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TOC RANDOMS // 32 PRODUCT REVIEW // 38 DAVID LOVERING // 40 MEAGAN DONEGAN // 42 MICHELE OUELLET // 44 JANE WIEDLIN // 46 INSTAGRAM // 50 SUPER TASTE // 54 CHARLIE BLAIR // 56 TRANSMISSION LA // 60 SYDNEY TO SNAPPER // 64 THE ART OF RIME // 70 TYSON BOWERBANK // 76 FASHION // 82 CAI GUO-QIANG @ MOCA // 88 CHRIS GRENIER // 90 LIGHT DEATH @ HURLEY // 98 VANS PIER CLASSIC 2012 // 100 FORD ARCHBOLD’S 21ST // 102 INSIGHT’S ‘OH HELL’ EXHIBITION // 104 COALATREE X ORGANIC BBQ @ SXSW // 106 VESTAL VILLAGE 2012 // 108 NATURAL CHILD // 110 CD REVIEWS // 112 GROMS // 118
Artist: RIME
2012
WeActiv ists TONY M ANFRE & DANIJEL STANKOV IC SH OT BY ANTON RENBORG w w w.w e sc.co m
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©2012 Luxottica Group. All rights reserved.
COMES WITH EXTRA SET OF INTERCHANGEABLE ARMS
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ALL WE IS N PRODUCT OF CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES SPRING TWO THOUSAND 12 ALL WE HAVE IS NOW KYLE KENNELLY
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WE HAVE NOW W W W . E Z E K I E L U S A . C O M
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EDITOr-IN-CHI EF nick kalionzes nick@blisssmag.com
EDITOR joey marshall joey@blisssmag.com
CREAT IVE DIRECTO R mark paul deren madsteez@madsteez.com
E DITOR AT LARGE liz rice mcCray liz@blisssmag.com
SKATE EDI TOR chris ortiz chris@blisssmag.com
SNOW EDITOR jon francis jon@blisssmag.com
MUSIC EDITO R max ritter max@blisssmag.com
ADV ERTI SING ads@blisssmag.com
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
CONTRIBUTORS Matt Patterson, 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, Spencer Pirdy, Richie Olivares, Eric Meyers BL!SSS Magazine 413 31st Street Newport Beach, CA 92663 www.blisssmag.com
WARREN SMITH WEARING THE LIMITED CHURCH SQUIRE Through The Eyes of Warren Smith and Jon Johnson
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.
MAY 2012 Cover Artist: RIME : JerseyJoe.com Photo: Lea Bruno : LeaBrunoPhotography.squarespace.com
If your favorite shop isn’t receiving BL!SSS Magazine please contact info@blisssmag.com
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PRINGLE X BRIXTON
CAPTAIN FIN CO. GIVEAWAY! Alright you little BL!SSS fanatics, we’ve got a contest here for all you freeloaders. The prizes are all of the latest and greatest Captain Fin Company: including a hat, 3 t-shirts, a few pairs of limited edition Stance X Captain Fin socks, DVD copies of Be Cool Man and Rip Shred Tear, Andrew Doheny’s signature Captain Fin Co. Future Fins and all the stickers and pins you could ever wish for. This is all up for grabs but only one of you loyal sailors will walk away with the swag. All you have to do is like the photo you see here the day it is posted on @blisssmag’s Instagram after the May issue is released. We’re not gonna tell you what day we’re posting so keep checking @blisssmag on Instagram and we’ll choose a winner at random the day after it’s posted.
For a long time now a lot of pro surfers have used Newport as a home base during the summer months, but after a while they just seem to come and go without really leaving a lasting impression. One young surfer who is doing the complete opposite of that is Queensland’s Thom Pringle. He’s been coming to Newport for a while now and really knows how to stomp punts with the best of them. His distinctive style in and out of the water separates him from the rest of the pack and it’s no wonder that Brixton has added him to their eclectic roster of team riders. Yep, it seems to be a great fit for the two and we’re excited to see some high-flying action this summer and all around the world from Thom and Brixton!
THE REAL DEAL Our friend Angela sent us a little gift package from The Real Shaving Company. The company obviously excels in the area of hygienic expertise and we definitely know a few of our friends who are in dire need of a fresh clean shave. Truth be told, all of us in the office were in need of one too and we’re too greedy and like the cream too much to just give it up. The Real Shaving Company has a line of skincare and shaving products to meet anyone’s pre, post or while shaving needs. Tea tree oil, ground walnut shell, coconut oil and cocoa butter are just a few of their natural ingredients used. Sounds pretty amazing right? For more info on the Real Shaving Company visit realshavingshop.com.
MATIX BOARDIES
ACTIVATE WATER Odds are that you’ve probably already seen people cruising around with Activate in their hands. The brand has caught on quickly and has proven itself as more than your everyday run of the mill water. Activate water offers you vitamin enriched water without that stale taste that other imitators offer. The drink comes in a plethora of flavors including exotic berry, blueberry pomegranate, orange, lulo pear, lemon lime and fruit punch. Pick a flavor to recharge your energy, beef up your immunity defense or to replenish the antioxidants in your system. Activate water is great for when you’re looking for something healthy, nourishing and quick. We recommend that everyone try this beverage out. All you have to do is twist, shake and drink.
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Just in time for summer, Matix has given us a sneak peak of their newest and most comfortable boardies to hit the market yet. The Runaway short is just one of the shorts we speak of and these bad boys are ready to be put to the test. The 4-way built in stretch dobby fabrication allow you to get as flexible as you’d ever need to be while maintaining impeccable style. They also released The Hombre 2-way stretch short in a classic fit with the Hombre engineered print. Both shorts have built in pockets and have the construction, look and durability of the highest caliber. Whether you’re a dedicated surfer or just a lounge lizard, we strongly recommend snagging these boardies for a long summer of enjoyment.
CHURCH RAEN We recently announced that Sir Warren Smith had teamed up with Insight to launch his own military-inspired collection, dubbed Church. Well, it looks like his eyewear sponsor, RAEN, is on the same tip as they’ve just collaborated with Warren as well and are releasing his signature Church shade just in time for summer. It’s great to see these companies allowing their athletes to have a little input into the design and creation of the product being released in today’s market. And when you have someone on the roster as influential as Warren, how could you not let him loose to do his own thing? We’re more than sure these sunnies will be the hot item this summer so demand a pair from your local shop today.
HANSEN COCONUT WATER
FULLER PERFUME
Hansen is constantly coming out with new ways for you to refresh your palette. Lately, they’ve been sticking to the al natural path, and we received some coconut water from them that tasted absolutely delicious. No sugar added, no preservatives, no artificial anything, just the perfect balance of essential electrolytes to hydrate and replenish the body. If you’re looking for a tasty and healthy alternative to heavily caffeinated, high in sugar beverages then we suggest you find a case of these at your local grocery store and reap some of the benefits of a freshly picked drink.
Danny Fuller is a man who is constantly on the move and is always getting his hands into something unique and interesting. He’s one of the best out at Pipeline on any given day, he has a budding career in photography with multiple exhibitions already under his belt and he is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. Fuller’s good looks have always helped him to get noticed in the modeling scene, but this past year fashion giant Chanel took a liking to the Hawaiian hellman and snagged him as their new poster boy for their men’s line. You’ll now be seeing Fuller on billboards all over the world as the face of Chanel’s Allure Homme Sport. Don’t worry though, Fuller’s concentration hasn’t waned. He’s still surfing better than ever, having the time of his life, working on new projects and remaining the same great guy we’ve always enjoyed.
SATURDAYS SHOES We got a little love note from our dear friend Morgan Collette of Saturdays NYC. Looks like the boys in the big apple have yet to slow down and have just received a shipment of Saturdaya shoes. Like everything this crew touches, we’re sure these kicks are flying out the door just as quick as they come in. Available exclusively at saturdays.com and at their flagship stores in New York and Tokyo, you’d better get on it and get yours today.
MOBILE REEF CALENDAR
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Mobile phones are the fastest growing pieces of technology in the world at the moment and nowadays there’s pretty much an app for everything your mind could think up. Reef has just come out with a unique and eye-pleasing app available for your iPhones and iPads. They’ve taken their own gorgeous international Reef Girls and delivered them right into the palm of your hand, literally. Now the infamous Reef calendars can be with you wherever you go by just a tap of your screen. And when you get sick of checking out these buxom beauties, you can scroll on over to a vault of premium surf clips and photos of the Reef team killing it around the globe. Find this good stuff in the iTunes app store asap.
TYLER MUMMA brixton.com
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YOURIDING.COM A bunch of people have turned us on to a new video game that is as close to the real thing as you can get without jumping in the water. The new game is free to play at youriding.com and they’ve got everything from world-class surfing at your favorite waves from around the world to snowboarding on the mountain of your choice. The game has taken ahold of a few guys in the office and they’ve become completely addicted. Shrieks and yells can be heard up and down the block and let’s just say that not a lot of work has been getting done. Nevertheless, the game is extremely good for killing time and if you’re bored at work or are just looking to waste some time we suggest you log on and check it out for yourself.
DYRDEK TAKEOVER
RIP BOB SMITH We’re very saddened to announce the passing of Bob Smith this past month. For those who are unaware, Bob, or Dr. Bob as his friends referred to him, is the man behind the Smith lenses that we all love and use on a regular basis. Dr. Bob is credited for creating the first double-pane goggle with a sealed thermal lens and breathable vent foam. Basically, Dr. Bob is the reason for your goggles fitting so comfortably, not fogging up and giving you great visibility today. Above all of his achievements and inventions, Dr. Bob’s love for the outdoors, his unmatched skiing ability and passion for helping others were greatly present throughout his life, making him a true pleasure to be around. We send our condolences to the Smith family and hope that everyone will take some time to pay tribute to this unbelievable pioneer, legend, father, husband and all around wonderful human being.
