Jonny P for White's Boots

Jonny P for White's Boots

Photography by Amanda Leigh Smith 

Written and Produced by Claire Everson
Shot on film in Nashville, TN

I first heard the soulful sounds of Jonny P while leaning against a taco truck on a hot summer night outside one of Nashville’s oldest industrial areas. Train tracks behind me, a pool of Nashvilles’ Who’s Who standing and sitting cross legged in front of me—peering up to a voice that remained just beyond my taco slangin’ station. His dulcet melodies made me forget for a hot minute about the sweat dripping down the small of my back. 

Later as the night came to a close and the musical guests carried gear to their cars I looked up to see a sharply dressed man in a perfectly fitting, vibrant-lilic suit with an old mic in one hand, a tambourine in the other. Enter, Jonathan Powell, aka Jonny P.  Fast forward a few months and I found myself rolling around Nashville in the backseat of his cherry red Impala with Amanda riding shotgun. We listened as he talked about how the city is changing and growing, why he moved years ago when Nashville was still not much to look at, where he sees music heading, and the nerves of expecting his first child. A soul singer based in Nashville, Tennessee, it became clear early on that Jonny is the embodiment of a new era of creative gentleman coming up the musical ranks.  Whether heard in his voice or seen in one of his custom suits, he personifies with ease and finesse, a confidence only his humble dedication to being a man of substance can bring.  Born and raised in New York, Jonny began his singing career at 20 years old and has since released his first EP, Right to You, with a second out in spring and a full length album set to drop in September, 2016. Like many creatives, he has his hands in multiple projects at one time. He and his wife, Holly started their fashion brand, JandHP in L.A., sourcing and reworking vintage finds and have since grown it into a custom and ready to wear brand based in Nashville, whose garments can be seen on red carpets, grooms and grammy winners.  

With a voice reminiscent of the soulful days of Motown and an attention to detail in every stitch he wears, Jonny uses both his vocal and personal style as powerful mediums to tell his story. We couldn't have dreamed up an easier man to work with and shoot. We sifted through records at Grimey's, took a stroll down the historic Printer’s ally, and got to see him take the stage for a quick shot at Skull’s Rainbow room.

Since our shoot, Johnny and his wife have welcomed their daughter Ivy Rain into the world, he has taken the stage from Guatemala to Birmingham, shared the spotlight with good friend Leon Bridges and is now on the road full-time for tour. Checkout his schedule and if he’s coming your way, try to snag a ticket. His warm smile and honest melodic crooning will make you forget about everything else for a night and remind you what a man of class really looks and sounds like.   

Words by Claire Everson 

(Jonny P. wearing- Boots- custom White’s “Northwest” boot. Suit- Winter weight herringbone suit by Rugby Ralph Lauren, Shirt and Tie- JandHP Clothing Co., Hat- Stetson)

Art Arcinas for White's Boots

Art Arcinas for White's Boots

Photography by Amanda Leigh Smith

Produced and Written by Claire Everson

Shot on film in Nashville, TN

When Amanda and I walked into Art’s motorcycle shop at Fort Houston, it took all of about 90 seconds before they realized Art knew James, Amanda’s husband and builder working out of Whistler, British Columbia. They hadn't actually met in person, but Art lit up after learning that James, the dude he’d reached out to and emailed back and forth about custom builds was in fact Amanda’s, “James”. 

“Oh my god! I had so much fun following your South America ride on Instagram! That bike he built looked like a beast!”, he bellowed. 

Amanda told him about some of the hairy situations her and James got into while traveling, and they both got a good chuckle about how small the builder community was. 

I poked around the shop a bit, letting the two of them dork out on bikes and dream rides, finding myself taking in deep breaths of the oil and gas smells that brought back smiles and memories of garages of my youth—my dad’s old 76 Chevy, working on a friends’s old ’56 Ford F100 in his garage—they’ll do that, garages. Take you back.

Meandering around the shop, one wall lined with BMWs, Hondas, a Triumph, a Harley and scooter, it was clear Art liked working on ‘em all. Builder and owner of Atlas Motorworks, it was easy to see his dedication to building bikes runs parallel to his thirst for building community.  Clearly a passion-chaser working to figure out how to build a life based on what he loves, Art spent as much time rapping about his love of figuring out the next build as he did talking about how much he wants to provide a space in Nashville for riders of all kinds to connect.  

Leaving corporate America to step out on his own and build custom bikes, the Nashville native is no stranger to dedicating long hours to build something that matters.  He wrenches on bikes while relentlessly striving to provide a space and community for riders from all walks of life to talk shop regardless of what kind of wheels they roll on.

“Our common thread is that we have a passion and a love for two wheels…with Atlas, I just want to bring some unification to all types of riders.”  

He told us about the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Festival the past weekend outside of Birmingham and how he entered into his first flat track race—falling in love with yet another part of the motorcycle world. We talked about the clique-iness of riders, his dislike for the game of self promotion on Instagram, and his dream of opening up a cafe/garage in Nashville for people to hang and build. 

Art’s smile is as grounding as his humble approach to business and bikes. He just wants to build something that matters and brings people together. With the garage door always open, people popped in and out during out visit. Other dudes tinkered and asked Art random questions regarding the bike they were working on—the shop dog puttered around, looking half feral, half civilized, a look all of us seemed to be familiar with. 

Art works from his shop based out of Fort Houston, a 10,000 square foot creative and collaborative space in Nashville, Tennessee. Complete with a full-scale wood shop, print shop, bike shop, photography studio and miscellaneous work and desk space open to members, Fort Houston facilitates growth, community, creativity and learning with space to work as well classes and events throughout the year. Its a great place to build. 

