BL!SSS Magazine | April 2009 | #20 by Blisss Mag

Stefan Janoski on his signature denim. My jeans are tight but not that tight. Design Unlikely Futures.

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF nick kalionzes nick@blisssmag.com

EDITOR joey marshall joey@blisssmag.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR mark paul deren madsteez@madsteez.com

MUSIC EDITOR tim bergevin tim@blisssmag.com

SNOW EDITOR jon francis jon@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, Andrew Miller, Julien Lecorps, Ryan Boyes, Zach Hooper, Tim Peare

CONTRIBUTORS Matt Patterson, Willie Marshall, Josh Spencer, Aaron Astorga, Daniel Russo, Liz Rice, Jason Arnold, Greg Escalante, 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 BL!SSS Magazine 413 31st Street Newport Beach, CA 92663

ApRIL 2009

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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.

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iSKATEBOARD

OBAMA BANTER I knew it was just a matter of time before the backlash would start pouring in, but this burnt Shepard Fairey imitation had me in stitches while watching SouthPark last week. C’mon, that has got to be one of the funniest animated series of all time and only Tre and Matt could pull it off the way they always do. If you missed this one go ahead and watch it along with every episode online at southparkstudios.com.

Have you ever visited a foreign town and wondered where the best spots are to skate? We know that you and your friends got your mysto spots, but don’t expect to be there alone anymore. A new iPhone app my buddy showed me called iSkateboard gives detailed directions and descriptions of skateworthy locations all around the world. Great for when I’m visiting you, not so great when you come to my hood. Still well worth the $3.99 it’ll cost you to download, get yours today.

PBRJ CHAMPIONSHIPS

GIVEAWAY We’re always trying to get you dialed into today’s latest and greatest and thanks to our little buddy Kai Barger and his sponsors, we got some more goods for ya to win. The ﬁrst person who can email me Kai’s middle name can take home a pair of 6.0 Zoom Oncore High, Hurley’s Phantom Rocket shorts, and a limited edition Kai Barger shirt and cap. I’ve only got the goods for one lucky reader so quit reading, get to your computer and submit now – giveaway@ blisssmag.com.

$25,000 in cash and a ton of prizes is what’s up for grabs at Volcom’s 2009 Peanut Butter and Rail Jam Championships, taking place on April 25th up in Mammoth. You’d better start booking your rooms now, because with all the snow they’ve been getting these past months, there’s no better place to be snowboarding this spring. But don’t fear – if you can’t make this one, the boys from Volcom will be providing you with a live feed via volcom.com.

WAXY WAX Now, we try to keep as up to date as possible on all things great and I honestly don’t know how this one slipped by us but it did. Let me introduce the rest of you who don’t already know to Waxy Wax, the original colored surf wax company. These guys have been at it for a few years now and have come up with the groms ultimate wax. Turning your surfboard into a canvas, Waxy Wax allows each and everyone of you to get as creative as possible. This is the must have wax for any grom or artist/surfer alike.

It’s c days buy later We’v vide still is omy were until little are s and f two. down

photos: budro

SABRE THREADS

BL!SSS TWITTER For all you internet nerds out there like us, you can now get your Twitter ﬁx of BL!SSS by checking us out at twitter.com/blisssmag. We know that as much shit as you all talk on the whole internet/myspace/facebook/ twitter scene that you are right there with us. Plus, now you’ll know where we’re at and what we’re doing 24/7.

DON’T FORGET YOUR RUBBERS I hate rubbers. I mean, who doesn’t? I’m not even going to get into why, cause I think all you kids out there in BL!SSSville will agree with me. On the other hand, we also know that in this day and age, you gotta wear them. Especially here in Newport – yikes! And if you gotta wear your rubbers, you might as well look good in them. That’s where Nixon comes in with their Limited Edition Rubber Player. That’s right, play on Players.

I stopped by the Don’t Panic concept store (yeah Sabre) this past week to visit my pals and see all the new trends they’re unleashing for summer ‘09. It turns out this Aussie-based brand has been quite the busy body lately as they have just released their Psychedelic Threadz collection. Now we’re about as anti tie-dye as they come, but they kept this shit just dark enough to even get our nod of approval. Way to go Brooke – and next time you come to town to get another tattoo you better make time for a pint or three with the BL!SSS boys, cheers.

INSIGHT GARAGE ARTISTS

BIG MOVES Never afraid to stir the pot, the Agenda show is breaking free of their San Diego roots and moving up to Huntington Beach. Taking advantage of the world’s largest action sports festival, the US Open of Surﬁng, and pushing the calendar forward a couple months (July 22nd & 23rd), this years’ show will be bigger than ever. The crowd is already there, orders are still needed and the nightlife will be banging, it seems like they might be on to something here.

Yeah, everyone has been a garage artist at sometime, even if you didn’t mean to be. That’s why on April 3rd, Insight has teamed up with the Gorilla! Gallery in Santa Ana to bring you an amazing night of garage art and good tunes. There will be more than a handful of artists showing, live music from the Tijuana Panthers, and an open bar to really occupy your time. Shit, let’s be honest – we probably won’t buy any art because we’re all broke nowadays but somehow Insight tends to attract the hottest hipster chicks I’ve ever seen. So yeah, I’ll be there.

COME HOME ADDY! We know that this particular piece of real estate in the magazine isn’t usually used for shit like this, but since this kid is close to the hearts of our crew over here at BL!SSS we thought we’d give it a shot. COME HOME ADDY! Your family wants you back. Your dad loves you and just wants you to ﬁnish what you started 11 years ago – school! Don’t force us to have Madsteez make some super gay “Missing Addy” shirt he has mocked up. If you think this little plug in the mag is embarrassing, just wait until we start distributing your shirt on Newport Harbor High School’s campus. You really don’t have it too bad over there at the fams house in the Heights. Cruise back home and try to pull off the last couple months of high school, it’s almost over. It may not be too important to you now but you might really regret it someday.

SPOT GATORADE The Skate Park of Tampa has come up on a new sponsor for 2009. It’s a little company by the name of Gatorade. I noticed in the past few months that this mighty giant has ﬁnally been starting to notice our industry. They’re slowing creepin’ in and picking up a few key riders as well so don’t be surprised to see the bolt on a few decks next time you’re watching Fuel TV.

RECYCLED JEWELS Since going green is the new it thing to do, I thought I’d let you readers know about another one of my favorite companies out there that’s turning trash into fashion, Seven Ply. Recycling broken skate decks is nothing new to our industry but this is the ﬁrst I’ve seen where it’s turned into fashionable jewelry. Bangles, earrings, necklaces, belt buckles, and pocket mirrors - this is the perfect way to stay in style and do your part in keeping it green. The best part is - it actually looks great, log onto sevenplydesigns.com and see for yourself.

KRIS ERGOVICH

GELASKINS

Our boys over at Ergophobia just dropped us a line that the ink just dried on their newest team rider, Kris Markovich. “Kris will be playing a key role at Ergo in cultivating our skate program,” says ERGO Vice President, Pete DiSpirito. Make sure you keep an eye out for Kris and the Ergo team blasting through a city near you on a skate tour in the future, while making several stops along the way to feature Kris’s artwork.

We all should know that cell phones and water don’t mix but it’s near impossible for me to leave the thing at home when I ditch work to go fish some early mornings. After going through about a half dozen iPhones in the last year, I think I finally found a cover that not only protects my little lifeline from the everyday scratches and falls, but also looks good too. These Gelaskins are removable covers for protecting and customizing your most important electronic devices. They feature photo-quality graphics ranging from fine art prints to contemporary urban images, so you know there is one for everyone.

SUP MARTY

RIP POWER RANKINGS So right before we put this little baby to rest we caught word that one of our favorite online editorial columns written by one of our favorite shit talking journalists (Lewis Samuels) was to be no more. Poor Lewis ﬁnally got bit by the hand that fed him. But have no fear kids - you can still get all the dirt by logging onto his personal blog at postsurf.com and taking a minute to read who gets dragged through the dirt each day. Lewis, if you’re out there reading this – keep it up, we have a soft spot in our hearts for all those who like to stir the pot.

PEARL JAM X VOLCOM The good folks up at Volcom have teamed up with one of the most iconic bands of the last 20 years and released a limited edition Volcom x Pearl Jam tee shirt and 7’’ vinyl of bsides just in time to coincide with Pearl Jam’s release of their special collectors edition of “Ten”. Word is, Volcom’s presale of the shirts and the 7’’ sold out overnight through their website in a matter of hours, but if any of you Pearl Jam fans out there still want to get either the shirt or the 7’’, they will be available nationwide in your favorite Volcom store very soon.

Next time you see Marty “the one man party” Kish walking the streets be sure to squeak a “sup Marty” into your conversation. He is our latest victim in the standup paddle craze (SUP doods) that has infected the entire world just recently. Yep, the ocean janitor was spotted sweeping the seas outside and around the Dana Point Harbor this past month I somehow managed to get my hands on some stellar photographic evidence. Instead of the usual blackmail technique I couldn’t resist just letting the photos run so we could all have a good laugh.

