BL!SSS Magazine | May 2015 | #93

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Once upon a hell of a time. Our 50 years of innovation has helped us perfect what really matters — amplifying the thrill of human experience. Check out "Life Beyond Walls: Highway 101" featuring the adventures of Yadin Nicol, Dillon Perillo and the Questa.

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CONVERSE CONS CTAS PRO • RUBBER INFUSED CANVAS • LUNARLON SOCKLINER • CONS TRACTION RUBBER



RANDOMS // 28 PRODUCT REVIEW // 34 DANIEL LUTHERAN // 36 HANNAH HOPPER // 38 CRYSTAL WAGNER // 40 RUSTY - SHAPER PROFILE // 42 CLEMENS BEHR - MURAL OF THE MONTH // 44 THALIA SURF SHOP - SHOP OF THE MONTH // 46 INSTAGRAM // 48

SUPER TASTE // 52 GREG HUNT // 54 LASER BRAINS // 56 LETS GO SKATE MIDWEST // 60 THE GNAR OF DAKAR // 64 THE ART OF KENNY SCHARF // 68 AMBASSADORS OF FUN // 74 MR PLANT // 80 REVOK EXHIBITION // 86

RESQWATER : #RESQHOUSE // 88 ACTIVE ALISO VIEJO GRAND OPENING // 90 VESTAL VILLAGE 2015 // 92 MASTER PLAN OPEN HOUSE // 94 NO PARENTS // 96 MUSIC REVIEWS // 98 GROMS // 100

Artist: Kenny Scharf


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Editor-i n-Chief nick kalionzes nick@blisssmag.com

Editor joey marshall joey@blisssmag.com

Creative DirectoR mark paul deren : madsteez madsteez@madsteez.com

assistant editor delon isaacs delon@blisssmag.com

EDITOR AT LARGE liz rice mcCray liz@blisssmag.com

SNOW EDITOR jon francis jon@blisssmag.com

MUSIC E DITOR max ritter max@blisssmag.com

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contributing Photographers Jason Kenworthy, Dominic Petruzzi, Daniel Russo, Toby Ogden, Tom Carey, Brian Beilmann, Jack Coleman, Andrew Mapstone, Adam Moran, Dave Nelson, Pat Eichstaedt, Julien Lecorps, Ryan Boyes, Zach Hooper, Tim Peare, Michael Lallande, Bob Plumb, Peter Morning, Bryce Kanights, Arto Sarri, Anthony Acosta, Cameron Strand, Brian Fick, Deville Nunns, Gage Thompson, Derek Bahn, Tom Cozad, Robbie Crawford, Ryan Donahue, Joe Foster, Sean Sullivan, Delon Isaacs

contributors Willie Marshall, Daniel Russo, Jason Arnold, Greg Escalante, Nathan Spoor, Tom Carey, Travis Millard, David Choe, Kai Garcia, Mickey Neilsen, Peter Townend, Hamilton Endo, Tawnya Schultz, Mike Murciano, Geoff Shively, Casey Holland, Steve Stratton, Robbie Sell, Andrew Miller, Pat Towersey, Raul Montoya, Ian Dodge, Richie Olivares, Eric Meyers, Kelly Shannon, JP Olson B a L!SSS Magazine 413 31st Street

may 2015

Newport Beach, CA 92663 www.blisssmag.com Disclaimer: Although all best efforts are made to avoid the same, we reserve the right to publish unintentional mistakes and/or factual errors which may occur on a monthly basis. No responsibility is assumed by the publishers for unsolicited materials/articles/letters/advertising and all submissions will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright and/or appropriate licensing purposes subject to Blisss’ right to edit and comment editorially. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine reflect the opinions of their respective authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Blisss Magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising matter which may reflect negatively on the integrity of the magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form [print or electronic] without prior written consent from the publisher.

artIST: kenny scharf

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nixon ultratide Forget everything you know about tide watches because our good friends over at Nixon just reinvented the wheel, releasing their Nixon Ultratide surf watch. This new watch is two years in making, and it marks the first time Nixon partnered with the world’s most reliable source in surf forecasting Surfline. The two have created the most detailed, self-updating surf watch that is powered by Bluetooth technology. This operating system, which is 10x smarter than any tide watch available on market, allows you to determine tide, time, wave height, swell direction, wind direction and water and air temperatures all on your wrist. Syncing with your smartphone via Bluetooth delivers the most accurate and up-to-date surf with over 2,700 surf locations for you to choose from. Simplify your life and be on the lookout for this watch, because you’ll never blow another surf session again!

the outpost kitchen costa mesa Launching from the industrial yet uber-cool and gentrified location of 18th Street and Monrovia Avenue in Costa Mesa, California, the Outpost Kitchen is born purely of an Australian heart. Open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, the Outpost Kitchen offers a wide array of breakfast, lunch and coffee items. Swing by and meet owners Andre Sickinger (head chef) and Jay Lewis, and talk to them about their extraordinary attention to tasteful detail and all the fresh local produce they use at their restaurant while you witness this awesome culinary experience first hand!

heaven, dennis mcgrath Christmas came early this month when this package came in. HEAVEN, by Dennis McGrath, with support from DC Shoes, is an intimate visual journey of a lost soul, Lennie Kirk. Through the lens of renowned photographer Dennis McGrath, this book displays in gritty reality the rise and fall of infamous professional skateboarder Lennie Kirk, who is currently serving a 13-year jail sentence. Designed by artist Ed Templeton, HEAVEN is a photo book that took 20 years for McGrath to produce and includes a series of letters and commentary from those who grew up skateboarding with the troubled Kirk. The well-constructed, 134-page hardcover is a lovely ode to friendship and is definitely worth picking up. Dennis, you’re the man!

the phantom julian elite If you’re the type of person that thinks all boardshorts are constructed the same and design and materials don’t make a difference then you’ve been living under a rock, my friend. Harnessing insights from one of the world’s best surfers in Julian Wilson, and in conjunction with Nike innovation, Hurley just released one of its most technological boardshort ever made. The new Phantom Julian Elite boardshort features a new Livewire waistband that reacts to the body’s movement for maximum performance, along with a 60 percent stretch, Phantom water-repellant fabric. And if you are one of those environmental hippy-dippy types, you’ll be happy knowing that each short is constructed out of on average of 12 plastic recycled bottles. Get with the times and snag one of these shorts quickly because they’ll go fast. 28

olloclip iphone 6 The boys at OlloClip have done it again. No slouches to the technology game, they were quick to release their OlloClip iPhone 6 accessories. Available now, get your hands on the 4-in-1, telephoto, wide-angle, marco and CPL lenses. Instagram and selfies are here to stay, and these lenses are a must-have for anyone in the 21st Century, so trot on over to your local skate or surf shop to pick one up an fire away.



ed templeton synthetic suburbia Huntington Beach’s most proud member Ed Templeton is back in the painting game and will be debuting a collection of his hometown-inspired pieces once again at Roberts & Tilton Art Gallery in Los Angeles on April 25th- May 30th. Templeton, who is a massive icon in the skate and photography/art world, shares Synthetic Suburbia: “A culmination of years of looking at the place where I live and the peculiarity of it. I have travelled all over the world and there is no place as strange as Huntington Beach.” We are all excited to finally see some new paintings from the Tempster himself, the genius of the act of people watching. You have an entire month, so there is no excuse to miss this exhibition.

brandon westgate for element One of our favorite skaters to watch, East Coast powerhouse Brandon Westgate, is now welcomed by the Element Skateboards family. Maxing out the potential of the already dynamically talented and strong team, we look forward to seeing more of that East Coast pop and asshauling speed into the mix. Westgate, the 26-year-old farm boy of Carver, Massachusetts, already has an impressive repertoire of solid video parts to date, and we wait in excitement for his future involvement at Element.

robert delong x quiksilver Set to launch Spring 2015, Quiksilver has teamed up with the musically talented Robert Delong to collaborate on apparel that will span over multiple seasons. Hailing from the suburbs of Seattle, Robert is a multi-instrumental expert who uses his wide variety of genres to create a new grade of electronic- and rock-infused tunes. The first of many to come, the “New Wave Remix” is a boardshort whose artwork is contrived from early ‘80s Quiksilver artwork infused with Delong’s signature music video re-mastered craft. Follow the collection at select Quiksilver flagship stores or online!

vissla presents cosmic creek

pro-lite timmy reyes smuggler bag 1+1=3? The magicians over at Pro-lite have finally constructed the world’s first surfboard board travel bag that will actually pay itself off. The Smuggler Travel Bag, part of the Timmy Reyes signature series, fits up to three surfboards, but it only shows two when opened for that pre-flight check in. Constructed with a false-bottom flap, you can honestly Houdini your way out of that extra board charge from any baggage claiming yuppie. Sizing starts from a 6’0 to a 6’6, the bag can be purchased online and at a local surf shop near you. Save yourself some money and snag one of these bags today. 30

Coming the end of this month Vissla is proud to present the 14th annual Cosmic Creek Surf Festival, a retro-style experience paying homage to an earlier era in surf on May 30th and 31st at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point. The event will include a surf competition featuring three divisions (Locals, Creators & Innovators and Pros) that is based around a bunch of randomly selected vintage styled surfboards and crafts. Cosmic Creek is completely open to the public, and those in attendance will have the opportunity to demo boards from Danny Hess, Hayden Shapes, Jeff McCallum, Donald Brink and to listen to a live concert from lollipop records own Froth and Tropical Popsicle. This festival sounds like an awesome time! For additional information check in with the supporting crew from Killer Dana Surf Shop or the Cosmic Creek page found on vissla.com.



gnar of dakar We caught up with the Roark crew after their chase in West Africa. The trip proved much more difficult than anticipated. With the rise of Ebola in the region and a somewhat dilapidated state of affairs in Senegal, the boys bobbed and weaved in search of music, waves, voodoo and outright exploration in an attempt to lose their bearings. The result is Volume 8 “The Gnar of Dakar,” a tale navigating the endless winding streets and dusty, sundrenched desert of Senegal. Bright color permeates the desaturated landscape and colorful personalities prevail in a sometimes desolate swath of Africa. The collection of clothing and trinkets is inspired by West African traditional textiles, racing, mystery and a fair amount of hard-earned sweat, documented in this Dossier. The summer collection is in stores now and these tid-bits are the Artifacts of Adventure.

surf is where you find it

rvca recession collection Harnessing the spirit of early ‘90s skateboarding, a time when commercialization died and produced arguably the most creative and pure shift in skateboarding, RVCA has given us the Recession Collection. Proud to introduce this collection into its current line, RVCA has created a variety of affordable, no-frills, basics; meant to wear and preserve through those lean times. With full respect to the spirit and culture, this collection of classic work includes chinos shirts, blank tees and boxer packs that will only be a part of a limited distribution project, available only to selected retailers. Simplify your life and recess it back to the basics!

