Today I want to introduce you to Marissa + Sam, the creative couple behind Bourbon & Goose, my featured sponsor this month! Marissa + Sam live in LA where they lead wonderful lives full of music, art and design and they are here to tell you all about it! Sam has also designed an exclusive one-off t-shirt for one lucky Red Parka reader, with a design celebrating bright colours and the great city of LA! Read on for details....
Who are you and what is your blog about?
Marissa: Our blog is documents the adventures Sam and I have in Los Angeles. Both of us are inspired by music so we love to share what we are currently listening to, any festivals and concerts that are noteworthy and random items which we dub "ramblings". Some items we are working on for the future are a bourbon series, DIY projects and Austin City Limits Festival countdown. We are really excited to expand the categories of the blog!
Sam: My name is Samuel and I live in a house.....as Marissa would say. I'm an enthusiast on anything that strikes my interest. Go big or go Gnome. I work full time as a set dresser for film and TV productions and can't wait to get home to continue working on personal projects and enjoy the finer things in life. That's what the blog is about. Projects, music, food, our lifestyle, life together, social interactions with others, and of course, booze. Those are the things that matter most in this guys eyes and I'm lucky my partner feels the same way. So why not write about it!
How did you come up with your blog's name?
Marissa: This story is kind of random but one night Sam started calling my friends and I "the Goose crew" because we always order the same drink when we go out (Grey Goose and soda). In turn, Sam is a bourbon man and doesn't sway easily from his drink of choice so naturally we gravitated towards these two words when trying to sum the two of us up. It's kind of silly and an odd pair but that's what we love most about it - the unexpected with a little sense of humor.
Sam: Well that's easy. I love Bourbon, she prefers Goose. Done.
You've told me that blogging is a passion but not your main work. What do you do for a living and how does this relate to your blog?
Marissa: For my day job, I work as a Creative Director for an online beauty company. As a CD, I'm responsible for leading the creative strategy for all marketing, branding, photo shoots and product development. My job never gets boring. Since I have a visual communication background, this allows me to create custom graphics for the blog which I adore. Music is my passion outside of beauty so being able to share that graphically and along with content helps to keep me balanced.
Sam: The day job is working as a set dresser or in the prop department for feature films and TV. At home or in the shop is a whole different story. My passions include screen-printing, woodworking, playing music and a number of other crafts. All of which I would love to have "legitimate" businesses/careers in. The blog is a way to reach out to other creatives to share our passions, relate with those people and also get valuable feedback. But when it all comes down to it, Marissa is the master of our blogosphere. She takes the reigns with true passion, writing and designing things in a way that I just can't. YET!
I spent 5 days in LA a couple of years ago - it's such a world away from my little home in Tasmania but I LOVED it! What do you love most about living there? And next time I come, what are the three places you'll take me to so I can experience LA through your eyes?
Marissa: We adore our neighborhood Atwater Village. Since we have moved here, we've fallen more in love with LA than we thought possible. It has so much to offer but still has that small town feel. The LA River is close by and has some amazing wildlife.
Marissa: Our blog is documents the adventures Sam and I have in Los Angeles. Both of us are inspired by music so we love to share what we are currently listening to, any festivals and concerts that are noteworthy and random items which we dub "ramblings". Some items we are working on for the future are a bourbon series, DIY projects and Austin City Limits Festival countdown. We are really excited to expand the categories of the blog!
Sam: My name is Samuel and I live in a house.....as Marissa would say. I'm an enthusiast on anything that strikes my interest. Go big or go Gnome. I work full time as a set dresser for film and TV productions and can't wait to get home to continue working on personal projects and enjoy the finer things in life. That's what the blog is about. Projects, music, food, our lifestyle, life together, social interactions with others, and of course, booze. Those are the things that matter most in this guys eyes and I'm lucky my partner feels the same way. So why not write about it!
How did you come up with your blog's name?
You've told me that blogging is a passion but not your main work. What do you do for a living and how does this relate to your blog?
Sam: The day job is working as a set dresser or in the prop department for feature films and TV. At home or in the shop is a whole different story. My passions include screen-printing, woodworking, playing music and a number of other crafts. All of which I would love to have "legitimate" businesses/careers in. The blog is a way to reach out to other creatives to share our passions, relate with those people and also get valuable feedback. But when it all comes down to it, Marissa is the master of our blogosphere. She takes the reigns with true passion, writing and designing things in a way that I just can't. YET!
