BFF NYC's JOYRIDE art exhibit. So you should probably come to New York, check out some art, check out some films, and say hey!

Bonus points if you're wearing spandex, or have a kitten for me to hold...

BIKE FILM FEST 2011 ACCEPTANCE!

So we were really excited to get a call from Brendt Barbur, founder of the International Bicycle Film Festival, telling us that our short film FABRIC BIKE has been accepted into the BFF's Shorts Program for 2011.

Stay tuned for more information regarding the film's premiere in New York City this June... as well as all the other cities it will be playing in!

But really now, how could they say no to a dvd submission with fringe?! Thanks BFF!

To see the trailer for FABRIC BIKE go here!

TOP SECRET REVEAL: FABRIC BIKE!

It's time. The top secret project will be secret no longer.

Over the past 3 months, the Deadly Nightshades have come together on a project that combines our love of fashion, art and cycling. Documenting our process step by step, we've created our ultimate bike out of unconventional materials - to scale, 3D and down to the tiniest detail. So, after hours of sewing, constructing, screen printing, problem solving, filming & editing - we reveal our top secret project, a sneak peek the bike that has (literally) taken over our lives, and present the trailer for our short film FABRIC BIKE.

And in true DNS fashion, at the 11th hour, we're submitting it to the Bicycle Film Festival's shorts category. So wish us luck!

WRONGLY ACCUSED!

While we made many friends at the BFF in new york, sometimes being a gang rouses suspicion. The boys over at Geekhouse Bikes, (an amazing custom frame shop hailing from Boston MA), made THIS bold (coughhilariouscough) claim, regarding us and their missing bicycle. Or as the craigslist posting of their stolen property states "the american apparel version of those urban outfitters bikes." (baha) Ouch.

While we've got Igor back on the lose to steal your and everyone else's bicycles.... we the Deadly Nightshades would do no such thing. But, we could totally take on the Geekhouse mustachio'd ways, in some form of west-side-story-street-rumble-on-two-wheels.

Anyhow, speaking of hilarious craigslist bike posts..... (thanks for that gem kirsten).

SURPRISE!!! Namtron showed up in New York...

Have you ever been so super-awesomely surprised by something that you almost fell off your chair? Yeah? Well I bet it was not even HALF as awesome as the surprise I got this weekend when Namtron showed up unexpectedly in New York for the Bicycle Film Festival... I was so TOTALLY floored when I realized that the two shiny, seafoam arms hugging me on Friday night were attached to Namtrons head that I screamed as loud as I could for about a full minute. And so there were 6 Nightshades on the loose in NYC this weekend which means that we have about a zillion funny stories involving The Coyote Ugly, Sombreros, All-Night bike rides through Central Park and (see above) pink limosines!

Stay tuned for amazing bike videos, pics and interviews from the NYC BFF - I promise it will make Gossip Girl look as lame as watching the grass grow.