Surf Is Where You Find It by Gerry Lopez (2015 revised Patagonia Edition) should be a must buy for your cute little coffee table book collection. The 416-page memoir is a beautiful collection of stories that recount harrowing waves, epic wipeouts, and heroes encountered over a lifetime of surfing. This new edition, releasing this month, comes with three times the photos than the previous edition, and it features forewords from Rob Machado and founder of Surfer’s Journal Steve Pezman. “Gerry Lopez writes as good as he bottom turns,” comments Jack Johnson on the book, and we agree one hundred percent.

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volcom x mike perillo Legendary Los Angeles bred artist Mike Parillo continues a twodecade work relationship with our good friends at Volcom to give us the new Parillo Boardshort. With a variety of carefully compounded hues, shapes and images the contemporary artist creates a full visual psychedelic trip with this new boardshort. Keep your eyes peeled for a full collection of other shorts, button-ups, belts, wallets and more at volcom.com. 32

Banzai Bowls just opened up its fifth location right down here on the Newport Beach peninsula a few feet from the Blackies parking lot and the Newport Pier. That’s right, now you can enjoy a surf or day at the beach and savor a healthy bowl or smoothie before, during or after at this convenient location. We’re big fans of eating right (most of the time), and founder Joe Bard knows how to serve up delicious Acai and Pitaya with all of your favorite toppings and ingredients. Make sure to check out the new Newport store next time you’re in the area, or visit them in Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach, San Clemente and online at banzaibowls.com.


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1. Arnette, Groove - $79.95, arnette.com 2. Black Flys, Flyami Vice - $99.95, flys.com 3. D’Blanc, Sonic Bloom - $170, dblanc.com 4. Electric, Mainstay - $120, electriccalifornnia.com 5. Filtrate, John Brown - $64.99, filtrateeyewear.com 6. Kreed, Redeem - $18, kreedeyes.com 7. Proof, Donner Tropical - $125, iwantproof. com 8. Raen, Yuma - $160, raen.com 9. Sabre, Double Barrel - $150, sabre.fm 10. Smith, Clark - $70, smithoptics.com 11. Vestal, Quentin - $100, vestalwatch. com 12. Von Zipper, Edison - $125, vonzipper.com 13. Wonderland, Barrstow - $155, wonderlandsun.com 14. Zeal, Eldorado - $169, zealoptics.com



Interview: Delon Isaacs Photo: Greg Hunt How’s the good old LBC doing today? It’s so nice. Overcast right now but the sun’s peeking through, and it’s just so nice. Probably going to do a little swim, maybe a skate. You gonna go hold it down at Cherry Park? Maybe. Dude, I’ve been kinda chillin’ on Cherry Park. I kind of suck on ledges so I’ve just been hitting the parks with a little more tranny. Congrats on the latest Thrasher cover. Is that your second one? Thank you so much, dreams come true. That’s my first Thrasher cover. I have had three overall covers of skateboard magazines but this one is the Holy Grail. I’m so stoked, dude. That’s the bible right there, such a good feeling. So let’s talk about Propeller. That’s a pretty interesting title. Is there a story behind the name? I don’t know too much of the backstory. But with talks with Greg I know there were several meetings and hundreds of different back and forths on the film. I think Justin Regan thought of it. The mission statement does a way better job of explaining it than I ever could, haha.

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How was working with the talented Greg Hunt? Was this a first? Yes, this was my very first time. This film is how I met Greg Hunt essentially. It was a phenomenal experience. He’s a spectacular person and I have a lot of value for being able to work with Greg. He’s unique, he’s a great man, he’s one of the greatest. I only have good things to say. He took the time to figure me out, my working patterns, my whole deal… He’s a really compassionate and patient human being. So how is your part? Are you happy with it? Wait, do you have a designated part or does this film work like that, or is it all just kind of meshed together into one thing? Yeah, there are parts! I’ve only really seen my part. Greg’s done a really good job at keeping these under wraps. I can’t tell you how the video will unfold, but for my portion that I was able to kind of contribute to I’m really stoked. Greg allowed me to have a lot of creative control and say in my direction. He’s super open-minded and we both had fun and we’re proud of it. He’s a really busy guy and took a lot of time to work with me and that’s what I’m trying to express. Greg really feels who the skater is and how they want to be portrayed; it’s a nice special, partnership. It’s cool.

How are the team vibes? Do you guys kind of segregate into small clicks or is the team DNA that on point? Um yeah, there’s a super good team vibe. I mean, a lot of us move in and out of our little things and whatever, but overall the vibe is great! Everyone’s a different character and it’s a brilliant mesh. Through filming we definitely create little families and mine consisted of Gilbert, Chima and Layton. They really take care of me, they’re my buds! I can say that about everyone on the team of course, but those guys especially.

or it’s 100! If anyone has seen him skate I’m sure they know; it’s just so amazing to watch. You could buy a ticket to see some of the tricks he does, pure entertainment. Even if he doesn’t land the trick he’s trying it’s that gnarly and still usable in a part. He’s been one of my favorites forever too.

Who from your team is your favorite to watch that we might not expect? I really enjoy watching AVE. He’s just a rare pleasure, always quality. He’s really different than I am too, so it just feels real and authentic – really powerful skating and just something so special. Gilbert too, he’s the man.

Did you have a favorite place that you got to travel to? Oh I really enjoyed Australia, I’ll say it over and over. We went to Europe too, and Berlin. Berlin’s so good! But there’s something so special about Australia. Good people, food, vibes.

Any good Dustin Dollin stories? Hahaha, I was just going to say I love to watch Dustin skate too. Dude, he’s just a scavenger of life, he’s so epic. You can always expect something new from him; he’s always the feel-good guy that happens to know 10 friends everywhere we go. His skating on the other hand is just either zero or 100. It’s either he’s not skating

Was the film shot mainly in the States or is it a worldwide film? It’s for sure worldwide! From Australia to Europe and just so many wild places – went everywhere, tried everything.

Any shout outs or final things to say? Shout out to everyone who was a part of it. Shoot! This has just been so epic to be a part of. I’m so thankful and I hope it really comes across. People worked really hard on this and I hope you guys enjoy. It’s a special happening. And I think my last statement is just Greg is epic! I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with Greg, straight up.



Interview: Nate Hooper Full disclosure, Hannah Hooper is my little sister and one of my closest friends. This interview took place over a Sunday lunch in mid-April at Brite Spot in Echo Park. “Interviewing” your sister can be a little bizarre since: a) we’re both privy to much more information about one another that we’d probably like to publicly disclose and; b) as with most siblings, the cadence of our conversations probably doesn’t make too much sense in print. That being said, this is a slightly abbreviated version of our chat over lunch where we touched on the general going-ons in Hannah’s pretty radical existence. Only the incriminating and incomprehensible were cut out. Ok, let’s kick this thing off. So, why did you even want me to interview you in the first place? (Laughs) Shut up. The reason I asked you to interview me is because you’ve been an extremely influential person throughout my entire life. You’re my older brother, you made me extremely rebellious at way too young of an age - writing graffiti and smoking weed with the big boys, had me dressing like a lil’ thug early on (laughs). Got me into real painting later on… Eeeehhhhh, cool. Glad I pointed you in the right direction (laughs). Ok, Ok let’s talk about your third Grouplove album… Hopes, dreams, goals, aspirations? This third album is totally new territory

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for us. We wrote our second album almost entirely on the road, so being off tour and having the space to feel out who we are right now is exciting and emotional and personal. Our songs are much more psychedelic and spatial then they have been in the past. I am also pregnant, which is this crazy primitive female experience that is kind of informing every moment of every day for Christian and I. Yeah talk about that, pregnancy and writing. Well, we are playing music in a really cool space by USC. The story goes that this space was built for Sam Cooke but he died before he could use it. Whenever I am in there and start singing the baby starts kicking like crazy. I think our baby is already showing signs of being musical (laughs). Being pregnant is amazing but taking getting used to, for sure. Woah, our food is already here. Yes, I love blue cheese dressing. Uh, so is Christian excited about the baby? He’s elated. He’s so ready to take this kid under his arm. We actually just wrote this beautiful, delicate song about the baby’s first birthday and both got so emotional realizing this was our reality. Awww, that’s rad. So let’s keep this movin’ – heard you’ve been painting more. Yeah, for sure. I had all these ideas that I’ve

been compiling on the road and have been waiting for the space to unload them all. Now that I am home I have that space and that time. So I am working on a new series of paintings. So what’s the new series all about? Well, it’s definitely a work in progress, so the ideas are still kind of working themselves out. A few months ago, I saw this weird video of a Miss America tradition where last year’s Miss America takes the crown off of her head and crowns the new one. There’s this weird moment where the two women’s faces are caught in this emotional space that is kind of hard to describe. I wouldn’t say that there is a specific word to describe it. It’s somewhere between elation and shock, but it kind of looks like they’re seeing someone get hit by a train. So yeah, I’m trying to find those kinds of moments to paint. We’ll see where it goes. Do you have any plans to show your work in the future? I know you’ve been so busy touring that gallery stuff has probably fallen by the wayside for a while until your break this year. Yeah, for sure. I’m pretty sure I’m in a group show in August but am unclear on the detail; I’ll share the info on social media when I learn it. Well that was super clear… Hannah, that’s my chicken! Haha this interview is going really great (laughs). So what’s up with your gallery

representation these days? Sorry I have to be sort of vague. Things are in the works and I don’t want to jinx anything at this stage, so all I’m going to say is it looks like I’ll be working with some good art folks. At this point, I’m just excited to have the time to be really focusing on working in the studio. Yeah dude, get it while you can. So what other sort of projects have you been working on? Well, you know about this project ‘cause you helped me make it come into fruition, but yeah, I recently designed a capsule collection for Volcom Women’s and am so excited for it to drop so I can wear it and share it. Tell me a little about it even though I know all about it. I’m very excited to see girls rocking it. We are going to be a squad; me and the girls wearing the Ladygrouplove for Volcom line are all going to have this vibe about us. Haha you will indeed. What’s the capsule all about? The line is loud but comfortable and sexy but fun, all in one. All the pieces are black and white so there is something classic about them. Everything can be mixed and matched and look rad however you combine it. They have hand done patterns on them and some drawings and stuff... all very personalized. Han, you have some stuff in your teeth you should clean it. Thanks.


