BL!SSS Magazine | July 2010 | #35

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DROP CITY

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FUNCTION COMUNE was formed from the idea that there will always be people out there who not only embrace the rawness and imperfections of everyday life but use it to creatively push the boundaries of what’s possible in skateboarding, fashion, art, and music their own way, with complete disregard of the consequences.

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PURPOSE Our goal is to provide clothing that reflects this lifestyle of carefree idealism and to support the people that choose to live it.


INFO@THECOMUNE.COM WWW.THECOMUNE.COM

COPYRIGHT © 2010 949 574 9142

FALL TEN

Motel

Jezebel

HI-8 Video Stills

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Taken From COMUNE’s Avante Garde Snow Video: “Black Holes and Invisible Forces Bending Time Through Particle Deformations Creating Infinite Freedom in the Garden on the Moon” releasing October 2010. View more at www.thecomune.com.

Taken from Teaser 2

COM_A2010JUL-AKUY2blisss

Andrew Kuykendall www.andrewkuykendall.com

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Andrew Kuykendall lives in Los Angeles but hopes to someday live in a trailer in the desert. He is inspired by the possibility of storytelling with images and is learning to play the accordion. After dropping out of Art Center College of Design, he has been building a career as a freelance fashion photographer. His work has been featured in numerous domestic and international fashion magazines including Oyster, Mirage, Qvest, Celeste, and Zoot.

Something Better Change

www.thecomune.com info@thecomune.com 2139 Placentia Avenue Costa Mesa CA 92627

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Drop City was introduced to attract like–minded creative people to the comune artist community and collaboarte on special projects through COMUNE’S clothing brand. With participating artists including Corey Smith, Hunter Longe, Jason Lee Parry, Noah and Nathan Rice, Shelby Menzel, Jimmy Fontaine and Gareth Stehr over time Drop City will continue to evolve its’ community, creative platform and influence.


sammy winter / gravisskateboarding.com

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Art: Jeff Soto


5500 AAATM Junior Sheer Jersey V-neck Tee 4.3 oz. 100% Ringspun Cotton.* Sizes S-2XL *Athletic Heather 90/10 Cotton/Polyester *Charcoal Heather 60/40 Cotton/Polyester

Available colors:

Athletic Heather Black Charcoal Heather Dark Chocolate Hot Pink Purple Turquoise White

New for 2010 - All garments will be available with a Tear Away Label for easy removal to help with your re-labeling and heat transfer programs. Contact us today for a copy of our new 2010 catalog to see what new styles and colors we have to fulfill all your blank apparel needs.


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

EDITOR

joey marshall joey@blisssmag.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR mark paul deren madsteez@madsteez.com

EDITOR AT LARGE liz rice liz@blisssmag.com

SKATE EDITOR chris ortiz chris@blisssmag.com

SNOW EDITOR jon francis jon@blisssmag.com

MUSIC EDITOR tim bergevin tim@blisssmag.com

ADVERTISING ads@blisssmag.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jason Kenworthy, Dominic Petruzzi, Daniel Russo, Toby Ogden, Tom Carey, Brian Beilmann, Jack Coleman, Andrew Mapstone, Adam Moran, Dave Nelson, Pat Eichstaedt, Julien Lecorps, Ryan Boyes, Zach Hooper, Tim Peare, Michael Lallande, Bob Plumb

CONTRIBUTORS

Matt Patterson, Willie Marshall, Daniel Russo, Liz Rice, 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 BL!SSS Magazine 413 31st Street Newport Beach, CA 92663 www.blisssmag.com

JULY 2010

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.

Cover Art : Jeff Soto If your favorite shop isn’t receiving BL!SSS Magazine please contact info@blisssmag.com


nixonnow.com/santigold

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MAC & RETNA

BLOWNOUT FORD

Mac & Retna are two artists from The Seventh Letter Crew that have been doing some serious work together in the past few years. If you follow the street scene, then you damn well better know these two names by now, but if not. you will soon. They’ve been hitting up major cities what seems like nightly and have been blowing our minds. This image is from a piece they recently did in Culver City and it is as legit as it gets. You may recognize Retna as a past BL!SSS cover artist but rest assured you’ll be seeing more from both these guys real soon – like in the August issue.

Hometown hero Ford Archbold has been spending many a late nights in the Arnette design cave and came up with style that is all his own – the Blowout. The Blowout is a modern take on a classic silhouette that features large, rounded lenses with a super lightweight frame that can be worn all the time. Available now, these puppies come polarized and in a wide range of vibrant colors. I saw Ford walking barefoot down the street, rocking the Blowout with a hot babe under his arm. They work for him and they’ll work for you, so go get them now.

RESTORE THE GULF I’m sure every one of you reading this magazine has heard about the oil tragedy in the Gulf. Millions upon millions of gallons of oil leaking into our precious mother ocean, it’s a catastrophe that will haunt us for years to come. I know we all want to help but just don’t know how. Well, here’s your chance. Our buddy Michael Tamony designed this tee specifically for that, with all proceeds from this purchase go directly to the Gulf Restoration Project. Log onto slamdancevelour.com and enjoy the warm and fuzzies you’ll feel each time you put it on. It’ll be the best twenty bucks you’ve ever spent.

DC X NEFF Collaborations are all the rage these days, and never in a million years would we have thought of these two brands teaming up. The masterminds behind Neff Headwear joined forces with the super shoe company DC. Not just making only snowboards boots, the two put out a whole collection including snowboards, fleece, tees, gloves and of course headwear. With the support of Torstein Horgmo, this Scarface inspired gear is sure to blanket the slopes next season.

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IKKA X NIXON Finnish phenom Ikka Backstrom just inked a deal this past month with our favorite premium watch and accessory brand, Nixon. These two are the perfect fit as Ikka is constantly pushing the limits in the backcountry snow world and the Nixon crew is pretty much showing every other accessory company how it’s done. We know that Ikka has been waiving the Nixon flag for more than a couple years now but he’s finally graduated to their Global Team – where all other teammates must vote him in. We’re stoked for both of them and expecting to see some type of collaboration real soon.


eg photos

He doesn’t care what you think. He likes logging and trees. He prefers leg locks over lambchops. He wears black belts at Blacks beach. He’s gonna do what he’s gonna do.


PELIGROSO TEQUILA

ASYMBOL PRINTS

Man do we love tequila. Maybe it’s all the great memories from Mexico and maybe it’s just in our blood, but there’s something about sippin’ good tequila that makes those long days at work all the better. There couldn’t be a better time for the Peligroso deliveryman to show up than today – our final day before we ship the July issue off to the press. I’ve already been spoiled to the goods, once at the Billabong XXL Awards and again at the Skullcandy West Coast open house. This is premium tequila made from the best Mexican Agave – you can find it at finer establishments and drink it responsibly, you know we will.

VOLCOM SWIM FASHION SHOW

If you don’t know about Asymbol then you’d better get acquainted pretty quickly. Backed by some big names in the snowboard scene (Mike Parillo, Jamie Lynn and Travis Rice), these guys have been making beautiful prints out of previously unavailable original art that makes it affordable for anyone to enjoy. Along with their regular sets of prints, the boys are now introducing the first of many small, one-time runs that focus on the brand new works from their crew. Don’t miss out on any of these, go to asymbolgallery.com now. If any of you out there can remember the raging party that the gals from Volcom Swim threw last summer at their office, you’ll be stoked to hear that they are at it again in 2010. This time Volcom is previewing their Spring 2011 Swim line on July 15th in downtown LA at the Cooper Building. You can bet that there will be a ton of beautiful ladies in next year’s bikinis strutting around, which is reason enough that the BL!SSS crew will be there. And since it’s a Volcom event, you can bet this will be the “it” event of the summer. Don’t miss any of the action – get on over to volcomfashionshow.com to RSVP and get the inside scoop on the show. We’ll see ya on the runway!

TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS

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Jamie Tworkowski is a longtime friend of BL!SSS, who started out as a rep for Hurley and quit the dream job to follow his own dream of starting a non-profit dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. Jamie’s dream has now literally grown to life, which started with a story named, To Write Love on Her Arms. If you don’t know anything about TWLOHA, make sure to click on over to twloha.com and get familiar with everything they have been doing. Jamie and his crew have made some impressive strides in the last few years and have some big and exciting plans for the future. You can check them out at the 2010 Warped Tour, as the gang will be along for the entire ride. And don’t forget to buy a TWLOHA shirt and support another good cause.

LOSER MACHINE KNUCKLEHEADS If you OC hipsters are in the market for a new lid to keep your dome safe from the pavement this summer while cruising PCH on your ultra hip caféd out Honda, you’d better look no further than the Loser Machine crew from San Diego. Appropriately named the “Knucklehead” these ¾ helmets are all the rave, whether you’re a newbie just cruising the streets or an old seasoned vet on a Harley. With custom linings and an array of flat and metallic flake colors, there’s something out there for everyone. They’ve got a good thing going on with their softgoods line as well, check them out at losermachine.com.



CONTOUR HD

ERICA HOSSEINI X FILTRATE

We got the best little care package we’ve seen in quite some time from our boy Sweet Pussy Frank who’s working over at Contour. These guys are giving all the mini HD camera companies a run for their money and we’re backing them 100%. They’ve got the world’s smallest wearable true HD camera and this thing is legit. You can get just about every accessory that imaginable (water housing, helmet clip, board mount, car charger, etc.) so it’s bound to fit any need you can think of. We gotta hand it to these guys, these cameras are rad, so go to your local electronic store and get one today.

HANEBRINK

Hot things go well together, so it’s no surprise that one of the hottest up and coming eyewear brands just picked up one of the hottest babes on the West Coast. When you see the fine Erica Hosseini laying out this summer, know that she’ll be rocking Filtrate sunnies as the two have inked a deal. She is the first female to join the Filtrate team and if you wanna stalk her be sure to check out whereserica.com to find where in the world she’s traveling to next.

VESTAL RADIO MEETS IPHONE The boys at Vestal have been on the pulse of the music scene for quite some time now and are always the first to the punch. The newest news for this crew is there iPhone app they’ve just released called Vestal Radio. This free app is absolutely awesome – broadcasting music from Vestal Featured Artists as well as other bands, musicians and DJ’s with exclusive interviews and mixtapes from around the world. If you hear something you like you’re just one click away from purchasing tracks direct from iTunes. This literally is music to our ears.

ICE CREAM ON LONGBOARDS

These guys have been transcending the bicycle world for years and have got some pretty dope new bikes hitting the street this summer. Hanebrink is bridging the gap between the electric bike world and the off road warriors. These bikes can literally handle anything on our planet – from snow-covered mountaintops to beach dunes across the border, there’s no stopping what your Hanebrink. They got a few of these bad boys in production so click over fortunehanebrink.com and check them all out.

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Some of you might not think that longboards and ice cream go hand in hand but you’re dead wrong. When you see this decked out Sprinter Van chiming through your neighborhood start gathering up all your loose change. Vintage Longboards Ice Cream has got the best treats in town and with over twenty flavors to choose from there’s something for everyone. The van will be touring SoCal all summer so you’re your eyes peeled cause they’ll even have everyone’s favorite mag on hand, so grab a free copy of BL!SSS while you’re cooling off.



RUSTY HOUSE

BOOKLETS These have got to be the smallest books in the world. No seriously – there are twenty-six micro minty books in every box. This mini collectors piece is the love child of artists Robert Pasternak and Ron K White. They each contributed 13, 16-page micro books into this handcrafted, individually boxed collectors item and are available exclusively at robertpasternak.net. So bust out your Mastercard, log on to the site and get ready to put your magnifying glass to use.

BRUCE IRONS & COCO HO TOUR SOCAL If you’re going to be in the Southern California area right in the middle of July then you are in luck, because two of your favorite guy and girl surfers are going to be on a SoCal shop tour: Bruce Irons and Coco Ho! That’s right, you can come hang out with Bruce and Coco along with a bunch of other Volcom shredders (Alex Gray, Nate Tyler, Quincy Davis, Claire Bevilacqua). The Volcom crew will be giving away a ton of free product and prizes including autographed surfboards, and a trip for two to the 2011 Volcom Pipe Pro in Hawaii. Don’t miss this one, check out volcom. com/brucetour for all the info and tour stops.

We got a sweet little office visit from Rusty team house residents Shon Lassiter and Damien Fahrenfort. They’ve been filling us in on all debauchery that has been going down at the summer team house in Newport Beach. Most of the photos they submitted we couldn’t publish, but man are those guys having fun. Kinda makes me wish I was young again and running amuck down at the beach. There have been a few celebrity sightings and even a Miss Teen South Carolina candid interview – pretty funny stuff. So watch your daughters this summer and make sure they’re not headed over to hang with these two.

DENIM DIAPERS Since none of us here at BL!SSS have the pleasure of having our own offspring (that we know of), we’re going to have to pass this one off to all you mama’s and papa’s out there. It seems the marketing genius’ over at Huggies have been putting in the late night hours figuring out how to capture some of the gen-y dollars and have come up with a great concept: denim diapers. No, these aren’t really denim, just a nice sublimated print on their normal poo-catchers. So if you want to start your toddler off right with the cool crowd at preschool, make sure you get your hands on some of these hip new daisy dukes for your 2-year-old.

LITTLE FEET Our boy Mike Carr dropped by the office to give us a little love and fill us in on another project that’s been keeping him busy and givin’ back to the community. He’s part of Little Feet, a soccer ball side project that has been doing big things. And by this I mean they been donating a soccer ball to a child in need for every single soccer ball purchased. We love hearing about companies like this and we’ll continue to support them as long as the cause is genuine. Check out littlefeet.com for their inspirational story and purchase a ball and know that you’ll be contributing to a great cause.

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Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils, was born in 1987 in Portugal. He started to receive distinction and prestige for his street art/graffiti when his work, a face carved into a wall, appeared alongside a picture by street artist Bansky at the 2008 London Cans Festival. Vhils is the youngest artist represented by Lazarides Gallery. Vhils’ describes his art as “the art of deconstruction.” His artwork spans from collage to portraiture. He uses an array of mediums and techniques to create his pieces, including etchings, faces etched into brick, ‘reverse graffiti’, stencils, quick ink, household bleach, plaster drilled away, and peeling of advertisements. Vhils uses the destruction of materials to create new and beautiful images. He explores pealing away at the different layers of a material to create his art. His work reflects the layers he sees within himself and around him, ”I believe

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we are all formed of different sets of layers, personal, social, historical, and so on.” Vhils’ art is influenced by the many eras/ layers that comprise Portugal’s sociopolitical history. Vhils was born during a time of great change and progress in Portugal. In 1986, Portugal joined the European Union, leaving behind the idealism of the post 1974 socialist revolution era, which had put an end to the fascist dictatorship that had ruled Portugal for nearly fifty years. Vhils states, “I grew up with the contrast between these Utopian murals and the developing capitalist society visually based on massadvertising. I was deeply affected by the sharp contrast created between the decadent revolutionary murals and their ideals and the glamorous appeal of advertising. The poetics of decay that resulted from it left an enduring influence on me. In the late 1990’s I got into graffiti and took to the streets and trains, this

became my artistic background. Graffiti was a language that enabled me to express and explore many things, and eventually enabled me to observe and portray the complexities of the urban environment, as I see them. For a few years I was really into the train scene and bombing, then I started thinking about where I wanted to take my work and I started exploring other things, wanting to take things to a different level – that’s when I first started experimenting with stencils and other tools which allowed me to reach a wider audience.” Vhils’ work is complex, primal, and beautiful. The meticulous act of destructing, chiseling away years, and layers to create a new vision. Vhils’ words are as poetic as his art: “Our social system is the product of this same process of layers, and I believe that by removing and exposing some of these layers, in fact by destroying them, we might be able

to reach something purer, something of what we used to be and have forgotten all about. This is obviously in a symbolical sense. So I like to see it as a kind of archaeological work of dissecting the layers of history and time and exposing something which lies beneath all the noise, the clutter, the dirt, searching for an essence which has been lost somewhere along the way. Of course you never really have full control of all the aspects of that creation, as you don’t know what images and patterns lay beneath the layers. But this is a key concept in my work, and I really enjoy working with randomness, highlighting the ephemeral nature of things, of everything really.” If you get a chance check out his website, alexandrefarto.com, it’s easy to spend a couple of hours browsing.