In Rob Dyrdek’s latest attempt to takeover the world, Dyrdek Enterprises has recently acquired DNA from the global giant Burton. For those of you who don’t know, DNA is the umbrella covering Alien Workshop, Habitat and Reflex. Looks like this entrepreneur is making big moves in the skate industry and we find it kinda cool that he now owns the company that first sponsored him nearly twenty years ago. With his multiple TV shows, his foundation, his new sunglass company (IVI Vision), skateparks and multiple brands - it seems there is no stopping Drydek.
DEPALMA ‘TAKE IT TO THE STREETS’ DePalma is holding two events over the next month that are worthy of checking out. The “Take It To The Streets” photo journalist exhibit at The Artery/The Lab in Costa Mesa will be open April 30-May 6, and feature photos by Adam Wright, Kyle Lightener, Mark Kawakami, Jae Bueno and Brian Bent to name a few. On May 6, the Lab will also be open for a Kustom car show and art exhibit hosted by DePalma. All the finest hot rods, low riders, choppers, art, bbq and bands you could ever wish for will be on hand. The show starts at 12pm and goes until 5pm. Make sure to mark both of these events on your calendar and we’ll see you there.
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SLAP The folks over at SLAP energy are a newly launched brand that is really changing the way people are acquiring fuel for their bodies. SLAP is the first-ever frozen energy drink to hit the streets with great taste, a refreshing cool-down and a SLAP of energy across your face to wake you up and get you going. Each of the frozen drinks packs 25% more energy and contains vitamins B3, B6 and B12. The most unique feature to the drink is that it is packaged in a convenient pouch with a re-sealable cap. SLAP also comes in three delicious flavors: Apple, StrawberryFrost and Lemonade. This energy drink is definitely one-of-a-kind and you should all give yourselves a big SLAP in the face sometime and try it out.
SHADY
HOBIE POLARIZED Manchester MSRP - $70.00 hobiepolarized.com
RAEN The Dayton MSRP - $117.00 raenoptics.com
SABRE Vacation MSRP - $125.00 sabre.fm
FOX The Moter MSRP - $160.00 foxhead.com
VESTAL Windrose MSRP - $90.00 vestalwatch.com
NEFF Spectra MSRP - $24.99 neffheadwear.com
FILTRATE Sink MSRP - $59.95 ďŹ ltrateeyewear.com
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OAKLEY Julian Wilson Signature Series Holbrook MSRP - $140.00 oakley.com
KAENON Burnet MSRP - $239.00 kaenon.com
ELECTRIC Arcolux MSRP - $99.95 electricvisual.com
ARNETTE Dibs MSRP - $89.95 arnette.com
DRAGON The Jam MSRP - $110.00 dragonalliance.com
SPY Haight MSRP - $119.95 spyoptic.com
VON ZIPPER Cletus MSRP - $100.00 vonzipper.com
QUIKSILVER The Ferris MSRP - $99.50 quiksilver.com
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Interview: Liz Rice McCray Will you please introduce yourself? Hello. My name is David Lovering. I’m a musician, magician, treasure hunter, electronic engineer and lover of cats. One of things you are known for being is a musician and playing drums with the legendary rock band The Pixies. The group was credited for it’s major influence on musicians such as Kurt Cobain of Nirvana and was a major part of the alternative rock boom of the 90’s. The Pixie’s are also known for their crazy cult following... Then when the group reunited for a reunion tour it was sold out coast-to-coast and it was an international sensation, didn’t they make a documentary on it? Will you tell us a little bit about your life as a musician and what it was like being a part of such an influential band? Loud Quiet Loud was the documentary; they filmed us over a period of two years. We’re really a boring band in reality, but editing and my onscreen antics make the drama that’s seen. Those antics began in the 3rd grade with drum lessons. I played drums all my life and gave them up after the Pixies broke up in 1995. In 2004 when we re-united,
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I couldn’t believe I gave up something I loved so much. It’ll never happen again. Giving up drums, not the Pixies breaking up. As for being a part of an influential band, that may be true, but overall, I’m just Dave. What are you doing now? Just finished constructing an 8-watt UV-B detector for hunting fluorescent minerals at night. What is the difference between being a professional musician and a professional magician? Just two letters on my business card. White-Out comes in pretty handy when I want to change careers. How and when did you get into magic and the performance of it? Sometime in the mid 90’s I went with Grant Lee Phillips to a magic convention in Los Angeles. There, seeing professional magic for the first time, I was hooked. I bought every book, video, trick, course, joined the Magic Castle, etc.... Decided to make a stage act using what I knew best... myself. Thus began the Scientific Phenomenalist. You are performing scientific and
physics-based experiments on stage? Will you give an example of this? Blowing big smoke rings out of my bass drum or causing a pickle to light up with 120 volts are just a couple of experiments.
Would you pick magic over music? That’s a tough one, because they both create a sense of wonder. But, I’d have to say music. The travel, food, money and unconditional love I get everywhere can’t be beat.
Did you go to school for this? Yes, I’ve got a Bachelors Degree in Electronic Engineering. That, along with my love of science helped me develop the effects for my act.
If you had a Pixie’s cassette stuck in your car in Mexico - which album would it be? Surfer Rosa, my favorite Pixies record. It’s also got a couple of songs in Spanish too.
How often do you perform? I’ll perform my act whenever I’m not on the road with the Pixies. The Magic Castle, rock band opener, theatre shows and colleges.
How do you get magic gigs? Usually, I’m contacted through my website or through friends. But, there’s one rule I always abide by... no children, no charities.
What is your daily routine? Is magic apart of your daily life, is music still part of it? Getting up with the wife and my two children and being Dad is my daily routine. As for magic, I’m ready and able to perform anywhere, anytime. But it will only happen if the time and moment are right. As for music, practicing drums or bass guitar is a nightly thing, along with some wine.
If you could say one thing that you want people to know about you, what would it be? I love to Indo Board and Unicycle. I feel balance is a very fundamental key to opening up other abilities. Thank you so much for taking the time to the interview. Make sure to check out David Lovering when he is in a town near you.
AWARD WINNING PATENTED TIDE TECHNOLOGY
Words: Annie Vought Can you give me a little bit of your background as an artist? I still remember my first yellow sketchbook from when I was about five. It’s been all over the place since. I’ve moved around between drawing, painting, sewing, curating and designing, but drawing has always been a constant. I know you have a twin sister; how does that play into your work? She has always influenced my work. When we were younger it was more running ideas off each other, lots of experimenting and over intellectualizing our process, trying to figure out what we wanted to say. As life has caused us to separate over the last few years I’ve realized the power of our connection and have been drawn to investigate that further. Identity, the struggle for separation in the “oneness”, epigenetics, dual imagery, the spirit, everything that I have been working through in my pieces comes out of that relationship and the intensity of it. She has a crazy path; I am constantly inspired by her strength. I see that you use animal imagery in a lot in your work, what does that mean to you? For me, animals have a power, sacredness and purity that draw me in and inspire me.
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when I am already working. Maybe midway or almost done with a series or show I’ll get a vision for my next piece or series. I know that you just had a baby, in what way has that affected you and your work, if at all? I started feeling the need to take things to another level. She has totally blown my mind, pure magic. It may all be a hallucination though, I haven’t slept in months. What are your biggest obstacles as an artist? Discipline and finding time to draw amidst supporting myself. What are your goals as an artist? To open up to that space while I am working to where I am no longer thinking. And getting there often, it’s where I am my best person.
What mediums do you work with? Graphite, coffee, gouache, dry pigment, oils, fabric and wood.
What are you working on right now? I’ve been working on a series of diptychs where I do two drawings of the same image, like stereoscopic photography. On first glance they are identical and seem a singular image but on inspection they are unique and become separate. I also have some fabrics I am making in collaboration with my sister for handbags and some furniture pieces I am going to do with my fiancé who is a woodworker. I am doing some curatorial work as well.
How do you get inspired? Hiking, surfing, reading, listening to music and hanging with friends can get me in a space to start working. I have found that my biggest moments of inspiration come
Where can we find your work? Meagandonegan.com, right now at Marissa Haskells shop, the Gardener, and I am having a show at the Willis Kauffman gallery around August.
Interview: Liz Rice McCray Michele will you please introduce/tell us a little about yourself? I am a model and vintner from the Napa Valley. I also have a website called kisser. com. I split my time between NYC, Napa and LA. Would you say the wine business and modeling are complimentary? If so, how? Yes, it’s a unique combination that has garnered some great response. It has been really fun to bring the wine and fashion worlds together. For example, I provide wine for fashion events or do a photo shoot in Napa or just bring a bottle to set. The wine business and modeling industry are quite similar in some ways. My experience doing casting for modeling has made sales appointments (where potential buyers taste the wine) quite easy... same concept! You have modeled all around the world, what would you say your favorite job would be? I went to Vietnam for 10 days to shoot for Free People in December and it was just incredible. I highly recommend making that trip if you can. It’s also special to shoot at home in Napa Valley where I shot for Vogue and a wonderful book called American Beauty by Claiborne Swanson Frank. How did you get into making wine? When did you start Lorenza Rosé? Growing up in the Napa Valley, I was truly surrounded by wine and food. It is quite natural to get into the wine business and I wanted to do something that was fresh, fun and delicious. My mom, Melinda and I are partners in the brand and we have just released our 4th vintage of Lorenza Rosé! Where did you get the name for your wine? Lorenza is my middle name after by grandfather Lorenzo. He was quite a gourmet with exquisite taste… Very chic. Photo: Van Alpert
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What are your roles in Lorenza Rosé? It’s a two-woman show. My mom and I do it all – From harvesting, blending, marketing, selling and beyond. When I’m in NYC I will finish shooting and then go on to meet with sommeliers or do a wine tasting. What do you love most about the wine business and what do you love most about modeling? I love the contrasts between the two. Fashion is so fast and fleeting and wine takes time and patience. You learn different lessons from both sides. As a model I dress up and embody other people’s ideas which can be fun and exciting and takes me all around the world.... With Lorenza, I am not the subject, but the creative force, bringing to life our wine in a way that we hope is inspiring. Will you tell me about the label? We are excited to reveal our new label for the 2011 vintage. We collaborated with artist Van Alpert and photographer Viktor Vauthier to create something fresh and sophisticated. We continue using Lorenza as a medium to celebrate our favorite creative and emerging talent. Is it hard to balance two full-time careers? Not really. There can be scheduling conflicts, but it always works out. Both careers are equally important to me so sometimes I just have to make the call... ‘Sorry, I have to bottle my wine.’ Plus my mom and I are totally in sync and can work remotely. Where can people purchase your wine and find out more info about it? You can purchase online at Lorenzawine.com. El Vino Wines in Venice, Venokado in West Hollywood and Santa Monica are a couple of our retailers in Southern California. Lorenza is also available at 750 Wines in Napa Valley.