A NON Y MOUS CLU B NOA DE A N E

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I am interested in the increasingly severe divide between human beings and their natural world. As people become more and more submerged in their modern landscapes and technologies, their relationship with the world outside of their cultivated spaces becomes more foreign. Concurrently, I am working on two bodies of work that address this anomaly. Both my sitespecific, large-scale installation

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work, which re-contextualizes everyday materials from dollar stores like tablecloth and my smaller sculptural Terrariums, explore ideas about human beings and their relationship with the world. David Abram explains in his book “Spell of the Sensuous” that we are “Caught up in a mass of abstractions, our attentions hypnotized by a host of humanmade technologies that reflect only us back to ourselves.” My works, both massive and

intimate, flat and dimensional, explore the strange new relationship of people to natural forms and organic structures. I see the installations as conduits. They are growths somewhere between the plastic and artificial environments of our everyday experiences with man-made materials, consumerism, and technology and the exotic landscapes that occupy the surface of our earth. The exoticization of nature and

all things, non-human, make forms that were once familiar, more foreign. I am interested in how these ideas relate to our everyday materials, the accessibility and excess in mass production, and how it affects people’s experience with the world that they live in. My most recent installation, “Fall” 60 ft., four stories, through glass.



Interview: Delon Isaacs Photos: Eric Aeder What year did you first start shaping surfboards? Do you remember the first surfboard you ever made? Fall of 1970, a 6’3” twin fin. I’m 6’3” – the deal was you were supposed to ride as long as you were tall. Short for back then. On the overall design, I had my own ideas. My good friend Dan Evans walked me through the building part. I pretty much shaped and glassed it. Everyone else was making them with super wide and really thick tails and were using regular tall, high-aspect fins. I foiled the tail out and pulled it in a little. I also made my own keel fins. The board worked great in 2-foot shores or 8-foot Blacks. Who is/was your favorite person to shape boards for? Occy, Kerrzy… actually, I enjoyed working with just about all of them. PT, Shaun, Dave Parmenter, Wes Laine, Flea, GMAC, Ian Cairns, Jamie Sterling, JOB, Kalani Chapman, Hobgoods, Holly Beck, Lisa Andersen, Kalani Robb, Parson, Healey, Shane Powell, Nic Vaughn, Pat O’Connell, Shane Beschen, Shawn Briley, Ted Robinson, Todd Chesser, Tom Carroll, and so many more in no particular order. To be honest, if I put a smile on someone’s face and brought them happiness, then the feeling was mutual.

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When did doing apparel get introduced into the game and who was the mastermind behind that? I started Rusty in late ‘85. I also designed a couple of tee shirts that did really well. A couple of years later the screen-wear had grown so much it was pulling me away from the boards. I split the business in two and took on a couple of minor partners for the screen-wear. A year later they wanted to do apparel. At first I didn’t want to do it because it would create a conflict for a lot of the great surfers who were riding my boards. I caved in and it did great. I did lose quite a few riders but we were in a position to have our own for apparel and boards. What are the five historical brand milestones that you are the most proud of? In March ‘84 I got invited to go shape in West Australia by Santosha Surfboards. They wanted my shapes without the Canyon label. It went so well it convinced me that I could go out on my own, I met my future partners then. We are still together now. In the early ‘80s I had a lot of great surfers on my boards but Occy was the tipping point. In ‘84 he won the Pro Junior and was already considered one of the best surfers on the planet. His wins at the HB OP Pro ‘85 and Pipe Masters later that year coincided with me launching the Rusty brand. Signing an apparel license with C&C in ‘88 took the brand to new heights. CJ Hobgood winning the title in ‘91 was an experience, considering

we had sponsored him since he was a grom. In 2006 our longtime friends and champions of the brand, Santosha, A.K.A. Vegas Enterprises, bought the majority shares of the Rusty Brand and Trademarks. 2008 Shaper of the Year and last year Lifetime Achievement award were also milestones. Do you have any shaping horror stories? In the early ‘90s we had problems with Clark Foam shrinking after the boards were shaped and the foam was soft, in part due to the fact that the blanks were still really thick. PU foam is hardest on the outside and the deeper a shaper has to go the softer it gets. Clark didn’t react to the Kelly syndrome of heavily rockered, super thin boards. We bought a container of Australian foam. It smelled horrible, gave everyone headaches, and shrank more than the Clark foam. We asked the owner for credit or compensation and he basically said tough shit. What’s your biggest pet peeve about shaping boards for the “Average Joe” surfer? I really don’t want to say anything negative, except for when they ask for a bro deal, especially if they are new or get about one board every five years. Used to be, if you were lucky enough to work with a shaper, the protocol was you brought a cold six-pack or some similar gesture and your board would get started right then and there, and you probably got a break without asking. Think about it: Someone goes out to dinner and tips someone that person he/she doesn’t even know 20% for

a one- or two-hour experience that might not even be that good. How do you thank someone who hand builds you something that brings months of enjoyment to you? If someone had a gun to your head, how fast do you think you can shape a stock 6’0 squash tail thruster? Well, if that person wanted a good board, probably 90 minutes give or take. In the spirit of your question, 15 minutes or less. Describe your relationship with Occy? Can you tell us a funny story? I was judging a Hang Ten Pro in Ocean Beach in May of ‘84 and I saw this young pit bull from Australia struggling with his board. So much potential. I made him a board but actually did not get to meet him. He left the board and went on to South Africa and then back to California for the OP Pro. He really didn’t have time to try it until he went back to Oz. He won the Pro Junior and then went on to get a 3rd in Japan on the same board. Bob Hurley called and ordered a bunch of boards for Occy. We finally got to spend some time together in Hawaii that year. He won the Pipe Masters. We were having dinner one night and he wrote up an order for some boards on a napkin and said he wanted the outlines “just like that.” How much further do you think surfboardshaping progression can go? Do you think where we are right now is as technical as it will get? It will always progress.


@805BEER SEE THE CALEB OWENS STORY AND MORE AT 805BEER.COM


Interview: Liz Rice McCray Photos: Jaroszuk Bogasz This month’s Mural of the Month is a gigantic new piece by artist Clemens Behr, in Catanzaro, Italy, for the ALT!rove Festival. We stumbled upon Clemens’s massive color spacing installation just before he took off to San Francisco for his first U.S. solo show at Mirus Gallery (mirusgallery. com). If you happen to be in San Francisco make sure to stop in at Mirus Gallery at 540 Howard St., where his art will be on view through June 13th. Thank you Clemens for taking the time to answer our questions. We are excited to check out your show. Who are you? Will you tell us a little background info about yourself? I am Clemens. I live in Berlin and was born in Koblenz in 1985. I studied both Design and Fine Arts after I got interested in both while making graffiti. I guess my work is located somewhere between these fields and

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between painting and sculpture. You were asked to paint this mural for ALT!rove Festival in Catanzaro, Italy. Can you tell us a little about the festival and how you got involved with it? I had to paint the wall before the official opening of the festival, as I couldn’t attend then. So, it was somewhat a sneak-peak for the festival, before all the other artists traveled to Catanzaro to paint their walls. So let’s see what happens when it starts off! How was it painting at a mural festival before all the other artists got there? It isn´t the same of course, as it is always more fun when there a more artists around, but on the other hand the organization can be more focused of course. Does this mural have a name? If yes, what and why? The name of the wall is “Space to Place,” and it is also the editions

title of the Festival. It kind of plays with the terms and definitions of space, considering sculpture and installation in a space. The fact of a space becoming a place and a space becoming a sculpture, etcetera. Where is the mural located? Will you tell us a little about the neighborhood? It is located close to the historical center of Catanzaro, located on a hill. I didn’t have too much time to get involved with the neighbors, as I mostly stared at the wall from my lift. But I got some coffee, liquor and helping hands! Also, friendly shouts and thumbs up from the neighbors! Will you tell us about your creative process with this mural? It was more or less an improvisation. Basically, I started to create spaces on the wall with the paint, which took me one day. On the second day I filled them with ideas of situations of sculptures and installations in a illustrative way.

So it only took you two days? Yes, I did the background with the spaces at the first day, and then filled them with different scenes and objects the second day. This mural looks very large. How big is it? Do you normally paint on this scale? I think it was four floors high. I really like to work in scales like this and use the whole house. I am not too good with small, detailed work. Do you have any upcoming projects/shows you can share with us? Yes, I will do a solo show in San Francisco at Mirus Gallery on Howard Street. I will stay there for a month and create all the works on-site. The show opens on 16th of May. Where can people check out more of your art? Of course I have a website. It gets updated quite frequently. But also I have the usual stuff like Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr. It’s mostly on www.clemensbehr.com.



Founded in 2001, Thalia Surf still holds true as being one of the best alternative surf shops in Southern California. Located right in the heart of Laguna Beach, Thalia Surf has curated a unique surf shop experience specializing in handcrafted surfboards, retro surf clothing, books and vinyl records. The shop was originally called Toes on the Nose when current storeowner Nick Cocores parent’s, Jim and Pam, owned it in the early ‘90s.

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Consisting of all the classic salt dogs and cruisers, the store made its living hustling vintage shirts, old shaper tees and vintage surfboard relics. As the ‘90s surf scene started to come to a halt in Laguna and punk was emerging into the mix, Nick asked his dad to open a shop right next door to embrace the converting scene. Facing a tough initial start and competing with more established surf shops that had the bigger deals and all

the major brands, Nick had an epiphany and designed his store toward getting diverse product no one else had. With the same core ideal, the thriving surf shop is still run by Cocores and his partner, Corey Brindley (former shop-grom prodigy), whose been serving the shop since 2004. The BLISSS crew stopped by to visit recently and Thalia Surf is an absolute eye pleaser, stocked with a ton of hard-to-find

surfboards, Japanese wetsuits, art books, limited-run apparel, records and so much more. The vibe of the shop is definitely on point, especially with all the vintage mementos hanging from the wall, and it features the most friendly, happy sales staff we’ve ever met. If you find yourself driving on PCH through Laguna Beach, definitely stop by and check this shop out. You’re guaranteed to find at least one thing here to satisfy your surf needs.


ALWAYS MAKIN’ A SPLASH…

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Photography: Dominic Petruzzi @dominicpetruzzi Model: Liz Turner @lizpurrrr : LA Models Hair & Makeup: Jasmynn Nichole @jnicholemakeup

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Gilbert Crockett

Daniel Lutheran

Dustin Dollin’s bloody hand

Elijah Berle

The Vans Skate team

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Gilbert Crockett


Words: Grant Hatfield It’s safe to say that Greg Hunt has been directly responsible for some of the most cinematically epic skateboard films the culture has seen since the dawning of the new millennium. From the skyscraping mega ramp footage in 2003’s DC Video to the dark silhouettes and catchy soundtrack of Alien Workshop’s Mind Field in 2009, skateboarding knows whom to turn to when it needs its monumental footage documented. Chris Pfanner

It came as no surprise that the first brand in skateboarding, Vans, turned to Greg to direct its first fulllength feature, Propeller, which is available now on iTunes. Any follower of skateboard cinema knows that Greg Hunt’s films have a style and feel all to their own. Hunt’s finesse and sensitivity is often imitated but rarely executed. His keen eye for framing, B-Roll placement, 16mm footage and music selection create a mood and feel that is uniquely his own. Don’t be surprised if Greg’s current directorial project, Vans’ Propeller, simultaneously raises the bar for modern street skateboarding as well as the production value of skate videos to come.

