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RANDOMS // 28 PRODUCT // 34 LANCE MOUNTAIN // 36 JASON WOODSIDE // 38 ERIN M RILEY // 40 GOPRO SHOT OF THE MONTH // 42 INSTAGRAM // 44 SUPER TASTE // 48 BODY GLOVE MAVERICKS INVITATIONAL // 50 LUKE MCKAYE PHOTO PROFILE // 52 2014 SPRINT U.S. GRAND PRIX // 60 SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE // 64
THE ART OF JUSTIN BOWER // 70 FASHION // 76 GREG LUTZKA // 82 AUSTIN SMITH // 86 AGENDA LONG BEACH // 90 ESTEVAN ORIOL @ KNOWN GALLERY // 92 SURF EXPO 2014 // 94 MAMMOTH NYE 2014 // 96 TOGETHER PANGEA // 98 CD REVIEWS // 100 GROM // 104
ASH LEY S M ITH BY M A RG AU X A R R A M ON -T UC OO, 2 0 13 . MIX ED MEDIA ON GR AIN PAPER. PORTRAIT BY KEEGAN GIBBS.
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NO PAST
Spring 2014
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EDITOR -IN-C HIEF nick kalionzes nick@blisssmag.com
EDITOR joey marshall joey@blisssmag.com
CREATIVE DIRECTO R mark paul deren : madsteez madsteez@madsteez.com
ASSISTANT EDITOR spencer pirdy spencer@blisssmag.com
EDITOR AT LARGE liz rice mcCray liz@blisssmag.com
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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jason Kenworthy, Dominic Petruzzi, Daniel Russo, Toby Ogden, Tom Carey, Brian Beilmann, Jack Coleman, Andrew Mapstone, Adam Moran, Dave Nelson, Pat Eichstaedt, Julien Lecorps, Ryan Boyes, Zach Hooper, Tim Peare, Michael Lallande, Bob Plumb, Peter Morning, Bryce Kanights, Arto Sarri, Anthony Acosta, Cameron Strand, Brian Fick, Deville Nunns, Gage Thompson, Derek Bahn, Tom Cozad, Robbie Crawford, Ryan Donahue
CONTRIBUTORS Willie Marshall, Daniel Russo, Jason Arnold, Greg Escalante, Nathan Spoor, Tom Carey, Travis Millard, David Choe, Kai Garcia, Mickey Neilsen, Peter Townend, Hamilton Endo, Tawnya Schultz, Mike Murciano, Geoff Shively, Casey Holland, Steve Stratton, Robbie Sell, Andrew Miller, Pat Towersey, Raul Montoya, Ian Dodge, Richie Olivares, Eric Meyers, Kelly Shannon, JP Olson BL!SSS Magazine 413 31st Street
FEBRUARY 2014
Newport Beach, CA 92663 www.blisssmag.com
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Disclaimer: Although all best efforts are made to avoid the same, we reserve the right to publish unintentional mistakes and/or factual errors which may occur on a monthly basis. No responsibility is assumed by the publishers for unsolicited materials/articles/letters/advertising and all submissions will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright and/or appropriate licensing purposes subject to Blisss’ right to edit and comment editorially. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine reflect the opinions of their respective authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Blisss Magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising matter which may reflect negatively on the integrity of the magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form [print or electronic] without prior written consent from the publisher.
ARTIST: JUSTIN BOWER
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SURF GRASS MATS Our friend and well-known videographer, producer and director Aaron Lieber came by the office this past month to give us one of his clever creations called the Grass Mat. Aaron is co-founder of Surf Grass, a company founded on the simple premise of helping surfers change in and out of their wetsuits while keeping all feet, clothes and suits clean in the process. The Grass Mat itself is a 20 by 25-inch rectangle of high-quality synthetic turf that is light and can be conveniently rolled up. It’s a pretty ingenious idea, and we’re never going surfing without ours again. They’re also perfect for camping, snowboarding and pretty much any other outdoor activity you can think up. The Grass Mat is a product every avid surfer/action sport enthusiast should have. Visit surfgrassmats. com and snag one today.
TRUE TO THIS Volcom has been ahead of its time since the beginning, combining surf, skate and snow in an anti-established way, always remaining true to the stone. Veeco Films have been a staple of all board riders’ home cinemas since the introduction of Alive We Ride in 1993 with a long list of groundbreaking films being introduced in the past 20 years. Now, Volcom is paying tribute to all the years of riding, capturing, creating and editing with a new film, True to This. True to This is shot all over the world with all of Volcom’s iconic athletes doing what they do best. Be prepared for another timeless film that’s sure to inspire and excite all generations. The global premiere of True to This is on March 1st at the Volcom headquarters in Costa Mesa. Head to volcom.com to view the trailers, and amp up for this highly anticipated film.
VANS X CAPTAIN FIN There are a lot of collaborations going on constantly in our industry, and some make more sense than others. One that makes perfect sense and looks extremely eye pleasing as well is the new Vans X Captain Fin Co. collaboration. This new spring collection is aptly named the “Captain” and features apparel, accessories and footwear that are a perfect union of the Vans and Captain Fin surf styles. The Vans shoes available in this collaboration are the Costa Mesa Surf Sider, the Lanai Sandal and the Classic Slip-On, all with a black/grey checkerboard pattern and custom Captain Fin Co. artwork on the insole. You can grab any and all items from this finely crafted modern day surf collection right now at all Vans retailers, or at shop.vans.com.
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2014 OLYMPIC TEAM The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games are set to begin on February 7th and last through February 23rd. This past month the majority of the US Olympic Snowboard Team was chosen for the games, and needless to say the crew is looking stacked. Danny Davis, Greg Bretz, Taylor Gold and Shaun White will be holding it down in halfpipe for the men. Shaun will be doubling up, competing in slopestyle as well alongside Sage Kotsenburg and Chas Guldemond. On the women’s side Hannah Teter, Arielle Gold, Kaitlyn Farrington and Kelly Clark will be representing in half pipe competition with Jamie Anderson and Ty Walker holding it down in slopestyle. Remember to stay tuned in for all the action this month, and good luck to team USA in Mother Russia!
ELLO GUM “Say Ello to my little friend…” But this ain’t no Scarface movie. Ello Gum is out of Laguna Beach and is rooted in the active lifestyle of all things that make us smile – surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, moto, photography, art, music… pretty much everything that makes us happy. Sugar free and available in peppermint and spearmint, Ello keeps your teeth clean and your breath fresh, two critical things you need while chatting up the ladies. So head on over to your local surf or skate shop this month and ask for some Ello. Oh… and they’re doing the right thing by giving back 1% of profits to their Clean Youth Project, which benefits kids in need of dental care.
HUGE SALE GOING ON NOW
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RAEN REMMY Raen just came out with a shade that’s sure to blow away the rest of your sunglass collection as far as durability and looks go. The Remmy is Raen’s newest lightweight, vintage-inspired frame, and when we say lightweight we mean a sunglass that can be worn without strain from sun up to sun down. On top of this, the Remmy is rendered from Italian acetate and Carl Zeiss Optics and comes in a wide array of color ways for any specific guy or girl’s taste. The results speak for themselves in wearing this fashionably, comfort-conscious shade, and we highly suggest everyone get themselves a pair of the Remmy. Visit your local retailer or raenoptics.com to find the Remmy and plenty of other Raen Optics styles to choose from as well.
IM X JOSE ROJO Imperial Motion has welcomed Tilt Mode Army member, Jose Rojo to their growing group of brand affiliates. Jose hails from the San Jose area where he currently resides, and is known for his smooth and effortless style on a skateboard. Off of four wheels, Jose keeps spreading greatness with his dynamic personality. You’ll find him either on the golf course or at the local stream fishing in his spare time. Imperial Motion has scooped up a bright star in Jose, and we can’t wait to see what the two have in store for us in the near future. Keep up with all of Imperial Motion’s happenings at imperialmotion.com.
AIKA COLLECTIVE
Industry veterans Eugene Lai and Floris Gierman have teamed up and are now the proud founders of the site Aika Collective. Aika Collective is an online photo gallery featuring the work of top pro skateboard photographers. There you can buy high-quality prints of iconic and epic photos from the ‘80s, ‘90s and all the way up to today. You can choose through images of the best in skating including Geoff Rowley, Guy Mariano, Tom Penny, Andrew Reynolds, Danny Way, Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Shane Cross, Dylan Rieder, Grant Taylor… the list goes on and on. The site is fast and easy to use, so log onto aikacollective.com today and grab yourself one of these timeless prints.
