Brandon Lee is certainly multi-talented. He’s an avid photographer, the bassist for indie pop collective Miniature Tigers, and now, the New York-based Renaissance Man can add accessories designer to his ever-waxing list of accomplishments.

On the heels of wrapping up a very well-received tour opening for the band Fun, this modern-day “Jack of All Trades” had a chance to chat with Corduroy about his ever-evolving style, his love for music, and whether or not his future will include the pursuit of one or the other – or both.

It was while sitting in New York’s Washington Square Park one evening, that Lee came up with the name for his 1920s vintage-inspired line, “The Park after Dark,” which was originally intended to be a potential band name. Currently available for sale on etsy, the line started as a quiet hobby for Lee, but has quickly expanded to feature a small but eclectic mix of laptop bags and unisex totes, all inspired by Lee’s adventures in New York.

“It kind of happened accidentally,” he says. “I wanted a bag just to carry my stuff around in the winter time and I found myself using empty shopping bags to carry my umbrella, and my ipod, and my book and whatnot. I wanted to find an actual bag to carry my stuff in, and I couldn’t really find one I liked enough to spend money on. I went to the fabric stores and saw a bunch of different fabrics that I liked and decided to make one for myself.

Under the tutelage of Project Runway alum Kenley Collins (yes, she’s the one who was arrested for allegedly throwing a live cat at her sleeping ex-fiancée) Lee expanded on the fundamentals of sewing he had learned as a teenager “messing around for fun.” After months of trial-and-error, constructing and deconstructing store-bought bags, Lee finally arrived at a prototype he was comfortable carrying around the city.

Stylish to a fault, Lee’s personal designs began to attract some very public attention. “People just started commenting on it, on the subway, or just walking on the street,” he recalls enthusiastically, “so I decided to start making them to sell them.” It’s continued to take off from there.

Lee’s penchant for fashion really represents one half of a dichotomy of loves, music being the other. “If I hadn’t have pursued music from the time I was a teenager,” says Lee, “I probably would have tried to go into fashion.”

Having played in a number of bands over the years, the artist’s latest musical endeavor sees him as bassist for Miniature Tigers, a group that describes themselves as “The Beach Boys meets The Dream.” (Their latest album “Mia Pharoah,” for example (artwork at right) mixes pop rock with contemporary R&B and dance music influences).

Though Lee played with the group in their early formation days in Phoenix, he’s only been playing with the band permanently for the last 6-8 months. Still, his presence since the very beginning has made the adjustment from friend to official band-mate relatively easy. “It feels pretty natural,” he says. “I’ve played music for them in the past so it kind of just feels like picking up where we left off.”

As for the future, anything seems possible for Lee. “Music is something that I’ve always done and I think I always will do, even if it’s just me recording stuff in my apartment,” resolves the artist. “[But] I also feel like fashion is also a part of who I am. Especially now that I’ve started making things, I think it’ll only expand from here.”

The “expansion” could include a full mens and womenswear line, in addition to accessories, Lee says. But at this moment, speaking over the phone, the only thing he wants to do is take a nap. “We actually just got home [from tour] yesterday,” says an understandably exhausted Lee. “Montreal was a bit crazy,” he continues, before trailing off: “Drunken nights…”

Our interview wraps up so that Lee – presumably – can get some rest. But he won’t be resting for long. With the buzz of a new record, thousands of fans around the country and a burgeoning design career to boot, it’s safe to say Brandon Lee is a guy that will be on the move again very, very soon.

- James Lavapie

The world continues to mourn the death of Beastie Boy Adam “MCA” Yauch after a four- year battle with cancer of the parotid salivary gland. For the unfamiliar, Yauch co-founded the hip-hop group along with Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz in 1979. Beginning as a hardcore punk group, the band soon began to experiment with hip-hop. The result was the biggest-selling rap album of the decade with 1986′s “Licensed to Ill” which was the first rap album to reach number one on the Billboard chart.

In the wake of the MCA’s untimely passing, his famous friends continue to the remember Yauch with a series of tributes. Photographer Terry Richardson revisited his archive, posting candids of Yauch and his band mates laughing on the streets of New York on his blog. The images really highlight the brotherly dynamic among the members, who have played together for over three decades.

Among the poignant musical tributes was Coldplay’s rendition of “Fight for Your Right” during last weekend’s Hollywood Bowl concert in LA. Reinterpreted as a piano ballad, lead singer Chris Martin concluded the cover by repeatedly singing, “We’re sending all our love to the Beastie Boys,” a sentiment certainly mirrored by the innumerable tweets from famous fans such as Madonna, Reverend Run and Justin Timberlake.

The public reaction is truly a testament to the group’s influence on the 1980s hip-hop zeitgeist. Yauch will certainly be missed, but his rock-and-roll lyrical style will prevent the MC from ever being forgotten. What are your thoughts on Yauch’s passing? Any favourite memories or tracks? Leave your thoughts below…

Maps & Atlases will embark on a headlining tour this spring that takes them across North America. Check out their blog for all the dates and details and check out the video for “Remote & Dark Years” below:

Describing her own sound as “Doom Soul,” Cold Specks’ music is steeped in the musical traditions of the Deep South, with Spx citing the Lomax Field Recordings and James Carr as influences along with Bill Callahan and Tom Waits. With a voice that evokes the ‘spirit feel’ of Mahalia Jackson and the visceral tones of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Cold Specks’ sparse arrangements and chain gang rhythms stop you dead in your tracks.

Check out the video for “Blank Maps” below, off Cold Specks’ upcoming release, “I Predict A Graceful Expulsion,” in stores May 22nd.