The label that launched U2 and Marley

21 May 2009 10:20 UK

By Ian Youngs - Music reporter, BBC News


Blackwell positioned Bob Marley and the Wailers as a black rock group

Bob Marley, U2, Roxy Music and Nick Drake are among the artists who have called the Island Records label home over the last 50 years.

As the label celebrates its 50th birthday, founder Chris Blackwell reveals how he built one of music's most celebrated and enduring stables.

The bill for a series of anniversary concerts, which start in London next week, gives an idea of the idiosyncratic and often impeccable Island line-up over the last half century.

Reggae stars Sly & Robbie will be joined by Grace Jones and recent chart-topper Tinchy Stryder. Yusuf Islam, who signed to the label as Cat Stevens, is supported by Senegalese icon Baaba Maal.

There is "Modfather" Paul Weller with ska pioneer Ernest Ranglin, a night headlined by indie floorfillers The Fratellis, and a final show that sees Amy Winehouse supported by Jamaican heroes Toots and the Maytals and one of the label's brightest new hopes, I Blame Coco.

The Island story started in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 1959, when 22-year-old jazz fanatic Blackwell fell in love with the music of a jazz pianist called Lance Hayward, who had been performing in his hotel.

So Blackwell took him into a recording studio. "I just loved the band," Blackwell says. "It was purely driven by being a fan.

"It wasn't driven by thinking, 'This is a great business to go into'. I was teaching waterskiing which was great fun. A great way to meet girls."


Blackwell saw his first U2 show on the same day as Marley's last London gig

But he continued to take local talent in to the studio and Island was soon enjoying a string of number one hits in Jamaica.

By 1962, Jamaica had gained its independence from the UK and Blackwell decided that his white skin meant he "would be viewed more as part of yesterday than tomorrow".

So he moved to London and set about peddling his repertoire to record shops and stalls, tearing around in his Mini Cooper with stacks of records in the back.

"I loved all that. I was happy as could be. I wasn't hoping that something would happen and I'd get pulled out of it."

But Blackwell changed from being a car boot wheeler dealer to a bona fide music mogul in 1964, when he brought 14-year-old Millie Small from Jamaica to London to record a song called My Boy Lollipop.

"I knew it was a hit when I left the studio," Blackwell says. "It just was irresistible. It sold six million, it gave me a launchpad, and suddenly I was in the mainstream record business."

Millie, on the other hand, was unable to take advantage of the launchpad, and swiftly disappeared.


I tried to pick people who were not going to be a flash in the pan because I was always a bit scarred by Millie

"I was very proud of myself initially when she had this hit and was doing so well, and then I felt rather differently when it all sort of evaporated. I felt a responsibility."

From that point on, Blackwell looked for artists who were likely to have long careers.

"I tried to pick people who were not going to be a flash in the pan because I was always a bit scarred by Millie," he says.

By the early 1970s, Island was one of the hottest labels in the country, home to rock and folk acts like Free, Traffic, Cat Stevens, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and King Crimson.

During his Mini Cooper days, Blackwell had released the first single by one Robert Marley. But he had never met the reggae singer until Marley walked into his London office in 1972, and asked for a record deal.

Blackwell was warned off Marley and his band The Wailers, who had gained a reputation for being difficult to work with. But the label boss took a chance.


Blackwell, pictured with Marley's widow Rita, helped bring reggae to the masses

"When I saw them, I was just really impressed with them," he says. "I just felt that the best thing I could do to work with them, was to show them some trust.

"I drew a cheque to them and said 'Go make me a record'. Everybody said 'You're crazy, they'll never do that, these guys are the worst guys'. But it was a good decision because it formed the basis of our relationship because it was a really great working relationship."

The result was Catch A Fire, their first album for the label and the first step in bringing reggae to the masses. That had been the intention all along, says Blackwell, who tried to "tickle the ear" of rock fans in order to break out of the reggae niche.

The album was credited to The Wailers, Blackwell says, because "Bob Marley and the Wailers" did not sound very rock 'n' roll. "I wanted to position them like a black rock group," he says.

"I really changed it and put in synthesisers and rock guitar and stuff like that. And I got slagged for it by the purists, but what I was trying to do, was to break an artist and I wasn't doing it without his OK."


U2 were signed after playing for Blackwell in a south London pub

Another landmark day came in June 1980, when Marley played his last London concert at Crystal Palace Bowl. Straight afterwards, Blackwell checked out a new Irish band at a nearby pub.

