Almost a year ago, I had the pleasure of meeting
Amaryllis Knight, and her fiance and
Falcon Motorcycles creator
Ian Barry, through a seemingly random face book interaction.
I met them with the Creative Director of the agency I worked for at the time with plans to discuss initiating a collaboration. A tour of their home and shop, a few sausages, beers and photos later it seemed we were well on our to a great relationship and future collaboration. Excited to be working with such an amazing, one-of-a-kind motorcycle brand, I worked right away on a story piece to help bring our inspiration board at the agency some direction.
"Falcon Motorcycle's are Ian Barry's spot on attempt at reaching his goal of "CREATING pieces of HISTORY" that never actually existed in their time, but very well could have.
He speaks of preserving an age where functional leather jackets, gloves, helmets and other accessories need not be tailored to cater to the whimsy and fickle tastes that fashion, popular culture and commercialized trends demand.
Upon arriving at their non assuming downtown industrial LA home/workspace your only option is to walk the flight of stairs to the left of an airplane hangar sized garage to pound on a large steel door. HARD! A few solid knocks later you're greeted by Amaryllis Knight, the British Born entrepreneuer and all around badass (
check her video documenting her travels across Mongolia). Immediately your eyes focus on the museum like motorcycles of old. Triumphs, Nortons, and BSAs fill the large opened beamed A-frame workspace.
Vintage cadillac lathes and timeless tools of motorcycle fabrication and artifacts dating back to post world war times fill the remainder of the room. Perched on it's workstation sits the real deal, the Concour's d Elegance Custom Motorcycle Winner & Jason Lee's bike, the Bullet. A motorcycle that was builder and Amaryllis' fiance Ian Barry's dream bike. Based on the styling of old post war triumph bobbers and 1950's woodboard track racers, this masterpiece took over 900 man hours to complete, and it shows.
As you move through the workspace on the way into their home, you pass two rooms dedicated solely to re-machining the engines for Barry's motorcycles. Static proof, dust proof, and pretty much sterile these rooms express how serious Ian is about completely customizing every one of his bikes, even down to the smallest nuts and bolts that to the untrained eye, are not even visible.
"Would you like a spot of tea?", Amaryllis asks as you pass the engine rooms and enter their Dwell-like home. Faux gravel flooring covers the entire kitchen, where modern tall dark oak cabinets loom above white marble counter tops. An industrial fridge and range complete the modern vibe, but the two's steam kettle whistling over the fire quickly reminds you that their "old soul" essence is evident even among the modern industrial surroundings where they feel most comfortable.
A feng-shui-like organization leaves their open entertaining/dining room feeling like a zen garden. Where minimal, inviting and comfortable old furniture creates a space of it own. An office, a music room, a dining table and television room area are within feet of one another but live as if they were separate spaces.
As our tea is prepared by Amaryllis, Ian walks into the home through a 6X6 swiveling glass door that leads to their backyard, he is followed by their half-wolf half husky dogs. Ian's appearance screams modesty. His body is devoid of typical motorcycle tattoos and his hair hangs long never pony tailed out like the typical orange county chopper douche bags. He lets his work speak for him. And it yells."
- Brandon Ghio
Wow, never has a band come so close to replicating the feel and dream-pop vibe of the early 60's and 70's psychadelic groove rock. Tame Impala is a group from Perth, Australia and if you haven't already, it's about time to give them a listen.