The Go-Go’s… relevant or not? The discussion of whether the readers that check out BL!SSS each month would know who the Go-Go’s are and still find this piece interesting was a hot topic in the office this month. For our readers who are not familiar with the all-female rock band, here’s a little refresher. The Go-Go’s were founded by Jane Wiedlin and Belinda Carlisle when they stumbled upon LA’s punk rock scene a long time ago. This is when Wiedlin and Carlisle were inspired to form The Go-Go’s. They quickly became local favorites and were signed by the indie label IRS Records. The Go-Go’s took the music scene by surprise with enormous success, selling out Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl, and appearing twice on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. The band became the first ever all-girl group to write their own songs, play their own instruments, and become immensely popular doing so… earning them a place in rock ‘n roll history. They are still relevant and popular today; some readers may remember in 2011 when the Go’s-Go’s got together for a summer tour that sold out immediately. So this month when I started to think of people and personalities that
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are doing something different, Jane Wiedlin (aka Reverend Sister GoGo) came to mind. How different is “Reverend Sister Go-Go?” Once and still known for her song-writing and guitar skills in the Go-Go’s, she later became a legally ordained minister, licensed to perform commitment ceremonies, aka weddings. It is said that Wiedlin will fly anywhere in the world to perform a wedding and “she wants to help YOU get hitched!” Reverend Sister Go-Go is known for her loving and memorable, personalized ceremonies uniquely created for every couple and their loved ones. It’s a good fit for me. I’m a romantic at heart. I enjoy public speaking, and I love a good party…“it’s different and fun,” says Wiedlin. So if you are in the midst of planning a wedding and you are looking for something a little different, be sure to check it out. Wouldn’t it be pretty crazy to tell people you were married by a Go-Go. Wiedlin has a variety of different packages for everyone’s different needs and some even include her playing at the wedding and attending the rehearsal dinner. You can get all the details at marriedbyjane.com or her personal website janewiedlin.com.
www.spyoptic.com
W A S T E D
O P P O R T U N I T I E S
B L O W
/ ALEX GRAY wears the HELM
@blisssmag
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Instagram photos by:
Ryan Hakman @moskova
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1. Sneak preview of Moskova’s new ad campaign // Kron Gracie & Ricardo Arona in Los Angeles // Andy Ryan - the Buddah look-alike // Mickey Nielson is back after working for the government 2. Alana Blanchard // Crazy cat lady Doyle // Typical Boar’s Nest // November 2nd, two different roads 3. A.I. loves you - Hanalei Project shirts getting printed // Ira, Borg, Leif, Bobly & Ruotolo family at the Boar’s Nest // Tamba // Barca, holding down the grill at home for my Bday!
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4. Dylan Lehmann - searching for the coldest ones for me // Simon, aka Dirt Nasty, at Bruce’s hale // Dad Hakman - Mr. Sunset // Jesse Merle-Jones living his rockstar life
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5. Pine Trees Printing // Kron Gracie & I deep in Mexico
Matt Guerrero
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Photo: Dominic Petruzzi : dominicpetruzziphoto.com // Model: Keleigh :: Otto Models :: ottomodels.com
This month’s Super Taste is the epitome of California’s finest. Keleigh lives in the OC but spends the majority of her time jet-setting the world, living the privileged life of a very sought-after, overpaid, talented model. But hey, if you looked this good, we’d overpay you as well. It’s what we all dream of but very few of us ever get to experience. Her country count is up to 57 and she’s not even of legal age to drink. I don’t know how, but our boy Dominic Petruzzi was lucky enough to pin her down (not literally) for the May issue and we’re damn happy he did. Enjoy the spread and expect to see more of Keleigh in the near future. Hair & Makeup: Lauren Breedon :: laurenbreedon.com // Retouch: JasonSchorle.com
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Intro: Big E :: Interview: Tosh Townend The first time I saw Charlie was at Fullerton Skatepark. He was standing there holding down a conversation with a group of local Fullerton rippers with his long brown hair, a Scum shirt and pair of saggy-ass jeans that were only overshadowed by the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, like it had been resting there for years. You see, he couldn’t have been more than 11-years old and looked even younger! It was right then he dropped in and threw down the sickest line I’d ever seen at that park. Over the next couple of years I got to know Charlie and his extended family of Sadlander’s, local rippers and a homeless guy or two that he saw something good in. As time went on things got tougher for Charlie, who had now dropped out of school and was spending every minute of his day at the park or up to no good. I’m blessed to have had the opportunity to bring him in to our home, to get him back into school and to teach him to love more than he hates. Well, I’m proud to say he graduated high school and I can tell you I’m a better person for knowing him and if you ever have the opportunity to skate or just hang out with him for even a minute, you will be too.
Photo: Ortiz
FS Air :: Photo: Sakurai
Alley-oop 360 :: Seq: Swainston
State your name? Charlie Blair.
What is your favorite food? Hot wings.
And your age? 21.
What is your favorite drink? Dr. Pepper.
And where are you from? Fullerton, California.
What does your daily mission consist of? Skate and enjoy life.
What are your nicknames? Char Ballz. Who supports you? Dogtown Skateboards, Emerica Flow, Type S Wheels, Dizm Eyewear, Vicinity Skate Shop, and Unit B Skate Park.
Bean Plant to fakie :: Photo: Sakurai
When did you receive your ďŹ rst skateboard? I was about six years old. What is your favorite music? Everything‌ Hip-hop, oldies, and anything in between.
Stalefish :: Photo: Sakurai
Ass or Tits? Ass. How do you feel for riding for one of the longest living skateboard companies around? Riding for one of the longest living skateboard companies like Dogtown is sick and a great opportunity to be a part of history. Did you graduate high school? Yes, and I am glad it’s over. What is it like to fly? Well, whenever I am in the air I feel like there’s nothing that can stop me. Just like a 747 jet, nothing gets in front of it. How many times do you brush your teeth a week? Fourteen times a week or more. So, now that you’re 21 do you have any idea what you are supposed to do once you get in a bar? Order a shot of Jack and Coke... Chutz. How did you get sponsored by Dogtown? I was skating a contest at Venice and Tyler Hendley and Primo hit me up to ride for Dogtown. Are
you
sometimes
scared that Red Dog will kick your ass for not having photos? Hell yeah! He will come after me... haha. What do you think about skating handrails? Really no preference, I will skate and destroy anything and everything. How do you think your upbringing has excelled you as a skateboarder? The opportunities that have come my way have been motivating not to give up, but mostly my family and friends have always supported what I love most. Where was your first job? Switchboard Distribution. Have you ever been busted by the cops? Yeah… for skateboarding. Who influenced you the most in skateboarding? Austen Seaholm was a big brother to me growing up and Big E was like a father, and there is Sticks, and Cholo… Man, there have been so many people that have influenced me. Thank you all! And lastly, who is your favorite skateboarder? John Cardiel.
FS Tailgrab :: Photo: Sakurai
Photos: MADSTEEZ When you’ve got Mike D of the legendary Beastie Boys curating an art show in Los Angeles, it’s a safe bet that you’re gonna see some mind-blowing shit. Transmission LA at the MOCA, presented by Avant/Garde Diaries and Mercedes Benz, was just that… mind-blowing. Mike D hand selected all 17 artists involved and every installation was inspired by, or had something to do with music. Big names such as Tom Sachs, Peter Coffin, Jim Drain & Ara Peterson, Mike Mills, Robert McKinley, Ben Jones and many others put together an
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incredible exhibition. Gigantic pinwheels, neon lights, Jamaican inspired sound system with guest DJs (including Santigold on the opening night), a plethora of different films and a Ben Jones finale piece, of what can only be described as a life-sized, arcade videogame is pretty much summed up in Mike D’s statement, “It’s like a Six Flags for adults…” If you can make it to the Los Angeles area by May 6th, we highly recommend you make a trip over to the MOCA and check it out.