Like almost everyone we met during The Hatter and The Hound Tour the “making” or “building” part of what they do was really about so much more than the actual materials in hand. And you know, what Art is trying to do with Altas Motorworks reminds me of something a professor I had in college once said, “Community building isn’t rocket science, it’s much more difficult. There’s a formula for rocket science.” 

It was easy for Amanda and I to see Art has got the will and endurance to figure it out. And I’m not sure if he knows it, but he’s already provided a space for people to connect—the feral and the civilized, the Harley dudes and dirt bike guys, riders and the non-riders alike. I encourage you to pop in sometime and take in the sights and smells of both Fort Houston and Atlas Motorworks. You’ll be welcomed with a smile and Art seems hyped to talk shop just about anytime.

Words by Claire Everson

Drew Park for White's Boots

Drew Park of Drew's Brews Coffee for White's Boots

Photography by Amanda Leigh Smith

Produced and Written by Claire Everson

Shot on film in Nashville, TN

It started over drinks—as so many great collaborations, relationships or just enjoyable back and forth excitement-spewing does.  I think I was on my second (third) Manhattan.  The buzzing of Oak Bar in the Hermitage Hotel had seemed to have risen in parallel with my enthusiasm—I was all smiles and incessant head nods at this point.  

“I mean yeah, it’s about a badass hatter and her dog hitting the road, but it’s more than that you know—it’s about the fact you really don’t need much to follow your dreams, pave your own path. Right?!”  

“Exactly, exactly, awesome, awesome…”, he kept saying.  “Whatever you need, I would love to help. Coffee, support, whatever, awesome, awesome.” 

So there I was with Drew, owner and solo roaster of Drew’s Brews Coffee out of Nashville, TN., having no idea just how much would change after that casual cocktail or two. Or three. I should mention at this point I had known him for a total of about… 43 days, give or take. But, that didn’t seem to be a factor for him and his enthusiasm to help.

And that was it. I didn't realize it then, but a deal had been officially-unoffically made.  Drew’s Brews was going to be our first official sponsor in what eventually turned out to be one of the most epic and eyeopening couple of months of my life. The Hatter and The Hound tour was going to be fueled by Drew’s Brews coffee. Beyond that though, Drew’s confidence and support early on was what put all of us all in the head space to believe this whole “Hatter and The Hound Tour”, could actually happen. When the time finally came to hit the road Drew sent us off with a 20lbs of coffee, a special roast he called The Havstad Blend. It fueled our early mornings on ranches and long hauls on the highway. We gave bags of coffee to all the folks we met across America, sharing early morning Joe with strangers, making quick friends. 

And as if he hadn't done enough, when we arrived in Nashville, Drew put us up in his river house so we would have a nice, chill place to call home for the week while we continued to to do popups and shoot content for our other sponsors.  So, that was cool. Magic river house for a week, yes please. When we arrived to Nashville after three weeks on the road we were all a little burnt out and in desperate need of a break. By only the glow of the taillights we pulled the trailer in through the rusty chainlink gate by the skin of our teeth, wide eyed and praying not to rip the awning off the porch in our attempt.  And in the morning I finally got to show the ladies the home I kept telling them about and introduce them to the man I knew they would love and never forget. 

An old motorcycle bar turned humble abode, the two story building was sparse in decor but filled to the brim with character. Old tags scribbled in Sharpy on the wall in the kitchen from bikers gave us a glimpse into the heydays of the house while the fishing poles and rubber waiters lining the cement walls set the scene, taking us out of town even though the hustle of Music City lay just across the river.  We watched barges slowly meander down the river at sunset with a bottle of wine, warmed up around the wood stove in the mornings while sipping espresso, and listened to old Bonnie Raitt and blues records at night with the crickets singing backup. 

We got to hang with Drew a few times during the week and I was mad thankful the ladies got to know the man who gave me the jumpstart I needed to help make all this happen. He took us out on the town to catch some jazz at Skull’s Rainbow room with drinks and dinner. He made us homemade Chili Verde and jalapeño cornbread for a quiet night in, and checked in on us throughout the week to see if we needed anything. He gave us a tour of his roasting warehouse and explained that the most important part of making great coffee is putting good energy and intentions into the beans during roasting. 

While Amanda and I were in town for a shoot one afternoon he spent a few hours getting fitted for a hat with Cate in the trailer and talking about who knows what.  All I know is after he left, Cate came up to me and with the warmest of smiles, hugged me and said, “Thank you for bringing me to this place. Thank you for introducing me to Drew. What an amazing man.” 

From that one evening at The Hermitage on, nothing compared to the support we got from Drew.  I don’t know why he was so willing to help someone he barely knew and three other girls he had never met make their hair brained ideas become a reality. Maybe it was because he decided to pave new path for himself a decade ago and has been a one man shop ever since—dedicated to just making a great product and valuing the hard work it takes to make the good shit. Maybe his perspective on keeping life simple gives him more experience in appreciating and recognizing the good stuff, and saw something in us. Or, maybe it’s because Drew is a just a hella chill dude who loves to help, support and share what he has with friends old and new. I don’t know, maybe someday over another Manhattan or two I’ll ask. All I know is we are still beyond humbled and thankful for his generosity. The world needs more men like Drew. More people who say the most important ingredient in their recipe is positive energy and good intentions. His coffee fueled our trip but his support set us on a path that forever changed our lives. So thanks, Drew. I hope someday we can repay you—or at least meet up for another cocktail and see what else we can make happen together. This time I’ll buy.  

Words by Claire Everson