CANON EOS 5D

The newest rage we’re hearing from all the shutterbugs and video geeks (including us) is the new Canon EOS 5D digital SLR. This baby is not only your top of the line camera that most of the “in the know” professionals use, but it also shoots full quality HD video as well. Add the fact that it is compatible with Canon’s full range of interchangeable lenses, and you’ve got yourself a truly amazing piece of machinery. At just under three grand for the body, it’s a little out of our price range, so we’ll be dreaming about this puppy for while.

ZENERGIZE YOUR LIFE

There are tons and tons of energy drinks out there on the market. I’m baffled each and every time I’m at the grocery store or corner mini-mart at all of my options. Not exactly the same as the cases of Red Bull (which mysteriously stopped appearing) or the Monster Energy drinks delivered each and every month, but we just received a nice little care package from the people over at Zenergize DrinkTabs. These tabs (think Airborne) are perfect for staying healthy and hydrated for the busy, on-thego person like us. We’ve been plopping these tabs in our waters ever since they’ve landed on our desk and with nine flavors and five varieties, there is a little something for everyone.

Recently artists Ron English, Jason Maloney and Bigfoot bombed the sidewall of the Hudson County Art Store in Jersey City. All three met in front of the giant wall one chilly, New Jersey morning. The mural took all day and amazingly, the artists agreed that no preliminary sketch would be done before hand. A special thanks goes out to Hurley photographer, Beau Roulette and video shot by Aaron Belchere. Both were on hand to document the entire process. To see more information on this killer mural, log onto Hurley.com. Photo: Beau Roulette / Hurley

Hurley Beat On The Brat MSRP $195

Smith Lullaby MSRP $119

Brigada Scarfo MSRP $70

Anon Shotgun MSRP $125

Kaenon Arlo MSRP $199

VZ Hoss MSRP $90

Dragon Fame MSRP $100

Converse Yard Sale MSRP $145

Electric CB4 MSRP $90

Oakley Jupiter MSRP $120

Quiksilver Goose MSRP $105

Sabre Way Kool MSRP $90

Fox Cadet MSRP $120

Arnette Bluster MSRP $90

Anarchy Instrument MSRP $85

Every month we try to include a single-pager that will appeal to each and every person who picks up a copy of this here ‘zine - besides the monthly Super Taste. I don’t think there is one person that’ll look at this page and not be somewhat amazed by what Benedict Radcliffe is creating. Taking his experience from commercial fabrication and construction, he has been producing some pretty incredible pieces of sculptural art. Starting with a life sized drawing and making a ﬁnal product that looks more like a computer-generated rendering, you just can’t help but wonder if his scuptures are real.

I remember Lisa Solberg from back in the day. She was the hot professional skier when pretty much no other girls were doing it. Reinventing herself, she’s once again is in the limelight… but now for her artwork. Her free spirit nature and go get ‘em attitude really seem to be ﬁtting her new career direction. Oversize pieces inﬂuenced by Basquiat and created with an expressive style that is all her own, she has been getting the attention from more than a few industry heavyweights. With showings already at Swiv Tackle Circus, Holster Projects and Kinsey/Desforges gallery, it seems as though she’s on the right path. To see Lisa’s current projects or dates on upcoming shows, be sure to visit her website at lisasolberg.com. Photo: William Anthony

Micah Byrne

Words & Photos: Tom Carey I imagine Samoa looks like what Hawaii did a century ago. Lush, vertical green mountains spill into the vast, blue ocean lined with villages. The Samoan people keep things simple. Coming from California, the slow paced, laid back lifestyle of the Samoan people was a breath of fresh air. Families in Samoa take care of each other and always are there for each other. Their family traditions and culture run deep, even today. The last male child in each family is brought up as a woman, or fafaﬁna, to keep up with the household lady chores. The child is brought up so convincingly

that the fafaﬁna actually believes he’s a girl and is offended if you call her him or he. No surf trip is complete without meeting one truly classic traveler. On this occasion we met not only a great guy but also a true legend and Jack was his name. Jack was an old school dude from San Clemente. For years he had sanded boards for Timmy Patterson and vacationed in Samoa annually. He was kind of famous around the Salani quarters, kind of like a camp celebrity. Jack was always the ﬁrst face you greeted in the

morning and he always had a funny little anecdote to tell you. He had the biggest heart and you could tell he really enjoyed being there. But Jack got into a bit of trouble this trip while entering the airport. Instead of hiding his joints in a killer place, Jack just stuck them in plain sight in a cigarette pack. The customs agent seized his stash and after another search they released him out of custody only to deal with it at a later time. This gave Jack too much time to think about what his punishment might detail. It also gave the media

Zahn Foxton

Ozzie Wright

plenty of time to write a bunch of garbage in the local newspapers. The rumors were ﬂying around the like wild ﬁre that he might be incarcerated; only freaking Jack out even more. The weed seizure pulled big headlines on the island, especially since he was an American. The incident even made the local news. Jack was becoming pretty famous at this point. After a delay in the hearing, Jack was let off the hook and pretty much just had to go home. All in all, I’d say it was worth it. What a story to tell your grandkids. While this was going down we were scoring surf everyday. South swells, north swells, Samoa has it all. Salani Rights is such a sick wave from two foot to eight foot. When it’s small the wave is so rippable and rampy. Ozzie and Zahn ramped out of just about every wave while Micah blew the top off the things.

Josh Hoyer

After a few small days at the right we ventured over to the other side of the island to our little trestles style wave. The trip across the island only takes a half an hour, which is amazing. As you pull up to the viewing point you see waves scattered across a huge bay with a beautiful church on the beach. The only people around were a few young kids who were excited and curious to see us weirdos. The wave ledged up in the middle of the bay and had a rippable right and left for us to split. The walls of the bay were so lush and vertical it felt like you were surﬁng indoors. After a while the wind switched onshore so it was back to Salani were we knew it be offshore breezes. The next day we tried our luck on Salani’s Left. It looked like a few sneakers were coming through and then all the sudden a bomb came in and Zahn was luckily in position. First wave and the frothing Aussie

got a sick pit and got completely spit out like a bad shot of whiskey. From then on it was three of us trading of perfect stand up pits with not a drip of water out of place. Wave after wave peeled down the point like a fucking machine. That session was by far on the most amazing, fun, and memorable experiences of my digital career. We surfed into the night and slept like little, newbie babies. After another day of slaying the left we were almost getting surfed out. We knew the swell was up but we decided to sleep in a bit and let the other campers surf the right. At about 10am we flew out the lagoon on our panga to see spitting righthanders roll down the reef. Hoyer had just flown in that night landing himself into the best day of the trip. I think he was the first off the boat as the other surfers cleared the lineup to go surf a different

Micah Byrne

Zahn Foxton

Ozzie Wright

wave up the coast. Barrel after barrel was traded off but Micah took the heat with a nuts tube that completely shit him out. I couldn’t believe how mental and uncrowded the surf was out there. Indo couldn’t hold this waves jock strap. It would be one thing if Indo was empty like Samoa, but its not. Samoa has the beauty of being land based with enough attractions and sight seeing to keep you occupied for weeks. After the swell dropped for a few days we put on our puka shell necklaces and played the role of tourists, checking out all the hot spots. Our ﬁrst

encounter was of a huge cave that you could swim to from the ocean. It was kind of scary and dark at ﬁrst but after swimming through the darkness you popped up to see the most memorable view of your life. Robert Louis Stevenson visited Samoa years ago and never left. Now I know why. The raw beauty of the land and people is immeasurable. Stevenson died on the island and the people still remember him through stories and tours. Samoa is also home to some of the best ﬁshing in the world. Chris, the owner of Salani, has the best

ﬁshing boat in all of Samoa and was kind enough to take Micah and I out one day. After trolling around for a while for some Marlin, we found some birds working and hooked up some Wahoo and Mahi Mahi. Micah ended up taking the jackpot but overall the ﬁshing was just like the waves: mental. Everything at Salani was top notch. The waves, food, guides, accommodation were more than I could ask for, thanks to www.waterwaystravel. com for hooking it up! I can’t wait to get back there and have the best surf trip of my life again.

Zahn Foxton

Another first for the BL!SSS offices, this month’s Super Taste comes all the way from Romania. We found her while wondering the local college campus… Ok, maybe we didn’t, but someone has to have noticed this bio-major wandering campus. I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone exactly which college she goes to but let’s just say it’s somewhere in Southern California. No need to travel half way across the world to find Eastern European beauties, we got all you need right here. Photo: Dominic Petruzzi // dominicpetruzzi.com // Model: Donna :: Hair/Makeup: Ashely Bent

Randy Ploesser : Random Ditch :: Tight Tranny Rock Fakie

Words: Derek Fukuhara :: Photos: Mikendo No two tours are ever alike. Even if it’s to a familiar city, there are always new spots to skate, unfamiliar faces to meet and new survival tactics to learn. In this particular case, the Ezekiel team set out from the ASR trade show on a three-week northwest venture. None of us really knew what we were getting into, but with per diem in our pockets, we grabbed a seat in the van. The cast consisted of Mikendo “Pedophield”, Randy “Marbles” Ploessor, Louie “Dungeon Master” Barletta, Joey Pepper, Evan “Little Bunny” Smith, Jon “Noodles” Lupfer, Dave “Mclovin” Abair, “NutZach” Wagner and myself the “Hippie Scumbag”.