Jake Marshall (USA)
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Hiroto Ohara (Japan)
Kai Hing (Australia)
Words: Jake Marshall :: Photos: Mark Choiniere
When Hurley asked me to go to Australia with a few other kids from around the world, I was so stoked. The kids that were going were Sammy Pupo, from Brazil, Kai Hing, from Australia, Hiroto Ohara, from Japan and myself. I’ve been to Australia once before, but it was in the winter so I didn’t really know what to expect. When I got there I met up with everyone at the Australian Open. The Australian Open was a super cool experience. It was really fun how you could go from watching world-class surfing to world-class skating. I have never been to a live skating event before and it was awesome. Some of the stuff those guys do is
Sammy Pupo (Brasil)
Sammy Pupo
Kai Hing
Hiroto Ohara
Jake Marshall
just ridiculous. In the surf event the waves were kind of average, but the surfing was still amazing. Guys were doing the hugest airs. The final with Evan Geiselman and Matt Banting was epic. Matt got a fast start, but Evan almost came back at the end. After that we gathered everyone up and started our drive to the Gold Coast. We drove for four hours until we reached our destination for the next few days. It was a sleepy little town with nothing much else to do but surf, and when we got there the waves were super fun. There was a bunch of headlands with all sorts of wedges. We got one day at this beach that was so good with nobody out and another day with perfect head high rights with only a few guys out. I think we all surfed for about eight hours everyday. Aside from surfing ourselves senseless each
Curren Caples
Kaito Ohashi
Darcy Crump
day, there was the typical grommet behavior going down. First to sleep got messed with (toothpaste on eyelids, hot heels, dared Hiroto to eat 20 whole prawns for about $10, which he then did, etc…). We ran into a man in the grey suit one day and that was maybe the only day we didn’t surf for eight hours, maybe just seven that day. I think we surfed a different break every session and pretty much didn’t see anyone except for this one spot that there was maybe ten guys out. Pretty crazy how many great waves they have there with nobody around! We stayed there for about four days and then went up to the Gold Coast for the Quiky Pro at Snapper Rocks. It was a long drive to the Goldy, about
Kai Hing
Jake Marshall
eight hours, but we got there eventually, on the same day that the contest started. The waves were pretty good and the guys were ripping. The standouts for me were Dane, Taj, Ace, and Parko. They all were ripping and getting eights in every heat. It was so cool to see my heroes surďŹ ng right in front of me. D-bah was really fun during the contest so I would go surf out there a lot. I had never surfed D-bah before and it is a really fun wave. Being a surfer these days is really cool. I feel really blessed to have sponsors that take me to places such as Australia and getting the chance to meet people from around the world. This trip was really fun and I will remember it forever.
Interview: REVOK Dabs & Myla in Known’s project room. They are working on some cozy space changing titled “Break Night Lovers.” Shit is on point.
Are you an artist? No, I’m a vandal. I’m a vandal in dA miSSt. In the Congo. Is the Congo the urban jungle? Yeah, street games. No, street fame. Prop making. Sarcastically embracing the cliché. You know they’re saying the MSK now is a street gang right? That’s right, that’s why we’re the “spray
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gang.” I love that phrase. That’s what we are; we’re the art gang. Serious arting.
KC is pretty cool huh? That’s right, KC is a very layered individual, straight-faced with a lot of ideas going on in his head.
Tell us about your upcoming show? So yeah, I have a show coming up on May 5th with KC Ortiz aka KC. The name of our show is ‘SKETCHY M@!#%RFUCKERS’ and it’s gonna be at Known Gallery. Our work is layered, dysfunctional and colorful. Dangerous looking art and shit. Stuff that props are made of. We are also showing with the street duo
Was he working on stuff for the show while he was in Africa? I don’t know. I think that dude was sittin’ in jungles and shit. Maybe he was making some drawings while he was on the plane or something like that. He was also in Asia as well, and Thailand and China a bit before. So,
I think he found time and he’s working right now up until the show, just as I am. A lot of late nights making some crazy shit on paper, wood, canvas and found pieces of interest. Drawing the late night odd things that makes a heavily desensitized man laugh. You’re playing with a lot of different mediums for this show that I’ve never seen you use before, tell us about that? I think right now I’m kind of still in an experimental phase. I think that as long as I can stay to trying things out and not sticking to over funneled formula. As long as I can keep searching, it’ll keep me interested;
sitting indoors and making art. For a long time I’ve been attached to graffiti because it’s a reason to go outside, it’s a reason to travel, to make work in other places, to paint different surfaces. It’s big, it’s quick. On the other hand, you have fine art or whatever you wanna call it, and you’re spending weeks indoors to work on something that’s a fraction of the size of something you’d normally paint outside and it’s a slower process. Especially if you’re using brushes, small pens or something like that. It can be a bit frustrating if you’re used to having an instant result as a graffiti writer. What keeps me interested is the searching and the experimenting and trying to find what suits me, or what gets that kind of attitude across.
Some of the work you’re doing looks like you’re using crayons, is that what you’re using? For the smaller work I’m just using traditional markers that the graffiti writers would use to do black books. I use a lot of those with sharpies and different kind of felt tip pens. And then, in doing that, I started incorporating gouache into the mix and started building up more layers. Then, I have some woodwork that I start with spray paint and I work on some acrylic-based inks and other brushed acrylics and stuff like that. Fine details are laid in with interchangeable nib pens. Aside from all that I have some other stuff done with crayons. I found some Crayola crayons that are really good on canvas. That whole process reminds me of when I was a kid drawing on the white walls
of my bedroom, very energetic marking and pushing in of color. The idea is to do it with an attitude, kind of free application. Its been going pretty good.
Dangerous with the crayons? That’s right, “Sick wIth iT” crayon art. I get into heavy-duty arting with children’s mediums.
That must be cool going back to your first explorations of drawing and making art? It’s kind of funny to be an adult running around town and hunting for crayons. Body racking crayons and shit, going to the children’s aisle and taking as much crayons as you can, because that stuff starts to wear down to a nub, especially when you’re creating big pieces. You can dead a whole crayon pretty fast. Especially if you’re aggressive like me, because I’m so dangerous, you know.
So what else? Give us some art talk. Yeah, I think with the whole art thing, people want to be entertained in some fashion. People like to be conveniently lured off. A pinch in the ass in three seconds or less seems to be the desired offering in the mind of a mentally cluttered viewer. I’m trying to go against that way of being and providing. Can you elaborate on the wolf man and what the wolf means to you? I’ve said in the past that when you’re very horny your standards start to decrease, and you can sort of become possessed sexually
“I REALLY DID STRETCH THOSE SUPPLIES OUT, VALUE THEM, TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING AND MAKE THE MOST OUT OF IT. LIKE A POOR MAN EATING CRAB LEGS.”
(laughs) and go mad. You go out to take care of your urges kind of like a wolf rampaging about town. You might end up hooking up with someone you normally wouldn’t. As soon as you cum you turn back into human form and you look at the mess in front of you and you say, “What have I done?” You wake up and the apartments all ravaged and the couch is all torn up and you just feel disgusted with yourself. That’s that werewolf shit, when you cum there’s a very disgusting situation of a woman in front of you. Once reasoning kicks in,
it’s time to escape! What kind of animal would you be? I’m waiting for the 70’s to be back in style where I can wear like a collared designer shirt with no under shirt and let my chest hair hang out. Some Magnum PI, some Night Rider shit. I’m not into man-scaping and that kind of stuff. I don’t like the idea of having to cut myself up like a banzai tree and shit. I like it organic. Some day that’ll be back in style.
What about buying your art supplies? Who was your last art show sponsor? I don’t know if I should name names. I make my rounds. I just feel like it’s a lot less distracting when I’m using material that I didn’t have to spend money on. You know, not worrying about zipping through and killing a bunch of materials. To use tools as expendable aids. Like, for a while I was taking this one type of brush from stores and I never bothered to look at the price of it. I’d use the brush for all sorts of things. Sometimes
we’d roll up to a wall and I’d grab the brush out of the car to use it to get the cracks of the wall and then throw it out. Or, if I need to put some barbecue sauce on something to put on the barbecue I just take one of these brushes and use them and then they’d be ruined. But this brush was like fucking 40 dollars and I was like, “Holy shit!” Or even the markers, these design based markers, some of them are like six dollars and shit for a marker. They’re like taxing you for being an artist. Shit is crazy. Yeah, crazy expensive. It’s odd when people use these high cost materials and then sell their work for probably less than what it cost to buy the materials. I like the idea of keeping a low overhead. The only thing that is put into it is the labor. Art with stolen supplies looks better? No… um, well, yeah. When I used to buy some supplies I really did stretch those supplies out, value them, take care of everything and make the most out of it. Like a poor man eating crab legs. Maybe the quality was different? Maybe it was better even. I think when I don’t value the materials as much it has a different look. You know those people who go and buy the paint and go paint a piece somewhere? Real stingy writers who don’t like putting paint in the background because they feel they need to stretch their supply for next time. They do some cheap little bubbles or something, and more often then not, fail to dominate the space. What’s the difference between being tickled, slapped or punched in art? The common viewers, they don’t want to be seduced. They want to be slapped. Who are some of the artists that really motivate you and that you are inspired by?
I don’t know if I have any artists that I’m really motivated or inspired by. I don’t really have a poster of somebody up on my wall or something. It’s more stuff around that I found, made or was given to me. I have one of your paintings up on my wall actually. It’s from your show in Barcelona. My influences are not so much what one person is doing. I’m influenced more by just general life experiences or interacting with people or hanging out with friends or something like that. Here and there I’ll see something that an artist does technically that’ll give me an idea of something to incorporate into my own work. Or maybe I’ll see something and I’m impressed by it and it filters out later in some way. Beyond that I can’t say that I’m modeling myself around something that someone else is doing. I don’t think my work is really about that. My artistic style is something that I’ve been doing since I was a kid. That comes from being influenced by cartoons and comic strips from Sunday newspapers and then of course, graffiti. I think that all of these things have contributed to where I’m at, but it’s been a building process and I’ve incorporated my own personal experiences into the work as much as possible. I’m trying to emotionally invest myself into my work. Take some things or situations that I think are perverted or funny from my childhood, teenage or adult years. Things that I think are offensive, things that I think are dysfunctional and cool, I like to work it in there without hesitation. I also like to take highly contrasting shit and put it together giving the viewer the opportunity to make some sense out of it. Alright that’s enough. Last shout outs? SKETCHY M@!#%RFUCKERS, BREAK NIGHT LOVERS, opens May 5th at Known Gallery with KC, Dabs Myla and myself. JerseyJoeArt.com, Knowngallery.com, TheSeventhLetter.com, Revok1.com.