LEATHERMAN TOOLS While at Agenda this past month we had the good fortune of hooking up with Lee Leatherman of Leatherman Tool Group. Lee sent us over a few multi-purpose tools to put to good use. We received the Juice, the Shooter and the Thruster. The Juice is an all new multi-tool with everything including a fin key, pliers, wire cutters, knife and screwdrivers packed into the palm of your hand. Plus, when you’re ready to end your day with a drink you can utilize its corkscrew, bottle opener or can opener to crack open the refreshment of your choice. Not to be outdone, the Shooter and Thruster pocket tools we received are built to handle any situations you might face from common to out of the ordinary. Leatherman has and always will stay true to its roots of supplying working Americans with high-quality tools for any and all jobs. Head to your local Leatherman retailer or to leatherman.com to supply yourself with some of the most reliable tools known to man. 30
LIRA BOARDIES With all of this midwinter heat in our neck of the woods we’ve had board shorts on our minds. And even if we are delivered some late-season winter weather, there’s always the possibility for tropical getaways. Which is why we’re pretty pumped to see Lira coming out with a new board short that brings something intriguing to the party. We’re talking about their Pick Pocket Trunks, aptly named due to each trunk coming with three interchangeable printed back pockets that velcro on and off, allowing you to change up the look of your trunks with ease. It’s quick, easy, eye-catching additions like this that get us all jazzed on a new pair of boardies. Make sure to head to your local Lira retailer, or to liraclothing.com to snag these pocket-appealing board shorts today.
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D’BLANC GUILTY PLEASURE Unless you were sleepwalking through the trade show circus this past month, you most likely caught a glimpse of the new sunglass purveyors D’Blanc in action, unveiling their new line of uniquely handcrafted shades. We were impressed, to say the least, especially with styles like their Guilty Pleasure shade. This leopard-colored acetate frame boasts retro grey lenses, giving it that one-of-a-kind feel with subtle curves and distinctive accents. ‘Chaos Meets Culture’ is the D’Blanc theme, and this is evident in the way they’re crafting all of their sunglasses. We strongly suggest you keep up with these guys on Instagram @dblanc, or head over to dblanc.com and peruse through their chaotically creative line today.
ADIDAS SILAS Adidas’ pro Silas Baxter-Neal has just dropped his new signature shoe, the Silas SLR, and has got the sneaker-heads cooing all over the Internet. The Silas SLR is a skate hybrid shoe comprised from a couple different Adidas classics, a blend of the Samba and Boston. Running shoe inspired and ready to skate, the new signature Silas SLR gives you all of the durability and style you’ll need to carry you wherever you go. It features a vector traction outsole for grip and a supportive molded sock liner, letting you feel the difference. There’s a whole line of Silas-inspired clothing that’s coming out along with the Silas SLR shoe, and it’s all looking primed and ready for your enjoyment. Head over to adidas.com/ skateboarding and step up your swagger today.
SMITH ARCHIVE COLLECTION Smith Optics unveiled its Archive Collection right before the Agenda Long Beach show this past month and we had the pleasure of snagging a couple of the exact remake shades for ourselves. The Smith Archive Collection has us loving every moment of wearing these fashion/function sunglasses. We’re talking timeless sunglass frames with all of the superior quality and comfort Smith has been known for producing in the past 49 years. There’s something for everyone in the Archive Collection. Whether it be a matte black finish or a polished indigo gradient, you’re guaranteed to find a pair that satisfies your taste. Head to any fine outdoor retailer or to smithoptics.com to get a piece of the Archive Collection.
ZEAL HD CAMERA GOGGLE There’s a new goggle from Zeal Optics that is single-handedly revolutionizing snow sport enjoyment and point-of-view recording. The Zeal HD Camera Goggle has a built-in 170-degree camera that films in 1080p and shoots 12 MP photos. Not only can you conveniently capture yourself shredding down the mountain while wearing these goggles, but on your way back up on the lift you can use the in-goggle viewfinder to critique and review your run. On top of all of this cutting-edge technology, these goggles come with the best lens technology and fit available on the market. Basically, the Zeal HD Camera Goggle is way ahead of the curve offering simplistic, high-quality recording along with all of the comfort and eye protection any great goggle should have. Snag a pair before they sell out at zealoptics.com, or anywhere Zeal Optics are sold. 32
CIVILWARE SERVICE CORP Geoff Rowley has been transitioning to the business side of things in starting his new web child company Civilware Service Corporation. CSC is an online destination for the most exclusive of products. We’re talking anything from premium quality t-shirts and hats to homemade axes and utility knives. The site is unique to all others just like the products that it sells, and taking a glimpse into the Civilware “Civilians” section gives you an in-depth look at hard-working Americans, like knife maker Charlie Davis. There’s a lot going on at CSC so head to civilware.co, and make sure to keep up with CSC via their Instagram account @civilware.
LIRA 2014 SPRING COLLECTION W W W. L I R AC LOT H I N G . C O M
1. RVCA, Bay Blocker, rvca.com // 2. Volcom, Dissolve Vest, volcom.com // 3. Hurley, Parachute Pack, hurley.com // 4. Captain Fin Copmany, Circle Anchor, captainďŹ n.com // 5. Ambig, Baylor, ambig.com // 6. Ezekiel, Standard Issue, ezekielusa.com // 7. Split, Change The Game, splitusa.com // 8. Kr3w, Vault, kr3wdenim.com // 9. Roark, Sierra Maestra, roark.com // 10. Lira, Grind, liraclothing.com // 11. CRSL, Darkhorse, crslco.com // 12. Nixon, Captain Nylon, nixon.com // 13. Imperial Motion, Dart, imperialmotion.com // 14. Electric, Rockaway, electriccalifornia.com // 15. Burton, Compass, burton.com // 16. Pawa, Offshore, pawasurfco.com
Interview: Spencer Pirdy :: Photos: Jon Humphries & Ray Zimmerman There are few legendary skateboarders in the world today who still carry as much raw talent on and off of a skateboard as Lance Mountain. In the last decade, Lance has begun constructing miniature model replicas of world-renowned bowls and skate parks from all over. As you’ll read, these “mini” models are quite a heavy undertaking, and anyone lucky enough to purchase one of these pieces will be the proud recipient of an instant masterpiece. Tell us about the model parks you’re constructing. My dad and I would always make models. In the early ‘70s I had a friend who was making little model fingerboards and I started making a whole bunch of fingerboard models at that time. I gave ones to some of the pros. I gave one to Eddie Elguera, Brad Bowman and Steve Caballero when we were all 16. Actually, Eddie and Caballero still have theirs from when I gave them to them in 1980. Then, I went to England once and came home and they had built the Combi Pool in Upland, and back then I made a paper machete replica of the Combi Pool. Not as much to use for fingerboards, but more as something to look at. I always pictured them as like a table in your house with the park in it and glass over it so that you could look
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down and see the pools. I started making these more refined and detailed – ones about 10 years ago out of plaster. I make replicas of pools we used to ride, and by word of mouth people have wanted to get them and buy them. What are some of your favorite ones you’ve made? I made two from when I was trying to come up with an idea when I was building a pool in my backyard, and I was trying to come up with a shape. I made these random ones just to do, and that’s when it hit me after I made mine: I wanted to make replicas of pools that I rode. Ever since then I’ve been building pools that we rode, or even ones that we didn’t ride but wished we would’ve when we were kids. I did the Dog Bowl, Gonzalez, the Pink Motel, the Nude Bowl, The Alien Bowl and the Fruit Bowl was one of my latest ones. Different people have ordered ones from me and been like, “Oh, can you make this?” Tony Hawk asked me to make a replica of the skate park pool in Del Mar and that was the first skate park one that I’ve done. I usually do backyards because there’s a bit more detail and character to them. I’ve always had ideas of doing an art show of where it’s Skate City and all five pools are laid out. But
I kind of do them one at a time and get rid of them. Make them to order. They’re fun little projects. What’s the normal size of one of these pieces? About 18 inches high, like a standard coffee table. The smaller ones are about three feet by four feet and the bigger ones are about three and a half feet by five feet. I’ve shipped them all over: to Japan, Paris, Germany and around the United States. A lot of people connect with them. The biggest problem is that people want me to do the same pools and I constantly want to do new ones. Typically people want to have what they remember the most, but it all ends up being the same thing. I’ll be like, “This is the pool I wanted to skate when I was a kid!” And they’ll be like, “I don’t remember that one…” (Laughs) The more special ones are the ones people don’t know as much. How long do they normally take for you to construct? I go slow on them. I don’t really like doing art the way where you just sit down and plow through it. It depends; some take me three months to do. I did one where I had to rush through because I made one for a show for a museum, but I ended
up selling it before I shipped it. So, I only had three and a half weeks to make another one and I rushed and got one done in a month. But I don’t like working like that. I like to skate and then come back and do a half hour of work and then go back to skate. It’s more enjoyable too, when it’s more art rather than just a product. Do you see yourself continuing to create these? Yeah, I like doing them. And if no one wants to buy another one I’ll probably just make one to have, just to sit on. I stop making them once I have a garage full of them and can’t get rid of them. I’ve been making them and remaking more as I sell them and they go. If they sell, I make more. I just don’t want to have a bunch of them sitting around, they’re kind of big and I’ve got no room. What’s the best way for people to contact you about getting one of these pieces? They can just visit my site, lancemountain.com. A lot of the pools that I’ve made are up on the site along with art and old photos. Great, thanks Lance. Alright, have a good one.