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On July 16th THIS Los Angeles welcomes John Hill, Jr. to their gallery. John is a recent graduate of the MFA program at UNC Chapel Hill will be showing for the first time on the West Coast. His show “Drawn” will showcase new works ranging in size from a few inches square to 12 feet long. All meticulously rendered with .005 microns. -In Hill’s own words: “I draw directly with pen onto paper without the aid of plans or reference material. Once a mark is committed to paper it cannot be changed. Each thing I draw is situated in response to what was put to paper before. By allowing my drawings to evolve intuitively, previously unseen relationships are revealed, pinning down my subconscious thoughts in concrete form. As a drawing progresses, the space created gradually becomes denser, yet remains relatively flat, emphasizing the graphic potential of point and line.The accumulation of my thoughts, visualized through drawing, becomes a record of my mind’s wandering, in which self-control and personal desire are engaged in an irresolvable game of tug of war.” John will be working in the gallery the week prior (July 12th - 16th), everyone is welcome to stop by to talk with John and see the work in process. The opening will run from 7-10pm at THIS Los Angeles.

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2010

WeA ctiv is ts W IE GE R VA N WA GE N IN GE N & R AY B A R B E E S HO T B Y C HE RY L D U N N www. we s c. co m


Words: Joey Marshall

We all know that when Red Bull puts on an event that they do it right. The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2010 is no exception. Stop number two on the tour took place south of the border at Cenote Ik Kil, located on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The Cenote is a breathtaking backdrop to this incredible event and when photos of the competition came across our desks we just had to share it with all of you out there. With divers from all over the world participating, the competition was at an all time high. The forest may have been green and the water an aqua blue but the competitors were red hot. In the end, the spectators knew it was between Britain’s Gary Hunt and Russia’s Artem Silchenko, as both divers were performing absolutely flawlessly. Hunt completed the same dive that took him to the top of the podium at event number one just a few weeks earlier in La Rochelle, France. That dive proved to be unbeatable as Silchenko’s “blind entry” dive, even though the difficulty level was higher, landed him in position two on the podium. The video of this event should be viewed at redbullcliffdiving.com to really appreciate what these athletes are capable of doing. These dives make Rodney Dangerfield’s triple lindy look like child’s play – they truly are that amazing. Photo: Ray Demski / Red Bull Cliff Diving

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Words: Liz Rice This month we had a couple of interesting artist’s visiting the LA area, which included Conor Harrington. Conor was born in Cork, Ireland. He received his BA in Painting in 2002 from the Limerick School of Art and Design. He currently lives in London, England. Conor’s style is an amalgamation of both traditional and modern techniques and themes, influenced by his background in graffiti street art and

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his formal training in painting at the Limerick School of Art and Design. His art is equally relevant within both the street art and fine art worlds. His art juxtaposes historical and contemporary imagery, and typically includes the presence of a male figure, brooding, and almost stoic. The juxtaposition is further seen in his use of traditional oil with modern day spray paint, resulting in large-scale energetic murals. At a time when men are accused of be-

ing somehow redundant within society, Conor’s work is an intelligent and modest reminder of their positive emotional contribution. It also shows that graffiti doesn’t have to shock or be sloppy to have substance. Within the imagery and style of Conor’s works, one can find the balance of chaos and silence and the ability for it to co-exist. If you happen to be in LA this month, be sure to check out “EuroTrash” present-

ed by LAZARIDES, a group show featuring the artwork of Conor Harrington, Antony Micallef, and JR and Vhils. For more information regarding the show go to www.lazinc.com. Also, Conor just returned from a two-week trip to Israel/ Palestine, where he painted and filmed his ventures. Make sure to keep your eyes open for the film/works from his trip at www.conorharrington.com.


Logos :: Color Designation

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Logo :: Weblogo BLACK C60 M40 Y40 K100 R0 G0 B0 PMS 158 C0 M61 Y97 K0 R245 G128 B37

Logo :: Black BLACK C60 M40 Y40 K100 R0 G0 B0

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Logo :: Weblogo WHITE C0 M0 Y0 K0 R255 G255 B255 PMS 158 C0 M61 Y97 K0 R245 G128 B37

Logo :: White White C0 M0 Y0 K0 R255 G255 B255


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Photo: Dominic Petruzzi : dominicpetruzzi.com // Model: Lauryn

I grew up on the East Coast of Florida and really only considered returning for visiting family, hurricane swells, superb ďŹ shing and of course Surf Expo. But after seeing photos of Lauryn I think I have a whole other reason to visit Jacksonville. This Florida native was out visiting the West Coast when she caught the eye of our photographer Dominic and boy were we impressed. I’m not gonna go on a rant telling everyone in BL!SSSville how amazing she is, as I think this picture speaks for itself. All I gotta say is I wish I was one of the lucky ones strolling Laguna Beach the day this shot was taken. Hair & Makeup: Jessica McDonough // Photo Retouch: Kacie Sloane


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Photos: Kenny Morris With canoes glistening, paddles smelling of fresh oak, and a full list of activities to do, it was time for a bunk beater three days of VQS Totally Crustaceous Oaks Summer Camp Champs! The anticipation was at an all time high with $50,000 in prize money, massive amounts of product to be given away and a wild card into the 2011 Volcom Pipe Pro up for grabs. This year’s campers couldn’t wait to jump off the bus and dive into the first day of camp at Crustaceous Oaks. The first day of camp started off with the notorious underwear hanging from the flagpole, always known to get a rise out of the counselors. The day moved on and the campers were ready to get this year’s bunk competition under way. Day one’s Eager Beaver (Juniors Division) standouts were Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) and Pierre Valentin (FRA) who paddled across two lakes to get here. They had no intentions of cutting camp short after posting grizzly bear like scores in the first round. Day two began with the early morning trumpet wake up call as Counselor Dunzelman

awoke to finding himself tied to his cot in the middle of the forest. Everyone else was getting the day started like a squirrel trying to open his own nuts. Somehow underwear still remained on the flagpole and Head Counselor Holm was trying to find someone to reprimand. Day two campers of the day were Catherine Clark (USA) and Albee Layer (HAW) who just displayed pure beaver excellence placing some of the highest combined heat scores. With the final day of camp upon us, the teenage hormones were at an all time high around the cabins as the event finals were about to take place. And somehow to everyone’s disappointment there was a stained pair of underwear and a very fat pair of pants flying from the flagpole. Now, lets get down to the finals. The Buckaroos (Grom Division) had a great showing and is always one of Head Counselor Powell’s favorites because of their top notch arts and crafts skills and their true excellent camper spirit. The final was filled with three new comers and one returning camper, Ian Gentil,

Colin Moran

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Mitch Coleborn

Carlos Munoz


Albee Layer

who took third at last year’s camp finals. This year it was local camper Colin Moran who won in dominating fashion, comboing everyone except Koa Smith, who finished out in a respectable second place. Colin walked away with $5000 and mountain of prizes for his efforts. The Belly Flopper (Air Division) final had five California local campers and one lone flopper from Hawaii. By the time the heat was over, their stomachs were a dark red and the medical staff was applying the proper first aid. When the flopping carnage was over it was Albee Layer emerging with the best FLOP and earned himself $2000. The young blood Parker Coffin had a great extension on his painful flop and finished in a respectable second.