Interview: Chet Thomas :: Photos: Chris Ortiz
Where exactly are you from? Sandy, Utah it’s a city just outside of Salt Lake City. And how old are you? I’m 17. Are you driving now? Yep, bought my own 92’ Ford Taurus last year. Have you been putting it to good use? Yeah, driving everywhere and skating, it’s tight. What about girls? Uh… I don’t know. No girlfriend but I hang out with friends and girls sometimes just to chill. So the Taurus is the date machine huh? (Laughs) Not really.
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You’d rather take them on a date at the skate park or on your board? No, never bring girls to the skate park. Atta boy. No girls to the skate parks and no girls at the skate session. Nope. Who are your sponsors? Dark Star, Bones, Monster, Skullcandy and BC Surf and Sport. Word. Any influences growing up in Sandy, Utah? When I was a little kid there was this skate park called Binary and they had a team. They were super sick so all of those guys influenced me when I was a little kid. And like Dyet and Lizards since they were from Salt Lake.
Did your mom want you being around Dyet when you were young? No, first time she ever met Lizard though she was like scared of him because he was trying to teach me to ollie over this cone at a skate park and he’s kind of scary looking so she was kind of freaked out by him. But once she met him she was cool with him. Did she think he had to shower? Yeah, she thought he was all gross and nasty.
school? No, I’m doing online school right now just because I’ve been out of town a lot and skating but next year for my senior year I’m going to go back to normal school. Yeah, are you going to participate in all the extracurricular activities that normal high school students do like dances and all that shit? Maybe, I don’t know. Kind of just depends.
But he’s an awesome dude let’s get that straight, yeah? Yeah, he’s sick. Now my mom knows him and has talked to him before she likes him.
Yeah, I wouldn’t do it (laughs). What are your favorite online classes then? Um, I don’t know, not really any of them. I don’t like doing my school work, but if I had to choose one it would probably be US history because it’s like one of the easiest ones.
Cool.
Yeah but easy stuff doesn’t get
So
are
you
in
regular
B.S Bigspin
you anywhere you should know that by now… Yeah I know. But also it’s cool to learn about all of the stuff that’s happened before in history. Didn’t you just enroll in like a business class? Yeah but I haven’t done a lot in that yet. It just barely started. So being outside of Park City it’s snowing half the year there right? How do you deal with the cold and trying to escape? Yep. Well there are a couple of indoor places but they’re all pretty small. Sometimes I’ll come out to California or go to Arizona and stay with my grandma.
When it snows do you go snowboarding? I take it you’re a snowboarder as well? Yeah I got a season pass cause I was snowboarding a lot, but then I went for like two weeks straight and then tried to go skating and it was like the hardest thing to switch back. I like cut back on my snowboarding and skated more. Yeah, it’s a whole different ball game being strapped into the bindings right? Yeah, because your stance is way wider and like you don’t move your feet at all so it’s different. Stick to skateboarding buddy. Yeah (Laughs).
So speaking of skateboarding, why skateboarding? Why did you start? When I was a little kid I found a board in my mom’s friends garage and then I asked for one for my birthday and then just started skating from there. One you started couldn’t stop type thing? Yeah but when I was six I was at the skate park and dropped into this little quarter pipe and then got hit by some big guy and it lacerated my spleen. So I was in the hospital for a week and then I couldn’t do anything for three months because if I moved or got bumped it would like open it back up and start bleeding internally again. After that I didn’t really skate that much and then I started back again when I was 8.
That’s when I really started to skate like everyday. That’s pretty scary. Six years old just skating around and get mashed by a big dude… Yeah, he was just like cruising around and I didn’t know any better and he just hit me. Was that a big lesson for you when you started back up again and went to the park, to pay attention and look around? Yeah after that I’d wait for everybody to stop going. I’d make everyone stop before I went. Then once I got older I learned ya know?
Yeah I was just at a park yesterday and it was unbelievable how many kids just don’t pay attention at all. Yeah I know. It’s hard to get mad because I was one of those little kids too… But a lacerated spleen will teach you a lesson for sure… Yeah that’s for sure (Laughs). Have your parents been supportive in your skateboarding? Yeah, ever since I was a little kid they’d like take me to the skate park everyday and take me to
as many contests as they could. They’ve tried to do everything they can to help me. Seems like they’re always with you. Every contest I’ve seen you at they are there with you. That’s awesome. Yeah, they go to every contest they can. And plus my parents met other parents and all the moms and dads go to the contests. They get excited to hang out with all of their friends there. Your mom has a particular job that allows you to travel a bit more than the average kid, huh?
Feeble transfer K-Flip out
Feeble transfer K-Flip out
Yeah, she works for JetBlue, so I get free flights on stand by. So whenever there’s room on the planes I can get on. Pretty much go wherever - it’s tight… Let me tell you, your sponsors like that… (Laughs) Yeah, they don’t have to buy me flights as much. Makes life a lot easier for sure when you can get to where you need to go and you’re not damaging a travel
budget. Yep, saves up for the more important stuff that I need to use that for. In regards to travel you’ve just started to go on tour a bit more right? Yeah, I’ve just been going on trips with you guys and going to California a lot. How about a tour story? A tour story?
Yeah, remember people will be reading this… I’ll try to think of one… Dude I don’t know. I don’t know of any that…
psyched and he’s hilarious so it’s never a dull moment with him. Yeah and when I get to skate with Decenzo, Dyet and Lutzka and all of them it’s pretty fun.
That you could talk about (Laughs)? Yeah.
Any funny stories with Hoops? Everything that comes out of his mouth is funny. We were at those red ledges in LA and the cop was like “Why do skaters come here all the time!?”. And Hoops is like, “Well these are the best in the West
How about filming? Who do you like to film with? Obviously you’ve run into Hoops? Yeah Hoops is like my favorite filmer to go skate with because he’s always like
B.S Crail
playboy!” It was the funniest thing ever. What’d the cop say? He just laughed. He was a cool cop he wasn’t like rude or anything. He was like, “Do you guys realize that you’re in like the really bad part of town? And that us cops have better things to do besides coming and kicking skateboarders out of spots?” It was funny.
Did he just move on and you guys kept skating or did you guys leave? No, yeah we had to leave but he was cool about it. Anyone you want to thank? Um, just my sponsors and my parents and anyone who has helped me along the way. Anything else you want to say?
No I don’t think so. What are your plans for the future then? Just to keep skating and try to film as much as I can and go out to California as much as I can.
Star promo video and hopefully I’ll have enough footage for like a full part after that. There you go… Alright you little gerbil (laughs)… I’ll give you a call later. All right cool.
What are you filming for? Right now we’re just filming for the Dark
B.S 360 Lip 270
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Shirt – Volcom volcom.com Shorts – American Apparel americanapparel.net
Dress – American Apparel americanapparel.net Bikini Bottom – Volcom volcom.com Sunglasses – Oakley oakley.com
Bikini – Volcom volcom.com Sunglasses – Arnette arnette.com
Bikini – Insight insight51.com Hat – Brixton brixton.com
Dress – Hurley hurley.com
Shirt – RVCA rvca.com
Shirt – Nike nike.com Shorts – Nike nike.com
Bikini – Volcom volcom.com Sunglasses – Arnette arnette.com Boom Box - House of Marley thehouseofmarley.com
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Words and Photos: Madsteez When I heard that Chinese explosion artist Cai-GuoQiang was having a live exhibition at the MOCA in Los Angeles, I knew I had to see it. Being a believer and diehard X-Files fan, I couldn’t wait for Qiang’s Extraterrestrial invasion on planet earth. We got there an hour prior as recommended, and holy shit; there was a line around the entire city block. At first, I thought it was pretty cool that everyone else was as excited to be invaded as I was, but an hour or so into standing in the exact same spot, my 7-year-old son and I both started to become sensy. As it got closer to show time, we humans were herded into the parking lot single file through metal gates like a swarm of cows as if we were about to be probed. Looking back, I see that was a great effect for the expe-
rience but I think that was unintentional. It was almost dark and I estimated the 2,500 people or so were all getting rather “American”, impatient and verbally irate. Once the 2-minute count down hit 30 seconds, literally every single person about to be experimented on, pulled out there cell phones to capture the abduction. All the specimens counted down from 10 and after the number 1, and giant explosion and a fucking fireball the size of a football field exploded towards the crowd. I don’t know if that was intentional, but everyone ducked down thinking they were going to be vaporized. Within seconds the fireball was gone which left the whole sidewall of the MOCA burning with the outline of a 40ft alien. The now human-alien hybrids went from super sensy to a standing and cheering ovation. I myself for some reason could not stop laughing and my son was so stoked he got to see an “atomic bomb”. As the building burned, we were dropped backed on planet earth and greeted to an indoor exhibition of Qiang’s work. I must admit I was quite jealous when Qiang raised the bar again with a crop circle installation suspended from the ceiling that traveled from one end of the building the other. The show runs until July 30th, so jump in your flying saucer and get abducted.