"I don't remember there being many people in the audience at all," he recalls. "It seemed like there were about half a dozen to a dozen, but it was a long time ago.

"Although the music wasn't particularly to my personal taste, I just loved the band. I believed in them. They had an aura, they had a passion. I just thought they were going to make it for sure."

That new band was U2, and make it they surely did.

"I had no advice for them. Really, all I did for them was to give them a platform, which was Island Records."

They were another group who benefitted from Blackwell's long-term view. Intriguingly, when asked about the ones that got away, he says he wished he had signed another Irish band.

"I wish we'd got the Hothouse Flowers," he says. "I think they'd have done very well with us. Much better than they did. We were never a singles label. They were a band that could have had a long term career, as U2 did, but I think they were more driven into having hits."


Amy Winehouse is one of Island's current stars

The music industry now, he says, has "crashed" - not in terms of sales, but in the way artists are allowed to develop. Everyone is in too much of a hurry, he believes, which has repercussions for finding a new U2 or Bob Marley.

"There are very few artists who I feel are going to be big stars 20 years from now," he says. "I can't think of many. There may be, but I can't think of them.

"Because they're overexposed too early. They don't get the chance for word of mouth and [developing] a natural organic following, rather than being force fed like a new product."

Blackwell sold Island in 1989, and stepped down as its boss in 1997. Since then, the label's biggest star has been Amy Winehouse, who Blackwell describes as "an extraordinary artist".

"I'm very proud that she's on Island records. She does have the talent and ability to really last a long time. The problem is if she can survive this constant spotlight. I really hope she does."

Despite the drawbacks and turmoil in the music industry, Blackwell says it is a great time for artists and entrepreneurs to take control of their own destinies, as he did five decades ago.

"I think it's a very exciting time for music. If I was the age when I started here in 1962, I'd be there in a second. Absolutely in a second. With my virtual Mini Cooper."

source: bbc

****


Audio slideshow: The Island story
The record label that brought Bob Marley, Roxy Music and U2 to the world's attention has turned 50 - and as part of the celebrations a month-long exhibition, Island Life, is opening in London on Friday 22 May.

Here - with the help of archive interviews with Island Records' founder Chris Blackwell, and artists including Bryan Ferry, Jimmy Cliff and Bono - we have dug through the label's back catalogue to tell the Island story.

Music by Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lord Creator, Millie, Jimmy Cliff, The Spencer Davis Group,
Cat Stevens, Free, Roxy Music, Grace Jones, U2 and The Killers.

Most photos courtesy PA and Getty Images.
Slideshow by Paul Kerley. Publication date 22 May 2009.

source: bbc

Flu-hit Mexico City calls on Bono, Shakira for help
Wed May 20, 2009 9:47am

MEXICO CITY, May 20 (Reuters Life!) - Mexico City's mayor wants to deploy pop stars Bono and Shakira to help put the Mexican capital back on the map as a tourist destination after the H1N1 flu outbreak scared away visitors.

Marcelo Ebrard, a leftist with presidential aspirations, said he has written to the U2 frontman, the Colombian singer and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates to ask them to endorse a publicity campaign to restore the city's image.

The swine flu epidemic emptied Mexico City's normally chaotic streets for days on end, and the city is still haunted by images of face masks and shuttered bars and restaurants.

"We are facing the worst economic emergency in the recent history of Mexico City. Its results may be tragic for thousands of families whose incomes, jobs and investments are at risk," Ebrard said in the letters.

The celebrities, all known for their efforts to combat poverty and disease around the world, are being asked to put their face behind Ebrard's campaign with a visit to Mexico City.

The new flu, which has killed 74 people in Mexico and sparked fears of a pandemic, prompted authorities to shut chunks of the economy for five days and close schools for two weeks to curb contagion, in a huge blow to businesses.

Mexico City receives 12 million tourists every year, 25 percent of them foreigners loaded up with foreign currency.