SAN JOSE

The first stop was San Jose where we met up with Louie and his roommate Warren. Immediately these infantry commanders taught us two lessons from the Tiltmode Army handbook. Armed with “wizard staffs” and wizard status already achieved, Warren proceeded to “renegade” three adult flavored beverages in a row. After adding the new verb and noun to our vocabularies we were ready to embark on our adventure. We skated around San Jose the next day and met some girls at the ledge under the bridge. Zach skated flat ground over them while Evan charmed them with his baby face. From SJ we headed into SF. We picked up flow rider Dave Abair and Joey Pepper who brought his fluffer, Matt Jones. With these new faces in the van we headed to the empty fountain to try to handle some business. Zach was more hyped than a jock on the night of UFC 82, when a random dude grabbed his board and tried to put us

on citizen’s arrest he wasn’t having it. Zach lept out of the fountain and bear hugged the man holding his board. These good Samaritans made legal threats, we laughed at them, then headed out to Sacto.

SACTO

In Sacramento we stayed at our reps house. Her and her roommates took care of us. A special thanks to Teresa, Justin and his girlfriend for being so hospitable. Another thanks goes out to Transworld videographer Chris Ray and Matt Miller for showing us all the spots. One of the days in Sac we decided to skate the brick quarterpipes up the three-stair at the university. Like clockwork the campus police ran us out. Johnny rent-a-cop must have been having a bad day because he blocked the van in with his masculine golf cart. He ran all of our ID’s and one came up dirty. The faux officer began interrogating Mikendo about the “two ninety” on his record. After fifteen minutes of questioning, Mikendo still had no idea what he was talking about. A few years back while Mike was filming for The Filmbot Files, he got a public urination ticket in Utah for pissing at a skatespot as the cops arrived. By not paying it, his record states he is a sexual deviant. As soon as the words leaked from the officer’s mouth, the van erupted in laughter. References of 290’s and pedophilia circulated throughout the van the rest of the trip. Our demo in Sacto really showed our true colors. We showed up to “the hanger” and found out it was closed. Good news to the guys who were skating so hard. There happened to

Zach Wagner : San Jose :: K-Flip B.S Tail

Dave Abair : AA : Heel-Flip Nose Manny

be a river that ﬂowed right next to the park. We snuck in a quick dip and a few renegades by the time the owner of the park showed up. With the liquid warm up in our systems we cruised around the park for a minute until the grill warmed up. “Noodles” made his own liquid warm by pissing in the shorts Zach let his use to swim in the river. Demo done, tricks captured, onward with our daylong drive to Portland.

ROADTIME

Ezekiel decided to bless the team with a fourteen-passenger van. I don’t think they knew what they were getting themselves into. Eleven human bodies and enough luggage to get us through the Oregon Trail made a tight squeeze for the long drives. These

accommodations only brought the crew closer. If you have ever been on a road trip you know the inside jokes, nicknames, laughs and dangerous situations you share with your fellow travelers are priceless. Road suds and bologna sandwiches become a must for long drives. There is always a backseat crew on every tour. As of this tour the backseat became known as “The Dungeon”, headed by Louie the “Dungeon Master” and his battalion of “Warlocks” (Abair and Lupfer). Eight hours into our drive to Portland some of our talent was getting restless. Mastering the craft of alcohol consumption, the Dungeon Master bought a funnel and erected a makeshift beer bong. A few hours later we pulled

up to the Jupiter Hotel in Portland, Oregon.

day and night guiding us to skate spots and bars. One day while meeting up at The Department of Skateboarding. Lups and Abair Our arrival at the Jupiter Hotel were feeling the wrath of the night was similar to a crossbreed of before, so we decided to grab some food. As we were heading back to Jeff Spicoli and Bad Santa exiting the park, a bus full of high school a vehicle. Some of the guys girls pulled up to a stop light by staggered out of the van, stumbled the van. Lupfer couldn’t hold his through the parking lot, directly to food down and puked all over the their rooms. The first morning in parking lot. When Abair saw this Portland we skated to Burnside he freaked out. He attempted to which happened to be two blocks explain that he can’t see people from our hotel. Expecting harsh puke because of his weak stomach. vibes, Evan, Zach and myself Without finishing his sentence skated up with caution. When the he let it go. Meanwhile, the girls in the bus were fifteen feet away locals saw Little Dunny tear the screaming. The bus driver was place a new rectum they greeted trying to find an exit strategy, but us with open arms. Adidas team he was stuck at the light. By the manager, Jesse Bracewell, showed time the bus driver found his way us spots around the city with help out, the parking lot was covered from Tyson Reynolds and Alex in puddles of puke and dirtbags in Davies. These locals spent all flannels.

PORTLAND

Randy Ploesser : Doggie Cone :: Frontside Carve

Evan Smith : CC :: 180 Hydrant Switch Manny

Derek Fukuhara : Seattle :: No-Comply F.S Tail

Louie Barletta : Seattle :: Tweek Ollie

Garrett Hunt rode with us the entire tour and was our man On our way to Seattle we stopped behind the camera. Garrett in Vancouver, Washington to managed to capture nine guys camp for two nights. Being skating at each spot. It just so isolated in the wilderness happened that he was born and with only a campﬁre, BB gun, raised in Seattle. He showed slingshots, guitar and brews will us around, we got to skate bring a group of people closer. his childhood spots and skate Our days in the woods were parks. Unfortunately rain hit us spent attempting to catch ﬁsh pretty hard in Washington. We and dangling off of rope swings. did get a chance to skate some At night, we dabbled in various good terrain and head home forms of wizardry. with some photos and footage.

SEATTLE

EPILOGUE

The last night of the trip Garrett made a quick edit of all the tricks the team ﬁlmed in the past few weeks. Everyone crammed in his hotel room and had a gander. We all knew how much blood, stress and pain that went into each trick. Observing the team’s hyped reactions to each clip gave me a satisﬁed sense of family. Hearing everyone exchange props showed me exactly how close we had grown over the

last two and a half weeks. That is exactly what tour does. It creates instant family. From meeting a few of these guys for the ﬁrst time, to hoping we will be friends for years. A special thanks goes out to Teresa and Justin, Jesse Bracewell, Tyson Reynolds, Alex Davies, Mikendo, Garrett Hunt, Matt Jones for being amazing at doing nothing, Ray Ray, Matt Miller, Nikhil Thayer, and everyone at Ezekiel for making this possible.

Interview: Marc Frank Montonya :: Photos: Darcy Bacha Johnnie Paxson is one of the next generation of young rippers coming out of Mt. Hood, Oregon. Renowned for it’s summer time shenanigans, Mt. Hood is a winter stomping ground for some of the most versatile snowboarders in the world, and that’s exactly what Johnnie is. With the constant barrage of snowboard media these days, it’s somehow more difficult than ever to standout from the crowd. Johnnie lets his snowboarding do the talking, and that’s just what he did last summer when he sessioned an 85ft gap jump at Windell’s Snowboard Camp. Get on your computer and see for yourself. The footage is heavy, to say the least. Given the opportunity to prove himself in front of the cameras, Johnnie threw down an arsenal of tricks that could almost fill a video part. I forgot to mention it was all in one day. Double corks, Double back flip late backside 180’s, 1080’s, not mention flawless frontside and backside flat spins with effortless style to silence the chat room haters.

This season Johnnie is working on a highly anticipated new video project with the legendary MFM called “Hard to Earn.” Johnnie is a humble guy, and his mission in snowboarding is simply to take it next level and put his mark in the books. Judging by the attention he’s gathered so far and the sponsor list, he’s well on his way. Introducing Johnnie Paxson... -Corey Smith So Johnnie, I know you’re a growing boy and all, but man, you really love milk, what’s the deal? Yeah, I don’t know, it’s just the best drink out there. You know? I just signed a contract with Darigold. Have you learned anything this year so far from staying at my house (ie: life, health, business)?

Yeah, I’ve learned a lot about all that stuff for sure. But mostly, I learned that when you get beat at pong you tend to break shit. Did you get a better ping pong paddle yet? Because you really do talk a lot of shit but your game sucks, and you can’t come back to the house until you have your own good paddle, because you need it - we don’t mess with amateurs over here you know! I think you might even have to practice at Scotty The Body’s house a bit too before you come back or maybe practice by yourself against the wall or somethin’! Haha! Your video parts make you look all hard but for those who didn’t know Marc Frank is really a funny guy. I still have the one paddle I started out with because I don’t break one every time I loose, which doesn’t really happen. So are you gettin’ a big head yet? You gotta be stoked because it seems to me like you’re better than a lot of other fools out there already, even some pros! Uhhhhhhhh... Haha no. I am stoked though; this season has been really good so far.