CHAOS MEETS CULTURE TROY ELMORE // MIDNIGHT RADIO DBLANC.COM
Interview: Stefan Marx
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Hi Jason, how are you? Very well.
search. And yes, I do call my pieces paintings these days.
I met you in 2012 in New York but came across your work earlier. When did you start doing paintings? Did you study fine arts? Do you call your pieces paintings? I’ve been on and off painting since I was a little kid. My grandmother taught me most about art and a basic foundation beginning with charcoals and water paints. My mother was responsible for that sort of abstract direction – I remember growing up playing a game she called “imagination.” She’d draw a few lines on paper, some curvy and some straight, then she’d pass me the pen and paper and I’d have to make sense of the lines she’d drawn. I’d connect the lines to make an image and most times they’d end up being these elaborate shapes or weirdo animals. I wish I still had them. No, I didn’t study fine art. I always thought it was a funny thing to be graded on. I did go to film school at SVA in New York City for a few years then canned the idea after getting hammered by tuition fees. I ended up moving to LA and living in my car for a while. I was fully bumming on the life
Your massive murals and outside paintings are stunning. What’s the best thing about it? Do you get direct feedback while painting these? Thanks! The best part about it is I feel like I’m making people happy. Loads of direct feedback as I’m in the process. I still get emails regarding public works I did years ago. Most are asking me to “come back and paint our building” or “it really brightened up our street, thank you.” All super positive, it’s great. Your website captures a lot of your work and shows digitally. Is there any printed matter of work available? There has been in the past, but no, not so much recently. I turn down quite a bit, as I don’t feel it’s right for my direction or interest. As for actual art prints, I’ll do a quick edition that I’ll print personally in a run of 20 and I’ll give it a rest. It’s hard to capture my original works through a print or an online image. There’s always bright silvers and black lines overlaid that really pull
the works together that most images will never pick up, due to the angle photographed. Eh. Recently I met somebody who is colorblind with some colors. Have you ever talked to colorblind people about your work? No, never. Someone told me honeybees can see 10,000 different shades of one color. Tripped me out. Do you travel much? I haven’t seen a Woodside show in Europe so far – you should come over. What’s your fave place to be? I do travel quite a bit. Most is leisure-based as New York can be a bit nutty most times, and when I’m out… I’M OUT. Face down in the sand somewhere far away from the F Train and taxicabs. I’ll be in Paris in June for some art stuff, but that will be the first. Hmmm… I have a few favorite places. That southwest side of France, around Basque is fantastic. Some parts of Italy as well – pizza is my jam. I know about your side project Happy Bones. I have been enjoying the coffee at Bond Street, but I heard you
moved the location? What does Happy Bones stand for? Happy Bones is the coolest coffee spot around, haha. Yeah, we’ve just recently moved to Nolita/SOHO. I guess the idea behind it was being the go-to spot for creatives and downtown kids – fueling creativity through great coffee, a cool space and hard-tofind books. We hope to push it in the direction of holding small events, like bi-monthly art exhibits or book releases through our publication friends like OHWOW, Karma Books and DAP. Look forward to having you through the new space! What are your plans for this year 2014? I think it will be a great year. Yes, a great year indeed. I’ll try to get some more sleep this year. Otherwise, I can’t say too much in specifics, but two larger collaborations are in the works and I’ll be curating the street art eggs for the Faberge Big Egg Hunt in April in NYC. The year’s just starting and it’s lining up to be a solid one. All the best to you, homie. Hope to catch up in Germany!
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Interview: Alan Gracia
What’s your background artistically? Is your foundation in painting and/ or drawing? I did a lot of painting and drawing in high school, a lot of writing as well, but in college I worked almost exclusively with weaving with some collage mixed in. How did you decide to start working on tapestries? And what was it that put you in the direction of using selfies/snapshots as the subject matter? I learned weaving first, and then was taught tapestry techniques. I thought it was a good challenge to create imagery, my skills have developed, but there is always more to learn. I started seeing a ton of spring break pictures; drunk girls passed out at parties, dorms, and then started seeing selfies and pictures taken with cell phones everywhere. The first selfie was from this porn girl’s twitter; she only had images of her naked, but there was something sweet about this one of her in undies in the mirror of a hotel room. How and where do you select your images from?
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Do you use any of your own personal photographs in your work? I look around the Internet; I collect images from Google searches, from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I am always looking. People send me images sometimes or I try to collect ones I have sent, or take ones that resemble ones that guys have requested. I am working on a series of prints of the pictures of me that are on my phone, collecting old ones, ones I have sent to different guys and weaving them all up. I also take photos of used condoms after sex. I have a series of the different birth controls I have taken. I take tons of images and save them for future projects. Can you explain the significance of sex and drugs in your work? Two of my family members were using heavy drugs for a while so that made me interested in drug culture and the darkness/death aspects of it. I always had a preoccupation with sex, I think from being on the Internet so early on. Nudity was all over the place. I wrote a bunch of erotic essays while I was in high school for different
profiles. Too bad those sites don’t exist anymore. Who have been some of your influences creatively? I really like Louise Bourgeois because so much of her work is rooted in daddy issues, and what girl can’t relate to that? I also love Tracey Emin, Sheila Hicks, and Francis Bacon. How long do your pieces usually take to make? My pieces take around 40 to 80 hours of just weaving, but I take lots of time setting the pieces up and organizing the colors. It’s a very slow process. Can you talk about your “History” series and “Highway Memorial” pieces? Those pieces are inspired by sitting in traffic from Boston to Cape Cod. I grew up in Cape Cod, and the first summer between college I worked on the Cape at this fish and chips place, so I spent a lot of time stuck on the highway because of the tourists heading down. I would sit and look at all the marks on the highways, guardrails and the medians, imagining cars careening towards, screeching, wondering
if someone died right where I was rolling. During my childhood and through high school around six people died in drunk driving accidents, probably more actually, but there were memorials alongside the routes to school or near the highways. It was something that always stuck with me: cause, result, and the marks that are left behind. What role does social media play in your life? I grew up using AIM, Friendster, various old social networks; I think one was called Bolt, and some other site for tattoo/piercing kids. I never really had any friends and would look at my school’s yearbooks learning people’s names, so it was like I knew of them. Like now how you’re “friends” with someone on Facebook and you know tons of stuff about them but don’t actually know them. What I mean is, social networks allow my loner sensibilities to shine while providing me a glimpse into people’s lives. To see more Erin M. Riley work check out www.erinmriley.com.
CAMERA: HERO3 BLACK EDITION SETTING: TIME-LAPSE MODE, SHOT EVERY .5 SECONDS ACCESSORIES: GOPOLE EVO EQUIPMENT: PAPA SAU 9’6” LOG, QUIKSILVER BOARDSHORTS LOCATION: HAWAII
With the GoPro craze if full effect we come across hundreds, if not thousands, of shots taken by everyday folk that are unbelievably amazing. There are dozens of GoPro contests going on at any given time, and this technology really is making the everyday photographer a GoPro superstar. The size and ease of use of todays’ GoPro is bringing to life shots of never-before-captured angles, views and vision that only a decade ago were thought to be quite impossible. There are a plethora of accessories and tools available to help capture these unique views, and we thought it necessary to dedicate a page each and every month celebrating our favorite submissions. Friend of the magazine and son of legendary surfer Jeff Hakman, our buddy Ryan Hakman has been posting some incredible, mind-bending angles of his feet planted on the nose of his Papa Sau long board. His GoPro shots are an iconic blend of toes-on-the-noes meets laidback Hawaiian-style, which seamlessly runs in his blood. With lush, green mountainous backdrops and crystal clear blue water of his shots are simple, calming and peaceful… yet they leave us yearning for more. Though we only selected three, Ryan has dozens and dozens more like these, each equally amazing and unique in their own way. The best part about these images is that it doesn’t need to be 10- to 12-foot barreling surf; it can be knee high and gutless and yet still you can get in the water and have a good time. So no excuses, get out there, enjoy Mother Nature and submit your GoPro captured images to us at GroPro@blisssmag.com.