Ebrard, who has made his mark with popular leisure schemes such as bicycle lanes, city water parks and an end-year ice rink, has already launched a television campaign to lure back Mexican tourists to the capital, featuring good-looking actors shopping and riding double-decker city tour buses. (Reporting by Cyntia Barrera Diaz and Anahi Rama; editing by Patricia Reaney)

reuters

Music Memories: My Time With U2
by Ian Sawyer
Back in 1987, when I was 15 years old, my father took me to see U2 at, what was then, Foxboro Stadium. It was the Joshua Tree Tour, in support of their Grammy winning album that would go on to catapult them to the top of the rock ‘n roll food chain. I was old enough to appreciate the vibrant synergy of the audience and the incredible hold the band had over so many people. But I was too young to fully commit to each song, and took away more of the awe of being amongst 50,000 people than the awe of being in the presence of Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., and Adam Clayton. I remember squinting to see Bono, in a cowboy hat and an arm sling (he had separated his shoulder the night before in New York) because he was so far away. For days after the show, I wore my concert t-shirt with pride even though it was too big for me and hung lifelessly off my bony frame. My friends, and even some strangers, would praise me in the hallway, impressed that I had actually seen U2 live. One year later, the t-shirt would be worn through and reduced to a dust rag.

When U2 returned to Foxboro in August of 1992, supporting Achtung Baby!, I had just turned 20. Things had certainly changed. While I wasn’t technically of drinking age, I will admit that the pre-show tailgating before the concert was one of the most glorious times I’d ever had in a parking lotuntil then, at least. The show itself, featuring an immense stage, inspired set list, and compelling onstage antics, would go down in the history books as one the most over-the-top and impressive live concert events ever. To say that the crowd was into it is like saying a starving man is into filet mignon. It was awesome. Highlights of the Zoo TV Tour included a stage so tall that blinking air-traffic lights were required, a gorgeous belly dancer seducing Bono during “Mysterious Ways,” and Bono phoning the White House to talk to President Bush between songs. In retrospect, the entire production was one long highlight.

Five years would go by before U2 returned to Foxboro, and I made sure I was there. The Popmart Tour, supporting a combination of POP and Zooropa came to town in July of 1997, and I was 25-a pretty good year all around. I was newly single, had a good job, and was living in the Boston area. I had already seen the band in Philadelphia on the same tour and was as big a fan as you could find back then. While many people consider POP and Zooropa to be less than stellar albums, at least by U2 standards, I’ve always found them quite enjoyable. Similarly, the Popmart Tour was considered, by some, to be weird and self-indulgent-a far cry from the successes of Zoo TV. The infamous giant lemon-shaped disco mirror ball, and the enormous yellow arch (suggesting half of the McDonald’s golden arches) were meant to reflect the album’s themes regarding pop culture and commercialism-elements that were lost on many concertgoers. However, I was a big fan of the set list and the techno-heavy nuances they brought to their songs, new and old.

4 years between Zooropa and U2’s next studio album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, the band shrugged off the flawed character-driven cultural study of the Popmart era and embraced their more personal lyric writing roots. Songs like “Beautiful Day” and “Walk On” were inspiring and uplifting. Appropriately named the Elevation Tour, U2 took the opportunity to leave outdoor stadiums behind, playing strictly arenas. Inside, U2’s heart-shaped stage and cutting edge surround sound system were a welcome departure from the overwhelming grandeur of past tours. The Elevation Tour was more intimate, and more accessible for fans. I caught a couple shows at Boston’s Fleet Center in June of 2001. Having an Irish-based affection for Boston, U2 pulls out all the stops when in town, and I am always proud to be present at a U2 concert in my hometown.

Nothing changed from the Elevation Tour to U2’s next tour. Again taking place in arenas, the Vertigo Tour came to Boston’s Fleet Center in December of 2005 in support of How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The heart-shaped stage was now a giant circle, and a vast curtain of high-tech light bulbs surrounded the stage, making a floor-to-ceiling see-through screen. The stage was nearly centered in the arena and fans enjoyed seating pretty much all around the stage, upping the intimacy factor. The show I attended was one of the best sounding concerts I have ever been to and, as usual, the crowd was hanging on every guitar riff and vocal chorus.

U2 recently released No Line On The Horizon and is in the midst of warming up for their next world tour. On September 20, I’ll be attending U2 360 in Foxboro. Early stage design research suggests that U2 will be playing in the middle of stadiums on a huge, circular, rotating stage. Reports claim that every seat in the place will afford fans a totally immersive experience. While ticket prices border on outrageous for high quality seats, I feel I owe it to myself to be as close to the band as possible since I’ve supported them on every tour since 1987. For almost 30 years U2 have provided me with a lifelong soundtrack that’s gotten me though the best and worst of days. It’s likely that this will be the last time I’ll have this opportunity to enjoy the tailgating, the crowd, the stage, the lights, and, above all, the music. Hopefully it will feel more like a thank you than a goodbye.