Matt McCabe and Killian Garland filled in the third and fourth slots with some great water smacking flopping. The Eager Beavers (Juniors Division) were paddling their brains out for the $7,000.00 dollars that were up for grabs in this division. Young Beaver, Keanu Asing jumped out to an early lead, but was quickly overtaken by camper Tanner Hendrickson. In the closing minutes of the race it was Carlos Munoz from Costa Rica who canoed away to take the victory for the Eager Beavers.

the Australian camper, opened up the race with the lead, but Cody Thompson seamed to be sailing his way through with back to back six’s. Midway through it was Nat Young was making his move, however he couldn’t get the gusts he needed to surpass the pack. Camper Cody got caught playing with his dinghy and fell to fourth. In the closing minutes of the heat Camper Coleborn ran away with it and took the win, $10,000.00 cash, a wildcard into the 2011 Volcom Pipe Pro, the Muscle Milk Jet Ski and Camper of the Year title.

Then the time came for the Trail Blazers (Pro-Am Division); also known as the counselors in training, the big cheesers, or the bully’s at camp. Mitch Coleborn,

Summer Camp Champs ended successfully as this years’ campers demonstrated outstanding grizzly bear awareness and beaver safety. Also, a camp record was

set on the blob this year, with a camper reaching 18ft in height. Thank goodness there was only two cases of poison ivy and one squirrel bite reported by the camp nurse. Two awards were given away in water safety, for canoe control. A camper also received a gold badge for capturing a raccoon in the girl’s showers by only using a pair of toenail clippers and a slingshot. Camp prank of the summer went to whoever put huge Wasabi balls in the enchiladas on Mexican food Thursdays. This years surprise animal was the East Coast pony who was ravished to near death by a bear, no need to go into details. And there is still pair of underwear on the flagpole! See you next year at camp!



Twin Skull. Pushead. 2010.

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Interview: Jared Lucas :: Photos: Deville Boo, how old are you and where are you from? I just turned 17 and I’m pretty hyped – one more year until 18. I’m from this lil’ town called Tehachapi, Ca. It’s a lil’ mountain town. How’d you get into skateboarding? Um… I’m not quit sure, my town built a park about 5 years ago and I started ever since then. I met a homie and filmer there named Terry he started taking me and the lil’ brother on trips an it started ever since then I guess. Do you remember what your first board set-up was? Ya, I think it was a Shorty’s board super chipped up with Thunder trucks. Me and my older brother Lavail shared it. Who were some of your favorite skaters when you first started shredding? The Baker heads, Herman and Andrew. They get down and will always be super beasty, shit’s crazy. Who was the first pro you saw in person and where was it? It had to be Herman or Andrew at

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one of the Pharmacy Baker signings. I was like 13 or 14 and that’s when Herman taught Isiaha how to try bomb and we all know that’s his main trick now. Who inspires you now? I still look up to the main dude Herman but I look up to pretty much whoever is getting down and is a super dope person. Who are your sponsors? Bones Wheels, Krew Clothing, Supra Footwear, Powell Skateboards, Ashbury Eyewear, Venture Trucks, Markisa Wallets, and Pharmacy Boardshop. And I’m hyped on every single one. Is it hard living so far away from any skate spots and what do you have to do to make shit happen? You don’t even know, it sucks not living by any dope skate spots but it’s all good. I dip out to Palmdale and catch the train out to Deville’s (Powell TM) house. Or me and my filmer, Burger, will cruise out to the valley or LA. Sometimes we mission out to SD to chill at Jordan and Jared’s pad. Is Woodward the only skate


Variel Heel Flip


Feeble Shuvit

F.S 360 Shuvit


Gap to Lip

Lip Slide

spot in Tehachapi? Naw, there’s like three skate spots but they’re not spots you want to get down on every day. They’re pretty gnarly; there is a dope double set out here though. Who is apart of a typical session with Boo Johnson? The filmer Burger and whoever we meet up with or whoever is down to go get some clips. We’ve done missions with a bunch of different crews, it’s pretty dope. What was your first photo in a skate mag and who shot it? It was a “Who’s Hot” in Skateboarder, I smith’d this rail against the wall. Deville Nunes shot it. Does having a younger brother that rips motivate you? It does especially when I see him doing fakie flip switch crooks. So crazy seeing a lil’ kid with crazy grown man steez, it kinda reminds me of Keelan’s style. Are you currently filming for any video parts or projects? Naw, not really, I’ve Just been tryin’ to stack footy but I’m tryin’ to get some clips in the Bones Video. Make sure you look out for that when it come out, STF! Are you satisfied with the footy you have right now?

I’m super hyped on my clips right now. Lately I have been working on more ledge tricks. So are you homies with Keelan Dadd? Keelan, yeah that’s my boy. We’ve been on a couple missions, many more to come. Any crazy hood experiences or stories with Keelan? Mmm naw, not really but if you ask him about any hood stories he’ll tell you some crazy shit. Which are gnarlier, Keelan or Deville’s spots? Keelan skates super high stuff and that’s crazy to me but Deville spots are just stupid gnarly. Greg Lutzka even trips on his spots. I had to take a brake from skating with him cuz I was super over his spots. But Deville spots are the dope spots. Any “maja” shout-outs? First shout-out has to be to my mom and my grandma – thanks for everything you’ve done for me for my skate life. Mad shout outs to the homies Jared Lucas and Hamburger for everything they’ve done for me in the skate life. Same with Deville Nunes and Jeremy and Brett from Pharmacy Boardshop, and all the homies over at Krew and Supra, and Venture, Ashbury, Mraksia. And all the Homies in Tehachapi… Yee ha!

K-Grind




Interview: Pat Towersey :: Photos: David David (*unless noted) At only 12-years-old, Kalani David is a main attraction at Surfing’s most important stage. The North Shore of Oahu is the meeting place for the worldwide surfing tribes – every top pro, media source, groupie, sponsor and figure head of the industry makes their winter pilgrimage. The stories circulate: breakthroughs, hype, legends, lore, and in the end only a handful of names will be remembered. Whether it’s an insane wave at Backdoor or his Banzai Park, dominating sessions airing the hip or killing the bowl, Kalani David’s performances aren’t forgotten come springtime. In the off-season we got a minute to catch up with young Kalani David to see what his future plans are.

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Photo: Russo


Yo Kalani, how old are you? Twelve. When did you start surfing? At two years old. Really? Where? Jaco, in Costa Rica. And where do you live now? On the North Shore, Oahu. When did you start skating? When I was 5 at Robb Field Skate Park in San Diego. Did you live there? I stayed there for 3 months in the summer time. Do you think starting at such a young age helped you become so good? Can kids start later in life and become as good as you? Yes, the young age helped. If kids start later it just depends, if they don’t care then they won’t but if they do care then they can. Dane Reynolds started surfing at age 13. How does surfing help your skating and vise versa? Ummm… Just airs. Yea, that’s it. What has been your most memorable surf session and skate session? Surf session – Surfing for three hours at backdoor with one friend and getting barreled on 3-4 foot waves, it was amazing and no one paddled out. Skate session – Getting to skate the super park for the first year, with all the pros like Rune Glifberg, Cab, Hosoi, and Tony Trujilo.