LIRA 2014 SPRING COLLECTION W W W. L I R AC LOT H I N G . C O M
Photography: Dominic Petruzzi :: @dominicpetruzzi // Model: Megan Haley :: Wilhelmina Models Is it just me, or does everything get prettier the older we become? I remember first coming up with this theory when I was only 10 or 11 years old. I was hanging out with my older brothers and their older friends, whom I idolized at the time, and listening to them gawk about every female who crossed their paths. Nowadays, when I go to the beach in Southern California on a bright summer’s day, I think to myself, “There’s no way there were this many good looking girls 15 years or so ago when I was a teenager.” So as I look at this months’ Super Taste I gotta wonder if it’s just me (and if so, I hope all you out there in BL!SSSville put me in check) or is Megan here downright gorgeous? I’d like to think I’ve still got that same judgment as I had decades ago, but I was literally speechless when this gem stepped into our office. Hair & Makeup: Lettie Mix :: lettiemix.comRetouch: // JasonSchorle.com // Bikini: Mikoh :: mikoh.com Truck courtesy of Bear Flag Fish Company
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Nic Lamb
Shane Dorian
Grant Baker
Words: Spencer Pirdy :: Photos: Tom Cozad Grant “Twiggy” Baker is the epitome of what the sport of big-wave riding has come to be – riding self-shaped boards, no major sponsor and an approach that’s a quarter calculated and three quarters of ultra-giantbrass-ball confidence. Twiggy has proven that his consistent will to fling himself over the ledge of skyscraping masses of water is unwavering. This was never more apparent than during his route to his second Mavericks Invitational win. Leading up to the event Twiggy had been one of two competitors to receive a humbling, violent wipeout in a warmup session at Mavericks less than a week before the event. The other competitor to endure a beating, Alex Martins, had to pull out of the competition due to injury. With an even bigger, long-period, death-defying westerly swell bearing down on the Mavs bowl it was a green light for the event and Twiggy was forced to push the reset button.
The swell delivered just as predicted for the Mavericks Invitational this year. There were wave face heights of 40-50 feet on display, and the power and ferocity of the swell was visible right from the first heat’s horn. No one experienced this more than Mark Healey who, along with Jamie Sterling and fellow competitors, was caught inside on the first and largest set of the morning. Healey took the worst beating of the crew, being held down for two waves, surfacing after deploying his suit only to suck air for a few measly moments before going back out and attempting to make his heat. On this day, audiences were given a chance to bear witness to Mavericks’ unmatched strength and ever-present danger factors. Twowave hold-downs were status quo, and excruciating wipeouts took place as every competitor put it all on the line in the vertical, near impossible, bottomless drops. Ken
Greg Long
“Skinny” Collins took what he called one of the worst beatings of his life, Anthony Tashnick did a backflip over the falls that looked like certain suicide and Shawn Dollar had the unsavory experience of garnering hands down the digger of the event. After going over the ledge and almost pulling off an unfathomable airdrop on a gigantic wave, Shawn’s forward moment reached max capacity and sent him catapulting off his board into oblivion. The end result saw Shawn paddling back out with his air bladder inflated and attempting to make his heat by dropping into another very large bomb with his back painfully out of place nonetheless. Just another one of the heroic, superhuman acts displayed in the event. The final drew Tyler Fox, arguably the surfer of the day, Anthony Tashnick, a past winner, Greg Long, always a favorite in any big
wave event, Ryan Augustine, the underground master of sitting deeper than anyone on the Mavs bowl, Shane Dorian, the most technically skilled big-wave rider on the planet and Grant “Twiggy” Baker. Twiggy, just like in his prior heats, took the bull by the horns and didn’t hesitate in manhandling every giant mass of water that came rumbling his way. In the end, he triumphed with ease. With the win, Twiggy took his second Mavericks title and has now won both of the Big Wave World Tour events that have been run in the 2013-14 season. The Saffa is on fire, and his big-wave bravado shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. With still a good chunk of winter left to be had, we’ll hope for the chance to see other big-wave events run in the Todos competition and the Eddie. But, for now, we’re just content that we were able to watch Mavericks show its teeth in the fury and awe that was the 2014 Mavericks Invitational.
Shawn Dollar
Josh Love : Switch Heel Flip : Long Beach
Words: Matt Miller (not the pro skater) Age: 31 years old. Hometown: I grew up in West Virginia, spent a lot of time in North Carolina and moved to Long Beach about a month ago. Education: College graduate, left a job at a brokerage firm to pursue skateboarding photography. Experience: I’ve been shooting photos for about two years seriously. Skateboarding for roughly 20 years. Equipment: I use a Canon 7D and 5D Mark III with a variety of mostly Canon lenses and Vivitar 285 and Lumedyne Lugger flashes. I’ve never once used a film camera (with the exception of disposables in childhood).
Jackson Davis : Boneless : Charlotte, NC
Ethan Davis : Switch F.S Noseslide : Wheeling, WV
Andrew Bumgardner : Under Smith : Charlotte, NC
Matt Bowen : F.S Smith : Winston Salem, NC
Devan : Front Feeble : Raleigh,NC
Gary Bolos : Front Board : Columbia, SC
If you have ever watched any kind of sports movie ever, you may be familiar with a “locker-room speech.” But unless you’re skating Street League or the Dew Tour or the X-Games, you ain’t got a locker room and you ain’t got a bunch of photographers hoping to catch you at the right moment. Instead, the raw streets have crews; “teams,” so to speak. They work together to encourage lands and innovation, NBD’s and one-more-try’s. Teams and homies are all good and fun, but a team can’t really get too far without some documentation for motivation. Skate photographers and filmers have almost taken on a “coach” role, working with the skaters for a common goal - to get noticed and get free shit. I know from experience that motivating a “team” of low-life stoners is hard enough, then you throw in the fact that you have to get those stoners to jump down some heavy shit if they want anyone to give them money for riding skateboards the way they do. Luke McKaye gives those locker-room speeches. Luke gets people together for that common goal, and he takes damn good pictures to make that happen. It definitely helps to
Joel Mercier : B.S Heel Flip : Long Beach
Thomas Dristas : Hurricane : NC State
Isaiah Rodriguez : B.S Nose Blunt : Charlotte, NC
have some of the gnarliest dudes in the underground hucking themselves for his lens. They’re fucking good and they deserve it. They work hard and are surprisingly intelligent for a bunch of people who ride silly wooden toys. Skateboarding is not a stupid fucking sports movie, and “we need more people like (blank) around” has been said a million times, but the world would be a lot more productive if people worked as hard as Luke and his posse. It’s only a matter of time before they become staples in your daily skate-nerd dialogue.
Shane Kassin : Krook Pop Out : Raleigh, NC
Luke
Downtown Raleigh
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split blisss feb 14.indd 1
1/22/14 1:50 PM
Words: Gabe Taylor :: Photos: Peter Morning Our marketing team is in our weekly Unbound meeting. It’s almost January and we’re staring up at a halfipipe that is 15% finished, if that. The Sprint Us Grand Prix of Snowboarding is scheduled to take place here in a few weeks, and the collective uneasiness in the room is palpable. So I come out and ask TJ Dawoud, manager of the Unbound Terrain Parks, “Will you be able to do this?” When I referred to “you,” I was really referring to the hundreds of ops, snowmaking, marketing, planning and production employees that are involved with this massive event that will decide our Olympic team that heads to Sochi. There was a moment of silence that seemed like an eternity, Mark Brownlie, VP of Operations chimed in, “C’mon TJ, can you do it?” We collectively held our breath while TJ thought his answer through. “Yes, yes we can do it.” That’s all we needed to hear. Time to squash the rumors that were beginning to swirl around and make this event happen. Let’s fast forward to Monday of the event. The pipe was being ridden to rave reviews, the jumps were being sessioned on the slopestyle course, and everyone in the industry was en route to see what would be one of the most exciting snowboard competitions of all time. I spoke to Mammoth athlete Greg Bretz
that evening about the setup and he said, “Without a doubt, this is the best pipe Mammoth has ever made.” Quite a large claim, but Greg’s ridden this pipe since he was 10, so he’s probably the most legitimate source out there. Tommy Czechin, USSA halfpipe coach, also explained how the dirt work that was done this past summer really helped to even out the pitch and make speed more obtainable than any pipe he’s seen. Mother Nature’s irony is not lost on those of us in the snow business. The weather pattern that has left us dry out west and subsequently moved the 3rd Grand Prix from Tahoe to Breckenridge created unrideable conditions in Colorado, and subsequently the competition had to be moved to Mammoth. So that meant there would be 12 finals in five days in both men’s and women’s halfpipe and slopestyle. Sound confusing? Try being part of the logistic team moving these circuses around the west. Huge props to all involved! For the competitors it would mean they’d have to manage their energy both physically and mentally to cope with the extreme pressure of trying to qualify for the Olympics. Highlights from all of these events could take a week to recount
Danny Davis Ariel Gold
Ben Ferguson Sage Kotsenburg
Shaun White
Chas Guldemond
but I’ll do my best. Slopestyle contest #2, run #1 saw Shaun White go down on a Cab 12 double, and he went down hard – toe-edge face-plant that sent a scare through all in attendance. He got up on his own power and rumors were flying that he was done for the event. HA! Not Shaun. I was standing up near the starting gate when he slid up for run #2 and all the riders fell silent; it was if a ghost had strapped in and cast a spell on the entire field. I’ve never seen anything like it. True to his larger-than-life aura, Shaun dropped in and laid down the run of the competition and secured his spot on the slopestyle team. Jamie Anderson arrived in Mammoth in a bit of a slump by her own account. The slope course in Mammoth featured some large jumps and technical rails that wasn’t the most accommodating for riders not on their absolute A-game. Jamie has been in heated situations before, and with an opportunity to lock up a spot on the first Women’s Olympic Slopestyle team, she stepped up in a massive way and won all three slopestyle events. She is now on her way to Russia where odd-makers would have to put her as the favorite going away. Kelly Clark and Shaun White had already clinched their US Olympic team halfpipe spots, but that did not change their practice of throwing hammers up and down the 22-foot halfpipe in Mammoth. Both of these Olympic favorites are at the top of their games and seem to have that mental edge when the pressure mounts. Kelly explained to me that it felt great to have the pressure off and be able to do “harder tricks,” this coming from someone that won the last Grand Prix by five points. Here’s a name you might want to remember: Chloe Kim. The 13-year-old was on the podium for two of the three halfpipe competitions but unfortunately is too young for these Olympic games. Start the #roadtokorea hash tags now.
