We had an amazing time at the Brad Paisley concert in Denver last night. I don’t know what this country music thing is all about, but after meeting Brad and getting the opportunity to see such a “large performance” show like this with such good company — my cowboy hat continues to come out.

As my country inspiration from Montana – Jesse Alberi states via the Facebook…

“Just keep wearin the hat and boots and the country will find you. I Just watched on youtube what you saw live last night… jealous bro.”

It was an incredibly entertaining show with Scotty McCreery, The Band Perry and even Tim Tebow. Watch this as the Band Perry drops for the most epic Tebowing of all time while Brad Paisley and Tebow sang “I’m Still a Guy.” Saying it got loud… is an understatement.

[YouTubeUlar] <— 0

Surprisingly, The Band Perry did NOT sing "Walk Me Down the Middle". Katherine was the proud winner of a Brad Paisley guitar pick. I learned about dog-tags of fallen soldiers. Brad's dad Doug is a story teller. It was a sold out show.

Katie + Ryan + Trista... thank you for such a fun night. Here are some highlights.

After getting back to the internets to research some of this country music thing, I found a direct explanation from Brad Paisley’s 3.6 million strong Facebook page. This is Country Music. Pretty cool.

Enjoy.

[HYDLE RAW - Brad Paisley + Tim Tebow]
[9News Story]
[Ryan & Trista - The Proposal] <— 351,080

[YouTubeUlar] <— 121

In lieu of the Broncos wildcard overtime win over the Steelers… lets take a look back at what we used to do in celebration of the very few bronco wins from 2010.

[YouTubular]

This is a complete Las Vegas recap… all wrapped into one video.

If you watch the triple whip hit / fall / crash Steven McCann took on the run previous to this — it will blow your mind that he had the balls to get back up and compete for the win.

If you Brad Jay breakdown the scenario of the BMX Vert Finals you would understand that if Stevie McCann pulls of this win he would also win the overall Dew Cup… which was lost by just two (2) points to the unstoppable 7 Dew Cup BMX Vert champion Jamie Bestwick.

This should make for a very interesting 2012 season.

Thank you for everything you have created for us Steve.

Not available for purchase… but shipped. Thank you Steve Jobs.

[YouTubular]

Tonight’s movie is from Utah…

There is a BMX rider named Stephen Murray who had a traumatic injury in a Baltimore 2007 BMX Dirt event. He was throwing a double back on a bicycle and broke his neck. It was my first day announcing for DEW tour as G-Man and this was by far one of the worst accidents I have ever seen. During Stephens rehabilitation at Craig Hospital from a C3 broken neck… he eventually weaned from a ventilator which was amazing – since he could now breathe on his own. But at such a high level quad he is completely confined to a sip and puff wheelchair.

Friends and supporters started a brand “Murray Strong” over the last couple years and from what we heard in Utah… Stephen’s own spirits have been relatively low right now. As you can understand… being confined to a wheelchair can definitely take it’s mental toll on you… which it has on Stephen. When you lose your own zest for life it is time for friends and family to help keep you motivated to live the best life you can. Keep your head up high Stephen – this is a movie from your friends.

Stay Strong.

As a gift from Amanda Capper to everyone who takes the time to watch and understand the “real life” moment we had here in Utah – you get a surprise gift for your iPods.

Amanda Capper – Cocoon – Drift Away

I’m not going to guarantee this link will exist very long as this is a direct track from Amanda Capper’s upcoming album “Cocoon” … but I think Amanda will oblige. Recorded at Akashic Recording Studio with Prasanna Bishop on the Saxophone, this was simply an amazing experience.

My first at bat with the world of BMX, with the dynamics of Vert and Dirt, with the athlete lounge and with the luxuries that come with simply believing. . . . . .

The drive out went so smoothly, 4 hours went by before the radio was even turned on. Upon arrival, we didn’t have but a second to breathe, let alone unpack the Grover, as we immediately embarked on the first set of hours meeting/greeting/smiling/embracing both new and old friends. It wasn’t until after 3 a.m. before I set the Taylor down. Her strings have seen things both unimaginable and defyingly beautiful. Drake played and we listened.

The following morning, just before 9, we woke with a sense of urgency, not wanting to miss a single beat. Heading out of town, the canyons outside Salt Lake swallowed us whole as we made the ascent towards the cabin. Only a handful of us, trifecta intact, our minds at peace and ready for whatever the world had in store. The sun seemed to love the company as he shined down on the expansive deck, so subtle and warm, it’s as if he wanted to be a part of the wonderful conversation. TJ made us laugh with his witty anecdotes and getting to witness both he and Fuzz reminisce was a gift no amount of money could buy. Riding along the ins and outs of back country dirt roads in all sorts of 4-wheel vehicles felt like love lingering in the wind that rushed in from all angles. The thought of how the aspen roots cradled us all no matter where we were was enough to inspire an army of hope. For recovery, for STAYING STRONG. Singing a few tunes for the cabin crew, the sky unfolded behind me. . . .lightening and thunder providing the best sort of percussion. High ceilings supported by hand sawed logs allowed for the sounds to echo and bounce in and out of ears; ears belonging to new listeners. Like time had stopped, we all shared heavy hope and it equated to new found friendships almost instantly.