Interview: Scott Stevens :: Photos: Bob Plumb Knowing Chris for the last decade has never had a dull moment. Grenier has personality! Every year he comes up with some funny lingo or dance that everyone is obsessed with. Mainly myself. He’s not just an amazing snowboarder, he’s a character. I swear if I didn’t know him he would be one of my favorites, based just on his attitude and drive for snowboarding alone. And as the years go on I see him add countless tricks to his repertoire. With all the rail tricks I’ve seen outta him you might classify Grendys as a rail
rider.... But he’s got niners and switch backside rodeos in the pipe, so that’s not fair. And park jumps and backcountry doubles for days. And from what I’m hearing he kills it sledding too. Only a hand full of kids can turkey (3) on a rail and rip on a snow machine. I can toot his horn about the riding for days but as one of my good friends, I see someone who works his ass off snowboarding and makes it enjoyable for anyone who watches him. He’s a gnarly snowboarder and an entertainer! It’s always a treat to see what he’s up to. Ok Chris, I know the answer to this but let’s see if you know. How did you get the nickname “Grendys”? And do you have any other nicknames? I grew up with a Wendy’s down the street from my house in Massachusetts. We used to meet up there to go skate. You guys just started calling me Grendys. I don’t really have many other nicknames, JP calls me Grampier because he says I have the body of a grandpa. Do you think skateboarding goofy and snowboarding regular is weird, helpful or whatever? Give us you thoughts? Yeah, I think maybe it makes some tricks a bit easier. I still feel really sketchy going fast switch on my snowboard or skateboard. Who’s your favorite snowboarder who skates the opposite way they snowboard? There are so many sick ones like Burtner, Jussi, Jed, and Nicholas Muller. Probably Nicholas, he’s really inspiring to watch. So tell us about Changethattape and what’s the deal with it? Changethattape is a website that we started. We make a bunch of edits and do look-alikes and other random shit. We got hoodies and stickers being made right now. We’re in the process of building a new website. We got big plans. Changethattape.com, bookmark that shit!
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What’s your favorite Boston sports team? Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins have all won a championship in the past decade. What other city can say that? All the teams have their ups and downs, but I like watching hockey the best. The Bruins winning the cup last year was really memorable. What’s your least favorite team? Well, it’s engrained in our culture to hate the Lakers, the Canadians, the Yankees and the Jets. My dad said it was like that when he was growing up, and its gonna be like that for generations. I think the Yankees and The Lakers have the most heated rivalries with Boston, because they have been battling for decades. So I know you love sledding. Why, and do you think your love for sledding could ever surpass snowboarding? Snowmobiling is so goddamn fun; it’s hard to explain. It’s
a different kind of fun for me than snowboarding, you can get powder turns going uphill, downhill, or side-hill, and you can catch fuckin’ air. But, snowboarding will always be my main passion. How’s Gus? Gus rules. He is me and my girlfriend’s dog. He’s a pitbull ridgeback mix, Gus is a great puppy. How’d this season go? What’s it like filming for Videograss? The season went really well, I did the Salomon Team Vacation, where we toured around the world to different resorts. We had this 40-foot RV that looked
like the station wagon from National Lampoon’s Vacation. Then we spent three weeks overseas on the ThirtyTwo European Tour. In between those, I tried to find time to film for Videograss’ “The Darkside.” I didn’t get as much footage as usual, but I had a good time. Who is your favorite VG [Videograss] dudes to go on rail trips with? I filmed with both Louif Paradis and Bode Merrill during their X Games real snow, and that was really inspiring. Generally, I like filming with Sexton, Darrell, Jake OE and Bennee. Pretty much everyone on VG is tight to film with.
Who’s your favorite VG dudes to go hit the backcountry with? Darrell Mathes, Jordan Mendenhall and Ben Biloq, even though we had some tough times in Whistler this year, it was still really fun. I like hitting jumps with Bode too, he lands everything, and it’s ridiculous. Who rips the nastiest farts on trips? You do, it’s absolutely disgusting. The most putrid odors that I have ever smelled have come from your body. It’s that steady diet of fast food and soda. You still down for “FFC”?
Oh… Front Foot Catch, not really anymore. That was more of a joke. We used to do 360 flips on our skateboards, and over exaggerate the front foot catch for shits and gigs. Who do you think is gonna win the Battle of the Berrics this year? I don’t know. I haven’t really been keeping up. Hopefully Buzenitz, he’s a savage. Who are your top 5 skaters and why? Brandon Westgate because he’s from Massachusetts. Reynolds, Herman, and Kalis cause their style. Ryan Gallant because he grew up in the same town as me. It was tight watching him skate when I was a little kid. On these LRG trips you get to do some modeling yes? How’s that? I know your friends give you a tough time but they’re just jealous. What are you thoughts? LRG is a really awesome brand to be a part of; I have always loved their gear. But, in some of the catalogs, they used to dress me in some pretty crazy kits that I might not wear otherwise. The catalog shoots are so sweet; they bring out rappers, musicians, skaters, and one time this NFL player Marty Giliard. It’s a cool blend of people. I’m happy to be a part of the LRG family. R.I.P. Jonas, you are forever in our hearts. Tell me something about Johnny Brady’s backside 7’s? Johnny Brady has one of the best back 7’s in the game. To me, a good backside 720 is like a good method, it’s a
timeless trick. Whose video part are you most excited to see this year? Frank April, it’s gonna blow minds. He’s another insane Frenchie from Quebec City. List your five favorite songs? Johnny Cash - Hung My Head, Witch – Seer, Belle and Sebastian - Electric Renaissance, Young Jeezy – Vacation and Young Jeezy - Air Forces. Five favorite cities you’ve visited? Newfoundland, Stockholm, Sapporo, Helsinki and Quebec City. What’s on your agenda for summer? I’ll go to High Cascade for our session in July. I’m in the process of buying a house in Salt Lake City, so hopefully I can make that happen. I really just wanna enjoy summer, go camping, go skateboarding and try to relax. Probably gonna go on vacation to Miami as well. Any last words? I just wanna say that I am in debt to snowboarding, it has brought me so many good times, so many good people, and it has taught me so much. I really appreciate everything I’ve gained from snowboarding and I owe everything to it. So thank you for reading this, thank you my haters and thank you to everyone that has supported me.
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Words: Josh Grelock :: Photos: Derek Bahn // Skateboard legends Lance Mountain, Steve Olson, C.R. Stecyk III, Salba, Jeff Grosso, Jay Adams // PK and Rob Machado // Bobby Bass, Kurt Ross and Salba // C.R. Stecyk III art work and custom painted surfboard // Monty Nolder // Powerflex 5 with special guest Tara Tavi, Brian Brannon of JFA, Darrell Mansfield, Jeff Mosses and Kurt Ross // Black Label CEO John Lucero and son // Professor Schmitt // Jay Adams and Salba
Good times were had at Hurley Headquarters in Costa Mesa on Friday, April 6th for the one-night-only LIGHT DEATH event. The art show featured new work from skateboarding legends Salba, C.R. Stecyk III, Lance Mountain, Duane Peters and Steve Olson. From Lance Mountain’s super cool mini Nude Bowl Coffee Table to Salba’s shadow boxes packed with amazing pieces of skateboard history, each artist brought their own unique style to the show. The evening was sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, leaving no poor soul
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parched, while tasty. Tasty treats from Los Taco Dudes where on hand for purchase. The festivities got kicked into high gear halfway into the night when Salba’s all-star band Powerflex Five plugged in and rocked out! Featured guest members included Brian Brannon of JFA, Darrell Mansfield, Jeff Mosses, Kurt Ross and tattoo legend Cory Miller of SIX FEET UNDER tattoo parlor. As if all this wasn’t cool enough, the Hurley skate park was open to the public and their T-shirt sublimation truck was cranking out free shirts. Oh, and not to mention free zines doled out to the first 100 lucky guests.
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Words: Spencer Pirdy :: Photos: Brent Hilleman // Champion Nat Young // Chase Wilson spraying Nat with the over sized check // Chase Wilson boosting high // Jeremy Johnston finding some tube time // Kalani David with a grab // Wardo being Wardo // Andrew layback Doheny // Asher fins-free Nolan // Conner nailing the Coffin
After days of battling through the large talent pool of competitors, making countless connections into the shore break and capitalizing on heat strategies, it came down to two San Clemente veterans, a freckled Santa Cruz superstar and a Newport dark horse. What had just 24 hours prior been a combo wonderland with peaks reaching north and south as far as the eye could see, had now turned into a maelstrom of strong current, blistering wind and overhead surf. No one really seemed to care though, especially the final competitors and a winner would be crowned whether the judge’s scaffolding held up in the stormy weather or not. Looking back on the history of this event, the folks at Vans have to be feeling pretty lucky by now. While this time of year does seem to offer up the best conditions imaginable for the SoCal region, it seems like the peaks, sunshine and swell just follow in unison every year. Day one to day five had contestable
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conditions, with the second to last day having traveling pros like Hawaii’s Hank Gaskell and the east coast’s Jeremy Johnston getting slotted in conditions that only come around but a few times a year. You could say that the 4-star event had a little glimpse of dreamier conditions that even the WT sometimes finds it hard to wrangle in. The juniors should not go unnoticed. Their level of surfing is vastly closer to that of the big league caliber surfers every year. If you sat and watched a junior’s final without knowing their age or their division, you’d almost certainly mistake them for the pro division. Andrew Doheny set himself apart from the pack with unique style and high scores. The junior final saw Doheny, Keanu Asing, Ian Gentil and Conner Coffin. Doheny again had a strong showing, but it was the consistency of Keanu Asing throughout the whole final that had him taking it home.