Danny Davis
Men’s halfpipe competitions in the US have become absolute slaughter fests. The depth of riders is incredible, and Mammoth’s pipe became the perfect forum for these riders to showcase their skills. Fourteen-year-old Gabe Ferguson and his brother Ben rode their hearts out and showed everyone how fun snowboarding can be. Taylor Gold rode like a machine with precision edge work and unflappable nerves, securing a spot on the Olympic team. Local rider Greg Bretz came to Mammoth with a 1st and a 2nd place result but still needed to place high to secure his spot on the Olympic team. He did, and his riding is making the rest of the world take note. When Greg drops-in the coach’s tent collectively runs to catch a glimpse at what the Red Bull rider throws down. If you were to ask most people what was the trick of the event, they’d have a large pool to vote from: Shaun’s cab 1440, Greg’s doubles, the list goes on and on. But the trick heard round the world had to have been Danny Davis’ switch method on the first hit of the pipe. He dropped in regular and popped a 180, setting him up for on of the most stylish and technical tricks in snowboarding. Danny won the 2nd competition on Friday but fell on his 1st run of the final contest. This left the door open for a slew of competitors to swoop in and take his spot. With all the pressure in the world Danny stomped his 2nd run and made the Olympic team. The industry is still having a hard time believing how well this event went off, but in the humble words of Mark Brownlie regarding Mammoth stepping up to the plate, “This wasn’t anything special, it’s just what we do.”
Scotty Lago & Danny Davis
Shaun White
Jamie Anderson
Photos: Russo
Old valleys, new sand.
Nathan Florence and Pipeline, new human old wave.
Hawaii is the Mecca of surf. It’s where the sport began and more than likely will be where the sport ends. Volcanically spat from the core of Mother Earth millions of years ago, the islands have since been shrinking, shifting on their tectonic plates westward and slowly sliding back into the ocean. Since mankind has inhabited the island certain things have remained constant. Waves surge upon reefs, standing tall as mountains and powerfully crashing upon the white, sandy shores, releasing enough energy to power cities and creating beauty, of which
words cannot describe. Ancient Hawaiian kings surfed the very same waves our generations enjoy today. And while there have been dramatic changes in the way we surf, the equipment we use and what is deemed as a “good ride,” the essence of surfing is exactly the same. It’s a bond between man and nature, ever shifting and changing, moving and adjusting. It doesn’t matter how good you are, if it’s your first wave or your very last – once that bond is created it can never be broken. Songs have been sung, books have been written, and no matter how
many times someone has tried to describe the feeling of surfing, it just can’t be done. It’s a personal journey, an affirmation, a religion, if you will, something that never gets old and something that can never be mastered. It drives men crazy, spinning them into a lifetime of obsession that’s borderline psychotic, yet always soothing the soul time and time again with its rhythmic affection. The new generations are doing things never thought possible, while the older generations still maintain their place. The lineup does
not discriminate by age, strength or beauty; once in the water we are equal. For centuries the healing power of the ocean has been known but no one can explain why or how it happens. Modern science or modern medicine have tried time and time again and still no concrete answers exist. I say quit searching for answers, for reasons, for explanations; just get out there and enjoy it. Share a wave with your friend, your son, your daughter, a stranger, be a part of the healing, enjoy what is there and escape the problems of the modern world.
Kiron Jabour and Log Cabins, youthful rhythm at a timeless stretch of reef.
Koa Rothman and Pipeline, unite for generations to come.
Uncle Mike Ho – older, wiser, smarter and still charging.
Tanner Gudauskas experimenting with a new shape (T-Low) at the never-changing Rocky Point.
g.
The Backyards hopefully remain the same.
The next generation, Ivan Florence drawing high lines in hollow waves.
Dylan Graves tapping into similar situations as he does in Puerto Rico.
John John harnessing the trade winds for power and rotation to explore new heights and bend minds. The new windmills will do the same for generations to come.
ico.
Eli Olson, early season Backdoor. The sand is still transitioning from summer to winter, the same thing it has been doing for eons.
In Pursuit of Developing Pathologies : 7x6 : 2013
Interview: Liz McCray
Justin Bower is not your stereotypical artist. In this day and age, the adopted beliefs about types of individuals are normally inaccurate, especially when it comes to artists. Bower is a footballer turned artist. (A handsome ex-footballer that drinks scotch, to boot.) When given the choice between college football and art, Bower chose art. Fluctuating between digital and real, his work challenges and engages the viewer. Bower’s exhibit “Panic Room” was featured in Modern Painters as one of the “100 Best Fall Shows 2013.” Make sure to check out more of Justin Bower’s art at justinbower.com and unixgallery.com.
Hi Justin, will you please introduce yourself to our readers. After I graduated from Claremont I had my first solo show at ACE Gallery, Beverly Hills and three years later I had my first solo show in NYC at Unix Gallery this past Fall. I love scotch, Westerns and the Twilight Zone. When asked, “What do you do?” how do you answer? I am a painter.
Can you tell us a little bit about your childhood? I was born in San Francisco, my mother was a dancer (ballet) and my father is an attorney. I am the oldest of four siblings and we were all encouraged to read, study and perform in athletics. So you were a football player? Footballer turned artist, how did this happen? I was recruited to play in college. I didn’t much care for it, but I saw this as a right-of-
passage moment that I could complete that most people would not have been able to. When my drawing classes started overlapping practice, I was given an ultimatum: to pursue art or football. I was fortunate to be given such a choice, as it crystalized my resolve to pursue art in any capacity. I also see a strong link between athletics and a creative endeavor, from creative visualization to performing the creating task at hand.
Enframement : 7x6 : 2013
“Panic Room” was featured in Modern Painters as one of the “100 Best Fall Shows 2013.” I must say that I’m a big fan; I physically and mentally have a reaction to your art. I feel it in my bones, like a buzz (vibrating). It’s similar to how feedback feels when
you are standing too close to a speaker. Or how LSD might feel in your spine (well, I have been looking at your paintings for awhile now). Will you tell us your motivation behind this body of work? First off, the description of what you felt physically and
mentally is what I am after. I want the viewer of my work to optically feel what I am doing to the subject of the painting. The viewer should feel a destabilizing effect. My work is foremost about the destabilization of the contemporary subject in an increasing control society, and
often I use the digital realm as the environment to place them in. I see humanity changing from a singular, autonomous subject that thought it was free to a fractured, techinfused and controlled weak operator. I paint to study the state of our ever-changing protean definition of who
Moment of Collision : 11x9.5 : 2013
we are as individuals and collectively. If you had to describe the subjects, or lack of subjects, in your paintings how would you do that? I see these subjects as an androgynous, in-between everyman/woman that are
fractured, existing in many places at once, that are on the verge of either becoming or disintegrating. They are examples of my studies into the emerging new definitions of humanity. When were you introduced to the wild web? Do social
media and technology play big roles in your life? 1995, not really. In our lifetime technology has exploded. It’s overwhelming: Internet, Facebook, Instagram, and social networks… Thank goodness I didn’t have
all of that as a kid. What are your thoughts on the effects of technology, the positives and the negatives? Technology is always already inside the subject today. In my paintings this technology infects the subject, moving seamlessly through the body,
Immortal Believer : 5x4 : 2013
warping and displacing the integrity of its form. Technology has the effect of re-defining who we are. I see technology as manageable, only in so far as we, as autonomous/free individuals, make decisions for our self and the freedom to decide where we go with it. I also see technology as fallible. This fallibility in
technology will ultimately manifest itself in the human form with each encroaching technological breakthrough. Do Cyberpunk or Cyberpunk themes (Thomas Gibson, Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner, etc.) play any role in your work? I am definitely a big fan of
all those authors and the themes they have tackled. In many ways they have done the hard work in exploring and researching the themes and possible futures that are so pressing now... technology, freedom, what is a human? I see my job as to crystalize a form, to add to the dialogue of painting and art
history, more than to bring Cyberpunk themes to the art world. I am not “illustrating” any type of definition or state of humanity as expressed within the canon of these fine authors. I am studying the many different ways we define ourselves, and in many ways there is an overlap in concept, but I am doing it within
Something Solid Under all That is Now : 7x6 : 2013
the rich history of painting. Picasso didn’t necessarily have Einstein’s theory of relativity in mind when he created Cubism, but there was an overlapping of ideas reached within completely different endeavors. Can you talk about the importance of scale (size) regarding your paintings?
