Welcome to the heart of Movember. This is the time of year when mustaches become thick. It’s the few weeks when women can’t help but swoon for their favorite Tom Selleck or Albert Einstein. It’s an opportunity to revel in double-takes and constantly be the butt of jokes around the office. It’s MO season. To document this phenomenon, some friends and I staged the second annual MOPLOSION photo shoot to raise awareness for the Movember MOvement. What is Movember? It is the eleventh month of the year (formerly known as November) where men grow mustaches (“mo” in Australian parlance). Mo-bros form teams and put their best mustache forward to campaign for donations in support of testicular cancer and prostate cancer awareness & research. If you’re like me and think this is an awesome idea, please consider making a donation.

Earlier this month, we announced details for MOPLOSION 2010 right here on the Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000. If you haven’t seen the video, cruise over to the archives and check it out. The 2009 Movember shoot was a small affair and a lot of fun, so for 2010 I decided to open it up to all of Seattle. On Sunday, Movember 21 we gathered at Buckleys in Belltown and threw down one hell of a photo shoot. I was stoked to have several dozen mo-bros and mo-sistas jump in front of the lens.

Mo Bros

My partner in crime for much of the MOPLOSION is Aaron Huber. Don’t let his hippy persona fool you; he might be tuned in, but he certainly hasn’t dropped out. Aaron, captian of the Lip Ticklers, is on the Seattle Movember Committee and is responsible for generating a lot of the success the MOvement has in this city. Not only did Aaron star in the promotional video, Aaron was my right hand man for the duration of this shoot. From hauling equipment, to setting up, and breaking down; Aaron lived the MOPLOSION with me. He’s also a very talented photographer and has some excellent behind-the-scenes shots on his Flickr.

Not one to disappoint when costumes are involved, Sergio came decked out as a Cuban drug lord. Word is after the photo shoot he was spotted on the Port of Seattle docks taking care of some business.

I met Tom for the first time on Sunday. He heard about the MOPLOSION on Facebook and decided to check it out. For looking like a complete badass, he was actually a very pleasant chap.

Ken was first up in the photo shoot. In addition to an excellent mustache persona, he brought a ton of energy and set the tone for the rest of the evening.

Going “creepster” with Chris.

Adam always hams it up for the Explosion. The dude has been all over this blog for the past year and even showed up in the MOPLOSION promo vid.

This year’s chest shaving award goes to Keith. Congratulations on having a thick enough harvest to actually be able to carve things into it.

Sharat concisely expresses his feeling about prostate and testicular cancer. Sharat is a fellow teammate of mine on Mustache Across America. Support his mo by donating here.

Some just have MO style than others… and it’s hard to argue with the sartorial sensibilities of our very own Seattle Movember Committee Chairman.

Don’t you have a sandwich and a waterfall to go chase after?

Mat brought out the red, white and MO for the shoot. There’s something very patriotic about growing a mustache, don’t you think? In addition to saluting America, Mat is also a member of the Lip Ticklers. Donate to him here.

Lucas, another Mustache Across America teammate, is rocking some handlebars this season.

The next three gentlemen are apart of The MOst Interesting Men in the World. After photographing these characters, I’m not exactly disagreeing with them either.

As a native Montanan, Russ perfectly brought to life the stoic cowboy.

Love the fact that the jacket is growing several mustaches too.

Mo Sistas

Us Mo Bros would not get far without all the support we receive from our Mo Sistas. In the early days of the month, they tell us that are mustache is “really coming in” when we really look like middle schoolers hitting puberty. When the “creepster” phase hits, they don’t fumble for the panic button on their car keys. And by month’s end they are still by our side telling everyone how great kissing a MO is. Well done, ladies.

Behind the Scenes

As is rarely the case here on the Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000, I actually let the camera get turned around on me. Aaron was kind enough to snap a few photos of my MO. He also grabbed some awesome behind the scenes shots. Check out how we turned a bar into a studio on his Flickr page.

The photos above are just the tip of the ‘stache. There are well over 100 different looks at this year’s MOPLOSION crop. Check out the slideshow below or head on over to my Flickr for enough upper lip luxury to get you through until 2011.

I owe big thank you to Buckleys in Belltown for hosting our shoot this year. You guys rock. Also, thank you to everyone who dropped by to be photographed or just hang out with us. You made the shoot a success!

If you laughed at these photos, enjoyed the video or just feel inspired, please consider making a donation to Movember.

The MOPLOSION 5000 Movember photo shoot is back! Last year we changed the face of men’s health by putting our mustached mugs in front of the camera, and we’re doing the same for 2010. The only difference is that this year we want to see YOU model with us. Seattle Movember Committee member Aaron Huber and I have planned a special photo shoot at Buckley’s in Belltown on Sunday, November 21st at 7 PM. The photo shoot is open to anyone supporting or participating in Movember. Bring your favorite mo-inspired getup and be ready to have an awesome time with me and the Seattle Movember crew as we make some hilarious pictures. Your cost is FREE! Several days following the photo shoot, I’ll post the images on the internet for you to use in your own campaign to raise awareness and money for prostate cancer and testicular cancer. You can RSVP via Facebook.

When you’re waiting for your turn to jump in front of the lens, hang out at Buckley’s in Belltown’s awesome bar and socialize with other mo-bros & mo-sistas. Buckley’s was gracious enough to allow us to have their back room to stage the photo shoot. In honor of their hospitality, please consider purchasing a beer or two while we’re getting our mo-tography on—nothing goes together like mustaches and brews anyway, right?