So how do you like livin’ at my house? Isn’t it the shit? With our Indo Board and everything? Except you really do eat a lot, maybe you can start cookin’ for us a little bit, jerk face. It’s definitely sick, but we need a mini ramp in the living room for sure. The Indo Board just won’t cut it anymore because I’m kinda as sick as it gets on that thing. But yeah, I could try and cook some stuff. So umm… Remember you took my black SOUND pants? Yeah, well, I needed ‘em the other day, but whatevz, I guess I’ll just suffer to make you happy - Are you happy now? Oh yeah, I forgot about those, I’ll get them back to you. They’ve just been in the back of my truck since I took a bad fall and messed myself in ‘em. How do you like our crew of homies? Do you think you fit in? Is if fun shootin’ with the MFM & Friends crew? Everybody’s way cool. I don’t know what “fitting in” means but yeah, it’s super fun shootin’ with you and the crew for sure.

“YOUR VIDEO PARTS MAKE YOU LOOK ALL HARD BUT FOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T KNOW MARC FRANK IS REALLY A FUNNY GUY.”

You’re so motivated to work and get things done this year, with your video part and all, what’s your mind state? What’s your motivation? What’s your why? And what are your dreams? Well my mind state is just work hard, my motivation is to have fun and get paid doing it, my why is love of snowboarding and my dreams are to do this as long as I can and to be able to give back to the sport somehow.

think about that yet? The way I’d like to give back is helpin’ the kids some how. I deﬁnitely want to help people and changing the world would be good but I haven’t plotted out that plan yet. My message is to be the best person you can be and enjoy life. And when? As soon as I can.

Who are you influences in snowboarding, and who do you want to shout out to? Who gets Who are you influences outside props and why? of snowboarding? Do you look Influences in snowboarding are: up to anybody, or admire them, You of course, you came up from and why? not a whole lot and made things I look up to a lot of people. Not happen for yourself and influenced anyone really well known or famous because I don’t know that many. snowboarding in a huge way, Most of them are just family and Devun Walsh, Scotty Witlake, friends because they’re just good Jussi, Gigi, Magoon, everyone who has fun on a snowboard. I peeps. wanna give props to anyone who What’s your next trick you has helped me out or supports my habbit - my fam, Scotty, you, Cole, wanna learn? A 1260, a few double corks and a Darcy Bacha, everyone at Rome, Dakine, Dragon, Comune, Northern triple cork. Alliance, Timberline, HoodRats and And if you make it all big and turn anyone who snowboards. Why? Cuz into the next superstar, how I couldn’t a done it without ‘em. are you gonna give back? Are you gonna use it as leverage to What’s your favorite “saying” help people, or help change the or “thought of the day?” world? What’s gonna be your “Never, never, never quit!” – Winston Churchill message, yo? Or do you even

“ALWAYS LATE, NEVER IN A RUSH BUT GET HIM IN THE WATER AND THE KID FLARES RIGHT UP. ” - SHANE DORIAN

Interview: Blake Dale :: Photos: Daniel Russo Simply stoked on good people and good waves, Torrey has always been a happy kid. Softspoken and straight forward, he lets his surﬁng do the talking. Torrey was the quiet one that all his friends would try to give a hard time because they all knew he would smoke them once he got in the water. Torrey thrives on surf that can hurt you; furthermore he comes alive when the conditions and elements are heaviest. However, he is just coming into his own, realizing the craziness he is capable of. “He loves to surf slabs and for a long time he hasn’t acknowledged how good he really is,” claims Rainos Hayes who has coached Torrey the last two years in Hawaii during the Triple Crown. “If Torrey surfs at the level of a seven-point ride in his own head, he generally gets nines.” Torrey has an all or nothing approach; regardless of whether he is in a heat, he doesn’t hold back. If he sees someone blow up in the water you can bet it will push him even harder – he never shoots for anything less than ﬁrst. Brought up on the Big Island and groomed by the likes of Shane Dorian in the highly competitive Banyans pecking order, Torrey has a very well rounded program. Dangerous in any size surf, Torrey has a lot to prove not to mention he hasn’t even come close to scratching the surface of his potential. Nevertheless, expect big airs, big barrels and big results from this young lad in the future! *Interview conducted over the phone from the Billabong HQ on Friday March 20, 2009 at 3:28pm… Blake Dale: Torrey! Torrey Meister: Yo Blake. How’s Tazzy? It’s alright… Well, pretty bad actually, there’s no one around and it feels like we’re on the moon.

Ha, any waves? Not really, it’s small. We’re in the middle of nowhere and the place we’re staying at is pretty funny too.

Home? Kailua, Kona, Big Island.

Boards? 6’1 x 18.5 x 2.25.

Favorite Wave? Banyans

Pretty much sounds like the QS to me. Who are you cruising with down there? I’m with Sterling (Spencer), Damien (Fahrenfort) and CJ (Hobgood)… Traveling with funny people helps with the boredom though.

Favorite Cereal? Seriously dude? Pops…

What have you been doing during down time, any new hobbies? I’ve been doing a lot of Jiu Jitsu lately and getting really into it. I’m not good or anything but it’s really fun. Probably one of the best workouts I’ve ever had!

Very true. Alright Torrey, Blisss interview, you know the drill… D.O.B.? 06/16/1988.

Tunes? Pretty much anything with 2Pac, he’s the man! Movies? Superbad, Pineapple Express, and Wedding Crashers. Barrels or Airs? Barrels!

What do you like to do when you’re at home? I like diving and ﬁshing at home. The Big Island pretty much has the best diving in the world.

Any upcoming events/trips? I’m down in Tazzy for an event and then off to West Oz for another event and filming for Billabong’s new surf flick. What are some of your goals for 2009/2010? I want to get as many photos and good video sections as I can and to do well in Hawaii at the Triple Crown this year. I also want to have a good section in Billabong’s new movie “Still Filthy.” So I’ve been working a lot on trying to nail some clips for that. Most of all I really just want to have fun traveling with my friends and getting some good waves. Alright bra, last question, who or what are your biggest influences? Jesus Christ has always been my biggest influence. My parents as well, they are the most supportive people I have ever known. Also all of my friends and all the boys at Banyans, especially Shane Dorian and Brahda Delta! Alright man don’t get too bored down there… I’ll try not to. Safe travels and I’ll see you when you get back. Cool Blake, later.

Photography:

Nick Faâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;rrell

Styling: Shameless :: Model: Georgia :: Makeup: Sara Beth

Sweater: RVCA Knee Highs: American Apparel

Bathing Suit Bottoms: Vans Bag: Volcom

Customized Tank Top: Ezekiel Bathing Suit Bottoms: Volcom

Shirt: RVCA, Vintage Jeans, Sandals: Vans, Bag: Volcom, Glasses: Ray Ban

Shorts: Volcom, Thigh Highs: American Apparel

Shorts: Vans, Sandals: Vans, Customized Shirt: American Apparel

Bathing Suit Top: Hurley, Shirt: RVCA

Sweater: Vans

Interview: Birdo/Mike Peterson/Leticia Born on a small fishing boat in the Baltic Sea, Kyle Berard is no stranger to adversity. Raised in subzero winters, and summers with temperatures of over 130 degrees, Kyle was bred to be a warrior. When he came to Virginia at the tender age of six, he already had a beard and the breath of a cod. He had already gone through enough adversity that any normal human being could take in a lifetime. So to become one of the best skateboarders out there was not a problem for him. “You go off ahead and practice,” he’d say. “I’m gonna drink beers for a couple of weeks before the contest starts.” His peers would skate day in and day out, preparing for the contest, and on the day of the contest, everyone wondered whether Kyle would show up. Only minutes before his heat, Kyle would end up showing up. People thought, “Oh no, what’s Kyle’s dad doing here? Did something bad happen?” But low and behold... it was Kyle. He didn’t care about winning the contest; he just needed more beer money. That was all the motivation he needed. I’d like to say that he would always end up skating flawless runs and getting first... but that would just depend on how desperate he was for beer money. Though not impressive to the crowd, Kyle was always pretty happy about it. Kyle is living proof that if you want something bad enough you have to drink a lot of beer. And thus... the story of Kyle Berard.

with a fake ID. That comes under the category, “What is one man’s trash, is another man’s treasure.” Or wait, “One man’s ghetto, is another man’s wonderland.” Like you can be, “Dude, dude! Check out the chicks from the balcony on the corner!” And they’re hookers. Which leads me to my next question, I have seen you drink enough to kill a horse and still carry on a normal conversation, while your buddy Mike, who’s got ten years on you by the way, he… he becomes partially retarded after a twelve pack. How do you do it? Right. Well, I learned from him, and then he got married and had a child. And now, every time he gets hammered I have to take care of him. One of the ﬁrst weekends he came up to my house, we got hammered at one of these ﬁne establishments around the way, and uh, he pissed my couch. Kind of like a housewarming gift from The Dinger (Mike Peterson).

When you bought your house, did the fact that you had ten bars within walking distance come into play? It had a lot to do with it, I’ll tell ya. But at the same time I was 20 when I bought my house, so I had to wait a year. I had a fake ID, but it only worked in certain places.

Okay, how did you get into skating and how old were you? My buddy Fat James around the corner got me into it around the same time I went to Mount Trashmore to watch people skate for the first time. My first board didn’t have grip tape. I didn’t have the extra five bucks. So I looked like a big kook I’m sure.

