Frontier Boys Trip 1 and Local Joint 6 | The Sunshine State

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_{Click above to watch Frontier Boys Trip 1}

When you start your own business, you find yourself finding ways to save money in the most ridiculous ways. Merrill Lynch Blake would spend every dollar of a dinner stipend. But when it’s your own money, or an investor’s, you count every penny spent.

So when Jackson and I saw an ad on Instagram about Frontier’s GoWild Pass, we immediately thought: “For $700 bucks, we can fly unlimited, to anywhere in North America?! Are they insane?!”

And after Jackson hit a cozy 72hr review of the Terms & Conditions, we bought two passes…and Frontier Boys was born.

Since May, I’ve spent each week flying to a new city on Frontier Airlines, visiting galleries, museums, studios, etc. all over North America. It’s not always comfortable, most of the time I’m delayed or stranded, and there’s no snacks. But it really is $700 all in.

For those that know me, my first trip being to Miami is not surprising at all. Greatest Country in America baby!

Jokes aside, Miami has the Rubell Museum. My first experience there was the only time I’ve ever been to a museum and thought, “I gotta bring my boys here.”

It’s not just how close you can get to a Basquiat, a Haring, a Koons, etc. It’s the stories behind the collections. And there’s no overbearing security making you feel like you’re at Best Buy on Black Friday. Just incredible works from some of the greatest artists in history, mixed in with pieces from today’s most compelling emerging artists. It’s kinda like being in the 1999 Yankees clubhouse.

If I’m being completely honest with you guys - I’m not sure where this series will lead. In fact, I’m writing this on a 6am Frontier flight and really questioning why me and Jack thought this was a good idea.

But, I do hope that a year from now we’ll all feel a little more comfortable walking into art museums and galleries. I think that would be worth every penny spent.

Cheers.

Blake, a Frontier Boy

After Blake wrapped up at the Rubell in Miami, he drove 3 hours up the east coast of Florida to meet the team in Melbourne. There we caught up with painter Thomas Bils for episode 6 of Local Joints.

Having grown up in the suburban south, Bils often crafts images from his personal experiences. His style is highly representational and his visual repertoire is vast, yet it draws largely from the places he has lived. So, meeting him in Melbourne, Florida, where it all began, made a lot of sense.

Upon arriving, we quickly realized that Melbourne is a complicated city because it has two distinctly different sides—

One is the beach town. All inclusive resorts, flip flops, people walking around in bathing suits..You get the idea. The other is a city located southeast of Orlando that has been ravaged by pills and the opioid epidemic.

So to meet someone who was born and raised there and knows every inch of the multifaceted (and often misunderstood) Florida town was cool.

And naturally, Bils took us to a spot that sits between it all—Mustard’s Last Stand. The storied hot dog spot tiptoes the line between tourist attraction and local hangout.

^{*recently renamed Mustard’s Hot Dog Stand.. a name Bils refuses to acknowledge}

The conversation was far reaching and Bils did what he does. He pulled up in his 1980s Chevy El Camino, ordered his go-to “JunkYard Dog,” and we jumped right into it.. Who knew he wanted to be a Michelin Star Chef instead of an artist?

Check out Episode 6 of Local Joints Here:

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yes, those are paintings.

Cheers to the Sunshine State. We’ll be back soon.

That’s it from us for now. Talk from the road.

🏃‍♂️ 

-Jack

P.S. Feel free to respond and let us know where you’d like to see us go next.