The finals were on and it was time to see which one of the four pro competitors would be taking home 15 grand in the 4-star main event. Newport’s Chase Wilson had the makings, his powerful backhand and smooth carves had him beating Nat Young in their quarterfinal and semifinal match ups. In the end, Wilson’s string of heat wins was cut short, as he was only able to muster up a 7 point total in the final. Chase was noticeably stoked on the finish though, and having just recently turned 21, you could tell that just making the final had added some icing onto his cake. Wardo didn’t go out without a fight, trying to make something out of the soupy conditions. He ended up taking home third place, but his talent doesn’t look like it will flee him anytime soon. Then, there were Nate and Nat. The two goofy foots were equally matched for this final showdown. Nate, coming off of a Volcom Pipe Pro final showing had to have known that this was his for the taking. Both Young and Yeomans were nudging themselves towards
the top of the world rankings and a win here would’ve boosted them that much more. Yeomans came out of the gate firing with a monstrous air for a 9.17. He seemed to have a stranglehold on the heat, but then Nat answered back with a high 7 which put him within striking distance. With minutes left Nat Young found the gem everyone had been searching for – a head high wave that had a smooth face and an opportunity for the always-rewarded barrel. Nat pulled in, came out and finished with a floater. Yeomans had a chance to pull it out at the end but missed out on the score he needed by only .20. The horn blew and Nat Young was 15-grand richer. He had achieved victory and this time he showed us that he didn’t have to have his back to the wave to do so. The wind continued to blow and the sea was victorious, leaving us only the promise of next years Van’s Pier Classic for some more exciting surf.
FILTRATE
Words: Spencer Regan :: Photos Cobrasnake // Theo & Ford // Shady // PM & Jodi Tenore // Super into it // Levi Prairie // DJ Nick Cohen // Alex Knost & Jack Coleman // Spanky // Cobrasnake and friends // No Age // Ford and Brooks Nielsen // Casey Holland // Jim Shubin // Makua Rothman, Matt Meola & lady friend // Keegan Gibbs // Brook Power
On April 1st, RVCA hosted a surprise birthday bash for team riders Theo Niarchos and Ford Archbold in celebration of their 21st birthdays. Partygoers came from all corners of the US to celebrate with these two. This occasion called for the sounds of New York’s very own DJ Nick Cohen and Los Angeles favorites Randy and Dean from NO AGE. No expense was spared and the party went off without a hitch at the world renowned
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Balboa Bay Club and Resort. The extravagant ballroom was filled with an array of surfing’s elite, local partygoers, the Cobrasnake and plethora of different artists. The food and drinks came endlessly, along with the new moves that were being created on the dance floor. Good times were had by all in attendance; Ford and Theo had an epic 21st birthday bash that will not soon be forgotten... Until next year, of course.
Photos: Cobrasnake // Free beer and this is who shows up // Models Leore & Kelsey // Song of Style’s Aimee & her dude // The lovely Vanessa & CC Sheffield // Jonti of Stones Throw Records // DJ Tilt of Stones Throw Records // Stylist Ashley Montague // Linda Lovemade // Handsome Awash // The Cobrasnake // Insight Garage Artist Niky Roehreke // Jimmy Tran & lady friend
Insight celebrated the birth of their Garage Artist tee series with an opening reception of the ‘OH HELL’ exhibition this past month. The gallery walls at the Insight Los Angeles store in Venice proudly made home to visuals from a mega-talented group of artists whose whereabouts span the globe. Making up the menagerie of the madness was Gustavo Eandi’s infamous claws, Portland’s Shelby Menzel’s pencil penises and political people, Julien Langendorff’s giant wet-dream invoking poster prints, Switzerland’s Beni Bischoff’s colorful brainstorm, Japan’s Himaa the illustrator, Europe’s 1/2 ladies zines and last but not least, New York’s Niky Roehreke, who was there in the flesh and representing her
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beautiful collage artwork. Traveling through space, the syrupy-sweet sounds of Jonti and toe-tapping tunes by DJ Tilt were brought to us by Stones Throw Records to set the mood. Perfectly balanced with a swig of icy PBR and juicy Body Armor, our hangover repellent, tied the night into a perfect little bow. Everyone had a great time, got a little intoxicated, listened to amazing tunes and got their fill of garage art. If you find yourself up in Venice stop by the Insight LA store and check out the ‘OH HELL’ exhibition with your own eyes, we are sure you’ll enjoy it!
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Captain Cavin - keepin’ his eye on the prize // SoGnar Am Cody Potter - holding down the grill // Fuck yeah - we are in Austin // SoGnar artist & Coalatree snowboarder getting his art on // Girls are so cute when they sing // Microphone check 1, 2 // Max Jared jamming out // Casey Desmond is down with Coalatree // Members of Shinobi Ninja digging the Coalatree organic, farmed-raised chicken tacos // Brad Williams, Charlie Bessey & Lucas George // Coalatree Brat loving the BBQ
A few weeks back the Coalatree family traveled to Austin, Texas for the 2012 SXSW Music Festival. In between listening to the hundreds of different bands that flood the city for this event, Coalatree contributed with a little organic barbecue of their own. The crew teamed up with the Bandpage HQ event and served up succulent meats and other organic treats for everyone to feast on. Of course, Captain Cavin manned the grill and supplied all the tasty eats until the crowd was stuffed full.
Later into the evening Bandpage rented out two nightclubs and had continuous music rolling on three stages. Acts included Zion I, Los Rakas, Murs, Chairlift, Dead Confederate, and Casey Desmond amongst many more. While the artists and fans filtered through, they were greeted with savoring scents and scrumptious eats, the product of proper organic meats, veggies and poultry straight from the Coalatree Farm.
Team rider and So-Gnar artist Pat Milbery was on hand getting inspired by the craziness of SXSW, all the while letting his creative juices flow and leaving a few permanent masterpieces of his own. It was a two-night ordeal as the boys took over the back patio of the Bandpage HQ event, ensuring the throngs of SXSW goers were getting their fill with delicious food and good vibes.
SXSW 2012 proved to be another amazing festival with wonderful people, mind blowing music and great vibes. With organic eats and the very latest tunes, you can expect to see the Coalatree crew returning to Austin every year and letting the rest of the world in on the goodness of the Coalatree farm one memorable day at a time.
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Words: Derek Boucher :: Photos: Matt Doheny & Le Panda // Ladies of Vestal Village // Vestal Village 2012 - pink flamingos // Tent City // Robert DeLong // Vestal Village Landscape // Partying at The Outdoor Saloon // Jamie O’Brien Free Willy // What happens in the RV park stays in the RV Park // Dr Doonan & the Flamingo beer bong // Jesse “Boots Electric” Hughes & Tuesday Cross // Carah Faye of Shiny Toy Guns @ 3am
2012 marks the third straight year that Vestal invited friends, retailers, athletes, artists and musicians to “Vestal Village,” a secret camping community constructed on a ten-acre ranch in the desert, coinciding with the Coachella Music Festival. This 72-hour mystical Vestal Village event is not so much a “party,” but more of an unorthodox resort community comprised of one unicorn stable and two on-site living environments; a field full of RV’s and a compound filled to the brim with 100 tents reminiscent of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, except with less clothing and more pink flamingoes. Pabst Blue Ribbon, Tito’s Vodka, Peligroso
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Tequila and Sailor Jerry Rum hosted the allday outdoor saloon and all-night after hours party barn. Other amenities and services include a full-fledged “pop up” restaurant by BBQ 220 of Costa Mesa, Mammoth Mountain shuttle bus, shaded beer garden, private lakeside cabanas, pool party, Paul Mitchell beauty salon & showers, Rukus Solar speaker station and James Haunt art installations. The one-man band mastermind, Robert DeLong, performed an afternoon set while DJ Metric closed out each day’s festivities. Another highlight of the weekend was when the legendary “bungee rope slip n’ slide” with its new and improved launch ramp was finally revealed. Those brave enough to grab on were whipped into a four-foot launch ramp at
thirty miles per hour sending them through the desert sky, clearing a 10-foot gap with an inflatable pool landing. The one and only Jamie O’Brien took things even further by reenacting a scene from the movie Free Willy (you might want to hit Youtube for some additional footage, just FYI). Friday night brought out dance fever in the party barn with 50’s rock and roll on the turntables followed by a surprise performance by Boots Electric featuring Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal. Twenty-four hours later, Saturday evening blasted off in the barn with hard dancing and then transitioned into a mind-blowing performance by Vestal’s favorite new band, Magic Wands. The clock struck 2am and Jeremy from Shiny Toy Guns
materialized on stage with a surprise DJ set shifting Vestal Village’s axis into rave mode. Just when things couldn’t get any more insane, Carah Faye from Shiny Toy Guns ascended onstage to perform the upcoming STG single “Speaking Japanese” and then torching the crowd with an illustrious version of “Le Disko” until 5am Sunday morning. Vestal would like to thank Code 4, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Tito’s Vodka, Peligroso Tequila, Sailor Jerry Rum, BBQ 220, Mammoth Mountain, Vitamin Water, Zico Coconut Water, Honest Tea, Red Bull, Paul Mitchell, Pop Chips, Rukus Solar & the Jumper Family. Check out www. facebook.com/vestalwatch for additional photos and an upcoming mini Vestal Village documentary by Jason Augustine.