About the Author:
Ian Sawyer is a Freelance Writer for YouMusic.com, The Social Networking Site for Musicians, Featuring a vibrant Music Community has Music Chat Rooms, Music Forums, Music Blogs, Instant Messaging, Music Groups and Concert Tickets such as U2 Concert Tickets

source: kelseypub

FRANCE: LVMH invests in Bono eco brand Edun
14 May 2009 | Source: just-style.com

Luxury goods firm LVMH has completed a minority investment in Edun, an ethical fashion company jointly owned by U2 frontman Bono.

Edun, founded in 2005, aims to do sustainable trade with partners in the developing world.

"We started Edun so people could have a choice to choose beautiful clothes with a great story behind them," explained Ali Hewson, co-owner and Bono's wife.

"LVMH's investment is a vote of confidence in Edun and its mission and an important step in Edun's journey to reach its full potential.

Bono added: "Edun is a small brand with a loud voice. With LVMH, we can grow bigger and faster than we could on our own and bring greater and longer-term stability to our manufacturers and the communities they support."

Edun will continue to be based in Dublin and New York.

Mark Weber, CEO of LVMH and chairman and CEO of Donna Karan International, will oversee the equity investment for LVMH.

source: just-style

New U2 DVD characterized by hero worship of Bono

By Sydney Smith

Special to The Post and Courier

Thursday, May 14, 2009


I'm crazy about Bono and U2. I'm not talking about a little baby fan either: I had a poster of Bono in my college dorm room, I have an extra dessert for Bono's birthday every year (he turned 49 Sunday) and I won't stop talking about them once I start.

That said, I jumped for joy when I heard a new U2 DVD was being released this week. With the title "U2: A Rock Crusade," I envisioned something cutting recent performances with older shows, or perhaps something on the past few years while the band worked on its 2009 CD, "No Line on the Horizon." Whatever it would be, I was excited for anything U2 related to digest.

But it wasn't what I expected. It's a documentary, and a short one at that, coming in about 48 minutes long. A rock crusade, it is not. It would be more appropriately titled "Bono: A Philanthropic Crusade," or maybe something a little catchier.

After the opening few minutes, the other band members disappear from the screen, and Bono, lead singer, is the only U2 member mentioned.

The documentary, produced by Los Angeles-based Infinity Entertainment Group and unauthorized by the band, could pass for a BBC production stylistically. It is not about the band, but rather its frontman, and it's not about the music, but how the frontman uses his celebrity status to bring awareness to humanitarian causes he sees as important.

Old clips, interviews and narration mixed together illustrate many of the global causes Bono has involved himself in from relieving African debt to providing AIDS medications to poor countries. Regardless of personal opinions of Bono, it's hard to deny that he doesn't at least try to do good after seeing this. The documentary will hit you over the head in its praise for Bono. But most impressively, it provides a more subtle look at how Bono works with global leaders, uses his charisma and personal celebrity, and turns his ideas and goals into action. Bono has had enormous success getting support for his causes from leaders in the United States and the European Union.

The story is interesting, but the DVD is flawed. At times, it seemed not flashy enough, especially for Bono. U2 and Bono have used modern technology and advancing media to keep the band, their causes and their personal endeavors relevant over the years — just think about U2's graphically stimulating "Get on your Boots" video and marketing for the RED campaign as a few examples. Why would a DVD focusing on this savvy rock star come across like Musak at times?

For me though, the biggest hang-up wasn't the use of mostly older interviews, but the title and presentation. Going into this, I expected U2. Rock. Music. A little biography. I got Bono. Bono is good. Bono does good. Bono does well at doing good.

But, hey, did you know Bono has been nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Grammy and the Nobel Peace Prize? Maybe you should check out a tribute of sorts to the only person to pull that off.