I spent 5 days in LA a couple of years ago - it's such a world away from my little home in Tasmania but I LOVED it! What do you love most about living there? And next time I come, what are the three places you'll take me to so I can experience LA through your eyes?
 |
| Individual Melody - photos courtesy of Adore Vintage |
Last but not least, we'll head to Bigfoot Lodge for the Knotty Pinewood Derby races which Sam participates in monthly. You'll love the interior of the bar. It feels like you're in a log cabin that's out of Country Bear Jamboree (old Disney attraction). For race night they place the track on top of the bar. The participates go all out, including Sam and you can imagine, the competition is fierce. The chance to win for fastest car is intense but you can also win for coolest, funniest and ugliest. The cars are more art cars than anything. Sam's latest car, inspired by Wes Anderson's Life Aquatic, won for coolest.
Sam: Well next time I hope it's more than 5 days. That's just not enough time to explore this huge city, and more importantly, the small things that make it great. If you're making me choose, which you are, it's not gonna be easy and I will just throw a few places out there that I love.
1. Leo Carrillo state beach. Not technically in LA city and a bit of a drive, but worth every minute and my personal favorite beach. It's a rocky coastline with nooks, caves, and tide pools with great marine life. I could explore this place for days. Camping is also fun, located just across the Pacific Coast Highway. Get to the beach early to stake your claim on your own private cove. Also, the drive up through Malibu is great. The homes in Malibu are fantastic, standing on stilts on the hillside. Be sure to stop at the local marketplace for some shopping and the good possibly of sighting a "celeb".
2. Downtown LA. It's so diverse and different from other cities in so many ways. Our stops would include a lot of eating spots. "Yang Chow" in Chinatown for Chinese food. Olvera Street (In the oldest part of downtown) for authentic mexican food from a variety of vendors and restaurants. Olvera street is also a host too many vendors selling Mexican goods and handcrafted items. That's where you'll find your Luchador mask! Finish this trip with a cocktail at the Monty or in the Nokia Theatre complex which is home to the Staples center where our LA sports teams play.
3. Next we'll head to Echo Park and Silver Lake for a music venue tour. Our top picks for venues are the Echo, the Echoplex and Satellite. The first 2 are across the street from each other and recent concerts include a surprise Rolling Stones gig and Bad Religion. Next will be the Satellite. This intimate venue has been known for surprise guest performers like Beck and Dan Aykroyd.
So be ready for when you come out... we'll be making sure you'll get the best tour!
 |
| A vintage print from SGPrints |
Recently on the blog I've been talking about doing Impossible Things. What Impossible Things would you like to do in your life?
Marissa: Oh, I love this! I have so many but I'll just list a few so it doesn't become the next War & Peace.
Go to SXSW 2014Visit AntarcticaTake a helicopter ride over AlaskaOwn a wildlife rescueNever have to commute on LA freeways againOwn a house in Atwater VillageStart our own creative agency that would allow Sam and I to work on projects we are deeply passionate about, work from home and hire our families so they could be part of the adventure.Visit Montana during the summerWork with Best Friends animal sanctuary to help promote their mission
Grow our social media following:10,000 twitter followers5,000 instagram followers1,000 tumblr followers
Sam: I share similar goals as Marissa's but I'll throw in some unexpected items:
Perform the Echo in LAHang out one-on-one with Howard SternHave my own wood shopMake custom furniture with Nick OffermanPerform comedy at GroundlingsHave a pizza and wing shop with my brother.
Plus Marissa's Twitter + Sam's Twitter.
And now for the giveaway!
Sam and Marissa have generously designed a special t-shirt just for us! The image shown is a mock up as the original shirt won't be printed til we have a winner and find out what size they need - a real one-off! Thanks Bourbon & Goose!
About the shirt: For the t-shirt design Sam and I wanted to create a character that was fun and a little wacky. We felt the sun captures Los Angeles and his shades feature Downtown LA's skyline. The hidden gem in the design is in the sun's tooth: it features the iconic LA symbol for the LA dodgers.The giveaway is open for a week and is open to anyone in the whole world to enter! Yay! So go for it below.... x
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks Marissa and Sam for supporting Red Parka and giving away one of your designs! I'll be seeing you in LA!! x
Thanks Marissa and Sam for supporting Red Parka and giving away one of your designs! I'll be seeing you in LA!! x
What a great interview. I learned so much about California. I already love the California, but don't know a lot about the LA area. I will be checking out some of those places.
ReplyDeleteAdorable folks! :D I've visited LA a lot in my life but they make it seem like a whole new place to me...
ReplyDeleteThank you Jen for doing the interview with us. We adore your blog and can't wait for you to come visit. Jessie and Grits And Moxie, you're always welcome to LA and we would love to meet up!
ReplyDelete