shawnokeefe.com

Author: Shawn

NOS: Rock That Font Tees

Recently, I took a deep dive into the archives and dusty stacks of storage boxes to reveal an unexpected and hidden treasure. Not gold bullion or a rare stamp collection, but the last remaining batch of t-shirts from Rock That Font — the (now archived) blog dedicated to the intersection of typography and rock’n’roll.

Originally printed in 2014 in Austin by our pals at Industry Print Shop, these NOS (new old stock) tees are pretty much vintage at this point. The monochromatic, dark blue (Pantone 7546) on Indigo (Next Level Tri-Blend) Rock That Font t-shirt keeps things soft, subtle, and classy. Fellow font nerds will no doubt inquire about the custom typeface designed by Rock That Font co-creator and contributor, Eric Hurtgen.

Want to get your hands on one for FREE? Just shoot me a note with your snailmail address and I’ll get one headed your way.

Limited sizes are available, but let me know your preference. Venmo donations to cover shipping are kindly appreciated.

04/21/2025
The Lost Tracks of Red Boxing

I remember renting a bunch of SM57s, a 16-channel Mackie mixer, and an 8-track ADAT machine (16 bit!) from Rock’n’Roll Rentals in Austin, Texas. With production assistance from best mate Chadwick Smith, we wired all the above gear together and recorded 10 songs in a carpet-insulated room that had once been a garage.

It was the summer of 1998.

I was 23 years old.

Red Boxing was a band named after the red box tone generator in phone phreaking, a type of hacking (that I may or may not have engaged in) before telephone systems went fully digital.

In any case, I sang and played the guitar.

Longtime friends Urny Maxwell (vox/guitar), his brother Yogi Maxwell (drums), Mitch Clark (bass) and I had known each other for years and performed in various bands/lineups around this time. (Urny and Yogi would go on to form Cruiserweight not long afterwards.)

Big thanks to Yogi for surprising us with this effort to get all the tracks online and archived. I hope we correctly recalled all the song titles — it’s been quite a few years and the memory has certainly faded with time.

Here’s the full tracklist of the resurrected songs, for anyone who wants to dig in:

1. Remote Sensing
2. Into the Stratosphere
3. Dirt is Our Candy
4. On Strike*
5. Language and Genome*
6. Good News for the Standard Model*
7. Come Let Me Down
8. Continent
9. Untitled / Bonus Track
10. Scopic Drive*

* indicates the 4 songs released on a small run of demo cassettes in 1999.

For me, these songs are a time capsule, a snapshot of who we were and how we were having fun in the post-punk, math-rock, emo-ish scene of the late ’90s in Austin. For you, whether you were there with us back in the day or are hearing Red Boxing for the first time, I hope these songs bring a little of that same nostalgia.

The lost tracks of Red Boxing are finally here. I recommend you turn them up loud.

01/22/2025
An Invitation to H³ ATX

Recently, Riley from Accelerate3D and I were attending a local demo day and nerding out on the latest developments in additive manufacturing (meaning, I was bugging him about which 3D printer I should pick up next). We discussed Austin’s fragmented innovation community, particularly when it comes to hardware entrepreneurship. We discussed the fact that Austin was built by hardware companies, despite the stories that dominate tech bro conversations and culture — and many more wonderful topics of discussion with the handful of hardware nerds in attendance.

Then we decided to do something to enable more of these inspirational conversations…

Are you looking to connect with like-minded hardware enthusiasts? Then join our ragtag group for beers, intriguing conversations & other shenanigans at the inaugural H³ ATX.

H³ ATX (Hardware Happy Hour – Austin) is a free networking event for hardware entrepreneurs and enthusiasts, occurring on the 1st Thursday of every month in a different location.

This Thursday, December 1st, we’ll be gathering at Brewtorium around 5pm. First round is on me.

11/28/2022
Just a Drummer

Twenty-five years ago, the primary focus of my life was to create music. As a singer/guitarist and audio engineer, I had a full studio stuffed into my little apartment. An array of guitars and amps littered my bedroom, along with effects pedals, reel-to-reel machines, a church organ, an upright piano (bought from Goodwill), and a few vintage drum kits to boot. There was hardly room for a bed.

These days less is certainly more. And technology has come a long way to help facilitate a more minimalist approach when it comes to the number of instruments required to make music.

However, during the pandemic I returned to creating music and picked up a pair of drumsticks for the first time in over two decades. I overcame my trepidation and embraced the therapeutic benefits of drumming — as well as all the shit to carry that comes with the fun of percussion.

As the song goes, now I’m the drummer in a rock’n’roll band.

If you’re in Austin this weekend, come see me perform classic country/blues/rock’n’roll at the strangely-named Hairy Man Festival. And if you’d like to learn of more upcoming gigs along these lines, feel free to join the Austin Prairie Dogs mailing list at austinprairiedogs.com.