He sounds interesting.

source: postandcourier

Bono-fied Friends Helena Christensen and Ali Hewson - They were supermodel and campaigning supermom, respectively, and then Helena Christensen and Ali Hewson inspired each other to even greater things

April 30, 2009

By: Kevin Conley | Photograph by Matt Jones


Helena Christensen, left, and Ali Hewson in Edun

Helena Christensen was vacationing with her father in the south of France when Ali Hewson first invited them to stay at her place. It was the summer of 1991. Hewson had just had her second child, and her husband, Paul (whom she and nearly everyone else refer to by his stage name, Bono), was taking a break from recording “Achtung Baby” in Berlin. “I used to do my homework to loud U2 music,” Christensen says. “But Ali meant as much to me as Bono did because I already knew he must be inspired by a woman.”

Things have changed since then — Christensen has turned from supermodel to photographer, Bono has become nearly as famous for his diplomacy as for his music, and Hewson has started tinkering with her approach to the family’s second business — global relief. Through it all (including the births of Hewson’s third and fourth children and Christensen’s first), the two women have remained close, and their collaboration on the Hewsons’ latest project, the eco-fashion line Edun, has seen Christensen acting as unofficial brand ambassador, photographer and model. But perhaps most important of all, Edun is a new outlet for the two of them to inspire each other.

At first glance, the business plan for Edun, an organic-cotton fashion line connected to a beautifully photographed celebrity-ad campaign, looks suspiciously like the mission statement of a charitable operation. The business, with manufacturing operations in a constellation of developing nations that currently include Kenya, Mauritius, Peru, Tunisia and India, did grow directly out of Bono’s agitation on behalf of Africa. But the whole point of the Edun endeavor, Hewson says, is to make a profit — not because the executive board needs the money but to demonstrate to other entrepreneurs that it’s possible to do so in developing countries, paying fair wages and relying on local raw material entirely processed and manufactured by local labor, from start to finish. “We’re a tiny company, but we punch above our weight,” Hewson says. “And we don’t let Bono near the clothes.”


Designer Ali Hewson and husband, singer Bono of U2

Hewson has been throwing herself into relief efforts around the world for years — she has been especially active in the Chernobyl Children’s Project International. She also is a founder and partner with Bryan Meehan in an organic skin-care line based on community-trade principles. (Even the brand name, Nude‚ has something in common with Edun.) At Edun Hewson finds herself arranging presentations of the collections one day and meeting with sub-Saharan NGOs the next. The schedule astounds Christensen, who is no stranger to such shuttling. She’s been very active in her friend’s relief efforts — running a charitable auction in New York or donating the proceeds from her recent photo exhibit at the Dactyl gallery, in SoHo, to the Chernobyl project; appearing in Edun fashion shows in Dublin and Cork; and modeling the line in Harper’s Bazaar. But to a great extent, she’s proudest to simply offer an oasis in Hewson’s schedule, inviting her over whenever she’s in town.

At 20, Christensen’s high cheekbones and wide-set, unearthly blue eyes helped her become one of the original “supermodels”; at 40, the features have mellowed into a distinctive wryness. She’s a talker first, funny, opinionated; her high-ceilinged West Village apartment, with its long dinner table and tall stools arranged around a kitchen island, seems designed as a series of stages for casual conversation. But lately, she has turned to photography in earnest, and it was her photos of actors such as Sean Penn, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck that launched Edun’s “One” campaign, a sale of T-shirts funding AIDS relief to Lesotho, Africa.

Designer Ali Hewson and husband, singer Bono of U2Hewson has been throwing herself into relief efforts around the world for years — she has been especially active in the Chernobyl Children’s Project International. She also is a founder and partner with Bryan Meehan in an organic skin-care line based on community-trade principles. (Even the brand name, Nude‚ has something in common with Edun.) At Edun Hewson finds herself arranging presentations of the collections one day and meeting with sub-Saharan NGOs the next. The schedule astounds Christensen, who is no stranger to such shuttling. She’s been very active in her friend’s relief efforts — running a charitable auction in New York or donating the proceeds from her recent photo exhibit at the Dactyl gallery, in SoHo, to the Chernobyl project; appearing in Edun fashion shows in Dublin and Cork; and modeling the line in Harper’s Bazaar. But to a great extent, she’s proudest to simply offer an oasis in Hewson’s schedule, inviting her over whenever she’s in town.

At 20, Christensen’s high cheekbones and wide-set, unearthly blue eyes helped her become one of the original “supermodels”; at 40, the features have mellowed into a distinctive wryness. She’s a talker first, funny, opinionated; her high-ceilinged West Village apartment, with its long dinner table and tall stools arranged around a kitchen island, seems designed as a series of stages for casual conversation. But lately, she has turned to photography in earnest, and it was her photos of actors such as Sean Penn, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck that launched Edun’s “One” campaign, a sale of T-shirts funding AIDS relief to Lesotho, Africa.