Yeah, that is actually a prime location for somebody who is 20 years old

I can sympathize with that, because back in my drinking days, I peed on a lot of things. Oh, my whole house has been pissed. P-Coots pissed my bed when I wasn’t in it, and then he threw up in it. And then Mike pissed the couch, and then a couple of weeks after that, Steve P. pissed the coffee table. And uh… I’ve pissed the kitchen.

So you’re 24 now. How long have you

K-Flip Bump Flat

been pro? What has changed since you’ve been in it-good/ bad? I’ve been pro for eight years. Having the opportunity to skate with my heroes was great. I would just enter contests as an amateur and I ended up winning a few and that’s how it happened. I think the most important thing that has changed is me - and that is both good and bad. Who were your idols back then? Now? I loved the Northern California style of skateboarding and always will: Phil Shao, Wade Speyer, Cardiel. I loved East Coast vert skating too: Tom Boyle, Mike Frazier and Paul Zitzer. I used to skate vert a lot. For about a year there that is all I skated. Not much has changed as far as idols. I still get that same feeling watching those older videos. Other notables for me were Barley, Kerry Getz a little bit later, and Ricky Oyola. I remember thinking that the East Coast was the shit, and not much about that has changed either. So you moved out to California for four months, and then you decided to move back to Virginia. Does California suck? I lived on and off there for a year. But I broke my collar bone dropping in on my hands, in Australia, so then I had to move back home, and just, you know, hang out. I ended up breaking it like two or three more times. But then when I moved back out to California, I broke my foot trying to pick up Stu Graham, at a bar. He’s a heavy lad. He’s a big boy. Big, scary boy. So it was pretty much two drinking accidents, and I’m out for a year, and back to Virginia. So what is there to do out in Virginia? Well, I’m walking to the bar. That was an easy question.

I mean, there’s a mini ramp a block from the bar that sometimes I’ll skate on the way to the bar. It’s pretty sick. It just got reﬁnished. The deck fell off the back of it, cuz it’s been there for a while. But it just got ﬁnished yesterday, so I might skate to the bar tomorrow. What’s the bar called? The Tap House, and it looks dead as usual. Just the way I like it. So how well do they know you over there at the bar? Pretty good… really good. Let’s talk about school in St Augustine. Did you get a degree? No, I just did three semesters. How about the three P’s - Parties, P-Coots, and Poontang. I think I can sum it up in one sentence. We were at a party in St. Augustine, and P–Coots was taking a piss next to me on the fence out front, and a Poontang sucked his dick, while we were pissing on a fence. Is P-Coots more of a mentor or an apprentice in partying? He’s more like… my sidekick. I don’t know if he’s gonna like that, but we kinda help each other out. But I mean you can’t “learn” how to get a blowjob while pissing on a fence. Really? Have you ever gotten a blowjob while pissing on a fence? No, but if there was a book on how to, I might buy it. P-Coots can’t read or write, so there’s not going to be a book on it soon. Leticia wants to know if he was peeing mid action, like was it a golden shower? No, he was peeing, minding his own business, and I was too, and then he was like, “Whoaaa, what’s this?” And then this chick shook it out for him, and then put her mouth on it. Respectable young woman she is. He might

B.S Smith Tombstone Kona Skatepark

be the mentor in this situation. I like how he tried to get you guys to do a “Bro-Model.” He was really pulling for that, and I was like, “You’re gonna sell ﬁve.” It’ll be me, Peterson, a couple other random dudes, he’ll probably buy one, and then that’ll be it. The pee chick at the fence line might pick one up. I don’t know if she skates… or knows even knows P-Coots’ name. Beer or mixed drinks? It depends if I’m already hung over in the morning, or just starting out fresh, which is very rare. If I’m hung over, it’ll probably be mixed drinks. If I’m still hung over at night, it’s gonna be a bottle of wine. Is that good wine? It doesn’t matter. So it could be cooking sherry? Yeah, anything to get my mind off of being hung over. The hair of the dog that bit ya. The whole dog, the entire dog, all over again.

B.S Crail Kula’s bowl

StaleďŹ sh Fakie Tree

So you’re taking your shop, Cardinal, over from your dad. Are you excited? Yes, I am excited. I go in there, and I don’t really know much of what’s going on. Like for five years, I’ve been out of town or going to school. I know the basics of it, but pretty soon, I’m gonna have to learn everything, and then I can probably give you a better answer to that. It’s been going good though, it’s been five years and running. We’ve got some cool kids working there… I don’t know - we’ll see how it goes. What would you be doing now if you weren’t skating? Not a clue. Maybe still going to school. I have never had much time to think about that, and when I do, it gives me anxiety. Skateboarding is really the only thing I have ever dedicated this much time and energy into. I don’t really think about that question too much because I don’t even know how to think that way. I’d probably be hanging out with The Dinger (Mike Peterson) at his house. Watching him mow his lawn eight times a day. Who do you like to skate with? I like skating with The Dinger, Trey Winslow and… I really love skating with, when he’s not working at the shipyard, buddy Loco, Shane Henry, my roommate. He’s gotta get surgery on his knee. Mumford, Duffy… there’s a lot of guys I like skating with. Who do you like to drink with? The same exact list I just gave you. I thought they might be the same. I mean half those guys go skate that mini ramp with me on the way to the bar. It’s like a little pit stop. We’ll get a little lien to tail here, a little frontside carve or grind, or whatever, whoever’s doing what, and then we high tail it up to The Tap House for PBR’s. Besides, skating what do you love about skateboarding? Having an outlet to get away from whatever is bothering me. What do you hate about skateboarding? I don’t have any bones to pick with skateboarding itself... but like professional skateboarding, yeah, all day long I could talk about. I mean being on trips, you wanna go on trips with your friends, but when you start going on trips with dudes you can’t stand, that’s the worst. But that’s professional or sponsored skating, whatever you wanna call it. Another is that professional skating or skateboarding in general, doesn’t always transcend into adult life… and I hate an old, bitter skateboarder. That’s the worst for me. What’s skateboarding in its purest form mean to you? At the end of the day, it’s just skateboarding, which is not filming some dude, or meeting up with some sketchy fuck photographer you don’t like. It’s like your friends. It’s me, P-coots, and Alex going to skate. Do you think you can achieve that and be pro at the same time? Being pro can be very different at times, but not all the time. I have skated a lot of great shit that I would never of been able to if it wasn’t on a sponsored trip. But sometimes in a contest you are thinking that you better land this trick or you won’t be able to pay rent. But you can’t

B.S Disaster Revert Brick Banks

really think about paying rent in the middle of a trick and still think you are going to land it. You are forced to clear your mind so you don’t hang up on a frontside air in front of your buddies. Even when P-coots is on the deck and you are mid air thinking about how much he cost you to drive him across the country. So sometimes I guess pro skating is the exact opposite, but you have to take the good with the bad. And not to mention the longer you are pro the older you get. Which means more responsibility and priorities. You can put all of that stuff off, but I think that is why a lot of great skateboarders hit a brick wall at the end of their careers. So maybe it is getting older, or just getting paid for what you love to do. Something makes it change over time, maybe a bit of both. When you start skating, it takes you away from your worries. And sometimes when you skate professionally, it can bring some of those worries back up. Leticia says you have an old soul. By this, she means you think and act beyond your years - does this shit ever get in the way? Yeah. My last answer probably made me sound 40. Better than sounding 4 I guess. I’m guilty of thinking way too far ahead most of the time. It’s nice to have been around the block so early and actually have a few things sink in. It’s easier to deal with everyday people and situations. But I always have to tell myself that life is not a race because there is no set ﬁnish line. That works for an hour or two and then I have to re-explain it to myself in some other gay way. I see other people that are older, have been around the world, and still don’t get it. And then I think if they are happy, fuck it. We all just have a job of having fun and staying happy. You and Mike are pretty tight. How long have you known each other and how’d you meet? I met Mike when I was 13 in South Carolina. He was ripping. I was down there with my dad for a contest. And that weekend, my dad broke his ankle walking down the pyramid. I’ll never forget that one. But I met Mike and I was like, this sounds gay, but I was kinda nervous to meet him. But if I knew how retarded he was, I wouldn’t have any problem. Cuz now, I’m nervous when we’re meeting other people. He’s not nervous. No no, he doesn’t know how to be nervous. I love that guy. Yeah, he’s great. I think I draw inspiration from Mike. You know he’s working on his own dictionary. Yeah, I do know that. Most recent I was being really nice to this girl at a bar, and he said I was being

really “gentlemanic.” And that goes with other ones, like when he was trying to 180 this thing, and he said, “Man I’m not scared. Fuck scaredom.” There’s so many… Speaking of, Mike has some questions for you too. Let me get him on the line. Mike - How you doing there bud? My ﬁrst question is, and everybody wants to know this, how do you go 18, 19, 30? Everybody thinks you’re as old as I am, but you’re actually ten years younger. How does that work? It’s from hanging out with you. Actually, even more people know that I’m 30 because Danny Way said it on the X Games, like what, 33 million people? More people know that I’m 30 than don’t know.