Scale is important in relation to how I want the viewer to engage the paintings. The affect of optical destabilization is more powerful when the field of vision is taken up at a certain engagement point. There is also a point where the subject will look fractured to the point of reading more like an Ab-Ex painting, but then will lock together further away.
Originally I read that you lived in LA. I was surprised to find out that you’re actually based in OC. What are your pros and cons to OC living? I am isolated from most of the world as I work here. That is both the pro and con. Do you have any upcoming projects you can share with
us? I have some paintings in the LA Art Fair coming up. Look for my paintings emerging in Europe this spring and in NYC. Where can people check out your art? At www.unixgallery.com and www.justinbower.com.
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Photography: Mike Townsend : nomdepixel.com Model: Jordan Fox
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Big Spin Heel Flip Double Set
Photos: Ortiz :: Intro: Chet Thomas Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is known as “America’s Dairyland,” and is most famous for its cheese, beer, the Green Bay Packers and being the “Copper State.“ It is less known for its export of professional skateboarders, but one Wisconsinite that is an exception is Greg Lutzka. I remember the first time I saw him skate in person, which was in Munster, Germany, during a World Cup contest. I swear he never fell off his board for 30 minutes straight, blazing through the course and destroying everything in his path. At that moment I knew that he would be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. That was over 10 years ago and not much has changed with him. He is still more motivated to skate than many others that I know. He is still loving what he does. He is still competing and destroying courses around the world. And, he still has passion for skateboarding. I must say, it’s been rad to see him grow up over the years from a rookie and mature into the pro he has become. Interview: Derek Medina Good evening, Mr. Lutzka. Did you just pull up on a Harley? Yeah, I’ve been riding a bike a lot lately and I just pulled up on a Street Bob. Let’s start this interview off. You almost qualified for Street League this year, however your two OC Ramps teammates snagged the top two positions from you. What happened, you were on fire for a few stops?
It really came down to the last stop in LA. I am hyped it was my teammates. Whoever won that stop was going to take the overall spot, and Decenzo was on a rampage, coming off an injury to qualify for Street League next year. Congrats to Ryan on that one! Things look to be going ok though. That skateboard has treated you pretty well. You got a new bike and I heard you just bought a new home? Where you living at? I did, I just bought a new house in Lake Forest. I’ve been investing in a couple other homes in California and Arizona as well that are currently rental properties. Damn, playing grown-up Monopoly! How old were you when you started to skate? I started skating at eight years old. Do you remember your first board? First board was a Channel One skateboard with Spitfire Wheels and Independent trucks. It said “Crap Happens” on the bottom of it – great saying to this day. What video part had the biggest influence on you growing up? I was always into the Toy Machine and Zero videos. Welcome To Hell was one of my favorites of all time. What was the first trick you learned and how long did it take you to learn it? Fist trick was an ollie and it took about a month. What is your go-to trick now, and how long did it take you to learn that? My go-to trick would have to be a frontside flip. They
Varial H. Flip 12
are super fun and I don’t remember how long it took to learn, but still to this day it’s one of my favorite flip tricks. When you moved out to California from Milwaukee, what year was it and what made you make that decision? Were you making enough money to afford your own place at the time? I moved to California at age 18. We had three people in a one-bedroom apartment in Huntington Beach. I didn’t make much back then but it was the best days now that I look back… skating and filming for Almost Round 3. Was that a crazy house? Give me one good story. Well, everyday was crazy living with three people in such a small place. All I remember was there were always dishes everywhere and the place was a mess. I think when we moved out there were ants and the bathroom no one wanted to clean. Sounds like a typical skate-rat house. What did your normal day look like back then? Lots of skating. Everyday filming with Hoops, always going on missions… going as hard as I could. What does your normal day look like now? Same thing, on a mission skating everyday. Just now I get a lot sorer than I did back then, and I need a couple more days off.
Nollie 360/Cab Double Set
360 Flip Lipslide 8 stair
F.S Nose Blunt
F.S Flip Over Rail 12 Stair
Days offs, what do you do? I heard you play ice hockey. What else do you do besides skateboard for fun? Yeah, I grew up playing ice hockey and nowadays I play a lot of guitar and ride motorcycles and snowboarding in the winter. How do you feel about social media and its impact on skateboarding? It’s cool but I miss the old days with DVDs and magazines. Now it’s all about instagram and downloading videos off iTunes. What’s up with that recent 411 instagram post on your page? We just did a post for fun with the 411 opener song to see what people would say, and I think most kids nowadays have no idea what 411 is. It’s crazy; I still think they should bring 411 back. Yeah, 411 was where it was at. You filming a new part? You got any other projects in the works for 2014? I’m filming a new part at the moment and going to be traveling a ton next year. I’m always working on different rad projects with my sponsors and next year we will be doing more Rockstar Energy trips. I’m looking forward to 2014 and what’s to come! Any last words or shout-outs before we end this? Shout-outs to all my sponsors along with my family/friends, and of course all the kids and fans out there that support my skating. Thank you.
“THERE’S NO TEAM MANAGERS, NO ONE TELLING US TO DO ANYTHING. WE PUSH OURSELVES TO SCARE OURSELVES, TO TRY NEW THINGS.”
Words & Photos: Wons It’s easy to create a perception of someone you don’t know. Sure, he has the truck, the sled, the pro model, the Nike contract, the global travel – the dream. You could whine that he’s lucky, grew up in the right place, met the right people, or claim he had a silver spoon… But these things don’t ride your snowboard for you. They don’t create the drive, commitment, or tact it takes to form a career from the act of snowboarding. Nor does any of this dull the inherent fear of riding at the current professional level. Turns out Austin is just one of those people who’s good at everything. Give him a skateboard, he’ll kickflip it. Give him a snowboard, and, well… you know. Beyond the physics, Austin’s thoughtfulness and wit stretch seemingly beyond his years. It’s apparent in his Drink Water movement, in his bigger-picture views of snowboarding, and in his life. While he broke into the scene at a young age with numerous standout video parts, three ACL surgeries and back-to-back seasons sidelined almost ended it all.
Now, he’s stronger and wiser than ever, riding on his terms, steering his own ship. How did you come up in snowboarding? A big part was learning how to snowboard at Mt. Baker. Growing up there we didn’t have much for parks or pipes; you ride the whole mountain and learn how to snowboard, how to control your snowboard, judge speed, and the effects of different snow conditions. A lot of people miss out on all that and go straight to learning tricks on rails and jumps. What was the process, the main catalyst? When I was 15 I won a contest at Mt. Bachelor and Mission Six sponsored the winner. From that I got support to travel and to be a part of IR77. That was my “big break,” but more importantly I had a good group of friends growing up. We were all motivated to snowboard and help each other out wherever we could.