WEST
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MAY 4-5 | CANYON LODGE SKI + BOARD BIG AIR UNDER THE LIGHTS EDDIE WALL RIDE INVITATIONAL CONCERT presented by SPONSOR VILLAGE | PUBLIC RAIL PARK
Facilities Under Permit from the Inyo National Forest Events and times subject to change
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Interview: Max Ritter I think them boys be on the grass man! We’re talking about those unruly kids playing that ole’ twelve bar blues. We’re talking about just plain, good-time, bluecollar rock-n-roll from Nashville, Tennessee. We’re talking about three southern gents rolling in this fine country day-in, day-out in a soccer mom mini van and ruling shit at every stop. We’re talking about our boys Natty. And it’s infectious like a bad hooker. Their new album For The Love Of The Game is out now on Burger Records. That album cover ain’t half bad to look at either. Check it out on the next page. Tell the good people out there what Natural Child is all about, if you had to sum it up? Zack: It’s about real deal man. Playing rock ’n roll and trying to make people dance and get it going, ya know? Seth: Telling the truth. Zack: No lies. One of the things I really like about your music is you tell good stories. Every song is good for a message or at least a good laugh. What influences your style of song writing? Zack: Chuck Berry is a really good storyteller. He can tell you a story about anything: country music, Bobby Dylan, Willie Nelson, Outkast, Chris Christopherson, Devin The Dude. Seth: There aren’t a lot of bands out there with songs that are about very much so… Zack: We only have a few minutes so we try to take you somewhere. Seth: And give you a straight deal. All our songs are true stories too. You guys don’t seem to have trouble with writing songs. It’s only been a year since you dropped LP 1 last 4/20 and word on the street is you guys already have another LP in the works? Zach: We have our next album already about half way done. We are recording it next month. Are you keeping with the tradition of releasing everything on 4/20? Are we going to have to wait for 4/20 2013 to come around for this next one? Seth: Hopefully it will start going faster than that but we will make sure we put something out every 4/20. Zach: Yeah. It’s got to happen. Why did you guys leave Infinity Cat and go with Burger for this new record? Zach: Burger is just popping off man; those dudes are fucking awesome. Seth: They know what’s up. Zach: And our boy over there has been buying us so many drinks. Seth: Wined and dined. (Laughs) They do a great job. Well, you know you are in good hands with Sean and Burger. He is one person who doesn’t give a shit about money. He only cares about putting out the music he likes. Zach: Sean cares about weed and music and if anybody wants to know why we got on Burger there it is. How’s it been playing with Hunx and his Punx? Zach: So fucking awesome. It’s been strange and it’s been awesome. Seth: Yeah, we never really tour with bands that we really dig and want to watch every night. Zach: Yeah, they’ve been buying us so many milks every night and we love milk. Milk? Zach: Yeah, when you have been out all night dancing with your buddies and friends and you are just like, “I’m exhausted, let’s get a round of milks.” Seth: Then your kind of just like, “Hey, you know what? Let’s all throw up.” Zach: It doesn’t make me throw up. I don’t think milk can make me throw up. So your whole deal is you party all night and then drink milk? Zach: Well, we dance all night with our friends and then we say, “I’m exhausted, let’s have a milk.” Seth: It kicks off the end of the night. It’s actually a registered trademark, “Kick Off The End Of Your Night®.”
And you guys picked that up from Hunx? Zach: No, we showed it to him. He loves it. Seth: He really kicked off the… Zach: When we showed that to him he’s like, “Hard milk for men, what the fuck?” and he has been flipping out on it every night now. But yeah, you know dancing to, “Lover’s Lane” and giving each other piggy-back rides, it’s crazy out there, tearing it up. Can we talk about the album art? I am a fan. Whose butt is that? Zach: We don’t know. Seth: We really can’t say… We couldn’t tell you. Zach: I mean… our friend. He didn’t want anyone to know. He was a swimmer. Wait, “he”? Zach: Let’s not get specific here. He is a swimmer. He swims everyday. Seth: It’s one of us in the band. So your telling me it’s a dude? Zach: All I said is it’s a swimmer. I am telling you right now it’s a swimmer. Seth: I am telling you now… straight deal… it’s our drummer. (Laughs) Wes: I swim everyday. You better watch out for Hunx then! Zach: Yeah, he says he is going to “turn out” our boy Basketball Jones by the end of the tour. We got our boy Basketball Jones with us. Say, “hey” Basketball. Basketball Jones: Hey Zach: Basketball Jones is with us on this tour running shit. Hunx is like, “You’ve got the hottest merch guy ever! I am going to turn him out by the end of the tour!” Oh shit, you better watch out dude! Zach: Stuff is hilarious. Tell us a little about your Rolling Stones obsession? Have you made any headway yet on meeting them yet? Zach: I don’t know… hopefully. We really want to meet them but they are getting really old. I don’t know about obsession. We listen to them a lot and… Seth: We love them. Zach: We love those guys. Seth: Are you obsessed with your wife? Are you obsessed with your kids? You love them in your own way. No, we haven’t met them yet. We are about to meet Bobby Keith though, so that is a good step. Word on the street is Seth pees his pants a lot when he play’s live. Can you speak to that? Zach: He hasn’t told me about that, I dunno. Maybe he pees his pants and I don’t notice. Seth: What the hell, are you reading my diary? I do. Actually, you know, I have pissed while playing a lot. But I do it in the private of outside around the corner. Something like that. I don’t do it in my pants. I do it with my pants on, like a man. I don’t drop them to the ground or anything. There are a couple points where I am playing my guitar where I can step off the stage and keep playing with my left hand and pee with my right hand. Zach: On tour we don’t have time a lot of the times to fuck around with taking our pants off. So piss or don’t. Seth: Piss in your pants or don’t piss. Zach: Everyday I have the choice, piss or don’t. Does Basketball Jones want to make a shout-out? Zach: What you got Basketball? Basketball Jones: I want to shout-out to my family. That is so weak, come on dude, this is BL!SSS Magazine… Basketball Jones: Shout-out to Bun B, shout-out to Shaquille O’Neill. Where you guys headed right now? Seth: Gainesville, home of Tom Petty. Home of Less Than Jake. Home of surviving members of Lynard Skynard… Zach: Home of Richard the first winner of Survivor. (Laughs) Thanks for checking in boys. Good times. Pick up For The Love Of The Game, out now via Burger Records.
Ty Segall
Burgerama at The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA
March 24th, 2012
Early on during this event I was enjoying a band called Pangea as they were tearing up the smaller stage and I couldn’t help but be amused as I watched a security guard giving Ty Segall a hard time because he was crowd surfing like a manic teenager during their set. Not too long after that, that same guy spent half of his own set floating the crowd and playing every second with frantic energy. This guy is a serious machine on a tear. A person who constantly reminds us all to stay young and never grow up! Burger sure knows how to throw a party. Check out Ty Segall’s new collaboration project with Tim Presley and White Fence entitled Hair, out now on Drag City. Photo & Review: Max Ritter
Reviews: Max Ritter
Die Antwoord Ten$Ion ZEF
Natural Child For The Love Of The Game Burger Records
Mrs. Magician Strange Heaven Swami Records
This cohort of bizarre rappers are back with LP2 and they are once again appealing solely on the principle that they are strange as shit. The South African gangster rap game is obviously on another level. Imagine a spaceship full of dubstep-worshiping aliens landed inside your head and started hosing down your brain with acid. You have to have to be a ninja and have a next level haircut to listen to this. If you don’t meet that criteria then you probably can’t hang.
The Natty guys tried to convince us in this month’s interview that this is the butt of their mute drummer, Wes, who is supposedly an avid swimmer… Well, we are not buying that. However, if this dude or (EHEM) chick is a swimmer then we are at the pool! Yew! Jokes aside, this is a fun one with a timeless feel and classic personality. You will play it almost as much as you Instagram.
This is the debut album from a gem of a surf band hailing out of the infamous Whale’s Vagina (Anchorman reference). Front man Jacob Turnbloom belts like an atheist Beach Boy. The record’s tracks really come to life with the timeless touch and mentorship of the legendary Jon Reis (Hot Snakes, Rocket From The Crypt). FYI, the good man EJ Binns at Grizzly Records was on to them first and he has a whole mess of their earlier releases, entitled Prescription Vision 7” as well as a Turnbloom solo “Death Tape.” Pick those up if you feel the need to dig deeper into their catalog.
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Chromatics Kill For Love Italians Do It Better If you’ve seen or heard the soundtrack for the movie Drive, you know the very talented man Johnny Jewel has some real analog synthesizer game up his sleeve. This one caught us quick at the beginning with a bold take on one of the most badass songs of all time – Neil Young’s “Into The Black.” The remainder of the record clocks in at around 90 freaking minutes with a 14-minute outro. That is some serious music making madness. “Kill For Love” is a long, dark and cinematic ride, chockfull of heavy atmosphere for you to get weird on.
S M O Y: R B G D E T S BL!SS PRESEN
AGE: 16 HOMETOWN: SAN CLEMENTE, CA SPONSORS: HURLEY, SUPERSTIX, AERIAL 7, WATERMANS, DIZM EYEWEAR AND DSC FAVORITE SURFER: BRETT SIMPSO N Photo: Joe Foster
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AGE: 14 HOMETOWN: NORTH SHORE, OA HU HAWAII SPONSORS: POCKET PISTOLS SK ATEBOARDS, CONVERSE, RVCA, INDY, BONES, NIXON FAVORITE SKATERS: PEDRO BARR OS, DANNY WAY, RUNE GLIFBER G, NOLAN MONROE, JOSH STAFFO RD Photo: Ortiz
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NO TIME FOR LACES
AGE: 11 HOMETOWN: SAN DIEGO, CA (SU MMER) :: MAMMOTH LAKES (W INTER) SPONSORS: BILLABONG, OAKLEY, GROMBOMB, THE SHARK BRAN D, Z RANCH AND MIMI’S COOKIES FAVORITE RIDER: SCOTTY LAGO & LOUIE VITO
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Photo: Curley
Rider: Josh Hoyer Photo: Tom Cozad
Banzai Bowls Laguna Beach
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488 E 17th St A107, Costa Mesa, Ca 92627 | PH: (949) 722-8329
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222 5th St, Huntington Beach, Ca 92648 | PH: (714) 594-3220
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