But you’re only 25. I’m not 25, I’m 24. (Birdo chimes in) Can I ask a question on this subject? I know being that you’re only 24 but you look like you’re 40, I remember when I was 24; wanting to look older because it really broadened the spectrum of girls I could get with. And I’m just wondering if this is how it’s played out for you? Like maybe some 40 year-old lady is like “Ah check out this dude that’s my age” and you’re like, “That’s cool, I can get on this 40 year chick that would normally think she was date-raping a kid,” but then also, you could be like, “Check it out, I’m really only 24.” No, the young chicks I don’t think really go for it because they think that I’m probably going to rape them.

Ollie Grass Gap I was just wishful thinking that maybe it played out that way for you. It doesn’t play out for me at all in really any aspect. No, you take what you can get. That’s my motto. That’s my motto too. That’s the Consolidated motto. We all take what we can get. Mike - Goddamn, where is this going? Okay, here is my next question. I was at your house and was walking down your hallway. And I see this photo of you, and you’re five… and you’re shaving. Oh, at my parents house. That was my first shave. You were five - it had your age written underneath the photo. It’s not just like the general skateboarding population that jokes me for looking 30 or aging prematurely. My family does it, and they ALL laugh at me. We are all convinced that you could grow a beard at a stop sign. Is that true? Depends on the traffic. Tell me about your drive back from San Diego to Virginia, when you flew P-Coots out to “help” with the drive. Ooohhh, alright. So I go, “Hey P-Coots, you wanna help me drive?” And he goes, “Oh bro, I don’t know - I’m gonna have to take off work.” And by the way, he works at Salt Water Cowboy’s and dresses up in a denim outfit head to toe and takes people’s orders. So he’s gotta just somehow get away from all that responsibility cuz he wants to help his

buddy drive back. So I ﬂy him to San Diego and pick him up and we go to the strip club. So at the strip club he goes, “Bro man, I forgot to tell you man, I can’t drive stick.” Fuck. So I go, “What am I supposed to do with you?” And he goes, “You know what man, I was thinking about that on the plane here and you can just buy me beer and weed, and I’ll make you laugh.” So that’s what I did. I got him high and drunk. And you know what, he’d get all high and say one funny thing… and then pass out. I spent a thousand extra dollars on this guy. Leticia - To have you drive yourself back home. He’s fucked. He’s a fucking idiot. What a plan for him, huh? “You ready to drive P-Coots?” “Oohhhhh, oh wait. Somewhere in between those lap dances you were buying me last night, I remembered I couldn’t drive stick.” Birdo - I’d like to get something off my chest that’s really not a question. Mike - Take your bra off then you fuckin’ mark. Birdo - There was this asshole who I went to high school with that never brought his books home to study and always got A’s. Mike - How do you always get Aids? Isn’t it like once you get it, you got it? Birdo - Well for the next class or semester, he kept getting A’s. Mike - Oh A’s, I thought you said Aids! (Laughter) Yeah, you can get it every weekend. Mike - “Sorry, can’t come out today, I caught AIDS again…” Birdo - So anyways, I’m taking home

this fucking backpack full of books every day, and studying my ass off just to get C’s, and he’s going home with nothing, and always get fucking A’s. And the thing that pisses me off with Kyle, is that’s how he is with skateboarding. I hate Kyle and think he’s a dick… even though I love him. But for that reason. Mike - Everybody knows that Birdo. Birdo - Yeah, yeah, I know… and it’s annoying to the people that bring all their fucking books home. People bring their books home and they study and they study and they study… and they ﬂunk… and Kyle… What about you? Listen to this: You’ve got a skateboard company. There’s all these other skate companies trying to do good graphics and they don’t sell. You’ve got a board that says, “Don’t buy this board” and people buy the fuck out of it. So that’s the pot calling the kettle black there, Birdo. “I’m so gay” with a unicorn shitting a rainbow. You don’t see Dwindle doing that. Or anybody for that matter, if they did, it wouldn’t sell. You were open to the Dirty Sanchez! I love that graphic. It’s become an iconic classic now. You know I’m gonna need some kind of mellow board graphic now though, cuz some of my extended family. I can only imagine when they go on the Consolidated website and try and buy you know… ”Hey Grandma, can I have my cousin’s board?” And then it’s like, me ﬁngering a chick and then wiping their mouth with shit. They can get the, “Chicks are all over my Cock”. That one’s cute. That one’s not cute man.

Or the “Congratulations, it’s a Berard.” You can’t even get that one cuz it’s a bloody baby looking at a nurse’s tits, and it has a beard. I’ll tell you some of the reasoning behind it even though, that just pisses me off. I was just thinking the other day, nobody goes to see fucking G movies. Who fucking goes to that? You go to the fucking R movies. They’re the movies that fucking normal people, from probably twelve on, want to go see. Yet, all these fucking skateboard companies think they gotta make these fucking rated G graphics. Who likes that? It’s like all the G movies that parents have to sit through some shitty movie with a bunch of animals because their kid can’t see tits yet. But you kinda blend tits in with the kiddy shit. Okay, yeah, I’m kinda trying to sneak it in. Okay, when it’s all said and done, what do you want to take away from skateboarding? Fuck it. I want a lot... because I don’t want it to be done. I want to keep this going for as long as I can. How many people do you know who get to do what they love for a living? But by a lot, I don’t necessarily mean a lot of money, because God knows if I were ever to get rich, I’d be dead in a week. I just want to be able to keep experiencing things on the road. I’ve had some pretty memorable stories over the past ten years, and I need ten more years to keep the laughs going.

SAINTS PRESERVE US : 88” x 53” :: oil on linen :: Frame: Bamwood with antique bottles, books, photographs, and taxidermied insects

Words: Greg Escalante & Nathan Spoor The artist Martin Wittfooth exists as a rare and precious gem. His creations are ﬁnely crafted oil paintings depicting the interactions between nature and mankind, a state of collapse meeting a subsequent rebirth and natural reclamation, landscapes shaped by the sum of our collective modern fears. These oftentimes elusively interactive portrayals behold us to a very contemporary reference to the broader issues at hand. Most of the body of work deals with the absence of humanity, yet the scenes depicted betray a human inﬂuence and disquieting “presence”: the idea that while we may be long gone from the scenes portrayed, human hands set the stage. His originality and intriguing style of communication is but a small part of what makes him a master beyond the antiquity of the art form.

THE GREAT PARADE OF THE UNWASHED : 83” x 37” :: oil on canvas, 2008

Throughout his formative years growing up in Toronto, Martin dreamed of a richer ﬁeld in which to plant the seeds of his fertile visions. With his sights set on nearby New York, he completed his undergraduate program in Toronto and set off to enlist at the prestigious School of Visual Arts. His Masters program, Illustration as Visual Essay, was under the tutelage of the department’s chair – the highly acclaimed artist Marshall Arisman, the ﬁrst American to be invited to exhibit his artwork in main land China.

sentational work through free-form image making rather than commercial agendas. Like the contemporary artists in the illustration ﬁeld of the day that he looked up to – including Eric White, Dave Cooper, Mark Ryden and Joe Sorren – Martin’s work would be able to stand alone in galleries on its merit alone in due time.

Martin lives and works in an area of New York teeming with life and creativity. At a time when finding a comfortable living situation on a budget in Manhattan was unfathomable, he While in the graduate program, managed to land a great space in Martin was concentrating on blur- a pocket along the periphery, in the ring the fine line between illustra- Bushwick neighborhood in Brooklyn. tion and fine art, creating works that The surrounding area is littered with would explore the beauty of repre- factory buildings turned into lofts.

LIGHT SWEET CRUDE : 20” x 24” :: oil on canvas, 2008

These raw spaces with brick walls that include no amenities such as laundry rooms or doormen provide an oasis of sorts for inspired artists from all around the globe. “There isn’t a lot going on out here; it’s quiet, and the landscape is beautiful,” Martin muses, “but not in any conventional sense. Most people would be shocked at such a fond aesthetic description of this neighborhood. What I respond to though is that what you see all over the place here are the remnants of things that once served some purpose, but have outlived their usefulness, and have either been abandoned and left to oxidize and decay, or alternatively been reapplied somewhere else, like in constructing

rickety gates and walls. It’s these rusted trucks, buses, vans, bikes, pipes, doors, water towers and crumbled bricks that collectively speak about the human condition and lend this place an undeniably unique vibe. I can’t count how many instances of inspiration for my work I’ve encountered in just walking around these blocks.” It was from this Brooklyn neighborhood studio that he began creating the works that we see unfolding in the pages before us. On viewing the works on these pages, the artist extends his invitation to you, the active participant viewer, to allow the narratives and implied suggestions in the images to resonate. In these paintings, the

THE WESTERN EXPRESS : 30” x 30” :: oil on canvas, 2007

A DAY WITHOUT RAIN : 36” x 24” :: oil on canvas, 2008

CBEROROPEK : 32” x 24” :: oil on linen, 2008

EMISSARY : 11” x 14” :: oil on panel, 2009

EXPORT TRAGEDY : 22” x 28” :: oil on canvas, 2008

AS WE WAITED : 40” x 47” :: oil on canvas, 2008

artist brings us a vision in which human inﬂuence resists, divides, spills, mutates, evolves, and fuses with the natural world from which it originated, from which it has departed, and to which it will eventually return. While the human element is depicted as being long gone or participating in the far distance in Wittfooth’s landscapes, our shadow is not completely without a footprint. In his world, we bear witness to the aftermaths of war, environmental damage and overt ambitions tainted by blindsided ignorance. His paintings act as forecasts of a future viewed through the

lenses of our contemporary fears, a future that Martin Wittfooth has the fortitude to confront. Martin Wittfooth’s work can be viewed at www.martinwittfooth.com. He is represented by Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, Yves Laroche Gallery in Montreal, and Jerome Jenner Fine Art in Toronto. The previous text is the introduction to Wittfooth’s upcoming book, “Babel”, designed by Mark Murphy: www.murphydesign.com.