Very few people have that one season where everything clicks, not only that, but one where it’s all documented. What was going on in those years you filmed with People? At that point I had just got my first sponsors and didn’t have any obligations and no one expected anything from me. I wasn’t trying to prove anything; I just filmed everyday. We got lucky with weather and I never got hurt. What attracted you to backcountry riding? I grew up hiking and backpacking as a kid. We never went to Hawaii or Mexico, and I kind of hated it at the time and was always jealous of my friends going tropical. But looking back I thank my parents for raising me in that kind of environment, and certainly owe that to why I enjoy time spent in the backcountry. Especially growing up at Mt. Baker, that’s what’s around you and what everyone is frothing over. It seemed like the most natural place to be. Why didn’t you continue to pursue the contest route? At the time contests were just a way to get a new snowboard. I have never wanted to be better than anyone else, and that’s all they are: having someone tell you that you are better or worse than the next person. I would rather snowboard on my own terms with my friends. I started filming when I was 16 and I’m grateful I got out of the contest rat race as soon as I could. But contest and backcountry riding both have pressures. Yeah, at contests you’re standing at the top of the run and you have a panel of judges at the bottom and all these people watching you, and everyone on TV watching you, and whether you really want to do that trick or not, you have to do it. There’s so much pressure you can’t not do it. With what we do we’re just out there by ourselves. There’s no team managers, no one telling us to do anything. We push ourselves to scare ourselves, to try new things. Like “Yeah, I’m gonna go and try some trick off this big cliff I’ve never hit before.” What makes a person want to do that? Because yeah, it is
dangerous, you’re out in the middle of nowhere, if you get hurt there’s no one to help you. Why do people want to do that? Why do I want to do that? I ask myself that. But at the end of the day if I just cruise around and not take any risks I don’t feel that fulfilled. I need that adrenaline. I was thinking about how awesome, but also how crazy that shit is lately, taking this ridiculous, not-very-reliable machine (snowmobile) to get way out somewhere, then just blasting off of things on your snowboard, trying not to die. Every time it’s different and you have to adapt. That irregularity is what keeps it exciting and what separates it from any sport with a field and time regulations. It’s just documented adventuring. The far-out adventures, you have to be accustomed to them, it has to be second nature. Then, there’s the act of snowboarding on top of that. How have you become skilled in these? The first time you go out, you bring the wrong stuff. You make a lot of mistakes. As time goes on you figure it out. You learn how to adapt out there; in time you just learn it. Then it becomes second nature. You’ve had some big setbacks at an early point in your career. What keeps you doing it? What keeps you strapping in? I had a knee that took a couple tries to get fixed, but this is what I’ve always wanted to do, the life I wanted to live – traveling and snowboarding. It’s going to take more than an injury or two to make me quit. Aside from the peripheral stuff, the adventure, the travel, the freedom – why do you snowboard? What is it about this simple act that keeps you coming back? It’s fun, everyone knows that. Also, the majority of people that do it are awesome. I meet new people every year through snowboarding that are awesome. You immediately have this common bond and appreciation for something as simple as snowboarding; it makes it easy to get along.
You and I know that behind the scenes ninety percent of what you do is not snowboarding; it’s filled with all of these other actions and distractions. Very little of it is actual riding, taking turns. Some people say that contests are not “real snowboarding,” but aren’t they more real than what you do? That’s what I’m most envious of actually; the amount contest riders actually get to snowboard. They’re flying around the world constantly, but they snowboard so much more than I do. They’re spending a lot more time strapped in on their snowboards than I do. So yeah, that’s a bummer. I think every year I snowboard less. When I was 16 I had like 120 days on my season pass at Bachelor, and now I get like 20. Now I’m spending time on my snowmobile, spending time not strapped into my snowboard. But the times I do spend strapped in are continuing to get better. It’s less time, but better time. Have you or Bryan Fox received any negative criticism of the Drink Water project? No. We are promoting tap water; it’s pretty essential to life. How do you see this project evolving over the years? All the energy drinks will be out of business when we are done here. Not really, not at all, but if a few more
people question those cans that are marketed toward them, or a few people question what they endorse to kids, then that’s awesome. What’s the Drink Water video project all about? It’s not necessarily a Drink Water movie. Bryan Fox, Liam Gallagher and myself are making a movie. I guess when Bryan and I are behind something it becomes a Drink Water Project by second nature. But, we’re still figuring it all out. I’ve just really admired everything Liam has made over the last couple years. The video projects, the stories he writes and the photos he shoots, he’s a really talented guy and I like his style. So, Bryan and I didn’t have a set project we were working on this year and Liam wanted to make something happen and the stars aligned. We want to make a snowboard movie that makes people want to go snowboarding. A lot of snowboard movies are getting lost in the sense that they’re just set out to make sponsors happy or glorify one specific rider, and at the end of the movie it’s not making anyone want to go snowboarding – it’s just pleasing sponsors. Our goal is to make people want to go snowboarding and showcase a few humans that are doing things differently.
Words: Spencer Pirdy :: Photos: Agenda // Officer Mike Giant & his Rebel8 cop car // The hustle & bustle of the Agenda Long Beach floor // Captain Fin Co’s Jason Weatherly // Agenda’s Aaron Levant & Known Gallery’s Wonkaman // Madson’s Scott Yamal, Alan Ek, Kasey Curtis & Tony Davis // Workaholics’ Blake Henderson & lady friend // Catch Surf’s Jason Jackson // Alpinestars’ Nick Smith & Emily Blood // Arnette’s Robbie Maddison & Robbie Sell // Billy Anderson, Joey Marshall & Luis Calderin // Bob Hurley, Kjerstin Clark, Chris Wallen, Billy Threadgold
It goes without saying, but the Agenda Long Beach tradeshow is growing bigger and bigger each successive show. January 7th and 8th at the Long Beach Convention Center was direct evidence of this expansion. A wide array of street, skate, surf, snow, women’s fashion and other eclectic cultures converged under one roof to seek out business, build relationships and soak up the scenery. Of course, there were those who found any and every excuse to substitute a normal weekday in the office for extended hours of midday beer luncheons that would run well into the night. And that certainly is the beauty of tradeshows. Both days were red hot from the start, with throngs of folks ascending the stairs of the convention center. Plenty of hands were shook, upcoming season lines were shown, and a shockingly large amount of new brands were popping up down every aisle we strolled. It was a clash of cultures in Long Beach, but in the best of ways. If you wanted to partake in some high-quality people watching, all you really needed to do was post up on a couch for a half hour or so and soak it all up. You’d see everything from ladies decked out in futuristic
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fashion pieces, celebs, industry higher-ups, tattoo connoisseurs, at least 25 people you know and much, much more. Once again the Hurley Printing Press drew long lines of attendees looking to grab a freshly inked t-shirt, and everywhere you looked there were new products being showcased to the delight of everyone. If all of the walking and talking was starting to drain your energy, there was no need to worry because there were all sorts of delectable meals to choose from, courtesy of the eclectic line of food trucks out back. Trade shows are no joke, and you better fuel up to avoid hitting the wall late in the day. Of course, everyday after the show ended there was still plenty going on in and around the heart of downtown Long Beach for the willing and able. In review, Agenda Long Beach was an extreme success whether you were exhibiting, buying, wheeling and dealing, or just reveling in the scene. We always enjoy our time at Agenda, and we’ll bid this entertainingly productive show adieu until July!
Ch u n k citi es D ecks Avai lable N ow On ly At Active RI D E SH O P
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Words & Photos: JP // Estevan and Angel con familia // Rascal Dels // Solid turn-out // This is Los Angeles // “L.A. Portraits” // Something for everyone // The Known Gallery // Homies Last month Estevan opened his show entitled “L.A. Portraits,” featuring iconic images of life on the streets in East Los. For sale were copies of Sir Oriol’s new book published by Drago, and stacks of hoodies and stickers. I walked in with Nolan Hall, and it was pretty heavy to be in there ‘cause everyone in there had push broom staches and face tattoos and we were just these two scruffy white boys with 35mm cameras, and I was thinking everyone was strapped. Maybe that is how he felt when he was taking the photos hanging on the walls. I was all, “Estevan will you sign this book?” and he saw Nolan and I
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and got stoked ‘cause he and Nolan just got back from Hawaii so he made me feel real welcome. I recognized a couple people in the gallery from Oriol’s photos on the wall and asked this one esse if I could get a flick of him in front of the photo he was in. It was cool to see how everybody there seemed to know Estevan, and it seemed like a big family reunion ‘cause of how tight they all were with each other. I am super pumped for Estevan and fully recommend you pick up a copy of his book “L.A. Portraits” if you want to get hip to some sick shots of his community.
Words: Joey Marshall :: Photos: Surf Expo // Kevin Meehan, Dustin Dollin & Jason Steris // The beautiful girls of Body Glove // The Duvin booth had a constant crowd // The Surf Expo fashion shows are always a big hit // The Raen tent was the cool place to be // Katin USA, 55-years strong & still going // Vision Street Wear making a come back // Volcom’s “Wild in the Parks” contest always draws a crowd // Rusty Preisendorfer stoking out a couple of groms // VZ’s Dot Dash always brings the babes out
I can’t count on my fingers and toes how many times I’ve been to Surf Expo in Orlando, Florida. From one convention center to the next, to the next and back to the original one, Surf Expo has been calling Orlando it’s home for many, many years now. As a grom our goal was to obtain as much free shwag as we possibly could, filling our bags with stickers, key chains, sunscreen, tee shirts, hats, wax, deck pads, posters, autographs, surf flicks… you name it and we wanted it. I remember scoring a pair of Flojos sandals the last day of the show many years ago and being over the moon happy. I have fond memories of seeing my very first fake boob at the Black Flys booth in the late nineties or early thousands, which I imagine musta been some of the glory days. There were booths stretching entire aisles, some stacked two and three stories high. The surf industry was booming and the Surf Expo was the place for the industry
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heavyweights to show it all off and let it all hang out. Things have changed quite a bit from those days, but twice a year everyone still packs it ups and heads on over to Orlando to meet with buyers and shops from throughout the nation, the Caribbean and South America. Everyone is still looking for what’s new, the next hot thing and of course the occasional eye candy. And while you don’t see quite the extent of gigantic double-decker booths, it’s still undeniable that Surf Expo is alive and thriving. It seemed like 2014 was larger than ever, as I was astonished by how many new, really goodlooking brands were making their Surf Expo debut this time around. Lasting only three days it’s impossible to see everyone and everything, but I guess that’s why it happens twice a year… see you in Orlando in September.