Who inspires you? That’s kind of a hard one… What about surfing, who’s your favorite surfer? Jordy Smith… and the rest of the guys from Modern Collective. And your favorite skater? Rune Glifberg, he rips and can skate anything. What gets you stoked? Getting big barrels and seeing little groms in the lineup pushing the limits. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I see myself on the CT, the WCT. What’s that? The World… na, Championship Tour? Where is your favorite surf spot? Backdoor. Favorite skate spot? My home park, Banzai Skate Park. What about your favorite place to grind? Ted’s Bakery and Kahuku Super. What are your best accomplishments so far? National champion and getting invited to the X Games for skate. Is there anything else you want to say? Shout out to all my supporters and RVCA for being amazing and to my family. Photo: Russo


CHINESE WAX JOB Chinese Wax Job is an art collective black and white photocopied zine, where each issue showcases the work of a handful of international emerging artists. John Esguerra curates and publishes Chinese Wax Job quarterly and it can be purchased at Teeluxe.com, DriftsurďŹ ng.com, Mollusk NYC and Bonzer Front in Haleiwa, Oahu. Past artists include: Ben Jones, Anton Lopez, Paul Gallegos, Bobby Tang, Ryan Tatar, Duncan Campbell, Rasmus Svensson, Cody Hudson, Julia Chiang, Jeff Canham, Ty Williams, Dominick Volini, Tofer Chin, Steve Green, Ed Fladung, Scott Massey, Jaakko Pallasvuo and many more. Chinese Wax Job has exhibited at several independent publisher fairs: Zurich Zine Sezession 2010, Zine Mate in Tokyo, 2010 Museum of Contemporary Art Zine Fair in Sydney, La Casa Encendida Madrid (Spain), Nieves at No.12 Gallery Tokyo. Chinese Wax Job is an ongoing project. Issue 4 will be launched at The New York Art Book Fair at MOMA PS1. Solo artist booklets will debut in the fall of 2010. Please visit: chinesewaxjob.com for more info.

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Remember the Super Bock! :: Photos: Henne Hendrick So I’m sitting here at work, feeling like I’m in prison, reminiscing about that Portuguese winter. What could be better than a two-week vacation with a bunch of European strangers? So off we go, three Americans consisting of Louie Barletta, our photographer Mikendo and myself, Derek Fukuhara, to meet up with our German counterparts: Team Manager Oli Tielsh, Maxim Rosenbauer, Mark Frolich, German Photographer Henne Hendrick and filmer Marc Bultmann plus an added addition a Spaniard – Manolo Robles. I had no idea what to expect out of this trip. At first, my elementary geography led me to believe Portugal was in South America. After booking my flight, I decided to do some geographic and language research. I soon realized I know nothing.... about anything. The trip was an amazing success with tons of eye-opening experiences and wonderful never-ending surplus of skaters, spots, amazing food and just over all good times. Get off your butt and head over to a territory that you have never been before, because not only do you learn something about that area, but you also learn something about yourself. - Derek Fukuhara


Ok, Portgual, let me see, hmmm… Well I remember drinking Super Bock. I can’t say enough about Super Bock… I mean, come on! The name alone… Bock. What the fuck is a Bock, much less a “Super” Bock? Is it the sound those white birds with the long necks make? “The flamingo bocks to the flock when he has discovered the school of guppies.” I dunno, doesn’t that sound right? Plus doesn’t it just rolls off the tongue nicely when you smash your finger in a car door. “Bock you! You fucking Audi!!!” Actually, and I’m not a sports guy, but isn’t a Bock when in baseball the pitcher fakes like he is throwing the ball? That would be perfect! A beer named after a fake action, it would be kinda like O’Doul’s, but this one is super... wait a minute. - Louie Barletta

Louie Barletta, No Comply


Manolo Robles : B.S Smith Varial Flip out


Derek Fukuhara : 360-flip

My favorite memory was: Ordering then eating the salad, then finding all the insects in it. I quickly ran outside and puked. No good... haha. My favorite meal was: Not the insect salad, that’s for sure. Probably my daily meal spagetti bolognese (spaghetti with meat sauce). My favorite time: I guess I would probably say the days we spent in Lisbon, great spots, and a little bit of partying. My favorite trick: Watching Louie handle this awesome no comply on this humungous skinny metal tranny, insane! My favorite encounter: Meeting all the Americans for the first time on this trip. I knew everyone else, so meeting new people is always rad! - Mark Frolich

I DONT SPEAK ENGLISH, but PORTUGAL IS COOL! - Manolo Robles.

Derek Fukuhara : F.S Noseblunt


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Interview: Greg Escalante & Nathan Spoor Navigating the winds of change is a challenging aspect of any serious artist’s life and career. Even yet, SoCal virtuoso Jeff Soto seems to have found a current on which to sail his mighty visual vessel. Soto finds comfort in the gradual evolution found in the connections between his life and work, weathering storms of self-critique while garnering an unquestionable consistency of rich content and quality. While finding time to be a good husband and dad, he maintains an exhaustive schedule of expeditions into unknown realms of the mind that yield a wide array of artistic wonders. And while battling illness on the eve of finishing his latest solo exhibition bound for New York, Jeff Soto takes the time to speak with us about life, growth, pushing boundaries and so much more. So Jeff, you’re what most would truly call a native son of California, growing up in the graffiti culture and transitioning into a truly impressive fine art career that seems to know no bounds. What is life like living in the Riverside homelands these days and what does the Inland Empire mean to you? Not trying to start this interview on a low note, but the area I live in is slowly dieing. In a study a few months ago, CNN found that Inland Empire unemployment was second only to the Detroit area in the US. We are one of the smoggiest areas in the US, thanks to Los Angeles’ cars and the easterly ocean breeze, and we’re one of the lowest educated regions in the country. There isn’t a month that goes by where Jennifer and I say, “Fuck this, lets move”. But it’s never that easy and it’s not so black and white. I have lived out here since I was 10, for better or worse it’s home. It’s affordable, I know all the good taco shops, and there are some really interesting creative people out here. What keeps us here is 90% of our family lives nearby and I want my children to grow up with them. My brothers and their kids, my wife’s brother and his family, I think if we moved, even an hour away into LA somewhere, we would rarely see them. Everyone’s so busy these days, if we moved to, say, the Bay Area, we’d probably see my parents and family once a year. So really, Riverside is just a place. We might move someday but we also might be Riverside lifers! I do get inspired by the mountains and fields out here; it is much more rural than LA and somewhat more laidback. We know you’re not just a gifted visual-ist, but a proper full time dad as well. How has having a family enriched and challenged your life and work? Having kids was probably the best thing I did. Jennifer and I still look at each other in amazement saying, “Wow, we made them...” It changed the way I view the world and added tons of depth to my paintings. My work is stronger since we had kids. It also made running a successful art career more of a challenge! My first duty is to my family, so I’ve had to make a lot of compromises over the years. With two young children and no one in our family to watch them except my wife, I’ve had to change the way I work. I can’t work in the studio all night, I try not to be away for more than a week, I can’t do irresponsible things I’d still like to do (like paint graffiti). I used to think all this may have hurt my career but I’m seeing now that it has made me



more selective. I have a low tolerance for bullshit, and if someone is pitching a project or show on me, I am quick to make a decision. Will this help my career? Or is it just a fun thing? If it’s just a fun project, like a trip where they’re flying me out to do live painting, I better be making some money or it better help my career, or they better pay for me to bring the family. I’m a busy guy, I don’t have time to fuck around these days. I believe your daughter has even helped you out in the studio before. Do your girls show signs of taking after their dad and being super creative types? Shannon, our four-year-old sometimes says she want to be an artist. I tell her she has to practice drawing more and she says she says, “No daddy, I want to paint abstract paintings”. I tell her she still needs to practice! Her drawings are starting to get interesting so who knows? I would just like both of my kids to go to college and be happy in their career choice. Natalie, the one year old loves to draw with chalk on any and all available surfaces! Speaking of studios, what sort of time to you set aside or schedule out to make all of that work? My schedule seems to change day by day, but generally we get up around 6:30am. It’s usually madness. We