10/12/2022
Wide Open

With a full heart I must share this is my last week as part of the executive team at Senseye. It’s been a heck of a privilege to work with such a talented team of neuroscientists and true SaMD pioneers — first as a Leadership Coach, then as Head of People Growth, then supporting innovation / marketing efforts as Head of Design. Thanks always to David Zakariaie and Simon Woods for the opportunity to contribute to the company’s journey thus far.

What adventure is next? I’m not yet sure… I’ll be consulting and taking on design projects while I explore FT roles, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have an initiative that I can help with (in Austin or elsewhere). I have a few other creative endeavors up my sleeve as well, so stay tuned.

09/26/2022
New Year, Wild West

Grateful to begin the year in the Davis Mountains. If you look closely, you can see McDonald Observatory in the distance.

2021 was a hard one on so many levels, but there are many positives to focus on. My trip to Honduras. Taking the kids on their first trip to Big Bend. The Big Sugar bike race in Arkansas. Friendships both old and new.

And it’s always good to start the year with a review of my prime directives:

1. Be the best dad I can be
2. Share my rather long list of “what not to do” in this life with others
3. Help purpose-driven entrepreneurs & teams thrive

With the above at heart, I’m happy to reveal that I’ve joined the executive team at Senseye. As “Head of People Growth,” I’m initially focusing on recruitment efforts (as we’re currently on the hunt for an experienced CTO). I’ll also be involved in design and marketing efforts moving forward, as well as supporting a healthy team culture as we go through the growing pains of scaling a truly novel technology.

I’ll continue to work with current clients via 1st Assembly Supply Co in the short term, but I plan to wind down many of those engagements in the coming months.

Senseye is heading in a new and very important direction. You may be familiar with the fact that Senseye provides novel insights into cognitive states via the eye through mobile phones. Now the company is focused on building the world’s first objective mental health diagnostic on top of the core technology. Our first diagnostic is for PTSD and is entering pilot studies now, followed soon by additional indications for anxiety and depression.

Like so many others, my family has been significantly impacted by mental health issues, and I look forward to shaping the future of digital medicine with this talented team.

01/25/2022
2nd Annual Rocket Party

El Fuego Pequeño Rocket Club Presents:
2nd Annual Rocket Launch Party!

On Saturday, Nov 20, we’ll once again be gathering at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock to launch some rockets!

RSVP and join us for the explosive fun.

From some of the largest solid-fuel rocket engines commercially available to the smallest (to ensure a successful landing), we’ll have plenty of rockets for kids of all ages. Bring safety equipment such as a mask, hand sanitizer and/or any of your own model rockets that are ready for liftoff (optional).

Our launchpad will be on the north side of the park:

https://goo.gl/maps/zRbQ2NAU766KRGcV8

Questions? Fire off an email to shawn@1stassemb.ly.

El Pequeño Fuego Rocket Club is powered by 1st Assembly Supply Co.

11/12/2021
Hardware Hack Night!

Born out of virtual happy hours during the height of the pandemic, Hardware Hack Night is a new monthly meetup of ragtag hardware enthusiasts and innovators from across the globe. Each virtual event features a special guest speaker, rad project showcases, and enlightening conversations around a particular topic.

Editions so far have included: IoT with Brandon Satrom, STEM with Dave ten Have, FashionTech with Andrea Lauer, Robotics with Alex Glow & the upcoming Bioart with Karen Ingram on Thursday, May 20th.

It’s fantastic to co-produce this inspiring event series with Eric from Patchr — as we sometimes work together on commercial hardware projects under the moniker, Future Proof Studio.

While we’ll soon need to start limiting the number of participants, the events are currently free and open to any and all interested parties. Join our list to get updates in your inbox about upcoming speakers and more.

We certainly hope to nerd out with you at a Hardware Hack Night in the not-too-distant future.

05/12/2021
Hide Away

Every so often, I get an “offer that I can’t refuse” to do some design work. Such was the case with a recent client — my talented sister, Kathleen O’Keefe.

Take a look at the limited-edition digipaks for her new album, Hide Away, which just hit streaming services everywhere.

03/17/2021
El Pequeño Fuego Rocket Club

El Pequeño Fuego Rocket Club Presents:
Fall Rocket Launch Party!

On Saturday, Nov 7, we’ll be gathering at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock to launch some rockets! Come join us for the explosive fun.

From some of the largest solid-fuel rocket engines commercially available to the smallest (to ensure a successful landing), we’ll have plenty of rockets for kids of all ages. Bring safety equipment such as a mask, hand sanitizer and/or any of your own model rockets that are ready for liftoff (optional).

Our launchpad(s) will be on the north side of the park:

https://goo.gl/maps/zRbQ2NAU766KRGcV8

Questions? Fire off an email to shawn@1stassemb.ly.

El Pequeño Fuego Rocket Club is powered by 1st Assembly Supply Co.

10/30/2020