Andrew Allen

Greg Hunt’s vision for movement and story doesn’t end at the barrel of the Bolex; he also knows how to capture the decisive moment on a 35mm camera. Like any dedicated photographer, Greg carries his trusty Leica M6 everywhere he goes and is ready to document those candid, in-between moments that pepper the life of a young touring skateboard professional. Recently, most of Greg’s photography comes from behind the scenes of the highly anticipated video Propeller. Skateboarding can be pretty intense at times, and most people don’t know what kind of battles have been fought to get the tricks we all enjoy watching in the videos. With his photos we get a rare glimpse of what it’s like to be on the sesh and witness the blood, sweat, and tears that comes with working on a video part and the aftermath that follows.

Elijah Berle and Chevy

Through Greg’s photos we witness a variety of scenes: skaters daydreaming during endlessly long van rides between cities, the mundane task of sweeping a ditch clear of rocks before the session, to finally curling up on the streets out of pure exhaustion from trying the same trick for over an hour. It’s these captured moments that help you understand the full story of a skateboarder’s life beyond the photos in a magazine. Greg’s photographs reveal the emotion, frustration, and at times the surprising vulnerability within. There’s something both disarming and endearing when you see these hard-asnails guys, who regularly huck themselves off of buildings, holding a puppy or quietly doodling in their journals during a 16-hour flight. We’re thankful that Greg has the foresight to document moments like these that make us realize that this group of super heroes on skateboards is just like you or me.

Tony Trujillo

Gilbert Crockett

Be on the lookout for a Vans’ Propeller photo book chronicling the filming process over the past few years through the lens of director Greg Hunt and Vans Skate photographer Anthony Acosta. To see more of Greg’s photography, film reels, and directed videos, you can visit huntfilmwork.com for more of his talents.


Dillon Perillo 56


Words & Photos: Tom Carey It’s not every day you find yourself in South Africa… in a wave pool… during the middle of the night… surfing… with a laser light show happening at the same time. The laser light show was not just a laser or two, but more so a scene from an EDC party displaying a vortex of all types and colors. We’re talking some serious freaking lasers. Throw in the mix some wild baboons trying to steal your camera equipment and that’s exactly what went down when Stab Magazine sent Tom Carey on location with up-and-comers Conner Coffin, Brendon Gibbens and Dillon Perillo. But don’t take it from us; hear it from the mouth of surf photog extraordinaire Tom Carey as we caught up with him right before he jumped on plane to his next destination. So Tom, tell me the details about your trip? Where you went, who you went with, the goal of the shoot… all the gory details. This was one of Stab’s crazy concept shoots, like the other wave pool or flare shoots they’ve done for their covers. I think this is the craziest, biggest production they’ve done though. The surfers on the trip were Conner Coffin, Brendon Gibbens, and Dillon Perillo. The shoot was sponsored by Monster. Thank god, because it was quite the production. How was the actual wave? Did you guys ever get to surf it in the daytime, a little warm-up sesh before it got all dark and creepy? The wave is actually really fun. I caught one wave, and damn, I wish I could have caught more. There was a short warm-up time right as the sun was setting but in reality it was on right away. We were making it up as we went along. What about night activities? It looked like you guys were throwing a rave. Was the park open at the time? The park was closed at sunset, right about the time we would start setting up. It’s also the same time the baboons would start scavenging around the park. So I’d be running around looking at angles and a big fucking baboon would come around the corner and I’d shit myself. They’re the scariest out of any of the primates out there, in my mind. We only shot for two nights and the first night was so cold we couldn’t really feel our feet and we were too blown out to go out. The park is like Vegas though. There’s casinos, amphitheaters, safaris… you name it. After we finished the shoot we tore it up in the casino. Conner got pretty smashed and started body sliding over these planters. We basically got kicked out. I ended up winning a bunch of cash at roulette. I like ending trips like that. What was the most challenging aspect of the shoot? Did the lasers and fog make it troubling to get the shot? Pulling focus was definitely the biggest obstacle. It’s not like you can shoot wave after wave and check it. You can check one wave like every 45 seconds. We tried adding a flash to some of the shots but it would blow the lasers and fog out every time. So ya, the lack of light was the biggest problem. Also, the shape of the lasers were super tricky. We were experimenting with a lot of different designs as we went along. At times it looked like we were in a vortex, and then all of the sudden we were in a Tron movie. We tried so many looks but in the end my favorite was that vortex bubble that the guys would surf in. If you ever wanted to surf on another planet this was your chance. Who was the nighttime ruler? That is to say, who blew you away with the freshwater, dark antics? It’s hard to say who ruled. Everyone probably was


Conner Coffin trying their hardest just to pull an air and get enough speed on the little right wedge. The wave was super fun but not the most high-performance wave ever. I definitely wouldn’t mind having that in my backyard though… and surfing all day. I know the whole mission of this shoot was to get something out of the ordinary, to push your creativity, but besides the wave pool did the team get to surf any other waves in South Africa? We actually did get some amazing waves beforehand around Durban. We stayed at Cave Rock and then drove down the coast to some amazing rights. We scored one point break that was so fucking good. And no one surfs in South Africa. It’s crazy. Maybe because of the sharks but it didn’t feel that sharky to me. I swam a bunch and really I didn’t get that bad of vibes. The guys were filming for Cluster the whole time, which is perfect for me as they were going

for broke. South Africa is a crazy place. Beautiful, raw and big!

Brendon Gibbens

What would you say was the highlight of the trip? What I remember most about the trip were the vibes while shooting. Once we figured out what laser shapes were best, we started nailing shots. Someone would crack an air, I’d scream and then we’d look at the shots and trip out how crazy they looked. It felt like we were on drugs. It’s hard to describe but the lasers engulfed us and it felt like we really were on another planet. When it was all said and done, do you feel like the trip was a success? It was a weird feeling when it was done because I knew I had nailed some shots, but I’ve never shot a whole trip in such low light while shooting at a minimum of ISO 1600. So I was scared. You never know how the images are going to hold up, especially on a large format like the Stab big book. To be honest I haven’t

Brendon Gibbens

Dillon Perillo


Brendon Gibbens Dillon Perillo

Brendon Gibbens even seen it yet so I’m super scared still. Overall, doing something different and challenging was so much fun. After a lot of years of shooting you can end up doing a lot of the same stuff, and you start to look for anything different to fuel your creative fire. I was stoked to be a part of this shoot. In the future, do you think wave pool surfing is gonna replace the standard surfing? There’s no way. The feel of chlorine and pretty much the same wave over and over would get pretty boring. Even after two nights of shooting we were starting to think of new ways to shoot the wave pool. Surfing is more about the adventure than just going to a public pool and paying for waves. So in that sense, no, it will never replace real waves. However, I could imagine holding a contest in a

wave pool and filling the stadium up with 80,000 people and finishing it in one day. It would be so entertaining. So for contest purposes I think it would be unreal. If you had to do this trip again, who would you bring and why? We had great surfers on this trip. Conner is the best on the rail, Brendon can punt with the best of them and Perillo is so stylish, so we had a well-rounded crew. It’s not always about who surfs best but who vibes together well. However, the waves were small so you probably want someone who weighs like 120 pounds. Maybe a Filipe Toledo or John John would be cool, and actually I think Monster tried to get them to go. That would’ve been cool but I think it was more about the photography than the surfing.

Dillon Perillo


Words: Micaiah Furukawa March 12th – Charlie Blair, Eddie “Mighty” Moreno, Brendon Villanueva, Nolan Munroe, Corey Blanchette, Jarren Duke, Roman Pabich, Terry Larue, and Micaiah Furukawa met up at team manager Deville’s house in Lake Forest, CA, and hit the road. First stop, Vegas! Our point was not to hit the casinos but to pick up flow rider Lance Wilewski. This was a last-minute decision and Lance willingly hopped in the van knowing that he might be replaced at work by the time he came back home.

Powell Team with kids: Photo: @killerskatepark

March 13th – This day consisted of driving, driving and more driving. March 14th – We set out to Boardertown Skate Shop in Fort Smith, AR. After about seven hours on the road we pulled up to the skate shop/skate park. You’d think that after three long days of driving in a van it would be hard to warm up for the session, but no, the guys were ready to shred! You could feel the energy bouncing around the walls inside the park. Later in the evening, the team brought our box of product to share with all of the locals. Brendon and Mighty organized a race around the skate park where there was a huge collision. There was also a best trick contest down the set and the two best battled it out in a game of SKATE for a complete skateboard. We skated some more with the locals until it was time for the park to close.

Charlie Blair wih two rad locals : Photo: @creamcity

March 15th – We arrived at Springfield Skatepark and were greeted by tons of kids in the parking lot. The first 15/20 minutes we were signing autographs, smiling for photos, and meeting new friends. During the session, Nolan went for a backside disaster. As he was coming down his weight shifted and flung him to the ground. He cracked his helmet and thankfully walked away with his thumbs up. The guys skated over to the pool and jumped right in with the locals. This pool session was a fun one. There was only one way for it to come to an end, FREE PRODUCT! Once we were out of product to give out, everyone gathered together for a group photo. We skated a little more then said our goodbyes. March 16th – We departed from Springfield, MO. After a full day of driving, we made it to our hotel in Whites Creek, Kentucky!

Roman all patched out : Photo: @asylumsk8

March 17th – We hit up a cafe in downtown Nashville. One of the waiters was recklessly walking with a tray full of food toward Deville. They collided and the waiter dropped all the food. He looked furious! He calmed down and walked back to the kitchen. After breakfast, we visited Franklin Skateshop. Donny, the manager there, is awesome. He showed us his collection of skateboards and before leaving we took a group photo outside the shop. We got back to the hotel with two hours of spare time before it was time to go to Six Avenue. We thought it would be fun to walk around in the creek across the street from our hotel. The ground was slippery and the water was colder than an ice bath, causing the guys to laugh and cringe at the same time. Just before Charlie and Jarren crossed the street back to the hotel, a car approached them and asked what they were doing in there. Charlie explained to him that we were adventuring through the creek. The guy amusingly said something like “Through the creek? That’s a sewer!” Luckily nobody lost their toes or got infections. The van pulled up to Six Avenue at 2:45 p.m. Everyone was charging, including the locals. I’m looking forward to seeing the footage that Terry captured. After plenty of shreddage, it was time to eat pizza and drink soda! Charlie started a small pizza fight. Actually, it was just Charlie throwing pizza at the guys. We finished eating and then it was time to pass out product! After that, we jumped back on our boards and kicked it to maximum overdrive. As the session ended, we said thank you and goodbye to all of the locals.