try to get the kids ready for the day before 9 and I leave around 9:30 or so to my studio. I try to have breakfast and dinner with the family every day, so I usually come home by 6. That’s my work time, usually 8-9 hours every day. After cooking and having dinner it’s bath time, then working with Shannon on her letters, clean up, bedtime for the kidlets, dishes and before I know it it’s almost the next day. Seriously, with two kids, the days fly by and it’s almost painful! My 8 hours at the studio are never enough time, so I’m constantly behind on everything these days. Luckily, Jennifer understands and always seems to take up the slack when I get really busy. Tell us a little about your work if you will, what is the narrative that you’ve been following or pursuing. Are there actually moments when that elusive internal struggle or storyline grows to your best satisfaction? My parents worked hard when I was a kid, but we were probably the poorest family on the block. That made a big impact on me, seeing the difference in opportunities between those who had money and those who didn’t. It made me angry and for a long time as an idealistic college art student, my work revolved around social issues like the struggles of the working class, distribution of the wealth, racism,

education etc. I felt the world was a very unfair place. It used to piss me off to no end in college when a student would be talking about these issues in their work, then you’d see them driving a BMW that their dad bought them. When September 11th happened I was a student at Art Center and for a while my work started centering around war and politics. I had mixed feelings about pretty much everything. I started reading up on Middle East history and relations with the US to try to understand how the World Trade Center towers were gone. It didn’t make sense, it was a very confusing time and when I look back at that work I think it reflects that. After that I started working pretty heavily within the Man vs. Nature theme and these are the paintings I started getting known for. So I guess the answer is no, I haven’t really had a running narrative in my work - just a lot of jumping around, exploring political ideas. The newest paintings are completely different, exploring life and death and the things that happen in between. And I’m a much different person these days, not as angry. I understand so much more than when I was 20. Now I’m the dad that would love to be able to buy my daughters cars and send them to art school.

Are you musical or do you feel music is important to your process? Do you play the rainstick regularly? My brother left his drum set in my studio’s storage loft and I pulled down the snare drum last week. I can’t find drumsticks so I’m using old paintbrushes. I’m pretty lousy. Music is a BIG part of my process, it helps me with ideas and accompanies me while I paint. You’re a very versatile artist, covering all aspects of the game. We’ve seen paintings, toys, graffiti, printmaking, watercolors, drawings, animations… Is there any ground that you still want to cover or an area that you want to break into? I’ve been feeling like I’m on the verge of something in my paintings, taking it to a new level somehow, maybe working on larger more complex images, maybe working and mastering oil painting... I definitely feel like I haven’t reached my potential with paint, so I will always continue to explore that. And I’m hoping to stay busy with screenprinting, that’s been a fun new thing to explore. Ok, stepping away from all that intense self scrutiny… What’s one really distinct memory that you always remember from your younger days?


I remember one summer my brother and I stole a Playboy out from under my father’s bed. We knew we had to return it, but the imagery was like crack to my 9-year-old eyes. So we took pictures of all the pages, went through a whole roll of 110-cartridge film. We put the mag back, and then got to thinking - How would we get the film developed? Our parent’s would get the roll back from Gemco and see all the porn pictures! We ended up scrapping our plan. There was a hole in the wall from the door handle and we dumped it in there. I like to think someday someone will find that roll of film, develop it, and have a good laugh. What is this Inland Empire and do they have any plans on expanding on any outlying territories? Inland Empire is made up of San Bernardino County, which is the biggest county in the USA, and Riverside County. Both go all the way to the Arizona border, so I hope they don’t expand any more. You have a show coming up in New York. What can you tell us about that? Is this work an all-new series of work, or does it stem from a continuation in your narrative? The show is called “Lifecycle”. It’s a new series and it’s a bit lighter than some of my recent work. It’s about seeing my two kidlets starting to grow and experience the world, while at the same time seeing my parents and grandparents and even myself age. It’s something that everyone experiences. Ageing and the passing of time are such steady constants but we would do anything to stop the clock. I’m trying to keep it fun and interesting, and these paintings are turning out more colorful than usual. How important is non-gallery work for you? Does illustration or commission work expand your view on the fine art aspects of what you create? I was college trained as an illustrator but began pursuing fine art back in high school so I understand both. In my own work I think they can coexist rather well, and I rely on both to pay the bills. During the


last few years the types of illustration work I get has started to blend with my fine art. For example the Pearl Jam gig posters I finished this year. They gave me free reign to just do my thing. It makes it easy and the work is not art directed at all, which makes it feel like it’s not even a commercial project. What do you feel has been an indispensable tool or thought process for you to create your work? Being able to draw fast and well without references. When I have an idea I can draw it, fix it, redraw it, or even go straight to painting if I have to. Some of my best ideas come to me quick so

it’s nice to be able to visualize it on the fly. I think most artists can do this, so I guess it’s not that special. What do you feel was the most challenging aspect of creating your past works or bodies of work? I was still a student for my first few gallery shows and got addicted to the high of seeing my work on the wall. When my paintings started selling, I was totally seduced by the money coming in. It was the first time in my life I could buy a few nice things, the first time I had more than a couple hundred dollars to my name. I was 27 and I could finally buy a nice camera, or take my wife to the movies, or go

to a restaurant. I was afraid to jump out of my comfort zone from show to show. No one noticed, but I felt my work was getting stagnant. I was afraid that if I painted what I wanted to, and did a show that looked nothing like my current body of work that my sales would dry up and I’d be back at square one. At some point I pushed forward, and to my surprise my fans still liked my work. I learned that I have to be honest with myself and that always translates into my best work. Sometimes it still enters into my thoughts when I make art, especially now that I have two kids and more bills than ever! There’s a balance, of

making sellable works and staying true to your artistic visions. I just try to make the best work I can and hope it works out. Thanks for your time sir, do you have any parting words for the readers? I am sick as a dog as write this interview, throat is stinging, head is pounding, I’m clammy, and I may or may not have Swine Flu. So if this is my last sentence I write I’d like to tell the readers to work hard at whatever you do, but also try to find time for family and loved ones. Live righteous! Thanks!




Words: Jon Francis So I’m sitting here trying to figure out what I’m going to write about Bob and the first thing that keeps coming to mind is how hard I’m always laughing, whether just on the phone, or hanging out with Bob. His multiple personalities will always keep you smiling and always keep you on your toes. He’s constantly cracking jokes and always hyped. You will never know when Bob’s bummed, because even when he is over it he continues to remain positive. It’s hard to be in a bad mood around him, and those reading this who know him know exactly what I’m talking about. This past winter I was in Salt Lake

James Atkin : K-Flip Fakie

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staying with Bob and he thought it would be a good idea if a bunch of us went to this unique bar inside a trolley car that sold these super hot wings. The hottest wings at the place I think had four peppers in them, but there were these one wings called the “enima.” They had 14 peppers, and if you were down to sign a release form and could eat the entire basket of wings, the $20 wings were free of charge. So we got the rookie to order them and after about five wings his face was bright red, nose running down his face, tears pouring out of the eyes, and shortly after that he began to puke outside. We all felt bad so we each tried them, except

Bob who swears he already had tried them. They were by far the hottest anything I ever put in my mouth, and I only took one bite. It reminded me of that scene in Dumb and Dumber. To this day I don’t really think Bob has ever eaten those wings but just wanted to see us all suffer. You see that’s how Bob works - always down for a good time and a good laugh, and always has something up his sleeve.

ever since. He started gracing the pages of BL!SSS with his photos a couple years ago and has always been quick to help out the mag and all of his homies. He’s always shooting with the right crew and comes correct with top-notch photos. As snowboarding grows, so does the amount of standard photographers battling it out for a page in the mags these days, but it takes real talent to standout and shoot unique photos in a photo I first met Bob through Bozung, game that can become very comMatty, and Keegan, when I was mon. We always appreciate Bob’s trying to get photos for a Boz- contributions to the mag and felt it Wreck feature we wanted to do in was time to give Bob a little profile BL!SSS, and we have been friends of his own and say thanks.