BEACHWORKS ARTIST ALLIES

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Words & Photos: Amber Wierenga // “El Dia” // “La Noche” // Filipa Da Silva // “Sing My Life” // Aaron Martinez, Jerrell Scott, Jardine Hammond, Amber Wierenga // Aaron Martinez // Filipa Da Silva & Aaron Martinez // “Winterscape” // “Willow” // “Sky Walk” // “Figment”

Beachworks, a small west coast surf and skate culture retailer, is showcasing artists and designers as a part of their Artist Allies program. The launch of this alternative showcase began March 14th at The Shoppes at Chino Hills, in conjunction with the center’s Fashion Night. Kicking off the Beachworks Artist Allies program are two talented designers from Eden (Element Skateboards girls division), Aaron Martinez (Los Angeles) and Filipa Da Silva (Portugal). They are both showcasing individual original art as well as collaborative pieces in the Beachworks windows at the The Shoppes at Chino Hills through April 21st. Their art represents not only their own personal style but Eden’s mission to encourage independent girls to be genuine, creative and passionate. Beachworks supports local artists and designers in the surf, skate and street industry, check in with your local Beachworks next time you are searching for a little inspiration. Sometimes supporting your local artist can be as simple as buying a t-shirt.

THE PRESENT PREMIERE: THOMAS CAMPBELL

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Robbie LaBelle, Thomas Campbell, Jonathan Wells // Packed House // Ray Barbee and The Mattson Two // Pre-game lounge // Emmett Malloy, Rob Machado & Paul Gomez // Pascal Stansfield & Jordan Tappis // Billy Boyd, Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan // Adrian & Friends // Chris Cote, Joe Marshall, Mark Paul Deren, Evan Slater // Tosh Townend // Tim Bergevin // Dan Malloy & Friend It was Tuesday evening and let’s just say I wasn’t exactly pissing my pants to be commuting up to Los Angeles through rush hour, hell-traffic to attend the Los Angeles premiere of Thomas Campbell’s latest surf flick “The Present.” The good thing was that the peeps at BL!SSS had paid for my gas, bribed me with two tickets and the venue was the world renownd Ricardo Montalbán Theatre, which is now inhabited by Nike Sportswear. They put on monthly Cinema Tuesday events at said theatre and it’s always filled with LA’s finest and that alone was enough to persuade me. I left work a bit early so I could have time to swing by and pay my friends at Insight a little visit. As usual, I pillaged their warehouse, shot my mouth off a bit too much and shared a few coldies with the marketing crew. An hour later I pulled up to the Montalban only to be greeted with a line around the block and a venue nearing capacity. After quickly locating the “list lady” I was in. Live tunes from Mattson 2 and Ray Barbee filled the air as adult beverages flowed through the hordes of people lobbying themselves to get the attention of the bartenders and fine cocktail waitresses – the people at Nike Sportswear do it right. An hour or so passed and they shut down the open bar, the theatre filled, the lights dimmed and the flick went on. It was old school reinvented; I felt like it was twenty years ago – sitting in a dark theatre with the “ooohhhsss and ahhhsss” coming from the audience. There’s tons of insane barrel riding footage from Indo mixed in with the antics of Rastavich and friends riding different surfboards all over the world – continuing the soulsearching, ride everything theme of prior Thomas Campbell flicks. A must see for today and tomorrow surf generation.

NIXON HIGH TIDE HOLD’EM : TAVARUA

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Words: Mike Murciano // Photos: Anthony Ghiglia // HTHE wouldn’t be complete without the pirate party. // Dylan’s backhand attach on Cloudbreak that led him to victory. // Tony Hawk – The Bird Man // Two World Class athletes from different worlds; Andy Irons and Travis Rice. // Poker night late into the night hours. // Dylan Graves was experimenting with a few different boards out at Cloudbreak. // Dusty Payne, half way through a rodeo flip. // Travis Rice in tribal gear for the Kiddieland portion of the event. // Cheyne Magnusson spearfishing. // Dylan Graves – Claiming the title // Michel Murciano with the heftyYellowfin that took the fishing portion. We’ve all gone through that dream scenario before, “If you were stuck on a deserted island, what and who would you want to be on the island?” This is no longer a dream scenario and I’m pretty sure that the Nixon High Tide Hold’em is about as close to everyone’s ideal of this as possible, or at least it’s definitely mine. The Nixon High Tide Hold’em in it’s 3rd year of maturity, a seven-day marathon of events nestled in the island of Tavarua. Nixon brings together an all-star cast ranging from skate, surf and snow as well as some close friends. This years crew was a definite eye catcher with: Tony Hawk, Danny Way, Todd Richards, Dusty Payne, Cheyne Magnusson, Hana Beaman, Dylan Graves and Travis Rice just to name a few. The event spans over a seven-day period having guest’s battle it out for some serious prizes but most of all bragging rights. The categories of competition are: surfing, fishing, spear fishing, poker, ping-pong, kiddieland and karaoke.

The events are scored over a weeklong period and on the final night of the event the scores are tallied up and the champion announced. This year it Dylan Graves who threw down, and walked away with the title. Dylan’s areas of strength being: obviously surfing (despite small conditions this year Dylan impressed everyone, and got a unanimous vote), Kiddieland (teamed up with Dusty Payne, the two put together their best rendition of modern day pirates… check out the photos), and ping pong (making it into the finals and lost to Fijian 2 time ping pong champion Tani Vula). Together these accolades gave Dylan the championship. Another amazing year went down at the Nixon High Tide Hold’em an hopefully I’m able to get myself on the island one more time to see what antics come out of this awesome event.

“ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS” ART SHOW

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Words: Jason Maloney :: Photos: Hurley.com // Juxtapoz Magazine Curator Greg Escalante and Ron English : KISS painting by Ron English : Daniel Johnston and Ron English collaboration painting : Raymond Pettibon ink drawing : another Daniel Johnston and Ron English collaboration painting : artists CR Stecyk and Jason Maloney : packed house situation : DJ Diabetic (Shepard Fairey) : some really fun Ron English vinyl toys : Raymond Pettibon and others mural : googly eyed, space blob by Daniel Johnston

I grabbed my buddy Beau Roulette, who does photos over at Hurley, and hit the road. We were off to cover my friend and fellow artist, Ron English’s group art show opening at Robert Berman Gallery in Santa Monica. There was quite the line up of art stars: Raymond Pettibon, Daniel Johnston, Ron English, Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo and Gibby Haynes. The show filled Berman’s Gallery that night. Paintings, various drawings filled the gallery along with a killer mural that Raymond Pettibon painted that day. Others pieces included finely painted Ron English portraits. These were pretty rad. Some of his paintings consisted of kids dressed up as Kiss band members and of course his infamous ‘Abraham Obama’ portrait. As the night carried on, Shepard Fairey showed up and started to cue up his turntables. He was the star DJ that night and all kinds of chicks were gettin’ drunk and dancing. In my opinion, drunk, hot chicks, Kiss paintings and some bizarre Daniel Johnston and Ron English vinyl toys all converge together to make for a killer evening.

ERIN WASSON x RVCA

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Words: Pat Towersey // Photos: Nolan Hall / RVCA // Models // Daniel Fuller and Keegan Gibb’s // David Choe, Johhn Sapong, Reas, Steve Lazarides, and RVCA’s PM Tenore // Cory Kennedy and friend // Chad Curry and Kristin Reiter from RVCA // Erin Wasson and models // Mickey Boardman and friend, Julia Frakes // The Shannon brothers Jack and Louis // Jillian Kate, Mark the Cobrasnake, Liz Rice from RVCA // Ethan Swan, Andrea Longacre–White, and Brendan Fowler On February 18th, RVCA hosted a party for the Fall 2009 Erin Wasson x RVCA collaboration. The collection was launched at New York Fashion Week with a presentation at the Milk Studios Penthouse. The turnout was incredible, the place was packed all night and people were lining the streets out front waiting to get in.

Toubin “New York Night Train” had everyone moving. The hottest models in the industry dressed in a selection of outﬁts from the collection that was styled by Wasson herself. “It’s America, it’s the south, it’s rock ‘n roll, and it’s up for interpretation,” said Wasson.

Following up the acclaimed Spring ’09 debut of Erin Wasson x RVCA women’s wear, Erin Wasson and RVCA founder PM Tenore are setting loose on their sophomore season. As well as expanding the range considerably, Wasson has cut to the heart of her signature slash and burn style for Fall ‘09, fashioning her obsessions with rock ‘n roll and classic Americana aesthetics into a detal-driven collection that is sexy and razor-sharp.