Ali Hewson
The “One” campaign — that was a complicated shoot — with so many celebrities to fit in on a single day, one after the other. But it turned out to be a breeze, because Helena makes it all so easy. That’s what friendship is about in many ways. You become friends with someone because you see something in them that you admire. Apart from the fact that she’s just a 10 anyway, what’s great about Helena is her sense of style. Anytime you see her dressed, even casually, she’s got her own great understanding of fashion. And so when she wears Edun, it’s like a double compliment, because she wouldn’t wear it unless she liked it, and because with her strong sense of aesthetic, that approval has real value.

One of the reasons I like coming to New York is because I get to come to Helena’s after work at 6 o’clock, and I get a cup of tea, I get fed, I get talked to. She’s a one-woman show. She doesn’t even have a nanny. She’s able to organize her child, her private life, her business life — I think in the last week, she went to Frankfurt, she went to Milan.

She’ll always hit the funny side of any situation, and you can’t put her off. She just has unbelievable stamina. That’s Viking energy. You watch her, and you realize why the Vikings were so successful and how they conquered Ireland.

source: magazine.wsj

LEAVES IN THE WIND - WELCOME * EDGE * BACKGROUND * PROJECT * TEAM * MYTH * CONTACT

from the edge


Welcome


How to build homes responsibly in an area of natural beauty
like the Santa Monica Mountains?

This has been the prevailing question in the minds of all involved in every stage and aspect of planning the project at Sweetwater Mesa. The result is that the five homes designed for these 156 acres will be built on just over 1 acre of the total land, leaving most of the land untouched and in its natural state.


The homes being planned for Sweetwater Mesa will be some of the most environmentally sensitive buildings ever conceived of in Malibu.


These homes are designed to some of today's highest environmental standards. Solar energy will power the homes and heat the water. Water collection and treatment systems will enable re-use and extreme efficiency.

The innovative sustainability plans have the goal of attaining a LEED™(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold standard that very few homes today meet.

Wallace Cunningham, the homes' award-winning designer, has nestled each of the unique homes as carefully as possible into the natural landscape, minimizing their profile while maximizing the creative usefulness of interior and exterior spaces. The organic designs of the homes will make use of the soil and colors of the land, blending them into their surroundings to the greatest extent possible.

Award-winning landscape architect Pamela Burton completes the marriage of home and surroundings through her innovative planning and her strong commitment to sustainable landscape design.

Among the homes’ many environmentally friendly features are:

*California native landscaping
*Rainwater catchment system
*High-efficiency and low-flow water fixtures
*Onsite wastewater treatment
*Onsite electric vehicle charging
*Radiant floor heating system
*Passive cooling, natural ventilation, and daylighting
*Solar panels to heat water and provide electricity
*Recycled and renewable materials
*In bringing together the very best environmental, architectural and design principles, the owners have sought to create homes that will both set new standards and withstand the test of time.

We invite you to explore the website to learn more and to read a statement from The Edge, one of the homes' owners.

source: leaves in the wind


From the Edge


Dear friends,

Thanks for taking the time to look over the information on this website. I never thought I would have to resort to this form of communication, but because of recent inaccurate media coverage, I felt compelled to set the record straight.

I hope you will agree that my partners and I have worked diligently to design homes that meet the highest environmental standards; that fit appropriately and aesthetically into this beautiful part of Southern California; and that are truly remarkable examples of the best architecture and design.

Why did we go to so much effort? Because my family and I love Malibu. We’ve maintained a residence here for more than a decade, and once our new home is finished we expect to spend much of our time here. We want to create something that we can be proud of.

We all acknowledge and understand the concerns arising from our immediate neighbors and neighborhood about the disruption that any building project causes on daily lives. We take this into consideration and are doing our utmost at looking for ways to minimize this disruption.

I hope the facts and background we’ve included on this site will reassure anyone who may have concerns about our project. I know how quickly rumors can spread and misinformation can multiply. We’ve tried to address those as fully as possible.

The California coast is a true natural treasure, and I believe in responsible design that honors such a unique location. I am confident we have done just that.

Thank you again for visiting.


The Edge

source: leavesinthewind