Team : Photo: @killerskatepark

March 18th – We woke up at 9 a.m. and checked out of the hotel. Six hours later, we made it to Killer Skatepark and were happily greeted by the Killer Crew. It was packed with people. You had to squeeze by to make it in. The energy was amazing and the guys were flying around like speeding bullets! Glenn, the owner of the park, did a kickflipfootplant on the spine out of nowhere! Local flow rippers Nick and Christopher were destroying the ramp too. We had plenty of fun and made a lot of friends. Thanks to Killer Skatepark and the locals for being the rad people that you guys are! 60

Nice to get a free board : Photo: @creamcity


Brendon Villanueva throwing down a Wall bash :: Photo: @creamcity


Jarren Duke : B.S Crail :: Photo: @creamcity

Nolan Munroe getting chicken winged :: Photo: @creamcity

March 19th – We pulled up to Ollie’s Skatepark in Florence, KY, at 3:30 p.m. We were greeted by Bob and entered the park with our hoodies on and coffees in hand. It’s huge – 60,000-square-feet huge! We started getting down in the street/flow section. After a good amount of skating it was pizza time. We ate, drank soda, and shared stories with each other. Charlie even fed someone pizza. Before we started skating again we handed out product and coordinated challenges. Charlie entertained a baby by bouncing on his board and the baby was loving it. Once the last board was handed out, Charlie hopped into the empty cardboard box and rode down a ramp. Go time, more skating! Big thanks to everyone that came out to Ollie’s Skatepark – it was a lot of fun! March 20th – We woke up with a nine-hour drive ahead of us. Later that night, Deville made an executive decision of stopping at a Laundromat in the Chicago Medical Village. While waiting for the clothes to be washed, Charlie and Roman messed around in the dryers. We made it to our hotel in West Allis later that night. Terry realized that he had forgot something in the van so he set out to get it. He returned a few minutes later freaked out. According to Terry, he was walking down the stairs to go outside when a giant motorcyclist came walking up the stairs straight for Terry.

Corey Blanchette : Gap K-Grind Photo: @asylumsk8

Brendon Villanueva : F.S Flip Photo: @killerskatepark

He grabbed Terry by the family jewels, which were only protected by basketball shorts and repeatedly asked Terry if he was a white boy. Terry, in full WTF mode, said yes then the guy said, “Alright you’re coming with me, we’re gonna get those guys.” Terry rushed to the van, grabbed what he needed to get and came quickly back to the room and explained the whole story to us. March 21st – We cleaned out the entire van in the morning. Hot Cheetos, chips, cookies… any kind of crumbs you can

Lance Wilewski : 360 Flip Fakie Photo: @killerskatepark

think of were cleaned out of the van. We arrived at Cream City Skatepark around 4 p.m. and the kids were hyped! The session started out good and it was only going to get better. After an hour or so, the pizza showed up. We grubbed down on the grub down and then passed out product. Once we ran out of product it was time to skate again. You would be amazed at what the guys can do – just wait for the footage! A solid amount of ramp and rail destruction went down for the next couple of hours and then it was time for the park to close.


Charlie Blair : F.S Ollie :: Photo: @creamcity

March 22nd – We arrived at Asylum Skatepark around 12:25 p.m. There was a huge Red Bull truck parked in the middle with a DJ bumping music. We skated with the locals for two hours then we brought out our box of goodies and began throwing product out. The guys coordinated a best trick contest on the pyramid and a race across the park where both winners won a complete deck. Time to start skating again! The most memorable thing was Charlie and Roman doing some doubles. Charlie pumped around the bowl and blasted a backside air while Roman slid a backtail right under him. When the session came to an end, we said goodbye and hopped into the van. We stumbled upon a local BBQ spot called “Nardo’s” for dinner. Best onion rings we’ve ever had! March 23rd – We fought our way through a snowy morning and drove the rest of the day. March 24th – All 11 of us jumped in the van en route to The Bay. The park was packed with kids! We ordered some pizza for all of the skaters, and once we finished eating it was time for a best trick contest down the set. There was so much energy, and Jarren Duke’s cheering could be heard by everyone. Once we were out of product, the guys jumped back on their boards and brought down the house! At the end of the session, we said goodbye to all of the locals and got in the van. Big thanks to everyone that participated in our Midwest Let’s Go Skate trip. We look forward to seeing where our adventures will take us next! #LETSGOSKATE! Jarren Duke : F.S Fast Plant :: Photo: @creamcity

Charlie Blair blasting a melon over Roman Tabich :: Photo: @asylumsk8 Eddie “”Mighty” Moreno One Footed Double Carve Grind Photo: @creamcity


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Words: Nate Zoller Photos: Jeffrey Thayer Nine out of 10 of my friends didn’t know where Senegal was when I said I was going. Before boarding the flight to the Dark Continent I asked everyone I knew if they had been. I needed someone who had experienced the place on a ground level, looking for any bit of information to clue me into what this country was all about. I found a couple leads, finding surfers that had traveled Dakar and its surrounding reefs. But they were 10 years outdated. There was no mention of Ebola or how risky this trip could be. I was heading straight into the fire of West Africa, where a burgeoning amount of dangers would appear once touched down. But hey, I spent a morning at the doctor getting poked with vaccines and I picked up a new prescription of the anti-malaria pill, Malerone. As long as Ebola doesn’t claw its way up the coast from Liberia in the next few weeks, I should be sweet. It was midnight when the plane landed at the airport in Dakar. Swarmed with uncertainty, our crew paid for a 30-day visa and proceeded toward the carousel. There was a tall, handsome Tyrese lookalike holding a sign with the word Roark in black type. Dr. Koi, as we later named him, would be our guide. He was our mediator who could solve all things Senegal while texting his many dates on two different cell phones. After all, there were only a few days before Ramadan would start, so no sex for a month. Nobody knew this more than Dr. Koi. Our driver could not have been more different than Dr. Koi. He was short, snappy with the wit of a streetcar racer, and he was everything you need in a driver in this region of the world. Alla drives the Dakar region six months a year in order to save enough money for his family who lives in a village a couple hours east. He had one CD, Africa’s first Reggae album: Alpha Blondy’s Jah Glory. We must have listened to it 50 times by the end of the week. Whenever I hear “Brigadier Sabari” I return to a time and place when I had wide eyes at all times. The unpredictability in Alla’s driving that first night only foreshadowed our weeklong expedition. We checked into our room at Le Hotel Brazzerade, an establishment famous for its beachfront location as well as roaming ladies of the night. I woke up that first morning to a raging beach scene outside my window on NGor beach. Volleyball, sand wrestling, goats being washed, kids skimboarding on planks of wood, hundreds waiting for the boat to the island. This was the location Bruce Brown chose to open his first Endless Summer film. The wave breaking off NGor Island was the first wave surfed in Africa, and it was the first wave I surfed on the continent as well. It seemed fitting. We hired an elongated fishing boat to take us to the reef pass. The first wave I saw ridden was by a local goofy-footer. He pumped down the line, gained speed, and launched a big backside air to no avail. Who knew the locals could surf? My friends never mentioned it. They said bring a full suit, the water turned out to be in the 80s. The dialect in Senegal is called Wolof. It’s French with words like “Waaw” (pronounced “wow”) sprinkled in between. Waaw means yes. About half could speak English, which helped when Dr. Koi wasn’t around. Dinner most nights was spent nearby at the seafood beachside shacks. A large, icy-cold La Gazelle beer in hand, listening to the waves, watching mama chef cook up a five-star


Nate Zoller


meal with minimal effort: pan-fried shrimp, fish, rice, french fries, baguette and salad - FrenchAfrican soul food. The kind of food you crave. A swell hit halfway into the trip, prompting us to search for waves. We checked Club Med, another Bruce Brown spot, but there was wind on it. The swell was solid on the end of the peninsula so we drove down the coast a quarter mile. Alla parked in a dirt lot on the cliff. The first set appeared. It was a glassy, 6-foot right point with nobody out, and we couldn’t believe it. I grabbed my zebra board and tiptoed over the rocky shore break. From the peak I could see the new African Renaissance Monument in the distance, Dakar just on the other side. I must have surfed for three hours with only my friend Stew. No cars pulled up the entire session. We got barreled like Lawrence of Arabia. Days passed quickly on this trip to West Africa. We were doing a lot, fitting every last inch of experience out of each 12 hours of light. We swam in Lac Rose (pink lake), rode camels over sand dunes, drank many La Gazelle beers, hung out with locals at the western most point in Africa (the Old NGor village), and gave water filters to local tribes allowing for hundreds to have fresh drinking water. It felt good to experience a place with so much history and mysticism. A place where voodoo magic rules over reason, where the Paris-Dakar rally had its finale, where the women dazzle you with a single look. One local named Samba put it all into perspective saying, “You have technology; we have mystery!” The sun began beating down on us as each day progressed. At the pace we were at there was no telling where we would be tomorrow. And there was no getting used to Senegal, it being my first trip to Africa and all. But it helped to have Dr. Koi and Mr. Alla. Alla took us to his uncle Rasta’s woodcarving village. We arrived to a bunch of men in a mud hut crowded around a TV. The World Cup was on, Brazil versus Chile; the shootout was about to start. The Rastas were welcoming, and after Brazil won they took us to another, bigger room stocked full of carvings. Anything we wanted we could buy at wholesale. We went big on that second-to-last day. That last day with the Rastas slowed us down and made us smile. Hours later and everything was moving a hundred miles an hour again as Alla hightailed us to the airport. Racing against the endless thought of Ebola and its forewarned destiny in the region, we barely made our departing flight to Madrid. Thanks to Dr. Koi and Mr. Alla we had avoided disaster while gaining stories. Every one of my friends knows where Senegal is nowadays.