If you liked the video above (or caught it on Vimeo), please consider dropping by my Movember page and making a donation. Even $5 is cool! For the camera folks out there: the video was shot entirely on a Nikon D90 with the Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 lens.

Last year we had a blast doing the photo shoot; and I’m really looking forward to getting everyone back together and meeting YOU at the 2010 edition. Check out the photos from 2009 for a taste of what you can expect. The photos created so much buzz that we were named “Mo Team of the Week” by Movember USA. Let’s keep Seattle at the forefront of everything mo this year—please invite your other mo-bros and mo-sistas to the shoot!

EVENT DETAILS:

• MOPLOSION 5000 Photo Shoot
• Buckley’s in Belltown
• 2331 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA
• Sunady, Movember 21, 2010
• 7-10 PM

RSVP via Facebook.

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It’s birdie time! Last weekend we had more than just the mojo working when the Explosion 5000 met a college tradition: Tennis Hoes & Golf Pros. A familiar cast of characters, clad in their country club finest, descended on Seattle’s Belltown and proceeded to paint the town plaid.

Warning: Images of Superfisky in women’s tennis clothing follow. Also, this post contains photographs of original artwork by Superfisky, which might make your boss question what exactly you’re looking at on the internet.

All the photos here were made with my Nikon D300 camera and Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. I also fired a Nikon SB-600 flash with a Sto-fen Omnibounce. For most of the shots, I held the flash in my left hand and triggered it wirelessly via Nikon’s Creative Lighting System.

The occasion? A birthday, naturally. Alli’s birthday, specifically. If you could read the tag affixed to her shirt, you’d know that. Pictured with Alli is fellow photog Ray Loyola.

Curtis “Ironman” Cappel graced Buckley’s with his wit and his plaid.

As the name of the party suggests, every pro needs his companion. Alongside Curtis is Ashley.

“Love 40? More like game, set, match.” – Christine.

Through the drinking glass with Chris.

B Cox as the Baller.

Superfisky might be larger than life, but he’s never too big to fit into the smallest of women’s clothing. Since he obviously never heard the latter half of the “Tennis Hoes & Golf Pros” theme, Superfisky jumped high-heels first into a wig and skirt.

The drawing above started out as a simple diagram. Nick and I were brainstorming ways to hang me out over a river to photograph rafters. Superfisky made a few “improvements.”

The throng eventually made its way to Spitfire, where the country club elite joined a Cowboys and Indian party already in progress. Whether you were a Maria Sharapova, Tiger Woods, Dot, Feather or John Wayne; the drink of choice is clearly Pabst Blue Ribbon.

For more pictures, visit my Flickr set or watch the slideshow below.

Also, be sure to become a fan of the Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 on Facebook.

Last night Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground played the recently re-opened Crocodile in Seattle. Croc 2.0 is gorgeous. The back bar is huge and well staffed; it didn’t take long to get a PBR. All the fixtures and finishes, from the balcony to the men’s room, are first class. The new, wide stage also suited Kay Kay’s large ensemble perfectly.

I counted 11 members in the troupe for last night’s performance. A violin, melodica, euphonium, lead guitar, trumpet, bass, backing singer and drummer joined the familiar of core of Phil on cello, Kyle on keys and Kirk fronting the band and playing guitar.

The Crocodile features an amazing lighting setup. Unfortunately, no one ran the board during the set. The band was draped in red lights for the entire performance. While the lights were bright and covered the entire stage, I found it difficult to create a variety of styles with my exposures. What I didn’t realize was that the harsh lighting acted as a de facto red filter. The results I pulled off my memory card were ripe for creating black & white images in post with Adobe Photoshop CS4′s calculations feature.

Most of Kay Kay’s set comprised of songs from their debut album, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground. The performances were as tight and polished as ever. After several of years of playing together, the band makes executing a near flawless performance look easy while still being relaxed and having fun on stage. The whole ganged stomped along in unison at the end of “Simon Courage Flees the Coop” and at one point Phil even bowed his cello while laying on the floor.

Kay Kay also debuted several new tracks from their forthcoming album, Introducing Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground. Songs included “My Friends All Passed Out” (mp3), “Diggin” and a song that I think is titled “Dirty Motherfuckers.”
[audio:http://www.trentdrum.com/mp3/MyFriendsAllPassedOut.mp3]

I was near the front for most of the show. Ask any “taper” and they’ll tell that the optimal sound in any given club is where the audio guy runs the board. Since the recording medium I chose was visual, not audio, I compromised and got near the lip of the stage. With the main speakers behind me, I heard a mixture of the live band, monitors and house PA echoing off the back wall. The sound was still pretty good, and certainly better than being up front at The Moore. Once I moved a few feet back, the room sounded great. For a club, I still think Neumos has the best sound anywhere in the room. If you disagree, feel free to leave a comment and tell me how wrong I am.

Find links to Kay Kay’s blog and listen to more tunes on their MySpace page. Visit The Crocodile’s website here.

BONUS: Michigan State University, Seattle Campus

Before Kay Kay ever took the stage, several Spartan Seattleites gathered at Spitfire in Belltown. The Michigan State men’s basketball team staged one of the greatest March Madness comebacks in recent history. Despite the fact we were only steps away from the Space Needle, the amount of green and white present made the bar feel like East Lansing. Thankfully, it still smelled like Seattle.

Overheard: “That’s just like the flag my roommate hung in our Brody dorm room.”

Overheard: “I’d totally murder a Wolverine for some Big 10 Burrito right now.”

Overheard: “The last time I was surrounded by this many excited Spartans I was at The Dollar.”

“We did it, man.”

Watch a slideshow of all the photos here and a few others at Flickr.