As the girls strutted the new threads on a stage, everyone took photos, enjoyed adult beverages and partied the night away.

The show was complete with a multi media ﬁlm projected on the wall, with images taken by Kenneth Cappello, and a short ﬁlm by Tyler Manson, while DJ Jonathan

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As the drinks ﬂowed, people cut loose and it seemed like the party would never end. That is, until everyone headed over to Erin’s personal after party, a very ﬁtting country western bar with a mechanical bull. People were playing pinball and taking turns challenging the bull, some awesome moments of insanity were taking place. What better way to end the night, super models and mechanical bulls?

Photo: ©Lindsay Hutchens Visualize the space shuttle as a touring van, with all the hi-tech electronics replaced by duct tape, guitar strings, and crossed ﬁngers. The Riverboat Gamblers are at the helm. Mike taps the fuel gauge. The light next to the little gas pump icon is shining brightly. The needlepoints directly to the words etched on the dash, “Point of no return.” They can take her down safely now or risk a crash landing. Everyone shakes their head. Mike makes an “another trip around?” circular gesture with his index ﬁnger above his head. Everyone smiles, knowing the danger of their answer. Foot down on the accelerator. It’s a big world; stars are

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everywhere. Underneath the Owl is the Riverboat Gamblers’ fourth full-length album. The band has been around for a decade and has been taking a serious, full-time road warrior shot of it for the past six. Those intimate with the Gamblers’ previous output will hear the garage DIY scrap and brawl of their self-titled ﬁrst record, the ballsout rock backbone of Something to Crow About, and the personalized pop apocalypse of To the Confusion of Our Enemies. Worry not. Your needs will be met. All of them. There is a xylophone and it’s okay. This begs the rhetorical question:

do we want our musical heroes to be retarded? Should we demand the same record be released again and again because the last one was so fucking good? There’s a lot to be said about records that couldn’t have been previously made by a band. Let’s just say that death comes in many forms. What kills most people isn’t dramatic. It’s repetition of the same action over and over again. Musical enlightenment is a dodgy proposition. It all hinges on how much is risked. Underneath the Owl is simultaneously like and unlike each Gamblers record that preceded it. Give thanks that it’s not a carpal tunnel syndrome redoing of their

singles collection Backsides. Think of yourself at ﬁfteen, then at twentyﬁve. You’re the same person, but you’re not identical because you’ve learned some stuff, been knocked down and around. Those who’ve seen the Gamblers live have often mistaken Mike Wiebe as the world’s longest monkey and are often searching for the electrodes that are shocking him throughout the set. Mike’s just feeling the power of awesome that lurks in every nook and cranny as far as his very long microphone chord will allow him to roam during the entire set. Some folks got church. Some got

cooking classes or weight lifting. The Gamblers—a collaborative democracy of a band—have themselves. Fadi, Texas’s answer to a wide-stanced Johnny Ramones, handles lead guitar duties. Ian McDougall (formerly of The Kickz) graduated from the best after school program ever. Years back, at eighteen, he joined the Gamblers on rhythm guitar. True to This Is Spinal Tap, the lifespan of a houseﬂy rivaled that of an average Gamblers’ drummer. Refusing to use a machine, the Gamblers played with a constantly rotating wheel of skin punishers for

over a year and a half. Along came Eric Green. Against all odds, he didn’t spontaneously combust. A year later, a Gambler tattoo sealed the fate of this unjaded go-getter. In February of 2008, the ﬁnal piece of the puzzle snapped into place when Austin stalwart Rob Marchant strapped his bass on, plugged in, rocked out, and ﬁlled the considerable shoes of his predecessor. Recording studios can be a lot like submarines. Most of the time is spent cramped, stuffy, and pressurized for weeks on end. In detached pieces, bombs are nothing. Inert materials. In bits and pieces—even with high-grade material—songs are the same. With

a Tetris-like assembly, a collaborative group brain, and meticulous attention to detail, all four Gamblers worked closely together to wire Underneath the Owl into the most powerful batch of songs they could. Luckily, it didn’t explode on them when they were putting it together. Make no mistake, the Gamblers are at war. War against easy, encouraged repetition. War against themselves to not release a song that didn’t ring true, even if it had to be re-written ﬁve times. “Artistic development” can be such a douchey, pretentious term, but how to explain trying something new, growing without discarding the ideals of what it meant to be a Gambler when the journey started?

From outside the conﬁnes of Gamblers’ van/shuttle, it looked like a crazy risk. They leveraged precious time against a ﬁery, fatal crash in the hopes of reaching further and higher. “Here we go. This is it.” The Gamblers share rock’n’roll that helps people forget what a fucktard their boss is and the ways aplenty the world attacks absolutely. They help their fans lose themselves, if even just until the last bit of sweat evaporates from a soaked shirt, even for just the length of Underneath the Owl’s eleven tracks. Underneath The Owl is available now on Volcom Entertainment.. Check out theriverboatgamblers.com.

Henry Fonda Theater : 3.4.09 :: Words: Tim Bergevin Seeing M Ward live is a revelation. You never expect that the sounds you hear pouring out of his records can be reproduced live. His rough voice and ﬂawless guitar playing ﬂoat around the Fonda and leave you with a feeling that you have experienced something special, a true performance. He starts the night off by himself on the piano and then works his way through songs both new and old. Backed by his solid band, the room is oddly silent even by the bar area when songs like Post War are played. Towards the end of the set he brings out Zooey Deschanel and they tackle some of the hits

off the She & Him record they released together last year. Zooey seems a bit stiff but the songs are still sweet and of course the crowd loves every minute of it. Matt comes out for a last encore and it turns into a hootenanny with various artist friends who live in LA piling on stage to kick out a few songs. It seems ﬁtting it should end like this, a collective. He is not part of a scene as he has mentioned, but is a musician respected and adored by all his contemporaries. He is the perfect mix of Dylan, Waits and Seeger only updated and just for us.

Reviews: Tim Bergevin

Passion Pit Manners Frenchkiss Records

Neko Case Middle Cyclone Anti

Say hello to the best make out record of 2009. It would be easy to stop there but this Cambridge, Mass band takes the electro pop trend and twists and turns it to make its own juicy concoction. This album is full of pretty keyboards and high-pitched vocals that are surrounded by surging but soothing synths. At just twenty-one years old, Michael Angelakos has created a band and a record that has the industry execs and indie rockers spinning in circles. Make sure the tracks ‘Eyes As Candles’ and ‘Folds In Your Hands’ ﬁnd their way into your late night dance mix and odds are that you’ll be the coolest kid making out this spring.

Neko Case has set herself apart from most women in music. Yes she has an amazing voice and the ability to write great songs like many others, but what really stands out is the fact that she retains total control over just about everything that has to do with her music. A lot has been written about her troubled childhood, which would explain some of her control issues but what we are privy to is a strong, smart woman whose music continues to evolve whether it’s solo or as a member of the New Pornographers. ‘Magpie To The Morning’ features M Ward on guitar and is a country tinged shufﬂe but the stand out and most haunting song on the album is the title track ‘Middle Cyclone’. One listen to the lyrics and you have a glimpse into the real Neko Case.

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The Pains of Being Pure At Heart The Pains of Being Pure At Heart Slumberland Records Dreamy shoe gaze pop - can there ever be enough? Channeling the Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine this band would make it alright if we never saw the sun again. Vocal interplay between band mates Kip and Peggy add to the ﬂuffy grey cloud that is darkening your day even though you’ve never felt happier. It’s 1985 all over again on songs like ‘Come Saturday’ and ‘Contender’, and all that’s missing is the Sire logo on their records.

Other Girls Perfect Cities Audio Eagle Records

It has been said that, “You’re only as good as your friends,” and thankfully for you readers out there, my friends are cool as shit and turn me on to great music all the time. This month we get the Other Girls. Straight out of Cleveland and on Audio Eagle (the label owned by Black Keys member Patrick Carney) these Midwest men play great lowﬁ rock with pop hooks that will have you singing all day. Sighting bands like The Replacements and The Smiths, the best comparison I heard was told to me by the dude who turned me on to this band, “If The Shins and The Walkmen were one band, you’d have the Other Girls”. Sounds good to me, and thanks Kevin for being so cool.

: S Y B M ROENTED G SPRES S S ! BL AGE: 17 HOMETOWN: HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA SPONSORS: QUIKSILVER, KATIN SURF SHOP, DS SURFBOARDS FAVORITE SURFER: BRENT DORRINGTON Photo: Sardelis.com

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AGE: 15 HOMETOWN: MINNEAPOLIS, MN SPONSORS: WORLD INDUSTRIES, MADA, OSIRIS, 3RD LAIR, NEFF, DESTRUCTO, BONES, DAKINE

AGE: 14 HOMETOWN: COSTA MESA, CA SPONSORS: NITRO, ACTIVE, RAIDEN, VESTAL, & BEAR MTN FAVORITE RIDER: EERO ETTALA & ZAC MARBEN

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Photo: Boyes