Nate Zoller


Interview: Greg Escalante and Nathan Spoor

Let’s just be clear – Kenny Scharf has influenced you. You may have grown up somewhere outside the main flow of artistic information, and you may have dodged mainstream painting for the past 30+ years… but you’ve still fallen under the influence of one of the most creative and energetic minds that has graced the art scene. He doesn’t hold that against you though; in fact, he’s very glad to make your acquaintance. Having burst into the art world in the actual heyday of New York’s splendid pop art explosion, Kenny Scharf and his good friends Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring practically redefined the world of art that Andy Warhol had upturned just years before. Join us now as we explore the non-stop creative mind of one of art’s living legends, the inventor of Pop Surrealism and a graffiti innovator from Southern California that hit it big in the most energizing moments in the New York art world – Kenny Scharf. Your most recent show called “Born Again” at Honor Fraser really showcases a broad view of your work and even seems like a museum retrospective in many ways. But speaking of being born, weren’t you born and raised originally in Southern California? Yes! I know I’m mostly known for having made art and a living in New York, but yes, I’m a native Los Angeleno, raised in the Valley. So at what point did you get on the art track? At an early age, about three, I got excited about finger painting and have very distinct memories of that pleasure. I rapidly began making images and impressing teachers and family (laughing). That’s just always something that I did! After high school I went to UC Santa Barbara, taking general education courses. I was taking art history courses at that time while also at the College of Creative Studies doing painting. It was clear when I got excited in an art history course about The Factory and Warhol in the ‘60s and knew I had to get out of here and moved to New York at 19. I enrolled at the School Of Visual Arts and my parents were freaked out about my wanting to go to art school. They thought my love of art would not be a living. So when I announced that I was moving to New York they had me apply to all the different art schools in New York and Los Angeles. I didn’t get accepted to any of them but the School Of Visual Arts. That’s one of the best schools around though, isn’t it? (Laughing) They are, yeah. But at the time they’re one of the schools that just took anyone! And I’m really happy that I went there because I met Keith Haring and Basquiat. That’s definitely interesting that you met those two historically important artists. Can you recount how that happened? Oh, of course, it was interesting. Really early on, Keith I met in the dorms. I was following the blaring DEVO music down a hallway. I peeked in the room where the music was coming from and there he was painting his black outlines on the papered walls and ceiling of his room, haha. He was painting Dubuffet­style and I was just floored by his energy and style! I met Jean­Michel [Basquiat] one of the first weeks in school. He wasn’t enrolled, but there was a cafeteria where the cool kids would hang out and there was one kid named Christopher that was some cool kid, and he was sitting in there with Basquiat. When I walked in Jean­ Michel asked me to show him what was in my portfolio, and it was this painting about this woman who goes into the future with her car ­

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very much like what I’m still doing. When he saw that I’ll never forget him saying, “You’re going to be famous.” He was very matter of fact and I thought it was a strange thing to say first off. He lived about a block from me (this was in 1978) and we would go tag the neighborhood. Jean­Michel did his SAMO graffiti and I did “Jetsons” written in a TV set. It wasn’t too long before I’d introduced him to Keith and we kept on going out and did graffiti in the city. So now that we know how you met those two famed artists and introduced them, when did you meet Warhol? Well, Jean­Michel was the first to meet him. We were all making these color Xerox collages and making postcards out of them. Color Xerox printing had just started and we were really excited about it. Jean­Michel was making his collages and selling them in SoHo and sold one or two to Warhol one day, and so he was the first one to meet him. Then not too much later on, there was a show called Times Square Show in 1980. It was kind of a seminal show held in an abandoned massage parlor. John Ahern, founding member of Collaborative Projects, which was hosting this whole thing, invited me. I was invited through John because he came to my show in a basement of a church at St. Marks Place, which was a celebration of the Space Age. I was invited but brought Basquiat and Haring to the show too. Well, I just took Basquiat and Haring with me to do whatever we were going to do, I didn’t even ask anyone. So we’re all in the show! Following that was the big New York New Wave Show at P.S.1, the Armory Show of the ‘80s… That was kind of the show that made Jean­ Michel take off in a big way. 
Warhol was in that show. I went to Peppermint Lounge that was a reincarnation of the ‘60s Peppermint Lounge and Warhol was there. I walked up to him and said, “Hey, we’re in a show together!” And he didn’t really care (laughing). This was all in 1982 and I was 22 years old. Keith was getting well known and he was invited to go to The Factory and I invited myself to go with him to lunch. I got along with Warhol on his own turf, and not too long after that he took my portrait and we traded art and he was someone that became more important to me. He was my idol. But the fact that I befriended my idol is something that I’m always grateful for. Ok, so now tell us something from before you guys started getting famous and were all friends with Warhol. At some point you’re living in New York, in the place where all the famous and important people are, but you’re not a known artist... yet. Ok, here’s a story: almost a week after moving to New York from Los Angeles I found myself on stage with Klaus Nomi at Hurrah’s and I couldn’t believe it. Here I was, a kid from LA that should be jaded about stars, and this was super exciting to me what was going on. Around ‘79 I walked into Fiorucci, which was this hip, happening daytime disco retail store. It was more than that because artist­singer Joey Arias (he’s an amazing performer) worked there and just pounced on me when I walked in. Around the same time I had seen this guy in the streets of the West Village and always thought to myself ‘Wow, he looks like he’s from outer space!”



So within about a month of Joey meeting me at Fiorucci, I found myself having my first show and Joey danced there. Through that I became friends with Nomi and found myself on stage with them at various places and was a part of their band for a short while. Funny enough, I got kicked out for not doing the robot dance well enough (hahaha)! I was too fluid and not rigid enough. And they didn’t tell me I was kicked out but I saw the advertisement for the next show and my name wasn’t on the poster that time. I was bummed that they just didn’t tell me I wasn’t in there anymore. There’s a documentary called ‘The Nomi Song’ about Klaus, and I talk about those days of being in the band. It was fast and furious New York!

I grew up with no graffiti or street art reference but had developed a very similar art style to what was going on in New York thanks to what was out there – van art and cartoons, comics and such. So it was kind of easy for me to fit right in when we’d go out to make art in the streets. My style was unique and it brought that added different element which allowed my art to stand out while also fitting in to what was going on. Kind of like in my painting work, it was pop but it was also surreal and it was very cutting edge for bringing that flavor of different current modes into the fine-art realm. I’d started calling my art ‘Pop Surrealism’ early on, and eventually had a solo exhibit at the Salvador Dali Museum called ‘Pop Surrealist’ in 1997.

Back in those days (the ‘70s and ‘80s), New York art was experiencing the strong grip that Abstract Expressionism had on the art world, but there was also a growing voice appearing in the arts with Pop Art featuring efforts from Warhol and Lichtenstein. Then, the newer forms of expressing yourself with graffiti started gaining attention due to Basquiat and Haring and yourself. What were your influences that lead to this unusual approach to making art, and what affected you the most at that time? The most prominent influence was that I didn’t really fit in there or still don’t. I’m a California boy that was bringing this whole California aesthetic of monsters and science fiction and architecture that I grew up with to this Lower East Side punk rock sensibility. People just lump me in with the New York style and don’t really realize that I brought the Los Angeles aesthetic to New York at that time. When I got there I was doing a cartoon lettering style in my work, which was really similar to the bubble lettering that graffiti artists were using. Coming from Southern California,

You came up with that term, didn’t you? You actually invented Pop Surrealism, right? I coined the term in 1981 and included “Pop Surrealism” to describe my work in a paper as well. And later on I was invited to talk at the Aldrich Museum and made sure that I brought that artist manifesto describing my thought process and essentially put that on the map. Then several years later someone bootlegged the term and put out a book, not including me or asking for my thoughts... or even bothering to mention me! Can’t say I like the direction that all of it has gone but I am definitely going to take credit for making that up and popularizing the term. Did you ever work with or show with Robert Mapplethorpe? Yes, and I have a portrait of me by him. He was really cool, although I didn’t know him that well. Robert was from the older generation and we all mix together somewhat. He was called on by the Whitney to shoot all the artists in the 1985 Biennial. That’s the one the


ever imagine I would be in that position. I grew up hearing my grandparents tell stories of escaping Russia and Poland. It seemed like those tragedies were from another era, but here I was living this nightmare and it’s a terrible thing.
People look back and say, “Oh the ‘80s, it was so great.” But I say, “No, they were really rotten, you’re thinking about the late ‘70s.” That’s what people are remembering as the heyday of punk rock and art revolutionizing into what we were doing, Warhol’s Factory, us coming in and doing graffiti and shaking things up. Then, in the ‘80s Klaus Nomi died from what they were calling the “Gay Cancer,” it was a terrible time! Yet the work you’re creating today shows such vibrancy, such life. Your show at Honor Fraser, “Born Again,” is incredible! (Claps hands) I’m so glad you think that, I had such good time putting that together! I’m so into trash and I like to make things out of garbage. That mentality comes out of the aesthetic of punk rock. We got our clothes from the garbage. What is this attitude I hear today from kids, “Oh, we can’t afford art supplies.” What? We were making our work out of things from the trash. TV sets, plastic... Oh listen, today I’m most obsessed with plastic garbage. Growing up in the ‘60s I wanted to be a hippie but my parents were definitely not hippies. We were suburban, middle-class Jewish. But I remember day trips when we’d go to Topanga Canyon where there were all sorts of hippies communing out there in nature. I wanted to be left there since they were having more fun than we were in Van Nuys.

critics love to hate; it’s the most highly panned and most popular of all the Whitney Biennials and I’m not going to take credit for those two things, but I did have the biggest part in the Biennial and they bought my work. I had created a giant installation, kind of like what I’m doing now with the black lights (chuckles). It was very popular with the public and the critics just panned the shit out of it. What are your memories of punk rock laureate Patti Smith from that time? I’ve really only been around her or met her more recently, but she was a major deal to me back then. When we met I told her I had done her portrait in 1979, and that was important because I made the painting when I was living here in Los Angeles. I went to see her at the Santa Monica Civic Center in 1978. It was the most electric performance and it hit me at a moment in my life that made it all feel like I needed to get the hell out to New York. That’s what propelled me to New York! When did you meet Robert Williams? Robert and I met in the ‘80s, the late ‘80s. It could have been at Timothy Leary’s house, who was a great host in Los Angeles back then. There were so many cool LA people at his place. And I’ve always been in awe of Robert, and as a child Zap Comix were an inspiration. So I wanted to get closer and observe him.

Never ceases to amaze me, he’s the Professor! I made a portrait of him and called it Professor Williams where he’s a rocket scientist in the painting. The ways he goes about making his paintings, scientifically mixing and applying and layering the paints, the whole storyline of what he creates reminds me of a scientist and fascinates me. He’s someone else like me who’s misunderstood in the hoity-toity art world, but he’s one of the greats. He brought more of that California aesthetic to New York as well. There’s nothing like doing what you’re not supposed to do, especially in the art world. If someone tells me to go minimalist then I’m going to go maximal! That’s what a lot of us painters were dealing with back then, and it’s shaped who we are as artists today. Robert really epitomizes that air of the thing not being the thing ­I love the way he talks about his work and doesn’t care what anyone thinks, and he shouldn’t care (laughing)! You were very close to activist and political graffiti linguist Keith Haring, and you mentioned the great moment when you two met, following the trail of Devo music to his dorm room at SOVA. So what effect did his passing have on you? It was traumatic. Of course it was terrifying. There I was 30 years old and alone. I didn’t


I think this ecology movement is one of the most important subjects and most important challenges of our lifetimes. Plastic represents the control of everything that corporations are holding on us. So one part of the show is made of puddles of garbage that are all painted to make them look beautiful. The subjects of the paintings in the “Born Again” show themselves are mostly derived from thrift stores and things that I’ve found on the street. Others are things given to me. I’ve always loved painting on found paintings or old garage sale paintings given to me, or things people are throwing out when they move. I look at garbage and say, “Can I do something with that?”