Words: Lauren Burke :: Photos: Peter Morning // Derek Shea, happiest man in Mammoth // Ladies love Mammoth NYE // Great Gatsby meets punk rock: Kristianna & Braelyn // Dressing for warmth // Afton Williams, Alex Taylor & friends // Party girls // The Clausen’s, Mammoth royalty // FMLYBND // Summer Barry & babes // RAC
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Forget LA clubs, forget massive cover charges, forget Vegas and forget everything you thought you knew about New Year’s Eve. Two words… Mammoth Mountain.
dance floor beneath a downpour of gold confetti. Nick Jonas, Miss Universe, industry heavy hitters and tables full of beautiful ladies helped make this epic night one of the best Mammoth has ever seen.
Southern California’s favorite mountain town has solidified itself as the spot to ring in the New Year. With a history of massive lineups and wild parties, New Years Eve 2014 was no different. Underground, Mammoth’s premier live music venue, played host to a dressed-up, Gatsby-themed affair with a killer performance by breaking indie rockers FMLYBND, followed by the high-energy DJ duo RAC who played well into 2014. Partygoers sucked down champagne and packed the
Just up the hill, there was a White Out taking place at Canyon Lodge, and we aren’t talking about what wasn’t falling from the sky. Dressed in their finest whites, Mammoth locals, SoCal weekend warriors and some of the country’s favorite professional skiers and snowboarders packed the place, welcoming 2014 with style while dancing to the beats of Bobby French and DJ Twist.
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Interview: Max Ritter :: Photo: Alice Baxley
I got hit in the face by a truck of awesome the other day when I took a listen to together PANGEA’s new record Badillac. The LA-based band just released their third LP and it’s a rock ‘n’ roll wailer. A good study for valuable insight on the art of axe wielding! BAD-IL-LAC! Hi dudes, so you had a few record-release shows this week, yeah? Yes. We had two in-stores and two proper shows. The proper shows; one was at The Smell and the other was at The Constellation Room at The Observatory, and both sold out which was really, really cool. Background voice: Danny slept in the van last night! How’s the hangover today? Ah, you know it’s good. We had to get up and get to LA. We are in Santa Monica right now doing a video shoot for our song Badillac. Explain the terms “Badillac” and “Snake Dog,” two good songs from the new record and two good terms. Well… A lot of times when you are writing a song, the lyrics don’t typically come first. You start playing with iterations and syllable placements and stuff like that. Badillac just happened to be the word that fit and came out. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Snake Dog is a little
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different. There is actually a little story with that. William and I were kind of getting drunk during the day one day and we were talking about the movie Almost Famous. There is a song in Almost Famous that Stillwater plays and is called “Fever Dog” and before we watched it we were like, “What’s the song in that movie? It’s like Snake Dog or something right?” We later were jamming and joking about it and calling the jam we were playing Snake Dog and it stuck. Who did the music for those songs in the movie? There is like three songs the band (Stillwater) plays in the movie that are pretty good songs actually, right? I don’t know. That’s actually a good question. I don’t either. I’m going to have to look that up. Anyway, moving on… I’ve seen you guys play a bunch over the last couple years. When did the “together” creep into the name as opposed to just PANGEA? Now I see a lot of together PANGEA titles. We started the social media thing five or six years ago and that was the handle because we couldn’t get slash PANGEA and things like that. We came to a point where legally we had to change our name and it was more or less a choice of starting from scratch with a new name
or just keeping the social media handle name. So it’s a legal change but I also see it as sort of the more rock ‘n’ roll phase of the band. I’ve seen you play quite a few times and I definitely think you guys have grown and matured with your songs and playing live. It’s been rad to see it evolve. Yeah, I mean I think tour kind of does that naturally. You just end up playing together so much and it gets easier and easier to play. You get tighter, write better songs, record more efficiently and have better live shows. I am always asking about band’s album art. I like to buy records and am always curious. Who did the art on the new album and what’s the story behind that? It was done by our friend Penelope Gazin. Oh yeah, I’ve heard of Nick Gazin. I know he does a lot of album and merch art, like the cover for Run The Jewels and such… Yeah, she is his little sister. She did the cover of our first LP and we’ve been friends forever. She came up with this awesome painting, which I feel like fits pretty well with what is going on with the record. It’s about these relationship issues and
trust and there is this beautiful strong woman in the painting with this sketchy alien man. Coincidentally, I feel like it fits as like a poetic metaphor for the record. What’s on the agenda for the new record cycle? We have a US tour with Moses and The Firstborn, these guys from he Netherlands. They are awesome. We’re out with them for a little over a month. Then we come home and do SXSW. Then we come back and head to Europe. And then I am sure after Europe our rad booking agent Andrew will have another tour lined up for us. So we pretty much have about five or six month’s worth of touring to push the album. We probably have like three or four more music videos coming too! Well good job on the record. Sounds good! Fuck yeah, dude! Glad you like it. Shout out to Alice and Ryan Baxley. Alice is an awesome photographer and has done a lot of photography for us. Ryan is the one who is actually directing the music video we are doing today. Shout out to Audacity, Meat Market, FIDLAR, Burger Records, Harvest Records, everyone and all the homies! Thanks, guys. Check out together PANGEA’s new record Badillac out now!
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PIPES, PARTIES, AND MY POSSE” SPRING BREAK 2014
FACILITIES UNDER PERMIT FROM INYO NATIONAL FOREST.
La Luz Live Review & Photo: Max Ritter January 21st 2014 The Constellation Room at The Observatory; Santa Ana, CA
Happy to finally get to this see the ladies of La Luz from Seattle play a show after a near-deadly crash of their tour van a few months back. The story blew my mind. They slid on black ice and crashed into a center divider then pulled over and called for help. Twenty minutes later a semi truck slid on the same black ice and barreled into their van on the side of the road. Everything was totaled including all their gear and they narrowly escaped with only some bruised bodies. Well girls, we are glad you made it! Keep doing your thing. Check out their surf guitar vibes on their new debut LP It’s Alive available from Hardly Art Records.
Reviews: Max Ritter
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Church of Sun High Moon Mapled Records
Curtis Seals/Christain D’Orbit Scandalizer/Drive Me Crazy - Split 7” Windian Records
POW! Hi-Tech Boom Castle Face Records
Banned In DC AKPress
Our friends Church of Sun from the Long Beach hood gave us a sneak peak listen to their new sophomore album dropping this month called High Moon, and it’s full of some pretty damn jamable rock n’ roll! Check ‘em out, then catch them playing around town and scoop a vinyl.
Horrible to hear that Windian Records founder Travis Jackson passed away last month. The man obviously loved music and he put a lot of great stuff out on his DC-based record label. Travis left behind a wife and child and there is a fund on the Windian site where you can help support the family in their loss. Here is a gem of a seveninch re-issue I came across from the Windian catalog in memory.
Synth punk is sweet. I always imagine robots that look like GG Allin make this music. If you’ve never seen the documentary on GG Allin don’t watch it. It’s really heavy. He poops in the middle of a set then rubs it on his face among other even gnarlier stuff. Anyway… got off topic there. Liking the POW! record.
So it’s not an actual album but I came across this neat photo-book by Cynthia Connolly, Leslie Clague, and Sharon Cheslow documenting the DC punk underground in 1979-1980 and wanted to share. “Featuring 450 photos of bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Rites of Spring, Gray Matter, 9353, No Trend, Government Issue, Void, and many more.” Looks really bitching!
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Rider: Spencer Pirdy Photo: Joe Foster
l w o b e h t in e f li e iv L
www.banzaibowls.com
photos: ginsberg | driftwoodfoto
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FEEL / H Y P E R S C R E E N C O AT I N G / / TA C T I L E & G R I P P Y /
LIGHT WEIGHT / LUNARLON CUSHIONING / / D E F L E C T S I M PA C T /
FLEX / FLEXIBLE HERRINGBONE TREAD / / L I G H T- L AY E R U P P E R /
N I K E . C O M / S K AT E B O A R D I N G
NIKE SB APP