“HE’S THE DUDE YOU MEET THAT WILL CALL YOU OUT RIGHT AWAY, NOT PASSIVE AT ALL AND DEFINITELY SPEAKS HIS MIND NO MATTER WHAT OR WHO IT IS. HE’S SO STOKED ALL THE TIME TOO.” -KEEGAN VALAIKA

Keegan Valaika : Ollie


Chris Eacott : Ollie


Mikey Leblanc : StaleďŹ sh

Chris Grenier : 5050 Lizard King : Backlip


Jeff Richards : K-Flip

Jim Greco : Switch Frontside

Matty Ryan : Shifty



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EUROTRASH

rtunity hrough ry best to hear myself y Tigra ay. We decade mbuktu anyone

threeor their m sure

Photos: Ian Cox & Yuri Hasegawa // Gallery // Conor Harrington, Steve Lazarides, Vhils, Paulo Piedade and Remi Kabaka // Rime & Revok // Anna Hillinger, Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn, Girl & James Jean // David Choe & Joe Toe // Dr. Romanelli, Ben Mor & Mazik // Gallery // Gavin Rossdale & friend // Jamie Oshea, John Juniper & Miguel Garcia // Noa, Suzie, Kesh, Madsteez, & Sweetface // Spencer Guilburt, Dylan Hales & Tyler Atkins British gallery-ist, Steve Lazarides, has become the talk of the town lately. He has rented an 8,000 square foot space in Beverly Hills for an exclusive exhibition featuring four different shows. It started with LA native David Choe’s solo show, which was featured in last month’s issue of BL!SSS. This month EuroTrash opened with the stellar lineup of four of Europe’s finest artists taking over the gallery - JR from Paris, Vhils from Lisbon, Conor Harrington from Cork, Ireland and Antony Micallef of London. The night was a blast, not your ordinary art show. Lazarides makes an exhibition an event, eliminating the stereotypical white walls and stuffiness of a traditional art show, and making the art accessible to everyone. The opening was a party with friendly staff and a laid back atmosphere. The four different artists each had their own unique and non-traditional styles, but their work fit together perfectly. JR brings his unique vision to Beverly Hills, immersing himself within cultures where struggle and conflict are rife; he presents his monochromatic photographs and installations.

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Renovating the urban environment much like JR, is the innovative Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto aka Vhils. He manipulates a variety of surfaces to create his own extraordinary vision. From the brick facade of buildings to peeling off layered fly posters, he reveals images that explore the sub-cultures and dynamism of a city. Irish painter Conor Harrington explores the illusion of power and the emotional side of masculinity in his large-scale paintings. Combing the fast pace of graffiti art with traditional oil painting, resulting in energetic murals of soldiers and conquerors existing within a chaotic abstracted landscape. Antony Micallef returns to LA with his distinctive style of painting. Drawing on icons of contemporary society, which both celebrate and condemn modern day living. His most recent works are built upon a profound belief in the act of brushstrokes and animals and humans merge in the happy accident of the artist’s extreme stream of consciousness. It was great to see everyone out - if you happen to be in LA make sure to check out the space.



ARNETTE ALL-DAY ANTICS PRO JR. PRESENTED BY JACKS

rtunity hrough ry best to hear myself y Tigra ay. We decade mbuktu anyone

threeor their m sure

Words: // King

Words: Brent Bearden :: Photos: Brent Hilleman (*unless noted) // Albee Layer, Evan Geiselman, Kolohe Andino, Keanu Asing : Photo: Giuseppe Demasi // Keanu Asing // John Florence // Kolohe Andino // Nat Young // Michael Dunphy // Evan Geiselman // Keanu Asing // Christian Saenz // Conner Coffin // Ford Archbold On June 5th and 6th the Arnette All-day Antics Pro Jr took place at 54th street in Newport Beach. The surf was pumping all weekend and the juniors did not disappoint the crowd on the beach. This event had a lot on the line in the way of points because it was a 3-grade and there are only two 3-grades on the West Coast this year. So this event brought talent from all over the US, especially from Hawaii. This year’s wild cards went to Arnette athletes Jared Cassidy round of 48 and Ford Archbold round of 32. This is the first pro Jr. Ford has done this year and he came out firing. Ford brought out his bag of tricks but unfortunately his run came to an end in the quarterfinals. Michael Dunphy from VA Beach had a great run and made it to the semi-finals and earned some value points towards the ASP World Junior Champion.

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Keanu Asing, who was the runner up at the 2009 Arnette Pro Jr had his eye on the prize this year and came out firing on his backhand. This year he would not settle for anything less than a victory and he got it. “I’m just so psyched,” Asing said. “ I kind of had not such a good run at the last two 2-grade events, so coming here, making the finals again but getting the victory is a huge confidence booster.” All in all it was an outstanding event so be sure to log on to arnetteprojunior.com to see all the highlights.

RESULTS 1st Place Keanu Asing (Hawaii) 2nd Place Evan Geiselman (Florida) 3rd Place Albee Layer (Hawaii) 4th Place Kolohe Andino (Califorinia)



FRENDLY GATHERING

rtunity hrough ry best to hear myself y Tigra ay. We decade mbuktu anyone

threeor their m sure

Words: Nick Russell :: Photos: Jack Mitrani & Eric Jackson // Group Shot // Morning after. on the way to the gathering // Nick and Ejacks // Lago and Cole, Wednesday night in the desert // Scotty and Cole // Mason // Derek (Lagos Roommate) and Scotty trying to suate a Perch // Ejacks filling Genny // American scandle, Lago // Fire Pit // J Town getting the shot

There is no I in Frends. This world-renowned phrase proved to be true on the weekend of June 4th, 2010 in Crowley Lake, California. With the original guest list estimate nearing 500 confirmed attendees via Facebook, no one had the slightest idea of what the outcome would be. There are always uncertainties in life, the Frendly Gathering not being an exception to that fact. Where would this happening be held? What permits are required? How many people were really going to show up? After a huge group effort consisting of pizza party meetings and drunken rambles, the logistics finally seemed to be falling into place. Through all the years we’ve known each other,

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I have gotten to know Jack Mitrani pretty well. One thing I have learned is to never have a set agenda, especially when on any type of road trip. Detouring our way through California, we arrived Thursday morning at what was soon be Tent-City. It was a barren land of dust and dirt without the slightest bit of shade, placed refreshingly next to Crowley Lake. The first thing we noticed was a red car with Texas license plates following us. Olympic outcast Scotty Lago yelled out to them, and their reply was “we’re here for the Frendly Gathering!” A main attraction of Tent-City was broke back Danny (Davis) and Sebastian Runeare’s joint

tent set-up. It looked as if they had completely raided a Cabela’s and drove straight from Tahoe to the festivities. Their propane gas oven resulted in Dan and his girlfriend Hayley cooking up mean batches of cookies, pizza, and steamed veggies all weekend long. Highlights ranged from (Joel) Muzzey playing drums in a purple wig, to Luke (Mitrani) doing backflips off a paddleboard into the lake with a cast on his foot. Jack had brought out his full range of instruments and was jamming out the entire time. Mason held it down for one of the only people who went riding and I would say also made the podium for the weekend’s debauchery. John J was ripping around on his dune buggy, which later died and

he left in the middle of a mud pit for two days. I found a 4-wheeler floating around (Danny did not partake). T-Bird and Pat Bridges were there in classic form, chain smoking and Pat was drinking Smirnoff Ices. More than just a party nestled up to the mountains; this truly was the perfect cap to a season of tremendous emotional and physical stress. It was a chance to lounge out with friends whose company is few and far between. With no obligations or expectations, it was one for the record books. I hope to see you all at the next Gathering. Huge thanks to Amp Energy, Dragon and Frends!