As the night fell and as we returned to the bright lights of the DEW TOUR, we walked along the dirt, standing beside the mounds that would resemble TJ’s back yard and provide ample obstacle/motivation for the Dirt Finals’ riders. (Thank you Alysa) They flew, as if their bikes had invisible wings, so high it made us soar. Hucker surfed, bringing smiles to all. . . . .

Sunday proved to be the emotional crux for us all. After being asked to sing our National Anthem after a moment of silence in honor of the anniversary of 9/11, my heart lept. It wasn’t about me. It wasn’t about the fun we’d had. It wasn’t even about the connections that had been made. Suddenly, everything shifted. Taken to a higher level, it’s as if we molded together, a mass of love and sorrow, uplifting silence and unending hope. Sharing my voice in that moment changed everything for me. For my journey, for our goals. For dreams and for the future. Eve cried and Hydle was proud.

Later, we went to cheer on Simon as, even with wounds still not fully healed, inspired us all with his courage to ride and gracefully take 5th. We supported Stevie as he dethroned @ the BMX Vert Finals and came together for a round of music in the back room of the Hotel Bar that could never be reenacted. With love in our hearts for Stephen Murray, we all sang: Simon, Shanna, Hydle, Eve, Hucker, B. Hunt, Anthony, Stevie, Goldy, Darryl, Lee, Flip, Adam, Chris…….. “we wanna get lost in your rock n’ roll and drift away .. . “ The pleasant moments shared between what could only be described as “a family” were the kind of times that not even the best camera in the world could have captured.

The drive home through western Wyoming opened my heart and mind, felt like my soul was flying. I’m overwhelmed with love and gratitude for the seemingly endless hours spent in Utah. I am so blessed to have had such an amazing first bout. I will forever be a fan of the Dew Tour family, thank you Eve.. . . . . . . . . .CAPPER

We were so excited we had a $10,000 funding party today!

Don’t worry about those china / ikea cases… they are not the ones you are going to receive in the mail – hehe. But we do want to announce that our 13″ MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs are in development and are the first to receive CNC “Bessie” testing and treatment. We are NOT waiting for time to expire or until we hit our funding goal to start making this project a reality. Our goal is to ship your case as soon as possible once funding has been received and we are thankful to Bill (owner of Bessie) for allowing us to pre-program when he has some available free time (aka – before we can pay him:)

On another note – Congratulations to Charity who At 9:52am pledged for 13″ MacBook Air case… which ended up being unique case #K100 and she receives our first iPad 2 case giveaway! Charity – we have messaged you so please get back to us so we can get your iPad 2 case into your hands as quickly as possible.

We will be giving away another free iPad 2 Bamboo Blackbox Case at #K200… and will try our best to keep you posted so you can share with your friends and family as to when that will be. Either way – there are still some great deals available so we really do appreciate you sharing and getting behind our goal of creating the best looking and most useful laptop case in the world. Your support has been nothing short of amazing!

Rock on!
Greg Hydle

[Kickstarter Project Page]

We finally launched a project I have been working on early this morning. I have to say that it is scary to put yourself out there like this when you simply just don’t know what can happen. I’m feeling confident that we can get some attention and reach our goal though. These cases are just too well made and gorgeous to not be seen and there are some super good deals for those early adopters.

“Thank you for your support and helping us take Blackbox Case to the next level. As you can see in our pledging limits to the right we have tried to accommodate for nearly anyone who would like to be a part of making this product a success. We have included some fun enhancements for those of you who are looking for that extra effort in truly building a product together and we have provided some excellent deals for you early adopters. Don’t take our light hearted approach of making something unique and home grown the wrong way — We are firm believers in following your passions and making the most of any opportunity that is granted to you. Life is simply too short to not make something amazing.”

Save $20 on an iPad 2 Bamboo Case for the first 100 pledgers… Cheers to the future!

Celebration of “Colorado Day” on August 1st resulted in a double dip down Numbers on a raft and post beer sampling at the Eddyline Brewery. Got to love the growing mountain town of Buena Vista. Thanks for the fun day sister Jess.

Playing in Austin and heading to Boston… both of these cities have been long over due and I love them both… for their own reason.

Thank you to the McCormicks for the amazing sunsets and water adventures… and thank you to Emily Helm for Mr. Dooley’s and the 7 hour layover in Boston!

Rock on!
Hydle