Market This!

Asgood & Better client Veolia Transportation launched an important new service on Monday, a small van called “Lil’ Easy” that is aimed at giving residents of New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward better access to public transportation.

Since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Lower 9 in 2005, residents have had little access to public transportation. (In fact, Lil’ Easy’s first rider was a woman who had been forced to take a taxi to work and back each day, costing her $17. Now, she says, she can ride Veolia’s new service for $1.50 each way.)

A&B’s own Dave Malone was the creative director and designer on the project, developing the look and feel for the full Lil’ Easy system. The bright colors stand out in sharp contrast to the devastated neighborhoods the bus runs in, and it has been a welcome sign of hope in a struggling community.

A&B’s co-founder and videographer Nathan Hartswick was sent to New Orleans to document the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Lil’ Easy and film interviews and B-roll of the area – a sobering but ultimately uplifting experience. Now it’s into the editing room to assemble the footage into an exciting piece for Veolia on their latest success!

For more info on Lil’ Easy, check out this article that ran in the Times-Picayune.

On New Year’s Eve this year, A&B co-founder and foodie Amy Klinger hosted a little get-together at her place. Amy’s pal [and A&B co-founder] Nathan Hartswick was there, along with a handful of their family and friends.

“Little get-together” is probably the wrong term, actually. It was more of a culinary marathon, with each guest providing a different succulent course in a terrific fine dining experience that lasted from 7 p.m. all the way past midnight.

One guest also assembled a playlist of everyone’s favorite albums of 2008, which turned out great. Folks ate, drank, swapped mystery gifts, visited, listened to music, ate and drank some more, and finally at around midnight (or thereabouts; watches varied) mustered a “Happy New Year!” through a delirious haze. A good time was had by all, and only one guest had wine spilled on his shirtfront.

Here’s hoping everyone had an equally fun New Year’s Eve and a great holiday season. We wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!

Cheers,

A&B
P.S. For those interested, the menu and playlist are detailed below…

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MENU

Cocktail Hour & Appetizers
Assortment of spiced nuts
Warm figs with goat cheese
Cocktails

First Course
Venison & pork sausages with squash and apples
Spinach salad with roasted cherry tomatoes
Beaumont 2004 Pinotage – Walker Bay, South Africa

Intermezzo
Grapefruit and lemon sorbets

Second Course
Wild rice with chanterelle mushrooms
Snap peas au natural
Quail with sauteed pears, bacon, green onion and sherry-cider vinaigrette
Baqueano 2007 Semillion-Sauvignon, Blanc – Patagonia

Dessert
Homemade egg nog
Sticky toffee pudding
Noval 10-year Tawny Porto – Portugal

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MUSIC

Amanda Palmer: Who Killer Amanda Palmer
Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago
Beck: Modern Guilt
Brightblack Morning Light: Motion to Rejoin
Calexico: Carried to Dust
The Clash: Live at Shea Stadium
Coldplay: Viva la Vida
Conor Oberst
Cold War Kids: Loyalty to Loyalty
David Byrne & Brian Eno: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs
Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid
Fleet Foxes: Ragged Wood
Frightened Rabbit: The Midnight Organ Fight
Girl Talk: Feed the Animals
The Happy Hollows: Imaginary EP
Kings of Leon: Only by the Night
Nine Inch Nails: The Slip
Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping
Okkervil River: The Stand-Ins
Ratatat: LP3
Sigur Ros: Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
Slow Runner: Mermaids
Stephen Colbert: A Colbert Christmas
These New Puritans: Beat Pyramid
Thievery Corporation: Radio Retaliation
Vampire Weekend
The Very Best: The Very Best Mixtape
Weezer: Pork and Beans
Whiskeytown: Stranger’s Almanac (re-release)