It’s something I’ve been doing for years. About a year and half ago my mom had this painting I remember as a kid that was of a Venice canal. I took it and painted a dragon licking or taking down a gondolier. When I finished I knew that I wanted to do more. So I got a few more from thrift stores and just started doing that. I was having so much fun! I did nothing but that for a couple years. The worse they are the better! You kind of want that kitsch factor for a good found painting subject. We hung the show of those stacked around each other at Honor Fraser, and it just feels so natural to hang these paintings salon style. So there are sculptures, paintings and the third element in


the show is videos. Those videos show the cast of characters from SVA. I had a lot of run-ins with the heads of the department saying, “You can’t do this, you can’t do that.” I was doing too much fighting with them and decided that I needed to learn something that I didn’t know how to do. So Keith and I decided that we’d get into video and got all the equipment to use to make our own movies and took the classes to learn how to use the equipment. Keith Haring is in the videos and I’m behind the camera, but if I’m in the video then Keith is behind the camera. And if it’s shaky then the thing is not on a tripod and I’m definitely behind the camera. Did you think about going into the fulltime video or editing route instead of pursuing the fine art path in life? Well right around the time my career for painting took off, I had about one month to make a whole show and I put down the camera and painted for a whole month. That’s when MTV came out. I noticed that the kind of editing MTV was doing with the fast cuts was what I was doing. I remember thinking I could just have started just doing that and making more money (haha)! Then, my suitcase where I was storing all the finished videos we’d made and edited was stolen, and for years I was mourning the loss of these tapes. As I was walking through the Keith Haring exhibition I saw the main wall of flyers and images and noticed that the entire whole wall was covered in things that I did. I got inspired by that section of the show and started thinking that I needed to sit down

and look over all the things I had created. The things that were stolen were finished and edited videos, so it was a huge loss. But I realized that what I needed to do was just spend a whole year with Tom Davis, every day sitting and putting these things together. So this show at Honor Fraser also contains some of the original paintings from the start of your career? One crossover piece in the “Born Again” show is the self-portrait from 1979. That was one that Honor wanted to include, just to have it in there. It ties in that time period but it’s also in the videos of that time from that apartment where Keith and I were, so it’s kind of a footnote for that show. It’s kind of a museum­esque show in many regards, but in a gallery. It’s a section of my career that nobody really knows and it shows that I’ve never really changed what I’m obsessed with. The videos show my obsessions and themes of the end of the world, the holocaust, rebirth, outer space, and consumerism. You’ve done a lot of mural art, just wondering which one you consider your most ambitious, your most successful or the one that you’re the most proud of? The most ambitious mural so far is the mural on the West Hollywood Library garage, so that would rank as up there, but also the Houston & Bowery wall for its impact at the time it was very exciting! (It is no longer there.)


Rob Machado : Hurley

Rob Machado : Hurley 74


Dane Reynolds : Quiksilver

Ryan Burch : Volcom

Ryan Burch : Volcom


Nate Zoller : Roark

Alex Knost : RVCA

Alex Knost : RVCA

Dane Gudauskas : Vans


Derrick Disney : Vissla & D’Blanc

Derrick Disney : Vissla & D’Blanc

Mark Contreras : ourCaste





Words: Pat Moore Photos: Bob Plumb Minneapolis is fucking cold. This was my first experience of the twin cities, and aside from every Mackdawg Film I’d ever seen and Fargo, I knew nothing of it. Flying in I just thought to myself, “Where the hell am I going?” Through my window all I could see was flat, flat land mixed in with little lakes, apparently a thousand of them, all parts blanketed in white. Not the first place you’d think to go film for a snowboard video, but oddly enough it’s a huge destination in our world. I had always wanted to go to Minneapolis, my interest obviously sparked by the stories of endless street spots and the countless video parts that verified them. Early segments from Jeremy Jones and Seth Huot laid foundation for an onslaught of local snowboarders who found their backyard as an endless park. And now, 20 odd years later, the talent and creativity coming from the area is thriving, with guys like Danimals, Joe Sexton and Justin Fronius taking the helm and bringing snowboarding that is a balance of big and tech. Minne has developed into a bit of a mixing pool, a central place that both east and west coast shred scenes converge and the progression of tricks and styles are advanced. To be honest, I was a bit nervous to go film in such a place. With all the years of concentrated snowboarding the level of expectations were heavy. Much like going to Whistler and realizing Devun has already done everything, or going to Salt Lake and knowing who did what, it almost seems impossible to leave a stamp on anything. Being a total virgin to a city created its own difficulties as well, as finding spots was a demanding endeavor. Even with “The General,” Seth Huot, to help guide us, we still found ourselves driving in circles for days on end, rubbernecking around the city.

Hunter Wood, with a human kickflip.

One of the great things that has evolved and progressed snowboarding over the past decade is how we contrive speed. When guys first started filming street


Hunter Wood, front board 270. Hunter Wood, pogo stick wall slide.

Pat Moore, jumping off the parking structure.

spots they were limited to either having a hill or their buddy pulling them in. Eventually, people started making drop in ramps and would set them up in front of rails or whatever spot. These were great but still very limiting. Now, with the creation of the winch, we are able to get enough speed to hit a 50-foot jump, right on flat ground. So, although a city like Minneapolis has been a mecca for snowboarding for almost 20 years, as these inventions came to be, the city has reinvented itself time and time again. Now with the power of the winch, we are driving

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around looking for spots that would not even be on the radar five years ago. As the days went on I cared less about the “who’s and the what’s.” We had a great crew of guys: Mike Rav, Seth Huot, Hunter Wood, Scott Blum, Bob Plumb, and we just kept a solid nonstop pace of shredding. One thing with Minneapolis is everyone is battling the same elements: cold, wind, snow, security cops… A lot of obstacles that slow down the process of getting shots. I’m from New Hampshire and I pride myself on dealing with some insane weather, but


Scott Blum, he invented this trick but can’t remember what he called it.


Pat Moore has a very photogenic ass. No, the internet hasn’t been broken.

Seth Huot in from of the lens.

Pat Moore is a mandatory winch guy.


y.

Hunter Wood, fully blunted before getting blunted.

Mike Rav does some weird shit and everyone freaks out.

this bitter cold was just bullshit, absolutely paralyzing. So, although we were in a city occupied by tons of other crews, we were just happy to get our shots and survive the days. Out of all of the places I’ve been for street trips, Minneapolis is one of my favorites. The vibe in the city was all time, people there were friendly and inviting and the food was nonstop. If you find yourself going there during the winter months there are a few suggestions I’d make: pack extra, extra warm clothes; find comfort in warm drinks (like hot toddies); eat at French Meadow; plan some time to hit the local resorts; and like I said, remember it’s fuckin’ cold.


Words: Liz Rice McCray On Thursday, April 9th, Nolan Hall and I ventured to LA to check out the much-anticipated private preview of REVOK (Jason Williams), a pop-up solo exhibition which opened officially on April 10th. The show, titled “REVOK Los Angeles,” was hosted by the Detroit-based contemporary art gallery Library Street Collective in downtown Los Angeles. This was REVOK’s first solo

exhibition in LA, unveiling an entirely new body of work. The collection exhibited was pure, complex, strong and a true reflection of the artist and his transformation. Each handpainted wood assemblage was meticulously constructed from found materials, including artifacts of forgotten buildings from the city of Detroit, his original inspiration. His new works are the focal point of his published book, REVOK: Made in Detroit (Gingko Press, 2014), which led to many sold-out

exhibitions in Detroit, Hamburg, New York and Dubai. REVOK started creating art from his physical environment – a laborintensive process and disciplined transformation of artistry that has pushed his art form to the forefront, thus creating a lot of noise in the art community. Showcased in his exhibition “REVOK Los Angeles” were over a dozen paintings represented in the purest of forms – hand-painted wood in enthralling geometric shapes, vibrant oil enamel and

synthetic polymer, tied together by a red sculptural sitting location… every detail perfectly mapped out. The night was a great success and the show was packed full of people. His body of work was mesmerizing and inspiring, creating a vibration of excitement throughout the crowd. Congratulations REVOK on such a successful show. You are an inspiration, a brilliant artist, and an amazing human.

Photos: John Lake 1. Library Street Collective team with Revok 2. Octagon series 3. Shockviolet & Flourored 4. Danny Fuller 5. Pose, Saber, Risk, Revok & Retna 6. Krush, crushing it 7. Jeff Hamilton 8. Steez in a trench coat enjoying his convo with Dabs & Myla 9. Pose 10. Minutes before the show opened 11. Keegan Gibbs 12. Carina (Revok’s wife) & Liz from BL!SSS

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GUY MARIANO SWITCH CROOKED GRIND A C T I V E R I D E S H O P. C O M

PHOTO: ACOSTA

ACTIVE_Bliss.indd 1

4/24/15 10:35 AM


One of the most talked about houses for the last three years has been the RESQHouse created by Troy Michels and Tal Cooperman and the RESQWATER team. Eighty close friends get together and “relax” for three days at the RESQHouse while the Coachella festival goes on. People said there was a festival in town, but this house had it all, from the biggest athletes in action sports to the biggest rock bands on the planet to a few of the biggest DJs in the world! If you are friends with Troy or Tal then you have been to the house. If you aren’t, you better make friends with them now and start drinking RESQWATER if you wanna be there next year. ‘Til then, enjoy some of the views from this year’s adventure, as there will be plenty more to come in the years ahead.

1. Ryan Sheckler, Tal Cooperman, Tommy Cooperman, Matty Kurlz, Austin Carlile & Mike Shinoda 2. Swan Lake 3. Abbi Peltier, Troy RESQ & Tal Cooperman 4. Charmaine Olivia & friends 5. I.T.C. 6. Brody Jenner 7. RESQWATER 8. Kaitlynn Carter has a posse 9. Luke Davis & Toddy Bow 10. Ryan Sheckler 11. Blake Anderson & Rachael Finley 12. Martin Garrix, Brody Jenner & Caleb

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Words: Michael Custodio On March 28th more than 1,000 skateboarders, locals, fans and industry executives gathered at the Aliso Viejo Town Center to welcome Active Ride Shop to the community. As the 24th Active location, a crowd of excited kids lined up hours before the event to save their spot in line for the first-ever team signing, free giveaways and mystery gift cards. The heavy hitters on the Active team that spent the day hanging out with the kids included: Chris Joslin, Figgy, Kyle Walker, Chris Gregson, Jamie Thomas, Collin Provost, Riley Hawk, Chad Tim Tim, Guy Mariano, Dakota Servold and Brian “Slash� Hansen. The Active team wants to thank everyone who came out to celebrate!