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ART SHACK

rtunity hrough ry best to hear myself y Tigra ay. We decade mbuktu anyone

threeor their m sure

Words: Marni Brewster :: Photos: Michael Farmer & Derek Horner // Mike Shine next to his Shine Shack (2010) which is 18 x 30 feet and a replica of his home in the Bay area. // Jason Maloney next to his Amber Alert shack (2010) // Wolfgang Bloch with his installation Untitled No. 904 (2010) // Paul Frank with wife Susan Wang next to his piece Shacky Blue (2010). // Clayton Brothers, Clever to a fault // Mark Ryden and Marion Peck next to their Sweet Wishes Theater (2007) // Exterior of Shag’s An Aesthetic Instruction in ConspicuousConsumption, 2007 // Martin Wittfooth next to his shack Untitled (2010) // Travis Sommerville next to his piece 1963 (2009) // Laguna Art Museum Director Bolton Colburn, Art Shack artist Don Ed Hardy, and Art Shack Curator Greg Escalante. // Liz McGrath next to her piece The Folly of St. Hubertus (2010) On Saturday, June 12th, the Laguna Beach Art Museum welcomed nearly 1,400 visitors to their opening night reception for Art Shack, a group exhibition guest curated by Greg Escalante. Art Shack is where artists combine art and architecture and patrons can explore surf shacks, tattoo huts, retro shanties, and more. Early that evening, presenting sponsor Hurley hosted a pre-party at its 225 store in downtown Laguna Beach. Immediately following the pre-party was the official Art Shack reception at Laguna Art Museum which included drinks, the Taco Dawg food truck parked on the street, a photo booth, and the opportunity to view the new exhibition. This was also the only night that Kenny Scharf’s psychedelic Space Arrow trailer shack, parked on Cliff Drive, was available for exploration. Almost all of the artists made it to the party including Don Ed Hardy, Paul Frank, Marion Peck, Mark Ryden, Liz McGrath, Wolfgang Bloch, Travis Sommerville, Esteban Bojorquez, Mike Shine, Bamboo Ben, Sandow Birk, James P. Scott, Savanna Snow, Marnie Weber, Elyse Pignolet, Laurie Hassold, Jeff Gillette, Martin Wittfooth, Matthew Causey, Craig Stecyk, Jason Maloney, and the Clayton Brothers, among others. Art Shack is on display through October 3, 2010.

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TILLY’S 5TH ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT

rtunity hrough ry best to hear myself y Tigra ay. We decade mbuktu anyone

threeor their m sure

Photos & Words: Mark Willingham // Team Quiksilver with the victory // The motliest of motley crews // Tilly and the second place team // LRG’s finest: Robert // Brian & Jason at the auction // Josh & Carey Hart with Hezy // Casa Youth Shelter // Jody & Summer // James, Justin & Ken // Volcom’s best dressed // Asombroso thirst aid girl The Tilly’s 5th Annual Charity Golf Tournament went down at the El Niguel Country Club in Laguna Niguel last month to raise some needed funds for the Casa Youth Shelter, which serves the Orange County and greater Long Beach Metro area. All of the big wigs from the industry were on-site playing golf (some very poorly), donating to the silent & live auction, and drinking a bunch of Asombroso Fine Tequila from their “Thirsty Aid” Golf Cart hottie. The day started off with some killer Chronic Taco’s breakfast burritos then the teams quickly hit the holes. After some debauchery on the course, a couple hundred beers, and one broken window later, the players got their grub on at the Wahoo’s tent for lunch. Team Quiksilver took 1st place; Tilly’s very own Tilly Levine and team came in 2nd and Team Skullcandy got the coveted last place victory. Best dressed went to none other than

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Team Volcom… what a shocker. After the silent auction wound down everyone hit up the cocktail hour for even more drinks before a scrumptious dinner. Once the live auction began people pulled out their checkbooks and stepped up huge including Tilly’s very own CEO Hezy Shaked! Robert from LRG was the man of the hour, as he became a bidding machine. A big thank you to all the brands who participated including Billabong, Volcom, Hurley, Vans, Hart & Huntington, Fox Racing, SPY, Electric, Dickies, Oakley, Globe, RVCA, O’Neill, Rip Curl, Metal Mulisha, Nike 6.0, DC Shoes, Subculture, Beach Feet, Grenade, Atwater, Levi’s, and to Carey Hart From H&H for showing up! Of course the event wouldn’t have been possible without all of the work from Amy and the Tilly’s crew. Everyone in attendance had a blast but more importantly everyone came together to support a great cause… Mahalo!


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Photo & Interview: Jay Diebel Korey Dane is a singer-songwriter coming out of Long Beach, California. He is 20 years-old and has produced his first full length album “For the Kite Flyers” and has another on the way. With influences including Tom Waits and Elliott Smith, you can’t go wrong. Being a fan of those two as well, I was instantly into his first album. Korey Dane is on the rise, get behind the music. For more info, shows, videos and photos please visit koreydane.com. What made you start playing music and/or why? I don’t know what brought me to music. It all just kind of happened and kept happening. It was kind of expected in the community of people in which I grew up. Everyone seemed to have something they wanted to say or do, and I guess music made the most sense for me. How did Tess and the band come along? I contacted Tess while I was working on my first release and asked her to be a part of it. It’s really crazy how easily it worked out. She became one of my best friends and continues to blow me away. After our CD release show last year, I remember getting a phone call from my friend Fred Garbutt who played piano on a track. He left a message saying he wanted to play with us more often, and it just grew from there. Shortly after that we got the rest of the band together, which is now made up of Tyler Juarez on bass, Alex Medina on guitar and Jacob Minnis on drums. What has been catching people’s eyes/ears? Tess and I did handful of live videos with my good friend Dana Morris (Danamorrisphoto.com) that ended up on the Internet. They were always spur of the moment and we would just play a new song we wanted to try out. During the “Mother Father” video in my bedroom, you can see Tess kind of laugh even though the song is so serious. The atmosphere before and after is always funny as hell, but we usually get it done. What is your current/all-time favorite music? Imagine a dinner table with Dylan, Tom Waits, Morrissey, Elliott Smith and Billie Holiday all taking turns singing Moon River. Once they finish, Jeff Tweedy comes in playing Simple Twist of Fate and the Shangri-las fill in all the empty space. When then they all leave, a new group comes in. How’s your candy addiction going? Today I might have indulged a little too much but that was because I was expecting traffic. Other than that, it’s great. What’s up with the next album? We have all of the material ready, but we’re just figuring out all the logistical stuff. It’s looming up ahead. What’s after that? I think we’re just going to keep playing together as much as we can. I’ll write as much as I can, whenever I can. Once I start going crazy, we’ll tour. Aside from music, you skate too right? I’ve been rolling around since I was a youngster and grew up in the Long Beach skateboarding community, which was great. All throughout middle school and a lot of high school, before we could drive, my friends and I would take the bus downtown and skate until we were beat. It’s a little mellower these days but a lot of my friends are still on that program doing great things. Long Beach has such a good community for skateboarders. It’s unreal. I’m happy to see everyone doing well for themselves, and I’m still scrounging up boards and whatnot, so I can’t complain. What else do you do for kicks? When I’m alone and not writing I’m usually buried in books. My mother is an English teacher so growing up in her house was always filled with good literature. My old man works on old cars for a living and has a cool history with motorcycles and that kind of stuff. He rode speedway for a while and has had a handful of rad old bikes. We’re working on a 53’ Bel Air right now that might be done someday. I’m selling off my old Honda motorcycle soon and getting my Harley. Jay, you need to hurry up and get a motorcycle.

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REVIEW 104



AGE: 15 HOMETOWN: SAN CLEMENTE SPONSORS: O’NEILL, KUSTOM FOOTWEAR, LOST SURFBOARDS, ASTRODECK FAVORITE SURFER: DANE REYNOLDS & ROB MACHADO

S M O BY: R D G E T S RESEN S S ! L P B

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Photo: Kenworthy


877-680-0123 Š2010 Luxottica group. All rights reserved.


AGE: 15 HOMETOWN: NEPTUNE BEACH, FLORIDA SPONSORS: WORLD INDUSTRIES, VANS, NIXON, REDBULL, SUNRISE SKATESHOP FAVORITE SKATERS: MIKE PETERSON, JOHN CARDIEL

Board Slide : Photo: Ortiz

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877-680-0123

Š2010 Luxottica group. All rights reserved.




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