Photos: @morgnar & @custodiophoto 1. Active Ride Shop Team 2. Guy Mariano & Brent Futagaki 3. Pierre Andre Senizergues & Chris Joslin 4. Figgy & Riley found some shade to escape the heat 5. Active Aliso Viejo storefront 6. Free giveaways all day long 7. Lining up bright and early 8. Grom stoked to have his denim vest signed 9. Jamie Thomas shaking hands and signing posters

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Words: Derek Boucher For the sixth straight year, Vestal has invited friends, retailers, athletes, artists and musicians to “Vestal Village,” a secret camping community constructed on a 40-acre ranch in the Coachella Valley. This invite-only event hosted nearly a thousand guests living off the land in an eccentric community of RVs and camping tents. Vestal Village also featured live performances from over a dozen bands and DJs, hosted bar, Tilly’s pool party, lakefront lounging, art installations, late-night secret barn parties and so much more. Jack Daniels, Palm Breeze, Dudes Brewing Company, Ludlow Jelly Shots, Red Bull, Boxed Water, Vita Coco, Jarritos and ResQwater comprised the all-day, all-night free refreshments. AP Meal Prep created a pop-up kitchen to provide meals around the clock, while Aussie Bean served the crucial coffee and espresso drinks. Other environments and amenities included the Vestal watch and eyewear retail store, myCharge portable chargers to power up guests’ phones, LA Canvas lounge (featuring Sunnylife and WeeSPIN), showers by Rudy’s, hair and makeup by Glamsquad, hygiene kits by The Smile Life and a brand new Cadillac ATS on display to top it all off. “Shangri-La,” the grand vision in the desert, was yet again constructed by Vestal Village Mayor Jesse Hughes (front man of Eagles of Death Metal). This space was created with the

help of Orange Amps as a compound in which the Vestal Village community could unwind, create, and even take in a late night movie projected on the side of the recording studio. The outdoor Vestal stage was the focal point each day and featured a diverse mix of live music from bands Blood Candy, Beach Party, Imaginary Persons, Terraplane Sun, Howls, Swimm, Dallas & Doll and DJ sets from Travis Keller, Episode and Patrick Dylan. When the sun finally set on Vestal Village, the legendary late night “barn party” quickly began to materialize. Friday night kicked off with a rock-infused DJ set by David Catching followed by a live performance by the band Golden Sun. The clock struck midnight when Jesse Hughes and the Boots Electric band took the stage and powered out an insane set of all his solo hits plus a few Eagles of Death Metal sing-alongs. Jesse and crew then gave up the stage for an afterhours Mystery Skulls set. Saturday night commenced with a DJ set by Patrick Dylan followed by a captivating performance by the band YNGCULT. A few hours later, around 2 a.m., when most desert parties were wrapping up, LA Riots stepped out from behind the curtain and blew everyone away, keeping the dance party going until sunrise. Vestal would like to thank the “Village” of people that came together to make the event happen. Special thanks to David Johnson, Alli Rosen, Whitney Long, Kelsey Turman, Kelly Vaught and the entire BeCore team, Mike Diocson and Mike “Junior” Yeats of the LTMA Group, the Mendoza’s, Betsy Cole, Desi Houghton, Javier Garcia, Ingrid Ornealas, Cory Safford, Justin Ruiz, Viva La Rock and all guests, performers and crew. #vestalvillage

Photos: Johnny & Brooke Gehris, Swell, Tilly’s & Instagram 1. Vestal Village disco flamingos 2. Saloon Bartenders Natalie Tenerelli, Lindsay Mills, Karsen Rigby & Jennifer Parker 3. Pool party swan rodeo 4. Tuesday Cross, Jesse Hughes (Eagles of Death Metal) & Tanya Morris in the Boots Electric Compound 5. Natasha Chloe & Jolyne Lowery like their Jack Daniels 6. Beach Party played Friday afternoon on the outdoor stage 7. Shannon Barker & Kayleigh Brunner finding peace at the Village 8. Swimm played the outdoor stage at sunset 9. Pool partiers cooling off under the sun

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Have you ever seen your favorite band play a private show in an office conference room? For fans of The Futures League that is exactly what happened on April 9th at the Master Plan Communications’ Open House Party. Industry PR agency Master Plan Communications (MPC) hosted a celebration to break in their new Orange County offices in Rancho Santa Margarita, and more than 150 people rolled out to see the space, enjoy cold drinks and hear live music by MPC’s own Jon Arman. Those in attendance included many

action sports brand leaders, media, skateboarders, snowboarders, surfers, business people, musicians, friends and party crashers. The newest MPC x Infinity Surfboards collaboration boards were on display in the office hallway, and party-goers saw a collection of skateboards lining the walls that all tied back to PR campaigns the agency’s staff worked on over the years. Prior to breaking in the new Master Plan Communications’ conference room, Los Angeles rock and roll band

The Futures League has played at many popular L.A. Venues, including The Troubadour and The Echoplex, as well as music festivals like SXSW in Austin, Texas, and Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee. “It was hard to believe that so many people made it a priority to come celebrate Master Plan Communications’ continued growth with us,” said Ashton Maxfield, founder and managing director of Master Plan Communications. “I want to sincerely thank everyone that has believed in Master Plan Communications over the last three

and a half years. This is only the beginning. The agency looks forward to providing strong results through strategic PR programs for many more years!” Thanks to Fred Water and Pabst Blue Ribbon for providing drinks to the steady flow of people dropping into the party throughout the night, including influencers from: C1RCA, Cali’s Finest, Dragon Alliance, Element, etnies, Hannibal Industries, Highway West Vacations, Honey Brand, Hurley, Infinity Surfboards, Malakye, Quiksilver, Stance, The Kayo Corp, ThirtyTwo, Tilly’s, Transworld, VonZipper and Woodward.

1. Brian Cook (ThirtyTwo), Ryan Bachman (ThirtyTwo) & friend 2. Andrew Stull and Brian Cook (ThirtyTwo) with Ashton Maxfield. 3. Dave and Mary Boehne (Infinity), Greg “GT” Tomlinson (Vonzipper) and Vazken Nargizian (Tilly’s) 4. Some Young Faces 5. Tyler Hendley (Dogtown) and Randy Sheckler (Stance) 6. Mark and Claudine Waters 7. The Future League 8. MPC Guests 9. Mario Miller (Circa) 10. Brian Jones (Honey Brand ) and Dustin Aron (Etnies) 11. The Future Leauge’s Pedal Board 12. Randy Sheckler with baby Coralie and Brandon Philips

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R O O S E V E L T

C R E AV I T E X N I H I L O M C M X C V I I V E S TA L W AT C H . C O M


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Interview: Max Ritter Photo: Felisha Tolentino

How did you guys land on No Parents as a band name? The name stemmed from partying in the valley at our friend’s parents’ houses. They would go out of town and we would get really drunk, and we would scream NO PARENTS! After that it kind of just came together. You guys have a full-length record out. Can you tell us a little about it? The album that’s out now is actually some demos that we recorded in our living room over a year ago. We have since then recorded a lot and written a lot but are still really excited to have some physical content. We have a lot more to come. No Parents put on pretty rowdy and properly entertaining punk show. Growing up, what are some of the shows you saw that influenced No Parents and made you want to play like you do? Simple Plan at the Palladium, The Adolescents at the El Rey, No Doubt and Beastie Boys at The Forum, and The Boss at the Super Bowl. Can you speak on the art of playing in your underwear? It’s so Zoe doesn’t have sweaty clothes after. You have played a ton of shows in the LA scene; what are some of your favorite bands to play with? There are a ton! A lot of our friends play in bands and it’s always fun partying and playing together. We love playing with Together Pangea, Audacity and White Fang. There are a lot more but those are our boys. Are there any newer bands you’ve heard or played with recently that you like that many people probably haven’t heard yet? Walter! They fucking rule! I browsed your music videos on your Space Jaminfluenced website. Dancing Goth’s is pretty amazing but the one that really got me is the guys grinding handrails with their shoes, never really seen this before. I Googled it and apparently it’s called soaping? Soaps! Yeah, we are pretty much sponsored by them and are really honored for them to use our song for their video. Kind of intrigued on what your next idea for a music vid is? You guys set the bar pretty high with that one. We have a couple in the works. One that’s coming up is going to be done by our friend Ryan Baxley who has done all of FIDLAR’s videos. We are really excited for that one. How do you get a .la website? By the way that’s pretty rad, I didn’t know you could have that! You just buy that shit. Godaddy.com really hooked it up. What do you guys have coming up next? We are headlining The Constellation Room in Santa Ana on May 9th with Melted, and The Frights. It’s going to be crazy! No Parents debut album May The Thirst Be With You is available on cassette via Burger Records.


Review: Max Ritter

The Replacements Alex Chilton Rhino The increasingly popular Record Store Day has come and passed again this year. You might have seen me bootlegging black market Sade Smooth Operator tapes out front of your local record store while you were waiting in line. Or maybe you really had the patience to score something sweet like this Replacements 10”. It’s a reissue of their original EP containing Paul Westerberg’s tribute to Alex Chilton with some perks. Ah, love that song. Then you sent that thing straight to EBAY! You dog!

Verckys et l´Orchestre Vévé Congolese Funk, Afrobeat & Psychedelic Rumba 1969 – 1978 Analog Africa How’s that title? This music was made in the African Congo in the 1970s and is really insane. Oui Verckys.

Small Wigs New Wig Self-Released I really like this new project by The Kuehn brothers from the band FIDLAR. Country rock ‘n’ roll songs and Elvis Kuehn rips on the guitar.

Froth Bleak Azbin/Burger We’re always frothing over here. Watch the band’s video for their song Postcard Radio by our friend the talented Riley Blakeway. It’s a hammer of a song with an album release this month and some shows… You knows.

Cosmonauts Year 2015 Everywhere

Review & Photo: Max Ritter

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The best band from the hood suburbia. I’ve seen them play countless shows and they are always better than the last. Put their latest EP release Oh, You Know in your tape deck, cross your eyes, spin three times, and cover one eye before viewing the photo for full effect. You’re welcome.


#PHONEHOME

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Age: 13 Hometown: Encinitas, CA Sponsors: McGills Skate Shop Favorite Skaters: Bucky Lasek, Danny Way & Jake Brown

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